Edgar Wright Announces THE WORLD'S END IS NIGHT Film Festival Lineup: 12 movies at the New Beverly to lead up to THE WORLD'S END August 23 premiere.
Director Edgar Wright has curated three seasons of his mini-film festival "The Wright Stuff" at the New Beverly since 2007. He just announced the lineup for a fourth round---this one under the heading "The World's End Is Nigh"---with a specific goal in mind:
"Now, to get you in the mood for the North American release of The World’s Endon Aug 23rd, I have put together 12 stepping stones to our new movie. The films are all great and all wildly diverse, but you will see some of the seeds of their influence in our new movie."
"Wildly diverse" may be an understatement, given the range from American Graffiti to The Terminator. See the full list of double features after the jump.
AFTER HOURS1985, USA, 97 min.Directed by Martin ScorseseWritten by Joseph MinionStarring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Teri Garr, John Heard,Catherine O’Hara, Linda Fiorentino, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong,Cheech Marin, Will Patton, Dick MillerFri: 7:30 pm; Sat: 3:00 & 7:30 pm
INTO THE NIGHT1985, USA, 115 min.Directed by John LandisWritten by Ron KoslowStarring Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dan Aykroyd,Bruce McGill, David Bowie, Richard Farnsworth, Vera Miles,Irene Papas, Clu Gulager, Kathryn Harrold, John LandisFri: 9:35 pm; Sat: 5:00 & 9:35 pm
I’m especially fond of the all-in-one-night movie and here are two cult classics of the sub genre that were both released in 1985. Scorcese’s ‘After Hours’ is better known than John Landis’ excellent ‘Into The Night’ but they both feature classic quirky leads in Griffin Dunne and Jeff Goldblum, along with incredible supporting casts. A dream double bill.
“Rock & Roll All Nite”
Sun-Mon, Aug 11-12
AMERICAN GRAFFITI1973, USA, 112 min.Directed by George LucasWritten by George Lucas and Gloria Katz & Willard HuyckStarring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat,Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark,Mackenzie Phillips, Wolfman Jack, Bo Hopkins,Harrison Ford, Suzanne SomersSun: 2:50 & 7:30 pm; Mon: 7:30 pm
DAZED AND CONFUSED 1993, USA, 102 min.Written and directed by Richard LinklaterStarring Jason London, Rory Cochrane,Wiley Wiggins, Adam Goldberg,Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey,Milla Jovovich, Ben AffleckSun: 5:10 & 9:50 pm; Mon: 9:50 pm
Two more all nighters in the form of George Lucas nostalgic look at ’62 and Linklater’s buzzy 70′s time capsule. The 1990 opening of ‘The World’s End’ was designed as a potted version of such rites of passage movies, so I can’t think of a better youthful double bill.
“We Are The Robots”
Tue-Wed, Aug 13-14
WESTWORLD1973, USA, 88 min.Written and directed by Michael CrichtonStarring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin,Norman Bartold, Alan Oppenheimer, Victoria Shaw,Dick Van Patten, Steve Franken7:30 pm
THE TERMINATOR1984, USA/UK, 107 min.Directed by James CameronWritten by James Cameron and Gale Anne HurdStarring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn,Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen9:25 pm
Two terrifying robotic performances in the unstoppable forms of Yul Brynner and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael Crichton’s future nightmare still feels extremely plausible and James Cameron’s breakthrough remains one of his very best films. I showed clips of both of these movies to the young actors playing the villains of our movie and they responded with terrifying dead eyed zeal.
“They’re Here Already!”
Thu-Fri, Aug 15-16
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS1978, USA, 115 min.Directed by Philip KaufmanScreenplay by W.D. Richter; based on Jack Finney’s novelStarring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum,Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy, Art Hindle,Lelia Goldoni, Kevin McCarthy7:30 pm
DEAD & BURIED 1981, USA, 94 min.Directed by Gary ShermanScreenplay by Ronald Shusett & Dan O’BannonStory by Jeff Millar & Alex SternStarring James Farentino, Melody Anderson,Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield, Nancy Locke, Robert Englund9:50 pm
The most paranoid double bill you’ll see this year. Philip Kaufman’s 1978 San Francisco masterpiece is one of the best remakes of them all and has been a massive influence on both ‘Shaun’ & ‘World’s End’. Gary Sherman’s nightmarish horror has, in New England fishing town Potter’s Bluff, a locale that is a creepy cousin to our Newtown Haven. Be prepared to never trust anyone ever again.
“Friends Reunited”
Sat, Aug 17
IT’S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER1955, USA, 101 min.Directed by Stanley Donen, Gene KellyStory and screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph GreenStarring Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Gray,Michael Kidd, David Burns, Jay C. Flippen3:00 & 7:30 pm
THE BIG CHILL1983, USA, 105 min.Directed by Lawrence KasdanWritten by Lawrence Kasdan & Barbara BenedekStarring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum,William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly,JoBeth Williams5:00 & 9:35 pm
These two films are the only features we watched prior to writing the first draft of ‘The World’s End’. One is the startlingly bittersweet Gene Kelly musical reuniting war time buddies in a New York bar ten years after WWII. The latter is the baby boomer classic by Lawrence Kasdan which brings old friends together after a friend’s suicide. Simon Pegg and I would joke that our new film would be like ‘The Big Chill’ if the dead pal was present at his own wake. Both are great, funny and sometimes dark movies.
“Happy End Of The World”
Sun-Tue, Aug 18-20
LAST NIGHT1998, Canada/France, 95 min.Written and directed by Don McKellarStarring Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, Roberta Maxwell,Robin Gammell, Sarah Polley, David CronenbergSun: 3:10 & 7:30 pm; Mon & Tue: 7:30 pm
THE ROAD WARRIOR1981, Australia, 95 min.Directed by George MillerScreenplay by Terry Hayes & George Miller & Brian HannantStarring Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston,Max Phipps, Vernon Wells, Emil Minty, Virginia HeySun: 5:10 & 9:30 pm; Mon & Tue: 9:30 pm
Two brilliant future shocks; one pre and one post apocalypse. Don McKellar’s quiet masterpiece is a criminally under-seen film about the last night on Earth. It’s been ripped off a whole lot, including by me. George Miller’s incredible second Mad Max instalment is rightly one of the most sci fi genre’s most influential design classics. A must see double.
“Thrills, Pills & Bellyaches”
Wed-Thu, Aug 21-22
WITHNAIL & I1987, UK, 107 min.Written and directed by Bruce RobinsonStarring Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths,Ralph Brown. Michael Elphick7:30 pm
24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE2002, UK, 117 min.Directed by Michael WinterbottomWritten by Frank Cottrell BoyceStarring Steve Coogan, John Thomas, Paul Popplewell,Lennie James, Shirley Henderson, Paddy Considine, Andy Serkis9:45 pm
To end the season a double whammy of British hedonism. Richard E Grant gives the finest drunk performance in all cinema (and from a tee totaller too) and Michael Winterbottom’s Madchester opus chronicles the coke and ecstasy laden saga of Factory Records. The former influenced our film in it’s whirlwind of a lead, so much so that some have called our new movie ‘Withnail And I-Robot’. And the music the latter is frequently at the heart of ‘The World’s End’.
