Film Seminars | Discussions | Intros

The path of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s journey from relative obscurity to a rediscovered candy-coated midnight classic ran right through the Belcourt. To wit, a VHS tape rescued and fan-subtitled to an underground website went above board, found one of its first legit screenings in the Belcourt’s Midnight Movies program — for which a hand-designed screenprint was printed and sold as a bonus, its design picked up by Janus Films/Criterion Collection for its ensuing theatrical and BluRay releases — and HOUSE was reborn.

The fantastic exploits of He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) and his arch rival, the evil Skeletor (Frank Langella), are brought to the big screen for the first time in this high camp box office catastrophe.

To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

How the Belcourt Was Saved traces how grassroots organizers, staff, artists, and audiences helped transform the theater after 1999 into Nashville’s nonprofit film center and a leading American arthouse. This seminar explores the theater’s recovery, mission, and place in the city’s cultural and cinematic history.

Set in the post-Depression Tennessee Valley and concerning an idealistic young TVA administrator sent to clear land to be flooded by a new dam, Elia Kazan's film is a masterful recreation of a unique period in Tennessee history. WILD RIVER opened our Visions of the South series in 2011 — which we called “a survey of 20th century film depicting life in the southeastern United States from the inside and out” — and the first such mega-series of its kind.

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, the emergence of a worldwide pandemic forced the long-term closure of the Belcourt for the foreseeable future. The film that we were scheduled to open on the following Friday was Kelly Reichardt’s FIRST COW. Evoking an authentically hardscrabble early 19th century way of life, two westward travellers in the Oregon Territory start a successful business selling “oily cakes” (scones), but its longevity is reliant upon the clandestine participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow.

“Drive with a Dead Girl” — Donna and James wonder why Maddy left so suddenly. Norma's mother arrives with the news that she's married a new man, Ernie Niles. Cooper tells Leland they arrested Ben Horne for Laura's murder.
“Arbitrary Law” — Albert returns to examine Maddy. Cooper asks for 24 hours to finish his case. James and Donna reaffirm their love. Andy accidentally leads Donna and Cooper back to Mrs. Tremond's house.

In the 57-minute documentary MUD ON THE STARS: STORIES FROM ELIA KAZAN'S WILD RIVER, residents of Bradley County, Tennessee, celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elia Kazan’s film that put them on the big screen.

Part of Staff Picks and programmed by Coley, who says: “BABA BOOEY! Produced by comedy guru Ivan Reitman (GHOSTBUSTERS) and directed by Betty Thomas (CAN’T HARDLY WAIT), this biopic based on Howard Stern’s #1 New York Times best seller of the same name follows his meteoric rise from Boston University to WNBC in New York City. After conquering radio, TV and print, this film cemented Stern as the self-proclaimed “King of All Media.” Howard Stern is a national treasure and the greatest entertainer who ever lived.”

“Slaves and Masters” — The police look for James in the Marsh murder. Bobby and Shelly tell Truman that Leo escaped — and Bobby reveals that he saw Hank shoot Leo the night the mill burned. Albert returns to Twin Peaks with information on Windom Earle.
“Beyond Life and Death” — Agent Cooper follows Windom Earle and Annie into the depths of the Black Lodge. Big Ed and Norma get a shock when Nadine suffers head trauma. Andrew and Pete unlock Eckhardt's final box and Audrey stages an act of civil disobedience.

A feature-length documentary exploring Ralphie May — the comedian America couldn’t contain — and the personal and cultural crises that ultimately consumed him. Post-screening discussion with Lahna Turner, co-director of the film and wife of the late Ralphie May

Philip Hartman’s priceless artifact of New York’s pre-gentrification East Village follows down-and-out jukebox operator Macabee Cohn, played with deadpan melancholy by David Brisbin, who wanders the cheap tenements, dive bars and derelict streets of the East Village in search of a mysterious woman in a striped dress. Post-screening discussion with director (and Two Boots founder) Philip Hartman

MADDIE’S SECRET is comedian, writer and actor John Early’s critically acclaimed directorial debut, starring himself as Maddie, a plucky dishwasher who leaps to viral superstardom at a trendy food content creation company whose mounting professional pressures threaten to reawaken a hidden secret from her troubled past. A pitch-perfect blend of satire, melodrama, daring tonal shifts and intimate performances.

Part of Staff Picks and programmed by Erin, who says: “Mike Myers writes and stars in one of the greatest comedies of all time. Come see how this ‘shagadelic’ spoof holds up almost 30 years on!”