April is here, and spring is upon us! We do, however, live in Boston, meaning that we won’t be experiencing any real consistent warm, sunny weather for a few weeks now. Luckily, this month is host to an array of different film screenings, from a Jim Henson double feature to a little-seen cult hit. Here are the best film screenings to check out in Boston in April.
The Brattle Theatre
DOUBLE FEATURE
The Dark Crystal (directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, 1982): Sunday, 4/19 at 7:30 p.m.
Remember that movie you watched as a kid? Well, it may be darker and weirder than you remember. Let’s just say it’s no Muppets movie.
Labyrinth (directed by Jim Henson, 1986): Sunday, 4/19 at 9:30 p.m.
Speaking of somewhat off-kilter, bizarre family films by Jim Henson… This one is dreamlike and more than a tiny bit sexual. Fun for the whole family!
The Coolidge Corner Theatre
Singin’ in the Rain (directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952): Monday, 4/6 at 7 p.m.
The musical to end all musicals is also typically referred to as one of the greatest films of all time. Song, dance, and Technicolor? Swoon.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (directed by Charles B. Pierce, 1976): Friday, 4/10 and Saturday, 4/11 at 11:59 p.m.
If you like obscure, cult horror films from the ’70s, then chances are you’ll love this underrated diamond-in-the-rough. Creepy atmosphere, slasher scares, and just enough terrible comic relief to keep you on your toes.
Out of the Past (directed by Jacques Tourneur, 1947): Monday, 4/20 at 7 p.m.
If you aren’t too tired out from Boston Marathon (or 4/20) shenanigans, then be sure to catch this film noir classic, a favorite of Martin Scorsese’s.
Roar (directed by Noel Marshall, 1981): Fri., 4/24 and Saturday, 4/25 at 11:59 p.m.
This little-seen cult film comes roaring back to theaters, finally giving it the opportunity to achieve full-blown cult midnight movie status. Get your taste of so-bad-it’s-good B-movie heaven.
The Harvard Film Archive
The Saragossa Manuscript (directed by Wojciech Has, 1965): Friday, 4/17 at 7 p.m.
Barely seen by American audiences until the 1990s, this Polish film is something of an unheralded classic. It’s a strange, experimental, form-busting film that should be seen by any true cinephile.
In the Realm of the Senses (directed by Nagisa Oshima, 1976): Wednesday, 4/22 at 7:30 p.m.
If you like your foreign art-house classics steeped in eroticism, then chances are you’ve probably already seen this one. But it’s always worth a revisit! Sexually-explicit obsession the way it was meant to be seen.
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1974): Wednesday, 4/29 at 7:30 p.m.
Fassbinder updates Douglas Sirk for ’70s Germany, resulting in a beautifully-rendered melodrama that is rooted in reality and racial politics. Still deeply resonant and profound today.
The Museum of Fine Arts
Punch-Drunk Love (directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002): Friday, 4/17 at 6 p.m.
If you can consider a Paul Thomas Anderson (reigning king of American cinema) film to be underrated, this is the one the title would most likely go to. It’s a sweet, surreal, and abruptly violent ode to romance.
