- Not to overhype things, but the father of the man who will one day save the human race from extinction by robots is going to be in Omaha. That’s right, Michael Biehn will be at a screening of Aliens at the Joslyn Art Museum on May 24. Omaha film historian Bruce Crawford somehow persuaded the Newt-wrangling, Terminator-shootin’ actor to attend his latest event, tickets for which can be purchased at Omaha-area Hy-Vee stores for $24. It’s a chance to hear the late, great Bill Paxton declare that the game is, in his humble estimation, “over, man” while helping to raise funds for the Nebraska Kidney Association. My excitement is big enough to be visible to extraterrestrials, like a nuke launched from orbit.
- For us non-Westerosi, winter is now officially dead. It can’t snow in May, right? Film Streams is celebrating our freedom from the oppression inflicted by literal snowflakes with a bevy of spring events. For those whose lives don’t already feel cartoonish enough, the next offering in Courses should animate your soul. Fragments and Chaos: Animating Life runs from May 4 until June 1 and will explore “the history and development of animation as both an art form and an industry.” In other words, time to get your Miyazaki on, yo! The seminar will explore cel animation, rotoscoping and CGI, as well as my personal favorite: stop-motion animation. When it comes to animated techniques and my dance moves, the herky-jerkier the better. If you prefer actual humans to animated creatures for some super-weird reason, on May 7 at 7 pm, Film Streams is screening Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. A post-show Q&A will feature Victoria Riskin, daughter of Robert Riskin, who wrote the film, and Fay Wray, who once got grabbed by a stop-motion King Kong! Finally, the current Great Directors series features the work of Yasujiro Ozu and runs until Jun 27. If you’re not familiar with Ozu’s work, the Japanese master focused on loneliness and intergenerational tension before the invention of Twitter. Because you do have the internet, get more details and tickets for all of these events at filmstreams.org.
- Not to over-disclose, but May is my birth month, and Alamo Drafthouse got me the sweetest gift: a guy in a rubber suit fighting a sweater-eater. That’s right, on May 6 you can see Godzilla and Mothra on the big screen as part of the King of Monsters series, which has nothing to do with politics despite that name. This is all leading to the new big-budget Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which will also feature Rodan and King Ghidorah, so the only way it can disappoint me is if Matthew Broderick shows up. As I’ve often said, the only way to celebrate a birthday is with wanton global destruction of innocent civilizations. So thanks, Alamo!
Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on KVNO 90.7 on Wednesdays and follow him on Twitter.