I don’t want to jinx this.
The last time I declared the “Cutting Room” column to be officially back, Omicron exploded. I’m not saying that a column dedicated to previewing Omaha film happenings and other random thoughts caused a viral outbreak, but my writing has been accused of worse. Anyway, let’s not spook the good news. Let’s just quietly talk about what hit the cutting room floor this month.
- You can buy tickets to film historian Bruce Crawford’s latest tribute to classic films. “Classic” being used loosely here because Kevin Costner is involved. Oh, Kev won’t be here, but actor/author Dwier Brown will be for a screening of “Field of Dreams,” in which he played John Kinsella. At 7 p.m. Saturday, May 14, Crawford’s 46th film event will be held, for the first time, at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Tickets are $25 and available at all local Hy-Vee stores, with proceeds benefitting HELP Medical Services. It’s a cinematic celebration for a good cause, which is almost enough for me to let Costner back into my town. Almost.
- Given that counting on new releases is dicier than a bag full of D20s, pretty much all theaters in town have been trying out various things. More and more theaters are rolling out the classics. I’m still using “classic” in that very loose sense, as above, considering that Alamo Drafthouse is screening “Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter,” “Nicolas Uncaged: The Marathon,” and “Demon Seed” in May. That is a wide range of “classic” right there. It’s a far cry from the repertory series we’ve come to count on at Film Streams, which tends to skew a bit more “traditionally classic” and a little less “Demon Seed.” Marcus Theaters has been expanding into a lot more Bollywood offerings. I’ve heard just bonkers things about “RRR,” which is either pronounced as three Rs or a sexy growl, I can’t be sure. Speaking of sexy growl, ACX Cinemas has added movie-themed pub trivia offerings. All of this is to say that our local theaters are doing what they can to keep afloat. Whenever and however you feel comfortable doing so, I urge you to get out there. Full disclosure: I still wear a mask, pretty much at all times. Even when I’m alone … The point is, I want to keep this column going and those theaters alive, so let’s be safe and supportive, OK?
Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send relevant information to Ryan (film@thereader.com) and follow him on the Reader Film’s Twitter feed.