Moving Pictures

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NOLAN, FILM CRITIC

During the month of February the Belcourt Theatre’s Restoration Roundup series spotlights repertory film treasures that have been recently digitized in an effort to preserve these moving picture gems for future generations.

This series was a mainstay of the theater’s annual programming before 2020 when the pandemic up-ended the entire movie industry. Now, in the relative safety of these mostly-post-pandemic days, the Restoration Roundup is back to remind us of cinema’s central role in global popular culture and of the importance of preserving these pictures and sounds for all tomorrow’s movie audiences.

The Belcourt’s latest go-round of saved cinema includes a weird western, rock opera, a punk rock classic, and a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar-winner starring Michelle Yeoh just in time for Everything Everywhere All at Once ’s 2022 Academy Award nominations blitz.

Here are some highlights:

True Stories (1986)

David Byrne gives audiences a guided tour of the fictional Virgil, Texas in this weird patchwork film that reads like a David Lynch movie shot by William Eggleston. Byrne wears a cowboy hat and drives a red convertible as he introduces viewers to the folks of Virgil who are preparing for the “Celebration of Specialness” in honor of the 150th anniversary of Texas’ independence. Byrne created his story from the scraps of tabloid tales he read while touring with Talking Heads. The result is a unique portrait of weird suburbia that includes Spalding Gray at his Spalding Grayest, an incredible singing performance from John Goodman, a show-stealing cameo from Pops Staples, and even the answer to the question “Where did Radiohead get their name?” True Stories screens Feb. 6 as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays music movies series.

Tommy (1975)

Cinemaniac Ken Russell brings The Who’s titular rock opera to the big screen and creates a cornerstone of rock cinema in the process. The story of the “deaf, dumb and blind kid” who becomes a pinball champion and then a cult messiah is the stuff of rock music legend, and this film version of the classic double album features scene-stealing musical performances from Elton John and Tina Turner. Tommy screens on Feb. 13 as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays music movies series.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Director Ang Lee’s wuxia blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon tells the story of two veteran warriors (Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat) tasked with unraveling the mystery of the theft of the fabled 400-year-old Green Destiny sword. Gorgeous landscapes and otherworldly stunt work abound, but the most thrilling parts of this picture are YunFat and Yeoh’s performances as dedicated fighters whose unspoken love for one another is the brooding beating heart of this forever fantasy classic. While the film’s Yuen Woo-Ping-choreographed action sequences culminate in the famous floating fight in a bamboo forest, the shot I never forget features the two star-crossed warriors sitting perfectly still in aching silence. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon screens Feb. 17–23.

Times Square (1980)

Before director Allan Moyle made the anti-censorship classic Pump Up the Volume, he told this tale about a rich girl and runaway living out their punk rock dreams in New York City after they escape from a mental hospital. Trini Alvarado and Robin Johnson both give great young actor performances in this film. But this film’s reputation as a cult classic is mostly due to its saturated soundtrack which features songs from Patti Smith, The Cure, Lou Reed, The Ramones, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Robin Gibb, Gary Numan, Suzi Quatro, Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, XTC and more. Times Square screens on Feb. 27 as part of the Belcourt’s Music City Mondays music movies series.

Go to www.belcourt.org for a full list of the films in Restoration Roundup, tickets and times40.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.