Gattaca

Announce the next Staff Birthday Pick to be playing at the historic Babcock Theatre! This time, we are celebrating the birthday of Executive Director Matt Blakeslee! The brainchild of Art House, the guy who started it all, Matt is once again another year older, and he will be celebrating with a special screening of one of his favorite films, the awesome 1997 sci-fi crime drama, GATTACA!

A film widely acclaimed which has been praised for more than 30 years, GATTACA is a bold step into the future where it explores dystopian, thought-provoking themes of surveillance, genetics, eugenics, and morality! Shot with a blend of noir elements and a retro-futurist aesthetic, GATTACA is an engaging sci-fi cult favorite starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman that is both an eerie look at possible things to come as well as a charming time capsule of 90s cinema! Come check it out and make sure to wish Matt a happy birthday!

Vincent Freeman is a “In-Valid” man living in a futuristic society fixated on genetic perfection. In a system where your role in society is judged by your genetic makeup, Vincent plans to cheat the system by assuming the identity of a member of the genetic elite in order to pursue his life goal of of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. However, when the system begins to detect discrepancies within Vincent’s plans, he attempts to evade the system, even though they could track him with any single cell shed from his body!

Eraserhead

Saturday, March 22nd, the historic Babcock Theatre is heading into the radiator with a special screening of the late David Lynch’s legendary, 1977 cult nightmare, ERASERHEAD, playing as this month’s film in our ongoing Late Night series! Playing in honor of Lynch’s recent passing, ERASERHEAD still remains one of the most unforgettable midnight movies out there, thoroughly embedding itself into the cult scene upon its release by treading experimental grounds no major studio dared to venture into! Taking five slow years to complete, this film is a cinematic labor of loves that simultaneously opposes the standard aesthetic content of typical films while exploring thought provoking themes (such as parenthood, strains in relationships, anxiety, and uncertainty in life) in a totally unique way that has never truly been matched before or since! A gritty, grainy black and white purgatory with strange set designs, a disorienting style, fever dream acting, and technical effects that have remained a mystery for years all come together to create a truly bizarre gem whose true purpose and meaning are still being debated and analyzed to this day, making ERASERHEAD one of the most memorable cult films of all time! Rest in peace, David Lynch!

Living in a strange industrial world, a meek printer named Henry Spencer struggles to handle the hostile atmosphere of his life. When visiting his girlfriend’s family for dinner, Henry learns she was pregnant with his child and has prematurely given birth to a malformed creature that they aren’t even sure is human. When his girlfriend storms out and goes back to her parents’ house after being unable to bear the baby’s cries, Henry is tasked with looking after the child. As the night goes on, Henry hears strange music coming from his radiator while his baby gets sick, and both he and the viewer begin to lose their grip on reality as his apartment becomes a phantasmagoric nightmare.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Friday, March 21st and Saturday, March 22nd, we are continuing our month-long celebration of J.R.R Tolkien’s legendary Lord of the Rings series with two special screenings of the EXTENDED EDITION of Peter Jackson’s fantastic adaptation of the second book in the trilogy, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, at the historic Babcock Theatre! This chronological successor to The Fellowship of the Ring brings the legendary story into much more atmospherically and aesthetically darker territory, full of ghastly creatures created with excellent special effects, and a sprawling hostile terrain with its two central structures constantly haunting the protagonists. With the titular spires acting as harbingers of doom for things to come, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS is a fantasy film of epic proportions, working as a crucial bridge between the beginning and the conclusion of one of the most widely celebrated fantasy series of all time!
Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship continue their dangerous journey of bringing the One Ring to Mount Doom in Mordor in order to destroy it, but their group has fractured and must now continue on separate paths with their own objectives ahead. With Frodo an Sam traveling alone to Mordor, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli search for Merry and Pippin, who were captured by orcs, both parties are destined to be drawn towards two towers: Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt dark wizard Saruman resides, and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dur deep within the lands of Mordor.

Mortal Kombat

March 19th, our monthly Nostalgia Night film is transporting the historic Babcock Theatre out of Billings and into Outworld with a special screening of Paul W. S. Anderson’s action-packed 1995 cult classic, MORTAL KOMBAT, in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary! An undeniably charming gem in the realm of 90s action films, this visual tournament fighter swept the nation by adapting the immensely popular arcade game of the same name, capitalizing on the American youth’s newfound interest in digitized violence! With the violence noticeable toned down (gotta sell those tickets to the kids!), MORTAL KOMBAT still makes an excellent effort at adapting the first two titles of the game series into a fully entertaining story. Full of fun choreography, special effects, and an absolute banger of a soundtrack, MORTAL KOMBAT is a standout film in the genre of video game adaptations (a genre that is very rarely correctly executed, even today) that makes for a perfect entry in our Nostalgia Night series!

Pi

Friday, March 14 is Pi Day, the unofficial holiday culturally celebrating the magic, mysterious number of the universe- so what’s a better way to celebrate than with a special ONE NIGHT ONLY screening of Darren Aronofsky’s astounding 1998 mind bender, PI, at Art House Cinema and Pub?! Aronofsky’s feature-length debut, PI is a masterpiece of 20th century independent film-making, boldly exploring ideas of consciousness, existence, chaos, mentality, and computerization, resonating strongly in a busy world on the cusp of a new century that is relying more and more on advancing technology to unlock the answers to the world’s problems. More relevant than ever in a now heavily computerized world, PI is a remarkable story of the pursuit of knowledge and the drastic measures taken by powerful people to control that knowledge. Gorgeously shot on grainy black and white film, that further accentuates the eye-catching cinematography as well as the urban decay of the film’s setting, PI is sensory marvel unlike any other, and you don’t want to miss it’s new remaster!

Reclusive mathematical genius Maximillian Cohen discovers a link between numbers and reality, making him believe he can predict the future. This leads him to construct a supercomputer that provides him with the key to cracking the stock market, as well as the potential to reveal the true name of Jehovah- a discovery that could bring about the end of the world. This incredible technology of his, however, brings him to the attention of both Hassidic priests and Wall Street gurus.

The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring

We are incredibly excited to announce that, this March, all month long, we will be celebrating Peter Jackson’s phenomenal trilogy of high fantasy epics that tell the story of J.R.R Tolkien’s legendary tale, THE LORD OF THE RINGS! Each week, starting on the 14th, we will be having a special Friday and Saturday screening of the EXTENDED EDITIONS of all three films at the historic Babcock Theatre, naturally beginning with the 2001 film, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING! A marvelous continuation of the wide and deep lore of Middle Earth that started with The Hobbit, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is a fantastic adaptation of the first book of the trilogy, setting the stage for one of the greatest adventures of all time! Full of remarkable, groundbreaking effects, a gorgeous score, awesome large-scale battles, and excellent acting performances, FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is fantasy story unlike any other, and arguably one of the very best book-to-movie adaptations of all time!

After inheriting a mysterious, powerful ring from his uncle Bilbo, Frodo Baggins is destined to leave his home on a perilous journey to destroy it and forever keep it out of the hands of its evil creator, Sauron. Guided by Gandalf the Grey, a wizard who has previously journeyed with Frodo’s uncle, Frodo is accompanied by a fellowship recruited to protect the young hobbit on his journey, consisting of swordsmen Aragorn and Boromir, elvish archer Legolas, dwarf Gimli, and Frodo’s hobbit friends Sam and Pippin. Dangerous encounters ensue with Ring Wraiths- Sauron’s deadly pawns, the dark sorcerer Saruman, Gollum- a strange creature obsessed with the one ring, and countless monstrous enemies as the group begins their trek into Mordor so they may get to Mt. Doom, the birthplace of the ring and only thing capable of destroying it!

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Our friends and sponsors at local art gallery and community space, Kirks Grocery, have suffered a loss. Mary Serbe’s former Chicago professor, Craig Harshaw, has passed away, and Mary is choosing to celebrate his life with a FREE ADMISSION screening of his favorite film, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s silent 1928 historic drama masterpiece, THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, at Art House Cinema and Pub Sunday, March 9th! Craig was known as an artist and an activist with an unmatched drive for creation and change, heavily impacting Mary and countless other students’ view on the arts and the world around them. Shortly before his passing, Craig created a massive list of his 400 favorite films, and this film was at the very top of the list. Taking this film as Craig’s epitome of art and activism, Mary has chosen this film in order to honor his memory. She says that it doesn’t matter if you never met him, but that he would have wanted you to see this film for your own sake!

An absolute classic of the silent era, THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC tells the legendary story of the doomed 15th century teenage warrior who has become an iconic martyr for centuries to come, still reflected upon today. A patron saint of France, Joan of Arc is put on trial for claiming she had spoken to God, leading her to participate in the Siege of Orleans under the guise of a man in order to help her country. Ridiculed and subjected to inhumane treatment at the hands of the church, Joan of Arc is abused as she is urged to change her story, but she stands by what she sees as the truth, result in a famously brutal execution that has permanently placed her as a martyr of liberation.

A gorgeously shot film, full of beautifully somber imagery and cruel narrative, THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC has widely been considered one of the very best films of all time for nearly a century, and remains a relevant film today for its heavy, boundary breaking themes of activism, perseverance, misogyny, hypocrisy, and religious irony. It is an absolute must see!

The Hobbit

We are very excited to already be announcing another FREE ADMISSION film as part of our ongoing Movie Buffs series! In preparation for our highly anticipated screenings of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we will be playing TWO free screenings of the 1977 Rankin and Bass animated adaptation of THE HOBBIT at the historic Babcock Theatre, presented by TDS Telecommunications LLC! This charmingly animated high fantasy tale has nostalgically stuck with viewers for nearly 50 years, memorably full of impressive artwork and captivating imagery as it retells the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnificent story of Middle Earth! It’s a great place to start with the series, and it’s unique presentation makes for an excellent film to play in our Movie Buffs series!

Bilbo Baggins, the titular Hobbit, lives his life peacefully in The Shire, until his occasional visitor, a wizard named Gandalf, drops in. Gandalf is shortly followed by a whole group of dwarves, and Bilbo soon finds himself tied up in their dangerous quest to reclaim their kingdom from an evil dragon known as Smaug! The dwarves believe Gandalf recruited Bilbo for his burglary skills, but this was a lie, and now Bilbo finds himself in the position of a reluctant, unprepared hero in the midst of a potentially deadly quest!

Se7en

March 7th, the historic Babcock Theatre becomes the scene of the crime as we attempt to crack down on a case thirty years in the making- and by that, I mean that we will be having a special screening of David Fincher’s remarkable crime thriller, SE7EN, in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary! A haunting and unforgiving mystery that has shocked viewers and embedded itself into their minds for three whole decades, SE7EN still remains one of the most gripping and profound examinations of violence, obsession, and the inner workings of the human mind to be released in the 20th century!

Seasoned detective Sommerset and his novice partner Mills are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose brutal and imaginative crimes are themed around the seven deadly sins. Examining one tortured victims remains after another, Sommerset does everything he can to get into the mind of the killer by studying the sins in order to attempt to find out when and where he may strike next, while Mills scoffs at his partner’s obsessive efforts.

Wicked

We’re excited to announce that we will be bringing back Jon M. Chu’s stunning, Oscar-nominated musical drama blockbuster, WICKED, with two screenings for ONE NIGHT ONLY, at the historic Babcock Theatre, Saturday, March 1st! One of the biggest hits of 2024, WICKED is a dazzling adaptation of the widely celebrated stage performance, filled to the brim with incredible costumes, set designs, musical numbers, and a story of the complexities of friendship for the ages!
Acting as a prequel to L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz, WICKED tells the story of Elphaba, a defiant young woman ostracized for her green skin. As she begins to attend a magic academy, she is forced to room with the privileged aristocrat, Galinda. The two start off on the wrong foot, but Galinda soon comes to appreciate Elphaba when she discovers her legitimate magic potential. When the two venture off in search of the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City, their friendship is tested as fate pulls them in the direction of the becoming Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West!

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