House Party—On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20, the Guild Cinema in Nob Hill will be hosting the Southwestern premiere of the new horror flick The Halfway House. The film stars cult icon Mary Woronov (Eating Raoul, Rock 'n' Roll High School, Death Race 2000) and is best described as a campy mixture of monster movie, nunsploitation and the ever-popular “girls in prison” genre. The film's writer/director, the one and only Kenneth J. Hall (Puppetmaster, Evil Spawn, Dr. Alien, Nightmare Sisters), will be in town to introduce the film, which begins at 10:30 p.m. each night. Also in attendance will be one of the film's main stars, Albuquerque's own homegrown scream queen Stephanie Leighs (The Stink of Flesh, Pretty Dead Things). Hall and Leighs will participate in a question-and-answer/autograph session following each screening. Tickets are $7 and are available at the door of the Guild Cinema. For more information, log on to www.halfwayhouse-movie.com or www.stephanieleighs.com.
Reel World
Bollywood Blowout—In honor of Diwali (the Hindu holiday festival of lights), there will be a special Bollywood Movie Night at the historic Lobo Theater in Nob Hill (3007 Central NE). On Friday, Nov. 19, beginning at 9 p.m., there will be a screening of the hit Indian film Devdas. This 2002 film is an adaptation of Saratchandra Chatterjee's classic novel (filmed several times before), which relates the story of the epic bond between a rich Indian lad and his lifelong (but forbidden) love. There's singing too. The screening is free and open to the public.
Reel World
Starport Soirée—In case you hadn't noticed all the dust and construction over the past few months, you should know that the Starport Theater at Cottonwood Mall is ready for its grand reopening. The United Artists-owned West Side theater has added six new stadium-style screens upstairs, bringing the grand total of theaters to 16. This week features assorted preview parties, allowing audiences to check out the new facilites for a fraction of the regular price. On Thursday, Nov. 18, for example, there will be a Toys for Tots charity event. Bring in a toy and get a free family admission to one of ten different family films–from Garfield to Shrek 2. On Friday, Nov. 19, the upstairs theaters open to the public with a regular schedule of new feature films.
In addition to the new screens, the Cottonwood Starport will be adding a new “Babyflix” series. Every Tuesday at noon, the theater will set aside one screen for parents with infants. Theaters will be brighter, soundtracks will be lower and baby changing tables will be available. For more information on these and other events, call the theater at 897-6858
