The “Mystery Science Theater 3000” crew returns to theaters with one of their all-time favorite crappy movies, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. On Thursday, Dec. 5, RiffTrax Live! will hit theaters nationwide with a live comedy simulcast ripping apart the bizarro 1964 family fantasy. The event will take place locally at Century 14 Downtown, Century Rio 24 and Cottonwood Stadium 16, starting at 7pm. Tickets ($10.50 to $12.50) are on sale now through Fandango.
Reel World: Pig Out Pig Out
They’ve been around long enough that they don’t qualify as “recent” transplants to Santa Fe anymore, but indieground (that’s indie and underground) filmmakers Jon Moritsugu and Amy Davis (Fame Whore, Terminal USA, Mod Fuck Explosion) are finally taking the wrapper off their first made-in-New Mexico feature. Pig Death Machine is a lo-fi horror-comedy involving contaminated tamales, brilliant bimbos, punk rock botanists, telepathic plants and animated meat. Think John Waters crossed with David Cronenberg and you’re halfway there. After screenings at several international film festivals—and a local premiere at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival—this cheeky freakout is finally hitting theaters around the state. It will play at the CCA Cinematheque (1050 Old Pecos Trail) in Santa Fe, Dec. 6-8, at 9:15pm. Moritsugu and Davis will be on hand to introduce the show and participate in a post-film Q&A. Tickets are $8, $6 for members. If you can’t make it up the road this weekend, it’s booked at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema on February 4. For more info on the flick—including a trailer—go to jonmoritsugu.com.
Reel World: Students Show Off Students Show Off
The University of New Mexico’s Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media Program will host an End of Semester Student Showcase, featuring student work completed during the Fall 2013 semester. The showcase is free and open to the public. It will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 12:30 to 1:30pm at the IFDM facility. Audience members will get a glimpse at the IFDM’s coursework in new and emerging technologies, including animation, film, photography, digital design, screenwriting, gaming and digital media ethics. The IFDM building is located in the east wing of the Aperture Center at Mesa del Sol (5700B University Blvd.), right next door to Albuquerque Studios.
Reel World: Southwest Christmas Southwest Christmas
The Reel New Mexico Film Series at the La Tienda Performance Space in El Dorado closes out with the holiday feature Christmas in the Clouds. This 2001 romantic comedy is set at a Native American-owned ski resort that has fallen on hard times thanks to a lack of snow. The film stars Mariana Tosca, Rita Coolidge, Graham Greene, M. Emmet Walsh and features a cameo by Santa Fe resident Wes Studi. The film will screen Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 7pm at La Tienda near Santa Fe. A suggested $5 donation gets you in the door. Go to reelnewmexico.com for directions.
