Unbelievable Indie Sci-Fi Adventures & This Week’s Must-See Movies in L.A.!

Hi there! My name is Mark Olsen. I’ll be your guide through the wonderful landscape of Only Good Movies.

In our continuing series exploring films from 1999, Josh Rottenberg took a deep dive into the advertising strategy of “The Blair Witch Project,” a film that debuted at Sundance with a budget of just $60,000 and managed to gross nearly $250 million worldwide.

The movie’s ingenious use of internet marketing and a promotional campaign that had many convinced the film’s found-footage mystery was real, catapulted the film into a cultural phenomenon. Its impact is still evident today, even in recent horror successes like “Longlegs.”

John Hegeman, who was the head of marketing at Artisan Entertainment, the film’s distributor, said in a 1999 interview with The Times, “There are numerous ways to reach people without just throwing money at them. When people claim something is impossible, that’s all the motivation needed to prove that, indeed, it is possible.”

An Indie Sci-Fi Adventure

The UCLA Film and Television Archive has initiated a summer sci-fi series to serve as a sneak peek for a larger science fiction program scheduled for later in the year. The current lineup, which begins Saturday night with a double-feature of Darren Aronofsky’s “Pi” and Shinya Tsukamoto’s “Tetsuo: The Iron Man,” emphasizes independent films. These movies, which combine mind-bending ideas with imaginative low-budget visual effects, deserve to be experienced on the big screen.

The series continues on Sunday with Kogonada’s 2021 “After Yang,” featuring Colin Farrell, and Duncan Jones’ 2009 “Moon,” starring Sam Rockwell. These films are deeply emotional and tackle the complex question of what it means to be human.

Other films in the series include Boots Riley’s “Sorry to Bother You,” starring Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, Nacho Vigalondo’s “Timecrimes,” Shane Carruth’s “Primer,” Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s “Something in the Dirt” and Sofia Alaoui’s “Animalia.” Two ’90s titles, Stuart Gordon’s “Space Truckers,” starring Dennis Hopper, and Phillip R. Ford’s “Vegas in Space” are also on the program.

Duncan Jones, in an interview about the original release of “Moon,” explained his admiration for the sci-fi films of the 70s and 80s, such as “Silent Running,” “Outland,” and “Blade Runner,” which served as an inspiration for him. His thoughts aptly describe what makes the films in the UCLA series so special.

“Those films focused on human beings, not just on action sequences or special effects,” Jones stated. “They were character-driven films set in unusual or alien environments. That’s where the science fiction element came in, but at their core, they were about people. This approach is quite different from most science-fiction films made today.”

William Friedkin’s ‘Sorcerer’ Returns

The Vista Theater announced on Wednesday a week-long screening of William Friedkin’s 1977 film “Sorcerer” starting on Friday. The film will be shown in a rare 35mm print with a four-track magnetic soundtrack, promising a deeply immersive and hypnotic audio experience, especially with the throbbing electronic score by Tangerine Dream.

The film, an intense thriller, was initially a notorious failure with critics and audiences but has since amassed a devoted cult following. Based on the same novel as the 1953 Henri-Georges Clouzot thriller “Wages of Fear,” the film chronicles the harrowing journey of a group of desperate men tasked with transporting a truckload of nitroglycerine through a treacherous jungle.

In 2013, just before receiving the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Friedkin spoke to The Times’ Kenneth Turan. The only film Friedkin wanted shown as part of his tribute was “Sorcerer.”

In 2014, Oliver Gettell also interviewed Friedkin about the film. The filmmaker stated, “‘Sorcerer’ is the film I believe is my best work because it came closest to my original vision. I wouldn’t change a single frame of ‘Sorcerer.’”

The film’s initial release came a week after “Star Wars,” which many attribute as one of the reasons for the film’s initial failure. When asked why he thought the film didn’t resonate with audiences at the time, Friedkin replied, “I have no way of knowing that. I just don’t know.”

He went on to say, “There are aspects of life we can’t control, and that’s one of the central themes of ‘Sorcerer.’ No matter how hard you fight, a successful outcome is never guaranteed.”

Noteworthy Mentions

‘Love & Basketball’ in 4K

This Saturday, the Academy Museum will screen Gina Prince-Bythewood’s 2000 debut film, “Love and Basketball,” in 4K as part of their “Summer in the City: Los Angeles Block by Block” series. The film, which was recently added to the National Film Registry, tells the tale of two young neighbors and competitive basketball players (Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) who discover their shared love for the game extends to each other. Lathan will be present for a discussion prior to the screening.

In 2020, Sonaiya Kelley compiled an oral history of the film, speaking to Prince-Bythewood, Gabrielle Union, Lathan, Epps, Alfre Woodard, Tyra Banks, Regina Hall, and Spike Lee.

As Kelley put it, “[Love and Basketball” led generations of moviegoers to envision new possibilities for themselves in love and offered a glimpse into a seldom-portrayed aspect of black life.”

Prince-Bythewood said, “When I first started writing it, my goal was to create a black ‘When Harry Met Sally.’ I love that movie, but I wasn’t seeing myself in movies like that, in love stories. … As an artist, you hope you’re making art that resonates and reaches people, but you never know. So the fact that 20 years later we’re still talking about my first film is humbling and amazing to me. Especially when I think back to trying to get it made and knowing how many times it was dead in the water.”

In his original 2000 Times review, Eric Harrison wrote, “Accomplishing all of this in her first movie is about as challenging as making a three-point shot from center court at the buzzer with the score tied and Magic Johnson on defense.”

A Tribute to Colin Higgins

The documentary “Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins,” an affectionate tribute to the writer of “Harold and Maude” and “Silver Streak” who would go on to direct “Foul Play,” “9 to 5” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” will have a one-week Academy qualifying run at the Nuart. Directed by Higgins’ longtime friend and colleague Nicholas Eliopoulos, the profile is narrated by Cybill Shepard and Higgins’ brother, Brian Higgins, who reads excerpts from the filmmaker’s interviews.

Higgins passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1988 at the age of 47, and Eliopoulos began work on the documentary shortly after, capturing heartfelt tributes at a DGA memorial service from Goldie Hawn, Shirley MacLaine, Dudley Moore, and Bud Cort. The film features interviews with “9 to 5” stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton, as well as Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens), who composed songs for “Harold and Maude.” The documentary’s long production period is evident in the fact that several interviewees, including Charles Durning, Arthur Hiller, and Dom DeLuise, have since passed away.

Eliopoulos will be present at the 7 p.m. show on Saturday for a Q&A session moderated by Kat Kramer, with surprise guests.

Ang Lee’s ‘Lust, Caution’ in 35mm

On Monday, Vidiots will screen Ang Lee’s sensual romantic drama “Lust, Caution” in 35mm. The film, released in 2007, was initially overshadowed by controversy over its NC-17 rating due to explicit sex scenes. However, the film’s stunning beauty, epitomized by its stars, Tony Leung and Tang Wei, is undeniable. The cinematography was done by Rodrigo Preito, who recently worked on “Barbie” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

When the film was first released, Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote, “An introspective exploration of the disturbing power and tragic cost of emotional and political deceit, the Chinese-language ‘Lust, Caution’ seeps into your consciousness with its exploration of what constitutes love and what does not. … Lee has crafted a film of ambition and accomplishment, one that both encapsulates all he has learned and promises even greater achievement in the future.”

In Other News

‘Kneecap’ Hits the Big Screen

After our preview screening last week, the film “Kneecap” is now playing in theaters. Based on the controversial Irish-language rap trio from Belfast, the film has a mythical energy similar to that of “Purple Rain,” “Spice World,” or “8 Mile.”

I had the opportunity to speak with filmmaker Rich Peppiatt and band members Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí during their recent visit to Los Angeles.

Peppiatt described the film as “a real-time biopic” and highlighted what he found so inspiring about the band’s defiant attitude, saying, “I found it incredibly inspiring and political, the idea of rejecting even the language of the country that you lived in. To say, ‘You know what? I don’t only not recognize this country that I live in, but I’m going to reject the very language.’ It was a powerful statement about your beliefs.”