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April showers bring May movies! After an excellent April 2017 Triangle area classic cinema lineup, May 2017 follows. Check out what’s playing in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area this May.
At the Carolina Theatre of Durham, the Retro Film series screens flicks on Friday evenings. May kicks off with Mel Brooks’ “High Anxiety” and Carl Reiner’s “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.” Following on May 12, catch Preston Sturges’ “The Palm Beach Story” and Frank Capra’s “You Can’t Take it With You” on the big screen. The culturally relevant “1984” pairs with Alex Cox’s “Repo Man” on May 19. To close out the month there’s an awesome double feature of “Critters” and Fred Dekker’s “Night of the Creeps.” But as a pretty big “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” and accordingly Tom Atkins fan, I might be a bit biased. Shows start at 7 and it’s admission is a mere $9. On May 30 there’s a special screening of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” complete with orchestral accompaniment by Mallarme Chamber Players.
Meanwhile in Raleigh, Ambassador Cinemas hosts its own retro movies. May 15 sees Coen Brothers major film debut, 1984 cult classic “Blood Simple” back on the big screen at The Rialto. “Blood Simple” stars Coen Bros. frequent collaborator Frances McDormand, and features the seasoned John Getz. As part of its Cinema Overdrive series celebrating cult, gonzo action, and exploitation cinema, Mission Valley Cinema screens “Duck, You Sucker” aka “A Fistful of Dynamite” on May 10. This explosive Spaghetti Western remains Sergio Leone’s most underappreciated flick and stars Rod Steiger and James Coburn.
Also in Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of Art screens films as part of its Spring Films series. NCMA hosts “Wings of the Dove” on May 5 with “Casanova” following on May 12. In June, prepare for the NCMA to bring back its Summer series with outdoor screenings.
Flashback Cinema presents a slew of retro goodies as well. “Breakfast Club” on May 7 and May 10. The endearing 1965 classic “The Sound of Music” airs on May 14 and 17. Comedy gold “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” screens on May 21 and 24. Then to close out the month, catch Stephen Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” on May 28 and 31. You can catch Flashback Cinema in Chapel Hill at Silverspot as well as Park West 14 in Morrisville, and Wakefield 12 in Raleigh.
Fathom Events brings retro cinema back to the box office. On May 7 and 10, catch “Saturday Night Fever.” Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element” rushes onto the big scren once again on May 14 and 17. Finally, on May 21 and 24 there’s “Smokey and the Bandit.”
Deep South the Bar in Raleigh screens David Lynch’s commendably abysmal “Dune” on May 18. If you’ve seen this adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel of the same name, you know it’s a clusterfuck of epic proportions. But it’s still a fun movie to watch, and at least there’s alcohol to make “Dune” appear better than it is. I mean, it can’t get worse.
In Chapel Hill, barcade The Baxter gears up for its epic JawsFest. On May 7, catch “Piranha 2: The Spawning.” May 21 features “Godzilla vs. Destroyah.” And finally on May 28 there’s the epic JAWSFest 2017 which features a screening of “Jaws” and loads of other events. Showings are free, and there’s free IP3 pizza.
As the weather improves, watch for outdoor film screenings. Lumina Theatre in Chapel Hill kicks off its Movies on Market series with “Rouge One: A Star Wars Story” on May 27. In Raleigh, there’s the Downtown Raleigh outdoor movie series which debuts with “Mrs. Doubtfire” on May 26.
Did I miss something? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @mitchellclong and @Cup_Of_Moe. Happy watching!
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