Cinema Showdown

"When you're a Jet/you're a Jet all the way/from your first cigarette/to your last dyin' day." Words to live by, if you're a Jet at least. I suppose it's a different story if you're a Shark. This Thursday, July 17, Cinema La Placita is rolling out 1961's West Side Story as part of their month-long "It's Not Easy Being a Teen" series. It starts at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $3. If you see Officer Krupke, make sure you're on the right side of the law.

There's been a picture causing quite an uproar on social media sites lately. The picture depicts a bespectacled and bearded man sitting down next to a freshly slaughtered large animal. All over the world people are calling for this man's head. Of course, we know what it really is. Oh, we know. It's a picture of Stephen Spielberg laying next to a Triceratops from the prop department on the set of Jurassic Park. But who am I to get in the way of a good lark? Jurassic Park plays at the Loft Cinema on Thursday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. They're about midway through the "Spielberg Summer" series, so catch the Great White Hunter's flicks while you can.

On Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19, the Loft presents a rarity for this weekend's Late Night Cult Classic. Jim Jarmusch's 1989 film Mystery Train doesn't get a lot of play, or a lot of love for that matter. I consider it his "lost" classic. The film takes place at a lonely Memphis hotel throughout the course of one very interesting night. Guests are visited by the ghost of Elvis, a liquor store robbery goes wrong and the hotel serves as a hideaway, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Spike Lee's little brother are the sole hotel employees. Tom Waits is heard but not seen as a late-night radio DJ, Clash frontman Joe Strummer plays a man down on his luck, and Steve Buscemi tries to make sense of it all. Catch it both nights at 10 p.m.

The annual Loft Kids Film fest starts up on Saturday, July 19 until Sunday, July 27. Some of the films this year include Pee Wee's Big Adventure, The Wizard of Oz, The Last Unicorn, National Velvet, Homeward Bound, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, How To Train Your Dragon, and much more! Each movie starts at 10 a.m., and admission and popcorn are free! Visit loftcinema.com for more details.

If your kids can't hold out for How To Train Your Dragon at the Loft, consider visiting Reid Park this Friday, July 18 for an outdoor screening on a 40-foot screen. The movie starts at 5:30 p.m., admission is free, and food trucks will be on hand for your snacking needs. Head on out to Demeester Performing Arts Pavilion, located at 900 South Randolph Way, and have a great time!

By Film...

By Theater...