Film Event Highlights – August 2012
From Alien all-nighters to the cinematic poetry of Margaret Tait, these are the film events you should seek out in August
The All-Nighter: Alien Anthology at the Cameo in Edinburgh (10 Aug) gives audiences a chance to see five of the classic Alien films in chronological order – that is, starting with this year's Prometheus, a prequel set several decades before the events in the original 1979 movie. After this, Sigourney Weaver takes centre stage as Ripley in Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection. Sorry folks, neither Alien vs Predator films are included, but regardless it promises to be a tense, scary, action-packed night.
The Belmont in Aberdeen is hosting a series of comic book adaptations in its Drawn to Screen Film Season. On 6 Aug the neo-noir Sin City, with its excellent ensemble cast and highly stylised visuals, is screening, followed by the campy cult classic Flash Gordon on 13 Aug, and finishing with The Crow (20 Aug). The latter, an iconic Gothic revenge story, stars Brandon Lee, who tragically died on set during filming, as Eric Draven seeking retribution for the rape and murder of his fiancée, and his own death.
Mark Millar's Geek Film Nights continue at the GFT in August, with perhaps the geekiest film of all – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (5 Aug). Proof that sequels can be better than the originals, this 1982 classic stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the rest of the original cast as they try to stop an old nemesis, Khan, from using new technology for his own nefarious means, and is widely considered to be the best of the Star Trek film series.
Fans of Italian horror and the now-iconic video nasties should head to the GFT on 26 Aug, when Zombie Flesh Eaters is screening in all its HD, uncut glory. Lucio Fulci's zombie masterpiece, featuring an unforgettable fight between a zombie and a shark, as well as one of the best eye-impaling moments in cinema, will be followed by a special Q&A session with Fabio Frizzi, the film's composer, and is preceded by a trailer reel of some of the other ultra-violent, ultra-gory Italian films of the time.
The CCA in Glasgow is hosting the première of a new documentary by Marissa Keating and Michael Jones, in association with the Glasgow Women's Library. Margaret Tait: Film Poet is a portrait of the multi-talented artist, poet, and filmmaker, who died in 1999. The event, on 4 Aug, is free but ticketed – don't miss out on an interesting, insightful evening. [Becky Bartlett]