Great news for fans of Ridley Scott: Starting Sunday, the New Beverly Cinema will be screening a double bill of BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT and ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT. Although both are out on DVD, these are films that really deserve to be seen on the big screen; this is an especially important chance to see the final cut of BLADE RUNNER in a theatre, since this version received only a token theatrical release last year before arriving on home video.

As an extra, added inducement, former Cinefantastique writer Paul M. Sammon will be in attendance at the 7:00pm Sunday screening of BLADE RUNNER. The author of FUTURE NOIR: THE MAKING OF BLADE RUNNER (Harper) will discuss the film and answer questions from the audience. He will also bring along some behind-the-scene photos of the making of the film.

Showtimes:

• BLADE RUNNER: Sun: 2:20 & 7:00; Mon-Thu: 7:30 only
  ALIEN: Sun: 4:40 only; Mon-Thu: 9:50
  

The American Cinematheque is presenting something called the Old Pasadena Film Festival. Unlike most Cinematheque events, this will not take place at either the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood or the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica; instead, films will be screened at various locations around the Old Pasadena district in Pasadena, sometimes with guests from the films on hand.

Although not a genre specific event, there are some fantasy, science fiction, and horror titles included:

• Anne Robinson will introduced WAR OF THE WORLDS at 10 pm on July 11 atop the School House Parking Structure.
• Tobe Hooper will introduce the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE on July 18 at 10pm in the basement of the School House Parking Structure.
• MARY POPPINS will screen at the Laemmle's One Colorado Cinemas on July 19 at 10 am.

See the complete schedule of events here.

This month, American Cinematheque is presenting a two-week series caleld Italian Grindhouse: Assault of the Deadly Celluloid. Many of the titles are Westerns and crime films, but on July 12 there will be a must-see event for horror fans: a giallo triple featuring including the rarely screened FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET (not on DVD), THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, and RED RINGS OF FEAR (not on DVD).

The first pair of films represents two-thirds of ario Argento's "Animal" trilogy, early thrillers noted for their stylish violence and eccentric titles (the other was CAT O'NINE TAILS). The other film on the triple bill is from director Alberto Negrin; I haven't seen it so I cannot recommend it.

However, the Argento films are definitely worth seeing, especially FOUR FLIES, which is just not easily available. The only time I ever saw it was at an Argento retrospective put on by the Cinematheque back in the 1990s; the screening sold out, and I remember a brown-nosing friend of mine trying to score points by offering his ticket to Quentin Tarantino, who arrived to late too buy his own.

Argento fans take note: On July 17, there will also be a screening of his later - and even better - film DEEP RED (a.k.a. "Profondo Rosso"), double-billed with THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY. DEEP RED is commonly considered one of the best of Argento's thrillers. DORIAN GRAY is a sleazy Euro-trash version of Oscar Wilde's novel, with all the sexual innuendo and homo-eroticism brought out of the closet. I have no idea what director Massimo Dallamano's intention was, but the result might be charitably enjoyed by a forgiving audience as a piece of intentional camp.

An operatic adaptation of David Cronenberg's 1986 horror film THE FLY (a remake of the 1958 film starring Vincent Price and Al Hedison) - which will makes its debut on Wednesday at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris -will arrive in the  U.S. on Septembr 7 at the Los Angeles Opera. Cronenberg himself is directing the Paris stage production. Placido Domingo is conducting the orchestra. David Henry Hwang (whose M. Butterfly was turned into a film by Cronenberg) supplied the libretto. The opera was composed by Howard Shore, who scored the film version, from which he sampled a couple of themes:

• "I love the characters," Shore said. "I wanted to write for a drama that I was familiar with, and that I had a certain inside view of."

  [...]

  Overall, the opera has a very different feel. The setting has been changed to 1950s America, which somehow seems more operatic than the 1980s. As Brundle, bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch has the unenviable task of performing arias in his birthday suit as he climbs in and out of the teleport machine. (Mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose is Quaife.) The retro set design is evocative of 1950s horror flicks. And there's something thrilling about the old-school special effects — terrifically gruesome costumes, a singing teleport machine and a giant fly scaling an opera set. "It is in some ways a translation of the movie to the stage," Cronenberg said. "But it's its own creature."

• One of the biggest bamboozlers is Ovsanna Moore, a seductive centuries-old vampire currently producing and acting in B-movies with titles like Vatican Vampyres. When humans and vampires in her studio entourage begin dying spectacularly gruesome deaths, Ovsanna knows that someone is specifically targeting her. Since it's just a matter of time before investigating detective Peter King uncovers Ovsanna's vampire pedigree, she must solve the mystery or “die” and resurface somewhere else. Alternate chapters from Peter and Ovsanna's limited points of view build narrative tension. Briskly paced and full of fang-in-cheek humor, this novel is one of the more entertaining recent works of supernatural noir.

Barbeau's ex-husband, writer-director John Carpenter, apparently enjoyed the book enough to provide a funny, favorable quote: "Sexy, funny and gory - and that's just the first chapter. If I'd known she could write like this, I would've stuck around a little longer."

Here is a list of Bareau's Southern California book tour appearances below the fold

• July 16 @ 7:00pm: The Americana Barnes & Noble in Glendale, CA
• July 19 @ 2:00pm: Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA
• July 23 @ 7:30pm: Book Soup in West Hollywood, CA
• July 26 @ 1:30pm: San Diego Cnvention Center in San Diego, CA
• July 29 @ 7:00pm: Mysteries to Die For in Thousand Oaks, CA
• August 10 @ 3:00pm: Books Inc. in Palo Alto, CA

MY WINNIPEG - the "docu-fantasy" from cult director Guy Maddin - opens for a one-week run today at the Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles.

Cinefantastique Online has an interview with Maddin, which you can read here. The Los Angeles Times has a review of the film here.

I've never quite warmed up to Maddin's eccentric cinematic aesthetic. DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY was watchable because I find the subject matter interesting (a sort of silent-movie ballet version of Bram Stoker's tale), but more recently I found BRAND UPON THE BRAIN to be an absolutely tedious exercise.

Still, the new film sounds interesting. As Dan Person's says in his intro to CFQ's Maddin interview:

• Wait, MY WINNIPEG is a documentary? You mean all the stuff about horses freezing in the river and becoming a major attraction for strolling lovers, and the law requiring that former homeowners be permitted entry into their old abodes for the night, not to mention the rooftop homeless community and the faux Nazi invasion, all that stuff is real? Yup, the director swears it. But then again, the director is Guy Maddin, he of the dream-state narrative and the retro shooting style, the man who has made a virtue of taking incredible notions and making them feel as if they’d always been part of the landscape. Tapping pasts both personal and municipal, wrapping them in a Mobius strip fantasy about an endlessly thwarted, train-bound escape from the city of his youth, the director has created a factual film that feels no less incredible than his most surreal efforts.

The Hollywood Films Festival will be returning to the ArcLight Cinemas on October 22. Unlike many major mainstream festivals, this one shows a certain respect for fantasy, horror and science fiction. The festival has announced its Call for Entries for these often neglected genres:

• "Film festivals have always been very supportive of independents. Unfortunately, indie sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres often get left out of typical festival programs. How will we discover the next Peter Jackson if festivals do not support young filmmakers who create fantastic visions? I'm ecstatic to team up again with the Hollywood Film Festival to showcase cutting-edge new work from indie genre filmmakers. I'm proud that Film Threat's editor-in-chief Mark Bell as well as the Film Threat staff, will be involved in the selection process with the goal to feature the best of the next generation of filmmakers," said Film Threat founder Chris Gore.

Read the full press release here. For more information on submissions, go here.

The Los Angeles Film Festival revs up this week, starting on June 19 and running through June 29. A combination of independent films and Hollywood blockbusters, the fest includes numerous science fiction, fantasy, and horror titles, such as JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY.

• CARGO 200 (Russian, 2007, Dark Wave). Monday, June 23 @ 9:30pm - The Landmark. Thursday, June 25 @ 10:00pm - AMC Avco Center
• CINEMATIC TITANIC (USA, 200 . Saturday, June 21 @ 8:30pm - John Anson Ford Amphitheatre.
• COFFEE: AESOP ROCK (USA, 2007, music video). Saturday, June 21 @ 7:00pm - Italian Cultural Institute. Friday, June 27 @ 7:15pm - The Landmark.
• FEAR(S) OF THE DARK (France, 2007, International Showcase). Friday, June 20 @ 4:30pm - The Landmark. Tuesday, June 24 @ 9:45pm - AMC Avco Center.
• HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY (USA, 2008, Galas). Saturday, June 28 @ 6:30pm - The Regent. $100.
• I LOVE SARAH JANE (Australia, 2007, Shorts Program 3). Sunday, June 22 @ 1:30pm. Mann Festival Theatre. Tuesday, June 24 @ 10:00pm - Majestic Crest Theatre.
• JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (USA, 2007, Family Day Screenings). Sunday, June 29 @ 3:00pm - Mann Village Theatre.
• LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Sweden, 2007, Dark Wave). Friday June 20 @ 10:30pm - AMC Avco Center. Saturday, June 21 @ 10:00pm - The Landmark.
• THE LOST BOYS (USA, 1987, Anniversary Screening). Tuesday, Juen 24 @ 10:00pm - Mann Festival Theatre.
• PINATAS REVENGE (USA, 2007, Short Film Competition). Sunday, June 22 @ 9:45pm - The Regent. Thursday, June 25 @ 10:00pm - The Landmark.
• PLANET OF THE APES (USA, 1968, Anniversary Screening). - Saturday, June 21 @ 8:30pm
• TERMINUS (Canada, 2007, Shorts Program 4). Saturday, June 21 @ 4:30pm - Majestic Crest Theatre. Friday, June 27 @ 4:30pm - Majestic Crest Theatre.
• X-CROSS (Japan, 2007, Dark Wave). Friday, June 20 @ midnight - Majestic Crest Theatre. Wednesday, June 25 @ 7:30pm - The Landmark.

• A Conversation with Guillermo Del Toro. Thursday, June 26 @ 7:00pm. Majestic Crest Theatre. Free
• Kodak Focus: Gullermo Navarro. Saturday, June 28 @ 1:30pm. The Landark. Free
• Spaced: Invasion USA - A Conversation with Edgar Wright. Tuesday, June 24 @ 7:00pm.
• X-FILES Sneak Peak. David Duchovny, Chris Carter, and Frank Spotnitz will show clips from the upcoming feature film sequel. Sunday, June 22 @ 7:00pm.

The New Beverly Cinema has just added NIGHTS OF TERROR (a.k.a. BURIAL GROUND) as a midnight movie this Saturday, June 14.

This 1981 opus is one of many Italian rip-offs to follow in the wake of 1979's DAWN OF THE DEAD. I haven't seen this one, but the trailer makes it look like fun. On the other hand, the trailer shows so much that you might not need to see the movie!