SECRET MOVIE CLUB presents

Part of our HALLOWEEN-O-THON Series, Thursday, October 12, 2023

LOCATION: The Secret Movie Club Theater, 1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90021

*Please note entrance/parking is actually in the back of the 1917 Bay St building. Our entrance is NOT on Bay Street. You access our entrance from Wilson Street by turning into the street art alleyway/corridor in the back of the building. Look for our signs which are always posted on Wilson and in the corridor to guide the audience.

730pm CRUMB (1994, dir. Terry Zwigoff, Sony Pictures Classics, USA, 120mns, 35mm)

10p AMERICAN MOVIE (1999, dir. Chris Smith, Sony Pictures Classics, USA, 107mns, 35mm)

This Halloween-o-thon 2023, we wanted to look at some movies you might not think are horror movies yet on deeper consideration fit right in with the Halloween season. And two of the greatest documentaries of the last forty years seemed to fit perfectly.

First up is Terry Zwigoff's break out documentary CRUMB about legendary underground comic book artist and album designer Robert Crumb. Zwigoff has unbelievable trust and access not only from Crumb but from his family and especially from Crumb's two brothers, Charles and Maxon (hence why the movie is titled CRUMB instead of R. CRUMB).

The documentary is incredibly insightful to the times, moods, mores of the 1960's and 1970's. Viewed now from a 2023 lens, much of Robert Crumb's work (for underground comic books, creating FRITZ THE CAT which became an X rated animated cartoon, etc) is increasingly problematic. Even then it was problematic. But it is also undeniably singular and essential to the American art scene of its time.

Crumb's transgressive, problematic, fascinating comics (and his personal life) are all examined with surprising candor.

What makes the documentary so powerful (and unsettling) is seeing how Crumb's two brothers are in some ways equally as talented but struggle with much more difficult mental health issues. Their stories and the story of the Crumb family (headed by a disturbed and authoritarian father whose shadow looms over all the children)create a documentary that is humanist, funny, illuminating, but also unsettling. Robert Crumb's sisters refused to be in the movie because of their intense dislike for the misogyny (intentional or otherwise) that occasionally courses through his work.

A challenging and amazing movie. It is a look at an artist and how singular visions get formed (for better and worse). It is also one of the best documentaries of the 1990's.

We follow it with another amazing 1990's documentary, 1999's AMERICAN MOVIE which follows the sometimes inspiring, sometimes absurdly comic, sometimes tragic journey of Wisconsin filmmaker Mark Borchardt to raise money from his loving but deeply mysanthropic trailer dwelling Uncle Bill and make his horror feature film COVEN on 16mm.

Mark is aided by his ever loyal best friend Mike Schank (who tragically passed at the age of 56 almost a year ago). Though Mike may be a little fried from the drugs he's done, he's true blue. Mark's story, as painfully funny as it is, hits close to the bone for any moviemaker who has leapt off the cliff to make a feature.

Mark does anything and everything to film his scenes, cut them together, and get them ready for a premiere. All to raise money for the next, even bigger project.

A documentary about making a horror movie so you can raise money to make even more ambitious projects, AMERICAN MOVIE is the story of all of us filmmakers. God bless Mark and Mike.

Best always,

Craig Hammill

Secret Movie Club Founder.Programmer

*Please note that though we strive to always show titles on 35mm film if advertised, we may have to screen digitally if the print we receive is in such bad shape or if we don't receive the print in time because of a shipping delay. We will do our best to alert the audience. When this does occur, we will offer each ticket holder who chooses not to attend a complimentary ticket to a future event in exchange. (Disclaimer: Good for 90 days – Future screening must have available tickets, cannot be a fundraiser, and must be comparably priced)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

REFUNDS:

We can offer refunds up to 24 hours before showtime. Please request a refund through Eventbrite and we will process ASAP. After that, no refunds. Sorry.

However if something last minute comes up and you can’t make the screening, for whatever reason, just write to us before showtime: community@secretmovieclub.com and we’ll offer you complimentary tickets to a future screening, good for 90 days. (Disclaimer: Future screening must have available tickets, cannot be a fundraiser, and must be comparably priced)

HELPFUL SECRET MOVIE CLUB (1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, LA, CA 90021) THEATER PARKING TIPS:

We recommend that you park just outside our theater. Remember our theater is actually in a beautiful street art alleyway in the back of the 1917 Bay Street building. You get to our entrance by taking a right on Wilson, then a right behind the building. We are the first set of black steps on the right after the big gate.

There is also a parking lot at the corner of Mateo and Violet Street, just 2 blocks from our theater, which costs $7 per car.

HOW CAN WE STAY ON TOP OF NEWLY ANNOUNCED 35MM SCREENINGS, EVENTS, ETC?

You can follow us on Instagram/Twitter: @secretmovieclub or Facebook: @secretmovieclub35mm

You can also subscribe to our weekly email newsletter at secretmovieclub.com or by writing to us at community@secretmovieclub.com and using the header “SUBSCRIBE ME TO NEWSLETTER”.

HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU IF I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS:

You can always email us at community@secretmovieclub.com with any other questions, concerns, thoughts, recommendations.