Look sharp: Alamo Drafthouse L.A. to host a Knives Out-inspired film series curated by Rian Johnson
In case you haven’t heard, writer-director Rian Johnson has quickly emerged as one of the most promising filmmakers of our time. Thanks to a quietly modest film called Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi he’s now an immovable part of one of our biggest cultural markers. And while the intense spotlight might make some filmmakers (understandably) want to hide, Johnson finds time to talk shop with fans via Twitter. He explained why in an interview with The A.V. Club’s Katie Rife:
“You spend all your time making these movies with your head down, working with your little group. And then when you put them out there, the fantastic upside of being on social media is you get to talk to people about it. People that I never would have had any contact with, suddenly being able to hop into a conversation with them …”
In that spirit, Alamo Drafthouse Los Angeles is hosting a screening series curated by Johnson himself for the first two weeks of December called Knives & Knaves. The series will feature the films that inspired his utter romp of a whodunit, Knives Out, as well as a chance to win prizes and view exclusive photography from the premiere. In addition, Johnson himself will be stopping by the Alamo Drafthouse prior to the screening of The Last Of Sheila on December 15 for a pre-screening conversation as part of Vidiot’s Tales from the Video Store series. Some of the films in the lineup are rarely screened, so this is an opportunity to check out some rare finds and maybe ask a premier filmmaker some cool questions. (And we must emphasize the word questions here, not comments. You know who you are.)
Those who watch all six films in the series and any screening of Knives Out at the Alamo Drafthouse can enter to win a Mondo Knives Out collectible print and vinyl. Check out the Knives & Knaves series reel and schedule below. Ticket are on sale with the Alamo Drafthouse L.A. now.
KNIVES & KNAVES – The films that inspired KNIVES OUT, curated by Rian Johnson.
Full series description and tickets can be found here.
GOSFORD PARK (December 2)
Set in 1932, Robert Altman’s gorgeous murder mystery is packed with the classiest actors in Hollywood, from the smoldering Clive Owen to the elegant Helen Mirren. A richly clever whodunit with scandalous secrets from the upstairs guests and downstairs servants. Bring your best detective skills and see if you can beat the bumbling Inspector Thompson (Stephen Fry) to the truth. Hint: You probably can.
DEATHTRAP (December 4)
Sidney Lumet’s adaptation of Ira Levin’s cat-and-mouse Broadway who’ll do it! A suspense smash about a once-prominent playwright, who has suffered a recent series of flops, comes into possession of a new play written by one of his former students. Impressed by the work, the playwright decides to kill his former pupil and market the work as his own.
DEATH ON THE NILE (December 8)
A murder is committed on a Nile steamer, but detective Hercule Poirot is on board to solve the case. Based on an Agatha Christie novel and sporting an fantastic cast this who dunnit will have you guessing all the way to the end!
SLEUTH (December 11)
A man who loves games and theater invites his wife’s lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results. Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier were both nominated for Best Actor Academy Awards for their brilliant performances in this classic cat and mouse thriller directed by the seminal Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
EVIL UNDER THE SUN IN 35MM (December 14)
One of two Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov) titles in our series, this one finds him being summoned to an island resort filled with the rich and famous in a mission to discover how a millionaire wound up with a phony diamond. But when a murder is committed, Poirot’s focus shifts – everyone has an alibi. Who could the killer be?
THE LAST OF SHEILA IN 35MM (December 15)
*With a pre-screening conversation featuring Rian Johnson
A year after Sheila is killed, her multi-millionaire husband invites a group of friends to spend a week on his yacht playing a scavenger hunt-style mystery game. What starts as fun and games becomes something much more than anyone bargained for. This beloved, Herbert Ross directed murder mystery is a must for any fans of escape rooms, scavenger hunts and whodunits. Written for the screen by Anthony Perkins and Stephan Sondheim, the screenplay was based on scavenger hunts they would write for their industry friends in early ‘70s Manhattan.