Guilty Pleasures
Guilty Pleasures celebrates cult classics and fan favourites. Fabulous for their flaws and excesses, these films have an indefinable quality that transforms them into popcorn-munching escapism.
Flash Gordon 1980 PG
Fri 20 Jan 9.00pm and Sun 5 Feb 3.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY STEREO, 111 MINUTES, USA/UK, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: MIKE HODGES / BASED ON THE COMIC CHARACTERS CREATED BY ALEX RAYMOND / SCRIPT: LORENZO SEMPLE JR, MICHAEL ALLIN, ALEX RAYMOND / CINEMATOGRAPHER: GILBERT TAYLOR / EDITOR: MALCOLM COOKE / MUSIC: HOWARD BLAKE / CAST: SAM J JONES, MELODY ANDERSON, MAX VON SYDOW / PRODUCTION CO: STARLING FILMS, DINO DE LAURENTIIS COMPANY / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARK CIRCUS
‘Flash, Flash, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!’ Intentionally camp — writer Lorenzo Semple Jr was a key contributor to the 1960’s Batman television series — Flash Gordon follows the heroic adventures of football star ‘Flash’ Gordon as he romps through the galaxy trying to save earth from the nefarious Ming the Merciless. Filled with showy sets and costumes, the film is accompanied by a throbbing soundtrack by Queen.
Barbarella 1968 M
Fri 27 Jan 8.30pm and Sat 18 Feb 6.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 98 MINUTES, FRANCE/ITALY, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: ROGER VADIM / BASED ON THE COMIC CHARACTERS CREATED BY JEAN-CLAUDE FORREST / SCRIPT: VITTORIO BONICELLI, CLEMENT BIDDLE WOOD, BRIAN DEGAS, TUDOR GATES / CINEMATOGRAPHER: CLAUDE RENOIR / EDITOR: VICTORIA MERCANTON / CAST: JANE FONDA, JOHN PHILLIP LAW, ANITA PALLENBERG, MILO O'SHEA, MARCEL MARCEAU / PRODUCTION CO: DINO DE LAURENTIIS CINEMATOGRAFICA, MARIANNE PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD CLASSICS / RIGHTS: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Replete with go-go boots and skin-tight space suits, sexploitation classic Barbarella stars Jane Fonda in the titular role of a voluptuous interstellar agent in search of a missing inventor. Forced to land on the planet Lythion, Barbarella must battles carnivorous dolls, an evil Black Queen and the wicked scientist — all while seducing men to assist her in the completion of her mission.
Tales from the Crypt 1972 M
Fri 3 Feb 9.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 92 MINUTES, UK/USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: FREDDIE FRANCIS / BASED ON THE EC COMIC SERIES ‘TALES FROM THE CRYPT’ (1950-55) / SCRIPT: MILTON SUBOTSKY / CINEMATOGRAPHER: NORMAN WARWICK / EDITOR: TEDDY DARVAS / CAST: JOAN COLLINS, PETER CRUSHING, ROY DOTRICE / PRODUCTION CO: AMICUS PRODUCTIONS, METROMEDIA PRODUCERS CORPORATION / PRINT SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD CLASSICS / RIGHTS: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
This five-part anthology of British horror is a delightful cult classic where ‘death lives’. When five people lose their way in a crypt, they are greeted by the crypt keeper who recounts the tale of their deaths. Two episodes were drawn from the ill-fated EC horror comic line which folded in 1956 under censorship from the Comic Code Authority. At times laughable, but undeniably watchable, Tales from the Crypt is a must see.
Swamp Thing 1982 M
Fri 10 Feb 6.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 91 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: WES CRAVEN / BASED ON THE DC COMIC CHARACTERS CREATED BY LEN WEIN AND BERNIE WRIGHTSON / CINEMATOGRAPHER: ROBBIE GREENBERG / EDITOR: RICHARD BRACKEN / CAST: LOUIS JOURDAN, ANDRIENNE BARBEAU, RAY WISE / PRODUCTION CO: SWAMP FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARK CIRCUS
Wes Craven’s vegetable vigilante is a parody of 1950’s mad scientist films and sits firmly in the it’s-so-bad-it's-good school of filmmaking. When a scientist is caught in a lab explosion and drenched in his latest research project — a formula that combines plant and animal cells — he slowly transforms into a part-man, part-plant monster.
Kondom des Grauens (Killer Condom) 1996 Ages 18+
Fri 10 Feb 8.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY SR, 103 MINUTES, GERMANY/SWITZERLAND, GERMAN (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: MARTIN WALZ / BASED ON THE COMIC ‘KONDOM DES GRAUENS’ (1987) BY RALF KÖNIG / SCRIPT: RALF KONIG, MARTIN WALZ / CINEMATOGRAPHER: ALEXANDER HONISCH / EDITOR: SIMONE KLIER / CAST: UDO SAMEL, PETER LOHMEYER, MARC RICHTER / PRODUCTION CO: ASCOT FILM, ECCO FILM, MBG / PRINT SOURCE: MARTIN WALZ (DIRECTORS CUT) /RIGHTS: TROMA ENTERTAINMENT
This outrageous German horror-comedy set in New York City follows a detective’s personal vendetta against a carnivorous prophylactic terrorising guest at the Quickie hotel. Featuring an absurd yet clever plot, a strong cast and the creative consultancy of HR Giger, Killer Condom is a cult masterpiece not for the faint hearted. This screening is the world premiere of the previously unseen directors cut.
Weird Science 1985 M
Sun 12 Feb 1.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY, 94 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: JOHN HUGHES / BASED ON THE ORIGINAL COMIC SERIES ‘WEIRD SCIENCE’ (1950-53) CREATED BY AL FELDSTEIN / CINEMATOGRAPHER: MATTHEW F LEONETTI / EDITORS: CHRIS LEBENZON, MARK WARNER / CAST: ANTHONY MICHAEL-HALL, IIAN MITCHELL-SMITH, ROBERT DOWNEY JR / PRODUCTION CO: UNIVERSAL PICTURES / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Weird Science is a science-fiction comedy combining hormonal fantasies with coming-of-age angst. When hapless high school geeks Gary and Wyatt use their computer to create the perfect woman, a literal bolt from the blue brings her to life to help them overcome their adolescent awkwardness. Filled with big hair and bold 80s fashion, this is a guilty pleasure that everyone can enjoy.
Diabolik (Danger) 1968 M
Sat 18 Feb 3.30pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 105 MINUTES, ITALY (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) /FRANCE, ITALIAN / DIRECTOR: MARIO BAVA / BASED ON THE COMIC CHARACTERS CREATED BY ANGELA GIUSSANI AND LUCIANA GIUSSANI / SCRIPT: MARIO BAVA, BRIAN DEGAS, TUDOR GATES, DINO MAIURI / CINEMATOGRAPHERS: ANTONIO RINALDI, MARIO BAVA / EDITOR: ROMANA FORTINI / CAST: JOHN PHILLIP LAW, MARISSA MELL, MICHEL PICCOLI / PRODUCTION CO: DINO DE LAURENTIIS CINEMATOGRAFICA, MARIANNE PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: HOLLYWOOD CLASSICS / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM (ENGLISH DUB)
While a pale reflection of political nature of the original comic series created by Italian sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani, Diabolik is a stylish dip into 1960s psychedelic pop culture. Wreaking havoc throughout Europe, master-thief Diabolik and his equally devious girlfriend Eve steal for personal gain and amusement, all the while taunting the police with their increasingly perilous heists.
Fritz the Cat 1972 Ages 18+
Sat 18 Feb 8.00pm and Sun 3 Mar 4.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, BLACK AND WHITE/COLOUR, MONO, 79 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: RALPH BAKSHI / BASED ON THE COMIC STRIP ‘FRITZ THE CAT’ (1965—72) BY ROBERT CRUMB / SCRIPT: RALPH BAKSHI / CINEMATOGRAPHERS: TED BEMILLER, GENE BORGHI / EDITOR: RENN REYNOLDS / CAST: SKIP HINNANT, ROSETTA LENOIRE, JOHN MCCURRY / PRODUCTION CO: AURICA FINANCE COMPANY, BLACK INK, FRITZ PRODUCTIONS, STEVE KRANTZ PRODUCTIONS
Fritz the Cat is a bawdy look at life in the sixties through the eyes of tom cat, college drop-out Fritz. Set in a world of anthropomorphic animals, Fritz the Cat satires college life, race relations, the free love movement and anti-establishment politics.
Heavy Metal 1981 Ages 18+
Sat 25 Feb 4.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY, 86 MINUTES, CANADA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: GARALD POTTERTON / BASED ON STORIES FROM THE HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE (1977-87) / SCRIPT: DANIEL GOLDBERG, LEN BLUM / EDITORS: IAN LLANDE, MICK MANNING, GERALD TRIPP / CAST: HARVEY ATKIN, JACKIE BURROUGHS, JOHN CANDY / PRODUCTION CO: COLUMBIA PICTURES CORPORATION, GUARDIAN TRUST COMPANY, CANADIAN FILM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, FAMOUS PLAYERS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: SONY PICTURES
An astronaut brings his daughter a glowing green orb unaware of its malevolent intent to spread violence and discord throughout the universe. This multi-part animated feature drew its inspiration from the racy adult illustrated anthology Heavy Metal and remains a cult favourite from the 1980s due to its heavy metal soundtrack, graphic violence and adult themes.
