Événement

From Bad to Worse: Battlefield Earth

In the year 2000, John Travolta squandered every ounce of his post-Pulp Fiction goodwill on Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000, a Scientological allegory based on a novel by L. Ron Hubbard, and a huge, multifaceted pile of poop. In addition to being co-producer and a major financial contributor, Travolta delivers the worst performance ever given by an actual movie star. (Golden Raspberry Award Winner for Worst Picture, Worst Actor (John Travolta), Worst Supporting Actor (Barry Pepper), Worst Supporting Actress (Kelly Preston), Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Screen Couple (John Travolta and anyone who shares the screen with him).)

Series Description:
From Bad to Worse: A Six-Week Study of Cinematic Terribleness with David Schmader

From Bad to Worse is a six-week descent in the depths of cinematic hell led by local writer/performer David Schmader. Schmader premiered his annotated screening of Paul Verhoeven's notorious stripper drama Showgirls at the Northwest Film Forum in 1999, after which he toured the "live cinema essay" to film festivals around the country and recorded his critically acclaimed commentary for MGM's special-edition Showgirls DVD in 2002.

During the Showgirls touring, audience members asked, "What movie's next?," and From Bad to Worse is the start of the answer. This series features a half dozen films of near-Showgirls-ian failure, presented in workshop screenings hosted by Schmader, who'll provide short introductory lectures and running commentary for each of the six films. The results of these workshop screenings will then be boiled down and gussied up for Schmader's forthcoming full-length cinema essay Nomi's Inferno: An Annotated Journey of American Cinematic Terribleness.

Fair warning: These movies are terrible, and we will be watching them all the way through. This is why it's wonderful that the screenings are being hosted by Central Cinema, where friendly people will bring beer and wine and food right to your seat. (The booze helps kill the pain, and the food helps sop up the booze so the next day doesn't suck.)