The Paramount's awesome Summer Classic Film Series continues this week with some pre-code sexiness, a JAMES BOND DOUBLE FEATURE (can you tell we're excited about that?), a classic superhero flick and a Newman / Redford double-shot. And again we've got some tickets to give away! If you'd like to win tickets to Thursday's James Bond double-bill, follow the jump and fill out the form.

Baby Face

Tuesday, July 10 @ 7:15 pm
Wednesday, July 11 @ 9:15 pm

In this racy drama, Barbara Stanwyck stars as Lily Powers, a small-town barmaid who, after the death of her father, moves to New York to earn her fortune. And by "earn", we mean "sleep with lots and lots of successively richer dudes".

Baby Face has a reputation as one of the bawdiest films of the pre-code era, and it was famously chopped up and re-mixed by the censors. Not only did they ask that scenes be cut, but they also demanded an entirely different, "morally responsible" ending be added (i.e., one where the assertive, ambitious woman ends up with nothing). Also, look for a 26 year-old John Wayne as Stanwyck's first conquest.

Bombshell

Tuesday, July 10 @ 9:05 pm
Wednesday, July 11 @ 7:15 pm

Directed by Victor Fleming (who made some other movies you might have heard of, like The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind), Bombshell is the story of a Hollywood starlet who's grown tired of her fame, her manipulative publicist and her greedy family. But when she tries to escape the glamorous life, she discovers that she can't outrun her Hollywood past, no matter how hard she tries--and all kinds of hilarity ensue.

Though Bombshell is supposedly based on the life of 20s flapper queen Clara Bow (who Fleming directed in Mantrap, and subsequently had an affair with), Harlow's performance was probably just as inspired by her own experiences with intolerable fame, ignoble family and corrupt studios.

Thursday, July 12 @ 9:25 pm

For those of us who discovered Bond during the early-80s heyday (sorry Connery purists--we can't all have been born during the 1950s), watching Dr. No can be a strange experience. It's the very first Bond film, and as such the "Bond universe" isn't completely developed yet. Most noticeably, there are virtually no cool gadgets, and the Q character isn't even named Q! (he's named "Boothroyd", and isn't even played by Desmond Llewelyn. Can you imagine?)

But despite a few forgivable shortcomings, most of the classic Bond elements are there--the fast cars, blazing guns, villainous villains and ultra-hot ladies (Ursula Andress actually threatens to melt the screen at some points. Meow!). And somehow, Connery already has the Bond character absolutely nailed--he's just as suave and funny and ass-kickin' as the 007 we eventually came to know and love over the course of the next 20 official films.

Thursday, July 12 @ 7 pm

Now this is an awesome Bond film. It's not the wild, absurd Bond we're usually partial to, but it's bigger, faster and slicker than Dr. No, and it's definitely the best Connery installment, if not the best Bond film period.

SPECTRE wants payback for the killing of Dr. No, and Bond becomes a semi-unwitting pawn in their plot to steal some kind of cool Russian decoding device (decoding being a big deal at the time). Along the way, Bond kills lots of bad guys, makes sexy with the totally hot Daniela Bianchi, and spits out a whole mess of wry one-liners.

It's unbelievable that a 21 film series could hit its stride on the second installment, but it's true. From Russia With Love effortlessly juggles action, humor, intrigue and sex in a way that few films have managed to do since. Recommended.

Win Tickets to the James Bond Double Bill!
This contest is closed. Thanks to all who entered.

Sunday, July 15 @ 7 pm

The easy thing to do here would be to joke about how bullshit Superman Returns was. But we're not gonna do that, 'cuz Superman: The Movie hardly needs to be juxtaposed with a crappy sequel to look good.

Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve all turn in fantastic performances for what is surely one of the best superhero movies of all time. It's got a cool origin story, a smarmy (but not completely unlikable) villain and an alien hero who can fly.

And if you're the thinkin' type, this thing is jammed full of allegory and whatnot, so you can enjoy it on that level too (though we prefer to just raise our fists in the air and shout "yyyeaaahhh!" every time Superman kicks someone's ass).

Sunday, July 15 @ 4:05 pm

Paul Newman and Robert Redford star in this comic western about two lovable outlaws who botch a train robbery and are forced to hide out in Bolivia. But even with a fresh start in South America, they just can't seem to get things right, and wind up running from the Bolivian police as well.

Loosely based on true events, this is the film that launched Redford's career (Newman was already a star, but Redford wasn't at that level yet), and of course Redford eventually named his film festival after the character that made him famous.

The film also won a whole grip of Academy Awards in 1969, including (but not limited to) Best Cinematography, Music and Screenplay.

Sunday, July 15 @ 1:30 pm

Newman and Redford return four years after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with another comic buddy-criminal flick. Only this one's set in depression-era Chicago (which really just means much cooler hats), and the duo are con men rather than of bank robbers.

And what do you know? This one was also a huge hit, raking in the box office bucks and winning seven academy awards--only this time, they included the big ones: Best Picture, and Best Director.

All films screen at the Paramount Theatre. Admission is $7, and if you pay for the first feature, you can hang out and watch the second feature for free. How awesome is that?
[More Info]