ECCENTRIC CINEMA

A mad scientist creates a green goo that brings the dead back to life. A lesbian ex-con seduces a mobster’s girlfriend and steals $2 million in cash. An American widow and a Parisian free spirit engage in a torrid love affair that drives them to madness. Eccentric Cinema presents all this plus The Room in February!

We kick off the month on February 1 with Stuart Gordon’s splatter comedy, Re-Animator. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) is the weirdest medical student at Miskatonic University. He’s concocted a neon green serum that can resurrect the dead. First, he tries it on a cat. Then, on a recently deceased man. Everything soon spins out of control, and West, his roommate (Bruce Abbott), and his roommate’s gorgeous blonde girlfriend (genre legend Barbara Crampton) find themselves battling a horde of decaying zombies. Re-Animator is arch, clever, hilarious, and still just as gross as it was in 1985. Celebrate its 40th anniversary by witnessing the carnage on the big screen.

Tommy Wiseau’s The Room screens February 8. If you have not experienced The Room at the Drexel, you don’t know what you’re missing. The loyal fans have created their own live experience à la The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They’re always excited to indoctrinate newbies into the cult of Wiseau. A Drexel tradition for 16 years, The Room is a gonzo masterpiece.

Don’t miss the Wachowski Sisters’ 1996 debut, Bound, on February 15. Gina Gershon stars as Corky, an ex-con out on parole who is hired to rehab an apartment. She catches the eye of her neighbor, a sweet and sensitive dame named Violet (Jennifer Tilly). The two women quickly fall for one another, carrying on a secret affair under the nose of Violet’s boyfriend, the antsy, domineering mobster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano). Seeking to escape Caesar’s abuse, Violet turns to Corky for help. The ladies hatch a plan to steal $2 million from the mafia, leaving Caesar to take the fall. Plans never go accordingly in a noir, though, and the lovers must improvise if they’re going to avoid Caesar’s itchy trigger finger. Though the film wasn’t a hit upon its original release, Bound won over critics. Both Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel placed it on their “Best of 1996” lists. The Wachowskis’ next film (the mega-hit The Matrix) brought more attention to the picture, eventually transforming Bound into a cult classic.

Closing out the month on February 22 is Bernardo Bertolucci’s controversial masterpiece, Last Tango in Paris. Paul (Marlon Brando) is a depressed hotel owner whose wife recently committed suicide. Jeanne (the terrific Maria Schneider) is a young Parisian who falls for Paul when they both meet at an apartment each is interested in renting. They begin an anonymous affair, never exchanging names, never trading details about their lives, always meeting at the apartment. Paul, however, longs for something more with Jeanne, a connection beyond sex that she can’t provide. Lust turns to love. Love turns to obsession. Last Tango in Paris was a sensation around the world. Scalpers sold tickets to its New York Film Festival premiere for exorbitant prices. The film was the seventh highest-grossing picture in America in 1973. The film only opened on seven screens in France; for the first month, audiences stood in two-hour lines to attend a showing. In The New Yorker, Pauline Kael raved that the film “has altered the face of an art form,” calling it “the most powerfully erotic movie ever made.” Last Tango in Paris is an emotionally and sexually raw film. We encourage everyone to consult a ratings guide to learn whether the film is appropriate for them.