The Puzzle Within the Castro Theater's August 2015 Calendar

The clues in the Castro Theater's August 2015 calendar were easy to solve.

August 4 - I immediately recognized Omar Sharif since he passed away on July 10 and had been in the news lately.

August 10 - having recognized Sharif and even suspecting the August 4 photo was from Dr. Zhivago, it was easy to identify Julie Christie (again the photo is from Dr. Zhivago).

Seeing a pattern with Dr. Zhivago & the Russian headgear in the photos, I quickly identified August 17 & 24.

August 17 - Geraldine Chaplin

August 24 - Rod Steiger

August 31 - this took me a bit of time but browsing through photos of the cast of Dr. Zhivago, I found this was Rita Tushingham whom I recall from The Knack ...and How to Get It.

So the clues are screaming Dr. Zhivago but that film is not on the calendar.  I'm a little surprised that there are no Omar Sharif films on the calendar to pay tribute to the actor.

By the way, 2015 marks Dr. Zhivago's 50th anniversary.  Regarding the puzzle in the calendar, I'm not sure if it is pointing to any specific film or event other than Sharif's death.

§§§

Another month, another screening of Blade Runner at the Castro.  I guess it packs them in.  Having seen the film so many times, I'll probably skip the August 9 screening.

The Muni Metro will be closing at 9:30 PM every night for the next six months.  I typically take the K, L or M to Castro Station when I go to the Castro Theatre.  Muni will run bus shuttles between West Portal & Embarcadero Stations during the closure.  I have yet to experience the bus shuttles so I cannot say how much (if any) delay is caused by the closure.

Thursday nights in August (up to September 3) at the Castro are programmed by Elliot Lavine and are collectively called I Wake Up Dreaming.  Lavine has moved his popular series from the Roxie to the Castro.  The move caught me by surprise.  Somehow, I missed the news.  Five consecutive Thursdays is preferable than 10 consecutive days which they did at the Roxie.  However, of the 12 films being screened over the five Thursdays, I have seen 10 (possibly 11) of the films.  I will likely be skipping I Wake Up Dreaming this year. 

The Castro is closed for six days in August which seems high.   Even though the printed calendar states "TBA" for August 11, their website states the theater will be closed on that date.  August 18 & 25 are still TBA on the website.

What will I be seeing at the Castro this month?

August 5 (today) - a Maysles Brothers documentary double feature:  Grey Gardens is about the impoverished aunt and first cousin of Jackie Kennedy.  Iris is Albert Maysles final film about New York fashion maven and nonagenerian Iris Apfel.

August 12 - Blue Steel is director Kathryn Bigelow's effort in between Near Dark & Point Break and I have read it features a strong performance by Jaime Lee Curtis.  Blue Steel is paired with James Cameron's Aliens.  Cameron is Bigelow's ex-husband.

August 22 - Capricorn One; a cult film which has escaped me for many years.  In this one, NASA fakes a manned landing on Mars (with OJ Simpson as one of the astronauts!).

August 23 - Zardoz; another cult film which has escaped me.  Starring Sean Connery & directed by John Boorman, this 1974 sci-fi film has the added bonus of creating an Easter egg on the calendar.  The title of the film is derived from the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which is the source material for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz which screens August 14-16.  Capricorn One & Zardoz screen with 2001: A Space Odyssey.

August 26 - Mad Max: Fury Road was the critics' darling at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

§§§

Castro Theater Calendar - August 2015