1. DUMBO (64 minutes) G
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Walt Disney and his team were at their very best (and least cloying) in this 1941 fable about a baby circus elephant mocked for his giant ears. Though the character's eventual comic triumph is never in doubt, there are traumatic moments along the way, including an extraordinary, nightmarish drunk sequence that suggests the animators had early access to LSD. Digitally projected. Astor, tomorrow, 11am. Double bill with Peter Pan.
2. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (91 minutes) PG
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell play all-American girls bent on getting the most from their menfolk in Howard Hawks' 1953 musical version of Anita Loos' novel. Monroe has the role of her career as the innocent yet savvy Lorelei Lee, and for Hawks – the great filmmaker of camaraderie – both sex and money ultimately come second to female friendship. Digitally projected. Astor, tomorrow, 7.30pm. Double bill with The Seven Year Itch.
3. GREMLINS (106 minutes) PG
The dark side of American innocence is the subject of Joe Dante's brilliant 1984 horror-comedy, in which a cute, magical pet spawns a horde of cackling little monsters. Hilarious and alarming, the film looks back to Frank Capra while tapping into the anarchic energy of punk – something Dante's mentor, Steven Spielberg, was never able to do. Digitally projected. Astor, today, 3pm. Double bill with The Goonies.
4. PULP FICTION (154 minutes) R
Writer-director Quentin Tarantino deservedly became an instant legend with his 1994 second feature – an extraordinary web of shaggy-dog anecdotes and obscure pop culture references, punctuated by moments of startling violence. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman are among the many stars who play chatty low-lifes hanging out in a fantasy version of LA. Digitally projected. Rooftop Cinema, tomorrow, 9.30pm.
5. WOMEN HE'S UNDRESSED (100 minutes) PG
Orry George Kelly was the boy from country NSW who found himself smack-bang in the centre of the Golden Age of Hollywood, designing costumes for hundreds of films including classics like Casablanca and Some Like It Hot. With gleeful direct-to-camera narration by Darren Gilshenan as Kelly himself, Gillian Armstrong's documentary is an entertaining eye-opener. ACMI, today, 4pm. Tickets $7 or less.