One of the most beloved (if underseen) indie comedies of the 21st century returns to The Brattle Theatre this week in a new 20th anniversary 4K restoration. Nobuhiro Yamashita’s “Linda Linda Linda” (2005) tells the story of a group of Japanese girls determined to form a band three days before their high school talent show – despite the fact their singer (Doona Bae, from Bong Joon Ho’s “The Host”) is a Korean exchange student with a limited grasp of Japanese. “Linda Linda Linda” is as sweet a film as has ever been made about the joy of music, and it should go without saying that the music itself is up to the task; the band’s repertoire (including the title song) consists of covers of the Japanese punk band the Blue Hearts, and the original score is composed by Smashing Pumpkins guitar hero James Iha. It’s no wonder the film inspired the formation of real-life teen punk band the Linda Lindas, who went viral in 2021 with their infectious original “Racist Sexist Boy.” “Linda Linda Linda” screens Friday through Wednesday, pairing perfectly with The Brattle’s premiere run of Neo Sora’s “Happyend.”
The Harvard Film Archive this weekend kicks off yet another of its unique trademark programs. “A Terra! The Cinema of Marta Mateus” celebrates the work of one of Portugal’s most exciting working filmmakers, who attends later in the month to introduce both of her lyrical, pointedly political films. In the lead-up, Mateus has curated several programs of films that have inspired her own work, ranging from canonized classics to little-seen gems. On Friday, the HFA presents a programs of short films by Pedro Costa, Jean-Marie Straub and António Reis, each of which informs Mateus’ work. Following that is a screening of Erich von Stroheim’s landmark silent classic “Greed” (1924), presented on 35 mm with live musical accompaniment by Robert Humphreville. “A Terra!” continues throughout October with still more thoughtfully selected treasures.
The Somerville Cine-Club returns to the Central Branch of the Somerville Public Library on Tuesday with the first of two October tributes to the late B-movie maestro Roger Corman. Though commonly lumped in with the cycle of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations Corman made with horror icon Vincent Price in the ’60s, “The Haunted Palace” (1963) is actually a (very loose) adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward.” (To smuggle it into the series, Corman’s producers lifted the title and a few lines from one of Poe’s lesser-known poems.) Though less heralded than the other Corman-Price collaborations, “The Haunted Palace” maintains the eerie Technicolor widescreen of its series-mates, and is bolstered by a supporting role from Lon Chaney Jr. and the very first big-screen reference to Lovecraft’s signature creation, Cthulhu. The film is preceded by an 8 mm presentation of a classic Three Stooges short; as with all Cine-Club events, it’s a free screening, with time after the film to discuss with fellow local cinephiles.
It is now officially October, which means scary movie season is well and truly upon us. To help celebrate, the Landmark Kendall Square Cinema has curated a month’s worth of scares, appropriately titled “October Frights.” The series kicks off Tuesday with one of the most influential horror films in history: the original “Friday the 13th” (1980). Those watching the film for the first time expecting a hockey-masked Jason Voorhees may walk away surprised (no spoilers, just in case), but all the fundamentals of what we now know as the slasher film are in place: the remote campground, the cast of nubile, easily killed teenagers (including a young Kevin Bacon!) and some spectacularly gooey special effects by wizard of gore Tom Savini. Whether “Friday the 13th” can be considered “scary” likely depends on how many horror films from before or since you’ve seen already, but for all its brutality, seasoned gorehounds will approach it as a visit with a dear (if kind of stupid) old friend.
As much as we love our local repertory cinemas, sometimes the most interesting screenings are held a little off the beaten path. Those who venture to Inman Square’s art space Outpost 186 on Wednesday will be rewarded with a rare screening of local filmmaker Saul Levine’s documentary “The Dreams and Apparitions of Mark LaPore” (2006). LaPore was a legend in the world of experimental film whose work, filmed on his travels across the globe, mixed ethnography with personal reflection; locally, he is perhaps best remembered for helping lay the foundation of MassArt’s film program. After LaPore’s death by suicide in 2005, Levine recorded a series of monologues from LaPore’s colleagues and students, shading in a portrait of the director’s art and legacy. The film will be followed by Levine’s 2001 short “Dream Story,” in which the filmmaker recalls a dream visitation from filmmaker Marjorie Keller. The film and the screening itself are vital reminders of the vibrant talent present in our own backyard.
Oscar Goff is a writer and film critic based in Somerville. He is film editor and senior critic for the Boston Hassle and his work has appeared in the monthly Boston Compass newspaper and publications such as WBUR’s The ARTery and iHeartNoise. He is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, and the Online Film Critics Society.
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