Widescreen: You can have a retro film festival of your own across the suburbs this week
"Are movie theaters back? Like all the way back?"
Fans and industry people have been asking for at least two years, and I think the recent success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," "John Wick: Chapter 4" and "Scream VI" prove that moviegoers don't need an "Avatar"-sized event to get them off the couch.
Special screenings are definitely all the way back - it's a veritable golden age for revivals, giving new generations a chance to enjoy old favorites they've only previously seen on their televisions.
Here's what's on tap just this week across the region:
• The unrated director's cut of "RoboCop," Paul Verhoeven's subversive, ultraviolent Jesus parable (it just missed Easter!), screens at 10 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Elk Grove Theatre, 1050 Elk Grove Town Center, Elk Grove Village. Tickets are $10 at classiccinemas.com.
• Only a select few superfans have seen the extended edition of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" on anything other than DVD or Blu-ray. You can behold Minas Tirith and the Pelennor Fields at theaters across the suburbs through Thursday, April 20. Check fathomevents.com for locations and showtimes, and try to time your bathroom break around the first mention of the Paths of the Dead. (It's 3½ hours long, you're gonna need one!)
• Also coming to multiple theaters next week courtesy of Fathom Events: "The Big Lebowski," the Coen brothers' funniest film, in a 25th anniversary presentation. Go bowling with The Dude Sunday, April 15, and Thursday, April 20; check the website for times and locations.
• Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid as Archie Andrews' favorite rock band, "Josie and the Pussycats" has become an unlikely cult classic since 2001. You can join the initiates on Thursday, April 19, for 1 and 7 p.m. screenings at York Theatre, 150 N. York St., Elmhurst. Tickets are $7-$9 and available at classiccinemas.com.
• And while we're at it, let's look at the next six weeks' worth of Classic Movie Mondays at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Screenings start at 7 p.m. and cost $1 (cash only at the door). April 17: "The Princess Bride." April 24: "Ghostbusters" (1984). May 1: "An American Tail." May 15: "The Sandlot." May 22: "School of Rock." May 29: "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
• Sean Stangland is an assistant news editor who's still waiting for an IMAX revival of "TRON: Legacy."