Betty Blue (1986)
Set in a coastal town nestled in the south of France, this erotic drama follows a handyman and aspiring novelist (Jean-Hugues Anglade) who falls for a beautiful but volatile woman (Béatrice Dalle). As she slowly loses her grip on her sanity, the pair’s love is tested. The 185-minute director’s cut. Clinton, Sept. 22.
Adaptation. (2002)
Nicolas Cage tackles dual roles in Spike Jonze’s wholly unique meta-comedy centered on a screenwriter (Cage, playing a fictionalized version of Charlie Kaufman) struggling to adapt The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) into a feature film and get along with his grating twin brother (also played by Cage). Academy, Sept. 22-23.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
“I wish I knew how to quit you.” Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star as two cowboys assigned to herd sheep together on Brokeback Mountain. What follows is one of the all-time greatest love stories, a secret but blistering romance that spans years of their lives. In a just world, it would’ve won Best Picture over the heinous Crash. Open-Air Cinema at OMSI, Sept. 23.
Nowhere (1997)
The great Gregg Araki directs this genre-bending coming-of-age gem chronicling a group of queer L.A. teenagers as they party, indulge in sex and drugs, and experience a series of bizarre extraterrestrial events. It features some of the most memorable lighting and production design in modern cinema; a true relic from the ‘90s that deserves more recognition. Screens in 35 mm. Hollywood, Sept. 24.
Best in Show (2000)
Improv extraordinaire Christopher Guest’s most well-known mockumentary skewers the peculiar world of competitive dog shows, utilizing its all-star ensemble cast with aplomb. Among the standouts are the always brilliant Parker Posey, The White Lotus’ Jennifer Coolidge, the late great Fred Willard, co-writer Eugene Levy, and camp icon Catherine O’Hara. Clinton, Sept. 27.
ALSO PLAYING:
Academy: Sometimes a Great Notion (1971), Sept. 22-23. Clueless (1995), Sept. 22-23. Hollywood: Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Sept. 22. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), Sept. 25. Demons (1985), Sept. 28. OMSI: Selena (1997), Sept. 24. Mars Attacks! (1996), Sept. 25.