What to Watch This Week: Kurt Russell in an Eye Patch, Nazis on Fire and Probably the Greatest Concert Film Ever Made

There's a long weekend coming up. Fortunately, the movie theaters around town are still hard at work giving you a way to fill all of that extra time this Labor Day. Catch an old favorite or watch something you've had on your list for a while now. Here are some of the best flicks revived across Portland screens right now.

Escape From New York (1981)

In a dystopian version of 1997, Kurt Russell is a literal ticking time bomb who'll explode if he doesn't rescue the president. When Air Force One crashes on Manhattan, which has become a maximum-security prison, a group of inmates kidnaps the commander in chief. But if anyone can fight off murderers, terrorists and thieves, it's an eye-patch-sporting Russell as "Snake" Plissken. NW Film Center, Aug. 30.

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Can a party scene be stretched into an entire movie? That was the question for two first-time directors, and the result is the story of a graduation night for a handful of high school archetypes. A cast of young actors, who went on to have successful careers, fights and falls in love to a Blink 182-heavy soundtrack. Hollywood, Aug. 31.

Stop Making Sense (1984)

There may never be a concert film that tops this groundbreaking project about the Talking Heads. Following the band at the peak of their success, acclaimed director Jonathan Demme favored visceral shots from the crowd's perspective. Academy, Aug. 29-30.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

It's the blockbuster that made archaeology sexy and cool. Indiana Jones faces fascists and snakes in a continent-jumping quest to track down the Ark of the Covenant. Plus, Nazis get what they deserve in a fiery, face-melting finale. Mission, Sept. 3-5, 8 and 9.

The Last Movie (1971)

Fresh off the commercial success of Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper was given free rein to make this experimental movie, so he took the check and an impressive cast to Peru. Hopper stars as a stuntman who quits the biz when a colleague is killed on set. He stays in South America, where he's enlisted by the locals to re-enact the production. Hollywood, Aug. 30.

ALSO PLAYING:

Academy: Men in Black (1997), Aug. 29-30.

Hollywood: 1983: The Year in Videos (1983), Aug. 29. An American in Paris (1951), Sept. 1. Samurai Rebellion (1967), Sept. 2. Serial Mom (1994), Sept. 3. For Your Height Only (1981), Sept. 4.

Mission: Showgirls (1995), Aug. 30-31. Flash Gordon (1980), Aug. 30-31.

NW Film Center: Edna's Bloodline (2017), Aug. 29. The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Aug. 31. Eight Hours Don't Make a Day (1972), Sept. 1-2.