Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD is the deliciously scandalous story of Scotty Bowers, a handsome ex-Marine who landed in Hollywood after the Second World War and became confidante, aide de camp and lover to many of Hollywood’s greatest male–and female-stars. In the 1940s and ’50s, he ran a gas station in the shadow … Read more

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot

John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) has a lust for life, a talent for off-color jokes, and a drinking problem. When an all-night bender ends in a catastrophic car accident, the last thing he intends to do is give up drinking. But when he reluctantly enters treatment -with encouragement from his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and a charismatic … Read more

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope

“The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them.” Join us on Friday, August 13 as we celebrate the birthday of the “Master of Suspense,” Alfred Hitchcock, with a prime time double feature of two of our favourites from his incredible body of work: ROPE and VERTIGO. See one, … Read more

Blindspotting

Collin (Daveed Diggs) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning. He and his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), work as movers and are forced to watch their old neighborhood become a trendy spot in the rapidly gentrifying Bay Area. When a life-altering event … Read more

City of God

Fernando Meirelles‘ CITY OF GOD is a sweeping tale of how crime affects the poor population of Rio de Janeiro. Though the narrative skips around in time, the main focus is on Cabeleira who formed a gang called the Tender Trio. He and his best friend, Bené (Phelipe Haagensen), become crime lords over the course … Read more

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

“Maggie the cat is alive. I’m alive!” Based on the iconic play by American playwright Tennessee Williams, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF is an intense, absorbing drama centered on a wealthy Southern family’s idiosyncratic dynamics and features two of Hollywood’s greatest legends (Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor) in steamy, sultry, career-high performances. After Brick … Read more

Brick

While taking its cues and its verbal style from the novels of Dashiell Hammett, director Rian Johnson‘s debut feature BRICK also honors the rich cinematic tradition of the hard-boiled noir mystery by wittily and bracingly immersing the trope in fresh territory – a modern-day Southern California neighborhood and high school. There, student Brendan Frye’s piercing … Read more

Moulin Rouge! (25th Anniversary Screening)

The Rio Theatre’s Friday Late Night Movie series continues on February 6 with the third film from visionary Australian director Baz Luhrmann, MOULIN ROUGE!, a hyper-stylized, dramatic romp that turns the conventions of the musical genre onto its (glittering) head by mixing a period romance with anachronistic dialogue and songs, reminiscent of the approach he … Read more

Half Baked

We’re tipping our hat to comedian Neal Brennan (who is performing two live shows at the Rio Theatre on Thursday, August 16) with a Friday Late Night Movie screening of the 1998 stoner classic HALF-BAKED, which he co-wrote with the film’s star, Dave Chappelle. When a member of their crew gets arrested for killing a … Read more

Fantastic Planet

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Saturday, August 9 as we take “a sublime trip to a fine new world,” with one of the all-time great midnight movie cult-classics, director René Laloux‘s 1973 animated marvel FANTASTIC PLANET. Nothing else has ever looked or felt like this film, a politically minded and visually inventive work … Read more