Tattooed baddies, British daddies and all the films you need to see in local theaters this month

‘Escape from New York’ dir. John Carpenter

Hey folks, welcome back to Little Big Screen: On the Big, Big Screen, where film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening at Iowa’s independent movie theaters. Keep scrolling for the full list of this month’s big screenings.

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Directed by Wong Kar-wai

The New York Times did a poll of 500-something actors, directors and other industry people to rank the best movies of the 21st century. In the Mood for Love, an unrequited love story in which cigarette smoke seems to speak, was a no-shit inclusion, ending up at number 4. This 25th anniversary screening of the film also includes In the Mood for Love 2001, an unreleased short that has built a message-board mythos since it was only ever seen at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.

The Varsity Cinema, Des Moines, Friday, July 4 through Thursday, July 10

Escape from New York (1981)

Directed by John Carpenter

“I don’t give a fuck about your war … or your president.” Kurt Russell’s Under Armoured outlaw doesn’t have to say much to say it all in Escape from New York. (One of two July 9 screenings about a landmass of criminals.) Hopefully the Fleur has those red, white and blue M&Ms for the playing of this star-spangled one-finger salute from John Carpenter.

The Fleur Cinema, Des Moines, Wednesday, July 9, 9 p.m.

Terminal Island (1975)

Directed by Stephanie Rothman

It’s kill or want to be killed in this exploitation flick about a commune of convicted murderers. Co-written and directed by Stephanie Rothman, “The High Priestess of Grind House”, Terminal Island certainly has more than violence on its mind, but still, the film’s conscience and commentary also comes with a potheaded hah-hah.

Rothman never got a crack at the big leagues, on account of being a woman, but the groovy style she achieves here on a cheap-ass budget — all blue jeans and red blood, plus some Tom Selleck chest hair and a twangy, talky country theme — makes you wonder what her Escape from New York would’ve looked like.

FilmScene, Iowa City, Wednesday, July 9, 10 p.m.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

I’ll be seeing my grandmother and the Gallagher brothers in the U.K. this summer, so obviously, I had to watch Kubrick’s 18th-century epic about a … no-good gold digger. Saying every frame of Barry Lyndon could be a painting isn’t a turn of phrase. It’s stating the obvious. I felt guilty again and again as yet another Hogarth or Gainsborough got up and moved across my TV screen. Go see it guilt-free and king-sized.

The Fleur Cinema, Des Moines, Friday, July 18 through Thursday, July 24

Happy Gilmore (1996)

Directed by Dennis Dugan

In spirit and Subway product placement, Friendship, with Tim Robinson as a 21st-century Sandlerian madman, already hit the Happy Gilmore spot for me. The golf-goon is getting an official reheat over on Netflix for what I hope won’t be too soggy of a sequel, and yes, you’ll receive one of four limited-edition collectible cups when you purchase a Happy Gilmore Meal at Subways across the U.S. and Canada.

The same night Happy Gilmore 2 drops on Netflix, you can go see the original at The Last Picture House. I’ll be in the U.K. waiting for Lacoste to drop a Chubbs capsule.

The Last Picture House, Davenport, Friday, July 25, 8:30 p.m., and Saturday, July 26, 8:30 p.m.