County Theater

July Programming Notes Julia Mahony — Jun 5, 2023 This July, the fourth isn't the only major holiday: Barbenheimer is nearly upon us! Mark your calendars on July 21 for the most anticipated double feature of the season, as both Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie open to audiences on our big screens. The real question is, which film will you see first?

Movie-wise, you can't go wrong with Billy Wilder's classic The Apartment, which will be our first HSN of the month (July 5). Another Hollywood Summer Nights title not to be missed is the landmark summer blockbuster Jaws (July 27). Both the Jimmy Stewart courtroom drama, Anatomy of a Murder, (July 11) tied to our Jazz series, and the stylish caper The Sting, (July 18) part of our Hollywood Classics, will have accompanying Deep Focus online seminars.

We have two very different but equally engrossing National Theatre Live performances arriving in July. A revival of Good on the West End will be coming to us on July 23 and 25. David Tennant stars as a professor in Germany in the years leading into the Second World War. Tennant’s character begins the play as a good man, but is slowly drawn into Naziism as he gradually compromises his principles. On a more lighthearted note, we will be showing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! The Musical on July 16 and 17 in celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the beloved stage show. This Olivier Award-winning production was filmed during the musical’s 1998 run in London and stars the then-newcomer Hugh Jackman.

Good morning Doylestown! The 2007 version of the rom-com musical Hairspray will be our next film in our Movies at the Mercer series, offered in partnership with the Mercer Museum and The Moving Picture Cinema. John Travolta leads this all-star cast as the mother of Tracy Turnblad. Bright and campy, Hairspray is the perfect outdoor summer film, with contagious songs that will make you want to get up and dance.Our $5 Family Matinee for July is The Flintstones (July 15). This 90’s live-action romp featuring John Goodman is directly inspired by the 60’s cartoon. Full of foot-powered cars, dinosaur-powered machines, and rock-themed puns, this summer movie will have the whole family saying yabba-dabba-do!

Quentin Tarantino’s debut feature Reservoir Dogs, about a group of criminals who meet up after a heist gone wrong, is our After Dark title this month (July 13). This milestone of independent moviemaking fused American noir and Asian cinema to create a new subgenre of film and launched a career for its young director.

June Programming Notes Julia Mahony — June 1, 2023 Hollywood Summer Nights is in full swing in June at the County. While we have first-rate classics playing Wednesday and Thursday throughout the season, I wanted to highlight a couple films that I’m particularly looking forward to. We’re playing The Godfather Part II on June 14 after a highly successful screening of Part I last summer. While Part II is not shown on the big screen as often as it’s earlier counterpart, it is widely regarded as one of the great sequels of all time, and you won’t want to miss it! In this film, we get to both dig into Vito Corleone’s past as he established himself in America, and continue the story of Michael Corleone on his morally murky journey as the Don. Our annual Monty Python Fest is on June 21. Monty Python and the Holy Grail will be accompanied by trivia, prizes, and other surprises. We’ll screen some classic sketches from Monty Python’s Flying Circus before the start of the feature film. Knight-level ticket holders will get a t-shirt and complimentary “horse” (coconuts).Be sure to keep an eye out for the occasional matinee encore for our bigger titles!

While we tend to focus on special programming in these notes, I would be remiss not to mention that we’ll be playing the highly anticipated Asteroid City by Wes Anderson, the tweed-clad darling of indie cinema. This will start June 23 with a pre show the evening before. Set in an American desert town in the 1950s, the film follows students and parents at a Junior Stargazer and Space Cadet convention, whose stay becomes spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

Our Movies at the Mercer screening this month is Steven Spielberg’s Hook (June 15) . These outdoor screenings for film fans of all ages are offered in partnership with the Mercer Museum and The Moving Picture Cinema. Mars Attacks! is landing at County on June 1st. This title, part of our After Dark series, is Tim Burton's campy homage to sci-fi films of the ‘50s and features the talents of Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, and many others.

We’re showing two films in conjunction with Doylestown Pride. On June 18, we’re playing Framing Agnes, which is a recent documentary featuring a cast of trans performers. It blends fiction and nonfiction, by using Agnes's story, along with others unearthed in long-shelved case files, to widen the frame through which trans history is viewed. Harry Styles stars in My Policeman (June 22), the story of forbidden love between two men in 1950’s Britain. The pride festival runs from June 17th through June 25th and you can check out all of the events including our screenings here.

We’re also excited to be hosting a Deep Focus seminar on The Wizard of Oz on Tuesday, June 20 at 7:30pm, as a part of our ongoing Flaming Classics series, which focuses on Queer and Trans cinema. In addition, you can check out our previous discussions in this series here. Additionally, we’ll be kicking off a new Deep Focus online seminar series this month, focused on jazz music in movies. Join us on Tuesday, June 6, at 7:30pm for our talk on Alfie, and keep an eye out for future titles in this series.

On Juneteenth (June 19) we will be screening Miss Juneteenth in partnership with African Diaspora Collective in Bucks County. Miss Juneteenth is about a single mother (and former teen beauty queen) who prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for their town's "Miss Juneteenth" pageant, highlighting the ways in which black women can support one another.

May Programming Notes Julia Mahony — May 5, 2023 This month marks the much-anticipated return of our annual Hollywood Summer Nights program. Each week from mid-May through early September, we will bring Hollywood’s brightest stars to our big screen, where they belong. Whether you are a long-time devotee of classic cinema or a newcomer interested in exploring American cinema's rich history, your moviegoing experience will be enriched by the strong and inclusive sense of community fostered by this program's audience.

Our series honoring films featured on the recent Sight and Sound poll of the greatest films of all time continues with Claire Denis’ Beau Travail (May 10). Movies at the Mercer returns this month with the Wizard of Oz (May 18). This series of family-friendly outdoor film screenings, offered in partnership with the Mercer Museum and The Moving Picture Cinema, runs on the third Thursday of each month on the green at the Mercer Museum.

For Mother’s Day, we’ll be showing Steel Magnolias (May 14), which emphasizes the strong bonds between all types of women in a small southern town, whether they be mothers and daughters, coworkers, or friends. The ensemble cast boasts the talents of Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Darryl Hannah, and Dolly Parton. It will have you laughing at witty one-liners one minute and breaking out your tissues the next. Our $5 Family Matinees will include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (May 13) and Tim’s Burton’s early aughts remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (May 20), both of which are free for members.

This month’s Science on Screen title is the Kogonada film After Yang (May 3). This film, FREE for members and young persons, is a gentle and thought-provoking tale that follows a family who must reckon with questions of love, connection, and loss, after their android companion breaks down. Prior to the film, UPenn Professor Chris Callison-Burch will be on hand to discuss artificial intelligence and the breakout success of ChatGPT.

Our Deep Focus offerings this month kick off with an in-theater showing of Sweet Smell of Success (May 3) followed by an online seminar (May 16) led by TCM writer and Doylestown native Hannah Jack. For our Queer and Trans Cinema Series we will be playing John Waters’ Polyester (May 17), a satirical take on Douglas Sirk melodramas starring Waters's muse Divine. Christine Holmlund, professor Emerita of Cinema Studies, as well as Gender/Sexuality/Women’s Studies, at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will be leading a discussion of the film on May 23 via Zoom.

April Programming Notes Julia Mahony — Apr 7, 2023 Spring has sprung at the County Theater and we’re kicking off April with a strong slate run of special events! We have a local film showcase, family matinees, a feature from our Deep Focus series, more movies in honor of the recent Sight and Sound polls, and further entries in our After Dark and Science on Screen series.

We’re kicking off the month of April by celebrating homegrown films. The First Take Shorts Series (Apr 5)is back celebrating the independently produced shorts of local filmmakers ranging from students to professionals. This free-for-members event is also taking place at The Ambler Theater, where you can catch a different slate of films. Be sure to check out both offerings!

Our County After Dark Series pick this month is the hyper-stylized and hand-drawn Heavy Metal (Apr 20). The soundtrack to this anthology film features music ranging from Black Sabbath to Devo and beyond.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Apr 19) is April's installment in our Science on Screen Series. Before the film, Dr. Kabindra Shakya will be on hand to discuss local air pollution in the Philadelphia region and beyond. Science on Screen is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and is free for members and young persons.

We’re teaming up with the Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society to bring you Mike Leigh’s musical period drama Topsy -Turvy (Apr 13). Prior to the feature highlighting the dynamic duo, the Bucks Gilbert & Sullivan society will provide a special in theater performance.

Our Sight and Sound programming continues with Yasujirô Ozu’s masterpiece Tokyo Story (Apr 26), which came in at the fourth greatest film of all time in both the Sight and Sound critics’ and directors' polls. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to see this emotionally resonant meditation on intergenerational family dynamics and the passage of time on the big screen!

We also have two $5 family matinee titles this month: The Iron Giant (Apr 15) highlights an endearing and unexpected connection between a boy and a misunderstood robot. We will continue working our way through the Harry Potter series with The Half Blood Prince (Apr 22).

As a part of our Deep Focus program, we will be showing the notorious pre-code drama Baby Face (Apr 5), starring Barbara Stanwyck. Join us for an online seminar on the film on Tuesday Apr 11, led by TCM writer Hannah Jack. We have two additional virtual seminars coming up on films we showed on the big screen back in March. Cinema’s First Nasty Women: Queens of Destruction will meet on Tues, Apr 18, at 7:30pm, and will be led by Professor Maggie Hennefeld, who co-curated the collection of shorts. Paris is Burning will be held on Tues, Apr 25, at 7:30pm, and will be led by Professor Lucas Hildebrand, who wrote a book on the celebrated documentary.

March Programming Notes Brendan Joyce — Feb 28, 2023 Our special event programming throughout March will celebrate Women’s History Month as we highlight female-centric films and filmmakers. Our selections range from the groundbreaking works of early female filmmakers to modern works featuring women of color and directors who broke through into the mainstream.

Three films I’d like to highlight are Chantal Akerman’s – Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Mar 22). This film not only earned the honor of being named the greatest film ever made in the 2022 Sight and Sound critics poll but also marked the first time a film directed by a woman has received the top spot in the poll’s 70-year history.

Also, I’d like to highlight a recently restored and curated set of silent short films courtesy of Kino Lorber entitled Cinema’s First Nasty Women: Queens of Destruction (Mar 8). This collection of short films from the early 20th Century features women actors and filmmakers pushing the boundaries of what was socially acceptable at the time. Our Queens of Destruction screening will also include a Deep Focus virtual seminar, which takes place on Tues, April 16 at 7:30 pm on zoom with Professor Maggie Hennefeld.

Finally, our Science on Screen series returns this month with Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow (Mar 30). Before the film, Dr. William Fritz from DelVal University will be on hand to discuss the physiology of dairy cows and their impact on the dairy farming industry. SCIENCE ON SCREEN is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and is FREE for members and Young Persons.

Below are the other titles that we will be highlighting throughout the rest of March for Women’s History Month.

· Mädchen in Uniform (Mar 1)
· PLove & Basketball (Mar 15)
· Paris is Burning (Mar 16)
· A League of Their Own (Mar 23)
· Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Mar 28)

We will continue our Deep Focus virtual seminars this March by highlighting two films in our Flaming Classics series, which focuses on innovative films in Queer and Trans Cinema. The aforementioned Mädchen in Uniform will hold a virtual seminar on zoom on Sun, March 26 at 1:00 pm with noted American scholar and film critic, B. Ruby Rich. Then join us on Tue, April 25 at 7:30 pm for our virtual seminar on Paris is Burning with author Lucas Hilderbrand. Check our website for more information about how to participate in these online discussions.

If you enjoy Hollywood Classics, then the County Theater has you covered with three films you don’t want to miss on the big screen this month! We’ll kick off the month with Elia Kazan’s award-winning drama – On the Waterfront (Mar 2) — featuring a legendary performance from Marlon Brando. Join us for a Deep Focus seminar on zoom with TCM writer Hannah Jack on Tue, March 14 at 7:30 pm.

Next is our screening of the romantic screwball comedy The Philadelphia Story (Mar 7) — this impeccably charming masterpiece stars Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant.

Finally, join us for the classic film noir – Mildred Pierce (Mar 21), featuring an extraordinary performance from the great Joan Crawford.

Our County After Dark series returns this month as we kick off our monthly cult classic series with a screening of the early aughts rom-com staple – 13 Going on 30 (Mar 9), starring Jennifer Garner.

Don’t forget to join us for two $5 Family Matinees this month as we continue our journey through the Harry Potter series with the Order of the Phoenix (Mar 18). Then later in the month we’ll be screening the animated adaptation of the beloved children’s book Curious George (Mar 25).

Be sure to grab your tickets to our annual Hollywood Awards Party on Sunday, March 12. Join us in celebrating the best films of the past year with this annual fundraiser for the theater. Tickets to the Hollywood Awards Party will include reserved seating, a red carpet reception, and endless popcorn and drinks. Pick up your tickets before they’re gone!

Februrary Programming Notes Brendan Joyce — Feb 1, 2023 Welcome to a new monthly feature, in which a member of our programming team highlights some of the upcoming films and special events we have on deck for the upcoming month.

Starting in February and continuing throughout the year, we will highlight films from the 2022 Sight and Sound list. Once every decade since 1952 British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine polls film critics from around the world and issues a list of the 100 greatest films of all time. The 2022 iteration of the list has stirred much controversy in the film community due its noteworthy additions and shake-ups.

We’re kicking off our Sight and Sound screenings with two films that are not only new additions but highlight prominent Black filmmakers during Black History Month. Our retrospective starts with Jordan Peele’s brilliant debut feature, Get Out (Feb 2), which was one of only four films from this past decade to be included on the Sight and Sound list. Next we showcase the first and only inclusion of a black female director on the 2022 list by playing Julie Dash’s lyrical debut, Daughters of the Dust (Feb 16). Then we conclude our Sight and Sound titles for the month with Spike Lee’s Brooklyn based drama, Do The Right the Right (Feb 22).

In addition to those three films, we will be partnering with the African Diaspora Collective of Bucks County for a special screening of Good Hair (Feb 23) – an informative documentary that balances humor with a complex look at the role hair plays in race and gender. This is a can’t miss as the African Diaspora Collective will be holding a post screening community conversation.

Romance is in the air this February at The County Theater as we highlight several films that celebrate love on the big screen. We kick the month off with The Awful Truth (Feb 1), a classic screwball comedy starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Join us for a discussion in our Deep Focus series with TCM writer Hannah Jack on February 7. Check out our website for more information on how to participate in this zoom seminar.

In celebration of Galentine’s Day, a day intended to honor the connection you have with your lady friends, we will be offering a screening of the recent (and criminally underseen) cult classic Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (Feb 9). Our theater head manager, Justin has proclaimed this to be one of his favorite films in the last several years! Plus, be sure to check out one of most universally loved rom-coms of all time – Moonstruck (Feb 15) starring Cher.

We conclude our romantic lineup of films on Valentine’s Day with a 25th anniversary screening of You’ve Got Mail (Feb 14), a charming late ‘90s comedy starring the ever delightful duo of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. If you plan to attend our screening of You’ve Got Mail, be sure to put a special message for your Valentine on screen before the movie starts. Fill out this form by February 9 in order to see your message before the film »

Finally, join us for three family offerings this month as we will be holding two screenings of one of Miyazaki’s finest hand-drawn animations with Howl’s Moving Castle. We’ll be screening the subtitled version of the film on Feb 8 followed by showing the English dubbed version for our $5 Family Matinee on Monday, Feb 20. Also, speaking of our $5 Family Matinees we will be continuing our journey through the Harry Potter series with the Goblet of Fire (Feb 18) followed by our screening of one of the best animated sequels of all time with Shrek 2 (Feb 25).

Looking down the line at our programming, we plan to bring back a selection of films nominated for this year's Academy Awards ahead of Oscar night and our Hollywood Awards Party on Sunday, March 12. Also, our special events in March will highlight and showcase female led films and female filmmakers in honor of International Women’s Month. Plus March will mark the return of our Science on Screen series. Stay tuned as we release more information on those titles.

Our programming team has also noted the many requests for straight to streaming films such as 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' — and why we haven’t played it yet. This is due to the decisions made by streaming service distributors such as Netflix that chose to show a film such as Glass Onion for one week at select big box theaters before its stream exclusively on their platform. When it comes to streaming services and their distribution methods, sometimes their decision making will differ from film to film and even year to year. Last year Netflix allowed us and many other arthouse theaters to show The Power of the Dog. But Glass Onion is a film and a property they are very protective of and are much more selective of how they like to showcase this specific film.