The Coolidge Corner Theatre is coming into 2023 with a bang—the beloved, historic Brookline cinema has carefully chosen a lineup of science fiction films as its first program of the new year. Curated by The Coolidge’s Director of Special Programming, the passionate and convivial film guru Mark Anastasio, Projections: Science Fiction from the Art House will transport audiences through oceans of stars, neon-and-rain-drenched dystopias, and the otherwordly and unimaginable. We sat down with Anastasio to talk about how these movies relate to our reality, how each film was chosen, and why science fiction remains critically important today.
The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
BOSTON HASSLE: What do you love most about science fiction, and why is it an important genre?
MARK ANASTASIO: I’ve always loved science fiction films. I think that sci-fi—like horror—is great at taking a look at what’s happening in the world and putting those fears and anxieties into a story. We have a lot of films in this program that are reactive to the times in which they were made. It’s crazy how a lot of these films still apply to the societal fears that we’ve still got going on now. Additionally, these are all gorgeous films to see on the big screen. So, that’s what I love most about the genre—it’s both entertainment, and a way in which we take a hard look at what’s going on in the world and either being optimistic about what our future is going to look like, or analyzing what life is all about. Take 2001: A Space Odyssey, for instance. A lot of people come out of that film asking, “What was that all about?” Sometimes these films are just about the journey, and I love what they have to say.
BH: Sci-fi truly is a stunning genre to be seen on the big screen, especially Blade Runner.
MA: Blade Runner is a personal favorite. I also love the fact that it’s a film that was done with practical special effects in 1982 and it holds up. The effects in that film hold up to anything that’s being done today. I mean, it’s just such a gorgeous movie and it’s 40 years old. In the same way that the special effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey are genre-defining. We see the influence of 2001 on all of the major franchises. Star Wars wouldn’t exist without what Kubrick did in 2001. Coming out for the spectacle of these films’ special effects is also a major part of it. It’s the dead of January, you know, so I hope that a lot of these films are escapist for our audiences, and not just being faced with where we’re going as a society. We can do both!
BH: What made you choose Projections: Science Fiction from the Arthouse as your first program of 2023?
MA: This is a program that I’ve been working on for a while, but there was something about how the new year is ticking us to 2023 that just really made it feel like the future is now. We’re living in it! The original Blade Runner was set in 2019. It just feels like we’re advancing in years, so we wanted to take a look back at our favorite science fiction films. It’s a combination of truly arthouse movies.
We’re playing a restoration of Sun Ra’s Space is the Place, a pioneering Afrofuturist film. You don’t get Black Panther without Space is the Place, so we’re really excited about that one. Lizzie Borden’s Born in Flames is another film that we’re playing that seldom gets screened, but there was a great restoration done by Anthology Film Archive. That film still feels incredibly relevant, being a movie about feminist forces who are coming together to overthrow and wake up the citizens of the new socialist-democratic republic that they find themselves in. I mean, that could happen next year, depending on the next election cycle. We have a combination of those “smaller” movies, and movies like 2001 and Blade Runner, films that are bigger and have amazing craftsmanship.
We just love the big screen experience that it provides. Blade Runner 2049 was in no way an arthouse film—that was a major blockbuster—but it was one of the first reboots to come along that was using our nostalgia for an earlier picture and surpassed the original. Those two will be wonderful to see in our double feature. eXistenZ was added to the program because we wanted to look at a film that had virtual reality on its mind. We just wanted to hit all of these points. A lot of these films are about dystopian societies, but I just feel like that happened because we’re heading toward our own dystopia. The Fountain was also included because of its incredible visuals, too. 2049 will be amazing to see as well. Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia is screening in 35mm during this program. We’ve never seen Melancholia on film here at The Coolidge, so we’re excited to see it play out on our largest screen in Moviehouse 1.
BH: Children of Men is another great pick. It’s very apt for our current climate.
MA: I think so too. And as bleak as the majority of that movie is, it ends on a tone of hope—that’s why it’s closing out the program. We want people to end this month with hope.
BH: What was your process for curating this program, and do you see a trend through these films?
MA: I wanted a variety of tonally different films so that audiences can come back week after week with something fresh. I don’t want people to come to the first film in the program and feel they’ve experienced the series. I want them to be drawn in with 2001 and pick up a postcard and say, “Well, if we’re starting here, maybe there’s a reason. We should come back to see these other films that were inspired by 2001.” I don’t want audiences burnt out by seeing the same films over and over again.
BH: What’s your favorite sci-fi trope?
MA: Killer robots! I’m into any movie about robots trying to harm people. I got to curate a series for Midnite. Some of the titles that I was proposing were Heavy Metal: Killer Robots at the Movies, Rust in Peace: Killer Robots at the Movies, Control Alt Death: Killer Robots at the Movies and Battery is Included: Robots at the Movies. We went with Heavy Metal! I love stories of when technology goes too far, and we have to put a stop to it. I feel like we’re not that too far off.
BH: What screening are you looking forward to most in this program?
MA: If I could push people toward a particular screening, I’d say the 35mm showing of Melancholia.
BH: Do you have any recommendations of films that didn’t make the list, but you feel are critical to see?
MA: I keep a list! For further viewing, I would direct people to Under the Skin, Stalker, Timecrimes, and Tank Girl. That’s the homework if people want to keep going after they’ve finished the program at The Coolidge!
BH: What do you hope audiences take away when they leave The Coolidge?
MA: Most of all, I want people to have the theatrical experience. I want audiences to come to visit The Coolidge and have an excellent time the moment they walk through the door. Chapin Cutler, the owner of Boston Light and Sound—he’s a genius cinema lover. I often think of a quote from him: “The experience of going to the movies starts at the parking lot.” So, I think of things in that way. I just want to give people a reason to turn off their streaming services for the evening, leave their houses, and come out for something that has been curated for them that they can enjoy in a gorgeous theater with top-notch projection, sound, and customer service when they’re coming through the doors.
I want them to come away saying, “Wow, that was worth getting off the couch for,” and I think this program delivers.
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Projections: Science Fiction from the Art House screens throughout January at The Coolidge Corner Theatre.
Find all screenings, ticket information, and showtimes here!
