Crosstown Theater

Come help us celebrate the end of another fun year with the return of our annual Shoot & Splice Movie Trivia! Test your film knowledge against returning Trivia Masters — John Beifuss of The Commercial Appeal and Chris McCoy of the Memphis Flyer. The trivia masters will take full advantage of the theater so be prepared for some fun video rounds!

The first film in Abbas Kiarostami’s sublime, interlacing trilogy of films set in the northern Iranian village of Koker takes a premise of fable-like simplicity — a boy searches for the home of his classmate whose school notebook he has accidentally taken — and transforms it into a miraculous, child’s-eye adventure of the everyday. 

Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the inhabitants. It is up to two scientists and a stray girl they rescue from the ants to destroy them. Acclaimed graphic designer Saul Bass’s only feature film is a visually striking curiosity that, originally a box office flop, garnered cult status a year after its release. Interpreted by some as an ecological commentary, by others as political, and by others as a runoff of the anxieties of the time, Phase IV is as spellbinding as the movie posters and title sequences for which its director is known. Featuring an otherworldly score by composer Brian Gascoigne and starring Michael Murphy and Nigel Davenport as the scientists.

The original hip-hop movie, Wild Style was the first feature film to document the scene’s music, break dancing, and street art at its inception. Through the eyes of a subway tagger named Zoro (played by graffiti legend Lee Quinones) and his encounters with assorted B-boys and g-girs, rappers, and fellow artists, we see the vibrant street culture of the Bronx in the early 1980s. Filmed with vivid, semi-documentary authenticity, this extraordinary time capsule boasts appearances by groundbreaking artists like Grandmaster Flash, the Cold Crush Brothers, Lady Pink, Fab 5 Freddy, Busy Bee, and others.

Newly restored in 4K to coincide with its 40th anniversary, the 1984 film was directed by renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme and is considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time. Stop Making Sense stars core band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison along with Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry, and Edna Holt. The live performance was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December of 1983 and features Talking Heads’ most memorable songs.

With the unique concept of gradually introducing performers to the stage, artists Ross Salvosa, Artina McCain, and the Joshua David trio will take the audience on a journey from classical solo piano, to the amused tenderness of Samuel Barber's Souvenirs, and end the night with a riveting set of jazz featuring world-renowned jazz trombonist Mike Dease.

The Mahogany Chamber Performances is a series of three chamber music concerts curated by Dr. Artina McCain and presented by Crosstown Arts, spotlighting Black and other underrepresented composers and performers.

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims. Directed by John Carpenter. 

In the masterful sequel to the 1931 classic, the mad scientist is persuaded by a creepy doctor to create a mate for his creature to help fabricate a new race, but all doesn’t go as planned. Elsa Lanchester has dual roles as novelist Mary Shelley and the frightful wig-wearing bride. Directed by James Whale.

Inspired by militant leaders like Malcom X and Stokely Carmichael, a new radicalized generation of civil rights activists made up of young college students, Vietnam vets, musicians, and intellectuals emerged in Memphis in 1967. The Invaders uncovers the history and significance of the often-overlooked group, detailing their direct involvement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the pivotal hours leading up to his assassination. The Invaders touches on themes of race, government surveillance and economic injustice. The film offers a unique perspective on the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike by emphasizing the role of resident youth in the movement, as well as focusing on the function of poverty and economic disparity in Memphis.

Presented in collaboration with the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Q&A following the screening!

From Universal Pictures’ Get Out, a speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series, and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele, when a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation. Directed by Jordan Peele.