The Colonial Theatre

Mongol

Directed by Sergei Bodrov. Kazakhstan. 2007. R. Running time: 126 min.

"If you thought Genghis Khan was ready for a sympathetic, epic-scale biopic, you'd be — well, you'd be right, that's what. At the helm of this massive Russian-Kazakh-Mongolian co-production, director Bodrov doesn't exactly revolutionize the historical costume drama but does a bang-up job of covering the bases: A hero whose brutality is rooted in brutal circumstances, a semimystical treatment of pagan religion, an appealing love interest and numerous scenes of carnage and bloodshed, both large and small.

Showing:

• Fri, Jul 18 to Thu, Jul 24

Children’s Summer Series: Balloon Freak John Cassidy

Tickets: $5.

John Cassidy is an eccentric comedian whose bizarre antics have earned him widespread acclaim as one of the most original and unique performers today. He has also made numerous television appearances having appeared on such popular shows as Live with Regis and Kelly, NBC's Today Show and Martha Stewart Living and regularly plays Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City and his native Philadelphia. John also holds several Guinness World Records for speed in balloon sculpting. You can learn more about john and check out some amazing photos on his website, www.johncassidy.com.

Best for ages 4+. Tickets can be purchased at Click & Pledge.

Showing:

• Tue, Jul 15, 10:30 am

Clerks

Directed by Kevin Smith. US. 1994. R. Running time: 92 min.

“Cheap, touching, and downright nasty, Kevin Smith's first feature still remains the ultimate cinematic tribute to slackers (all apologies to Linklater, though it should probably be said that he was trying to sum up a cultural non-movement as opposed to chronicling the mores of these post-high school wasters, who exist outside of time). When it was first released in 1994, Clerks was one of those epochal fringe movies that comes along one or two times a decade and just hits a nerve.

Showing:

• Sun, Jul 20, 2:00 pm

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Directed by Jim Sharman. UK. 1975. R. Running time: 100 min.

Experience the king of cult classics as it was meant to be seen when Rocky Horror returns to the Colonial. Audience Participation Prop Bags will be for sale containing everything you need to get into the Rocky spirit. No confetti, rice, glass bottles, super-soakers, lighters, or food from the outside will be permitted. Tickets are $10, $8 for Colonial members and will be available one week in advance. This show is not suitable for children. Anyone under18 must be accompanied by a parent.

Showing:

• Sat, Jul 19, 10:00 pm

Blob Plaque Unveiling

A generous grant from The Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau and the County Commissioners has allowed us to create a permanent Blob plaque for the theatre. The plaque will be quite wonderful and if all goes well it will be installed in the balcony of the theatre and unveiled on the First Friday in July (July 4) around 7pm, just before the fireworks. Stop by if you can, but check the website for updates on dates and times as we are awaiting delivery from the foundry in Pittsburgh.

Showing:

• Fri, Jul 4, 7:00 pm

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Directed by Tobe Hooper. US. 1974. R. Running time: 83 min.

To get a sense of the anxieties and preoccupations of a certain era, it's usually instructive to look at its horror movies. For example, official reckoning on the Vietnam War wouldn't come until years after the fact, but the ugly extremes of human atrocity were on display at the drive-in, where horror films were making a dramatic shift away from the supernatural and into the real. Though George Romero and Wes Craven had broken ground with Night Of The Living Dead and The Last House On The Left, respectively, Tobe Hooper's 1974 movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains the Vietnam era's definitive horror classic, if only for its unvarnished, documentary-like images of humans led to the slaughterhouse. With it and its sequel 12 years later—both recently released on reverent new DVD sets—Hooper had the misfortune of making films simultaneously of and ahead of their time. (Scott Tobias, The Onion)

Click here to continue reading Scott Tobias' review on The Onion AV Club. 

Click here to read Eric Henderson's review on Slant.com.

Showing:

• Fri, Aug 1, 9:45 pm