On October 4, the first film from Richard Linklater’s “Jewels in the Wasteland” series will be screened at AFS Cinema, his new movie theater that opened this past spring. To hear Linklater tell it, the series is a love letter of sorts—a tribute to the films of the ’80s, a decade that is widely regarded as a cinematic slump.
“This series is unabashedly subjective to my experience,” says Linklater, noting that he's seen some of the films only once—in the ’80s, no less—and is interested to see whether they are just as good as he remembers. “A lot of films go down in history differently than they do when they came out. The real jewels are the films that got forgotten.”
The series starts this week and will continue into November and December; the first film, Drugstore Cowboy, is showing on October 4-7, followed by Colors (Oct 11), Another Woman (Oct 18), They Live (Oct 25-31) and High Hopes (Oct 30). Linklater will introduce each film and will lead a discussion afterwards.
As for whether he'll be doing a ’90s series, don't hold your breath. “I'm not really compelled to do the ’90s,” he says. “I don't know why. It just doesn't appeal to me.”
If you haven’t been to AFS Cinema yet, it’s a real treat. The carefully curated films range from new releases to newly restored movies, and the theater itself is a reflection of Linklater's passion, with vintage posters and movie-soundtrack album covers from his personal collection covering the walls.
Purchase your tickets to “Jewels in the Wasteland” online here—and don't forget the popcorn.