Movies to see this week: 'John Wick' marathon, Laurel & Hardy, 'The Hidden Fortress'

Yahoo

29-05-2025

The summer movie season is upon us.
While there are plenty of Marvel, Mission: Impossible, Karate Kid reboots, and live-action Disney remakes to occupy your evening, there are also some splashy repertory epics on screens right now.
Here are the repertory movies playing around the Twin Cities this week.
Wednesday, May 28, at Heights Theater
Some of Alfred Hitchcock's most iconic films have scenes that burn so brightly in memory that they stand in for the entirety of the film and can obscure their overall greatness. North By Northwest can feel that way.
Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) gets mistaken for a government agent by a group of spies. It looks like a simple case of mistaken identity, but things go wrong over and over, pulling him deeper and deeper into danger. That includes falling for Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint). It's tense and delightfully frustrating every step of the way, especially if your memory of the movie is a bit obscured by its iconic plane scene. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights ($19–$19.75)
Wednesday, May 28, at The Trylon Cinema
With the Cannes success of Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest, a reimagining of High and Low, we're probably in for a spate of renewed interest in that Akira Kurosawa classic.
For now, play at being too cool for the obvious pick and catch another masterful collaboration between Kurosawa and his favorite actor, Toshiro Mifune. Two peasants (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) discover a general (Mifune) and a princess (Misa Uehara) hiding in a fortress with a hoard of gold.
The peasants, fresh off the failure of another money-making scheme, are convinced to aid the general and princess in sneaking through enemy territory and back to safety. It's entertaining and beautifully shot. First-time viewers may also find that there are more than a few ways that George Lucas took inspiration from Kurosawa's film for that little-known space opera he released in 1977, which is going to play at this same theater in June. (Also, the Trylon once released a shirt with Mifune's face on it, so it's obviously the perfect place to see this one.) 2820 E 33rd St., Minneapolis (free for members, $8 for a member's guest)
Thursday, May 29, at Heights Theater
The 12-movie collaboration between director Billy Wilder and screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond may be one of the most fruitful partnerships in the history of Hollywood. It gave us comedy classics like The Apartment and Some Like It Hot, as well as the more serious The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and underappreciated comedies like The Front Page and One, Two, Three.
Among that latter category is The Fortune Cookie, a goofball comedy that, like many of Wilder's films from this era, starred Jack Lemmon with his longtime foil Walter Matthau.
Harry (Lemmon) is a sideline videographer at a football game who gets bowled over by star player Luther "Boom Boom" Jackson (Ron Rich). Harry's crooked lawyer brother-in-law, Willie (Matthau), convinces him to feign an injury in hopes of a fat payday. But Luther's insurmountable guilt has Harry second-guessing the scheme. It may not rank among The Odd Couple or Grumpy Old Men as one of the best Lemmon/Matthau movies, but this was their first of their 10 on-screen collaborations and is just a notch below those classics. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights ($13/$13.75)
Friday, May 30, at The Parkway Theater
One of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films — his first thriller and arguably the first to give a glimpse of the director's penchant for tension — was a silent film about a Jack the Ripper-style murderer (Ivor Novello) slinking through London streets at night.
A live soundtrack will accompany the screening, with Paris 1919 performing a new composition by bandleader Chris Strouth. He'll be joined by Natalie Nowytski, Kent Militzer, and David J. Ross. 4814 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis ($20.21/$23)
Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, at Heights Theater
The Heights' annual screening of Laurel and Hardy classics returns, showcasing digital restorations of six of the comedy duo's short films. This year's lineup includes 'Another Fine Mess' (1930), 'Men o' War' (1929), 'Going Bye-Bye' (1934), 'Perfect Day' (1929), 'Dirty Work' (1933), and 'Hog Wild' (1930).
If this is your cup of pratfalls, get tickets in advance. Sunday's screening sold out quickly, pushing the Heights to add a Saturday screening. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights ($15/$15.75)
Saturday, May 31, at Oakdale Cinema
Who knew that the death of a dog would result in so many movies? About a week before the release of Ballerina, a stand-alone movie set in the John Wick universe, Emagine is hosting a marathon screening of the first four John Wick movies.
For nearly nine and a half hours, the Oakdale Cinema will treat viewers to revenge, gun battles, neon lights, and a cadre of well-drawn hitmen. Fortunately, they're not bringing The Continental into this. You probably have to Google that miniseries to remember what it was, and that's probably all you really need to know about it. 5677 Hadley Ave. N, Oakdale ($28.12)
Tuesday, June 3, at Alamo Drafthouse
Arriving the same year as George A. Romero's third zombie opus, Day of the Dead, The Return of the Living Dead got in on mocking zombie movies early.
The story is that two buffoons at a medical supply facility accidentally release a gas that raises the dead. The medical supply guys, the local mortuary owner, and a bunch of punks wind up trapped together in the midst of a zombie attack that they don't really understand.
It's all played as a very knowing elbow to the ribs. The movie even references Night of the Living Dead before deciding that its own plot doesn't mean a whole lot. It's absurd, sometimes funny, and willing to ask, "Why are these the rules of zombie movies"? The zombies can talk, don't die when you hit them in the head, and don't even really have to be dead to be zombies. It's confusing, but the rules aren't the point, nerd. 9060 Hudson Rd., Woodbury ($11.91)More movies screening this week:
May 28: Bajo un Sol Poderoso (Beneath a Powerful Sun) (2022) at The Main Cinema, part of the Minnesota Cuban Film Festival
May 28: Blazing Saddles (1974) at Emagine Eagan, Emagine Lakeville, Emagine White Bear, and Emagine Willow Creek
May 28: North By Northwest (1959) at Heights Theater
May 28: The Hidden Fortress (1958) at The Trylon Cinema
May 28: Black Tight Killers (1966) at Emagine Willow Creek
May 28: Jaws (1975) movie party at Alamo Drafthouse
May 28: The Apartment (1960) at Edina Mann Theatres
May 28–29: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (2024) at The Main Cinema
May 29: Switchblade Sisters (1975) at Alamo Drafthouse
May 29: The Fortune Cookie (1966) at Heights Theater
May 29: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) at Emagine Willow Creek
May 29: Twilight (2008) at Grandview Theatre
May 29: The Village Next to Paradise (2024) at The Main Cinema, part of the Images of Africa series
May 29: Twisters (2024) at North Loop Green (free)
May 29: The Goldfish (2019) at The Trylon Cinema
May 30: The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) with live music by Paris 1919 at The Parkway Theater
May 30–June 1: Slither (1973) at The Trylon Cinema
May 31–June 1: Grease (1978) at Emagine Eagan (June 1 only), Emagine Lakeville, Emagine White Bear, and Emagine Willow Creek
May 31: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) at The Parkway Theater
May 31–June 1: The Laurel and Hardy Festival at Heights Theater
May 31–June 5: The Boss Baby (2017) at St. Michael Cinema
May 31: John Wick marathon at Oakdale Cinema
June 1: Labyrinth (1986) at Audrey Rose Vintage
June 1: Mommie Dearest (1981) at Roxy's Cabaret
June 1–3: Outland (1981) at The Trylon Cinema
June 1 and 5: The People's Joker (2022) at Grandview Theatres
June 2: The Goonies (1985) at Heights Theater
June 2, 7, 11, and 22: Dinner in America (2020) at Grandview Theatres
June 2: Popcorn (1991) at Emagine Willow Creek
June 2: Stand By Me (1986) at Alamo Drafthouse
June 2: $5 Mystery Movie at B&B Theatres Mall of America
June 2: Marcus Mystery Movie at Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, and West End Cinema
June 3: Sabbath Queen (2024) at The Main Cinema
June 3: The Return of the Living Dead (1985) at Alamo Drafthouse
June 3: Sensational Shorts presents Z-Fest Uncut III at Woodbury 10 Theatre