Videodrome

New To The Store 7/14/26 to 8/4/26

check out the full list on our Letterboxd page (link in bio)

The sweltering Hot Pre-Code Summer continues on Tuesday, Aug 4th at 7:30pm, when HEAT LIGHTNING (1934) strikes the big screen on 35mm! Tara Atlanta

On hand to introduce the movie is executive director of the TCM Classic Film Festival and long-time friend, Genevieve McGillicuddy.

Warning: This motion picture was BANNED BY THE LEGION OF DECENCY! 

A storm is gathering on the desert horizon, and this secluded motor court has the “last gas for 20 miles!” 

In addition to its strikingly modern feminist sensibilities, HEAT LIGHTNING is infused with atmosphere—courtesy of a desolate Mojave location shoot & Warner Brothers’ trademark ambiance, It immediately charmed our socks off when it was finally released on DVD, and since it was out of circulation for nearly 80 years, we never dreamed that we'd one day be able to screen it on 35mm! 

Aline MacMahon was Hollywood's first Method actor and a powerhouse; Pre-Code fans will recognize her as “Trixie” from GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933—also directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Here, in her only leading role, she's the fairly butch Olga, who confidently runs a remote filling station and auto camp with the reluctant help of her kid sister, Ann Dvorak. A sweaty cast of characters drift in and out of their desert outpost—a squabbling couple, a couple of gum-smacking show girls taking their sugar daddy for a ride, and a pair of frenemy divorcees named “Feathers” and “Tinkle” whose venomous repartee is worth the price of admission alone. 

This microclimate of women isn't paradise, but it's all manageable in the environment Olga’s created on her own terms. Soon enough, the world of men will swagger its way in, and with its reckless self-regard will bring, as it always does, actual danger. 

Join us for an absolute delight that radiates with desert charm… while deftly weaving multiple storylines into a neat 63 minutes!

Poster by Jordan Kady

-Code

“A garden is a film, a three dimensional expressive force.” - Felicia Feaster

New spotlight section alert! Check out this watchlist curated to pair with Felicia Feaster’s dark botanical encyclopedia The Goth Garden, a book about the mystery, beauty, and lore of dark gardening.

Scan the QR code to see the list on letterboxd and let the notes on each film guide you through the movies’ botanical roots in tandem with Felicia’s book.

Rent these titles in our spotlight section for only $3/week for a limited time and pick up a signed copy of the Goth Garden in store while supplies last!

Big thanks to all the vendors and shoppers who showed up at Parkgrounds | Reynoldstown Coffee-Breakfast-Sandwiches-Booze yesterday for the media market with Mannequin’s Basement!

Amazing turnout despite the heat!

Photos by Baba Yaga Photo

We rarely repeat a Plazadrome title, but we just cannot resist bringing y’all this brand new 4K restoration of Michael Mann’s 1986 majestic neo-noir thriller MANHUNTER- now re-imagined as MICHAEL MANN’S MANHUNTER: THE FINAL CUT. Partly filmed in Atlanta in the mid-80s, MANHUNTER is a masterwork of style and tone. Adapted from Thomas Harris’ 1981 novel Red Dragon, MANHUNTER is the first of several crime thrillers to feature the infamous on-screen psychopath, Hannibal Lecter (who happens to be jailed in our very own High Museum doubling as an ultra-modern prison). A certified flop in its initial theatrical run (grossing just $8.62 million domestically against a production budget of $15 million), MANHUNTER has since achieved critical re-evaluation and a massive cult following thanks to relentless fans who discovered it on VHS and cable television.

The film is an unusual procedural crime thriller that strives for an atmosphere of unease rather than out-and-out horror. From the moment its neon green title card appears accompanied by a barrage of lavish synth music; MANHUNTER transports the viewer back to the mid-eighties and inside the complicated mind of FBI agent Will Graham (William Petersen). Will is driven, tortured, and has the unique ability to empathize with the mind of a serial killer, setting up a cat-and-mouse th*****me of psychological warfare between himself, Lecter (Brian Cox) and a new-on-the-scene killer known as the “Tooth Fairy” (Tom Noonan). MANHUNTER rattles and unsettles. It’s a film about a cop chasing a killer, which in the hands of Michael Mann becomes something much more abnormal and unnerving.

Ticket link in bio

A new bit of neon has graced our windows and it’s bringing in a lot of disbelieving newcomers. No, it’s not an elaborate joke! Come see for yourself and discover the wonderful world of video rental. 📼

Deaf Crocodile pop up shop at Videodrome today 12-6! If you don’t know Deaf Crocodile’s work check them out! They consistently release some of the most unique films from all over the planet.

Join us for the Atlanta premiere and official Blu-ray release of one of the most subversive films in Black cinema history. Plazadrome, Riverbend Restored, Black Eye Film Club ATL, and BronzeLens Film Festival present RIVERBEND- Saturday 8/15, 6pm at The Plaza Theatre!

ticket link in bio

The Spook Who Sat by the Door meets Seven Samurai in a powder-keg action drama about Black resistance, collective power, and a town pushed to fight back.

Set in 1966, Riverbend stars Steve James (I’m Gonna Git U Sucka) as one of three Black Vietnam soldiers who join forces with a determined local woman, played by Oscar-nominated actress Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), to organize a small Southern town against a violent racist sheriff. Directed by Sam Firstenberg (American Ninja), the film is a powerful story of Black self-determination, community, and collective action that remains fiercely relevant today.

After a brief theatrical run and VHS release in 1990, Riverbend disappeared for decades. The recovery of its original 35mm elements made possible a painstaking, director-approved restoration. Now, more than 35 years later, this Georgia-set film will finally screen in Atlanta.

The evening includes a post-screening conversation and Blu-ray signing with members of the cast and creative team. Scheduled guests include actors Margaret Avery, Julius Tennon (The Woman King), Alex Morris (Baskets), Vanessa Tate Goodrich, and Marcus Coleman; co-producer Valerie Coleman Vance; poster artist Aaron Kai; Debbi James (Daughter of Steve James); and restoration executive producer Michael J. Dennis of Reelblack Renaissance.

***special Wednesday Plazadrome due to the Thursday opening of The Odyssey***

Tomorrow night! Plazadrome presents DEAD MOUNTAINEER’S HOTEL (1979) plus Deaf Crocodile 4k/Blu-ray pop-up sale Wednesday 7/15 at The Plaza Theatre

8pm Deaf Crocodile 4k and Blu-ray pop up sale in the lobby of The Plaza

9pm DEAD MOUNTAINEER’S HOTEL screening

ticket link in bio