Scottsdale Public Art is continuing its ZAP! POW! BAM! Summer of Comics with a screening of two retro movies tomorrow night.
Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and Ed Wood's "Plan9 from Outer Space" will play to the delight of all retro-fiends from 7 to 9 p.m at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
Be warned, "Metropolis" is five minutes short of being a three-hour silent movie. But, if you have the bladder strength, the allegory alone is worth it.
Produced before the beginning of Nazi Germany during a "stable" period in country's history, the film's premise uses the then-Caste system to compare the life of factory workers to those in charge. Somewhere in the chaos, one man transforms the factory machine into a woman to destroy the fictional city of Metropolis.
Lang's film was ranked No. 12 in British film magazine Empire's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.
"Plan9" is a much shorter undertaking (just over an hour) about the walking dead, gravediggers, and creatures from outer space. The extraterrestrials resurrect the Earth's dead in an attempt to stop humans from creating a doomsday weapon to destroy the universe.
The movie's a cult classic; it's been called "the worst movie ever made" and the director (posthumously) won the Golden Turkey Award for worst director ever. Even Seinfeld made reference to the film twice during the series.
Reputation aside, the film has inspired TV shows since its premiere and has garnered the respect of Tim Burton.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is at 7380 E. 2nd St. in Scottsdale, and admission to the event is free. For more information, see the event page.
