Indie Spotlight: Other films in Philadelphia this weekend
Credit: International Film Circuit
‘The Waiting Room’
Another sparkling endorsement of our current health care system, this doc observes 24 hours at an Oakland ER. 241 patients roll in, many of them uninsured, and doctors and patients work together to eke out the best possible situation. (Ritz at the Bourse)
Exhumed Films presents ALL ABOARD FOR HORROR!
Trains are wonderful settings for thrillers, and the latest double from Exhumed Films — who still primarily project on film, often gloriously beat-up prints — programs two contained entirely (or mostly) on locomotives. One of the non-“Halloween” Jamie Lee Curtis slashers, “Terror Train” (1980) finds a killer picking off a costume party aboard a train (novel!), with David Copperfield squeezed in as a “disco magician.” “Horror Express” (1972) finds besties Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing fighting off the missing link while speeding through Siberia. (Fri., March 15, 8pm. $12-$15. International House, 3701 Chestnut St.)
Chris Marker: Early Marker — Collaborations
Though best known for “La Jetee” and “Sans Soleil,” pioneering cine-diarist Chris Marker, who died last summer, has an endless rap sheet. This program delves into the films he made with other luminaries, including three with Alain Resnais, among them “Night and Fog,” the storied Holocaust meditation for which he collaborated on the poetic narration. There will also be one with animator Walerian Borowczyk (“La Bête”), whose “Les Astronautes” — about an astronaut and his pet owl (!!) — has been described as proto-Terry Gilliam. (Sat., March 16, 7pm. $7-$9. International House, 3701 Chestnut St.)
