The Palm Theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo released their November film calendar, with Cinema Saturdays and concert films on Fridays.
From drama to thriller to adventure, the theater’s focus throughout the month is classic independent films in a variety of genres.
Every Sunday of the month, the theater will be playing black and white Alfred Hitchcock movies such as “Rebecca,” “Notorious,” “Psycho” and “Strangers on the Train.” On Fridays at 9:30 p.m., the Palm will celebrate Flickerhead Fridays in which independent drama films will be displayed.
Wednesday and Fridays at 7 p.m. are a Studio Ghibli Celebration, featuring films like “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” Also on Fridays at 7 p.m., concert films will be featured, including “Heart of Gold”, “Purple Rain,” “Don’t Look Back” and “Monterey Pop.”
Cinema Saturdays involve several showtimes, including 1:30 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Several popular films will be on rotation for Cinema Saturdays, such as “Midsommar,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “The Big Chill.”
Ryan Burr, the Repertory Programmer at the Palm Theatre, says that the theater has experienced significant momentum since the release of the October calendar.
“House” (1977), a Japanese cult-classic horror comedy, sold out in mid-October, a phenomenon which has not happened since before the closures due to the pandemic.
Burr says that the Palm Theatre staff has put a lot of work into introducing the November films through vintage trailers, designing limited t-shirts, printing calendars and more to announce.
In the transition from October to November, the film calendar has changed in many ways. More movies have been added with the intention of playing a repertory title every day the theater is open, and the film selection is more diverse in an effort to spotlight a wide variety of series.
“I’m excited about the future of repertory exhibition and see an opportunity to deliver something meaningful to our community,” Burr said. “We’re only in it for the movies.”
Several comments on the theater’s latest Instagram post demonstrate great excitement for the month’s schedule.
One of these enthusiastic commenters, local community member Carlos Eduardo Plummer, has appreciated the Palm Theatre as an outlet for independent and art house cinema since he was in high school. As far as November’s schedule, Plummer is most excited for “The Sorcerer,” part of the Cinema Saturday schedule.
Plummer said that he has always hoped for the Palm Theatre to become the Central Coast’s outlet for classic films.
“It’s so exciting to see this come to fruition in such a lively way,” Plummer said. “Sold out screenings, amazing staff and incredible lineups. What more could we ask for?”
Correction: This article was updated at 1:51 p.m. to correct the time of a show and to clarify which month was attached to an event calendar that was mentioned.