[Special Screenings] Local Showings of 'Easy Rider,' 'Amadeus,' More

Movie of the Week:

Easy Rider. A landmark in film history, Easy Rider blew the studio doors open for more young directors than any film before or since, helping to create the wide-open climate that would lead to the production of many outstanding films in the '70s. Starring Peter Fonda as Wyatt (a.k.a. Captain America) and Dennis Hopper as Billy, the movie traces the hippie duo's adventures as they mount their seriously chopped hogs on a journey to find the real America en route to Mardis Gras. Easy Rider accurately reflects the tensions and hostilities of the period, Laszlo Kovacs' photography is superb, Jack Nicholson is exceptional in his breakthrough role, and the ending is a shocker. UC Irvine Film and Video Center, Humanities Instructional Building 100, Campus & W. Peltason drs., Irvine, (949) 824-7418; www.filmandvideocenter.com. Fri., 7 p.m. $3-$5.

Also Showing:

Amadeus: The Director's Cut. Milos Forman's semi-fictionalized retelling of Mozart's life remains a stunning achievement in cinema. Presenting the story almost as if it were one of Mozart's extravagant operas, Forman's eye for period detail, the actors' uniformly entertaining performances and the incredibly gorgeous soundtrack makes this a truly great epic. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701; www.regencymovies.com. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $6.50.

City for Conquest. James Cagney and Ann Sheridan burn up the screen in this delicious potboiler. Cagney plays a truck driver turned boxer who just wants to marry his sweetheart and help his brother's music career, but circumstances prevent things from going as smoothly as he'd like. Long Beach School for Adults, 3701 E. Willow St., Long Beach, (562) 997-8000. Fri., 7 p.m. $1.

The Graduate. This influential film is a biting satire/comedy about a nebbishy recent East Coast college graduate who finds himself alienated and adrift in the shifting social and sexual mores of the '60s and begins to question the values of the straight-laced society that surrounds him. In the process, he sleeps with his parents' friend, falls in love with her daughter and disrupts a wedding. UC Irvine Film and Video Center, Humanities Instructional Building 100, Campus & W. Peltason drs., Irvine, (949) 824-7418; www.filmandvideocenter.com. Thurs., May 29, 7 p.m. $3-$5.

Mail your press releases (and a videotape or disc, if available) to Special Screenings,OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701-7417. Or send e-mail to tchild@ocweekly.com. All materials must be received at least two weeks before the screening.