{"id":3823,"date":"2012-07-31T12:27:30","date_gmt":"2012-07-31T18:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=3823"},"modified":"2012-07-31T12:27:31","modified_gmt":"2012-07-31T18:27:31","slug":"brainy-b-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=3823","title":{"rendered":"Brainy B-movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nDemented surgeons who know no bounds, crazed doctors keeping brains alive, abductions and decapitations \u2013 you can tell Steve Seid had an enormous amount of fun putting together the program for this year\u2019s Summer Cinema on Center Street, a free outdoor movie series which kicks off on Saturday August 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted something different from common currency films. I wanted to pull out some of our more disgraceful examples,\u201d he says, laughing.<\/p>\n

Seid, Video Curator at Pacific Film Archive, delved into the museum\u2019s 18,000-strong collection of films to come up with his selection of 16-mm prints for the series, which takes place over three weekends in August and is organized jointly by Berkeley Art Museum\/Pacific Film Archive and the Downtown Berkeley Association. The event was launched last year and proved immensely popular, drawing up to 400 people to the Bank of America parking lot for each screening.<\/p>\n

The films, which will be shown on the wall of the future Berkeley Art Museum\/Pacific Film Archive, are all in the classic B-movie \u201cmad scientist\u201d genre.<\/p>\n

Crowds enjoyed last year\u2019s Summer Cinema on Center Street event. Photo: D.H Parks<\/p>\n

In The Atomic Brain on August 4, an aging spinster finances the brain transplant experiments of a deranged scientist in the hope that her brain can be transplanted into the body of a younger woman. Nancy Davis (aka the future Mrs Reagan) stars in Donovan\u2019s Brain on August 11 in which a crazed surgeon extracts the brains of monkeys, keeping them alive outside their bodies. And, on August 18, a demented doctor grafts his decapitated fianc\u00e9es\u2019s brain onto the body of a disfigured model in The Brain That Wouldn\u2019t Die. Needless to say, mayhem ensues.<\/p>\n

Nancy Davis, aka Mrs Reagan, in \u201cDonovan\u2019s Brain\u201d<\/p>\n

Each of the movies, which are on average 80 minutes long, will be screened at around 9pm at twilight, and they will preceded by a program of pre-movie mania, also orchestrated by Seid. This includes a music, some brief and lively lectures and readings, short films, and \u201cfreaky performances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can you say: outdoors and off-the-wall. Cerebral cinema is a no-brainer,\u201d says Seid.<\/p>\n

Berkeleyside is proud to sponsor the Summer Cinema on Center Street for the second year.<\/p>\n

Programs on August 4, 11 and 18 begin at 7:30pm. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own chairs and\/or blankets. For full information, visit the BAM\/PFA website.<\/p>\n

To find out about more events in Berkeley and nearby, check out Berkeleyside\u2019s Events Calendar. We also encourage you to submit your own events.