One week only! September 2-8

To honor Olivia Newton-John, Rialto Cinemas Cerrito is presenting a double feature of Grease and Xanadu.

Grease, the top-grossing musical of all time, follows good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and bad boy Danny (John Travolta) through a year-long high-school romance, along with their friends the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. The movie features many memorable songs, including “Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” and “You’re the One That I Want.”

In Xanadu, roller disco meets 1940s swing in this kitsch-classic of 1980s Hollywood, featuring Gene Kelly (in his final feature film appearance) as a former big-band sideman who teams up with a down-on-his-luck young artist (Michael Beck) and a beguilingly beautiful Olympian muse (Olivia Newton-John) to turn a decaying theater into a vibrant nightclub. The movie’s song-and-dance numbers include pastiche throwbacks to Kelly’s postwar heyday and glitzy disco-on-wheels set pieces, in which the dizzying mobility of the cinematography becomes integral to the choreography. Said to have inspired the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards, which celebrate the year’s worst movies, Xanadu has gone down in Hollywood history as a memorably over-the-top genre hybrid, a fantasy-romance-musical with a wildly popular soundtrack performed by Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra.

Tickets for this double feature will go on sale August 28. You will be able to buy them on line or at the box office. Normal prices will apply.

Note

Rialto Cinemas Cerrito requires proof of vaccination for all attendees age 12 and up. Please read the details of the policy here, on the Rialto web site.

Lori Dair was deservedly pleased to enjoy the 75th anniversary of the Cerrito Theater in 2012. Her leadership made sure the theater was restored. Photo by Dave Weinstein

A Celebration of the Life of Lori Dair
Saturday, August 13, 2022, 10am to Noon
The Cerrito Theater
10070 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530

(The theater does not have its own lot so patrons usually park on San Pablo Ave. or nearby sidestreets.)

Friends of the Cerrito Theater mourns the loss of Lori Dair, one of the founders of our group and the leader of our efforts from 2002 to 2006 to save the theater. Lori’s leadership during those crucial days was inspirational. The theater as we know it today would not exist were it not for her volunteer efforts.

Please come to an informal gathering to celebrate Lori’s life. There will be plenty of photos and a playlist of Lori’s favorite songs, plus some time for people to offer remarks. The celebration is being put on by Lori’s family and close friends.

We appreciate that many of you don’t live in or near El Cerrito, and that you may have scheduling conflicts, so we plan to videotape the event and make it available for viewing afterwards.

We would also welcome donations to the ALS Association in Lori’s honor. To donate, please click here.

You can find Lori’s obituary here.

See a night in the life of American kids about to embark on adulthood in “American Graffiti,” at the Cerrito on Thursday, May 19, at 7 p.m.

Before George Lucas started making space epics, he made “American Graffiti,” about a group of American high school graduates having a last night out after summer vacation.

Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) and Steve (Ron Howard) are both about to go off to college, but each has reasons to want to stay. Steve and his girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams) try to figure out how to continue their relationship while heading in different directions. Curt encounters a beautiful woman (Suzanne Somers) in a T-Bird, and spends the rest of the night trying to find her again while being coerced into some bad behavior by a local gang whom he’s managed to tick off. Steve gives Terry his car for safekeeping while he’s off at college, and Terry uses the fancy wheels to impress a girl (Candy Clark) who’s out of his league (and gets himself in trouble along the way). John (Paul Le Mat), the local hot rod legend, wants to cruise the main but is saddled with looking after twelve-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips) for the night, as Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) looks for John to challenge him to a race.

“American Graffiti” has a soundtrack full of period hits, and features legendary DJ Wolfman Jack. The movie was nominated for Academy Awards for best picture, best supporting actress (Candy Clark), best director (George Lucas), best original screenplay, and best editing. In 1995 it was named to the National Film Registry as a “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant film.”

“American Graffiti” will play only once at the Cerrito, on Thursday, May 19, at 7:00 p.m. Moviegoers are strongly advised to buy advance tickets at the box office or online, as the movie may sell out. All seats are $9.50. Arriving early is a good idea, in order to choose your seat and order delicious food, wine, and beer.

Upcoming Classics

The Cerrito Classics series is going on hiatus in June and July. It will begin again in August with a fresh set of films.

Note

Rialto Cinemas Cerrito requires proof of vaccination for all attendees age 12 and up. Please read the details of the policy here, on the Rialto web site.