The Last Picture Shows

Somehow, when Seattle-area filmmaker Rustin Thompson was making this document about small, independent movie theaters in the American West, he never made it out to The Clyde. He’ll be fixing that by coming out to do a Q&A Saturday night after the show. The film focuses on interviews with the owners of a dozen or so small theaters, some which have closed, some which are struggling, and some which are still chugging along. Interspersed with clips from movies, it tells the story of what it means to run a small movie theater, and what that experience means to people across the American West–and by extension around the world. It’s currently has a 100% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The narratives are compelling, but the movie’s lyrical and elegiac tone makes it truly resonant.” -Glenn Kenny, New York Times
“The people who appear on camera demonstrate a unique can-do spirit, swimming against the tide and somehow surviving. The Last Picture Shows is a moving and poetic slice of Americana” -Leonard Maltin, leonardmaltin.com
“With its insights into general problems for exhibitors today (such as major studios’ restrictive booking policies), Shows is educational as well as nostalgic.” -Dennis Harvey, 48 Hills
“A nostalgic and bittersweet love letter to movie theaters, celebrating the magic, wonder, and sense of community that still make the big screen experience special.” -Luisa Moore, Screen Zealots
“The Last Picture Shows is much less an obituary to the movie theater and more a fervent embrace of the theatrical experience.” -Phil Walsh, Geek Vibes Nation
“This simple slice of the cinematic experience reinforces the idea that movie theaters are a place for community, and a place that can only exist with and because of community.” -Will Bjarner, InSession Film
“Thompson’s documentary is a soft-spoken, but no less powerful reminder that if we as a culture still love movies, we’re going to have to fight for them.” -Christopher La Vigna, MovieJawn
“A stirring love letter to movie theaters, and in particular the one-screen houses west of the Mississippi that have become a fading relic of Americana.” -Christopher Lloyd, The Film Yap
“[It] is at once a cautionary tale and a love letter to an era before it becomes bygone.” -Donald Liebenson, RogerEbert.com

The Last Picture Shows will open at The Clyde on Friday, November 13, and play Friday, Saturday & Monday at 7:30 plus Sunday at 2:00. Filmmaker Rustin Thompson will be on-hand to answer questions after the Saturday show.