Permanent Plastic Helmet
event
Screening Announcement | PPH Presents The Warriors
For the fifth edition of our ongoing series of special events, Permanent Plastic Helmet is delighted to present a rare, 35mm screening of Walter Hill’s classic action adventure The Warriors. The time and place? 21:00 on Monday 15 July 2013 at south London’s lovely Clapham Picturehouse.
This gaudy urban odyssey follows the eponymous Coney Island gang on their perilous journey home after they’ve been falsely accused of the murder of a major gang boss. Blessed with stunning cinematography, a host of superb New York locations, and a pumping soundtrack, The Warriors is one of the best American films of the 1970s.
Join us in the bar from 8pm for food, drink and a playlist of classic soul. The film will be preceded by a prize giveaway and an introduction by film critic Ashley Clark (Sight & Sound, Little White Lies). Come out to play!
You can, and absolutely should, buy tickets here. To get yourself in the mood, watch the trailer below:
5 reasons to come and see Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
In case you’ve missed our occasional blogging and tweeting about it, we’re delighted to be hosting an extremely rare screening of Jim Jarmusch’s oddball cult classic Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai at London’s Clapham Picturehouse on Thursday 21 March (aka tomorrow to you and me, or today if you’re reading this tomorrow. Or perhaps yesterday, in which case you may as well close the page). Anyhow, if, for whatever reason, you weren’t sure whether or not to part with your cash, here are five reasons to swing you.
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1. We’re screening it from a 35mm print
Such is the proliferation and “advancement” of digital technology, it’s increasingly rare these days to come across new films either being shot on film or older films projected from their original negatives. (The whole issue was recently explored in an absorbing, Keanu Reeves-fronted doc named Side By Side). So we’re extra elated to confirm that, thanks to top UK distributor Park Circus, we’ll be screening the film from an original, rich and warm 35mm widescreen print. It’s really the only way to appreciate cinematographer Robby Müller’s astonishing work.
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2. There will be pizza
Whenever Permanent Plastic Helmet puts on an event, we like to look after our customers. So as well as a carefully selected soundtrack in the bar beforehand (you’re all welcome from around-about 7.30 onwards), a chance to win some prizes, and an introduction from “celebrated film critic Ashley Clark” – aka me – ticketholders will be able to wrap their gums around some free pizza from local restaurant extraordinaire Eco.
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3. Time Out London selected it as one of the best film events in London this week…
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4. It has one of the greatest soundtracks of all time
Provided by the inimitable RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan (who also cameos). Here’s proof
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5. It stars Forest Whitaker. That’s Forest Whitaker. As a samurai. Who likes pigeons. And kills mobsters. And it’s directed by Jim Jarmusch. And it’s an homage to Melville’s Le Samouraï
You can’t seriously need any more convincing that that, can you?
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So, it is decided. You’re coming. You can book tickets online by following this link, over the phone on 0871 902 5727, or risk it on the door to save yourself a booking fee.
PPH presents Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai | Here’s the poster!
Now just a shade over two weeks away, our screening of Jim Jarmusch’s cult classic Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai at the Clapham Picturehouse is starting to cause some serious flutters of excitement. Join us on Thursday 21 March for the big event.
You can – and absolutely should – book tickets by following this link. Our last few events (including a 35mm summer screening of Do The Right Thing, and ATCQ doc Beats Rhymes and Life) have been very busy indeed, so book now to avoid disappointment!
If you’re on Facebook, you can also use our event page to tell us you’re coming. Spread the word!
Here’s a running order:
7.30 Join us in the bar for drinks, free pizza and snacks, soundtracked by classic 90s hip-hop and soul
8.50 Introduction and prize giveaway
9.05 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai starts
To further whet your appetite, we’re delighted to unveil the event poster, designed by the ridiculously talented Piccia Neri.
Screening Announcement | PPH presents Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
For the fourth instalment of our ongoing Permanent Plastic Helmet presents… series of events, we are delighted to announce a 35mm screening of Jim Jarmusch’s extraordinary, unclassifiable classic Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. The time and place? 20:50 on Thursday 21 March 2013 at south London’s lovely Clapham Picturehouse.
This surreal tale stars Forest Whitaker as a perma-cool, self-taught samurai hitman who finds himself targeted for death by the mafia. Blessed with stunning cinematography from Robby Müller (Paris, Texas) and a brilliant original score from Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA (who also cameos), it’s an intoxicating, unique and strangely moving fusion of gangsta, gangster and ninja worlds
Come to the bar before the screening for drinks and free food, all soundtracked by classic 90s hip-hop and soul. Before the film commences, there will be a free prize draw and an introduction by PPH editor and film critic (Sight & Sound, Little White Lies) Ashley Clark.
You can, and absolutely should, buy tickets here. To get yourself in the mood, watch the trailer below:
Screening Announcement: White Men Can’t Jump @ Clapham Picturehouse, Thursday 6 Dec, 20:30
Following hot on the heels of sold-out showings of Do The Right Thing and Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, PPH presents... returns for its third outing with a special 20th anniversary screening of Ron Shelton’s classic basketball comedy White Men Can’t Jump. The time and place? 20:30 on Thursday 6 December at south London’s lovely Clapham Picturehouse.
One of the funniest films of the 90’s – and one of the greatest sports movies full stop – White Men Can’t Jump features career-best performances from Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as competing street b-ball hustlers pushing each other to the limit in the scorching L.A. sun. With ace support from Rosie Perez, and bags of zinging dialogue, it’s a dazzling tale of hoops, race, relationships… and foods that begin with the letter ‘Q’!
The screening will be preceded by food and drink soundtracked by classic 90s hip-hop and soul in the bar, plus a raffle with some great prizes on offer. You can, and absolutely should, buy tickets. To get yourself in the mood, watch the trailer below:
PPH presents Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest | How it went down
On Thursday 27 September, Permanent Plastic Helmet held our second screening event at London’s lovely Clapham Picturehouse. Following July’s packed screening of Spike Lee’s classic Do The Right Thing, we kept the vibe nice and retro with a rare showing of Michael Rapaport’s superb hip-hop doc Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (courtesy of top UK indie distributor Soda Pictures).
Here’s a photographic record of how the sold-out event went down. (All photography ©Yves Salmon)
The Clapham Picturehouse, Venn St., London
Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed and Phife Dawg next to some thug in a penguin suit
Top billing
Looking after our guests with free pizza and snacks
Ticketholders begin to gather in the bar. The classic 90s hip-hop playlist gets underway
Board illustrated by Clapham Picturehouse’s Ben Collison with Jo Calderwood
The expectant crowds assemble
Ashley Clark (aka PPH, aka the person writing all of this) checks that his mic is on. It isn’t.
The crowd (almost all of whom are awake) listen intently…
The flattering low-angle shot can only mean one thing… it’s raffle time! We had CD’s, DVDs, champagne, and a Picturehouse membership up for grabs.
The sold-out crowd continues to enjoy themselves.
The film plays…
…and everyone goes home happy, though not before heading back to the…
Drinks and more drinks
Thanks to everybody who came to what was a fantastic event with a great buzz about it. We’re busy planning our next event and you’ll be the first to know when it’s confirmed.
PPH presents: Beats Rhymes and Life | Here’s the poster!
Now only two weeks away, our screening of Michael Rapaport’s cracking hip hop doc Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest at the Clapham Picturehouse is starting to cause some serious excitement around these parts. Join us on Thursday September 27 for the big event.
You can – and how will you live with yourself if you don’t? – book tickets by following this link. Our last event (a screening of Do The Right Thing) was a sell-out so book now to avoid disappointment.
If you’re on Facebook, you can also use our event page to tell us you’re coming. Spread the word!
Here’s a running order:
7.30 Join us in the bar for food and drink, soundtracked by classic 90s hip-hop
8.30 Intro and prize giveaway
8.45 Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest starts
10.15 More drinks in the bar!
To whet your appetite further, here’s the lovely event poster; a joint effort between Soda Pictures and designer Piccia Neri.
5 reasons to come and see Do The Right Thing
In case you’ve missed our occasional blogging and tweeting about the matter, we’re screening Spike Lee’s classic Do The Right Thing at London’s Clapham Picturehouse on Thursday 5 July (that’s tomorrow to you and me, or today if you’re reading this tomorrow. Or perhaps yesterday, in which case you may as well close the page). Anyway, in case you were undecided about whether or not to come along, we’ve put together 5 reasons to convince you to part with your cash.
1. There will be pizza
Sal of Sal’s famous pizzeria is unable to attend the screening for obvious reasons (number one being that he’s a fictional character), but we’re keeping his spirit alive via the medium of his pride and joy. Ticketholders will get some free pizza to munch on, though rumours of “extra mouzarella on that muh’fucker an’ shit” are unconfirmed.
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2. We’re screening it in 35mm
Back in the day, any time you went to a cinema you’d be seeing your film of choice on a celluloid print. However, in recent times, for reasons both economic and access-based, exhibitors have increasingly tended to show films digitally (Won’t go into detail here, but this is a good read). We’ve pushed the boat out to source a genuine 35mm print from Universal, so you can appreciate Ernest Dickerson’s stunning cinematography in all its glory.
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3. You’ll need all the style tips you can get for our wondrous London summer
If When it stops raining in this godforsaken town, you’ll be looking for new threads. Look no further for inspiration than Ruth E. Carter’s costumes for the film. Here’s a little excerpt from a piece I wrote about the film’s style for the great website Clothes on Film: “Carter’s contribution is vital in three key areas: establishing a sense of place and adding depth to the characters, supporting the film’s themes, and contributing to a bold onscreen representation of blackness which, as suggested by Ed Guerrero, ‘challenges and erodes the skin-colour hierarchy of Hollywood’s classic optical hegemony’”. If that’s a bit academic, I’ll put it straight: the clothes are fucking cool.
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4. It’s not only Spike’s best film, but one of the best of the ’80s
Spike’s third film marked the flowering of a major, major talent. An epic cocktail of drama, comedy, style, music and politics, Do The Right Thing wowed audiences and critics alike, and proved the major catalyst in the black American cinema boom of the early 1990s (think Boyz N The Hood, Menace II Society, Juice, Fresh, Spike’s subsequent joints). Watch it now and you’ll be stunned by how it doesn’t seem to have dated at all (save for the occasional haircut). It’s also difficult to think of another film with so many amazing, unforgettable characters: Radio Raheem, Da Mayor, Mookie, Senor Love Daddy, Pino, Sweet Dick Willie, Tina, the list goes on. What’s more, Lee’s new film Red Hook Summer (US release August, UK release TBC) sees the director return to Brooklyn for a pseudo-sequel – Mookie’s even rumoured to have a small cameo. This is a great chance to prepare yourself.
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5. Because… well, because FIGHT THE POWER, innit?
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You can book tickets online by following this link, over the phone on 0871 902 5727, or buy on the door to save yourself a booking fee.
Permanent Plastic Helmet presents Do The Right Thing | Update – here’s the poster!
We’re starting to get very excited about our special summer screening of Spike Lee’s classic joint Do The Right Thing at South London’s lovely Clapham Picturehouse cinema on Thursday 5 July. You can book tickets by following this link.
If you’re on Facebook, you can also use our event page to tell us you’re coming. Spread the word!
Here’s a running order:
7.30 Join us in the bar for drinks, soundtracked by classic 80s hip-hop and soul
8.45 Intro and prize giveaway
9.00 Do The Right Thing starts
And here is the beautiful poster, designed by the outrageously talented Piccia Neri.
See you on the 5th.
Screening announcement: Do The Right Thing @ Clapham Picturehouse, Thursday 5 July, 20:45
I’m delighted to be able to announce today the confirmation of Permanent Plastic Helmet’s first ever screening event. We’re showing a 35mm print of Spike Lee’s classic Do The Right Thing at south London’s lovely Clapham Picturehouse. It takes place on what’s sure to be the hottest day of the year – Thursday 5 July 2012 – at 20:45, so you’re strongly advised to clear your diaries forthwith. You do not want to miss this one.
The reasons for this screening? Firstly, the first week of July marks PPH’s 2 ½ birthday, and we thought it was time for a celebration. Secondly, it’s a fantastic, funny, complex, thrilling film which just gets better with age and is as relevant now as it was upon its release 23 years ago. The eagle eyed among you (or anyone who’s read our ‘about’ page) will know that the blog is named after a line spoken by Samuel L Jackson in the film. It’s safe to say we’re big fans.
Keep your eyes peeled in the next couple of weeks for more exciting info about the event. We’re working on some pretty cool things. Updates will be posted both on the blog and on our Twitter page (@PPlasticHelmet).
The Large Association of Movie Blogs (no. 881)
