The annual TCM (Turner Classic Movies) annual film festival has just kicked off, now featuring more big blockbuster films than ever. The festival premiered with a showing of George Lucas’ classic second installment in the Star Wars franchise, The Empire Strikes Back. The theme for this year’s festival is “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film,” and The Empire Strikes Back certainly fits that bill. The festival normally leans towards older films, but this year many films from the 80s and even later are featured.
Other familiar favorites set to play at the festival include Jaws, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, Heat, Spirited Away and Superman. Superman is expected to be introduced by Warner Bros head Mike De Luca with a special nod to the upcoming Superman directed by James Gunn. While the films listed are all relatively recent, the festival will of course showcase plenty of older classics as well. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ben-Hur, Cinderella, To Catch a Thief and The Time Machine are among dozens of films to be showcased.
Additionally, the Robert Osbourne Award will be handed out, this year going to George Stevens Jr., who will be receiving the award alongside a screening of the documentary he filmed about his father, George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey. On Sunday, he will be present for a screening of his father’s classic comedy The Talk of the Town. The TCM Film Festival will continue through Sunday, April 27.
Leave a Comment