EVERETT — If you’re tired of paying money for big-budget movies loaded with effects and shallow story depth, try one of the SnoCo Movie Club’s film viewings.
They screen classic films of all eras at the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave., monthly in the auditorium.
The next presentation will be Fritz Lang’s suspense thriller “M” on April 20. The film rolls at 2:30 p.m.
Austin Van Brasch started the club last May and showed the indie film “Lady Bird” in response to the lack of independent movie theaters between Seattle and Bellingham.
“I love going to the multiplex — I’m a proud AMC A-List member — but I refuse to accept being at home as the only way to watch indies and classics,” Van Brasch said. “I also think the discussions we have after the movie are very rewarding.”
Van Brasch said you can’t turn around and ask everyone in a theater what their thoughts are on the movie’s meaning. Internet discourse “is exhausting and not very interactive,” he said.
He said through a group club format, everyone can engage with perspectives and insights.
Van Brasch explained that the movies are selected from Kanopy, a streaming service that is free to use with a library card.
“Kanopy specializes in indies and classics, which is exactly the kind of stuff I want to be screening,” Van Brasch said.
Although the movies are shown in the afternoon at the library, they are not usually suitable for children. Van Brasch said there will be family-friendly screenings in the future.
He said: “The most family-friendly film shown so far is probably “The Truman Show,” a movie that sparks an existential crisis in most people who watch it, especially today.”
For the holidays, the club likes subtlety in their screenings. Last summer, the season started with “The Florida Project”; October’s movie was the horror classic “Suspiria,” and the week of Valentine’s Day showed “Mikey and Nicky.”
When asked about B-rated movies that are “so bad they’re good,” Van Brasch replied: “I’m still nervously trying to build the club’s credibility, but I’m sure year two will have a B-movie selection or two.”
The first B-movie Van Brasch wants to do is the 1987 classic “Miami Connection,” a flick which fans of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and RiffTrax will be familiar with. It’s about a martial arts rock band (you read that right) fighting against a band of motorcycle ninjas. It’s as if director and co-writer Richard Park turned the ‘80s into a frozen juice concentrate.
However, before you show up, thinking you can make funny quips during the show, Van Brasch said that talking during a film is something the group must agree upon before the movie starts.
“In a public setting, I think every movie has to be treated with reverence out of respect for the audience, even if it deserves to be clowned on,” Van Brasch said.
He added, “For the movie club screenings, everyone has been very respectful, with only laughter being a welcome interruption.”
