Meg Ryan will be the Bentonville Film Festival's first Legacy Award honoree. Geena Davis, BFF co-founder, will be back in town. The festival will offer 42 competition films. Los Lobos will perform. And a Family Trail Ride will give a nod to Northwest Arkansas' burgeoning bicycle culture.
There's no doubt, however, that the biggest names in film will be converging on Skylight Cinema, starting May 2. After all, who is bigger than the Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Avengers, shown on screens that are almost three stories tall?
FYI
Marvel Movies
At Skylight
May 2
“Captain America: Civil War” — Political involvement in the Avengers’ activities causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man. Anthony Russo, Joe Russo. 2016. 10 a.m.
“Captain America: The First Avenger” — Steve Rogers, a rejected military soldier transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a “Super-Soldier serum.” But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a warmonger and a terrorist organization. Joe Johnston. 2011. 10:15 a.m.
“Thor” — The powerful, but arrogant, god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders. Kenneth Branagh. 2011. 10:30 a.m.
“Iron Man” — After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil. Jon Favreau. 2008. 10:45 a.m.
“Thor: The Dark World” — When Dr. Jane Foster gets cursed with a powerful entity known as the Aether, Thor is heralded of the cosmic event known as the Convergence and the genocidal Dark Elves. Alan Taylor. 2013. 12:45 p.m. May 2.
“Iron Man 2” — With the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father’s legacy. Jon Favreau. 2010. 1 p.m.
“Ant-Man” — Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Director: Peyton Reed. 2015. Showing at 1:15 p.m.
“Iron Man 3” — When Tony Stark’s world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution. Shane Black. 2013. 3:15 p.m.
“Avengers: The Age of Ultron” — When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong, and it’s up to Earth’s mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan. Joss Whedon. 2015. 3:45 p.m.
“Guardians of the Galaxy” — A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe. James Gunn. 2014. 6:15 p.m.
“Black Panther” — T’Challa, the King of Wakanda, rises to the throne in the isolated, technologically advanced African nation, but his claim is challenged by a vengeful outsider who was a childhood victim of T’Challa’s father’s mistake. Ryan Coogler. 2017. 8:15 p.m.
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2” — The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. James Gunn. 2017. 8:45 p.m.
May 3
“Thor: Ragnarok” — Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. Taika Waititi. 2017. 10:30 a.m.
“Doctor Strange” — While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts. Scott Derrickson. 2016. 12:45 p.m.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” — Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City. Jon Watts. 2017. 3:45 p.m.
Tickets are free but required. Stop by Skylight Cinema during regular business hours beginning April 29.
INFO — bentonvillefilmfest… or skylightcinemas.com
FAQ
Bentonville Film Festival
WHEN — May 1-6
WHERE — The AMC Theatre at 21c; Record North; Skylight Cinema; Theatre Villagepresented by Synchrony in two Cinetransformer theaters; Walmart Museum World Room; Mockingbird Theatre at Arvest Community Room; Sony and Orville Redenbacher’s Outdoor Theatre at Lawrence Plaza, all in Bentonville
COST — $15 single ticket; passes range from $65 to $1,575
INFO — bentonvillefilmfest…; Festival Box Office at 21c Museum Hotel; or the app
Open Nov. 9, 2017 -- between years three and four of the film festival -- the Skylight is the first movie theater in Bentonville since The Plaza closed on Central Avenue in 1985. Unusual even among its contemporaries, the Skylight has four intimate theaters that seat 47 patrons each and two large theaters that seat 83 and 84, respectively, with screens that are 27 feet high and 48 feet wide. The two largest theaters show their films in sync, explains Jared Addison, the Skylight's manager, so the experience is even bigger.
Then take "Avengers: Infinity War," the new Marvel movie opening this weekend, put it on those two almost-IMAX-size screens, decorate the lobby with Marvel paraphernalia, create a unique menu just for the Bentonville Film Festival and fill each of the smaller theaters with Marvel's finest films -- shown at no cost to patrons -- and the "Marvel Experience" promises to be one of the biggest parts of the BFF in 2018.
Marvel Studios is celebrating its first 10 years of making superhero movies, which started in 2008 with "Iron Man," says Liz Nunn, director of business development for the BFF. And it seemed like a perfect opportunity to partner with Skylight Cinema, the long-awaited theater that gave the film festival a permanent home in its home town -- and to let everyone's "nerdy side come out," she adds.
"For many years, Bentonville community leaders have recognized that because of the large number of professionals employed by Walmart, as well as the presence of those who frequently spend time in Bentonville on visits to Walmart's home office, demand has been growing for Bentonville to offer a variety of entertainment and dining options that appeal to prospective residents, current locals and visitors to the Northwest Arkansas region," says Nadia Clevenger, a spokeswoman for Skylight's owners, whom she declined to name. "So, beginning about a decade ago, initiatives began to redevelop downtown Bentonville -- including first-class restaurants and bars, a world-class museum and a best-in-class dine-in movie theater."
Addison says Skylight's goal is the same from June to April as it is for this week in May -- a movie experience as comfortable as lounging in front of the television at home.
"It's so easy to sit down in your nice comfy chair with your 60-inch flatscreen TV," he says, "but here you get that same luxury of reclining seats or leather rockers and you can get a good meal to go with it -- that someone else cooks."
Food service, he explains, is the thing that's bringing patrons -- from families to couples on date nights -- out to the movies.
"The trend is, movie theaters are on the decline, but all of them with the dine-in movie theater experience are on the upswing," he says. "You choose your seats online, arrive and they're reserved for you, order dinner -- we have everything from fish and chips to pizza to salads -- and watch the movie. You can relax and not worry about the rush, not have to cook, not have to clean up. It's not uncommon to see people come in with pillows and blankets to make themselves really comfortable."
Addison admits, however, there will most likely be a rush for tickets to "Avengers: Infinity War" and perhaps even more so for the free screenings of the rest of the Marvel canon. They'll be general admission, but patrons can stop by starting April 29 to get their tickets. The Marvel films will begin at 10 a.m. May 2, and the last of those shows starts at 3:45 p.m. on May 3. Themed food service is also planned, with the bar opening at 10 a.m. and food service around noon.
"Skylight Cinema not only stands as a unique, close-to-home movie going and dining destination for the Bentonville and greater Northwest Arkansas communities," says Clevenger, "but Skylight Cinema was designed to host the Bentonville Film Festival, which is anticipated to become a world-class film festival as more and more people discover the charm of Bentonville in general, and the inspiring energy and mission of BFF in particular."
NAN What's Up on 04/29/2018