SIFF 2024: 'Scala!!!' Capsule Review

From the 1970s to the ‘90s, London’s Scala theater was a haven for cinemaniacs. From arthouse to exploitation and everything in between, they screened oddities, avant-garde experiments, and whatever the hell they wanted.

 

It was a wild scene of punks and outcasts of all stripes; an immersive, safe space, with frequent bouts of debauchery and madness, just for kicks. All in all, it sounds like a fine time.

 

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Scala!!! celebrates this. John Water, Mary Harron, Peter Strickland, and programmers, regulars, and other participants, track the rise and obligatory fall. Nothing this awesome can stay. A touch over-reverent, this is a raucous love letter to the film and the strange places where we witness them and will make you want to watch a shit ton of movies. [Grade: B+]

 

Find all our 2024 Seattle International Film Festival coverage here.