Las Vegas Mixtape v51: Culinary Speed Dating, Arthouse Cinema Escape, Life on Planet Claire — Track #2 (of 5): “Escape From New York” @Beverly Theater

Track #2 (of 5): “Escape From New York” @Beverly Theater

Dystopia a-go-go. (Image: Vegas 411)

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For me, it’s hard to imagine Vegas’ cultural life without the Beverly Theater, the smartly curated arthouse cinema and performance/event space on 6th St downtown. I’m always looking for a good reason to go there, so I couldn’t resist passing up a screening of the 4K restoration of John Carpenter’s 1981 sci-fi dystopian film “Escape From New York” (the original of which I missed).

The movie is set in 1997 when crazed radicals—led by badass soul music legend Isaac Hayes!!!—hold the President hostage in Manhattan, which has been transformed into a maximum security prison. The movie is insane in the best possible way—suspenseful, grim, over the top, and intermittently/knowingly campy. Kurt Russell plays an anti-hero who’s recruited to save the President from death but could not care less that he pulls it off.

You’ll feel instantly sophisticated by simply looking at this terrace (Image: Vegas 411).

Note: it's worth purchasing a Beverly membership via their website so you can see the films there for only $8.00 and receive all kinds of perks. When you go, don’t skip hanging out on the gorgeous outdoor terrace of this neo-midcentury two-level building that bowed in March 2023. It’s one of Vegas’ crown jewels.

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