I’ll never forget my first viewing of Get Out. My movie-obsessed horror-freak friends and I piled into an absolutely packed theater at the Regal Hollywood 27, anxiously awaiting sketch comedian turned filmmaker Jordan Peele’s directorial debut. The trailer was an all-timer from the “holy shit, what a great premise” perspective, and Peele fully delivered on the trailer’s promise. The crowd was absolutely locked in from the opening scene (poor LaKeith Stanfield), laughing and gasping in equal measure until those final agonizing — then exhilarating — moments when Lil Rel Howery saves the day. The film was a sensation, ultimately becoming one of the most profitable movies in Hollywood history, catapulting star Daniel Kaluuya to A-list status, inspiring countless memes, introducing phrases into the cultural lexicon (“Sunken Place,” etc.) and garnering four Oscar nominations. (I would have nominated it for 10 Oscars if I could.) Get Out’s success instantly propelled Peele into the “I can get a studio-level film funded” level of directors. Although I’m in the small but passionate camp that believes Nope is Peele’s best outing, Get Out reigns supreme as an increasingly relevant cultural artifact. Visit belcourt.org for showtimes.
Feb. 12 & 15 at the Belcourt
2102 Belcourt Ave.
