Tonight's Movie: Brotherhood of the Popcorn (2014)

I first became acquainted with the new documentary BROTHERHOOD OF THE POPCORN (2014) when it was shown at the Lone Pine Film Festival last month.

Due to our festival tour schedule we could only catch about half of the film, but Woody Wise, who is featured in the film, kindly sent me a screener so I could watch the whole thing. It made for great holiday weekend viewing!

BROTHERHOOD OF THE POPCORN tells the story of the "Cliffhangers," a group of senior citizens who have been meeting at Woody's house to watch "old" movies every other Saturday for the past 35 years.

The men all enjoy serials, hence the name of the group. Film noir and Westerns are also favorites.

In addition to depicting the men's communal enjoyment of great movies, the film explores each of their backgrounds and current interests. It's a diverse group including a couple of animators, a former L.A. Times reporter, a teacher, a fish truck driver, and a rockabilly singer.

The section of the film on Woody accompanies him to his favorite volunteer job, screening movies at the Lone Pine Film Festival. Having just been to the festival, where I had the pleasure of meeting Woody, I especially enjoyed that.

BROTHERHOOD OF THE POPCORN runs 90 minutes. At that length it wouldn't hurt to edit down a couple of the more repetitive sections, but that's my only criticism of a documentary which any classic film fan should enjoy.

More than a few viewers will probably envy Woody's screening room -- not to mention the fact that his home sits on property once owned by Bette Davis. And those of us indulging in the Warner Archive Black Friday sale today could certainly relate to watching Woody flip through a stack of Archive DVDs deciding what the group should watch next!

The movie was directed by Inda Reid. It was produced by Woody Wise and another Cliffhanger, James Tim Walker. The filmmakers hope to enter the movie in festivals.

The film's official website includes a trailer. BROTHERHOOD OF THE POPCORN also has a Facebook page, and you can follow Woody on Twitter at @wisewoody.

Sincere thanks to Woody Wise for providing a review copy of this film.