The Naro staff has chosen a few of Wes Anderson’s best live-action films to showcase in our run-up to the release of his newest feature The French Dispatch opening here on Nov 5th.

What is the Wes Anderson style? Is it a mixture of vintage tchotchkes, droll repartee, intricate and rich pastel set design? Well … yes, but there’s more to it than that, a lot of which has generally gone unnoticed. The Wes Anderson aesthetic is much more deliberate. It seems simple, but it’s actually complex. The viewer gets to enjoy a sophisticated, tongue-in-cheek feature that spoon-feeds its audience with inside-information. His stories are undeniably fun, and he is one of the only working directors who can pull off massive tonal shifts and shift genres within the same feature.

See the series’ offerings here.

Things at the NARO get spooky as we celebrate the month of October with a series of Halloween classics brought back to the big screen. With movies from Universal classic monsters, Hitchcock and Disney we have a Halloween favorite for everyone! See the full listing of films here and check our calendar for dates and showtimes. Local artists will be on hand to sell their original art posters in the theater lobby on show nights.

Bring your love of all things horror and creepy to the Naro for a month-long scare-ebration of unforgettable thriller and Halloween classics. See the full listing of films here and check our calendar for dates and showtimes. Local artists will be on hand to sell their original art posters in the theater lobby on show nights.

OPENS THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29th FOR ONE WEEK ONLY

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive. Critics are acclaiming this as a definitive rendering of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel. You will want to experience Dune in all of its big screen glory and magnificent digital surround-sound. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Incendies) (2021, 2h35m)

“Villeneuve has made a serious, stately opus, and while he doesn’t have a pop bone in his body, he knows how to put on a show as he fans a timely argument about who gets to play the hero now.” – Manohla Dargis, NY Times

“The director Denis Villeneuve’s film is the first adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel to properly portray the grim tragedy of Paul’s arc; the movie is epic in scope, but it understands the quieter human underpinnings of the original work.” – David Sims, The Atlantic

OPENS AT THE NARO NOVEMBER 5th!

The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun is a 2021 American comedy-drama anthology film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. Its plot follows three different storylines, as the French foreign bureau of a fictional Kansas newspaper creates its final issue.

Additional cast members in The French Dispatch include Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Schwartzman, and Anjelica Huston.

“Anderson’s extraordinary 10th feature, which premiered at the festival earlier this evening, is the cinematic equivalent of a brakeless freewheel through a teeming bazaar…” – Robbiw Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK)

“This is Anderson in full flower, one that only grows in a rarified altitude.” – Todd McCarthy, Deadline Hollywood Daily

“A work of such unparalleled Andersonian wit, that at times the sheer level of detail – mobile, static, graphic and typographic – that bedecked the screen was enough to make your correspondent’s jaw slacken.” – Jessica Kiang, The Playlist

Animated classic from director Tim Burton. The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry. (1993, 75 min.) Sat., Oct. 30 at 1pm & Sun., Oct.31 at 3pm.

In Wes Craven’s classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams — which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends’ parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it’s too late? (1984, 91 min.) Fri., Oct. 29 at 9:30pm.

On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith’s Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims. Here’s the original with a 96% RT critics’ score! (1978, 91 min.) Fri., Oct 29 at 7pm & Sat. Oct. 30 at 9:30pm. 

The comedy/horror/musical turned cult classic stars Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon. Tickets go on sale about 1/2 hour before showtime; plenty of seats always available. (R, 91m)

This Halloween Sunday (Oct. 31) at 8:30pm featuring live cast performances by Norfolk’s own Fishnet Inc. No props allowed–throw your imagination!