366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 77

The Date: December 16

The Movie: Persona (1966)

What Is It?: Ingmar Bergman explores his usual themes of sex, death, and religion by shattering them with a hammer and piecing them back together in a mosaic of striking imagery and shocking dialogue. Bergman shatters and pieces back together Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann in ways that would profoundly influence filmmakers from David Lynch to Robert Altman to Woody Allen.

Why Today?: On this day in 1938, Liv Ullman is born.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 76

The Date: December 15

The Movie: Flaming Creatures (1963)

What Is It?: Jack Smith’s celebration of polymorphous perversity and monsters is a landmark product of NY’s underground movie scene and gay cinema. Think of it as an avant-garde Rocky Horror Picture Show that dares to go places Rocky never did. Flaming Creatures earns extra points for pissing off Strom Thurmond.

Why Today?: On this day in 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 75

The Date: December 14

The Movie: Monkey Shines (1988)

What Is It?: After getting hit by a truck, a wheelchair-bound ex-runner employs a super-brained monkey to do his bidding, which includes a bit of light housework and heavy murdering. Subtle black comedy or unintentionally camp sincere horror? Either way, George Romero’s flick is Kong-sized fun.

Why Today?: Today is Monkey Day. In a perfect world, every day would be.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 74

The Date: December 13

The Movie: Living in Oblivion (1995)

What Is It?: Tom DiCillo expands an indie short film poking fun at indie filmmaking into an indie feature film poking fun at indie filmmaking, Brad Pitt (though DiCillo denies it), David Lynch (though DiCillo denies it), and Hollywood’s depictions of little people (not sure where DiCillo stands on this). Everyone in this movie is fucking brilliant, so it kills me to single out the brilliance of Steve Buscemi as the director, Rica Martens as his mom, Dermot Mulroney as the cinematographer, Peter Dinklage and Catherine Kenner as actors, and James LeGros as a Hostess Twinkie Motherfucker. Everyone else is brilliant too… even the boom operator! It's not his fault the frame-line keep changing.

Why Today?: On this day in 1957, Steve Buscemi is born.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 73

The Date: December 12

The Movie: Psycho (1960)

What Is It?: Janet Leigh is Marion Crane, a secretary charged with depositing a $40,000 real estate deposit in the bank. Marion decides to make off with the cash, but she has a change of heart before taking a shower. Honestly, I can’t remember what happens after that.

Why Today?: This is the date that Marion Crane takes her shower.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 72

The Date: December 11

The Movie: The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus (1968)

What Is It?: Divine unaired TV special finds the Stones hosting Taj Mahal, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull, a John Lennon supergroup, and—brace yourselves—The Who in a circus environment. The story goes that the special didn’t air during its time because The Who blew the Stones out of the ring. That’s true, but the Stones are still fabulous. Jagger never looked so beautifully panther-like.

Why Today?: On this day in 1968,  all those great bands got together to shoot this great concert film.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 71

The Date: December 10

The Movie: Ed Wood (1994)

What Is It?: Tim Burton’s greatest film sacrificed none of his signature aesthetic quirks to tell the story of notoriously awful filmmaker Ed Wood, who liked to dress in panties and angora sweaters while hanging out with Hollywood kooks and making movies about space vampires. Needless to say, Martin Landau stuffs the film under his cape and walks away with it.

Why Today?: On this day in 1978, the real Ed Wood died.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 70

The Date: December 9

The Movie: 13 Ghosts (1960)

What Is It?: William Castle didn’t need his Illusion-O gimmick (a pair of goofy glasses necessary for viewing the apparitions on screen) to sell a haunted house flick so fun. A running joke that finds everyone accusing Margaret Hamilton of being a witch will tickle Wizard of Oz fans (i.e.: everyone).

Why Today?: On this day in 1902, Margaret Hamilton is born.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 69

The Date: December 8

The Movie: Time After Time (1979)

What Is It?: Malcolm McDowell is H.G. Wells, who uses his own Time Machine to pursue David Warner as Jack the Ripper from 1893 London to 1979 San Francisco. There, Wells meets kooky Mary Steenbergen and pure, air-headed delight ensues.

Why Today?: Today is Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day. I’m not imaginative enough to make this shit up.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 68

The Date: December 7

The Movie: Alien (1979)

What Is It?: The nefarious undercurrents of a space mission unfold when a blood-lustful alien starts munching through the space craft’s crew.

Why Today?: On this day in 1972, the last manned moon mission was launched when Apollo 17 departed from the Kennedy Space Center.