November 6th presents a dilemma for Bay Area cinephiles, who—due to the annoying fact that people can only be in one place at one time—must choose among three excellent programs at three different theaters. At the Paramount Theatre, a gorgeous Art Deco movie palace near the 19th Street BART station in Oakland, there is a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Dial M for Murder” (1954). I recommend getting to the theater early so you can explore the huge, luxurious lobby.

In Berkeley, PFA is screening Alain Resnais’ “Last Year at Marienbad” (1961), one of the most beautiful, confounding movies I have ever seen. The film’s camerawork is stunning: Imagine a precursor to “The Shining,” with the camera slowly wandering through a mostly vacant château’s hallways. What is the purpose of the film? Is it a visual depiction of someone reckoning with her memories? Or is it a truly post-modern work that’s only concerned with surfaces—that is, is it a film without meaning? “Last Year at Marienbad” is rarely screened in 35mm projection, so be sure to check it out.

If you are in a more adventurous mood, visit Oddball Films, a peculiar artist-run loft in the Mission District, which is screening Robert Aldrich’s noir film “The Big Knife” (1955). Oddball Films is completely different from the opulent Paramount Theater: The screening room, which seats only 60 people, places viewers on a few ragged couches so they sit together like family. Two 16mm projections clank behind the audience, instead of in a separate, soundproof booth. It’s a weird but very intimate setting. And the rows of shelves stacked to the ceiling with 16mm reels (Oddball has 50,000 films in its collection) only reinforce the fact that this is a place for die-hard film lovers.

Image source: DVDBeaver.com
Link sources: The Paramount Theatre, BAM/PFA, Oddball Films