Oddball Cinema

John Denver plays Jerry, a hard-working assistant manager at a Food World supermarket outlet in California, always trying to do his best at his job. His generally uneventful life takes a strange turn when he receives a hand delivered note in the mail to attend an interview with God. Believing it to be a prank, Jerry decides to go to the interview and see what unfolds. Despite not being a religious person, circumstances convince him that the voice from an unseen speaker really is God, who eventually reveals Himself in the form of a genial old man (played by George Burns) and tells Jerry that He has a mission for him.

■ Title — Oh, God!
■ Director — Carl Reiner
■ Cast — John Denver, George Burns, Teri Garr
■ Rating — PG
■ ©1977 | 1h 38m | Comedy, Fantasy

■ Watch it free with ads on Tubi:
https://tubitv.com/movies/100019807/oh-god

■ As with most of our online features, you can watch this one whenever you like. Members who watch at the scheduled time may enjoy exchanging comments with other members on this page. If you post a comment before the show, please avoid spoilers. Comments posted after the show may contain any content, but Oddball Cinema encourages members to always avoid spoilers unless there’s some particularly important details you need to mention.

■ Many of the movies on our online events from as far back as March 2020 are still available for viewing. However, titles sometimes move from one streaming service to another. If you find that the links on an old event no longer work, you can search for the current providers of any title here: https://justwatch.com

After thirty years of ruling the Soviet Union with an iron fist, Josef Stalin suddenly dies of a brain hemorrhage. Unfortunately the Supreme Soviet never established a clear order of succession, so all the top party and government officials (played memorably by a stellar cast) begin vying for the top spot. Of course, they all must show the appropriate reverence for the departed leader and conceal their ambitions. Thus a competition begins to determine who will rule the USSR and who will disappear.

■ Title — The Death of Stalin
■ Director — Armando Iannucci
■ Cast — Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin, Jeffrey Tambor
■ ©2017 ■ 1h 47m ■ Comedy, Drama, History
■ Rated R for language
■ Distributed by Paramount Pictures

Full of grand spectacle and tempestuous action, the story is based loosely – very loosely – on the exploits of an actual Chinese detective employed by the imperial court. In 689 A.D., the empress is building a 66m high statue of Buddha for her inauguration, but strange, sinister, and possibly supernatural events have delayed construction. Although he’s been imprisoned for suspected disloyalty, Dee is freed when nobody else can determine the cause. He’ll need all his wits and amazing martial-arts skills to solve – and survive – this mystery!

■ Title — Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
■ A.K.A. — Di renjie: Tong tian di guo
■ Director — Hark Tsui
■ Cast — Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Bingbing Li
■ ©2010 ■ 1h 59m ■ Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
■ Rated PG-13
■ Dubbed in English because there’s too much action to read subtitles
■ Distributed by Cineverse

A celebrated opera singer never allows her voice to be recorded. Nonetheless, a young fan sneaks some high-quality equipment into one of her recitals and makes an excellent tape. Bootleg record producers get wind of its existence, and they’re willing to use any means necessary to acquire it. Meanwhile, police and gangsters are on the hunt for a tape that contains evidence that could send a kingpin to prison. Both tapes wind up in the same location, and the two groups collide in a stylish and twisted production described by critics as “the New French New Wave.”

■ Title — Diva
■ Director — Jean-Jacques Beineix
■ Cast — Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Frédéric Andréi, Roland Bertin
■ Rated R for violence and brief partial nudity
■ ©1981 | 1h 57m | Crime, Music, Thriller
■ French dialogue with English subtitles

■ Available free without ads to Kanopy subscribers (details below):
https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/11677952

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Temporary cards issued online by the District of Columbia library system no longer provide access to Kanopy. You need a permanent card issued directly by a library. For more information about eligibility to receive a card, visit: https://dclibrary.org/getacard

■ As with most of our online features, you can watch this one whenever you like. Members who watch at the scheduled time may enjoy exchanging comments with other members on this page. If you post a comment before the show, please avoid spoilers. Comments posted after the show may contain any content, but Oddball Cinema encourages members to always avoid spoilers unless there’s some particularly important details you need to mention.

■ Many of the movies on our online events from as far back as March 2020 are still available for viewing. However, titles sometimes move from one streaming service to another. If you find that the links on an old event no longer work, you can search for the current providers of any title here: https://justwatch.com