Let me tell you, friends, you are in for a treat: tomorrow, Thursday, Cinemark Tinseltown presents special screenings of two fantastic examples of classic cinema, giving them the big screen treatment they so clearly deserve and giving us an opportunity which does not come about very often.

Firstly, the theater presents two screenings of “The Godfather Part II.”  Anyone who knows classic cinema knows that this is widely considered the best of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Godfather” trilogy, due mostly, in my opinion, to Robert DeNiro’s absolutely perfect portrayal of a young Vito Corleone (played by the immortal Marlon Brando in “Part I”). Thus, “Part II” serves simultaneously as a sequel and a prequel, juxtaposing Corleone’s rise to power with the modern-day struggle of his son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), as he becomes the family’s new don following the death of his father. “The Godfather Part II” plays at 2:00 and 7:00.

I highly recommend attending the 2:00 screening, because also playing at 7:00 is one of the greatest films ever made: “Casablanca,” starring Humphrey Bogart as the world-weary Rick Blaine and the gorgeous Ingrid Bergman as the woman he loved and lost and found again. In the midst of World War II, the Moroccan city of Casablanca serves as a purgatory-like stopping place for people desperate to get to America. The world of politically-neutral Rick is tossed into turmoil when Ilsa, an old flame, wanders into his bar with another man, hoping to get to America. This film is pure beauty, filmmaking on an epic scale. It only plays once, at 7:00.

Cinemark Tinseltown is located at 4400 Towne Center Drive in the Springhurst Shopping Center. Ticket information and showtimes can be found at the theater’s website.

Image: Internet Movie Database