Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here.

The revival scene in Los Angeles seems to be percolating nicely right now. Between the ongoing programming adventures at the New Beverly (and I don’t just mean the celebrity guest weeks by Edgar Wright and Eli Roth, either... that place is great each and every night these days) and the new group that has become firmly entrenched at the Silent Movie Theater, there are finally some really interesting choices for someone who wants to see older films on the bigscreen, choices that aren’t just the Aero or the Egyptian.

Nicky Katt’s a familiar face to most filmgoers right now, and lately he’s started stealing entire movies by Robert Rodriguez with one or two well-timed reactions. But he’s a hardcore film freak, too. Any time I’ve gone to Austin for a QT Fest, Katt’s been there, lurking at the edge of things, there for the movies, not for the shmooze. If he’s programming tonight at the Silent Movie Theater (and sorry for the short notice, too... I just realized this was happening), you can bet it’s going to be fun.

I mean, check out their description of the event:

“Just a whole mess o' movies, curated by our guest host, Nicky Katt. Nicky Katt's been in over 40 movies. That's all he's got to say about himself. What he really wants to talk about is good 'ol boy movies, and he's willing to stay up all night-on a Tuesday (!)-- showing his favorites. The night starts with a rare 35mm screening of the 1972 lost outlaw country classic, Payday, about a day-and-a-half in the life of a hell-raisin', beer guzzlin', lady-houndin' country western singer played by Rip Torn-- featuring one of the finest fat man fights in cinema history. From there, we'll keep the night going as long as you can stand (we're gonna movie-watch you under the table), with a series of bootleg videos, cartoons, film prints, and other promised face-melters from Nicky's secret stash. Mr. Katt also says whoever shows gets a Shiner, and a Slim Jim.

Tickets: $12/ $8 for members”

Here’s the weird thing... I had never heard of PAYDAY until last fall, when a buddy of mine bought a VHS copy off eBay because he was curious about it. He’d read a review by Pauline Kael that intrigued him, and it had Rip Torn in it, so he figured it might be worth his time. He showed it at a movie night with a bunch of his friends, and it ripped the roof off the place. It’s a grrrrrreat movie, a truly forgotten gem. Now, all of a sudden, I'm hearing about other fans of the film, like Katt, and it makes me damn near giddy because I dig it that much. If I didn’t have to be here at home tonight, I would be doing my best to get to the Silent Movie Theater for this event.

And the good news for those of you who don’t make it to the theater is that Warner Bros. just put the film out on DVD at long last, so you can see for yourself whether or not PAYDAY has one of the very best break-up scenes in any movie.

Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles