The holidays are a time of giving, and this year the Orinda Theatre in the East Bay is giving back with six days of free movies.
The historic cinema, which dates to 1941 and sports lovely architecture and ceiling murals, is playing 11 “classic” holiday movies from all eras – from 1938’s “ A Christmas Carol” to the 2004 animated Tom Hanks’ vehicle, “The Polar Express.”
The free movies run from December 19 to December 26 and include both afternoon and evening showtimes. To mention a few highlights, December 21 has a sweet double feature with a 1:30 p.m. screening of Ron Howard’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” followed by “It’s a Wonderful Life” at 4 p.m.
On Christmas Day, there’s a 1 p.m. screening of the 1971 musical “Fiddler On The Roof” – feel free to quietly hum along to “all day long I’d bidi-bidi-bum.” Other movies include Bill Murray’s “Scrooged,” the World War I drama “Joyeux Noel” and everybody’s comedic favorite, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
While the movies are free, the theatre is in the middle of trying to raise money to replace its main curtain. If you’d like to donate, ask the staff about their ongoing GoFundMe.
Details: Screenings take place from Dec. 16-Dec. 26 at 4 Orinda Theatre Square, Orinda; orindamovies.com