"Heist School Vacation"

By Katelin Walling

River City Cinema presents "Heist School Vacation." Featuring some of the most ingenious (and not so ingenious) criminal masterminds—and their law-protecting nemeses, in six classic cinema capers.

Friday evenings in Downtown Bangor at Pickering Square. Shows begin at sundown, around 8:30pm. Bring your lawn chairs. Admission is FREE.

June 25 - The Ladykillers — 1955

A gang of five oddball criminals rent a two-bedroom apartment in an isolated cul-de-sac from an eighty-something widow, Mrs. Wilberforce, with three pet parrots. The groups mastermind, Professor Marcus, tells the widow that they are members of an amateur string quartet and would like to use the rooms to hone their musical skills. In reality, they are plotting to rob a bank and plan to use Mrs. Wilberforce’s naiveté in Victorian sensibilities to their advantage. However, when the gang sets out to kill Mrs. Wilberforce, they run in to a series of problems and in the end get what they deserve.

July 2 - The Killing — 1956

After spending five years in Alcatraz, Johnny Clay decides to continue a life of crime, but the risk has to be worth the punishment. Clay proceeds to mastermind a brilliant criminal scheme to seal $2 million from a local racetrack, which will harm no one. The one thing that prevents Clay from successfully completing his mission is a cohort’s greedy wife and her ruthless boyfriend.

July 9 - Ocean's 11 — 1960

Danny Ocean and friend Jimmy Foster recruit their buddies from World War II to rob the five biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night. The plan is to knock out the electricity supply to the city, and for electrical expert, Tony Bergdorf, to wire emergency generators to open doors to all of the cashier’s offices. The men take up jobs in the casinos—entertainers, waiters, busboys—and all goes well. That is until Bergdorf has a heart attack in the middle of the heist.

July 16 - The Italian Job — 1969

Having just left prison, Charlie Croker gets a big job: to steal $4 million of gold arriving in Italy from China. His job needs financing, so Croker turns to a Mafia boss, Mr. Bridger, who is in prison. A clever plan is hatched to distract authorities while Croker and his gang try get away in three Mini Coopers.

July 23 - The Sting — 1973

Johnny Hooker, a young con man, and partner in crime, Luther Coleman, pull a con job and net themselves a huge roll. However, the man they conned is Doyle Lonigan, a big time crime boss. A crooked cop, Snyder, threatens to turn Hooker over to Lonigan unless he gets paid off. Hooker obeys and tries to warn Coleman but is too late. Henry Gondorf, a friend of Colemans, hears about what happened and decides to assemble a gang to con Lonigan. When everything starts falling into place, they find out that the hit on Hooker and Snyder, which Hooker paid off, was paid off in counterfeit money.

July 30 - The Return of the Pink Panther — 1975

The “Pink Panther” diamond is stolen once again from Lugash and a white glove is left at the scene of the crime, which leads everyone to believe that The Phantom did it. This surprises everyone because they thought The Phantom had retired; even The Phantom is surprised because he didn’t do it. The Phantom sets out from the south of France to Lugash to find the diamond and clear his name. Meanwhile, infamous French detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau is call in to find the diamond and he immediately sets off for the south of France. When Claudine, The Phantom’s wife, hears of this, she leads Clouseau on a false trail, and, as usual, Clouseau causes mayhem as he tries to find the diamond.