Armoire Theater to screen 'RocknRolla'

WHAT: A screening of the film RocknRolla

WHERE: Presented by the Armoire Theater at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 124 Paredes Line Road.

WHEN: Aug. 14

TIME: 6 p.m.

"RocknRolla," a Guy Richie film with gay and lesbian themes, will be presented Saturday night at the Armoire Theater.

The theater, which screens films for the lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender community, is held at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 124 Paredes Line Road, said Yolanda Speece.

"I started showing the films there back in February," said Speece. "The first film that I ever showed was called ‘A Touch of Pink.’"

The IMDB listing of "RocknRolla" describes the 2008 film starring Tom Wilkinson and Ludacris as a story of "sex, thugs, and rock ‘n roll."

"It has LGBT undertones, but it has a very overt message as well," Speece said. "The message is that it doesn’t matter what your socio-economic level is, it doesn’t matter what kind of family you come from, it doesn’t matter what your background is. The LGBT community is everywhere. That’s what I like about this film."

RocknRolla, she said, is about a gangster who wields a great deal of control over London.

"He has certain people in his pocket and he scams other people into owing him favors," she said. "It also deals with the immigration issue."

Speece said that usually 15 to 20 people come to see the films.

"We have a little discussion group afterwards, what they got out of the film and everything and we also share personal experiences and what not and it’s a positive outlet for the LGBT community," Speece said. "There’s a large LGBT community in the Rio Grande Valley."

Speece isn’t charging any admission fee for the movies, and the Unitarian Universalist Church is allowing her to use its facilities for free. Therefore, she asks that visitors drop a couple of dollars in an offering plate as a gesture of gratitude toward the church.

Speece said she’s using the Armoire Theater as a launching pad for a local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG.

"As a matter of fact, on Aug. 20 we’re going to be having a meeting," she said. "Community leaders are invited, everybody’s invited to come out. It’s at the university, SETB third floor. What we’re going to do is ... talk about what everybody wants out of the organization."

That won’t take the place of the movies presented by the Armoire Theater. Other films planned for the near future include a standup comedy by Margaret Cho called "Assassin"; "Soldier’s Girl"; and "The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love."

For more information, call Speece at 546-9667.