Book tickets
To celebrate the release of Water Over Thunder: Selected Writings by celebrated photographer Larry Sultan, we’re screening two of his favourite films of all time, Take the 5:10 to Dreamland (1974) by Bruce Conner and Safe (1995) by Todd Haynes.
Take the 5:10 to Dreamland (1974) by Bruce Conner, 6 mins
"Conner was a master of creating haunting films from old newsreels, industrial films, commercials, and stock footage. He was brilliant at weaving together disparate images into a hypnotic, ethereal, and open-ended narrative structure, the result being more of a trance than a film. For me, Take the 5:10 to Dreamland is his most poetic work. When I first saw the film in the late 1970s I was stunned by the dense atmosphere of the soundtrack paired with the sequencing of disconnected images and the mysterious, heavy beauty it created." – Larry Sultan, Water Over Thunder (pg. 178)
Safe (1995) by Todd Haynes, 119 mins
"I don’t think any filmmaker nails the fundamental claustrophobia of suburban domestic spaces better than Todd Haynes. In his film, Safe he transforms the signifiers of “hominess”—bedroom sets with mirrored closet doors,lushly furnished living rooms—into toxic and unsettling environments. It is architecture as a stand-in for the sickness of the spirit. The way the camera moves in these rooms and frames the actors within them creates a sense of heightened estrangement and discomfort even in the most familiar and mundane terrain. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for daylight glowing through drawn drapes but I’ve never seen interiors made so beautifully uncanny and sinister." – Larry Sultan, Water Over Thunder (pg. 178).
This is the first screening in a new series with MACK showcasing film and moving-image works made or curated by MACK artists. As part of MACK Cinema Club, these regular events offer a space to explore the intersections between cinema, writing, and publishing, expanding the conversation beyond the screen. Each screening is accompanied by additional elements, including post-screening discussions and special introductions that open up new perspectives and opportunities within film criticism.
Programme
Take the 5:10 to Dreamland (1974) by Bruce Conner, 6 mins
"Conner was a master of creating haunting films from old newsreels, industrial films, commercials, and stock footage. He was brilliant at weaving together disparate images into a hypnotic, ethereal, and open-ended narrative structure, the result being more of a trance than a film. For me, Take the 5:10 to Dreamland is his most poetic work. When I first saw the film in the late 1970s I was stunned by the dense atmosphere of the soundtrack paired with the sequencing of disconnected images and the mysterious, heavy beauty it created." – Larry Sultan, Water Over Thunder (pg. 178)
Safe (1995) by Todd Haynes, 119 mins
"I don’t think any filmmaker nails the fundamental claustrophobia of suburban domestic spaces better than Todd Haynes. In his film, Safe he transforms the signifiers of “hominess”—bedroom sets with mirrored closet doors,lushly furnished living rooms—into toxic and unsettling environments. It is architecture as a stand-in for the sickness of the spirit. The way the camera moves in these rooms and frames the actors within them creates a sense of heightened estrangement and discomfort even in the most familiar and mundane terrain. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for daylight glowing through drawn drapes but I’ve never seen interiors made so beautifully uncanny and sinister." – Larry Sultan, Water Over Thunder (pg. 178).
This is the first screening in a new series with MACK showcasing film and moving-image works made or curated by MACK artists. As part of MACK Cinema Club, these regular events offer a space to explore the intersections between cinema, writing, and publishing, expanding the conversation beyond the screen. Each screening is accompanied by additional elements, including post-screening discussions and special introductions that open up new perspectives and opportunities within film criticism.
Bios
MACK is an independent publisher of award-winning books on contemporary art, critical theory, film and architecture. We work with pioneering creative minds and institutions across the globe and pride ourselves on the rigour and care that goes into every stage of the book-making process.
In 2010, our founder Michael Mack set out to build a publishing house that engages in critical dialogues around visual culture in beautifully designed editions. In the early years we focused predominantly on photography, quickly becoming the home for work by leading practitioners including Thomas Demand, Roe Ethridge, Jim Goldberg, Guido Guidi, Luigi Ghirri, Paul Graham, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Collier Schorr, Stephen Shore, Rosalind Solomon, Alec Soth, Larry Sultan, as well as debuts which launched the careers of numerous artists, including Sofia Borges, Gregory Halpern, Joanna Piotrowska and RaMell Ross.
Larry Sultan (American photographer, b. Brooklyn, NY, 1946; d. Greenbrae, CA, 2009) was raised in California’s San Fernando Valley. His work, heavily influenced by the post-war popular culture of Los Angeles, plays with notions of documentary and staged photography and reveals the psychological nuances found in the everyday suburban landscape and family life. Acclaimed for his use of color and light, Sultan is also known for uniquely collapsing the distance between himself and his subject.
Book tickets
Wed, 08 Apr 2026
Cinema 1
06:45 pm
Ticket information
- All tickets that do not require ID (full price, disabled, income support) can be printed at home or stored in email
- For aged-based concession tickets (under 25, student) please bring relevant ID to collect at the front desk before the event.
Access information
Cinema 1
- Both our Cinemas have step free access from The Mall and are accessible by ramp
- We have 1 wheelchair allocated space with a seat for a companion
- All seats are hard back, have a crushed velvet feel and they do not recline
- These are our seat size dimensions: W 42 x D 45 x H 52
- Arm rest either side of the seat dimensions: L 27 x W 7 x H 20
for the following requirements:
- We have unassigned seating. If you require a specific seat, please reserve this in advance
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