Before & After Pride at the Castro Theatre

While the Frameline LGBTQ Film Festival takes 11 days of the Castro Theatre's June schedule, there's a lot to be said for the other week of films sandwiched before and after Pride.

"La La Land Sing Along" (2016) Despite losing the Best Picture Oscar, this vivid reinvention of the Hollywood musical is second to none in pure old-fashioned entertainment. For once no one will tell you to hush up if you want to try your vocal pipes up against the film's earnest leads. Total running time: 150 mins. ($13 adults, $10 youth) (6/9)

"Moana Sing Along" (2016) This Disney animation is a pure joy to watch, and even better when you can sing along to the lyrics and music of Ron Clements and John Musker. ($16 adults, $11 kids) (6/9-11)

"Spaceballs" (1987) Leave it to comic genius Mel Brooks to find a way to spoof the "Star Wars" craze. Mel is joined by Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis ("Little Shop of Horrors"), Daphne Zuniga, and the scene-stealing John Candy ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles").

"Ruthless People" (1986) This lowbrow zinger has Danny DeVito plotting to off his nagging frau (Bette Midler). The directing team of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker corrals a zany supporting cast: Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater and the debut of Bill Pullman. (both 6/10)

"The Misfits" (1961) This classic was almost overshadowed in its own day by the off-screen fate of its stars: it was the final film for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. Penned by Monroe's playwright hubby Arthur Miller, "The Misfits" unfolds in what was then the Nevada divorce capitol, Reno, and the surrounding desert, home to a vanishing herd of wild horses. Gable is the wild horse-breaker, Monroe a divorcee going through the mandatory six-week residency required to get a divorce decree in the days before no-fault. The two have amazing chemistry. Also featuring the supporting talents of Montgomery Clift and Thelma Ritter.

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) This three-hour special edition represents the beginning of that odd subgenre, the Spaghetti Western. Former TV Western star Clint Eastwood steps into his iconic role as the mysterious stranger dispensing a crude form of justice, while Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef stand in his way. (both 6/11)

"Kong: Skull Island" (2017) The director of the 2013 off-beat teen comedy "The Kings of Summer" Jordan Vogt-Roberts returns with an equally oddball Vietnam-era drama. A group of explorers ventures into a previously uncharted Pacific isle that happens to be the ancestral home of a very large ape. With a veteran supporting cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly.

"The Lost City of Z" (2016) A very butch Charlie Hunnam (the original British "Queer as Folk" kid) heads off into the Amazon jungle in search of a buried civilization. James Gray's production also features Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller. (both 6/13)

"Contempt" (1963) French New Waver Jean-Luc Godard had a great run before he lost the touch. This film about filmmaking finds the master in his element. A screenwriter (Michel Piccoli) has to juggle his loyalties between the pride and artistic demands of a European refugee director (Fritz Lang) and a big-shot American producer (Jack Palance). There's fun to be had in this 60s classic's in-joke humor.

"The Big Knife" (1955) Robert Aldrich ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?") gives us what we want to believe about the ruthless "Tinseltown jungle" at the end of the studio system. Based on a Clifford Odets play, the story focuses on the unraveling career of a fading star (Jack Palance) under the not-so-tender mercies of studio chief Rod Steiger. (both 6/14)

"Logan Noir" (2017) Aussie star Hugh Jackman wraps his ongoing Wolverine character in this special B&W edition based on still another Marvel Comics franchise. Directed by James Margold and co-starring Sir Patrick Stewart, the film shows that the Western isn't quite dead yet.

"Mad Max: Fury Road - Black & Chrome Edition" (2015) The third installment in George Miller's Down Under series has Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron duking it out across a very inhospitable landscape. (both 6/27)

"East of Eden" (1955) This adaptation of John Steinbeck has James Dean fighting both his brother and dad over issues that still plague troubled families everywhere. This one sizzles due to director Elia Kazan's ability to capture Steinbeck country around Salinas, and flesh the tale out with a first-class ensemble: Raymond Nassey, Julie Harris and Burl Ives.

"The Outsiders" (1983) Francis Coppola found new reasons post-"Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" for practicing his craft in this sublime treatment of S.E. Hinton's seminal teen novel, 50 years old this year. Coppola discovered some amazing new faces: C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez. (both 6/28)

"Strangers on a Train" (1951) Alfred Hitchcock pulled off two gems with homo underpinnings. This casual encounter on an East Coast passenger train finds a tennis star (gay actor Farley Granger) encountering a really annoying fan (Robert Walker). The pair bond over their respective desires to rid themselves of burdensome mates. Walker, who had a fine career before "Strangers," is mostly remembered today for his crafty, needy psycho, who is so twisted that he very nearly drags another man down with him. Hitch makes great use of daughter Pat in a scene where Walker's killer mimes strangling an older woman while staring directly at Pat Hitchcock's character, who resembles the now-dead wife.

"Rope" (1948) Hitch also uses Granger to good advantage in this chilling drama about college roommates who commit a murder for thrills, then hide the body in plain sight at a well-populated house party. James Stewart is the professor who realizes to his dismay that his theorizing has produced a body count. (both 6/29)