Here are the movies we’re most excited about that are playing in New Orleans this week, including some Mardi Gras-appropriate programming and plenty of delectable genre schlock.

Movies We Haven’t Seen (Yet)

Parasite: Black & White – Bong Joon-ho’s twisty, crowd-pleasing thriller about class resentment has been selling out screenings & earning ecstatic critical praise for months as its distribution & Awards Attention exponentially spreads. Thanks to its monumental Best Picture win at last week’s Oscars ceremony, it’s even seeping back into wide distribution.  But it’s also playing at The Prytania in a new “Black & White” edition (à la Mad Max: Fury Road‘s “Black & Chrome” makeover), just in case you need another excuse to see a great film in a proper theatrical environment.

Eat Brains Love – The director of over-the-top trash cinema relics Idle Hands & Leprechaun 2 returns to genre filmmaking with a Louisiana-shot romcom about a zombie outbreak.  Looks like perfect Valentine’s Day fodder (as long as you happen to be romantically involved with a fellow immature goofball).  Playing only at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge.

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) – The vaudevillian comedy duo Abbott and Costello board a rocket to Mars, only to crash land into Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, mistaking our revelry for an alien planet. Screening Sunday 2/16 and Wednesday 2/19 as part of The Prytania’s regular Classic Movies series.

Movies We Already Enjoyed

The Sons of Tennessee Williams (2011) – An essential local documentary about our city’s largely overlooked gay Mardi Gras tradition, detailing the gay krewes & ball culture of both past & present. Screening free to the public (with donations encouraged) Thursday 2/13 via Queer Root Films, hosted at the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans.

Cane River (1982) – A locally-produced romance melodrama with an all black cast & crew, considered “lost” since it first screened in New Orleans in 1982 (largely due to the director’s untimely death before it landed distribution) until this five-years-in-the-making restoration started making the rounds. It’s sweet, surprisingly funny, and loaded with local, historical, and political significance. Playing only at The Broad Theater.

Color Out of Space – Richard Stanley returns to filmmaking after a lengthy, storied hiatus following early triumphs like the sci-fi chiller Hardware. For his much-anticipated comeback, he directs Nicolas Cage in an adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft classic “The Colour Out of Space,” a staple of the cosmic horror genre. Playing only at The Broad Theater.

-Brandon Ledet