April 4th 2013. Pick Of the Day.
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John Frankenheimer's debut feature THE YOUNG STRANGER screens for the second of its three day run as part of MOMA's Auteurist History of Film series. Long before star James MacArthur booked 'em he was a son of Hollywood privelege threatened with a booking of his own over a movie theater assault. Intriguing, but not my Pick.
DIAL "M" FOR MURDER, Big Al's lone flirt wth the then-glamorous 3-D tech of the 50's, finishes its weeklong booking at sacred rep temple Film Forum. Meh, but a quite interesting meh. Chose it on Tuesday, so I must pass.
Gene Saks' celluloid realization of Neil Simon's BAREFOOT IN THE PARK screens at the Clearview Chelsea Cinemas. No masterpiece but a fun time capsule of place and era, featuring an impossibly young Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Not my Pick.
John Boorman's LEO THE LAST unspools at the 92YTribeca. This tale of aristocracy denounced and collectivism embraced stars Marcello Mastroianni as the eponymous end of the bloodline, who finds renewed purpose in rallying the residents of a poor section of London against their absentee landlord, who happens to be himself. Worth a second look and kudos to the 92YT for affording it such, but misses as today's Pick.
And MOMA's tribute to the immediate influence German expressionist cinema of the 20's afforded its counterparts Hollywood and otherwise continues into its second day. The Weimar Touch examines directors from this movement both influenced and influential. Screening tonight are two works of particular interest. EINMAL EINE GROSSE DAME SEIN, loosely translted as ONCE A GREAT LADY TO BE, revolves around a mistaken identity class farce. Or so I believe. I can't find a lick of pertinent information about this film's synopsis so that's what I'm going with. Still doesn't make the cut as my Pick, but the second half of the double bill offered as part of today's fest does. And I have a very simple reason for choosing it as such.
It's called VIKTOR UND VIKTORIA, and served as the basis for guess which later remake? I know very little about this film but I'm heading to MOMA today to compare/contrast/guffaw! Screens at 4:30pm. Safe to say it won't be a drag. Ba-dum-dum.
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Be safe and sound and make sure the next guy is too, Stockahz! Catch you tomorrow with Friday's Pick! WHERE THE FUCK IS SPRING?!?!?!
-Joe Walsh
