December 8th 2013. Pick of the Day.
New York City's premiere resource for classic film screenings in the metropolitan area. Offering reviews, recommendations, venues and a host of links keeping classic film and the silver screens alive.
As I'm still fascinated by a Cinegeek parlor game that ensued upon yesterday's post-screening of Preston Sturges' THE LADY EVE, whereby studio era stalwart Joel McCrea was recast in that film's Henry Fonda role, and then other classic roles including IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE's George Bailey, I'm making that entertaining futilty this month's frivolity. All month long I want your feedback as to which daily screening would be well served, if not improved, by McCrea's casting, no matter the decade of its release. You'll find my choice at the end of this screed. Until then...
New and continuing series today include Film Forum's month-long trib to Barbara Stanwyck, MoMA's focus on the work of production desinger Dante Ferretti, Moving Image's See It Big! Great Cinematographers, and the Film Society's spotlight on the lasting influence of legendary filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. The day's full doings;
IFC Center
THEY LIVE (1988) Dir; John Carpenter
JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972) Dir; Sydney Pollack
Film Forum
MONKEY BUSINESS (1931) Dir; Norman MacLeod
MEET JOHN DOE (1941) Dir; Frank Capra
BABYFACE (1933) Dir; Alfred E. Green
NIGHT NURSE (1931) Dir; William Wellman
Nitehawk Cinema
MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER (1971) Dir; Robert Altman
MoMA
GINGER AND FRED (1986) Dir; Federico Fellini
Mid-Manhattan Library
ROOM SERVICE (1938) Dir; William A. Seiter
Museum of the Moving Image
THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN (1979) Dir; Rainer Werner Fassbender
Anthology Film Archives
LAUREL AND HARDY SHORTS (1932-35) Dirs; Various
Film Society of Lincoln Center
EQUINOX FLOWER (1956) Dir; Yasujiro Ozu
Today's Pick? In the spirit of the great annual celebration of consumerism known as the Xmas holiday season, I'm going with what might be filmmaking great John Carpenter's last excellent film; the takedown of all things Reagan-era entitled THEY LIVE, screening all day at IFC Center. On the one hand a perceptive, if not subtle, examination of the unfettered speed-butchering of America's finest invention and resource, its middle class, openly preyed upon by the very institutions it sought to protect them in a time when utter soulless greed masqueraded as the worst and most shameless faux patriotism. On the other hand, BUY. OBEY. DO NOT QUESTION AUTHORITY.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic screenings in December '13 click the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter! Back tomorrow with a new Pick, til then BUY. OBEY. DO NOT QUESTION AUTHORITY. And bring plenty of bubblegum.
-Joe Walsh
P. S. McCrea would'a killed as Nada in THEY LIVE. Just sayin'.
