December 31st. Last Pick of 2013. And Happy New Year from Nitrate Stock!
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.
One more year comes to an end, its various calendars, whether traditional paper, magnetized laminate or other tech marvel iteration, removed in a violent struggle with the wall/fridge/device that bears it. Temps plummet, sunlight is scant, yet temperments remain buoyant, if only at the prospect of consuming Hell's 1/2 acre of bodily pollutant whether in socially permissable bubbly liquid form or, well, you know, we're all adults here. My sincere hope this New Year's Eve, mah Stockahz, is that whatever route of debauchery wide or narrow you choose to embark upon this night may you travel it safely, with a minimum of fuss and police involvement, and that you emerge from a deep slumber on January 1st 2014 with a raging hangover but no end of tales to tell at the reveller's PTSD meeting of yer choice.
I've made quite a few new friends over the course of this site's efforts in 2013, if only in the Twitterverse or Facebookland. Among these I thank such esteemed critics as the NY Post's Lou Lumenick, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Carrie Rickey and Slate.com's Dana Stevens for generously including me in the film dialogue. On a more personal level it's been a blast getting to know superb local scholars like Will McKinley (Cinematically Insane) and the singularly but authoritatively monickered Aurora (Once Upon A Screen). I've learned of feverish frivolities like Twitter's @TCM_Party, run by new friends Paula Guthat & Trevor Jost, and should you even attempt a dilettante's dalliance with this group as they live-tweet along with the TCM sked, I offer the following warning; don't make any other plans. It'll be 3am before ya know it.
The bulk of my thanks has to go to the venues and the programmers who make the rep cinema circuit in the city a still thriving artistic community. So to Film Forum's Bruce Goldstein, the Film Society's Richard Pena, MoMA's Charles Silver, Moving Image's David Schwartz, BAM's David Reilly, the Nitehawk Cinema's Caryn Coleman, the Rubin Museum's Tim McHenry, and the crews at Anthology Film Archives, IFC Center, and the miraculous Landmark Jersey Loews, I tip my cap to thee and pray your eforts to present the very best classic cinema in the format it's meant to be seen in never cease.
I began this site with the intention of broadening my own cinematic horizons whilst bringing together others engaged in the repertory film circuit in NYC. On both counts I've succeeded thus far, as I've learned more in the last year and a half about the medium and its practicioners than I had in perhaps a full fives years' worth of isolated study on my own. And I'm every day surprised by the munificence of those in possesion of greater knowledge toward others hungry for said info. It's a genuine community, and I'm pleased to say egos are not just generally strong when discussing our great passions, but seldom under attack in the first place.
To sum up, I just wanna say thanks. You've all made 2013 a special year for me, and the validation of my efforts that you've provided means more to me than I might ever finds the words to communicate.
Now, for the last time in 2013, let's get to the screen shenanigans;
IFC Center
MY NEIGHBOR TORTORO (1988) Dir; Hiyao Miyazaki
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) Dir; Stanley Kubrick
Film Fprum
REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940) Dir; Mitchell Leisen
Film Society of Lincoln Center
LES GIRLS (1957) Dir; George Cukor
BORN YESTERDAY (1950) Dir; George Cukor
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1954 ) Dir; George Cukor
THE MODEL AND THE MARRIAGE BROKER (1951) Dir; George Cukor
Today's Pick? I can think of no more perfect choice than what might be the ultimate parable of endings and new beginnings, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, screening at IFC Center. Some of you might be amused to know the original Bronx dubbed versions of this classic included exchanges like this; "Yo HAL! YOU FREAKIN' MOOK! YOU OPEN THESE FREAKIN' POD BAY FREAKIN' DOORS OR I'LL SEPARATE YOU FROM YOUR FREAKIN' MEMRY YOU FREAKIN' FREAK FREAK!" I think we can all agree, a different film, no?
For more info on these films click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Back tomorow with the first Pick of 2014! How exciting! Til then, really, be safe and sound and make sure the next knucklehead is too. Enjoy your New Year's Eve, Stockahz. Yer tha Goods!
-Joe Walsh
