December 12th 2014. 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.
Jeez, I sure hope it warms up once winter gets here.
#ThingsIThoughtIdNeverEverEverSay
New and continuing series today include Screwball Romance and Rated Xmas: Holiday Classics, Naughty and Nice at IFC Center, Chandler, Hammett, Woolrich and Cain at Film Forum, MoMA's tribs to actress Joan Bennett and director Robert Altman, The Last Laugh: An Alternate History of Spanish Comedy at the Film Society, Screenwriters and the Blacklist: Before, During and After at Anthology Film Archives, and Xmas Chopping at the Nitehawk Cinema. The repertory wimwammery be thus;
IFC Center
THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (1944) Dir; Preston Sturges
Rated Xmas: Holiday Classics, Naughty and Nice
DIE HARD (1988) Dir; John McTiernan
SCANNERS (1981) Dir; David Cronenberg
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) Dir; Frank Capra
Film Forum
Chandler, Hammett, Woolrich and Cain
THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946) Dir; George Marshall
THE BIG SLEEP (1946) Dir; Howard Hawks
THE PASSIONATE THIEF (1960) Dir; Mario Monticelli
MoMA
THE TRAIL OF VIVIENNE WARE (1934) Dir; William K. Howard
THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) Dir; Robert Altman
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The Last Laugh: An Alternate History of Spanish Comedy
AMANECE, QUE NO ES POCO (1989) Dir; José Luis Cuerda
THE LAST HORSE (1950) Dir; Edgar Neville
Anthology Film Archives
Screenwriters and the Blacklist: Before, During and After
TIME WITHOUT PITY (1957) Dir; Joseph Losey
THE KEY (1958) Dir; Carol Reed
Landmark Jersey Loews
REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1939) Dir; Mitchell Liesen
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
GREMLINS (1984) Dir; Joe Dante
Nitehawk Cinema
SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT (1972) Dir; Theodore Gershuny
Today's Pick? Anyone who's still complaining about a dearth of classic cinema unspooling on big screens in our fair metropolis, I must ask what you're still smoking. 'Cause my guy's not privy to that strain, y'know. E-mail me.
This day alone we got an ace noir series kicking off at Film Forum, heralding a quartet of the genre's best and most poisoned pens. FF also grants a 5-day reprieve to the 4K resto of Monicelli's beloved THIEF. IFC throws down not one but THREE-COUNT-'EM-THREE series, a new weekend classics program dedicated to screwball romantic comedy, a string of Xmas-themed goodies from all genres and generations, and, just in time for the holidays, a dedicated Cronenberg midnight series. Plus, they give us their annual two weeks of George Bailey et al. They're adamant about making the nice list this year.
MoMA continues with their adoration of the lewd and lovable Joan Bennett, while still indulging the cult of Robert Altman not my favorite Action-yeller thank you very much! AFA continues to unspool their laudable and fascinating Blacklist program, celebrating writers who endured the hardships of committees, pseudonyms, and, in certain sad cases, the ends of their careers. And midnight tomfoolery presents a battle between the ghoulish holiday murders at the Nitehawk, and the murderous ghoulies at the Sunshine Cinema. So much to choose from today, a daunting list indeed.
So I'm leaning heavily on two factors today whence deciding; the fact that I've never seen what I understand to be a true classic of the screwball comedy genre, and a visit to one of our holiest cinematic temples before the year's out. It doesn't hurt that Barbara Stanwyck co-stars. I'm just sayin'.
Mitchell Leisen's REMEMBER THE NIGHT unspools in glorious 35mm at the Landmark Jersey Loews tonight. Amongst its other merits count the screenplay by one Preston Sturges, his last credit as writer-only before embarking on a near-perfect 8-film run as double threat scribe/director, one that surely made Andre Bazin dream wonderful things. And I've not been entirely forthcoming, Stanwyck's a huge reason I'm attending. YO BABZ!
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in December '14 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. For the monthly overview and other audio tomfoolery check out the podcast, and follow me on SoundCloud! For reviews of contemporary cinema and my streaming habits (keep it clean!) check out my Letterboxd page. And be sure to follow me on both Facebook, where I provide further info and esoterica on the rep film circuit and star birthdays, and Twitter, where I provide a daily feed for the day's screenings and other blathery. Back tomorrow with a brand new Pick, til then safe, sound, make sure the next knucklehead is too!
P. S. We're fully entwined in winter's embrace, and believe it or not some of our fellow NY'ers have still yet to be made whole in the wake of the 2012 storm. Should you be feeling charitable please visit the folks at OccupySandy.net, follow their hammer-in-hand efforts to restore people's lives, and donate/volunteer if you have the inclination and availability. Be a collective mensch, Stockahz!
