December 18th 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.
As despicable I find this whole backing-down by SONY over some hacker threats, whch yesterday found the global corporation publically decide to pull a potentially money-printing Christmas release, I must say it gives me some ideas regarding the Robert Altman retrospetive at MoMA. As well as any upcoming career tribs to Brian de Palma, Lars von Trier, and Michael Bay. No need to alert the FBI, I'm just enjoying the daydream.
Continuing series this day include Chandler, Hammett, Woolrich and Cain at Film Forum, and the tribs to actress Joan Bennett and filmmaker Robert Altman at MoMA. The cinephiliac cuckookery be thus;
IFC Center
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) Dir; Frank Capra
Film Forum
Chandler, Hammett, Woolrich and Cain
CITY STREETS (1931) Dir; Rouben Mamoulian
STREETS OF CHANCE (1942) Dir; Jack Hively
MoMA
DOCTOR'S WIVES (193 Dir; Frank Borzage
BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS, or SITTING BULL'S HISTORY LESSON (1976) Dir; Robert Altman
A WEDDING (1978) Dir; Robert Altman
Today's Pick? Curse you Altman, no matter how empty the pool seems I refuse to choose you by default. Plus, these are two pretty crappy flicks. So I'm committing no sin of omission here. I did just make the Forum's trib to perhaps the most important quartet of noirist authors from the first 1/2 of the 20th century my Pick only yesterday, and the double-dip is a dance move I like to avoid. And I'm not personally ready to attend the 35mm unspooling of George Bailey lassoing the moon. So what to do? Go for the dame, of course. Always.
Fave cinematic bad girl Joan Bennett is feted today as part of MoMA's series Acteurism, in Frank Borzage's DOCTOR'S WIVES. Do yourself a favor, head to 11 W 53rd street today and watch a real kitten purr like she knows how.
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!
