February 24th 2015. 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.
I believe some sort of justice was done when BIRDMAN flew off with Oscar's largest offering, pun intended on both counts. I also believe a great injustice was averted when the voters wisely avoided the whims of so-called sophisticates and rightly rejected BOYHOOD, both the film and perhaps the era itself. More worthy elects might have included Anderson's GRAND BUDAPEST or Du Vernay's SELMA. In any event, the potent but merely servicable portayal of the American serviceman, Eastwood's SNIPER, had no biz being counted amongst the nominees. Impressive because it was Clint, but an empty suit without his involvement. THEORY and IMITATION belied their titles' flaws, being nothing more in terms of filmmaking. In the end, WHIPLASH may ultimately be most worthy of grievance against the short-stopping fellow noms. In any event , one more Academy Awards ceremony is in the books, my blood pressure has not raised one jot, and I may now return my normal focus to the repertory scene in NYC.
Ahem.
Ongoing series this day consists simply, but not merely, of the Charles Laughton frottage at Film Forum. The entire mishegoss looks thus;
Film Forum
BECAUSE OF HIM (1946) Dir; Richard Wallace
IT STARTED WITH EVE (1941) Henry Koster
ARCH OF TRIUMPH (1948) Dir; Lewis Milestone
Nitehawk Cinema
THREE WOMEN (1977) Dir; Robert Altman
Today's Pick? Long seems the occasion which found me shining the Kliegs on my fave new theater in the boroughs five, that monument to cinema, celluloid, and tater tots, BeardyBurg's superb Nitehawk Cinema. And though it pains me to fete a work from a director I deem the definition of overpraised, I will assuage my scorched temper by reminding myself, simply, hey, at least he's not Brian DePalma?
Robert Altman's THREE WOMEN unspools tonight at the Nitehawk Cinema, as celebration of, and in conjunction with, Abrams Books' new publication, entitled, simply, Altman. I'm sure, somewhere, on a celestial plane as yet unbeknownst to us, the bearded fauxteur is at first wallowing in this tribute, then inexplicably diverting his focus to a white dwarf in the Andromeda or some such other tawdry galaxy. It'd be just like him.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in February '15 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 soon with new Picks 'n perks, 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!
