March 5th 2015. Pick of the Day.
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There's this new indie horror flick, and it's getting great reviews, and it's entitled IT FOLLOWS, and I swore it was about February 2015, no particluar single incident, just the month that will not go away. Actually its subject matter is altogether different, turns out it's just my outlook this morning of March the 5th. To paraphrase Colonel Kilgore, someday this winter's gonna end.
New and continuing series on today's rep circuit include the Ginger Rogers and Wim Wenders frottagery at MoMA, Black & White 'Scope: American Cinema at BAM Cinématek, Sinatra: An American Icon at the Library of the Performing Arts, and another installment in the Nitehawk's One Nite Only program. The celluloid Cuckookery be thus;
Film Forum
KES (1969) Dir; Ken Loach
MoMA
KITTY FOYLE (1940) Dir; Sam Wood
WRONG MOVE (1975) Dir; Wim Wenders
WINGS OF DESIRE (1987) Dir; Wim Wenders
BAM Cinématek
Black & White 'Scope: American Cinema
THE OUTRAGE (1964) Dir; Martin Ritt
NO DOWN PAYMENT (1957) Dir; Martin Ritt
Library for the Performing Arts
IT HAPPENED IN BROOKLYN (1947) Dir; Richard Whorf
BowTie Chelsea Cinemas
IN A LONELY PLACE (1950) Dir: Nicholas Ray
Nitehawk Cinema
GOD TOLD ME TO (1976) Dir; Larry Cohen
Today's Pick? First the easily disqualified: I've seen Ritt's OUTRAGE, but he hasn't seen mine ba dum I'm here all week try the sushi.
Honestly, though, Ritt's Americanized remake of Kurosawa, here adapting the Maestro's breakout of World Cinema RASHOMON, does not, to put it nicely, fare as well as John Sturges' magnificent SEVEN SAMURAI remake. Conversely, I'm most intrigued by Ritt's 1957 social commentary, NO DOWN PAYMENT, but I'm hesitant to recommend only one film from an unofficial double-bill. Also, snow. I'm just being practical.
I still have time to recommend, and for the sake of full disclosure, ATTEND a screening of Ken Loach's seminal Kitchen Sink classic KES, so I'm tempted, but I'm gonna run the clock on that one, hopefully I don't run it out.
Further full disclosure: I've never given one infinitesimal good goddam about Wender's WINGS. I was actually so let down by that friggin' movie when I finally caught it it bloodshot my eyes when I hadn't even been drinking. So there. You may now tell me why I have no understanding or appreciation of cinema.
So it really comes down to Ginger bagging the Oscar for KITTY FOYLE, the LPA fête of Sinatra, what remains perhaps Bogart's finest two hours in Ray's masterpiece, and Larry Cohen being Larry Cohen. So again, my Pick?
TWIST! Today I'm going with the 6:45pm screening of WINGS OF DESIRE, part of MoMA's Wim Wenders trib, which will be attended by the filmmaker himself as well as his script collaborator Peter Handke, as the pair delight the attended with a post-screening Q&A. My feelings aside, this is the most desirable event on the rep circuit this day, and who knows? Should I attend I may finally be won over by this film, one I deem overly-pretentious and intentionally irritating. Then again, I may just avoid the accumulated flurries and watch The Archers' A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH one more time. Lemme see how my wings are feelin'.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in March '15 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. 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!
