March 11th 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.
Brevity, thy name is Wednesday morn.
Ongoing screenings today include the concurrent tribs to actress Ginger Rogers and Krauteur Wim Wenders at MoMA, and the brilliant wrap-up of AFA's comprehensive examination of McCarthy-ism and the people most devastated by its ill-effect, Screenwriters and the Blacklist: Before, During and After - Part Three: Post-Blacklist . The silver screen scampery be thus.
MoMA
LADY IN THE DARK (1944) Dir; Mitchell Leisen
PARIS, TEXAS (1984) Dir; Wim Wenders
Anthology Film Archives
Screenwriters and the Blacklist: Before, During and After - Part Three: Post-Blacklist
TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARAH (1970) Dir; Don Siegel
FAIL-SAFE (1964) Dir; Sidney Lumet
Today's Pick? I never take sides against Lumet.
Mah Boy Sid's Cold War nightmare masterpiece, 1964's FAIL-SAFE, screens tonight as part of the series Screenwriters and the Blacklist: Before, During and After - Part Three: Post-Blacklist at Anthology Film Archives. Once and for a time obscured by the shadow of its twin cousin, its Patty Duke analogy, Stanley Kubrick's nightmare comedy DR. STRANGELOVE, with which it shares similar plot and plot points, it has slowly emerged from said shade to be regarded as a classic in its own right, some maintaining that Lumet had the tougher task. In any event it remains a master class in filmmaking, as an example of suspense and paranoia so slowly and surely ramped up to its breaking point Big Al Hitch himself might've called 911 two thirds of the way through. Lumet was my bridge between the waning days of the studio system and my 80's childhood burgeoning cinephilia, and he remains a most beloved artist in my esteem. This is one of his finest two hours. Do not miss this.
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!
