April 10th 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.
A head cold derailed me from my sacred post yesterday, as April's co-opting of March's worst habits served to bedrid me somethin' fierce. Apologies for the skip, but I return today with much to mend mine malady. Alliteration, bebeh.
Amongst today's luminous continuing series include Strictly Sturges at Film Forum, Acteurism: Joel McCrea at MoMA, Space is the Place: AfroFuturism on Film at BAM Cinématek, Dick Miller: Onscreen and In Person! at Anthology Film Archives, Justice in Film at the New York Historical Society, and the eternally swank Cabaret Cinema at the Rubin Museum of Art. The movie mad-hattery be thus;
Film Forum
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1942) Dir; Preston Sturges
CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940) Dir; Preston Sturges
MoMA
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932) Dirs; Ernest B. Shoedsack & Irving B. Pichel
BAM Cinématek
Space is the Place: AfroFuturism on Film
THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (1984) Dir; John Sayles
Anthology Film Archives
Dick Miller: Onscreen and In Person!
GREMLINS (1984) Dir; Joe Dante
GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (1989) Dir; Joe Dante
New York Museum of History
Justice in Film
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) Dir; Alexander Mackendrick
Rubin Museum
JULES ET JIM (1961) Dir; François Truffaut
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
AKIRA (1988) Dir; Katsushiro Otomo
Today's Pick? There exists an abundance of sharp satire this day, whether it come from the pen and lens of auteur Preston Sturges, or the micro-budgeted treatise of ethic survival in the big city courtesy of one John Sayles, to the ridiculous AND sublime stuffed blender that is Dante's inspired varmint sequel. Then there's the opportunity to catch what might perhaps be the single most influential film in the anime revival that began in the early 90's, Otomo's still-mind bending, still-unfinished masterpiece. And a midnight show, at that.
But nah, eff it. I'm goin' with romance, and one of the great romantic artists of the cinema all-time. It begins idyllically, if briefly so, then stumbles, and captures the struggle to regain that state of grace for the remainder of its running time. It may make zero sense and end on a tragic, yet haunting note, but...oh hell, that just makes it a French romance, dunnit? Quel dommage!
François Truffaut's JULES ET JIM screens tonight at the Rubin Museum as part of the Cabaret Cinema series. The Nouvelle Vague just wishes. It just wishes still.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in April '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 mercifully feeling the loosening of winter's embrace, but 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!
