May 16th 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 completely loaded menu on offer today, including a doubling down on classic Japanese cinema, an extension of a finely-programmed series focusing on Hollywood's blacklist era, India's first-ever world cinema auteur, and some cool and creepy odds and ends scheduled pre-noon and post-midnight. Think it's easy to choose from a pack like this? Read on, MacDuff.
Continuing series this day include Deneuve x 8 at IFC Center, The Apu Trilogy at Film Forum, Portraying the Human Condition: The Films of Masaki Kobayashi and Tatsuya Nakadai at Museum of the Moving Image, Japan Speaks Out!: Early Japanese Talkies at MoMA, and "Written" by Philip Yordan at Anthology Film Archives. The Bell & Howell befussery be thussery;
IFC Center
REPULSION (1965) Dir; Roman Polanski
AFTER HOURS (1986) Dir; Martin Scorsese
Nitehawk Cinema
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) Dir; John McTiernan
THE SENTINEL (1977) Dir; Michael Winner
Film Forum
APARAJITO (1956) Dir; Satyajit Ray
Museum of the Moving Image
Portraying the Human Condition: The Films of Masaki Kobayashi and Tatsuya Nakadai
THE HUMAN CONDITION, PART ONE: NO GREATER LOVE (1959) Dir; Masaki Kobayashi
THE HUMAN CONDITION, PART TWO: ROAD TO ETERNITY (1959) Dir; Masaki Kobayashi
MoMA
Japan Speaks Out!: Early Japanese Talkies
FIRST STEPS ASHORE (1932) Dir; Yasujiro Shimazu
OUR NEIGHBOR, MISS YAE (1934) Dir; Yasujiro Shimazu
OKOTO AND SESUKE (1935) Dir; Yasujiro Shimazu
Anthology Film Archives
JOHNNY GUITAR (1956) Dir; Nicholas Ray
THE BIG COMBO (1955) Dir; Joseph H. Lewis
THE DARK SIDE OF LOVE (1984) Dir; David Carr
Today's Pick? Were it possible to catch all three chapters in Kobayashi's HUMAN trilogy it'd be a no-brainer, but alas we're not allowed to watch the third chapter in the wee smalls or even sleep at Moving Image overnight in order to watch it first thing next afternoon. In case you haven't been following, I've been into the marathon screenings lately. Which makes AFA's non-existant multiple-film special ticket pricing particularly painful, as I can't in good conscience recommend you spend a full day at that wonderfully collapsing grindhouse shellin gout individually for films screening in the same series. I don't always count this against them, but mostly.
Ray's second entry in his Apu Trilogy tempts mightily, but as I've previously said I'm waiting for a full day's screening of all three films. Did I mention my whole marathon screening thing of late? So my options narrow, and as much as I love what Deneuve does in the kitchen with lapin, and Griffin Dunne does with papier mache in arthouse SoHo, I'm going with a great series in midtown, somewhat too close perhaps to the last time I made it my Pick, but I think it's unbeatable for historical value and bang for your buck, two things prized equally by NYC's tenants and tourists.
Three films from director Yasujiro Shimazu, 1932's FIRST STEPS ASHORE, 34's OUR NEIGHBOR, MISS YAE, and 35's OKOTO AND SESUKE, unspool today at MoMA as part of the series Japan Speaks Out!: Early Japanese Talkies. Yes, you'll have to shell out $10 American for each film, unless you are or become a museum member, in which case all three screenings are included in the membership fee, as are all screenings during the validity of your membership. Oh yeah, and apparently there's a kick-ass museum attached to the screening spaces. I hear that's a bargain too. I'll check it out one day.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in May '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 seem to be entering, finally, the warm cuddle of the sun's friendlier disposition, 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!
