February 11th 2016. 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.
Ongoing series today include Modern Matinees: A Pioneer Cowboy and Death is My Dance Partner: Film Noir in Postwar Argentina at MoMA, Valentine's Day Massacre 2016! at Anthology Film Archives, and The Deuce at the Nitehawk Cinema. The rep rigamrole be thus;
Film Forum
I KNEW HER WELL (1965) Dir; Antonio Pietrangeli)
MoMA
Modern Matinees: A Pioneer Cowboy
WILD BILL HICKOK (1923) Dir; Clifford S. Smith
Death is My Dance Partner: Film Noir in Postwar Argentina
THE BITTER STEMS (1956) Dir; Fernando Ayala
NATIVE SON (1951) Dir; Pierre Chenal
Anthology Film Archives
Valentine's Day Massacre 2016!
WE WON't GROW OLD TOGETHER (1972) Dir; Maurice Pialat
MODERN ROMANCE (19801 Dir; Albert Brooks
Nitehawk Cinema
RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985) Dir; Andrei Konchalovsky
Today's Pick? No Contest. We grew up with Cannon Films, that upstart studio that desperately nudged itself into an 80's major studio scene in utter flux. We supplemented our film studies with the Cannon Films catalog, whether we actually attended the theatrical screenings or caught them some time later on basic cable. They bore the same haywire & reckless spirit that AIP boasted back in the 50's and 60's, although Cannon's single film budgets would've covered around 20 or so AIP productions. They went for broke on just about every production they got behind, until broke got behind them. Their brief decade of existence resulted i some pretty terrible films; COBRA, RAMBO III, OVER THE TOP. Okay, I don't mean to place all the blame on Sylvester Stallone. But why not? I'm listening.
The happy fact is that they actually got behind some true gems; two from Tobe Hooper, 1985's LIFEFORCE and 1986's INVADERS FROM MARS, and Barbet Schroder's BARFLY. Their single greatest achievement, however, came from the legendary Akira Kurosawa, who provided a treatment regarding a locomotive gone out of control. Expatriate Konchalovsky yook on the projct running, no pun. The project came together fairly quickly, yet the ardor of the project left its scars. Those oohing and aahing over the brutal production sked of Iñárritu's revenge opus need to see this precursor, what I also deem the better film. Plus, there's a snack car on the Konchalosky flick. You don't see it, but it sure bests being treated like a bear claw by an actual bear.
Andrei Konchalovsky's RUNAWAY TRAIN unspools in glorious 35mm at my fave 5-Borough theater, BillyBurg's Nitehawk Cinema, as part of their wonderful ongoing trib to Times Square's glorious Grindhouse past, The Deuce!
For more info on these and all NYC's rep film screenings in February '16 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. Winter's icy grip seems to have finally taken hold of our fair city, 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!
