February 16th 2016. Pick of the Day.

To those Stockahz who survived this year's version of 2014's Polar Vortex, I have a few questions; did you manage to hold onto your soul? Are there any murders you wish to confess to? Is the old widow in the apartment upstairs who had all that bottled water stored in case of emergency still alive? Also, what's it like to have surrendered your soul? Don't answer right away, we all went through the same winter blast, all made the same sacrifices, in some cases painful decisions, all have the same horrible misdeeds we'd like to confess. So who's going to start. Huh? I SAID WHO'S GOING TO F*@%ING START?!?!?

Ahem.

New, continuing and concluding series this day include Death is My Dance Partner: Film Noir in Postwar Argentina at MoMA, and CinéSalon: Lhomme Behind the Camera at the French Institute/Alliance Française. The repertory rapscallionery be thus;

Film Forum

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1946) Dir; Jean Cocteau

MoMA

Death is My Dance Partner: Film Noir in Postwar Argentina

NEVER OPEN THAT DOOR (1952) Dir; Carlos Hugo Christensen

IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE (1952) Dir; Carlos Hugo Christensen

French Institute/AllianceFrançaise

CinéSalon: Lhomme Behind the Camera

LE JOLI MAI (19) Dir;

Syndicated

ADAM'S RIB (1949) Dir; George Cukor

Today's Pick? I've waited too long to shine the Kliegs on this great series, an ironic phrasing due to its focus on the shadows, but that shouldn't be confused for indifference, just its place among a very very crowded field these last few days. Death is My Dance Partner: Film Noir in Postwar Argentina, unspooling its last at MoMA, presents some amazing examples of the genre's infuence and cultural sprawl thoughout the world. The series concludes its brief run this day, with two features helmed by Carlos Hugo Christensen, an innovator of Argentine cinema who pushed a very tight envelope in terms of sexuality and other taboo subject matter both visual and verbal. NEVER OPEN THAT DOOR and IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE, both from 1952, are adaps of short stories penned by noir godfather Cornell Woolrich, and were originally intended to run as a three-story anthology contained within a single film, until the third tale was extended and released as the latter feature. They were both shot by legendary DP Pablo Tabernero, and will screen in glorious 35mm. Take this last opportunity to explore the sultry, smoky, morally ambivalent corners of a foreign film market influenced by Hollywood noir, and German Expressionism by extension. I'm not making any further jokes connecting the two countires in the postwar era, so you may take your bad taste humor involving WW2 elsewhere. Shönen tag. I mean, buen día. I mean GOOD DAY!

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!

JoeW@NitrateStock.net

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!