April 2016! Sidney Poitier, Old School Hong Kong, and Japan Sings!

Haaaallew, Stockahz! Welcome to the cruellest month, which is currently being essayed by the understudy known as March '16! I mean, C'MON! 20 friggin' degrees? On April 4th?!?!? Ah, NYC Weather Overlord, you giveth, but when you taketh I get the sniffles and require much Jewish Penicillin. Okay, I'll live, comfortable in the knowledge that Baseball has officially begun, I've already got my tix to the upcoming CAPTAIN AMERICA marathon, and degrees in the 70's, 80's and 90's are soon to be wallowed in. What does all this have to do with NYC's rep film circuit? Not a damn thing! Can't I just share a modicum of joy with you for a change?

Those of you familiar with this site know I like to designate what I refer to as Big Dawg status to that series or screening I deem most unmissable each month. Last month I awarded that much envied status to the magnificent Jerry Lewis, as MoMA celebrated the comic genius with a 90th birthday tribute, featuring a wide swath of the man's best work, a good deal directed by the funnyman himself. Many dispute his genius status, a good deal of peeps truly hate the man, and all that negative energy is somewhat justified as regards an artist who never believed in borders or moderation of any kind. A sizeable group of movie lovers, myself included, absolutely adore the man, and occasionally still rely on his antics to provide a smile when things ain't so hot. In any event, a figure so indelible to the history of cinema warrants a fête on the advent of his 9th decade. Happy Birthday, Joseph Levitch. I look forward to celebrating your centennial.

This month's Daily Growl goes to another iconic artist, someone who broke seemingly impenetrable barriers during his peak years, a trailblazer, whose work not only holds up over time but remains iconic. He broke into the industry in smaller roles, perhaps without much hope for greater exposure, but the times wound up being on his side, as well as certain progressive producers & directors who felt it was time that melanin-imbued skin be better repped at the movies. He would go on to be the first non-Caucasian recipient of the Oscar for Best Actor, and his batting average as thesp would be well met by his win/loss record whence he eventually stepped behind the camera. He career remains amongst the most remarkable in the history of Hollywood. It moved the needle, not just in terms of acceptance but of acumen, of sheer skill. As with the aforementioned Lewis, the world is a better place because Sidney Poitier was in it. And I also look forward to wishing him Cent'Anni.

The Sidney Poitier Retrospective at Museum of the Moving Image kicks off on the 9th with a screening of Joseph L. Mankiewicz's still-shocking treatise on American racism, 1950's NO WAY OUT, and runs through the 17th, closing with the Poitier-directed LET'S DO IT AGAIN. In between we'll be afforded the opportunity to witness such classics as Stanley Kramer's THE DEFIANT ONES, Martin Ritt's EDGE OF THE CITY, Martin Ritt's PARIS BLUES, Daniel Petrie's A RAISIN IN THE SUN, and Norman Jewison's neo-noir/southern gothic masterwork IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. Also on display are Poitier's directorial debut BUCK AND THE PREACHER, co-starring with fellow Civil Rights crusader and all-around suave bastard Harry Belafonte, and the precursor to AGAIN, UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT, also helmed by the celebrant. This is a compact yet comprehensive exploration of one of the greatest living artists to have ever graced our big screens. Miss this opportunity at your Cinegeek cred peril.

Also at Moving Image this month comes a trib to one of the recent cinema's finest DP's, an artist who worked wonders with filmmakers of such disparate gifts as Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman and Michael Cimino. The institute's newest See It Big! series pays tribute to the late great Vilmos Zsigmond, with screenings of such masterpieces as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, THE LONG GOODBYE, HEAVEN'S GATE, and Brian de Palma's BLOW OUT. Screens over the weekend of the 22nd. Museum of the Moving Image is located at 36-01 35th avenue in Astoria, Queens.

Powerskiffing back to the Isle of Right we find ourselves carefully treading toward the NYC Cinegeek's fave haunted house, garlic and stakes in hand, if only to have something to snack on during the screening. Anthology Film Archives has programmed a trib to French philosopher/linguist/semoitician/film critic Roland Barthes. Can't claim to know much beyond a rudimentary knowledge of this here scribbler, but it seems he was, to say the least, finicky about his film tastes. Flickers he seemingly stood in aproval of include Robert Bresson's THE ANGELS OF SIN, Sam Wood's A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, Rouben Mamoulian's QUEEN CHRISTINA, Sergei Eisenstein's BATTLESHIP POTEMPKIN, and Michelangelo Antonini's THE PASSENGER. The series begins on the 8th and ends on the 17th.

Also at AFA this month comes their sporadic yet always welcome Essential Cinema series, offering up two crucial works from master subversive Luis Buñuel: 1930's L'AGE D'OR and 1950's LOS OLVIDADOS. Anthology Film Archives is located at 32 Second Avenue in Manhattan.

Power-skipping into midtown we find ourselves at MoMA, The Museum of Modern Acronyms, who unveil their intriguing examination of a pivotal year in a particular corner of world cinema. Germany 66 delves into a crucial moment in that country's cinematic growth, when a wall still divided them as East & West but when bureaucratic sensibilities in the latter allowed their filmic output to more closely mirror that of the former. Titles in the series include Gerhard Klein's BERLIN AROUND THE CORNER, Alexander Kluge's YESTERDAY GIRL, and Volker Schlöndorff's YOUNG TORLESS. Runs til the 16th.

Also at MoMA this month is the newest iteration of thier Modern Matinees series, focusing on Six New York Independents. Upcoming entries include Harry Hurwitz's THE PROJECTIONIST, Bette Gordon's VARIETY, and the Pick of the litter, Leonard Kastle's THE HONEYMOON KILLERS. The series runs through April 29th. MoMA is located at 11 W 53rd st. in Manhattan.

Subway surfing down to the W 4th st. station we cover a short walking distance and arrive at that most beloved temple to all things Cinephiliac, NYC's Film Forum! The venue is currently paying trib to the recently passed Chantal Akerman, one of the few female auteurs to ever successfully work in the mainstream film industry, with a week-long screening of what most consider her masterpiece: JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES. Unless a reprieve occurs, you have 2 days left to catch this masterpiece. Take advantage.

Also at the Forum this month, the brand-spankin' new 4K spitshine of King Hu's seminal Martial Arts classic A TOUCH OF ZEN gets a whole 2 weeks to lay down its hammer! Regarded as one of the finest and most influential entries into the Hong Kong action genre, the restoration screened at last year's NYFF, and as an attendee of that screening I can attest to the brilliance not only of the remastering, but of Hu's status as visionary. Must-see stuff.

Finally at the Forum their delightful hook-'em-while-they're-young series, Film Forum Jr., offers up Byron Haskin's WAR OF THE WORLDS and George Waggner's THE WOLF MAN, both screening on Sunday mornings at 11am, the latter in its original 35mm format. Film Forum is located at 209 W Houston St. in downtown Manhattan.

Channelling that Akerman love we cross rivers to the estimable BAM, whose Cinématek presents a full trib to the filmmaker. Chantal Akerman: Images Between the Images provides the acolyte and neophyte equal access to the bulk of her body of work. Important upcoming titles include 1975's JE TU IL ELLE, 1982's TOUT UNE NUIT, and 1986's GOLDEN EIGHTIES. Hers was indeed a singular voice, and the news of her passing is still too fresh to not hurt. Celebrate a remarkable filmmaker by attending. BAM is located at the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue, in Brooklyn.

Segueing slightly west and north of said Cinématek we find ourselve in follically-festooned BillyBurg, at my fave movie theater in the 5 boroughs, the Nasty & the Naughty venue known as the Nitehawk Cinema! Brunch and midnight festivities this month include Mark Robson's EARTHQUAKE, Ronald Neame's THE POSEIDEN ADVENTURE, and Ken Hughes' CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG for he Belini-besotted, and Clive A. Smith's ROCK AND RULE and Gerald Potterton's HEAVY METAL: THE MOVIE at the witching hour. Antonio Margheriti's THE SQUEEZE screens in 35mm as part of The Deuce, the Hawks' monthly trib to Times Square's glory grindhouse era. Plus, best Root Beer 'n Tater Tots combo in the 5 boroughs. Maybe even beyond. The nitehawk Cinema is a short hop and jump from the Bedford Avenue L train stop at 136 Metropolitan Avenue.

X-Winging back to the Force-friendly side of the East River the Film Society of Lincoln Center preps a series dedicated to the repping of LGBT from the decades before it was deemed permissable on the big screen. Some might argue that such an era has not yet arrived, but that doesn't diminish the power and importance of the Film Society's series. An Early Cue to the New Direction: Queer Cinema Before Stonewall, honorably presents examples of same-sex attraction and interaction filmed during an era when such was considered box-office poison, even worse cultural poison. Notable entries include Dorothy Arzner's THE WILD PARTY, George Cukor's SYLVIA SCARLETT, Alfred Hitchcock's ROPE, and John Huston's REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE. Ingmar Bergmans PERSONA is also on board. Take that as a blessing or a curse.

Also at the Film Society Abbas Kiarostami's CLOSE-UP screens as part of their Print/Screen series. Full disclosure: never seen a Kiarostami. I'm actually proud that I'm even able to spell the damn name correctly. The Walter Reade Theater is located at 165 W 65th St.

Piloting the Gulfire down to the walled-in lawless territory known as the LES we break our way in to NYC's newest rep cinema, the delightfully monickered Metrograph! We have 3-count-'em-3 series contesting for braggin' rights at this particular this month. Subway Cinema's annual Old School Kung Fu Fest has chosen this house as its new home, and they proffer Sammo Hung's PEDICAB DRIVER, Stanley Tong's RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, and Robert Clouse's iconic ENTER THE DRAGON as part of their incredible sked! Old & Improved, a series dedicated to film restoration and exhibition, offers up Apichatpong Weerasethakul's MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON and Djibril Diop Mambêty's TOUKI BOUKI. And the venue's ongoing Welcome to Metrograph: A to Z series boasts Wendell B. Harris Jr.'s CHAMELEON STREET, Rouben Mamoulian's DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE and Sergio Leone's DUCK YOU SUCKER! This newest jewel is located at 13 Ludlow st. in Manhattan.

Another new venue that perhaps begs greater championing is the simply monickered Syndicated in the newly stroller-friendly Bushwick. Upcoming flicks on display according to their calendar include the Coen Brothers' RAISING ARIZONA, MILLER'S CROSSING & BARTON FINK, as well as Hitchcock's ROPE, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, REAR WINDOW, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and PSYCHO! The full calendar is viewable here! Syndicated is located at 40 Bogart st. in Brooklyn.

Skeddadlin' over to that crown jewel set in the Avenue of the Americas, what we commonly love to refer to as the IFC Center, we happily embrace two of their newest series. Stephen King on Film is, well, self-explanatory, repping a man who must remain in the conversation when disucssing the most adapted author in the film world. Upcoming titles include George A. Romero's CREEPSHOW, John Carpenters CHRISTINE, Rob Reiner's MISERY, and, shock of all shocks, Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING.

The accompanying nutsy-kooko is the phenominal Classic IFC Center series. Titles in the series include Martin Scorsese's MEAN STREETS, Elia Kazan's A FACE IN THE CROWD, Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER, and Big Al's SHADOW OF A DOUBT! Runs from the here-and-now til June 26th. IFC Center is located at 323 Sixth Avenue near W. 4th st. And should you choose to support their recemtly planned expansion, a proposition that would make them a mega-plex for indie, doc and repertory film, then head here to weigh in and they'll be located at Cornelia st. as well!

High-falutin' over to the Rubin Museum their usually excellent and eternally swank Cabaret Cinema series, that which worships great cocktails and legroom above all else, continues its remarkable run of classic screenings. This month they offer up George Sidney's KISS ME KATE, Charlie Chaplin's THE KID, David Lynch's ERASERHEAD, and the classic omnibus film DEAD OF NIGHT, boasting the directorial talents of Charles Crichton (THE LAVENDER HILL MOB), Basil Dearden (THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN), Robert Hamer (KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS) & Alberto Cavalcanti (WENT THE DAY WELL?). The sked remains the same, Friday evenings at 9:30pm, but the policy has changed: instaed of the purchase price of a cocktail essentially acting as your ticket to the screening, you now have to purchase it seperately. Which is a good thing, it means the series has really gotten popular, and will remain! So plunk down the bucks for he booze & movie ticket, and get there early. These events sell out pretty quickly! The Rubin is located at 150 W 17th street in Manhattan.

Barefooting our way back into midtown the esteemed Japan Society has cooked up a kooky but wholly promising retrospective! Japan Sings! The Japanese Musical on Film reflects the rapidly changing culture that country experienced in the postwar era. Entries that have been heretofore unknown to me include kickoff entry, no pun intended, Eizo Sugawa's YOU CAN SUCCEED, TOO!, and continues with entries like Toshio Sugie's SO YOUNG, SO BRIGHT, Masahiro Makino's SINGING LOVEBIRDS, and a pre-perv Nagisa Oshima's A TREATISE ON JAPANESE BAWDY SONGS. Runs til the 23rd. This promises to be someting really special. The Japan Society is located at 333 E 47th st in Manhattan.

The pickin's get a might slim after this, but remain choice cuts. The French Institute hosts a series decicated to a legendary French television journalist, Classics of French Cinema with Olivier Barrot, this month screening Jean-Luc Godard's ONLY masterpiece, 1959's BREATHLESS, in 35mm. The BowTie Chelsea Cinema continues their Thursday Classics series with Irvin Kershner's THE EYES OF LAURA MARS, Robert Wise's THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Morton da Costa's THE MUSIC MAN, and Wise & Jerome Robbins' WEST SIDE STORY. All screenings at 7pm. The Tarrytown Music Hall unleashes John Sturges' THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN on 4/20. The Mid-Manhattan Library banks on 007 with screenings of Guy Hamilton's GOLDFINGER, Terence Young's THUNDERBALL, Lewis Gilbert's THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, and John Glen's FOR YOUR EYES ONLY OH WHO REALLY GIVES A GOOD GODDAM AT THIS POINT??? And Fridays at the New York Historical Society brings us William Wyler's THE BIG COUNTRY, intro'd by the filmmaker's daughter Catherine, herself an accomplished producer, as well as René Clément's FORBIDDEN GAMES. All screenings take place Friday evenings at 7pm.

And that's that, Stockahz, your NYC rep film sked for April '16! I should mention that schedules are subject to change, and god knows they do, so be sure to check back with the site's interactive calendar to keep current. And also please follow yours truly via the Facebook page, the Twitter acc't, the Instagram doings, the Tumblr & Vine doohickery oh hell just hide under my bed whydontch'ya?!? As always, thanks for choosing Nitrate Stock for your rep film lowdown, and I look forward not only to keeping you informed of its doings but joining you for its screenings. Excelsior, Knuckleheads!

-Joe Walsh

JoeW@NitrateStock.net