April 14th 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.
Tax Day approacheth, and while I still haven't found a decent accountant as regards my persoanl finances, I myself can take a good accounting of the rep film scene at the moment. Something tells me I'm going to owe on the former but be rewarded on the latter. And I'm perfectly fine with that. Depending on the amounts. Wait, let me go back to finding an accountant...
Continuing series this day include Modern Matinees: Six New York Independents and Germany 66, both unfolding at MoMA, Barthes at the Movies: A Retrospective at Anthology Film Archives, and the monthly trib to Times Square's glory Grindhouse past, The Deuce at the Nitehawk. The emulsified ebullience be thus;
MoMA
Modern Matinees: Six New York Independents
VARIETY (1983) Dir; Bette Gordon
YESTERDAY GIRL (1966) Dir; Alexander Kluge
NO SHOOTING TIME FOR FOXES (1966) Dir; Peter Schamoni
Anthology Film Archives
Barthes at the Movies: A Retrospective
QUEEN CHRISTINA (1933) Dir; Rouben Mamoulian
THE PASSENGER (1975) Dir; Michelangelo Antonioni
BowTie Chelsea Cinemas
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1966) Dir; Robert Wise
Syndicated
MILLER'S CROSSING (1990) Dir; Joel Coen
Nitehawk Cinema
THE SQUEEZE (1978) Dir; Antonio Margheriti
Today's Pick? I recently chose the Coen Bros series at Syndicated, so I resist the double-dip, even though tonight's entry remains my all-time fave in their canon. Those of you that know me, Wise's MUSIC? Nah. I'd be all about the screenings at MoMA today, Gordon's recently re-evaluated VARIETY and the trib to a pivotal year in Germany's Cold War culture, except two more screenings are on display today that temp further. The first is Margheriti's American-based Poliziotteschi THE SQUEEZE, a work supremely redolent of the 24-hr cinema flophouse era that so incredibly influenced our modern filmic mein. The clear winner today, however, is one of the most iconic works of the early sound cinema, perhaps of the cinema entire. It starred Greta Garbo, who made her name in the industry wordlessly and continued to do so as master of the mic. She may have etched her name into the rolls in FLESH AND THE DEVIL, and might've scored her last Grand Slam in Lubitch's NINOTCHKA, but her defining role came at the crosspoint where sound cinema began to remarry with the technical virtuosity seen at the waning days of the silent era. When a maverick director from the theatrical world could explore the possibilities not merely of the camera but of his performers. It reamins one of the strongest female perfs in the history of film, Hawksian without having Howard Hawks at the helm, and as tough and androgynous as anything Von Sternberg & Dietrich brought to the screen. Plus, it does contain one of the cinema's most indelible final shots. for that reason alone I suggest you pony up yer cash and time. The alternative is you tell me why Garbo isn't worth the effort? You wanna?
Rouben Mamoulian's QUEEN CHRISTINA screens at Anthology Film Archives as part of the series honoring a worthy French author/critic/essayist, Barthes at the Movies: A Retrospective. Should ya care for the rundown of AFA's full monthly sked, be sure to ask the two little blond girl twins at he end of the hallway. Trust me, they're the most harmless thing haunting the place.
For more info on these and all NYC's rep film screenings in April '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 loosened on our fair metropolis, but milder weather aside 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!
