July 21st-27th: Sayles' Brother, Wright's Heists, and Bava's Blood! Let's Go To The Artificially-Cooled Darkened Indoor Environments!
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New and continuing series this upcoming week include "Ford to City: Drop Dead!" NYC in the 70's! at Film Forum; Modern Matinees: The Impeccable Deborah Kerr and Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction at MoMA; Welcome to Metrograph: A to Z at Metrograph; Mondo Bava at the Quad Cinema; and Edgar Wright presents Heist Society at BAM Cinématek. To the dark auditoriums!
Friday July 21th
IFC Center
BEETLEJUICE (1988) Dir; Tim Burton
Film Forum
"Ford to City: Drop Dead!" NYC in the 70's!
ALL THAT JAZZ (1979) Dir; Bob Fosse
THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974) Dir; Joseph Sargent
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975) Dir; Sydney Pollack
CRUISING (!980) Dir; William Friedkin
MoMA
Modern Matinees: The Impeccable Deborah Kerr
BONJOUR TRISTESSE (1958) Dir; Otto Preminger
Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction
THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (1984) Dir; John Sayles
Metrograph
THREE WOMEN (1977) Dir; Robert Altman
BAM Cinématek
HUSBANDS (1970) Dir; John Cassavetes
Quad Cinema
RABID DOGS (1978) Dir; Mario Bava
THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963) Dir; Mario Bava
5 DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON (1970) Dir; Mario Bava
LA CHINOISE (1967) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard
Cedar Grove Beach, Staten Island
JAWS (1975) Dir; Steven Spielberg
Pier One, Riverside Park, Manhattan
L'UMIERE D'ETE (1943) Dir; Jean Grémillon
Today's Pick? Air-conditioning. In the form of John Sayles' first great genre mash-up as writer/director, 1984's THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET, unspooling in cool 35mm at MoMA as part of their wonderfully eccentric series Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction. Joe Morton, he who would nearly create SkyNet in Cameron's T2, makes the most of his first starring role, evoking the silent grace of Chaplin in certain sequences, as the titluar visitor, a welcome respite from and compromise to the usual doey-eyed savior figure and/or the not-so-benevelont planet-hopper. If never seen, a must. Did I mention AC?
Saturday July 22nd
IFC Center
BEETLEJUICE (1988) Dir; Tim Burton
Film Forum
"Ford to City: Drop Dead!" NYC in the 70's!
MARATHON MAN (1976) Dir; John Schlesinger
MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) Dir; John Schlesinger
Quad Cinema
BARON BLOOD (1972) Dir; Mario Bava
DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS (1966) Dir; Mario Bava
FOUR TIMES THAT NIGHT (1972) Dir; Mario Bava
LISA AND THE DEVIL (1973) Dir; Mario Bava
LA CHINOISE (1967) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard
BAM Cinématek
Edgar Wright presents Heist Society
THE LADYKILLERS (1955) Dir; Alexander MacKendrick
THE ITALIAN JOB (1969) Dir; Peter Collinson
HUSBANDS (1970) Dir; John Cassavetes
Metrograph
THREE WOMEN (1977) Dir; Robert Altman
MoMA
Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction
COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970) Dir; Joseph Sargent
Today's Pick? While not a trad twin bill, meaning you'll have to pay the price of TWO-COUNT-'EM-TWO admissions per screening, the back-to-backer of Alexander MacKendrick's THE LADYKILLERS and Peter Collison's THE ITALIAN JOB, both works of grim-heist fiction buoyed by marvelous whimsical black comedy, unspool at BAM Cinématek as part of their BABY DRIVER-timed Edgar Wright presents Heist Society! Two much-lauded star turns from iconic Brit thesps Alec Guinness and Michael Caine respectively anchor both films. Did I mention BAM has ace AC?
Sunday July 23rd
IFC Center
BEETLEJUICE (1988) Dir; Tim Burton
Film Forum
"Ford to City: Drop Dead!" NYC in the 70's!
THE LANDLORD (1971) Dir; Hal Ashby
MANHATTAN (1979) Dir; Woody Allen
Quad Cinema
BLACK SABBATH (1963) Dir; Mario Bava
EVIL EYE (1963) Dir; Mario Bava
A HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (1970) Dir; Mario Bava
BLACK SUNDAY (1960) Dir; Mario Bava
A BAY OF BLOOD (1971) Dir; Mario Bava
LA CHINOISE (1967) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard
MoMA
Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction
THE BED-SITTING ROOM (1969) Dir; Richard Lester
Mid-Manhattan Library
THE COURT JESTER (1955) Dirs; Noran Panama, Melvin Frank
Metrograph
TOKYO DRIFTER (1966) Dir; Seijun Suzuki
THREE WOMEN (1977) Dir; Robert Altman
BAM Cinématek
Edgar Wright presents Heist Society
THE GETAWAY (1972) Dir; Sam Peckinpah
Today's Pick? Listen to me very carefully here: I'm about to suggest my very first 5-fer on this site. At least as I remember it. Look, it's been five years, it's possible I've suggested a 10-FER at some point. Go directly to the newly-restored Quad Cinema and purchase tix for each of the following in their Mondo Bava series; 1963's BLACK SABBATH and EVIL EYE, 1970's A HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON, 1960's BLACK SUNDAY, and 1971's A BAY OF BLOOD. The day kicks off at 1pm and will eventually take you close to the witching hour, and most of the screenings are in glorius 35mm. Yes, the AC is working. Did you ask?
Other notable screenings upcoming this week include the 1st pairing of Rock Hudson & Doris Day in the absolutely wholesome sex romp PILLOW TALK, Monday at Bryant Park; the double feature of Barry Shears' ACROSS 110TH STREET and Aram Avakian's COPS AND ROBBERS, Tuesday at Film Forum as part of their series "Ford to City: Drop Dead!" NYC in the 70's!; Seijun Suzuki's trippy pop-gangster flick, i.e. Tarantino petri dish, 1966's TOKYO DRIFTER, Wednesday at Metrograph as part of their ongoing Welcome to Metrograph: A to Z; and Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen's SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, this Thursday outdoors at Corlears Hook Park, Manhattan. Oh outdoor screenings, why are you nearly 1/2 over???
Once again, there you have it, my picks and pontifications regarding your next 7 days' worth of rep filmgoing! We'll check in again a week from now, in the early days of a whole new spin 'round the sun, for the purposes of once more rummaging through the reels and making the tough yet wonderful choices regarding our chosen love. Til then be sure to follow me on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, and be SURE to catch my new YouTube channel, Nitrate Stock TV, where I'll be checking in at screenings all over the city and giving my 2 cents on the film, the venue, the audience, any damn thing that comes to my mind. Which, as some of ya know, can be quite entertaining. Til next time Stockahz, remember: be safe, be sound, and make sure the next guy and gal are too. Excelsior!
- Joe Walsh
P. S. As you know I like to beat the drum for what I consider worthwhile causes. Xenophobia has sadly always been present in our country, mostly dormant, but at times very awoken and tangible. Sadly, the latter is the present case, and the subject of Syrian refugees has become a veritable powderkeg. To those of you who believe we can aid these people, our fellow human beings who are desperate for our help, I suggest the heroic efforts of the good men and women at DoctorsWithoutBorders, the outreach and safe haven offered by the International Rescue Committee, and the decades-old and ongoing good works from the folks at UNICEF. Collectively they're proving that the greatest investment we can make as a human race is in each other, and that helping to save someone else in troubled circumstances is indeed nothing more than saving ourselves. It's a small something to be sure in this maelstrom of madness, but it is just that: something.
