May 30th 2013. Pick Of The Day.

Budd Boetticher's THE RISE AND FALL OF LEGS DIAMOND enjoys the second of its three-day run as part of MOMA's ongoing Auteurist History of Film series. Buddy B's modern gangster epic follows none-too-historically the exploits of Prohibition era headline maker Jack Diamond, associate of Arnold Rothstein and all-around swell guy. Ray Danton brings the swell in his magnetic portrayal, yet this eludes once again as my Pick. Another tough punter snags that honor today.

Robert Altman's COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN gets some love from Lincoln Center's Library for the Performing Arts tonight. Too bad the Nitehawk in sunny B-Burg screened a pristine 35mm print two days ago. Actually I wouldn't have made it my Pick either way. Altman, man.

Anthology Film Archive's retrospective dedicated to The Middle Ages on Film tonight brings us repeat screenings of Pier Paolo Pasolini's THE DECAMERON and Kenji Mizoguchi's SANSHO THE BAILIFF. I'd normally scoot you off in the direction of these unspoolings but a bigger screen fave takes precedence today. So scusare and yurushite kudasai, respectively.

The Clearview Chelsea Cinemas may not screen 35mm as part of their Thursday night classic film lineups, but they do put the effort in when it comes to the programming, so I gladly promote their efforts to convene the scholar and the neophyte equally in service of a big screen viewing. Tonight they present George Cukor's classic THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, which is not only the first and last onscreen teaming of Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, but more importantly one of the rare occasions I can watch Kate Hepburn for two hours. Miss Hepburn bagged her second little gold guy and Stewart his sole trophy for their efforts. A screwball comic masterpiece, but an even more interesting comic gem screens tonight, featuring an equally iconic star from abroad, in a story at once simplistic and yet rife with perils delivered in many forms. There really wasn't any role doughy tough guy and Gerard Depardieu forerunner Jean Gabin couldn't pull off. Tonight the porcine presence is handed a porcine parcel, and sent through an existential and surreal darkness shrouding Occupied Paris even moreso than the midnight sky was capable of providing, in an effort to transport the aforementioned butchered foodstuff for what was under the circumstances considered a windfall for its couriers. I've never seen it, nor am I privy to his co-star Bourvil's antics, so excited would be an understatement regarding my attendance tonight. Okay fuck it, I'm excited about attending tonight. Gabin's one of my all-time faves, and I'm looking forward to scratching tonight's screening off my Cinematic Bucket List.

Jean Gabin and Bourvil transport A PIG ACROSS PARIS in director Claude-Autant Lara's WW2 era farce all day today for the last day at the Film Forum. Just typing that made me grab the bacon and the frying pan. Plus I bet the film's great. See you there.

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Be safe and sound and make sure the next so-and-so is too, Stockahz! Back tomorrow with a new Pick! June's calendar is just about finished and it's gonna be a BIG month! Scripps Spelling Bee at 8pm! And it's gonna be in the 80's tonight! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! I didn't get a huzzah outta that guy...

-Joe Walsh