October 22nd 2013. 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.
A slim but choice menu for the NYC Cinegeek today, as Jacques Demy's poppy jazz opera, Kubrick's worst vacation commercial ever, and some such other nonsense from Godard battle for your attendance. Continuing series include MoMA's annual To Save and Project, BAM's remembrance of the recently departed Karen Black, and the Film Society's Jean-Luc der blah bler blug blug zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The list as follows;
Film Forum
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964) Dir; Jacques Demy
TOKYO STORY (1953) Dir; Yasujiro Ozu
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (1961) Dir; Alain Resnais
MoMA
SKELETON ON HORSEBACK (1937) Dir; Hugo Haas
OF STARS AND MEN (1964-70) Dir; John Hubley
BAM Cinematek
THE OUTFIT (1973) Dir; John Flynn
Film Society of Lincoln Center
GRANDEUR AND DECADENCE (1985) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard
Nitehawk Cinema
THE SHINING (1980) Dir; Stanley Kubrick
Today's Pick? I gotta go with Robert Duvall as a newly freed ex-con who seeks revenge against the crime syndicate that murdered his brother in John Flynn's THE OUTFIT, screening as part of BAM's Karen Black trib. Amongst the crime noir vet greats involved count Robert Ryan, Elisha Cook Jr., and everybody's fave borderline-personality case Timothy Carey, who once directed a film he intended to unspool in a projector outfitted with a razor blade, so it could never be shown twice. Method is madness, Stockahz.
Back to the film, it's based on a novel by the great Donald E. Westlake, the man responsible for the Parker character that inspired Lee Marvin's unstoppable force of nature Walker in John Boorman's POINT BLANK, and also serves here as basis for Duvall's Eddie Macklin. The structure is also pretty much the same; revenge from the bottom rung all the way to the top, and when pulled off correctly it never gets tired. This remains one of the better examples of Westlake on film done right, and serves as exemplar of Black's exceptional talent and screen presence. Ultimately she never gained the movie stardom most once thought inevitable, but secured a strong cult status, and as all stars from celluloid's glorious past are reduced to said status it's nice to know that very shortly Karen will be mentioned in the same breath as Jean Harlow and Elizabeth Taylor. The cream still always rises to the top, even and especially in posterity. We miss you Karen, but thankfully we have you still.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic screenings in October '13 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter! Back tomorrow with more flicks and my daily Pick, til then stay safe and sound and keep and eye on the next knucklehead too! Excelsior!
-Joe Walsh
