October 24th 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.
Okay, Winter. I don't like you and you don't like me, and it seems like you've won the battle for the early decimation of Autumn. However I still have movie theaters aplenty whose confines I may duck within not only to avoid you, but also catch a classic flick while I'm waiting for Spring '14. The war goes on, my old foe...
Continuing series today include Film Forum's last day of their Jacques Demy trib, MoMA's ongoing Auteurist History of Film, and BAM's valentine to the recently departed Karen Black. The lowdown as follows;
Film Forum
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964) Dir; Jacques Demy
TOKYO STORY (1953) Dir; Yasujiro Ozu
Film Society of Lincoln Center
FRANCE/TOUR/DETOUR/DEUX ENFANTS (1977) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard
MoMA
KNIFE IN THE WATER (1962) Dir; Roman Polanski
BAM Cinematek
BURNT OFFERINGS (1976) Dir; Dan Curtis
CISCO PIKE (1972) Dir; Bill L. Norton
BowTie Chelsea Cinemas
ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) Dir; Roman Polanski
Today's Pick? Well if I'd thought ahead I'd-a chosen something other than Polanski's KNIFE yesterday so I could offer up a double feature of his debut work paired with his first and best foray into the cinema of the supernatural, but I gotta be honest and say I'm absolutely goddam sick of seeing his BABY programmed on a seemingly endless loop on NYC's rep circuit. PLEASE, everybody, retire this flick for a couple of years at least, willya?!?
I've also recently selected Demy's UMBRELLAS and Ozu's STORY, both screening their last at the Film Forum, and I'm not goin' anywheres near the Godard. So for the second time this week I welcome one of the flicks in BAM's heartfelt Karen Black trib as my Pick, Dan Curtis' American translation of the Italian Giallo genre and 70's-era Brit House of Horrors cinema BURNT OFFERINGS. Sturdy screen stalwarts Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith and the forever awesome/terrifying Bette Davis are along for the ride, a doozy that concerns a family's fateful renting of a gothic mansion for a summer vacation. Like ya do. The film borrows its guilt and garish not only from the Hammer Horror and Bava/Argento traditions but from its director's own CV. Dan Curtis not only mastered the art of cheesy spook as creator of the iconic DARK SHADOWS television series, he also cast Black in one of her most memorable roles (three of them, actually) in his TRILOGY OF TERROR film for the small screen, sort of a test run for her enduring status as celluloid horror queen. Admit it, you still get a major case of the heebies thinking about that little voodoo doll.
BURNT OFFERINGS is preposterous and operatic and unapologetic in its penny dreadful intentions, and that's why it remains cinematic gold 36 years after its release. In summation, Brian De Palma wishes he'd made this flick.
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 another bill of fare and my personal suggestion, in the meantime safe and sound and keep an eye out for the next knucklehead too!
-Joe Walsh
P.S. Now that temps are sinking back to levels uncomfortable and even deadly how's about checking back in with the good folks over at the Occupy Sandy movement? The storm's nearly a year old but some of our NYC neighbors still haven't been made whole. Help a good cause if ya can!
