May 20th 2014. 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.
I have but one thing to say to Gareth Edwards; goddam you for making me apologize to Roland Emmerich.
Ahem.
Continuing series today include French Cinema's Secret Trove at the French Institute/Alliance Française, Fassbinder: Romantic Anarchist Part One at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and An Auteurist History of Film Reprise, Part Two at MoMA. The shenanigans appear thus;
Film Forum
DR. STRANGELOVE or HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964) Dir; Stanley Kubrick
IFC Center
GODZILLA (1954) Dir; Ishiro Honda
French Institute/Alliance Française
RUE DE L'ESTRAPADE (1953) Dir; Jacques Becker
FLAMMES (1978) Dir; Adolfo Arrieta
Film Society of Lincoln Center
PIONEERS IN INGOLSTADT (1971) Dir; Rainer Werner Fassbinder
THE MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS (1971) Dir; Rainer Werner Fassbinder
MoMA
THE APARTMENT (1960) Dir; Billy Wilder
Today's Pick? There is a movie that is screening today at IFC Center that is called GODZILLA that is the actual honest-to-goodness GODZILLA movie on display today. You might see commercials for a different GODZILLA movie, gather that said film is playing at your local multiplex, even find within yourself the urge to purchase a ticket to a screening of this film. At all costs AVOID this urge, and instead pay your respects to the original Kaiju man, still the ONLY example of the big green fella's origin story gotten absolutely right. Maybe I'm just a bitter old bastard, maybe I'm averse to any rethinking of a classic brand. Maybe those last two notions are utter bullshit as I've completely dug the STAR TREK rethink and Joe Carnahan's A-TEAM flick, just to offer a couple of examples. No, this isn't some proprietary coot behavior, this is merely stating the truth; all the money and pixels in the world can't replicate, let alone replace, heart, ingenuity and imagination. Wanna see a 3D CG carnage spectacle? Then check out what amounts to this year's MAN OF STEEL. Ya wanna see a giant lizard breathe fire, smash fighter jets and stomp a city? Stick with the original.
Ishiro Honda's GODZILLA screens in its new DCP resto at IFC Center today. Rawr indeed.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in May '14 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. For the monthly overview listen in to the new podcast, and follow me on SoundCloud! 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 tomorrow with a brand new Pick, til then RUN! HE'S GOING TO CRUSH US ALL!!!
-Joe Walsh
P. S. Should you be feeling charitable during this still harsh weather period please remember to check in with the good folks over at Occupy Sandy. Some of our NY neighbors are still feeling the effects of the 2012 hurricane. Be a mensch.
