May 27th 2014. Pick of the Day.

I trust that you all survived yesterday's carnivorous festivities mostly intact; heart-attack and stroke free, dry-cleaning bills seemingly minimal, all slightly intoxicated social awkwardness forgiven, hopefully even forgotten due to your own slight intoxication. Baseball and basketball watched, couches nap-tested, tattoos gotten then removed. Okay maybe that last one applies only to me, but I still demand your empathy.

Anyhoo, glad you're still with me, Stockahz. And now, to film:

New and continuing series today include French Cinema's Secret Trove at the French Institute/Alliance Française, An Auteurist History of Film Reprise, Part Two at MoMA, and Journalists in Film at the Nitehawk Cinema. The post-holiday shenanigans look like this;

Film Forum

ACCIDENT (1967) Dir; Joseph Losey

French Institute/Aliance Française

MAINE-OCEAN (1986) Dir; Jacques Rozier

MoMA

THE WICKER MAN (1973) Dir; Robin Hardy

DIVORCE, ITALIAN STYLE (1961) Dir Pietro Germi

ECHOES OF SILENCE (1965) Dir; Peter Emanuel Goldman

Nitehawk Cinema

MEDIUM COOL (1969) Dir; Haskell Wexler

Today's Pick? Vice News and the Nitehawk Cinema, who recently partnered on the now concluded (temporarily, one hopes) Film Foundation Screening Series, begin a new and equally promising monthly program this eve. Journalists in Film covers exactly that, observing the various aspects of reportage; its ways, means, and the men and women who acquire, construct and, in unfortunate instances, knowingly contort it to their personal ends. The 'hawk couldn't kick it off with a better selection; legendary DP Haskell Wexler's feature directorial debut, 1969's MEDIUM COOL, a bold and innovative mixture of legit footage from Chicago's tumultuous '68 Democratic National Convention with fictional narrative featuring an up-and-coming actor named Robert Forster, who it turns out has recorded a special filmed intro for tonight's screening.

Wexler was one of the great custodians of film as it progressed not merely technically, but culturally as well, the beneficiary of an age of newer and better film stocks and an exemplar of their finer uses. He won the last Oscar for Best B&W Cinematography for the Hays Code-shattering WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, then repeated the trick in a different media a decade later for Hal Ashby's BOUND FOR GLORY, displaying equal mastery for stocks both spectrum bereft and saturated, as well as equal empathy for subjects caustic and complicated. At 92 he's one of he last living of the all-time greats, and if nothing else about this screening entices then remind yourself that we just lost the great Gordon Willis a fortnight ago. While he won't be participating personally per se, I think Mr. Wexler will feel the love should the house sell out tonight. No more reason for your attendance is required.

Haskell Wexler's MEDIUM COOL screens tonight at 9:30pm at the Nitehawk Cinema. The tater tots will be served at a slightly higher temp.

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 and other audio tomfoolery check out the 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 I suggest salad. And yogurt. And a few rolls of tums. Brisket will do that to ya.

-Joe Walsh

JoeW@NitrateStock.net

P. S. Even though we're coming into the summer months and therefore not often as mindful of the displaced, some of our fellow NY'ers are yet to be made whole since Hurricane Sandy hit nearly two years ago. Check in with the good folks at Occupy Sandy to see if you can't still volunteer/donate to our neighbors in need. Be a mensch.