June 14th 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 almost wanna publicly perform my muumuu-clad Age of Aquarius dance, it seems so long since the sun's been out. The clouds have dissipated, the Brooklyn tornadoes dispersed, Blake and the murderous ghost crew of the Elizabeth Dane long since departed with Hal Holbrook's head in tow. We got a beautiful balmy weekend on the horizon, and while it may seem criminal to spend it indoors, in the flickering dark no less, a plethora of good excuse tempts mightily. As does my muumuu-clad Age of Aquarius dance. Decisions, decisions...
Today's continuing series include Alec Guinness 100 at Film Forum, See It Big!: Science Fiction (Part Two) at Museum of the Moving Image, the Silent Clowns' Mary Pickford series at the Library for the Performing Arts, The Fearless Roman Polanski at IFC Center, and All Hail the King: The Films of King Hu at BAM Cinématek. Let's go to the 35mm;
Nitehawk Cinema
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE DOOM (1984) Dir; Steven Spielberg
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) Dir; John Carpenter
Film Forum
KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949) Dir; Robert Hamer
Museum of the Moving Image
GODZILLA (1954) Dir; Ishiro Honda
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) Dir; Don Seigel
Anthology Film Archives
CHARLES CHAPLIN PROGRAM ONE (1915-18) Dir; Charles Chaplin
CHARLES CHAPLIN PROGRAM TWO (1918-19) Dir; Charles Chaplin
CHARLES CHAPLIN PROGRAM THREE (1921-23) Dir; Charles Chaplin
ROOMMATES (1980) Dir; Chuck Vincent
Mid-Manhattan Library
BEND OF THE RIVER (1952) Dir; Anthony Mann
Library for the Performing Arts
AMARILLY OF CLOTHES-LINE ALLEY (1918) Dir; Marshall Neilan
IFC Center
CHINATOWN (1974) Dir; Roman Polanski
MACBETH (1973) Dir; Roman Polanski
THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (1967) Dir; Roman Polanski
ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) Dir; Roman Polanski
THE SHINING (1980) Dir; Stanley Kubrick
HAUSU (1977) Dir; Nohubiko Obayashi
REPULSION (1965) Dir; Roman Polanski
BAM Cinématek
DRAGON INN (1967) Dir; King Hu
Landmark Jersey Loews
YELLOW SUBMARINE (1968) Dir; George Dunning
Today's Pick? I'm siding with a small, seemingly outnumbered group of dreamers who've committed their spirit and industry to the preservation of the communal artistic experience in the face of the ever-growing powerful threat presented by a group of Blue Meanies. While I could easily be referring to the animated alter egos of John, Paul, George and Ringo, who once merrily lent their efforts to the fight to save Pepperland, I'm mostly referring to the Friends of the Loews, who were dealt a pretty bad blow this week from a Jersey City judge who sided with the mayor's desire to hand the St. George movie palace, one of the last remaining, let alone functioning, of its kind, over to the highest corporate bidder. There are appeals to be made, for sure, and the fight appears to be far from over for the moment, but as much as I loathe pessimism in any form, I also observe that in some cases, time could be a-wastin'. I fully expect a full new season of repertory film bookings at this most glorious of venues come the fall, but should any further bad luck be visited upon their efforts, and again I really hate exploring the negative, tonight might be one of our last opportunities to indulge our cinegeekery in this cherished space. Let's experience some true magic, and hope this isn't among the last times we may do so.
Charles Dunning's YELLOW SUBMARINE, featuring a group of fledgling entertainers you might know as The Beatles, unspools tonight at the Landmark Jersey Loews, as the closing effort of their 2013-14 season. All you need is love. And a voice as sweet as Lennon's. And the indomitable spirit to fight City Hall.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in June '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 all together now.
-Joe Walsh
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.
