June 22nd 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.
Today's ongoing series include Original Gangsters at IFC Center, Alec Guinness 100 at Film Forum, See It Big! Science-Fiction (Part Two) at Museum of the Moving Image, Carte Blanche: MK2 at MoMA, and The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other-Italo Crime Films From the 60's and 70's at Anthology Film Archives. The madcap meshugenah be thus;
IFC Center
CITY STREETS (1931) Dir; Rouben Mamoulian
Film Forum
OKLAHOMA! (1955) Dir; Fred Zinnemann
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957) Dir; David Lean
Nitehawk Cinema
THE ABYSS (1989) Dir; James Cameron
AMC Loews Kips Bay 15, AMC Empire 25
THE GODFATHER (1972) Dir; Francis Ford Coppola
Museum of the Moving Image
SOLARIS (1972) Dir; Andrei Tarkovsky
JE T'AIME, JE T'AIME (1968) Dir; Alain Resnais
MoMA
THE WALL (1983) Dir; Yilmaz Güney
EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF (1980) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard
Anthology Film Archives
INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION (1970) Dir; Elio Petri
ALMOST HUMAN (1974) Dir; Umberto Lenzi
WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS? (1974) Dir; Massimo Dallamano
Today's Pick? Much as I adore the cinematic temple on West Houston St. it's not the optimum venue for Lean's panoramic exploration into the madness of war. Plus I just chose Film Forum's Alec Guinness100 yesterday, so my double-dip rule is in full effect. Ditto AFA's Poliziotteschi series, which I chose on Thursday, and which screens a trio of highly desirable examples of the genre today, yet still not offering a tik discount for a viewing of all three. Astoria's glorious Moving Image offers up two complex and esoteric works of SciFi filmmaking, Tarkovsky's SOLARIS and Resnais' JE T'AIME, JE T'AIME, but much as I love the joint I have a hard time justifying a gorgeous June day's expenditure on two cinematic think-pieces, no matter how remarkable they be. So I'm gonna suggest something only slightly less sacrilegious on the second official day of summer 2014; draggin' your futon-loving ass outta bed to attend an 11am screening of Rouben Mamoulian's CITY STREETS, part of the Original Gangsters series at IFC Center. Aside from its celebrated director's pedigree it also boasts the contributions of Dashiell Hammett, whose short story served as basis for the script, the legendary DP work of Lee Garmes, and the thespian efforts of a couple of kids named Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sidney. It's also a Paramount Studios entry into the gangster genre Warner Brothers was defining during the early part of the decade, one I've never seen. Will I rise from my usual Sabbath day half-dead state to nestle into a seat at this cinematic Mecca on NYC's Avenue of the Americas to attend this screezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Kiddin'. Hope to see ya theh.
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 safe, sound, make sure the next knucklehead is too!
-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.
