January 16th 2016. 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.
Continuing series this day include the Charlotte Rampling and Christopher Lee tribs at IFC Center, the Bard- beatifying Stratford-On-Houston at Film Forum, and Modern Matinees: Fashionably Late and Bert Williams Lime Kiln Club Field Day Program, both at MoMA. The emulsified ebullience be thus;
IFC Center
STARDUST MEMORIES (1980) Dir; Woody Allen
DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968) Dir; Fredie Francis
ALIENS (1986) Dir; James Cameron
Film Forum
CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1965) Dir; Orson Welles
RICHARD III (1955) Dir; Laurence Olivier
FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) Dir; Fred MacLeod Wilcox
MoMA
Modern Matinees: Fashionably Late
THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA (1937) Dir; Willia Dieterle
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1938) Dir; Norman Taurog
Bert Williams Lime Kiln Club Field Day Program
A NATURAL BORN GAMBLER (1916) Dir; Edwin Middleton
LIME KILN CLUB FIELD DAY (1913) Dir; Edwin Middleton
Mid-Manhattan Library
DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989) Dir; Bruce Beresford
Anthology Film Archives
THE MASK (1961) Dir; Julian Roffman
Today's Pick? Roffman's 3-D head trip THE MASK is very tempting, as it also carries remarkable status as Canada's first full-length horror film, and we all know how David Cronenberg must feel about that. The twin programs at MoMA also beg my attendance, especially as membership grants you entrance to unlimited screenings (so lay down the $85, knucks!). The seeming Goliath that taunts a David this day is the recent 4K DCP resto of Laurence Olivier's turn as director and star of what is probably still he definitive screen iteration of Shakespeare's greatest character, surely his greatest villain. And this brilliance is only outdone this day by a titan of equal proportions, essaying perhaps the most popular villain in pop culture history, and on glorious, luminous 35mm stock. I mean, really, if ya wanna see stock film blood in all it's onscreen glory, you want a Hammer film.
Freddie Francis' DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE unspools in the magnificent aforesaid format at the Witching Hour at IFC Center on 6th avenue and 3rd street, Manhattan, part of the venerable venue's noble, appropriate, and beautifully heartfelt trib to a beloved & recently passed legend, Sir Christopher Lee. The series continues on til the 19th of March, so we'll have plenty of time to show the man our affections. But this is one of his finer turns within the cape. Miss this and you're a real Van Helsing. And I mean that in the worst way, garlic man!
For more info on these and all NYC's rep film screenings in January '16 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. 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 soon with new Picks 'n perks, til then safe, sound, make sure the next knucklehead is too!
P. S. Winter's icy grip seems to have finally taken hold of our fair city, and believe it or not some of our fellow NY'ers have still yet to be made whole in the wake of the 2012 storm. Should you be feeling charitable please visit the folks at OccupySandy.net, follow their hammer-in-hand efforts to restore people's lives, and donate/volunteer if you have the inclination and availability. Be a collective mensch, Stockahz!
