April 12th 2016. Pick of the Day.

New and continuing series this day include Classics of French Cinema with Olivier Barrot at the French Institute, Germany 66 at MoMA, Japan Sings! The Japanese Musical Film at the Japan Society, and Barthes at the Movies: A Retrospective at Anthology Film Archives. The filmic frivolity be thus;

French Institute/Alliance Française

Classics of French Cinema with Olivier Barrot

BREATHLESS (1959) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard

MoMA

Germany 66

YOUNG TORLESS (1966) Dir; Volker Schlöndorff

BERLIN AROUND THE CORNER (1966) Dir; Gerhard Klein

Syndicated

RAISING ARIZONA (1987) Dir; Joel Coen

Japan Society

Japan Sings! The Japanese Musical Film

SINGING LOVEBIRDS (1939) Dir; Masahiro Makino

Anthology Film Archives

Barthes at the Movies: A Retrospective

LE BEAU SERGE (1958) Dir; Claude Chabrol

Today's Pick? It seems nuts to me after a whole month-and-a-half's passage, but I haven't made the brand-spankin' new Syndicated, a most welcome state-of-the-art rep film addition to our movie-mad metropolis, the subject of my ballyhoo as of yet. Let's correct that, shallen't we?

Joel & Ethan Coen's expert mix of 30's screwball comedy and Tex Avery-level visual slapstick, the wonderfully anarchic yet wholly heartwarming RAISING ARIZONA, still holds the power to split filmgoers' sides due to its go-for-broke audacity. It was only the Coen Brothers' 2nd film, but they'd shown a wild ambition in their first feature, the still-compelling BLOOD SIMPLE, and doubled-down by melding Hee Haw humor with an examination of the dark underbelly of parenting. It features a brilliant turn from the now-lost Nic Cage. It was the cinematic debut of thesp treasure/recent Snyder victim Holly Hunter. It beat the so-called sophomore curse by perhaps besting its forebear. It announced, fully, that these siblings were cinematic talents that might one day be game-changers. It is the definition of arthouse virtuosity. And, ultimately, it's a big smile.

Syndicated is located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a neighborhood that terrifyingly defines the speed with which our city is transmogrifying into a territory that can only be described as douchebag-friendly. Yet, this venue in not merely welcomed, but needed. The Alamo Drafthouse proved not only that classic film fans wanted to re-engage in the communal experience, but that food 'n booze could be an essential yet unobtrusive element to re-establshing that fact. My fave theater in NYC, the Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, proved that the same model, with slight and better alterations, could work in our town. Syndicated is an extension of the same model. It's a truism that a rising tide raises all boats. In this situation the boats have determined the rise of the tide. More venues open, and the crowd either returns to the rep film experience or discovers it. With two or three more boats set to sail on this sea in the coming months, I'm wildly optimistic about the future of the repertory film venue in NYC. To which I say the following: Huzzah!

For more info on these and all NYC's rep film screenings in April '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!

JoeW@NitrateStock.net

P. S. Winter's icy grip seems to have loosened on our fair metropolis, but milder weather aside 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!