June 25th 2016. Pick of the Day.
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New and continuing series this day include Classic IFC Cinema & Stephen King on Film at IFC Center, Luminosity: The Art of Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bing at MoMA, and the ultra-exlusive Rza's Dream Double-Feature at the newly-formed Metrograph cinema. The body-count seems thus;
IFC Center
DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN (1985) Dir; Susan Seidelman
MISERY (1990) Dir; Rob Reiner
NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (1984) Dir; Hayao Miyazaki
Nitehawk Cinema
THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) Dir; John Hughes
THE JERK (1979) Dir; Carl Reiner
Film Forum
THE KING OF COMEDY (1982) Dir; Martin Scorsese
MoMA
Luminosity: The Art of Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bing
DUST IN THE WIND (1986) Dir; Hou Hsiao-Hsien
STRAWMAN (1987) Dir; Wang Tung
BowTie Chelsea Cinemas
MOMMIE DEAREST (1980) Dir; Frank Yablans
Metrograph
RZA's Dream Double-Feature
FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS (1982) Dir; Chang Cheh
HOUSE OF TRAPS (1982) Dir; Chang Cheh
Today's Pick? Were it not sold out well in advance I'd advise you to absolutely leap at the opportunity to catch the double-bill not merely programmed but intro'd this evening by none other than the legendary RZA, whose Wu-Tang Clan lifted their monicker from a hugely influential series of martial arts films. Instead, I think the most important screening I can steer you toward this day met with indifference upon release, if not by the critics then absolutely by the audience. It has since grown in stature as an example of prescient take on the media, alongside films like A FACE IN THE CROWD and most importantly, Sidney Lumet's NETWORK. I have always ascribed our American culture's somewhat recent morbid focus on celebrity-at-all-cost less to a desire for fame and power and more to a condition relatively exclusive to our culture, a fear of anonymity. I can point to no greater example of filmic example as backup to my point.
Martin Scorsese's THE KING OF COMEDY screens today all day at Film Forum. For the broadcast, however, check your local stations at 11:35pm. And be careful you don't find yourself staring back at yerself.
For more info on these and all NYC's rep film screenings in June '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. Summer seems to have finally graced 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!
