June revivals: last part

Mike here with what to catch revival-wise for the rest of June. I know I deal with trivial matters here, but sometimes I get annoyed when dealing with this. Tried to catch either 2001 or The Shining two weekends ago at IFC Center, but they were sold out. While it's great that the flicks draw, would it kill them to just write it on paper and tape it to the window, rather than let every chump walk up to the box office and ask? I'm not asking them to install a digital sign, but if the Film Forum can use a pen and paper, why can't they?!?!?!

And speaking of the Forum, I thought I had a chance to win free passes there when I gave the answer to their question of the only Richard Attenborough film shown there in 2008 as The Great Escape. I knew I wasn't the only one who gave that answer, but knew they would draw from all those who wrote The Great Escape. Or so I thought, until they gave the answer as From Which We Serve, from the David Lean retro they did last September. While I forgot that film played there (because I had no interest in it), I knew the the question was flawed. So I wrote and complained, giving them links to their own site from their United Artists retro (Richard Attenborough provides forceful leadership), as well as mine own when I wrote up briefly about the film (it's very good by the way; I'd see it again on the big screen in a heartbeat).

Well, a few days later I got a reply from Jeffrey Cranor, Database Coordinator of the Forum, saying they will apologize in their e-newsletter on Wednesday and have another drawing for those who "correctly answered" The Great Escape. That was a very nice surprise. Now I don't expect to win any Forum drawing, now or ever, but I still feel good about it. Now on with the list. Here we go:

ZULU and/or DR. STRANGELOVE- Wed June 24 at 4:30 (Zulu) and 8 (Strangelove)- MOMA- 2 movies that are part of MOMA's retrospective on British hits of the 60s. One admission for both flicks. The second is a stretch in qualifying, but I'll go into that in a bit.

First, Zulu, one of the best war films ever made. Consider this an early (slightly embellished) variation of Black Hawk Down. Both are true stories, both set up the conflict in the first half-hour or so, and the rest of the film is a brutal, well-edited battle between the sides. Stanley Baker and Michael Caine play the two officers in command of a small British outpost on Jan. 22 1879. Baker's character is an engineer, and not the upper class solider-gentleman Caine's character is. Neither has combat experience. But they must lead their 149 men (about a third were in the infirmary that day), against over 4000 Zulu warriors; who had just massacred over 1500 British soldiers earlier that morning, in the worst massacre the Army had ever suffered up to that point. The rest of the picture depicts the next 12 plus hours as the Zulus attack without relent, while the Brits desperately try to withstand the onslaught.

Despite the vast difference in accents and technology, both in the story and the storytelling, it compares quite favorably to the similar Black Hawk Down. Never are the Zulus depicted as evil savages. We don't get to know them as well as most of the British soldiers and the misguided missionaries, but they are people, and brutal adversaries. Good cast; Baker was the star and co-producer, but Michael Caine became a leading man forever because of this. Narration by Richard Burton. Also, take note of John Barry's very good score, who incorporated actual Zulu chants and songs into his music. Sorry for the awkward timing for this, but its the best I can do.

Next, Dr. Strangelove. Yes, this was directed by an American and it depicts the American military, but because it was filmed at famed Shepperton Studios, it qualifies for this retrospective. Yeah, whatever. Anything that gets one of the funniest films ever made, and one of my all time favorites screened, is fine by me. If you've never seen it on the big screen, now is the time.

10 RILLINGTON PLACE- Fri June 26- Mon June 29 at 7:40 and 9:50 and Tues June 30- Thurs July 2 at 9:50- Film Forum- A 35mm Restoration of a 1971 British film, based on a true story of serial killer John Christie. Stars Richard Attenborough and John Hurt. Never seen it, don't really know it and would really like to. Sorry to say I must be lazy again, and copy and paste from the Forum's website. Hate to do this, but if I knew the film, I'd write something up on my own. But since I want to see it and want others to catch it as well, I do what I must:

An ultra low-key — but all the more menacing — account of the notorious Christie serial murder case; in 1948, Welsh blue collar worker Timothy Evans (John Hurt) and wife Judy Geeson, lodgers upstairs from mousily mild-mannered John Reginald Christie (Attenborough) and wife, already have trouble making ends meet when Geeson discovers she’s in the family way — but ever helpful Attenborough offers a homemade do-it-yourself abortion. The chilling results not only confirmed Christie’s morbid reputation, but ultimately altered the U.K.’s stance on the death penalty.

Filmed in the actual Rillington Place (but at #6, at that time renamed Ruston Close because of the notoriety, and since demolished), Fleischer worked with legendary executioner Albert Pierrepoint as technical adviser. (Because of the Official Secrets Act, no details of the execution were formally known; this would be the first time U.K. audiences would ever have seen a British execution on screen.) 10 Rillington Place also features two tour de force performances; Attenborough, in bald pate make-up, affecting a supremely quiet, unobtrusive manner that renders the brewing of a pot of tea subtly chilling, while Hurt achieves a unique acting coup, making believable a man so gullible and stupid (the real Evans’ IQ was estimated to be 70) as to falsely confess to murdering his own family — without making him a figure of farce.

THE KILLING- Fri June 26 and Sat June 27 at Midnight- IFC Center- More classic Kubrick at midnight. Now, we have The Killing, the first Kubrick film of note. From 1956, Sterling Hayden stars as the leader of a criminal group, brought together to rob a race track. The classic film noir notes are touched on: the likable anti-hero leader, the dumb loser jerked around by the femme fetale, the eccentrics in the gang, the precision of the plan, and the twist of fate that causes things to fall apart. Cited by Premiere, the same website I brought up last week regarding Betty Blue, having one of the best endings in movie history. And for those who can't tolerate Kubrick or can't stand the time, it's only 85 minutes, so you'll get out at a decent time. C'mon, let's do this. Note: if there's no decision made before 10:30, then assume it's sold out. All the Kubricks have been very popular and the odds it will sell out are high.


BIRTH OF A NATION with piano accompaniment- Sat June 27 at 1:15- MOMA-Yeah, you're either going to want to see this or not. The film that D.W. Griffith is best known for. For better (creation of what we think of as film today) or worse (anything involving black people) that is. Two brothers are torn apart, as they join opposite sides of the Civil War. The first half is considered the better part, with battle scenes and mostly successful though melodramatic romance with Lillian Gish. It's the second half, where you have blacks (white actors in black face) either drunkenly running the state legislature, or terrorizing the poor white folk until they have to be saved by the Ku Klux Klan on horseback, that's the tough part to take. Actually, any part where blacks are depicted are not fun to watch; I mean a white guy in blackface playing a Mammy-type? Oy vey.

Yet it was a hit in its day, despite being banned for years in L.A. and Chicago (it didn't play there until 1940). But the label of racist stuck to Griffith. Despite making his next film Intolerance as a response, and re-releasing Birth for decades in slightly edited, shorter versions. But what do you expect when you adapt the book The Clansman, and audiences (even in 1915) take this as though you believe in its story and message, because you gave it life and a metaphorical voice on screen. Griffith as well as Gish, went to their deathbeds denying the film is racist.

Now, if I'm reacting badly to this, why post this as an option to see? Not just the importance of the film, but I figure for myself: if I can handle The Passion of the Christ, Realm of the Senses and Inland Empire, I can handle this. For the record, this print is one minute shorter than the original release, and two minutes longer than the DVD version. But it won't break my heart if I don't catch this Saturday.


THE SECRET POLICEMAN'S BALL and THE SECRET POLICEMAN'S OTHER BALL- Both films for one admission- Sat June 27 starting at 8pm- Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- A retrospective of comedy/concert benefit documentaries, all to raise money for Amnesty International. This is the only double feature that I have an interest in catching. And unlike most screenings at the Walter Reade, this one is an actual 2 film/ 1 admission deal.

2 docs, that mix British comedy sketches and British music bands. The first one, The Secret Policeman's Ball from 1979, featured performers such as Pythoners John Cleese (who co-created the benefits) Terry Jones and Michael Palin, and comedian Billy Connolly. But the show is best known in Britain for the work of Peter Cook (at one point doing the impossible, causing Cleese to break up out of character), the mass introduction of Britain to Rowan Atkinson, and the acoustic work of Pete Townsend which supposedly introduced the idea of Unplugged.

This has not been released in theaters, as opposed to The Secret Policeman's Other Ball from 1982. Though this is the original British version, which is 8 minutes longer than the U.S. theatrical release. It has the same comics from the first film, plus Graham Chapman and more Python skits. For musical guests, there was Donovan. And oh yeah, a few rising British performers, like Sting, Phil Collins and Bob Geldof. Supposedly, this gave the future Sir Bob the idea for Live Aid. No great films here, just some fun.

In order of preference, I'd like to catch The Killing, the Wednesday MOMA films, 10 Rillington and the Python docs. Let me know. Later all.

June revivals: middle of the month

Mike here with what to catch in the middle of June. Some stuff coming that I can't wait for the very last minute for a response, so I have to post now. They'll be a few repeats but they're more reminders than anything else. Here we go:

LE COMBAT DANS L'ILE- Fri June 12- Tues June 17 at 7:40 and 9:50- Film Forum- A new 35mm print of a 1962 French film that gets a New York release for the first time. I brought it up last time, so check the last list for a refresher.

BETTY BLUE: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT- Fri June 12 at 8:10 for at least a week run- Cinema Village- 22 E. 12th St.- From director Jean-Jacques Beinex, whose film Diva, I posted and saw a couple of years ago. When released in the U.S. in 1986, an hour of the film was cut. Cut in part to remove some of the full frontal nudity and semi graphic sex scenes, and cut in part because of Alive Films (the defunct 80s company that backed Kiss of the Spider Woman and Baghdad Cafe) didn't think the three hour version would draw an American audience. While the art house audience did come, and that cut received a Foreign Language Oscar Nomination, the original version was never released here until now. Before the version gets its DVD release, it gets shown starting on Friday.

A romantic drama. A man and woman fall in love. She is a manic depressive who touches the heart of a lonely handyman. She's the most exciting thing to ever happen to him. But as the relationship progresses, her already shaky grasp on reality falls further apart. Beatrice Dalle made her screen debut in the lead role, and became a leading lady in France from that point forward, though her supposed drug problems have hampered her from being bigger. Have only seen parts of the U.S. cut, and would really like to catch this full version.

The film's opening scene also made Premiere.com's list of hottest sex scenes. Here's what I cut and pasted from last year's article from Glenn Kelly:

Even the most hot-to-trot movies generally make the viewer wait before unveiling any erotic action, but not this crazily emotional romance, whose opening shot tracks in on title character Betty (a near-feral Béatrice Dalle) and her amiable paramour Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade) whiling away a summer afternoon, rutting like maniacs. Their fierce bond is immediately established... and to this day, even the most disinterested of viewers may wonder whether the two performers were at it for real, such is the verisimilitude of their thrusts and cries.

THE SHINING- Fri June 12 and Sat June 13 at 11:10PM- IFC Center- I guess this was very popular last weekend when it played at midnight last weekend at IFC Center. So it gets a repeat screening, this time at slightly easier hour. If you haven't seen it on the big screen, now is the time.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY- Fri June 12 and Sat June 13 at Midnight- IFC Film Center- I've brought up one of my all time favorites before, I brought it up last time, I bring it up again, and will keep bringing it up whenever it plays in a theater I like. If you've never seen it on the big screen ever, go this weekend.

THE STING- Mon June 15 at dusk for free at Bryant Park- Park opens at 5PM- The classic con film, where Paul Newman and Robert Redford try to outfox evil Robert Shaw, kicks off the free Bryant Park film series. I wonder how well the films with heavy dialogue do there. Very mixed at best. But Newman, Redford, and Scott Joplin's music should make it worthwhile. The outings are usually fun, and unless you cover yourself in chicken blood or something sweet, NO MOSQUITOES!

GONE WITH THE WIND for 5 dollars, with an intro from Robert Osbourne, an episode of a Buck Rogers serial and an animated short- Sat June 20 at Noon- Academy Theater at Lighthouse International- 111 E. 59th St. bet. Park and Lex Ave.- A cleaned up print of all I just brought up here. Part of the Best Picture nominees of 1939 retrospective. For 5 dollars, we start out with a chapter of the old Buck Rogers serial starring Buster Crabbe. Then an animated short, presumably from that year. At some point we have our host, TCM's Robert Osbourne, doing an intro, though I don't know when he does it exactly. Then the film, at 12:30. In this case the big hit, the big Oscar winner, the classic, Gone With The Wind.

I've brought it up before, so I won't go into a repeat. But this might be the best chance to see this, if you've never seen it before, or seen it before on the big screen. But for only 5 dollars, if you think you can handle being there from about 11:30- 11:40AM until about 4:30PM, this would be worth it. Crank up the caffeine and let's do it. Call 212 821-9251 or go to http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/venues-ticketing/index.html.

That's all for now. Not sure if they'll be a list for the end of June, otherwise, I'll jump to July when needed. Later all.

June revivals: first half

Mike here with what to catch for the first half of June. Some big films in the history of movies, plus a kid's film and a film I never heard of before. Here we go:



RASHOMON- Thurs June 4, Fri June 5, Sun June 7 and Tues June 9- Thurs June 11 at 6:30, 8:20 and 10:10- Film Forum- A 35mm restored print. The classic Oscar-winning Kurosawa film that many tv shows and a few films like Memento owe a debt toward gets its own run. For the rest, I'll copy and paste what was written by Chris Hicks in his article, the 67 Most Influential Films Ever Made, about this. I used it before last month for Easy Rider, and it speaks better than I:

RASHOMON
Influential, how? East comes west.
The West finally woke up to Japanese film when Rashomon won Venice’s Golden Lion (and went on to win an Oscar).
The idea - a rape and murder related through conflicting flashbacks - has been repeatedly ribbed but never bettered.
Money shot: The second flashback, when we realise the camera does lie

WOODSTOCK: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT- Wed June 3 at 7 for 25 dollars with an intro from director Michael Wadleigh and concert producer Michael Lang, with free popcorn and soda, with other guests TBA- the Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- A rare screening of the Oscar winning documentary, just before the famed concert's 40th anniversary. One of the best films of 1970 and if it's not placed among the best docs ever made, it's probably because it's not just a job, it's an adventure for current audiences who are probably intimidated by its running time and own ideas and interpretations as to what Woodstock the concert was. We'll be seeing the 3 hr 48 min director's cut (plus an intermission) that has been around since 1994, as opposed to the 3 hr theatrical release; a cut that Warner Bros. had no faith in. The executive who apparently thought they could always use the prints from this probable flop and use the strips for bookmarks, was probably stunned at its success. This lack of faith from the higher-ups, gave rise to the idea of 2 and 3 panels at varying times (showing different angles or different scenes simultaneously), conceived by the filmmakers, including co-cameraman/co-editor Martin Scorsese. This is practically a clinic in film editing.

And, oh yeah, a clinic in the music of the day. Hendrix, Joplin, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Joe Cocker, CSN, Santana, among others. On the Walter Reade's speakers, this should be NICE.

The film cost 25 dollars to see, though free popcorn and soda are included. So yeah, it's priced more like a free concert than a typical film. There will be an intro from the film's director and one of the concert producer's, and something happening after the film. What exactly has not been announced. A Q and A? Acoustic concert? Your guess is as good as mine. But if you have 4-5 hours to spare, this should be fun.

THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER- Fri June 5 at Midnight- Landmark Sunshine Cinema- Muppet fans, unite! The second of the original Muppet trilogy, the only one that Jim Henson directed, gets a midnight screening. Which usually means, this sells out fast with Muppet fanatics. Not as big a hit as The Muppet Movie, but successful enough for the summer of 1981. See intrepid reporters Kermit Fozzie and Gonzo go to London on a story. See them ignore the advice of John Cleese and stay at the Happiness Hotel with others made of felt and acting like they've got a hand stuck up their asses. See Miss Piggy work for the even haughtier Diana Rigg, and get seduced by Charles Grodin . With cameos from Peter Ustinov, Peter Falk, Jack Warden and Robert Morely


LE COMBAT DANS L'ILE- Fri June 12- Wed June 18 at 7:40 and 9:50- Film Forum- A new 35mm print of a 1962 French film that gets a New York release for the first time. Don't know if it played elsewhere in this country. Therefore, I practically know nothing about. I'm interested, therefore, I'll have to cut and paste from the Forum's website. Sometimes I hate being a hack, but here it is:

(1962) Sure her marriage to rich factory owner’s son Jean-Louis Trintignant has its rough side for Romy Schneider: his frequent absences for unexplained reasons, his frightening outbursts of insane jealousy, and that very creepy friend of his. And what’s that carefully wrapped anti-tank bazooka doing in the hall closet? But there’s that other friend, that warm and friendly, but comfortably virile, artisanal printer Henri Serre (Jim of Jules and Jim). All too little known today, Le combat dans l’île subtly evokes a divided marriage — not unusual in French films — and a divided nation — but not divided as seen in the then-dominant Nouvelle Vague. Political assassinations (the attempts on DeGaulle reached double figures), underground extreme right-wing groups, even international, right-wing fugitives — producer Louis Malle was clearly making a political statement distinct from that of his New Wave confrères. Cavalier’s first major film — he’d been a Malle assistant — exhibits an assurance of tone and pacing that make this a uniquely gripping, where is this going? triangle-drama/thriller, as the camera of Pierre Lhomme (DP of Melville’s Army of Shadows, not to mention the cult classic King of Hearts, among many others — he personally supervised this new print) illuminates striking locations from industrial parks to road diners to Serre’s rural island refuge (you can almost smell the crisp winter air), while providing a surprisingly fresh look at that most-filmed of subjects — particularly during this period — Paris itself, both inside and out. First starring part in French, the language and cinema she would make her own, for Schneider (“the best actress of her generation” – Visconti): this breakthrough performance would be a major leap from the saccharine biopics of her Austrian youth. Trintignant, already a mid-range star at home, would break out internationally later the same year in Dino Risi’s Il Sorpasso, and become world-famous a few years later with A Man and a Woman and Z. Approx. 104 minutes


2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY- Fri June 12 and Sat June 13 at Midnight- IFC Film Center- One of my all time favorites, and my favorite Kubrick is on the big screen again. This time in the very comfortable IFC Center. Some of you have done this before with me, and some of you, more then once. But in a place like this, a smaller screen then the late Lowes Astor Plaza, the Ziegfeld or the Paris, but bigger than the Forum plus a quality sound system, this is too good to ignore. And if you're one of those who have never seen it on the big screen as opposed to watching it on TV, to paraphrase from comedian Larry Miller, "It's the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.". Who knows when it will play next at the Ziegfeld, go now.



I like the ones I've heard of. I'll catch the one I've never heard of. Let me know if there's interest, later all

May revivals: second half

Hey all. Mike here with what to see for the rest of May. No time to waste so here we go (don't mind the conflicts, things will sort themselves out):

THE WAGES OF FEAR- Sat May 23 and Sun May 24 at 11am- IFC Film Center- From the director of Diabolique. 4 desperate macho men will get the reward of a ticket out of the hellhole, piss-poor little South American village they're all stuck in. That is, if they're willing to drive trucks filled with nitroglycerin over mountain sides and through jungles, in order to put out a fire at an oil refinery. They also battle each other, with macho posturing just as threatening as the elements. Starring Yves Montand.

Perennially in imdb's annoying top 250. Winner of the Grand Prize at Cannes. Diabolique is director's Henri-Georges Clouzet's best known film, but this is considered his best. I've never seen it, but I've seen the American remake from 1977, Sorcerer, which is underrated (released the same weekend that Star Wars went into wide release, thus forgotten). Would love to catch this, even if I'd need a coffee IV to help me. 11AM and not noon? Cruel, but I'm willing to deal with it with this flick.

PAPILLON- Sat May 23 at 5:45 (Papillon)- the Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- Part of the Steve McQueen retrospective. I like that this McQueen retrospective is happening, it's long overdue. But for me personally, the timing stinks. I've see most of the films don't fit time-wise for me. I don't think I can get people to come see The Towering Inferno on the Sunday afternoon before Memorial Day (if by some miracle I can let me know ASAP), I caught The Great Escape and The Thomas Crown Affair fairly recently so it's too soon, I'm not willing to put my name on catching An Enemy of the People (Yes, McQueen did Ibsen in 1977. Consider this a noble failure.), and not one film here can be seen for 2 for the price of 1. And when I do find that The Magnificent Seven is doable on Saturday afternoon, I find out that it will be shown later that night on PBS' Channel 13. DOH!

Therefore, Papillon is the only film I can catch. A studio print. McQueen's last hit film. Years before The Shawshank Redemption, here was a prison survival film, with escape attempts here. Unlike Shawshank, this did not have universal critical appeal; just look up Ebert's review, though I don't know if he's since revised it. Unlike Shawshank, this actually drew an audience in theaters. Unlike Shawshank, this has since been ignored and is not considered a classic. I'm not saying Papillon is better, but I'm saying this should stop being ignored, and May 23rd is a good time to start.

Based on a true story, though its historical accuracy has been considered dubious. McQueen plays a man wrongly convicted and sentenced to a brutal penal colony. Along with the less macho more 'delicate' man played by Dustin Hoffman, years of abuse, survival and escape attempts are depicted. With McQueen never giving up. Good leads with great chemistry, despite McQueen supposedly annoyed by the existence of Hoffman. Strong film from director Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton, Planet of the Apes) and screenwriters Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr. Oscar nominated only for Jerry Goldsmith's score. Not as happy as The Sting or American Graffiti, nor did it strike as dark a chord as The Exorcist. But still, give it a shot. Not sure if we're getting the 2 hr 12 minute version, or the 2 hr 30 minute version originally released in theaters. We'll see.


DR. STRANGELOVE- Sat May 23, Sun May 24 and Tues May 26- Thurs May 28 at 3:20, 5:30, 7:40 and 9:50- Film Forum- A new 35 mm restored print playing for a one week run. If you ever bother to put your eyes on this list more than two or three times a year then you know what this film is, and you don't need me to describe this to you. Several of you have seen this in theaters with me before. Some of you have even seen it twice with me before. One of the few dark satires to get it exactly right. Considered one of the best anti-war films ever made. But for those who hate that term (seriously, are you that dumb to refuse to put this into historical context), then consider this an anti-rigidity and anti-stupidity film instead, OK? An excellent mixture of farce and action. And accurate enough in terms of military capability and military speak, that the Air Force demanded answers and questioned Stanley Kubrick.

If you've never seen it with an audience, make time for it. On as many AFI Top 100 lists that it could qualify for. One of the prime examples of Oscar screwing up, when it comes to not giving a film Best Picture. Strangelove is usually Exhibit A, while something like Goodfellas and Raging Bull would be considered Exhibits B and C, respectively. One of my top 5 favorite films ever, and my second favorite Kubrick film, after 2001. And as good a cast as this has, 3 top performances from Peter Sellers . . . , the range this man had is stunning. I dare any of you to find the seams where his performances don't work.

A note that I copy and paste from the Forum's website about the actual restored print that will be shown:

This 35mm print is from a new 4K digitally-created negative (the original neg was destroyed over 40 years ago), made by New York-based restoration specialists Cineric using the best surviving film elements — the result is the sharpest Strangelove you’ve ever seen.

THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE- Tues May 26 at 6:30- the Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- One night only screening of another film from 1973. This one, little seen, rarely shown on cable, and only coming out on DVD for the first time this week, through the Criterion Collection. Which means you can't see it through Blockbuster, only through Netflix. Very similar to The Departed, but without the histrionics or the fake sense of justice. A little slow for that time period I suppose, but in the era of The Sopranos, I guess we can embrace a moody, character-driven crime drama.

Set and shot in and around the South Boston area, depicting what it was at the time, based on the novel by George V. Higgins. Essentially mob-controlled, with police and assigned FBI getting payoffs, while politicians and journalists look the other way. Robert Mitchum plays a low level criminal who's best days are behind him (and everyone knows it, even him?), and who's looking at a third jail sentence that might as well be a life sentence. Trying to avoid prison and feed his family, he decides to try to snitch and make a big score at the same time. Referring to the people around as his Friends is like calling a big guy Tiny, if you remember the second sentence in this paragraph.

Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan lead the cast of character actors that fill out this flick. Never seen all of it, but have liked the parts I have seen. Wouldn't mind catching this at all.



That's all for now. Also included here are a few pics of the post film Q and A with Jonathan Demme at IFC Film Center last week for Swimming To Cambodia. The film was as wonderful as I remembered it, the Q and A was nice, and Demme has the energy and enthusiasm of a man half his age. Not really a cinematic piece, so there was little technical stuff that could actually be brought up. More of a relaxed celebration of Spaulding Gray himself. Later all.

May revivals: first half

Hey, all. Mike here with a list of what to catch for about half of May. I had a much larger list in mind, most of which at the Forum's Con film festival. GET IT, GET IT! CON! NO, NOT KHAN! CON! Like in CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, but because these are prison films it's CON Film Festival! HA! . . . . HA . . . . ha . . . . . ow, this hurts . . .

Anyway, finally I had to narrow it down to what I'm pretty sure I can catch so stuff like White Heat and Angels with Dirty Faces on Mother's day, and Birdman of Alcatraz in a few weeks? Well, have fun, but I doubt I'll make it, so I'll skip writing about it here. In the meantime, here we go:

EASY RIDER- Thurs May 7 at 7:50 and 9:50- Film Forum- A new 35mm restored print. I brought it up last time, so I won't go much more into it. Last day at the Forum.

SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA- Tues May 12 at 8 with a post film Q & A with director Jonathan Demme- IFC Film Center- Spaulding Gray's concert film gets a rare screening. You have less then two days from your probable reading of this, go to ifccenter.com to get your tix, because you WON'T be able to get them on Tuesday the 12th. The film's director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Rachel Getting Married), does a post film Q and A afterwards.

Grey tells the story of how he was cast in a small role in The Killing Fields, the research and history he learned in preparing, his experiences while shooting, plus a few New York stories, usually involving his long suffering then-girlfriend, Renee. Released in April 1987, it (aided by some appearances on David Letterman's show) became a surprise art-house hit. Director Jonathan Demme seemed to simply place a few cameras around the stage, aimed for key close-ups while relying on a master shot for the most part, editing in a few shots from The Killing Fields, and expanding the lens a bit to show the maps of Vietnam and Cambodia when those slides come up.

Now this might not have been the case. Demme will surely explain how this was shot and edited in the Q and A. But Demme got what Steven Soderburgh didn't get in Gray's third concert film, Gray's Anatomy. That you don't have to do cinematic tricks to damage, er, enhance the story. Sometimes, it's about THE WORDS, STUPID (And I mean that with love, Steven). When you have a masterful storyteller like Gray, running at peak performance, you don't fuck it up. You can see, whether on Tuesday the 12th or on Netflix, how in 85 quick minutes, Gray and Demme had a film that deserved to stand along with other popular films that year, like The Untouchables, Moonstruck, Au Revoir Les Enfants, and Full Metal Jacket.

I WANT TO LIVE!- Fri May 15 at 7:25- Part of the Forum's Con film festival. From director Robert Wise, Susan Hayward won the Best Actress Oscar for the only performance she's truly remembered for. She's a woman of, let's say, ill repute, who may have been set up for a murder she didn't commit. This gets her the Death Penalty. Now the overall film will probably be liked more by those who support Dead Man Walking. It goes on the idea that she's completely innocent of murder, though the actual facts of the case aren't clear. How it got this far then is an argument for someplace else, and a criticism that can be aimed more to Wise and the screenwriters than to me.

But Wise shot and edited this black and white film like a noir, and let us know exactly how it feels to set up the gas chamber, and give the audience a clear idea of what will feel like in there. Combined with Hayward's heart-breaking performance, this was gut wrenching stuff for 1958. Now? Judge for yourself.

Nominations also for Wise for Director, the Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS and O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?- Sun May 17 at 5:20 (Sullivan's), 7:05 (O Brother), 9:10 (Sullivan's) and Mon May 18 at 1 (Sullivan's), 2:45 (Brother) and 4:50 (Sullivan's)- Part of the Forum's Con film festival. An interesting double feature. First, Sullivan's Travels, from writer-director Preston Sturges. Playing in the Forum for the second time this year. Consider Sturges to be the Sandy Koufax of film directors. A few years where he was one of the very best, then gone. Sullivan's is considered (arguably) the best in his career. Joel McCrea plays the director of simple entertaining films, who dreams of making an Important Film, "O Brother Where Art Thou". He goes out on the road, posing as a hobo, to learn about the common man, and gets a rude awakening. He also gets Veronica Lake, nice if you can get it. A classic in the comedy genre, though it works more than as just a comedy.

Next, O Brother Where Art Thou, from the Coen Brothers. Gee, where did they get this idea I wonder? Actually, I don't have too. A very generalized version of The Odyssey that's inspired by parts of Sullivan's Travels. George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson are escaped cons during the Depression-era South in this comic-adventure with bluegrass music. They're looking for bank money while pursued by the law. More of a road movie then an actual prison flick. Fargo might be the best and the most praised, and The Big Lebowski may have the most reverent cult. But this was the Coen brothers' most popular film, before No Country For Old Men. Holly Hunter, John Goodman and Charles Durning are among the supporting cast. Oscar nominations for the Screenplay and the Cinematography. An interesting double feature.

COOL HAND LUKE and THE DEFIANT ONES- Wed May 20 at 7:10 (Luke) and 9:30 (Defiant)- Film Forum- Part of the Forum's Con film festival. A double feature I really want to catch. First, Cool Hand Luke. The classic prison film that turned Paul Newman from American big time leading man to American Icon. Paul plays the title role, the anti hero who goes against authority. But some of that authority, are those in charge of the chain gang/ prison he's in. He may be right in going against the authority that applies "justice" with contempt and stupidity, and he may even inspire the fellow prisoners into cheering him. But they don't or won't help Luke, and he has to bear the punishments or the "bad hands" on his own.

This film is best known for the line "What we have here is a failure to communicate.", but it caught the cultural zeitgeist more for it's depiction of a man who refuses to conform. In 1967, that was big stuff. Also noted on the first episode of Cheers for being one of the sweatiest films ever made. Lots of men, working, fighting, running, all under the heat. Tons of character actors throughout. Among them, George Kennedy in his Oscar winning role, Strother Martin as the sadistic Captain, Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton, Wayne Rogers, Ralph Waite, Anthony Zerbe, Joe Don Baker and James Gannon. Oscar nominations for Newman for Actor, Screenplay Adaptation and Score.

Next, The Defiant Ones. Dated, and maybe a little preachy for today. but still good. Important film during the civil rights movement. I don't get to post many Sidney Poitier films, so to catch a 2 for 1 with this, is good enough for me. I couldn't get anyone interested a couple of years ago with In The Heat of the Night, I drew the preachy line with Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, and most of the others just don't get a screening around here. Come to think of it, Tony Curtis films have been more available to me over the past 7-8 years then any of Poitier's. Well, I should say, Spartacus and Sweet Smell of Success have been available, plus The Boston Strangler as well. Nothing else, and that's not a bad thing to me. Though some of you would argue Boeing-Boeing deserves a second chance, but anyway . . .

Curtis and Poitier plays convicts chained together, who gets an unexpected chance to escape. They hate both each other and the color of the other's skin, but they must work together to stay out of the chain gang. Oscars for the Cinematography and for the Screenplay (one of the writers was blacklisted; Nedrick Young's credit wasn't restored until after his death and I think his widow ended up with his Oscar). Nominations for Picture, Director Stanley Kramer, Curtis and Poitier for Actor. Theodore Bickel for Supporting Actor, Cara Williams for Supporting Actress, and Editing. Curtis was the one who insisted that Poitier receive equal billing. When they lost the Oscar to David Niven, Curtis apparently to this day complained that Niven won "his" Oscar. Whatever.

I don't want to do just one or the other, I want to catch both.


LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER- Thurs May 21 at 9:15- the Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- Part of the Steve McQueen retrospective, called Yesterday's Loner: Steven McQueen. A studio print. Director Robert Mulligan's attempt to do a screwball-style comedy, but with some serious social stuff floating around. Good Italian Catholic girl discovers she's pregnant and seeks an abortion. The one night stand guy tries to help, and also tries to help show her he loves her. Or is he just trying to do the right thing without knowing the girl at all?

Imagine Knocked Up, except with more serious elements, and with a cast and director who are actually capable of handling dramatic situations. Now throw in the idea that all this abortion stuff (bad phrasing, sorry), occurs about 10 years before Roe vs. Wade. Now throw in some screwball/romance elements, and you get the idea of how this film stuck out from among the rest during Christmas of 1963. McQueen is the one night stand guy, and he's playing against type. Stiffly on occasion, but effectively. Natalie Wood is the "good" girl, who's more struggling and emotional, who could be easily dismissed as bitchy. In other words' human. Has a nice feel for New York as well, she works in Macy's, after all. Nominations for Wood for Best Actress, the Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction and for Edith Head's Costume Design. Worth catching.



That's all for now. Next time, among the options, a few more McQueen films,and the return of Dr. Strangelove. Later all.

Revivals: the next few weeks.

Mike here, with posting number 100! Wow, didn't think I'd stick with it this long. I'm back with a revival list of what to see over the next two plus weeks. Instead of the usual longish list, I've narrowed it down to what I truly want to catch. And I think catching 3 out of these 4 films is entirely doable. And if we can get to all four? Well, let me list them first. Here we go:

LEON MORIN, PRIEST- Thurs Apr 23 at 7:45 and 10- Film Forum- A new 35mm print. A reminder to catch Melville's WW 2 drama. Go back to what I posted last time, such as it was, because I'm not writing any further. Moving on.

CATCH-22- Mon April 27 and Thurs April 30 at 8- MOMA- Part of the Mike Nichols retrospective. This is what director Nichols and screenwriter Buck Henry cashed their "golden ticket" on, after the mega-success of The Graduate: a big screen studio adaptation of Joseph Heller's classic book.

Beset with production problems (problems with the script, artistic differences that forced recasting, the film going over-budget due to the cost of building a realistic base with mostly working flying bombers) and inevitable comparisons with the book, you might think this was doomed to failure. Despite changes from stage to screen, Heller gave the film thumbs up. And it did find approval from the New York Times type of critics (intellectual types?). But among war films, it was neither as funny nor as successful in capturing the cultural zeitgeist as MASH, nor as embraceable as Patton, and even failed as far as most audiences were concerned in comparison to the Clint Eastwood WW2 action comedy Kelly's Heroes. It wasn't even as popular at that time as The Out-Of-Towners starring Jack Lemmon, who desperately wanted to star in Catch-22 (just not Nichols and Henry's vision of it). That Catch-22 didn't try to be any of these things was apparently irrelevant. It wasn't a financial disaster like say Ishtar, but it was a financial flop and has been mostly dismissed. Maybe the Watchmen of its day, perhaps.

Captain Yossarian is trying to get out of flying more bombing missions during the later half of World War 2. But his superiors just keep raising the number of missions he has to fly before he can be discharged. Figuring he'll never live to see the end of the war, he tries to get out through insanity. But he can't because of Catch-22: basically, if one realizes it's crazy to fly suicide missions and you ask to get out of them, that means you're sane, therefore, you will fly any and all suicide missions. That doesn't stop Yossarian from trying to get out via feigning insanity. He finds Catch-22 doesn't officially exist, but the more people invoke it, the more power it has on all aspects of his life, therefore it exists. Or in simpler terms, Yossarian fights the power, but the power seems stronger than him, and us.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Then throw in following a similar non-linear structure as the book, of going back and forth in time, and oh boy. We're ok with that now, with films like Pulp Fiction, Memento and Watchmen, and shows like Lost and Heroes. But back then, apparently not. Tackling what makes a hero, what makes one truly sane, while attacking corrupt power, the idea that everyone dies, among other ideas: oh joy. Throw in the idea that our young Americans in the WW 2 setting should worry more about their own superiors then the enemy, not cool (but we're ok with that today in 24). Now throw into the mix that the audience should think of the still-raging Vietnam War while watching this, no wonder most audiences rejected this.

Strong cast, and I mean strong. Alan Arkin as Yossarian; some fans of the book felt a younger actor should have been cast, but Arkin works the struggle to maintain sanity in an insane environment well. Anthony Perkins as the chaplin. Jon Voight as Milo Mindbender, who will have the Americans make a profit on this war no matter what. Martin Balsam and Buck Henry himself as the COs. Bob Newhart as Major Major. Orson Welles as the insane general. Orson tried to direct this himself, but no go. Plus Martin Sheen, Art Garfunkle, Jack Gilford, Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, Charles Grodin, Norman Fell, Austin Pendleton and Bob Balaban.

Catch-22 is something you might think of afterwards either as an unknown success, or as a noble failure. I can't help you decide which; I can only recommend you to try to catch it yourself.

Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN- Thurs April 30 at 9:30 for 7.50- Chelsea Clearview Cinema- A cheap screening of this art house hit from 2002. From director Alfonso Curaon. Sort of a career reboot for himself, after the English language films A Little Princess and Great Expectations drew no audiences, and before he directed the third Harry Potter film and Children of Men. Co-written with his brother Carols, this is kind of like Summer of 1942, where two young men experience a life and sexual awakening with an older woman. Combined with aspects of the road film, but less fairy tale-like than Summer of 1942. Those who don't follow Spanish-speaking cinema may not know Maribel Verdu except for Pan's Labyrinth, but this combined with Amores Perros served as a good introduction for us to Gael Garcia Bernal. Also, a good introduction for us to Diego Luna, in one of his earliest adult roles, years before Milk. Both Cuaron brothers received an Oscar nomination for their Screenplay.Unless I watch Catch-22 that night instead, I'd be glad to watch this at a cheap price.

EASY RIDER- Fri May 1, Sat May 2, Wed May 6 and Thurs May 7 at 5:40, 7:50 and 9:50- Film Forum- A new 35mm restored print of the Dennis Hopper- Peter Fonda classic. Oscar nominations to the screenplay for Hopper, Fonda & Terry Southern, and to Jack Nicholson for Supporting Actor. In fact, this film took Jack out of Roger Corman films and guest appearances on The Andy Griffith Show, and put him on the A list forever. Now as for anything else about Easy Rider, I'll keep myself from screwing up now. Instead, thanks to imdb, I'll quote from a recent film article from Britain's Total Film magazine and website. Written last month by Chris Hicks, he listed Easy Rider as one of the most influential films ever made. I've cut and pasted the highlights. It may not be the best, but it's simple and that's all I'm asking right now:

Influential, how? The movie brats come of age.

Hippies, LSD, motorbikes: Easy Rider is a cultural landmark. The defining movie of the ’60s. Connecting with the long-haired kids (and earning millions for its trouble), Hopper and Fonda's crotch rocket-fetishing classic ushered in New Hollywood by breathing hip life into the square studio system.“You guys are finished,” Hopper ranted at Oscar-winner George Cukor. “We are in now... It’s our time.”

Money shot: Fonda and Hopper dropping acid in a New Orleans cemetery.

The other part about Easy Rider I will cut and paste is from the Forum's website about the restoration:

According to Grover Crisp (Senior Vice President, Film Restoration) Sony Pictures initially restored Easy Rider in 1999 through a complicated mixture of photochemical techniques and old digital technologies; however, there were many other issues that couldn’t be fully addressed at the time. For this new restoration, Sony began with a 4K scan of the best surviving 35mm film elements; following an extensive digital restoration, with the repair of all torn frames and scratches and the removal of all dirt from the image, a brand new 35mm negative was created, from which new 35mm prints have been struck.

This particular list, I want to catch as much as possible. Let me know ASAP. Later all.

P.S.: Here's a link to the film article from Chris Hicks that I mentioned before. Some films I never heard of, some I've never seen, and more then a few I've posted on lists in the past, as well as future postings, like Dr. Strangelove and Rashomon. Here it is:

http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-67-most-influential-films-ever-made

More April revivals

Mike here with more April revivals. Can't list the entire month due to time constraints, but I'll post a few right now. Here we go:

LEON MORIN, PRIEST- Fri Apr 17- Thurs Apr 23 at 7:45 and 10- Film Forum- A new 35mm print. I've written in the past how new I am to the works of French director Jean-Pierre Melville. But after my introduction to Army of Shadows, I've tried to go see more on the big screen whenever I could. So far, it's resulted in my enjoying Le Doulos and Le Cercle Rouge. Now, here's another one. I know nothing about, but it's Melville, so I'm going. Don't know when, which is why I list 7 days and late afternoon and evening times. For the rest, I'll have to cut and paste from the Forum's website:

(1961) “Religion is the opiate of the people,” begins the confession of Communist widow Emmanuelle Riva (Hiroshima, mon amour), provocative just to get some fun in the drab little village where she‘s been relocated during the Occupation. But when her confessor dryly replies “Pas exactement,” she begins a seemingly inexorable turn towards God — or is towards her handsome confessor, Père Jean-Paul Belmondo (in “an erotically charged performance” – BFI)? Fed up with being “an auteur maudit known only to a handful of crazy film buffs,” Jewish atheist Jean-Pierre Melville accepted an offer of real stars and an actual budget to adapt Beatrix Beck’s autobiographical novel, a book he already considered “the most accurate picture I have read of life under the Occupation,” then had to talk an initially reluctant Belmondo — hot from his star-making role in Breathless (in which Melville cameoed) — into taking the title role. Melville created a kind of fresco of the Occupation — play-it-safe baptisms of Communist and Jewish children; awakenings in the night by the sounds of shooting; parades of Alpine-hatted Italian Bersaglieri and marching band Nazis; arguments with pro-Petain and anti-Semitic co-workers; a Jewish colleague getting a shave, name change, and a ticket out; platonic same-sex crushes in a man-less world — but its center is Riva’s confusing, fascinating, tantalizing encounter with God and his servant Belmondo (successfully intellectual, sincere, and ultimately enigmatic in a definitely change-of-pace role), their mutual underplaying making even theological discussions subtly throbbing with emotional undertones. Shot by the great Henri Decaë (The 400 Blows, Elevator to the Gallows, Bob Le Flambeur). b&w; Approx. 115 minutes

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF- Sat April 18 at 2 and Sun April 19 at 5:30- MOMA- Part of the Mike Nichols retrospective. Among the best of the stage-to-screen transfers ever. I've been waiting a long time for this to play in a revival house. Hell of a first film for director Nichols. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (heavier and made up to look far older and tired in a successful attempt to de-glamorize) are George and Martha; bitter middle-aged alcoholics, who in order to keep any semblance of interest in their marriage, tear into each other and the young couple (George Segal, Sandy Dennis) who come to their little party. As the film goes on, the head games get more cruel and vindictive.

Not necessarily a happy film, but with Albee's words, a joy to behold. No matter the attempts to open up the film, the house still feels like a steel cage. Now the attempts to open the film, in particular the diner, doesn't hold as well, but everything else does. Some modern audiences might consider the acting as over the top at times, but I would disagree. I have a weakness/high tolerance to some excess, but it fits the piece.

13 Oscar nominations. Oscars for Taylor for Actress, Dennis for Supporting, Art Direction Costume and Cinematography for a black and white film. Nominations include for Picture, Burton for Actor, Segal for Supporting Actor, Nichols for Director, Editing, and Alex North's very good score. I hope the overture and closing music are played here. Also nominated was Ernest Lehman for his screenplay, despite the fact that the actors hated his version so much, they and Nichols went behind his back and replaced all but 2 lines back to Albee's original.

For me, best film of 1966. Excuse me if I'm not agreeing with the Academy with their choice of A Man For All Seasons. I want to go. let me repeat. I. Want. To. Go.

WORKING GIRL and/or WIT- Sat April 25 at 2 (Girl) and 5 (Wit)- MOMA- Part of the Mike Nichols retro . A pair of "chick" flicks. I put that in quotes because both, if you don't pay attention, fit the label. But the stories and the storytelling rises above the typical cliches.

First, Working Girl. I mean, yeah, the same story was told about a year earlier in the Michael J. Fox film, The Secret of My Success, but this has better dialogue, is more savvier politically, has better direction, a stronger cast, and had Fox pushing it as Oscar bait. Important in terms of inspirational women flicks without having the lead portrayed as either saint, know-it-all, or impervious to pain and heartache.

Melanie Griffith plays a woman either only looked at for sex by men, or as less intelligent based on her unprofessional hair and clothes (this late 80s NOO-YAWK look should get big laughs in the theater at some point.). She goes for a change after being cheated on by slime ball Alec Baldwin, and having her ideas stolen by wolf-in-sheep's-clothing boss Sigourney Weaver. Now not every woman who makes this change ends up with better prospects and Harrison Ford (in a great change of pace, especially in the 80s) for a boyfriend. But it struck enough of a social chord to go from a sleeper to one of the major hits of 1988.

That Griffin was and the crew was able to get through this film is a minor miracle. At the start of shooting, Griffin was still an active alcoholic, according to Julie Salmon's The Devil's Candy, and was almost fired by Nichols. When she gave up drinking, I don't if what she had was the DTs, but she was in jittery shape. Of course her first scene in that state was when she nervously tries to deal with Ford's character the first day they meet in the office building. Yes, I know it wasn't their first scene, shut up. She would also bloat up as well. Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, looking for Griffin shot here, for the-then upcoming Bonfire of the Vanities, felt long lenses were used to keep Griffin's bloat from too obvious. So in a way, Melanie, like her character, always had problems and dickheads to deal with. Now her career wouldn't last too much longer, thanks to mostly bad career choices, including the aforementioned Bonfire, and mostly bad plastic surgery. But she, and we, will always have her performance in Working Girl.

Oscar nominations for Picture, Griffin for Actress, Weaver and Joan Cusack for Supporting Actress, and Nichols for Director. The omission for Screenplay is something you might consider a surprise, but I wouldn't have nominated over the scripts for Big, Fish Called Wanda, Bull Durham, Running On Empty or the winner, Rain Man. When Weaver lost to Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist, it was and is considered one of Oscar's biggest upsets. I'm indifferent, it's not like I bet on it. An Oscar for Carly Simon's song "Let The River Run".

Also, a cast that includes Olympia Dukakis, Oliver Platt, Philip Bosco, Nora Dunn, Rikki Lake, David Duchovny, and Kevin Spacey, who had to learn his part on the car ride over when the previous actor quit without notice. A note if you go and if you haven't seen this for a while, the film starts with a tremendous helicopter shot of the Twin Towers, so know that so you're not taken by surprise.

Next, Wit. An adaptation of Margaret Edson's award winning play that first aired on HBO in 2001. Emma Thompson (who adapted the play with Nichols) plays an English professor, forced to deal mostly alone with terminal ovarian cancer, and the lack of care and respect from most of her health care providers. This film has been/probably still is used, to show students of whatever health care career they're studying, NOT to behave. Though based on a number of imdb posts, that may not be working. In some cases, Thompson's death scene is a great time to start texting! Boy does it suck to get sick in this country . . . Heartbreaking film with a strong performance from Thompson.

If I had the time, I would post one of my favorites, The Graduate. But I can't go out of my way to make special time for this, so I won't. Go to the MOMA website for details.

Will try to post the first few days in May along with the remainder of the month. Let me know about what's up here now. Later all.

April revivals: first half

Mike here with what to catch revival-wise for the first half of April. A short list, so before that: I was glad to catch Night and the City at the Forum. At times, a little too stylish and slick, with a wasted Gene Tierney. But with enough humanity to give resonance to people's downfall. But what really got me excited was catching Costa-Gavras' Z. Exciting and well paced, when suspense thrillers and political corruption/cover-up films are brought up, Z belongs among the very top. While I think Arnold White's comment in the New York Press about this film being too politically grey and intolerable for the Clooneys "and their ilk" to be a little much (I'm not defending Syriana, but I will defend the qualities of Good Night and Good Luck), every decade or so, there will be revival screenings and renewed attention to Z. You have one more day to catch it at the Forum as of this writing, but it should be out there somewhere on DVD, though not the kind you'll find at your typical Blockbuster. As for the list, here we go:


BRUTE FORCE- Thurs Apr 2 at 7:20- Film Forum- Part of the Jules Dassin retrospective from 1947. I probably wouldn't have gone for this film-noir at first, but it seemed interesting, and interesting enough to be in the Criterion Collection. I know, so was Armageddon, shut up. Also, it's only playing for one screening only, making me further curious. Similar to Escape From Alcatraz, a convict wants out of a tough prison. Unlike Alcatraz, the warden is a weakling. It's the guards that run the prison, as well as some of the more powerful prisoners. Hume Cronyn plays the main guard who takes pleasure in beating prisoners to Wagner: I have to think Francis Ford and/or John Millius might have been somewhat influenced for Apocalypse Now. Burt Lancaster is the convict who has enough. But his plan leads to a rather brutal, bloody (for 1947) ending. One screening only, so let me know.

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT- Fri Apr 3 and Sat Apr 4 at Midnight- Landmark Sunshine Cinema- A cheap(er) screening of the Richard Lester classic that defined Beatlemania, influenced MTV until it became a place for reality shows, made most musicals that told their stories in stodgy ways to become Dead Musicals Walking, and briefly made the Beatles the seeming heir to the Marx Bros in comedy. Ok, Paul is stiffer then a tree in Yellowstone here, but John, Ringo, and especially George, make up for that. And oh yeah, there are few decent songs. All My Loving, And I Love Her, Can't Buy Me Love, the title song, and others. C'mon folks, this film is fun.

NEVER ON SUNDAY and TOPKAPI- Sun Apr 5 at 5:10 (Sunday), 7 (Topkapi) and 9:15 (Sunday)- Film Forum- Part of the Jules Dassin retro. Both films played separately in last year's United Artists retro at the Forum, now they play together. First, Never On Sunday. Dassin cast himself as an American scholar who falls in love with a free spirited hooker, played by his future wife, Melina Mercouri. There's more, including a partial Pygmallion subplot, but since I haven't seen the film, I'll try to neither play spoiler (despite being an almost 50 year old flick), nor inaccurate screw-up. Nominations for Mercouri for Actress, Costume Design and Dassin for Director and Screenplay, an Oscar for Song. Not bad in the year of West Side Story, The Apartment and Psycho.

Next, Topkapi, from the recently deceased Jules Dassin. Raffi may his best film, and probably the best heist film ever made. Sorry that I'm not posting it now. I've seen it twice on the big screen already, but it plays on Fri April 3 and Sat April 4 at the Forum if you want. But Topkapi, this comedy/thriller deserves some love. Mercouri stars in another film directed by her now husband Dassin. She pulls in a group of jewel thieves, including Maximillian Schell and Robert Morely, for a heist. A small timer (and possible idiot), played by Peter Ustinov spies on them. The complications rise, the police apply more pressure, and this little idiot actually thinks he's controlling the situation. Featuring a heist scene that De Palma would expertly copy (I mean do a homage to) in the first Mission: Impossible film. In fact this film inspired the original series. Great location shooting, and an Oscar for Ustinov for Supporting Actor.

Let me know if there's interest. Needs to be ASAP, since all of these films are between the 2nd and the 5th. For the second half, among the options, is a Mike Nichols retrospective at MOMA, and more Melville at the Forum. Later all.

March revivals: second half

Hey, all. Mike here with what to catch for the second half of March. Let's not waste time. Here we go:

Z- Thurs Mar 19, Sat Mar 21, Wed Mar 25 and Thurs Mar 26 at 7 and 9:30- Film Forum- A new 35mm print. One of the best films of 1969, and considering that year produced Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Army of Shadows, that's saying something. From director Costa Gavras, who has tackled controversial subjects through the filter of a thriller throughout his career, but rarely ignores the chase or the sugar, so that the medicine goes down better. Z has been so good, that the rest of his films, including the well done Missing, pale in comparison.

Here, we have a drama-thriller, shot in the style of a documentary, as the accidental killing of a rising politician, turns out not to be accidental. Oscars for Foreign Language Film and Editing. Nominations for Picture, Director and Screenplay Adaptation. Won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes Unanimously, as well as Best Actor for Jean-Louis Trintignant (The Conformist, 3 Colors: Red). There is more about the film, but I'm afraid I'll have to cut and paste from the Forum's website:

(1969) Police general Pierre Dux (later head of the Comédie Française) lectures sunglassed-indoors cohorts on ideological mildew — “isms” — now “infecting” society; then, as Mikis Theodorakis’ music throbs, Dux’s helmeted and truncheon ed police studiously look elsewhere as a raging, chanting mob fills the city square awaiting the emergence of charismatic deputy Yves Montand from his SRO ban-the-bomb address — but what are those two punks doing careening in on that three-wheeled kamikaze? “Just an accident” exhales legal honcho François Périer as he leaves it to tinted-eye glassed magistrate Jean-Louis Trintignant (Best Actor, Cannes) to wrap things up nicely. But the crowds are painting big white Z’s in the street... Too much of a hot potato for French producers, Greek expat Costa-Gavras’s adaptation of Vassili Vassilikos’s novel of the real-life Lambrakos case was skillfully filmed on a shoestring in Algeria (doubling for Greece), and utilizing a pulsating score pieced together from previous Theodorakis works (with the composer’s blessing: he was under house arrest in Greece) and an incredible cast including Renato Salvatori (Rocco and his Brothers) and Marcel Bozzuffi (soon to be the shot-in-the-back poster boy for The French Connection) as the two punks; and the iconic Irene Papas, the only actual Greek in the cast, who’s told “He’s gone” by New Wave camera legend Raoul Coutard, cameoing in a break from his breakneck documentary-style shooting. All of which, combined with Costa-Gavras’ bullet-quick editing, gave Z an immediacy, authenticity, and excitement, that, along with perfect timing — premiering so soon after the right-wing colonels’ takeover in Greece — made it a worldwide smash and the winner of both the Cannes Jury Prize (awarded unanimously) and the Best Foreign Film Oscar (it was the official entry from Algeria).

THE OTHER- Thurs Mar 19 at 9:10- the Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- Part of the Robert Mulligan retrospective. This was scheduled before his recent death, to show there was more to this underrated director's career than just To Kill A Mockingbird. A 1972 horror/mystery from the novel by Tom Tyron, who adapted it for the screen himself. Sneaks up on an audience.

Lonely twin brothers on a farm play a "Game" their grandmother taught them. What that game is and why there are sudden "accidents" around the boys, I don't dare spoil. You might recognize some of the adult actors, like Star Trek's Diana Muldaur, Little House/ Highway To Heaven's Victor French and a young John Ritter. But the memorable adult actor is famed acting teacher Uta Hagen as the grandmother. Let's just say a definite impression is made by her. Also notable here, just like in some of Mulligan's other work, are strong acting work from child actors will the burden of having to carry most if not all of the picture. Martin and Chris Udvarnoky are the creepy twins. They never acted in another film after this, as opposed to the child actor from this film . . .

THE MAN IN THE MOON- Sat Mar 21 at 4:30 and Tues Mar 24 at 9- Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- Part of the Robert Mulligan retro. "Ordinarily they say that cliché, a 'coming-of-age movie,' and I reject that term. I think it's 'coming to life…when you become aware that sooner or later you're going to have to walk out the front door.”—Robert Mulligan. A quiet story set down South in the summer of 57. A 14 year old girl comes to age, experiencing first love with the new neighbor, a 17 year old boy. Then experiences first jealousy, when her 17 year old sister falls in love with him. Not a hit in its day, but I don't know anyone who hasn't seen that hasn't liked it.

Sam Waterston was the best known actor at the time; years before Law And Order, but he was playing the type of gentle Southern father he would begin to perfect later on in TV's I'll Fly Away. But the film is best known as the launching pad for Reese Witherspoon as the young girl. Not playing a type, but playing a kid, we feel and empathize with every new experience she encounters. Even when she comes off bratty or petulant, we don't hate her for it, and it doesn't feel contrived, it just is. I know grammatically, that last sentence doesn't make the sense kind of sense as opposed to hearing it aloud. In other words, you don't see the seams in Reese's performance. A pleasant surprise from any actor, stunning when you consider a fourteen year old, in her first film (with only a few commercials to her credit at best), pulling off this kind of work. No surprise that she would become a leading actress, even if she did have to slog through films like S.F.W. and Overnight Delivery to get there. Just another notch in the belt of director Mulligan, who pulled out strong work from child actors, going back to at least To Kill A Mockingbird.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD- Wed Mar 25 at 6:15- Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- And speaking of which, the film mentioned in the first sentence of the obituaries of both director Mulligan and Gregory Peck. Their careers were defined, especially Mulligan's, by this gentle story of childhood and race. Usually considered one of the best novel to screen adaptations ever made. Right up there with Twilight. Wow, I hate myself for writing that sentence.

On both AFI Top 100 lists. Oscar nominations for Picture, Mulligan for Director (understandable since it lost both categories to Lawrence of Arabia), Mary Badham for Supporting Actress (forever known as Scout; another example of a quality child performance in a Mulligan film), Cinematography and Score. Oscars for Gregory Peck for Actor ( over Peter O'Toole for Lawrence? Considering he was nominated 4 times before he then, I suppose this was one part career achievement award for Peck), Art Direction, and Screenplay Adaptation for Horton Foote. Most of us are pretty familiar with this on TV, but I'm pretty sure anyone looking at these lists on a regular basis has never seen it on the big screen. Here's a chance to change that.

NIGHT AND THE CITY- Fri Mar 27 at 7:50 and 9:50- Film Forum- The start of the Jules Dassin retrospective. Some of you have seen his best film, Riffi. This film, Night and the City is consider a noir classic. Con man Richard Widmark tries to keep from getting killed by gangster Herbert Lom, with the aid of girlfriend Gene Tierney (Laura) in London. Why are gangsters after him? Because this little man has con schemes that are to big for him to pull off, and he deludes himself into thinking he can get out of any jam. The crappy 1992 remake with De Niro and Jessica Lange has been long forgotten, but this one is still remembered. And as one of my last potential films to catch before my Film Forum membership expires (God knows when I'll be able to get around to its renewal), I want to catch this badly.

VIDEODRONE- Fri Mar 27 at Midnight- IFC Film Center- Part of a David Cronenberg at Midnight retrospective. One of the few studio films from director David Cronenberg. James Woods stars as a sleazy cable tv programmer, who gets hooked to Videodrome, an S and M, snuff-ish film show, that tends to distort things, physically and mentally, for the viewer. If you don't know this, I won't spoil it much more, except this is NOT for the physically or emotionally squeamish. Cronenberg's statement on overdosing on the varying visual media, and trashy TV (sounds timely, doesn't it?). Featuring a quite sensuous Debbie Harry.

Major emphasis on Z. Anything else I can see is a bonus. Let me know. Later all.

March revivals: first half

Mike here with what to catch for the first half of march. I hate that I have to cut and paste more then usual, but for the most part, I'm dealing with films I'm not familiar with. So bear with me, here we go:

LAWYER MAN and BLONDE CRAZY- Tues Mar 3 at 6:50 (Lawyer) and 8:30 (Blonde)- Film Forum- More films from the Depression-era retrospective. Don't know them, but they look interesting. Lawyer Man, only because after seeing William Powell in My Man Godfrey, I'd like to catch him in something else that's not Life With Father, Mister Roberts, or one of the Thin Man films. Those I know. But Blonde Crazy, a pre-Code film starring James Cagney just starting out in this comedy/drama/ caper flick sounds VERY intriguing. And both films are under eighty minutes! For the rest, I'll cut and paste from the Forum's website:

(1932, William Dieterle) Fast-talking William Powell, with ever-loyal secretary Joan Blondell in tow, moves from schlmiely Second Ave. mouthpiece to natty Park Ave. assistant D.A. Approx. 72 min.

“A fast-paced, snappy little melodrama. Its active libido is resolutely Pre-Code.” – William K. Everson

(1931, Roy Del Ruth) Hustling bellboy James Cagney moves from gin procurement to the shakedown racket, aided and abetted by Joan Blondell ("The most alluring chambermaid you've ever seen." - Time Out New York). Approx. 79 min.

Cagney demonstrates particular genius for quick witted, fancy-footed, no nonsense characters.”– Bruce Bennett, Stop Smiling“A chipper, hard-boiled, amusing essay in petty thieving.” – TIME (1931)

CUTTER'S WAY- Fri Mar 6 for free (subject to availability) at 8, introduced by director Ivan Passer- MOMA- Also known as Cutter and Bone. A forgotten film from 1981. One of the last of the 70s style character study films made by Unitd Artists, before Heaven's Gate's failure had the company sold to MGM. Kind of similar to Jeff Bridges' later film The Big Lebowski, but not played for laughs. A character study of two friends who are Vietnam vets, back in a day before Magnum P.I. became a megahit, and before the release of First Blood; when a Vietnam vet was usually depicted either as a deranged killer, or a damaged avenger.

Bridges plays the cynical part time gigolo, who tries to care for his junkie depressed wife, but beyond sex and drugs, can't give her any real intimacy. But he's stable next to John Heard's Bone, in one of the better performances you've probably never seen. This one armed, one eyed drunk with a bad leg, can rail against anybody and anyone, but then plays the cripple card when someone has enough of his shit. So this very un-PC character represents at times, the films post-Watergate anger and distrust of authority. The film twists into a modern noir, when Bridges' Cutter sees a young girl murdered, the murder is connected to someone powerful, and Heard's Bone finds a way to let's say, channel his aggression.

United Artists decided to change it's distribution pattern, after the film got good reviews and something of an audience, PULLED it from release, and re-released only in art house theaters. It helped the film make a profit, but over time, it buried the film, making its recent DVD release almost like opening a time capsule. Of the people who look at, or might consider looking at this list, only 1-3 might have even heard of this film, never mind have seen it. For the rest of you, it's time to rediscover it.

The film will be introduced by its director. It is also playing on a Friday, when the screenings are for free. Tickets will be released sometime after 4:30. This may require some planning.

THE FLY (1986)- Fri Mar 6 and Sat Mar 7 at Midnight- IFC Film Center- Part of a midnight screening retrospective of David Cronenberg films. Cronenberg's only big career hit, the surprise hit of the summer of 86, and one of the best films of that year. At that time, despite the praise, saying something like that was considered surprising, daring, or greeted with a "oh, please". History says differently, if you can get by the Oscar winning, and at times disgusting, makeup effects.

But underneath the horror film aesthetic, is a well done tragic love story, where the love suffers terminal problems, when one of them suffers a crippling disease or addiction. This kind of story, as Cronenberg knows well, has universal appeal. Instead of say, AIDS or drug addiction, you have Jeff Goldblum transforming into a man-sized insect. Though his physical deteritation and changing behavior does mimic disease and addiction. With Geena Davis, at her most beautiful, turning in her best performance.

LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN- Tues Mar 10- Thurs Mar 12 at 7:40 and 9:50- Film Forum- A new 35mm restoration.Heard of the film, don't know much about it, but it looks interesting. A little over the top and melodramatic, but interesting. An Oscar for its early color Cinematography, nominations for Actress Gene Tierney, and Art Direction. After that, I don't know much else, so once again, I'll cut and paste from the Forum's website:

(1945) Always elegantly coiffed Gene Tierney (in Oscar-nominated role and fresh from her starring role in Preminger’s Laura) and best-selling author Cornel Wilde meet cute — she’s reading his latest book — in a super-luxurious railroad car lounge and, despite her engagement ring, it’s instant attraction. And next thing Wilde knows, he’s on horseback watching as she strews her father’s ashes on a New Mexico mountaintop — as Alfred Newman’s score thunders — and suddenly, he’s the new fiancé of someone with a very possessive passion. Big Mistake? A drowning coldly watched from behind the screen’s most menacing pair of sunglasses, a miscarriage via intentional staircase fall, a death by poison, and a murder trial with a very surprising defendant getting hammered by relentless DA/spurned lover Vincent Price ensue, amid splendiferous settings, all viewed via sumptuous, Oscar-winning photography by Fox Technicolor specialist Leon Shamroy. Screenplay by Jo Swerling (Man’s Castle and other Depression films), with a colorful cast including Jeanne Crain, Ray Collins (Citizen Kane, Perry Mason), and Darryl Hickman. 110 min.

Let me know if there's interest. Later all.