Revivals: holiday season edition

Hey all. Mike here with some revivals for the rest of the holiday season. For my purposes, the holiday season will run thru Jan 3rd, to get  a few stray films that play beyond New Year's Day. Also, because of the volume of revivals I have here, I'm splitting the revivals into two sections, those that are not playing at Lincoln Center, and those films that are. The later group of films are part of the Center's 70mm retrospective, which I'll get into in a little bit. To say most of these films conflict with one another is a massive understatement. I'll just let you all decide, because you can't make a bad choice here. You can take risks, or pick films that are weaker than others, but no bad choices on this list. Here we go, starting with the non-Lincoln Center group of revivals: 

MONSTERS, INC in 3-D- At a theater near you, locations and times TBA- A reminder The Pixar classic gets a re-release, in a newly converted 3-D format. One part stab for money, and one part promotion for Pixar's upcoming prequel, Monsters University, starring the voice of leads from the prior film, Billy Crystal and John Goodman. Re-release success for Disney have been spotty. Granted the costs for 3-D conversion and promotion (plus whatever hidden costs/ profit sharing that we the Public are unaware of), won't cut into the profit line to these films' re-release. But after the spotty business of the re-releases of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the first two Toy Story flicks, many were stunned with the success of The Lion King, and then surprised that both Beauty & the Beast and Finding Nemo failed to measure up in terms of business, 3-D conversion and pop culture love. And jammed in there between The Hobbit and 6 other studio releases, Monsters Inc may suffer a similar fate. Being the only release for kids during the month of December might help it, who knows.

That said, this was my favorite Pixar until Wall-E, Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles (in my order of preference) came along. Yes, I liked the first two Toy Story flicks and A Bug's Life is alright; not my favorite but I certainly like it more than any Pixar with Cars in the title. Monsters, Inc had action about as good as the last section of Toy Story. But maybe the combination of the fantastical world inhabited by non-human creatures, earned sentiment, humor that almost ventured into Borscht Belt territory, and the most perfect casting of vocal leads in Crystal and Goodman (Incredibles comes close), maybe all of this suits my personal tastes more. Enough that I want to make an effort to catch this. Though with a lot of major releases flooding the marketplace, if a lot of people don't come out for this re-release, watch Monsters Inc get chucked out of most 3-D screens in favor of Texas Chainsaw 3-D on January 4th. I kid you not, that's probably what will happen. So basically, you have 16 days and everyday afterwards is borrowed time.  

MEET ME IN ST LOUIS for $7.50- Thurs Dec 20 at 7 and 9:30- Chelsea Clearview Cinema- First, Meet Me in St. Louis, with possibly the only happy family ever depicted on film. Second happiest if you count Leatherface's family from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, we see a family enjoying their last days of togetherness, before a potential move to New York. Your choice if you want to see at 7(with a Hedda Lettuce intro) or at 9:30 (without Hedda). 

Yes, the film is a color feast for the eye. But this film should be considered the best showcase of Judy Garland's talents. Is it her best performance? Probably not. That would be the last film on this list. Her most memorable performance? No, that would be the next film on the list. But for the full package, catch Judy here. With The Maltese Falcon's Mary Astor as the loving mother, Margaret O'Brien as the scene stealing kid sister, and Leon Ames as the epitome of the loving patriarch.

4 Nominations for Meet Me: for Screenplay (based on the stories written by Sally Benson about her and her family), Score, Color Cinematography (It lost to a film about Woodrow Wilson?!?!? A film that is only seen by 10 people a year on Fox Movie Channel), and for Song (The Trolley Song- "Clang Clang Clang Went The Trolley . . .". Shot in one take!) Also featuring the holiday favorite "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". But this film should be considered the best showcase of Judy Garland's talents. Is it her best performance? Probably not.  Her most memorable performance? No, that would be Oz. But for the full package, catch Judy here. With The Maltese Falcon's Mary Astor as the loving mother, Margaret O'Brien as the scene stealing kid sister, and Leon Ames as the epitome of the loving patriarch. 4 Nominations for Meet Me: for Screenplay (based on the stories written by Sally Benson about her and her family), Score, Color Cinematography (It lost to a film about Woodrow Wilson?!?!? A film that is only seen by 10 people a year on Fox Movie Channel), and for Song (The Trolley Song- "Clang Clang Clang Went The Trolley . . .". Shot in one take!) Also featuring the holiday favorite "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

http://www.clearviewcinemas.com/classics-chelsea.asp

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD- Fri Dec 21 and Sat Dec 22 at 1 4 and 7, Sun Dec 23 at 7, Mon Dec 24 at 1, and Wed Dec 26 and Thurs Dec 27 at 1 4 and 7- Film Forum- The only film from the Forum's Douglas Fairbanks retrospective that I had any chance of seeing. A restored DCP screening of the silent film classic. See Fairbanks swashbuckle his way to win the heart of a beautiful princess, and battle monsters and an evil Mongol with the aid of a flying horse and a magic carpet. The first, or at least among the first, of the fantasy/adventure blockbusters, restored and incorporating color tints from the original prints, and Carl Davis' epic score newly re-recorded by London's Philharmonia Orcehstra:

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/the_thief_of_bagdad

DJANGO- Fri Dec 21, Wed Dec 26 and Thurs Dec 27 at 10- Film Forum- A DCP release of the Spaghetti Western classic from 1966, re-released to coincide with Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. The film that inspired many copies and inspirations (including Tarantino's), had one official sequel, and made Franco Nero a star everywhere (except here I guess). Somewhat similar to A Fistful of Dollars, where you have two sides fighting with each other and our (anti)hero in the middle, and said (anti)hero is trying to financially profit off of this. A little more romantic in the sense that Django has a woman by his side. But this was considered one of the more violent Westerns pre-Wild Bunch, a reputation it has taken decades to put aside. Plays for one week only at 10PM, which is either inconvenient or EXTREMELY convenient, depending on your point of view. I'm only listing the days I could possibly make, because there's no way I'm coming out to see this on either Christmas Eve or Day. But before or after, let's go for it:

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/django1

NINOTCHKA- Fri Dec 28 at 5:20, 7:30 and 9:40, Sat Dec 29 at 7:30 and 9:40, Tues Jan 1 & Wed Jan 2 at 7:30 and 9:40- Film Forum- A new 35mm print of the Ernest Lubitsch comedy classic, where Greta Garbo plays a stern commie woman, who falls for decadent capitalist Melvyn Douglas. With Bela Lugosi. Oscar nominations for Picture, Garbo, Story and Screenplay, co-written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett.

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/ninotchka

CHINATOWN for a 7 dollar bar minimum- Fri Dec 28 at 9:30- Rubin Museum of Art- A cheap screening of the 1974 classic. Part of a series of films picked on the idea that happiness is raised after going the catharsis of watching a film with a sad/bleak ending. And boy does this film qualify. If you get to the Rubin Museum by 6, the museum will be free. The screening will be hosted by professor/screenwriter/blogger Valerie Franco.

Chinatown, the last of the great film-noirs. Ok, it's more of a modern or neo-noir. While there would be some very good to excellent modern noirs afterwards (L.A. Confidential, Blue Velvet and Fargo chief among them), none would go the dark paths Roman Polanski's film would travel, not even Lynch's film.  Based on events from the California Water Wars of the 1930s, Jack Nicholson's private eye (the role that made him a star forever) is hired by Faye Dunaway to spy on her husband. But nothing is as it seems, and if you don't know the film, I won't spoil it for you here. One of the great period films, one of the great mysteries, and if wasn't for Paramount's own Godfather Part 2, it might have been the best film from that year. An Oscar for Robert Towne's Screenplay; 10 other nominations including Picture, Polanski for Director (who also turns in a memorable performance as a thug), Nicholson for Actor, and Dunaway for Actress. Sorry there was no room for John Huston for Supporting Actor, but boy does he make a memorably repellent villain. On both AFI Top 100 films and in my personal top 100. 

http://www.rmanyc.org/events/load/1897

MEDEA (1969)- Sat Dec 29 at 6- MOMA- The only film I'm posting from MOMA's Pier Paolo Pasolini retrospective. Partly out of time, and partly because the only other film I could make is Salo. I've seen that once, not again. Google it to learn more, but for the love of God, be careful, because there are plenty of NSFW images. Now Pasolini himself was a bigger deal in Europe than he ever was here. But he made his impact here, at least on the arthouse circuit, back in the 60s thru the mid 70s. But he was a challenging director to put it mildly, and his films are generally not the kind you pull up on Netflix for casual viewing. His version of Medea qualifies.

The story of Medea and Jason is re-told here, but not in the way Euripides did. More of a comparison between Medea's "primitive" world and Jason's "civilized" world; where Medea gave up so much to bring herself and the Golden Fleece to Jason and his world, and her revenge when betrayed is brutal. But expect no golden chariots here. Expect a mostly wordless film, relying on cinematography (locations as close to the original story as the filmmakers could get) and an offbeat, non-traditional score to tell the story. Mostly non-actors filing the roles, but take note of Maria Callas in her only film role, as the mute title character. I've never seen it, but the screencaps and youtube videos have made me very curious. Only for the adventurous: 

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/16851

ALL ABOUT EVE for 7.50- Thurs Jan 3 at 7 and 9:30- Chelsea Clearview Cinemas- A cheap screening All About Eve, one of the few films to be on both AFI Top 100 lists, and in my own personal top 35. There are a few of you out there who have yet to experience this on the big screen, and until you do, I'll keep posting this and pushing it. The acclaimed bitch fest starring Bette Davis that beat Sunset Blvd. for Best Picture. A life in the theater (soft of) kind of film with terrific performances and some of the bitchiest dialogue known to man. I mean, my God, more acid drips out of say, Bette Davis's and George Sanders's tongue, than from the creatures in Aliens. 14 Oscar nominations, 6 Oscars, including for Picture, Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Sanders for Supporting Actor and for the Screenplay. Most nominations in Oscar history, Titanic could only tie it. Your choice of screenings; either the 7PM screening with an intro from Hedda Lettuce (unknown if they'll be a running commentary), or the 9:30 screening without Hedda:

http://www.clearviewcinemas.com/classics-chelsea.asp

And now for the films playing at Lincoln Center this holiday season:

SEE IT IN 70MM!- the Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- Fri Dec 21- Tues Jan 1- After the success of such revival screenings as Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra and Hello, Dolly!, as well as renewed interest in the format thanks to P.T. Anderson's The Master, Lincoln Center will screen this special retrospective. While the format has been around since the creation of film itself, it wasn't until the mid-1950s when this became popular for event movies. Consider 70mm as the grandfather of IMAX, which also makes use of 70mm film cameras by the way (the films not shot digitally that is). If you've been to the Ziegfeld, the late Loews Astor Plaza or the Paris theater in Manhattan, then you know what the format looks like. But unless you saw The Master at the Ziegfeld this past fall, you probably haven't seen a 70mm film, especially if you're under the age of 21.

Popularity waned in the 1970s, and the format wasn't used for a while, except horizontally in IMAX cameras. By the time I read how the original 70mm print of Star Trek: The Motion Picture was chopped up and pieces were individually sold, I figured the format was as dead as the Betamax. But directors like Anderson and Martin Scorsese still champion the format, and curiosity and changing technologies has fueled renewed interest 70mm. Much like IMAX, 70mm was reserved for event films, and some of those very event films will be screened at the Walter Reade. I've posted a couple of these films on this blog over the years. But most of these films haven't been screened since the early 80s.

Each film costs 13 dollars, but you can arrange to see two films for 20 dollars. Tickets can be bought either at the Walter Reade box office, or on any of the links posted here by the titles. Some of the films are restored 70mm prints, while others are archival prints, I'll let you know which are which. I'll list the films I want to catch in calender order. Not grammatically correct perhaps, but I don't care right now. Here we go, below a link to an intro to the retrospective itself:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/series/see-it-in-70mm

Friday, December 21:

2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY introduced by Keir Dullea at 6:30- My favorite Kubrick film, in my personal Top 3 films, kicks off the retrospective. Yes I know I posted it before. I've posted it now, and I'll probably post it again, so there. Maybe it isn't being screened in its original Cinerama, but the Walter Reade is pretty close. There will be an Overture, Intermission music, and at least 7-8 minutes of exit music. Not sure if there will be an intermission, but there might be. This screening will be introduced by the film's lead, Keir Dullea. I'm not sure if he will explain the film, but he will introduce it:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/2001-a-space-odyssey

Saturday December 22: 

IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD- Sat Dec 22 at 2- A new 70mm print of one of the biggest hits of 1963. We're getting the 2 hour, 34 minute version that's normally available, as opposed to longer edits that were either on laserdisc, or the original director's cuts that were over 3 hours long. We're getting the overture and intermission music, not sure if we're getting an actual intermission. Around the World in 80 Days might have started the craze of all-star casts in epic comedies, but Mad World seems to be the only one to have survived the test of time in a positive way. It doesn't rely on a retrospective of Oscar winning films like 80 Days in order to be screened, though this was nominated for 6 Oscars (including the Cinerama-style Cinematography, Editing and it's Music), winning for Sound Effects.

Spencer Tracy leads an all-star cast, as a Police Captain ready to solve the fifteen year-old case of a robbery of $350,000. When 5 cars of motorists discover the dying robber (Jimmy Durante), he gives them barely coherent clues to the location of the loot. The motorists' greed overtakes them as they go off to find the loot. Each way more disastrous and destructive than the other, with the police in full observational mode. Not everything works, with a film this long that takes a sledgehammer approach to comedy at times. But some scenes still shine, especially for me the desert fight between two men (Milton Berle and Terry-Thomas) who can't fight. And anything Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, Dick Shawn, Peter Falk or Tracy do puts a smile on my face. I could do a separate post just on the cast and its tens of cameos alone. But suffice to say, I recommend it: 

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world 

PLAYTIME- Sat Dec 22 at 5:30- From 1967, a restored 70mm print. A French comedy directed, co-written by, and starring Jacques Tati, as his famous M. Hulot character. If you saw the Oscar nominee, The Illusionist, based on an unproduced screenplay of Tati's, then you are familiar with the character. Imagine the klutzy M. Hulot needing to get some paperwork from Paris. M. Hulot goes from his country town to some place not completely resembling Paris. Not just any Paris, not just any metropolis, but to an actual Metropolis. As in a place similar to the city from Fritz Lang's Metropolis, but with enough alienation and little use for individuality, that Tom Stoppard and/or Terry Gilliam had to know this film when making Brazil. A mega-flop in its day, but with ever growing appreciation for it as the years have gone by. When I first posted this back in November 2011, I thought the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria would be the only place to screen this 70mm restoration. Good to know I was wrong:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/playtime 

Sunday December 23:

THE SOUND OF MUSIC- Sun Dec 23 at 7:45- A restored 70mm print. Some of you may be surprised I'm posting this, but someone expressed interest in seeing this on the big screen, and I'm calling her bluff. Besides, it's been 4 1/2 years since I saw this at the Ziegfeld with over one hundred Sound of Music fanatics, I think it's safe now to catch it again. Seeing it on the big screen, what with the Cinematography, the performances that go from large to intimate, all of this alongside the music, I get it. On the big screen (and only on the big screen, not TV), I get why it's loved. I finally get it. Now I may have to step out if the saccharine level gets too high (for me, it was the Marionette scene), but don't worry, I'm there to the end. And seeing it in a full 70mm format, restored like Fox's Hello,Dolly! was this summer, what with it's overture and intermission music, it will probably be an improvement over the print I saw at the Ziegfeld in 08. And to repeat, I'm calling someones bluff:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/the-sound-of-music1

Monday December 24:

2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY at 2- If you can't do the Friday night screening, or can't get in due to the possibility of it selling out, there's a Christmas Eve afternoon screening. Gets you out in plenty of time to see the city holiday sights, attend some kind of Christmas Eve dinner/party, Midnight Mass, whatever else you have planned.

Wednesday December 26:

WEST SIDE STORY at 3- The other revival from this retrospective that's in my personal Top 100. Sorry if this isn't at an easier time. But I'm not dragging myself in on the night of Christmas Day for a revival I've done twice. But I'm not leaving this off the list altogether, because seeing West Side Story on the big screen as opposed to TV (no matter how large the screen), is the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it (to quote comedian Larry Miller). So, here it is:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/west-side-story

LORD JIM at 6:30- The second and most recent (from 1965) adaptation of the Joseph Conrad novel. From director Richard Brooks (after Sweet Bird of Youth but before In Cold Blood) and starring Peter O'Toole (post Lawrence and Beckett) in the title role. Jim is a sailor at the turn of the 20th Century, with the need to overcome a cowardly error in judgement that haunts him forever, and a sense of honor that would crush other mortals. It may yet crush him when surrounded by men of no honor, as he battles both a gun-running General (Eli Wallach) and a pirate (James Mason). Reviews at the time crushed both the picture and O'Toole's performance, and Lord Jim bombed at the box office. Time hasn't so much been kind to Lord Jim as ignored it, but O'Toole's performance has received more respect. Never seen it and I'm curious:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/lord-jim

Thursday December 27:

PLAYTIME at 3- Another chance to catch Jacques Tati's comedy, in case you can't do Saturday the 22nd.

HAMLET (1996) at 6:30- Kenneth Branagh's rarely screened, unabridged version of the great Shakespearean play, plays only on the 27th. Set in the Victorian era, with a little less insanity on Hamlet's part (played by Branagh), and a little more political intrigue when compared with other adaptations. Julie Christie (Gertrude), Derek Jacobi (Claudius) and Kate Winslet (Ophelia) are among those in the major roles; Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Jack Lemmon, Gerard Depardieu, Richard Attenborough, Charleton Heston, Judi Dench, John Mills and John Gielgud (in his last performance) take up some of the smaller roles. Respectable reviews, but a flop at the box office. It wasn't easy for Columbia Pictures to find enough theaters that could handle 70mm films, and a 4 hour 2 minute film at that. Lack of Oscars didn't help; 4 nominations with the only major nomination being Branagh's Screenplay Adaptation, and zero wins. A major time commitment, but a good film none the less:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/hamlet1

Friday December 28:

IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD at 6- A second chance to catch this film, in case Saturday the 22nd isn't doable.

Saturday December 29:

RYAN'S DAUGHTER- Sat Dec 29 at 1:45- A rare screening of a rare David Lean flop. An archival print from the Swedish Film Archive; this is in English but there will be Swedish subtitles throughout. Its reputation differs from different people, assuming you know anyone other than me who's even heard of this. Set in World War 1 in a small Irish town, a bored married Irish woman has an affair with a young English officer, recovering from shell shock. This type of adulterous affair with revolution about to begin, you know something bad will go down. With Sarah Miles in the title role, and actors like Trevor Howard and Leo McKern (Rumpole himself) also in the cast.

Released in 1970, this was not embraced in the era of MASH and Easy Rider. It seemed as though critics like Pauline Kael made it their mission in life to destroy the film and Lean as well. They succeeded in the former and might have succeeded in the later, since Lean worked very little after that, only completing A Passage To India. I tried to get into on TV, but like Dr. Zhivago, it was difficult to get through on the small screen. I didn't feel Robert Mitchum was miscast as the uptight, quiet husband. He was stretching himself and he did fine.

But I can't help you with the bigger questions. Is this too damn slow and old-fashioned? Is this an undiscovered gem, unjustly attacked? A noble failure that is not as bad as 1970 critics said, but not deserving of higher praise? We will have to see for ourselves. A 1980 re-release didn't change matters. Miscasting of the young British officer doesn't help- he had to be dubbed. Recently it's received a reappraisal in Australia, playing in one of its larger houses for 2 years. But that's the only country where this film's fortunes have changed.

4 Oscar nominations, including Sarah Miles for Actress. I'm sorry we don't see much from her on these shores anymore. 2 Oscars, for Cinematography and Supporting Actor for John Mills, who played the village idiot. He's usually sighted as one of the first bits of proof, that the best way to at least get an Oscar nomination, is to play some of retardation. Not entirely accurate, but it's hard to fight a growing myth.

This is the only day and time this plays. Over three hours, plus an overture, intermission, and exit music, so plan ahead before you say yes:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/ryans-daughter

MY FAIR LADY- Sat Dec 29 at 5:45- A restored 70mm print. Another film who, like with Sound of Music, I'm calling someones bluff. I must be crazy to consider seeing this and Ryan's Daughter on the same day, but go figure. Yes, there are some of you who see this on the list and just keep looking. And this is one of those films that is used as bad examples for what won Best Picture. Forest Gump instead of Pulp Fiction, Dances With Wolves instead of Goodfellas, and My Fair Lady instead of Dr. Strangelove. But as great as both Strangelove and Peter Sellers' performance is, it didn't have a chance in hell against one of the more looked forward-to musicals in that era, plus Harrison's signature performance as Henry Higgins. Throw in Audrey Hepburn and the fact that this is a well made picture, just live with it film buffs.

Not the last great movie musical, but after both this and A Hard Day's Night from 1964, it was a long way away for greatness in this genre until Cabaret in 1972 (sorry Oliver! fans.) 12 Oscar nominations, 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Harrison, and Director George Cukor. On the original AFI Top 100 list, dropped from the second list in favor of Sophie's Choice. No, I don't get that either:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/my-fair-lady1

TRON- Sat Dec 29 at 9:15- A 30th anniversary screening. Rare not only because one will can see Tron in 70mm form, but also because this is NOT a Midnight screening. Now here's some 80s throwback fun. The 1982 Disney film that was a disappointment at the box office, but has a cult following so strong, we ended up with Tron:Legacy. This is literally the kind of film that gets screened either at 11AM or Noon for families, or Midnight, rarely any in-between. A lot of hype for the film, but the video game was/is a bigger hit. But it is fun, and for its time, it's look was a singular standout.

The story, eh, whatever. Jeff Bridges had his game designs stole, and gets sucked into whatever early-80s-form-of-the-internet world by the evil MCP (Master Control Program) He gets all Spartacus, freeing a few other programs (including the title character/program), and works on a rebellion against the MCP and his henchman (a wonderfully evil David Warner).

Oscar nominations for Costume Design and Sound, but not for Visual Effects, because the Academy said using computers to create visual effects was "cheating". I kid you not. But the look of the computer world, which was shot in black and white then colorized either via rotoscope or early photo-shopping techniques, alongside disc fights and light cycle scenes, are the most fun elements that still hold up. It's also fun to see a lot of The Dude in Jeff Bridges' character. And frankly, sometimes you don't need that much more for a decent movie.

Due to time constraints only 2 of these 3 films, Tron, Ryan's Daughter and My Fair Lady, can be seen at a moderate price. 1 film has a 13 dollar admission, but 2 films in the series are 20 dollars. I can do 2, I think, but three? Forget it:

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/tron

Sunday, December 30

TRON at 2- Now after all I said in the last paragraph, there's also a 2pm screening of Tron, for those who can't do Saturday night.

That's all for now. Long enough list, wouldn't you say? Later all, and Happy Festivus.

December revivals: pre-Christmas edition

Hey all. Mike here with some revivals for the month of December. Because there will be a glut of conflicting revival options from Christmas weekend thru a few days past New Year's Day, I'll have to split up the list a bit. Otherwise, I might spend everyday  this week and this weekend, writing up a different post. No thank you, this particular list is good enough. Here we go, starting with a repeat from the last list:

REAR WINDOW introduced by photographer Lena Herzog- Fri Dec 7 at 9:30 for a $7.00 bar minimum- My personal favorite Hitchcock, and in my top 25. Also the best film in Jimmy Stewart's career, with a knockout entrance from Grace Kelly that matches or tops anything done today. On both AFI Top 100 lists. This film, just like Casablanca, can be seen at the Rubin Museum for a minimum $7.00 bar tab. But as popular as this film is, I don't think this requires major planning like with Casablanca. Simply eat beforehand, check out the museum (it's free starting at 6), then go to the bar around 8:50 to make your drink purchases (1 beer or 2 sodas is the minimum that will work), and bring it down to the screening room. Simple and comfortable:

http://www.rmanyc.org/events/load/1894

Z- Fri Dec 14 at 1:30, 4, 7 and 9:30- Film Forum- Part of the Jean-Louis Trintignant retrospective. I've posted both days/nights and all times the film is being screened. I'm not saying I can do all of them, but I rather include all and play it safe.

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. While it should be out there somewhere on DVD, you should not throw away the opportunity to see a thriller that on the big screen, almost moves a t the speed of light. 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. Basically, the viewer sees how a dictatorship flourishes, recedes, yet finds a way to survive. Sometimes in mundane ways, sometimes with the sacrifice of a few key components, yet survives nevertheless. 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 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 from a few years back:

(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).

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/z

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE- Mon Dec 17- Thurs Dec 20 at 7 and 9:45- IFC Center- If you're not sick of this AFI Top 100 Christmas classic (to the post WW2-era people what A Christmas Story is today), it gets a rare weeklong screening for you to catch here. It's becoming a tradition for IFC Center to screen this, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to do this prior to now. This year maybe? In a 35mm print, no DVD projections here! Evenings only is the best I can do:

http://www.ifccenter.com/films/its-a-wonderful-life/

MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S- Mon Dec 17 at 9:30- Film Forum- Part of the Jean-Louis Trintignant retrospective. For me, Pauline at the Beach was a good gateway to writer/director's Eric Rohmer's work. But the film generally thought to be the best gateway option to Rohmer's work is this, My Night at Maud's. An art house hit, from 1969 though released in the U.S. in 1970.  Consider it more of a primer for My Dinner with Andre; lots of talk, but it's what makes the film go. Only add sexual tension with Maud's (no offense Wallace Shawn, you little minx you). Trintignant plays a devout Catholic engineer (therefore logical), who moves into a new little town, and instantly falls in love (lust?) with young Marie-Christine Barrault (Cousin Cousine, Stardust Memories). Yet he agrees to a visit to slighter older and divorced (Heavens No!) Maud. He's not interested in her, and yet they have a conversation that lasts a night. Intellectual foreplay perhaps? The film is mostly talk, but oh what talk. Oscar nominations for Rohmer's Screenplay, and Foreign Language Film, losing the later category to Z, which I find completely understandable. Still, worth catching: 

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/a_man_and_a_woman_and_my_night

MONSTERS, INC in 3-D- At a theater near you, locations and times TBA- The Pixar classic gets a re-release, in a newly converted 3-D format. One part stab for money, and one part promotion for Pixar's upcoming prequel, Monsters University, starring the voice of leads from the prior film, Billy Crystal and John Goodman. Re-release success for Disney have been spotty. Granted the costs for 3-D conversion and promotion (plus whatever hidden costs/ profit sharing that we the Public are unaware of), won't cut into the profit line to these films' re-release. But after the spotty business of the re-releases of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the first two Toy Story flicks, many were stunned with the success of The Lion King, and then surprised that both Beauty & the Beast and Finding Nemo failed to measure up in terms of business, 3-D conversion and pop culture love. And jammed in there between The Hobbit and 6 other studio releases, Monsters Inc may suffer a similar fate. Being the only release for kids during the month of December might help it, who knows.

That said, this was my favorite Pixar until Wall-E, Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles (in my order of preference) came along. Yes, I liked the first two Toy Story flicks and A Bug's Life is alright; not my favorite but I certainly like it more than any Pixar with Cars in the title. Monsters, Inc had action about as good as the last section of Toy Story. But maybe the combination of the fantastical world inhabited by non-human creatures, earned sentiment, humor that almost ventured into Borscht Belt territory, and the most perfect casting of vocal leads in Crystal and Goodman (Incredibles comes close), maybe all of this suits my personal tastes more. Enough that I want to make an effort to catch this. Though with a lot of major releases flooding the marketplace, if a lot of people don't come out for this re-release, watch Monsters Inc get chucked out of most 3-D screens in favor of Texas Chainsaw 3-D on January 4th. I kid you not, that's probably what will happen. So basically, you have 16 days and everyday afterwards is borrowed time.  

MEET ME IN ST LOUIS for $7.00- Thurs Dec 20 at 7 and 9:30- Chelsea Clearview Cinema- First, Meet Me in St. Louis, with possibly the only happy family ever depicted on film. Second happiest if you count Leatherface's family from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, we see a family enjoying their last days of togetherness, before a potential move to New York. Your choice if you want to see at 7(with a Hedda Lettuce intro) or at 9:30 (without Hedda). 

Yes, the film is a color feast for the eye. But this film should be considered the best showcase of Judy Garland's talents. Is it her best performance? Probably not. That would be the last film on this list. Her most memorable performance? No, that would be the next film on the list. But for the full package, catch Judy here. With The Maltese Falcon's Mary Astor as the loving mother, Margaret O'Brien as the scene stealing kid sister, and Leon Ames as the epitome of the loving patriarch.

4 Nominations for Meet Me: for Screenplay (based on the stories written by Sally Benson about her and her family), Score, Color Cinematography (It lost to a film about Woodrow Wilson?!?!? A film that is only seen by 10 people a year on Fox Movie Channel), and for Song (The Trolley Song- "Clang Clang Clang Went The Trolley . . .". Shot in one take!) Also featuring the holiday favorite "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". But this film should be considered the best showcase of Judy Garland's talents. Is it her best performance? Probably not.  Her most memorable performance? No, that would be Oz. But for the full package, catch Judy here. With The Maltese Falcon's Mary Astor as the loving mother, Margaret O'Brien as the scene stealing kid sister, and Leon Ames as the epitome of the loving patriarch. 4 Nominations for Meet Me: for Screenplay (based on the stories written by Sally Benson about her and her family), Score, Color Cinematography (It lost to a film about Woodrow Wilson?!?!? A film that is only seen by 10 people a year on Fox Movie Channel), and for Song (The Trolley Song- "Clang Clang Clang Went The Trolley . . .". Shot in one take!) Also featuring the holiday favorite "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

http://www.clearviewcinemas.com/classics-chelsea.asp

Let me know if there's interest. Later all, and Happy Hanukkah and Happy Festivus.

Revivals: Thanksgiving/ early December edition

Hey all. Mike here with one of my best revival lists in a while. 4 AFI Top 100 films, an important film in the history of Independent Film, 2 films that would be closer to classic status if they were better known, in this country at least. When the weakest film on this list is one of the best concert films of the 1980s, that's pretty darn good. No time to waste, here we go:

DR. STRANGELOVE-Wed Nov 21- Fri Nov 23 at 12:15AM- IFC Center- DCP screening of the restored 4k "print". It plays throughout Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm putting a heavy emphasis on catching it on Friday Nov 23rd. I figure the 21st might interfere with getting up for Thanksgiving Day events, and the screening on the 22nd might interfere with one carrying 5 pounds of turkey inside themselves. 

Now as for Dr. Strangelove, 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. Just the everyday story of an insane general, who sends out his bomber unit to attack Russia. 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. Though some of you may prefer George C. Scott's performance; forced out of his comfort zone by Kubrick to get progressively more over-the-top, and is funny as hell.

http://www.ifccenter.com/films/dr-strangelove-or-how-i-stopped-worrying-and-learned-to-love-the-bomb/

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA- Mon Nov 26, Tues Nov 27 and Thurs Nov 29 at 7- Film Forum- DCP. Essentially a lost classic of Sergio Leone's, the last film he directed. Robert De Niro and James Woods play friends who we see grow up to be gangsters, grow apart, and grow old with regret, especially De Niro's character. WE go back and forth from Prohibition and Great Depression eras, as well as the late 1960s. And not only do we have a story of regret, but when you think about, you have a story of "What are you willing to do for a friend? And at what cost to yourself?". A strong supporting cast: Elizabeth McGovern, Joe Pesci, Tuesday Weld, Danny Aiello, Treat Williams, Burt Young, The Mob Doctor's William Forsythe, and a young Jennifer Connelly in her feature film debut.

Leone was contracted to turn in a cut no longer then 2hrs. 45min. After shooting 10 hrs. of film, Leone would only (could only?) submit a slightly under 4hrs. cut. The American distributor, Warner Bros., took the film away, and cut about 95 min. for it and reedited the picture into chronological order (!!!), and threw it into theaters in June 1984. No surprise, critics destroyed it, the film tanked big time, and a crushed Leone never made another film. It wasn't until the European version that was only slightly shorter than Leone's submitted cut was released, first in Europe and then briefly in the U.S. in the fall of 84 followed by a home video release in1985, did the film get respect. Each year, more praise seems to get heaped on it, and it gets closer to classic status (if it hasn't reached that status already) 

The Forum is showing theEuropean cut, in a digital restoration done in part by Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation. There will be a 20 minute intermission. Considering it starts at 7:15, expect a long night. Hope one of you is interested in this:

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/sergio_leones_once_upon_a_time

CHUCK BERRY: HAIL! HAIL! ROCK AND ROLL- Mon Nov 26 at 7:30- MOMA- One  of the best concert films of the 1980s, from 1987. Taylor Hackford covers 2 concerts celebrating Berry's 60th birthday, with performers such as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Julian Lennon, and Joe Walsh performing with Chuck. Interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. You also spend time with Berry, when he wasn't trying to keep the cameras away from him every chance he could get. He comes off as angry, bitter (not without some justification) and not very happy. Except when he's onstage , yet even there, bitter life experiences seep through into his performance (in a good way). A good film

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/16635

CASABLANCA introduced by Sci-Fi writer Rachel Pollack- for a $7.00 bar minimum- Fri Nov 30 at 9:30- Rubin Museum of Art- No point in breaking down the Bogart classic. On both AFI lists, (top 5 on both), Multiple Oscars including Best Picture, in my personal Top 15, and if it isn't in yours, what the hell is wrong with you. Normally I would say to show up between 6-6:30 (after you've eaten your dinner prior to this), check out the Rubin Museum itself for free until around 8:45, make your bar purchase (1 beer/ other kind of drink or 2 sodas will do the trick), get your ticket and then go down to the screening room. But since this is Casablanca, you may want to make your bar purchase far sooner, and thus get your ticket far sooner. I'd hate to say "don't check out the museum" because I've enjoyed every trip I've made to this place. But I'm afraid that might be necessary in order to see Casablanca. Writer Rachel Pollack will introduce the screening, with possible emphasis on the moments of bliss one must steal before life truly becomes difficult: 

http://www.rmanyc.org/events/load/1892

TESS- Sat Dec 1 at 4:30 and 8 and Thurs Dec 6 at 8- Film Forum- A DCP restoration of one of the best films of 1980. Successful in its day, borderline forgotten now, at least in the states. Not on a Raging Bull or Empire Strikes Back level, but damn good. Roman Polanski's film was overshadowed not only by those two films, as well Ordinary People,The Elephant Man, and the massive financial disaster of Heaven's Gate, but also by being the first film after Polanski escaped Europe to avoid jail for statutory rape. Since this film, Roman has made other films, but Tess is the best film he's made since he became a fugitive. Yes, better than The Pianist. There have also been two good TV mini-series version of Tess, one from Australia and one from the BBC with Gemma Arterton. This film version is still the go-to adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel of a peasant girl who becomes the object of desire of two men; a love triangle that won't end well. Oscars for Art Direction, Costume Design and Cinematography for Ghislain Cloquet and Geoffrey Unsworth (2001, Cabaret and Superman, who died during shooting). Nominations for Picture, Director for Polanski and Score. This also introduced the globe to Nastassja Kinski, who played the title role. Kinski would become an international sex symbol, but only in Tess were her acting talents actually used to their fullest. A long film, a tragic-romantic film, a very good film:

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/roman_polanskis_tess#nowplaying

RESERVOIR DOGS- Tues Dec 4 at 7- AMCs Village 7 and Kips Bay and Regal Union Square- Plus College Point Multiplex and both Regal and AMC theaters in Westbury- Plus theaters in Upstate New York, Florida, New Jersey and other states in the Union- One of his other films will be on the next list, but here's Quentin's first film, Reservoir Dogs. Usually I can only find this as a midnight screening, but here's a day (actually one night only), where it plays at a normal time of 7PM. Not only playing in NYC, but in other theaters in New York and 46 or so other states. In time for both it's 20th anniversary and the release of Quentin's Django Unchained, it will also include "trailers handpicked by Quentin Tarantino which influenced his career, and exclusive new interviews.".  Don't know what that means, but I hope it's better than the last Fathom events screening I attended: Halloween at AMC Empire. That was a bit of a disaster, and I'm not talking about how the film hasn't held up as well as I remembered. A crappy digital projection, no sound during most of Michael Myers first kill, and a loud buzz through the speakers for the other 80 or so minutes after that. This is why I'm NOT posting AMC Empire as a place to go to see Reservoir Dogs. Call it a case of fool me once, shame on you . . . 

Now as for the film itself, well, if you look at film sites like this, then you know what this film is, so I'll just move on. Not "The Greatest Independent Film Ever Made" (as it says on the link below); one better option for that title is the next film on this list. Still, one of the best debut films ever made, one of the best heist films ever made, and one of the best films of 1992. But as I said, moving on . . . 

http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/reservoirdogs.aspx?d=12/4/2012

PULP FICTION- Thurs Dec 6 at 7- AMCs Village 7 and Kips Bay and Regal Union Square- plus College Point Multiplex and both Regal and AMC theaters in Westbury- Plus theaters in Upstate New York, Florida, New Jersey and other states in the Union- Another one night only screening of a Tarantino film, timed near the release of Quentin's upcoming Django Unleashed. Also with "exclusive interviews" and "trailers handpicked by Quentin Tarantino which influenced his career" like with the Reservoir Dogs screening; hopefully not the same interviews and trailers.

Now here's a film that probably fits the title "The Greatest Independent Film Ever Made" Not quite sure if it is, but it fits the title a lot better than Reservoir Dogs, and if you pitch it right to me, I might buy your argument. A film that doesn't feel old, and while the ride might feel familiar, you'll quickly learn how great the ride is. An Oscar winner for the Screenplay, nominations including Best Picture, Director for Tarantino, Actor for John Travolta, Supporting Actor for Samuel L. Jackson and Supporting Actress for Uma Thurman. On both AFI Top 100 lists and in my own personal Top 40: 

http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/pulpfiction.aspx?d=12/6/2012

REAR WINDOW introduced by photographer Lena Herzog- Fri Dec 7 at 9:30 for a $7.00 bar minimum- My personal favorite Hitchcock, and in my top 25. Also the best film in Jimmy Stewart's career, with a knockout entrance from Grace Kelly that matches or tops anything done today. On both AFI Top 100 lists. This film, just like Casablanca, can be seen at the Rubin Museum for a minimum $7.00 bar tab. But as popular as this film is, I don't think this requires major planning like with Casablanca. Simply eat beforehand, check out the museum (it's free starting at 6), then go to the bar around 8:50 to make your drink purchases (1 beer or 2 sodas is the minimum that will work), and bring it down to the screening room. Simple and comfortable:

http://www.rmanyc.org/events/load/1894

Let me know if there's interest. Happy Thanksgiving, later all.

Pre-Thanksgiving revivals

Hey all. Mike here, with my first revival list in a while. Life and Mother Nature interfered in this regard, though I feel very lucky that a few down trees that surprisingly DIDN'T take down power lines was the worst thing to happen to me. Very lucky indeed. Best I can do at this precise moment is offer some relief in terms of some unique film choices. About as diverse a list as I can cough up at the moment.

At a late date like this, I would probably have a list covering the entire month of November. But considering how crowded the last ten days of November will be in terms of revival options, and how some of that will overlap into early December, best for me to give a small list for the next week or so. Here we go:

 

COCKSUCKER BLUES with S-8 Footage from Exile From Main Street- Thurs Nov 15 at 7- MOMA- 11 W. 53rd Street- Part of the Rolling Stones onscreen retrospective at MOMA. I won't post many film from this series I'm afraid. I've done Gimme Shelter once before at MOMA, Performance isn't playing at a time I can do, and most of the other screenings are ones that I'm massively indifferent toward.

Cocksucker Blues: a rare screening of The Rolling Stones concert film, when they were touring in North America for the first time since the concert at Altamont (as depicted in Gimme Shelter). The film takes a no-holds barred look at what the Stones did on tour, on and off stage. Arguably, it captures the debauchery of the band at it's highest. It was the off stage antics that led to a clash between the Stones and director Robert Frank over whether the film can be screened or not. It lead to an unusual court ruling, where it was decided that the film can only be screened if the director is physically present. So I suppose director Frank will be at this screening on Thursday. As for more about the film itself, here's a description from the Anthology Film Archives's website when they screened this on November 9th, 2008:

1972, 35mm, b&w/color. With the Rolling Stones.
“With COCKSUCKER BLUES, Frank bids a final adieu to the utopia of the Beat generation. What did the Rolling Stones expect when they hired him to make a film about their 1972 North American tour? There are scenes of groupie sex in private jets, cocaine snorting, and even a masturbation scene in which Jagger reveals himself to be the cameraman in a reflected image. But ultimately Frank focuses on the lonely spaces that permeate the rock-and-roll machine. This is the ultimate direct cinema. The camera movement infects the images with an unbelievable filmic energy, and Frank ignores all orientation guidelines. Populated by the living dead, COCKSUCKER BLUES is a zombie film with no refuge.”

Preceding the film will be S-8 Stones Footage from Exile on Main Street, director Frank's Super 8 film on the process of his shooting the cover for the Stones' classic album. It's only 5 minutes long, I presume it's not under any court orders with regards to its distribution, but not many have seen this either. Overall, for the hardcore Stones fan, for documentary film fanatics, and for the very curious:

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/16616

THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT- Fri Nov 16- Wed Nov 21 at 6:15, 8 and 9:50- Film Forum- A DCP screening of one of the better Alec Guinness/Ealing Studios comedies. From 1951 (released in the U.S. in 1952), Guinness plays a Cambridge graduate, whose obsession to build an everlasting fabric gets him drummed out of textile jobs up and down Northern England, reducing him to washing dishes. But he never gives up his dreams and he soon succeeds in his creation: a white suit that doesn't crease, won't stink, keeps dirt from clinging on, and never needs to be washed dry-cleaned or even vacuumed. Guinness' character is celebrated, for a while. But business owners get nervous over the idea of the companies going bankrupt once demand is (permanently) satisfied. Meantime, labor unions and their brethren get very nervous about their fabric making/repairing/cleaning jobs disappearing if the fabric becomes a big seller. So like the Peter Lorre film M, where the Law and the Mob go through different methods to get rid of a common threat, Business and Labor do the same thing here. Therefore, if you don't see the political satire going on here, then you must be laughing too hard. Or enjoying Guinness' naive-yet-energetic performance. 

An Oscar nomination for its Screenplay, which somehow lost to The Bad and the Beautiful. SAY WHAT?!?!? I can understand losing to fellow nominee High Noon, but to the Kirk Douglas film that hasn't aged very well, EEK! Anyway, The Man in The White Suit might not on the same level of previous Guinness/Ealing films like say, Kind Hearts and Coronets or The Lavender Hill Mob. But it's still pretty darn good: 

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/alexander_mackendricks_the_man#nowplaying

RED DAWN- Fri Nov 16 at Midnight- IFC Center- Part of IFC's "America, F*** YEAH!" Series. Films chosen for their particular attack of jingoistic, over-the-top support of America. Films that either did it well and found an audience (MASH, the original Manchurian Candidate), or films that did it well yet had trouble finding an audience (Election, Dr. Strangelove, Team America), or films that went bust but are not uninteresting (1941, Southland Tales) The original Red Dawn, from 1984, is a little of all three: successful at the box office, with a storytelling style that sometimes go way off the rails, but it's never dull. Chosen as a post election "special". Which for me, is kind of like going to see Plan 9 From Outer Space after the launching of a Space Shuttle, but anyway . . . .Some people had problems in Superman Returns when Frank Langella, as Perry White , said Truth Justice all that stuff, while ignoring The American Way. There was also a major complaint why not enough people weren't complaining about it. Here's one way out theory: maybe some of those people grew with the ridiculously awful Red Dawn and have rebelled against anyone pushing rah-rah stuff ever since.

Let me be clear, Red Dawn is FUCKING AWFUL, but GLORIOUSLY FUCKING AWFUL. Kind of gives a barometer as to what the feeling was in this country during the Cold War, that this was actually considered possible. It might have even been considered as believable, if Red Dawn wasn't over the top. From 1984, World War 3 begins, as Soviet paratroopers land in a small Colorado town. But they are held at bay as high schoolers Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell and Charlie Sheen (in his screen debut; can't wait for the naked on coke jokes) do something about it. With the aid of Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey (years before the nose job, Ferris Bueller and Dirty Dancing), plus help from veterans Ben Johnson and Powers Boothe (pre 24), they form the Wolverines, and go guerrilla warfare on them Commie bastards. WOLVERINES! Or as they tend to say it, WWOOOOOLLLLVERIIIIIINNES!

Directed and co-written by the very macho John Millus (Conan The Barbarian and Dillinger, the less artful, the less-full-of-shit version of Public Enemies). Over the top, from the start of the invasion, to Harry Dean Stanton's monologue (ending with AVENGE ME! AVEEEENNNGE ME!), to the final battle. As subtle as a brick, or the giant Soviet armored helicopter that goes after them. And though it was nice to see the late Ron O'Neal get a job, I can only think "Holy Shit! They got Superfly leading the Commies!". Millus actually does do a good job with the action scenes. So good, that you wish he hadn't approved/created some of the other bullshit that follows. If you want a cheesy example of Reagan era action movies/Rambo division, this is it. Hard to believe this was actually PG-13, the first PG-13 film ever. Before the remake comes out on Thanksgiving weekend (when the Chinese/North Koreans/whatever bullshit they came up with in post-production and re-shoots become the invaders), here 's the original:

http://www.ifccenter.com/films/red-dawn/

That's all for now. I promise a larger list, featuring a few classics, next time. Later all, stay safe.

October Revivals

Hey all. Mike here with a revival list for the month of October. Yep, the entire month. I have no time to do any splitting-the-month-in-half posts. Most Halloween-themed films and a few Midnight movies will go by the wayside, in favor of those films I think I can make. I'll try to make the descriptions as brief as possible. Here we go: 

DIAL M FOR MURDER in Digital 3-D- Now thru Thurs Oct 4 at 3:20, 5:30 and 7:40- Film Forum- Just before it's October 9th Blu-Ray release, Dial M For Murder returns to the Forum in digital 3-D. Not the the original 2 strip 2 projector version that the Forum has screened off and on for years, but a digital 3-D version (you know, like Avatar?). The blu-ray will be in 3-D for those TVs that can handle that, but you have a chance to see it yourself as it kinda was intended, on the big screen. I'm locked in for the afternoon of Tuesday, October 2nd, but I post the rest of the days/times for you to go on your own.

A Hitchcock classic, that may not have strayed all that successfully from its stage roots, but is still quite good. Ray Milland finds out his wife, Grace Kelly, is cheating on him and is getting ready to dump him. Seeing his wealthy lifestyle about to be taken away from him, he plots his wife's murder. Complications ensue, etc. . . .

Cool performances from Milland, Kelly, and character actor John Williams, reprising his Tony winning role as the dogged Chief Inspector. Talkier then usual from a Hitchcock film. I'd argue it's about as talky as Hitchcock and Kelly's other 1954 film together, Rear Window. Window had a better script, with sly insights and a somewhat better realized film. Dial M is a more straight forward, ably executed mystery, with a great scene involving Kelly and a large shiny pair of scissors.

Now at about this time, 3-D was enjoying about the same kind of popularity it's having at the moment. You had studio heads pushing to have films made in 3-D, but unlike now, where pressure can be applied to have films that were never shot in 3-D converted (Clash of the Titans, The Last Airbender), the pressure in the 50s had to be applied in pre-production. So while Hitch was forced to shoot it in 3-D he must have said something along the lines of "Screw them", and did as little as possible in terms of 3-D. Playing a little with perspective, a few low angles, some objects blocking some actors, not much. That's why I wrote in the first paragraph in terms of "as it was kinda intended". Hitch basically looked at 3-D as a fad, shot in 2-D and 3-D simultaneously, and just tried to make a good film, which he did. The 3-D version was released first but didn't play too long, followed by the 2-D classic version. It was re-released in 3-D in 1980 (I thought it was 81, but imdb disagrees), but in a flat version that wasn't popular, and different from how it was screened back in 1954.

For about 20 years off and on, the Forum has screened the original 3-D print, scratches hair and dirt off and on throughout the print, according to friends who attended the more recent screenings. But now we get the the original 3-D presentation, but in a cleaned up modern format:  

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/dial_m_for_murder

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA- Thurs Oct 4 at 1 and 7- AMC Empire, AMC Kips Bay, AMC Village 7 and Regal Union Square in Manhattan, College Point Multiplex in Flushing, both theaters in Westbury, plus other theaters in Upstate New York and in the other U.S. states except Hawaii- But this is one of top 5 all time favorite films. That is TOP 5 all time. Whenever one of my top 5 is available to see, I must post it, no matter if I own it, or how many times I've seen it on screen. The best film on the list; maybe by a little, maybe by a lot, but noticeably better. The intimate moments are treated with as much care and respect as the epic scenes, the script deserves just as much respect as the visuals, and has there been a better leading debut for a star than Peter O'Toole in the title role? Ok, Chaplin and Brando, but I can't think of any better lead debuts in color films.

On both AFI Top 100 lists. 10 Nominations, including Actor for O'Toole, the Screenplay, and Supporting Actor for Omar Sharif (don't get me started on his entrance!). 7 Oscars, including Picture, Score (maybe the best film score ever; not sure, but if you have better choices, let me know), and Director for Lean. If you haven't seen it, the big screen is THE way, there isn't a TV screen big enough to pull this entirely off.

http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/lawrenceofarabia.aspx

http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/alllocations.aspx?eventid=1134

INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION- Thurs Oct 4 at 5:20, 7:30 and 9:40- A new 4K digital restoration of the very good Italian film. Winner for Best Foreign Language Oscar in 1971, and nominated for its Screenplay in 1972. A famous detective from Rome (Gian Maria Volonte from the first two Eastwood-Leone Spaghetti Westerns), who specializes in cracking political dissidents, accidentally kills his mistress. He's put in charge of the murder investigation, but how much of his guilt and how much of his ego will come out? And will it interfere with his crackdown on radicals? Obviously not a whodunit but more of a whydunnit, with its heavy critique of police corruption. Volonte is terrific and the film has a great Ennio Morricone score. NOT available on DVD in this country and is rarely screened on American TV, so this might be your only chance to catch this. It plays for a week, though I'll only post the October dates if there's no interest for Saturday, September 29th:

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/investigation_of_a_citizen_abo

DR. NO for free (subject to ticket availability)- Fri Oct 5 at 8- MOMA- The start of MOMA's 50 years of James Bond series. All the official Bond films (for the very last time Bart, Never Say Never Again and the 1954 and 1967 versions of Casino Royale don't count!), all in new 35mm prints provided by the series' producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

A free screening of Dr. No, subject to ticket availability. Being screened on THE actual 50th Anniversary of Dr. No's first day of release in Britain. The first of the Bond films with Sean Connery. Featuring the Theme, and Ursula Andress, rising from the sea like a goddess. Everything you think about Bond that isn't Daniel Craig or gadget/Aston Martin related, comes into play here, and sets the template well. Hasn't aged well (the dialogue scenes on the beaches of Crab Key are cringing) and at times, Dr. No moves like molasses. Luckily, Connery's characterization, the theme, some action/fight scenes, and Ursula's looks makes this worth catching and hey it's free. If you can get your tickets on time that is: 

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/16319

THUNDERBALL with either FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE or GOLDFINGER- Sat Oct 6 at 2 (Russia), 5 (Goldfinger) and 8 (Thunderball)- MOMA- Part of the 50 years of James Bond retrospective at MOMA. 3 Sean Connery Bond films, all in new 35mm prints. Now for one admission, you can see all 3 Bond films on the 6th. If you want to join me however, I'll only be doing two film, and one of them will be Thunderball. Partially because I've done both Russia and Goldfinger on the big screen already, and partially because I don't want to commit to doing almost 9 hours straight with barely anytime in-between for coffee and/or junk food (outside because remember, MOMA is a museum and not a movie theater). I'm ok with either starting with Russia, walking away for a late lunch/early dinner, and then come back for Thunderball. I'm equally ok with showing up for Goldfinger, stepping outside for coffee or something very quick, and then come back for Thunderball. I'll let majority rule with regards to who wants to see which Bond the most.

First, Thunderball. When Bond mania was at it's highest, the highest grossing Bond film, when you take inflation into account. Bond must deal with SPECTRE's deadliest threat yet; holding the world ransom, by threatening it with its two stolen NATO nuclear weapons. No one knows where the bombs are. But because Bond kinda recognizes a face he's barely seen in a day or two earlier, and said face is someone's sister who resides in Nassau, off Bond goes for more than he bargained for. It's taken me awhile for me to warm up toward Thunderball, years actually. The remake, Never Say Never Again, is what I saw first, and that is fun. Lighter than the original, with better Bond girls. But the elements that make Bond Bond, from M Q and Moneypenny, to the villains, to the action sequences, are done far better in Thunderball. Ok, the idea that the one eyed villain with no depth perception is used to not only trigger and un-trigger nuclear devices underwater but to lead his henchmen in a massive underwater knife/harpoon fight . . . it's no wonder SPECTRE's plan failed. And the lyrics to the title song, just ignore them.

It takes a while for the film to get going; not badly, but merely ok when it's Bond, and good everywhere else. Once the film moves to Nassau, it picks up steam. Climaxes in a very good underwater action scene and an even better closing fight scene. All with minimum dialogue, and heavy emphasis on good editing and John Barry's score. An Oscar for its Visual Effects.

Next, From Russia With Love. In my opinion, the Best Connery Bond. Yes, even over Goldfinger. Has the best fight scene, between Connery and Robert Shaw. Has an effectively creepy villain in Lotte Lenya's Rosa Kleb. Plus good action scenes in a Gypsy camp, on a truck when chased by a helicopter, and involving a boat chase. If you know Bond, you know how good this is. Nuff said.

Finally, Goldfinger. Arguably one of the best Bonds, though that argument won't be made by me after seeing this and From Russia With Love and On Her Majesty's Secret Service on the big screen. The cheese factor is notably higher then in the previous installments; as Sean Connery battles the title character, Odd Job, a castrating laser, and in his own way, Pussy Galore. But it's still a lot of fun. To me, it works best as a Gateway to the Bond series; if you're not a fan of this particular Bond, with high cheese, gadgets, and production values, you won't like most of the rest of the Bonds. An Oscar for its Visual Effects, but not even a nomination for the theme song. Actually I understand that: the music is good, but the lyrics are lousy, though better than Thunderball's. Much like Tom Jones with his rendition, Shirley Bassey is a miracle worker, making chicken salad out of chicken shit lyrics.

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/2012/10/06

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME- Wed Oct 10 at 8- MOMA-  Definitely the best of the 70s Bond films, though it admittedly doesn't have a lot of competition. One of the better stories, Moore's best Bond performance, great Egypt and Canada/Switzerland locations shots, a standout opening stunt, and one of the better Bond villains in Jaws (you know, the one with the metal teeth). Would have been the big hit of 1977, if that art house film Star Wars hadn't come out. It's a perfect popcorn movie/ summer blockbuster. I liked it on TV, but was blown away by how much fun it was on the Forum's screen. It should play even better on MOMA's larger screen. Oscar nominations for Marvin Hamlisch's score, song (Nobody Does It Better) and the opulent Art Direction/ Set Decoration. Much love for the late Hamlisch's music here, among the best of the series. But as for the film as a whole, if you're a Connery/Craig purist, you probably hate this film with a passion, so I'll move on:

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/16338

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE- Fri Oct 19 at 4 for free (subject to availability)- MOMA- If you can't do my favorite Connery Bond on Saturday the 6th, you can do it on Friday the 19th for free at MOMA. Tickets available on a first come, first served basis. Sorry about the 4pm timing, but I don't make up the schedule:

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/16323

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE- Sat Oct 20 at 8- MOMA- The last film from MOMA's James Bond retrospective that I will post, also in a new 35mm print. The simple story of Bond fighting Blofeld's latest plot to hold the world for ransom. And oh yeah, Bond falls in love with a woman that he wants to marry and Bond isn't played by Sean Connery in this film. SAYWHAT?!?!?!?!

Not necessarily the best Bond in George Lazenby. Probably the weakest actor to play the role. But they found a successful way to have a Shakespearean actor (I, Claudius' George Baker) about a fourth of his lines successfully, and he pulls off the final scene well. But in my opinion I thought he was the best Bond physically and fight-wise until Daniel Craig came along. There's no shame coming second to Craig, but the gap is a lot smaller than you'd imagine. Compared to the last couple of Connery Bond flicks as well as the bulk of Roger Moore's Bond run, it's such a pleasure to see an actual athlete do as much as Lazenby did with such little stuntman usage.

Two other offbeat-ish casting choices (for a Bond picture) also work well. Diana Rigg may or may not compete with Ursula Andress rising from the sea in that bikini. But she makes us believe successfully that 007 would give up his life of spying for marriage to her, and Riggs comes off as probably the most capable Bond Girl of the entire series. And then we have Telly Savalas as Blofeld. Donald Pleasance's turn in the role in You Only Live Twice was so creepily iconic even then it would have been insane to try to duplicate it note for note, and luckily the filmmakers and Telly don't even try. This Blofeld suffered fools even less than the previous incarnations (though would develop a blind spot for the ladies), and combined with Telly's physicality, we have the most formidable version of the SPECTRE leader in the entire series. 

The big screen really helps the visuals, especially the scenes set in Switzerland. Combined with sharp editing (at times, a healthy use of jump-cutting) and cinematography, a good John Barry score and a good Bond song: We Have All The Time In The World. Recorded by Louis Armstrong shortly after receiving what would be his terminal cancer diagnosis: performing a song knowing that the lyrics he was singing were rapidly no longer applying to him. I always leave the film a bit wistful  Not just because of the song or the ending, but with a feeling of what could have been, if the film had been treated then like it is now: one of if not the best Bond film ever. Yes, the film was a hit, one of the biggest of 1969. But Lazenby quit, public and critical reaction was mixed, and the box office numbers so significantly lower than You Only Live Twice and Thunderball. United Artists' solution was to throw money at Connery to come back, and combined with too many other aspects to get into here, we end up with the mediocre Diamonds Are Forever. So I'm left with a feeling of "What if?". But at least we have On Her Majesty's Secret Service:

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/16330

SPEEDY- Sun Oct 21 at 3:10 and Mon Oct 22 at 7:30- Film Forum- Part of the Harold Lloyd retrospective. More of a NYC movie than you'd think, especially for 1928. Speedy is a Lloyd classic, where a former soda jerk turned cab driver has to race the actual Babe Ruth to the old Yankee Stadium, and the hi-jinks go from there. Preceded by a recently rediscovered Lloyd short, Look Pleasant Please from 1918. Played with live piano accompaniment:

http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/speedy

HALLOWEEN- Thurs Oct 25 at College Point Multiplex, Broadway Multiplex at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville, plus other theaters around the country- Time TBD- A one night only screening of the 1978 horror sleeper hit/ indie classic. It's playing around the country, but as of this writing, for some reason it's NOT playing in Manhattan. That's why I'm posting the only 2 theaters that are remotely easy for me to get to: the College Point Multiplex in Whitestone, and at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville. Times have not yet been scheduled, but if you're interested  I'll keep an eye out. But seriously, why is this so disorganized? I don't get it . . . 

Psycho may have been the first slasher film to hit it big in the U.S., but Halloween is what caused the slasher film to proliferate. Of course they're all carbon copies to this, one of the best horror films ever made. Interesting to look at, tightly edited, but it's director John Carpenter's iconic music that added the final touch. Not a hit in it's first weeks (months?) of release. It basically took word of mouth and a few key critical notices to make this one of the most successful independent films ever made. And as adorable as P.J. Soles is as one of the teenagers, you see a star in the making in Jamie Lee Curtis. Accept no substitutes or sequels or the Rob Zombie remake, go to the original:

http://www.screenvision.com/cinema-events/halloween/

Let me know if there's interest. I'll be back in November but when, is a damn good question. Later all.