Guys, I’m going to be honest. I saw the 1980 movie Flash Gordon for the first time last week, and it’s all I can think about. I’ve watched it twice this week and have had the soundtrack on repeat all week long. This. Movie. Rules. There are a lot of post-Star Wars fantasy/sci-fi movies, but goddamn, this is the best of all of them. I’m literally rewatching it right now as I write this. It’s been a great week. Here’s some worse movies:
Monday, Mar. 2:
Varda by Agnes + Q&A with Female Filmmaker Historian- 6:45pm- Agnes Varda’s last film is a perfect showcase in why everyone just loves her. Plus a discussion by the author of a new book on the misogyny of Hollywood, which I assume is just part one of a 20 volume set. Nitehawk Williamsburg
Premature + Q&A with Writer and Cinematographer- 7:30pm- Summer love in New York. I remember those days….running around the Central Park reservoir, studying for my graduate degree, being asked “Is it safe?” by a Nazi dentist. What a city! Nitehawk Prospect Park
Vitalina Varela- 9:10pm- An older Cape Verdean woman goes to Portugal to reunite with her husband to find he died a few days earlier. Everyone who’s seen this movie says it’s stunning, so that has to mean something. Lincoln Center
Tuesday, Mar. 3:
Blade Runner: The Final Cut- 6:15pm- 15th cut of Blade Runner is the charm for Ridley Scott. I can’t remember if this one includes the voiceover that makes the plot make sense, but either way, you know it’ll be really cool to look at. Metrograph
Casino Royale in 35mm + Intro by Daniel Craig- 7:30pm- The perfect palette cleanser after the Pierce Brosnan-era. Eva Green, in particular, is amazing in this- it’s a crime she’s not in more things. MoMA
The Captive- 7:30pm- It’s Chantel Akerman week at FIAF, so pop some popcorn and watch her turn Marcel Proust into Alfred Hitchcock like a pro with this bad boy. FIAF
Wednesday, Mar. 4:
Jackie Brown in 35mm- 6:30pm- Both the perfect use of Chris Tucker and a horrible waste of Chris Tucker. Tarantino is pretty good at this. MoMA
Sorry We Missed You + Q&A with Writer- 7pm- Ken Loach’s new film about a delivery driver trying to hold his family together and the issues- holy shit, Ken Loach is 83! Goddamn, good for you Ken, still getting into Cannes at 83. Film Forum
Le Cercle Rouge- 7pm- Jean-Pierre Melville’s tight crime drama that has Alain Delion with a mustache. It is a great looking mustache and the movie is greatly improved by it. Sigh...I love this movie. BAM
Thursday, Mar. 5:
Hackers in 35mm- 6:30pm- REAL HACKING FOR REAL HACKERS. Zero Cool rules, the Plague drools, obvs. Anthology Film Archives
The Truth + Intro by Ethan Hawke and Juliette Binoche- 6:30pm- Hirokazu Kore-eda’s follow up to the great Shoplifters, casts Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche as mother and daughter and lets the fireworks fly. Lincoln Center
Drive Angry in 35mm- 7pm- Nicolas Cage busts out of hell to save his daughter from a satanic cult. And in perfect casting choices, Satan sends his accountant, William Fichtner to track Cage down. Roxy Cinema
Friday, Mar. 6:
LARP: Creatures of The Dark Crystal’s Age of Resistance- 7pm- You guys saw the Dark Crystal, right? So, Netflix rebooted it and now you get to live it. Anytime adults are allowing you to LARP the Dark Crystal, you have to do it. Museum of Moving Image
Swallow + Q&A with Director and Star, moderated by Julie Taymor- 8pm- A psychological thriller about a woman compulsively swallowing dangerous objects is such a good premise, I can’t believe it isn’t a French movie already. IFC Center
First Cow + Q&A with Director, moderated by Michelle Williams- 8pm- Kelly Reichardt is back, baby, and she’s bringing her Wendy and Lucy star with her. Reichardt is great but I want to use this time to talk about how one time, Michelle Williams actually sold the line “oh no, I just bit that guy’s head off.” She’s very good. Angelika
Saturday, Mar. 7:
All About Eve + Q&A with Editor- 10:45am- Theater-world Single White Female, but sassier. Plus a Q&A with the editor, who can give us the scoop on all the unused Bette Davis footage. Nitehawk Williamsburg
Lagaan + Intro by Writer- 4pm- A small town in colonial India challenges their oppressive British overlords to a game of cricket. I’m assuming the entire intro by the writer is just a slideshow on the rules to cricket. BAM
Night of the Hunter in 35mm + Intro by Chiara Mastroianni- 8:45pm- One of the absolute best movies ever made- the Charles Laughton-directed gothic fairy tale that alternates between from horror movie and kids movie seamlessly. And goddamn, Robert Mitchum. Metrograph
Sunday, Mar. 8:
Busting + Q&A with Alex Ross Perry- 4:45pm- Alex Ross Perry is here to tell you how great Elliott Gould is. And the answer is the best. Because he’s the best. Metrograph
Johnny Mnemonic in 35mm- 9pm- This movie beats ass. Keanu, Dolph Lundgren, Udo Kier, Henry Rollins, Ice-T, Takeshi Kitano, and one of the best reveals in cinema history. It beats ass, people. Anthology Film Archives
Deerskin + Q&A with Producers- 9:15pm- A new movie about the guy from The Artist going through a midlife crisis and buying a cool jacket. How many people could he possibly have to kill just because of his jacket? 3-5 tops, right? Lincoln Center
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