This one didn’t age very well, IMHO. I’ve seen it a few times and loved it, and I thought it would make a great NewScreen feature, but it was just a bit too slow, and just a bit too weird. Shelly Duval’s Millie Lammoreaux character used to make me laugh, but this time around she just made me feel sad for her. My guests seemed to enjoy it, though… Next!
Our opening short tonight was Rene Zahns rather sexy animation Soft Animals
What a beautiful movie! The Truffle Hunters was first brought to my attention by my dear friend, Marcy Robinson, who was the colorist. When I mentioned this fact to my guests this evening, most were unaware that such a role existed in the making of a movie. “What do you mean, she colored it? Like with coloring pens?” I did my best to explain, with little success, but when the movie started rolling, I asked out loud if they now understood what a colorist does. The answer was a resounding “Yes!”, from our rather full house.
As the end credits played out, I saw that Marcy was actually credited as colorist, pretty much without fanfare (a small-ish credit in the small-ish credit section). How can it be that someone who contributes so much to the look of a film gets so little recognition? The film was great, in large part due to the lavish look she imparted on it. Frustrating. I kinda feel the same about the retouching work I do… oh well.
Another beautiful short tonight too. CIMPOIASCA by Bára Halířová. Check it out
This will be a hard act to follow, on a few levels. A beautifully visual, smart, quirky movie that pretty much ended director Michael Powell’s career – people were just not ready for his departure from the role of beloved director of what became British classics. Guess what… this one became another.
On top of that, we had a great audience tonight: our most faithful guests were joined by people we haven’t seen in a while, and everything just, um, clicked (reference to the shutter of Mark’s ever-present film camera).
And… even the opening short was wonderful. Check it out: Mette / Mama’s Eyes
Apparently the banana bread was “best ever” as well. Should I just quit now, while I’m ahead? Joking.
Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave is certainly a beautiful, well crafted work, adored by critics, but somewhat hard to follow. A detective investigates a murder, the prime suspect of which is the victim’s beautiful Chinese wife, Song Seo-rae: a foreigner in Korea. She is quite “un-shocked” by the death of her husband, further cementing her prime suspect status.
Detective Jang Hae-joon, however, is seduced by her beauty and isn’t really able to concentrate on solving the crime. Jang also happens to be married, and his wife looks remarkably like Song. Further confusion. Anyway… I still love the movie, and in particular, the way “the affair” ends.
Thanks to my loyal guests for sharing a memorable evening with me, once again.
Returning to NewScreen (well technically not, since it was first screened at MovieNight) some 15 years later, Head-On remains as thrilling and sexy as ever, and this week, served as a little German lesson for the Whitehouses. Happy to do my part.
The Survivalist was director Stephen Fingleton’s first feature length film. A taut, breathtaking thriller, beautifully realized by cinematographer Damien Elliot. I have been in love with this movie for some time now and it seemed like a perfect vehicle to jump back towards the present after our two week excursion into eighties cinema. Good call! Our NewScreen “gang” was enthralled, and I don’t think I’d be wrong to assume that most are still thinking about this one today. And… Mia Goth!
We also enjoyed a pretty sexy pre-movie short tonight. Wet by Ecole des Nouvelles Images. Take a look
Also… a surprise appearance from one Andrew Kozak tonight. Long time no see!
This week, we moved to a Wednesday… there are just too many other things a person can only do on Thursdays in New York City, apparently. Well… good move!
And a great movie. There are a surprising number of people who have never seen Diva, and I guess that’s because it has been unusually hard to acquire over the years since its release. Now streaming on Prime Video, I urge you Diva-virgins to go for it, the bigger the screen, the better!
Thanks to all who came out tonight. We had a blast! Wednesdays work.
That was fun!
Thanks to Zofi (the original Pole!) for bringing this amazing film to my attention many years ago. On the surface this is a playful romp (one reviewer suggested that this is “Benny Hill meets George Orwell”) pitting a couple of bumbling men against a society of women that has evolved to the extent that they no longer need men in order to reproduce. But, reading between the lines, this movie was a daring critique of the then communist regime in Poland. The sensors saw it as a funny movie with a lot of naked women, and let it go. LOL.
A rather quiet night here tonight, but that didn’t stop the applause. Thanks to you loyal guests for coming!
Tonight’s feature was another spooky and ghostly tale, which took its delicious time ensnaring us. I discovered it circuitously (as always) and was, of course, drawn in by another compelling performance by Vicky Krieps.
One of our loyal NewScreen supporters, upon receiving this week’s invitation declared themselves* as “not a Krieps fan”, and therefore uninterested in attending this week… this declaration is something I must add that to a growing list of things I simply can’t wrap my head around. Krieps is an amazing actor.
Also (for you gear heads)… has an AMC Pacer ever been featured in another movie? I think probably so…
Ultimately, the “proof of the [NewScreen] pudding”, is in the applause, which broke out spontaneously at movie’s end. Thank you all for getting it.
*pronouns changed to protect the identity of the person in question.
This film devastated us tonight. As far as I know, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, but I really couldn’t take account through my own teary orbs.
Lucas Dhont’s Close first celebrates a beautiful, innocent friendship between two young boys, Remi and Leo (pictured above) spending one last golden Belgian summer together before heading off to high school, and then mourns the gradual decay of that friendship due to peer pressure. “Are you two together?” asks one of the girl students, planting a destructive seed in Leo’s head.
Were they “together”? Who cares?
Outstanding performances from Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele as Leo and Remi, and Émilie Dequenne as Remi’s adorable mother. I was thinking how she looked familiar… Duh. Rosetta. Nice to see a child actor develop like this.
Another great NewScreen night. Thanks to all who shared!