Well… it seemed like a great idea to show this beautiful film two weeks in a row. The perfect romantic comedy drama was a sound choice for Valentines Day celebration and, after all, attendance hadn’t exactly been stellar the week before. It was even worse tonight, but you know what? Fallen Leaves is a wonderful movie, and everyone who saw it was blown away.

Happy ending ))

And, speaking of happy endings, our short this week was Renee Zhan’s Soft Animals. Quite sexy!

We don’t show many epics at NewScreen, but tonight was hella one. It’s always a treat to see Mads (pronounced Mas in his native Denmark I’m told) on the big screen. He can convey so much with just a slight adjustment to his chiseled countenance. Unlike so many movies that end suddenly, with a thought-provoking fade to black (don’t get me wrong… that can be pretty great too!) this one took the time to work everything out. Happy ending.

Speaking of happy endings (wait for it), tonight’s feature ended to a spontaneous outbreak of applause. Always a good sign.

I was a bit nervous to show this one. It’s kind of hard to sell a story about a 12 year old girl, kidnapped at age 6 by her father, hidden away, home-schooled, dressed by him, and ultimately groomed to be his “lover”. I was like, “Trust me. It’s so uplifting!”.

Well… people did trust me, and tonight that trust was rewarded with another great movie. Emmanuelle Nicot’s debut feature film, shown at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, tells the story of a young girl (brilliantly portrayed by Zelda Samson) gradually realizing that she has indeed been abused, and now, finding the courage to reclaim her childhood. Her surly child services roommate, Samia (Fanta Guirassy) provides plenty of laughs, and the two become unlikely besties. OK… that’s enough details. Happy ending.

And… today was baking day for me (and for Zoe and Franck’s son too). So there were treats!

I avoided watching this movie for a long time, because the reviews were so divisive. But, during a telephone call with my friend Michael last week, the subject of movies came up (as it always does, because, why wouldn’t it?) and he was, like, “Dude! Have you seen Saltburn? I mean, yeah, it’s a bit far-fetched but [we] were thoroughly entertained. You need to see it.”

So I did, and yeah, it is perhaps a bit far-fetched, but OMG, it’s pure eye-candy (pretty people, gorgeous cinematography), and the dialogue is bitingly smart, funny, and sarcastic. And… IMHO, the plot is great too. As one favorable review stated, it “Ping-pongs between ‘Parasite’ and [sic] ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ “. A perfect observation. But don’t worry… if you didn’t like it, we can still be friends ))

Generally it’s not like me to choose an easily stream-able, much-hyped movie, but tonight’s stellar turnout was proof that sometimes its ok to think INSIDE of the box.

Also, of note: Tonight we rolled the 2024 menu, which includes some delicious new “Mocktails”, the idea being that we could cater to the “Dry Januarians”, and other non-fans of alcohol. Another resounding success. I even enjoyed one myself… thanks to Zofi for that suggestion!

Three English girls walk into a bar… many, many bars, in fact. In Malia, Crete. How to Have Sex is the ironically titled feature debut from director Molly Manning Walker. Mia McKenna-Bruce does a star turn as Tara, hoping to lose her virginity on a “Best holiday ever!” with her two best mates, against the looming backdrop of soon-to-be released A-level exam results. Remarkably, Walker is able to color this story richly with absolutely no nudity.

Tonight (once again, he says, puffing up his feathers) we were transported to another world, via the magic of cinema. This is why I do this.

Right now, I’m feeling pretty chuffed, as the Brits say. Chuffed = Proud. I’ve been waiting for months to get my hands on this one, and to show it to my NewScreeners who, of course, were suitably blown away by it. Although I never had a teacher quite like Ms. Nowak (Leonie Benesch), she left me to ponder one or two of them who put their indelible mark on my budding personhood. I suspect that my guests had similar associations.

Our short intro feature tonight, while somewhat outdated, kept the German flavor coming. It’s a well-trodden meme of a scene from Downfall, but remains wonderfully funny. Sorry I can’t find a current link…

Billy Wilder’s The Apartment seems to have become the official holiday movie at NewScreen. So far, we have watched it on 1/12/10, 12/18/14, 12/23/22, and now on 12/27. Also, this was only the second screening* we’ve had between Christmas and New Year. Always great to watch, and tonight’s turnout was somewhat unexpected. Not only that, but we had two guests who had managed to not see it before. Success! Education-wise, I mean.

*Assuming that anyone actually reads this, can you name the other one? Hint: It has something to do with what the British call December 26th.

Once again, a great night at NewScreen. I’m happy that regulars are turning up with friends… new blood!

Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm was so good to watch again and, as always, great to watch with a room full of people. Although it’s ultimately quite a bleak story, it’s thought-provoking, and laced with plenty of laughs. Incidentally, it was set exactly 50 years ago.

And also… the return of Evil Beaver. lol

NewScreen was on fire again tonight (sorry… couldn’t resist) with the return of director Christian Petzold. Petzold has held this audience in silent rapture in past MovieNights with Barbara, Phoenix, and The State I Am In, but this was his first NewScreen appearance. With Afire (Roter Himmel) he mixes in more humor than usual, but somehow, that humor serves to heighten the drama.

To me, there is nothing quite as gratifying as looking out from my “station”, behind the bar upon a room full of transfixed faces. That’s what this is all about.

Another great night here tonight… a fascinating glimpse into the world of First Alaskan peoples, fighting to resist changes imposed by a modern world, and a warming planet. Filmmakers Peter Chelkowski and Jim Wickens brought us there, with a combination of intimate conversations with members of (mostly) one family, exciting hunting footage, and extraordinary drone photography.

I feel lucky to have been able to show this. I’m pretty sure my guests will be thinking about it for days.