Hudson Valley Crucial Viewing April 11-April 24

Hi y’all. I wanna say we have a relatively lighthearted list for you guys this week but, looking over the movies below, that’s not totally the case. Though we’re dealing with some heavier themes with 3 of the 5 movies this week (sort of), they are all entertaining and worthwhile watches. It can’t always be fun and games on the list, okay? Given the state of the world right now, it might seem hard to get out of the house to do anything, let alone spend some money at the movies, but I honestly can’t recommend doing it more. Especially right now, seeking comfort in the things that bring you joy is really important, even if those things can be challenging. I hope you all get out of the house to see one of these in the next two weeks. It helps, at least in my opinion. Even if you don’t have it in you this go around, know that we’re still gonna be around to recommend the best of what the Hudson Valley has to offer when it comes to independent cinema. If you have any interest in helping out, reach out to us. Hopefully we’ll see you out and about at the movies soon. Now, on to:

Stephen Sommer’s THE MUMMY
Story Screen, Hudson – Sunday, April 13, 4:00pm

What a fun movie to kick off this week with. Have you rewatched The Mummy recently? Because I have, and let me tell you, it rocks. I kind of feel like this movie is Indiana Jones for 90s kids? Maybe that’s just me. Sommer’s film has been relegated to the annals of cable TV late night movie programming in the last few years, but it still really holds up. Brendan Frasier is in his peak heart-throb era here, and the rest of the cast is giving it their all. We don’t make adventure movies like this any more. Sure, The Mummy can get kind of campy, and it definitely leans heavily on tropes (both well loved and problematic) but there’s a sincerity to the writing and the filmmaking that elevates it far beyond the kind of big budget Hollywood fare that this kind of movie-making has evolved into. There’s more charm here than I can handle, and it makes the movie feel pretty timeless (even though the CGI climax has not aged particularly well). This one has been on my easy-going rewatch rotation for years, and if you haven’t given it a second-pass I would highly recommend it. It’s a great one if you wanna get your buds together and watch something fun. (1999, 125min)

Alfred Hitchcock’s BLACKMAIL w/ live score by The Anvil Orchestra
Orpheum Theater, Saugerties – Friday, April 18, 7:00pm

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like we’ve lost a lot of love for Hitchcock’s early oeuvre? It might be the lack of patience we have for silent films (which I’ve talked your ears off about before), but a lot of Hitchcock’s work has fallen to the wayside in the grand scheme of retrospectives, even some of the ones representative of his transition to sound pictures. A couple winters ago I challenged myself to dig into his earlier filmography and, though I didn’t get through everything (I mean, how could you), there’s some true gems. When I saw Blackmail for the first time I didn’t realize it began its life as a silent film. It’s routinely cited as the first “true” European sound film. Two versions were released to accommodate theaters that didn’t have the capacity to show “talkies,” and the silent version is the one showing at Upstate. I think we think about Hitchcock most commonly with an eye towards his visual language, his use of symbolism, his deft and distinct filmmaking style, but sound is just as important to his cinematic language. It’s not just Psycho or Vertigo that utilize that power. I’m excited to see what the Anvil Orchestra brings to the table in his earliest sound work, and I think it’ll be a really fun and unique chance to think about the two versions of this film, and what they both do (or don’t do). Don’t miss it. (1929, 76min)

John Ford’s YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
Starr Cinema, Rhinebeck – Sunday, April 20, 4:00pm; Tuesday, April 22, 7:00pm

Following up our two write-ups on Upstate Film’s Elaine May Revival House series in March we now get the pleasure of highlighting one of the films showing in their series this month: Henry Fonda’s America. These series are some of my favorite things upstate has been doing. Retrospectives on actors (or directors) are extremely illuminating ways to think about film history and the ways it reflects culture. Fonda is a fantastic choice, and as much as I wish we could feature all five of the films in this series, I’m glad we picked Young Mr. Lincoln. (That said, go check out the series! It’s a lot of classics, and none are misses) In a lot of ways this is kind of a quintessentially “film school” movie to me. Directed by the godfather of the American western, it’s a nice peek into John Ford’s filmography and what he did to shape our image of American culture. It’s also a great (and early!) example of the archetypal figure Fonda portrayed so well across his career: the earnest, upright, populist, everyman who represented the kind of decency and masculinity 20th century American filmmaking has always gazed towards. The blurb from Variety Upstate has on their website sums it up pretty perfectly, so why don’t you click that link, and maybe buy a ticket while you’re at it… (1939, 100min)

Jeremy Saulnier’s GREEN ROOM
Rosendale Theater, Rosendale – Wednesday, April 23, 7:30pm

Shout out to Rob for picking one of my favorite movies of the last decade for WTF Wednesdays. Green Room is a truly disturbing film, and I think that everyone really, really ought to see it (especially right now). I’ll give you the premise, in case you haven’t seen it already. A band of scuzzy punks pull up to a bar show in the Pacific Northwest only to realize they’ve accidentally stumbled into a neo-nazi clubhouse. Also, Patrick Stewart is there, and he’s terrifying. I think I’ve always had an affinity for this movie because it does an excellent job showing (and criticizing) an intersection of music and politics that plagues the punk and hardcore scene. If you know me, you know I’ve been working behind the bar at Tubby’s since 2021, and I’ve also been going to shows since I was, like, probably 12. It was amazing to see a movie come out that really poked at the underbelly of the punk scene and wanted to explore the worst aspects of it. There are parts of this movie that feel so real it gives you chills. It’s also just a feat of technical filmmaking. Its frenetic pacing, gruesome violence, and commitment to not pulling punches makes it hard to watch in the “impossible to look away from” way. It’s also one of the last film Anton Yelchin made before his career and life were cut short in a tragic accident. Yelchin’s ability and career were just starting to take shape, and I was extremely saddened to learn of his passing. But his performance here, along with the rest of the cast, left a mark that I still haven’t really healed from (in the best way). I also have a crazy (extremely stupid) story about showing this movie to my roommate years ago. It’s too debauched for this newsletter, but if you go see it, I promise I’ll tell you about it afterwards… If you want. See you there, yeah? (2015, 95min)

Wim Wenders’ THE AMERICAN FRIEND
UPAC, Kingston – Thursday, April 24, 7:30pm

This is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel Ripley’s Game, which is a sequel to The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tom Ripley being played here not by Matt Damon or Alain Delon but rather Dennis Hopper, who absolutely crushes it in this one. Hopper and his counterpart Bruno Ganz really knock the performances out of the park. Wim Wenders’ take on the genre is not to give us plot so much as atmosphere. It’s a slow burner, as Wenders tends to be, leaving us to marinate in dread as the wheels turn. Moral ambiguity. Grungy noir. Oh, by the way, do you like Robby Müller cinematography? This one features some of his finest work. The score rips too. You can see this movie, for free, on the biggest screen in the Hudson Valley. Pretty cool, no? Fun fact: all the gangsters in this movie are played by directors. Hopper, Gérard Blain, Samuel Fuller, Peter Lilienthal, and Daniel Schmid. Additional fun fact: Wenders originally wanted to cast Cassavetes as Ripley but he declined and recommended Dennis Hopper; good call, John. — Brian (1977, 127min)