HUDSON VALLEY CRUCIAL VIEWING: April 17-30

Your Guide to Repertory Movies in the Hudson Valley

Author

Bel Simek
April 16, 2026

Hi moviegoers! Anyone else feeling a little bewildered by this extra Summer-y weather this week? The full tilt into the warm months bodes well for our good pals up at Hi-Way Drive-In (opening weekend is a little more than a week out!) and it means we get to look forward to the endless slew of Summer blockbusters heading our way. I know we all want to soak up the sun after this long, brutal Winter, but hopefully you can find a reason to make it out for a couple of films in the next few weeks. We’ve got some great stuff coming your way, including the last two films in our “Contained Spaces” series at Upstate Midtown. I’ll even give you guys a hot tip — our next series begins on May 3rd, and it’s gonna be a doozy. Get yourself ready for a primer on American independent cinema. With that, on to the list!

THE LIST

Saturday, April 18

I often find myself at a crossroads writing this newsletter. It can be hard to accurately convey why a movie resonates when you haven’t seen it in a long time. I like to think I have the benefit of a pretty ironclad filmic memory, and I can usually find some angle to come at a movie with, even if the experience itself is a little fuzzy. Sadly (!), there just aren’t enough hours in the week for me to revisit every movie I’m compelled to write about for this list. Rushmore is one of those films. I’ve been in a bit of a revisitation phase with Wes Anderson’s earlier filmography, but I have yet to get back to Rushmore. With that meandering caveat, here’s something: I think Anderson is at his absolute best when he gets into an adolescent headspace. His style so often mimics sensibilities of a picture book and I think he understands the earnest depth of feeling that young people are able to access. His earliest films are so sentimental and so self-assuredly smart that they should be cloying, and yet they are able to retain an incredibly lasting impact. That resonance is not accidental, and I think his perspective on the emotionality of children — their intelligence, their ability to connect, to see through things, to be honest — is so moving. To see Jason Schwartzman at the ripe age of 18 hold his own against Bill Murray not just in his performance but in the respect the script gives to his character is striking. Writing this makes me want to rewatch this movie, and I hope you feel the same.

Sunday, April 19

Presented by Kingston Film Foundation: One of only 3 films to ever be nominated for Oscars in all thirteen categories for which they were eligible, Mike Nichols’ incredible adaptation of the Edward Albee’s stage play changed the landscape of film irrevocably. If you haven’t seen this movie you’re doing yourself a disservice and I don’t know what else to say. The chemistry between real-life couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor is absolutely electric and the slow deterioration of the evening is like a car crash you’re both part of and can’t stop looking at. Please, go see this movie. You’d be making a mistake to miss it.

Wednesday, April 22

WTF Wednesdays @ Rosendale Theater: Look you all know I love this series. James Gunn is unapologetically James Gunn in his directorial debut. Don’t expect any Superman (2025) or Guardians of the Galaxy pulling of punches here. Before he got sucked into the comic-book meat machine this nasty boy knew exactly how to make your skin crawl.

Friend of the Foundation Joey showed this film a couple of years ago at World’s End Comics as a cheeky double feature with the public domain film Bucket of Blood. This is the giallo film to go see if you’ve been hoping for an intro to the genre. Featuring a soundtrack by prog-rock legends Goblin, incredible cinematography, and a puzzling mystery, this is how the Italians do slashers, and to great effect.

Thursday, April 23

Friday, April 24

It’s Citizen Kane…. do you need me to say anything else? Did you watch this on your roommate’s TV in college? Go see it on the big screen ya dork.

I’m just going to briefly shout out my mom, who loves Austin Powers and who gifted me with the experience of watching these movies when I was in my pre-teens. There’s a reason we will probably never stop referencing this movie (at least not until Gen Z'/Alpha and OpenAI take over the entirety of the world). Go let yourself embrace the problematic, endlessly iconic comedic stylings of the greatest spy cinema has ever seen.

Saturday, April 25

Sunday, April 26

Monday, April 27

Tuesday, April 28

Thursday, April 30

Kingston Film Foundation presents: Are you, too, feeling like you need more political radicals in your life given the state of the world? Then this is the film for you. Less sanitized than the American adaptation of Andreas Malm’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Nocturama shows us what a group of teenagers are capable of when they feel like they have no other recourse. A brutal missive on police states, the dichotomy of terrorism and activism, and a nihilistic look at the state of the world, Bertrand Bonello provides an unflinching, cruel perspective. Not an easy watch, but a worthwhile one.

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