Hudson Valley Crucial Viewing April 25-May 8

Hello again loyal newsletter subscribers. Has it really already been two weeks? Time sure flies huh. I know now that the weather’s nice, it can be hard to motivate yourself to go sit inside for 2 hours to watch a film, but I have some reasons you might want to keep in mind for why you should. Maybe your tree pollen allergies are terrible and you need the sweet, sweet relief of an overactive AC? Maybe you got a little sunburned when you called out sick from work to have a picnic (and a cheeky glass of midday wine?) with your friends and want the darkness to soothe your skin. There’s always a late show! I love going to NCG for a 9:00pm showing any time of the year, but it’s especially nice after a long day outside. Maybe you haven’t seen Ryan Coogler’s genre mash-up Sinners yet and are waiting for someone to tell you you have to. You’re in luck, I’m that guy, and you have to see it. I’m serious. I haven’t had that much fun seeing a blockbuster-y movie in years. Anyway, not much news on the KFF front for y’all this week but I promise we’ve got things to tell you about real soon! In the meantime, you can always reach out to get involved with us if you’ve got a little time on your hands. Onto the fantastic movies on the calendar this week — 

Charles Burnett’s KILLER OF SHEEP
Time and Space, Ltd., Hudson – Opens Friday, April 25, 5:00pm

When I found out that Charles Burnett’s first film, Killer of Sheep, was getting a 4K rerelease this year, I assumed I was going to have to go down to the city to see it on the big screen. Thankfully, the folks at TSL in Hudson have solved this problem for me. I think a lot of people may only know of Burnett’s work from his 1990 film To Sleep with Anger, the heavily folkloric black comedy starring Danny Glover. Killer of Sheep was Burnett’s thesis film at UCLA and its ephemeral, loosely connected story (if you can even call it that) will stick with you. Reminiscent of Italian neorealist cinema, the film floats between vignettes that feel more documentarian than narrative, forming an emotive and compelling illustration of what Burnett experienced in Los Angeles in the 1970s. Ostensibly Killer of Sheep is a working class movie, one which Burnett made in response to the “gritty realism” of the white working class films that were so in vogue at the time. It’s a compelling response, and it spotlights the lack of attention paid to the lived realities of people of color in the Hollywood system, an issue that still pervades today. I think a lot about movies that perfectly define places: New York movies, Miami movies, Boston movies, LA movies. There’s a lot of amazing movies about LA, and Burnett may have made the best one of them all. The city is the star, in its sprawling alleys, buildings, and roads, but not at the expense of the real people living inside of it. There’s no glamor here, just the stark reality of living, in gorgeous black & white. Do yourself a favor and go see it, especially if you haven’t. (1978, 80min)

Alfred Hitchcock’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
Story Screen, Hudson – Sunday, April 27, 2:00pm

Strangers on a Train is probably the movie that really made me love Hitchcock. I think part of it is the way the film lives on in the endless iterations of its core scenario: a troubled man meets a devil-like figure and is offered a deal he can’t refuse, even if he tries. There’s so much opportunity in that plot, and Hitchcock handles it masterfully (of course). I also love the more open nods to the opportunities of the upper class, and the strange social mechanics around the wealthy. Admittedly, it’s been a number of years since I’ve watched it, but I’m excited for an excuse to revisit it. I’m hesitant to talk more about the film itself, because if you haven’t seen it I would prefer not to spoil too much of its deft turns. What I will say is there are innumerable stories from the production of the film, some good, some bad, as it always tends to be with Hitchcock. One of my favorites is the brief period of time during which Hitchcock tried to work with Raymond Chandler on the script for the film. Chandler and Hitchcock’s styles were a match made in hell, apparently. Chandler was dismissed from the project after two rounds of drafts due to their lack of compatibility, and (possibly) because Chandler called Hitchcock a “fat bastard” during one of their meetings. We just don’t get stories like this anymore! (1951, 101min)

Adrian Maben’s PINK FLOYD: LIVE AT POMPEII
Starr Cinema, Rhinebeck – Sunday, April 27, 7:15pm; Monday, April 28, 7:15pm

Okay, confession time! I don’t… really care about Pink Floyd. That said, I do care a lot about the particular art of the “concert doc” and it’s looking like this very special screening at Upstate is going to be one of those situations. Concert docs can go one of two ways, I feel. They can be straightforward, edited footage of now iconic tours or specific concerts that highlight the performances and give us a peek into the scene, a moment in time. Or they can be more specific, more contextual, reverent not just of the music but of everything around the music, everything needed to get the band onto the stage. We’ve been lucky over the last decade or so to get a number of interesting music documentaries. There was the release of Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue way back in 2019 (which I still adore), Peter Jackson’s Beatles miniseries Get Back, the phenomenal, procedurally generated Eno (shout-out to Hi-Way Drive-in, who are screening it next month), as well as a slew of other streaming-service fare, some of which is good, some of which… well, you could probably skip. Pink Floyd at Pompeii is particularly notable because of the way it changed how music was filmed. Shot in an empty Roman amphitheater, the band played to an absent crowd, creating a totally unique atmosphere for the “live” feel. This new, 4K release of the film includes the original 60 minutes of performance, as well as footage of the recording of Dark Side of the Moon. This one is definitely for the fans first, but if you have any interest in the history of music documentaries, I’d say this isn’t one to miss. (1972, 85min 4K restoration)

Sidney Lumet’s FAIL SAFE
Orpheum Theater, Saugerties – Saturday, May 3, 5:00pm; Thursday, May 8, 7:00pm

Last newsletter I mentioned how I wished we could’ve featured all of the movies in Upstate’s Revival House series “Henry Fonda’s America” and, lo and behold, I get to tell you all about another one! We’re no strangers to Cold War films here at Crucial Viewing. If you’ve been reading the newsletter for a while, you’ll know how many films we’ve featured that either directly or indirectly deal with the global anxieties of the era. I think it’s fair to say Hollywood had a particular obsession with thinking through them, even into the turn of the century. In Fail Safe, Henry Fonda plays the U.S. President, desperately attempting to stop the accidental launch of a missile strike on Moscow. It’s melodrama with a healthy dose of ratcheting tension, turning it deftly towards the political thriller. Lumet and cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld use the camera to their advantage, and the visual language of the film does as much to raise the stakes as the actual plot. I’m sure you’ve noticed (like I have) that there’s been an overtly political bent to a lot of the repertory programming in the area lately. I’ve said before, and I’m sure I’ll keep saying it, but I think it’s imperative to reflect back on our history, real and fictional, to engage with the present day. Understanding the repetition of tensions, fears, and political climates, even if you are only engaging with it through cultural material, is necessary in order to better activate in the current climate. Basically, it sucks to always be thinking about the state of affairs in the world, but if you can, you should. At least with this you can engage with it through an exceptional piece of cinema. There’s more we could always be doing, but I don’t think it’s a bad place to start (or pause) these days. (1964, 112min)