Hudson Valley Crucial Viewing: April 26- May 9

Hello Hudson Valley film fans! As we all know, the best way to enjoy the lovely spring weather we’re having is inside a climate-controlled theater, watching an excellent second-run movie. You can read about our next screening below, along with two interesting double features, a beautiful Italian period drama, and Abbas Kiarostami’s masterpiece. It’s time for…

George A. Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD and DAY OF THE DEAD
Hi-Way Drive In, Coxsackie – Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28th

Ahh, spring. The weather is warm, plants are in bloom, and the drive in opens once more. This weekend our friends at Hi-Way Drive In offer you the chance to see the second and third installments in Romero’s zombie trilogy on the big big big screen this weekend. Dawn of the Dead, in particular, is just the perfect zombie movie, from the big-picture societal collapse to the detail of every headshot. An incredible performance by Ken Foree anchors the survivors, who are trapped in a shopping mall, the perfect mix of fun-as-hell wish fulfillment and sharp commentary on American consumer culture. This is a special theatrical rerelease for Dawn, and what better pair for a double feature than the final chapter in the story? (1979, 127min; 1985, 101min)

Agnès Varda's THE GLEANERS AND I
Holding Space, Kingston – Saturday, April 27, 7:00pm

Naturally, we’re very excited for this one, not only for a second Varda film on the big screen this year in Kingston, but our first movie night at the fantastic gallery/event space/community center Holding Space in the Rondout! Varda’s documentary on gleaners, those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of necessity or activism, was an early experiment in digital filmmaking. She manages to find beauty in the camcorder’s limitations, just as she finds beauty in heart-shaped potatoes, in garbage, in tangents, and in people and their mundanities. Just a fun, beautiful, life-affirming, precious type of movie we’re proud to present. Come at 7 for a preshow mingle, find out more about Kingston Film Foundation and Holding Space, and then the movie starts at sunset (approximately 7:50.) (2000, 82min)

Wim Wenders' WINGS OF DESIRE and THE AMERICAN FRIEND
Time and Space Limited, Hudson – Saturday, April 27, 2:30pm/5:00pm

Another killer double feature, this one from a particular favorite of mine, the great Wim Wenders. First up, Wings of Desire, one of the most beautifully shot black and white features ever, and maybe the most interesting portrayal of angels in cinema history. As you may recall from our review of The Player, anytime Peter Falk plays himself, the movie is good. It’s immediately followed by The American Friend, a slow-moving but slick thriller about the dangers of collaborating with Americans, featuring powerhouse performances from Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz. A great opportunity to see two of my favorite films ever made, on the big screen, in one single afternoon. Wings of Desire starts at 2:30, The American Friend at 5:00. (1987, 128min; 1977, 125min)

Luchino Visconti's THE LEOPARD
Starr Cinema, Rhinebeck – Sunday, April 28, 11:00am

Closing out a big second-run weekend in the HV is Luchino Visconti’s enduring romantic adventure, an examination of Sicilian aristocracy set amid the 1860s and Garibaldi’s unification of Italy. The winner of the 1963 Palme d’or at Cannes, it features great performances from Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon, and an extended ballroom sequence that must be seen to be believed. If a film bankrupted the studio that produced it, it must be either really bad or really good; thankfully, The Leopard is the latter. This screening features a postshow chat with writer David Weir. (1963, 186min)

Abbas Kiarostami's CLOSE-UP
UPAC, Kingston – Thursday, MAY 9, 7:30pm

Kiarostami’s fiction/documentary hybrid serves as a deconstruction of cinema and its various influences on society and its audience. A poor, overlooked movie obsessive who only feels seen by his country’s national cinema pretends to be his favorite director and gets caught. A film with a completely unique style that manages to be a humanistic, sad, empathetic and understanding about how art affects us. It’s not always clear which parts are documentary and which parts are a narrative film, or maybe in this particular film, the distinction is meaningless. Another free screening as part of the Bardavon and UPAC’s Game Changers series. (1990, 98min)