Hudson Valley Crucial Viewing: January 3-16

Greetings and Happy New Year! Hope your holiday break was pleasant and relaxing. Now it’s time to take all that new year energy and go to the movies. And we’ve got some excellent repertory options over the next two weeks, that Bel is going to tell you about below. Before we do that, just a quick reminder that Kingston Film Foundation is working on establishing an independent theater space in Kingston, and we need your support to make it happen!

Okay, here’s Bel…

Happy New Year! We’re staring down the barrel of a fun time for new movies, with festival season on the horizon and awards show nominees, we’re pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to contemporary film. I would love to talk to you all about Eggers’ Nosferatu (loved it), the Bob Dylan biopic (my expectations are low), and the sexy Nicole Kidman milk movie (I mean…). But! We also can’t forget about repertory screenings and that’s what I’m here for. There’s some fun stuff coming in the next two weeks that you should definitely try and make it out for. Let’s get into it.

Luis Buñuel's BELLE DU JOUR
TSL, Hudson – Saturday, January 4, 2:15pm and Sunday, January 5, 5:45pm

You’ve gotta love 60s French erotic thrillers. It doesn’t really get better than that. If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Baby Girl (aforementioned Nicole Kidman sexy milk movie) then might I recommend this as a pre or post viewing experience? Luis Buñuel’s film follows the life of a young housewife, Séverine who works in a brothel during her husband’s work day. Playing with themes of social mores, fetishism, and desire, Buñuel’s surrealistic style and dreamlike narrative perfectly lends itself to the subject matter. It’s also consummately stylish. Catherine Deneuve’s wardrobe was almost entirely designed by Yves Saint Laurent. The perspective on female sexuality, on male desire, and the interplay of the characters’ wants and needs with the lecherous gaze of the viewer has lent this movie a lasting legacy. Deneuve’s performance is a huge part of that, and this is arguably the most iconic of her “ice maiden” performances, the psychosexual blank slate beauty queen she became known for. Controversies abound regarding her treatment on set, and the film is certainly not kind to her character, her desires leaning heavily towards sadomasochistic, but it’s also one of the most important films in the erotic canon. (1967, 100min)

Don Coscarelli's BUBBA HO-TEP
Rosendale Theatre, Rosendale – Wednesday, January 8, 7:30pm

If you missed it last month, I had the pleasure of introducing a screening of Big Trouble in Little China for the WTF Wednesday series at the Rosendale Theater. We had a great turnout and I really wanna encourage people to show up to their first movie of the new year. I really think that it’s the perfect theater to watch crazy, strange, out there movies and Bubba Ho-Tep is certainly all three of those things. This movie kind of feels like an extended episode of The X-Files. Like, it might not end up on the “watch it” part of the episode guide for everyone, but that’s what makes it so special. It’s got a ridiculous premise (old age home haunted by a mummy, Elvis Presley who thinks he’s an Elvis Presley impersonator? C’mon) but it’s the kind of premise you have to just let take you for a ride. It’s also got Bruce Campbell as said Elvis, and he is, as always, in peak form. Horror-comedy is his bread and butter and it’s fun to watch him flex his special set of skills outside of the Evil Dead universe. It’s fun, it’s schlocky, it probably wouldn’t get made these days, and it’s the perfect post-holiday movie to go to with friends. Wind down from family time, eat some popcorn, and hang out. (2002, 92min)

Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN
Orpheum, Saugerties – opens Saturday, January 11

I don’t often get nervous writing about movies for this newsletter. Film is, ultimately, subjective, and taste is such a varied, strange, wide ranging, and unpredictable thing. Even within this organization we agree and disagree across the board, sometimes in surprising ways, sometimes not. Recommending The Third Man is one of the easier tasks I could be given. It is widely and unilaterally considered one of the greatest films of all time. It has an undeniably brilliant script, is beautifully shot, has some truly legendary performances, and one of the best film scores, period. But it also has fans who are incredibly passionate and dedicated to the movie. It can be daunting to write about a film that inspires such intense love. What if I don’t mention something, what I forget a key part that is part of what makes it so universally adored? I think I feel some of this too because it’s one of my partner’s favorite films of all time. I can’t tell you how often it comes up in conversation for us. It’s also been years since I’ve seen it. But sitting down to write this has reminded me again why it is so easy to revisit the movie, and why it’s worthwhile. I feel really attached to the post-war films, and The Third Man has such a particular vision of the “post-war” world and all its dark corners. It’s a film full of darkness and confusion, and holds close to its heart the reality that the war was not really over for a long, long time. I really think there’s never not something to take from its themes, even now. (1949, 93min)

Paul King's PADDINGTON 2
Story Screen Cinema, Hudson – Sunday, January 12, 12:00pm

I love the Paddington movies. I am certainly not the age demographic they’re aimed at (and you probably aren’t either) but when they started getting buzz on film forums I keep up with, I knew they must be a treat. My mom is a middle school teacher, and I try my hardest to keep up with conversations about “the youth of today” because I think it’s something that’s important to stay abreast with (and then she and I can blab!). Something that’s consistently been a part of the conversation over the last decade or so is how much children’s media has dropped in quality. When I was a kid we were overrun with good options, and my parents weren’t afraid of showing us stuff you wouldn’t typically think of as “kid’s media”. Nowadays, especially with the Disney-ificiation of everything (read: blandness) there’s not a lot of risk. I think Paddington 2 certainly takes risks. I mean, they send the bear to jail! It’s also got a phenomenal cast of actors (I love you Brendan Gleeson) and beautiful visual style to boot. The prison is Wes Anderson-esque in the best possible way. These movies are sweet, adventurous, and charming, and there’s no reason you can’t go watch them, whether you have kids in your life or not. Plus, there’s a new one coming and he goes to Peru! C’mon. It’s a dark time in the world right now, and we’re all allowed to search for light, and I think these movies are a fine place to find it. (2017, 104min)

Akira Kurosawa's YOJIMBO
UPAC, Kingston – Thursday, January 16, 7:30pm

I have to be honest about something. I kind of… slept on Kurosawa for a long time. I own it with great shame! I knew for a long time that I needed to watch his films, but I think the pressure just felt so overwhelming that I sort of… just… didn’t, for ages. I saw a few of his films in lecture courses during film school but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I really realized that I wanted to dig in. It’s hard sometimes I think, when you’re told for your whole life that you’re going to love something, to actually get up the gumption to watch it. I don’t know if it’s fear of disappointment or what, but I know it happens to all of us. All that said, Yojimbo does not disappoint. I’ve written about Kurosawa (and his adaptors) before in this newsletter and all that holds true. He really is one of the most influential directors in the world. It’s another one of those occasions where it’s frustrating to figure out how to recommend this movie to you because so many people have written so much so much better than I can in this format. I think what I will say is that if you saw A Fistful of Dollars when we recommended it last year, you should go see its originator. Toshiro Mifune is also one of my favorite actors of all time. There’s absolutely no one like him, and he shines so much in this film. I always feel like a snob saying it but Kurosawa’s films really are at their best when seen in a theater. All movies are but sometimes you can break the rules a bit. But with him, you’re doing yourself a disservice. If you’ve only ever watched this on your laptop or from the comfort of your living room do yourself a favor and go. You won’t often get the chance. (1961, 110min)

Brian here, with one bonus non-repertory screening to let you know about. On Saturday, January 11 at 1:00pm, Upstate Films will be showing Black Box Diaries at Starr in Rhinebeck. The screening includes a Q&A with director Shiori Itō, and said Q&A will be moderated by Friend of the Foundation (and Director-level member) Halimah Marcus! Don’t miss it.