Hudson Valley Crucial Viewing September 26-October 9

Hi moviegoers! Thanks to everyone who came out to our screening of All About My Mother last night (and last Sunday!) We’re so excited to be ringing in the grand opening of Upstate Midtown, and can’t wait to continue bringing the best of repertory cinema to Kingston. We’ve all been busy getting things ready. We’re staring down the barrel now of the most exciting time of the year for movies. October is always a blast with repertory screenings of horror films (old and new), and then we move straight into awards season, with the slow trickle of contenders starting to show up in theaters. Hopefully you guys still have the bandwidth to make it out for some older films in between the excitement of anticipated new releases. We’ve got 5 great options right here for you, if you need help picking. On to the list.

Alan J. Pakula’s ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
Community Theater, Catskill – Opens Friday, September 26, 5:30pm

I, as I’m sure many of you were, was extremely sad to hear of Robert Redford’s passing last week. Redford can easily be written off as the archetypical movie star. His good looks, wide-ranging career, and surface charm have the capacity to overwrite the actor’s storied history in Hollywood, and his true dedication to the art of film. All the President’s Men is an excellent example of that dedication. The film wouldn’t exist without Redford’s input and passion for the subject matter, and it withstands the test of time. It’s probably one of the greatest political thrillers of the 20th century, and it’s about newspaper journalists, possibly one of the hardest careers to make interesting on film. The film is riveting to watch, particularly because of Redford and Dustin Hoffman’s performance, but also due to an ingenious (and famously hard to write) script. I’ve written here before about how relevant political thrillers from this time period feel today, and All the President’s Men is no exception. I’d say it’s worth the rewatch. If you’re craving more methodical movies that manage to make mundane research seem interesting, I’d recommend this fantastic video essay, and any of the films mentioned within. (1976, 138min)

Jim Sharman’s ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW w/ live shadowcast
Rosendale Theatre, Rosendale – Saturday, September 27, 9:00pm

I’ve written about Rosendale Theatre’s shadowcast screening of Rocky Horror many, many times before. They had a performance way back in May of this year, so I won’t take up too much of your time rehashing it here. If you missed it back in May though, I’d encourage you to try and make it out this time around. It really is one of the most fun theater-going experiences I’ve ever had, and if you haven’t given it a shot yet, you should get in on the fun. Rocky Horror is such a magical piece of film history, one of those “can only happen once in a lifetime” kind of productions. There’s also a documentary about the film screening now at Orpheum, so if you want to up your dosage, maybe go see both? (1975, 100min)

J. Searle Dawley’s SNOW WHITE w/ live viola and harp score
Community Theater, Catskill – Friday, October 3, 6:30pm

We’ve featured a number of silent films with live scores in our lists over the last year. Every time I write about one I have to ask myself if it will be enough to get people over their reluctance to give silent films a shot. I can admit, it can be really hard to give over focus to a type of film that is so different from what we’re accustomed to in the modern era. Especially longer, narrative silent films that aren’t buoyed by physical comedy and interconnected set pieces (I’m looking at you Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton). That said, if you feel like you can get over the hump, this is one you shouldn’t miss out on. Famously the film that eventually inspired Walt Disney to make his first animated film, Dawley’s Snow White was long thought lost. During the start of the film industry, many movies were shot on volatile, hard to preserve film stock, and due to poor preservation attempts, storage issues, and (like in the case of this film) fires, there are swaths of film’s history that are mostly lost to time. Snow White was presumed to have been one of these, after a fire destroyed the vault the original prints were stored in. But, in 1992, a mostly complete copy was discovered in Amsterdam, and has since been restored as much as possible. The film will be presented alongside a score by harpist Leslie McMichael and her sister, Barbara McMichael. (1916, 63min)

Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS
Story Screen, Hudson – Sunday, October 5, 2:00pm

Oh, The Birds. An ingenious thriller or an ambitious misstep? It’s hard to say. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t make it to my top ten for Hitchcock films, but god damn is it a fun watch. The true fear it inspires (in spite of its outlandish premise) is impressive, and the use of state of the art special effects for the time make it a feat of cinematic capability. I don’t mean to say I dislike it. It really is fantastic, and Hitchcock cleverly builds the tension until everything erupts, proving time and again that he was one of the 20th century’s true geniuses. It’s hard for me to watch the film these days knowing what went on between Hitchcock and his star, Tippi Hedren, and the abuse she allegedly suffered at his hands. In retrospect, it makes interpretations of the film’s symbolism more complicated, forcing us to reflect not just on the themes of sexuality and nature in the film, but the more coded, underlying tension of director and starlet, sexual misconduct, and misogynistic depictions of seduction. An ongoing facet of film programming and recommendation is the necessity of reflecting on art vs artist. What films can and should we show? How do we acknowledge the overwhelming history of misogyny and sexual violence that makes up a large part of the history of Hollywood, and the film industry as a whole? The Birds is a good example of that problem (any Hitchcock is, really). This film is incredibly significant, culturally and technically important, and a fantastic piece of art to boot. You should see it, especially if you haven’t. But go in with some understanding of what was happening in the background. It might change how you watch it, how you interpret it, how it makes you feel, but that’s part of the responsibility we have as film-goers. (1963, 119min)

Steve McQueen’s HUNGER 
CPW, Kingston – Tuesday, October 7, 7:00pm

We’re happy to be partnering with the CPW to present another film with them. The film will be presented with a brief introduction by their artist-in-residence, Dean Majd. Hunger is director Steve McQueen’s debut picture, narrativizing the true story of the 1981 Irish hunger strike. Starring Michael Fassbender as political prisoner Bobby Sands in (arguably) one of his career best performances, McQueen creates a jarring, visceral experience. I watched this movie when I was probably 16, and still struggle to find the words to talk about it. The film is incredibly textural, creating a visual language that both elucidates and narrativizes the experience, while abstracting it. These films in conjunction with CPW have been coalescing as a sort of “Cinema of Resistance” series, and Hunger is an unflinching representation of what resistance means and looks like. Again, there is so much political relevance to this film today, and I really urge you to attend. This film asks you not to turn away from what extreme acts of resistance can and often need to be. (2008, 96min)