APR 2012 - 92nd Street Y

APR 2012
FILM
Kathy High and Jim Supanick, the curators of Flaherty NYC for the Spring 2012 season, have put together an excitingly
varied program of films foregrounding the emotional and ethical power of the animal image as discussed by Burt and
others. In the past ten years, the burgeoning field of Animal Studies has done much to bring “the animal question”
into the public eye, focusing attention on the place of animals in folklore, science, politics and religious practice – and
also on the place of the human animal in relation to our animal others.
WED, APR 4, 7:30 PM
WED, APR 11, 7:30 PM
RECOGNIZING THE ANIMAL:
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI,
SAM EASTERSON AND
CYNTHIA CHRIS
AVANT-GARDE PIONEERS:
GEROGE KUCHAR AND
CAROLEE SCHNEEMANN
This evening’s program features two filmmakers whose
work takes a different tack, one less interested in reforming
these conventions than abandoning them altogether. Sam
Easterson’s videos adopt an uncompromisingly first-person
point of view in works whose “person” just so happens
to be an animal. Imagine Lady in the Lake remade with
a cast of waterfowl: what began as a novel experiment in
narrative cinema is transposed into a radical and extended
consideration of the animal ocular. Isabella Rossellini’s
matter-of-fact recitation (and partial demonstration) of her
subjects’ mating habits is both a catalogue of interspecies
affinities and an acknowledgment of difference.
Cynthia Chris will present and discuss works presented and
also works from her own collection of wildlife films.
Two avant-garde pioneers of wildly divergent sensibilities are
brought together here for their strong feline affinities.
Carolee Schneemann’s Kitch’s Last Meal is a landmark of
diaristic cinema, chronicling the filmmaker’s preparation
for the impending death of her beloved cat. Amidst life
away from the city with Schneemann and her then-partner
Anthony McCall, Kitch defies all expectations to live
another three years; from here, the project broadens into a
celebration of their continuing domestic life, as Schneemann
reflects in voiceover upon her reception as an artist and
various other matters. In Nirvana of the Nebbishites, an
ever-vigilant Blackie quietly indulges Kuchar’s puppet-play
and serves as a screen for fantasy projections via obsolescent
video effects.
Filmmaker Carolee Schneemann will be in attendance for
discussion moderated by Abigail Child.
On the first Saturday of each month, the folks at Iron
Mule serve up some of the funniest short films from
around the world, including animation, web series and
narratives.
April marks Iron Mule’s 10th anniversary. To celebrate,
we have three nights of programs including Iron Mule
producer picks, Best of Animation and a Movie Night
presentation of Starship Troopers. Plus other Iron Mule
selected shorts before features throughout the month!
SAT, APR 7, 8 PM, $10, member price $6
THE IRON MULE SHORT
COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL:
PRODUCER’S PICKS
Iron Mule producers old and new will present some of their
favorite films screened at the festival. Hosted by Jay Stern,
Victor Varnado, Ramona Floyd, Lin Sorensen, Meg Sweeney
Lawless and Richard Burst-Lazarus.
WED, APR 18, 7 PM
STARSHIP TROOPERS WITH
SHORT FILM THE TERRIBLE
THING OF ALPHA 9!
A monthly tribute to those well-worn VHS staples that still hold up all these years later. Admission to each film is
separate, but buy tickets to both and get a free PBR in between screenings! Just show your ticket stubs at the cafe.
Paul Verhoven (RoboCop,Total Recall) directs this sci fi
shoot-em-up loosely adapted from Robert Henlein’s novel
and transforms a potential run-of-the-mill action movie into
a satire of warrior culture that hits shockingly close to home.
Peaceniks, you’ll cheer in spite of yourself!
SAT, APR 21, 7 PM
SAT, APR 21, 9:30 PM, $10, member price $6
Director: Paul Verhoeven. 129 min. 1997. 35mm.
F/X
REMO WILLIAMS:
THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
Preceding the film will be the short animation The Terrible
Thing of Alpha 9! featuring a brave astronaut fighting a
horrible (alright, Terrible) threat to humanity. (directed by
Jake Armstrong, 6 minutes, 2009)
Special effects whiz Bryan Brown is recruited by the Justice
Department to stage a phony assassination of mob boss Jerry
Orbach, only to find himself targeted as the murder suspect
and forced to turn to his bag of tricks to stay one step ahead
of the crooked government goons who set him up. A sleeper
hit that became an infinitely rewatchable institution on
basic cable, this taut B pic takes full advantage of its protoMacGyver premise, with latex masks and smoke bombs at
every twist and turn. Among the many highlights: a haunting
Bill Conti score straight out of a ‘70s paranoid thriller,
rich lensing courtesy of Milos Forman’s DP and stand-out
performances from a gallery of old school character actor
pros, most notably Brian Dennehy, as the gruff Irish cop not
in on the take.
Director: Robert Mandel. 109 mins. 1986. 35mm.
Preceding the screening will be Reception ( Robert Mond,
Australia, 5 min), a thriller about a kidnapping gone wrong.
From the director of Goldfinger comes this bizarro pulp
thriller featuring Fred Ward as a smartass NYC beat cop
recruited by an elite cabal of assassins. Trained by Joel Grey
to be a human killing machine, Remo masters the art of
bullet-dodging, walking on water and scaling the
Wonder Wheel.
Most infamous for its wildly presumptuous subtitle, the
film was based on the “men’s adventure” pulp series The
Destroyer, with the producers optioning all 58 of the dimestore yarns in anticipation of an instant Remo Williams cult.
While the adventure may have ended where it began, the
film has a cocksure spirit, an improbably bold mashup of
Ward’s gruff blue-collar charms, goofball Eastern mysticism
and lavish Bond-worthy set pieces—notably a mid-film
climactic footchase staged atop the Statue of Liberty.
Director: Guy Hamilton. 121 min. 1985. 35mm.
THU, APR 26, 8 PM, $10, member price $6
THE IRON MULE SHORT
COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL:
ANIMATION
Iron Mule presents this evening of the best animated films
from the archives.
Order online and pay no service fees at 92YTribeca.org or call 212.601.1000
All screenings are $12 unless otherwise noted. 92Y Tribeca Film Club members get $4 off all tickets. Visit 92YTribeca.org for updates and additions.
NEW - Join the 92YTribeca Film Club! Enjoy discount admission, secret screenings, discounts in the cafe, and more!
Check 92YTribeca.org/FilmClub for details. 200 Hudson Street (just south of Canal) | An agency of UJA-Federation
THE GOOD FAIRY
NEON MANIACS
DEMOLITION MAN
THU, APR 5, 7:30 PM
THU, APR 19, 7 PM
SAT, APR 28, 7:30 PM
THE GOOD FAIRY
ATOMIC EPILOGUE
NEON MANIACS
Part of the series Closely Watched Films,
hosted by Elliott Kalan, this month with special guest
John Oliver (The Daily Show).
Luisa Ginglebusher only wants to do good, so why does
everyone force her to lie so much? Innocent Luisa (Margaret
Sullivan) leaves her home at the asylum—orphan asylum,
that is—to become an usherette, only to be targeted by
hapless seducer Frank Morgan (you know him as the Wizard
of Oz). What else can she do but pretend to be the wife
of Max, a lawyer she’s never met (Herbert Marshall), and
perhaps fulfill his dream of owning a real pencil sharpener?
With an early screenplay by comedy genius Preston Sturges,
The Good Fairy contains all the Sturges trademarks: goofy
names, verbal gymnastics and an overwhelming sweetness to
match the more risque jokes.
Host Elliott Kalan will be joined by guest John Oliver to
discuss comedy, film and why Europeans are inherently
ridiculous.
Part of the series Story Leads to Action, co-presented with
Chicken and Egg Pictures and Working Films.
Atomic Epilogue explores the changing face of energy
production in the United States through one man’s unusual
life and legacy. “Atomic” Ed Grothus spent decades as
an activist and educator, while collecting tons of detritus
from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in his unofficial
museum of the nuclear age, The Black Hole. In his final
days, Ed confronts his own death with honesty and humor,
looking forward to the legacy of hope he wants to leave
behind.
Followed by discussion with the filmmaker and a panel.
Director: Ellen Spiro. 25 min. 2011.
THU, APR 19, 9 PM / FRI, APR 20, 9:45 PM
$10, member tickets $6
DEMOLITION MAN
Director: William Wyler. 98 min. 1935. 35mm.
TEMPO REI
Part of the series, Janeiro in New York,
co-presented with Cinema Tropical
Filmed in 1996, Tempo Rei celebrates 30 years of Gilberto
Gil’s career. In this personal film, Gil looks back on his
artistic trajectory, sharing memories and personal stories.
Tempo Rei was filmed in Rio De Janeiro, São Paulo,
Salvador and Ituaçu. It includes scenes of shows and musical
meetings with special guests Filhos de Ghandi, Gil’s family,
Stevie Wonder (who interprets “Desafinado”), Caetano
Veloso and Carlinhos Brown, among others. It includes the
great successes of Gilberto Gil, such as “Madalena,” “Cores
Vivas,” “Vamos Fugir,” “Procissão” and “Expresso 2222.”
Directors: Lula Buarque de Hollanda,
Andrucha Waddington and Breno Silveira. 90 min. 1996.
In Portuguese with English subtitles. DigiBeta.
FRI, APR 13, 7:30 PM, $13 ticket includes one beer!
PUNCH: PUPPET SLAM,
SHORT FILMS
When unfrozen 1996 super-criminal Simon Phoenix
(Wesley Snipes) descends on the 2032 city of San Angeles,
the pacifist and profanity-free society is at a loss for how
to stop such ferocity. They turn to (and thaw out) the
only person who knew how to stop Phoenix back in
the ‘90s: ex-cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), who
was freeze-imprisoned himself for being too extreme
in his arrest methods. Old-guy-in-a-weird-future jokes
notwithstanding, Demolition Man is a blast to revisit, or
see for the first time, now that we’re 20 years closer to that
future. Time permitting, we can discuss theories on how to
use the three seashells.
Come early for Happy Hour! An hour before each
screening, our cafe will offer $2 off most beer and wine for
movie ticket holders. And you can bring your drink into the
screening, too.
Director: Marco Brambilla. 115 min. 1993. 35mm.
FRI, APR 20, 7:30 PM
SMALL POND
Come see shadows, hand puppets, rod puppets; funny stuff,
serious stuff, musical stuff—everything we could find and fit
into 90 minutes of puppet cinema. AWESOME!
With films from such artists as Exploding Puppet
Productions, Frankenstudios, Glove and Boots, Beau Brown,
Nic Lemon and many, many more, including Soup is Good
Food by the PuppetHead Players, selected by Iron Mule for
their 10th anniversary celebration!
SAT, APR 14, 8 PM
NIGHTMARE
Part of the series Overdue,
programmed by Nick Pinkerton and Nicolas Rapold
Italian writer-director Romano Scavolini attained “video
nasty” infamy with the UK ban of this very sanguinary
US-shot slasher, which stalks one George Tatum as he stalks.
Tatum is a schizophrenic tormented by nightmares, released
from an experimental clinic after years of therapy. Once
free, George submerges himself anew in unwholesome
influences. Tatum’s road trip ends in Cocoa Beach, Florida,
where he begins to haunt a single-mother household
composed of preadolescent prankster C.J., his dullard siblings
and their nervously exhausted mother (A typical exchange:
“Mommy, what happened?” “Shut up.”) The family unit
seems scarcely less dysfunctional than the lunatic. An obvious
debt to The Shining peaks with a menacing low-angle
hacking-through-the-door shot, but Nightmare’s tatty take
on psychopathology is all its own.
Director: Romano Scavolini. 98 min. 1981. 35mm.
Director Josh Slates in person for post-screening Q&A.
Part of the series Festival Playlist.
It’s summertime in Columbia, Missouri ... the college
students have all gone home and a blissfully irresponsible
young woman named Kirsten reigns as the clown princess of
the downtown bar scene. Kirsten has created a modest but
comfortable world for herself in which she labors 10 hours
a week at a local pizzeria while coasting on the declining
goodwill of her chums and associates, although Kirsten’s best
friend has come to tire of shepherding her drunken antics
and she is unsurprisingly despised by her long-suffering
roommate and co-worker. While in the throes of a tentative
reconciliation with an eccentric childhood friend, an
ill-fated nitrous bender unexpectedly forces Kirsten’s first
babysteps into adulthood.
Director: Josh Slates. 77 min. 2011. Blu Ray.
FRI, APR 27, 8 PM
MEET THE LADY: CAT WOMEN
Legends of women transforming into cats (and vice versa)
recur with startling frequency throughout film and literature,
strangely informing our perceptions about both cats and
women.
Armed with film clips and comedic insights, Meet The Lady
host Tom Blunt leads an expedition into the dark heart of
these portrayals, rounding up entertainers and special guests
along the way to offer their own unique spin on the subject.
**Author Valerie Martin will appear to discuss her novel
The Great Divorce.**
NIGHTMARE
APR 2012
FILM
Bay Area. 1986. People are getting slaughtered at night …
and the cops are clueless!
A motley crew of outcast teens forms and investigates the
horrific menace. What they are about to find out is beyond
the beyond. Neon Maniacs (named as such because they
always leave a trail of glowing gloop at the crime scene) are
a nonsensical, random-ass group of toss-away super-villains;
it’s as if all the bad guys who never made it in another movie
got together for one last shot. Neon Maniacs director Joseph
Mangine pulls out all the stops in the satisfying climax set
at, of course, a high school prom Battle of the Bands. While
the love interest’s soft 80’s rock band is pitted against Jaded,
the raunchy hair metal band, the Neon Maniacs slither
imperceptibly among the costume-dressed attendees. But
don’t worry; the teens already know the Maniacs’ weakness.
Director: Joseph Mangine. 91 min. 1986. 35mm.
Part of the Beer Goggles series
THU, APR 12, 7 PM
Part of the series Not Coming to a Theater Near You,
presented by the film blog of the same name.
SMALL POND
MON, APR 30, 6:50 PM, $15, member price $11
BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT
DOUBLE FEATURE:
GOD BLESS AMERICA AND
SHAKES THE CLOWN
For this special evening, we will show Bobcat Goldthwait’s
newest feature, followed by Q&A, and then his cult classic
directorial debut.
6:50 - God Bless America
8:35 - Bobcat Goldthwait Q&A
9:30 - Shakes the Clown
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Frank (Joel Murray) has had enough of the downward
spiral of American culture. Divorced, recently fired, and
possibly terminally ill, Frank truly has nothing left to live
for. But instead of taking his own life, he buys a gun and
decides to take out his frustration on the cruelest, stupidest,
most intolerant people he can imagine -- starting with
some particularly odious reality television stars. Frank finds
an unusual accomplice in a high-school student named
Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), who shares his sense of rage and
disenfranchisement. Together they embark on a nationwide
assault on our country’s most irritating celebrities . . .
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait. 104 min. 2011. 35mm.
SHAKES THE CLOWN
In his debut as writer and director, Bobcat Goldthwait stars
as Shakes, a sloppy drunk of a clown who barely makes it
through the party gigs he somehow is hired for. Fired by his
booking agency, Shakes finds out that he’s being framed for
the murder of his former boss. He is forced to clean up his
act and go undercover to clear his name. Martin Scorsese
famously called it “The Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown
movies!”
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait. 87 min. 1992. 35mm.
ALSO IN APR:
OUR FIRST SUPER SECRET
MEMBERS-ONLY SCREENING!
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Order online and pay no service fees at 92YTribeca.org or call 212.601.1000
All screenings are $12 unless otherwise noted. 92Y Tribeca Film Club members get $4 off all tickets.
Visit 92YTribeca.org for updates and additions. NEW - Join the 92YTribeca Film Club!
Enjoy discount admission, secret screenings, discounts in the cafe, and more!
Check 92YTribeca.org/FilmClub for details. 200 Hudson Street (just south of Canal)