pullquote

Nuh-uh

SRSLY, IFC?

How high?

Can the cinetrix get away with a short-term memory loss joke to explain why she's failed to say anything about seeing Pineapple Express on its opening night? Eh, probably not. But seriously, the only thing I remember more than a week later is a yellow Daewoo. Oh yeah, and wondering--briefly--why the denouement took place in the same bunker in which the black-and-white Bill Hader prelude [heh, I said "lude"] unfolded. The Somerville was packed--the 'Fesser, myself, and our pals bought four of the final six tickets available--the audience was primed, and I enjoyed drinking my delicious draft Harpoon IPA. And Tim Orr shot some great 70s-style flares out in the forest. But that's pretty much the best I can say. Pineapple is exactly the sort of flick I'd have paid two bucks to see at the late, lamented Astro, nothing more.

The next night we got much higher, cinematically speaking. Thanks to the kind offices of the Independent Film Festival of Boston [and Magnolia], the 'Fesser, Little Ayun, and I slipped into a free sneak preview of Man on Wire at the Coolidge. Which meant it was precisely 34 years ago to the day since the event the film chronicles went down. Not even the presence of two [visible] rats and at least three [annoyingly visible] iPhone screens could detract from the intoxicating beauty of James Marsh's doc, which I'd been crushing on since I first saw it at Full Frame in April. The story of Philippe Petit's wire walk between the Twin Towers reminds you what cinema is for, and what it's capable of.

Reeling

As of Thursday, it's curtains for the cinetrix's beloved local one-and-a-half run theater, site of many a $2 viewing of selections from the Ferrell and Apatow oeuvres, yes, but also, somewhat improbably, art house faves such as Pan's Labyrinth and House of Flying Daggers. Here's the local news item, with certain names redacted to protect the guilty [as well as to obscure the top-secret location of the bunker the cinetrix shares with Dick Cheney. It's in my lease.]:

[REDACTED] —  The Astro III theatre, a longtime hit among [Redacted] students and families due, in recent years, to its discount ticket cost, will end a nearly 40-year run on [Redacted] Avenue following Thursday’s showings.

D___ H____, director of marketing for [Redacted], the Astro III's parent company since the mid-1980s and based in [Redacted], confirmed Monday afternoon that he received the official word regarding the triple screen theatre earlier in the day.

"I just hate this happened," H____ said.

H____ attributed the decision to a combination of factors.

"With us trying to operate that theatre as a discount theatre and the fact that we have had some competition open up around us, that has made it difficult to maintain attendance and keep it a profitable business," he said.

Though the decision came Monday, H____ said it had been under discussion for "probably the last six months or so."

"It's never a knee jerk reaction," H____ said, adding, "But we needed to operate this theatre with the dignity and respect that the people of [Redacted] have come to know and to operate it any differently would have been a disservice."

<snip>

Though Thursday marks the end of an era in [Redacted] moviegoing, H____ said no fanfare is planned for theatre patrons on the final day. While the Astro III itself will end, H____ is hopeful that [Redacted] will eventually return to [Redacted].

"I would hate to think that we would leave [Redacted] altogether," he said.

As of this posting, the Facebook group that has rallied to save the theatre boasts 2,100+ members and the influx of angry e-mails apparently made it impossible for anyone at the parent company to access its server. This brings a tear to the cinetrix's eye.

So, anyone have advice for launching a nonprofit movie theatre?

Drop me in the water

A word to New Yorkers. Hie thee to Central Park's Harlem Meer [2/3; 110th between 5th & Lenox] TONIGHT for a FREE screening of festival fave Trouble the Water, which begins its national rollout in the week leading up to Hurricane Katrina's third birthday. The skinny:

Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband Scott had just gotten a video camera a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit their neighborhood, New Orleans' 9th Ward. Trouble the Water, directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal (co-producers of Fahrenheit 911 and Bowling For Columbine), includes Kim and Scott's astonishing footage documenting the experience. With overwhelming compassion and honesty, it tells a story that echoes the lives of too many people in America today—those whose lives were ruined (or lost) to Katrina, and those across the country who are being left behind by an uncaring government.

Prior to the film, Ms. Roberts (aka Black Kold Medina), will perform live.

Kim goes on at 8; film starts at 8:30. Tears begin soon after that. 

Take me to the river

This week, HS reveals he doesn't like the cold. Or poor people. But he agrees with Hizzoner about the movie.

Frozen River
Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) lives is a squalid home on the U.S.-Canadian border along the St. Lawrence River and the Mohawk Indian reservation that straddles both sides of the river. She lives with her two sons:  5-year-old Ricky (James Reilly) who appears to be a normal, loving child and 15-year-old T.J. (Charlie McDermott) who is becoming a thief using telephone scams. Ray's husband, whom we never see, has just run off with the family's savings. We learn than he is a gambling addict, and we can only imagine how his behavior has affected his wife and children.

While searching for her husband, Ray meets Lila Littlewolf (Misty Upham), a Mohawk Indian living nearby. Although very suspicious of one another, Ray joins Lila in her illegal operation of smuggling Chinese and Pakistani people across the Canadian border into the U.S. To do so, they use Lila's car to travel over the frozen river – hence the title of the film.

The adventures and misadventures of Ray and Lila make up most of the movie. Along the way we learn of the travails of poor whites and Indians living in the area and how they deal with and react to the afflictions of daily life. Ray is a woman of enormous pluck and true grit who demonstrates what millions of poor, single mothers do every day: provide love and strength to their families and do whatever they need to do to keep them from becoming destitute and collapsing. She reminded me of the biblical proverb describing a worthy woman: "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."

When the picture ended, enormous applause erupted as the cast names rolled by. I realized that many in the theater on that opening night may have either been in the film or were friends or family members of the cast, producer and director. The movie deliberately evokes a grungy and amateurish look, but it is truly a professional work that is worthy of your attendance. I saw it at the Angelika Film Center on Houston Street in Manhattan.

HS said: "I wasn't that eager to see Frozen River because, basically, I don't like the cold. The Times review said it was about poor people and the misfortunes they suffer, which is not exactly a crowd pleaser. Yet the movie turned out to be surprisingly good, even though I worried a lot about people falling through the ice, an anxiety I picked up when I was in Parks and responsible for lakes and ponds. The story is fascinating and the acting is first rate as far as I could tell. (I'm not a professional critic.) The movie helped make you understand other people's problems, particularly poor whites and Native Americans, who are depicted with humanity and grace. See the movie, but bring a sweater."