Stop pretending you like the World Cup, fill your flask with Jack Daniels, and get thee to your local cinema. There’s plenty going on in the next week that’s worth a gander.
Venus in Furs
Roman Polanski’s latest film is an adaptation of an adaptation– de Sade via David Ives– featuring his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner (who is a serious babe at 47) as Vanda.
Friday, June 20 thru Thursday, June 26 at IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas; $14.
Palo Alto
Well, I think we can all admit by now J-Frank’s short story collection was less than stellar, aaaand we’re still cringing from how his photography show at Pace went down, but somehow the man always manages to land on his feet when it comes to the silver screen. But please make sure you’re fond of romanticized depictions of high school before subjecting yourself to this one because it’s chock-full of tween-on-tween melodramz. Nitehawk is the place to see it, because trust us– you’ll probably need a beer to help you work up some sentimental nostalgia.
Through Thursday, June 26 at Nitehawk, 136 Metropolitan Ave, Williamsburg; $11
Third Person (w/Paul Haggis in person)
Speaking of James Franco, he also appears (as a famed NYC artist, no less) in the latest ensemble affair from Paul Haggis. Like Haggis’s Crash, this one weaves three separate stories together — one about a prestigious novelist who has left his wife (Kim Basinger) for a protege of sorts (Olivia Wilde), another about a sketchy businessman (Adrien Brody) and another about an ex-soap starlet who’s battling her ex, the Franco character, for their kid. If you missed this one at the Tribeca Film Festival, this is another chance to hear from the director.
Opens Friday, June 20 (Haggis in person at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. screenings) at Sunshine Cinema, 143 E Houston St, Lower East Side
The Past Is a Grotesque Animal
If you dig beyond-Behind-the-Music-style documentaries like Mistaken For Strangers (the doc about The National that recently showed at IFC) and How to Act Bad (the Adam Green doc that recently became available online) this new one about Elephant 6 breakouts Of Montreal might just be up your alley.
Opens Friday, June 20 at IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas, Greenwich Village; $14.
Rabid Dogs
Master of the Italian horror film, Mario Bava, took a break from his genre of choice to film this crime thriller in 1974. The film ran into investment issues and Bava never completed what he “considered his most important work.” The film was completed in the 90s using Bava’s notes.
Saturday, June 21, part of “The Italian Connection” series happening at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave, East Village; $10
The Signal
Sci-Fi! Lawrence Fishburne! Apparently this one has lots of fun twists.
Thursday, June 19 thru Wednesday June, 25th at AMC Loews Village 7, 66 Third Ave, East Village; $13.75