Check out the flicks we’re Reel Psyched to see this week.
Kink
Oh boy, get ready for this one: Franco combines his passion for porn and documentary as the producer of Kink– which takes us behind the scenes at Kink.com, “the Internet’s largest producer of BDSM content.” Apparently the film does a good deal of cheerleading for Kink.com, which is a relatively open and “normal” operation compared to the rest of the fetish industry. J Franks himself will be on site and ready for an audience Q+A after Friday’s 9:55 pm screening. Friday August 22nd through Tuesday August 26 at IFC Center, 323 6th avenue; tickets, $14
The Passenger
This classic Antonioni film will make an appearance in 35mm for one night only as part of the Journalists in Film series at Nitehawk, a collaboration between VICE News and Billyburg’s booziest theater. Jack Nicholson plays a disillusioned war correspondent covering the conflict in Chad who leaps at the opportunity to change his situation by assuming the identity of a deceased arms dealer. So put on your adventure suit before hopping over to this film and pretend you lead a more daring life. Don’t neglect the downstairs bar while you’re there– according to Nitehawk, ticket holders can score free drinks there. Tuesday August 26th at 9:30 pm, Nitehawk Cinema, 136 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg; tickets, $15
The Trip to Italy
OMG Steve Coogan is back you guys. We know this film looks like it’s all about two snobby, middle-aged Brits in blindingly khaki vacation wear throwing cash at even snobbier food, and generally just being wankers, but it’s much more than that. So much more. But don’t expect anything to happen in this movie. The Trip to Italy looks pretty much like a continuation of The Trip, in which absolutely nothing happens. Like, seriously nothing. If you need heavy-handed narratives to push you through a film, please just stay at home. But if you’re down to hear two super funny whack-jobs riff for a couple of hours, then by all means indulge in this one. Thursday August 21st through Tuesday August 26th at IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue; tickets, $14
Revenge of the Apaches: (Two of) Three East German Westerns
Oh mein Gott! It’s your last chance to catch some Ostdeutschland Westerns. If you’re new to socialist westerns, definitely check these out to see a fascinating Marxist-Leninst reinterpretation of the usual trajectory in American Westerns. But even if you’re a weirdo like me and are well-versed in Westerns from other Warsaw Pact nations, you should still check out these DDR artifacts because they make up a sub-genre of their own– Indianerfilm. Spectacle calls the films “radical cinema.”
Germans are weirdly obsessed with Native Americans, and this shines through in these East German films. But these filmmakers approached their characters in a slightly less exploitative manner than their Hollywood counterparts. Natürlich. Instead of casting Native Americans as bloodthirsty, murderous subhumans, DDR filmmakers’ portrayals of “various American Indian tribes are well-researched and sympathetic.” Monday August 25th at 10 pm, Chingachigook: The Great Snake and Saturday August 30th at 7:30 pm, The Sons of Great Bear at Spectacle Theater, 124 S. 3rd street in Williamsburg: tickets, $5 at the door
1m1w1d Short Film Festival
Tonight cozy up with a drink at the Wythe Hotel screening room for a slew of short films. Participating filmmakers include Todd Skylar, Floyd Russ, Frances Bodomo, and Matt Lenski. One film, Afronauts, sounds particularly entertaining: “July 1969. It’s the night of the moon landing and a rag-tag group of Zambian exiles are trying to beat America to the Moon.” Thursday August 21st 8pm – 12am at Wythe Hotel screening room and bar, 80 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg; tickets, free RSVP