20-Word Fiction (7 of 10): The Saturday Night Bath

Greetings to our blog readers in Germany, Ireland and Hungary....

Yes, we know this image of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy from "Adam's Rib" (1949) doesn't go with our title, which we came up with thanks to Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin's surreal art film "The Forbidden Room," which came out theatrically last year.

But, once you take the time to read this short, short story, perhaps you will understand or perhaps you will not!:

"Molly want to go to the movies with her friends tonight. Netflix is always my backup plan. I need alternatives!"....

If you are actually interested in going to the movies, then you may want to see the critically acclaimed film "Sunset Song" at the Film Forum in New York.

Meanwhile, two college town cinemas The Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg, Va., and The Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, are both showing the animated children's film "Zootopia."

Check the links below for more information:

http://www.filmforum.org

http://www.thelyric.com

http://www.varsityonfranklin.com

Now Showing: The Film Forum and The Eden Drive-In

Today, we look at various movies which are being screened in both large markets and small towns, on the east coast of the United States.

We start in New York, where tonight the Film Forum screens both "The French Connection" at 7:10 p.m. and "The Honeymoon Killers" (pict. bottom) at 9:30 p.m. Both films are being screened as part of the Film Forum's True Crime series which also features Charlie Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux." "The Honeymoon Killers" has developed a cult reputation since being released in the early 1970s; the film revolves around a man and a woman who lured victims with lonely hearts ads in local newspapers. The film is indeed based on a true story, and it is a jarring film about a cross country killing spree. IFC once showed the film on Valentine's Day!

The Film Forum is also screening the cinematic gem "The Third Man" with Orson Welles at 4:50; 7:10 and 9:20 p.m. in addition to two earlier in the day matinees.

We move south to Washington, DC, where the E-Street Cinema is screening the new indy film "The Stanford Prison Experiment" at 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, and 9:30 p.m. The film is also showing at the a/perture Cinema in Winston-Salem, NC, at 11:45 a.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:15 p.m.

Some three and a half hours south of Washington, DC, the Hull's Drive-In in Lexington, Va., will be screening a double-feature: "Magic Mike XXL" and "Ted 2" (pict. top) starting at 8:55 p.m. In Blacksburg, Va., the Lyric Theatre is showing the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson biopic "Love and Mercy" at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m.

In the small town of Eden, NC, which neighbors Henry County (Martinsville), Va., the Eden Drive-In is showing the new version of "Vacation" (the center image is of the original 1983 Chevy Chase version) along with "Southpaw," a boxing movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal starting at sun down which was 8:25 p.m. last night.

In Chapel Hill, NC, the Varsity Theatre will be screening "Mad Max: Fury Road," one of the best reviewed films of the year at 9:20 p.m.

Finally, Cine, a cinema in Athens, Ga., is holding a special screening of John Carpenter's "Escape from New York" starring Kurt Russell at 10:30 p.m.

http://www.varsityonfranklin.com

http://www.filmforum.org

http://www.edendrivein.com

http://www.aperturecinema.com

http://www.thelyric.com

http://www.hullsdrivein.com

http://www.athenscine.com

Traditional Mother's Day Quote from Joan Crawford

Every year on Mother's Day, we like to quote Joan Crawford. For many years, the Criterion Cinema in New Haven, Conn., screened "Mommie Dearest," a 1981 film about Crawford starring Faye Dunaway on Mother's Day. Yesterday, the Denver Film Society screened the picture with Rutanya Alda, the then-child actress who played Crawford's daughter. Today (Sunday), the family film "The Parent Trap" with Hayley Mills was shown at the Film Forum in New York (Crawford was not in that film).

Here is her quote:

"I, Joan Crawford, believe in the dollar. Everything I earn, I spend."

http://www.filmforum.org

http://www.denverfilmsociety.org

http://www.joancrawfordbest.com

http://www.legendaryjoancrawford.com

Now Showing: Films at Independent Cinemas in the USA (East Coast Edition)

Since putting this together took way more time than we expected, we are going to post new films opening at independent cinemas in America and/or perhaps elsewhere just once a month on Friday as opposed to once a week on Friday as we had planned.

But, here are movies which are showing at independent arthouse cinemas from New York to Athens, Ga., they include the Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg, Va., the West End Cinema in Washington, DC, and a/perture Cinema in Winston-Salem, NC.

These are not necessarily the only films showing at each venue as only the Lyric and the Vinegar Hill Theatre in Charlottesville, Va., are one-screen venues.

The images above are of Sarah Polley, the director of the documentary "Stories We Tell," which is showing at the West End (it will show at the Lyric starting on June 28th), Greta Gerwig, the star of "Frances Ha," showing at the Cine in Athens, Ga., and Sofia Coppola, the director of "Bling Ring," which is showing at the Vinegar Hill.

On our sister blog "Politics, Culture, and Other Wastes of Time"  http://www.politicscultureandotherwastesoft.blogspot.com we will list films showing west of the Mississippi River.

Going from north to south, we start with Film Forum in New York, which is showing the acclaimed Danish film "A Hijacking," about Europeans who have their boat hijacked by Somali pirates. The film shows in New York at 1:15; 3:15; 6:00; 8:00 and 10:10 p.m. (times may vary).

In the nation's capital, "Stories We Tell," which is a documentary about how Polley, a Canadian film star, found out her father was not actually her biological father. The film has a very high 7.8 rating on the IMDB. It will show at the West End during the following times on Saturday: 11:20 (a.m.); 1:40; 4:00; 6:40 and 9:00 p.m.

At the Vinegar Hill in Charlottesville, one can see "The Bling Ring," which we believe is the "Lost in Translation" director's fifth film at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. In Virginia's other major college town, "Mud" is showing at the Lyric in Blacksburg at 7:00 and 9:30; with a Sunday matinee at 3:00 p.m.

On Saturday, a/perture in Winston-Salem is showing "Much Ado About Nothing," directed by joss Whedon ("Cabin in the Woods") at 1:15; 3:45; 6:15 and 8:45.

Lastly, way down in Athens, Ga., Cine is showing "Frances Ha"at 5:15 and 7:15, with an additional 9:15 screening times starting on June 24.

http://www.visulitecinemas.com

http://www.filmforum.com

http://www.athenscine.com

http://www.thelyric.com

http://www.aperturecinema.com

http://www.westendcinema.com

Quote of the Day/Week- Roman Polanski

For the second week in a row, we are quoting famous film directors with controversial personal lives. Last week, we quoted Woody Allen. But, the reason for this is not because we live controversy (ok,so we did say we would run to Costa Rica if Mitt Romney was elected president a few entries back), but because Roman Polanski, the subject of this week's quote, like Allen, is an Oscar-winning filmmaker. We are quoting Academy Award-winning film directors this month even though our personal favorite movie director Stanley Kubrick never won one! (Yes, not even for "2001:A Space Odyssey").

Currently, in some small-market art houses, Polanski's latest film "Carnage" with three Oscar winners (Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz) and John C. Reilly is now screening. The film has already been screened in large markets.

The film director was born in Poland, and now resides in France.

Polanski won an Oscar for his film "The Pianist" (2002).

Here is Polanski's quote (the above image is of him acting in his own film "Chinatown" (1974)):

"Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater."

SIDEBAR: The Film Forum in New York will be screening a very interesting film (well, we haven't seen it for ourselves) from Iranian director Jafar Panahi entitled "This Is Not a Film" starting on Feb. 29.

The film, co-directed with Mojtaba Miratahmasb, was entirely shot on a cell phone and a DV camera. Sine Panafi is under house arrest for his politics and not allowed to make films in Iran, he had the film hidden in a cake and sent to France for festival screenings. It became a huge sensation at the Cannes Film Festival.

Panafi is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in Iran; his credits include "The White Balloon" (1995), "The Circle" (2000) and "Offside" (2006). His current film is an autobiographical documentary about isolation.

My friend Bilge Ebiri, a New York-based film critic proclaimed "Offside" to be the best film that was released in the United States in 2007. That film was about two girls in their late teens/early twenties try to sneak inside to see a soccer game. In Iran, women are forbidden to go to soccer games. Though we believe Irish women were allowed to see their national team play a game in Iran several years ago.