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Coming soon! To theaters near me and you

(Elizabeth Olsen stars in Martha Marcy May Marlene)

Very excited to see the LA Times's "Fall Sneaks" list, highlighting new movies that will be released between September 9 and November 4. That's nine weekends of film-y fun, in case you weren't counting. I'm especially looking forward to I Don't Know How She Does It (written by screenwriter/superwoman Aline Brosh McKenna), and Martha Marcy May Marlene, among others. 

The Skin I Live In

Pedro Almodóvar's latest film, The Skin I Live In premieres in the U.S. next month. In the film, Antonio Banderas plays a plastic surgeon whose wife is seriously burned in a car crash, causing her death. He becomes obsessed with creating an indestructible human skin that cannot be burned, and must find a human subject upon which to test his creation. The film's premise simultaneously attracts and repels me. What do you think of the most recent trailer?

Circumstance

On Friday of last week, we saw the NY premiere of Circumstance at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center. The film follows the love story of two teenage girls living in contemporary Tehran, whose fates force their affair to be clandestine, dangerous and possibly tragic. For me, the most enlightening part of the movie was the lens into a rebellious teen's Tehran, where dance clubs, DVD stores and house parties are accessible only by secret passwords or through trap doors. While the film may seem melodramatic, aren't the frustrations of teenagers, (not to mention teenagers living under a repressive regime) the essence of melodrama? The 16-year-olds' pain and fear of powerlessness are some of the most honest expressions in the film.

This was the second movie I've seen at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, and I highly recommend moseying on over there to see something soon. It's spacious, clean and brand spankin' new, and thus has become one of my favorite theaters in the city. If you need an incentive, Back to the Future, parts I, II and III are playing one after the other starting this Sunday the 4th at 5:50 pm. As if one dose of Marty McFly were ever enough. See you there!

Check the Rime

We saw Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest this weekend. It-was-EXCELLENT. I laughed, I cried, learned some fun facts, and obviously the music was amazing. We saw the film at a small theater at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where it's still playing through Thursday of this week. It felt like the entire audience was engaged in the story, bopping along with the music and having a jolly good time.

The film was directed by actor/comedian/director Michael Rapaport (remember his speech about pretty ladies?). Go see it. Straight away.

Femme Fridays: Gloria Swanson

I adore these two images of Gloria Swanson

The top one is a still from the 1928 silent film, Sadie Thompson, in which Swanson played a plucky young prostitute who finds love in American Samoa. Swanson, who was 28 when the film was made, was also an uncredited producer. There's too much to like about this image: the eyes, the hat, the fur, that stony-eyed glare...

The bottom image, is of course, from Sunset Boulevard. Swanson played her most celebrated role as Norma Desmond, the loony and delusional silent film star who's incapable of realizing that the "talkies" have passed her by. I love that this image captures Norma in all of her glory, as if lounging in bed in diamonds while sipping on a cocktail and smoking a cigarette is the most natural state of being. Swanson is nothing short of amazing as Norma, and as I watched the film recently, I was reminded of how frightening Swanson played her to be.

I couldn't resist posting the final scene from the film. Enjoy & have a wonderful weekend.

Utah, Johnny Utah.

Last week's "Ask the Film Critics" column from the New York Times was full of goodies. It answered pressing cinephile questions such as "How much did Leo really make last year?" and "Is Keanu Reeves a good/bad actor?" The answer to both questions: far more than you and I can imagine. It was also exciting to see A.O. Scott's shout-outs for foreign-language films with standout leading ladies. I've already added a few of these to my (Netflix) queue. Hooray!

Check out the empirical analysis of Keanu Reeves's talent, via the LA Times.