LOVE MASSACRE

LOVE MASSACRE

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LOVE MASSACRE (AI SHA)
Dir. Patrick Tam, 1981.
Hong Kong. 91 min.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 – 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10 – 10 PM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 – 💔  7:30 PM  💔
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 – 10 PM

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Hong Kong New Wave forerunner Patrick Tam’s second film LOVE MASSACRE was decried on release for its dissonant genre mashup and thin plot, entirely missing its beauty as a formal exercise in color and framing. The oversight is understandable – featuring two of Hong Kong’s most famous stars, Brigitte Lin and Charlie Chin (who, at the time of filming, were embroiled in a love-triangle scandal), audience expectations were set for a straightforward romance. Instead, the film’s split is blunt as its title implies, and after an initial San Francisco pas de quatre between young beauty Ivy (Lin), her obsessive (and ironically named) roommate Joy, Joy’s boyfriend Louie (Chin) and Joy’s brother Chiu Ching, the film follows Chiu Ching back to Hong Kong and into slasher territory. Promising to return and marry Ivy, Chiu Ching’s revealed to already have a wife, his former doctor in fact – Chiu Ching suffers from the same vague mental illness that destroyed his sister.Determined to be with Ivy at any cost, Chiu Ching hacks a bloody path back to her, holing up in her claustrophobic apartment building and taking on her housemates one by one.

Tam sees his first seven films “as exercises, as attempts at cinema, not as complete and accomplished works,” and of LOVE MASSACRE in particular that “the form and content are schizophrenic.” A hands-on perfectionist, Tam’s dismissal of his own film belies its clever use of genre. Brutal violence and obsession undercut traditional ‘love’ at every turn – despite good intentions, nice guy Louis rescues no one, and the love of a patient wife doesn’t save Chiu Ching. Tam’s San Francisco is strangely empty, with entire fields, bridges, highways and houses void of crowds, echoed by bookending shots of a lone desert trek. A feeling of isolation permeates, with characters hemmed in by objects. Tam’s right that the clunky dialogue is at odds with the gorgeous imagery – frequent Wong Kar-Wai collaborator William Chang uses a minimal color palette of blue, red, black and white in bold geometrics to create a De Stijl world characters pose in, where staging elicits emotions, not dialogue. The incongruous tension between lowbrow plot and high art, cool palette and fiery emotion, sudden gore and quiet interludes, make LOVE MASSACRE Tam’s most fascinating ‘failure’.

DESIRE WILL SET YOU FREE

Posted on by spectacletheater

Day 2

DESIRE WILL SET YOU FREE
dir. Yony Leyser, 2016.
Germany. 92 min.

2/24 7:30 PM
2/25 5 PM
2/26 7:30 PM

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New York Premiere Weekend
Q&A with Special Guests

The second film from director Yony Leyser, DESIRE WILL SET YOU FREE is a dizzying, vibrant guided tour contemporary Berlin seen from the point of view of two immigrants — an America writer and a Russian escort. DESIRE unravels the history of Berlin’s hedonistic queer underground, prodding into the unique subcultures of the landscape as the two travel through the perennial nightlife.

Featuring an ĂŒber-large cast including Nina Hagen, Rosa von Praunheim, Peaches, and Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes (who also contributed music), this richly-detailed sensory overload made its US debut at Outfest last year.

Special thanks to Wavelength Pictures and Altered Innocence.

RIOT HOUR: INAUGURATION DAY 2017

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Riot_hour_bannerRIOT HOUR: INAUGURATION DAY 2017
USA. Total runtime: 55 min.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 – 10:00 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13 – 10:00 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 – MIDNIGHT

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A homespun assembly of clips from this past month’s historic Women’s March events and other protests in response to Donald Trump’s January 20th inauguration.

State Cities attendance (APPROX) Notes
 California Los Angeles 750,000 The Los Angeles Police Department stated that “well past” 100,000 people attended the march, but did not attempt to make a more specific estimate. Officials stated that the march was the largest in Los Angeles since a 2006 immigration march attended by 500,000 people.[75] The Los Angeles Daily News reported that 750,000 people were in the crowd.[76]Organizers also said that 750,000 people had participated in the march.[77]
500,000[2][3] Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that he would attend the march instead of the inaugural parade. McAuliffe said he would be marching in Washington with his wife Dorothy, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.[4] There were no arrests.[3]
 New York New York City 400,000 In Manhattan, hundreds of thousands marched. The rally began at Trump World Tower and One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (near the Headquarters of the United Nations) and the march proceeded to Trump Tower, Trump’s home.[372][373] The Office of the Mayor of New York City announced that the number of attendees was over 400,000.[374][375]
 Illinois Chicago 250,000[212] Organizers for the sister march in Chicago, Illinois, initially prepared for a crowd of 22,000.[213] An estimated 250,000 protesters[214] gathered in Grant Park for an initial rally to be followed by a march, with attendance far more than expected.[215] As a result, the official march was cancelled, although marchers then flooded the streets of the Chicago Loop.[216] Liz Radford, an organizer, informed the crowd, “We called, and you came. We have flooded the march route. We have flooded Chicago.”[215]
 Washington Seattle 175,000[555] The Women’s March on Seattle march took place from Judkins Park to the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington. Participants filled the entire length of the 3.6-mile (5.8 km) route.[556][557] Sound Transit and King County Metro rerouted many bus routes and added additional Link light rail service in anticipation of disruption to the city’s transportation grid.[558]
 Massachusetts Boston 150,000–175,000[274][275][276] A women’s march took place at the Boston Common in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey spoke to the crowd.[277] An estimated 150,000[276] to 175,000[278] people attended.
 California Oakland 100,000[84]
 California San Francisco 100,000–150,000[102][103] The rally was held at Civic Center Plaza, where San Francisco City Hall was lit pink in observance of the protest.[104] Performer and activist Joan Baez serenaded the crowd with “We Shall Overcome” in Spanish.[105]
 Colorado Denver 100,000–200,000[137] A protest occurred at the Civic Center.[137]
 Oregon Portland 100,000 People attended the Women’s March on Portland.[441]
 Minnesota St. Paul 90,000–100,000[314] People marched to the Minnesota State Capitol from various parts of the city. A spokesman for the St. Paul Police stated it was the largest protest in the city since the 2008 Republican National Convention.[315]
 Wisconsin Madison 75,000–100,000[576] The protest occurred around the Wisconsin State Capitol and along State Street in Madison.[576]

Media related to Madison Women’s March at Wikimedia Commons
 Georgia Atlanta 60,000[182] John Lewis attended the Atlanta rally, which saw more than 60,000 march to the Georgia State Capitol.[182]
 Pennsylvania Philadelphia 50,000[451][452] The event included an actual march from Logan Square to Eakins Oval, and a rally at Eakins Oval.[453]
 California San Diego 40,000–50,000 Two marches were held. One march in downtown San Diego had an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 attend, and another in neighboring San Marcos, California had an estimated 10,000 attend.[99][100] A march with 50 senior citizens took place at the Seacrest Village retirement center.[101]
 Texas Austin 40,000–50,000[484] The crowd gathered at the Texas State Capitol and marched through the streets of downtown Austin for the Women’s March on Austin. The Austin Police Department estimated that the crowd was about 40,000 to 50,000, becoming the largest march in Texas history.[485][486][487][488]
 Iowa Des Moines 26,000[242] The march near the Iowa State Capitol included women, men and children supporting women’s rights and healthcare, environmental issues, and immigration[242]
 California San Jose 25,000[106][107][104]
 North Carolina Charlotte 25,000[392] Lasting from 10 a.m. to noon, attendance was ten times what had been expected, according to event organizers.[393] Some participants came from surrounding communities, including Concord, Rock Hill and Indian Trail. Attendees included Mayor Jennifer Roberts, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams (D-Charlotte) and state Senator Jeff Jackson (D-Mecklenburg). According to the CMPD, the march was peaceful, with no arrests or disturbances reported.[394]
 Pennsylvania Pittsburgh 25,000[454] Marched through the city to Market Square.
 Texas Houston 22,000[502] Starting at the Sabine Street Bridge, protesters marched through downtown to Houston City Hall.[502][503] Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke out during the event.[504]
 Arizona Phoenix 20,000[37] The march progressed from the Capitol south to Jefferson, east to 15th Avenue, north to Monroe Street, west to 17th Avenue and back to the Capitol. Speakers at rallies before and after the march included State Rep. Athena Salman (Tempe), U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, disability-rights activist Jennifer Longdon, who noted that moments after Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, the White House website was overhauled to remove pages dedicated to disabilities, civil rights, and LGBT issues, Jodi Liggett, Planned Parenthood‘s vice president of public affairs, and Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes.[37]
 California Sacramento 20,000[96] 20,000 Marched from Southside Park to the California State Capitol.
 California Santa Ana 20,000–25,000[111][69]
 Florida St. Petersburg 20,000+ Over 20,000 people marched in downtown St. Petersburg, making it the largest demonstration in the city’s history.[176][177]
 Vermont Montpelier 20,000[376] Bernie Sanders attended the event.[524]
 North Carolina Raleigh 17,000 People demonstrated peacefully at the Raleigh Women’s March. U.S. Representative David Price also attended.[400]
 Arizona Tucson 15,000[37][41][42] The demonstration was peaceful,[37] whith no incidents or arrests reported.[43]
 California Santa Cruz 15,000+[114] Several people commented that it was the largest march in Santa Cruz history.[115]
 Ohio Cleveland 15,000 Protesters gathered at Public Square and then marched through Downtown.[410]
 Tennessee Nashville 15,000+[479] Participants marched about one mile (1.6 km) through downtown Nashville. The march started at Cumberland Park near Nissan Stadium, crossed the Cumberland River on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, and ended at Public Square.[479]
 Florida Tallahassee 14,000+[178] Over 14,000 people of the capital’s communities showed up to protest. Despite forecasts for heavy rain, the crowd poured into the Railroad Square Arts location before marching up the road to the Florida A&M University Recreation center. Most of the protesters turned out for the march, and due to the small indoor venue, less than a tenth of those attending were able to view the speakers rally. This may be the largest protest in Florida’s capitol history.
 Missouri St. Louis 13,000 People marched peacefully in downtown St. Louis from Union Station to a rally at Luther Ely Smith Square.[322]
 Nebraska Omaha 12,000–14,000[329]
 Oklahoma Oklahoma City 12,000+ Demonstrations were held in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol.[418]
 Michigan Ann Arbor 11,000 Protesters rallied in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and attended a speech afterwards by U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (pictured) on the University of Michigan campus.[290]
 California Walnut Creek 10,000[125] Streets were closed as thousands marched in downtown Walnut Creek. Speakers included Nancy Skinner, Eric Swalwell, Steve Glazer and Mark DeSaulnier.[125]
 Connecticut Hartford 10,000 The march had the support of Governor Dannel Malloy.[145][146]
 Florida Miami 10,000+ The demonstration at Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida reached capacity of more than 10,000 and demonstrators began flooding the streets.[166][167]
 Florida Sarasota 10,000 Author Stephen King participated in the march.[173]
 Louisiana New Orleans 10,000–15,000[254]
 Maine Augusta 10,000+[256] There were 5,000 people registered to attend the rally in Augusta. In fact, 10,000 people attended, making this the largest Women’s March in the state. The crowd assembled for speeches at the State House.[257]
 Maine Portland 10,000+ People marched in one of the largest protest marches ever held in Portland and drew far more people than expected. Portland police said the size of the orderly protest crowd was “of historic proportions”.[263]
 Michigan Lansing 10,000 Thousands gathered at the Michigan State Capitol in solidarity of all groups who have been marginalized by the actions of the man now leading this country.
 Missouri Kansas City 10,000[320] The demonstration was held at Washington Square Park in downtown Kansas City.[320]
 Montana Helena 10,000[323] People marched through the city and around the Montana State Capitol.[324][325]
 Nevada Reno 10,000[330] Protesters marched in Reno, Nevada.[332]
 New Mexico Albuquerque 10,000 Protesters rallied at the Civic Plaza.[354][355]
 New Mexico Santa Fe 10,000–15,000[359] Thousands of Santa Feans and other northern New Mexicans marched and held signs in a rally that surrounded the Roundhouse.[360]
 New York Ithaca 10,000 The demonstration began and ended on the Ithaca Commons.[370]
 New York Seneca Falls 10,000 The event started at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, the Seneca Falls Convention, an early convention on women’s rights in 1848.[382]
 Washington Olympia 10,000[550][551]
 Tennessee Memphis 9,000+[478] Marchers gathered at the Judge D’Army Bailey Courthouse and marched 1.2 miles to the National Civil Rights Museum.
 Oregon Ashland 8,000[420] Ashland police estimated 8,000 participants in the Ashland Women’s March.[420][421]
 Utah Park City 8,000[517] Celebrities protested at the Sundance Film Festival against Trump and for women’s rights. One of the messages was “Love Trumps Hate”. Celebrities in attendance included Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, John Legend, Kevin Bacon, Chelsea Handler, and Benjamin Bratt. It was supported by Justice Party, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, Equality Now, Sentry Financial, and other organizations.[518]
 Washington Spokane 8,000[560]
 Arkansas Little Rock 7,000[47][48] Protesters marched to the Arkansas State Capitol Building.
 California San Luis Obispo 7,000–10,000[108] Protesters marched through downtown.[109]
 Colorado Colorado Springs 7,000[133] People marched through downtown Colorado Springs.[133]
 New York Albany 7,000+ A crowd of 7,000 exceeded the initial prediction of 2,000.[361]
 North Carolina Asheville 7,000–10,000[389] A women’s march took place in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. The march began at Park Square and then moved throughout downtown Asheville. Estimated attendance is between 7,000 and 10,000 people making it the largest assembly in Asheville since 2013.[390]
 Ohio Cincinnati 7,000+[408] The Women’s March started at noon at Washington Park, and after representatives from several civic groups spoke, the march started towards City Hall, and back to Washington Park.[409]
 Oregon Eugene 7,000+ 7,000 participate in women’s March in Eugene.[429]
 California Santa Barbara 6,000 More than 6,000 protestors rallied in De La Guerra Plaza. Both women and men participated.[112][113]
 New Jersey Asbury Park 6,000 Protesters marched in Asbury Park, New Jersey.[341] Singer/songwiter Patti Scialfa attended the march as did U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone.[342]
 New Jersey Trenton 6,000–7,500 Protesters marched from an overflowing rally in and around the Trenton War Memorial auditorium to another rally outside the State House.[350][351][352]
 Utah Salt Lake City[521] 5,700[522]
 Alabama Birmingham 5,000–10,000[5] The march started at Kelly Ingram Park.[6]
 California Eureka 5,000–8,000[59][60] Thousands Flood Eureka’s Streets in Solidarity With Women’s March on Washington[59] Thousands Gather for Women’s March on Eureka[60]
 California Redwood City 5,000 The rally was “inspired by and held in solidarity with” Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington, organizers said. Joan Baez performed and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, and state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo spoke.[92]
 California Santa Rosa 5,000 People marched through downtown Santa Rosa. Former representative Lynn Woolsey and Representative Jared Huffman spoke.[116]
 Connecticut Stamford 5,000 People marched peacefully in Stamford, Connecticut, after a rally in the Mill River Park.[152] The protesters marched around the city blocks surrounding the Trump Parc Stamford building, a building owned by the Trump Organization,[153] in a display of resistance to President Donald Trump’s policies. The number of demonstrators was reportedly four times larger than organizers expected.[152]
 Florida West Palm Beach 5,000–7,000[179][180] The event was at the Meyer Amphitheatre.[156]
 Idaho Boise 5,000[199] The march took place in initially heavy snow that turned to rain.
 Illinois Champaign-Urbana 5,000[211] 5,000 people gathered at West Side Park in downtown Champaign.
 Kentucky Lexington 5,000[248]
 Kentucky Louisville 5,000[249] People showed up at Louisville’s Metro Hall for The Rally To Move Forward in Louisville, Kentucky.[249] Congressman John Yarmuth from Louisville was scheduled to speak.[250]
 Maryland Baltimore 5,000[269] A sister women’s march took place outside of Johns Hopkins University in North Baltimore. Notable figures included former Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes and State’s Attorney for Baltimore Marilyn Mosby.[270]Additional marchers en route to Washington, D.C., were lined up around the block at Pennsylvania Station waiting for MARC express trains to Union Station.
 Nevada Las Vegas 5,000+[330] People marched from East Fremont Street, south on Las Vegas Boulevard to outside the Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse.[331]
 New York Poughkeepsie 5,000 The march took place on the Walkway over the Hudson.[379]
 Oregon Bend 5,000[424] A rally was held at Drake Park followed by a rally through Downtown.[425]
 Rhode Island Providence 5,000 The R.I. Women’s Solidarity Rally was held on the Rhode Island State House lawn. Governor Gina Raimondo participated.[464][465] Young people from Classical High School spoke to the crowd.
 Texas Fort Worth 5,000–9,000[498] The march began at the Tarrant County Courthouse and moved down Main and back up Houston Street. This was a Unity march that organizers say gives voice to people from “every cross-section of culture”.[499][500][501]
 Washington Bellingham 5,000 to 10,000[539]
 Indiana Indianapolis 4,500–5,000[227] The protest at the Indiana State Capitol[228] is the largest rally in recent memory.[229]
 Kansas Topeka 4,200[245][246]
 California Riverside 4,000 Thousands marched along the Downtown Main Street Mall.[94][95]
 Michigan Detroit 4,000 People protested at the campus of Wayne State University in Midtown Detroit.[293][294]
 Virginia Roanoke 4,000[532] Estimates from crowd higher.[533]
 Alaska Anchorage 3,500[12][13] Thousands protested at the Delaney Park Strip.[12]
 South Dakota Sioux Falls 3,300[473]
 Florida Key West 3,200 Crowds marched down Duval Street to Mallory Square. Marion County Commissioner Heather Carruthers spoke at the event and organizer Jamie Mattingly led the crowds in a rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine.[163][164]
 California Napa 3,000+[82] Protesters lined up roads in downtown Napa.
 California San Marcos 3,000–10,000[110][100]
 California Sonoma 3,000 Marchers proceeded around the historic Sonoma Plaza, blocking traffic for over an hour.[117]
 Hawaii Honolulu (Oahu) 3,000–8,000[189][190] Thousands of people marched.[191]
 Hawaii Kona 3,000–3,500[196]
 Kansas Wichita 3,000 Protesters marched to City Hall.[247]
 Michigan Traverse City 3,000[303]
 New Hampshire Portsmouth 3,000–5,000[339]
 New York Binghamton 3,000 The march was held downtown and exceeded initial estimates for the event.[362]
 North Carolina Greensboro 3,000–6,000 Downtown Greensboro[395]
 North Carolina Wilmington 3,000[401] A Women’s March on Washington sister event was held in Wilmington, NC. Taking place at the intersection of Third and Princess streets, the rally began at 10 am and was attended by between 1,000 and 1,500 participants.[402]
  North Dakota Fargo < 3,000[405]
 Ohio Columbus 3,000 Protesters gathered at the Ohio State House.[411]
 Ohio Dayton 3,000 Protesters rallied at the Courthouse Square.[412]
 Tennessee Chattanooga 3,000[475]
 Texas Dallas 3,000–7,000,[493]10,000[494] Marchers gathered at City Hall and marched through downtown, Deep Ellum and East Dallas.[493]
 West Virginia Charleston 3,000[566]
 California Fort Bragg 2,500–2,800[61]
 California Ventura 2,500[122][123]
 Florida Naples 2,500 Protesters gathered at Cambier Park and then marched through the streets.[168]
 Idaho Moscow 2,500+ Titled “Women’s March on the Palouse“, the event was centered in Moscow, ID near Washington State University and University of Idaho. The march started at Moscow City Hall and ended at East City Park.[204]
 New York Buffalo 2,500–3,000 A march in Niagara Square drew demonstrators and local politicians.[363]
 Pennsylvania Erie 2,500[447] A demonstration was held in Penn Square.
 Texas Denton 2,500[495] A United Denton organized the Women’s March to be held in Denton, Texas. The downtown square was packed by 12:30 pm.[494]
 Alaska Fairbanks 2,000[18] People rallied in subzero temperatures.[12]
 California Fresno 2,000[62] Protesters gathered at an intersection in North Fresno.[62]
 California Ukiah 2,000 Attendees gathered at Alex R. Thomas Jr. Plaza. Joelle Schultz, director of Ukiah’s Planned Parenthood, address the crowd along with local activists.[120]
 Florida Jacksonville 2,000–3,000[161] Thousands marched through the streets to the Jacksonville Landing.[162]
 Florida Pensacola 2,000[172] A demonstration was held at the Plaza de Luna.
 Florida St. Augustine 2,000+[174] Marchers walked across Bridge of Lions and a rally was held in the Plaza de la Constitucion.[175]
 Massachusetts Greenfield 2,000+[280]
 Missouri Columbia 2,000 Participants marched from Courthouse Plaza through downtown.
 Missouri Springfield 2,000+ People marched to Park Central Square in downtown Springfield. The parade made its way from the parking lot at Springfield’s municipal court building, across the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge and over to Park Central Square where several speakers addressed the crowd. The rally touched on political issues in addition to women’s rights. One speaker, Bethany Johnson, a transgender woman, spoke and drew some of the loudest cheers. She also mentioned the 2015 vote that repealed the city’s ordinance banning LGBT discrimination in the workplace. Johnson banged the podium and called on the marchers to contact their politicians.[321]
 Nebraska Lincoln 2,000–3,000[327] Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people gathered outside the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union. 40 members of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta held a counter protest by waving Trump flags off their balcony.
 New York Hudson 2,000–3,000[369]
 New York Port Jefferson 2,000[377]
 New York Syracuse 2,000 Over 2,000 people gathered at the James Hanley Federal Building.[383]
 Oregon Salem 2,000 Governor Kate Brown participated in the march.[442]
 Pennsylvania Doylestown 2,000[446] Organizers began planning 6 days before originally anticipating 300 or less attendees.
 South Carolina Charleston 2,000+ The Charleston Women’s March began as a convey from nine parking garages downtown and converged at Brittlebank Park at noon. More than 2,000 attended this peaceful rally.[467]
 South Carolina Columbia 2,000–3,000 “Stand Up” rally for women’s rights and social issues attended by 2,000–3,000 was held in Columbia, South Carolina. The participants gathered at the South Carolina State House grounds and marched to the Music Farm.[469]
 South Carolina Greenville 2,000 A peaceful rally was held at the Falls Park amphitheater in Greenville from noon until 2 pm. Attendance was estimated at 2,000.[468]
 Tennessee Knoxville 2,000 An assembly was held in Market Square.[477]
 Virginia Norfolk 2,000 Two groups marched separately with similar messages.[528] Both groups eventually joined up to complete the march together.[citation needed]
 Virginia Richmond 2,000[531]
 Washington Walla Walla 2,000[554]
 Washington Wenatchee < 2,000[564]

[ + hundreds more. Full list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2017_Women%27s_March_locations]

pour mémoire: A TRIBUTE TO DELPHINE SEYRIG

Posted on by smacfarlane

When Delphine Seyrig’s fairy godmother character nonchalantly descends in a helicopter upon the Medieval fairy tale realm of Jacques Demy’s DONKEY SKIN, the surreal image is pretty indicative of Seyrig’s regrettably short, enormously prolific (she appeared in over sixty films and only lived until age fifty-eight), and trenchantly unforgettable career. Seyrig had an innate ability to transcend every film in which she appeared, regardless of what auteur was directing.

She most famously worked with Chantal Akerman, Alain Resnais, and Luis Buñuel, but also Robert Frank, Francois Truffaut, and Harold Pinter. Among the first filmmakers to make use of video in France, Seyrig co-founded a radical, anarchistic collective of feminist filmmakers, directing two feature documentaries (SOIS BELLE ET TAIS-TOI and MASO ET MISO VONT EN BATEAU) and several shorts, including a wonderfully droll reading of the SCUM Manifesto with filmmaker Carole Rossoupoulos. Digging through Seyrig’s filmography is an endlessly rewarding excavation of idiosyncratic gems.

Special thanks to Jean Mascolo, Harry KĂŒmel, Ulrike Ottinger, Women Make Movies and the Belgian Royal Cinematek.


DaughtersOfDarkness

DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS
Dir. Harry KĂŒmel, 1971.
Belgium. 100 min.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 – 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 – 10 PM

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Belgian director Harry KĂŒmel’s high gothic vampirization of the story of famed murderess Elizabeth BĂĄthory has retained its cult legacy due to its effervescent style and Seyrig’s carnal lead performance. The camera glides through lush colors and haute hotel rooms like in a Fassbinder or Sirk melodrama as Seyrig’s bloodthirsty queer countess preys on a pair of newlyweds. By contemporizing the vampire into a decadently erotic queer demagogue, KĂŒmel paved the way for Tony Scott’s THE HUNGER more than a decade later.


BaxterVeraBaxter

BAXTER, VERA BAXTER
dir. Marguerite Duras, 1977.
France. 91 min.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 – 10 PM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 – 7:30 PM

The masterful Marguerite Duras takes a concept ripe for portentous melodrama — slimy Gerard Depardieu sells his wife (Claudine Gabay) to erase a debt —and minimizes it, radicalizes it, and chills it into droll  satire with an enrapturing cadence. Seyrig plays an unknown woman who is inexplicably drawn to Gabay’s Vera when she hears her name. She gradually interrogates Vera, and their conversation becomes entangled with Carlos d’Alessio’s omnipresent, repetitive score. Duras’ film is an exhausting, rewarding experience, and truly one of a kind.


INDIASONGBANNERINDIA SONG
Dir. Marguerite Duras, 1975.
France. 115 min.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 – 10 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 – 7:30 PM

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Marguerite Duras had previously directed Seyrig in the 1967 adaptation of her own play LA MUSICA; their re-teaming in 1975 marked a masterful standout in both of their careers. A tale of doomed love amidst 1930s colonial India, the film is a mysterious mesh of haunting memories, and Duras’ most lauded work.

“The most feminine film I have ever seen, 
 a rarefied work of lyricism, despair, and passion, 
 imbued with a kind of primitive emotional hunger.” – Molly Haskell

Johanna
JOHANNA D’ARC OF MONGOLIA
Dir. Ulrike Ottinger, 1989.
Germany. 165 min.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 – 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 – 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 – 7:30 PM

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Seyrig’s last screen role found her fittingly re-teaming with Ulrike Ottinger for a tri-lingual adventure epic with an all woman cast. Ottinger plays with the genre trappings of train triptychs and biblical epics in her most ambitious work, in which seven female voyagers are captured by a band of Mongolian woman. Ottinger’s goal isn’t to pit cultures against each other or exploit them, but to tell an extensively details ethnographic tale of multicultural harmony.

“A fabulous three-course blend of myth, spectacular visions of an ancient land and frisky song-and-dance. A quixotic and ebullient leap of the imagination. Breathtaking.” – Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle


GardenThatTilts

THE GARDEN THAT TILTS
Dir. Guy Gilles, 1974.
France, 80 min.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 – 10 PM

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An underrated oddball from French director Guy Gilles, THE GARDEN THAT TILTS is reminiscent of Rohmer at his most contemplative and painterly, except the action revolves around an ice-cold assassin (Patrick Jouané) who falls in love with his mark (Seyrig). Jeanne Moreau also co-stars (and sings!).

LocationHunting
LOCATION HUNTING
Dir. Michel Soutter, 1977.
Switzerland, 87 min.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6 – 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 – 5 PM

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Michel Soutter was a founding member of the New Swiss Cinema movement, and his early films are among the country’s best-kept secrets. He branched out slightly into more international fare in the ‘70s, directing French legend Jean-Pierre Trintignant in several films. Rarely seen, the metatextual chamber drama LOCATION HUNTING stars Trintignant as a filmmaker desperate to win back the affections of his ex-wife of ten years (Seyrig). He casts her in an adaptation of Checkov’s Three Sisters, and they sound find themselves isolated together with two other actresses on a location scout to an aging Swiss resort.

EVERY DESIRE: MAI ZETTERLING

Posted on by spectacletheater

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Despite decades as an international actress and twenty-odd filmmaking credits, Mai Zetterling remains a short entry in academic encyclopedias and references to feminist cinema. Zetterling identified her filmmaking as characteristically Swedish, describing it as a relentless search for truth through “self-analysis
 perhaps too much”. The truths she brings to the screen are those of familial neuroses, powerful women, gay desire, and quests for authentic artistry. Critics of her films have cheered her craft, but complain of a lack of connection to her main characters. That critique does not take a wide view: most of her protagonists are in the grips of powerful memories, experiencing flashbacks and psychic disorientation. This approach to subjectivity erodes the stable identity of the individual, who is vexed and tortured by past experiences, sometimes unable to move on. We are no more distant from these characters as they are from themselves, seeing the truth of their un-sublimated desires.


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NIGHT GAMES (NATTLEK)
dir. Mai Zetterling, 1966
Sweden, 105 min.
In Swedish with English Subtitles

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – 7:30 PM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 – 10 PM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 – 10 PM

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This movie is a delightfully Swedish version of camp: a self-indulgent heiress houses a coterie of outsiders who party as she gives birth in a gigantic gown. Her son Jan, aged around ten, lounges around the estate and escapes reality through games with a dear old aunt. He tries to lure his mother’s affection through cross-dressing and sexual desire. We see these scenes as rich flashbacks: as an adult Jan is trapped in his neuroses and unable to grow up. John Waters said in Film Comment that NATTLEK was “one of the first films to feature incredibly realistic vomiting” and it famously caused Shirley Temple to resign from the board of the San Francisco Film Festival.


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SCRUBBERS
dir. Mai Zetterling
UK, 1982

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 – 10 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 – 10 PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 – 5 PM

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Anyone who has spent any time in an all-girls education, mental or punitive institution will find that Zetterling has captured many essential elements in SCRUBBERS from 1982. SCRUBBERS was the female answer to SCUM, Alan Clarke’s 1979 graphic drama about a boy’s borstal. Zetterling’s film is more colorful and emotional, involving lesbian relationships, separation from children, and self-harm. There is also plenty of fighting, swaggering, glue-sniffing and bawdy singing. The most iconic scene evokes TITICUT FOLLIES, when the borstal performs a variety show under the banner “Hellhole Bitches: Therapeutic Entertainment from the Psycho Freaks”. Featuring 80’s anarcho-pop star Honey Bane.


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AMOROSA
dir. Mai Zetterling, 1986.
Sweden, 117 min.
In Swedish and Italian with English Subtitles.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – 10 PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 – 5 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 – 10 PM 

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This is the second of Zetterling’s films concerning the life and work of Agnes von Krusenstjerna, the first being 1964’s LOVING COUPLES. Krusenstjerna is a Swedish noblewoman who published daring books of literature in the 1920’s. It is a biopic portrait, showing first her descent into hysteria in a strange Italian hospital and going back through the events in her life that led to this point. Some stylistic elements of this film are tacky, however the story surges on the strength of Stina Ekblad’s acting. The portrayal of a writer resisting the expectations of noble life is beautifully expressed, and her descent into madness is both tragic and revulsive.

Thank you to Sandrew Metronome for a beautiful copy of this film.

WALTZ VOL. 1 – BODY BASICS

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WALTZ VOL. 1 – Body Basics
dir. Matthew J. Hutchinson, 2017
USA, 65min

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 – 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 – 10 PM
*ONE NIGHT ONLY!*

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Matthew J. Hutchinson, world-class fitness star is ready to share his lifetime of fitness secrets with you. Formulated by Matthew J. Hutchinson, WALTZ VOL. 1 – Body Basics is an easy-to-follow, intensive body-shaping program for both men and women. Hutchinson leads you through the regimen that’s perfect for your individual body type with his special brand of motivation.

This uplifting tape gives you a great low-impact 65-minute cardio workout as you lift those weights to such favorites as “ICE SKATING”, “CAROLINE”, and “HORSES + HORSES”! With enthusiasm and energy, Hutchinson will have you raising your hands and voice while you dance your way to better health, fitness, and weight-loss. So stretch and shake it out as “MUSCLES II” gets your body moving and blood flowing. Remember it’s not just about being the strongest; it’s about being the sexiest! “Jumpstart your sex life with your body!” – Matthew J. Hutchinson

Pre-order your copy of WALTZ VOL. 1 – Body Basics today** by calling our discreet private hotline 1–442–XXX–HUNK. CALL NOW!

*Disclaimer: Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise regimen. WALTZ VOL. 1 – Body Basics has not been evaluated by the FTC, FDA, or any other government agency. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. WALTZ VOL. 1 – Body Basics is presented as is, without warranty or guarantee of any kind.

MATCH CUTS PRESENTS: MARLON RIGGS’ TONGUES UNTIED

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TONGUES UNTIED
dir. Marlon Riggs, 1989.
USA, 55 min.
English.
MONDAY, JANUARY 23 – 7:30 PM
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
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Spectacle Theater is excited to collaborate with critical platform Match Cuts on a new series of screenings. Scroll down for more information on Match Cuts.

“Marlon Riggs’ essay film Tongues United gives voice to communities of black gay men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. It broke new artistic ground by mixing poetry (by Essex Hemphill and other artists), music, performance and Riggs’ autobiographical revelations. The film was embraced by black gay audiences for its authentic representation of style, and culture, as well its fierce response to oppression. It opened up opportunities for dialogue among and across communities.

Tongues Untied has been lauded by critics for its vision and its bold aesthetic advances, and vilified by anti-gay forces who used it to condemn government funding of the arts.It was even denounced from the floor of Congress.

‘Black men loving Black men is the revolutionary act’ is the rallying cry at the film’s end and after more than 20 years, Tongues United remains a celebrated vehicle for eloquent self-expression and liberation.”

Match Cuts is a weekly podcast centered on video, film and the moving image. Match Cuts Presents is dedicated to presenting de-colonialized cinema, LGBTQI films, Marxist diatribes, video art, dance films, sex films, and activist documentaries with a rotating cast of presenters from all spectrums of the performing and plastic arts and surrounding humanities. Match Cuts is hosted by Nick Faust and Kachine Moore, and produced by Meg Murnane.

INDIE BEAT: TEARS OF GOD

Posted on by smacfarlane

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TEARS OF GOD
Dir. Robbie Hillyer Barnett, 2016
68 mins. USA.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 – 7:30 PM – FILMMAKER IN PERSON!

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In collaboration with The Playlist’s Indie Beat podcast, Spectacle is pleased to present a one-night-only special screening of Robbie Hillyer Barnett’s TEARS OF GOD. Longing for reunion with the dead and seduced by the chaotic allure of possession, a young woman struggles to find meaning in a barren, apocalyptic landscape, while those around her succumb to despair and madness.

“Just about every scene in Barnett’s debut is breathtaking; cryptic and haunting, TEARS OF GOD is downright astounding, especially the wandering cinematography, apparition-like in its recordings.” – Kevin Rakestraw, Film Pulse

Robbie Hillyer Barnett is a Los Angeles based filmmaker, originally from North Carolina where he completed TEARS OF GOD, a feature-length arthouse horror film starring Kate Lyn Sheil (The Girlfriend Experience, House of Cards), Samuel T. Herring (of the band Future Islands) and Lindsay Burdge (The Invitation, A Teacher), as well as a stereoscopic 3-D short film TALK ABOUT YOUR DREAMS also starring Kate Lyn Sheil and Sophie Traub. Robbie has also recently released a Japan-set virtual reality film, DAYS OF BEING MILD.

BEST OF SPECTACLE 2016

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January 2017 at Spectacle is a curated selection of all the best in 2016 that you may have missed or need to see again. No need to pick and choose; all of the best is right here.


DoomedLovebannerDOOMED LOVE
Dir. Andrew Horn, 1984.
USA, 70 mins.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 – 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 – 10 PM

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Made in piecemeal payments while director Andrew Horn (THE NOMI SONG) was working as a graphic artist in Koch-era Manhattan, DOOMED LOVE is a delectable hunk of sunken downtown treasure ripe for rediscovery. Painter Bill Rice (SUBWAY RIDERS, THE VINEYARD) stars as Andre, an aging professor of romantic literature who decides, in the film’s doleful introductory passage, to commit suicide after losing the love of his life. Andre is tragicomically unsuccessful, but the attempt leads to a new acquaintance with a psychiatric nurse named Lois (Rosemary Moore), with whom he uncorks a kind of under-acknowledged romance of the soul. Whatever margins that once separated Andre’s work as an academic and his reasons for going on (or not) have completely dissolved; Rice’s monologues – scripted by the great playwright Jim Neu – set a tone of droll monotony and piercing repetition.

“Life goes on, so to speak:” Horn’s vignettes from Andre and Lois’ – trapped in a state of paralyzing reverie, and newly married to Bob (Allen Frame), respectively – play against jawdropping 2-D backdrops mounted in the Lower East Side’s Millennium Film Workshop where DOOMED LOVE was filmed. Amy Sillman and Pamela Wilson’s muslin and cardboard “sets” make Horn’s film a dourly sweet exercise in epic theatre, a self-reflexive essay on Western amativeness, buttressed by an sparkling minimalist score from Evan Lurie (of The Lounge Lizards.), with original songs by Lenny Pickett. Spectacle is pleased to resuscitate this no-wave classic for its first NYC repertory run in years-if-not-decades.


the_mansion_of_madness_bannLA MANSION DE LA LOCURA (THE MANSION OF MADNESS)
Dir. Juan LĂłpez Moctezuma, 1973.
Mexico, 99 min.
In English

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 – 10 PM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 – 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 – 5:00 PM

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Based on Poe’s story The System Of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, in which a reporter visits an asylum to discover the system by which the roles of the insane and the caregivers have become a bit muddled, we enter into a film where political satire and surrealist horror blend into a truly astonishing mixture, a place out of time where a man becomes a chicken, the body becomes a musical instrument, and nothing is ever as it seems. Director Juan Lopez Moctezuma (ALUCARDA, MARY MARY BLOODY MARY) was a member of Mexico’s Panic movement alongside Alejandro Jodorowski and Fernando Arrabal: the three worked together on FANDO Y LIS, which should give you some idea of what you’re in for. With a cast led by the great Claudio Brook (CRONOS, THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL) in a dual role as the mad Dr. Maillard as well as Raoul Fragonard, the film is as a dream, a ritual, a series of living tableaux. Describing the plot would be to cheapen the film, but it’s worth noting no less than Leonora Carrington served as art director. We are honored to present this film in its longest known cut, with the original English dialogue, miles from public domain cuts. Those expecting cheap horror will be disappointed; those expecting clarity will be confused, those with eyes to see will behold a revelation.


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CYBERPUNK
Dir. Marianne Trench, 1990
USA. 60 min.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 – MIDNIGHT
SUNDAY, JANUARY 8 – 7:30PM
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24 – 7:30PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 – MIDNIGHT

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Itself an artifact of the time and aesthetic being documented, CYBERPUNK is a fun, highly stylized sampler capturing its eponymous subculture still coalescing. Featuring interviews with William Gibson, Timothy Leary, founder of VPL Research/inventor of the Data Glove Jason Lanier, and encompassing musicians, animators, plastic surgeons, crafters, and self-proclaimed hackers, the movie shows and tells simultaneously with talking-head interviews overlaid and interspersed with then-cutting-edge CG animation and graphic effects. Reflecting the range of its subjects’ motivations, sometimes this is practical, masking coders casually chatting about illegal data access, and sometimes it’s purely for visual flair.

The documentary’s timing places it at a unique juncture – there’s talk of phone phreaking, VR potential and research, body modification, warez trading, database hacking, but no concrete mention of the internet as we know and use it today. AOL for DOS was released February 1991, Windows in 1992; CYBERPUNK just missed the radical breakthrough that was readily accessible dial-up, existing in a world where text-based intranets with node points were the closest equivalent. Of all people it’s a computer theorist outlining the blind spot most clearly; speaking to the (assumed) main fear of technology being how small and powerless it makes the average person feel and citing the military-industrial complex as example, the idea of complete personal connectivity and power doesn’t even occur. And yet the possibility is present in the film – one hacker tells how a 14-year-old poking around an AT&T database for kicks had the FBI knocking on his door after he’d inadvertently nudged a satellite out of orbit. In a present with unlimited texting on readily available handheld computers, it’s tempting to giggle at one hacker bragging “I make free phone calls
everywhere. You name it
Europe, Asia
..The United States
”, but hindsight’s 20/20 – CYBERPUNK is a snapshot of those excited for a future they nearly saw coming.


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CHEBARUSKA, GENA THE CROCODILE and SHAPOKLYAK
Dir. Eduard Uspensky, 1969, 1971, and 1974.
USSR, 69 min (total).

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 – 5 PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, JANUARY 30 – 10 PM

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Just a regular story of a pipe-smoking, besuited Crocodile who posts a “seeking roommate” ad and pairs up with a unknown creature that came out of a crate of oranges. The friendship of Cheburaska and Krokodil Gena flourishes into connections with other lonely souls, and the misfits have adventures both poignant and adorably funny. Based on children’s stories by Uspensky, this puppet-animation from Soyuzmultfilm Studios had a wide appeal with kids growing up throughout the Soviet empire. It is something of a timeless artifact, having a foundation of subtle humor and painstaking craft. The crocodile has a lovely singing voice, and at the end of the third episode he croons: “even if giving up on the past is a bit sad, everything the best is still to come – like a carpet, like a carpet, a long road unrolls ahead”.


CHINA 9, LIBERTY 37
Dir. Monte Hellman, 1978.
Italy/Spain, 102 min.
In English.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 – 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 – 10 PM
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 – 7:30 PM

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Fabio Testi plays Clayton Drumm, on his way to the gallows when he’s offered a chance to live in exchange for killing Matthew Sebanek (Warren Oates), a miner who refuses to sell his land to the railroad. The arrangement becomes complicated when Clayton and Matthew become friends, and more complicated still when Clayton and Matthew’s wife Cather (Jenny Auguttter), fall for each other. With the railroad’s gunmen hot their heels, enemies become friends, then enemies again, then uneasy friends again, then ambiguous frenemies in this western from Monte Hellman, director of TWO-LANE BLACKTOP, COCKFIGHTER, THE SHOOTING and RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND. Featuring a rare acting role for WILD BUNCH director Sam Peckinpah.


SEVEN WOMEN SEVEN SINS
Dirs. various. 1987.
Various. 101 min.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, JANUARY 16 – 10 PM

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As wide-ranging an omnibus film as there has ever been, a group of some of the most important international filmmakers of the last few decades – all of them female – take on each of the biblical vices. Bette Gordon, Chantal Akerman, VALIE EXPORT, Maxi Cohen, Laurence Gavron and more contribute a contemporary celluloid sin. The result is a thoroughly unpredictable introduction to each filmmaker’s work; encapsulating devious narratives and experimental collages, film and video.

Special thanks to Women Make Movies.


FANGS a.k.a. Anyab
Dir. Mohammed Shebl, 1981.
Egypt. 100 min.
In Arabic with English subtitles.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 – MIDNIGHT
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 – MIDNIGHT

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The Arab Spring and aftermath has yielded an accompanying wave of essential social realist film documents. But where, you ask, are all the Middle Eastern disco vampires now? Those occupied a special part of the early 80s — namely the exhilarating Egyptian ultra-camp triumph that is FANGS.

The premise — a young couple attempt to shelter from a storm at a creepy castle only to have their lives changed forever — may have been lifted straight from THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (along with the dance numbers, professorial framing device, and disembodied lips intro sequence). But however much director Mohammed Shebl may have worn his love of that cult icon on his sleeve, his ambitious and wildly imaginative attempt to transcribe it into contemporary 1981 Egypt makes for something wholly his own. Black magic, singing vampires in spangles, Egyptian pop cameos, awkward climbing Dracula sequence, implausible fog machine deployment, a shockingly banging original electrofunk soundtrack by the film’s co-writer (fleshed out with bizarre soundtrack cues lifted directly from American movies of the time), kinetic on-screen animation effects — it’s all here.


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GRUPO DE CALI: 1971–1978
Total running time: 68 minutes

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8 – 5 PM
MONDAY, JANUARY 16 – 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 – 10 PM

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OIGA, VEA!
aka See, Hear!
Co-directed by Carlos Mayolo.
1971. 27 min.

Made in the style of a straight-shooting As The World Turns
 style mini-documentary, OIGA, VEA! serves as psychic exposĂ© of Cali upon the arrival of the 6th annual Panamerican Games in 1971. Shooting with a handheld 16mm camera “borrowed” from Carlos Mayolo’s ad agency workplace, the film finds wobbly panoramas on spectacular assemblages, but always from the outside – an exteriority which defines itself fuller in the film’s cockeyed dissection of the Games’ pomp and circumstance. Rallies of military might serve only to demonstrate their planners’ unmistakable Cold War anxieties, and proprietary feats of infrastructural know-how – like a new railroad track, received by some shantytowns like manna from heaven – exposed for the limited-time-only publicity perks they are. Ospina and Mayolo steal glimpses at once officially decorative and incisively marginal; by the film’s end, the bitterness engendered by the project has been transferred in total from the shantytowns outside the Games’ encampment, and directly into the audience.

CALI: LA PELICULA
aka Cali: The Movie
1973. 13 min.

The frantic, colorful CALI DE PELICULA is antithesis to the sort of pedantic ‘misery porn’ Mayolo and Ospina would mock in AGARRANDO PUEBLO. Like a Mondo movie without the voiceover, Ospina and Mayolo frame bullfighting as silent slapstick, turn voyeuristic girl-watching ominous with a horror heartbeat, and capture life at street level, a pagan carnival churning by. Dancing, so vital to social life in the area, is shown in all its movement and color, but capturing faces without smiles or real joy – even enjoying themselves Cali’s citizens are cautious.

AGARRANDO PUEBLO
aka The Vampires of Poverty
Co-directed by Carlos Mayolo.
1978. 28 min.

This program concludes with AGARRANDO PUEBLO, widely recognized as the Group’s masterpiece. Mayolo and Ospina star as effigies of themselves, wielding Bolexes and Nagras on a mission to make the perfect cine de sobreprecio (“surcharge film”) for German television – skewering a then-commonplace of Colombian cinema dictated by the Committee for Quality Control, a government-supported bureau intended to help foster a national cinema but a de facto organ of censorship. Retitled THE VAMPIRES OF POVERTY in English, “Agarrando Pueblo” mistranslates a number of ways along the lines of “the clutching of poverty” and “the tricking of the people” – Ospina described it as a popular regional phrase at the time. The certainly film gives away as much (if not more) of its antiheroes’ sleazy postcolonial errand as it does the poverty they seek. Who is clutching whom? While the filmmakers are obviously the supposed vampires, the film is also explicit in the way their exposure to an impoverished zone gets their minds going about the potential windfall for their own careers (aided, inevitably, by a few lines of blow back at the hotel.)

The Fantasy of Deer Warrior
Dir. Ying Chang, 1961.
Taiwan, 87 min.
In Min Nan with English subtitles.

MONDAY, JANUARY 9 – 7:30PM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 – MIDNIGHT
MONDAY, JANUARY 23 – 10:00PM

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THE FANTASY OF DEER WARRIOR is best described in this 2014 post over at Die, Danger, Die, Die, Kill!

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HE WALKED BY NIGHT
Dir. Alfred Werker (credited) and Anthony Mann (uncredited), 1948.
USA, 79 min.

MONDAY, JANUARY 9 – 10 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 – 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29 – 5 PM

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The template for Dragnet and a direct inspiration for dozens of police procedurals, HE WALKED BY NIGHT is based on the story of Erwin “Machine Gun” Walker, a WWII vet who began a series of burglaries which resulted in multiple gunfights with police, leading to his arrest in 1946. That role is played in the film by a young Richard Basehart, whose ice-cold performance became his breakout role. Charming at times, brilliant at others, but with a deep sociopathic core, Basehart’s move from vet to safecracker to mad-dog killer prevents the docudrama angle from bogging down. Hunted down by Scott Brady (SHOTGUN SLADE, a million westerns, and a final role as the sheriff in GREMLINS!) and Roy Roberts (basically *every* tv show in the late 50s-60s), we get a look at the details of detective work more in line with Homicide/L&O/CSI than most films of the time, from false leads to confused witnesses.
It’s Alfred Werker’s name as director, but most film historians put the bulk of the work on the shoulders of Anthony Mann (EL CID, WINCHESTER ’73. THE FAR COUNTRY), and fans of his earlier docudramas RAW DEAL and T-MEN will be able to see his influence right away. Fans of LA noir will find a lot to love here, with a dramatic chase through the Los Angeles sewers (later a key location for the film THEM! among a million others), absolutely stunning lighting by cinematographer John Alton, and none other than Jack Webb as lab tech Lee Whitey. Overlooked by too many for too long as an early film with “promise”, HE WALKED BY NIGHT is actually as deeply tense, dark and ambiguous a noir as one could ask for. If that doesn’t sell you, note that chunks of this film were later used in the Lon Chaney Jr. sleeper creeper THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN!


mandico2-banner-aBertrand Mandico has outlined his filmmaking aims in his “Incoherence Manifesto”: artifice, irrationality, and the inherent magic of aging film stock and analog effects. But a certain affinity for genre, plot, and character, at least as starting points for distortion and unpredictable development, keeps most of his works oddly engaging. Take his most elaborate to date, Our Lady of the Hormones, in which two aging actresses take a long weekend in the countryside to practice their latest roles, but become side-tracked when they fall into a violent love triangle with a purring oozing organ discovered in the woods. Here the familiar, the imagined, and the wildly hallucinatory merge into a cinema resolutely true to its own logic alone.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10 – 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 15 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 – 10 PM

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DEPRESSIVE COP
2015, Scotland / France, 13 min.

A noir: on a remote Scottish island, a mask-visaged police officer helps a mother seek a vanished teen daughter. But both mother and daughter — or conceivably even all three principles — are played by Löwensohn, pointing the film into an absurdist maelstrom of eyes, sex, and confused identities. Genre conventions, here, provide just enough of a spine for film to mutate at will.

OUR LADY OF THE HORMONES
AKA Notre-Dame des Hormones 
2015, France, 31 min.

Two aging actresses take a long weekend in the countryside to practice their latest roles, but become side-tracked when they discover a purring oozing organ alone in the woods. This organism quickly becomes the object of their games and fascinations, and an inevitable love triangle develops. But among actresses, can even the grand guignol confrontation that awaits be taken at face value? Narrated by Michel Piccoli, whose words of explanation just add another layer to the increasing disorientation, and shot in dazzling color photography whereby every bit of artificial nature, human furniture, and deer-with-breasts explodes hallucinatorily onto the screen.

PREHISTORIC CABARET
2014, Iceland / France, 10 min

Somewhere in Iceland a surrealist, colonoscopic nightclub act offers a biological portal into the past.

SALAMMBÔ 
2014, France, 8 min

Against a stark and empty landscape a young women taunts one much older, through gorgeously overlaid 16mm film. Could these apparitions be those of memory, of her own past, or of something more arcane?

TRT: 62 minutes.

The Witch’s Mirror
Dir. Chano Urueta, 1962.
USA. 72 min.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10 – 10 PM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 – 10 PM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29 – 7:30 PM

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“A melody straight from hell!”

THE WITCH’S MIRROR is one of those films whose imagery will crawl deep into a crevice of your mind and live there forever. Every tempestuous night, billowing night gown and thick swell of fog will remind you of Sara and her goddaughter Elena. The film begins with the plight of Sara who through a pact with the devil has found out that her goddaughter will be murdered by her husband Eduardo. After pleading with the devil to intervene, she is told that destiny must run its course, but that doesn’t mean that Sara cannot avenge the death of her goddaughter.

THE WITCH’S MIRROR benefits from the talents of Carlos Enrique Taboada (THE BOOK OF STONE) and Alfredo Ruanova (THE CURSE OF NOSTRADAMUS) who both are prolific horror screenwriters, and the direction of Chano Urueta who is responsible for many other Gothic Horror films such as THE BRAINIAC (1961) and THE WITCH (1954). Their collaboration endues the film with a very soft nightmarish quality that resembles early surrealist film.

What makes THE WITCH’S MIRROR a unique entry into the Mexican Horror genre or for that matter the Horror genre in general is that unlike many other films concerning the occult there is no “rectifying” moral ending. An example is the 1962 film ESPIRITISM which tells the story of a woman who turns to the occult to help her family. By the end of the tale her alliance with the occult has caused the destruction of her family. Right before the end credits begin to roll the camera pans over to a closeup shot of Christ on the cross and a voiceover begins
to say that if this film can turn just one soul away from the occult the makers of the film have done their duty. Taking this into account it is absolutely fantastic that a
film like THE WITCH’S MIRROR exists. Throughout the entire film it is made very
clear that Sara and Elena are dealing with the devil. Whether favorable or unfavorable certain events take place and in the end both Sara and Elena are vindicated. There is absolutely no punishment element except for that individual who should be punished i.e. Elena’s husband. Long live the infernal powers!


GUEST FROM THE FUTURE
Dir. Pavel Arsyonov
USSR, 1985

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 – 6PM-11PM
**SPECIAL EVENT! ALL EPISODES BACK TO BACK!**

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A Young Pioneer (mandatory, Communist version of a Boy Scout) named Kolya is waylaid by his curiosity while on his way to pick up buttermilk. His concern for spilled cultured milk are soon replaced by a sense of wonder, as he time travels from the 1980s to a world of optically printed special effects, and beautifully Soviet era retro-future sci-fi sets. While exploring the future, he meets Alisa Seleznyeva who is being pursued by space pirates. Alisa attempts to evade the pirates by blending in as a schoolchild back in Kolya’s time. The series was wildly popular in the USSR and inspired loads of spin offs, including “Mystery Of The Third Planet”, as well as dirty, folksy versions of the theme song.

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THE LITTLE MERMAID
aka MalĂĄ morskĂĄ vĂ­la
Dir. Karel Kachyƈa, 1976
Czechoslovakia, 86 min.
In Czech with English subtitles

BRAND NEW HD RESTORATION!

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15 – 5 PM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 – 5 PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 – 10 PM

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Two daughters of the Sea King are playing in the depths of the sea – the little mermaid and her elder sister. The Sea King has just sunk a ship as a birthday gift for his elder daughter. The little mermaid rescues a prince from drowning and falls for him. She makes a trade with an evil sorceress: her voice for a chance to live on land


Featuring a captivating orchestral / electronic score, psychedelic swirls, and tech assists from Czech New Wave regulars like cinematographer Jaroslav Kucera (DAISIES, MORGIANA, FRUITS OF PARADISE), editor Miroslav Hájek (LOVES OF A BLONDE, THE FIREMAN’S BALL) and set decorator Ester Krumbachová (VALERIE & HER WEEK OF WONDERS), Karel Kachyna’s adaptation of Hans C. Anderson’s classic is a vision that could’ve only come from 70s Czechoslovakia.

SZINDBÁD
Dir. ZoltĂĄn HuszĂĄrik, 1971.
Hungary, 90 min.
In Hungarian with English subtitles.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 – 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, JANUARY 30 – 7:30 PM

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“SZINDBÁD is a wildly sensuous reverie, justly regarded as one of the great movies of the Hungarian Sixties.” —J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books

A singular work of unparalleled, intoxicating beauty, SZINDBÁD is one of cinema’s greatest hidden gifts.

The titular character is a charming, dying casanova reflecting on his romantic escapades with various women. As he inches closer and closer to the oblivion, every past love ignites a different memory.

Driven more by atmosphere than a linear narrative, the film is told through a series of flashbacks that interweave and overlap in a gorgeous tapestry of colors, seasons, and moods. Utilizing his experimental film background, HuszĂĄrik creates something wholly original in narrative cinema that effectively predates the elliptical editing of Nicholas Roeg and the ornate visual romanticism of Terrence Malick. Indeed, the film is loaded with so much rich symbolism and lush imagery that it takes several viewings to unpack its mysteries and majesty.

Above everything, though, SZINDBÁD taps into a deeply romantic, deeply personal sensibility that simply envelops the viewer into its own unique universe.

The phrase ‘lost masterpiece’ tends to get thrown around a lot in repertory film circles, but we’re going to go out on a limb here and proclaim SZINDBÁD a lost masterpiece. We think you’ll agree. Hyperbole be damned.


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FEHÉRLÓFIA (SON OF THE WHITE MARE)
Dir. Marcell Jankovics, 1981
Hungary. 81 min.
In Hungarian with English subtitles.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 – 5 PM
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 – 10 PM

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A glorious work of unparalleled brilliance, FEHÉRLÓFIA melds ancient legends of the Steppe people into a kaleidoscopic rumination on the cyclical nature of time and space. Originally combining several existing folktales on time’s recurrence, Jankovics was forced to write an original story after his first script was deemed anti-Marxist (according to Marxism, time is irreversible). Raised hidden by his mare mother in the World Tree, immensely strong FehĂ©rlĂłfia must venture forth to find the Underworld’s entrance and, with his brothers’ help, defeat the dragons who seized power from the ancient Forefather and Progenitrix. The constantly morphing concentric images, looping back on and mirroring each other, perfectly fit a film dedicated to the early nomads. Only the second film to come out of PannĂłnia Studios, FEHÉRLÓFIA is a masterwork of color and story.


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PURPLE RAIN: TERROR BEYOND BELIEF
dir. John Wiese, 2014.
USA, 90 min.
English

FRIDAY JANUARY 27 – 7:30 PM

Having brought to our audience such spectacular single-work dĂ©tournements like TOUGH GUYS, we are now pleased to premiere Los Angeles-based artist John Wiese’s 2014 effort PURPLE RAIN: TERROR BEYOND BELIEF.

Described by Wiese himself as “a new edit of PURPLE RAIN where Prince murders Apollonia and gets away with it,” PR:TBB shines a darker shade of purple on the “greatest music movie of them all.” If “Darling Nikki” was all it took for Tipper Gore to start the PMRC, one wonders what PR:TBB might have done for the MPAA.

Unlike other works of appropriation which selectively reorganize “bites” into a new decontexualized construct, PR:TBB pushes an existing, diegetic act of violence a few cinematic degrees further, and then lets the third act play through (albeit without Apollonia’s presence). This is PURPLE RAIN as you have seen it before (yet not).

BIO:
An artist and composer living in Los Angeles, John Wiese is a highly respected figure, both in contemporary sound art as well as the international experimental music underground. Wiese is also known for his influential grind/noisecore band Sissy Spacek, extreme electronics unit LHD, and for numerous collaborations. He is also an accomplished visual and graphic artist, with a long list of international exhibitions and printed materials.

www.john-wiese.com


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DON’T LET THE DEVIL IN (NY Premiere!)
dir. Courtney Fathom Sell, 2016
80 min, USA
In English

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 – MIDNIGHT

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAr9eiiSqf0

After suffering a miscarriage, Newlyweds John and Samantha Harris relocate from New York City to a small Appalachian town where they become wrapped up in a nightmarish tapestry of evil.

Sell’s film eschews conventional genre and instead hops gleefully around – owing as much to the backwoods horrors of last years standout MIDNIGHT as it does to Satanic Panic mainstays like ROSEMARY’S BABY. Aided by the rolling hills and picturesque backdrop of rural West Virginia, the film lures the viewer into an expansive wilderness and then manages to trap you in it. Also featuring Ed Wood/Mark Pirro player Conrad Brooks!

AUDRE’S REVENGE SHORTS

Posted on by spectacletheater

Audre’s Revenge is a collective of creatives, determined to promote visibility of QTIPOC in the Sci-Fi and Horror Universe. We hope to create a space to network film makers, writers, actors and artists, to inspire timeless and important work.
our website is www.audresrevengefilm.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 – 10PM
**ONE NIGHT ONLY!**

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flesh_bannerFLESH
dir. Monika Estrella Negra,15 min.
2016.

An avant-garde horror mash-up that follows a Black woman’s journey in destroying harmful habits. Internalized racism, misogyny and eurocentrism are topics discussed in this fast-paced ‘horror short’.

clarasrage_banner2‘LA RABIA DE CLARA’ (Clara’s Rage)
dir. Michelle Garza, 20 min.
2016. In Spanish w/ English subtitles.

After getting bitten by a rabid dog, Clara must stay locked in the small cabin where she lives with her mother and husband for days. While the town is assaulted by a pack of savage dogs, Clara’s seclusion causes her a growing desire for freedom. To escape, she will have to overcome her family’s fear and determination to protect her.

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‘feralchild’
dir. Maya Lori, 9 min
2015.

A study of two young girls who embrace isolation and undomestication in an abandoned home.