This is what is going on in my living room right now. 58 Fountain St.: four hot single guys (and one girl) having a happy Valentine’s Day in the living room. “I always wanted to be in the Argus,” explained Brian Colgan ’08. “You could make a good riff on the sexy singles,” Colgan added. “Tell them I’ll be waiting in the back of one of the film series screenings with a….” quipped Mike Litwack ’08. “You should just write a review of ’Robocop,’ remarked Matt Leddy ’08. “If you had listened to us you would be done by now,” Leddy asserted. “Nana nana nana nana batthad,” Leddy remarked. “I did bad Niki,” replied Niki Achitoff-Gray ’09. “That’s whatsup,” Colgan said.
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
USA, Dir: Andrew Dominik. 2007
TONIGHT, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. $4
Last week I mentioned that everybody in the universe is in Westerns, and this Friday y’all get to see how Slotkin’s theories are applied to contemporary cinema. “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford” is a bitch to type and a damn good movie. Similar to the 1939 “Jesse James,” written by my favorite grampa Nunnally Johnson, the film stars our most vogued leading man. In short Tyrone Power = Brad Pitt, no joke. One of the impressive achievements of 2007 is the work of Roger Deakins. This soft-spoken British cinematographer shot “Assassination of Jesse James” as well as “In the Valley of Elah,” and “No Country for Old Men” during this year alone.
SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS
USA, Dir: Preston Sturges. 1941
SATURDAY, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m. Free!
Hollywood loves to make movies about Hollywood. They’re pretty good at it too, and between “Sunset Boulevard,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” and “The Player,” there are plenty of classics. “Sullivan’s Travels” is a satirical look at a Hollywood director trying to convince the studio and the world that he can be a serious artist and capture real life and real pain. The film that he wants to make to prove his social worth is a study of poverty entitled “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?” Sound familiar? Writer and director Preston Sturges was one of the best screenwriters in Hollywood history and the wit and realism of his dialogue is astonishing. One can’t write about this movie without mentioning the cycloptic beauty Veronica Lake, who emerges here as a young actress on the outskirts of fame with a killer haircut.
MEAN STREETS
USA, Dir: Martin Scorsese. 1973
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m. $4
I mistakenly told a stupid story about this film last week. I think I’ve said enough about this film, but I’ll reiterate that this is one of my favorite all time films (although I’m sure the newest Adam Sandler project will blow it out of the water). Very infrequently does a young director manage to balance reckless talent and violently intriguing humanity as Scorsese does here. There’s lots of pop music for the kids, too.
REDS
USA, Dir: Warren Beatty. 1981
THURSDAY, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. Free!
The story of John Reed, the only American citizen to be buried in the Kremlin, is Warren Beatty’s personal masterpiece. Beatty’s only other notable directorial turn is “Bulworth,” which I don’t really have anything to say about, but I wanted to point out. “Reds” is a star spangled affair, with Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Gene Hackman along with Beatty. It’s part romance, part documentary, and long enough for both. Made in 1981, the film is reminiscent of the Hollywood new wave of the 1970s, which had largely been replaced by the blockbuster formula of “Jaws” and “Star Wars.”