One of the fun things about the film series is how the fascinating and surreal juxtapositions that pop up as films within a given week complement or clash wildly with one another. Last week, anyone who was fortunate enough to make it to “Notorious” and “Blue Velvet” got to see Ingrid Bergman and her daughter Isabella Rossellini portray women in peril exactly forty years apart. If “Blue Velvet” consciously harkens back to and distorts the sexually charged archetypes in old thrillers, it’s fascinating to see how deeply Hitchcock plunges into the same anxieties in “Notorious.” Well, this week chance has placed two of American cinema’s most stunning urban portraits back to back. Made just two years apart, Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” and Charles Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep” both feature lush music and gorgeous-black-and white photography of a major metropolis (Los Angeles and, well, Manhattan) but depict radically different slices of city life. East Side and West Side alike can agree that this is going to be an awesome weekend at the Goldsmith.
2011. USA. Dir. Eli Craig. With Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk.
8 p.m. Wednesday, February 22. $5.
John Waters once remarked that “white trash” is the only demographic in America against which open prejudice is still tolerated. Well, here’s a film out to address this with an all-out irreverence that Mr. Waters himself would adore. Some thoughtless college campers assume that a pair of good-natured yokels (including, Whedon fans, “Firefly’s” Alan Tudyk) are out to kill them and mount a blunder-ridden attempt at self-defense. Will our heroes be able to enlighten the bigoted co-eds before they hurt themselves? Will it be hilarious and gory when they fail to do so? Show up and find out.
2011. Israel. Dir. Yossi Madmoni. With Henry David, Sarah Adler.
8 p.m. Thursday, February 23. FREE.
Winner of 11 Israeli Academy Awards and widespread acclaim overseas, including at Sundance, Madmoni’s film is a delicate character-driven drama elevated by assured filmmaking and a tremendous cast. After his business partner dies, old-fashioned wood restorer Fidelman falls into a funk before connecting with the gifted pianist he hires to help him around the shop, potentially setting up a conflict with his forward thinking son. Madmoni builds drama out of subtle gestures and atmosphere, leading to a potent emotional punch.
Special Guest: Professional Restorer Peter Gedrys
1979. USA. Dir. Woody Allen. With Woody Allen, Diane Keaton.
8 p.m. Friday, February 24. $5.
Consummate New Yorker Allen makes the ultimate New York film, a sweeping ode to all that is beautiful and confusing in the Big Apple. Writer Isaac Davis expounds his love for the city while balancing his relationship with a much younger woman (Mariel Hemingway), his tensions with his ex-wife (Meryl Streep), and his relationship with a woman his own age (Diane Keaton). Balancing the legendary wit of Allen’s dialogue, excellent cinematography, and a boldly existential exploration of the director’s particular milieu, “Manhattan” has earned its place among the greatest film comedies of all time.
1977. USA. Dir. Charles Burnett. With Henry Gayles Sanders.
8 p.m. Saturday, February 25. FREE.
The African-American film series wraps up with this masterpiece from America’s most fiercely independent black filmmaker. Shot for less than $10,000 on the streets of Watts, Los Angeles, Burnett’s masterful eye for detail and human expression elevates the film from social realism to humanist poetry. Delving into the day-to-day experience of a slaughterhouse worker, who, in addition to all the pressures of fatherhood and economic hardship, is plagued by insomnia, “Killer of Sheep” manages to be simultaneously funny and sad, illuminating and moving. In addition, with breathtaking black-and-white cinematography and music ranging from Dinah Washington to Rachmaninoff, this is a film that demands to be seen on the big screen.