Paris Is Burning

As a follow up to Tangerine, which we watched over the summer, this week we'll be taking a look at Paris is Burning (1990), a documentary set in 1980s New York, directed by Jennie Livingston. Like Tangerine, the film has been criticized as being voyeuristic and/or exploitative, but at the same time, it's become somewhat of an iconic classic, in which Hispanic and African American LGBT individuals speak openly and candidly not only about "ballroom subculture," but also about matters of race, class, gender, and beauty. Here's the trailer:

That's this Friday, September 16, at Matt and Yuriko's.

Drinks and snacks at 7pm; movie starts at 7:30.

Silver Streak

In honor of the late, great Gene Wilder, we will be screening Silver Streak (1974) this Friday (9/9). I haven't seen it before, but Yuriko has fond memories of it. From glancing at Wikipedia, we can expect it to be convoluted and hilarious -- best enjoyed if you don't try too hard to figure out how it all fits together. Here's the trailer:

Drinks and snacks at 7; movie starts at 7:30 (ish).

Bring a friend! Bring a dog! It's PG -- bring a child!

Hope you can make it...

Out of the Past

This week's movie will be a classic film noir, made 3 decades before the neo-noir film (Chinatown) we watched earlier this summer.

Out of the Past (1947) -- directed by Jacques Tourneur, starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas.

Showing at Matt and Yuriko's this Friday, September 2nd.

If you want to bring your dog and let him/her run around our new fenced-in yard with Kima, please do!

If you want to bring a human guest (lovers, small children, etc.), that is also fine.

Stop by anytime after 7pm -- movie starts at 7:30.

Summer May Be Ending, But Movie Night Is Not

Finally, we are going to be home on a Friday night in August!

Earlier this summer, Yuriko and I went to see the new Star Trek movie (twice!), which was good, but not great. Of course, this led to several discussions of what made the previous movie (Star Trek: Into Darkness, 2013) so amazing. We decided it might be time to revisit it.

Warning--I sobbed uncontrollably in the theater when I saw this movie for the second time in the theater. I realize how strange that is for this kind of movie, and I can't predict what will happen this time--but please try not to be disturbed by any inexplicable emotional eruptions on my part. I just love a good bromance. This one is somewhere between Y Tu Mama Tambien and Superbad.

Directed by JJ Abrams, starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Here's the trailer:

Stop by anytime after 7pm this Friday (August 26th), and we'll start the movie at 7:30pm.

Hope to see you!

July 22: Embrace of the Serpent

This week, we'll be watching Embrace of the Serpent (2015), directed by Ciro Guerra. For a preview, check out Stephen Holden's review from the NY Times, or watch the trailer below:

Also, I found an interesting blog post about Tangerine that discusses both the power of the film, but also what might be problematically voyeuristic or exploitative about it. Check it out here.

Hope you can make it on Friday!
Drinks and snacks at 7, movie starts at 7:30 -- see you at our place!

Tangerine for July 8

We're taking a break for July 1st, but we'll be back on July 8th.

Next up is Tangerine (2015), directed by Sean Baker.

It is a short movie (88 minutes), about a prostitute in Los Angeles, and it was shot entirely on smartphones (iPhone 5s).

Here's the trailer:

If you're interested, come by at 7pm on July 8th for drinks and snacks -- movie starts at 7:30pm.

Hope you can make it!

Chinatown for Friday, June 24

This Friday's film will be Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.

I first saw this movie around 2002--and loved it--but I haven't seen it since, and I don't remember much of the story (lot of ins, lot of outs). At the time, I hadn't seen any of the classic films noir, so I wasn't aware of the tradition that it was harkening back to. Looking forward to seeing it again.

Friday, June 24
Snacks and drinks at 7:00
Movie starts at 7:30
Matt and Yuriko's place