It’s been a while now since I stopped going to movie theaters with any consistent frequency. I wonder why I stopped going. Was it the bad movies? Netflix? Laziness? Or had I worn myself out with my movie-going habits? The best answer is probably a mix of all the above. Things have changed from the days when I used to skip high school class to go see my most anticipated films released at noon on opening day. What was once the norm is now the unfamiliar and half-forgotten. Now it is time for me to become an avid movie-goer again. However with all of the crap being shown in theaters these days, it is hard to find a screening to run to. This past week I was lucky enough to get to watch two great films on the big screen. These weren’t your ordinary screenings… read on.
La Belle et la Bete (The Beauty and the Beast); 1946 – Upper East Side Garden
There is this magnificent little spot about 10 blocks from where I work called Upper East Side Garden. There is a little cozy restaurant/lounge upstairs, a very creative mini-golf course out back, and even an outside bar, DJ booth and their very special tricambered-smoker! Every Thursday night the owner (a very nice guy, trust me) screens a Janus film of his choice inside his little lounge upstairs. For those of you unfamiliar with Janus films, perhaps you know their DVD distributor… The Criterion Collection (the designer DVD company). Janus/Criterion combo is recognized by DVD junkies everywhere as the leading name in art house and classic pictures. So it should be no surprise to you that when I heard that this place was screening a film a week I was sure to make the next date. And so I did. I asked the boss to leave work a bit early to catch a film and he allowed it. I rushed over to the place, parked my car in the wrong lot, and ran upstairs. I caught them just as they were pressing play. The man in charge told me to sit anywhere. I looked around, the place was small, but was decorated very nicely. There weren’t more than 10 people in there. The seating was very comfortable and the film was being projected on a white wall with a kitchen behind it. When I sat down and started watching the film, the lone waiter handed me a menu and asked if I wanted a drink. I asked for a red wine, to which he responded, “I have a Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot.” Right then, I was assured that this was my type of place. I ordered a sashimi salad and it came out about 20 minutes into the film. Now I’ve had some cool film screenings before, some of my favorites include a glass (or paper cup) of wine in my hand (so this one was off to a good start), but my absolute favorite was right here in Miami, at Books & Books bookstore, where I watched Amores Perros outdoors, under the moonlight, with a cigarette in one hand and an espresso in the other. That was a great time. But this…. this was almost better! I had never had a freshly made sashimi salad, and a glass of wine, while watching an old movie. This was all the luxury I ever needed.
Oh yes, and the film. It was beautiful. It opens with a letter written by the director, Jean Cocteau, addressing the audience. For those of us who only know the story because of the Disney adaptation (which I assume is most of us), I highly recommend seeing this film so that you can see it done better. Belle is such a tragic beauty, forced into labor because of her fathers debt, while her sisters live the high life of the bourgeoise. The beast is an amazing character, and he is actually scary! Whoever did the make-up on the beast deserves some recognition because he looks like a real beast. There are some really cool surreal aspects to the film, especially in the Beast’s mansion, where Belle is served by a cast of body-less arms. The plot is a bit worn-out these days, but if you can appreciate it for it’s simplicity then you will get lost in the forbidden romance. I desperately look forward to next week’s screening, Fists in Pocket (1965). Oh yeah, did I mention that admission is $5!
Touch of Evil; 1958
Last year in my Cinematography 1 class, my professor, David Worth, always told us that Touch of Evil was a must see. Prof. Worth, director of Kickboxer and cinematographer for Bloodsport, was not the type that any intelligent person would ignore. Unless of course you want Van Damme on your ass. Naturally, when Bill Cosford cinema at the University of Miami announced that they were showing Touch of Evil this past weekend, I jotted it down in my calendar of things to do. I went to see the last showing, Sunday night at 8. I was captivated from the very first shot. If you are familiar with the film you know exactly which shot and why it is captivating.
The film is beautifully shot in black and white, in the noir style. The camera work is marvelous (i.e. the first shot… and many more). The story is a little tried and antiquated in today’s world, but it still got me. The characters are gritty and realistic (except for Charlton Heston’s potrayal of a mexican, which he did well aside from the mexican part). The star of the show, aside from the cinematographer is the man himself, Orson Welles. Welles’ character is a monster. His screen presence is unbeatable and it took me a few scenes to actually realize that it was Orson himself playing the role. I don’t feel like saying much else about the movie because you should see it yourself.
Bill Cosford cinema is my favorite place to see movies in all of Miami. The theater is classy, the movies are great and the crowd is civil. I check the schedule every week and I make sure to take a risk and check out some movies that I am not familiar with. Thank god for Bill Cosford cinema, it is a diamond in the rough that is the Miami art-house cinema scene.
