Check out our list of films we’re excited to see this week.
Bird People
French filmmaker Pascale Ferran hasn’t made a film in over a decade, but she returns with this strangely set movie. Bird People takes place entirely inside a Hilton Hotel next to the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. An unremarkable American businessman (aptly named Gary) checks in and embarks on a nervous breakdown-fueled series of disastrous F-ups. Instead of returning home to his wife, he stays in the hotel only to cross paths with Audrey, a French maid and hotel employee. We’re guessing love results, but whether that happens before or after the film spirals into surreal oblivion, we’re not so sure. Friday September 12th through Thursday September 18th at IFC Center, various showtimes; tickets $14
The Green Prince
Dang, it sounds like Mosab Hassan Yousef has been to the pits of hell and back. The Green Prince, which is based on Yousef’s memoir, is a documentary about espionage and treachery of Shakespearean proportions. The son of Hamas founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, Mosab betrayed his father by becoming an informant for Israel’s security service, Shin Bet. He eventually sought political asylum in the United States and moved to California and converted to Christianity, because I guess that’s the only option you have left if you piss off Israel and the people who hate Israel so much that everybody’s out for blood. We’re guessing he lives in a nice little bungalow now and considers himself more of a homebody these days. Also, this movie is PG-13 so bring any offspring you might have along with you to ensure they NEVER cross you again. Friday September 12th through Thursday September 18th at Angelika Film Center, various showtimes; tickets, $14
The Crow
I’ve recently heard this film referred to as a “cult classic,” which personally makes me feel a little old. I remember hearing about this movie on the playground– kids would whisper about how the starring actor had suffered a gruesome death on the set. Surely, this was nothing more than urban legend. But, as we all well know, this actually happened to an actor who was playing the role of an undead rockstar, making for some seriously weird sense of dramatic irony when you watch the movie. It’s all “Brandon Lee don’t die!” Well, at least the movie came out as a pretty OK gothic super-hero film. Friday September 12th and Saturday September 13th at Nitehawk Cinema, 12:00 am; tickets, $11
The 10th Dimension: Edward Wood, Jr.
Anthology is screening ten films from Ed Wood’s expansive 30-year career making low-budget classics. The week-long celebration features the best of his pioneering, cliché-shattering works in sexploitation, sci-fi, campy horror melodrama, and teenage girl gangs gone wild. We recommend the double header happening this Sunday, which features Necromania (a 1971 film about a supernatural sex clinic) and Nympho Cycler (an unfinished work starring Ed Wood). Bride of the Monster (1955) is another one worth checking out tonight– see Bella Lugosi’s last speaking role. Thursday September 11th through Thursday September 18th at Anthology Film Archives, various show times; tickets, $10
