Oh boy! There’s a lot of film stuffs happening this week. Here’s our list of what’s worth seeing.
DOC NYC
New York City’s annual documentary fest starts today and there are a dizzying number of films to choose from. Definitely check out Salad Days for a trip back to the early ’80s hardcore scene in D.C., featuring interviews with the likes of Thurston Moore (OK, we know he’s just a fanboy, but still), Ian MacKaye, and Henry Rollins. Screening Friday, Nov. 14, 9:30pm at School of Visual Arts Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street; tickets, rush only
We also recommend Santa Cruz del Islote, (see above) a film that has some amazing shots of a tiny island off the coast of Colombia, where a close community lives crammed onto less than three acres of land. Filmmaker Luke Lorentzen gets close with the residents and upon following them, we discover that life on the island is becoming more and more difficult due to the increasingly expensive price of basic goods shipped in from the mainland. Screening Friday November 14th, 5 pm at IFC Center along with A Small Section of the World; tickets, $17
John’s of 12th Street
A documentary about this OG East Village Italian-American restaurant. Go behind the scenes at John’s, a place that’s been around for more than 100 years, where the owners and staff definitely have their own way of doing things and the regulars add to the fun. And of course there’s just the right amount of banter about meatballs, face slapping and bro-on-bro squeezing backed up by the tune of a wailing saxophone. Saturday, Nov. 15 through Sunday, Nov. 30 at Spectacle Theater; tickets, $5 advance tickets available
An Evening with Darren Aronofsky and Patti Smith
What do Russell Crowe and Patti Smith have in common? Well, apparently nothing until they worked with Darren Aronofsky on Noah — yes, that Noah. Mr. Crowe makes for bafflingly beefed-up, narrow-eyed Noah who is somehow left without his trademark long white beard. Whatever, we’re not going to argue with genius. Even if the idea of stomaching this film for two hours, rest assured you’ll get the chance to see Aronofsky and Patti Smith (who wrote an original song for the film titled, cough, “Mercy Is”) in conversation after the film and this is your chance to ask them what the hell they were thinking. Monday, Nov. 17, 7pm at Museum of the Moving Image; tickets, $25 (available standby only)
Song From The Forest follows Louis Sarno, a musicologist from Newark, traveled to the Central African Republic over two decades ago to study the music of the Bayaka. Sarno ended up joining the tribe and leaving behind his life in the States to start a family. The film follows Sarno and his teenage son, Samedi, as they travel to New York City. Jim Jarmusch, Sarno’s college roommate, makes an appearance. Friday November 14th at 5 pm, Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas; tickets, $17
Kill List
Blending crime thriller and psychological horror, this British film follows an ex-soldier turned private hit man. Something terrible happens to Jay on assignment in Kiev and he takes some much needed time off, but eventually his partner pulls him back into the job. Jay begins to experience episodes of extreme paranoia, and it sounds like to poor guy basically loses it. Kill List is part of Nitehawk’s series featuring modern UK horror films — an impossible genre, you might think, which makes it all the more intriguing. Friday November 14th and Saturday November 15th, midnight at Nitehawk Cinema; tickets, $11
