Films this week 8/9 to 8/11/2024
by Gary Palmucci | 9th August 2024 | Gary's Corner
Attentive readers (and there are many) of New Plaza Cinema’s weekly schedule have asked us why there are often nine or ten different films shoehorned into our weekend program, often affording only a single chance to see their particular film of choice.
To the extent that there is a coherent explanation, I would offer this: with the ongoing shortage of upper west side cinema screens, many distributors as well as individual, self-distributing filmmakers regularly solicit us to play their movies. We try to accommodate as many of these new releases (along with at least two classics per month) as possible, to provide an eclectic array of international cinema, and also in the hope that a few of these pictures will “stick” and become long-running hits, something every theatre needs in order to thrive.
That happened here in the early months of this year with the Oscar nominated Teacher’s Lounge, Woody Allen’s Coup de Chance, and Daniel Auteui in Farewell Mr Haffmann. It’s now happening again with the Sundance sleeper Ghostlight, entering its sixth New Plaza Cinema week, with Thelma looking like another longevity candidate.
So both of those films will have multiple shows this weekend, along with reprises of Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger, Robot Dreams, Israel Swings for Gold (with a director-and-athlete Q&A), Agniezszka Holland’s riveting Green Border, and How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer.
Mailer’s son John Buffalo and daughter Susan, who so generously gave us their time last month for after-discussions, have departed for August vacations, but I will try to keep the conversation going.
Our one addition to this weekend’s slate is an acclaimed, recent Argentinian drama, Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, arriving uptown after its IFC premiere. From the filmmakers’ synopsis:
“In a tiny Argentinian town, a pious yet competitive woman decides that staging a miracle could be her own ticket to sainthood. But a jarring event illuminates the hidden magic of her world, forcing her to reevaluate everything she took for granted.” And, here’s a link to the enthusiastic NY Times review.
Coming later this month — a rare screening of Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger, starring Jack Nicholson; and two separate events featuring Melissa Newman, daughter of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward: August 23rd 5:30 pm and August 23rd 6:30 pm. Tickets and full details are now available on our website for each of these programs.