go here THE SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM NOTES FOR NOIR CITY 16
(JANUARY 26 THROUGH FEBRUARY 4, 2018)
NOIR CITY 15 • Friday, January 27, 2017
BLUE COLLAR
7:15 PM
Schrader's directorial debut is one of the most politically savvy films of the 1970s—if not ever. Three Detroit autoworkers—Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto—are so fed up with their jobs they decide to rip off the safe in their own union office. When the robbery doesn't go quite as planned, solidarity is only the first casualty. Pryor is, of course, funny as hell—but he also gives his finest dramatic performance in this seething film that remains as timely and relevant as ever. Presented in 35mm
USA, 1978. Universal Pictures. 114 min. Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Leonard Schrader Produced by Robin French and Don Guest. Directed by Paul Schrader
STRAIGHT TIME
9:30 PM
Max Dembo (Dustin Hoffman) starts his parole with small dreams: get a job, maybe meet a woman, but those dreams are destined to be crushed by the system and his own nature, forcing him back into a life of crime. Based on a novel written by Eddie Bunker (Reservoir Dogs) while he was in stir, the tale demonstrates how difficult it can be to leave prison behind, even in the outside world. Hoffman's gritty turn is supported by an amazing cast, including Theresa Russell, M. Emmet Walsh, Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Busey, and Kathy Bates. Presented in 35mm
USA, 1978. First Artists / Warner Bros. 114 min. Screenplay by Alvin Sargent, Edward Bunker, and Jeffrey Boam, from the novel by Edward Bunker Produced by Howard Pine, Stanley Beck, Tim Zinnemann, and Dustin Hoffman (uncredited) Directed by Ulu Grosbard and Dustin Hoffman (uncredited)
Saturday, January 28 Matinée
CHARLEY VARRICK
1:30 PM
Meet Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau), Last of the Independents—at one point, the movie's title. Charley's a smart, methodical criminal, so when a robbery at a tiny New Mexico bank nets him way more money than it should, he knows he's in deep. Soon, he's got to outthink the Mafia, outwit his partner, and outrun the cops. This whip-smart underdog story is Don Siegel at his best and includes many members of his colorful stock company: Andy Robinson (Dirty Harry), Sheree North, John Vernon—plus Joe Don Baker memorably playing a hit man named Molly. Presented in 35mm
USA, 1973. Universal Pictures. 111 min. Screenplay by Howard Rodman and Dean Riesner, from a novel by John Reese Produced by Jennings Lang and Don Siegel. Directed by Don Siegel
THE BRINK'S JOB
3:45 PM
Boston's legendary 1950 Brinks' robbery, in which a gang of thieves made off with more than $2 million, was heralded as "The Crime of the Century"—especially after it went unsolved for years. It inspired several filmic adaptations, none better than Friedkin's playful hybrid of comedy and suspense. As the mastermind, Peter Falk leads an extraordinary cast of characters, including Gena Rowlands, Paul Sorvino, Warren Oates, Peter Boyle, and Allen Garfield. A poignant and beautifully realized period piece, this is one of the director's best—if most neglected—films. Presented in 35mm
USA, 1978. Universal Pictures. 104 min. Screenplay by Walon Green, from the book by Noel Behn Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Ralph Serpe. Directed by William Friedkin
Saturday, January 28 Evening
SEXY BEAST
7:15 PM
The movie that taught the world Ben Kingsley—the man who played Gandhi—could scare the pants off us. Ace safecracker Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) is living the criminal's dream, retired in Spain with his ill-gotten gain and an ex-porn-star wife. Things go dreadfully wrong when his old psychotic pal Don Logan (Kingsley) turns up demanding Gal's assistance in one more job. Celebrated music video director Glazer made a striking feature debut with this stylishly nasty piece of work. Presented in 35mm
England, 2000. Film4 / 20th Century-Fox. 89 min. Screenplay by Louis Mellis and David Scinto Produced by Paul Webster and Jeremy Thomas. Directed by Jonathan Glazer
THE AURA / EL AURA
9:10 PM
The charismatic Ricardo Darín (Nine Queens, The Secret in Their Eyes) plays an epileptic taxidermist who amuses himself by plotting perfect crimes. On a hunting trip, he accidentally kills a man who has set a casino robbery into motion—then steps into the dead man's shoes to live out his fantasy. Reality concocts plot twists even his fevered imagination can't see coming. Argentine director Fabián Bielinsky made only two movies before his death, the exquisite caper Nine Queens and this masterful neo-noir, perhaps the best of the 21st century. Presented in 35mm
Argentina, 2005. Patagonik Film Group / IFC First Take. 134 min. Screenplay by Fabián Bielinsky and Pablo De Santis Produced by Cecilia Bossi, José Luis Garcia Espina, et al. Directed by Fabián Bielinsky
Sunday, January 29
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
1:00 PM, 6:00 PM
The last movie in the storied career of Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network) powerfully fuses film noir with Eugene O'Neill. A desperate man (Philip Seymour Hoffman) cows his weak-willed brother (Ethan Hawke) into robbing their parents' jewelry store. The tragic consequences unleash decades of family demons. The intricately structured script brings out the best in a top-drawer cast that includes Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, and Michael Shannon. Presented digitally
USA, 2007. THINKFilm. 117 min. Screenplay by Kelly Masterson Produced by 10 executive producers and 7 producers. Directed by Sidney Lumet
VICTORIA
3:20 PM, 8:20 PM
NOIR CITY brings down the curtain for 2017's festival with an audacious thriller filmed on the streets of Berlin in a single epic take. Spanish immigrant Victoria (Laia Costa, in an extraordinary performance) is only looking for a good time when she falls in with four young Germans in the wee hours. Little does she suspect she is about to be dragged into a drug-fueled bank robbery orchestrated by an unforgiving gangster. Armed only with a digital camera and a twelve-page script, director Schipper, camera operator Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, and a driven cast give the audience a night they will never forget. Presented digitally
Germany, 2015. MonkeyBoy/Radical Media/Adopt Films. 138 min. Story by Sebastian Schipper, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, and Eike Frederik Schulz Produced by Christiane Dressler and nine others. Directed by Sebastian Schipper
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