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Not like us, the cool guys (posters on the Criterionforum)

Speaking of Film Forum, I just noticed they're screening 35mm prints of Lillian Gish films this weekend, including The Wind and The Scarlet Letter which will be accompanied by live music. It reminded me that her name had been taken off of Bowling Green State University's theater because students said it was triggering due to her appearance in Birth of a Nation.

More than 50 prominent artists, actors and film scholars — including Martin Scorsese, James Earl Jones, Helen Mirren, Joseph McBride, Malcolm McDowell and Lauren Hutton — called on the university to reverse its recent decision, accusing them of making Gish a "scapegoat in a broader political debate." The university refused and the theater still goes without a name today. Bowling Green was also criticized for retaining the large sum of money donated decades ago by Gish, as well as her personal papers - the university gave a non-existent defense by pointing out that 1) the honorary degree they gave to Gish wouldn't be rescinded, 2) the scholarship that bears her name would remain as-is, and 3) their archival collections of Gish memorabilia would remain in place.

Regardless, I hope that's the worst of it - Birth of a Nation shouldn't have to define her life's work in unforgivable fashion.

Even though I grew up in NYC, specifically in Queens, this thread makes me feel well behind the times regarding the New York rep scene, since I haven't lived lived there in like a decade. I visit regularly but have never made it to Metrograph unfortunately, even though I hear so much about it. I've been to Film Forum several times, and I've also been to screenings at MOMA, MOMI, Lincoln Center, and the IFC center. I've even been to the now-defunct Lincoln Plaza Cinema many times, although that was more of a first run arthouse. I can't say I've been to BAM, Roxy, or Anthology Film Archives though, and I know Anthology is one of the older institutions.

I get the impression the NYC rep scene has more 35mm screenings than we do here in Paris where, despite an otherwise thriving rep scene, 35mm screenings seem to be like unicorns.

Black Hat wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 12:08 am Indeed. They're even bigger dorks in person. I would push back on how much films actually mean to them too. There is a lot of unwarranted self-regard, the kind that comes about when a group of people has been insulated from outsiders for a period of time.

One of the funniest things over the last few years has been watching the conflict, dorklandia turfwar, of the geriatric millennials/young gen x'ers vs young millennials/zoomers. A complete shambles but, NYU gonna NYU. Losers the whole lot.

What's wrong with Glenn Kenny? I've never met him in person, but from his internet demeanor he strikes me as one of the more erudite and approachable New York cinephile personalities. If these guys were art or literature critics instead, would we call them 'dorks'? That just indicates to me the tenuous status of film as an art form, even among people purportedly into film, that film critics are described as 'dorks and losers'.

Ok. I won't lie. Dan Sallitt, for example, does seem a bit dorky, but I'm not sure I'd deny films mean a lot to him. To be fair, nonetheless, if I directed a feature film that ended up streaming on the Criterion Channel for a period of time I'd say I'm doing alright for myself.

Sorry about that, I could see why what I wrote could be misunderstood. Was referring to some of the people interviewed in the blog post who HTS mentioned seeing around which I incorrectly assumed my next paragraph made clear. Glenn's great. I wish these people were as cool as he is. Sallitt's a very nice man as well. The problem is with the younger generations, not the old guard.

Drucker wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 12:45 am Not like us, the cool guys (posters on the Criterionforum)

I'll take the characters here over a bunch of careerists fighting over the same handful of jobs every time.

Black Hat wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:49 pmThe problem is with the younger generations, not the old guard.

Black Hat wrote: Sat Oct 08, 2022 1:49 pmI don't believe one should ever criticize young people, even more so these days...

[-X

I'm not gonna lie. The "I'm old goddamit and set in my ways" posturing of that gen x/millennial cusp demographic (basically people who are like 38-45/46) does get on my nerves. I'm 34 for what it's worth. I know people in that demographic personally who if not necessarily professional critics/academics are at least "into the arts". There are definitely Film Twitter personalities around that age guilty of this turf war behavior, but I won't name names.

There's definitely a "dorkish" character to the 'hardcore cinephilia' of people closer to my age, but I'm not sure how to explain it beyond that. In either case, I'm slowly coming to the realization Film Twitter and Letterboxd are both bad for my mental health.

Black Hat wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 12:08 am

One of the funniest things over the last few years has been watching the conflict, dorklandia turfwar, of the geriatric millennials/young gen x'ers vs young millennials/zoomers. A complete shambles but, NYU gonna NYU. Losers the whole lot.

I feel like the "dorklandia turfwar" only got worse and worse as the 2010s wore on reaching an inevitable fever pitch as the world went into lockdown, and as a result of my age, I inevitably found myself getting enmeshed in it, against my better judgment of course. A side of me frankly feels somewhat melancholically that the undergrad who sat in his dorm room a decade and change ago being "spiritually transported" by films like Le Mepris, Vivre Sa Vie, and L'Eclisse wasn't supposed to end up here as a 30-something, but maybe my early 20s romanticism was asking to be punctured.

senseabove wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:57 pm

Black Hat wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:49 pmThe problem is with the younger generations, not the old guard.

Black Hat wrote: Sat Oct 08, 2022 1:49 pmI don't believe one should ever criticize young people, even more so these days...

[-X

Damn, so you want to be that guy, huh? How long have you been holding on to that, delightful person? Too bad I'm of the younger generation and the initial point was referring to college students so, try harder next time. Glad to see I'm still capable of living inside the skin of internet plebes. Better luck next time, hater.

rrenault wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 5:07 pm I'm not gonna lie. The "I'm old goddamit and set in my ways" posturing of that gen x/millennial cusp demographic (basically people who are like 38-45/46) does get on my nerves. I'm 34 for what it's worth. I know people in that demographic personally who if not necessarily professional critics/academics are at least "into the arts". There are definitely Film Twitter personalities around that age guilty of this turf war behavior, but I won't name names.

There's definitely a "dorkish" character to the 'hardcore cinephilia' of people closer to my age, but I'm not sure how to explain it beyond that. In either case, I'm slowly coming to the realization Film Twitter and Letterboxd are both bad for my mental health.

I'm sure this kind of politicking has always been around but, like you kinda implied, Film Twitter, and the internet in general, have made it harder not to pick up on. Letterboxd, however, I find is a great tool. I just wish I wasn't so lazy about logging what I see.

Black Hat wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 5:52 pm Damn, so you want to be that guy, huh? How long have you been holding on to that, delightful person? Too bad I'm of the younger generation and the initial point was referring to college students so, try harder next time. Glad to see I'm still capable of living inside the skin of internet plebes. Better luck next time, hater.

Teasing =\= hating

I don't play gotcha posts taken out of context from a different thread written 6 months ago. That's lame, as well as dumb. My parachute has arrived, good day.

Sorry, I couldn't help recall one of the most amusingly ridiculous assertions I've ever seen put forth here with at least some semblance of a straight face.

Being an Old, I had to google "internet plebe" for whatever "young people" context I was missing, and I love that the first hit is from that perfectly respectable resource, Encyclopedia Dramatica.

Maybe not enough forum members are based in Paris or relatively nearby to justify it, but I was wondering if it would be possible to have a thread similar to this one on here for the Paris repertory and cultural scene.

The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul coming to Lincoln Center (May 4 - 14) and the program looks pretty awesome.

hearthesilence wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:53 am The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul coming to Lincoln Center (May 4 - 14) and the program looks pretty awesome.

Ugh, check out Oshima's Boy. There's no indication that it will be in 35mm, and the images shown for it have that horrid urine-stained revisionist grading. Would the DCP look like that?

hearthesilence wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:53 am The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul coming to Lincoln Center (May 4 - 14) and the program looks pretty awesome.

Wow, did he pick some great films to complement his retrospective.
I’m guessing that Boy probably will be in 35mm, as Janus has celluloid copies of all the films of his that they distribute.

rrenault wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:35 pm Maybe not enough forum members are based in Paris or relatively nearby to justify it, but I was wondering if it would be possible to have a thread similar to this one on here for the Paris repertory and cultural scene.

I'm mighty far from Paris, but I'd be interested in reading what's showing there and what the film rep scene is like there these days. Though I'd be unlikely to contribute.

Since this thread was bumped I do owe a mea culpa. The Jerry Lewis films at Roxy the other week were one of the best film-going experiences I've ever enjoyed, with a completely engaged crowd. However, while seeing Freaks at Lincoln Center the guy next two me kept on taking his phone out to take pictures of the opening text/closing credit screens, and I noticed someone else in the crowd doing it as well.

I've only seen one person take out their phone to take a photo of the opening credits for Kore-eda's Broker and I only noticed it because the poor guy forgot to turn the flash off and he was sitting up at the front. Safe to say that it was a very awkward moment.

I scared some dipshit who was kept taking pictures of the screen during The Devil, Probably a few months back when I told him “Put that fucking phone away”. No regrets! Not sure what anyone gets out of taking a photo of a screen in a theater other than annoy others.

The New Bev has a permanent ban policy in place for anyone that takes out a phone, and NYC could use the same.

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 5:37 pm I scared some dipshit who was kept taking pictures of the screen during The Devil, Probably a few months back when I told him “Put that fucking phone away”. No regrets! Not sure what anyone gets out of taking a photo of a screen in a theater other than annoy others.

Haha! I think I was there at the Los Feliz. The Cinematheque screens need to get militant like the New Beverly