Starring: Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow, Alanna Ubach

The Future of Film is Female continues its year-long celebration of 90s cinema with a screening of Jill Sprecher’s CLOCKWATCHERS. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

“This is a rare film about the way people actually live. It’s about the new world of security cameras, Muzak, cubicle life and hoarding office supplies. “Try not to make too many mistakes,” a new temp worker is told. “These forms are expensive.” When she botches some forms, she throws them out in the ladies’ room to hide her crime. The toilet, indeed, is the only sanctuary in a big office: the refuge, the retreat, the confessional. Only when your underwear is off can you find a space to call your own.

CLOCKWATCHERS was written by two sisters, Jill and Karen Sprecher, and directed by Jill. I don’t have to be psychic to know they’ve worked as office temps. The Coen, Hughes and Wachowski brothers make movies about crime and passion, and so do the Sprecher sisters, but their violence is more brutal and direct, like stealing the precious rubber-band ball of Art, the anal-retentive guy in charge of the office supplies.” —Roger Ebert, May 22, 1998

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin, Michael Angelo Covino

When his wife asks for a divorce, a man runs to his friends for support, only to learn that the secret to their happiness is an open marriage.

Starring: Celia Kaye, Larry Domasin, Ann Daniel, George Kennedy, Carlos Romero and Junior as “Rontu”

As Summer winds its days down, join The Deuce for a desert-island idyll as we journey to the Pacific Paradise of ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS! But… beware!! Because this Paradise comes with a perilous price to pay… and dolphins!!!

A true(ish) tale from the 1835 Southern California Channel Islands of firebrand(ish) Chumash Tribe teen Karana’s travails and triumphs… after her Tribe is tricked and turned on by bigoty blubbery otter trappers (jerks!) and – for other reasons to be revealed – the winsome, lithesome lass is left alone(ish) to fend for herself on her lonesome(ish) island home… to win some and lose some… all the time tasked to teach herself the toilsome skills of survival traditionally left to the “men-folk” and formerly forbidden to female doing… Net-fishin’! Fightin’ feral dogs! Featherin’ arrows! Bow-huntin!! All the while talkin’, walkin’, and sometimes swimin’ with all manner of Nature’s natural kingdom… Too cute!!

Based on Scott O’Dell’s much-loved Newbery Medal for children’s literature award-winning novel – book and film both becoming touchstones of proto-girl-power feminism (especially for “us” “Gen-Xers” – you know who you are! Or maybe you don’t –  considering that ever-creeping senility thing…), director James B. Clark could hardly have been more in his métier, coming off his previous year’s top-dolphin flick Flipper  – having already helmed the classic “boy-and-his-dog” cry-fest A Dog Of Flanders, and soon to spin another titan tale of a child’s communion with Nature My Side Of The Mountain (don’t think we ain’t thinkin’ of doin’ that one someday, Deuceies!), as well as – omg! – the Eastern Shore set Chincoteague wild ponies romp Misty!! Too cute!!

Playing our winsome, lithesome lass, Celia Kaye – who would as the later (liltingly weddedly named) Celia Milius appear in two of hubby John’s films: Big Wednesday (“Bride of Bear”) and Conan The Barbarian (“High Priestess” – uncredited – give the lady lady some credit, John!) – garnered for her Crusoe-ish performance the 1965 Golden Globe Award for “Most Promising Newcomer,” while her co-star (the son of Disney’s Old Yeller titular dog-star AND Clark’s aforementioned A Dog Of Flanders!) Junior (“as Rontu”) – himself garnering a PATSY (Picture Animal Top Star Of The Year) Award from the American Humane Association… the award-winning duo also having become constant companions on and off screen! Too cute!!

While eschewing some of the book’s more narrativities, Clark and ace cinematographer Leo Tover (of, among other acmes, Shoedsack’s The Monkey’s Paw, Walsh’s The Tall Men, Journey To The Center Of The Earth, and again with Clark on – omg – Misty!!) craft a film to be felt more than followed… At once languid in its beachy islandy revery and – with a breathlessness physical and emotional – focusing as much on the overwhelming beauty of its vistas and world of Nature as on its heroine’s strength – not just for survival – but in her capacity for compassion, empathy, and kindness in the face of a world as adversarial as it is Edenic… Perhaps a bit too tender for the Times Square-tugger crowd… instead film-fan families flocked to the rarified air of Upper East’s RKO 86th Street Theatre to take in this tale of feminine fortitude, and for which The Deuce-dopes strongly encourage the bringing of your own or otherwise borrowed from friends children and/or dogs and/or birds and/or dolphins for this rare(ish) Deuce foray into family-entertainment territory… Too cute!!

Starring: Lee Kang-sheng, Wu Ke-xi, Haipeng Xu

Join The Future of Film is Female for a special screening of BLUE SUN PALACE, followed by a Q&A with director Constance Tsang. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

“For more than 30 years the Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng has forged an indelible, inimitable creative partnership with Tsai Ming-liang. Lee makes as big an impression in Constance Tsang’s Blue Sun Palace, which relocates him to working-class Queens. When wayward Taiwanese immigrant Cheung (Lee) finds his life of part-time work and light extramarital affairs shattered by violence, he connects with workers at a small Queens salon, victims themselves to the indignities forced upon strangers in a strange land.

But Blue Sun Palace is no misery showcase. Intimacy and warmth co-exist with economic anxieties and deep grief that are articulated with uncommon intelligence and understanding of how adults endure any given day. In this debut feature, awarded the French Touch Prize by the jury at the 2024 Cannes Critics’ Week, Tsang shapes an immigrant’s tale, a relationship drama, a workplace comedy, and a great New York story in one.” —Film at Lincoln Center

Starring: Léa Drucker, Thibault de Montalembert, Dominique Reymond, Bernard Alane, Marina de Van

Join The Future of Film is Female for a screening of one of our favorite body horrors, Marina de Van’s IN MY SKIN. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

Everything changes for Ester, a young woman with a successful career on the upswing and a devoted boyfriend, when her leg is wounded outside a party one night. Strangely, she is initially unaware of the deep cut, yet it becomes a catalyst for an obsession with her own body, at once disconnected and deeply personal, that sends her into a spiral with no release. She begins to self-harm and hallucinate, becoming increasingly secretive and unreliable as the weeks pass. Like an addict, she books herself into a hotel room to satiate her cravings by amorously consuming herself.

Written and directed by and starring Marina de Van, In My Skin is an entry in the New French Extremity movement that explores, through the metaphor of the body, the search for the self in a very disconnected age. This screening celebrates the 20th anniversary of de Van’s grotesquely intimate film.

From the heart of Gravesend, deep in South Brooklyn, comes the untold story of a graffiti writer whose name has echoed through the tunnels and rooftops of New York City since his rise in the late ‘80s. ZEISM, the Brooklyn Knight is a raw, cinematic journey into the underground world of New York City graffiti—told through the thickly accented voice of a born-and-bred Brooklyn graffiti writer.

Follow ZEISM and his tight-knit crew as they hit the streets, scaling fences and tagging trains, all while shedding light on the vibrant, rebellious culture that shaped them. Along the way, they visit iconic graffiti landmarks and capture intimate moments with unforgettable South Brooklyn personalities.

Originally filmed years ago and left untouched, this footage was unearthed after the death of a close friend and fellow graffiti legend, Rush. His passing ignited a mission: to honor their legacy and share their story with the world. With a gritty aesthetic inspired by 90s-era Video Graff tapes and a cinematic pulse-pounding soundtrack of original hip-hop beats produced by Brooklyn’s own Lucky Loopiano, ZEISM, the Brooklyn Knight is more than a documentary—it’s a tribute to a culture, a brotherhood, and a borough.

Warning: Images are not from the movies we’re showing. Trust us, you can’t imagine what we’re showing!

(Note: this 35mm print is dubbed in English, but it’s the last dub we’ll be showing this year. And for a comedy this fun, who cares?)

It’s August and that means you want to sit in a dark, air conditioned auditorium, turn off your brain, and see a giant piece of pure cinematic entertainment. We’ve got you covered! Rarely screened for some reason, this ‘80s blockbuster sees three of Hong Kong’s most athletic action stars clock out and head to Europe where they skateboard, run a food truck, fight dudes on dirt bikes, try to impress girls, and get in fights. A lot of fights. A leisurely action movie, a frenetic comedy, a hang out, a vibe — it’s a sheer slice of ultra-‘80s summertime style coupled with a bunch of expert Hong Kong comedy kickass.

Starring: Brad Dourif, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks

Sissy Fist Productions presents Nostalgia’s “Let’s Watch a Movie”—a campy collision of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Elvira’s Movie Macabre, and Mystery Science Theater 3000! Hostess extraordinaire, Nostalgia, invites you to a screening of the start of Don Mancini’s iconic Chucky universe, Child’s Play (1988). It’s Nostalgia’s birthday so expect killer drag performances, witty live commentary, communal drinking games, wicked prizes, and audience antics that’ll make this a birthday party to die for!

Gunned down by Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), dying murderer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) uses black magic to put his soul inside a doll named Chucky — which Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) then buys for her young son, Andy (Alex Vincent). When Chucky kills Andy’s baby sitter, the boy realizes the doll is alive and tries to warn people, but he’s institutionalized. Now Karen must convince the detective of the murderous doll’s intentions, before Andy becomes Chucky’s next victim.

CAST:
Nostalgia — (@nostalgiarama)
Nancy NoGood — (@shesuptonogood)
Emi Grate — (@emigrate_drag)
Chuckie Sleaze — (@chuckie.sleaze)

Starring: Gabriel Whitehouse, Tony Giorgio, Ferdy Mayne

God and Satan aren’t just riding the train for kicks; they’ve got important business. They must determine the fate of three souls: a man hypnotized into an organ-harvesting scheme, a woman seduced into joining a deadly masochistic cult, and a devout Catholic on a mission to destroy the Antichrist.

Starring: Rentarô Mikuni, Keiko Kishi, Katsuo Nakamura, Osamu Takizawa

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning “ghost story,” this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai (Rentarô Mikuni) marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden (Keiko Kishi), but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi (Katsuo Nakamura) is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author (Osamu Takizawa) relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior’s reflection in his teacup.