GAYLETTER

I adored this film. Directed by Mike Mills, (who I just discovered has a baby with Miranda July) 20th Century Women is set in the late '70s in San Diego, California. The main character, played by Annette Bening, is a single mother to a young teen boy played by Lucas Jade Zumann. Trying to raise him right, the intellectually curious mom enlists a free-spirited young woman played by Greta Gerwig, who rents a room in their house, and has recently recovered from cervical cancer, plus one of the boys childhood friends, played by Elle Fanning, to help her raise the teen. Billy Crudup plays another tenant in the house who seems to pay rent by helping renovate the dilapidated old mansion. 20th Century Women is funny, thought-provoking, and my only wish after leaving the theater was that I could go back in and spend more time with these characters. It’s the kind of film that would make a great TV series, especially in today’s world, where showrunners are given maximum freedom to bring their creative visions to life. During last Sunday’s Golden Globes I was hoping that Annette would win the award for best actress in a comedy or musical. Unfortunately she didn’t come away with a Globe, but don’t be too upset. As I’m sure her character might say about awards, they are nothing more than a scam invented by the bourgeois to reaffirm the notion that their tastes are superior to everyone else’s. Resist! And go see this film.  —tom

Remember when this film first came out? It was such a carry. Not only was it the last film by the iconic Stanley Kubrick, but it also featured Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who at the time were married, plus there was an orgy scene. There was so much controversy around the film before it was released. When I saw it I remember thinking, that’s it? It all seemed pretty tame to me. Like all Kubrick films, it takes multiple viewings to see all the hidden nuance and visual metaphors. This Friday is my chance to give it another go, as it is being played in 35mm at midnight at the Nitehawk cinema in Brooklyn. It’s part of their Cinema’s Holiday Spectacular series. Bring a date, or go alone. If the macabre masked orgy scene gets you all hot and sweaty then after the film you can head on over to Gio Black Peter’s American Whorer Party: Apocalypto. For tickets email here. It’s an end of the world, anything goes party in a dungeon. I can’t think of anything more fitting to attend after a screening of Eyes Wide Shut. Tom Cruise would approve!  —tom

The Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, who is now known simply as Almodóvar, is one of the most influential directors of the last three decades, I mean if you haven’t seen any Almodóvar films, please stop reading this and go watch one of his films right away. “Almodóvar has constructed a colorful universe inhabited by offbeat characters, fluid sexual and gender identities, and complex and singular women.” This new exhibition at MoMA features all his feature films (wow!) and coincides with the release of his latest, and 20th film, Julieta. The whole thing has been organized by Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, and La Frances Hui, Associate Curator, Department of Film and it is made possible by the Spanish luxury fashion brand Loewe. It’s happening all week long so check the website for the full list, but coincidentally this Thursday, December 8th, they are showing two of my favorite films: Tacones Lejanos (High Heels) and La Mala Educación (Bad Education — pictured). They’re on at the same time, but you can’t lose seeing either. I recommend you go see as many of Almodóvar’s films as you can! They’re all been shown on the big screen. What a treat!  —Abi

This is a super cute thing to do the day after Thanksgiving for those of you who are staying in the city. Videology Bar & Cinema is hosting two screenings of the Sofia Coppola film Lost In Translation. Starring a seventeen-year-old Scarlett Johansson (she plays a newlywed a few years older in the film) and a charming as always Bill Murray, Lost in Translation is about strangers who meet in a foreign land. Both characters have jet lag and can’t sleep so encounter each in their hotel bar late one night. Through the course of a week they develop a warm bond and help each get out of their respective ruts. For anyone who loves Japan, or melancholic comedies, this is a screening not to be missed. Best of all you can watch the film while sipping on a glass of Suntory Whiskey. For those who haven’t seen the film, Bill Murray’s character is in Japan to film a commercial for the whiskey brand. Sofia got the idea for this from an actual commercial her father (Francis Ford Coppola) had filmed years ago for Suntory at their home. Be quick to grab a ticket as this will likely sell out in no time. “Lip my stocking! Lip my stocking!”  —tom

Directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight is a beautifully crafted film that traces the treacherous life of Chiron, a young boy growing up gay in a housing project in Miami. The film is divided into three parts. We first meet Chiron as a young, shy boy, then as a still shy, but angry, teen and finally as a lonely, hardened young man. Chiron’s mother is an addict and he’s constantly picked on by boys at school. The only people who offer him any solace are a local drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend (played by Janelle Monae). Each section is powerful enough to live on its own as a short film, but there's a well planned thread running through all three. Chiron is played by three different actors, all wonderful in their own ways. I had heard Moonlight described in glowing terms — A.O. Scott from the NY Times even went as far to ask if it was the year’s best film. Of the movies I’ve seen in 2016, it certainly is. Moonlight doesn’t provide obvious resolution to the turmoil in Chiron’s life. It’s not afraid to leave things open-ended. It’s a subtle film, full of loneliness, with brief moments of what looks like transcendence. It is a portrayal of a truly damaged soul, longing for connection. It’s a condemnation of toxic masculinity. Chiron does ultimately find connection, and how this plays out (which I won’t give away) is what makes this such a brilliant film. I left the cinema with such empathy for the character. I had RuPaul’s mantra rolling around in my head: “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else.” It’s not that there’s no love in Chiron’s world, he just never learned the most important part: how to give it to himself. Moonlight has stayed with me since I saw it. I’m grateful it was made.  —tom

If you are a big fan of Saké, like me, this documentary might interest you. This is an advance screening of the film, co-presented with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), before it airs to the public on PBS. It’s followed by Q&A with the producer Masako Tsumura at the Asia Society New York. The film was directed by the NYC filmmaker Erik Shirai, he was a cinematographer for the Travel Channel series No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. The description goes like this: “Go behind the scenes at Japan’s Yoshida Brewery, where a brotherhood of artisans, ranging from 20 to 70, spend six months in nearly monastic isolation as they follow an age-old process to create saké, the nation’s revered rice wine.” This doc seems promising, I read good things about it —  it won “Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Director, at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.” I go nuts and bananas for Saké, specially if it’s hot. Can’t wait to see how the real shit is made!  —Abi

There’s too many events happening in this week that are the “last for the summer.” Aghh, I hate that term! Case in point is Wednesday’s final screening for the outdoor film series that has taken place at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City all summer. The film, Embrace of the Serpent, has a 99% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It tells the story of “a young shaman (Nilbio Torres) in the Colombian Amazon” who “helps a sick German explorer (Jan Bijvoet) and his local guide (Miguel Dionisio Ramos) search for a rare healing plant.” It’s set in the early 1990’s, and is apparently very beautifully shot and brilliantly acted. This event is a no-brainer. Not only do you get to see an amazing film, but you get to do it in one of NYC’s most unique settings. The Socrates Sculpture Park is filled with all kinds of clever exhibit sculptures and multi-media installations. The summer is unfortunately winding up, don’t miss a minute of it!  —tom

I just spent the last ten minutes watching Meryl Streep interviews on YouTube. That woman gives me life! Even in interviews she commits to the role. She has an all-or-nothing quality that makes her irresistible to watch. Meryl herself has referred to this quality in a recent interview she gave to the Wall Street Journal: “There’s that great Vincent Van Gogh quote: ‘I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.’ That’s the aspiration.” She certainly lives up to Vincent’s motto in Florence Foster Jenkins, her latest film about the 1940’s socialite, and terrible singer, of the same name. Florence had great confidence in her voice, even buying out Carnegie Hall for a concert, despite the fact that she was unable to ever hit the right notes. Meryl has great fun singing badly in the movie and director Stephen Fryers turns up the campiness to 1000. This film is great fun. It’s a perfect summer pick-me-up, Meryl carries from start to finish!  —tom