Short week, because at least some new movies will be opening Wednesday like there's still any difference between holidays and the work week.
- The Brattle Theatre has two new releases and a reissue this week. The first of the new releases is Fire Will Come, a 16mm-shot film from Spanish director Oliver Laxe with Amador Arias as a man recently released from prison for arson who returns home only to find that even in an isolated situation, he can't escape his past. The other new release is The Twentieth Century, a silent-inspired Canadian film with Dan Beirne as a would-be Prime Minister whose path to the office is bizarrely different than it is in our world. The restoration is Manoel de Oliveira's Francisca, a love triangle involving a novelist, his friend, and the woman they both love. They join City Hall, Six in Paris, Action U.S.A., and Ham on Rye in the virtual screening room.
The final (?) KinoLorber Euro Horror double feature is The Flesh and Blood Show & Virgin Witch, both available through Tuesday, the latter apparently not available elsewhere. On top of that, RZA joins his 36 Cinema crew for live commentary on Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, to which RZA contributed the soundtrack.
- The Coolidge Corner Theatre also gets The Twentieth Century as well as Collective, a documentary that follow reporters from a Rumanian newspaper as they investigate the seemingly disastrous care received by survivors of a nightclub fire and find that the story keeps twisting. Monsoon, Radium Girls, Smooth Talk, Coded Bias, City Hall, and Martin Eden also continue.
On Friday and Saturday, they head out to Medfield State Hospital for what may be the year's last drive-in show, and if so, the locally-shot Knives Out is a fine one to end it with. They're also currently offering registration for Jake Mulligan's "Roger Corman, Producer" series (Mondays from November 30th to December 21st) and their annual Film Trivia Night fundraiser, which will be held virtually this year on December 5h.
- The Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation is also listed in the thanks for the movies in the Noir City International series, so I guess we can stretch like crazy to call it a local film festival, even if it is being presented by the AFI Silver in Maryland. It's 19 films from ten countries, with thirteen already available but six new ones with heists, femmes fatales, murder, and more from Italy, France, and the USA still to be unlocked. has extended their virtual festival with a 10-day "encore" running through the 29th, with the DOCNYC-LEXINGTON code still giving you $2 off and kicking some money toward The Lexington Venue.
- Landmark Theatres Kendall Square looks to be open all through the next week, with the big new release this weekend another Netflix film, David Fincher's B&W Mank, featuring Gary Oldman as the writer of Citizen Kane as well as Amanda Seyfried, Lilly Collins, Charles Dance, and more. They're giving away lobby cards this weekend while supplies last, and if the crowds I've seen are any indication, you've got a good chance of scoring them.
Their other weekend opening is Sound of Metal, which played IFFBoston's Fall Focus and stars Riz Ahmed as a punk drummer suffering rapid hearing loss. It's another streaming preview, heading to Prime in a couple weeks. Another IFFBoston selection, Zappa, has a one-night-stand on Monday (also at Chestnut Hill & Revere), with director Alex Winter able to source material from Frank Zappa's family trust for his documentary. Their weekly email suggests more musical films coming Wednesday, with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Stardust opening as well as The Croods: A New Age.
- Vanguard is probably Jackie Chan's biggest American release in some time, especially considering it's not made for an American studio. It was, ironically, not scheduled to hit American theaters for its original Chinese New Year release, and word has it that his latest film with director Stanley Tong didn't just get low ratings on my Hong Kong movie times app because they consider him a CCP stooge these days. Still, it's got some premium screens until Tuesday, playing Boston Common (Dolby Cinema), South Bay (Dolby Cinema), Watertown, Revere. Also opening is The Last Vermeer, with Guy Pearce as an artist (and possible forger) accused of selling a valuable painting to the Nazis. Do not get too excited about the director being named "Friedkin"; Dan is mostly an investor and occasional stunt pilot who made his feature debut as a labor of love. It's at Boston Common, South Bay, Chestnut Hill, and Revere.
Reissues include holiday favorites from now until the end of the year, with A Christmas Story at Boston Common on the one hand and The Santa Clause at Boston Common, Watertown, and Revere on the other. Showcase is up to Timothy Dalton in their James Bond Series, with The Living Daylights playing Revere (and skipping Chestnut Hill, depriving folks near the fancy theater of a highly-underrated Bond). Revere also has Kill Bill: Volume 2, after the first part played last week.
Fate/Stay Night [Heaven's Feel] III: Spring Song plays Watertown through Tuesday and Revere on Saturday/Monday/Tuesday. TCM has the 1982 version of Annie at Chestnut Hill and Revere on Sunday and Monday. Lots of places opening The Croods on Wednesday.
- The Taiwan Film Festival of Boston has a free film program streaming for Thanksgiving from Monday the 23rd through the 29th, featuring documentary short subjects "After Crossing" and "Moving In Between" as well as featurette "1 / 3 Millions", featuring stories of Taiwan's indiginous Atayal people, a transwoman completing her transition and moving to Japan, and an attempt to return 30 baby tiger sharks to their natural environment.
- The West Newton Cinema has times listed for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this week, featuring The Climb, Pride and Prejudice '40 (Saturday), A Rainy Day in New York, Honest Thief, The Keeper, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Casablanca (Sunday) and The Maltese Falcon (Sunday).
- The Regent Theatre has streams of Herb Alpert Is… and Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man through the month, as well as special streams of local bands playing an Elvis Costello tribute show (Friday 8pm), a Ben Rudnick & Friends Family Fun Show (Saturday 10:30am), and the Whiskers & Whiskey benefit for The Cat Connection (Saturday 7pm)
- Not going to bother to find a new way to say that The Capitol has the concession stand and ice cream stand open; sister cinema The Somerville Theatre is still closed with their virtual cinema page still having the same links to The Fight, Amulet, John Lewis: Good Trouble, Pahokee, and Alice that they have all summer.
- Theater rentals are available at the Brattle, the Coolidge, the Capitol, The Lexington Venue, West Newton, Kendall Square, the open AMCs (that is, not Assembly Row), and maybe Apple Fresh Pond (the Belmont Studio has a rental page on their site, but it's the same as it was back before everything). The Coolidge is showing slots available to reserve online through December 19th, the Brattle has scattered slots through December 6th. The independent theaters also have other fund-raising offers worth checking out.
I'm working my way through Noir City International at a leisurely pace and will probably head out for
Vanguard and
Mank on top of looking into
The Twentieth Century.
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