Screening Gotham: NYT Weighs in on New Directors

Some of today's movie news of note from around New York:

--I've been scarce around Reeler HQ while trying to catch up on some business, and have thus had zero chance to follow up on what's happening with New Directors/New Films. Enter A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis, who this morning hand down a succession of verdicts regarding this year's titles. Sadly, the one film that needed the biggest boost -- Chris Zalla's undistributed Sundance winner Padre Nuestro -- got just the opposite from Dargis, who described it as an "overly schematic story ... (that) plays out a bit too much like a Spanish-language Goofus and Gallant lesson for my taste." Scott, meannwhile, stayed positive, praising Euphoria, Congorama and the "ruthless clarity" of Julia Loktev's Day Night Day Night.

--In the Post, Lou Lumenick files today from "the last grindhouse" in New York-- the Fair Theater in East Elmhurst. In case the accompanying photo of Rose McGowan doesn't bring to mind the entropic wonderland in question, Lumenick has a few notable follow-ups on his blog, plus bonus memoirs from Times Square.

--I've said it before: The New York Underground Film Festival's Tube Time! competition is among the city's greatest annual cinema events; in terms of pairing entertainment and anthropological value, little supersedes it. For an idea of why, visit Reeler contributor and Tube Time! entrant Paddy Johnson's continuing series of YouTube discoveries that didn't make her cut. For starters: Live-action Mike Tyson's Punch-Out? Or shrimp on a treadmill (above)? You decide.

--In any event, none of these will ever win a YouTube Award, so you might as well celebrate the underdog when you can.

Posted at March 28, 2007 8:33 AM