The News: All-Positive Friday!

Quintessential NYC: Getting a hand up your ass at a pay phone

By S.T. VanAirsdale

As per tradition, some of today's more upbeat movie news of note from around New York:

--Over at the Daily News, Elizabeth Weitzman continues the paper's ongoing tribute to New York movies. Today's topic: Readers' favorite use of NYC locations. Emily Intravia has the right idea: "What better way to introduce kids to New York than with The Muppets Take Manhattan? You get bus station lockers, rats in Sardi's and a mugging in Central Park!" I always thought Taxi Driver was ideal for that -- "When the cigarette goes out, our time is up" -- but tomato, tomahto.

--While I was checking out There Will Be Blood last night in Chelsea, there really was blood across town at the first critics' screening of Sweeney Todd. David Carr was there, and he reports back today with superlatives (if a little bit of caution) all around.

--Want a take in a free movie this weekend? Wear a wedding dress to the midnight screenings of Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding at IFC Center (oh, and have a vagina) and you're in gratis. And, with a reverend on hand afterward, you can even get married! But let's keep it positive.

--Recommended online viewing from trusted friends of The Reeler: At the Spout Blog, Karina Longworth has a lady hard-on for the black-and-white urban "Western, period piece and gangster fantasy" The West Side; and at Vulture, Bilge Ebiri points you to filmmaker Amy Talkington's 1998 "human-snake love triangle" Second Skin.

Posted at November 30, 2007 7:18 AM