Lincoln Center's FILM COMMENT SELECTS Are Coming!
Once again, from February 14th-28th, the Film Society at Lincoln Center hosts their annual FILM COMMENT SELECTS (FCS) program and I honestly can’t wait. The program showcases film’s highlighted in the previous year’s issues of Film Comment magazine, Lincoln Center’s prominent forum for criticism, interviews and essays on film. FCS has always been a highlight of the Film Society’s annual programs considering that it’s always been the home for films that are about to or, should but may never get the chance to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Park Chan-wook received his first acknowledgment outside of the wonderful New York Asian Film Festival at FCS, where they screened both SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and OLDBOY the same year they urged people to take a peek at Takashi Miike’s IZO, Christophe Honoré’s MA MERE, Shinya Tsukamoto’s VITAL and Bong Joon-ho’s MEMORIES OF MURDER before it was picked up by Palm Pictures. Last year featured even more exciting new titles from established and unknown filmmakers alike, including everything from Johnnie To’s EXILED, Paul Verhoeven’s BLACK BOOK, Marco Bellochio’s THE WEDDING PLANNER, Lou Ye’s SUMMER PALACE, Pedro Costa’s COLOSSAL YOUTH, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s RETRIBUTION, Lin Tay-jou’s BARDO, Aki Kaurismäki’s LIGHTS IN THE DUSK, Mamoru Oshii’s TACHIGUI: THE AMAZING LIVES OF THE FAST FOOD GRIFTERS and the restored director’s cut of Robert Aldrich’s TWILIGHT’S LAST GLEAMING.
A quick glance at that list reveals more than it seems, showing why over the year’s Lincoln Center has been accused of being too Asia-centric by some (whatever that means) as well as the accusation that for all of its appeal, the majority of the films are essentially the latest thing from people that have already established themselves, no matter how small, forgetful or ignorant their audience was. This year’s program is equally appetizing but also features the same propensity for propping up token cause célèbres like Ramin Bahrani’s CHOP SHOP or Xavier Gens’ FRONTIERE(S). At the same time, the wealth and diversity of new titles should be enough to sate any quarrels with the film’s line-up. Horror gets a keen focus with the inclusion of FRONTIERE(S), George Romero’s DIARY OF THE DEAD and INSIDE, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s hot-blooded pregnancy horror flick. Psychedlic indie horror mogul Damon Packard gets recognized with an evening of highlights from his career to coincide with a screening of his latest trippy entry into the genre, REFLECTIONS OF EVIL. If thrillers and martial arts are more your thing, check out Olivier Assayas’ BOARDING GATE, a low budget thriller starring the gorgeous Asia Argento and Michael Madsen as well as Wilson Yip’s FLASH POINT, his highly praised follow-up to SPL: SHA PO LANG.
A number of documentaries also make the grade this year, including DUST, Hartmut Bitomsky’s documentary about the literally and figuratively ethereal significance of the common household nuisance and JOY DIVISION, Grant Gee’s response to Anton Corbijn’s CONTROL. Several arthouse darlings come out for their much anticipated comebacks, like Fatih Akin with his award-winning THE EDGE OF HEAVEN, Andrei Zvyagintsev’s THE BANISHMENT and Luis Estrada’s A WONDERFUL WORLD, a quasi-sequel in themes only to his surreal polemic HEROD’S LAW. Speaking of satire, Alex Cox shows off his latest with SEARCHERS 2.0, a wistful pilgrimage for two down-and-out actors to Monument Valley along with a new print of WALKER, his recently rediscovered metaphor for Reagan’s war in Nicaragua. Other retro films taken from the vaults this year include Trent Harris’ RUBIN AND ED, a bizarre buddy film starring Crispin Glover and Howard Hesseman, Philippe Garrel’s J’ENTENDS PLUS LA GUITARE, Richard Fleischer’s MANDINGO and 10 RILINGTON PLACE, Fleischer’s portrait of infamous serial killer John Christie starring Richard Attenborough.
I could keep writing this prolonged and somewhat tedious to read list of titles in order to jam in more titles like Jacques Rivette’s THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS, Koen Mortier’s EX DRUMMER, or Nanouk Leopold’s WOLFSBERGEN but the best part of FCS has always been discovering new films for yourself. I plan on snapping up as many of titles as I can, and estimate I can get to a little less than half of this year’s 27 films so look for my coverage throughout the upcoming week. Film Comment Selects will be held at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade theater (70 Lincoln Center Plaza). A complete overview of this year’s programming can be found here.
