The Woman in the Window

Joan Bennett and Edward G. Robinson in Woman in the Window (RKO Radio Picures)

While I'll never complain about an opportunity to see The Big Lebowski or Pulp Fiction, I have to admit that those popular titles have become the reliable mainstay of midnight movies and local film series. Don't get me wrong, it's great they get play on the big screen but I sometimes wish for a little more innovation and creativity in film programming so that a more diverse selection of films is made available. So that's where Ralph DeLaurio, programmer for Tops Presents Cinema Under the Stars, comes in. While the outdoor summer venue has its share of popular titles (Some Like It Hot, and yes The Big Lebowski), DeLaurio also takes great care to highlight some less popular but equally impressive works. On Thursday and Friday (May 29 and 30), you can find the rare dark gem The Woman in the Window. This 1944 film noir classic by Fritz Lang serves up Edward G. Robinson as a professor who begins a downward spiral when he spies a portrait of a beautiful young woman. Robinson's married professor is then lured into the apartment of a sexy model played by Joan Bennett. Murder and deception quickly follow. The film boasts a screenplay by Nunnally Johnson. But it's Lang's moody direction that plays up the inevitable noir themes of guilt, paranoia, betrayal, arrogance and violence. This film doesn't screen very often so make every effort to seek it out. Oh... and did I mention, it's in glorious, seductive black and white.

Indian Film Festival: Born into Brothels

Born into Brothels screens at MoPA, Wednesday May 28 at 7pm. (HBO/Cinemax)

The Indian Film Festival sponsored by the Museum of Photographic Arts and the San Diego Museum of Arts continues on Wednesday May 28 at 7:00pm with the Oscar-winning documentary, Born Into Brothels. The film is an especially apt selection for MoPA to screen since the documentary's focus on photography in India perfectly complements the musuem's current exhibit, Humanitas.

The film focuses on the children of prostitutes in Calcutta's red light district. When Zana Briski went to Calcutta, she intended to photograph women working as prostitutes in the brothels. She was prepared for the difficulty of shooting in places where people wanted their identities kept secret, but she wasn't prepared for all the children.

Stone Late Night Movie: Harold and Maude

What can you expect from a relationahip that begins at a funeral? The delightful cult classic Harold and Maude. (Paramount)

Well it seems like every week I'm finding new places to see old movies. Just when I was fearing that people were retreating into their home theaters and that the community film going experience was on its way out, places like Stone Brewing Co. prove me wrong. So thanks to Mike Palmer for alerting me to the Stone Late Night Movie showings happening every Wednesday night from now through the end of August - it's classic movies in a beer garden! (Gee, wonder if they'll be showing Strange Brew?!)

The next screening will be the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude on May 28 at 9pm. You could say this is a life-affirming film about death, and that would at least convey a little of the film's off-kilter style. Rarely, though, has a film been so perfectly cast. Ruth Gordon's zest for life practically leaps off the screen and Bud Cort's baby-faced bewilderment sums up the angst of a generation of rich kids left to their own devices. I never grow weary of watching this film. It also holds a special place in my heart because Bud Cort was the first person I ever interviewed professionally, and I couldn't have picked a better celebrity. I was in my early twenties and struggling with recording equipment that was atrocious. So Mr. Cort waited patiently while I set up and then offered to just sit in silence for a few minutes if that would help me relax. He was so gracious and accomodating that it made the whole experience pleasant. So that combined with the fact that Harold and Maude is a delicious black comedy, make it one of my all-time favorite films. So grab a sunflower and head over to the Stone Late Night Movie.

Palmer, who is listed as the art director describes the experience as: "Stars up above you, the frogs and crickets singing away behind you, a classic movie in front of you, and in your hand, your favorite beer. Sounds magical, doesn't it? Indeed it is."

Stone Brewing Company's screening venue.

Each week movies are projected onto a twelve foot wide screen located in a lush, secluded, boulder-lined one-acre garden. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets, as they settle in for a night of food, beer and movie watching. No tickets are necessary, and persons under 21 will not be admitted. The Stone World Bistro & Gardens is located at 1999 Citracado Parkway in Escondido For more information visit http://www.stonebrew.com/movies

There will also be a trivia contest with prizes. So brush up on your Harold and Maude trivia. Do you remember what Old Globe Theater actor plays a priest? Or how many times Harold commits suicide?

Indian Film Festival: Jean Renoir’s The River

Jean Renoir's The River screens as part of the MoPA/SDMA Indian Film Series (Janus Films)

The Indian Film Series at the Museum of Photographic Arts continues on Wednesday May 21 at 7:00 pm with a screening of Jean Renoir's The River. For the past two weeks, the festival has highlighted Satyajit Ray's work with screenings of Two Daughters and Charulatta. This week you can see the film that helped launch the careers of both Ray and Subrata Mitra, who would go on to become Ray's cinematographer. Ray, a longtime lover of film, served as Renoir's assistant on The River and the experience seems to have confirmed filmmaking as his career path. Since I helped programmed the festival, I have been introducing the films, and I've been thrilled to find that many in the audience are discovering Ray for the first time. So in one respect, the festival has been a great success if it has introduced this great filmmaker to some new fans. Renoir is probably best known for such French classics as The Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game. But for his first color film, The River, Renoir shot entirely on location in India where the vibrant colors and striking festivals inspired a particularly vivid cinematic palette. The film is not screened as often as the films he made in France so I encourage you to come out and enjoy this one on the big screen.

I haven't seen the film in ages. So I am looking forward to seeing the film again and as an adult who can hopefully appreciate more of the artistry in the film. I remember my mother having a record of the music from the film, and I was fascinated not only by the sounds but by the cover depicting a beautiful Indian girl exotically dressed. The image, as well as a love for Indian music, has stayed with me ever since.

In the film, a girl makes an accusation against her family: "We just go on as if nothing has happened." "No," her mother says, "we just go on." Go on, essentially like the sacred Ganges river that flows nearby. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film explores how the arrival of a stranger affects the lives of three young women. Renoir contrasts the fluidity of life and emotions with the steady flow of the Ganges. Renoir dazzles us with the beauty of the landscapes, the details of Indian festivals, and the subtleties of human emotion. It also reveals Renoir's love for the country and its people.

Death Note

Death Note -- the manga, anime and live action film --try them all, they're all good! (Viz Graphic/Viz Media/Viz Pictures)

This week, American audiences will have an opportunity to see a hit, live action Japanese film adaptation of a popular manga (that's a Japanese comic book). Hollywood has taken note of the increased popularity of Japanese manga by optioning a number of them for the big screen. In addition to the recent Speed Racer, there will be live action film adaptations of Dragonball, Akira, and Blood: The Last Vampire. But the film that manga fans are embracing is Death Note (playing May 20 and 21 at 7:30pm only at AMC Mission Valley, Horton Plaza Theaters and Edwards Mira Mesa Cinemas; for online tickets are available). Death Note began as a serialized manga back in 2003. Since then it has inspired a trio of movies, an anime TV series and a spin-off novel. The first live action film was a hit in Japan back in 2006. Now Viz Pictures is giving Death Note a unique 2-day run in U.S. cities. 

Death Note knows how to hook an audience. The intricately written and strikingly illustrated manga by Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata has sold more that 25 million copies in Japan. Last year the anime version of the manga found success in the U.S. on the Cartoon Network. Now the live action film will pose Death Note's intriguing premise on the big screen: what if you found a notebook belonging to one of the gods of death.

MoPA Movies: Charulata and El Mariachi

MoPA Movies: Satyajit Ray's Charulata (Ray Family Collection) and Robert Rodriguez' El Mariachi (Columbia)

The diversity of the Musuem of Photographic Arts' film prgoram is clearly diplayed in this week's two film offerings. On May 13 at 7pm, the Indian Film Festival continues with another Satyajit Ray film, 1964's Charulata. Then on May 15 at 7pm, head off to Mexico for POP Thursday's offering of Robert Rodriguez' El Mariachi.

Charulata, as with last week's Ray film Teen Kanya/Two Daughters, is based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore. Set in Calcutta in the late nineteenth century (while India was still under British rule), the film centers on Charulata (Madhabi Mukherjee), the intelligent, beautiful but childless wife of Bhupati (Sailen Mukherjee), the publisher of a political newspaper. Bhupati has an interest in politics and the freedom movement while his wife prefers the arts and poetry. Since Bhupati is busy with work, he invites Charu's older brother and wife to stay at the house. In addition, Bhupati's younger cousin Amal (Soumitra Chatterjee) arrives. He's young, handsome and shares Charu's interest in poetry. Complications arise from here. Charulata was Ray's twelfth feature film, and reportedly the director's favorite apparently because he saw it as one with the least defects.

In contrast to Ray's mature, quiet eloquence is the brash, over the top debut feature of Robert Rodriguez, El Mariachi. Rodriguez used to watch John Woo's heroic bloodshed films in the late 80s and early 90s. These Hong Kong flicks made him wish he was Asian like the Chow Yun, whom he saw sliding down banisters and firing two guns at a time. That's why he decided to make El Mariachi as his first feature film. It was an action film featuring Latino talent. His hope was that he could make being Mexican cool. And he's succeeded. Rodriguez made three installments in his saga of a guitar-toting, gun-slinging lone Mariachi. The first chapter, El Mariachi, was made for a mere $7000 in 1992. Desperado upped the ante to 7 million in 1995. And Once Upon a Time in Mexico, a film that mixes Asian action with the epic scope of an Italian spaghetti western and sets it all to a distinctly Latin beat, cost $30 million, which is cheap by today's bloated budget standard. What makes all these films such fun rides is that Rodriguez doesn't take himself too seriously. There's not an ounce of pretension here, just a guy in love with filmmaking. And that's hard to resist.

So enjoy MoPA's eclectic film offerings this week.

KPBS Online Auction for Movie Lovers

These collectible one-sheets are yours if you are the winning bidder for the Indy Auction Package (Paramount)

NOTE: The Indiana Jones auction ends Wednesday May 15 at 9pm but The Dark Knight and Hellboy II: The Golden Army have been extended ro May 22. Thanks to all who have already placed bids.

When KPBS asked me if I had any ideas for the Online Auction, I immediately thought about what movie fans would enjoy most. The first thing I thought of was an opportunity to attend an advance screening of three of the most hotly anticipated films of the year, and the second thing was swag -- those highly collectible promo items and posters that fans love to get their hands on. So check out the KPBS Online Auction to bid on a chance to join me (and cut in front of the crowd) for special advance screenings of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Dark Knight, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Your bid will help support KPBS and its coverage of both news and the arts. If you're the winning bidder you'll be able to see these highly anticipated summer sequels before anyone else and you'll get to go with someone who's as rabid a fan as you are. You'll also be able to post your own review right here on the KPBS website. Plus, the winning bidders for The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2 will receive a pair of 4-day passes to this summer's sure-to-be-soldout Comic-Con. That's a $150 value right there! Read on to find out what fun collectible items are included in each of the auction packages. Plus look for the 20-DVD collection from United Artists celebrating the studio's 90 years of great entertianment.

Takashi Miike Double Bill

Controversial Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike in 2004 with KPBS film critic Beth Accomando.

To an Asian Extreme film fan such as myself, Takashi Miike is a genius. He's not a household name in the U.S. but in Japan he's known for his amazing productivity and his penchant for pushing the medium and audiences to their breaking point. But with films such as Dead or Alive, Ichi the Killer and Audition, he's building a devoted cult following around the world. CSUSM will be testing Miike's popularity here in San Diego on May 8 with a campus screening of Visitor Q, his disturbing portrait of a dysfunctional family brought back together by a mysterious stranger, and The Great Yokai War, his fantasy film inspired by Japanese folktales. The event has been curated by Chuck Bailey, Literature and Writing Graduate Studies Teaching Associate and Master's degree candidate at CSUSM. I will be introducing the films, preparing people for what they are about to see and hopefully placing the films in a context that will keep people from running for the exits -- an impulse some will definitely feel. There will be a panel discussion following each film and featuring Maya Mealins of Kangaidai University, Osaka, Japan; Dr. Pamela Redela, Ph.D.- Women's Studies, CSUSM; Brandon Cesmat, MFA, CSUSM; and hosted and moderated by Bailey. The presentation begins at 3:30 pm in Academic Hall-102 (with additional screenings in Markstein Hall-125). The event is being sponsored by CSUSM Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), the San Diego Asian Film Foundation (SDAFF), and the CSUSM Communication Department. Join me for Visitor Q, if you dare.

Teeny-Tiny Film Series: From Surreal to Abstract

Edwin S. Porter's film interpretation of Windsor McCay's Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (Edison Manufacturing Co.)

Based on the popular response (and wildly appreciative comments) to the last Teen-Tiny Film event featuring the multi-talented Scott Paulson, I thought it would be best to highlight the final event in the film series:  From Surreal to Abstract (Thursday, May 8 at 8:00 pm at Porter's Pub, UCSD). The film series is a presentation of USCD's ArtPower! The event, as with the other Teeny-Tiny film screenings, features silent films accompanied by live music from Paulson's Teeny-Tiny Pit Orchestra. As in the past, the audience members will not be merely passive observers. No, no, no! Instead, the audience will be called upon to act as official members of the pit orchestra and asked to be as experimental and abstract as the films themselves. Instruments available for this particular silent film adventure will include the tambura, kalimba, and gamelan. For the series‚ finale, the Teeny-Tiny Pit Orchestra will screen a collection of innovative and experimental silent films from the early 20th century. The press release promises: "Just like Scott himself, these films are mysteriously mysterious and humorously humorous!"

The films include Dream of a Rarebit Fiend, directed by Edwin S. Porter (1906). The scenario, taken from Windsor McKay's popular and thoroughly delightful comic, involves about a man who has had too much Welsh rarebit for dinner and suffers nightmares from the spicy food. El Espectro Rojo by french director Ferdinand Zecca (1903) serves up a beautiful example of hand-coloring in this classic trick film complete with strange Faustian characters. Fantamagorie by Emile Cohl (1908), which the series is calling "the the first fully animated film." Also screening will be: The Revenge of the Kinematograph Cameraman (Ladislas Starevich, 1912); Symphonie Diagonale (Viking Eggeling, 1924); Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra (Robert Floery, 1928); and Tit for Tat (1900). This sounds like another delightful evening of film treats, and Paulson is bound to bring a lively improvisational feel to the whole proceedings.

MORE INFO: www.artpower.ucsd.edu

The Placido Domingo 40th Anniversary Gala Concert

Plácido Domingo and Patricia Racette (Robert Millard)

At 67, Plácido Domingo is not content to rest on his laurels. The world famous opera singer has recently taken on conducting opera and concert performances. He has also signed on through the 2010-11 season as the General Director of the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. Earlier this year he made news by asking filmmakers Woody Allen, William Friedkin and David Cronenberg to each direct a production for the Los Angeles Opera in the 2008/09 season. This Mother's Day, you can enjoy Domingo on the big screen for a 40th Anniversary Gala Concert (Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 2:00pm at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas). Maybe to complement his selection of movie directors for a trio of upcoming projects at the L.A. Opera, Domingo is taking the L.A. Opera into movie theatres. Twenty-two Landmark Theatres around the country will be screening the concert recorded before a live audience on April 18, 2008, which celebrated the fortieth anniversary of Domingo's first professional appearance in Los Angeles. 

You can purchase tickets online at www.landmarktheatres.com. Ticket proces for this event: $20.00 adults, $18.00 seniors, and $15.00 children.

Companion viewing: Francesco Rosi's Carmen, Franco Zeffirelli's La Traviata, Franco Zeffirelli's Otello