Rochester City Newspaper - Movies

New York movie theaters can open, but that's easier said than done

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 09:58:00 GMT

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that movie theaters can reopen this week. But before people can fill the seats again, changes must be made. A murmur of excitement rolled through the area’s movie-going community, long in coronavirus limbo, when word came out early Saturday afternoon that Gov. Andrew Cuomo had just announced that theaters throughout the state — umm, except you, New York City — could reopen as of this Friday. The news seemed to catch everyone by surprise.…

Film review: 'The Wolf of Snow Hollow'

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 19:59:15 GMT

"The Wolf of Snow Hollow" uses horror and comedy to forge its own path, and features the last performance of Rochester native Robert Forster.“The Wolf of Snow Hollow” (R), Directed by Jim Cummings Opens Friday, October 9 at the Vintage Drive-In, 1520 W. Henrietta Rd in Avon, and on VOD Spooky season is officially upon us, and “The Wolf of Snow Hollow” arrives just in time to capitalize on audiences looking for a frightful night of movie entertainment. It’s a werewolf tale that’s darkly funny, though calling it a horror-comedy feels like overstating both sides of that particular coin.…

ImageOut 2020 comes down to the final reel

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 10:00:00 GMT

For ImageOut's 28th iteration, the LGBTQ film festival has had to adapt to the changing cinema landscape while maintaining its identity. The task of booking films for Rochester’s ImageOut LGBT Film Festival has been unfolding like a good thriller: It’s all coming down to the final reel.…

2020 Witness Palestine Film Festival explores Middle East conflict, goes virtual

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 11:32:12 GMT

This year's Witness Palestine Film Festival is free and completely virtual, with four films centered around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Like many other arts organizations this year, the Witness Palestine Film Festival has been forced to be flexible with their event plans for 2020. Typically held at The Little Theatre (among a rotating selection of other venues), this year’s edition of the annual event will take place completely online, presenting four programs of films followed by virtual discussions throughout the month of October.…

TIFF from my living room

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:46:47 GMT

Despite the lack of access to the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, several of its worthwhile movies will be available to watch soon. My remote movie-watching of the Toronto International Film Festival continues unabated, as I try to jam as many films into each day as possible. What follows are brief reactions to a few of the films I’ve been able to screen, along with how and when you might eventually be able to see them for yourself.…

George Eastman Museum awarded $250,000 grant to conserve Indian, Pakistani films

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 14:37:10 GMT

A grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services will be used to conserve films which need urgent rehousing and cleaning to prevent decay. The George Eastman Museum has been awarded a $250,000 grant to conserve more than 1,000 South Asian films. A grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services will be used to conserve films which need urgent rehousing and cleaning to prevent decay.…

Toronto International Film Festival 2020: Home Edition

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 15:41:15 GMT

This year's Toronto International Film Festival, a preview of movies to come, includes the compelling "Nomadland" and "One Night in Miami." The 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival kicked off on September 10, with a hybrid festival mixing in-person and virtual screenings. Sadly due to the global pandemic, the festival this year is only open to residents of Canada, which is a bummer for Rochester-area movie buffs who look forward to making the trek to a world-class festival just a few hours from home.…

Northern exposure

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 16:27:58 GMT

The 45th Toronto International Film Festival adapts to uncertain times. For area cinephiles, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a major highlight of the year, allowing attendees access to preview upcoming films at a world-renowned event within driving distance of Rochester. But the pandemic-induced land-border closures and mandatory two-week quarantines for travelers to Canada make attending the festival this month an impossibility for most of us.…

Film review: 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 13:04:55 GMT

A relationship, a road trip, and how linking your sense of self to another’s perception of you is rarely a good idea.“I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” the characteristically mind-bending new film from Charlie Kaufman, offers viewers an existential road trip through the beginning (or is it the ending?) stages of a young couple’s romantic relationship.…

Film review: 'Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin'

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 20:59:43 GMT

Filmmaker Werner Herzog pays homage to a kindred spirit and close friend. With his captivating new documentary “Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin,” renowned director Werner Herzog pays tribute to a close friend and kindred spirit: adventurer, journalist, and novelist Bruce Chatwin. The two men struck up a friendship in the ‘80s, and the decades-long relationship that followed also fueled a fruitful collaboration.…

Eastman’s film preservation efforts go digital

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 21:16:55 GMT

Eastman Museum has made a digitized selection of films from its extensive Moving Image Collection available for free online viewing. The George Eastman Museum is launching a new project, working to digitize a selection of films from its extensive Moving Image Collection and making them available to the public for free online viewing. The museum has released 23 digitized films so far, with plans for more to be added to this growing web collection.…

Film review: 'Jazz on a Summer's Day'

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 21:50:30 GMT

The Virtual Little Theatre has added the excellent, glowingly restored 1959 doc “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” to its lineup of streaming films. Local music fans sadly missed out on the annual Rochester International Jazz Festival this summer, after the wildly popular event was initially postponed to October from its original June dates, and then eventually cancelled outright. Thankfully the Little Theatre is here to help you scratch that jazz itch, adding the excellent, glowingly restored 1959 documentary “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” to the Virtual Little this weekend.…

Film review: 'The Fight'

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 21:10:34 GMT

The powerful new doc “The Fight” spotlights the critical work of ACLU lawyers on the front lines of the org’s many legal battles against the Trump administration. Shining a spotlight on the critical work done by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the powerful new documentary “The Fight” follows several lawyers on the front lines of the organization’s many legal battles against the Trump administration. Directed by Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman, and Elyse Steinberg, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past January, where it won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking.…

A/S/L? Sexual awakening or eternal damnation

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 21:14:05 GMT

Suppress natural urges or glory, hallelujah? A teen's raging hormones conflict with her beliefs in this "coming" of age comedy. The feature directorial debut of Karen Maine (co-writer of “Obvious Child”), the charming coming-of-age comedy “Yes, God, Yes” stars Natalia Dyer (“Stranger Things”) as a Catholic high school girl struggling to find a balance between her beliefs and her burgeoning sexuality. Dyer plays 16-year-old Alice, a mostly mild-mannered teen whose raging hormones seem to be in direct conflict with her close relationship to Jesus.…

Film review: 'Palm Springs'

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 20:08:00 GMT

A fresh, fun, and inventive spin on the “Groundhog Day”-esque time loop narrative, “Palm Springs” combines a goofy sense of humor with genuine heart. A fresh, fun, and inventive spin on the “Groundhog Day”-esque time loop narrative, “Palm Springs” is a winning comedy that combines a goofy sense of humor with genuine heart. Andy Samberg stars as Nyles, a guest at the destination wedding of Abe (Tyler Hoechlin) and Tala (Camila Mendes).…

Loud and proud: Must-see films for Pride month viewing

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 20:38:27 GMT

The pandemic has precluded our usual Pride celebrations, so Adam has generated this must-watch list of films, from classics to new flicks. Pride month gives members of the LGBTQ community an opportunity to come together and pay tribute to our collective history and celebrate the strides we’ve made in terms of visibility and acceptance over the years. Technically, June is when Pride gets celebrated nationwide, but in Rochester it’s always held in July.…

The arts, the writing on the walls, and the writing on the streets

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 16:47:20 GMT

The Black Cinema Series and the new public art project by Shawn Dunwoody at Manhattan Square Park are part of the effort to promote racial equity in Rochester."Miss Juneteenth, " directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples, is one of the current virtual offerings at The Little Theatre, part of the Black Cinema Series. It's about a single mom, Turquoise Jones, a former Miss Juneteenth winner, preparing her rebellious teenage daughter to follow in her footsteps and compete in the pageant.…

Preview: Rochester International Film Festival

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 16:09:51 GMT

The area’s longest-running film festival returns for its 62nd year with a virtual online edition. In its 62nd year, the Rochester International Film Festival has gone digital in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Traditionally held at the George Eastman Museum’s Dryden Theatre, the festival presents a diverse and varied program of short films of all genres, submitted from all across the globe.…

Black stories across film genres

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 14:30:00 GMT

From horror to romance, thrillers, and superhero blockbusters, there’s endless breadth to the work being made by black creators on screen. From horror to romance, thrillers, and superhero blockbusters, there’s endless breadth to the work being made by black creators on screen. Last week CITY put together a list of films and television series that tackled the topic of racism throughout history.…

Tackling race in film

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 20:27:29 GMT

CITY has compiled a spotlight of 25 films and miniseries focusing on race in America. Never too far from my mind is the famous quote from critic Roger Ebert, telling us that “the movies are like a machine that generates empathy.” The best of them allow viewers to see the world through another’s eyes, if only for a brief time. As America teeters on the brink, brought here by the centuries of abuse, violence, and discrimination that black and brown people have faced since before the country’s founding, that empathy is absolutely critical to any hope of finding a way forward through this.…