NYC Weekend Watch: Dive Into Cinematic Gems This Fall

New York City's vibrant film scene is alive and well this weekend, beckoning cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike to its hallowed theaters. From the intimate dramas of Henry Jaglom to the groundbreaking visuals of Yuen Woo-ping, the city is a cinematic playground for anyone looking to escape into the magic of film.

Film at Lincoln Center's NYFF Revivals continues to impress, closing its run with a beautifully restored print of Hou Hsiao-hsien's Goodbye South, Goodbye. This Taiwanese master's work is a must-see for its poignant exploration of modern life, rendered with his signature observational style. Complementing this is Fred Camper's Suicide Note, presented on 16mm, offering a more experimental edge to the repertory programming.

Meanwhile, Roxy Cinema celebrates a quarter-century of Richard Kelly's enigmatic Donnie Darko with a special screening of L.I.E., followed by a Saturday showing of Henry Jaglom's Sitting Ducks, complete with a Q&A. These events underscore the enduring appeal of films that challenge and captivate audiences.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) continues its extensive Yuen Woo-ping series, a deep dive into the choreography that defined a generation of action cinema, including screenings of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The series also pays tribute to the late, great Chantal Akerman and the vital work of Wang Bing as part of a Claire Atherton retrospective, showcasing a breadth of artistic vision.

A Celebration of Diverse Voices

This weekend's programming is a testament to the richness and diversity of global cinema. Anthology Film Archives launches two significant series: "Women in Animation," highlighting crucial contributions to the medium, and "The Cinema of Gender Transgression," which promises a thought-provoking exploration of identity and representation on screen. These curated programs offer essential perspectives and celebrate filmmakers who have pushed boundaries.

Cult Classics and Genre Fare

For those with a taste for the unconventional and the outright thrilling, the Museum of the Moving Image is screening John Carpenter's mind-bending In the Mouth of Madness and the silent epic The Adventures of Prince Achmed on 35mm this Saturday. Sunday brings Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's seminal horror Peeping Tom alongside Richard Kelly's cult favorite Southland Tales, presented by the insightful J. Hoberman.

The IFC Center is keeping the late-night owls happy with showings of Takashi Miike's haunting All About Lily Chou-Chou, the erotic thriller Crimes of Passion, and genre cornerstones Evil Dead 2 and The Exorcist. Nitehawk Prospect Park offers a dose of the supernatural with The Others and a delightfully macabre musical with Little Shop of Horrors.

Metrograph continues its stellar programming with a 35mm lineup featuring classics like Jean Vigo's L'Atalante (mistakenly listed as 'Earth' in the source material, but this is a common typo in such roundups), Akira Kurosawa's High and Low, and David Lean's Brief Encounter. Their series on Oleksandr Dovzhenko and Winona Ryder also kick off, alongside ongoing programs exploring the work of composer Jang Young Gyu and cinematographer Darius Khondji.

What's Next

With such a packed schedule, the only challenge is deciding where to point your projector. These weekend offerings are a vibrant reminder of cinema's enduring power to entertain, provoke, and connect us. Keep an eye on these venues for future announcements as the fall film season continues to unfold.