Category Archives: Film Forum

Honoring a Forgotten Chapter in Film History w/ “Pioneers of African-American Cinema”

Posted on February 14, 2016 by willmckinley

I spent Valentine’s Day with the devil on a train to Hell. That’s not a euphemism for a relationship gone sour, it’s the plot of HELL-BOUND TRAIN (1930), a newly restored silent rarity that screened on Sunday at Film Forum … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged Pioneers of African-American Cinema | 1 Comment

Orson Welles’ EVIL – Still Touching Third Rails, 57 Years Later

Posted on January 15, 2015 by willmckinley

TOUCH OF EVIL was supposed to be Orson Welles’ triumphant return to Hollywood after a decade in overseas exile. Sadly, that’s not how it turned out. “Universal loved the rushes,” Joseph McBride, author of three books on Welles, said last … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged Film Forum, Orson Welles, TOUCH OF EVIL | 2 Comments

Ben and Frank Mankiewicz Talk CITIZEN KANE, Bobby Kennedy, and Living up to a Famous Name

Posted on June 2, 2014 by willmckinley

As a host of Turner Classic Movies, Ben Mankiewicz is accustomed to interviewing living legends. Yesterday in New York City, he turned the mic on a legend he knows better than any other: his dad, Frank Mankiewicz. “There aren’t many fathers who … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Forum, Screening Report, TCM | Tagged Ben mankiewicz, CITIZEN KANE, Film Forum, Frank Mankiwicz, Herman Mankiewicz, Orson Welles, TCM, Turner Classic Movies | 9 Comments

Mr. Magoo and More: Celebrating the Centenary of John Hubley

Posted on May 21, 2014 by willmckinley

Updated: 5/23/14 3:00 p.m. “John was a great lover of cinema, of the idea that film, in all its evolving forms, should be seen and valued as it is here at the Film Forum,” Ray Hubley said last night, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Forum | Tagged Faith Hubley, Film Forum, John Hubley | 1 Comment

Stanwyck and Capra: An Intense Connection, Revisited

Posted on December 7, 2013 by willmckinley

“I would say Frank Capra fell in love with her,” biographer Victoria Wilson said of Barbara Stanwyck last night at Film Forum in New York City. Really, who can blame him? And now, thanks to Film Forum’s 40-film Stanwyck retrospective, … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged Barbara Stanwyck, Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum, FORBIDDEN, Frank Capra, Frank Fay, LADIES OF LEISURE, MEET JOHN DOE, THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN, THE MIRACLE WOMAN, Victoria Wilson | 5 Comments

Screening Report: Andrew Bujalski’s COMPUTER CHESS (2013)

Posted on August 4, 2013 by willmckinley

The most enjoyable movie I’ve seen this summer is in black and white. That probably doesn’t surprise you. But what if I told you it’s not a classic from the Studio Era, but rather a current release from one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Film, Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged "New York", Andrew Bujalski, COMPUTER CHESS, Film Forum, Kino Lorber, Mumblecore | 5 Comments

Screening Report: DUDDY KRAVITZ (1974) – Restored And Ready for a Comeback?

Posted on June 3, 2013 by willmckinley

Like the lead character in his most critically acclaimed film, 82-year-old director Ted Kotcheff still has chutzpah aplenty. “I said to the producer, ‘If we don’t get a great Duddy Kravitz I’m not making this film!’” Kotcheff told the audience … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged AMERICAN GRAFFITTI, Bruce Goldstein, Cannes Classics, Cannes Film Festival, Film Forum, Jack Warden, Lynn Stalmaster, Micheline Lanctot, Randy Quaid, Richard Dreyfuss, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Ted Kotcheff, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravtitz., Toronto International Film Festival | 3 Comments

Screening Report: THE KID (1921) at Film Forum + Chaplin Look-Alike Contest

Posted on May 5, 2013 by willmckinley

It was just after noon on a spring Sunday, and I was chatting with a fellow cineaste outside Film Forum, the Downtown Manhattan movie mecca. “KID AUTO RACES? That’s Chaplin’s first short,” I said. “Well, it’s the first one where … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged Alfalfa, Bruce Goldstein, Buckwheat, Charlie Chaplin, Darla, EASTER PARADE, Film Forum, Film Forum Jr, Hal Roach, IRON MAN 3, Jackie Coogan, Jane Scovall, John Martello, KID AUTO RACES, Kiera Chaplin, KING KONG, MAKING A LIVING, Melvin van Peebles, New York City, Oona Living in the Shadows: a Biography of Oona O’Neill Chaplin, PAY AS YOU EXIT, Porky, Romyo and Jullet, Shane Fleming, Spanky, Steve Sterner, SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG, THE DONOVAN AFFAIR, THE KID, Uncle Fester, WPIX Channel 11 | 11 Comments

Screening Report: The 1933 Pre-Code Festival

Posted on May 1, 2013 by willmckinley

On a recent Friday night, I struggled to find an empty seat at Film Forum, the Downtown Manhattan movie mecca where I spend most of my free time and discretionary dollars. Sold out shows are not uncommon at the cinema, … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Film Forum, Pre-Code Film, Screening Report | Tagged 1933, BABY FACE, Barbara Stanwyck, Betty Boop, Busby Berkeley, Casey LaLonde, Charles McCabe, Columbia, CONVENTION CITY, DANCING LADY, Film Forum, Film Forum Junior, First National, Fleischer Studios, Greg Ford, Hal Wallis, Header Menu, Jack Warner, Joan Crawford, John Gallagher, KING KONG, MGM, Motion Picture Production Code, Paramount Pictures, RKO, THE DONOVAN AFFAIR, The Little Rascals, THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE, Twentieth Century, United Artists, Warner Bros, WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD, William Wellman | 10 Comments

The Good, the Bad, and the Old Movie Weirdos

Posted on March 14, 2013 by willmckinley

“You’re an Old Movie Weirdo,” my girlfriend said to me. “I know you don’t think you are, but you are.” Before we go any further, you need to know something about Maggie: she’s honest to a fault, particularly when it … Continue reading →