What I’m Seeing This Week: There aren’t a ton of reviews of the Indian action spectacle Jawan, which is now playing the Regal Ithaca Mall, floating around on the movie publications I frequent, but I’m intrigued by the ones that are.
Also in Theaters: It’s a good week for family-friendly fare in Ithaca! You can see Singin’ in the Rain, a mortal lock for any Top 25 Movies of All Time I might ever compose, for just $2 at Cinemapolis or $10 for a “family group” of five or more on Sunday as part of their Family Classics Picture Show. Meanwhile, Cornell Cinema is screening Mary Poppins on Saturday and Sunday as part of their 100 Years of Disney series. I took my then four- and six-year old daughters to see this film at Cinemapolis last year with, and while it was a bit long for them, they loved it. Cornell Cinema is also showing Elemental, which at least for the time being remains one of my favorite movies of the year, on Monday. More mature moviegoers who haven’t already seen it should prioritize Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, which screens at Cornell Cinema tonight as part of their Cult Classics series.
Home Video: As a virtually uncoachable (for reasons of, er, let’s say “youthful overconfidence”) former cross country runner, I’m puzzled that it took me until last week to finally watch The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner! It’s now screening on WatchTCM with a subscription, and although it doesn’t quite measure up to its fellow British “kitchen sink” realist film This Sporting Life (which is currently available on the Criterion Channel with a subscription), I like it for a lot of the same reasons. Sports fans far too often forget that there are real-life human beings under the laundry they root for, but these movies are reminders that when the game is over, the athletes who played in them often have to go back to work or under the knife to treat their latest injury. And whether you’re an anonymous amateur or Aaron Rodgers, the latter hurts like hell.
Previous “Ithaca Film Journal” posts can be found here.
The Prodigal Cinephile 