What I’m Seeing This Week: Our Body would be an easy choice for me, but unfortunately neither of the two showtimes at Cornell Cinema is compatible with my schedule. Meanwhile, my loving wife and I enjoyed the first two Hercule Poirot films directed by Kenneth Branagh and she has made it clear that she does not want me to see A Haunting in Venice, which is at both Cinemapolis and the Regal Ithaca Mall, without her. So it transpires that I’m going to revisit In the Mood for Love, which is regularly cited as one of the best films of the millennium, but which I’ve never even thought of as one of my favorite movies directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Considering that Cornell Cinema is showing a restored 35mm print, it seems quite possible that I will look back on my calendar mishegoss as a blessing in disguise.
Also in Theaters: I’m not sure why Jawan, which continues its run at the Regal this week, hasn’t gotten more attention stateside. Our nation has turned its lonely eyes to Tom Cruise to save cinema, but he can’t do it on his own–after all, even Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio shared the film with eight other Yankees! Shah Rukh Khan is a Star and this is a Movie. So is Oppenheimer, which continues its runs at Cinemapolis and the Regal this week and which remains my pick for best new film of 2023 for now. If you just don’t have nearly three hours to spare, I recommend Bottoms, which is playing the same two theaters and clocks in at a clip 90 minutes. If you’re in the mood for repertory fare, Interstellar features an unforgettable lunar rover chase scene and screens at Cornell Cinema tomorrow.
Home Video: Critic Jason Bailey helpfully notes that Annihilation is leaving Netflix on September 29. I saw this and Twin Peaks: The Return for the first time during lockdown, and they will forever be linked in my mind as texts which capture the relentlessly haunting feeling that the call you dread receiving may be coming from INSIDE YOUR OWN BODY. If you’re looking for something lighter, High Tension, which is now available on the Criterion Channel as part of their “Directed by Allan Dwan” series, contains a nice bit of business with a piano.
Previous “Ithaca Film Journal” posts can be found here.
The Prodigal Cinephile 