From the Film Vault
Program Notes: 24 Hour Party People (2002)
You needn't know anything about the late '70s music scene in Manchester, England, to enjoy 24 Hour Party People. The real engine driving this romp is Steve Coogan, the Brit standup comic who makes an indelible impression.
New on DVD: Jeff Who Lives at Home (2011)
Jeff Who Lives at Home is a pleasantly meandering effort that exhibits more genuine soul than any comedy since Bill Forsythe’s sublime Local Hero back in 1983.
Program Notes: The Straight Story (1999)
The Straight Story is a glorious aberration. At a time when movies tend to dazzle with speed and style, it rolls along at a snail's pace, allowing us plenty of time to observe the changing sky and the flora in the roadside ditches.
Program Notes: Badlands (1973)
Badlands is about two teenagers on a cross-country murder spree. Yet it's terribly funny. As a comedy of middle-American blandness mutating into indifferent homicide, it's no less satirical than Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.
Program Notes: Harry and Tonto (1974)
Director Paul Mazursky performs a delicate balancing act in Harry and Tonto. The film is a comedy, certainly, but a comedy shot through with issues of mortality, age, and dislocation.
