Just some thoughts on current happenings:

Classic film screenings from around the world this January include:

In New York City, New York, Film Forum is presenting:

AI:
FROM METROPOLIS TO EX MACHINA

Friday, January 3 – Thursday, January 23

… or How the Movies Have Been Warning Us for Nearly 100 Years

A three-week festival of movies that helped introduce the world to the concept of “artificial intelligence” (a term not coined until the 1950s), most of them offering a dystopian view of a society run by A.I., along with profound ethical and existential questions.

Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent masterpiece METROPOLIS (written by his wife Thea von Harbou, who adapted it from her own 1925 novel), broke new ground in science fiction storytelling, with the creation of Maria, a robot designed to look human and control the workers in an underground city. Gort, a massive robot that serves as enforcer for an alien peace mission in Robert Wise’s THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951), provided an early example of a machine with a higher purpose.

Five years later, Robby the Robot of FORBIDDEN PLANET (based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest!) both defined what a “robot” looked like for generations and offered a more benign depiction of what would later be called “artificial intelligence.” Later lovable movie robots include Johnny 5 in SHORT CIRCUIT, R2D2 in the Star Wars movies, and Wall-E in the Pixar movie of that name. The “Emerac” computer in the Tracy-Hepburn comedy DESK SET is also less malevolent, merely threatening to take jobs away from humans – probably the first film to raise that possibility.

But it was Stanley Kubrick with screenwriters Terry Southern and Peter George, who may have first raised the alarm about the even darker implications of A.I. with the “Doomsday Machine” in DR. STRANGELOVE (1964), followed four years later by HAL 9000 in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968), perhaps the most chilling and memorable depiction of A.I. in the movies. Said the extraordinarily prescient Kubrick in a 1969 interview, "We wanted to convey the reality of a world populated — as ours soon will be — by machine entities that have as much, or more, intelligence as human beings. We wanted to stimulate people to think what it would be like to share a planet with such creatures.” Kubrick would later acquire the rights to Brian Aldiss’ short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long, eventually filmed by Steven Spielberg as A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

2001 began a cycle of movies featuring sentient, anti-human A.I. characters, from COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT and WESTWORLD to THE TERMINATOR and BLADE RUNNER. And there’s no end in sight, either in movies or the world.

— festival programmer Bruce Goldstein.

# Note: Some of the showtimes are matinees only.

For more information on the aforementioned series, click on the appropriate image above. For a complete calendar of all the films playing this month, click on the Film Forum banner.

In London, United Kingdom The Prince Charles Cinema will present The Good, The Bad and The Ugly aka Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966, a 35mm print) Wednesday, January 8, Kiss Me Deadly (1955, a 35mm print) Thursday, January 9, Persona (1966, a 35mm print) Thursday, January 9, The Killing (1956, a 35mm print) Monday, January 13, Blade Runner [Final Cut] (1982, a 4K presentation) Tuesday, January 14, The Big Sleep (1946) Thursday, January 16, Blue Velvet (1986, a 35mm print) Friday, January 17, Double Indemnity (1944, a 35mm print) Monday, January 20, The Big Heat (1953) Wednesday, January 22, Taxi Driver (1976, a 35mm print) Saturday, January 25, Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Monday, January 27, Sunday, December 1, and Harakiri (1962) on Thursday, January 30.

* Note: Some of the above showtimes are matinees only.

Click on the film’s respective image for more information. To see January’s complete programming, click on The Prince Charles Cinema banner above.

In Valencia, Spain, Culturarts Generalitat IVAC – La Filmoteca at the Edificio Rialto will be presenting Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice aka Ochazuke no aji (1952, as part of their REFINE THE FORM, CAPTURE LIFE - INTEGRAL YASUJIRO OZ series) Wednesday, January 8, and Late Autumn aka Akibiyori (1960, as part of their REFINE THE FORM, CAPTURE LIFE - INTEGRAL YASUJIRO OZ series) on Sunday, January 26 and Tuesday, January 28.

Click on the respective film’s image for more information on each screening. To discover more of January’s programming including other films playing in Valencia, Spain at the Edificio Rialto, Castelló, Spain at the Paranimf of the Universitat Jaume I and at the Raval Theatre, as well as Alicante Spain at the Arniches Theatre, click on the banner image above.

In Lyon, France the Institut Lumiere is presenting Roman Holiday (1953) on Friday, January 10 and Saturday, January 25, The Lady from Shanghai (1947) Sunday, January 12 and Tuesday, January 28, All About Eve (1950) Thursday, January 16 and Sunday, January 26, and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) on Sunday, January 19.

Click on the respective film image for more information on each film’s screening. Click on the Institut logo for all of the films showing this month.

In Los Angeles, California The Beverly Cinema will present a double bill of Black Angel (1946, a 35mm print) and Larceny (1948, a 35mm print) Friday, January 10, a double bill of Ride the Pink Horse (1947, a 35mm print) and Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948, a 35mm print) Sunday, January 12, and a double bill of Walkabout (1971, a 35mm print) and Wake in Fright (1971, a 35mm print) on Friday, January 17, Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 19.

Click on the respective image for more information. To see the rest of January’s schedule, click on The Beverly Cinema banner above.

In Detroit, Michigan The Redford Theatre will present Psycho (1960) on Friday, January 10 and Saturday, January 11.

Click on the top image for more information. To see the entire month’s programming, click on The Redford Theatre banner above.

In Hollywood (part of greater Los Angeles) California, The Vista Theater will present If I Had a Million (1932, a 35mm print) Saturday, January 11 at 10 am only and Sunday, January 12 at 10 am only, and Vertigo (1958, a 70mm print) on Friday, January 24, Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26.

Click on the either of the movie posters or the marquee image above for more information including all of the films playing during the month of January.

In Los Feliz (part of greater Los Angeles) California, The American Cinematheque Los Feliz 3 Theatre will present The Challenge (1982, with an Introduction by screenwriter John Sayles) Saturday, January 11, and Central Park (1989, a New Restoration, as part of their ‘Frederick Wiseman: An American Cinematheque Retrospective’) on Saturday, January 25 at 12:30 pm only.

In Santa Monica (also part of greater Los Angeles) California, The American Cinematheque Aero Theatre will present a double bill of Simon of the Desert (1965, a 60th Anniversary presentation, as part of their ‘Silvia Pinal Remembered’ series) and Viridiana (1961, a 35mm print, as part of their ‘Silvia Pinal Remembered’ series) on Friday, January 17.

For more information specifically on each of these programmes, click on the corresponding above image. To see the entire month of January’s programming including other films showing at the The Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Los Feliz, the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, or The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood (also part of greater Los Angeles), click on the American Cinematheque banner.

In San Francisco, California, The Roxie Theatre will present Safe in Hell (1931, as part of their series Wild, Weird, Wicked: Films from Before the Code!) Tuesday, January 14, and Casablanca (1943, as part of their series The Resistance Film Festival, with an Introduction by festival curator & former Roxie programmer, Elliot Lavine) on Saturday, January 18.

For more information on each film’s showing, click on the respective movie image above. For more information on the other films being presented at The Roxie, click on the theatre picture above.

In Bergen, Norway The Cinemateket i Bergen will present Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958, a 35mm print, as part of their ‘Paul Newman-Film Icon’ series) Thursday, January 16 and Friday, January 17, Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) Monday, January 20 and Wednesday, January 29, Doctor Zhivago (1965, a 35mm print) Wednesday, January 22, Maria Candelaria (1944, a Recently Restored 4k presentation) Thursday, January 23 and Thursday, January 30, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, a 35mm print, as part of their ‘Paul Newman-Film Icon’ series) on Monday, January 27 and Thursday, January 30.

* Note: Some of the above showtimes are matinees only.

For more information on each film’s showing, click on the respective movie image above. For further information on the other films being presented at The Cinemateket, click on the banner image above.

In Vancouver, British Columbia, The Cinematheque is presenting The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) on Sunday, January 19 at 10:30 am only

Click on the film image for more information on this screening.

For all of the films scheduled this month at The Cinematheque, click on the theatre banner above..

In theatres across the U.S., Fathom Events is presenting The Goonies (1985, a 40th Anniversary Screening) on Sunday, January 19 and Monday, January 20.

Click on the film’s poster image for more information. To see this month’s entire schedule, click on The Fathom Events banner above.

Noir City will take place in Oakland, California from January 24 - February 2.

From the Noir City Site:

NOIR CITY 22

There will be a distinctly feminine slant to the proceedings at NOIR CITY 22 running January 24–February 2, 2025, at Oakland's Grand Lake Theatre. The lineup of classic films, featuring 24 movies over ten days and nights, shines a spotlight on women whose cinematic legacy is entwined with the rise of film noir. Joining Eddie Muller as co-host for the opening weekend will be his TCM colleague, Alicia Malone—who also graces this year’s NOIR CITY poster.

Many of this year’s films star the six actresses profiled in Muller’s 2002 book Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir, which is being reissued in April 2025 in a newly revised and expanded edition. Jane Greer, Marie Windsor, Audrey Totter, Evelyn Keyes, Coleen Gray, and Ann Savage are the core cadre of women featured in this year’s program, which includes many of their signature films, including, respectively, Out of the Past (1947), The Narrow Margin (1952), Tension (1949), The Prowler (1951), The Killing (1956), and Detour (1945).

“The contributions of these actresses is a major reason noir has retained its allure through many subsequent generations, more than seventy-five years after they were made.”
—Eddie Muller

In addition to those acclaimed favorites, the program also highlights films starring nine other actresses notable for their performances in crime films of the era: Joan Bennett, Peggie Castle, Rhonda Fleming, Marsha Hunt, Ella Raines, Ruth Roman, Jan Sterling, Claire Trevor, and Helen Walker. (Not coincidentally, the expanded edition of Muller’s book includes new profiles of these women.)

“One thing I’ve learned after doing programs for twenty-five years,” Eddie Muller says, “is that you need to circle back and re-show the classics, the bedrock of the genre. Some of these films are well-known to the hardcore—but for younger fans, who may have been in grade school when I started doing festivals, this will be the first time they’ve seen many of these movies … and certainly the first time on a big screen with an enthusiastic audience.”

Muller notes that extra effort was made this year to secure as many 35mm prints as possible. “It’s harder than ever to show film prints, so it feels sort of valedictory.” Fourteen of the festival’s 24 offerings are film prints, he noted. “It's remarkable to realize that when I began these festivals, everything was on film. No digital versions existed. Now, this might be the first—and last—time younger viewers will see a 35mm film print.”

“I’m very enthused about this year’s program,” Muller concludes, “because I had friendships with many of the women we’re celebrating and I’ll have plenty of stories to share—as well as being able to see these women again in all their glamorous glory.”

To see Noir City 22’s complete schedule, click on the poster image above.

In Culpeper Virginia, The Library of Congress at the Packard Campus Theater is presenting G-Men (1935, a New 35mm print) on Friday, January 24.

Click on the poster image for more information on this film’s screening. To see the rest of January’s schedule, click on the Packard Campus image above.

In Como (part of greater Perth) Western Australia, The Revival House will present Lady and the Tramp (1955, a 35mm print) on Saturday, January 25 at 2 pm only).

Click on the poster image for more information on this screening. To see the other films showing this month, click on the theatre banner above.

In theatres across the U.S. Flashback Cinema is presenting The Princess Bride (1987) on Saturday, January 25, Sunday, January 26 and Wednesday, January 29.

Click on the poster image for more information. To see the entire month’s programming, click on The Flashback Cinema banner above.

In Auckland, New Zealand, Academy Cinemas is presenting Psycho (1960) on Wednesday, January 29.

To obtain more information specifically on each of these programmes, click on the poster image. To see the rest of Januarys programming, click on the Academy banner above.

These are the reviewed films showing on Turner Classic Movies in the U.S. this month:

In my review of Casablanca (1942), I made some criticism regarding its emotionally underwhelming Parisian flashback. Prior to this film, however, Casablanca's producer Hal Wallis and one of its contributing writers, Casey Robinson, made Now, Voyager (1942) where the romance witnessed from start to finish comes alive with fervour, maturity and elegance. Previously reviewed here, Now, Voyager will set sail Thursday, January 9th at 3 pm PST.

Next is the unmissable Busby Berkeley extravaganza Footlight Parade (1933), a previous TCM recommendation here. Let the show begin Saturday, January 11 at 9 am PST.

Musical numbers created by Busby Berkeley

Barbara Stanwyck stars as a devoted wife trying to save her husband (played by Barry Sullivan) but equally determined to match wits against killer Ralph Meeker in order to do so, in the previously recommended (here) noir, 1953's Jeopardy. This life or death struggle will commence Saturday, January 11 at 11 am PST.

My enthusiasm for the next film may be “icier” than say Howard Hughes’, however, viewers may find enough intrigue, suspense and supportive factors to make the journey to Ice Station Zebra (1968), previously reviewed here and commencing at TCM Saturday, January 11 at 12:30 pm PST, worth their while.

(From left) Patrick McGoohan, Rock Hudson

Make way for the rapturous Stanley Donen directed musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), reviewed here, Thursday, January 16 at 3 pm PST.

Next up is the remarkably understated, albeit compelling, racial drama Intruder in the Dust released in 1949. Still deserving of more critical acclaim, this filmed adaptation of literary giant William Faulkner’s novel will grace TCM Monday, January 20 at 11 am PST and is reviewed as a DVD recommendation here.

TCM's current monthly schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above TCM related images. To confirm the correct Pacific Daylight (West Coast) showtime information, subtract 3 hours from the Eastern Daylight (East Coast) showtime listed on TCM’s schedule.

(To be continued… ) A.G.

The Cinema Cafe

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AI:FROM METROPOLIS TO EX MACHINA

NOIR CITY 22

AI:
FROM METROPOLIS TO EX MACHINA