What do you do when two people are fighting? Distract them.
There should be fewer fights, political rabbit holes, and bifurcations, and more jokes, stories and songs.
Isn’t it time for motion pictures to play that role again: a distraction, an invitation to entertain, to remind us what makes us the same, and encourages good values like not being greedy and helping others who are in distress?
Upcoming Distractions
September 14. Lawrence of Arabia (70mm). Paris Theater. 4 W 58th St, Manhattan. Director David Lean and cinematographer Freddie Young set up four separate camps in Jordan for relaxing, production, equipment storage, and even sports (including ping pong and darts), to help the crew survive the harsh desert conditions. They screened other films on Saturday nights in a mini-cinema at the beach camp, tents equipped with air conditioning and mini refrigerators—luxuries almost unheard of on-location in 1961.
What do you do when two people are fighting? Distract them.
There should be fewer fights, political rabbit holes, and bifurcations, and more jokes, stories and songs.
Isn’t it time for motion pictures to play that role again: a distraction, an invitation to entertain, to remind us what makes us the same, and encourages good values like not being greedy and helping others who are in distress?
Upcoming Distractions
September 14. Lawrence of Arabia (70mm). Paris Theater. 4 W 58th St, Manhattan. Director David Lean and cinematographer Freddie Young set up four separate camps in Jordan for relaxing, production, equipment storage, and even sports (including ping pong and darts), to help the crew survive the harsh desert conditions. They screened other films on Saturday nights in a mini-cinema at the beach camp, tents equipped with air conditioning and mini refrigerators—luxuries almost unheard of on-location in 1961.
September 16. Morrissey. Radio City Music Hall. 1260 6th Ave, Manhattan. Morrissey, who has been in the news recently for supposedly putting his business interests in the Smiths up for sale to ‘any interested party’, once famously banned the sale of meat at several of his concerts, including iconic venues, resulting in vendors having to drastically rework their menus and sparking debates on venue policy behind the scenes.
September 17. Movies in the Park: Birdman (live jazz + Emma Stone look-alike contest). Tompkins Square Park, Bandshell. Manhattan. The original Birdman score by Antonio Sánchez was almost disqualified from Oscar contention because it used snippets of classic music alongside jazz improvisation—the controversy led to changes in Academy music rules after fan outcry
September 20. Spaceballs (70mm). Paris Theater. 4 W 58th St, Manhattan. Mel Brooks shot several Spaceballs scenes on leftover sets from other sci-fi movies to save part of the budget, resulting in hidden references (like disguised props from Star Wars and Alien) that are only visible for a few frames.
September 27th. Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair. Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal. 89 E 42nd St, Manhattan. Rare book exhibitors have brought recently discovered annotated first editions from local New York estates, including notes from famous writers that had never been seen publicly until 2024; these are showcased with special permission from their families.
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