Events This Week

Greetings Soldiers and Cinephiles,

There are a couple of events coming up around Philadelphia this week I wanted to let everyone know about. Tonight at 6:30pm at International House there will be a screening of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1972 film The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. The film is being played in conjunction with ICA's Set Pieces exhibition and will be introduced by Set Pieces artist and curator Virgil Marti. I went to the Set Pieces screening last month of Antonioni's L'Avventura and it was a good turnout and they ended up having free pizza and beer afterwards. For my money, I think this is one of Fassbinder's best films and I highly recommend everyone come out for this one, it will definitely be worth it.
Tomorrow night at 7pm International House will be screening Walter Ruttman's 1927 film Berlin: Symphony of a Great City. This is one of those "city" films, which were so often being made in the 1920s celebrating modernity and progress a la Man with the Movie Camera by Dziga Vertov, Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand's Manhatta, and Joris Iven's Regen. The film is largely visual with no real story, though it is arranged chronologically to present a day from morning until night. The film uses many experimental and avant-garde techniques from the 1920s, including a reliance on soviet montage. It is a really interesting and visually beautiful film.
Again, at International House on Saturday at 7pm, there Janus series continues with Fellini's 1954 film La Strada. The Janus series is always great, so this is worth checking out. For my money, Fellini and especially La Strada are kind of overrated, but as far as good film events going on in Philadelphia, I recommend going to see this instead of going to see another stupid documentary at the Ritz.
There really isn't anything that I can recommend playing at the Ritz right now.
Stay posted for more information about where to obtain your copy of the first issue of Shooting Wall!

First Issue Being Printed

The first issue of Shooting Wall is currently being printed! It took some time and a lot of effort, but by this time next week, the issue should be ready for distribution! We are still seeking articles for issue #2, so send them in, if you have them. We should hopefully be meeting next week to figure where we are going from here concerning next issue, screenings, meetings, etc. I will keep everyone posted as to the progress and any events that may be on the horizon.

It has been a pretty dismal month for film in Philadelphia. The Ritz has been getting absolute shit. There hasn't been anything coming out worth checking out. Just one crappy documentary after another! This is fall, the time when the best films are supposed to come out and, yet, nothing...nothing...nothing. Needless to say, this has been incredibly frustrating for cinema fans. It isn't that the films aren't out there because I know they are (Pedro Costa, for example, has a new film playing in New York right now). The Ritz is either getting lazy or they are just totally unwilling to take chances anymore. Either way, things are not looking good.


In better news, there are couple of things going on this weekend. Tonight Secret Cinema is playing some Velvet Underground concert films from the '60s at Moore. There is a 8pm and 10pm show. These are apparently pretty rare films, so this should be quite a treat for any VU and/or Warhol fans. Also tonight, IHouse has An Evening with Lynne Sachs. They will be screening two of her recent films and Sachs will also be there for a Q&A. Both of these events should be good.


Tomorrow night at IHouse there will be DDR/DDR  at 7pm. This is a series of "cine-constellations" as a visual essay. I have heard a lot of good things about this film and will definitely be attending.


More updates to come...