“My Favorite Films”
ROMANCE, HUMOR, SUSPENSE, SATIRE, HEROISM
Select Wednesdays, February through March
Indulge yourself with a series featuring many of “my favorite films” including tales of romance, humor, suspense, satire, and heroism. The films in this series may hold special memories for you: no matter how many times you see them, they continue to draw you in one more time. The series features films since 1945. While many of these films are available through streaming, it’s always more fun to see them in the theater.
Make a day of it at the Modern and include extra time to visit the galleries and our special exhibitions. Enjoy lunch in Café Modern and then settle in for an afternoon screening, or plan for a coffee break afterward with fellow film enthusiasts.
Screenings are at 2 pm most Wednesdays in the Modern’s auditorium. Tickets are $5 (FREE for Modern members), available at the museum’s admission desk or online at www.themodern.org/films.
Visit www.themodern.org/films for the ongoing schedule of film titles and dates.
SCHEDULE
Pirate Radio
Richard Curtis, 2009
February 7
In 1966, BBC radio broadcasts less than an hour of pop music a day, forcing pirate DJs to take up the slack from boats anchored outside British waters. Quentin (Bill Nighy) is the commander of such a pirate station, overseeing a host of seedy, lusty, and dope-smoking DJs, including the Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Dave (Nick Frost), who makes it his personal mission to see to it that Quentin's newly arrived godson (Tom Sturridge) loses his virginity.
R; 117 minutes
A Man and a Woman
Claude Lelouch, 1966
February 14
“Style is everything in Lelouch's romantic melodrama, one of the 1960s most popular international hits, due to the music and chemistry between the glamorous Anouk Aimée and the sexy Trintignant, both at their peak.” —Emanuel Levy
After an accidental meeting a widow (Anouk Aimée) and widower (Jean-Louis Trintignant) find their relationship developing into love, though their past tragedies are difficult to overcome.
102 minutes; French with English subtitles
About Time
Richard Curtis, 2013
February 21
When Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) turns 21, his father (Bill Nighy) tells him a secret—the men in their family can travel through time. Although he can't change history, Tim resolves to improve his life by getting a girlfriend. He meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), falls in love, and finally wins her heart via time-travel and a little cunning. However, as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds that his special ability can't shield him and those he loves from the problems of ordinary life.
R; 124 minutes
Three Men and a Cradle
Coline Serrau, 1985
March 6
When a baby is left on their doorstep, hard-partying bachelors Pierre (Roland Giraud), Jacques (André Dussollier), and Michel (Michel Boujenah), experience a serious lifestyle change. Instead of carousing until dawn and chasing women, they're now changing diapers and learning the ins and outs of fatherhood. The baby's mother—one of Jacques' many conquests—has flown to the United States. In the meantime, the trio must protect the child from a mix-up with some drug runners.
PG-13; 106 minutes; French with English subtitles
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Robert Hamer, 1949
March 13
When his mother eloped with an Italian opera singer, Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) was cut off from her aristocratic family. After the family refuses to let her be buried in the family mausoleum, Louis avenges his mother's death by attempting to murder every family member (all played by Alec Guinness) who stands between himself and the family fortune. But when he finds himself torn between his longtime love (Joan Greenwood) and the widow of one of his victims (Valerie Hobson), his plans go awry.
104 minutes
Swept Away... By an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August
Lina Wertmüller, 1974
March 20
Class warfare hits the high seas in this Italian comedy about Gennarino (Giancarlo Giannini), a long-suffering crew member who works on a rich couple's yacht. The wife, Raffaela (Mariangela Melato), verbally abuses Gennarino and regularly insults his communist views. But when a day trip leaves the pair stranded at sea, they wash up on a deserted island and Raffaela is, suddenly, no longer the one in control. The role reversal leads to an unexpected and contentious love affair.
R; 116 minutes; Italian with English subtitles
Amadeus
Milos Forman, 1984
March 27
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the disciplined and determined Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). Resenting Mozart for both his hedonistic lifestyle and his undeniable talent, the highly religious Salieri is gradually consumed by his jealousy and becomes obsessed with Mozart's downfall, leading to a devious scheme that has dire consequences for both men. At the 1985 Academy Awards, the film earned eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Abraham).
PG; 158 minutes
