This Weekend’s Must See Movies

Summer is officially over, and the weather is letting everyone know it by being craptacular. But even though the end of the summer means the end of delectable outdoor independent cinematic experiences, it doesn’t mean the end of delectable indoor cinematic experiences. If you’re lucky enough to live in New York City, then you’re lucky to have an abundance of these year-round.

And today is no exception. If the weather has left you hungry for some underground movies indoors, then let me recommend three films opening today, each featuring Q&As with the directors, just like a Rooftop show. One for each day of this soggy weekend.

Bring it, Fall.

STRONGMAN (Zachary Levy | New York, NY | 113 min)
Venue: BROOKLYN HEIGHTS CINEMA, 70 Henry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Subway: 2, 3 to Clark St. or A, C to High Street

Dates: Friday, Sept 23 – Thursday, September 29
Showtimes: Fri-Sun at 7pm, Mon-Fri at 9pm
*Stanless Steel in person Friday, 9/23*

Strongman, one of our favorite alums, is having a week-long run at The Brooklyn Heights Cinema!  Stanless Steel will be appearing in person for the 7pm show Friday night.  His hands will be chalked and ready to perform his signature feat– bending a U.S. penny.  This is a man whose t-shirt slogan reads: “Power Beyond What is Normal.”  If you haven’t seen Strongman yet, you owe yourself this funny and heart-wrenching film.

Director Zachary Levy will also be there for a Q & A on Friday, Saturday, Sunday after the 7pm show.

Strongman is a deeply personal portrait of Stanless Steel, “the Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal.” Told with the kind of intimacy that can only be achieved with years of filming, Strongman follows the life, dreams and heartbreaking humanity of Stanless Steel as he struggles to gain control of a world that seems constantly out of the grasp of his powerful hands. Strongman is a film about believing in yourself, and never giving up. It is a film about weakness and a film about strength.

See Stanless Steel get run over by a truck at a Rooftop show in 2009

WEEKEND (Andrew Haigh | United Kingdom | 96 min.)
Venue: IFC Center, 323 6th Ave (at W 3rd St.), New York, NY 10014
Subway: Take the A, B, C, D, E, F or M to the West 4th Street/Washington Square stop or the 1 to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square
*Director Andrew Haigh in person Fri-Sat at 7:20 p.m. and 9:35p.m., Sun at 5:00 p.m. and 7:20p.m.*
Tickets here.

After a Friday dinner with straight mates, semi-closeted Russell heads to a gay club and picks up Glen, an artist-type who “doesn’t do boyfriends.” As these star-crossed lovers spend the next 48 hours together—in flats and pubs, hooking up and talking—their brief encounter blossoms into something much deeper. A hit on the festival circuit, WEEKEND is a true revelation, a tender, sexy, refreshingly frank take on the modern love story.

“Perfectly realised—a bracing, present tense exploration of sex, intimacy and love.”

A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“WEEKEND depicts a fleeting romantic encounter with delicacy and philosophical depth, but its chief appeal is simplicity. Revolving around a brief affair between two young men with vastly different perspectives on life, the film operates on a familiar dynamic; however, it works here thanks to the precise alignment of talented actors and a focused screenplay. Humming along on the commitment of its engaging leads, WEEKEND builds into a powerful encapsulation of an identity crisis over the course of three passionate days.”

Eric Kohn, IndieWIRE

“WEEKEND is a work of surpassing emotional insight and artistic accomplishment. It’s about (yes) the human condition — and it’s already one of the best of the year.”

Paul Brunick, Film Comment

THUNDER SOUL (Mark Landsman | Texas/Los Angeles | 83 min.)
Multiple Venues. Tickets here.
Our Program Director Dan Nuxoll will be conducting the Q&A with Director Mark Landsman at the 5:40pm and 8:15pm shows at the AMC Loews Village 7.

Presented by Jamie Foxx, Thunder Soul follows the extraordinary alumni from Houston’s storied Kashmere High School Stage Band, who return home after 35 years to play a tribute concert for the 92-year-old Conrad “Prof” Johnson, their beloved band leader who broke the color barrier and transformed the school’s struggling jazz band into a world-class funk powerhouse in the early 1970s.

AMC Loews Village 7
*Friday, 9/23: Filmmaker present for Q&A at 5:40 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. shows.
Q&As Conducted by Rooftop Program Director Dan Nuxoll*

66 Third Ave, New York, NY 10003
(888) 262-4386
SHOW TIMES: 10:45 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:40 p.m. (Q&A), 8:15 p.m. (Q&A),10:45 p.m.

AMC Loews 84th St 6
*Saturday, 9/24: Filmmaker present for Q&A at 4:45pm show*

2310 Broadway, New York, NY 10024
(800) 326-3264
SHOW TIMES: 10:00 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m. (Q&A), 7:00 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.