what's showing in nyc thanksgiving weekend - nov 29 - dec 1

I just logged 4 CHRISTMASES, NATIONAL LAMPOON's CHRISTMAS VACATION & THE MERRY GENTLEMEN so maybe take my recs with a grain of salt idk

Nov 29, 2024

Happy belated Thanksgiving, beloveds. It is my dearest wish that you are not reading this, as I hope you are still with family with a drink in hand (or, perhaps, recovering), and not checking email. Or, if you are staying in NYC, I hope you’re staying in, maybe cozy with a book, or listening to Glee Christmas and baking, taking shelter from that much-needed rain that fogged up the lenses filming the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

(Activists in solidarity against genocide and for Land Back — from Lenapehoking to Palestine — delayed the parade by setting up a blockade in front of the McDonalds float. Donate to WAWOG here, and to Maher, Fady, and Samah fighting to survive in Gaza.)

If you’re in the city for the weekend, I hope you take advantage of the emptier streets as transplants (like myself — I’m spending the holiday as I do every year since moving to NYC, in PA, with my Mennonite aunt and her Pakistani husband, and the many strays they’ve collected over the years) head back to their hometowns and go out and see some movies! Enjoy the quieter, likely more sparse screenings for me :)

If you are spending this weekend with family (in NYC or elsewhere) and are looking to go see something together, I have a guide below (based on vibes mostly, tbh, I haven’t been able to see all of these).

Have a lovely holiday and see you next week!

a holiday guide to new releases:

TO GO SEE WITH YOUR LITTLE COUSINS:

Wicked. This is what I will be doing with a whole passel of Mennonite, Pakistani, Kazakh, and Brazilian teenage cousins. We’re a mixed group — some of us are theater kids, others of us, distinctly not. I’ll strive to keep the opinions about the color grading to myself.

Depending on the vibe, and if you’re a slightly older crew, Gladiator II would also be a great option. I saw it last week while visiting my best friend and her husband in Ottawa. Opinions varied, but fun was had by all.

TO SEE WITH YOUR CHILL YOUNGER (ADULT!!!) SIBLING (BONUS POINTS IF SHE/THEY IS SLIGHTLY SCARY):

Anora. Nothing really to add to this that hasn’t already been said, other than that I added this t-shirt to my Christmas wishlist.

TO SEE WITH YOUR PARENTS/OLDER AUNTS AND UNCLES:

Conclave. This actually might be a terrible idea. More devout religious relatives might be offended. Like most things, idk man, I think it depends.

TO SEE DRUNK WITH YOUR FRIEND WHO ALSO STAYED IN NYC:

A Real Pain. I also dragged my bestie to see this last week. She’s a therapist and recommends the characters read No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, by Richard Schwartz.

(I ordered it for myself, as well.)

FOR A MOMENT TO YOURSELF:

The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

I haven’t seen it yet, but my film critic friend, Matene Toure, recommends it. She logged it five stars here.

All We Imagine as Light.

I just think this looks beautiful. I’m going to do my best to see it next week.

Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat. This is my first priority to see when I get back in the city. I’m planning on going to Firehouse on Monday, I think.

ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

We are Here: Scenes from the Streets - 7 PM

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces - (1980)
The Road to Magnasanti - (2017)
The Girl Chewing Gum - (1976)

We are Here: Scenes from the Streets - Khalik Allah Program - 9:15 PM

Field Niggas (2015)
Urban Rashomon (2013)

FILM FORUM

A Traveler's Needs (2024) - 12:40 PM, 2:40 PM, 4:40 PM, 6:50 PM, 8:50 PM

“Iris, a woman abroad in Seoul, teaches French and English in an idiosyncratic fashion that allows her to pursue her own philosophical and personal interests. Through four encounters over a single day, Iris probes students and strangers for information about poetry, their own histories, and their relationship to their egos.” - Letterboxd
“Hong Sangsoo’s funniest film in years” – The Film Stage.

The Wages of Fear (1953) - 1 PM, 4 PM, 7:10 PM

“In a run-down South American town, four men are paid to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin into the jungle through to the oil field. Friendships are tested and rivalries develop as they embark upon the perilous journey.” - Letterboxd

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER

A Traveler's Needs (2024) - 1:30 PM

See above, but also — have you ever seen a more gorgeous poster???

IFC CENTER

Carrie (1976) - 4K Restoration - 12 AM, 4:25 PM, 9:25 PM

“Withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When strange occurrences start happening around Carrie, she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers.” - Letterboxd

Will & Harper (2024) - 12:50 PM

“When Will Ferrell’s good friend Harper comes out as a trans woman, they take a road trip to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self.” - Letterboxd
*I have not need this yet, but it is Mennonite liberal aunty and Baptist Pakistani uncle approved.

Late Night Favorites:

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - 9:15 PM, 11:35 PM
Ichi the Killer (2001) - 11:25 PM
Alien (1979) - 11:40 PM
Threads (1984) - 11:55 PM

METROGRAPH

National Treasure (2004) - 5:00PM

“A perfect film.” - Me.
“Modern treasure hunters, led by archaeologist Ben Gates, search for a chest of riches rumored to have been stashed away by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin during the Revolutionary War. The chest’s whereabouts may lie in secret clues embedded in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and Gates is in a race to find the gold before his enemies do.” - Letterboxd.
Part of “Nicholas Uncaged.”

F for Fake (1973) - 2:30PM

“Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.” - Letterboxd

Also screening at Metrograph: Arsenic and Old Lace, Farewell my Concubine, Scum, Good Morning, & Fight Club.

MoMA

The Complete Robert Frank

Chappaqua (1966)
Rolling Stones Super 8 Footage (1972)

Robert Frank and John Cohen: High Lonesome Sounds (1971) - 6:30 PM

“John Cohen, founding member of the ‘50s folk troupe the New Lost City Ramblers, started making films in order to bring together the two disciplines he was heavily active in: music and photography. His first film, The High Lonesome Sound, is a love letter to Appalachia and features the amazing banjo picker Roscoe Holcomb as the anchor for this gem of cultural anthropology.” - Letterboxd

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE

Knives Out (2019) - 3 PM

“When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death.” - Letterboxd

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - 6 PM

“Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.” - Letterboxd

NITEHAWK CINEMA

Manhattan Baby (1982) - 11:55 PM

“An archaeologist opens an Egyptian tomb and accidently releases an evil spirit. His young daughter becomes possessed by the freed entity and, upon their arrival back in New York, the gory murders begin.” - Letterboxd