Double Feature
Smithereens
A vibrant time capsule of the gritty East Village and its young Eighties punk life, Smithereens earned much praise and even competed for the Palme d’or – making it one of America’s trailblazing indies before the movement kicked into high gear at the end of the decade. Wild teen Wren (Susan Berman) trades NJ for NYC, where she hopes to join what’s left of punk culture. She hangs out with fellow transplant Paul (Brad Rijn), but he’s too safe for her tastes – which run to narcissistic rockers. She finds one in Eric (punk icon Richard Hell), about to cut a record in LA. Before long, Wren plans to accompany Eric out west, but it’s clear she’s trusted the wrong person. Smithereens marked the directorial debut of Susan Siedelman, whose career includes Desperately Seeking Susan (featuring Madonna) and charming mob comedy Cookie. Here, she turns all the dyed hair, striped shirts, checkered miniskirts, and dingy street settings into a snapshot of a subculture teetering on oblivion. (American Genre Film Archive)
- Director
- Susan Seidelman
- Writer
- Screenplay by Ron Nyswaner & Peter Askin, Story by Susan Seidelman & Ron Nyswaner
- Starring
- Susan Berman, Brad Rijn, Richard Hell
- Year
- 1982
- Rated
- R
- Country
- USA
- Format
- 35mm
- Running Time
- 93 minutes
Variety
Bette Gordon’s Variety is a landmark independent film that challenges common notions about feminism and pornography. It follows Christine (Sandy McLeod, Something Wild), a bright and unassuming young woman, after she takes a job selling tickets at a porno theater near Times Square. Christine soon develops an obsession that begins to consume her life, finding self-expression through an interest in porn. Variety dramatizes the changes that occur in her relationships with both Mark (Will Patton, Armageddon), her boyfriend, and Louie (Richard Davidon, Law & Order), a dangerous-looking patron of the theater. Emerging out of the underground NYC arts scene that produced the late ’80s boom in American independent cinema, Variety contains the contributions of an impressive array of talent, including cinematographer Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion), actor Luis Guzman (Boogie Nights), a script by the late cult novelist Kathy Acker, and a score by actor and musician John Lurie (Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law). (Kino Lorber)
- Director
- Bette Gordon
- Writer
- script by Kathy Acker based on a story by Bette Gordon
- Starring
- Sandy McLeod, Will Patton, Richard Davidson, Luis Guzman, Nan Goldin
- Year
- 1983
- Country
- USA
- Format
- 35mm
- Running Time
- 100 minutes