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“They’re pushing us east, man. From A to B to C to the East River.” Film Forum is re-releasing this iconic 80s indie film in theaters again starting this month. No Picnic is the 1987 film from Philip Hartman – a love letter to pre-gentrification East Village in NYC. This brand new 4K restoration will play again in NYC soon. Macabee Cohen, whose heyday as a rock musician is long gone, travels the city in a beat-up VW bus, supplying records to local juke boxes. His beloved Lower East Side neighborhood is in turmoil: rampant real estate speculation, tenants on rent strike, art invading the bars – “in my own neighborhood, I felt like I was in the middle of a party that I hadn’t been invited to,” he says. Mac’s personal life is in turmoil, too.Then a mysterious girl appears in his life, and Mac’s obsession to find her becomes a quest of self-discovery, too – “I was looking for someone to save,” he says, “to save myself.” So off he goes to find her… This features David Brisbin, Myoshin, Anne D’Agnillo, & Luis Guzmán, with appearances by Steve Buscemi, Richard Hell, and other fixtures of the Downtown music & art scenes (Rafik, Bleecker Bob). This looks like a unique, vibrant (even in B&W) time capsule capturing a realm of NYC that doesn’t exist anymore. It’s worth a watch. // Continue Reading ›
