Pioneering

NEW YORK TIMES, June 1, 2006: Jeannette Catsoulis, "LONG KNIVES NIGHT / REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH: Indelible Portraits of Power's Absolute Corruption."

NEW YORK PRESS, May 31, 2006: Jim Knipfel, "LONG KNIVES NIGHT / REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH: Propaganda That Works."

TWITCHFILM, May 31, 2006: Todd Brown, "Europe's Last Dictatorship."

THE NEW YORKER, May 29, 2006: Reed Brody, "LONG KNIVES NIGHT."

NY POST, June 2, 2006: V.A. Musetto, "Say 'Da!' to Belarus Duo (LONG KNIVES NIGHT / REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH.)"

NY SUN, June 2, 2006: Nicolas Rapold, "An S.O.S. From A Former Soviet Republic."

THE REELER, June 2, 2006: S.T. VanAirsdale, "Screening Gotham (LONG KNIVES NIGHT / REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH)."

NERVE SCREENGRAB, June 1, 2006: Bilge Ebiri, "LONG KNIVES NIGHT / REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH." (scroll to bottom of page)

NOVOYE RUSSKOYE SLOVO, June 1, 2006: Oleg Sulkin, "LONG KNIVES NIGHT / REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH."

LONG KNIVES NIGHT and REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH are almost certainly the most important films the Pioneer will show in 2006. They may be the most important films the Pioneer has ever scheduled.

Recently, you have read and seen coverage of the “election” in Belarus. You have heard that the election's aftermath pits Russia against the West: Russia has endorsed Alexander Lukashenko's return for a third term, while a rather unified West, including both the European Union and the United States, have called it fraud.

You have also heard of rebellion, hunger strikes, and protesters jailed for “hooliganism.”


But who is this Alexander Lukashenko?

Why is he called “the last dictator in Europe?”(1)

What on earth has he done?

With fury and agony, LONG KNIVES NIGHT and REPORTING FROM A RABBIT HUTCH approach these questions. Writer / director Victor Dashuk has risked imprisonment and abuse – common for dissidents, as you will see in the films – to depict and attack Lukashenko's rise to authority. The films are raw, vicious, and totally one-sided: there is not a frame of sympathy for Lukashenko in these films. Dashuk is outrageously cynical, attacking Lukashenko himself, but also comparing Belarussians' prostrations before authoritarian leaders with Satanists' prostrations before their dark master.

You could easily blow off these movies. We're showing them in the wrong format (one was made on celluloid, but we're projecting both from a rather low quality video master smuggled out of Minsk). They're not a single feature, but rather two films of odd length – though the latter is a sequel to the former, and, combined, they are loosely feature length. They're not brand new. They are political propaganda.

But don't blow off these movies. Chew on them, react to them, fight with them, take them seriously. The situation they depict is certainly serious enough.

Buy tickets on our front page. This is a very limited run. June 1-7, 9pm only.

And please, help spread the word. We've got nothing going for this, except for the films' importance.

VILLAGE VOICE review, by Mike Atkinson
NEW YORKER review, by Reed Brody (scroll down)

(1)
This is a common phrase. A few recent usages include the March 5, 2006 editorial from the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE; and the article “The EU and America put sanctions on Belarus's leaders,” THE ECONOMIST, March 24.

These films shown by the Pioneer on versions smuggled out of Belarus.

Presented with thanks to Zoya Rozin.

Bush's brain got split in half today. One half arrived at the Pioneer, and the other half is stuck somewhere in New Jersey.

More precisely, the two cans of a 35mm print of the movie BUSH'S BRAIN were separated as they journeyed across the U.S. over the last few days. New tracking info showed up today, coinciding with delivery of the first half to the Pioneer. The other half, apparently, is somewhere in New Jersey.

What did you think I meant?

BUSH'S BRAIN, as you may know, is a movie about Karl Rove, the political operative widely credited with turning the derelict scion of a politically powerful oil family into a viable political candidate. This coming Monday, we're showing the movie as an "Un-President's Day" screening, reflecting our rather queasy feelings toward that holiday at the moment.

The Billionaires for Bush, an over-the-top yet earnest political theatre troupe, will co-present the screening, at which they will also screen their own film "Billionaires Love Karl Rove." The Billionaires are bringing some very special guests, including Bush's Brain "Karl Rove" himself (Tony Torn), as well as Bush's Heart "Dick Cheney" (Ron Kidd). We also look forward to welcoming a number of unannounced, undercover CIA, NSA, and FBI agents.


"Rove" will present a copy of THE SATANIC BIBLE, by Anton Lavey, to the best Karl Rove impression.

As "Dick Cheney" will attend the screening, bulletproof vests and facemasks are recommended.

Meanwhile, follow the confused journey of Bush's Brain's derelict half, by clicking here. We do expect both halves here well in time for the screening.

Buy tickets here.

Everybody knows February is a strange month. However, this year we're making it even stranger. But to be nice, let's not say strange but special. Yes, that's right, the Pioneer presents a very special February, with many very special events.


Early February means Groundhog Day, and, in celebration of that, on Wednesday, Groundhog Day Eve, we're showing GROUNDHOG DAY, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, directed by Harold Ramis. Best groundhog costume wins a delicious salad of vegetables, nuts, and insects, and seats reserved for Murray, MacDowell, and Ramis, if they decide to show up. Weds Feb 1, 7pm.

On Groundhog Day proper, our terrific, monthly Croatian series continues with SORRY FOR KUNG FU - a satire on Croatian xenophobia. (Thurs Feb 2, 7pm.) This Croatian program, presented with the Doors Art Foundation, has been a staple in the growing Central and Eastern European presence at the Pioneer, continued later in the month by the ass-kicking Serbian-American drama LOVE, directed by Vladan Nikolic. Later this spring, look for an entire month focused on Central and Eastern Europe. This will probably be one of the most daring and ambitious programs the Pioneer has ever attempted.


From Eastern Europe to the world of rock. This weekend we have three shows of ANDREW W.K.: WHO KNOWS?, a rockumentary about and made with the rock superperformer. The shows are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all at 11pm. After the Friday and Saturday shows, W.K. will perform solo on the keyboard. Tickets for those shows are sold out; however, tickets for Sunday, which will still be a rocking good time, can be smuggled out here.


And back to Eastern Europe. Sort of. On Monday, Malcolm McDowell is coming to the Pioneer for EVILENKO, a movie about a notorious Soviet Serial Killer. The screening is presented by our friends from Fangoria, in association with TLA. Mon Feb 6 6:30pm.


February is customarily saddled with many themes; perhaps the most famous is Valentine's Day. Around Valentine's Day, we're doing a "Love-A-Thon," with many romantic or at least erotic movies. The idea is, you have already seen these movies a zillion times, and you really just want to make out during the movie anyway. So come see ANNIE HALL, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, or, um, LAST TANGO IN PARIS, GAY SEX IN THE 70s, or DEEP THROAT. Come and make out, but, please, don't take it too far. We don't want anyone arrested.

A Bizarro Monday falls on February 13, the day before Valentine's Day, so naturally we'll take the Valentine's love theme to even further abstraction. FearsMAG's "One Dark and Stormy Night" promises a bunch of short films about horrific love. (Mon Feb 13 7pm.) Later that evening we screen PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, set on Valentine's Day 1900. Mon Feb 13 9pm.


February is also Black History Month (and as more than one comedian has noticed, of course Black History Month is the shortest month of the year. . .) Partially to recognize that and partially because we want to show the film again, we're doing two more screenings of ARISTIDE and the Endless Revolution, the film that tore up our boxoffice earlier this year. Those shows are Sat Feb 18 5pm and Sun Feb 19 5pm.


Later on, there is that uncomfortable holiday of President's Day. As Loudon Wainwright III put it a few years back, "for me it's blue Monday on President's Day." But we have to confront the current state of the Presidency. So, we're doing an "un-President's Day" screening of BUSH'S BRAIN, about Karl Rove. Best Karl Rove impression wins a copy of the Satanic Bible, by Anton Lavey. That's February 20 7pm.


February 21, we celebrate Mardi Gras prematurely by one week, with the movie MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA. The ultimate downer, but still a very good movie, MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA shows where and how Mardi Gras beads are made. Following the screening is a Mardi Gras-themed beer & pizza reception, starring Two Boots' "Bayou Beast" pizza. Tues Feb 21 7pm.


There's so much more going on; it's hard to keep up. And this post has veered a little off the general purpose of this blog: that is, to comment specifically on events rather than to do basic announces. I'll hope you'll forgive me for that, this time, and take into consideration just how special, and strange, the events are.

One of our most discerning and critical moviegoers, Alex can be spotted at almost all of our horror movies. Of course, Alex’s big month at the Pioneer is October, when we do the month-long blowout of “horror, terror, and general mayhem.” That month, we should have just blocked off a row and set up a cot for Alex to sleep on, since he was at the theater so much (though Israel Rodriguez would have needed his own row as well). That said, Alex did not attend most of our “Vampire Movie All-Nighter.” As evidence of his encyclopedic viewing habits, Alex skipped the first five vampire movies, which he had seen before and didn’t want to see again, then arrived at the Pioneer at 5:45AM for the final: NEW YORK VAMPIRE. We are always delighted when Alex comes by to criticize or praise the movies we show.

Over the course of this past year, I have seen twenty-six feature length movies at the Pioneer. That comes out to one every other week. Of them, I have watched, almost exclusively, all horror films. Of them, some were good, some bad.

The addition of the Fangoria-sponsored Monster Mondays has increased my ability to view horror films. The last film they showed, JOSHUA, was the most grotesque movie I have ever seen, and I have seen about twenty-five hundred horror films. When leaving the theater, I felt queasy.

I am not going to waste your time or mine going over the negative points of the year; it was bad enough to live them. The last thing I want to do is recount them, and I’m sure you don’t want to read about them.

So aside from JOSHUA, which was a good film, COOKERS and THE DARK HOURS were two really good horror films I saw at the Pioneer. I would especially like to note that in THE DARK HOURS, you will see the most graphic self-mutilation of a person’s finger ever put down on film. I highly recommend them.

I look forward, next year, to seeing more horror films at the Pioneer, hopefully some of them vintage. In NYC, the Pioneer is the only place to go to see off-beat horror films. The Anthology Film Archives does show some, but not nearly the same volume.