Love is in the air all month long in the Hudson Valley, even if it is a little chilly. For me, February has always marked a period of time for catching up on movies from the previous year, as well as checking out some old favorites—either about falling in love or maybe getting your heart broken. The cathartic empathy machine that is “the movies” never fails to warm the soul or give you a much-needed laugh, especially these days.
Whether it’s that awards darling film you haven’t caught just yet or a cuddly classic you can’t wait to revisit, there’s no shortage of options for a night out at the movies at one of your local cinemas. Here are six movie events to keep an eye out for inl February at Hudson Valley independent theaters.
Conclave
Edward Berger’s follow up to his massively successful film from 2022, All Quiet on the Western Front, has been making waves ever since its initial release late last year. The crowning achievements of cinematography and pacing, combined with one hell of an ensemble cast, make Conclave one of the most riveting watches of the year. The film was a predicted frontrunner for Best Picture in a year that didn’t have too many opponents on the horizon. We now know all of that has changed with releases of films like The Brutalist, Nickel Boys, and Anora. Still, Conclave seems like the most likely winner for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards this year and will likely pick up the Best Ensemble at SAG. The film follows the process of electing a new pope after one passes suddenly, revealing sneaky characters, dark secrets, and double-edged intentions from all those surrounding the process. Ralph Fiennes leads an astonishingly packed cast as the cardinal assigned to oversee the task of electing the new pope. He is joined by the likes of Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, and John Lithgow, to name only a few. Hudson Film Festival proudly presents the film as part of its continuing Winter Watch series, where they showcase some of the best movies of 2024.
Conclave screens February 6 at Time and Space Ltd as part of Hudson Film Festival’s Winter Watch series.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, The Seed of the Sacred Fig has one of the most interesting and heartbreaking productions of any recent film I can recall. Iranian writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof has always been critical of his government, leading authorities from his country to keep a very close eye on him, which made creating a film about the paranoia of Iran and its government officials a pretty hard task to pull off. Rasoulof needed to direct the film via FaceTime and phone calls, deciding to never be properly on set in case any officials ever showed up to investigate who was making the film. The movie itself is an absolutely tough watch in all of the ways that make great movies so captivating to experience for the first time. The film has moved its release date several times, but with the success it has now garnered at international festivals, it is finally landing on screens worldwide.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig is currently playing at Upstate Films Starr Cinema and starts February 7 at The Moviehouse.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Easily one of the funniest movies to be made in the past 20 years, Forgetting Sarah Marshall has quickly become a cult classic as one of the last true blue romantic comedies released from Hollywood, with an absolutely stacked cast of funny people and what was arguably the introduction of Russell Brand to the United States. Jason Segel’s relatable and hilarious script is what really makes the movie sing, and his penchant for ridiculous observations and situations are what catapult many of the movie’s best moments into uncontrollable laughter. The film follows the story of a somewhat successful musician, who is dumped by his girlfriend, and then decides to take a vacation in Hawaii to try to forget about her, only to discover that she is also staying at the same hotel with her new boyfriend. It’s an extremely simple setup that you would not be surprised to see in an old Hollywood story, and it is that exact formula, mixed with a 21st-century sense of humor, that makes the movie so electric. Story Screen Cinema will be showing the flick on Valentine’s Day weekend as part of their month-long Beach Movies series, which also includes screenings of Mamma Mia! and Cast Away.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall screens February 15 at Story Screen Cinema.
You’ve Got Mail
Nora Ephron’s 1998 rom com, You’ve Got Mail, was notoriously advertised at the time of its release as the reunion of one of the big screen’s most captivating couples: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, who had previously wowed the world with the 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle. While originally perceived as a modern remake of the classic 1940 film, The Shop Around the Corner, the now seemingly dated concept centers around two strangers who have never met in person who start up a relationship over the internet through chat rooms and emails. Upon rewatch, the film has truly aged like a fine wine. Ephron’s usual flair for cozy landscapes and emotionally vulnerable characters is in full effect throughout the film, and Hanks and Ryan truly do have that secret chemistry that so many costars would kill for. While the film may not be Casablanca, it’s still a ridiculously entertaining and comfy watch, and we don’t get too many of those these days. The film will be followed by a Q&A and Book Talk with author Esther Zuckerman, who wrote the recently released Falling in Love at the Movies: Rom-Coms from the Screwball Era to Today, a book on the history of romantic comedies through the many eras of Hollywood.
You’ve Got Mail screens February 20 at Jacob Burns Film Center.
Nickel Boys
RaMell Ross’s staggeringly alluring film Nickel Boys is one of the more surprising entries into the 97th Academy Awards race and easily one of the best films of the year, if not the decade, so far. Shot completely from our main characters’ point-of-view, sometimes within or behind their heads, the story follows a young man who is wrongly sentenced to a brutal reformatory and starts up a friendship with a fellow Black teen while he attempts to maintain his optimism in a world seemingly bent on breaking it. Ross’s ingenuity as a director is almost unbelievable, making it hard to not pay attention to the blocking and framing of each scene, even while you are getting lost in the film’s story and characters. It’s one of the things that makes some of the most popular and talented filmmakers really stand out, and Ross is most certainly going to be one of those directors as his filmography spans out over the next decade.
Nickel Boys is currently playing at Upstate Films Starr Cinema, Story Screen Cinema, Jacob Burns Film Center, The Moviehouse and starts February 21 at The Rosendale Theater.
The End
Joshua Oppenheimer has created a post-apocalyptic tale about the have and have-nots in a world where everything has already been taken away. It’s also a musical starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon. (Pretty easy sell if you ask me). The film has received glorious reviews throughout its slow release, being hailed as a modern take on a Golden Age of filmmaking that doesn’t come around too often these days. While this may be enough for any other movie, The End simultaneously comments on the state of our world and its rapid deterioration, both on the outside and within us all, with a little bit of music. Oppenheimer has become a director to watch after his amazing 2012 documentary, The Act of Killing, shook the movie world to its core with intense plotting and an undeniable eye for beautiful cinematography. This special screening of the film is presented by CLOSE UP and will feature a Q&A with Oppenheimer via Zoom following the movie.
The End screens February 23 at Upstate Films Starr Cinema.
