Dan's Papers - January 16, 2009 -

With so many artists, writers and other creative people on the East End, it's surprising that there's only one theater that shows arthouse, independent and foreign films on a regular basis - the Sag Harbor Cinema. Luckily, in addition to the historic theater, several other local institutions are offering film aficionados alternatives to the big budget Hollywood blockbusters that are shown in mainstream theaters.

The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, typically known for bringing world-class musical performers to the East End, will kick off its winter segment of its "Finest in World Cinema" series with Happy Go Lucky on Jan. 16-18. A British comedy, the film focuses on Poppy (Sally Hawkins, who just won a Golden Globe for her performance), on an incredibly cheerful and optimistic pre-school teacher and her effect on those around her.

The following weekend, Jan.23-25, will feature the film How About You, a holiday film starring Vanessa Redgrave where a young woman is put in charge of a residential home over Christmas and clashes with some of the more cantankerous residents. WHBPAC will show the French film A Christmas Tale, a black comedy about a dysfunctional family that reunites around the holidays to deal with a life-threatening illness of the matriarch, on Jan. 30-31 and Feb. 1. Other films being shown in the series include The Black Balloon, about an Australian family struggling with the autism of one of their sons; Moscow, Belgium, a comedy about a woman in a mid-life crisis who falls for a younger man after a fender bender; and The Secret of the Grain, a French film about immigrant workers in that country, telling the story of an immigrant hoping to use the money he has saved to open a cous-cous restaurant. For more information, go to whbpac.org.

Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, typically known for its performances of plays, musical acts and its Kidstreet theater, offers a similar program called "The Picture Show," sponsored by BookHampton. Rather than showing newer films, "The Picture Show" focuses on American classics.

Dick Powell is the theme of this weekend. On Jan. 16, catch Gold Diggers of 1935, starring Powell and Gloria Stuart. This Busby Berkely musical about a hotel stage director who puts on a show to pay off his bills won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "Lullaby of Broadway." The next night, Jan. 17, Bay Street will air Footlight Parade, a musical romantic comedy that stars James Cagney, singing and dancing for the first time on screen, alongside Powell, Joan Blondell and Ruby Keeler.

The following weekend, on Jan. 23, check out David Lean's 1946 adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, which one two Oscars and was nominated for three others. Lean's film Ryan's Daughter, a World War I love story filmed in 1970 and winner of two Oscars, will be featured the next night, Jan. 24. Then, the weekend of Jan. 30 and 31 will feature classic Marx Brothers films - Animal Crackers and Duck Soup. For more information, go to baystreet.org.

The Parrish Art Museum's "Winter Film Series" starts up on Feb. 13, with The Big Heat, a Fritz Lang film about a policeman determined to bring a mob boss to justice, accidentally leading to the death of three women. Wings of Desire, a German film set in West Berlin in the '80s, follows two angels who wander the city. When one falls in love with a trapeze artist, he opts to become mortal in order to interact with her. In March, Parrish will air In the Mood for Love and Lost in Translation.

Many local libraries also often offer free screenings of films. The John Jermaine Library in Sag Harbor will show The Edge of Heaven on Jan. 16. If you miss that viewing, it'll be shown at Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton on Jan. 26. And this month, Hampton Bays Public Library will be celebrating the work of Elizabeth Taylor by screening her films on Fridays. The actor honored changes each month.

On the North Fork, the North Fork Reform Synagogue Cinema Series will pick up again on Feb. 28 with The Counterfeiters, the Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film in 2007, which is based on a true story and set in Berlin in World War II. The featured movie in March is A Tickle in the Heart, and The Band's Visit will be shown in April. For more information, call 631-722-5712.

Also on the North Fork, Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport will be showing films on Thursdays and Sundays. On Jan. 22, enjoy The Last Laugh, and Duck Season on Jan. 29. Sundays feature "The Lesser Known Hitchcock" film series, with Young & Innocent on Jan. 18 and Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Jan. 22. For a complete schedule of movies, go to floydmemoriallibrary.northfork.net.