What's Up at the Music Box?

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 26, 2009 4:40PM

Lest you think we're exclusively fixated on the Siskel these days, here's what's going on at our favorite Roman villa-themed movie theater:

• Many people thought that Gomorrah, opening tomorrow at the Music Box, was unfairly shafted at this year's Oscars. Now that we've seen it, we agree. It's a brutally deglamorized portrait of the Naples mafia, which has long since expanded from drug peddling into illegal disposal of toxic waste. There's plenty of murder onscreen. But this isn't the high octane, "poetic" violence of The Godfather or Scarface. It's ruthless, nihilistic killing; director Matteo Garrone isn't fixated on the gore but on the lives lost and the communities paralyzed by the mafia's grip on society. It's sobering and absolutely engrossing. The film is based on the best-selling book by Roberto Saviano, who has been under police protection for several years; there's a petition circulating in his defense.


• For the moment at least, weekend matinees at the Music Box have been eliminated. Chalk it up to low attendance. Whether that's due to the rise of home viewing or the inability of people to get their lazy asses out of bed before noon is unknown. The good news is that the midnight screenings are still going strong. Check out the Spring schedule.


• Did you check out that schedule or just ignore it? Because if you skipped it then you failed to see that Michel Gondry, one of the world's most inventive filmmakers, will be at the Music Box to introduce Tokyo! on its opening weekend. The movie is an omnibus film that screened at CIFF last October. Gondry will be also be giving a reading of his new memoir at Quimby's on March 14, but good luck getting in. Incidentally, Gondry has just signed on to direct The Green Hornet movie starring Seth Rogan. We're suddenly 100% more likely to see it.