Joe's Garage

Sunday April 10th 2016, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Norma Rae, 1970. Directed by Martin Ritt, 114 minutes. In English with English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

Man, few films will show how the world has changed since the 70s than this gutsy drama. Once upon a time there were things called unions. They were formed by collectives of workers who risked their jobs for the benefit of all. Today the word ‘union’ is a pretty negative one, and they have all but vanished from the social map… but at the same time salaries in the western world are at their lowest since the ’80s, worker’s rights have been all but totally eliminated, while corporations are reporting record profits.

In a bold career-changing move, actress Sally Fields stars as a textile worker in North Carolina, who bucks the damn system and throws her life on the line. Why? Because she believes in something, and refuses to be a slave. But that’s a pretty big decision. Despite what the mainstream media tells us, most of the people who have exposed the American dream as a fraud have been attacked, blacklisted, denounced, blackballed, imprisoned, assassinated, victims of smear campaigns, and erased from social history (just as thoroughly as in any so-called communist regime). Our 20th century history is a shambles, a mess. Why? Because the real motivators of change, whether they were fighting for black power, gay rights or even unions, have been banished from the history books.

So this is a film about a normal person who decides to fight back. And its not Tom Cruise or Mel Gibson… it’s a woman. And once again we have a big film with a powerful message, that sneaked in through the Hollywood door at the end of the 70s – the kind of film that would be impossible today. Sally Fields gives a walloping performance, and it won her an academy award for best actress. The bittersweet theme music is by Jennifer Warnes, which picked up the Oscar for best song. […Lees verder]

Sunday march 13th 2016, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Kiss Me Deadly, 1955. Directed by Robert Aldrich. 106 minutes. In English with English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

Private dick Mike Hammer gets more than he bargained for when one night he picks up a dazed woman on the highway who is running barefoot and is wearing nothing more than a trench coat. This chance encounter leads our confused detective down the darkest alleys he’s ever ventured, and the old Greek legend of Pandora is given an ultra-modern twist. This surreal flick is legendary for its wild mix of genres, including its cold war theme and its dynamite apocalyptic climax.

Based on the novel by Mickey Spillane and directed with a punch by Robert Aldrich (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) this is a classic film noir, and one that had a
big influence on many modern movies, such as Pulp Fiction and Alex Cox’s cult film Repo Man. Personally I see detective Mike Hammer’s sleazy, hard-nose mentality as a beautiful illustration of America’s essential nihilism. It was critically neglected when it was first released in the States, but this existential ’50s cold war paranoia thriller was instantly hailed by European critics as a masterpiece.

This will be a high-definition screening. Doors open at 8pm, intro and film start at 9pm

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

Sunday February 7th 2016. The Decline of Western Civilization (1981). Directed by Penelope Spheeris, 100 minutes. In English. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

This is the legendary indie documentary about the 80s American punk explosion, which is a wild cinematic gem not only for the music but also for the razor-sharp filmmaking and fascinating look at a subculture, which is packed with energy and abrasive vigor. The film has an appeal to anyone who likes the music, but also to people who know nothing about it, with an almost anthropological quality to it.

A mix of outrageous interviews interspersed with visceral concert footage, the film was mostly shot in seedy L.A. clubs and acutely captures the mood of those rebellious times. Director Penelope Spheeris (Wayne’s World) is a woman who dives into the chaos and extracts mind-boggling interviews with the “blank generation” youths who hang out at the nightclubs. She also incorporates footage of bands like Catholic Discipline, X, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Fear and The Germs as a backdrop. An incredible time-capsule, which shows that cinema is perhaps even a better way than books to record history.

This will be a high-definition screening.
Doors open at 8pm, intro and film start at 9pm

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

Sunday January 17th 2016, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: The Naked Civil Servant (1975). Directed by Jack Gold, 78 minutes. In English with English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

This is a extraordinary portrait, focusing on the story of Quentin Crisp, a gay man living in conservative England from the 1920s to the ’70s. This real-life story is simple but profound. It portrays how people lived in loneliness during those dark and desperate days, when homosexuality was illegal and still considered a mental illness. Gangs would go around beating up anyone in the streets who they suspected was gay. The effeminate Crisp refused to be intimidated, and wore make-up in public. He saw value in being an outsider, and he dedicated his life to living without compromise.

This movie stars John Hurt (The Elephant Man, Alien, 1984) in the lead role. Crisp was dressed with broad-brimmed fedoras and flowing scarves. He wore make-up so naturally that it’s difficult to imagine him any other way. He had a chequered life, sometimes even working as a rent-boy (male prostitute) in order to survive. He had an incredible resilience – he would never bat an eye when he was attacked publicly, and always responded with grace. He would raise to prominence only later in his life, through sheer flamboyance and wit. For example, he ended up playing the part of Queen Elizabeth in Sally Potter’s film Orlando. Since he was a terminal social outcast, he always defended otherness rather than inclusion. […Lees verder]

Sunday November 15th 2015, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Johnny Got His Gun. Directed by Dalton Trumbo, 1971, 111 minutes. In English. High-definition screening. Free admission. Door opens at 20:00, Film starts at 21:00.

Yet another film that is threatened of being remade by Hollywood (that factory of uninspired dreams), taking this wonderful piece of committed art and castrating it into a typical, tired,  uninspired american formula, and therefore ruining yet another cinematic masterpiece for another generation of film goers…!

Considered by many to be the best anti-war film ever made (its been called the holy-grail of 70s anti-war films), this is cinema at its most revelatory – the entire film actually takes place in a single room in which a soldier is dealing with his injuries. Through memories and thoughts we witness the re-construction of his life, mixed with dreams and fantasies.

This film was skillfully directed by Dalton Trumbo, who also wrote the best-selling book this movie is based on. Many big name directors wanted to make this film, but they also wanted to change things in the script. Trumbo wouldn’t give in, so in the end he directed this brilliant film himself… and thankfully for us he did.

Its difficult to think of another film which is as deep and sincere as this gem from the 70s. What can I say about the profound impact of this film? For the cinema of fake sensationalism, of hyper entertainment, this is a movie which moves, through its razor-sharp honesty. Theerfore it certainly blows every film that is playing now downtown in the Pathe away! Starring Timothy Bottoms, the excellent cast also includes Jason Robards and Donald Sutherland (as Christ).

This will be a high-definition screening of this riveting cult classic.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net