It’s no question that the Coen Brothers have firmly established themselves as the godfathers of crime-caper storytelling via the silver screen.
It’s no question that the Coen Brothers have firmly established themselves as the godfathers of crime-caper storytelling via the silver screen.
So when Queens-based film collective Cinema Under the Influence (CUI) discovered that Richmond was a den for diehard “Little Lebowski Urban Achievers,” they knew just what to provide the public. In collaboration with Movie Club Richmond, CUI will screen “Miller’s Crossing,” a neo-noir gangster film at Hardywood on Friday.
The 1990 film, written and directed by the Coen Brothers and inspired by the literary work of 20th century novelist Dashiell Hammett, is centered around Tom Reagan, (Gabriel Byrne) right-hand man to mob boss Leo (Albert Finney), who’s feuding with rival boss Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito).
“Moviegoers and Richmond locals love the Coen brothers so this seems like the perfect choice,” said Andrew Blossom of Movie Club Richmond. “Not only is it a personal favorite of mine, but it will right at our two and half year mark as a club.”
Movie Club Richmond began screening film at Strange Matter in 2014 and since then, has screened classic films and cult favorites at The Byrd Theatre, Hardywood, and Yesterday’s Heroes and Vintage.
Most recently, the local film series screened David Cross’ HITS, Hal Hartley’s Ned Rifle, and the entire weekend-long Twin Peaks-inspired celebration, The Great Southern.
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with locals who share the same humor and learn more about the era in which Miller’s Crossing takes place. Tom DeHaven, A VCU professor who specializes in much of Hammett’s work, will be speaking on several topics pertaining to the film and its time period.
“Finding Tom was a rare gift,” said Joe Hogan, founder of CUI. “We were hoping to locate someone who specializes in Hammett’s work, and could give a better understanding to the context of the film. When Andrew informed us of Tom’s expertise, we were ecstatic.”
This will be the first Richmond screening for CUI, who has also been screening films for the last two years.
In addition to the film and guest speaker, the groups are also hosting a raffle to give away some prizes from Hardywood and other local businesses such as Barf Comics, Video Fan, Chop Suey, Dinamo, and Bygones Vintage Clothing.
Hardywood is a favorite venue of Movie Club Richmond and the group will be hosting the event this Fri. Sept. 9 from 7-10:30 pm. There’s just something magical about watching a film pertaining to prohibition while drinking a nice tall lager. I’m personally not going to miss the opportunity.
Tickets for “Miller’s Crossing” are $10 and can be purchased here.
