The one bad thing about living in New York City is that you’re 1700
miles from the nearest Alamo Drafthouse and 3000 miles from the New
Beverly. The one salve to this great pain is the IFC Center, the official art house cinema for the Independent Film Channel. In addition to a great regular schedule, they frequently host special screenings with directors showing their own work or their favorite work of others. April 8th’s screening is a must see.
From IFCCenter.com:
We’re proud to welcome legendary director Paul Verhoeven (Basic
Instinct, Starship Troopers, RoboCop) in person
April 8 to present Monty Python’s LIFE OF BRIAN as part of our ongoing
“Movie Night” series. Verhoeven — the subject of our popular recent
midnight series “Base
Instincts: Verhoeven in the U.S.A.” — will talk about LIFE OF
BRIAN, his career, and Jesus in a special Q&A session after the
film.
In 1985, Verhoeven became the only non-theologian admitted into Los
Angeles’s Jesus Seminar, a group of 77 eminent scholars in theology,
philosophy, linguistics, and biblical history. Verhoeven is the author
of the new book Jesus of Nazareth (Seven Stories Press),
exploring his lifelong fascination with the facts and fictions
surrounding the life of Jesus. Copies of Jesus of Nazareth will
be available for purchase at our concession stand; there will be a book
signing with Verhoeven following the screening.
I’m pretty sure this is a rare appearance. It’s been fairly quiet on the Verhoeven front since 2006’s excellent Black Book and he had some health problems around that time, so it’s good to see him back on his feet. Maybe we’ll find out if he’ll be back in the director’s chair too.