January in NYC: 'Dances, Docs and Double Bills

The Seven Deadly Sins: This is the only publishable still available for any Maria Beatty movie ever (Photo: Bleu Productions)

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Beyond the reappearance of five-day work weeks and the disappearance of tinsel-tossed window displays, one sure-fire way to know the holidays are over is the bounty of hard choices facing local filmgoers. I'm not talking about There Will Be Blood versus No Country For Old Men versus Juno versus whatever other awards-season white noise has you preoccupied; I'm talking about the one-offs and special events that require decisions. Just take a look at tonight:

--Over at IFC Center, Thom Powers resumes his Stranger Than Fiction documentary series with A Promise to the Dead, featuring author and subject Ariel Dorfman and director Peter Raymont in person for Q&A. Powers swears by this movie; I'll let you know how it all shakes down with a coverage and a season preview on Wednesday.

--Or, if you're in a bit (OK -- a lot) naughtier mood, CineKink is back at the Pioneer Theater with the can't-miss Maria Beatty double feature The Elegant Spanking and The Seven Deadly Sins, the latter of which goes like: "Caught in the act of coveting her mistress' position, a young maid must submit to her sadism and her lust, her perfect body made the theater for a re-enactment of the lessons of the Seven Deadly Sins." Yowza! Ariel Dorfman, eat your heart out.

--OR, in the spirit of ultimate adventure, head over to Staten Island for opening night of Billdance 2, programmer Bill Woods' (FilmFest Reloaded and New Filmmakers) month-long series of music- and dance-themed independent films. The program is a surprise, but the series' long-time hosts at Karl's Klipper have a bar with a 100 percent-effective alcohol rate in case of any dance-centric misfires on- or off-screen.

Stay tuned at The Reeler for lots more to come as this decidedly un-slow January picks up...

Posted at January 8, 2008 12:46 PM