NYC retrospective for No Wave filmmaker Amos Poe opens Jan. 3 at Metrograph

Updated Dec. 25: Amos Poe, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2022, died today. He was 76.

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Metrograph has just put tickets on sale for "Amos Poe and No Wave Cinema," a new retrospective running Jan. 3–25. 

The program marks the first dedicated New York City retrospective for Amos Poe, often called "the first punk filmmaker" and a key figure in the No Wave Cinema movement that emerged from the Lower East Side in the late 1970s and 1980s. Many of the films are rarely shown theatrically. 

Poe collaborated with downtown icons, including Richard Hell, Debbie Harry, and Cookie Mueller, among many others, capturing a New York that no longer exists. 

Screenings include a number of his films and those of his collaborators in which he appears, among them "The Blank Generation," "Downtown 81," "Smithereens," "Subway Riders," "Unmade Beds" and "Variety." The full schedule is now live on Metrograph's site. 

Metrograph is at 7 Ludlow St. between Hester and Canal on the Lower East Side.

See a little of the 1970s-1980s East Village tonight on Turner Classic Movies

Thanks to EVG Facebook friend Steven for pointing out the late-night (early-morning) schedule at Turner Classic Movies...

The cable channel is showing two films from No Wave cinema pioneer Amos Poe... "The Foreigner" from 1978 at 2 a.m. and "Alphabet City" from 1984 at 3:45 a.m. ... both filmed in and around these parts.

Alex wrote about "The Foreigner" a few years back at Flaming Pablum.

Here's a scene featuring Debbie Harry...



Then there's a Hollywoodized "Alphabet City."

Here's the plot cut-and-pasted from Wikipedia:

The film takes place entirely in one evening, with the time being indicated chronologically on the clock in Johnny's Trans Am. Early in the evening Johnny meets with his friend Lippy, an eccentric cocaine dealer played by Michael Winslow. They discuss the planned burning of an apartment building, called for by the mob. As their discussion progresses, it becomes clear that it is Johnny who must carry out the burning of the building before the night is over, and moreover, his mother and sister live in the targeted building. This request from the Mob pushes Johnny to plan a split from the Mob, which proves difficult...

Hmm. Did I mention that lead Vincent Spano wears studded ankle bracelets?

I wrote this about it five years ago:

I wanted to like the movie more than I did. It's definitely worth watching for many reasons, such as seeing a hammy Jami Gertz play a high-priced teen hooker.

And here's the trailer ...



And you should also quickly realize if you are watching the correct movie called "The Foreigner."