As the cultural line between Manhattan and Brooklyn becomes ever more blurred, the Brooklyn Academy of Music Rose Cinemas house (or BAM Rose Cinemas for short) is the most accomplished contender for Manhattan's myriad of upstanding film theaters. And, since the second March weekend is fast approaching, I will post some recommended screenings that the BAM Rose will be presenting across the (skinny) pond.

The house is showing several films that you might have already heard about (There Will Be Blood, The Band's Visit, Persopolis), but another run is beginning March 7 (Friday) that will be slightly less known than said features. The Talking Pictures of Manoel de Oliveira is a collection of films created by the oldest working filmmaker around today (aged 100!), Portugese descendent Manoel de Oliveira. Here's a description from the house's website:

Oliveira delivers sublimely crafted works rooted in the European literary tradition of Goethe, Flaubert, and Ionesco, along with adaptations of Portuguese writers, while using his self-reflexive style to challenge the nature of cinema itself. Grandly defying the idea that movies should be less talky and more visual, Oliveira removes the flash and melodrama from his work to focus on words and the ideas they convey.

Among the various film titles included are The Divine Comedy, Christopher Columbus The Enigma, and The Past and the Present. Check out the theater's website for more information on these great films, including showtimes and ticket details. In the meantime, here is the trailer for the Christopher Colombus expose...

BAM Rose Cinemas is one of my favorite venues so go ahead and stop by one of these days to view the first class settings. They also have great live music (after all, it is the Brooklyn Academy of Music) to sink your eardrums into on those starry Brooklyn nights. I'll be covering this particular place quite a bit so keep those mice locked on the 'Roots in the days that are sure to come!

(Also, for those of you who don't like reading subtitles with your talkies, or foreign films in general, don't worry...I'll be mostly covering American indies anyway. So don't fret New Yorkers!)

(Maria Amélia Matta and her birds, forlorn over MTA fare hikes, in a still from Benilde or the Virgin Mother via BAM Rose Cinemas.)