Quad Cinema has alerted the town of their new schedules, the showings include some old favorites, some new hopefuls, and some old favorites auditioning as new hopefuls. First up is Hats Off, a film that profiles the 93-year-old (!) actress Mimi Weddell. It's an interesting look at how spry and active someone approaching the century mark can be, while simultaneously putting to shame my supposed vibrant lifestyle of weekend hangover couch-laying routines. This woman does it all; she dances, she does gymnastics, and she pursues endless acting auditions. She does all of this within the span of time it takes the average young slug to beat Halo 3 for the fifteenth time. Hats Off might inspire you, it might humble you, it might even make you weep over your own existence. But it's a great profile flick and Mimi is certainly no slouch.

Also at the Quad is the Marianne Faithfull-starring flick Irina Palm, which follows the middle-aged character of Maggie (Faithfull) as she begins working at a sex club in order to pay for her grandson's treatment of a terminal illness. Maggie becomes so popular at the club that the higher brass dub her "Irina Palm" and begin to market her as the big cheese of the show. It's a gloriously produced film with Faithfull churning out a performance that is equally as somber as it is exciting. Here's what Quad Cinema president, Elliot Kanbar, had to say about it:

"...the film, IRINA PALM, is so exceptional, so moving, that I urge you to see it. Now, you out there, stop complaining (you know who you are) about a dearth of good films around. See IRINA PALM or you deserve to be punished."

I'd say that's a pretty strong endorsement. So, go visit the Quad this weekend (or anytime for that matter) and be merry. That's right, be merry.