October Films at the Library
Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries around town have been a film buff’s dream this month. With help from the NEA funded “Big Read” initiative Buffalo libraries have been hosting showings of classic “Film Noir” movies at selected locations. The films include: Double Indemnity, Chinatown, The Maltese Falcon, and others.
In addition to this, the downtown library’s “Rocktober” program will be presenting a hip hop double feature TODAY starting at 1PM. with Beat Street.

The Maltese Falcon is the centerpiece of the “Big Read” program, and during the month of October, participants have been treated to readings, discussion groups, and a Falcon related scavenger hunt. Next week, the downtown library will host Discovering Sam Spade and the Maltese Falcon with Dr. Richard Layman. The program begins October 29 at 4:00 PM in the Ring of Knowledge. If you haven’t had a chance to check the program out and you’re a fan of Noir, this is a great opportunity to discuss a classic. Don’t forget to come out at your local library for the remaining showings of the films as well. The schedule includes:
October 26 Central Chinatown 2:00 PM
October 26 Reinstein The Maltese Falcon 2:00 PM
October 28 Clarence Murder, My Sweet 6:30 PM
October 28 Lancaster The Maltese Falcon 6:30 PM
October 30 Aurora Double Indemnity 6:30 PM
October 30 Hamburg Chinatown 7:00 PM
For my money, a chance to see the first colorized Noir film, Chinatown, for free
is worth making the trip downtown this Sunday. I can’t imagine there is a soul who has not seen this Nicholson / Polanski Academy Award winner, but if you are one or know someone who is, hop the train and check it out on a big screen.
The “Rocktober” film festival this Saturday, featuring the classic Beat Street and the amazing documentary Rize, kicks off a celebration of Hip Hop History month which begins in November. Not only are both film’s seminal for Hip Hop, but they will be played in the Auditorium, on a full size film screen.
Beat Street, released as the first “Hip Hop Musical “in the early eighties, does a great job of representing a growing culture and scene in NYC. While the characters and music may have aged a little, fans with a decent knowledge of hip hop will recognize samples from some of their favorite songs as Beat Street, (along with Wild Style and the Breakin’ movies) has seen it’s dialogue and music recycled constantly by high profile artists over the years. Each of the main characters represents one of the elements of early hip hop. The worldly beyond his horizons D.J./M.C, the irresponsible but dedicated graffiti writer, and the break dancing little brother are all real characters to be found in the early days of the Bronx Renaissance. Also, the movie contains a cameo by the man whom many consider to have invented Hip Hop D.J.ing, Kool Herc, and the breakdancing scenes were choreographed by Rock Steady Crew legend Crazy Legs, who also makes an appearance. For fans of hip hop, this movie showcases some of the finest talent in early NYC rap acts, clubs, and dancers.
More recently, Rize has taken the dance and hip hop community by storm with its gripping factual account of life and dancing in Los Angeles. The documentary follows two different types of dancers. Clowns, who as their name suggests, are paid entertainers at birthday parties and other social gatherings and who have developed a unique style of dancing for entertainment, and Krump Dancers, who take the clown style of dancing and infuse it with a personal velocity of rage and love that is expressed by the manic and brutal moves of Krump. While Los Angeles dance trends may not seem relevant to Buffalo, Krump Dancing has infiltrated every commercial market possible the past few years and Rize captures the founders of the style before it caught on. The dancers move so fast at points that a disclaimer was put into the movie to let the audience know that there were no camera tricks involved in filming the dance scenes. High energy dance and a great soundtrack combined with an unflinching look at life in the ghetto makes this one of the best documentaries in recent years.
All the films at the library are free, and what better way to spend an October afternoon than watching a free movie on the big screen? Whether you are the cloak and dagger type, or the clown and Krump type, this weekend will satisfy your movie fix without costing you your spending money for the week. If you’re interested in more information about The Big Read, please visit here. If you’d like to find out more about Hip Hop History month or the Central Library’s upcoming monthly Hip Hop clinics for Teens please visit the teen page.
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