catching up on recent posts…
here’s an interview with old pals at
ICONS OF FRIGHT.

Chris Skotchdopole’s CRUMB CATCHER in good company on Rotten Tomatoes.
Certified Fresh!

Stream CRUMB CATCHER today!

DIRECTOR: Ilya Chaiken
CAST: Al Thompson, Kareem Savinon, Anny Mariano, Rayniel Rufino

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Derrick and Tico lose their jobs at the Statue of Liberty tourist site due to the 9/11 attacks. As they struggle to survive in the aftermath, courted by Army recruiters and tempted by street life, the two friends pursue divergent paths to an elusive future.

Director Ilya Chaiken and actors Kareem Saviñon, Johnny Rivera and Anny Mariano join us at the Roxy Cinema for a post-film discusssion and Q&A following a screening of their 2007 feature, Liberty Kid.
moderated by Rigo Garay

DIRECTOR Ilya Chaiken

CAST Eleanor Hutchins, Larry Fessenden, Holly Ramos, Barbara Sicuranza

Zelda confronts the end of the party in the 1990s starving artist Brooklyn scene, trying to navigate adulthood with a baby, a deadbeat poet boyfriend, a best friend recovering from addiction, and a loft teeming with carousing roommates. A chorus of boozy mom-punks and an incremental series of crises help bring Zelda’s life into focus.

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DIRECTOR: Ilya Chaiken
CAST: Theo Kogan, Gina Volpe, Sydney Silver, Sindi Benezra
PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION with Glass Eye Pix

The Lunachicks, an all-female punk band renowned for their unabashed humor and unwavering pro-women ethos, made their mark on NYC’s underground music scene in the ‘90s. A rollercoaster of drugs, romances, and creative conflicts ultimately led to their 2000 breakup, but can love of the music reunite them for one last show? Buoyed by energetic storytelling, gritty ’80s-’90s nightclub footage, insightful interviews, and high-voltage performances, this is a must-watch for music history enthusiasts.

“Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks
starts out at a 10 out of 10 and stays there…
Director Chaiken begins with fun and keeps it coming throughout.
It is one of the most exciting rock documentaries ever made.
It radiates fun like the sun radiates heat. Really good movies make you high. 
Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks gets you f*****g blasted.”
—Film Threat

by  Rachel Reeves

The subgenre of eco-horror exists to remind us that the Earth and natural world were here long before each and every one of us, and will remain so long after we depart this mortal coil. It is horror rooted in the idea that nature does not exist to serve or be controlled by short-sighted humans, and can indeed fight back. Whether it’s killer animals, toxic contamination, mutation, or the general sense that the planet is fed up with our abuse, eco-horror is one of the most enduring and prescient corners of the genre. 

That said, it makes perfect sense that eco-horror began to gain real momentum in the 1970s. While examples of eco-horror existed long before that, Earth Day launched in 1970 as part of the modern environmental movement. The EPA was created that same year amid growing public anxiety over pollution, pesticides, and the compounding damage being done to our air, water, and land. That combo made the decade a fertile breeding ground for stories about nature striking back. You can almost feel the era’s fear of industrial excess seeping straight onto the screen.

Even today, eco-horror still works because the anxieties behind it, unfortunately, never went away. Despite all the advances made in the last few decades, science remains constantly questioned, planned obsolescence keeps landfills full, and extreme weather events are only increasing. 

If you, too, are feeling frustrated and have sympathy for the planet that sustains life for us all, here are 7 eco-horror films to check out, along with where to stream them, to help channel that angst.

The Last Winter (2006)

Larry Fessenden’s The Last Winter blends snow horror with eco-horror, taking place in the freezing, godforsaken Arctic. Starring Ron Perlman, Connie Britton, James LeGros, Zach Gilford, and Kevin Corrigan, the movie kicks off as an oil company’s push into the Alaska tundra taps into something unexpected and very dangerous. The crew soon begins to experience eerie visions, disappearances, and paranoia as the land itself seems to rebel against their presence.

Where to watch: Shudder

Read whole list at BD!

GEP regular Ilaya Chaiken rolls out three remarkable movies
this coming weekend. Q&As to follow.
All films produced in association with Glass Eye Pix

PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS + Q&A

DOCUMENTARY, MUSIC, BIOGRAPHY | 2026 | 91MIN

The Lunachicks, an all-female punk band renowned for their unabashed humor and unwavering pro-women ethos, made their mark on NYC’s underground music scene in the ‘90s. A rollercoaster of drugs, romances, and creative conflicts ultimately led to their 2000 breakup, but can love of the music reunite them for one last show? 

Q&A with filmmaker Ilya Chaiken and Lunachicks members Theo Kogan, Syd Silver, Gina Volpe, Chip English & Sindi Benezra following screening. Moderated by Jeanne Fury.

SOLD OUT!

MARGARITA HAPPY HOUR + Q&A

DRAMA | 2001 | 98MIN
SATURDAY, APRIL 25Saturday, April 25
7:00 PM
CAST: Eleanor Hutchins, Larry Fessenden, Holly Ramos, Barbara Sicuranza

Zelda confronts the end of the party in the 1990s starving artist Brooklyn scene, trying to navigate adulthood with a baby, a deadbeat poet boyfriend, a best friend recovering from addiction, and a loft teeming with carousing roommates. A chorus of boozy mom-punks and an incremental series of crises help bring Zelda’s life into focus.

Q&A with director Ilya Chaiken, actors Eleanor Hutchins and Larry Fessenden following screening. Moderated by Azazel Jacobs.

Tickets

LIBERTY KID + Q&A

DRAMA | 2007 | 92MIN
SUNDAY, APRIL 26Sunday, April 26
7:30 PM
CAST: Al Thompson, Kareem Savinon, Anny Mariano, Rayniel Rufino

Derrick and Tico lose their jobs at the Statue of Liberty tourist site due to the 9/11 attacks. As they struggle to survive in the aftermath, courted by Army recruiters and tempted by street life, the two friends pursue divergent paths to an elusive future.

Q&A with director Ilya Chaiken, actor Kareem Saviñon and additional cast members following screening.
Moderated by Rigo Garay

Tickets

Philip Hartman’s 
NO PICNIC

Friday, April 17 – Thursday, April 23

U.S., 1986
Written and directed by Philip Hartman
Starring David Brisbin, Clare Bauman, Judith Malina, Ryan Cutrona, Anne D’Agnillo, Luis Guzmán, Richard Hell, Steve Buscemi
Produced by Doris Kornish
Cinematography by Peter Hutton
Approx. 87 min.

Philip Hartman’s priceless artifact of New York’s pre-gentrification East Village follows down-and-out jukebox operator Macabee Cohn, played with deadpan melancholy by David Brisbin, who wanders the cheap tenements, dive bars, and derelict streets of the East Village in search of a mysterious woman in a striped dress. 

NO PICNIC premiered at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival, where Peter Hutton won the Best Cinematography prize for his gorgeously evocative black-and-white imagery, working with producer Doris Kornish, Emmy Award–winning director Mike Spiller as assistant cameraman, animator Lewis Klahr as boom operator, Christine Vachon as assistant sound editor, with assistance from, among other notables, Jacob Burckhardt and Jeff Preiss. Scored by Ned Sublette, the soundtrack features The Raunch Hands, Fela Kuti, Charles Mingus and Student Teachers.

Hartman co-owned The Great Jones Cafe, which introduced Cajun cooking to downtown NYC, became a magnet for the indie film and music communities, and flourished for 35 years until its closure in 2018. Using his gumbo money, and drawing on the rich talent of the Jones community, Hartman wrote and directed NO PICNIC in the summer of ‘85. Wim Wenders’ company, Grey City, came aboard as executive producer and the film was accepted to Sundance, but still needing $25k to finish post-production, Hartman co-founded Two Boots Pizzeria on Avenue A, now a beloved New York institution. He would also go on to make EERIE (1995), a feature starring Felicity Huffman & Will Arnett.

A FILM DESK RELEASE