Meet Chazz Palminteri, Kathleen Turner at New York Film Critics Series in Morristown

kevin bacon with mark ehrenkranz
Actor Kevin Bacon with Mark Ehrenkranz, whose New York Film Critics series showcases the best new films before their public release. Actors, directors and producers field questions from top critics and the audience. Photo courtesy of Mark Ehrenkranz.
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By Judy Stein-Loewenthal

Want to meet Chazz Palminteri and Kathleen Turner?

The place to be is the New York Film Critics Series in Morristown, starting on April 4 and continuing for seven more Wednesday nights at Clearview Cinemas.

kevin bacon with mark ehrenkranz
Actor Kevin Bacon with Mark Ehrenkranz, whose New York Film Critics series showcases the best new films before their public release. Actors, directors and producers field questions from top critics and the audience. Photo courtesy of Mark Ehrenkranz.

Mark and Ira Ehrenkranz have been bringing advance screenings of top films–along with the actors–to New Jersey audiences for nearly 20 years.

At venues in Morristown and Paramus last year, subscribers were among the first people in the country to see the Academy Award winner, The Artist, and Oscar contender The Descendants.

Margin Call, My Week with Marilyn and Roman Polanski’s Carnage, all screened by the series last year, also received Oscar nods.

Each movie is followed by a discussion with a film critic. Peter Travers (Rolling Stone magazine) and Owen Gleiberman (Entertainment Weekly) are among critics who have participated.

They interview actors, directors or producers from the featured films, then invite the audience to ask questions and share observations. Woody Harrelson, Kevin Bacon, Eli Wallach, and William H. Macy all have appeared at prior screenings.

Mark, a West Orange native, started in the movie business while in high school, filming local bands and editing the footage into music videos, just as MTV was on the horizon. After studying film at the University of Michigan and USC Film School, he worked with Jerry Belson, Emmy-award winning writer and producer, and Michael Nesmith of Monkees fame. Mark’s career shuffled him between Los Angeles and New York until he finally settled down in Morristown.

At the time, he said, it was hard for suburbanites to find stimulating movies.

“Such film series existed in Manhattan. Ira [Mark’s father and business partner] and his friends used to attend them. Why not bring them to New Jersey?”

Actress Elizabeth Olsen and director Sean Durkin discuss their new film, 'Martha Marcy May Marlene,' in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Actress Elizabeth Olsen and director Sean Durkin discussed their film, 'Martha Marcy May Marlene,' in Morristown last year. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

As a former Manhattanite accustomed to screening great films just a few blocks from my Upper West Side apartment, I am indebted to the Ehrenkranzes for their commitment to bringing high quality films to our community.

These movies can be viewed here even before they hit the theaters in New York and Los Angeles. As a proud native of Morristown, I often find myself telling friends, “This is the best thing I have ever done in my hometown.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to “go local” and hobnob with big stars. Passes for six weeks ($199 plus $20 registration fee) and eight weeks ($229 plus $20 fee) still are available. Morristown passes also are good at the Paramus series, held each Monday night starting April 2.

To view the Spring 2012 movie lineup visit www.nyfilmcritics.com. For tickets, call the film hotline at 973-539-8785. Hope to see you at the movies…

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