It’s a benefit for 826 Valencia, Lethem will be there, the movie is awesome, and it’s tonight at the IFC Center, one of the nicest movie theaters in town and independent (not to mention squeaky-clean), too:

Movie Night with Jonathan Lethem: SCARECROW
 
Tonight at 7:30 pm!
The acclaimed author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude in person — along with his special guest, director Jerry Schatzberg — to present a personal favorite: Schatzberg’s 1973 Palme d’Or winner Scarecrow, starring Al Pacino and Gene Hackman.
 
“A 70s gem!” —Time Out New York
 
R. 112 minutes.
 
Purchase tickets online

More info (forgive the email carets, will remove soonish):
 
> Movie Night with
> JONATHAN LETHEM
>
> Acclaimed Author to Host Screening of 70s Road-Movie Classic
> SCARECROW as Part of IFC Center’s Special Guest-Curator Series,
> With Director Jerry Schatzberg,
> Thursday, November 9 at 7:30pm
>
> Award-winning author Jonathan Lethem will appear in person at the IFC
> Center Thursday, November 9 at 7:30pm to present a rare screening of
> SCARECROW, joined by his special guest, the film’s director, Jerry
> Schatzberg.
>
> A 70s road-movie classic shot by the legendary Vilmos Zsigmond,
> SCARECROW (1973) stars Gene Hackman and Al Pacino as two drifters, Max
> and Lion, who warily form a friendship as they hitchhike across the
> country. The film won the Palme d’Or for Best Film at the Cannes Film
> Festival.
>
> Jonathan Lethem published his first novel, Gun with Occasional Music,
> in 1994. He first garnered major critical and audience attention with
> Motherless Brooklyn (1999), a tale of a private detective with
> Tourette syndrome, which won the National Book Critic’s Circle Award.
> Among his recent works are The Fortress of Solitude (2003), a
> semi-autobiographical novel set in late-1970s Brooklyn, and a
> collection of essays, The Disappointment Artist (2005). In 2005,
> Lethem was named recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship grant. He lives
> in Brooklyn.
>
> Jerry Schatzberg was an established professional photographer, with
> work published in Vogue and McCall’s, before he turned to filmmaking.
> Among his credits as a director are The Panic in Needle Park (1971),
> The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) and Street Smart (1987)
>
> In the “Movie Night” program, the IFC Center turns over a theater to
> special guests and lets them call the shots. Audiences can discover
> what some of their favorite authors, musicians, artists and filmmakers
> would pick if it were Movie Night at their house. Participants appear
> in person to share why they made their selections: to acknowledge the
> brilliance of a timeless classic, spotlight an unsung gem, or defend a
> guilty pleasure. Past guests include the filmmaker David Gordon Green,
> Slovenian theorist and philosopher Slavoj Zizek,
> singer-songwriter-actor Will Oldham, director and Monty Python alum
> Terry Gilliam, and French auteur Gaspar Noé.
>
> A photo from SCARECROW is attached.
>
> Tickets for the evening are $12 general admission/$10 seniors.
>
> Proceeds from the “Movie Night with…” program benefit 826NYC, a
> nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students’ writing
> skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.
> Visit www.826nyc.org for more details and other programs.
>
> For press information, please contact Harris Dew, at 212 924-6789 or
> hdew@ifccenter.com
>
> IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas at West 3rd Street, box
> office: 212 924-7771.
> For showtimes, advance tickets, and more information, visit
> ifccenter.com.