02.28.07
1. Street Art in Brazil and NYC
2. The speakers are turned up at the Gramercy
3. Kiarostami celebrated in Manhattan and Queens
4. Imamura celebrated in Brooklyn
Volume 6, Number 39
February 28 - March 14, 2007
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twi-ny/mdr
Mark di Suvero’s interactive "She" sits in the snow as part of P.S. 1’s "Not for Sale" exhibition
Jonathan LeVine Gallery
529 West 20th St., ninth floor
Closed Sunday & Monday
Through March 17
Admission: free
212-243-3822
http://www.jonathanlevinegallery.com
twi-ny/mdr
Fefê poses in front of her letter monster
Presented in collaboration with Brazil’s Choque Cultural Gallery, "Ruas de São Paulo" features the innovative work of eight Brazilian street artists, all of whom were brought to New York, many for the first time, where they not only participated in the installation but also created new pieces, some painted directly on the wall — temporary murals that will be painted over at the end of the exhibition. While several recent gallery and museum shows focusing on graffiti and street art have met with varying degrees of success — this kind of art is best seen, of course, outside, within the community that helped shape it — Boleta, Fefê, Highraff, Kboco, Onesto, Speto, Titi Freak, and Zezão have managed to re-create much of that ever-changing environment without compromising their vision. Kboco’s Por*Arriba series consists of altered advertising images framed and hung side by side, while a fanciful chair juts out of a wall. Speto’s large spray-painted portraits practically come alive. Yo-yo expert Titi Freak incorporates his Japanese heritage into stunning mixed-media works, some made on pieces of wood he found in New York City and elsewhere; the elegant "Drink," the complex "Gold, and the hard-edged "Black Man" are drawn on parts of a sake bottle box.
twi-ny/mdr
Titi Freak’s Brazilian street art takes over Chelsea walls
Boleta’s fantastical pieces are more psychedelic, with a Gothic feel; his brand-new, wild, multicolored mural dominates one room in the gallery, nearby his "Ironing Board," "Snake Sword," and "White Skull." Onesto, who studied with the great Os Gemeos, paints a stable of odd, cartoonish characters, both on canvas and climbing the walls of the gallery, like Charles Addams on shrooms. Highraff includes colorful shrooms in his Lewis Carroll-like fairy-tale wonderland that includes three-dimensional sculptures. A DVD shows Zezão at work beneath the streets of São Paulo, working on his abstract forms that sometimes recall fractals or micro-organisms and his unique iconographic alphabet. Finally, the sole woman in the show, Fefê, contributes her Paul Klee-like mixed-media works on scratchboard, a menagerie of cool animals such as a cow, a unicorn, a rabbit, and various "monsters." She has also installed a huge, site-specific letter monster whose tail wraps around the back hallway.
© James T. and Karla L. Murray
NORM, CERN, SPACE, NAMES, SILOETTE, WEOK, and COPE2 show their stuff
At one of the opening parties for "Ruas de São Paulo," we had the opportunity to speak with several of the Brazilian artists, who all spoke about how exciting it was to be in New York City, where graffiti was born. That history is one of the many intriguing angles examined in BURNING NEW YORK, a splendidly designed horizontal hardcover about New York City graffiti by the same team, James T. and Karla Murray, who produced the excellent BROKEN WINDOWS — GRAFFITI NYC. The Murrays go out on the streets and document bombs and tags for posterity, taking photos of both the artists and their work, which is, of course, as temporary as the cops, the government, building owners, and the community decide it is. BURNING NEW YORK is a wonderful visual and oral history of city graffiti, with dozens of quotes from graf writers both old school and new. "Graffiti entertains and assaults," says Cara von Funk, founder of MAMA Reps, Inc. "Graffiti has changed the world," notes longtime writer STAN153, adding as advice to the younger generation: "Grab as much education as you possibly can because this way you can teach other people." "Graffiti will always be outlaw to the system and we can’t change that," notes SERVE. CES explains, "[The] mission of a graffiti artist [is] to leave something behind, to be famous, to be bigger than life and to stand out from the rest." And QA says, "Graffiti is sort of shameless. It’s really addictive and it’s egotistical."
© James T. and Karla L. Murray
DOZE GREEN, SMITH, EWOK, MUCK, DRE, DAZE, and CYCLE at work
Other writers sharing their opinions on such topics as barnstorming, Ground Zero, gangs and crews, the Vandal Squad, lettering versus backgrounds, commercialization and commissions, female writers, and blackbooks include STAN ONE, MERES, POEM, PRIZ, DAZE, CLAW, KEO, ACB, FEVER, REBEL, COPE2, CRASH, MARK BODE, TOOFLY, ESPO, and SENSE3. The book features gorgeous full pages and pull-out spreads that will help New Yorkers identify many familiar images they have been seeing for years and give glimpses at what some of the writers behind the images look like. The book concludes with a discussion of the future of graf. "We will always be painting," says BG 183. "We haven’t stopped. We have a whole bunch of paint and if we have to go to war with the city, I don’t think we are gonna lose." FREE5 proclaims, "The movement is still going strong and we’re still producing more and trying to invent different styles and different things are happening. I’m inspired to go all the way. I’ll never quit. I’m on an eternal mission to paint without restriction." And JESSE states, "The buff doesn’t matter to me. Nothing last forever." But with books like BURNING NEW YORK and people such as the Murrays, the work of these writers will always live on.
twi-ny/mdr
Gramercy Theatre is being converted into a concert hall
127 East 23rd St. at Lexington Ave.
212-777-1224
The Gramercy Theatre on 23rd and Lexington has had a long history as an art house and dollar-movie joint, going back to 1937. When MoMA temporarily moved to Queens a few years ago, they screened their films at the Gramercy; the space has been home to the odd musical (produced by the Roundabout Theatre) or has been empty since then. Now Live Nation, which also operates such music halls as the Beacon, the Hammerstein Ballroom, Irving Plaza, and Roseland, is resuscitating and renovating the building, converting it into a music venue with a capacity of about six hundred. Things kick off on March 8 with Charlie Louvin and Laura Cantrell and include a six-show run by Henry Rollins and Janeane Garofalo. Below is the current lineup through April.
Thursday, March 8 Charlie Louvin with Laura Cantrell, $16.50, 7:00
Friday, March 9 Clinic with Holy F*ck!, $18.50, 7:30
Tuesday, March 13 Mute Math with the Cinematics and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, $15, 7:00
Friday, March 23 Gene Ween with Chris Harford and the Band of Changes, TBA
Monday, March 26 The Haunted / Dark Tranquility with Into Eternity and Scar Symmetry, $16, 7:30
Thursday, March 29 Mika, TBA
Friday, March 30 La Coka Nostra (Everlast, ILL BILL, Danny Boy, DJ Lethal, Slaine, and Big Left), $17, 8:00
Saturday, March 31 Birdmonster, $14, 9:00
Tuesday, April 3 Chevelle, $20, 8:30
Friday, April 6 Rasputina with the Bowmans, $20, 9:00
Saturday, April 7 Matt Wertz and Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers with special guest Jon McLaughlin, $16.50, 9:00
Monday, April 9 Teddybears, $14, 7:00
Tuesday, April 10
through
Sunday, April 15 Henry Rollins, Marc Maron, and Jeneane Garofolo, $30, 7:30
Sunday, April 22 Jedi Mind Tricks with Reef the Lost Cauze, $17, 8:45
Saturday, April 28 Amon Tobin, $22.50, 9:00
twi-ny/mdr
Live Bait is one of several places to grab some food before Gramercy show
East 23rd St. between Park & Madison Aves.
Along the south stretch of 23rd St. between Park and Madison are several places that are worth stopping in before a show at the Gramercy Theatre. If you’re in the mood for some New Orleans fare and a few beers served by way-too-beautiful male and female models, try Live Bait (14 East 23rd St., 212-353-2400). Vegans will go nuts for Bonobo’s (18 East 23rd St., 212-505-1200), a vegetarian restaurant specializing in live, mostly organic, and chemical-free food. JAS Mart (34 West 23rd St., 212-387-8721) is a small treasure, offering great Japanese chocolates, cool packaged snacks and odd drinks, interesting seaweed and seafood appetizers, tasty daifuku, and lots of other Japanese products that you just don’t see every day. And finally, for the all-American soda and a slice, Mozzarelli’s (38 East 23rd St., 212-475-6777) is one of the best pizza places around.
Abbas Kiarostami in TEN ON TEN
MoMA Film
Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
March 1-19
Tickets: $10, in person only, may be applied to museum admission within thirty days, same-day screenings free with museum admission, available at Film and Media Desk
212-708-9400
In 2002, Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami was unable to attend the New York Film Festival for the premiere of TEN because of visa delays in the wake of September 11 — especially for people from countries such as Iran. (On a related note, earlier this week Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s travel visa was rescinded by the U.S. government, so he will be unable to come to the city for the March opening of his NYFF 2006 selection OFFSIDE as scheduled.) But the world-renowned director will now be back in New York for the opening of several exciting exhibitions at MoMA and P.S. 1. On March 1, MoMA begins its three-week-long series of Kiarostami’s short films and feature works highlighting his outstanding four-decade career; the master will be present that first night, introducing BIRTH OF LIGHT and Palme d’Or winner THE TASTE OF CHERRY (which tied for the honor with Shohei Imamura’s THE EEL — see below for BAM’s series honoring the late Japanese auteur). These thirty films display Kiarostami’s highly personal touch, thoughtful, philosophical mood pieces and subtle stories, often populated by non-actors, that reflect on the human experience.
Thursday, March 1 TAVALOD-E NOOR (BIRTH OF LIGHT) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997) and TA’AM-E GILAS (THE TASTE OF CHERRY) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997), introduced by Kiarostami, 7:00
Friday, March 2 NAN VA KOUTCHEH (BREAD AND ALLEY).(Abbas Kiarostami, 1970), ZANG-E TAFRIH (RECESS/BREAKTIME) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1972), and TADJROBEH (THE EXPERIENCE) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1973), 6:00
Friday, March 2 MAN HAM MITOUNAM (SO CAN I) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1975), DO RAH-E HAL BARAY-E YEK MASSALEH (TWO SOLUTIONS FOR ONE PROBLEM) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1975), and MOSSAFER (THE TRAVELLER) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1974), 8:00
Saturday, March 3 RANG-HA (COLORS) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1976), AZ OGHAT-E FARAGHAT-E KHOD CHEGOUNEH ESTEFADEH KONIM: RANG-ZANIE (HOW TO MAKE USE OF LEISURE TIME: PAINTING) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1977), RAH-E HAL-E YEK (SOLUTION NO. 1) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1978), and LEBASI BARA YE AROUSSI (THE WEDDING SUIT) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1976), 2:00
Saturday, March 3 DANDAN-DARD (TOOTHACHE) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1979), BE TARTIB VA BEDOUN-E TARTIB (ORDERLY OR DISORDERLY) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1981), HAMSARAYAN (THE CHORUS) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1982), and HAMSHAHRI (FELLOW CITIZEN) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1983), 4:15
Sunday, March 4 AVALI HA (FIRST-GRADERS) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1984), 2:00
Sunday, March 4 KHANEH-JE DOOST KOJAST? (WHERE IS THE FRIEND’S HOUSE?) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1987), 4:00
Sunday, March 4 MASHQ-E SHAB (HOMEWORK) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1989), 6:00
Monday, March 5 NAMAY-EH NAZDIK (CLOSE-UP) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990), 6:00
Monday, March 5 ZENDEGI VA DIGAR HICH (AND LIFE GOES ON… / LIFE AND NOTHING MORE…) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1991), 8:00
Wednesday, March 7 ZIR-E DARAKHTAN-E ZEYTON (THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1994), 6:00
Wednesday, March 7 BAD MARA KHAHAD BOURD (THE WIND WILL CARRY US) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1999), 8:00
Thursday, March 8 ABC AFRICA (Abbas Kiarostami, 2001), 6:00
Mania Akbari drives the emotional stories in TEN
Thursday, March 8 SHAM-E YEKNAFARE (DINNER FOR ONE) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1995) and TEN (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002), 8:00
Friday, March 9 FIVE: DEDICATED TO OZU (Abbas Kiarostami, 2004), 6:00
Friday, March 9 10 ON TEN (Abbas Kiarostami, 2004), 8:00
Saturday, March 10 LETTERS (Abbas Kiarostami, 2006), 2:00
Saturday, March 10 RUG (Abbas Kiarostami, 2006), TICKETS (Abbas Kiarostami, 2004), and ROADS OF KIAROSTAMI (Abbas Kiarostami, 2005), 4:00
Saturday, March 10 ZIR-E DARAKHTAN-E ZEYTON (THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1994), 6:00
Sunday, March 11 NAN VA KOUTCHEH (BREAD AND ALLEY).(Abbas Kiarostami, 1970), ZANG-E TAFRIH (RECESS/BREAKTIME) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1972), and TADJROBEH (THE EXPERIENCE) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1973), 2:00
Sunday, March 11 MAN HAM MITOUNAM (SO CAN I) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1975), DO RAH-E HAL BARAY-E YEK MASSALEH (TWO SOLUTIONS FOR ONE PROBLEM) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1975), and MOSSAFER (THE TRAVELLER) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1974), 4:00
Sunday, March 11 DANDAN-DARD (TOOTHACHE) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1979), BE TARTIB VA BEDOUN-E TARTIB (ORDERLY OR DISORDERLY) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1981), HAMSARAYAN (THE CHORUS) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1982), and HAMSHAHRI (FELLOW CITIZEN) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1983), 6:00
Monday, March 12 RANG-HA (COLORS) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1976), AZ OGHAT-E FARAGHAT-E KHOD CHEGOUNEH ESTEFADEH KONIM: RANG-ZANIE (HOW TO MAKE USE OF LEISURE TIME: PAINTING) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1977), RAH-E HAL-E YEK (SOLUTION NO. 1) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1978), and LEBASI BARA YE AROUSSI (THE WEDDING SUIT) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1976), 6:00
Monday, March 12
through
Sunday, March 18 TA’ZIYEH (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002), BA
Wednesday, March 14 AVALI HA (FIRST-GRADERS) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1984), 6:15
Wednesday, March 14 MASHQ-E SHAB (HOMEWORK) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1989), 8:00
Thursday, March 15 KHANEH-JE DOOST KOJAST? (WHERE IS THE FRIEND’S HOUSE?) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1987), 6:00
Damage from the 1990 earthquake is examined in AND LIFE GOES ON…
Thursday, March 15 ZENDEGI VA DIGAR HICH (AND LIFE GOES ON… / LIFE AND NOTHING MORE…) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1991), 8:00
Friday, March 16 BAD MARA KHAHAD BOURD (THE WIND WILL CARRY US) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1999), 6:00
Friday, March 16 NAMAY-EH NAZDIK (CLOSE-UP) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990), 8:30
Saturday, March 17 TAVALOD-E NOOR (BIRTH OF LIGHT) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997) and TA’AM-E GILAS (THE TASTE OF CHERRY) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997), 2:00
Saturday, March 17 ABC AFRICA (Abbas Kiarostami, 2001), 4:00
Saturday, March 17 SHAM-E YEKNAFARE (DINNER FOR ONE) (Abbas Kiarostami, 1995) and TEN (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002), 6:00
Sunday, March 18 FIVE: DEDICATED TO OZU (Abbas Kiarostami, 2004), 2:00
Sunday, March 18 LETTERS (Abbas Kiarostami, 2006), 4:00
Monday, March 19 10 ON TEN (Abbas Kiarostami, 2004), 6:00
Monday, March 19 RUG (Abbas Kiarostami, 2006), TICKETS (Abbas Kiarostami, 2004), and ROADS OF KIAROSTAMI (Abbas Kiarostami, 2005), 8:00
Friday, March 23
through
Monday, March 26 TA’ZIYEH (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002)
twi-ny/mdr
Abbas Kiarostami poses in front of Cy Twombly drawing at FIVE opening at MoMA
The Yoshiko and Akio Morita Gallery, second floor
Through May 28
As part of its multidimensional "Image Maker" exhibition, MoMA will be showing Abbas Kiarostami’s gorgeous five-part film FIVE in the second-floor media gallery, with all five segments running continuously and simultaneously in five semiprivate partitioned spaces, each with its own comfy bench. The individual parts are composed of static shots on a beach in Galicia, dedicated to Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu, whose films attempted to catch the reality of human existence in all its simplicity. In the first episode, the coming waves threaten a piece of driftwood; we dare you not to create your own narrative in your head once the wood is split apart. (By the way, this is the only part of the film that includes any camera movement at all, as Kiarostami opts to follow the driftwood for one short moment.) For the second scene, the camera is moved to the boardwalk, with people passing to the right and left as the surf continues to crash onto the shore; this is the least compelling of the five pieces. Back on the beach for the third part, the camera finds a group of stray dogs in the distance, nestled together by the water; again, as one dog gets up and moves away, left to himself, you’ll create your own ideas about what is really happening. Next is the funniest section of the movie, as a long line of ducks don’t know whether they’re coming or going, but they do so determinedly. Finally, the last scene takes place at night, as the moon glistens in a dark sky as the sounds of frogs and nature envelop this small part of the earth. Relax and let your mind wander during this fascinating and fun cinematic experience that we found exhilarating as a single work — but we also love how it has been installed here, where you can sit down with any of the films at any time and just let them take you away.
Abbas Kiarostami will be making
a special appearance at Bard
Bard College Film and Electronic Arts Program
Milton and Sally Avery Art Center
Annandale-on-Hudson
Admission: free
845-758-7253
Sunday, March 4 Screening of FIVE: DEDICATED TO OZU (Abbas Kiarostami, 2003) and short film clips, followed by a conversation between Abbas Kiarostami and film historian Scott MacDonald and a reception, 12:30
Two people seek their path in Kiarostami "Roads and Trees" photograph
P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center / MoMA
22-25 Jackson Ave. at 46th Ave., Long Island City
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
March 1 - May 28
Suggested admission: $5
718-784-2084
Abbas Kiarostami has shown a detailed eye for visual imagery in his nearly forty-year career, setting many of his films amid stunning, barren, provocative landscapes. Since 1978, he has also been photographing still images of outdoor scenes, and P.S. 1 is featuring works from several of these series in two large galleries. "Rain" consists of seven shots taken in rainstorms; in two of them, a car’s red brake lights add the only hint of color. Be sure to look at these fabulous photos from a distance to get a wholly different perspective. "Trees and Crows" comprises seventeen shots of the title subjects." "Roads and Trees" includes five photos of trees and long and winding roads; in one, two people have made it to the top of a hill, about to disappear into the horizon. And in "Snow White," thirteen pictures reveal lonely winter landscapes, with leafless trees casting ominous shadows. Finally, in a darkened corner of the Drawing Gallery, Kiarostami’s ten-minute short film SUMMER AFTERNOON loops continuously; what at first seems to be an impossible fluttering motion turns out to be the wind blowing against curtains. "Contemplating the cloudy sky and the massive trunk of a tree under a magical light is difficult when one is alone," Kiarostami writes. "Not being able to feel the pleasure of seeing a magnificent landscape with someone else is a form of torture. That is why I started taking photographs. I wanted to eternalise somehow those moments of passion and pain." This two-part installation does just that.
Collection Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Christo, "Package," 1963, fabric, twine, wire in painted wooden box
There is so much to see at P.S. 1, prepare to spend much of the day there. Every corner, stairway, room, and often even the bathrooms house some kind of art. In "Reflex," on view through May 7, seventy-eight of Vik Muniz’s unique photographs turn the second-floor Kunsthalle gallery into an artistic wonderland. Born in São Paulo and now based in Brooklyn, Muniz re-creates familiar works of art and other objects using such materials as wire, thread, sugar, junk, dirt, food, diamonds, caviar, and even toy soldiers and then photographing them from afar. Make sure to view these marvelous pieces both up close and from across the open space. Norway’s Tom Sandberg takes large-scale black-and-white shots that are filled with nuance and mystery, often clouding their subjects, whether those subjects be a baby’s head, an airplane, a person’s face, a house in the fog, or clouds themselves. "Tom Sandberg: Photographs 1989-2006" will be on view on the second-floor through April 16. In curating "Not for Sale," Alanna Heiss, the director of P.S. 1, contacted artist friends of hers and asked them if the museum could display a piece of theirs that they have decided to keep for themselves, never offering it for purchase. The intriguing, if not wholly successful, show, on view through April 16 on the second floor, consists of works from the personal collection of such artists as Christo, Chuck Close, Alex Katz, Eric Fischl, Jasper Johns, Maya Lin, Jeff Koons, Robert Wilson, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Julian Schnabel, Joel Shapiro, Richard Tuttle (who gets his own room), and many others. Although the individual artworks themselves don’t form a cohesive whole, most of the artists provide a brief statement explaining why they are holding on to these pieces, making the exhibition worthwhile. Be sure to take a seat in Mark di Suvero’s "Tire Chair," which is more comfortable than it looks.
Courtesy Galleri Riis, Oslo, Norway
Tom Sandberg, Untitled, 2004, silver-gelatin print
Thirteen artists re-create reality in "Silicone Valley," on view through April 9 in the first-floor main gallery. Evoking the meanings of both silicone and silicon, these objects and installations play against convention, repositioning familiar images in clever and confusing ways. Catherine Ross’s video consists of repeated shots of headless characters from THREE’S COMPANY (including both Mr. Roper and Mr. Furley!) making hand gestures to the music of trumpeter Taylor Haskins. Marlene McCarty’s family portraits take on new meaning when you discover that they are of women who have killed family members. There’s a reason why the women in Christy Singleton’s series of silicone heads look so bad — they’re all victims of plastic surgery gone wrong. Corey D’Augustine’s canvases are made of such materials as antifreeze, motor oil, bacon grease, and makeup. Avant-garde pioneer and Anthology Film Archives founder Jonas Mekas is feted in the Mini-Kunsthalle gallery through April 16 with "The Beauty of Friends Being Together Quartet," featuring dozens of his Diarist Cinema films, featuring such seminal figures as Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Allen Ginsberg, Nam June Paik, the Velvet Underground, Carl T. Dreyer, Salvador Dali, Timothy Leary, Elia Kazan, and so many more. McKendree Key makes you get down on your hands and knees to navigate the two rooms of her "S202 (South Wing) Divided into Cubic Yards, for Clifton Place" installation made of mason twine and her own furniture. And don’t be afraid to climb up the ladders and put your head through the small opening in Katrín Sigurdardóttir’s playful yet serious "High Plane V."
twi-ny/mdr
Queens spot allows artists to practice their craft
Jackson Ave. at Crane & Davis Sts.
Admission: free
The art of graffiti is exploding all over the city, from Chelsea galleries to MoMA, from the Brooklyn Museum to high-profile coffee-table books. Right across from P.S.1, on Jackson Ave., graffiti blazes out from the doors, windows, and walls of an abandoned warehouse. This area is known as 5 Pointz, where graffiti artists from the five boroughs and around the world come to create pieces, all with permits and officially sanctioned. Be sure to walk all the way around the building, which is covered from top to bottom in awesome graffiti, favoring murals more than tags. You can see more art as you walk up the steps of the Crane St. Studios, wander through the back parking lot, and venture into the loading dock, where you might find some kids practicing dance moves. One of the most interesting pieces is the "No Writting [sic] Without a Permit" cartoon; part of what makes graffiti what it is involves the dangerous aspect of it, with bombers hitting the streets late at night and trying to avoid the vandal squad, so this loses a little something in that it is all done with the permission of the supervising group. But that doesn’t mean it is any less spectacular to look at.
twi-ny/mdr
Court Square Diner offers fine fare next to P.S. 1
45-30 23rd Rd.
718-392-1222
During P.S. 1’s awesome summer Warm Up series on Saturdays, we always grab great burgers at their weekly beach party. But at other times, we go next door to the reliable twenty-four-hour Court Square Diner. It’s essentially your standard city diner, but what’s wrong with that? We’ve enjoyed the Irish breakfast there, complete with black and white pudding, but they also have French toast, Belgian waffles, pancakes, and steak and eggs. We can highly recommend the half-pound bacon cheeseburger; get it with disco fries, smothered in cheese and with a side of brown gravy. Vegetarians will do well with various soup and salad options and the excellent plate of spinach and rice.
twi-ny/mdr
Elizabeth Murray mosaic streams through Queens station
23rd St. & Ely Ave. E/F, Court Square G
Admission: $2
A different kind of "legalized graffiti" can be found throughout this subway station, right next to P.S.1. (In fact, with the 7 train out of service for the next bunch of weekends, the E/F is the way to go, only one stop from Manhattan.) Elizabeth Murray, who was recently the subject of a terrific career retrospective at MoMA, designed these colorful glass mosaics in 2001, stretching down the long corridors that connect the the 23rd St. & Ely Ave. E/F with the Court Square G. A thick red line twists over the city skyline, going from a bright, sunny day to overcast skies to a sudden rainstorm. Ride the people mover amid reds, yellows, blues, and oranges, adding glorious color to the usual gray and dank subway system. As an added bonus, the E/F also features Frank Olt’s 1992 "Gothic Circle," "Temple Quad Reliefs," and "In Bound Arch" ceramic and glass reliefs.
Imamura’s BLACK RAIN is a haunting
look at nuclear fallout
BAMcinematek
Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House Café
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
March 2-29
Tickets: $10
718-636-4100
One of Japan’s most important and influential directors, two-time Palme d’Or winner Shohei Imamura (for 1983’s THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA and 1997’s THE EEL, which tied with Abbas Kiarostami’s THE TASTE OF CHERRY — see above for MoMA’s festival honoring the great Iranian artist and filmmaker), passed away last May at the age of seventy-nine. BAM is paying tribute to his outstanding career with this month-long retrospective that includes all twenty of his features. For more than forty years, starting with STOLEN DESIRE (1958) and continuing through WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE (2001), Imamura was a highly respected auteur with a compelling vision and a cynical sense of humor, making some of the most remarkable and entertaining films of his time. Among his greatest works are BLACK RAIN, a harrowing look at Japan during and after the nuclear holocaust; the brutal VENGEANCE IS MINE, which follows the exploits of a serial killer; THE PORNOGRAPHERS, a voyeuristic treat; DR. AKAGI, a touching and tragic look at a country doctor in postwar Japan; and the riotous WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE. We strongly suggest you get to as many of these films as you can; this series is something special.
Friday, March 2
through
Thursday, March 8 VENGEANCE IS MINE (FUKUSHÛ SURUWA WARENIARI) (Shohei Imamura, 1979)
Monday, March 5 NISHI GINZA STATION (Shohei Imamura, 1958), 6:50
Friday, March 9
and
Saturday, March 10 PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS (BUTA TO GUNKAN) (Shohei Imamura, 1961)
Sunday, March 11
and
Monday, March 12 THE INSECT WOMAN (NIPPON KONCHUKI) (Shohei Imamura, 1963)
Tuesday, March 13 STOLEN DESIRE (NUSUMARETA YOKUJO) (Shohei Imamura, 1958), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Wednesday, March 14 A MAN VANISHES (NINGEN JOHATSU) (Shohei Imamura, 1967), 6:00, 9:00
Thursday, March 15 HISTORY OF POSTWAR JAPAN AS TOLD BY A BAR HOSTESS (NIPPON SENGOSHI — MADAMU ONBORO NO SEIKATSU)
(Shohei Imamura, 1970), 7:30
Friday, March 16 DEEP DESIRE OF THE GODS (KAMIGAMI NO FUKAKI YOKUBO) (Shohei Imamura, 1968), 3:00, 7:00
Saturday, March 17 THE PORNOGRAPHERS (JINRUIGAKU NYUMON: EROGOTSHI YORI) (Shohei Imamura, 1966), 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
Sunday, March 18 INTENTIONS OF MURDER (AKAI SATSUI) (Shohei Imamura, 1964), 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
Monday, March 19 ENDLESS DESIRE (HATESHINAKI YOKUBO) (Shohei Imamura, 1958), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, March 20 KARAYUKI-SAN: THE MAKING OF A PROSTITUTE (Shohei Imamura, 1975), 7:30
Thursday, March 22 THE PIMP (ZEGEN) (Shohei Imamura, 1987), 6:00, 9:00
Friday, March 23 EIJANAIKA (Shohei Imamura, 1981), 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
Saturday, March 24 THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (NARAYAMA BUSHIKO) (Shohei Imamura, 1983), 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
Sunday, March 25 BLACK RAIN (KUROI AME) (Shohei Imamura, 1989), 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
Monday, March 26 MY SECOND BROTHER (NIANCHAN) (Shohei Imamura, 1959), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, March 27 THE EEL (UNAGI) (Shohei Imamura, 1997), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Wednesday, March 28 DR. AKAGI (KANZO SENSEI) (Shohei Imamura, 1998), 6:00, 9:00
Thursday, March 29 WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE (AKAI HASHI NO SHITA NO NURUI MIZU) (Shohei Imamura, 2001), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Misa Shimizu and Kôji Yakusho get all wet in WARM WATER
Shohei Imamura, who made such classics as THE PORNOGRAPHERS (1965), Palme d’Or winner BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (1983), and BLACK RAIN (1989), took much of the ’90s off before returning at the very top of his game in 1997. First came another Palme d’Or winner, THE EEL (1997), the marvelous tale of a hair stylist and his pet eel. Imamura followed that up with the hysterically poignant DR. AKAGI (1998), about a small-town family doctor during the last days of WWII who diagnoses nearly all of his patients with hepatitis, earning him the nickname Dr. Liver. After contemplating retirement, the seventy-five-year-old Imamura delivered unto the world the spectacularly entertaining WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE (2001), in which Kôji Yakusho, who starred as the guy with the eel thing (and plays the Japanese father in BABEL), goes off in search of a hidden treasure but instead finds a woman (Misa Shimizu) who, well, you see, she, um, especially during sex, um, well, uh, let’s just say she vents a lot. Beautifully shot, wonderfully funny, and very wet, WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE has to be seen to be believed.
Courtesy MGM/Film Forum
Gong Li is radiant in Zhang Yimou’s RED LANTERN
Film Forum
209 West Houston St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
March 2-15
Tickets: $10
212-727-8110
Set in 1920s China, Zhang Yimou’s award-winning film follows the debasing exploits of Songlian (the remarkable Gong Li), a nineteen-year-old university student who has to drop out of school after her father’s sudden death and chooses to become the concubine of a wealthy man. The Master (Ma Jingwu, whose face is never clearly seen) marries her as his Fourth Mistress, which does not exactly make the first three mistresses happy as jealousy, anger, deceit, and treachery take over. The First Mistress by now is old and more of a wise grandmotherly figure; the Second Mistress (Cao Cuifen) is all smiles but harbors a dark side; and the Third Mistress (He Caifei), formerly a popular opera singer, has it in for Songlian from the start — as does the Fourth Mistress’s servant, Yan’er (Kong Li), who dreams of becoming one of the Master’s brides. Every day, the Master selects which of his mistresses he will sleep with that night, setting off a red lantern ceremony watched by all four women, creating yet more animosity among the concubines, who are referred to as sisters but are not very sisterly. RAISE THE RED LANTERN is a stunning film featuring gorgeous cinematography by Zhao Fei (who later shot several Woody Allen films), a beautiful score by Tachikawa Naoki, and an emotionally wrenching story that reveals the brutal treatment of women in provincial China. Striking red color jumps off the screen, not only bringing color to this ancient, withering society, but also evoking thoughts of anger, mystery, and blood. Don’t miss this treasure of a film.
Brisseau’s latest is another voyeuristic dud
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
Opens Wednesday, March 7
212-924-7771
Shortly after making SECRET THINGS (2002), French director Jean-Claude Brisseau faced sexual harassment charges leveled by four actresses who had auditioned for the controversial film about sex and power. Brisseau is now back with EXTERMINATING ANGELS, which stars Frédéric Van Den Driessche as François, a director who is auditioning actresses for a film that will examine the very nature of orgiastic pleasure; the women must perform private sexual acts for him while he watches and films them — but never participates — mixing exhibitionism and voyeurism. A parade of beautiful young actresses meet with him and share some of their most personal secrets, finding François to be that rare man who is able to listen to and understand them. He is most intrigued by Charlotte (Maroussia Dubreuil), Julie (Lise Bellynck), and Stéphanie (Marie Allan), who see him as father figure, psychoanalyst, and potential lover, which does not make his wife very happy. To make things more existential, there are also appearances by the ghost of his dead grandmother (Jeanne Cellard), a pair of hot wayward angels (Raphaële Godin and Margaret Zenou), and a voice-over spouting poetic, political diatribe. In describing SECRET THINGS, we wrote, “The film thinks it’s clever, playing off the clichés with verve and intelligence, but it’s really not much more than a boring flick filled with sexless nudity made by a dirty old man. We can hear all the film students out there proclaiming, ‘But that’s the point!’ To which we say, ‘So what!’” That pretty much describes how we feel about EXTERMINATING ANGELS as well, although the sex happens to be a lot more erotic this time around.
Magnolia Pictures
Song Kang-ho searches for his daughter in THE HOST
Opens Friday, March 9
Several years after the government improperly disposes of chemical waste, a huge monster appears under a bridge on the Han River. The lazy, childlike Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho), who works at his grandfather’s ( food stand on the shore — that is, when he’s not sleeping — tries desperately to save his young daughter, Hyun-seo (Ko A-sung), from the creature’s grasp, but when the monster runs off with her, Gang-du does everything in his limited power to try to get her back — if she’s even still alive. He gets help from his well-dressed brother and Olympian archer sister, who are determined to rescue their niece, but the creature has no intentions of just coughing her up. THE HOST wants to be more than just another monster movie, injecting humor and strong family bonds, but it never quite pulls itself together. For every great scene with the creature, there’s a silly scene with the family that misses the mark. Still, Song is a hoot to watch, and the special effects folks have created one heck of a cool monster.
Director Jafar Panahi will not be on hand for a special Queens screening of OFFSIDE as planned
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Saturday, March 10, 1:00
Admission: $10
718-784-4520
http://www.ammi.org/site/screenings/index.html
http://www.sonyclassics.com/offside
Filmed on location in and around Tehran’s Azadi Stadium and featuring a talented cast of nonprofessional actors, Jafar Panahi’s OFFSIDE is a brilliant look at gender disparity in modern-day Iran. Although it is illegal for girls to go to soccer games in Iran — because, among other reasons, the government does not think it’s appropriate for females to be in the company of screaming men who might be cursing and saying other nasty things — many try to get in, facing arrest if they get caught. OFFSIDE is set during an actual match between Iran and Bahrain; a win will put Iran in the 2006 World Cup. High up in the stadium, a small group of girls, dressed in various types of disguises, have been captured and are cordoned off, guarded closely by some soldiers who would rather be watching the match themselves or back home tending to their sheep. The girls, who can hear the crowd noise, beg for one of the men to narrate the game for them. Meanwhile, an old man is desperately trying to find his daughter to save her from some very real punishment that her brothers would dish out to her for shaming them by trying to get into the stadium. Despite its timely and poignant subject matter, OFFSIDE is a very funny film, with fine performances by Sima Mobarak Shahi, Shayesteh Irani, Ida Sadeghi, Golnaz Farmani, Mahnaz Zabihi, and Nazanin Sedighzadeh as the girls and M. Kheymeh Kabood as one of the soldiers. The film was selected for the 2006 New York Film Festival; it opens in theaters on March 23, but the Museum of the Moving Image is holding a special preview screening on March 10. It was originally scheduled for March 6, with director Jafar Panahi making a personal appearance, but his travel visa was rescinded by the U.S. government so he will not be coming to New York.
Cecile de France brings an endearing charm to the City of Light
Angelika Film Center
18 West Houston St. at Mercer St.
212-995-2000
http://www.city-cinemas.com/angelika
Cecile de France is absolutely captivating in AVENUE MONTAIGNE, bringing an endearing charm to every second she’s on camera. The illegitimate offspring of Audrey Hepburn and Audrey Tatou, de France stars as Jessica, a young woman who ventures onto the fashionable Avenue Montaigne in Paris in search of her place in the world. She finagles a job waitressing at a popular bistro that serves as the center of the film, a place that attracts artistic folk from the nearby concert hall, auction house, and theater. At the theater, soap opera star Catherine Versen (Valérie Lemercier) desperately wants to be in the next Brian Sobinski (Sydney Pollack) film, while beloved longtime usher Claudie (Claudie Dani) is convincing herself she is ready to retire. At the concert hall, Jean-François Lefort (Albert Dupontel) is considering hanging it up as a successful classical pianist, much to the chagrin of his manager wife, Valentine (Laura Morante). And at the auction house, Jacques Grumberg (Claude Brasseur) is selling off his massive art collection and trying to reconnect with his son, Frédéric (Christopher Thompson). There’s a lot of talk about life and art, plenty of sexual intrigue, and some fine individual performances, but the film occasionally gets bogged down in heavy melodrama and unconvincing scenes. However, through it all, de France lights the way. AVENUE MONTAIGNE was directed by Danièle Thompson and cowritten by Thompson and her son, Christopher, who plays a major role in the film.
Madsen & Carrey have problems with number 23
In theaters now
Joel Schumacher’s THE NUMBER 23 is a disappointing psychological thriller about obsession and responsibility. Jim Carrey stars as Walter Sparrow, an Animal Control worker who becomes a little too engrossed in a strange novel his wife, Agatha (a woefully miscast Virginia Madsen), buys him for his birthday. The book details the writer’s obsession with the number 23 — an obsession that soon overtakes Walter as well. Carrey and Madsen also play characters in the novel’s noir detective tale, which hits a little too close to home for Walter. Although the film has its moments, it falls apart completely at the end, despite an unexpected twist that unfortunately devolves into sappy ridiculousness, with awful music to boot. The usually excellent Danny Huston is wasted as both a friend of Agatha’s and a doctor in the novel, and Ned the dog becomes way too much of a good thing. Given our own obsessions and compulsions, we really wanted to like this dark movie, but it just let us down too many times. (Yes indeed, for those of you counting on your computer screens, that last sentence, and this one too, has twenty-three words in it.) If you do end up getting sucked into the mysteries of the 23 enigma, there are plenty of conspiracy Web sites where you can follow the madness through the ages.
Hagen Keller
Ulriche Mühe keeps his eyes open in German thriller
Angelika Film Center
18 West Houston St. at Mercer St.
212-995-2000
http://www.city-cinemas.com/angelika
http://www.sonyclassics.com/thelivesofothers
Winnter of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, THE LIVES OF OTHERS is a tense political thriller set in 1980s East Berlin. Ulriche Mühe gives a mesmerizing performance as Capt. Gerd Wiesler, an expert interrogator for the Stasi, the German Democratic Republic’s secret police, who keep a close watch on all suspicious activity — and to them, everything is suspicious. When powerful culture minister Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme) tells Wiesler’s nervous yes-man boss, Lt. Col. Anton Grubitz (Ulrich Tukur), to spy on noted playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), Wiesler takes the case, setting up audio surveillance on Dreyman and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). But when the ever-loyal, humorless, always stalwart Wiesler discovers that Hempf ordered the surveillance primarily because he has a thing for Sieland, Wiesler begins to reconsider the case — and the ultimate responsibility of the Stasi itself. And the more he learns, the more he understands. THE LIVES OF OTHERS was written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, making an extremely impressive feature-film debut, capturing a precarious, paranoid part of recent German history in which the vast majority of the nation was either being spied on or were informers themselves.
New York City Center
130 West 56th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Tickets: $15-$125 (with discounts for two or more performances)
212-581-1212
Friday, March 2
through
Sunday, March 18 The New York-based Paul Taylor Dance Company settles in for its City Center season with new works and older classics, taking on such themes as war and peace, Shakespeare and romance, including ESPLANADE, with music by Bach; COMPANY B, with songs by the Andrews Sisters; the fantastical BOOK OF BEASTS; the humorous PIECE PERIOD; and the powerful BANQUET OF VULTURES
Town Hall
123 West 43rd St. between Sixth Ave. & Broadway
Thursday, March 1
Tickets: $25-$52
212-608-0555
http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org
Michael Dorf, the founder of the original Knitting Factory, is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the venue with the special show at the Town Hall. Benefiting the nonprofit performance space the Stone on Ave. C at Second St., the concert will features appearances by John Zorn, Lou Reed, Laurie Andreson, Medeski Martin & Wood, Mike Doughty, Joe Lovano, Marc Ribot, Lee Ranaldo, Don Byron, and other surprise guests. As the lineup attests, the Old Knit was a platform for an eclectic group of musicians in many genres; we remember marching onto the Bowery behind John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards on a particularly crazy night.
Luna Lounge
361 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg
Friday, March 2
Admission: $5
http://www.myspace.com/thenewyorkhowl
One of our favorite local bands will be playing at a new incarnation of one of our favorite old clubs, so don’t miss this double shot of pure, unadulterated psychedelic power punk. The Luna Lounge, which hosted great (and cheap) shows on Ludlow St. from 1995 to 2005, has a brand-new home in Williamsburg; on March 2, the awesome New York Howl (9:30) — in our opinion the best breakout band at last year’s CMJ music fest, with a killer unannounced set at Crash Mansion — will be tearing the roof off the joint, along with Batorats (8:30) and Rockethouse (10:30). The Howl, whose debut album, PEOPLE WILL COME TO SEE US RIDE, was released in August 2006, features Brer Brian on guitar, organ, and vocals, Stefan Zeniuk on sax, Adam Amram on drums, and the massive Andrew Katz on guitars and vocals. Katz is so tall that at the CMJ show he had to cut away part of the decorations hanging from the ceiling so he could look out at the audience, and despite his size, he bounds around the stage with pure punk abandon. So head out to Brooklyn and check out such awesome tunes as “Signal to Noise,” “Can’t Get It Right Right Now,” “Black Stallion,” “Time Machine,” “Insane,” “Disposable Thumbs,” and “Oh Bury Me Not.”
120 Days come to New York City for a pair of hot shows
Brooklyn Southpaw, 125 Fifth Ave.
Friday, March 9, $10, 8:30
718-230-0236
Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St. at Ave. A
Saturday, March 10, $10, 8:30
212-260-4700
http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com
http://www.myspace.com/120days
Listening to Norway’s 120 Days is reminiscent of one of those great old WLIR dance parties back in the ’80s, but this is no mere retro band stuck in the past. Their eponymous album, released in the States in October 2006, is a techno-pop dream, forging ahead with such compulsively danceable tunes as "Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)," "C-Musik," "Sleepwalking," and "Lazy Eyes." Loud guitars, frantic drums, and long synth intros explode as Ådne Meisfjord (vocals, guitar, and keyboards), Kjetil Ovesen (synthesizers), Arne Stöy Kvalvik (drum machine and other special effects), and Jonas Dahl (bass) fuse together to create one helluva propulsive sound. On March 9, they’ll be blasting their driving beats, spacey grooves, and killer hooks at Southpaw with Shout Out Out Out, Re-Tros (Rebuilding the Rights of Statues), and Lonely China Day, followed the next night with a show at the Mercury Lounge with Germans, Born Ruffians, and Shout Out Out Out Out again. "In a trance / in a trance / I can dance this night away," Meisfjord sings on "Keep on Smiling." If you’re lucky enough to get into one of these hot shows, you’ll be doing the same.
Blue Note
131 West Third St.
Monday, March 12, and Tuesday, March 13, 8:00 & 10:30
Tickets: bar $25, table $35
212-475-8592
Activist rocker Steve Earle makes his Blue Note debut with his wife, Allison Moorer, in a special series of acoustic shows alone and together, highlighting music from his long and varied career. Earle, who has spent more than his share of time in rehab, in prison, in hospitals, and in divorce court, first hit the country-rock scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s with such seminal albums as EXIT 0, GUITAR TOWN, and COPPERHEAD ROAD. More recently, records such as TRANSCENDENTAL BLUES and THE REVOLUTION STARTS…NOW display the range of his musical ability as well as his controversial thoughts on the state of the nation and the world. We’ve seen this outspoken and entertaining performer play such venues as the Bowery Ballroom, the Bottom Line, Irving Plaza, and the Lone Star Roadhouse; we can’t wait to see what he does inside the hallowed halls of the Blue Note.
Housing Works Used Book Café
126 Crosby St. between Houston & Prince Sts.
Wednesday, March 7, 7:00
Admission: free
212-334-3324
Paul Auster’s TRAVELS IN THE SCRIPTORIUM is a slim, Kafka-esque novel about memory and writing, two familiar topics for the author of such outstanding works as LEVIATHAN, THE MUSIC OF CHANCE, THE NEW YORK TRILOGY, and last year’s BROOKLYN FOLLIES. An old man the narrator chooses to call Mr. Blank is being kept in a relatively sparse room, where he is continually photographed and studied. Occasionally someone will mysteriously enter and have awkward conversations with him, alluding to a past — perhaps one in which he seriously wronged many people — of which he has no recollection. Pictures on a desk and snippets of names jog his mind, but he cannot figure out who he is, where he is, or why he is there. A typed manuscript has been left for him to read, about another time and place that mean nothing to him. But slowly, things begin to barely come together — especially for those familiar with Auster’s oeuvre. This short novel — which clocks in at a mere 144 pages — is an enjoyable trifle, an existential, self-indulgent tale that Auster’s dedicated fans are more likely to appreciate than the casual reader. The Brooklyn writer will be reading from and signing TRAVELS IN THE SCRIPTORIUM on March 7 at 7:00 at Housing Works on Crosby St.
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Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Admission: free but must RSVP
http://www.newyork-tokyo.com/rsvp
Wednesday, February 28 North American Premiere of UDON (Katsuyuki Motohiro, 2006), followed by a special udon noodle demonstration, presented by New York-Tokyo, 7:00
Dahesh Museum of Art
580 Madison Ave. at 57th St.
Admission: free
212-759-0606
Thursday, March 1 Talk & Tasting: Daily Life & Feasting in Ancient Egypt, illustrated lecture by Francine Segan, at 6:30, with free admission to galleries, 6:00 — 9:00
Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Pl.
Tickets: $40
646-437-4200
Thursday, March 1 An evening of stand-up comedy, cabaret, costumes, graggers, snacks, and open bar, featuring Julie Goldman, Seth Herzog, and Lenny Marcus, hosted by Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross, 7:00 preshow activities, 8:00 show
BAMcinématek
BAM Rose Cinemas, Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Tickets: $10
718-636-4100
Thursday, March 1 HOME (Dawn Scibilia, 2006), followed by a Q&A with director Scibilia and subject Alan Cooke, moderated by Rick Warner, 7:30
The Grand
41 East 58th St. between Park & Madison Aves.
Tickets: $20-$30
Thursday, March 1 Sizzling hot party for the cold NYC winter, featuring Brazilian dancers, a costume contest, Purim treats, and more, sponsored by Dor Chadash, 8:00
Trinity Church, Broadway at Wall St.
St. Paul’s Chapel, Broadway at Fulton St.
Mondays at 1:00 at St. Paul’s Chapel
Thursdays at 1:00 at Trinity Church
Suggested donation: $2
212-602-0747
http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/music
Thursday, March 1 Transatlantic Duo: Works by Schumann, Saint-Saens, LeSiege, Coleman
Monday, March 5 Yvonne Lam, violin, Susanne Son, piano: Works by Janacek, Beethoven, and Schubert
Thursday, March 8 New York Scandia Symphony: Works by Gade, Grieg, Nielsen, and Langgaard.
World Financial Center Winter Garden
225 Vesey St. at West & Liberty Sts.
Admission: free
212-945-2600
http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/calendar
Friday, March 2 Restaurants inside the World Financial Center offer tasting plates of their signature dishes for $1-$5 apiece, 11:00 am — 230 pm
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Artists on Art: free, 7:30
Harlem in the Himalayas: $15-$20
CabaretCinema: $7 food/drink minimum, 7:00
212-620-5000 ext 344
Every Friday night, the restaurant and gift shop in the Rubin Museum are transformed into the K2 Lounge, with DJs, special High Elevation cocktails (Dragon Eyes Mojito, PAMA-Mantra-tini), exotic finger foods (panko cheese balls, Indonesian shrimp chips, shui mai spoons), and intimate lighting for possible hooking up. Friday-night programs include an Artist on Art tour (last year we were led around the Rubin by DJ Spooky, who gave a fab musical lecture), Tangka painting demonstrations by Pema Rinzin (make sure to check out the fascinating sixth-floor installation even if Rinzin himself isn’t painting that night), live jazz, film screenings, and free admission to the exhibitions, which currently include "Mongolia: Beyond Chinggis Khan" through April 16, with the highly anticipated "The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama" opening on March 9.
Friday, March 2 Harlem in the Himalayas: Ray Bryant
Friday, March 2 CabaretCinema: LOST HORIZON (Charles Jarrott, 1973), with live running commentary by Michael Musto, 9:30
Friday, March 9 Harlem in the Himalayas: Ictus Records Thirtieth-Anniversary Renaissance Project, with Andrea Centazzo, Perry Robinson, Nobu Stowe, and Badal Roy
Friday, March 9 Artists on Art: Marina Abramovic
Friday, March 9 CabaretCinema: TEOREMA (THEORUM) (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968), introduced by Marina Abramovic, 9:30
Directors Guild of America, 110 West 57th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves. (DGA)
IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. at Third St. (IFC)
Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth St. between University Pl. & Greene St. (CFC)
Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St. (PNSS)
March 2-18
Tickets: $7-$10
The tenth anniversary of this festival of children’s films from all around the world features another eclectic lineup, from feature works to eclectic collections of shorts. Below are only some of the highlights. Tickets go fast, so be sure to get them in advance.
Saturday, March 3 THE UGLY DUCKLING AND ME! (Michael Hegner & Karsten Kiilerich, 2006), CFC, 1:30
Saturday, March 3
and
Sunday, March 4 Heebie Jeebie Shorts: Spooky, Freaky, and Bizarre…, CFC, 2:00
Saturday, March 3, 10 THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (Mamoru Hosoda, 2006), CFC, 6:30
Sunday, March 4 Rare Seuss on Film: AND TO THINK THAT I SAW IT ON MULBERRY STREET (George Pal, 1943), THE 500 HATS OF BARTHOLOMEW CUBBINS (George Pal, 1944), HORTON HEARS A WHO (Chuck Jones, 1970), THE LORAX (Hawley Pratt, 1972), GERALD McBOING BOING (Robert Cannon, 1951), and HORTON HATCHES THE EGG (Bob Clampett, 1942), PNSS, 3:30
Sunday, March 4 Workshop: Music & Sound for Film, with Michael Rubin, J. Walter Hawkes, Nick Balaban, and Nathaniel Reichman, $15, CFC, 4:00
Sunday, March 4, 11 CALL ME ELISABETH (Jean-Pierre Améris, 2006), IFC, 12 noon
Saturday, March 10 Girls’ POV Shorts, CFC, 11:00 am
Saturday, March 10 BELLY FULL OF DREAMS (Prakash Kovelamudi, 2005), IFC, 12:30
Saturday, March 10 STORY OF XIOYAN (Gangliang Fang, 2004), CFC, 3:00
Sunday, March 11 LEPEL (Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen, 2005), IFC, 10:30 am
Sunday, March 11 GRAVE DECISIONS (Marcus H. Rosenmuller, 2006), IFC, 12:30
Sunday, March 18 Pixar Shorts, DGA, 11:00 am
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Admission: free after 5:00 pm (some events require free tickets available that night)
718-638-5000
In addition to the below special events — many of which require free tickets available that night, so go early and be prepared to wait in line — the galleries are open; current exhibitions include "Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism," "The Eye of the Artist," and "Magic in Ancient Egypt."
Saturday, March 3 Concert: The Brooklyn Philharmonic plays Brazilian music, 5:00
Saturday, March 3 Film/Performance: WORD.LIFE: THE HIP HOP PROJECT, followed by a discussion and performance with the stars of the film and their mentor, Chris "Kharma Kazi" Rolle, 5:00
Saturday, March 3 Performance: Bonga and the Vodou Drums of Haiti, 6:00 — 8:00
Saturday, March 3 Hands-On Art: Participants create a mixed-media pendant to hang from their Mardi Gras necklace, 6:30 — 8:30
Saturday, March 3 Gallery Talk: Li Sumpter, "Magic in Ancient Egypt: Image, Word, Reality," 7:00
Saturday, March 3 Craft Activity: Student volunteers help participants make a carnival mask to wear in a parade to the Dance Party, 7:00 — 9:00
Saturday, March 3 Young Voices Gallery Talk: Student guide Megan Becker leads an interactive talk on magic and belief in the Egyptian galleries, 8:00
Saturday, March 3 Performance: Capoeira Brooklyn demonstrates the Brazilian folkloric dance maculele and the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira, 8:00
Saturday, March 3 Young Voices Gallery Talk: Student guide Sarah Jorgensen explores the concept of transformation in the Native American collection, 8:00
Saturday, March 3 Film: BLACK ORPHEUS (Marcel Camus, 1959) (free tickets available at the Visitor Center at 7:30), 8:30
Saturday, March 3 Dance Party: hosted by Brazilian DJ Greg Caz, 9:00 — 11:00
Makor Café, Steinhardt Building
35 West 67th St. between Amsterdam & Columbus Aves.
Tickets: $25-$30 (includes two drink tickets)
212-601-1000
Saturday, March 3 Hazon, Makor, and Romemu throw a Purim extravaganza, featuring a Megillah reading at 7:30, a Klezmer trio at 8:45, shows by the Shushan Channel at 9:00 and 10:30, and a DJ dance party at 11:00
Jacob K. Javits Center
655 West 34th St.
Tickets: $5-$15
216-328-8926
Saturday, March 3
through
Monday, March 5 Hundreds of art galleries will be selling and displaying their wares; special events include Bill Mack unveiling his Hollywood sign art and never-before-seen artwork by Jimi Hendrix
Soho House New York
29-35 Ninth Ave. between 13th & 14th Sts.
Admission: $60 cash only, includes light dinner and two cocktails
RSVP: lelaine.lau@gmail.com
http://www.richardkostelanetz.com
Sunday, March 4 Richard Kostelanetz, author of SOHO: THE RISE AND FALL OF AN ARTISTS’ COLONY, sponsored by 403, "a cultural salon which seeks to encourage discussion and the exchange of ideas through presentations on the arts, culture, and humanitarian concerns," 7:00 — 11:00
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
237 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Tickets: $35-$37.50
212-997-4144
Sunday, March 4 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Solomon Burke performs songs from his long career, including from his Grammy-winning DON’T GIVE UP ON ME and his Grammy-nominated NASHVILLE, 8:00
Japanese Food Culture Festival
Various locations
Sunday, March 4
through
Saturday, March 10 More than three dozen Japanese restaurants in Manhattan and on Long Island will be celebrating Japanese Restaurant Week with special deals; among our favorite participating spots are Kai ($35 Bento Box and $75-$100 Kaiseki dinners), Inagiku ($35 three-course menu), Megu ($26 premium Kobe steak "Kagerou Yaki" Hennessy flambee prime top cullotte cut), SushiSamba ($59 five-course tasting menu), Nobu ($100 Omakase dinner), and the great Inatome steakhouse in Valley Stream ($22.95 steak and seafood dinner)
Multiple locations
Admission: free
http://www.peppers-project.com/nybookfair
Sunday, March 4
through
Saturday, March 24 On Saturdays and Sundays in March beginning March 4, more than one hundred Japanese artists will be reading from and signing copies of comics, graphic novels, picture books, art books, poetry books, photography books, and more at Kinokuniya Bookstore (West 49th St. at Rockefeller Center, 212-765-7766), Printed Matter (195 Tenth Ave. at 22nd St., 212-925-0325), St. Marks Book Shop (31 Third Ave. between Eighth & Ninth Sts., 212-260-7853), and Spoonbill & Sugartown Books (218 Bedford Ave. between North Fourth & North Fifth Sts., 718-387-7322)
92nd St. Y
1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd St.
Kaufmann Concert Hall
Tickets: $18 ($10 thirty-five and under)
212-415-5500
Monday, March 5 With Shirley Hazzard, J. D. McClatchy, Edward Mendelson, Ned Rorem, Charles Rosen, and Oliver Sacks, 8:00
French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th St. between Park & Madison Aves.
212-355-6160
Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC)
450 West 37th St.
646-388-6685
http://www.baryshnikovdancefoundation.org
Monday, March 5 Lecture with Toni Morrison about her recent curatorial experiences at the Louvre, FIAF, $15, 7:00
Tuesday, March 6
and
Wednesday, March 7 Performance Installation: YOU MADE ME A MONSTER by William Forsythe, $20, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00
Thursday, March 8 Concert with Toni Morrison Alliance Players, BAC, $20, 8:00
Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth St. east of University Pl. (CFC)
Sin-E, 150 Attorney St. (SE)
March 6-9
646-549-1349
Tuesday, March 6 THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (Ken Loach, 2006), CFC, 7:00
Wednesday, March 7 Opening Gala: THE THRILLS (2006), preceded by IMAGINE THIS!, CFC, $25 (includes postscreening concert at Sin-E), 7:00
Wednesday, March 7 Stand, Noelie McDonnell, Screaming Orphans, Mickey Harte, SE, $15 ($25 if combined with preconcert screening at the Cantor Film Center), 8:00
Thursday, March 8 NO GO: THE FREE DERRY STORY (Vinny Cunningham, 2006), preceded by FAERIES OF THE BLACKHEATH and FLYBOY, CFC, $25 (includes postscreening concert at Sin-E), 7:00
Thursday, March 8 Oppenheimer, the Immediate, Delorentos, Michael Hargan, SE, $15 ($25 if combined with preconcert screening at the Cantor Film Center), 8:00
Friday, March 9 STUDS (Paul Mercier, 2006), preceded by THE RISING, CFC, $25 (includes postscreening concert at Sin-E), 7:00
Friday, March 9 Mundy, Messiah J and the Expert, Laura Izibor, Propaganda Anoynymous, SE, $15 ($25 if combined with preconcert screening at the Cantor Film Center), 8:00
Saturday, March 10 Second annual Kids Film Fleadh, the Irish Arts Center, 553 West 51st St., $10 adults, $5 kids, 11:30 am
Woolworth Building
15 Barclay St., fourth floor
Admission: free but RSVP required: scps.global.affairs@nyu.edu
212-992-8380
Wednesday, March 7 Roundtable/lecture with Jane Mayer, staff writer of the New Yorker
The New School for General Studies, Tishman Auditorium
66 West 12th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Admission: free
212-229-5353
Wednesday, March 7 This year’s finalists read from their work, 6:30
Thursday, March 8 This year’s winners are announced, 6:30
Brooklyn College Whitman Auditorium
2900 Bedford Ave.
Admission: free, but tickets must be reserved in advance
718-951-4500
http://www.csb.brooklyn.cuny.edu
Thursday, March 8 New, original Purim shpiel, presented by the National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene, directed by Motl Didner, with songs by Miryem-Khaye Seigel, 2:00
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Ave. between 103rd & 104th Sts.
Free with museum admission of $9
212-534-1672 ext3395
Thursday, March 8 Dan Morgenstern, of Rutgers’ Institute of Jazz Studies, is interviewed by Loren Schoenberg, director of the Jazz Museum in Harlem, 6:30
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery between Houston & Bleecker Sts.
Admission: free, with one-drink minimum
212-614-0505
Thursday, March 8 Third annual event celebrating the life and work of Charles Bukowski, with Steve Cannon, Gary Glasner, Bob Holman, David Huberman, Tsaurah Litzky, Big Mike, Thad Rutkowski, Moonshine Shorey, Danny Shot, Marjorie Tesser, Mike Topp, Deanna Zandt, Matthew Cummings, and more, 10:00 pm, followed at 11:59 with screening of BUKOWSKI: BORN INTO THIS
Pratt Manhattan Gallery, room 213
144 West 14th St. at Seventh Ave.
Admission: free
212-647-7778
Friday, March 9 In Conversation: exhibition curator Robert C. Morgan with artists Jon Groom, Soonja Han, Ryszard Wasko, and Sanford Wurmfeld, 6:00
Con Edison Auditorium
4 Irving Pl. at 14th St.
914-633-7377
http://www.usamemorychampionship.com
Saturday, March 10 Tenth annual competition featuring memory athletes going head-to-head in such categories as names and faces, speed numbers, speed cards, and poetry,
Warsaw
261 Driggs Ave., Greenpoint
Tickets: $18-$20
718-387-0505
http://polishnationalhome.com/warsawconcerts.html
Saturday, March 10 Brooklyn record release party, with the New York-based Antibalas playing songs from its new album, SECURITY, with special guests Binky Griptite and the Melomatics, 8:00
BAM Harvey Theater (HT)
651 Fulton Street between Ashland Pl. & Rockwell Pl.
Tickets: $20-$40
718-636-4100
Saturday, March 10 651 Arts presents FAGAALA, choreographed by Senegal’s Germaine Acogny and Japan’s Kota Yamazaki, combining West African dance and Butoh in a passionate reaction to genocide, 8:00
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West & 79th St.
Free with museum admission
212-769-5305
Saturday, March 10
and
Sunday, March 11 Two-day festival celebrating International Polar Year 2007-2008, with film screenings, panel discussions, throat singing, science bulletins, a polar fair, and more, 12 noon — 5:00 pm
BAMcinématek
BAM Rose Cinemas, Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Tickets: $10 adults, $7 children thirteen and under
718-636-4100
BAM’s ninth annual family film festival includes seventy-four films from twenty countries held over two days. In addition to the below feature films and live performance, there are the short-film programs Fuzzy Buddies (10:00 am & 12:30 pm), Brave Hearts (11:00 am), Secrets and Surprises (1:30), and Clever Creatures (3:00).
Saturday, March 10
and
Sunday, March 11 KIRIKOU AND THE WILD BEASTS (Michel Ocelot, 2005), with subtitles read aloud by actors, 11:30 am
Saturday, March 10
and
Sunday, March 11 LITTLE HEROES (Itai Lev, 2006), with subtitles read aloud by actors, 12 noon
Saturday, March 10
and
Sunday, March 11 THE WILD SOCCER BUNCH 3 (Joachim Masannek, 2006), with subtitles read aloud by actors, 2:00
Saturday, March 10
and
Sunday, March 11 Live Music: Gustafer Yellowgold, BAM Hillman Attic Studio, 12 noon & 2:00
The Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Rd. at Vernon Blvd.
Free with museum admission of $10
718-204-7088
Sunday, March 11 Alvar Aalto and Isamu Noguchi: Two Rooms, panel discussion with Toshiko Mori, John Stubbs, and Richard Woods, moderated by Richard Lanier, 3:00
SculptureCenter
44-19 Purves St., Long Island City
Suggested donation: $5
718-361-1750
http://www.sculpture-center.org
Sunday, March 11 Architecture discussion with Dan Graham and screening of short films by Bregtje van der Haak, with hot soup and refreshments, 3:00
Brooklyn Academy of Music, Peter Jay Sharp Building
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Admission: free
718-636-4101
Monday, March 12
through
Sunday, March 25 Silent auction of works from more than one hundred artists, with all works on view in the BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building and online, with an opening-day cocktail reception on March 12 at 6:00 and a closing reception on March 25 at 3:30
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St. between Eighth Ave. & Broadway
March 14-20
Tickets: $10
212-875-5600
Tuesday, March 14
through
Monday, March 20 Works by Master Filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang, featuring multiple screenings of THE GO MASTER (Tian Zhuangzhuang, 2006), THE BLUE KITE (Tian Zhuangzhuang, 1993), and SPRINGTIME IN A SMALL TOWN (Tian Zhuangzhuang, 2002)
Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Ave. at Second St.
Tickets: $8
718-399-6359
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
Tuesday, March 14
through
Monday, March 20 Weeklong celebration of the legacy of Harry Smith, including the preservation premiere of NO 12: HEAVEN AND EARTH MAGIC (Harry Smith, 1957-62), the New York premiere of THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA: HARRY SMITH’S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC (Rani Singh 2006) with Singh in person, Essential Cinema programs of Smith shorts, and FILM #18: MAHAGONNY (Harry Smith, 1970-80)
Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
Tickets: $54
212-247-0200
http://www.roselandballroom.com/concerts.html
Wednesday, March 14 The Pogues, with the Holloways, 8:00
Thursday, March 15 The Pogues, with Langhorne Slim, 8:00
Saturday, March 17 The Pogues, with the Tossers, 8:00