Art Exhibit of the Week
07.30.08
1. Henry Darger, Asa Ames, and the Coen brothers in Midtown
2. Outdoor music and dance, Japanese classics, and Americana art around Lincoln Center
3. Theater on the Fringe downtown
4. Elliott Gould in Brooklyn, French crime at Film Forum
5. Plus Riff’s Rants & Raves: Film, including SIXTY-SIX, BOTTLE SHOCK, SPEEDY, and HELL RIDE
Volume 8, Number 9
July 30 — August 13, 2008
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at admin@twi-ny.com.
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Site Design/Subway Photo:
Fred Gates Design, New York.
twi-ny/mdr
American Folk Art Museum
45 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Closed Monday
Through September 21
Admission: $9
212-265-1040 ext105
© Kiyoko Lerner
Henry Darger, "At Battle of Drosabellamaximillan. Seeing Glandelinians Retreating Vivian Girls Grasp Christian Banners, and Lead Charge Against Foe," watercolor, pencil, carbon tracing, and collage on pieced paper
When reclusive Chicago janitor and self-taught artist Henry Darger died in 1973, he left behind hundreds of watercolors and collage paintings as well as his fifteen-thousand-page opus, STORY OF THE VIVIAN GIRLS, IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, OF THE GLANDECO-ANGELINIAN WAR STORM, CAUSED BY THE CHILD SLAVE REBELLION, an epic tale of winged blengins, Glandelinian soldiers, and naked little girls with male genitalia, a bizarre wonderland that is both fascinating and disturbing. Darger has been much discussed and often exhibited for the past two decades, and the work of eleven academically trained contemporary artists directly influenced by Darger are currently on display at the American Folk Art Museum, which previously mounted major Darger retrospectives in 1997 and 2001. In "Traction," Amy Cutler depicts four young women in colorful dresses either trying to escape from a house but tied by their long tresses (perhaps domestic slavery won't let them go?) or using their long, strong hair to move the structure across a snowy landscape. In "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," Justin Lieberman starts with an actual Darger landscape, digitally removes all the characters, and adds composite figures created from Jock Sturges's photographs of preteen beauty contestants, their oversized heads put on naked bodies. Michael St. John gives three-dimensionality to one of Darger's blengins in a small Sculpey and wood sculpture, blue socks barely peeking out of brown boots on the otherwise naked figure. And in Anthony Goicolea's large-scale photograph "Ash Wednesday," a group of children wearing hooded yellow raincoats, black boots, and short black skirts are making their way through a dark forest, carrying a man tied to a long tree branch.
© Amy Cutler / Leslie Tonkonow + Projects
Amy Cutler, "Traction," Casein and Flashe on wood, 2002
Through paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, video, ceramics, and sound, these artists — which also include Justine Kurland, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Paula Rego, and Yun-Fei Ji as well as several works by Darger to help put everything in perspective — pay homage to a critical figure in the modern history of American folk art, adopting his methods, co-opting his imagery, celebrating his color scheme, and even questioning his subject matter. In the past few years, New York has been beset by exhibitions that attempt to claim artistic influence in tenuous ways, stretching to make comparisons based on little if anything; "Dargerism" is the real deal.
Photo by John Parnell, New York
Attributed to Asa Ames, "Phrenological Head," paint on wood, ca. 1850
American Folk Art Museum
Through September 21
212-265-1040
Between 1847 and 1841, Erie County resident Asa Ames carved twelve wooden portraits of neighbors and relatives before his untimely death at the age of twenty-seven. Eight of the sculptures are on view in a small room at the American Folk Art Museum, a wonderful little collection of children and adults seen in full-size, waist-high, and classical busts. The title of the exhibition, "Occupation Sculpturing," comes from the Federal Census of 1850, in which Ames listed his occupation as "sculpturing." He used various types of wood in his work, including laminated basswood for "Bust of a Young Woman," cherry for "Bust of a Woman," and yellow poplar for "Bust of a Young Man" and "Seated Female Figure with Lamb and Cup." (As that last title implies, Ames, a Son of Temperance, incorporated religious allusions into some of his sculptures.) His vast skill is evident in such pieces as "Naked Child," in which a chubby baby stands on one foot, his hands reaching out, his large head and penetrating eyes looming on top of a body luxuriant with skin folds. A full-size sculpture of Ames's niece Susan features a very carefully carved and painted dress. The most curious piece is "Phrenological Head," a bust of a child from the waist up, with the head painted into small sections of phrenological markings. The exhibition also features a Daguerrotype of Ames working in his studio.
American Folk Art Museum
Friday nights from 5:30 to 7:30
Admission: free
212-265-1040
Friday, August 1 ECPE: Enrichment Center Percussion Ensemble
Friday, August 8 Lili Roquelin, Kathy Zimmer, Eli Maniscalco
Friday, August 15 The Nailbiters, the Basement
Friday, August 22 Daphne Darling, Arlon Bennett
The Dude chills out with some friends in THE BIG LEBOWSKI
MoMA Film
Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
August 2—28
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
Since they burst onto the scene with the intimate low-budget murder mystery BLOOD SIMPLE, Joel and Ethan Coen have become indie filmmaking icons. From such early, quirky delights as RAISING ARIZONA and BARTON FINK through their most highly accomplished work, the Oscar-nominated NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, the brothers have dug deep into the American psyche, investigating the nature of good and evil, right versus wrong, in a variety of genres, including film noir, gangster pictures, romantic comedy, corporate ladder climbing, Hollywood, and, well, we’re not sure just how to categorize RAISING ARIZONA and THE BIG LEBOWSKI — not that they need categorization, of course. Unusual characters, bizarre situations, breathtaking camera angles, and complex stories infuse the Coens’ oeuvre with a unique, indefinable mind-set that is a primer on moviemaking and a delight for cineastes of all kinds. Despite often getting credited separately as director and writer, Joel and Ethan write and direct their films together and also team up as the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes in editing their work. As part of its ongoing Collaborations in the Collection series, MoMA will be screening nine of Coens’ twelve films — foregoing the disastrous remake THE LADYKILLERS, the underappreciated INTOLERABLE CRUELTY, and the slightly overappreciated O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
Saturday, August 2 BLOOD SIMPLE (Joel Coen, 1984), 3:00
Saturday, August 2 RAISING ARIZONA (Joel Coen, 1987), 5:00
Saturday, August 2 MILLER’S CROSSING (Joel Coen, 1990), 7:00
Saturday, August 16 BARTON FINK (Joel Coen, 1991), 2:00
Saturday, August 16 THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (Joel Coen, 1994), 4:30
Saturday, August 16 FARGO (Joel Coen, 1996), 7:00
Sunday, August 17 THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Joel Coen, 1998), 2:00
Jeff Bridges is awesome as the Dude, a laid-back cool cat who gets sucked into a noirish plot of jealousy, murder, money, mistaken identity, and messy carpets. Julianne Moore is excellent as free spirit Maude, Tara Reid struts her stuff as Bunny, and Peter Stormare, Flea, and Torsten Voges are a riot as a trio of nihilists. Also on hand are Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Huddleston, Aimee Mann, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, David Thewlis, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, Jon Polito, and other crazy characters, but the film really belongs to the Dude and his fellow bowlers Jesus Quintana (John Turturro, who is so dirty he is completely cut out of the television version), Donny (Steve Buscemi), and Walter (John Goodman), who refuses to roll on Shabbos. This is another offbeat great one from the Coen brothers.
Sunday, August 17 THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE (Joel Coen, 2001), 4:30
Sunday, August 17 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, 2007), 7:00
Friday, August 22 BLOOD SIMPLE (Joel Coen, 1984), 4:30
Friday, August 22 RAISING ARIZONA (Joel Coen, 1987), 6:30
Friday, August 22 MILLER’S CROSSING (Joel Coen, 1990), 8:30
Johns Turturro and Goodman get cozy in BARTON FINK
Monday, August 25 BARTON FINK (Joel Coen, 1991), 6:00
Monday, August 25 THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (Joel Coen, 1994), 8:30
Wednesday, August 27 FARGO (Joel Coen, 1996), 6:00
Wednesday, August 27 THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Joel Coen, 1998), 8:00
Thursday, August 28 THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE (Joel Coen, 2001), 6:00
http://www.themanwhowasntthere.com
The first half of this movie is stupendous. Shot in color and processed in magnificent black and white to get a richer palette, the film tells the story of Ed Crane, Billy Bob Thornton's best role yet, a barber with almost nothing to say — ever. When he does talk, he talks slow, slower than he walks. Even his voice-over narration is delivered in a slow monotone. For about forty-five minutes, the pace is fabulous, but then it begins wearing down as the plot goes all over the place. It feels like the Coens had a bunch of different film ideas and decided to throw them all into the last hour of this movie, which seems to go on and on and on and on, with at least four places where we thought it was over. The laughs go away, and a creepy, unfriendly moodiness pervades. At least you can still keep track of the awesome wigs that many of the male characters wear, and for the Californians out there it might be fun guessing the shooting locations, because much of the film was not shot on studio sets. Locations include Musso and Frank's, a Presbyterian church on Wilshire Blvd., an empty Bank of America branch in Los Angeles, an abandoned furniture store in Glendale, Bungalow Heaven and Castle Green in Pasadena, and the streets of Orange in Orange County.
Javier Bardem gets an awesome new do for awesome new Coen brothers flick
http://www.nocountryforoldmen-themovie.com
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, the Coen brothers’ NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is a gripping thriller dominated by the mesmerizing performance of Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, a psychopathic killer who believes in chance. When Llewelyn Moss (an outstanding Josh Brolin) accidentally stumbles upon the site of a drug deal gone terribly wrong, he walks away with a satchel of cash and the dream of making a better life for him and his wife (Kelly MacDonald). He also knows that there will be a lot of people looking for him — and the two million bucks he has absconded with. On his trail are the Mexican dealers who were ripped off, bounty hunter Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson), and the cool, calm Chigurh, who leaves a bloody path of violence in his wake. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) philosophizes on the sorry state of the modern world as he follows the proceedings with an almost Zen-like precision. Though it struggles to reach its conclusion, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is an intense noir Western, an epic meditation on chance in which the flip of a coin can be the difference between life and a horrible death.
Thursday, August 28 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, 2007), 8:30
The Ahn Trio hit the Damrosch Park Bandshell on August 14
Lincoln Center
August 7 -24
Admission: free
212-875-5108
Despite all of the construction going on at Lincoln Center, the thirty-eighth annual Out of Doors music festival is set to begin on August 7 and run through August 24 with twenty special free events featuring dozens of international bands and dance troupes showing their stuff on the South Plaza and at the Damrosch Park bandshell. Among the highlights are Armitage Gone! Dance, Burkina Electric, and Evidence, a Dance Co. on August 8, Regina Carter on August 10, a birthday tribute to Graciela on August 17, Toshi Reagon and BigLovely on August 21, and the annual Roots of American Music shows on August 23-24, with such groups as Irma Thomas and the Professionals, the Knitters, and Patti Smith and Her Band.
Thursday, August 7 Stephane Wrembel and Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenco, Bandshell, 7:00
Friday, August 8 Armitage Gone! Dance with Burkina Electric: Summer of Love, Ronald K. Brown \ Evidence, A Dance Company: High Life; Upside Down, Bandshell, 7:30
Saturday, August 9 LA CASITA: A HOME FOR THE HEART / UN HOGAR PARA EL CORAZÓN, with Martha Redbone, Pamela Sneed, El Grito de Poetas, Marlon Unas Esguerra, Vishal Vaid, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, Myronn Hardy, Taiyo Na, Linda Susan Jackson, Mahina Movement, Grupo Kalunga Neg Mawon, South Plaza, 2:00
Saturday, August 9 Dulsori, Cyro Baptista & Beat the Donkey, with special guest DJ Logic, Carlos Darci, and Anat Cohen, Bandshell, 7:00
Sunday, August 10 LA CASITA: A HOME FOR THE HEART / UN HOGAR PARA EL CORAZÓN, with Pipestone, Marian Yalini Thambynayagam, Francisco Hernandez, Javier Sanchez, Abeer Alzinaty (aka Sabreena DaWitch), Anthony Flores, Vanessa Hidary, Al Young, Smadar, Chris Abani, Colin Channer, Radmilla Cody, Venezuelan Music Project, South Plaza, 2:00
Sunday, August 10 Regina Carter, Simone with the Rob Stoneback Big Band with special guest Bob Belden, Bandshell, 7:00
Wednesday, August 13 Keep a Light in the Window: An Homage to Joel Dorn, with Dr. John, Roberta Flack, Les McCann, Mocean Worker, Jane Monheit, David "Fathead" Newman, Janis Siegel, Bandshell, 7:00
Thursday, August 14 Fernando Otero, Ahn Trio, East Village Opera Company, Bandshell, 7:00
Friday, August 15 Wordless Music, with Beata Viscera, Rhys Chatham, and Manuel Gottsching with the Joshua Light Show, Bandshell, 7:00
Saturday, August 16 Damrosch Park Family Day – Puppet Pageant: Evangeline, Evil, and Dancing in the Street, 2:00; Doug Elkins & Friends, 3:00
Saturday, August 16 Stepping with Step Afrika! Fraulein Maria, Bandshell, 4:30
Courtesy of Sharon Farmer
Step Afrika! performs August 16-17 at Lincoln Center outdoor fest
Saturday, August 16 Step Afrika!, with Doug Elkins & Friends: Fraulein Maria, Bandshell, 7:00
Sunday, August 17 Ologundê, Bonga & the Vodou Drums of Haiti, Kotchegna Dance Company, Bandshell, 2:00
Sunday, August 17 Heritage Sunday: 93rd Birthday Tribute to Graciela, with Jose Alberto "el Canario" y su Orquesta, with special guests, Xiomara Laugart and David Oquendo, Orlando "Puntilla" Rios y Nueva Generación, and a special appearance by Graciela Perez-Grillo, Bandshell, 7:30
Wednesday, August 20 Extra Golden, Mahmoud Ahmed and Alèmayèhu Eshèté with the Either/Orchestra, Gétatchèw Mèkurya with the Ex, Bandshell, 6:00
Thursday, August 21 Toshi Reagon & BIGLovely with Bernice Johnson Reagon, David Dorfman Dance: Underground, Bandshell, 7:00
Friday, August 22 Spam Allstars – Still Black, Still Proud: An African Tribute to James Brown, with Fred Ross and Wunmi, vocals; Charles McNeil, alto sax; Reggie Ward, guitar; Peter Madsen, keys; Eric Herman, bass; and John Mader, drums; and special guests Cheikh Lô and Vieux Farka Touré, Bandshell, 7:00
Saturday, August 23 25th Annual Roots of American Music Festival: Battle of the Brass, with the Pinettes Brass Band and the Hot 8 Brass Band, South Plaza, 4:00
Saturday, August 23 25th Annual Roots of American Music Festival, with Hot 8 Brass Band featuring Shamarr Allen, Betty Harris with the Marc Stone All Star Band, the Campbell Brothers’ Sacred Funk featuring Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Horns, John Boutté and Hot Calas, and Irma Thomas and the Professionals, 5:00 — 10:00
Sunday, August 24 25th Annual Roots of American Music Festival: Music Maker Blues Revue featuring Alabama Slim, Adolphus Bell, Dr. G. B. Burt, Capt. Luke, Boo Hanks, Macavine Hayes and Big Ron Hunter, the Knitters: John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Dave Alvin, DJ Bonebrake, Jonny Ray Bartel, Haden Family Singers Labor of Love featuring Charlie Haden, Ruth Cameron, Petra, Tanya, Rachel and Josh Haden, with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton, Dan Tyminski, and special guests Patti Smith and her band, Bandshell, 6:00 — 10:00
Imamura Productions/the Kobal Collection
Shohei Imamura’s BLACK RAIN is heartbreaking and tragic
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St. between Eighth Ave. & Broadway
July 30 — August 14
Tickets: $11 (Series Pass $40)
212-875-5600
Madame Kashiko Kawakita and her husband, Nagamasa Kawakita, were highly influential in preserving classic Japanese cinema and bringing the films to an international audience. In honor of the centennial of her birth (Madame Kawakita was born in 1908 and died in 1993), the Film Society of Lincoln Center is presenting two dozen works that she championed, by eight winners of the Kawakita Award. It’s a remarkable collection of films, including Suzuki’s BRANDED TO KILL and TOKYO DRIFTER, Oshima’s VIOLENCE AT NOON and BOY, Imamura’s heartbreakingly tragic BLACK RAIN and fierce thriller VENGEANCE IS MINE, Yamada’s WHERE SPRING COMES LATE and THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF, and Kurosawa’s STRAY DOG and IRIKU, among others. Madame Kawakita indeed left quite a legacy, which lives on at the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute in Japan.
Wednesday, July 30 RASHÔMON (Akira Kurosawa, 1950), 5:00
Wednesday, July 30 HER BROTHER / OTOTO (Kon Ichikawa, 1960), 7:00
Wednesday, July 30 A LAST NOTE / GOGO NO YUIGON-JO (Kaneto Shindö, 1995), 9:00
Thursday, July 31 TORA-SAN’S SUNRISE AND SUNSET / OTOKO WA TSURAIYO: TORAJIRO YUUYAKE KOYAKE (Yôji Yamada, 1976), 6:15
Thursday, July 31 VIOLENCE AT NOON / HAKUCHU NO TORIMA (Nagisa Oshima, 1966), 8:30
Friday, August 1 A LAST NOTE / GOGO NO YUIGON-JO (Kaneto Shindö, 1995), 5:00
Friday, August 1 RASHÔMON (Akira Kurosawa, 1950), 7:15
Friday, August 1 THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF / SHIAWASE NO KIIROI HANKACHI (Yôji Yamada, 1977), 9:10
Saturday, August 2 TORA-SAN’S SUNRISE AND SUNSET / OTOKO WA TSURAIYO: TORAJIRO YUUYAKE KOYAKE (Yôji Yamada, 1976), 2:00
Saturday, August 2 AKIKO: PORTRAIT OF A DANCER / AKIKO — ARU DANSA NO SHOZO (Sumiko Handeda, 1985), 4:15
Saturday, August 2 IKIRU (DOOMED) (TO LIVE) (Akira Kurosawa, 1952), 6:30
The great Takashi Shimura is outstanding as the simple-minded petty bureaucrat Kanji Watanabe, a paper-pushing section chief who has not taken a day off in thirty years. But when he suddenly finds out that he is dying of stomach cancer, he finally decides that there might be more to life than he thought after meeting up with an oddball novelist (Yunosuke Ito). While his son, Mitsuo (Nobuo Kaneko) and coworkers wonder just what is going on with him — he has chosen not to tell anyone about his illness — he begins cavorting with Kimura (Shinichi Himori), a young woman filled with a zest for life. Although the plot sounds somewhat predictable, Kurosawa’s intuitive direction, a smart script, and a marvelously slow-paced performance by Shimura make this one of the director’s best melodramas.
Saturday, August 2 BRANDED TO KILL / KOROSHI NO RAKUIN (Seijun Suzuki, 1967), 9:15
Sunday, August 3 ODE TO MT. HAYACHINE / HAYACHINE NO FU (Sumiko Handeda, 1982), 1:00
Sunday, August 3 VIOLENCE AT NOON / HAKUCHU NO TORIMA (Nagisa Oshima, 1966), 4:30
Sunday, August 3 VENGEANCE IS MINE / FUKUSHÛ SURUWA WARENIARI (Shohei Imamura, 1979), 6:30
Sunday, August 3 STRAY DOG / NORA INU (Akira Kurosawa, 1949), 9:15
The Criterion Collection / Janus Films
Mifune and Shimura make a helluva team in classic Kurosawa noir
The awesome Toshirô Mifune stars with the great Takashi Shimura in this outstanding police procedural. Mifune plays Murakami, a young detective who gets his Colt stolen on a trolley. Offering his resignation, he is instead ordered to work the case, with seasoned cop Sato (Shimura, who sweats profusely the whole film). Their attempts to track down the gun take them on a noir adventure through the sweltering postwar streets of Tokyo, riddled with fleabag hotels, low-rent cabarets, and brothels, meeting small-time crooks, would-be Don Juans, wannabe molls, and lots of men in white suits. Sato’s calmness melds well with Murakami’s anxiety, forming a cop team that we would have loved to see more of. Kurosawa’s dark drama is not to be missed; we docked it a quarter star because of two melodramatic musical moments made saccharine sweet by Fumio Hayasaka’s award-winning score.
Monday, August 4 HER BROTHER / OTOTO (Kon Ichikawa, 1960), 5:00
Monday, August 4 BOY / SHONEN (Nagisa Oshima, 1969), 7:00
Monday, August 4 VENGEANCE IS MINE / FUKUSHÛ SURUWA WARENIARI (Shohei Imamura, 1979), 9:10
Wednesday, August 6 THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF / SHIAWASE NO KIIROI HANKACHI (Yôji Yamada, 1977), 5:15
Thursday, August 7 BRANDED TO KILL / KOROSHI NO RAKUIN (Seijun Suzuki, 1967), 9:00
Friday, August 8 IKIRU (DOOMED) (Akira Kurosawa, 1952), 4:00
Friday, August 8 TOKYO DRIFTER / TÔKYÔ NAGAREMONO (Seijun Suzuki, 1966), 6:45
Friday, August 8 INTENTIONS OF MURDER / AKAI SATSUI (Shohei Imamura, 1964), 8:30
Saturday, August 9 BOY / SHONEN (Nagisa Oshima, 1969), 12:30
Saturday, August 9 INTO THE PICTURE SCROLL: THE TALE OF YAMANAKA TOKIWA (Sumiko Haneda, 2004), 2:30
Saturday, August 9 ZIGEUNERWEISEN (Seijun Suzuki, 1980), 4:30
Saturday, August 9 CONFLAGRATION / ENJO (Kon Ichikawa, 1958), 7:20
Saturday, August 9 TOKYO DRIFTER / TÔKYÔ NAGAREMONO (Seijun Suzuki, 1966), 9:30
Sunday, August 10 INTENTIONS OF MURDER / AKAI SATSUI (Shohei Imamura, 1964), 6:00
Sunday, August 10 STRAY DOG / NORA INU (Akira Kurosawa, 1949), 9:00
Monday, August 11 CONFLAGRATION / ENJO (Kon Ichikawa, 1958), 12:30
Monday, August 11 BLACK RAIN / KUROI AME (Shohei Imamura, 1989), 2:30
Monday, August 11 ONIBABA (Kaneto Shindö, 1964), 5:00
Monday, August 11 THE ISLAND (NAKED ISLAND / HADAKA NO SHIMA) (Kaneto Shindö, 1960), 7:00
Monday, August 11 THE CEREMONY / GISHIKI (Nagisa Oshima, 1971), 9:00
Tuesday, August 12 THE CEREMONY / GISHIKI (Nagisa Oshima, 1971), 1:00
Tuesday, August 12 ONIBABA (Kaneto Shindö, 1964), 3:30
Wednesday, August 13 A FULL-UP TRAIN, AKA CRAMMED STREETCAR / MANIN DENSHA (Kon Ichikawa, 1957), 1:00 & 5:00
Wednesday, August 13 THE ISLAND (NAKED ISLAND / HADAKA NO SHIMA) (Kaneto Shindö, 1960), 3:00
Wednesday, August 13 WHERE SPRING COMES LATE / KAZOKU (Yôji Yamada, 1970), 7:00
Wednesday, August 13 BLACK RAIN / KUROI AME (Shohei Imamura, 1989), 9:15
Thursday, August 14 WHERE SPRING COMES LATE / KAZOKU (Yôji Yamada, 1970), 1:00
Thursday, August 14 ZIGEUNERWEISEN (Seijun Suzuki, 1980), 3:15
Earl Cunningham, "Imaginary Harbor, St. Augustine," oil on fiberboard
American Folk Art Museum Branch Location
2 Lincoln Sq., Columbus Ave. at 66th St.
Extended through September 7
Tuesday — Saturday 12 noon - 7:30, Sunday 12 noon - 6:30
Suggested donation: $3
212-595-9533
Like many American folk artists, Earl Cunningham spent most of his creative years in relative anonymity. It wasn't until 1969, when he was seventy-six, that he was "discovered," in this case by collector Marilyn Logsdon Mennello, who was instantly struck by his unique use of color and perspective. "He painted with a childlike freshness that simply fascinated us," she wrote in 1998. Cunningham, who studied to be an automobile engineer and was also a seaman, began painting when he was only thirteen; he grew up in Maine but later lived primarily in the South, finally settling down in St. Augustine, Florida. He completed some 450 paintings in his lifetime; forty-seven are spread out across the gallery in the American Folk Art Museum's branch location on Columbus Ave. by Lincoln Center, populated by intense greens, blues, reds, and yellows, with swans, flamingos, owls, canoes, sailboats, trees, fiery skies, glowing suns, and tiny people. His flat landscapes, usually set around water, are an engaging mix of Grandma Moses and Pieter Bruegel the Elder, sweet little scenes that come alive on the canvas, with new joys to be found in every corner. There's an innocent charm in such pieces as "The Amusement Park," "Warehouse at Hohona Settlement," "Surprise at Pine Point, Maine," and "Ship Chanderly with Angel"; the only serious conflict occurs in two canvases that depict harsh storms. Sadly, with popular success on the immediate horizon, Cunningham, who suffered from depression, committed suicide in December 1977, leaving behind a colorful, engaging legacy.
Multiple venues
August 8-24
Tickets: $15
212-279-4488
The twelfth annual Fringe Festival features nearly two hundred shows being performed at nineteen downtown venues. In addition to the shows listed below, there are also works dealing with Britney Spears, racism, Anna Nicole Smith, slavery, Sylvia Plath, feminism, Hamlet, Jane Austen’s diary, hunger, Jacqueline Susann, Chinese history, Peter Pan’s sisters, military torture, poo, the Beatles, Dorothy Parker, Arnold Schoenberg, Shakespeare, politics, WWII, murder mysteries, Tom Petty and Brett Favre, the Middle East, Perez Hilton, Martha Graham, a lesbian bath house (with Harry Shearer!), celebrity gossip (written by a Daily News gossip columnist), and lots of love, sex, and death. This year’s festival also plays host to free workshops, specially priced kids’ shows and teen nights with talk-backs, free outdoor teasers with excerpts from some of the productions, a colossal collaborative collage, and a variety show power hour with Minimum Wage. Below are only some of the highlights.
Friday, August 8
through
Saturday, August 23 2 By Sinner: UNBURTHEN (TO MY SOUL'S DELIGHT!) / IF WATER WERE PRESENT IT WOULD BE CALLED DROWNING, Theatre Revelation, the Connelly Theater
Friday, August 8
through
Sunday, August 24 ANAÏS NIN GOES TO HELL, Maieutic Theatre Works, the Connelly Theater
Friday, August 8
through
Saturday, August 23 THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS, Sinking Ship Productions, based on stories by Ray Bradbury, Stanislaw Lem, Bill Pronzini, and Barry Malzberg, the New School for Drama Theater;
Saturday, August 9
through
Friday, August 15 WOODHULL: A PLAY ABOUT THE WOMAN WHO RAN FOR PRESIDENT, Elephant Ensemble Theater, the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts
Saturday, August 9
through
Thursday, August 21 ZOMBIE, based on the novella by Joyce Carol Oates, Razors Edge Productions, the Players Loft
Saturday, August 9
through
Saturday, August 23 BLANCHE SURVIVES KATRINA IN A FEMA TRAILER NAMED DESIRE, KIND STRANGERS, solo show by Mark Sam Rosenthal, the Players Theatre
Saturday, August 9
through
Saturday, August 23 SELF-PORTRAIT AS SCHIELE, TheaterMEME, the Connelly Theater
Sunday, August 10
through
Thursday, August 21 MY SALVATION HAS A FIRST NAME: A WIENERMOBILE JOURNEY, Hot Dog Productions, the Jazz Gallery
Arthur Aulisi and Tatiana Gomberg star in BIG THICK ROD
Sunday, August 10
through
Friday, August 22 BIG THICK ROD, Rabbit Hole Ensemble, written by Stanton Wood and directed by Edward Elefterion, following up last year’s festival hit NOSFERATU: THE MORNING OF MY DEATH
Sunday, August 10
through
Friday, August 22 KRAPP, 39, the Cliplight Theater; the Schaeberle Studio Theatre
Sunday, August 10
through
Saturday, August 23 THOROUGHLY STUPID THINGS (OR THE CONTINUOUS IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST), Whirled Peas Productions, the Bleecker Street Theatre
Wednesday, August 13
through
Saturday, August 16 DREADFUL PENNY'S EXQUISITE HORRORS, Tantalus Theatre Group, the Deluxe at Spiegelworld
Wednesday, August 13
through
Saturday, August 23 A SILLY SILVERSTEIN SHOW, the One Little Did Players, based on THE GIVING TREE and THE MISSING PIECE by Shel Silverstein, the Deluxe at Spiegelworld
Wednesday, August 13
through
Saturday, August 23 PAPER DOLLS, Lively Productions & Métropole Ink, the Players Theatre
Wednesday, August 13
through
Saturday, August 23 TIM GUNN’S PODCAST (A REALITY CHAMBER OPERA), Make It Work Productions, the Jazz Gallery
Thursday, August 14
through
Friday, August 22 USHER, a new musical by Yale students, the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts
Friday, August 15
through
Friday, August 22 @LICE IN WWW.ONDERLAND, Old Campus Productions, Theatre 80
Photofest
Elliott Gould gets down and dirty in Alan Arkin’s LITTLE MURDERS
BAMcinematek
BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
August 1-21
718-636-4100
Brooklyn’s own Elliott Gould will be duly celebrated at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with a series focusing on his seminal work between 1969 and 1976 in a number of films that helped define the era. While Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman were stealing all the glory and awards, Gould was making a name for himself as a sort of neurotic everyman in films by such directors as Robert Altman, Paul Mazursky, and Ingmar Bergman. Tall, curly-haired, and charmingly goofy, Gould captured audiences’ attention in such seminal films as BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE and M*A*S*H as well as such smaller gems as LITTLE MURDERS and HARRY AND WALTER GO TO NEW YORK. Gould will be on hand for a Q&A following the 6:30 screening of THE LONG GOODBYE on August 9.
Friday, August 1
through
Thursday, August 7 M*A*S*H (Robert Altman, 1970)
Friday, August 8 LITTLE MURDERS (Alan Arkin, 1971), 3:30, 6:30 (followed by a Q&A with Elliott Gould and an after-party), 9:30
Saturday, August 9 THE LONG GOODBYE (Robert Altman, 1973), 3:30, 6:30 (followed by a Q&A with Elliott Gould), 9:30
Gould is a hoot as Philip Marlowe
This is one odd detective story. King of the ’70s Elliott Gould stars as a mumbling Philip Marlowe who reluctantly becomes enmeshed in a murder case involving a friend of his played by former Yankee Jim Bouton. Marlowe lives next door to a harem of naked brownie-loving women, and he spends most of his time worrying about his cat. In fact, the opening fifteen minutes, in which he has to go out in the middle of the night to get cat food and then trick his cat, is absolutely priceless, the best cat story line we have ever seen in a motion picture. The detective stuff plays second fiddle to director Robert Altman’s ’70s mood piece, which is fun to watch even at its most baffling and senseless — and recently restored in a new 35mm Scope print. Gould will be on hand for a Q&A following the 6:30 screening.
Sunday, August 10 BUSTING (Peter Hyams, 1974), 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
Saturday, August 16 BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE (Paul Mazursky, 1969), 3:00, 6:00, 9:00
Sunday, August 17 CALIFORNIA SPLIT (Robert Altman, 1974), 2:00, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Monday, August 18 I LOVE MY WIFE (Mel Stuart, 1970), 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, August 19 GETTING STRAIGHT (Richard Rush, 1970), 7:00, 9:30
Wednesday, August 20 HARRY AND WALTER GO TO NEW YORK (Mark Rydell, 1976), 9:15
Thursday, August 21 THE TOUCH (BERÖRINGEN) (Ingmar Bergman, 1971), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Rialto Pictures
Melville’s BOB LE FLAMBEUR is one of the highlights of French crime series
Film Forum
209 West Houston St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
August 8 — September 11
212-727-8110
Over the course of five glorious, shadowy weeks, Film Forum will be screening some of the greatest French crime thrillers ever made, featuring well-known works as well as little-seen gems in exciting pairings. Among the auteurs represented in the series are Godard, Truffaut, Bresson, Dassin, Malle, Melville, Clouzot, Tavernier, Becker, Duvivier, and Chabrol, a virtual who’s who of French cinema from the 1950s through the 1970s.
Friday, August 8
through
Sunday, August 10 RIFIFI (Jules Dassin, 1955)
Monday, August 11 SÉRIE NOIRE (Alain Corneau, 1979) and POLICE PYTHON 357 (Alain Corneau, 1976)
Tuesday, August 12 THE THIEF OF PARIS (Louis Malle, 1967) and BORSALINO (Jacques Deray, 1970)
Wednesday, August 13
and
Thursday, August 14 PURPLE NOON (René Clément, 1960) and LA PISCINE (Jacques Deray, 1969)
Thursday, August 14 LES TONTONS FLINGEURS (Georges Lautner, 1963)
Friday, August 15
and
Saturday, August 16 LE CERCLE ROUGE (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970)
Sunday, August 17
and
Monday, August 18 TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI (Jacques Becker, 1954) and BOB LE FLAMBEUR (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1955)
Monday, August 18 RIPTIDE (Yves Allégret, 1949) and WE ARE ALL MURDERERS (André Cayatte, 1952)
Tuesday, August 19 LA CÉRÉMONIE (Claude Chabrol, 1995) and MURDEROUS MAIDS (Jean-Pierre Denis, 2000)
Wednesday, August 20 PICKPOCKET (Robert Bresson, 1959) and A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson, 1956)
Thursday, August 21 LA VÉRITÉ (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1960)
Photofest
Brigitte Bardot gets provocative in Clouzot’s LA VERITE
Friday, August 22
and
Saturday, August 23 PIERROT LE FOU (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965) and MISSISSIPPI MERMAID (François Truffaut, 1969)
Sunday, August 24
and
Monday, August 25 LE DOULOS (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1962) and CLASSE TOUS RISQUES (Claude Sautet, 1960)
Monday, August 25 COUP DE TORCHON (Bertrand Tavernier, 1981)
Tuesday, August 26 THE CLOCKMAKER (Bertrand Tavernier, 1974) and GARDE À VUE (Claude Miller, 1981)
Based on a novel by Georges Simenon, Bertrand Tavernier’s first feature-length film is a quiet, introspective triumph from start to finish. Philippe Noiret stars as Michel Descombes, a widowed clockmaker who is told by a police inspector (Jean Rochefort) that his son, Antoine (Jacques Denis), has killed a man and is on the run with Liliane (Christine Pascal). A despondent Michel struggles to understand what led his son to commit such a crime, examining deep inside himself in the process. The many scenes that center on the clockmaker and the inspector discussing life in general terms are simply wonderful, except when the cop talks about the movies, which takes the audience out of the film. (For some unknown reason, mention is even made of LA GRANDE BOUFFE, Noiret’s previous film.) Tavernier’s subtle storytelling style leads Noiret to give one of the greatest understated performances you’ll ever see.
Wednesday, August 27 DIABOLIQUE (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955) and EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Georges Franju, 1960)
Thursday, August 28 THE SICILIAN CLAN (Henri Verneuil, 1969) and UN FLIC (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1972)
Friday, August 29
and
Saturday, August 30 ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS (Louis Malle, 1957)
Rialto Pictures
Maurice Ronet sees no way out in Malle noir classic
Louis Malle’s first feature-length fiction film, following THE SILENT WORLD (made with Jacques Cousteau), is a classic French noir that comes with all the trimmings — and can now be seen in an excellent new 35mm print with new subtitles. Jeanne Moreau stars as Florence Carala, who is married to ruthless business tycoon Simon (Jean Wall) but is carrying on an affair with Simon’s right-hand man, Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet). Julien plans the perfect murder — or so he thinks, until he has to go back to retrieve a crucial piece of evidence and gets trapped on the elevator. While he struggles to find a way out and Florence waits for him anxiously at a neighborhood bistro, young couple Louis (Georges Poujouly) and Veronique (Yori Bertin) take off in Julien’s convertible and get into some serious trouble of their own. Mistaken identity, cold-blooded killings, jealousy, and one of the greatest film scores ever — by Miles Davis, recorded in one overnight session — make ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS a splendid debut from one of the world’s finest filmmakers.
Sunday, August 31
and
Monday, September 1 BREATHLESS (Jean-Luc Godard, 1959) and BAND OF OUTSIDERS (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964)
When a pair of disaffected Parisians, Arthur (Claude Brasseur) and Franz (Sami Frey), meet an adorable young woman, Odile (Anna Karina), in English class, they decide to team up and steal a ton of money from a man living in Odile’s aunt’s house. As they meander through the streets of cinematographer Raoul Coutard’s black-and-white Paris, they talk about English and wealth, dance in a cafe while director Jean-Luc Godard breaks in with voice-over narration about their character, run through the Louvre in record time, and pause for a near-moment of pure silence. Godard throws in plenty of commentary on politics, the cinema, and the bourgeoisie in the midst of some genuinely funny scenes. BAND OF OUTSIDERS is no ordinary heist movie; based on Dolores Hitchens’s novel FOOL’S GOLD, it is the story of three offbeat individuals who just happen to decide to attempt a robbery while living their strange existence, as if they were outside from the rest of the world. The trio of ne’er-do-wells might remind Jim Jarmusch fans of the main threesome from STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984), except Godard’s characters are more aggressively persistent.
Tuesday, September 2 CASQUE D’OR (Jacques Becker, 1952) and GOUPI MAINS ROUGE (Jacques Becker, 1943)
Wednesday, September 3
and
Thursday, September 4 QUAI DES ORFÈVRES (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947) and PÉPÉ LE MOKO (Julien Duvivier, 1937)
Thursday, September 4 THE WAGES OF FEAR (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1952)
Yves Montand shows who’s boss in WAGES OF FEAR
In a very poor South American village, four men are needed to transport two truckloads of nitroglycerin to the scene of an industrial accident. The men jump at the chance to risk their lives for a small amount of cash because they have nothing else in their pitiful lives. Yves Montand stars in this endlessly tense, harrowing film that won the Golden Bear in Berlin, the BAFTA in England, and the Grand Prize at Cannes.
Friday, September 5
through
Thursday, September 11 SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (François Truffaut, 1960)
François Truffaut shot out of the blocks in 1959 with the classic 400 BLOWS, and he followed it up with this magnificent noir about a virtuoso saloon piano player and his always-in-trouble brother. French crooner Charles Aznavour is super-cool as the secretive, shy piano player with a hidden past who gets caught up in his crooked brother’s dangerous predicament, against his better judgment. Comedy mixes with pathos, dance-hall jollies lead to murder and kidnapping, and lost love holds a curse in a dark, haunting film you will never forget.
The Rubens family has a rare moment of joy in SIXTY-SIX
Village East
181 Second Ave. at 12th St.
Opens Friday, August 1
212-529-6998
http://citycinemas.moviefone.com
http://www.firstindependentpictures.com
It’s 1966 in England, and Bernie Rubens is getting ready to become a man, planning a magnificent party for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. However, his dour father’s local grocery store is being threatened by the massive supermarket that has just moved in next door, Bernie’s nerves have suddenly given him breathing problems, and the World Cup final is scheduled for the afternoon of his big day — and, quite unexpectedly, the weak English team starts playing well, with dreams of winning the championship. Bernie knows that if England wins, no one will come to his Bar Mitzvah, so he roots hard against his home country while his parents worry that they will not be able to afford the party of his dreams. Writer-director Paul Weiland’s "true…ish story" is a wonderful look back at a more innocent time, a loving — and extremely painful and funny (and painfully funny) — remembrance based on actual events. Gregg Sulkin is heartbreaking as the nerdy Bernie, but Eddie Marsan nearly steals the show as his hapless, pathetic father, one of the saddest sacks you’ll ever see. Helena Bonham Carter is solid as Bernie’s stalwart mother, with fine support from Stephen Rea as Bernie’s doctor, Peter Serafinowicz as his uncle Jimmy, and Richard Katz as his blind rabbi. SIXTY-SIX is a small gem; stick around for the credits, which include snapshots from Weiland’s actual Bar Mitzvah.
Sam and Gustavo share wine and more in BOTTLE SHOCK
Opens Wednesday, August 6
http://www.bottleshockthemovie.com
In order to boost his failing business, snobby Brit Steven Spurrier (a delightful Alan Rickman) — whose only patron in his fancy Paris wine shop appears to be the garish American expatriate Maurice Cantavale (Dennis Farina), who never pays for his drinks — thinks up a tasting competition pitting the French wines he loves against the upstart vintages coming out of the Napa Valley. Spurrier heads to California to choose which wines to bring back to Paris for the event, but he is shocked to discover that some of the wineries are actually making wines that are more than palatable. He is especially intrigued by Chateau Montelena, run by the obstinate Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his son, Bo (Chris Pine). Jim is a bitter perfectionist whose dedication comes with a chip on his shoulder that sabotages his chances for success and alienates the ones he loves, including his hippie surfer-dude son. Based on a true story, BOTTLE SHOCK is an enticing blend of Jonathan Nossiter’s 2005 documentary, MONDOVINO, and Alexander Payne’s 2004 hit SIDEWAYS. The complicated relationship between father and son lies at the heart of the story, and it rings true — at least partly because the real-life Jim and Bo served as consultants on the film. The supporting cast includes the always excellent Freddy Rodriguez as Gustavo Brambila, who works for Jim but dreams of making his own wine, and Rachael Taylor as Sam, a beautiful young intern who interests both Bo and Gustavo (and is one of the only major characters that were invented for the film). Featuring period music by the Doobie Brothers and other ’70s bands, BOTTLE SHOCK is delightful from the very start, both sweet and spicy on the palate, with a charming finish that lingers on the tongue and in the heart.
BAMcinematek
BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Wednesday, August 6, $15, 7:00
718-636-4100
Harold Lloyd’s final silent film played last year at Roger Ebert’s Overlooked Festival as well as at the 2003 HBO US Comedy & Arts Festival in Aspen, and it’s easy to see why. Much like the end of the silent film era itself, the last horse-drawn trolley is doomed, with big business playing dirty to get rid of it and Pop Dillon, a classic old-timer. Harold "Speedy" Swift, a dreamer who wanders from menial job to menial job (he makes a great soda-jerk with a unique way of announcing the Yankees score), cares only about the joy and wonder life brings. He’s in love with Pop’s granddaughter, Jane, and vows to save the day. Along the way, he gets to meet Babe Ruth. Ted Wilde was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director, Comedy, in this thrilling nonstop ride through beautiful Coney Island and the pre-depression streets of New York City.
Opens Friday, August 8
AMC Empire 25
234 West 42nd St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
212-398-3939
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
212-330-8182
http://www.landmarktheatres.com
Encouraged by B-movie guru Quentin Tarantino to return to the biker-movie genre of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Larry Bishop, who appeared in such biker epics as THE SAVAGE SEVEN, CHROME AND HOT LEATHER, and ANGEL UNCHAINED, wrote, directed, and stars in the rather innocuous HELL RIDE. (He is also one of the producers.) Bishop plays Pistolero, the leader of a modern-day biker gang trying to track down a treasure left by Cherokee Kisum (Julia Jones) back on Independence Day, 1976, when she was viciously murdered in front of her young son. But the 666ers are after the booty as well, led by the crazy Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones), who likes shooting arrows into people’s hearts for little or no reason. Meanwhile, the Gent (Michael Madsen, in a puffy-shirt tuxedo) seems to be playing both ends against the middle and keeping a close eye on the new kid, Comanche (Eric Balfour). Also along for this hellish ride is biker legend Dennis Hopper as Eddie Zero, king of the double and triple crosses, and David Carradine as the Deuce. Although the film is only eighty-three minutes long, it feels like it goes on for hours, with Bishop getting in as much sex and nudity as he can to cover for a ridiculous plot riddled with (bullet) holes. Most of the dialogue is so inane — especially between Pistolero and his somewhat mysterious old lady, Nada (Leonor Varela) — that it’s hard to tell if it’s being played for laughs or if the characters are actually serious. (Bishop is, after all, the son of comedian and Rat Packer Joey Bishop.) Add a star if you’ve made it through all of C.C. AND COMPANY (with Joe Namath and Ann-Margret!) more than once.
Heath Ledger is a scary scream in THE DARK KNIGHT
http://www.thedarkknight.warnerbros.com
Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to his 2005 hit BATMAN BEGINS is one of the most brilliant superhero films ever made. Christian Bale is back as billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne, who spends his evenings fighting crime in Gotham City, which is under siege, victim to a brutal crime spree led by the vicious Joker (Heath Ledger in a massive, spectacular performance). As the madman with the wild hair and evil clown face starts knocking off public officials, mob bosses, ordinary citizens, and even his own minions, Wayne is also beset by the blossoming relationship between Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall), the woman he loves and who knows his secret, and the new DA, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who has come into his high-profile job with both arms swinging, determined to make Gotham City safe. The Bat-Man is joined once again by his faithful butler, Alfred (Michael Caine), Wayne Industries exec Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman); the film also features Anthony Michael Hall as a television talk-show host who finds himself in danger, Eric Roberts as a smooth-talking gangster, and Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow in a brief cameo. THE DARK KNIGHT is a carefully constructed tale of good and evil, love and death, and everything in between, working as both a thrilling action movie as well as a psychoanalytic examination of what lurks deep in the soul. Although there are special effects aplenty, it is primarily a very intimate, personal film about one man’s tortured existence. In the summer of the high-octane superhero flick (IRON MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, HELLBOY II, HANCOCK), THE DARK KNIGHT towers above them all.
Anne Hathaway & Steve Carell get smart — and plenty stupid — in slapstick flick
Regal E-Walk 13
247 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
http://getsmartmovie.warnerbros.com
From 1965 to 1970, the television series GET SMART, created by Buck Henry and Mel Brooks, parodied the cold-war-era secret-agent genre exemplified by James Bond and Inspector Clouseau on the big screen and THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. on the small screen. The slapstick comedy starred Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, aka Agent 86, a bumbling spy who always managed to get his man and save the world, with the help of his ultra-capable, ultra-cool partner, Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon). Director Peter Segal, who has helmed such loser sequels and remakes as THE LONGEST YARD, NAKED GUN 33 1/3: THE FINAL INSULT, and NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS, does significantly better with this updated version of GET SMART, primarily because Steve Carell does such a good job reimagining the title character instead of merely impersonating Adams. Carell’s Smart is a detail-oriented analyst who dreams of becoming a field agent, and he finally gets his chance when nearly every other CONTROL agent is either killed or compromised. Working with the Chief (an aggressively funny Alan Arkin), the perfect Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson), and the gorgeous Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway, holding her own surprisingly well), Smart has to infiltrate KAOS in order to prevent Siegfried (a wasted Terence Stamp) and his right-hand man, Shtarker (BORAT’s Ken Davitian), from detonating a nuclear bomb. But the absurd plot is not the point here; instead, it’s the stupidly fun interplay between the main characters. True, many of the jokes fall flat, the handful of attempts at seriousness are lame, and some of the smaller characters are just too silly and overused (including Masi Oka and Nate Torrence as juvenile weapons experts and David Koechner as a totally wrong Larabee), but Carell keeps things going with his deadpan charm. Segal’s smartest decision might have been to allow his cast to ad lib, resulting in a bunch of laugh-out-loud moments, while bringing back such familiar items as the Cone of Silence and most of the classic tag lines (what, no “and loving it”?). The film also features cameos by series cocreator Leonard Stern, Bill Murray as Agent 13, and, most importantly, the original Siegfried, Bernie Kopell.
Ron Perlman is back to save the world as Mike Mignola’s oddball hero
Guillermo del Toro’s sequel to his 2004 comic-book adventure begins with Professor Broom (John Hurt) reading a bedtime story to his “son,” the young Hellboy (Montse Ribé), but it’s really more of a warning. Years later, the fairy tale comes to life as Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a cigar-chomping, Baby Ruth-loving, wryly sarcastic superhero, battles Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who is determined to reclaim his underworld throne and raise the unstoppable Golden Army in a bid to end humankind. Hellboy is once again joined by his girlfriend, fireball Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), alien fish stick Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, who also plays several other costumed characters), and the nervous head of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). But the government, concerned about Hellboy’s refusal to follow orders, has sent him a new team leader, by-the-book gasbag Johann Kraus (played by John Alexander, voiced by FAMILY GUY creator Seth McFarlane). Despite some lapses in the plot — which borrows elements from STAR WARS, STAR TREK, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and even SHREK — HELLBOY II is actually better than the original, with more humor and, indeed, more tenderness. It also features the best use of a Barry Manilow song ever. And Perlman is a riot every step of the way.
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
212-330-8182
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
1866 Broadway at 63rd St.
212-757-2280
http://www.lincolnplazacinema.com
http://www.landmarktheatres.com
Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance, Edinburgh, and Los Angeles Film Festivals, MAN ON WIRE is a thrilling examination of Philippe Petit’s attempt to walk on a wire connecting the two towers of the World Trade Center. Using archival footage, home movies, still photos, black-and-white re-creations, and new interviews with all the primary characters, director James Marsh (THE KING, WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP) sets up MAN ON WIRE like a heist film as Petit and his cohorts discuss the detailed planning that went into the remarkable event, including getting the wires and cable to the top of the South Tower and hiding under a tarp as a security guard has a smoke right next to them. Petit, who had previously — and illegally — traversed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, had become immediately obsessed with the Twin Towers as soon as he learned they were being built; Marsh intercuts scenes of the construction of the WTC as Petit puts together the seemingly impossible caper, leading to his August 7, 1974, walk between the two towers, more than a quarter mile above the ground. Petit has a relationship with the World Trade Center unlike anyone else’s; interestingly, Marsh and Petit do not so much as even hint at the destruction of the towers on September 11, 2001, a questionable decision that leaves a gap in the film. (They could have at least mentioned it in the end captions.) Still, MAN ON WIRE is an exhilarating documentary; even though you know that Petit survives, you’ll be breathless as he balances high above Lower Manhattan, one tiny step from death.
Meryl Streep jumps for joy as Broadway fave hits the big screen
Writer Catherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd bring their Broadway smash, MAMMA MIA!, to the big screen, placing it firmly on the strong shoulders of Meryl Streep, who sings and dances away with the movie. Preparing for her wedding to Sky (Dominic Cooper), Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) finds her mother, Donna’s (Streep), diary, detailing three brief romances she had the summer Sophie was conceived. Determined to find out which one is her true father and have him walk her down the aisle, Sophie secretly invites the three men — the rugged adventurer Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), the handsome architect Sam (Pierce Brosnan), and the goofy banker Harry (Colin Firth) — to the festivities, being held at the villa Donna runs on a small, beautiful Greek island. But when Donna suddenly comes upon her former lovers together in the goat house, she freaks out, demanding they leave immediately, despite Sophie’s insistence that they stay for the wedding. In the meantime, Donna has reunited with her former backup singers, thrice-married debutante Tanya (Christine Baranski) and plucky cookbook author Rosie (Julie Walters), who talk about the good times as well as the bad.
As the wedding approaches, all of the main characters reexamine their lives and reconsider their future, singing and dancing their way through such classic ABBA songs as “The Name of the Game,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Super Trouper,” and “When All Is Said and Done.” Inspired by Melvin Frank’s 1968 film BUONA SERA, MRS. CAMPBELL, which starred Gina Lollabridgida as the mother and Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, and Telly Savalas as her three former lovers, MAMMA MIA! is campy fun, primarily when Streep is on-screen. The subplots range from lame to predictable, and some of the bigger numbers, including “Voulez Vous,” fall flat on their face, but Streep always brings the film back to life, whether she’s bouncing on a bed during “Dancing Queen,” standing on a mountain, looking out on the horizon while belting out “The Winner Takes It All,” or holding back laughter as Brosnan does his best with “SOS.” But be warned — love it or hate it, your head will be filled with ABBA songs for days to come. (And yes, those two guys are exactly who you think they are, ABBA cofounders Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus, in small cameos.)
Sergei Bodrov’s biopic follows life of the man who would be Genghis Khan
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
212-330-8182
http://www.landmarktheatres.com
The story of Genghis Khan has been told several times on the big and small screen — Omar Sharif played the Mongolian warrior in 1965, John Wayne ridiculously had the lead role in Dick Powell’s 1956 film THE CONQUEROR, and there also have been Japanese, Chinese, and British versions — but Russian director Sergei Bodrov (PRISONER OF THE MOUNTAINS) takes a whole new approach in the gripping historical and romantic epic MONGOL. Set in the late twelfth century and shot on location in China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, MONGOL follows the life of young Temudgin from the age of nine as he grows into one of the fiercest fighters the world has ever known. Although the film features exciting, bloody battle scenes, at its heart it’s a moving character study of Temudgin, based on Lev Gumilev’s 1990s book THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK ARROW. Played as a child by Odnyam Odsuren and an adult by Japanese star Tadanobu Asano (ICHII THE KILLER, LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE), Temudgin is a brutal but highly principled leader with an undying love for his strong wife, Borte (the stunning Khulan Chuluun in her film debut), and his family as well as a deep connection with his blood brother, Jamukha (Chinese actor Honglei Sun), later to become his mortal enemy. Set to Tuomas Kantelinen’s sweeping score and throat singing by Mongolian folk group Altan Urag, MONGOL is a lush, beautiful, and surprisingly personal film.
The girls are back in town and on the big screen
http://www.sexandthecitymovie.com
From 1998 to 2004, SEX AND THE CITY was a mainstay on HBO, following the life and loves of Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), and Carrie Bradshaw as they traipsed about Manhattan in designer duds and really expensive shoes, dining and dishing at all the right places. The chic chicks have now reunited in the highly anticipated big-screen version of the award-winning cable series, picking up four years later, with Miranda having troubles with Steve (David Eigenberg) while they raise Brady (Joseph Pupo) out in Brooklyn, Samantha struggling to continue a monogamous relationship with hulky model and actor Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) in Hollywood, Charlotte loving her life with husband Harry (Evan Handler) and their adopted daughter, Lily (Alexandra and Parker Fong), and Carrie finally deciding to move in with — and marry — Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Written and directed by Michael Patrick King, an executive producer and writer on the original series, the movie hiccups its way through nearly two and a half hours of predictable story lines and frustrating plot twists — albeit with some very tender moments — trying too hard to please fans of the show as well as newcomers to this silly, superficial world. But it’s still fun to see the girls back together — with Carrie facing forty and Samantha heading toward fifty — even if the film feels more like two episodes strung together than the cinematic extravaganza it wants to be.
Squires and Shapiro share a strange friendship in THE WACKNESS
AMC Empire 25
234 West 42nd St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
212-398-3939
Angelika Film Center
18 West Houston St. at Mercer St.
212-995-2000
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
1866 Broadway at 63rd St.
212-757-2280
http://www.lincolnplazacinema.com
http://www.city-cinemas.com/angelika.html
http://www.sonyclassics.com/thewackness
Winner of the Audience Award for Dramatic Film at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, THE WACKNESS is a quirky coming-of-age drama set in 1994 New York City, which is quickly being taken over by new mayor Rudy Giuliani’s so-called quality-of-life initiatives. Josh Peck stars as Luke Shapiro, an easygoing loner who sells pot in the parks from a disguised Italian ices cart. He’s just graduated high school, and he’s trying to raise enough money so he can go to college. Luke has a strange relationship with his drug-addled shrink, Jeffrey Squires (a wickedly funny Ben Kingsley), that changes when Luke starts getting a little too friendly with Dr. Squires’s hot stepdaughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby). Meanwhile, Luke’s father (David Wohl) has lost a large sum of money, leaving the family facing possible eviction. Writer-director Jonathan Levine (ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE), who graduated high school in 1994 himself, sets the film amid the burgeoning world of hip hop, featuring songs by Nas, the Notorious B.I.G., a Tribe Called Quest, and Method Man (who also plays Luke’s supplier) that heavily influenced his own coming of age. In Luke and Dr. Squires, Levine has created a truly odd, engaging couple in this offbeat, surprisingly affecting film.
Extra Golden comes to town for a triple header
Tuesday, July 29, the Knitting Factory, $10-$12, 8:00
Sunday, August 3, SummerStage African Guitar Festival, free, 2:30
Wednesday, August 20, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, free, 6:00
Formed in May 2004 by Americans Ian Eagleson and Alex Minoff of Golden and Kenyans Otieno Jagwasi and Onyango Wuod Omari of Orchestra Extra Solar Africa in Nairobi’s Buru Buru neighborhood, Extra Golden has battled through Jagwasi’s AIDS-related death before the release of the their first record, OK-OYOT SYSTEM (Thrill Hill, May 2006), appealed to Illinois senator Barack Obama when they were denied visas to play in the States for the first time, and had to cancel gigs and deal with looted homes during the Kenyan election riots earlier this year. Mixing Kenyan Benga with American rock, Extra Golden recently released its second disc, HERA MA NONO (Thrill Hill, October 2007), with Onyango Jagwasi (Otieno’s brother), Opiyo Bilongo, and drummer Omari sharing lead vocals on the album’s eight guitar-based tracks, including "I Miss You," "Night Runners," and "Street Parade." Featuring songs in both Luo and English, HERA MA NONO (which translates to "Love in Vain") pays tribute to Otieno Jagwasi, New Orleans, and even Obama himself. The songs often include long instrumental breaks, with several of the tunes clocking in at more than eight minutes apiece. Extra Golden will be in New York City for three shows, first at the Knitting Factory on July 29 with Icy Demons and Pimps of Joytime, followed by two free concerts: as part of the African Guitar Festival at SummerStage on August 3, with Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits, Habib Koité & Bamada, Daby Touré, and Yossi Fine & Afrikan Bass, and at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival on August 20, with Mahmoud Ahmed and Alèmayèhu Eshèté with the Either/Orchestra, and Gétatchèw Mèkurya with the Ex.
twi-ny/mdr
King Khan will be playing with the Shrines and BBQ in early August
Saturday, August 2, King Khan & the Shrines, Live Fast Die, Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St. at Ave. A, 212-260-4700, $10-$12, 10:30
Sunday, August 3, Pool Parties: King Khan & the Shrines, Tall Firs, Black Lips, McCarren Park Pool, Lorimer St. between Driggs & Bayard Aves., free
Monday, August 4, King Khan & BBQ Show, Santos Party House, $10, 7:00
http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com
king khan and the shrines slideshow
On June 27, King Khan played a wild and woolly show at the South Street Seaport with the Shrines, their first gig in the States. Touring behind their latest collection, THE SUPREME GENIUS OF KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES (Vice, June 2008), Khan belted out a happy-making mix of funk, soul, and R&B, part James Brown, part Sun Ra, with crazy, over-the-top showmanship set to infectious beats. Joined onstage by a horn section, Mr. Speedfinger on lead guitar, Riddiman on bass, and dancing cheerleader Bamboorella shaking her pom-poms, Khan shouted out at the crowd, jumped into the photo pit, and donned an old German war helmet as he kept everyone dancing. (Khan, who has also been known as Black Snake, hails from Montreal and also lives and works in Berlin.) King Khan and the Shrines are back in town, playing a pay gig on August 2 at the Mercury Lounge with Live Fast Die, and they are also part of an awesome free triple bill at McCarren Park Pool on August 3 with Atlanta’s amazing Black Lips, who play with a thrilling reckless abandon, and Brooklyn’s own Tall Firs, whose TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG (Ecstatic Peace, March 2008) is soothing and alluring, reminiscent of label owner Thurston’s Moore’s calmer moments with Sonic Youth. On August 4 at Santos Party House, Khan will join his Spacesh*ts partner in crime, Mark Sultan, appearing as the King Khan & BBQ Show, playing their unique underground garage sounds, most recently captured on disc on THE KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW (In the Red, November 2007).
Saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins will play
SummerStage benefit on August 6
Central Park Summerstage
Rumsey Playfield
Central Park (enter at Fifth Ave. & 69th St.)
Wednesday, August 6, 8:00
Benefit: $32.50-$75
212-360-2756
Harlem native Sonny Rollins has been making history on his saxophone since he was a teenager, influenced by such giants as Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, and Charlie Parker. Nicknamed "Newk" because he looked like Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe, Rollins has been touring Europe with his latest band, featuring Clifton Anderson on trombone, Bobby Broom on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Kobie Watkins and Kimati Dinizulu on drums and percussion. Rollins, who won a Grammy for his 2005 live recording WITHOUT A SONG: THE 9/11 CONCERT, will be bringing his vast talent to Central Park, where he will be playing a benefit show at SummerStage. The $75 tickets are sold out, but there are still $32.50 seats available to see this saxophone colossus.
The Boredoms will go from 77 to 88 drums this summer
Friday, August 8, 8:08
Williamsburg Waterfront (Tickets required) All Ages free
Admission: free but tickets required
http://www.jellynyc.com/tag/boredoms
http://www.myspace.com/boredoms
Last summer, on July 7, 2007 (7/7/7), the Japanese experimental band Boredoms presented Boadrums 77 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, bringing together 77 drummers to play 77 minutes. This year, on August 8, 2008 (8/8/8), they will gather 88 drummers on the Willamsburg Waterfront for another sonic ensemble. Although the event is free, tickets are required in advance.
Alvin Ailey takes it to the streets for anniversary party
New York City Center
131 West 55th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Saturday, August 9, free, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
212-405-9000
http://www.alvinailey.org/free
As part of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s five-borough fiftieth anniversary celebration, there will be a street party on West 55th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves., featuring children’s activities, drumming (12 noon, 1:30, 3:15) and dance classes (West African Dance at 11:00 and 4:15, Horton Dance at 12:45, and Hip Hop Dance at 2:15, no reservations required but space is limited), food, and more, with performances inside at New York City Center at 11:00, 2:00, and 4:30 (including “Reflections in D,” “Revelations,” and excerpts from “Phases,” “For ‘Bird’ — with Love,” and “Blues Suite,” free tickets available one hour before showtime).
Liberty State Park, Liberty Island
August 8-10
Tickets: $89
Some of the best bands in the world will gather on Liberty Island for a mind-blowing three-day festival of great music. Radiohead will be headlining on August 8 and 9, with Jack Johnson taking that coveted slot on August 10. Among the dozens of bands participating in the event, which in part benefits the Friends of Liberty State Park, are Animal Collective, the Roots, Cat Power, Metric, Chromeo, Underworld, the New Pornographers, Girl Talk, Kings of Leon, Nicole Atkins, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Duffy, Mates of State, Rogue Wave, Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, the Go! Team, Grizzly Bear, and many more, across three stages — Blue Comet, Bullet, and Queen of the Valley. If you’re going, be sure to read the very specific rules, which say that cell phones, small beach towels, fanny packs, digital cameras, and medium-size backpacks are okay but blankets, video cameras, stuffed animals (!), chairs, camelpacks, instruments, and other items will be confiscated.
Prospect Park Bandshell
Tuesday, August 12, $55-$100, 7:00
718-855-7882
Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Dylan brings the Neverending Tour to Prospect Park, playing what should be a fascinating show at the bandshell with his current band, featuring Tony Garnier on bass, George Recile on drums, Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman on guitar, and Donnie Herron on a host of stringed instruments. Dylan put down the guitar a few years ago, now playing keyboards with what has become a trademark shuffle and jerk. Although the setlist changes every night, Dylan does feature some songs just about every night, including "Ain’t Talking," "Thunder on the Mountain," "Rollin’ and Tumblin’," and "Spirit on the Water" from 2006’s MODERN TIMES and "Summer Days,"."Honest with Me," and "High Water (for Charley Patton)" from 2001’s "LOVE AND THEFT." The hits are there as well, with "Like a Rolling Stone" in every encore; other tunes that make occasional or more regular appearances are "Tangled Up in Blue," "All Along the Watchtower," "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again," "It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)," "Masters of War," "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," "Desolation Row," or whatever else he feels like. Sure, he reimagines and reinvents songs, making it difficult to sometimes recognize the tune and sing along, but it’s always very interesting and entertaining, and it’s a rare chance to see him in such a beautiful venue.
"Beautiful Burnout," handmade silkscreen on rag paper, 2008
JacobsonHoward Gallery
33 East 68th St.
August 1-15
212-570-2362
http://www.underworldlive.com/artjam
As part of the All Points West Music and Art Festival, the JacobsonHoward Gallery will be hosting "Beautiful Burnout," a constantly changing and evolving multimedia installation by members of the group Underworld and the design collective tomato as well as other artists. The ArtJam will include live "performances" on August 7 and 11 by Rick Smith and Karl Hyde of Underworld and John Warwicker and Simon Taylor of tomato. Richard Schwamb, Laura Schwamb, Graham Wood, and Toru Yoshikawa (who was part of the previous ArtJam in Tokyo) will also participate. British experimentalists Underworld will be playing the Blue Comet stage at APW on August 8, right before Radiohead.
Awarded the Tanizaki Junichiro Prize in 1999 (other winners have included Kenzaburo Oe, Ryu Murakami, Kobo Abe, and Haruki Murakami), TRANSLUCENT TREE, newly available in an English-language translation, is a subtle yet heart-wrenching love story by Japanese romance novelist Nobuko Takagi. Chigiri Yamazaki is a forty-two-year-old divorced single mother taking care of her aging father, a once-renowned swordmaker, and her young daughter, Mayu, in the small town of Tsurugi. Go Imai, five years older than Chigiri, is a successful television producer from the city who returns to Tsurugi to find the Rokuro Cedar and a memory that haunts him. As Chigiri and Go become involved in a long-distance relationship, they each reexamine past mistakes and wonder what the future holds for them. Takagi tells this enchanting, infuriating, and overtly sexual story with gentle words and beautifully composed dialogue as Chigiri and Go experience deep physical pleasure but are both too afraid to share their true feelings and deepest thoughts.
All contents copyright 2008 by Mark Rifkin and twi-ny. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. Please note that events, dates, and prices are subject to change.
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Multiple venues
Live music: 8:00 or 8:30
Film screening: 8:30 or 9:00
Tickets: $9 unless otherwise noted
718-417-7362
Wednesday, July 30 Hard Road Home, Morningside Park, 113th St. & Morningside Dr., Harlem, with live music, free
Friday, August 1 MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE (Lynn Shelton, 2008), preceded by SNAKE (Becky James) and I SHOT THE MAYOR (OR PLAN B) (Astrid Bussink), Automotive High School lawn, 50 Bedford Ave. between North 12th St. & Lorimer, Williamsburg, with live music by Drew and the Medicinal Pen, 11:25
Wednesday, August 6 TROUBLE THE WATER (Tia Lessin & Carl Deal, 2008), Harlem Meer, Central Park, free, 8:00
Friday, August 8 UP WITH ME (Greg Takoudes, 2008), with live music by Balun, El Museo del Barrio roof, 1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th St., free, 9:00
Saturday, August 9 I’LL COME RUNNING (Spencer Parsons, 2008), with live music presented by Sound Fix, the Old American Can Factory roof, 232 Third St. at Third Ave., Gowanus, 9:00
Socrates Sculpture Park
Broadway at Vernon Blvd.
Wednesday nights at 7:00 through August 20
Admission: free
718-956-1819
http://www.socratessculpturepark.org
Wednesday, July 30 THE HOST (Bong Joon-ho, 2006), live performance by Song Hee Lee Dance Company, Korean cuisine by Go Wasabi, Astoria
Wednesday, August 6 THE RED BALLOON (Albert Lamorisse, 1956), PERSEPOLIS (Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi, 2007), live music by Clare and the Reasons, and French fusion from 718 Restaurant
The delightful RED BALLOON lands in Queens on August 6
Lovingly restored by Janus Films in a new 35mm print, Albert Lamorisse’s THE RED BALLOON, which won a Palme d’Or at Cannes and an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, tells the story of a young boy (Pascal Lamorisse, the director’s son) who makes friends with an extraordinary red balloon, which follows him through the streets of Belleville in Paris, waits for him while he is in school, and obeys his every command. But the neighborhood kids are afraid of this stranger and go on a mission to burst the young boy’s bubble. Lamorisse gives life and emotion to the balloon (more than twenty-five thousand were used in the making of the film) in a masterful use of simple special effects well before CGI and other modern technology. THE RED BALLOON features the splendid music of Maurice Leroux and the fine photography of Edmond Séchan.
Graphic novel will come to life in Socrates Sculpture Park
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/persepolis
France’s official selection for the 2007 Academy Awards, PERSEPOLIS brings to animated life Marjane Satrapi’s stunning graphic novels. Codirected by Satrapi and comic-book artist Vincent Paronnaud, PERSEPOLIS tells Satrapi’s harrowing life story as she comes of age during the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Raised in a well-off activist family, she fights against many of the country’s crippling mores and laws, particularly those that treat women as second-class citizens, trapping them in their veils, denying them any kind of individual freedom. But the progressive Satrapi (voiced first by Gabrielle Lopes, then Chiara Mastroianni) continually gets into trouble as she speaks her mind, experiments with sex, and refuses to play by her country’s repressive rules. Satrapi and Paronnaud do an outstanding job of adapting the books’ black-and-white panels for the big screen, maintaining her unique style and emotional breadth. The first part of the film is excellent as the precocious teenager who talks to God learns about life in some very harsh ways. Unfortunately, the second half gets bogged down in Satrapi’s failures as an adult, focusing too much on her myriad personal problems and taking away the bigger picture that made the first part so entertaining as well as educational. Still, it’s a story worth telling, and well worth seeing. The closing-night selection of the 2007 New York Film Festival, PERSEPOLIS also features the voices of Catherine Deneuve as Marjane’s mother, Danielle Darrieux as her grandmother, Simon Akbarian as her father, and François Jerosme as her radical uncle Anouche.
Wednesday, August 13 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963), with live music by Le Nozze di Carlo and Italian cuisine from Manetta’s
Pier 54, Hudson River at Fourteenth St.
Wednesdays around dusk July 9 — August 20
Admission: free
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org
Wednesday, July 30 DREAM GIRLS (Bill Condon, 2006)
Wednesday, August 6 SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (John Badham, 1977)
Wednesday, August 13 ROCK STAR (Stephen Herek, 2001)
Tompkins Square Park
Between Seventh & Tenth Sts. and Aves. A & B
Alternate Wednesdays, gates open at 6:00, films begin at sundown
Admission: free
Wednesday, July 30 BETTER OFF DEAD (Savage Steve Holland, 1985)
Wednesday, August 13 THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols, 1968)
Pier 54, Hudson River Park at Horatio St.
Admission: free
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org
Thursday, July 31 Flogging Molly
JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th St.
Tickets: $10
646-505-5708
Thursday, July 31 Pharaoh’s Daughter, 8:30
Rumsey Playfield
Central Park (enter at Fifth Ave. & 69th St.)
Admission: free unless otherwise noted
212-360-2756
Thursday, July 31 Richard Price reads from LUSH LIFE and Charles Bock reads from BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN; in addition, they will be giving away free specially designed and signed limited-edition posters of the event by Chuck Sperry, 7:00
Saturday, August 2 Roy Hargrove Big Band and special guests, 7:00
Sunday, August 3 Jamie Lidell, Janelle Monáe, Little Jackie, Jose James, and Gilles Peterson, suggested donation $5, 3:00
Monday, August 4 Benefit: The National, Yeasayer, and Plants and Animals, $30-$35, 6:30
Saturday, August 9 An Unexpected Mexico, with Kinky, Alejandro Escovedo with Strings, and Pistolera, 3:00
Tuesday, August 12 Benefit: Jill Scott and Wyclef Jean, $65, 7:30
Brooklyn Bridge Park at Empire-Fulton State Park
1 Main St. at Water St.
Thursday nights at sunset, preceded by music by live DJs at 6:00
Admission: free
718-802-0603
Thursday, July 31 ACE IN THE HOLE (Billy Wilder, 1951), preceded by THE DEADPOOL (Ryan Muir), with music by DJ Tim "Love" Lee"
Thursday, August 7 PLEASANTVILLE (Gary Ross, 1998), preceded by HOW TO BUILD A SPACESHIP (Russell Jacobs), with music by DJ Nick Name
El Museo del Barrio Teatro Heckscher
1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th St.
Thursday nights at 7:00
Admission: free
212-831-7272
The galleries might be under renovation, but there is still plenty to do at El Museo del Barrio — and it’s all free.
Thursday, July 31 Summer Nights at El Museo: Latin Nights Concert Series (Noches Latinas) — Irresistible Tango featuring Tito Castro, Heckscher Theater, 7:00
Thursday, August 7 Summer Nights at El Museo: Latin Nights Concert Series (Noches Latinas) — Celebrate Colombia! Folklore Urbano featuring Pablo Mayor, Heckscher Theater, 7:00
Andrew Freedman Home
1125 Grand Concourse at McClellan St.
Admission: free
RSVP for program: 718-681-6000 ext102
Friday, August 1 The Bronx Museum of the Arts moves its monthly First Fridays program outside, featuring screenings of the Senegalese films LITTLE GIRL WHO SOLD THE SUN (Djibril Diop Mambety, 1999) and MAMBETY (Papa Madieye Mbaye, 2002), with live performances by Michael Markus with Magbana Drum and Dance and DJ sets by Chris Annibell, 6:00 — 10:00
Pier 46, Hudson River Park at Christopher St.
Fridays around dusk through August 22
Admission: free
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org
Friday, August 1 THE IRON GIANT (Brad Bird, 1999)
Arlene’s Grocery
95 Stanton St. between Orchard & Ludlow Sts.
Admission: $10
212-995-1652
Friday, August 1 Red Datsun (11:00) highlights a night of cool indie rock, with Cheap Machine (7:00), Cassidy (8:00), TJ Moss (10:00), and Eden Star (12 midnight)
CityParks Foundation, multiple venues
All performances at 8:00
Admission: free
212-564-9983
http://www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org
Friday, August 1
and
Saturday, August 2 Production of Tony-nominated by Melvin Van Peebles, Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem
Friday, August 8
and
Saturday, August 9 Production of Tony-nominated musical by Melvin Van Peebles, East River Park, Manhattan
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Friday nights at 6:30 July 11 through August 24
Admission: free for outdoor events; $5 suggested donation for museum, which is open until 8:00
718-592-9700
Friday, August 1 China — Dance & Music: Renaissance Chinese Opera Society; Film: THE KING OF MASKS (Tian-Ming Wu, 1999)
Friday, August 8 Ecuador — Dance: Andrea Haenggi and AMDaT; Music: Inkhay; Film: HOW MUCH FURTHER (QUE TAN LEJOS) (Tania Hermida, 2006)
K2 Lounge
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Free admission to galleries from 7:00 to 10:00
212-620-5000 ext 344
Friday, August 1 Harlem in the Himalayas: the Steve Wilson Quartet, $18-$20, 7:00
Friday, August 1 CabaretCinema: What Price Paradise? STROSZEK (Werner Herzog, 1976), introduced by Annette Insdorf, free with $7 bar minimum, 9:30
Friday, August 8 Harlem in the Himalayas: Michael Wolff Trio, $18-$20, 7:00
Friday, August 8 CabaretCinema: What Price Paradise? STRANGER THAN PARADISE (Jim Jarmusch, 1984), introduced by Michael Azerrad, free with $7 bar minimum, 9:30
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Admission: free after 5:00 pm (some events require advance same-day tickets)
718-638-5000
Saturday, August 2 West Indian-American Day Carnival Association celebration, 3:00 — 7:00; live performance by Amma McKen and Omiyesa, 5:00; dance by Ase Dance Theatre Collective, 6:00; reading by Marie-Elena John, 6:00; screening of LIFE IS TO WHISTLE (Fernando Perez, 2000), 8:30; dance party with Reggae Retro’s DJs and Judah Tribe, 9:00
Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
Admission: free
718-767-1776
In addition to the below events, this sixteenth annual festival will feature Native Sounds, Lion Dance Performances, an arts & crafts tent, face painting, balloon twisters, and more, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday, August 2 Damien Bassman and Broadway Friends, 10:30
Saturday, August 2 Dragon Dancing Team, 11:30
Saturday, August 2 Kevin So & Midnight Snack, 1:00
Saturday, August 2 Shaolin Kung Fu, 2:00
Saturday, August 2 Rob Lok, 3:00
Saturday, August 2 Calpulli Mexcan Dance Company, 4:00
Sunday, August 3 Chinese Music Ensemble of New York, 10:30
Sunday, August 3 Cover-to-Cover, 11:30
Sunday, August 3 Dumpling Eating Contest, 12 noon
Sunday, August 3 Shaolin Kung Fu, 1:00
Sunday, August 3 Simon Yu’s Fusion Band, 2:00
Sunday, August 3 Niall O’Leary Irish Dance Troupe, 3:00
Governors Island
Admission: free
Ferry: free
212-440-2202
Saturday, August 2
and
Sunday August 3 “Living History on Governors Island,” including Revolutionary War Camp, walking tours, drilling and historic weapons firing with the 5th New York Regiment, and more, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Prospect Park Bandshell
Through August 11
Keep It Great: Give $3 at the Gate
718-855-7882
http://www.celebratebrooklyn.org
Saturday, August 2 Father Goose, the Sippy Cups, Sonia Manzano, James McDaniel, and Joan Osborne, 7:00
Sunday, August 3 African Guitar Festival, with Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits, Habib Koité & Bamada, Daby Touré, Yossi Fine & Afrikan Bass, and Extra Golden, 2:30
Thursday, August 7 Ailey II, with free interactive dance classes at 5:30 and 6:30, followed by performance at 7:00
Saturday, August 9 Hal Willner’s Bill Withers Project, with Angelique Kidjo, Nona Hendryx, the Swell Season, Corey Glover, James "Blood" Ulmer, Sandra St. Victor, Teddy Thompson, Eric Mingus, and other special guests, backed by an all-star band including Lenny Pickett, Steven Bernstein, and Cornell Dupree, 7:00
Theater for the New City
Multiple locations
August 2 — September 14
Admission: free
212-254-1109
http://www.theaterforthenewcity.net
The Theater for the New City’s Street Theater Company goes on the road with Crystal Field’s new musical IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID! OR THE TURNING POINT, performing the show outdoors in parks and playgrounds through September 14.
Saturday, August 2 Theater for the New City, East 10th St. at First Ave., 2:00
Sunday, August 3 Jackie Robinson Park, 2:00
Saturday, August 9 Tompkins Square Park, East Seventh St. & Ave. A, 2:00
Sunday, August 10 Herbert Von King Park, Marcy & Tompkins, 2:00
twi-ny/mdr
Apollo Heights played SummerStage earlier this summer
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center / MoMA
22-25 Jackson Ave. at 46th Ave., Long Island City
Saturdays from 3:00 to 9:00 July 5 - September 6
Admission: $10, includes admission to art galleries 2:00 to 9:00
718-784-2084
http://www.ps1.org/ps1_site/content/view/362/74
Saturday, August 2 Black Rock Coalition and Five Six Media host Chuck Treece’s McRad, Apollo Heights, and guest DJs
Saturday, August 9 Royal Norwegian Consulate General hosts Mungolian Jet Set, and guest DJs
Coney Island Museum
1208 Surf Ave. between Stillwell Ave. and West 12th St.
Saturday nights at 8:30 through September 13
Tickets $5, including free popcorn
718-372-5159
Saturday, August 2 BARBARELLA (Roger Vadim, 1968)
Saturday, August 9 THE WIZ (Sidney Lumet, 1978)
Section Nine at the Pavilion
Pelham Bay Park at City Island Rd.
Sundays at 12 noon through September 1
Admission: free
http://www.tropicalmusicfestival.com
Sunday, August 3 El Dia ee Quisqueya, with xtreme, Los Brother’s Band, Nueva Era, Neury Luciano, Group H 4, and Rameses
Sunday, August 10 El Dia del Rey, with Yolanda Duke & the Tito Puente Orq., Frankie Morales & His Orchestra, La Comisión, Jon Pare, and Javier Luis
Pier 54, Hudson River Park at Horatio St.
Sundays in July, dance lessons at 6:30, live bands at 7:00
Admission: free
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org
Sunday, August 3 Salsa wit Nu Guajiro
Sunday, August 10 Swing with George Gee’s Jump, Jivin’ Wailers
St. Nicholas Park
135th Street & St. Nicholas Park on the great lawn
Through August 18
Music begins at 6:00, screenings at sundown
Admission: free
Monday, August 4 SPIRITS OF THE UHADI (Lauren Groenwald, 2004) and HOMECOMING (Charlene Gilbert, 1999), preceded by a live performance by Yolanda Zama, with dancing by SAGA (South African Girls Abroad) and spinning by Kwaito DJ Eddie Ed
Monday, August 11 ANTONIA (Tata Amaral, 2006), with music by DJ Reborn and live performances by emcee Farrah Burns and vocalist Young Diva Tess
Bryant Park
Sixth Ave. from 40th to 42nd Sts.
Monday nights through August 20
Lawn opens at 5:00 pm for blankets and picnicking
Films begin at dusk (between 8:00 & 9:00 pm)
Admission: free
212-512-5700/212-983-4142
Monday, August 4 LIFEBOAT (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944)
Monday, August 11 THE CANDIDATE (Michael Ritchie, 1972)
All Saints Parish Hall
707 Washington St.
Screenings begin at 6:30 pm
Discussion follows film
Admission: free, with free popcorn and seltzer
Every summer, classic films are screened inside All Saints Parish Hall in Hoboken, with free popcorn and seltzer and a discussion following each film.
Monday, August 4 DODSWORTH (William Wyler, 1936)
Monday, August 11 A WOMAN'S FACE (George Cukor, 1941)
Wingate Field
Winthrop St. between Brooklyn & Kingston Aves., across the street from Kings County Hospital
Monday nights at 7:30
Admission: free, chairs recommended
718-222-0600
http://www.brooklynconcerts.com
Monday, August 4 An Evening with Erykah Badu
Monday, August 11 Jill Scott and Estelle
East River State Park, Williamsburg Waterfront
Kent Ave. & North Eighth St.
Monday nights at 8:30
Admission: free, with free popcorn
Monday, August 4 MOONSTRUCK (Norman Jewison, 1987)
Monday, August 11 THE ASTRONAUT FARMER (Michael Polish, 2007)
Times Square and other locations
Admission: free
Tuesday, August 5 Sixth annual event, featuring male and female models cruising such city hotspots as Times Square, clad only in the latest unmentionables from leading brands, including Barely There, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Jocko, Puma, Nautica, DKNY, Versace, Champion, Bike, Hanes, Dolce & Gabbana, Maidenform, Fruit of the Loom, Magic Silk, Playtex, Elle Macpherson, Diesel, and Wonderbra
The Eldridge Street Project
Eldridge St. between Canal & Division Sts.
Tickets: $18
212-219-0888
Tuesday, August 5 Lost & Found Music Series, with the Afro-Semitic Experience, featuring David Chevan, Warren Byrd, and Cantor Alberto Mizrahi celebrating the release of YIZKOR: MUSIC OF MEMORY, 7:00
55 Water St. at Old Slip
Films begin at sundown between 8:00 & 9:00
Admission: free
http://www.rivertorivernyc.org
Tuesday, August 5 DISHING (Nisi Jacobs, 2001), SUGARTOWN (Nisi Jacobs, 2001), and ON THE TOWN (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1949), featuring a conversation with Nisi Jacobs
Tuesday, August 12 BLIND GRACE (Adam Cohen, 1993) and MANHATTAN (Woody Allen, 1979), featuring a conversation with Adam Cohen
Woody classic will be shown by the East River
Woody Allen’s masterwork, MANHATTAN, is a nonstop celebration of the city he so loves. Coming off the overwhelming critical and popular success of ANNIE HALL (1977) and the mixed reaction to the Bergmanesque INTERIORS (1978), Allen combines the best of both in this heartbreakingly funny look at life and love involving brown water, religion, television, Nazis, infidelity, tell-all books, geniuses, and a stellar cast that includes Allen, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, and Michael Murphy. Shot in breathtaking black and white by cinematographer Gordon Willis and with a spectacular soundtrack — featuring George Gershwin music performed by Zubin Mehta conducting the New York Philharmonic and Michael Tilson Thomas leading the Buffalo Philharmonic — the film should be quite a treat screened here on the water, the Brooklyn Bridge itself visible in the distance. And try not to read too much into the plot, in which television writer Isaac Davis (Allen) goes bananas over a high school girl (Hemingway).
McCarren Park Pool
Lorimer St. between Driggs & Bayard Aves.
Tuesdays through August 26
Live music at 7:00, screening at 9:00
Admission: free
718-596-3462
Tuesday, August 5 28 DAYS LATER (Danny Boyle, 2002), preceded by live music by Dave Doobinin
Tuesday, August 12 BLUE VELVET (David Lynch, 1986), preceded by live music by the Mumbles
B.B. King Blues Club
237 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Tickets: $60-$160
212-997-4144
Wednesday, August 6 Live fights presented by DiBella Entertainment, featuring Randall Bailey vs. Dairo Esalas, James Moore vs. Christian Lloyd Joseph, Ryan Kielczweski vs. Raphael Luna, Will Rosinsky vs. Valentine Fontanelly, Philip Jackson-Benson vs. Robert Harris, and Vinny Madalone and Dat Nguyen, 7:00
Multiple art galleries in DUMBO
Admission: free
Thursday, August 7 Art walk through nearly two dozen art galleries in DUMBO, including Smack Mellon, Rabbithole Studio, and powerHouse Arena, 5:30 — 7:30
Asser Levy Seaside Park
Sea Breeze Ave. & Ocean Pkwy.
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn
Limited seating: $5 per chair ($10 for special shows), but you can bring your own for free
Admission: free
Thursday nights at 7:30
718-222-0600
http://www.brooklynconcerts.com
Thursday, August 7 An Evening with Liza Minnelli
Dance Theater Workshop, third floor terrace
219 West 19th St.
Thursday nights in August at 9:00
Admission: free
Thursday, August 7 THE PRINCESS BRIDE (Rob Reiner, 1987), coolers and cushions encouraged
Riverbank State Park Amphitheatre
145th St. & Riverside Dr.
Thursday through Sunday nights at 8:00
Admission: free
212-695-1596
http://www.pulseensembletheatre.org
Thursday, August 7
through
Sunday, August 24 Pulse Ensemble Theatre’s Summer Shakespeare production of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Alexa Kelly
The Cloisters, Fort Tryon Park
Thursday through Sunday nights at 8:00
Admission: free
Thursday, August 7
through
Sunday, August 31 Gorilla Rep presents an uncut production of HAMLET, with no intermission, that will move through various parts of Fort Tryon Park
The Living Room
154 Ludlow St. between Stanton & Rivington Sts.
Tickets: $10
212-533-7235
http://www.myspace.com/jaynash
Friday, August 8 L.A. singer-songwriter plays songs from his upcoming album, THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU NEED (October 2008), with Chris Seefried of the Low Stars, 9:00
Underground Rest Stop
Petrosino Square, Lafayette & Spring Sts
Admission: free
Saturday, August 9 Manhattan Columbus Art Association, 10:00 am; Phil and the Osophers, 11:00 am
Governors Island
Admission: free
Ferry: free
212-440-2202
Saturday, August 9 Family Day Celebration, including Afro-Brazilian Dance (12:30-1:45), Needle Arts (1:00-3:00), African Short Films (2:00-6:00 in the Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion), Senegalese Sabar Dance (2:30-3:45), Storytelling and Double-Dutch (3:00–4:00), Guinean Dance (4:00–5:15), arts and crafts, workshops, food, and more, Colonels’ Row, 12 noon - 6:00
Multiple venues
Admission: free
Saturday, August 9 Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem’s 2008 Annual Street Festival, West 152nd St. between Amsterdam & St. Nicholas Ave., 12 noon — 7:00 pm
Sunday, August 10 All Star Basketball Tournament: Unity in Our Community, Holcomb Rucker Park, West 155th St. & Frederick Douglass Blvd., 212-348-3010, 1:00 — 7:00
Monday, August 11
through
Wednesday, August 20 Black Film Festival, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building and Lincoln East Senior Center, 212-749-5298, http://www.moaac.org
Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Rd. at Vernon Blvd.
Free with museum admission of $10
718-204-7088 ext209
Sunday, August 10 American Contemporary Music Ensemble: the world premiere of Joseph Pereira's "Awakening Slave," Elliott Carter's "Figment I" for solo cello, "Figment IV" for solo viola, and "Con Leggerezza Pensosa-Omaggio a Italo Calvino" for clarinet, violin, and cello, and Nico Muhly's "Duet No. 1" for cello and viola and "Chorale Pointing Downwards," 3:00
Symphony Space, Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Tickets: adults $10, children $8
212-349-0330
Sunday, August 10 East Coast debut of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (Dave Filoni, 2008), with costumed stormtroopers and Star Wars characters, lots of free gifts, posters, and more, 5:00
Spiegelworld
Fulton Fish Market, Pier 17, South Street Seaport
August 10 — October 20
212-279-4200
Sunday, August 10 Meow Meow & Justine Bond, 10:00
Monday, August 11 Amanda Palmer, of the Dresden Dolls, premiering songs from her upcoming solo album, WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER (Roadrunner, September 16), with related videos by Michael Pope, 10:00
Tuesday, August 12 Bust Magazine Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration, 8:00 pm — 1:00 am