Summer Spectacular
08.16.06
In This Issue
1. West Indian Carnival dances down Eastern Pkwy.
3. Partying in a Williamsburg pool
4. Absinthe, beach, burgers, and booze at the South Street Seaport and in LIC
5. The U.S. Open serves it up in Queens
6. Celebrating the Hustons at MoMA
Volume 6, Number 11
Volume 6, Number 11
Now celebrating five years of bringing you the best of New York!
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Eastern Pkwy.
Monday, September 4
Admission: free
718-467-1797
http://www.carnaval.com/cityguides/newyork/ny_carn.htm
We’ve been going to this parade for more than fifteen years, and it never lets us down, although it continues to get more and more crowded every Labor Day. The festivities actually begin at 2:00 am, with the traditional J’Ouvert Morning, a precarnival procession featuring steel drums and percussion and fabulous masquerade costumes, from Grand Army Plaza to Flatbush Ave. and on to Empire Blvd., then to Nostrand Ave. and Rutland Rd. The Parade of Bands begins around 11:00 am, as truckloads of blasting Caribbean music and groups of ornately dressed dancers march down Eastern Parkway to Grand Army Plaza, soon to be joined by glad-handing local politicians. The great homemade food includes ackee and codfish, oxtail stew, curried goat, jerk chicken, fishcakes, and lots of rice and peas. The farther east you venture, the more closed in it gets; by the time you get near Crown Heights, it could take you half an hour just to cross the street, so take it easy and settle in for a fun, colorful day where you need not hurry.
Kwame Monroe aka Bear 167, "Sunday Afternoon," 1984
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Through September 3
Suggested contribution: $8
718-638-5000
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/graffiti
In December 1983, the Sidney Janis Gallery held an exhibition called "Post-Graffiti," which brought the work of such underground artists as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Crash, and Lady Pink to 57th St. Reviewing the show in the New York Times, Grace Glueck wrote, "Now, graffiti is not a subject to be taken lightly in New York. Most citizens — including this one — find this teen-age phenomenon a scourge and an eyesore, whether it’s sprayed on canvas, on public walls or on the steel sides of subway cars…. Apart from its illegality, the very idea of enshrining graffiti — an art of the streets impulsive and spontaneous by nature -- in the traditional, time-honored medium of canvas, is ridiculous." While we heartily disagree with much of what Glueck wrote, she does bring up a very important point, and one that is in evidence at the "Graffiti" show now on view at the Brooklyn Museum. Whereas the majority of graffiti is done in the middle of the night, illegally, on walls, bridges, rooftops, parking lots, and underpasses — but, alas, no longer on subway trains — the work at the 1983 exhibition and today at the Brooklyn Museum (some of which are veterans of the earlier show, and all of which date from the 1980s) has been done on canvas, most likely indoors with no danger lurking in the dark city night. (The sole exception is a spray-painted subway door by Tracy 168.) In a way, the new exhibit could have been called "Post-Post-Graffiti," as graffiti traveled from the streets and rails to a high-profile Midtown gallery and now to a well-respected art museum.
Melvin Samuels, Jr. aka NOC, untitled
Overall, the pieces themselves lack the excitement of the best graffiti, even though some of the most well known and influential writers are on display, divided into "Faces in Graffiti," "Graffiti and the Subways," "Comics and Cartoons," "Writing," and "Graffiti Abroad." Among the standouts, Bear 167’s "Buxom" shines on the canvas, while his "Sunday Afternoon" is not only the most painterly of the works on view but also offers the most realistic perspective, a spray painting of a building marked by graffiti, with the sun setting both in and out of the picture. Fab 5 Freddy’s "Mr. Potato Head" is eye-catching and very funny. Crash’s "Aeroplane I" and "Crash Come Closer" evoke Roy Lichtenstein’s colorful comic-book panels. A-One’s "Train Act" comes thrillingly alive, a long, horizontal acrylic on canvas that features crazy faces, numerous tags, homages to his contemporaries, a subway car, the Empire State Building, and, perhaps most tellingly, dollar signs. Pieces by Lady Pink, Daze, Toxic, Phase 2, Kel 1st, and Sharp and Stash fail to inspire, falling flat and lifeless on the canvas. And then there is the pseudo-hallway in the center of the gallery, where visitors are encouraged to create their own graffiti, which belittles the artists and writers on the walls in a bogus attempt to legitimize graffiti even more. For a look at what’s going on with today’s street artists, take your time checking out the untitled piece by Swoon located right outside the fifth-floor elevator.
Brooklyn Museum of Art
718-638-5000
There’s a lot more going on at the Brooklyn Museum than the "Graffiti" exhibition.
Unfortunately, the unbelievable, breathtaking "Symphonic Poem: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson" has just closed, but on August 31 "Looking Back from Ground Zero: Images from the Brooklyn Museum Collection" opens, running through December 17. Displays from the museum’s permanent collection include "American Identities: A New Look," "Renaissance Paintings," "Assyrian Reliefs," "About Time: 700 Years of European Paintings," "The Arts of Africa," the Steinberg Family Sculpture Garden, "Arts of Asia and the Islamic World," "Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity," "Living Legacies: The Arts of the Americas," and, in the parking lot, a replica of the Statue of Liberty that was moved from its spot atop a building near Lincoln Center. And don’t miss the amazing Rodin gallery on the fifth floor and the cool Williamsburg Murals on the third floor.
twi-ny/mdr
Children take to the walls of Brooklyn for colorful mural
Voices Her’d Series
Washington Ave. & Lincoln Pl., Washington Ave. & St. John’s Pl.
Groundswell Community Mural Project
Admission: free
718-254-9782
http://www.groundswellmural.org
Across the street from the Brooklyn Museum is a whole different type of street art: a 125 foot by 30 foot mural made by children in association with the museum and the Groundswell Community Mural Project, a nonprofit organization that brings art to underrepresented neighborhoods. "A New Day" was created by lead artist Katie Yamasaki and assisted by Menshahat Ebron, with contributions from ten teen artists: Gloriby Munoz, Shekhshem Ebron, Tchesmeni Leonard, Adria Richard, Desiree Soto, Annie Wu, Sharry Luong, Crystal Kinscy, Min Ting Liu, Yun Zhi Lu. The large-scale mural was done in conjunction with Judy Chicago’s "Dinner Party" exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum last year, paying tribute to the changing role of women in society. In the main image, a black woman stands behind a Muslim girl with a dove in her hand, both looking out at the sun with high hopes, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Williamsburg Savings Bank in the background. Farther down Lincoln Pl., each teenage artist has envisioned their future, with depictions of women (including Judy Chicago) working in construction, finance, sports, media, politics, agriculture, art, and other fields.
twi-ny/mdr
Mural celebrates women’s hope for the future
Get back on Washington and walk down toward St. John’s Pl. for "The Higher We Climb, the Further We Can See," a horizontal mural created by lead artist Belle Benfield, assistant muralist Cara Earl, and student muralists Alexandra Flores, Julissa Soriano, Stephanie Delgado, Yasemin Kaynas, Mandy Liu, Wan (Rita) Lam, Kerry Chan, Ebony Thurman, and Shui Yung (Emily) Zhang, inspired by Judy Chicago, Faith Ringgold, and Kara Walker. Painted in acrylic with a nod to the traditional patchwork quilt used for storytelling, the 170 foot by 7 foot mural honors the continuing struggle of women and the achievements of such important figures as Frida Kahlo, Sojourner Truth, Shirley Chisholm, Nina Simone, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks as well as Delva Evans of the neighborhood’s Nile Day Care, who stands proudly at 781 Washington, holding a flag that proclaims the mural’s title, surrounded by birds and the solar system. The mural also features girls swimming against the tide and navigating for new territory in a boat, the sea representing the waves of change — and hope for the future.
Brooklyn Museum Grounds
Tickets: $30 advance, $35 day of show
718-467-1797
http://www.carnaval.com/main.htm
Saturday, September 2 Panorama: A Musical Steelband Competition, with MCs Jemma Jordon and Godfrey Jack, 7:00
Sunday, September 3 DiManche Gras: A Majestic Evening of Caribbean Artistry & Music, with MCs Wassy, Jemma Jordon, and Godfrey Jack and live performances by Baron, Scrunter, David Rudder, Sparrow, Explainer, Hunter, Brown Boy, Black Stalin, Count Robin, Something Positive Dance Theatre, Golden Harps, stilt walkers, rhythm master, and more, 7:00
http://www.hnabooks.com/product/show/3284
Unlike the stagnant graffiti at the Brooklyn Museum, hanging on the walls like fossils from 1983, created both within and for the art market, the work chronicled in FREIGHT TRAIN GRAFFITI is part of a vibrant, organic movement exploding within the graffiti subculture. In the 1970s, the first writers in New York City bombed subway trains to declare their identity in the face of the culture’s marginalization of urban youth, shouting their names and tags all over the five boroughs. But after a ten-year war on graffiti, NYC’s MTA announced on May 12, 1989, that every car on the rails was graffiti-free. By that time graffiti had spread throughout the world, colonizing brand logos, ads, clothing, and MTV graphics. But the original purpose of graffiti found new expression when writers began to hit the freight trains crisscrossing the U.S. — a medium that allows an unprecedented reach for one’s identity as well as a longevity impossible in the urban landscape. As numerous interviews in the book attest, freight-train graffiti has blown up in the graffiti arena like nothing else since such city writers as ZEPHYR, IZ THE WIZ, and SACH first set the style, tone, and agenda for the world.
FREIGHT TRAIN GRAFFITI offers the longtime aficionado and new enthusiasts a wealth of solid information and 1,000 gorgeous full-color photos and spreads, plus interviews with 125 writers, including GHOST, KING 157, KRASH, SUROC, PRAE, HUSH, BRAZE, and SANE/SMITH. Unlike art books on graffiti or street art that concentrate on spectacular visual impact and provide frustratingly scanty information about the work, this 300+ page chronicle provides readers with an amazingly thorough yet never academic account of what’s going on now — and what’s been going on since the first subway artists ventured into cross-country freight yards. Simply beautiful.
twi-ny/mdr
WPA pool is home to free concerts this summer
McCarren Park Pool
Lorimer St. between Driggs & Bayard Aves.
Pool open 2:00 — 8:00; live music at 3:00
Bring bathing suits and blankets
Do not bring chairs, bikes, food, and drink
Free Sundays through September 3
Admission: free
http://www.thepoolparties.com/events.php
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=200
McCarren Park Pool is a simply fabulous spot for live shows. Named for a Williamsburg politician from the late nineteenth century who was also a renowned gambler, McCarren Park is a huge area that covers more than four blocks, with large spaces dedicated to softball fields, track and field and soccer, a children’s playground, and a WPA pool, designed by Aymar Embury II, with a capacity of nearly seven thousand, built during the Fiorello La Guardia era. This summer the empty pool has become home to some great music, both free and ticketed. The arched entrance leads to a wide-open space that includes graffiti’d walls, a dodge-ball corner, and a ridiculously fun twenty-seven-foot water slide which is a must. Food and drink are supplied by carts from Red Bull, the Brooklyn Brewery, Ben & Jerry’s, and Sparky’s American Food from North Fifth St. (burgers and dogs) A few weeks back we saw a great show that included the Everyothers, Maxine Brown (who invited people onstage to dance and sing to "Hold On I’m Coming"), and a killer set by the Detroit Cobras, with Rachel Nagy singing, shouting, spitting, screaming, smoking, splitting, swearing, and swigging Gatorade while racing through a thrilling set of two-minute songs at breakneck speed. The week after that, Deerhoof was offbeat and entertaining while the much-ballyhooed Beirut was just plain boring. There are still a handful of concerts left to close out the summer, so go even if you haven’t heard of any of the bands. The music is very loud, which is great, but the sound system is far from perfect. Watch out for the hula-hoopist, one of the best we’ve ever seen.
Sunday, August 20 Archie Bell & Mighty Hannibal backed by the Dansettes, the Fabulous Soul Shakers, DJs Phast Phreddie and Cosmo Baker, free, 2:00
Sunday, August 27 The Walkmen, Dr. Dog, Human Television, Elvis Perkins, DJ Mikey Palms, free, 2:00
Sunday, September 3 Spank Rock, Gang Gang Dance, Shy Child, DJ the Rub, free, 2:00
McCarren Park Pool
Lorimer St. between Driggs & Bayard Aves.
http://www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/10086
In addition to the free shows listed above, concert promoter Live Nation is hosting a few ticketed gigs. Sonic Youth and Yeah Yeah Yeahs played August 11-12; below are three more shows to close out the short series.
Thursday, August 17 Iron and Wine with Low and Califone, $35
Wednesday, August 23 The Shins with J. Mascis and Sam Jayne, $35, 12 noon
Thursday, August 24 Neko Case with Joanna Newsom and Martha Wainwright, $32.50, 12 noon
McCarren Park Pool
Lorimer St. between Driggs & Bayard Aves.
Through August 26
Live music at 7:00, screening at 9:00
Admission: free
718-596-3462
Tuesday, August 22 LOVE STREAMS (John Cassavetes, 1984) with live performance by Elliot Sharp
Saturday, August 26 STYLE WARS (Henry Chalfant & Tony Silver, 1983), closing party with DJ Spooky’s An Aquatic Multimedia Happening, featuring Worange Drexler
twi-ny/mdr
Tats Cru go to work on side of Brooklyn Industries
Brooklyn Industries Williamsburg
162 Bedford St. at North Eighth St.
Admission: free
718-789-2764
http://www.brooklynindustries.com
On the weekend of August 5-6, BIO, NOSM, and HOW painted a long, horizontal mural along the side wall outside the Brooklyn Industries shop in Williamsburg. Based on the store’s logo, they put up the New York City skyline in red, with an orange sky, also reminiscent of Bear 167’s "Sunday Afternoon," which is featured in the "Graffiti" exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum (see above). They then added bright, bursting images in blue, silver, green, white, and yellow. Tats Cru, one of the first graffiti collectives to do commissions for local companies as well as such giants as Coca-Cola, was not paid for this lively artwork; Brooklyn Industries, which is currently having a huge sale on their cool Brooklyn-made clothing and accessories, donated the wall for them to do whatever they wanted. The result is awesome.
twi-ny/mdr
Homey Lomzynianka serves Polish cuisine par excellence near McCarren Park
646 Manhattan Ave. off Bedford St., Greenpoint
718-389-9439
We wrote about this tiny Polish restaurant a few issues back, but we keep returning to it, and it doesn’t let us down. If you’re heading out to a show at McCarren Park Pool, stop by for some great eats from this fab place just up the street. You can’t go wrong with potato pierogies slathered in fried onions, enormous and extremely tasty cheese blintzes, cucumber salad, white or red borscht, and potato pancakes, each main dish running between four and five-fifty. On our last visit, we went crazy by ordering the Hungarian pie, beef goulash stuffed inside a huge potato pancake topped by sour cream ($6.25). The menu features a wide range of dishes, including tongue in horseradish sauce, spare ribs, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, veal cutlet in dill sauce, viener schnitzel, and boiled hocks.
Marc Maine
David O’Mer gets ’em all wet at ABSINTHE
Spiegel
Fulton Fish Market, Pier 17, South Street Seaport
Through October 1
Tickets: $25-$60
212-279-4200
http://www.spiegelworld.com/popups/absinthe.html
A randy mix of English music hall, German cabaret, campy burlesque sideshow, and racy circus, ABSINTHE is a tremendously entertaining evening of bizarre theater in the round held in a vintage Belgian 1920s traveling Spiegeltent. The mirrored hall has been set up at the end of Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport, in front of an open-air beer garden that offers fabulous views of the Brooklyn Bridge. Inside the tent, curious audiences are treated to an eclectic group of performers with strange but admirable talents. Miss Behave serves as the host, wandering through the audience, swallowing a variety of sharp objects, and using her tongue as a frightening prop. The English Gents are a dapper pair who perform remarkable acrobatics while smoking a pipe or reading the paper. Cooper is a hysterically bad juggler who arrives on roller skates but quickly transforms himself into something very different. Yulia Pikhtina is a master hula hooper. Camille O’Sullivan is a sultry singer who tries her best to channel Marlene Dietrich. The shirtless David O’Mer emerges from a bathtub to do his aerial gymnastics, splashing water over most of the front row. And Ursula Martinez shows that she has nothing up her sleeves — or any other article of clothing — as she continues to make a red handkerchief disappear and reappear. Interestingly, when the show was produced at fringe festivals in Australia and Scotland, it was called LA CLIQUE . . . A SIDESHOW BURLESQUE; perhaps they were afraid that New Yorkers would associate it with the much lower rent Coney Island burlesque and sideshow. Also, they cleverly renamed it ABSINTHE, after a hallucinogenic alcohol that is illegal in the United States.
twi-ny/mdr
Original Belgian Spiegel Tent sets up shop at the Seaport
Admission: free - $30
The Spiegeltent is a circular performance space with colored glass, comfy booths, a bar, and mirrors galore. It was broken down into 87,000 pieces in order to get it into America, where Customs inspected every single one. In addition to ABSINTHE, the Spiegeltent will be hosting several other events every day, from family funhouses to cutting-edge music as well as special productions from P.S. 122. Before or after a show (depending on the time), you can settle down with food and drink in the outdoor beer garden, courtesy of Heartland Brewery, or you can check out the Heartland Brewery & Barbecue on Fulton St. Our country-style beef rib was good, although the accompanying corn salsa and basmati rice weren’t. We washed it all down with the fine wheel of beer, consisting of eight 5-ounce glasses of different brews, including lager, IPA, stout, summer apricot ale, and wheat. On September 8, the restaurant will be hosting the I Love NY Beer Festival (tickets $40).
Wednesday, August 16 Pharaoh’s Daughter & Rashanim, $15, 10:00
Thursday, August 17 Duncan Shiek & Vienna Teng, $25, 10:00
Friday, August 18 Jazz in the Garden with Greg Glassman Quartet, free, 2:00
Saturday, August 19 Lypsinka! The Passion of the Crawford, $25, 6:00
Sunday, August 20 Gloria Deluxe with Cynthia Hopkins, $15, 10:00
Monday, August 21 Performance Space 122: Leonardo Suarez Paz & Cuartetango String Quartet, $25, 8:00
Tuesday, August 22 Richard Julian Bond and special guests, $20, 10:00
Wednesday, August 23 Slavic Soul Party, plus Club Spiegel DJ set, $15, 10:00
twi-ny/mdr
Settle down in outdoor beer garden before a show in Spiegel Tent
Thursday, August 24 Diamanda Galas: Heaven Have Mercy, $30, 6:00
Friday, August 25 Wau Wau Sisters, $15, 6:00
Saturday, August 26 Tortured Soul & Rich Medina, $20, 12 midnight
Sunday, August 27 Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop-Shopping: Reverend Billy’s Tent Revival, $12, 2:00
Monday, August 28 Darmstadt with Ice Ensemble, $10, 10:00
Tuesday, August 29 The Mooney Suzuki, $15, 10:00
Wednesday, August 30 David Gonzalez’s Funhouse, $10 children, $15 adults, 10:00 am & 12 noon
Thursday, August 31 Diamanda Galas: Burn Me, $30, 6:00
twi-ny/mdr
Hunters Point beach offers fabulous views of Manhattan
Second Ave. at Borden Ave.
Hunters Point, Long Island City
Wednesdays and Fridays through Sundays through October 15
Admission: free
One-way Water Taxi trip from the Seaport: $10
212-742-1969
New York Water Taxi shuttles commuters and tourists between such locations as East 34th St., Wall St., Schaefer Landing in Williamsburg, Battery Park, the Intrepid, the World Financial Center, DUMBO, Chelsea Piers, and Greenwich Village. This year they have created a small beach in Long Island City, which can be reached via Water Taxi from the South Street Seaport. (You can also get there by car or via the 7 train to Jackson Ave.) In five quick minutes aboard this black-and-yellow water taxi, you’ll find yourself at a fenced-in section of Hunters Point, complete with volleyball net, picnic tables, music, and sand. Take off your shoes, pick up a few brews (including Magic Hat Circus Boy, Jever Pilsner, Kaffel Kosch, and the mysteriously named — and cheaper — Beach Beer) or a summery cocktail (beach punch, sangria, fizzy lizzy), order a tasty elk burger and fries (there’s also bratwurst, fish tacos, Angus burgers, and tofu, beef, or turkey dogs with chili and/or cheese), and eat, drink, dance, and sunbathe while checking out the spectacular view of Manhattan — which gets even better at night. Water Taxi Beach also hosts the ReBound party that follows Warm Up at nearby P.S.1.
South Street Seaport, Pier 17
Through September 1
All shows at 7:00 unless otherwise noted
Admission: free
212-SEAPORT
http://seaportmusicfestival.com
Wednesday, August 16 Seaport Music: Conjunto Imagen
Thursday, August 17 Summer Soul Nights: Cuba Gooding Sr. with host Chris Murray and DJ Lady D
Friday, August 18 Seaport Music: The New York Dolls with Tralala
Thursday, August 24 Summer Soul Nights: Cherrelle with host Jeff Foxx and DJ Tommie Allen
Friday, August 25 Seaport Music: Ted Leo + Pharmacists with DC Snipers and Tokyo Police Club, 6:00
Friday, September 1 Seaport Music: The Spinto Band & Dirty on Purpose with Uncle John and Whitelock & the Black Hollies, 6:00
South Street Seaport Museum at 12 Fulton St. between Front & South Sts. (SSM)
Melville Gallery at 213 Water St. between Beekman and Fulton Sts. (MG)
212-748-8758/8786
http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/calendar/calmain.htm
Friday, August 18 Free Friday at South Street Seaport: The Crossing, free, 5:00 — 9:00
Saturday, August 19 Summer Seaport Festival: Water St. between Fulton & Broad Sts., free, 11:00 am — 7:00 pm
Sunday, August 20 Program Afloat: Gone Fishing, $35 adults, $25 children twelve and under, 12 noon — 3:00
Wednesday, August 23 Torchlight Tour: Explore the preserved ruins of the Fulton Ferry Hotel, reservations strongly suggested, SSM, $12, 6:00
Saturday, August 26 Program Afloat: Explore Marine Ecology aboard the Schooner Pioneer, meet at visitors center on Pier 16, $30 adults, $20 children twelve and under, 1:00 — 3:00
Sunday, August 27 Family Program: Seaport Sunday Smarts, Pier 16, free with museum admission, SSM, 1:00 — 4:00
Saturday, September 2 Program Afloat: Explore Marine Ecology aboard the Schooner Pioneer, meet at visitors center on Pier 16, $30 adults, $20 children twelve and under, 1:00 — 3:00
twi-ny/mdr
Smaller courts get you up close and personal in Flushing Meadows
USTA National Tennis Center
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
August 28 through September 11
Tickets: $22-$800
1-866-open-tix
http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/807197
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/vt_flushing_meadows/vt_flushing_02.html
Tickets are running out for this quintessential New York City sports event. If you’ve never been here, pick up some $22 ducats as soon as you can; the U.S. Open is a lot of fun, even if you’re not a tennis nut. And here’s a little trick for you: If you get day tickets, you can stick around and watch all of the night events as well except for those in the main stadium. There’s still plenty of action on the smaller courts, where you can get up close and personal with the players. (There are more stringent rules as to what you can and can’t bring in, so check the Web site carefully before showing up with a picnic lunch.) By the way, Louis Armstrong Stadium was named for the longtime Queens resident and master trumpeter. Yes, the food and drink really is as expensive as you’ve heard, but don’t let that stop you. It’s a great New York tradition to overpay for everything from bottled water and French fries to champagne with strawberries and ice cream. Plus, there are lots of free favors in the women’s bathrooms.
Saturday, August 26 Arthur Ashe Kids Day, $10-$35, 10:00 am
© Liffey Films/Lilyan Sievernich
The Hustons’ continuing legacy is explored at MOMA
MoMA Film
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
August 18 — September 22
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
http://moma.org/exhibitions/film_media/2006/huston_family.html
The first family of American movies has been entertaining audiences for more than seventy-five years, through several generations of talented actors, writers, and directors. Starting with Walter, continuing with his son John, and now with John’s kids Danny and Angelica, the Hustons have graced some of the silver screen’s finest films, in front of and behind the camera. This exhaustive series takes us from Walter Huston in the title role in D.W. Griffith’s ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1930) through Danny Huston playing Orson Welles in Oliver Parker’s FADE TO BLACK (2006); in between are such gems as THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, PRIZZI’S HONOR, BEAT THE DEVIL, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, THE MALTESE FALCON, THE GRIFTERS, THE SHANGHAI GESTURE, CHINATOWN, and KEY LARGO, directed by various Hustons as well as by Josef von Sternberg, Jean Renoir, Otto Preminger, Roman Polanski, René Clair, Robert Siodmak, Wes Anderson, and other great auteurs.
Friday, August 18 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (John Huston, 1948), 5:45
Friday, August 18 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN (John Huston, 1972), 8:00
Saturday, August 19 PRIZZI’S HONOR (John Huston, 1985), 3:30
Saturday, August 19 BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA (Anjelica Huston, 1996), introduced by Anjelica Huston, 6:00
Saturday, August 19 MR. CORBETT’S GHOST (Danny Huston, 1987), 8:00
Sunday, August 20 RAIN (Lewis Milestone, 1932), 1:30
Sunday, August 20 FAT CITY (John Huston, 1972), 3:30
Sunday, August 20 IVANSXTC: TO LIVE AND DIE IN HOLLYWOOD (Bernard Rose, 2001), 5:30
Monday, August 21 BEAT THE DEVIL (John Huston, 1954), 6:15
Monday, August 21 WISE BLOOD (John Huston, 1979), 8:15
Wednesday, August 23 SWAMP WATER (Jean Renoir, 1941), 6:15
Wednesday, August 23 THE AFRICAN QUEEN (John Huston, 1951), 8:15
Thursday, August 24 THE MALTESE FALCON (John Huston, 1941), 6:30
Thursday, August 24 THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears, 1990), 8:30
Friday, August 25 A WALK WITH LOVE AND DEATH (John Huston, 1969), 4:30
Friday, August 25 AGNES BROWNE (Anjelica Huston, 1999), 6:30
Friday, August 25 THE DEAD (John Huston, 1987), 8:30
Saturday, August 26 LAW AND ORDER (Edward L. Cahn, 1932), 2:00
Saturday, August 26 THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (Josef von Sternberg, 1941), 3:45
Saturday, August 26 THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (John Huston, 1964), 6:00
Sunday, August 27 THE CARDINAL (Otto Preminger, 1963), 1:30
Sunday, August 27 THE KREMLIN LETTER (John Huston, 1970), 5:00
Monday, August 28 MR. NORTH (Danny Huston, 1988), 5:30
Monday, August 28 FREUD (John Huston, 1962) 7:30
Wednesday, August 30 A WALK WITH LOVE AND DEATH (John Huston, 1969), 6:00
Wednesday, August 30 THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson, 2001), 8:15
Thursday, August 31 ABRAHAM LINCOLN (D. W. Griffith, 1930), 6:30
Thursday, August 31 THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (Josef von Sternberg, 1941), 8:30
Friday, September 1 DODSWORTH (William Wyler, 1936), 4:30
Friday, September 1 THE MALTESE FALCON (John Huston, 1941), 6:30
Friday, September 1 CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski, 1974), 8:30
Saturday, September 2 SWAMP WATER (Jean Renoir, 1941), 2:00
Saturday, September 2 AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (René Clair, 1945), 4:15
Saturday, September 2 THE GREAT SINNER (Robert Siodmak, 1949), 6:45
Sunday, September 3 MR. NORTH (Danny Huston, 1988), 1:30
Sunday, September 3 THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears, 1990), 3:30
Sunday, September 3 PRIZZI’S HONOR (John Huston, 1985), 6:00
Monday, September 4 KEY LARGO (John Huston, 1948), 1:30
Monday, September 4 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (John Huston, 1948), 3:30
Monday, September 4 MOULIN ROUGE (John Huston, 1952), 6:00
Wednesday, September 6 THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (John Huston, 1950), 6:00
Wednesday, September 6 THE MISFITS (John Huston, 1961), preceded by behind-the-scenes footage shot by Huston, 8:30
Thursday, September 7 RAIN (Lewis Milestone, 1932), 6:30
Thursday, September 7 AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (René Clair, 1945), 8:30
Friday, September 8 FREUD (John Huston, 1962), 6:00
Friday, September 8 REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (John Huston, 1967), 8:45
MoMA
Walter Huston shows his stuff in Wyler film cowritten by John Huston
Saturday, September 9 A HOUSE DIVIDED (William Wyler, 1931), 5:30
Saturday, September 9 THE MISFITS (John Huston, 1961), preceded by behind-the-scenes footage shot by Huston, 7:00
Sunday, September 10 THE CARDINAL (Otto Preminger, 1963), 1:30
Sunday, September 10 WISE BLOOD (John Huston, 1979), 5:00
Monday, September 11 IVANSXTC: TO LIVE AND DIE IN HOLLYWOOD (Bernard Rose, 2001), 6:30
Monday, September 11 THE KREMLIN LETTER (John Huston, 1970), 8:30
Wednesday, September 13 FAT CITY (John Huston, 1972), 8:30
Saturday, September 16 LAW AND ORDER (Edward L. Cahn, 1932), 2:00
Saturday, September 16 THE AFRICAN QUEEN (John Huston, 1951), preceded by BATTLE OF SAN PIETRO (John Huston, 1945), 4:00
Saturday, September 16 BEAT THE DEVIL (John Huston, 1954), 7:00
Sunday, September 17 THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (John Huston, 1964), 1:30
Sunday, September 17 BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA (Anjelica Huston, 1996), 1:30
Sunday, September 17 AGNES BROWNE (Anjelica Huston, 1999), 3:30
Sunday, September 17 THE DEAD (John Huston, 1987), 5:30
Monday, September 18 A HOUSE DIVIDED (William Wyler, 1931), 6:30
Monday, September 18 CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski, 1974), 8:00
Wednesday, September 20 BUFFALO ’66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998), 6:00
Wednesday, September 20 MOULIN ROUGE (John Huston, 1952), 6:00
Wednesday, September 20 REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (John Huston, 1967), 8:30
Thursday, September 21 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN (John Huston, 1972), 6:00
Thursday, September 21 THE PROPOSITION (John Hillcoat, 2005), introduced by Danny Huston, 8:30
Friday, September 22 THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (William Dieterle, 1941), 4:30
Friday, September 22 MR. CORBETT’S GHOST (Danny Huston, 1987), introduced by Danny Huston, 7:00
Friday, September 22 FADE TO BLACK (Oliver Parker, 2006), introduced by Danny Huston, 8:30
twi-ny/mdr
Fruit man keeps ’em healthy by MoMA
West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Fruit and veggie shakes: 16 oz. - $3, 24 oz. - $4
Fruit salad: $2.50-$3.50
As many of you know, we are not exactly the healthiest of eaters. We have a deep-seated preference for bacon cheeseburgers, ribs, steak, French fries, and anything chocolate. However, on those rare occasions that we do decide not to do too much damage to our system, one of our favorite spots is the fruit man across the street from the Museum of Folk Art, just down the street from MoMA. In addition to dozens of smoothies -- including the Body Wiser (carrot, beet, orange, and pineapple), the Fruity Tooty (banana, mango, pineapple, and strawberry), the Melon Madness (honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon), and the Spitz-It-Up (celery, spinach, parsley, and ginger) -- you can get a huge fruit salad packed so high that it takes a rubber band to keep the lid on. What’s more, the banana is added to the bag, not placed in the container, which can hold any combination of orange, grapefruit, papaya, cantaloupe, apple, pear, pineapple, honeydew, strawberry, and grape.
There are tough times ahead for Tonny and Frank
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between University Pl. & Fifth Ave.
Opens Friday, August 18
Tickets: $10
212-924-3363
http://magpictures.com/profile.aspx?id=21a5d9cf-7b7d-4765-9bc2-eb7918042695
http://www.pusherthemovie.co.uk
Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn’s PUSHER trilogy is a gritty, violent, brutal, and brilliant look at the devastation wrought by drugs. In PUSHER (1996), Kim Bodnia stars as Frank, a small-time hood who loses both the money and the drugs when a deal goes bad. Over the course of a week, he grows more and more desperate as druglord Milo (Zlatko Buric) and his henchman, Radovan (Slavko Labovic), grow more and more impatient, preparing to do some serious damage to Frank. PUSHER II: WITH BLOOD ON MY HANDS focuses on Tonny (Mads Mikkelsen), Frank’s former partner who has just been released from prison. Addled by a beating he took, Tonny gets lost in a drug haze, trying to prove himself a worthy criminal to his big-time father, the Duke (Leif Sylvester Petersen), while also refusing to accept that he might be the father of Charlotte’s (Anne Sorensen) child. With the whole world crashing in on him, Tonny goes to extreme measures that affect everybody in his sphere. The gritty, powerful trilogy concludes with Refn’s masterwork, PUSHER III: I’M THE ANGEL OF DEATH, this time with Milo in the forefront. While preparing for his daughter’s (Marinela Dekic) twenty-fifth birthday party, he discovers that a major score has changed significantly, and he is forced to deal directly with a new generation of drug dealers — and by himself, because his cooking has made his crew sick. Shuttling between the ever-worsening situation, NA meetings, and his daughter’s party, Milo is faced with some deadly choices. Buric is spectacular as the aging druglord who does not like what he sees as he takes stock of his life. While the first two films feature hard-driving punk music, classical music slows things down in this far more contemplative conclusion. To add to the remarkable realism, many of the supporting actors in all three films were actual criminals. The grand finale is unforgettable, a multilayered, deeply philosophical, and extremely violent statement on the nature of drugs and the men and women addicted to that life.
Bai Xiaoyan, © 2006 CTB Film Company
Chinese folk opera takes center stage in new Zhang Yimou film
Quad Cinema
34 West 13th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Opens Friday, September 1
Tickets: $9.50
http://www.sonyclassics.com/comingsoon.php?filmid=298&page=2
Following the samurai hits HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, writer-director Zhang Yimou calms things down with the bittersweet family drama RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES. Ken Takakura (THE YAKUZA) is mesmerizing as Gou-ichi Takata, an elderly fisherman who gets a call one day from his daughter-in-law, Rie (Shinobu Terajima), telling him that his long-estranged son, Ken-ichi (Kiichi Nakai), is in the hospital and would like to see him. Hesitant and filled with mixed emotions, Gou-ichi makes his way to Tokyo for the first time in many years, but it turns out that Rie’s attempt to reconcile the two stubborn men is a failure, as Ken-ichi refuses to see his father after all. Rie gives Gou-ichi a videotape of a story his son did on Chinese folk opera master Li Jiamin, in which Ken-ichi promises to return to Yunnan Province to film Li’s performance of the famous "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" (from the classic historical novel ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS). To reconnect with the ailing Ken-ichi, Gou-ichi decides to head to China to fulfill his son’s promise and present the film to him as a peace offering. But the long journey leads the soft-spoken (when he speaks at all) but fiercely dedicated old man down surprising paths, where he meets a series of interesting, unusual people, including tour guide Jasmine (Jiang Wen), wacky Lingo (Qiu Lin), and the utterly charming and endearing young Yang Yang (Yang Zhenbo). Zhang’s (RAISE THE RED LANTERN, TO LIVE) tender tale will have you leaving the theater in tears.
Matt Dillon plays Charles Bukowski’s alter ego in FACTOTUM
Opens Friday, August 18
Matt Dillon does a star turn as Charles Bukowski alter ego Henry Chinaski in this episodic tale based on the Bukowski novel about a grizzled wannabe writer who just wanders through life drinking, smoking, screwing, and losing dead-end job after dead-end job, without care. Cowritten and directed by Norwegian Bent Hamer and shot in and around Minneapolis-St. Paul, FACTOTUM owes much to such Jim Jarmusch films as STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984) and MYSTERY TRAIN (1989), as scenes move slowly, coming and going often without resolution, just slices of life, some a lot less interesting than others. (FACTOTUM was cowritten and produced by Jim Stark, who has produced most of Jarmusch’s work.) It starts out promising but soon grows tiresome and repetitive; what might have worked on the printed page gets bogged down on the big screen, despite a fine cast. Lili Taylor plays Chinaski’s girlfriend, Jan, with brief appearances by Marisa Tomei, Fisher Stevens, Adrienne Shelly, Didier Flamand, and Karen Young, each with their own addictions (sex, alcohol, gambling). Meanwhile, Chinaski scribbles short stories on a yellow pad, mailing them off to the New Yorker and Black Sparrow Press, certain that he is a real writer, which he states in voice-over narration (actual excerpts from Bukowski’s output). There are some very funny scenes, along with a handful of poignant moments, but not enough to keep audiences as involved as they’d like to be. We’ve seen it all before, in IRONWEED (Hector Babenco, 1987), DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (Blake Edwards, 1962), and, of course, BARFLY (Barbet Schroeder, 1987), in which Mickey Rourke played Chinaski to great effect.
Excellent cast can’t save limp romantic comedy
Opens Friday, August 18
Writer-director Bart Freundlich’s TRUST THE MAN begins with some potty humor and ends up deep in the toilet. Freundlich can’t decide which Woody Allen film he’s stealing from (ANNIE HALL? MANHATTAN? A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S SEX COMEDY? THE DECONSTRUCTION OF HARRY?) in his attempt to make a lighthearted romantic comedy set in Manhattan. The terrific main cast does a great job with material that flirts with success but ultimately grows ridiculous. Julianne Moore (who is married to Freundlich) shines as Rebecca, a movie star who is rehearsing for a play at Lincoln Center. Her husband, Tom (David Duchovny), is a stay-at-home father who thinks he might just be a sex addict. His best friend, Tobey (Billy Crudup), who is also Rebecca’s brother, is a slacker sportswriter (sportswriter!?) who cares more about his parking spot than about his girlfriend of seven years, Eerag (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is ready to get serious in her career and her personal life. The very slight film includes relatively inexplicable cameos by Garry Shandling, Ellen Barkin, James LeGros, and Eva Mendes. There is plenty of New York in the film, with scenes in such spots as Pastis, Lincoln Center, Veselka, etc., and there are some very funny bits, but it all gets too wacky in the second half, and the denouement is utterly ridiculous and downright embarrassing.
Nina (Elisha Cuthbert) and Dot (Camilla Belle) hide dark secrets in THE QUIET
Opens Friday, August 25
http://www.sonyclassics.com/thequiet
Despite a handful of embarrassing scenes, some really stupid dialogue, a way-too-annoying secondary character, and several (unintentional?) lapses into self-parody, THE QUIET still manages to lure you in to its obsessive tale. Camilla Belle (THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE) stars as the recently orphaned Dot, a teenager (and piano virtuoso) who has been adopted by her godparents, pill-popping interior decorator wannabe Olivia (Edie Falco) and architect Paul (Martin Donovan), which doesn’t thrill their daughter, hot blonde cheerleader Nina (Elisha Cuthbert). Dot, who hasn’t been able to speak or hear since her mother’s death ten years before, goes through life nearly invisible, refusing to get involved in anything or with anyone, but her loneliness and privacy are threatened when Nina shares some dangerous secrets with her, and basketball star Connor (Shawn Ashmore) becomes interested in getting to know her a whole lot better. Director Jamie Babbit, who showed an offbeat sense of humor in her first film, BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER, unfortunately lets her television background (POPULAR) seep through every now and then (we dare you not to laugh at what Nina does to her teddy bear), but the lead performances by Belle and Cuthbert rise above the occasional stale material as secrets and lies are revealed. The movie is enhanced significantly by Dot’s voice-overs discussing the life of the deaf musical genius Beethoven.
In theaters now
Edward Norton is at his brooding best in THE ILLUSIONIST, a dark tale of magic, mystery, and murder set in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Norton stars as Eisenheim the Illusionist, a master conjurer who can seemingly raise spirits from the dead. Performing his stirring act for Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), Eisenheim is reunited with his long-lost childhood love, Duchess Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel), who just happens to be Leopold’s fiancée. Meanwhile, Eisenheim, who is attracting a large, dedicated following, is being harassed by Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti), who works for Leopold but is obsessed with Eisenheim’s magical abilities, compromising his duties. When Eisenheim learns of the crown prince’s plans to overthrow his father, the king, the film takes a tragic turn — but there are more tricks hidden up its fascinating sleeve. Written and directed by Neil Burger (INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN), THE ILLUSIONIST, based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize winner Steven Millhauser and with an appropriately compulsive score by Philip Glass, does have its share of manipulative plot points, but the ending brings it all together like magic.
The audience surrounds Kristen Bell and Ian Somerhalder, demanding their money back
In theaters now
Never a very good sign, this remake of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2001 creepy thriller KAIRO (PULSE) did not have any advance press screenings; when we saw it the day after it opened, there were only four other people in the theater, also never a very good sign. Jim Sonzero’s lame-brained film stars television vets Kristen Bell (VERONICA MARS) and Ian Somerhalder (LOST) in an explicable techno-ghost story that dives into utter ridiculousness by the stupid conclusion. It has something to do with creatures that have invaded the Internet and cause people to either kill themselves or turn into black soot — but not our heros, who labor on valiantly as everyone else succumbs to the mystery virus. The screenplay was adapted by Wes Craven, who should know better. This PULSE lacks any kind of heartbeat.
In theaters now
Oliver Stone has done the impossible here: He’s taken the worst event in our collective history and turned it into a mall-friendly blockbuster of a movie, with amazingly convincing sets and situations that successfully re-create the claustrophobic fear and confusion that cast its dark shadow over New York City on 9/11. Well crafted, well acted, and cloyingly sentimental, there is nothing too demanding here. Yet we were offended by its patronizing tone; elaborate set; computer reconstruction of the Ground Zero site; after-school-special-style story — complete with flashbacks, voice-overs, and a visit from Jesus (holding bottled water); and that this was directed by a man who made statements right after the event calling it a "revolt" and saying he’d like to see a "bullet of a film" made from the terrorists’ perspective. If none of this bothers you, then it’s a great film. For a better experience, we’d suggest waiting for the IMAX version, WORLD TRADE CENTER EXTREME.
In theaters now
http://www.sonyclassics.com/quinceanera
Winner of the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance, QUINCEAÑERA is an enchanting tale of a close-knit Mexican American community in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles. The movie opens with Maria’s (Araceli Guzman-Rico) quinceañera, a sweet fifteen party in which a girl becomes a woman. Maria’s cousin Magdalena (Emily Rios) is jealous of Maria, who is prettier and skinnier and whose parents have a little more money. For Madgalena’s upcoming quinceañera,, she will wear Maria’s altered dress, and her storefront-preacher father (Jesus Castanos-Chima) is refusing to pay for a Hummer limo. Disappointed, she turns to her boyfriend, Herman (J.R. Cruz), for solace, and gets pregnant — even though she professes to her parents that she has never had sex. Frightened of her furious father, she moves in with her great-uncle, Tomas (the gentle, wonderful Chalo Gonzalez, who was discovered by Sam Peckinpah), who lives in a back house with Carlos (Jesse Garcia), the troubled young black sheep of the family who soon takes an interest in one of the two gay men (David W. Ross and Jason L. Wood) who have just bought the main house and are now Tio Tomas’s landlords. Writer-directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, who shot the film in eighteen days in their own community, using many nonprofessional actors and being welcomed into strangers’ homes, mixes in deep-seated tradition and religious beliefs with gentrification and homophobia in this charming, realistic, and very satisfying coming-of-age story.
Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) searches for a way out in THE DESCENT
In theaters now
Ostensibly a female DELIVERANCE gone underground, Neil Marshall’s THE DESCENT is a piss-poor piece of putrefaction. A year after Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) loses her husband and daughter in a terrible car accident, an adventurous group of friends go spelunking in the Appalachians (though the film was actually shot in England, at Pinewood Studios). But Juno (Natalie Mendoza) has pulled a fast one; instead of the well-traversed caves they thought they were going to, Juno has taken them to unexplored territory, where lying in wait for them are fast-moving mutant Gollums with hardy appetites. There is actually one genuine scare, but everything else is manipulatively mundane and morbidly mangled. Inexplicably, THE DESCENT was a hit at home, garnering a handful of British film awards and nominations. And by the way, what ever became of the child’s laughter?
Fernanda Torres searches for a way out in HOUSE OF SAND
In theaters now
http://www.sonyclassics.com/houseofsand
A sort of macro version of WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964), THE HOUSE OF SAND is the extraordinary tale of a family trapped in the treacherous sand labyrinths of Maranhão in northern Brazil. The movie begins in 1910, as a pregnant Áurea (Fernanda Torres) arrives in the desolate area with her mother, Dona Maria (Fernanda Montenegro), having been dragged there by Áurea’s mad husband, Vasco de Sá (Ruy Guerra). Shortly after being abandoned by his workers, Vasco collapses, leaving the frightened women all alone, with no money and no provisions. For help they turn to the stoic Massu (Brazilian singer Seu Jorge), who is unhappy that they have infringed on their community. As time marches on, Dona Maria, Áurea, and Maria (Áurea’s daughter) find themselves in a Sisyphean nightmare as the world passes them by. Montenegro and Torres, who are mother and daughter in real life, act up a (sand)storm in multiple matriarchal roles, but the sudden switching of times and actors gets confusing, and it is hard to believe that there really is no way out decade after decade. Still, if you take the film more as a parable of human existence, it is a compelling story about the search for home.
In theaters now
http://www.conversationsthemovie.com
http://features.fabricationfilms.com
Primarily a two-character drama, CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN is a tedious eighty-four-minute exchange between a man (Aaron Eckhart) and a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) contemplating sleeping together to rekindle an old romance. It’s been twelve years since they’ve seen each other when they meet up at his sister’s wedding; he is now living with a much younger dancer in New York City, and she is married to an older doctor in London. The story unfolds on split screen, where sometimes the same action is seen from different angles on each screen, and other times memory and the past take over one of the screens, a technique that causes more confusion than drama. The biggest problem with the film is that both characters are extremely unlikable; you won’t care whether they go to bed or not, just that they make up their minds already and shut the hell up. As time goes on, secrets are revealed, of course, but you’ll feel more manipulated than surprised. And you really won’t care about any of it.
In theaters now
http://viewaskew.com/news/jul06/1.html
At one time titled THE PASSION OF THE CLERKS, Kevin Smith’s return to hallowed ground is just about everything it should be: a rude, crude, and raucously funny sequel to the 1994 black-and-white indie cult classic. After the Quick Stop burns down, clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), now in their early thirties, end up working at Mooby’s, a fast-food joint run by the very patient and forgiving Becky (Rosario Dawson). Their going-nowhere lives are about to change, however, as Dante prepares to move to Florida to marry Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach, Smith’s real-life wife) and take over one of her father’s car washes. While Dante paints Becky’s toenails and Randal turns his foul-mouthed attentions on "Funployee of the Month" Elias (Trevor Fehrman), Jay (a now-sober Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) loiter outside, dealing drugs and blasting some serious tunage. Amid hysterical, heated arguments over the LORD OF THE RINGS and STAR WARS trilogies, controversial sexual positions, racist language, and the Transformers among themselves and a string of Mooby’s customers (including cameos by Jason Lee, Wanda Sykes and Earthquake, Ben Affleck, and Kevin Weisman), Smith sneaks in a few cringe-worthy, treacly scenes that fortunately mostly get lost in the shuffle. CLERKS fans should love CLERKS II, while newcomers might be shocked by some of the language; at the preview screening we attended, one prominent critic got up early in the film, announced to everyone that it was time to go, and, on his way out of the theater, declared that this was the first movie he’s walked out on in thirty #$!@% years. We wonder what he would have thought after the donkey scene. As an added bonus for CLERKS fanatics, the movie Web site includes "Train Wreck," twenty short videos that go behind the scenes of the making and marketing of this very dirty, very funny flick.
In theaters now
http://ladyinthewater.warnerbros.com
M. Night Shyamalan, the man behind such thrilling films as THE SIXTH SENSE (1999) and such inane tripe as UNBREAKABLE (2000), creates a fantastical bedtime story with LADY IN THE WATER. Paul Giamatti stars as Cleveland Heep, a shlubby, stuttering superintendent of a Philadelphia apartment complex filled with some very strange people. When a mysterious naked woman calling herself Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) shows up seemingly out of nowhere in the complex’s pool, Cleveland starts believing that she is a creature from a frightening fairy tale that tenants Young-Soon Choi (Cindy Cheung) and her mother (June Kyoto Lu) tell him a little bit at a time. Thinking Story’s life is in danger, Heep, who is harboring his own dark secret, starts recruiting other people in the complex to fight for her survival, including a crossword-puzzle junkie (Jeffrey Wright), a cynical book and film critic (Bob Balaban), an animal lover (Mary Beth Hurt), a writer (Shyamalan), the writer’s sister (Sarita Choudhury), and a group of smoking oddballs (led by Jared Harris). Among the other weirdos in the building are Reggie (Freddy Rodriguez), who is working out only one side of his body, the nagging Bubchiks (Tovah Feldshuh and Tom Mardirosian), and Mr. Leeds (Bill Irwin), a lonely man who just sits in front of his television silently, his front door always ajar. The film winks at itself and the audience constantly, but what at first is kind of cute and effective eventually grows tiresome. The movie is so self-referential that Shyamalan himself plays the author of a manuscript called THE COOKBOOK, because he is the master chef of this ultimately unsatisfying meal — or story, shall we say, as the title character is so very carefully named. And Shyamalan clearly has little sympathy for the critic, as if he is well prepared for the negative reviews that indeed have come flooding in. There’s a lot here to admire, but Shyamalan stirs the pot too much, leaving gaping plot holes, unexplained detours, and a final twenty minutes that are a major letdown after an okay set-up. The film was shot by master Hong Kong cinematographer Christopher Doyle, although you’d never know it from looking at it.
In theaters now
Woody Allen follows the critical and popular success of MATCH POINT with the tired and average SCOOP. Like its predecessor, SCOOP was shot in London, but the Woodman seems to have already run out of unique British characters and locations. MATCH POINT’s Scarlett Johansson stars as Sondra Pransky, a nerdish American journalism student who gets mixed up in the exploits of the Tarot Card Killer, who is viciously murdering women all over town. Pransky, adopting the pseudonym Jade Spence, teams up with pathetic magician Splendini (Allen), who has accidentally conjured up the spirit of recently deceased ace reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), who tells her that he knows who the serial killer is and needs her to get the story. So she sets out to investigate Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), the ridiculously wealthy playboy son of a well-connected lord. There are some very funny moments in the film, and it regularly flirts with success, but Allen continually reverts to stale material and clichéd scenes (some of which have been borrowed from Alfred Hitchcock’s NOTORIOUS). The actors lack any sort of chemistry, and the supposedly shocking finale is all wet. Woody’s next film will also be made in London; we already can’t wait for him to come home to Gotham.
In theaters now
Nobody can do Michael Mann quite as well as Michael Mann: The stylish, painterly, nearly ambient texture of MIAMI VICE is proof of his visual, rhythmic, and atmospheric mastery (shot in high-end digital video), and his characters seem to swim through this beautiful environment like gorgeous tropical fish — delivering deadpan dialogue that is equal parts romantic cliché and hard-boiled bad-assedness. The weakness of the storyline almost doesn’t matter . . . almost. It’s disappointing that Mann didn’t use his visceral shooting and timing to reinvent the genre (again, as he did so well in the original TV series and such films as HEAT), as the beginning of the film is very successful. Mann simply plunges right into a nightclub where Crockett (Colin Farell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) are working some sort of sting operation, and they are quickly drawn into an FBI drug investigation gone horribly, horribly wrong. Its hyperviolent outcome is filmed with security-video detachment; there are things in the first part of the film that audiences have not seen in movies (it’s definitely not for the squeamish), used to brilliant effect. Admittedly, the bar is set very high, but it seems that after this Mann uses his own tried-and-tested techniques and situations. Unfortunately, when the story becomes important, things go downhill. Crockett somehow manages to fall in love with one of the drug queenpins (an amazing but ultimately wasted Gong Li) and inexplicably takes a little trip to Cuba "for drinks" in a super-deluxe speed boat. That’s how bad-asses roll these days, and yes, he says, "I’m a fiend for Mojitos." Well, love is in the air, and that pretty much undermines the crime plot and its clichéd (but amazingly done) set pieces. This is HEAT all over again . . . except you care even less about the story and characters. MIAMI VICE is solid entertainment but ultimately a misfire for Mann.
Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo head to the park for SummerStage benefit
Central Park Summerstage
Rumsey Playfield
Central Park (enter at Fifth Ave. & 69th St.)
Thursday, August 17, doors open at 5:45, concert at 7:15
Benefit tickets: $35
212-360-2777
http://www.summerstage.org/index1.aspx?BD=19576
Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo bring their record-breaking act to SummerStage for what will most likely be one of the wildest musical events of the summer. The band is known for dressing up as thematic characters for their shows, finding inspiration in STAR WARS, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, SUPERMAN, and Freddy & Jason. When we saw them at Webster Hall a few months back, they arrived as outrageous ’80s hair band Brushfire, tearing through a fun, funky set that owed a lot to George Clinton and classic 1970s soul. You can be sure that Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, THE GREY ALBUM) and Cee-Lo (Goodie Mob) will have a packed house going crazy for songs from their debut album, ST. ELSEWHERE, which includes the download hit "Crazy" as well as "Smiley Faces," "GoGo Gadget Gospel," "The Boogie Monster," "Necromancing," "Transformer," and their version of the Violent Femmes’ "Gone Daddy Gone," in addition to other surprising cover tunes.
http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=519087
http://www.thememoryhole.org/drugs/pipe-sites/chong-glass.htm
The companion book to the documentary A/K/A TOMMY CHONG (Josh Gilbert, 2006) that played at Film Forum in June, THE I CHONG delves further into Tommy Chong’s mind and his reactions to being targeted by federal agents for selling drug paraphernalia over the Internet. Chong, half of the famed stoner comedy team Cheech and Chong (with Cheech Marin), believes he was a victim of entrapment because the current conservative administration made him a villain in the war on drugs — especially after he joked that the only weapons of mass destruction they could find were his bongs. So Chong did something he hadn’t done before — he became an outspoken activist both before and after spending nine months in prison. Whereas the film spent a lot of time speaking with Chong’s friends and family, in this slim book we get more of Chong’s take on what happened, including a far more detailed examination of his incarceration, as well as a fascinating look at his childhood. The book is simply written, an easy, entertaining read, except when Chong goes off on tangents about his spirituality and faith; fortunately, he doesn’t hit us over the head with his belief in the Lord and Jesus, but he comes awful close. The chapter titles are given in both Chinese and English, with such Zen names as "The Creative," "The Caldron," "Contemplation (Views)," "The Taming Power of the Great," and "Modesty."
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Saeri Kiritani, "Nishiki (Rice)" and "100 Pounds of Rice"
Exit Art
475 Tenth Ave. at 36th St.
Through August 26
Closed Sundays
Suggested admission: $5
212-966-7745
http://www.exitart.org/traffic
http://www.eyeblinkentertainment.com/wild_girls
The work of thirty female artists occupies the large Exit Art space, taking no prisoners as they comment on race, gender, and cultural identity. Saeri Kiritani builds a lifesize woman covered in rice in "100 Pounds of Rice." Emily Keown knits eleven small pairs of breasts in "Eleven Ladies." Maria Pineres re-creates the mug shots of Lil’ Kim and Lizzie Grubman by sewing them on paper. Taylor Davis sticks it to Donald Judd in the rather phallic "Minimalism I.B." Jaishri Abicharidani incorporates sexual toys in her Khajuraho Revisited series and "Roe vs. Wade." Simone Leigh terra-cotta images are like sexual bombs. Vlatka Horvat’s "From Behind" makes a decidedly female twist on Bruce Nauman’s neon sculptures. The exhibit also features several video works that range from mundane to confusing, as well as a pair of site-specific performance pieces.
Thursday, August 24 Wild Girls: A Twisted NY Night of Fashion & Art, with live music and dance featuring Baile con Ta Thei, Ayende and Apsara, Kirsten DeHaan, Angeli, Aileen Morgan, and more, emceed by Obaid Kadwani, limited presale tickets $25, Patron Circle $100, Gold Circle $200, each guest receives $50 gift bag, 646-243-2712, 8:00 — 11:00 pm
34th Street
Lunch: $20.06
Dinner: $34
212-719-3434
www.34thstreet.org
http://www.34thstreet.org/district/foodandwine.php
Through August 31 Special lunches and dinners paired with wines, at nine area restaurants, including Tupelo Grill, Artisanal, Foley’s NY, Nick & Stef’s, and tir na nog
© Michal Daniel, 2006
Meryl Streep steals the show in Brecht’s MOTHER COURAGE
Delacorte Theater
Central Park, midpark at 80th St.
Free tickets given out day of show at 1:00 at the Delacorte and Joe’s Pub
212-539-8750
http://www.centralparknyc.org/virtualpark/thegreatlawn/delacortetheater
Through September 3 Shakespeare in the Park presents the Bertolt Brecht play, translated by Tony Kushner, directed by George C. Wolfe, and starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline
Various parks throughout the city
All shows begin at 7:00
Admission: free
http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/index1.aspx?BD=18141
Wednesday, August 16 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Jackie Robinson Park, 145th St. & Bradhurst Ave.
Wednesday, August 16 The Manhattans, Mahoney Park, Beechwood Ave., Crescent Ave., Cleveland St. & Jersey St.
Thursday, August 17 Antibalas, Marcus Garvey Park, 124th St. & Mt. Morris Park
Tuesday, August 22 Raulin, Highbridge Park, 173rd St. & Amsterdam Ave.
Tuesday, August 22 Frankie Vasquez y Soneros Del Barrio, Queensbridge Park, 21st St. Bridge Plaza, Vernon Blvd., & East River
Wednesday, August 23 Kurtis Blow, Jackie Robinson Park, 145th St. & Bradhurst Ave.
Thursday, August 24 Dwele, Marcus Garvey Park, 124th St. & Mt. Morris Park
Josie Robertson Plaza (JRP), Damrosch Park (DP), North Plaza (NP), South Plaza (SP)
August 13 — September 4
Admission: free
212-875-5108
http://www.lincolncenter.org/programs/outofdoors_home.asp?ws=
Wednesday, August 16 Martha Graham Dance Company, DP, 8:00
Friday, August 18 American Blues Raises the Roof, featuring Guy Davis, Chico Hamilton and Buster Williams, Murray Porter, Hazel Dickens, and Bettye LaVette, DP, 7:00
Saturday, August 19 Twenty-third Annual Roots of American Music Festival, featuring Joe Jencks, Dan Milner & Bob Conroy, Wiyos, the Stairwell Sisters, Robin & Linda Williams, NP, 2:00
Saturday, August 19 Twenty-third Annual Roots of American Music Festival, featuring Eddie Floyd, Percy Sledge, DP, 7:30
Sunday, August 20 Twenty-third Annual Roots of American Music Festival, featuring Blue Vipers of Brooklyn, Adrienne Young, Larry Johnson, Murray Porter, NP, 2:00
Sunday, August 20 Twenty-third Annual Roots of American Music Festival, featuring Mavis Staples, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, with special guest Rosie Flores, DP, 7:00
Friday, August 25 Garth Fagan Dance, DP, 8:00
Saturday, August 26 Garth Fagan Dance, DP, 8:00
Sunday, August 27 Sonny Rollins, DP, 8:00
One Mean Summer: Pier 54, Hudson River at Fourteenth St.
Wednesdays around dusk July 5 — August 23
Big Adventures: Pier 46, Hudson River Park at Charles & West Sts.
Fridays around dusk through August 25
Admission: free
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/Calendar/RF.htm
Wednesday, August 16 GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
Friday, August 18 WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Mel Stuart, 1971)
Wednesday, August 23 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
Friday, August 25 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
BAMcinématek
BAM Rose Cinemas
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Through August 29
Tickets: $10
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/film/series.aspx?id=89
Wednesday, August 16 CROSS OF IRON (Sam Peckinpah, 1977), 6:00, 9:00
Monday, August 21 THE KILLER ELITE (Sam Peckinpah, 1975), 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, August 22 BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (Sam Peckinpah, 1974), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Monday, August 28 THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND (Sam Peckinpah, 1983), 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, August 29 PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (Sam Peckinpah, 1973), 6:50, 9:15
Socrates Sculpture Park
Broadway at Vernon Blvd.
Wednesdays at sundown through August 30
Live performances at 7:00, films begin at sunset
Admission: free
718-956-1819
http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/Film_Series/Film_Festival_2006.htm
Wednesday, August 16 KIKUJIRO (Takeshi Kitano, 1999)
Wednesday, August 23 BALSEROS (Carles Bosch & Joseph M. Domenech, 2002)
Wednesday, August 30 WALKABOUT (Nicolas Roeg, 1971) and WILD STRAWBERRIES (Ingmar Bergman, 1957), with live song and dance performance by InDidgDance
Pier A Park at First & Sinatra Dr.
Hoboken
June and July films start at 9:00
Admission: free
Blankets & lawn chairs encouraged
201-420-2207
http://www.hobokennj.org/html/hservices/movies.html
Wednesday, August 16 WALLACE & GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (Steve Box & Nick Park, 2005)
Wednesday, August 23 HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (Mike Newell, 2005)
Wednesday, August 30 KING KONG (Peter Jackson, 2005)
Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City (RP)
World Financial Center Plaza (WFC)
Wagner Park in Battery Park City (WP)
Historic Battery Park Lawn (BPL)
Music at Castle Clinton in Battery Park (CC)
June 7 — September 7
All shows at 7:00 unless otherwise noted
Admission: free (same-day free tickets required for Castle Clinton shows)
212-528-2733/212-267-9700
http://www.rivertorivernyc.org
http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/calendar/default.html
http://www.bpcparks.org
Wednesday, August 16 Papo Vazquez Pirates Troubadours, WP
Wednesday, August 23 RiverLuisito Carrion and Orquesta, WP
Wednesday, August 30 Michael Stuart & Orquesta, WP
Thursday, September 7 Jose Alberto "El Canario" & Orquesta, In Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, WP
West 21st St. & Surf Ave., Coney Island
Tickets: $20-$75
201-635-354
Thursday, August 17
through
Sunday, August 20 First-ever AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) beach volleyball event, qualifiers August 17, main draw August 18-20, men’s final August 19, women’s final August 20
Saturday, August 19 Fourth annual Frank’s RedHot Battle to the Bone: Buffalo Wing Eating Championship, emceed by Kevin Roberts, registration to compete begins at 10:00 am, contest gets under way at 3:00
The Turtle’s Shell Theater
Times Square Arts Center
300 West 43rd St., fourth floor
Tickets: $18
646-765-7670
http://www.turtleshellproductions.com/festival_info.shtml
Thursday, August 17
through
Friday, September 15 Third annual competition featuring twenty-seven new, specially selected short plays, nine performed each night, leading up to final showcase
Historic Harlem Parks
Admission: free
http://www.africanfilmny.org/aff_fest.html
Thursday, August 17 Famflix, Betsy Head Track & Field, Thomas S. Boyland St. between Livonia & Dumont Aves., Brownsville, 8:30
Friday, August 18 Kidflix: Fulton Park, Stuyvesant Ave, & Fulton St., 8:30
Thursday, August 24 Famflix, Betsy Head Track & Field, Thomas S. Boyland St. between Livonia & Dumont Aves., Brownsville, 8:30
Friday, August 25 Kidflix: Fulton Park, Stuyvesant Ave, & Fulton St., 8:30
Thursday, August 31 Famflix, Betsy Head Track & Field, Thomas S. Boyland St. between Livonia & Dumont Aves., Brownsville, 8:30
MAC Creations P.O.P. Arts Inc.
Fordham Library Center unless otherwise noted
310 East Kingsbridge Rd. at Briggs Ave.
Admission: free
718-512-5042
http://www.maccreations.com/macpoparts/Event%20Details/2006_8-15%20Film%20Fest.htm
Thursday, August 17 Screenings of feature films and video shorts, with 2:30 performance by Radical Youth and others, 1:00 — 5:00
Saturday, August 19 Screenings of feature films and video shorts, with 2:30 performance by Lost & Found and Benita Farmer, 1:00 — 5:00
Saturday, August 19 Screenings of feature films and video shorts, with 7:00 performance by Reggae artist RESPECT and the VIVACITY Dancers, Parkchester Green, 1594 Metropolitan Ave.
Central Park
West 103rd St. & Central Park West
Thursday through Sunday nights at 7:00 through August 27
Admission: free, but voluntary donations accepted after show
212-252-4531
http://www.newyorkclassical.org
Thursday, August 17, 24
through
Sunday, August 20, 27 New York Classical Theatre’s production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, directed by Stephen Burdman
Saturday, August 19, 26
and
Sunday, August 20, 27 Shakespeare Workshop (THE COMEDY OF ERRORS), for children ages eight to twelve accompanied by an adult, taught by New York Classical Theatre artistic director Stephen Burdman, 5:00 — 5:45
Riverbank State Park
138th St. & Riverside Dr.
Thursday through Sunday nights at 8:00 through August 27
Admission: free
212-695-1596
http://www.pulseensembletheatre.org/main.html
Thursday, August 17, 24
through
Sunday, August 20, 27 Pulse Ensemble Theatre’s Summer Shakespeare production of ROMEO AND JULIET
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
Requested donation: $5
Thursday nights at 7:30 pm
718-469-1912/718-222-0600
http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/seaside.html
Thursday, August 17 An Evening with Liza Minnelli
Thursday, August 24 Salsa by the Sea: Victor Manuelle and Ivy Queen
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, August 17 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
Thursday, August 24 THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill, 1979)
Harlem Heritage Tourism & Cultural Center
104 Malcolm X Blvd. between 115th & 116th Sts.
Admission: free but donations accepted
212-280-7888
http://www.harlemusaonline.com/enhanced.cfm?ContactID=724
Thursday, August 17 I REMEMBER HARLEM, parts 1-2, 6:30
Thursday, August 24 I REMEMBER HARLEM, parts 3-4, 6:30
Thursday, August 31 BLACK CHAMPIONS, 6:30
Solar 1 / Stuyvesant Cove Park
2420 FDR Dr. at 22nd St. and Ave. C
Admission: free
212-505-6050
http://solar1.org/about/events/index.html
http://www.solar1.org/education/citysol
Friday, August 18 DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE (Hubert Sauper, 2004), 9:00
Saturday, August 19 SOYLENT GREEN (Richard Fleischer, 1973), 9:00
Sunday, August 20 SILENT RUNNING (Douglas Trumbull, 1972), 9:00
Friday, August 25 GIMME SHELTER (Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin, 1970), 9:00
Saturday, August 19 CONTESTED STREETS (Stefan Schaefer, 2005) and THE WATER UNDERGROUND (C.U.P., 2006) preceded by a panel discussion, 8:00
Sunday, August 27 PRINCESS MONONOKE (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997), 9:00
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Friday nights at 6:30 through August 25
Admission: free for outdoor events; $5 suggested donation for museum, which is open until 8:00
718-592-9700
http://www.queensmuseum.org/education/special_events.htm
Friday, August 18 Dance: Adam Scher Dance; Music: Carioca Capoeira and Samba; Film: THE MAN WHO COPIED (Jorge Furtado, 2003)
Friday, August 25 Dance: Aerilise Dance Company; Music: Shusmo; Film: ZOZO (Josef Fares, 2005
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
2 East 92nd St. at Fifth Ave.
Friday nights through September 8 from 6:00 to 9:00
Free with museum admission of $12
212-849-8380
http://ndm.si.edu/summer_sessions
Friday, August 18 DJ Rehka
Friday, August 25 DJ Sabo with Nappy G
Friday, September 1 Benny Blanco
Friday, September 8 Jeff Samuel
Ft. Greene Park, enter at Myrtle Ave. & North Portland
Admission: free
718-417-7362
http://rooftopfilms.com/show_06-beyondbeats.html
Saturday, August 19 BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES: A HIP-HOP HEAD WEIGHS IN ON MANHOOD IN HIP-HOP CULTURE (Byron Hurt, 2005), with DJ L-Mani V, music at 8:30, screening at 9:00
Various venues
Through September 12
Admission: free
http://harlemweek.harlemdiscover.com/august.htm
Saturday, August 19 Uptown Saturday Nite: Jammin’, outdoor cultural arts & entertainment festival, West 135th St. between Malcolm X. Blvd. & St. Nicholas Ave., 11:00 am — 8:00 pm
Sunday, August 20 Harlem Day: It’s a Family Reunion!, featuring live performances on multiple stages, including "A Celebration of Gospel," West 135th St. between Fifth Ave. & St. Nicholas Ave., 10:00 am — 7:00 pm
Sunday, August 20 Harlem Day: The Upper Manhattan Auto Show, West 135th St. between Fifth Ave. & St. Nicholas Ave., 9:00 am — 5:00 pm
Symphony Space
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Through September 26
Tickets: $10
212-864-5400
http://www.symphonyspace.org/genres/genrePage.php?genreId=2
Saturday, August 19
and
Sunday, August 20 THE BIG HEAT (Fritz Lang, 1953), 5:15, and MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese, 1973), 7:00
Saturday, August 26
and
Sunday, August 27 ON THE TOWN (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1949), 5:00, and SILK STOCKINGS (Rouben Mamoulian, 1957), 7:00
Sunday, September 3
and
Tuesday, September 5
4:30 pm THE QUIET MAN (John Ford, 1952), 4:30, and HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (John Ford, 1941), 7:00
P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center / MoMA
22-25 Jackson Ave. at 46th Ave.
Long Island City
Saturdays from 2:00 — 9:00 pm through September 2
Admission: $10, includes admission to art galleries
718-784-2084
http://www.ps1.org/ps1_site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=99
Saturday, August 19 Mathew Jonson, Beppe Loda, Lee Douglas, Jeremy Campbell
Saturday, August 26 The Glimmers, Mudd
Saturday, September 2 Carl Craig, Gamal, Rhythm & Sound
Coney Island Museum
1208 Surf Ave. at West 12th St., Second Floor
Saturday nights at 8:30
Admission: $5
718-372-5159
http://www.coneyisland.com/films.shtml
Saturday, August 19 THE UNKNOWN (Todd Browning, 1927)
Saturday, August 26 CHRISTMAS EVIL (Lewis Jackson, 1980), with live performances by Julie Atlas Muz and Black Cat Burlesque
Saturday, September 2 FREAKS (Todd Browning, 1932)
Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd St. at Broadway
Tickets: $20-$100
212-571-0440
Sunday, August 20 The New York United Lion & Dragon Dance Troupe and
Kuan Loke Lion & Dragon Dance Team of Malaysia, 1:00, 3:30, and 8:00
Hudson River Park, Pier 54 at West 14th St.
Admission: free
212-627-2020
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/Calendar/Blues.htm
Sunday, August 20 Seventh annual event, with Zac Harmon (2:30), Watermelon Slim & the Workers (3:45), Tutu Jones (5:00), Nora Jean Bruso (6:15), and Big Jack Johnson (7:30), with food from Brother Jimmy’s, Dallas Jones, Dinosaur, and Rack & Soul, 2:00 — 9:00
Wingate Field
Winthrop St. between Brooklyn & Kingston Aves., across the street from Kings County Hospital
Monday nights at 7:30
Admission: free, chairs recommended
718-469-1912/718-222-0600
http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/mlk.html
Monday, August 21 The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, Funk Brother Jack Ashford & the Original Motown Sound, and the Contours
Ziegfeld Theater screening
141 West 54th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Supper Club after-party
240 West 47th St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
Tickets: $150 screening only, $250 party at the Supper Club, $350-$1,500 for screening, after-party, transportation, gift bag, open bar and buffet dinner, and red carpet
Monday, August 21 Benefit preview screening of IDLEWILD (Bryan Barber, 2006), staring André Benjamin (André 3000) and Antwan A.Patton (Big Boi), featuring the music of OutKast and choreography by Hinton Battle, fundraiser for the Hinton Battle Theatre Laboratory, whose "mission is to become the leading organization which finds, develops, and presents compelling, original theatrical works that reflect America's rich multi-cultural heritage"
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St. between Eighth Ave. & Broadway
212-875-5600
http://www.filmlinc.org/wrt/onsale/theliftproject.html
http://www.transparentfilms.com/lift.htm
Monday, August 21 Screening of films made by area teens as part of the Lift Project, preceded by reception and followed by Q&A with the young filmmakers, $10 adults, $7 students/seniors, 7:00
Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette St. between East Fourth St. & Astor Pl.
212-539-8778
Tuesday, August 22 The rough and tough Nona Hendryx comes to Joe’s Pub, 9:30
New York Blood Center Mobile Unit
Brooklyn College Campus
Campus Rd. & Hillel Pl.
718-951-4505
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/spotlite/news/index.php?link=072406
Tuesday, August 22
through
Thursday, August 24 Donate blood and get two free tickets to the September 7 Mets game vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, courtesy of Brooklyn College, New York Blood Center, and Banco Popular, 12 noon – 5:30 pm
Various parks
All performances at 8:00
August 22 — September 2
Admission: free
212-362-6000
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/detail.aspx?id=198
http://www.centralparknyc.org/activities
Tuesday, August 22
and
Wednesday, August 23 Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, Central Park
Friday, August 25 Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA, Marine Park
Saturday, August 26 Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, Orchard Beach
Tuesday, August 29 Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA, Richmond County Bank Ball Park
Wednesday, August 30 Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, Cunningham Park
Friday, September 1 Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA, Brookdale Park
Saturday, September 2 Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, Buccleuch Park
Riverside Park
122nd St. & Riverside Dr.
Admission: free
212-666-1640
http://www.jazzmobile.org/events.asp
Wednesday, August 23 Clark Terry, trumpeter, Grant’s Tomb, 7:00
Aesthetic Realism Foundation
141 Greene St. at West Houston St.
212-777-4490
http://ifl.home.mindspring.com/films.html
http://www.AestheticRealism.org/events2.htm#Special_Event
Wednesday, August 23 Screenings and lecture with Ken Kimmelman, THE HEART KNOWS BETTER (1995), BRUSHSTROKES, WHAT DOES A PERSON DESERVE? (2003), HOT AFTERNOONS HAVE BEEN IN MONTANA (2005) about Eli Siegel, and 1968 WNET documentary of Siegel teaching, 7:30
Siberia Bar
356 West 40th St. at Ninth Ave
Wednesdays at 7:00
Admission: $5
212-333-4141
Wednesday, August 23 Blood Sucker Madness: STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN AT SUNDOWN (Marc Fratto) and VAMPIRE SISTERS (Joe Ripple)
Wednesday, August 30 The Sinful & Sexy Syn DeVil: THE WITCH’S SABBATH (Jeff Leroy) and DARK PLACES (Guy Crawford)
Wednesday, September 6 Urban Legends Are Really True! BLOOD LEGEND (Rusty Nelson) and HELL’S HIGHWAY (Jeff Leroy)
Joe Franklin’s Comedy Club
761 Seventh Ave. at 50th St.
Tickets: $20 (plus $12 food/drink minimum)
212-541-8106
http://www.RichardHalpern.info
Thursday, August 24 Richard Halpern in a very special performance from the 1920s and early 1930s, with Richard Danley at the piano, 8:00
Lakeside Lounge
162 Ave. B between 10th & 11th Sts.
Admission: free, no cover
212-529-8463
Thursday, August 24 Megan Reilly continues tour behind latest album, LET YOUR GHOST GO, 9:00
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
237 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
August 24-27 at 8:00
Tickets: $20
212-997-4144
http://bbkingblues.com/schedule/index.shtml
Thursday, August 24 With H20 and FVK
Friday, August 25 With Theo + the Skyscrapers and the Heart Attacks
Saturday, August 26 With Big D + the Kids Table and the Lordz
Sunday, August 27 With Danny Diablo and the Slanderin
Grand Central Terminal
Vanderbilt Hall
Admission: free
http://www.tennis.com/news/news.aspx?id=40716
http://www.grandcentralterminal.com
Friday, August 25 Tennis magazine celebrates upcoming U.S. Open, featuring the SMASH Zone, the Babolat Challenge, product and ticket giveaways, and appearances by Andy Roddick, Patty Schnyder, Rafael Nadal, Chris Evert, Robby Ginepri, Ai Sugiyama, Shahar Peer, and Martina Navratilova, 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Rebel Theater Company
Julia de Burgos Performing Arts Center
1680 Lexington Ave. at 106th St.
212-726-1389 ext2
http://rebeltheater.org/Home.html
Friday, August 25 Anniversary reception, awards ceremony, and arts night fundraiser for the Rebel Theater Company, with Woodie King Jr., Ruby Dee, Amiri Baraka, Fredi Walker-Browne, Adam Clayton Powell IV, Jamaican consulate attaché Aubrey Kampbell, Eric Anthony, Arthur Toombs, Raun Ruffin, Margot Ebling, Sandra Mills Scott, Jessica Fields, Hisham Tawfig, Myla Churchill, Joey Rizzolo, and more, $25, 7:00
Naumburg Bandshell
midpark just south of the 72nd St. cross-drive
Admission: free
212-245-8837
http://www.newyorkgrandopera.org
Friday, August 25 Vincent La Selva conducts Puccini’s SUOR ANGELICA and Leoncavallo’s PAGLIACCI, 7:30
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
718-784-4520
http://www.ammi.org/site/screenings/index.html
Friday, August 25 A LETTER FROM GREENPOINT (Jonas Mekas, 2006), UNITED STATES (Jonas Mekas, 2004), and WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN (Jonas Mekas, 1949-2003), preceded by wine reception with Jonas Mekas, $10, 6:30
Friday, September 1 Brazilian Independence Day: BLACK ORPHEUS (Marcel Camus, 1959), with outdoor celebration with food and live music, $10, screenings at 7:00 & 9:30
Governors Island Historic Harbor District
Fridays and Saturdays through September 2, 10:00 am — 5:00 pm
Guided tours Tuesdays-Thursdays at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm
Admission: free for all visits, tours, and special programs
http://www.govisland.com/Visit_the_Island/saturdays.asp
Saturday, August 26 Battle Week Commemoration: Living History Demonstration of Revolutionary War-era encampment, 10:00 am — 4:00 pm
Morris-Jumel Mansion
65 Jumel Terr. between 160th & 162nd Sts.
Admission: free
212-923-8008
http://www.parlorentertainment.com
Saturday, August 26 Fourteenth annual event, with Sedric Choukroun, David Lee Jones, Miranda Sielaff, Bob Cunningham, Rudy Lawless, Lammott Cottman, Vivian Ducat, Willie Gee, Rudel Drears, Cleo Baker, Kimberly Cameron, Keith Dames, Fatima, Rachel Kent, Marcia Lilly, April Mathis, Sheila Massey, Bess Mullings, Judy Schermer, Barry Simmons, Sandra Smith, Mena Weston, Clarence Williams, Jill Melanie Wirth, and Leona Zions, directed by Marjorie Eliot, 2:00 — 6:00
Parkside Lounge
317 East Houston St. between Aves. B & C
212-673-6270
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=28612927
Saturday, August 26 Love Camp 7 unveils at least two more songs in the growing opus known as Beatle Album Title Songs, 10:00
New York Road Runners
Central Park East Drive near 80th St., 7:00 am
Entry fee: $70-$80
212-423-2249
http://www.nyrr.org/nychalf/home.php
Sunday, August 27 Inaugural event, starting in Central Park, going through Times Square, going down the Hudson River waterfront, and finishing on West St. near Battery Park, winner takes home $10,000
The Pearl Theatre Company
80 St. Marks Pl. at First Ave.
Select Monday nights at 7:00
Tickets: $25
212-598-9802
Monday, August 28 THE GREAT DIVIDE, by William Vaughn Moody
Rumsey Playfield in Central Park
Enter at 72nd St. & Fifth Ave.
August 29 — September 2 at 8:00
Admission: free
http://www.centralparknyc.org/activities
Tuesday, August 29 THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder, 1960)
Wednesday, August 30 FATAL ATTRACTION (Adrian Lyne, 1987)
Thursday, August 31 GODSPELL (David Greene, 1973)
Friday, September 1 STUART LITTLE (1999)
Saturday, September 2 Viewers’ Choice: MANHATTAN (Woody Allen, 1979), THE WAY WE WERE (Sydney Pollack, 1973), or WALL STREET (Oliver Stone, 1987)
Pianos
158 Ludlow St. between Stanton & Rivington Sts.
Admission: $8
212-505-3733
http://www.myspace.com/lazylions
Wednesday, August 30 Purveyors of power-pop pleasure, 9:00
B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill
237 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
212-997-4144
http://bbkingblues.com/schedule/index.shtml
Thursday, August 31 The great David Bromberg brings his Angel Band for a special show at B.B. King’s, which has quickly taken the place of the Bottom Line as his new home away from home, $35-$40, 8:00
All events approximately 11:00 am - 6:00 pm unless otherwise noted
Admission: free
http://www.nyctourist.com/st_fairs_calendar.htm
http://nycstreetfairs.com/sched.html
http://www.clearviewfestival.com
Friday, September 1 Welcome Back to Columbia University: 120th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Sunday, September 3 The 22nd Annual Brazilian Day Festival: Sixth Ave. between 42nd & 56th Sts. and 46th St. between Madison & Seventh Aves.
Monday, September 4 M.E.C.A. Family Festival: Lexington Ave. between 34th & 42nd Sts.
Lincoln Center
70 Lincoln Center Plaza, 65th St. & Broadway
Admission: free
212-496-2030
Sunday, September 3 Eighteenth annual event, featuring a fitness area, natural beauty products, kids recycling tent, eco exhibits, eco-magic, alternative health seminar, eco-fashion show, solar cars, environmental conference, demonstrations, workshops, and more, 11:00 am — 6:00 pm
Barbès
376 Ninth St. at Sixth Ave.
Park Slope, Brooklyn
First & third monthly Monday nights at 7:00
Admission: free
718-965-9177
http://www.barbesbrooklyn.com/tcc.html
http://www.brooklynindependent.com
http://www.cocaineangelmovie.com
Monday, September 4 New York premiere of COCAINE ANGEL (Michael Tully, 2006), with the short film SON (Glynn Beard, 2006), followed by Q&A with COCAINE ANGEL director Michael Tully and star Damian Lahey
Barnes & Noble
4 Astor Pl. at Broadway
Admission: free
212-420-1322
http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/events.do
Tuesday, September 5 Rita Rudner, TURNING THE TABLES, 7:00
NYC Opera
New York State Theater
20 Lincoln Center Plaza
September 7-10
Tickets: $25 – on sale now
212-870-7787
http://www.nycopera.com/festival
Thursday, September 7 City Opera Concert Celebration and after-party, 7:30
Friday, September 8 LA BOHEME, with behind-the-scenes video footage, 8:00
Saturday, September 9 CARMEN, with behind-the-scenes video footage, 8:00
Sunday, September 10 LA BOHEME, with behind-the-scenes video footage, 1:30