Public Art Exhibit of the Week
10.26.05
1. Spirit sculptures and ice skating in Bryant Park
2. Memling’s portraits and the New York City Marathon
3. The Staten Island Ferry turns one hundred
5. Plus Riff’s Rants & Raves, including
Isabelle Huppert in 4.48 PSYCHOSE
Grupo Corpo’s LECUONA & ONQOTÔ
the Asian suspense/horror trilogy THREE…EXTREMES
Greg Whiteley’s NEW YORK DOLL
Donnie Wahlberg in SAW II
Craig Lucas’s THE DYING GAUL
Sam Mendes’s JARHEAD
Jack Nicholson in THE PASSENGER
the revised version of Paul Auster’s CITY OF GLASS graphic novel
Volume 5, Number 21
October 26 — November 9, 2005
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at admin@twi-ny.com.
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Site Design/Subway Photo:
Fred Gates Design, New York.
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— Paul Auster, CITY OF GLASS, graphic novel adapted by Paul Karasik and David Mazzuchelli ($14, Picador)
Bryant Park Southwest Corner
42nd St. & Sixth Ave.
Through November 3
Admission: free
http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/totems.php
In the southwest corner of Bryant Park, by the chess tables and Jose Lima’s tribute to José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva (the Brazilian Patriarch of the Independence), musician, Broadway producer, expressionist painter, environmentalist, and businessman Herb Alpert (yes, of the Tijuana Brass) has installed six bronze sculptures that form a kind of spiritual circle of peace. Each sculpture, resembling wooden totem poles, contains its own abstract symbols and images, a kind of standing Rorschach test. Set your mind free as you wander around these pieces; you might see a monkey, an owl, Jar Jar Binks, a large snail, a cat, random eyes and ears, or other unusual imagery in Alpert’s designs. For more on the permanent sculptures in Bryant Park, visit http://twi-ny.com/twiny.7.20.05.html.
Bryant Park Lawn
Between 40th & 42nd Sts. and Fifth & Sixth Aves.
October 28 — January 16
http://www.bryantpark.org/amenities/thepond.php
A seventeen-hundred-square-foot state-of-the-art ice-skating rink is set to open on the Bryant Park lawn on October 28 as part of the annual Fetes de Noel holiday celebration. In addition to public skating, the rink will host special events, including a Halloween festival October 28-31. If a cozy nook with a book is more your speed, check out the schedule at Coliseum Books, which faces the south side of Bryant Park.
11 West 42nd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
All readings at 6:00 pm unless otherwise noted
Admission: free
212-803-5890
http://www.coliseumbooks.com/events.shtml
Wednesday, October 26 Linda Roghaar and contributors Cathy Cooper, Jenny Feldon, Nilda Mesa, Kay Gardiner, and Sandra Hurtes, KNITLIT THE THIRD: WE SPIN MORE YARNS, reading and knit-in, 6:30
Saturday, October 29 Audrey Niffenegger, THE THREE INCESTUOUS SISTERS: A NOVEL IN PICTURES and THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, reading, talk, and signing, 4:00
Tuesday, November 1 Kadam Morten Clausen, meditation workshop featuring Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s MAHAMUDRA TANTRA, talk and guided meditation, 6:30
Thursday, November 3 Gotham Writers’ Workshop: The Role of Storytelling in Writing Nonfiction, with Nan Mooney, 6:00
Wednesday, November 9 Gary Hart, GOD AND CAESAR IN AMERICA: AN ESSAY ON RELIGION AND POLITICS, talk and signing, 6:30 pm
Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten
Hans Memling, "Portrait of a Man with a Coin of the Emperor Nero (Bernardo Bembo)"
The Frick Collection
1 East 70th St. at Fifth Ave.
Through December 31
Closed Mondays
Admission: $15 (pay what you wish Sundays, 11:00 am — 1:00 pm)
212-547-0700
http://www.frick.org/exhibitions/memling/index.htm
German-born artist Jan van Mimnelinghe (Hans Memling, c. 1435-94) studied in Brussels under Rogier van der Weyden before moving to the banking and clothmaking center of Bruges in 1464, where he would soon become one of its most important, influential, and successful painters. The Frick has brought together twenty of Memling’s remarkable portraits for this rare and exciting look at his extraordinary work. Memling’s well-dressed, mostly unknown subjects, often seen in front of lush landscapes, gaze off to the side, never smiling, wearing hats and interesting collars, with unique hairstyles, their hands usually at the base of the frame, holding something, resting on each other, or in prayer. "Portrait of a Man with a Coin of the Emperor Nero (Bernardo Bembo)" and "Portrait of a Man" (c. 1470-75) are frighteningly realistic. In the two paintings that comprise "Portrait of an Elderly Couple," the man and the woman — who don’t exactly portray wedded bliss — face each other, each one wearing a ring, with the road behind them joining together between frames.
The sitter’s hair and collar are mimicked by the grass and trees behind him in "Portrait of a Man with a Spotted Fur Collar"; similarly, the subject’s cheeks in "Portrait of a Young Man" (c. 1480 or later?) are echoed in the rounded hills behind him, and the sitter’s hair in "Portrait of a Man Before a Landscape" seemingly melds into the background. Other fascinating elements include the sunken cheekbones in "Portrait of an Old Woman," the hat breaking through the top of the frame in "Portrait of a Man in a Red Hat," and the fly in the foreground of "Portrait of a Man with an Arrow." The Frick is now pay what you wish on Sundays from 11:00 to 1:00, but be prepared for a half-hour wait to get into this special exhibition.
Richard di Liberto
Jean-Antoine Houdon, "The Dead Thrush (La grive morte)," on loan from the Horvitz Collection, Boston
Museum admission includes ArtPhone audio tour
http://www.frick.org/html/cal1f.htm
Every time we write about the new exhibit at the Frick, we’re going to remind you not to forget about the permanent collection, which we never tire of wandering through. Not only did Henry Clay Frick have outstanding taste, he also understood how paintings can best be appreciated. Each of the twenty rooms in the Frick has something unique to offer, including spectacular furniture, carpets, sculptures, and clocks in addition to the paintings; here is a quick look at our favorites: François-Hubert Drouais’s splendid "The Comte and Chevalier de Choiseul as Savoyards" and Vermeer’s resplendent "Officer and Laughing Girl" in the South Hall; Renoir’s "Mother and Children" at the base of the stairs that lead up to the magnificent Aeolian Pipe Organ; Hans Holbein the Younger’s incredible portrait of Sir Thomas More in the Living Hall; Constable’s gorgeous "Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Garden" in the Library; Rembrandt’s amazing 1658 "Self-Portrait," bathed in gold, with penetrating, mysterious eyes, in the West Gallery; and one of the Frick’s newest pieces, on loan — Jean-Antoine Houdon’s marvelously realistic framed marble sculpture "The Dead Thrush," which hangs upside down on a nail. Wait — we left out the Boucher Room, the Fragonard Room, the Titians, the Gainsboroughs, the Turners, the Ingres, the peaceful fountain garden, the — you get the picture…
Free to the public one half hour before the event unless otherwise noted
212-547-0709
http://www.frick.org/html/cal3f.htm
Wednesday, October 26 Lecture: Memling’s Influence on Italian Portraiture from Leonardo to Raphael, with Barbara G. Lane, 6:00
Sunday, November 13 Lecture-Concert: Talk by composer Joelle Wallach at 4:15, followed by concert by Newberry Consort at 5:00, $20
Wednesday, November 16 Lecture: Face to Face with Memling’s Portraits, with Maryan W. Ainsworth, 6:00
Wednesday, November 30 Artists, Poets, and Writers Lecture Series: Henry James’s New York, with Colm Tóibín, 6:00
Wednesday, December 7 Lecture: Memling’s Italian Patrons, with Paula Nuttall, 6:00
twi-ny/mdr
Samuel Morse stands tall near park’s 72nd St. entrance
Central Park Fifth Ave. & 72nd St. entrance
Admission: free
http://www.morsehistoricsite.org
After checking out Hans Memling’s portraits at the Frick, enter Central Park through Inventor’s Gate at Fifth Ave. & 72nd St. to see a statue of another portraitist, Samuel Finley Breese Morse, who was more well known for his inventions of the one-wire electric telegraph and Morse code. Born in Charlestown, MA, Morse was a longtime New Yorker who was one of the founders and the first president of the National Academy of Design on 89th St.; he also ran for mayor twice (and lost). The statue, designed by Byron M. Pickett and unveiled on June 10, 1871, shows a fully bearded Morse, his left hand resting on his telegraph machine, his right hand grasping telegraph tape in Morse code. Morse spent his last twenty-five years on his Locust Grove estate in upstate Poughkeepsie, which is now a historic landmark and home of the Samuel Morse Historic Site. He’s buried in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. There’s no telling what Morse might think of our current wireless society.
Central Park
Meet inside the park at Fifth Ave. & East 72nd St. in front of the statue of Samuel F. B. Morse
Admission: free
212-794-6564
http://www.centralparknyc.org/thingstodo
Sunday, October 30 One-hour walking tour including a hidden bench-clock, wind-powered mini-boats, a drinking fountain for horses, and more, 2:00
Wednesday, November 2 One-hour walking tour including a hidden bench-clock, wind-powered mini-boats, a drinking fountain for horses, and more, 1:00
Various venues and events
Admission: free
It’s time again for the New York Marathon, and this year’s festivities include shorter runs, a photography exhibit on Park Ave., a fitness expo at the Javits Center, and fireworks in Central Park.
Sunday, October 30 Marathon Kickoff, 5K, Central Park, 9:00 am
Monday, October 31
through
Friday, November 11 "Marathon" photography exhibit, 345 Park Ave. at 51st St., closed Sunday
Thursday, November 3
through
Saturday, November 5 Health and Fitness Expo, featuring more than one hundred vendors and exhibitors, product samples, activities, and more, with free shuttle buses in Midtown Manhattan, Jacob Javits Convention Center, free
Saturday, November 5 Marathon Fireworks, Central Park finish line, 7:30
Sunday, November 6 Staggered start times, including professional women at 9:35 am and professional men at 10:10 am, followed by awards ceremony and celebration at the Copacabana (560 West 34th St., 7:30 pm — 1:30 am); race begins on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and ends by Tavern on the Green in Central Park, with entertainment zones throughout
Seventh Regiment Armory
Park Ave. at 67th St.
Admission: $15
212-674-6095
http://printdealers.com/printfairs.cfm?id=107
Thursday, November 3
through
Sunday, November 6 Prints for sale from Old Masters to contemporary artists and the Saturday-morning panel discussion "Is There Art in the Art Market or Is It Just About Money?," 12 noon — 7:00
twi-ny/mdr
Whitehall Terminal / St. George Terminal
Admission: free (no vehicles allowed)
No pets except in cages or seeing-eye dogs
718-815-BOAT
http://NYC.gov/html/dot/html/masstran/ferries/statfery.html
At the tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park, is Whitehall Terminal, where you can pick up the free Staten Island Ferry and set off on a beautiful five-mile, twenty-five-minute journey across the water, the Verrazano Bridge and Governors Island to your left, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty to your right. Some nineteen million people make the trip each year aboard the ferries, which first launched under city control on October 25, 1905. On the way to Staten Island, stand at the front of the ferry and watch as it careens through the wakes left by other boats. On the return trip, stare into the ferry’s wake and let your mind wander.
Various ferries have been involved in a range of accidents over the course of the last hundred years: In 1960 a Norwegian tanker rammed into the Dongan Hills and a bomb exploded aboard the Knickerbocker; in 1978 the American Legion slammed into a concrete seawall, and in 1981 it was hit by a Norwegian tanker; on April 12, 1995, the Andrew J. Barberi smashed into its slip, and on October 14, 2003, it tragically crashed into a concrete pier, killing ten people. Other ferries, some of which can hold up to six thousand passengers, include the Alice Austen, the Governor Herbert H. Lehman, the Samuel I. Newhouse, the John F. Kennedy, the John A. Noble, and the new trio of the Guy V. Molinari, the Sen. John J. Marchi, and the Spirit of America, which cost forty million bucks apiece. More than one hundred trips a day carry approximately seventy thousand people to each terminal, both of which have been recently renovated.
St. George Terminal, 1 Bay St., Staten Island
Whitehall Terminal, Whitehall St. at State St., Manhattan
Admission: free
718-440-5833
http://www.siwaterfrontfestival.org/events.html
Wednesday, October 26
through
Sunday, October 30 The Staten Island Waterfront Festival — The Staten Island Ferry Centennial: New York City Celebrates the Past, Present & Future of the Manhattan-Staten Connection, featuring Ferry Fest Gallery in St. George and Whitehall terminals
Thursday, October 27
and
Friday, October 28 Ferry Fest Expo
Saturday, October 29
and
Sunday, October 30 Ferry Fest Stages, with live music, dance, art, music, comedy, poetry, and other special events
Snug Harbor Cultural Center Music Hall
1000 Richmond Terr.
Tickets: $5 per film unless otherwise noted
718-815-SNUG
One of our favorite little city treasures, just a short trip from the St. George ferry terminal, is the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. In addition to its art exhibitions, live performances, historic buildings, and walking tours, it is holding this Halloween film series, featuring tricks and treats from Alfred Hitchcock, Abbott & Costello, New York City ghost hunters, the whole Frankenstein clan, and a time-warped Transylvanian transsexual.
Friday, October 28 PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960), 7:00
Friday, October 28 THE EXORCIST (William Friedkin, 1973), 9:15
Saturday, October 29 Costume party, 11:00 am & 1:00
Saturday, October 29 GHOSTBUSTERS (Ivan Reitman, 1984), 12 noon & 4:00
Saturday, October 29 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (Charles Barton, 1948), 2:00
Sunday, October 30 FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale, 1931), 2:00
Sunday, October 30 THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale, 1935), 3:30
Sunday, October 30 THE SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (Rowland V. Lee, 1939), 5:00
Monday, October 31 Costume contest, 10:00
Monday, October 31 THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Jim Sharman, 1975), $10, 10:30
Galerie St. Etienne
Sue Coe, "Goats Before Sheep," from SHEEP OF FOOLS
Galerie St. Etienne
24 West 57th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves., eighth floor
Closed Sunday & Monday
Through November 5
Admission: free
212-245-6734
http://www.gseart.com/exhibitions.asp?ExhID=495
http://graphicwitness.org/coe/coebio.htm
Sue Coe pulls no punches in this provocative examination of the inhumane treatment of animals used for food and clothing. More than five dozen primarily graphite, gouache, and watercolor drawings by the politically charged artist are a call to arms against animal cruelty, focusing on her latest collection, SHEEP OF FOOLS, which tells the story of a cargo ship that sank on August 23, 1986, in which sixty-seven thousand sheep burned or drowned as the men on board did nothing to save them. Another frightening series, "The Man with No Heart," details a dairy man who has his dead cows plowed into a mass grave. Dozens of lambs await a brutal death in "Newborn Lambs Are Put in the Mincer Onboard Ship." "Fowl Plague / Vietnam Chicken" warns of the coming bird flu epidemic. "Cows in Egyptian Slaughterhouse / Revolving Door" follows animals going directly from the slaughterhouse to restaurant plates. "Factory Pharm" is a maelstrom of an assembly line offering up cows, pigs, chicks, horses, sheep, birds, and more for slaughter. And "One World — Fleeced, 2005" is like no zoo map you’ve ever seen, filled with death and destruction (courtesy of Bush-Cheney, the IMF, and Exxon Mobil). Coe also takes on hunting, nonchalant killing, routine mutilation, shearing, and AIDS as a weapon of mass destruction. Yes, the politics of these pieces are heavy-handed, mostly preaching to the converted, detracting from their overall power, but you’ll still walk away with a nightmarish vision you won’t soon forget. We dare you to eat rack of lamb immediately after seeing this.
BURGOYNE DILLER: TWENTY-FIVE ON PAPER
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
24 West 57th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves., seventh floor
Closed Sunday & Monday
Through November 5
Admission: free
212-247-0402
http://www.michaelrosenfeldart.com
The abstract minimalist work of Bronx-born Burgoyne Diller, onetime director of the New York City WPA/FAP Mural Division, is on display in the small back gallery of this space. Diller experimented with primary colors and geometric shapes reminiscent of the work of Mondrian — but with a much looser, less restricted hand. These untitled graphite-and-crayon pieces are casual and inviting, as lines are not precisely straight, colors leak out of their borders, and occasional circles draw you away from the predominant squares and rectangles. The main area of the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is dedicated to "Organic New York 1941-1949," a collection of nonobjective abstract surrealism by Jimmy Ernst, Alfonso Ossorio, Charles Seliger, Mark Rothko, William Baziotes, Theodore Roszak, Pavel Tchelitchew, Richard Pousette-Dart, Lee Krasner, Arshile Gorky, and others, a lineup that promises more than it actually delivers, though it is worth checking out while you’re there.
Marian Goodman Gallery
Gabriel Orozco, "Clam Shell," 2003
Marian Goodman Gallery
24 West 57th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves., fourth floor
Closed Sunday and Monday
Through November 12
Admission: free
212-977-7160
http://www.mariangoodman.com/mg/nyc.html
Starting from the center of the canvas and working outward in a series of geometric shapes and patterns based on chess moves, Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco’s colorful canvases are a visual treat, filled with bold blue, red, and gold circles amid a Mondrian-like grid. (Orozco has said that the "system represents the rotation of the body.") Works such as "Turbo Bubbles," "Moon Axel," "Roto Spinal," and the Samurai Tree series combine to put one in a cheerful, playful mood. In the small, adjacent gallery, amid some ho-hum drawings, is a flat-screen video, "677 Variants," in which Orozco’s works morph into each other. But do not leave the gallery without going into the expansive back room, which features shelves and tables of found objects and created curios, including "Contedores," four styrofoam containers filled with wood, a butterfly wing, and bottle caps; the cool "Foam Drop with Two Balls"; several carbonized masses; the awesome "Clam Shell," with black foam oozing out of molded paper that resembles an egg carton; a pair of plaster "Galaxy Pots" that evoke the universe; and a myriad of carefully etched shells, a feather, string, rocks, bark, a toy car, a hat, a pizza, mushrooms, and other unique and bizarre items.
Stern Auditorium (SA)
881 Seventh Ave. at 57th St.
Zankel Hall (ZH)
57th St. & Seventh Ave.
212-247-7800
Thursday, October 27 City Folk Live at Zankel: Suzanne Vega, ZH, $32-$38, 8:30
Friday, October 28 Ravi Shankar’s Festival of India III, SA, $26-$90, 8:00
Saturday, October 29 Carnegie Hall Family Concert: Batoto Yetu, ZH, $8, 1:00
Tuesday, November 1 Leon Fleisher Master Class, Weill Recital Hall, $15, 7:30
Wednesday, November 2 CANCELED: Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra, with Elizabeth Cook and the Crickets, SA
Sunday, November 6 Making Music: Meredith Monk, ZH, 2:00, available only as series with Making Music: George Perle, December 5, and Making Music: Steven Mackey, February 9, $72 for all three
Tuesday, November 8 Celtic Woman, SA, $50-$95, 8:00
Wednesday, November 9 Linda Eder, By Myself: Celebrating the Music of Judy Garland, SA, $35-$75, 8:00
40 West 57th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
212-757-3000
http://www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com/nobu57/index.html
We actually have not eaten yet at the newest addition to the Nobu dynasty, but we have had awesome meals at Nobu and Next Door Nobu on Hudson St., and we figured that after seeing the Sue Coe exhibit, going for seafood instead of chicken or beef would be a good move. This latest restaurant, which opened in the summer, was designed by David Rockwell and is owned by the team of Drew Nieporent, Robert De Niro, Meir Teper, and Richie Notar. The menu features new dishes in addition to the old standbys, including kelp salad, monkfish pate, washu beef, sea urchin tempura, squid pasta, halibut cheeks, and such classics as Nobu Matsuhisa’s tuna tataki with ponzu, Kumamoto oysters with Maui onion salsa, and his pièce de résistance, sublime black cod with miso. We’re saving up for the omakase chef’s choice menu, which runs upwards of a buck and a half per person.
Pascal Victor
Isabelle Huppert amazes in her American stage debut at BAM
2005 Next Wave Festival
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM Harvey Theater
651 Fulton St. between Ashland Pl. & Rockwell Pl.
Through October 30
October 19 performance reviewed
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/events/nextwavefestival.aspx
Sarah Kane’s final play, 4.48 PSYCHOSIS (4.48 PSYCHOSE in French, playing at BAM through October 30), is the most French production never staged by Ingmar Bergman, a stark, gripping inner monologue about a woman who has suffered a mental breakdown and is determined to kill herself. A few months after the play was written, Kane did just that, hanging herself in her hospital room. But the play is much more than Kane’s personal story; it investigates nothing less than the fear — and almost ecstatic acceptance — of death itself. In director Claude Régy’s aggressively challenging production, the great Isabelle Huppert, dressed in a tight blue T-shirt and black leather pants, stands alone at center stage, shoulders slightly hunched, never moving during the hour and forty-five minute play, save for briefly scanning the audience or extending a long, elegant finger, perhaps because she can’t move anything else. Her performance is brutally naked and honest — searing, heartbreaking, unforgettable. Her nameless character — who frighteningly could be any of us — mechanically recites dark, poetic, often abstract lines ripped from her soul as she faces death head-on, proclaiming early on in a dense, painful monotone, "At 4.48 / when desperation visits / I shall hang myself / to the sound of my lover’s breathing." All the while, behind a semi-opaque screen on which a numerical series is sometimes flashed, the play’s only other actor, Gérard Watkins, lurks, a shadowy figure who occasionally asks her revealing questions that she avoids or answers almost too directly.
The play is performed completely in French, with only select lines translated in the supertitles way above the stage ("This is not a world in which I wish to live," "Body and soul can never be married," "I will drown in dysphoria"), so those who know French will understand much more of the detailed language. But the French translation is not necessarily a bad thing for the rest of us, who can instead focus on the intensity of Huppert’s performance, in which words are only the beginning. (Don’t take it personally when some of the audience laughs at supposed jokes that are not translated; it’s all part of the experience.) 4.48 PSYCHOSE is a stunning, difficult work, perhaps fifteen minutes too long, that requires full audience participation; BAM permits no late seating, so get there on time, and if you leave during the show for any reason, you will not be allowed back in. But we strongly suggest you don’t give up on this memorable dark night of the soul.
2005 Next Wave Festival
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Reviewed: Thursday, October 27, performance
Performances also Friday, October 28, and Saturday, October 29, at 7:30
Tickets: $20-$60
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/events/06LECU/06LECU.aspx
http://www.grupocorpo.com.br/en/index.php
Innovative Brazilian dance troupe Grupo Corpo makes a triumphant return to BAM with this spectacular two-part production that will take your breath away. First up is LECUONA, a ballroom-dance showcase with six couples, set to the music of the Cuban Gershwin, Ernesto Lecuona. Together the dancers test the limits of what the human body can do, particularly the female form; the men, dressed in all black, are there merely to support the extraordinary women, each one in a sexy, frilly outfit of a different color, with matching lighting and high heels. They spin, twist, jump, fall, leap, push, grasp, and grab to Lecuona’s romantic jazz, leading to a thrilling finale with all twelve dancers (men still in black, women now in white) dancing feverishly amid a mirrored stage, a playful comment on "One," the closing number of A CHORUS LINE. Following a brief intermission, the troupe is back with ONQOTÔ, created for their thirtieth anniversary, featuring a wide-ranging score commissioned from Caetano Veloso and José Miguel Wisnik. Choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras examines the birth of the universe in a series of thrilling set pieces, including a large group of dancers using their feet as percussive devices, a shadowed free-for-all, and a fabulously sculpted nude man slowly unfolding from a tight crouch, signaling the birth of the human form. Dont miss this exciting, vastly entertaining program from one of the world’s most talented troupes.
Lions Gate Films
Miriam Yeung watches Bai Ling make her very special dumplings
Opens October 28
http://lionsgatefilms.com/profile/threeextremes.php
The Asian scream team of Hong Kong’s Fruit Chan (LITTLE CHEUNG, DURIAN DURIAN), South Korea’s Chanwook Park (OLDBOY, SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE), and Japan’s Takashi Miike (ICHI THE KILLER, AUDITION) team up to present three very different short works that go to the extreme — and beyond. First up is Chan’s DUMPLINGS (which he also has expanded into a feature-length film), in which the special ingredient in Aunt Mei’s (Bai Ling) expensive dumplings help rejuvenate a former teen star (Miriam Yeung) living a boring life with her businessman husband (Tony Leung Ka-Fai). Just try not to cringe and grab your stomach while you watch her crunch on those pot stickers (and be careful what you eat right before or after the movie, because it’s liable to come right back up). Park then turns up the gore level with CUT, in which a film director (Lee Byung-hun) and his wife (Kang Hye-jeong) are kidnapped by a crazed extra (Lim Won-hee) who threatens to slice off her fingers one at a time unless the director kills a small child in the room. There’s plenty of bloody violence here, but the overall execution is lacking. Finally, Miike harkens back to the glory days of Japanese ghost stories with BOX, a superb, chilling tale of a reclusive novelist (Kyoko Hasekawa) who is haunted by a horrific incident from her past involving her masked father (Atsuro Watabe) and her sister (Yuu Suzuki).
Greg Whiteley
Arthur "Killer" Kane prepares for New York Dolls reunion
Angelika Film Center
18 West Houston St. at Mercer St.
Opens October 28
Tickets: $10.75
212-995-2000
http://www.city-cinemas.com/angelika.html
NEW YORK DOLL is an unforgettable documentary about Arthur "Killer" Kane, a man who went to the heights of ecstasy as a member of the New York Dolls in the early 1970s, hit the depths of depression in the late 1980s, and rediscovered himself in the 1990s as a Mormon librarian. As bassist for the New York Dolls, Kane, dressed wildly in heavy makeup and women’s clothes, anchored the glam rock idols, which also included David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, Johnny Thunders, and Jerry Nolan. The band dissolved after only two studio albums, and while the rest of the band remained in the music business (Thunders and Nolan died in the early ’90s), Kane’s drug- and alcohol-addled life spiraled downward. As Johansen started showing up in mediocre Hollywood movies (MARRIED TO THE MOB, SCROOGED, CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU?) and his alter ego, Buster Poindexter, could be heard singing "Hot, Hot, Hot" at every bar mitzvah and wedding in town, Kane languished in obscurity until, in 1989, after a ridiculous suicide attempt, he became a Mormon.
Fellow Mormon Greg Whiteley follows Kane around with a handheld camera as the former underground rock star goes about his daily life, working in a Mormon Family History Center library in California, taking the bus to work, hanging out with old ladies, paying "rent" on his pawned basses, and living a simple existence — until he gets a call from British pop star Morrissey, who wants the Dolls to reunite for the 2004 Meltdown festival in London. Kane is a soft-spoken, earnest, gentle man who seems a little bit off yet genuine, but this is what he’s been waiting for — although he is also afraid of failure yet again. Whiteley intersperses classic Dolls songs ("Looking for a Kiss," "Lonely Planet Boy," "Private World," "Puss ‘n’ Boots," "Trash," and Johnny Thunders’s "You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory") with talking heads who share their love of the band (including Sir Bob Geldof, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones from the Clash, Blondie’s Clem Burke, and especially Morrissey, who is always seen in extreme close-up and is oh-so-serious), although we wish the film included more music, of a higher quality. Yet the remarkable story and ridiculously bizarre ending, which has a THIS IS SPINAL TAP quality to it throughout — except it’s very real — rises above it all to create a one of the best rockumentaries we’ve ever seen.
Sony Classics
Jack Nicholson is exasperated in Antionioni’s existential suspenser
Opens October 28
http://www.sonyclassics.com/thepassenger
Nominated for the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1975, Michelangelo Antonioni’s existential suspense thriller is a fascinating character study of a lost, lonely man. Jack Nicholson stars as Locke, a successful, well-respected journalist who is researching a story on the guerrilla movement in Chad. Life isn’t as fun and exciting as it used to be for him, as witnessed by his utter helplessness after his car gets stuck in the sand. Upon returning to his hotel room, he discovers that his neighbor, Robertson (Chuck Mulvehill), is dead — and he decides to switch places with him, to stop being Locke and instead live a completely different existence. Even when he finds out that Robertson was involved in international espionage and gun running, Locke continues the deception, traveling dangerously through England, Germany, and Spain with a free-spirited young architecture student (Maria Schneider) while his wife (Jenny Runacre) and business associate (Ian Hendry) — and the police — try to find him. THE PASSENGER is marvelously slow-paced, never in a hurry to make no point about just what the point of it all is. Nicholson glides through the film with an unease that is as unnerving as it is intoxicating as he struggles to find his way in life, a cinematic representative of something that is within us all. One of Antonioni’s other English-language films, the pointless, meandering, and annoying ZABRISKIE POINT, which was cowritten by Sam Shepard, is screening in a new 35mm print October 29-30 at the Museum of the Moving Image (see below).
Lions Gate Films
SAW 2 falls well short of the first fright flick
Opens October 28
The first SAW was an inventive, gory, eerie thriller with lots of surprises. Unfortunately, the sequel is a repetitive, gory, boring continuation, with way too many cliches, uninteresting characters, and a forced story line that tries much too hard. Donnie Wahlberg stars as Detective Eric Mason, a cop questioning his own abilities who suddenly finds himself caught in the web of the Jigsaw killer, who has placed eight people — including Mason’s son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen) — in a chamber of horrors. If Mason doesn’t play Jigsaw’s game, his son — as well as the other captives (which include Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Beverley Mitchell, and Tim Burd) — will die. Shawnee Smith is back as Amanda, the lone survivor of Jigsaw’s evil doings from the first film, Dina Meyer has an expanded role as the detective in charge of the case, and the awesome Tobin Bell returns as the mastermind behind it all. Cowriter-director Darren Lynn Bousman’s original script had nothing to do with SAW; cowriter Leigh Whannell, who wrote and starred in last year’s hit, took Bousman’s story and forced it into being a sequel, and it shows. The result is a cardboard creation that is a major disappointment.
Available on video
Leigh Whannell wrote and stars in last year’s most bizarre Halloween horror flick, about a serial killer who gets his morally questionable victims to do his dirty work for him. The film opens with Adam (Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) chained to pipes in a grungy, filthy, disgusting bathroom, a dead man in between them swimming in a pool of blood, holding a tape recorder and a gun. The two men don’t know how they got there, but Gordon’s only way out — which will also save the lives of his wife (Monica Potter) and young daughter (Mackenzie Vega) — is to somehow kill Adam by six o’clock. So for the next eight hours, Adam and Gordon play a cat-and-mouse game, dredging up the past, trying to understand why they’ve been chosen — while Gordon battles to come up with a better answer than sawing off his foot to get himself free, picking up the gun, and shooting Adam in time. Meanwhile, Detectives David Tapp (Danny Glover) and Steven Sing (Ken Leung) are hot on the very strange case. SAW is not an easy movie to watch, filled with gruesome, highly creative deaths, painful tension, and lots of blood. Parts of it are also very cheesy and amateurish, so if you’re not a fan of low-budget horror films, this one ain’t for you. But if you like being scared stupid, then this will do the trick. And speaking of tricks, the ending is one helluva treat. The DVD includes an uncut version of the film, a behind-the-scenes featurette, an art gallery, a short film from creator Whannell, an alternate cut, and a look at the real Jigsaw killer.
Hole Digger Studios
Campbell Scott, Patricia Clarkson, and Peter Sarsgaard get mixed up in GAUL
Opens November 4
Playwright and screenwriter Craig Lucas (PRELUDE TO A KISS, LONGTIME COMPANION, THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS) makes his directorial debut with THE DYING GAUL, the film version of his play set in the wonderful world of Hollywood. Studio exec Jeffrey (Campbell Scott) wants struggling screenwriter Robert’s (Peter Sarsgaard) script called THE DYING GAUL, but only if Robert changes the gay couple in the story to a man and a woman. Robert refuses to surrender his integrity — his script details the horrible death of his partner, Malcolm (Bill Camp) — until he is offered a million dollars for it. Hanging out at his boss’s spectacular mansion, Robert grows fond of both Jeffrey and his wife, Elaine (Patricia Clarkson), a former writer who loves Robert’s original script. When Elaine anonymously begins an online relationship with Robert in a gay chat room, secrets that could bring everything down are just a few keystrokes away. Once again, Clarkson (PIECES OF APRIL, FAR FROM HEAVEN, THE STATION AGENT) is outstanding, her every movement a revelation. Sarsgaard, who played a bisexual in KINSEY, does so once more, attacking this role with grand understatement. The film lags during the online chat sessions, hovering in YOU’VE GOT MAIL territory, and a lot of the Hollywood insider stuff is clichéd, but the trio of Scott, Sarsgaard, and Clarkson rise above the staler material and make it all worthwhile.
Opens November 4
Sam (AMERICAN BEAUTY) Mendes brings Anthony Swofford’s book to life in this gripping eyewitness account of the first Gulf War. Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding as Swoff, a third-generation military man who is given the chance to join an exclusive Marine sniper unit – if he can only survive Staff Sgt. Sykes’s (Jamie Foxx) brutal, harrowing training regimen. As the group is whittled down to an elite eight, the camaraderie among the men grows, then teeters dangerously on the edge as Swofford’s mind twists, turns, and nearly breaks as he comes face-to-face with the murderous boredom that is afflicting this group of highly fit, highly trained, and utterly useless young men. While they hunger to see some action, they also worry about what’s waiting for them back home, wondering if their wives and girlfriends are remaining faithful as their time in the desert increases. Beautifully shot by Roger Deakins and featuring an excellent cast (including Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Evan Jones, Brian Geraghty, Chris Cooper, and Dennis Haysbert), JARHEAD, although it veers a little off course in its later stages, is a worthy successor to such Vietnam War epics as THE DEER HUNTER (Michael Cimino, 1978) and APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979), both of which show up here, as well as the more realistic FULL METAL JACKET (Stanley Kubrick, 1987). Instead of focusing on the battle itself, JARHEAD goes behind the scenes, offering an illuminating look at the dedicated, patriotic, and tedious life of a grunt: sleeping in the sand, waiting for orders, playing football in gas masks (what happens at the end of the game is a riot), listening to 1960s music, being coached to talk to the press, thinking about home, and subtly questioning why America is there in the first place. Interestingly, the USMC refused to participate in the production in any way.
Graphic novel adapted by Paul Karasik and David Mazzuchelli
Introduction by Art Spiegelman
http://www.picadorusa.com/product/product.aspx?isbn=0312423608
This revised version of the 1994 adaptation of Brooklynite Paul Auster’s breakthrough work is a breakthrough itself, a masterful conversion of a "conventional" novel into a brilliant graphic novel. The existential detective story involves a writer named Quinn who pretends to be a private detective named Paul Auster and investigates an odd case about a bizarre man, psychologically abused by his father, who is afraid his old man will try to kill him when he is released from prison. Auster’s complex web of varied storytelling devices examines the very nature of identity, between the characters and this adaptation itself. David Mazzucchelli’s black-and-white drawings inventively capture Auster’s New York City — both the character’s and the author’s. For those of you who don’t understand the whole graphic novel thing, CITY OF GLASS is a great place to start; it won’t let you down.
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The Brecht Forum
451 West St. between Bank & Bethune Sts.
Suggested donation: $10/$15/$25
Wednesday, October 26 Socialists, Social Movements & Socialism: A Roundtable Discussion, 7:30
Thursday, October 27 Off the Shelf: The Challenges to Radical Publishing in an Age of Philistinism & Reaction, 7:30
Saturday, October 29 Neues Kabarett: Performances by Gina Leishman, Doug Wieselman, and Marcus Rojas, 8:30
Sunday, October 30 A House Warming for the Brecht Forum’s New Home, with Tariq Ali, Brian Jones, Just Cause, LAVA Female Acrobatic Troupe, Gloria Miguel of Spiderwoman, Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble, Universes, and more, 2:00 — 6:00
Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center
107 Suffolk St. at Rivington St.
Tickets: evenings $20, afternoons $15
212-307-6226
http://www.hauntedhousenyc.com/nightmare2.htm
Wednesday, October 26
through
Monday, October 31 Guided tour of thirteen chambers of horrors, 6:00 pm — 1:00 or 2:00 am nightly, also 1:00 — 5:00 pm Saturdays and Sundays
542 West 27th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves., fifth floor
Tickets: $20 (advance e-tickets strongly recommended)
212-290-2825
Wednesday, October 26
through
Monday, October 31 Haunted house featuring scares around every corner, children under twelve not admitted, 8:00 — 12 midnight or 1:00 am
The Two Boots Pioneer Theater
155 East Third St. at Ave. A
Through October 31
Tickets: $9 unless otherwise noted
212-254-3300
http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer
Wednesday, October 26 THE GHOST (Riccardo Freda, 1963), 7:00
Thursday, October 27 SHOCK-O-RAMA (Brett Piper, 2005), 7:00
Thursday, October 27 CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Herk Harvey, 1962), 9:00
Friday, October 28 All Night Vampire Movie Marathon, $20 for all films, $6.50 per individual films, including BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992), HABIT (Larry Fessenden, 1997), DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN’S DIARY (Guy Maddin, 2002), VAMPIRE’S KISS (Robert Bierman, 1989), VAMPYRES (Jose Ramon Larraz, 1974), and NEW YORK VAMPIRE (Greg Lamberson, 1991), 7:00
Saturday, October 29 Avant-Horror: Tales from the Film-Makers Co-Op, 8:00
Saturday, October 29 Rock 'N’ Roll Horror Porno from the Depths of Hell and Other Gory Stories, featuring Doug Sakmann’s RE-PENETRATOR and more, 12 midnight
Sunday, October 30 THE THRILL KILLERS (Ray Dennis Steckler, 1963) and ICHI THE KILLER (Takashi Miike, 2001), 7:00
Just hanging around in Miike’s ICHI THE KILLER
Also available on DVD
http://www.ichi-the-killer.com
Takashi Miike, who a few years ago had New York filmgoers rushing to Film Forum to see AUDITION — and then rushing to get out because of the violent torture scenes — has done it again with ICHI THE KILLER, a faithful adaptation of Hideo Yamamoto’s hit manga. When Boss Anjo goes missing while beating the hell out of a prostitute, his gang, led by Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano, star of the beautiful MABOROSI and the awesome LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE), a multipierced blond sadomasochist, tries to find him by threatening and torturing members of other gangs. As the violence continues to grow — including faces torn and sliced off, numerous decapitations, innards splattered on walls and ceilings, body parts cut off, and self-mutilation — the killer turns out to be a young man named Ichi (Nao Omori), whose memory of a long-ago brutal rape turns him into a costumed avenger, crying like a baby as he leaves bloody mess after bloody mess on his mission to rid the world of bullies. This psychosexual S&M gorefest, which is certainly not for the squeamish, comes courtesy of the endlessly imaginative Miike, who trained with master filmmaker Shohei Imamura and seems to love really sharp objects. The excellent — and brave — cast also includes directors Sabu and Shinya Tsukamoto and Hong Kong starlet Alien Sun.
Monday, October 31 THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (Dario Argento, 1969) and DEEP RED (Dario Argento, 1975), 7:00
Chris Elliott brings debut novel to Village B&N
Barnes & Noble
33 East 17th St. at Union Square (US)
600 Fifth Ave. at 48th St., Rockefeller Center (RC)
675 Sixth Ave. at 22nd St., Chelsea (CH)
160 East 54th St. at Third Ave., Citicorp (CC)
105 Fifth Ave. at 18th St. (18)
4 Astor Pl. at Broadway (AP)
1972 Broadway at West 66th St., Lincoln Triangle (LT)
396 Sixth Ave. at Eighth St., Greenwich Village (GV)
2289 Broadway at 82nd St. (BW)
240 East 86th St. at Second Ave. (86)
106 Court St., Brooklyn (CS)
267 Seventh Ave., Park Slope (PS)
Admission: free
http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/events.do
Wednesday, October 26 Jane Goodall, HARVEST FOR HOPE: A GUIDE FOR MINDFUL EATING, US, 12:30
Thursday, October 27 Margaret Cho, I HAVE CHOSEN TO STAY AND FIGHT, US, 7:00
Friday, October 28 Richard Lewis, ABSOLUT SEQUEL, CH, 7:00
Tuesday, November 1 Chris Elliott, THE SHROUD OF THE THWACKER, AP, 7:00
Wednesday, November 2 Anne Rice, CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT, US, 6:00
Thursday, November 3 Penn Jillette, HOW TO CHEAT YOUR FRIENDS AT POKER, CH, 7:00
The People’s Improv Theater
154 West 29th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
212-563-7488
http://www.thepit-nyc.com/monthly.html
Thursday, October 27 Sara Alan’s one-woman comedy show about fighting cancer with a sense of humor and determination, $5, 7:00
Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre
54 Journal Sq. across from PATH station, Jersey City
Tickets: performance only $50, 7:15; reception, performance, dessert $150, 6:00
201-798-6055
http://www.loewsjersey.org/gala.php
Thursday, October 27 Benefit featuring Vince Giordano & His Nighthawks and Uncle Floyd, with a buffet reception
Merchant’s House Museum
29 East Fourth St. between Lafayette St. and the Bowery
212-777-1089
Friday, October 28 Ghostly Tales and Tours by Candlelight, reservations and prepayment required, $20, 6:00 — 10:00
Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
Friday, December 9, 7:30
Tickets: $29.50 in advance
http://www.roselandballroom.com/concerts.html
http://www.rondelsenerpresents.com/main.html
Friday, October 28 Tickets go on sale for December 9 concert featuring X and Juliana Hatfield, 11:00 am
National Comedy Theatre
347 West 36th St.
Tickets: $15, reservations strongly recommended
212-629-5202
http://www.nationalcomedy.com/spooktacular.html
Friday, October 28
and
Saturday, October 29 Comedy, games, and sketches with creepy themes, 7:30 & 9:45, with special $10 show on Saturday night at 11:45
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th St.
212-316-7540
http://www.stjohndivine.org/news_performances.html
http://www.stjohndivine.org/pe_forthcoming.html
http://www.stjohndivine.org/news_workshops.html
Friday, October 28 Halloween Extravaganza & Procession of Ghouls: Screening of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Rupert Julian, 1925), followed by procession of puppets, creatures, and special effects, $15, 7:00 & 10:00
Saturday, October 29 Morning of the Gargoyles: A Family Halloween Workshop, ages four and up, $5 per child with adult, 10:00 am
Saturday, October 29 Crypt Crawl tour, reservations required, $10, 10:00 & 11:00 am, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 pm
Aaron Davis Hall
City College of New York
Convent Ave. between West 133rd & 135th Sts.
Tickets: $25 unless otherwise noted (includes Cuban snacks and drinks)
212-650-7100
http://www.aarondavishall.org/programs/october.htm#habana
Friday, October 28 David Oquendo & Raices Habaneras, Lisandro y Su Tratado, 7:30
Saturday, October 29 MACHITO! (Carlos Ortiz), THE OLD MAN AND HEMINGWAY (Hugo Perez), followed by panel discussion on new trends in Cuban music, moderated by Ed Morales, $10 (free for ticket holders of either 7:30 program), 4:00
Saturday, October 29 The Cuban Cowboys and Yordamis, 7:30
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Tickets: $10
718-784-4520
http://www.ammi.org/site/screenings/index.html
Friday, October 28 Fist and Sword: Martial Arts Film Classics — OLDBOY (Chanwook Park, 2003), 7:30
Sony Classics
Cho Min-sik doesn’t have it easy in Chanwook Park’s OLDBOY
Also available on DVD
http://www.tartanvideo.com/ht_title_template.asp?TITID=490
The second in director Chanwook Park’s revenge trilogy (in between the recently released SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and the 2005 New York Film Festival selection SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE), OLDBOY is a twisted, perverse psychological thriller that won the Grand Prix de Jury at Cannes, among many other international awards. Choi Min-sik (CHIHWASEON) stars as Oh Dae-su, who has been imprisoned for fifteen years — but he doesn’t know why, or by whom. When he is finally released, his search for the truth becomes part of a conspiracy game, as he can seemingly trust no one. As he gets closer to finding everything out, the gore and terror continues to increase. Min-sik is outstanding as the wild-haired Dae-su in Park’s awesome rampage of a film. The film is also available on DVD; the extras include audio commentary and deleted scenes in which Park discusses how embarrassing it is doing audio commentary and showing deleted scenes. OLDBOY is not for the faint of heart.
Saturday, October 29 Some Like It Wilder: ACE IN THE HOLE (THE BIG CARNIVAL) (Billy Wilder, 1951), introduced by Wilder biographer Ed Sikov, 2:00
Saturday, October 29 Repertory Nights: ZABRISKIE POINT (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1970), 7:30
Sunday, October 30 Repertory Nights: ZABRISKIE POINT (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1970), 6:30
Friday, November 4
through
Sunday, November 6 CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles, 1941), 6:30 or 7:30
Also available on DVD
http://www2.warnerbros.com/citizenkane
CITIZEN KANE is the best-made film we have ever had the pleasure to watch — again and again and again, and it is even more brilliant on the big screen. A young, brash, determined, Orson Welles created a masterpiece unlike anything seen before or since — a beautifully woven complex narrative with a stunning visual style (compliments of DP Gregg Toland) and a fabulous cast of veterans from his Mercury radio days. Each moment in the film is unforgettable, not a word or shot out of place. Like every film Welles made, CITIZEN KANE was fraught with controversy, not the least of which was a very unhappy William Randolph Hearst seeking to destroy the negative of a film he thought ridiculed him. KANE won only one Oscar, for writing — which also resulted in controversy when Herman J. Mankiewicz claimed that he was the primary writer, not Welles. It lost the Oscar for Best Picture to John Ford’s HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, but it has topped nearly every greatest-films-of-all-time list ever since.
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
120 Broadway between Cedar & Pine Sts., eighth floor
Admission: free but RSVP required
http://www.lmcc.net/Residencies/Open_Studios/Open_Studios_current.html
Friday, October 28
through
Sunday, October 30 Featuring opening night party, poetry readings, open studios, walking tours, live performances, and more
Coney Island Sideshows by the Seashore
3006 West 12th St. at Surf Ave.
718-372-5159
http://www.coneyisland.com/creepshow.shtml
Friday, October 28
through
Sunday, October 30 Adult-oriented spookhouse, including creepy tour of building, lots of freaks and live entertainment, and presentation "The Rent Is Killing Me!" $7.50, 7:00 — 12 midnight
Monday, October 31 Halloween Party featuring Creepshow at 8:00 and party at 10:00, $15
Central Park
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
Inside the park at 110th St. between Fifth & Lenox Aves.
Admission: free
212-860-1370
http://www.centralparknyc.org/17613/5658293
Saturday, October 29 With costume and jack-o’-lantern contests, 2:00 — 5:00
World Financial Center Winter Garden
225 Vesey St.
Admission: free
212-945-2600
http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/calendar
Saturday, October 29 Halloween pumpkin party, featuring face painting, pumpkin decorating, storytelling, and the Magical Great Pumpkin, 12 noon — 4:00 pm
Macy’s Herald Square
151 West 34th St. between Broadway & Seventh Aves.
Kids on 7
Admission: free
212-495-4495
http://www1.macys.com/store/event/index.ognc?action=search&storeId=70
Saturday, October 29 Face painting, scary stories, magic show, and costume contest with prizes including tickets to advance screenings of CHICKEN LITTLE (Mark Dindal, 2005), 1:00
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution
George Gustav Heye Center
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
1 Bowling Green
Admission: free
212-514-3737
http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=events&second=ny
Saturday, October 29 Performances, storytelling, and workshops honoring the memory of the deceased, featuring Danza Mexica Cetiliztli Nauhcampa, 1:00 — 4:00 pm
Metropolitan Museum of Art Uris Center for Education
1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.
Free with museum admission
212-650-2833
El Museo del Barrio
12300 Fifth Ave. at 104th St.
Admission: free
212-660-7144
Saturday, October 29 The Mexican Day of the Dead is celebrated at the Met from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, then El Museo del Barrio from 1:00 to 4:00, featuring gallery talks, film screenings, workshops, live Mariachi performances, and more
Prospect Park
Admission: free
718-965-8999
http://www.prospectpark.org/event/main.cfm?target=hwalk
Saturday, October 29 Annual Halloween Haunted Walk & Carnival, featuring monsters on Lookout Hill, carnival on the Nethermead, live music, hayrides, games, candy, the Puppeteer’s Cooperative, and more, 12 noon — 3:00
Saturday, October 29 Haunted Carousel, Scary Stories from the Past, Skeleton Scharen-Knippen Cut-Outs, Creepy Crawly Halloween, Halloween Owls, and Boo at the Zoo, 12 noon — 5:00
Belmont Park
2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont
Apron reserved: $75-$100
Grandstand reserved: $65; clubhouse admission: $25; grandstand admission: $10
Broadcast live on NBC-TV
718-641-4700 ext3838
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032808
Saturday, October 29 Full day of racing, featuring the Classic, the Turf, the Distaff, the Mile, the Sprint, the Filly & Mare Turf, the Juvenile, and the Juvenile Fillies, 1:00 - 6:00 pm
Symphony Space
Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Tickets: $10
212-864-5400
http://www.symphonyspace.org/genres/seriesPage.php?genreId=2&eventId=1388#event1388
Saturday, October 29 Classic scary cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, the Pink Panther, Mickey Mouse, and more, ages seven and up, 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Makor
Steinhardt Building
35 West 67th St. between Amsterdam & Columbus Aves.
Admission: $25 before October 27, $30 day of event
212-601-1000
Saturday, October 29 Troma Halloween party, with live music, open wine and beer bar 8:30 — 9:30, prizes for best costume, and more, 8:00
The Puck Building
295 Lafayette St. at Houston St. & Lafayette St.
Tickets: $10-$60
212-738-9252
http://www.toshifilm.com/main2.cfm?prm=BODKAx3BEPb@gmail.com&startat=tickets
Saturday, October 29 Featuring open bar, body-painted bartenders and masseuses, hip-hop, rock, and soul DJs, live music by the Riverboys, VIP gift bags, and more, Grand Ballroom, Lafayette Room, Penthouse, 9:00 pm — 3:00 am
Bronx Zoo/Prospect Park Zoo/Central Park Zoo/Queens Zoo/New York Aquarium
All weekend special events 11:30 am — 4:30 pm
Children under twelve and in costume free with adults
Saturday, October 29
and
Sunday, October 30 Boo at the Zoo, featuring magic shows, storytelling, sing-along hayrides, live music, face painting, pumpkin picking and painting, trick-or-treat-bag workshops, cats, bats, and rats, and a spooktacular Halloween celebration, as well as a special Sea Monsters Weekend at the New York Aquarium
Hudson River Park Pier 54
14th St. at the West Side Highway
Admission: free for the Maze of Horrors
http://hudsonriverpark.org/Calendar/PierofFear.htm
Saturday, October 29
and
Sunday, October 30 Featuring the Maze of Horrors and other creepy activities, for children thirteen and under during the day (and older children after dark), 12 noon - 9:00
South Street Seaport Museum
211 Water St between Beekman and Fulton Sts.
Activity fee: $5
212-748-8758
http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/calendar/calmain.htm
Saturday, October 29
and
Sunday, October 30 Family program aboard the Peking, with face painting, arts & crafts, storytelling, and a haunted room, 12 noon — 5:00 pm
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave. at St. Marks Ave.
Admission: $4
718-735-4400
http://www.bchildmus.org/happening/index.asp
Saturday, October 29
and
Sunday, October 30 Festival featuring arts & crafts, face painting, storytelling, and more, 11:00 am
Green-Wood Cemetery Landmark Gothic Archway, Brooklyn
Fifth Ave. at 25th St. entrance
718-788-7850
http://www.green-wood.com/toursbydate.asp
Saturday, October 29 Witch’s Tour with Roberta Halporn, for children ages six and up, 10:00 am
Saturday, October 29 Halloween at the Cemetery, Part 1, $15, 1:00
Sunday, October 30 Halloween at the Cemetery, Part 2, $15, 1:00
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
http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/street_fair_concerts/Street_fairs.htm
Saturday, October 29 Manhattan Republican Club / Park Ave. South Autumn Fair: Park Ave. South between 17th & 23rd Sts.
Saturday, October 29 Women’s Democratic Club / Astor Pl. Festival: Astor Pl. between Broadway & Lafayette St.
Saturday, October 29 Encore Community Services / 31st Annual Americana Jazz Festival: 52nd Street between Madison & Seventh Aves.
Sunday, October 30 Times Square Halloween Carnival: Seventh Ave. between 47th & 57th Sts.
Sunday, October 30 Gay & Lesbian Independent Democrats Fair: West Fourth St. between Washington Square East & Lafayette St.
Sunday, October 30 Holy Innocents Festival: Seventh Ave. between 47th & 57th Sts.
Sunday, October 30 Kiwanis Club of Glendale Myrtle Ave. Festival: Myrtle Ave. between Fresh Pond Rd. & Forest Ave.
Saturday, November 5 American Diabetes Association / World’s Largest Block Party: Madison Avenue between 42nd & 57th Sts.
Saturday, November 5 Goldman Band St. Fair: West Fourth St. between La Guardia Pl. & Lafayette St.
Sunday, November 6 The Ave. of the Americas Autumn Fair: Sixth Ave. between 34th & 42nd Street
Sunday, November 6 Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats Festival: Broadway between 17th & 23rd Sts.
Center for Jewish History
Forchheimer Auditorium
15 West 16th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
All-day pass: $35; films & talks $20; evening lecture $20
917-606-8200
Sunday, October 30 Brunch-Time Screening: ELIAS CANETTI (Thomas Honickel, 2005), 12 noon
Sunday, October 30 Talks & Debates on Elias Canetti: A Spanish Poet of German Language, 2:00 — 5:00
Sunday, October 30 Evening salon on Elias Canetti, with Claudio Magris, moderated by Liliane Weissberg, 7:30
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Cherry Esplanade
1000 Washington Ave.
Admission: $5 adults, children under sixteen free
718-623-7200
http://www.bbg.org/vis2/2005/ghoulsandgourds/index.html
Sunday, October 30 Dance, vocal wizardry, Dora the Explorer, the Cheetah Girls Dance and Costume Contest, John Carlin, the Ebony Hillbillies, the Mud Brothers, recycled junk instrument workshop, Thai pumpkin carving, Halloween makeovers, Brazilian body-percussion workshop, Phydeaux’s Flying Flea Circus of Fate, storytelling with Mama O, the Haunted Farm, Jennifer Swender, R. Gregory Christie book signing, Ghouls and Gourds Tattoo Parlor, giant puppets, glitter effects, and a costume parade, 12 noon — 4:30
Sony Wonder Technology Lab
Sony Atrium
56th St. at Madison Ave.
Admission: free
212-833-8100
http://www.sonywondertechlab.com/attend/events.shtml#wonderween
Sunday, October 30 Hands-on activities, film screenings, goodie bags, and more, 12 noon — 4:00 pm
Forest Park, Woodhaven
Entrance fee: $20
Spectator admission: free
347-531-8648
http://www.allamericancarclub.com
Sunday, October 30 Second Annual All American Car Club Car Show: Responding to Hurricane Katrina, featuring live music, costume contest, and more, 9:00 am — 4:00 pm
Queens Museum of Art
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Admission: free with suggested museum admission of $5
718-592-9700
Sunday, October 30 Spooky stories, mask making, live music, altar making, and other ways of celebrating All Saints’ Day, 12 noon — 5:00
Symphony Space
Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Double features Sundays & Tuesdays
Through November 22
Tickets: $10
212-864-5400
http://www.symphonyspace.org/genres/seriesPage.php?genreId=2&eventId=1440#event1440
Sunday, October 30 LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST (Theo Angelopoulos, 1988), 4:00, and NOBODY KNOWS (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2004), 6:15
Tuesday, November 1 NOBODY KNOWS (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2004), 4:00, and
LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST (Theo Angelopoulos, 1988), 6:00
IFC Films
Family struggles to stay together in NOBODY KNOWS
Based on a true story that writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda (MABOROSI, AFTER-LIFE) read about back in 1988, NOBODY KNOWS is a heartwarming, heartbreaking film about four extraordinary half-siblings who must fend for themselves every time their mother takes off for extended periods of time. Japanese TV and pop star YOU makes her feature-film debut as Keiko, a young woman who has four kids by way of four different men. When she’s home, she shows affection for the children, but the problem is, she’s rarely home. Instead, twelve-year-old Akira (Yagira Yuya) must take care of the shy Kyoko (Kitaura Ayu), who handles the laundry; the troublemaker Shigeru (Kimura Hiei), who can’t follow the rules; and sweet baby Yuki (Shimizu Momoko), who likes chocolates and squeaky shoes. At first, it is charming and uplifting watching how Akira handles the complicated situation — the other kids are not allowed outside because the landlord will evict them if he finds out about them, and Akira even helps teach the family, who do not attend school — but as Keiko disappears for longer periods of time, the children’s lives grow more dire by the day as food and money start running out. Kore-eda, who also edited and produced this powerful picture, has created a moving, involving film that nearly plays like a documentary, avoiding melodramatic clichés and instead wrapping the audience up in the closeted life of four terrific kids whose tragic existence will ultimately break your heart.
Sunday, November 6 LA PROMESSE (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, 1996), 6:00, and THE BICYCLE THIEF (Vittorio De Sica, 1948), 7:45
Tuesday, November 8 THE BICYCLE THIEF (Vittorio De Sica, 1948), 6:00, and LA PROMESSE (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, 1996), 7:45
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West & 79th St.
Admission: $8
212-769-5200
http://www.amnh.org/programs/specials/halloween
Monday, October 31 Featuring arts and crafts, trick-or-treating, David Grover and the Big Bear Band, Madeline, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, origami, and arts and crafts; come in costume and go trick-or-treating through the exhibits, 4:00 — 7:00 pm
Sixth Ave. from Spring to 22nd Sts.
Marchers meet at 6:30, parade starts at 7:00
Admission: free
Monday, October 31 Adult parade: "Phoenix Re-Rising," benefiting the musicians and artists of New Orleans
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Admission: free
718-636-4100
http://www.bam.org/education/bamboo.aspx
Monday, October 31 Street festival featuring free candy, a haunted garden, costume contest, and carnival performances (jugglers, fire-eaters, clowns, and more), 4:00 — 7:00 pm
Seventh Ave. from 12th St. to Union St.
Admission: free
http://www.parkslopeciviccouncil.org/curevents.htm
Monday, October 31 For children and families, 7:00 pm, preceded by party at the Prospect Park YMCA at 357 Ninth St., 3:00 — 6:30 pm
Theater for the New City
155 First Ave. at Tenth St.
Outdoor entertainment: free, 5:00 to 8:00 pm
Indoor tickets: $20, 8:00 pm to 1:00 am
212-254-1109
http://www.theaterforthenewcity.net/halloween.htm
Monday, October 31 Participants include Soce the Elemental Wizard, GWAABO, Penny Arcade, Zero Boy, Ambivalent Skin, Iration Squad, British Music Hall, and the Red and Black Masque medieval ritual show, with psychic readers, gothic belly dancing, flamenco, Imagination Explosion, Billionaires for Bush, Attack of the Killer Dancing Girls, stilt walkers, mythical creatures, Hellsouls in the lobby, and costume parade and contest at 12 midnight with live music from the Great Paprika Band and the Hot Lavendar Swing Band
Webster Hall
125 East Eleventh St. between Third & Fourth Aves.
Monday, October 31 Including $5,000 prize for best costume
BAMcinematek / BAM Rose Cinemas
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
October 31 — November 22
Tickets: $10
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/film/series.aspx?id=34
Monday, October 31 UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
BAMcinematek / BAM Rose Cinemas
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Tickets: $10
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/film/series.aspx?id=46
Tuesday, November 1 FULL METAL JACKET (Stanley Kubrick, 1987), 4:30, 7:00 (7:00 screening followed by Q&A and book signing with Matthew Modine)
The Mercantile Library
17 East 47th St. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Second-floor reading room
Reservations strongly suggested
212-755-6710
http://www.mercantilelibrary.org/calendar.html
Tuesday, November 1 James Salter, LAST NIGHT, $15, 7:00
Posman Books @ GCT
9 Grand Central Terminal
42nd St. at Vanderbilt Ave.
Admission: free (20% off during signing)
212-983-1111
http://www.grandcentralterminal.com
Tuesday, November 1 Book signing: Anne Rice, CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT, 12:30 - 2:00
National Academy Huntington Room
5 East 89th St. at Fifth Ave.
Select weekdays at 12 noon
Admission: free
212-996-1908
http://www.nationalacademy.org
Wednesday, November 2 US Versus National Art Thieves, with Special Agent Robert K. Wittman of the FBI Art Crime team
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Ave. at 70th St.
212-517-ASIA
http://www.asiasociety.org/events
Wednesday, November 2 Maya Lin talks with Asia Society president Vishakha N. Desai, $20, 6:30
Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Pl.
646-437-4200
http://www.mjhnyc.org/visit_safra_hall4.htm
Wednesday, November 2 Panel discussion with Laurel Leff and Nicholas Kristof, moderated by Gabriel Sanders, $10, 7:00
66 West 12th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
212-817-8215
http://www.nsu.newschool.edu/02a_specdiv.htm#0201
Wednesday, November 2 Lenore Skenazy, Change the World, Be Home by Eight, free, 6:00
Monday, November 7 The Public Art Fund Talks, with Roni Horn, $5, 6:30
Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Ave. at 75th St.
Advance purchase strongly recommended
1-877-whitney / 212-570-7715
http://www.whitney.org/programs/public.shtml
Thursday, November 3 Mierle Laderman Ukeles on Field Operations’ plans for new parkland at Fresh Kills, $8, 7:00
Dahesh Museum of Art
580 Madison Ave. at 57th St.
Admission: free from 6:00 — 9:00
212-759-0606
http://www.daheshmuseum.org/publicprograms_events/firstthursdays.html
Thursday, November 3 The Art of the Edge: Frames for Nineteenth-Century Paintings, with Suzanne Smeaton, 6:30
American Museum of Natural History
77th St. between Columbus Ave. & Central Park West
November 3-6 & 12-13
Admission: $12
212-769-5200
http://www.amnh.org/programs/mead/?src=h_h
Thursday, November 3 BRIDE KIDNAPPING IN KYRGYZSTAN (Petr Lom, 2004), LeFrak Theater, followed by a discussion with the director, 7:00
Friday, November 4 CHILDREN OF THE DECREE (Florin Iepan, 2004), followed by discussion with Dr. Adrian Sangeorzan, Kaufmann Theater, 8:30
Friday, November 4 AL OTRO LADO (THE OTHER SIDE) (Natalia Almada, 2005), followed by discussion with the director, Linder Theater, 8:45
Saturday, November 5 DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE (Hubert Sauper, 2004), followed by discussion with Melanie Stiassny and Paige West, Kaufmann Theater, 1:45
Saturday, November 5 HOME (Jeffrey M. Togman, 2005), followed by discussion with the director, Linder Theater, 3:15
Sunday, November 6 AWAKE ZION (Monica Haim, 2005), followed by a discussion with the director and a special performance, Kaufmann Theater, 8:15
Sunday, November 6 THE MOON AND THE SUN (John Canemaker, 2004), PHANTOM LIMB (Jay Rosenblatt, 2005), and VAULT KEYS (Harvey Wang, 2005), with discussions with Canemaker and Wang, Linder Theater, 8:15
Kips Bay (KB)
Second Ave. at 32nd St.
Shops at Columbus Circle (CC)
Park Ave. at 57th St. (PA)
Admission: free
http://www.bordersstores.com/events/events.jsp
Thursday, November 3 Alfredo Estrada, WELCOME TO HAVANA, SENOR HEMINGWAY, PA, 6:30
Monday, November 7 Blair Underwood, BEFORE I GOT HERE: THE WONDROUS THINGS WE HEAR WHEN WE LISTEN TO OUR CHILDREN, CC, 1:00
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Admission: free after 5:00 pm
718-638-5000
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/first-saturdays
Saturday, November 5 World Music: Basya Schechter and Pharaoh’s Daughter, Hall of the Americas, first floor, 6:00 — 8:00
Saturday, November 5 Hands-On Art: Thunderbird transformation masks, Education Division, first floor (free tickets available in the Education Gallery at 6:00), 6:30 — 8:30
Saturday, November 5 Film: The Sprockets Film Festival, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, third floor (free tickets available at the visitor center in the Grand Lobby at 5:30), 6:30
Saturday, November 5 Curator Talk: Edward Bleiberg, Tree of Paradise: Jewish Mosaics from the Roman Empire, Grand Lobby, first floor (free tickets available at the visitor center in the Grand Lobby at 6:00), 7:00
Saturday, November 5 Young Voices: Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing, fifth floor (free tickets available at the visitor center in the Grand Lobby at 7:00), 8:00
Saturday, November 5 Film: THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD (Guy Maddin, 2003), Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, third floor (free tickets available at the visitor center in the Grand Lobby at 7:30), 8:30
Also available on DVD
We so wanted to love this film, but we just never got into it. In 1933, Winnipeg is named the Saddest City in the World for the fourth year in a row, and legless beer baroness Lady Porty-Huntly (Isabella Rossellini) decides to sponsor a competition seeking the saddest song in the world. Competitors arrive from all over the globe, with the winner of each round earning a slide into a vat of beer. Former Kid in the Hall Mark McKinney stars as Chester Kent, a former Canadian, now American who was once romantically involved with Lady Port-Huntly. He enters the competition, snarkily going after the $25,000 prize — only to find that his estranged father (David Fox), estranged brother (Ross McMillan), and nympho girlfriend (Maria de Medeiros) are involved as well, in various bizarre ways. Shot primarily in grainy black and white with a 1920s silent-film feel, the movie looks sensational, but the story is tired and veers off into silly side tales that are just plain stupid, boring, and cliché-ridden, which is too bad, because this had the potential to be a great one.
Saturday, November 5 Dance Party: DJ Eleven, the Rub, Beaux-Arts Court, third floor, 9:00 — 11:00
Puck Building
293 Lafayette St. at Houston St.
Tickets: $110; VIP tickets $165
800-679-0493
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/taste/index.html
Monday, November 7 Two hours of food and drink from more than forty restaurants, including Alain Ducasse, Alto, Bar Americain, Butter, Andrew Carmellini, Barça 18, Beacon, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Café Boulud, Café Sabarsky, Cercle Rouge, Cesca, Chanterelle, Coco Pazzo, Craft, Devi, Fatty Crab, 5 Ninth, Flatiron Lounge, Kittichai, Landmarc, Le Bernandin, Lever House, Mercadito, Mercadito Grove, Mainland, Maremma, Marseille, Mas, Nice Matin, Nobu 57, Oceana, Onera, Ouest, Payard, Rib, Sapa, Suba, the Biltmore Room, the Modern, the Pegu Club, Thor, wd~50, and Zocalo, 7:00 — 9:00 pm