Exhibit of the Week
11.28.07
1. Separation and accusation at the Yeshiva University Museum
2. Alvin Ailey and great burgers in Midtown
3. Japanese books, Belgian waffles, holiday windows, and anime in and around Bryant Park
5. Ophuls in Brooklyn, collaborators at MoMA
6. Plus Riff’s Rants & Raves: Movies and More
7. Riff’s Rants & Raves: Music & More
Volume 7, Number 26
November 28 — December 19, 2007
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The Holiday Train Show has pulled in once again to the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex in Grand Central Terminal, where it will remain on view through January 13. Also at Grand Central, the Holiday Gift Fair runs in Vanderbilt Hall through December 29, and the Kaleidoscope Light Show keeps its lasers burning through January 1.
Yeshiva University Museum
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Through January 13
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:00 am — 5:00 pm
Admission: $8
212-294-8330
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Miriam Stern, "Ezrat Nashim," 2007
The ezrat nashim refers to the women’s section of the temple in Orthodox Judaism, as the men and women are not permitted to sit together; instead, they are separated by a partition called a mehitzah, which can be made of cloth, wood, plaster, or other materials. At the Yeshiva University Museum, Miriam Stern has created a unique minyan (the minimum group of ten people — which must be men in Orthodox synagogues -- required to pray) comprising ten women represented by freestanding life-size painted silhouettes. On the front of each board is a photograph of an actual mehitzah completely covering the figure’s face and body, taking away each woman’s individuality. But Stern gives that back to them by painting on the other side of the silhouettes, incorporating something about each woman that returns to them their unique identities while also displaying the wide diversity among them, in both their personal and professional lives. For publisher Miriam H., Stern paints three children, representing the three miracle babies Miriam H. had, beginning at the age of forty-eight. Malka gets a red carpet, symbolic of her eagerness to welcome visitors into her home. And for herself, Stern depicts a spoon morphing into a paintbrush, a reminder of the delicate balance between career and family. Meanwhile, the sound of women chanting the Hallel prayer echoes in the room. Nine of the women are friends of the artist; Stern herself is the tenth figure. An accompanying chart names each woman, tells something about her, and lists where the photograph of the mehitzah was taken — primarily in New Jersey or Jerusalem. Interestingly, a curtain reminiscent of a mehitzah leads to another room, which includes displays about Viking traders and the influential rabbi and scholar Rashi.
Image detail courtesy of MAHJ, Paris
The degradation of Alfred Dreyfus depicted in the newspaper 'Le Petit Journal,' January 13, 1895
Yeshiva University Museum
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Through February 17
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:00 am — 5:00 pm
Admission: $8
212-294-8330
On October 15, 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus was arrested on suspicion of spying and was later convicted of high treason. While imprisoned on Devil’s Island, he embarked on a letter-writing campaign to prove his innocence and slowly began receiving support from the French intelligentsia in addition to the help he was already getting from his wife, Lucie, and his brother, Mathieu. Then writer Émile Zola took up the cause, publishing the epic article "J’Accuse" in Georges Clemenceau’s L’Aurore newspaper, and the battle between the Dreyfusards (who founded the French League for the Rights of Man and the Citizen) and the anti-Dreyfusards (who formed the League for the French Homeland) reached new heights as a dangerous nationalism and anti-Semitism swept across the country. Through letters, photos, newspaper accounts, medals, slide shows, books, cartoons, and other historical documents, "Alfred Dreyfus: The Fight for Justice" chronologically details the life of Alfred Dreyfus and the events before, during, and after the Dreyfus Affair, which involved government conspiracy, lies, sham trials, undying love, and a fascinating cast of characters worthy of the best fiction. In fact, the story has been told in film several times, most famously in the Oscar-winning motion picture THE LIFE OF ÉMILE ZOLA (William Dieterle, 1937). Even after winning his acquittal, Dreyfus’s troubles were far from over. Unfortunately, most of the letters and documents are in French; very few have been translated, and many of the others are only very briefly described. But even with that, the exhibit is a fascinating look into the lengths governments and individuals will go to protect themselves and push their own agenda — and is still frighteningly relevant to what is going on in the world today, both here and abroad.
Chaplain Abraham Haselkorn says kaddish at the graves
of American Jews in a French military cemetery in March 1945
15 West 16th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Admission: free (except for Yeshiva University Museum exhibits)
917-606-8200
Upon entering the Center for Jewish History, you should first check out the film in the Valentin Blavatnik Orientation Theater, which gives a good overview about the center, which consists of five Jewish organizations under one roof. Admission is free for all exhibits except those at the Yeshiva University Museum ($8). Through December 31, the American Sephardi Federation / Sephardic House is presenting "The Historic Synagogues of Turkey," featuring photographs by Devon Jarvis, drawings by Ceren Kahraman, and text by Joel A. Zack about many of the temples in the Muslim nation, both currently in operation and abandoned. The American Jewish Historical Society has filled its display cases with "Jewish Chaplains at War: Unsung Heroes of the ‘Greatest Generation,’ 1941-45" (through May 4), which takes a look at the 311 rabbis who served as chaplains for the United States in WWII. The Yivo Institute for Jewish Research pays tribute to the good old days with "Bigger than Life: The Boundless Genius of Yiddish Theater" (through December 31). The Leo Baeck Institute is presenting "Hanns Wolters: Emigré Impressario," which follows the life and career of the producer and agent, who discovered such talents as Marlene Dietrich and F. Murray Abraham, through Berlin, Palestine, and New York.
The Yeshiva University Museum also has several other fine installations, including the long-running "Exploring the North Atlantic: Traders, Scholars, and Vikings in the 11th Century," which they call "an experiential exhibition for young audiences"; "Encompassing Sukkot Memories: Jane Trigere" (through January 31), a display comprising objects of memory and devotion donated from people all over the world; "Mehitzah: Seen by Women" (through January 13), photographs by Miriam Tangi of temple partitions separating the men from the women, in Paris, Jerusalem, and Morocco; "Rejoicing in Tsfat and Meron: Capturing the Fervor" (through February 24), Win Robins’s photos of Jewish communities celebrating completing the annual cycle of reading the Torah; "Sukkah / Bus Stop" (through January 13), Aleksandr Razin’s bus stop that connects Jews in America and Israel via the holiday of Succot; and, running December 4 — April 6, "Picturing Jerusalem," featuring nineteenth-century photographs of the Holy City taken by James Graham and Mendel Diness.
Wednesday, November 28 Jewish Influences in Classical Music, with the Phoenix Chamber Ensemble performing works by the Million Dollar Trio (Heifetz, Feuerman, and Rubinstein), $15, 7:30
Thursday, November 29 From the Depths of My Heart: The Letters of Alfred and Lucie Dreyfus, dramatic reading with Peninnah Schram, Reuven Russell, and Will Lee, Yeshiva University Museum, free, RSVP 917-606-8200, 6:00
Sunday, December 2 A Taste of Hanukkah: Sing Along, Story Time, Dreidls, Latkes & Treats, workshop for ages six and up, free with Yeshiva University Museum admission, 1:00 — 5:00
Sunday, December 2 Annual Hanukkah Concert — Bubbe Meises, Bubbe Stories, one-woman show by Ellen Gould, followed by menorah lighting, $25, 5:00
Wednesday, December 5 Sephardic Nightlife Music Series -- Ghetto Beats: Jewish Musical Nightlife, from Italy to New York, performed by the male choir of Congregation Shearith Israel, directed by Leon Hyman, followed by an after-party with DJ Handler, $15, 8:00
Thursday, December 6 Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations, lecture by Martin Goodman followed by book signing and reception, CJH, free but reservations required, 6:00
Thursday, December 6 The Future of Jewish Heritage in Europe: Case Study Slovakia Lecture, with Dr. Maros Borsky, YIVO, free but reservations required, 7:00
Sunday, December 9 A Legacy for the Future: Celebrating the Life and Teachings of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel on the Centennial of His Birth 1907-2007, afternoon symposium with scholars, educators, community leaders, activists, and friends, featuring panel discussions, a reception with a light dinner, and a live performance by Pharaoh’s Daughter, $40, 12 noon — 7:00
Sunday, December 9, 16 Jerusalem Motifs — Block Printing Workshop for ages six and up, free with Yeshiva University Museum admission, 2:00 — 4:00
Monday, December 10 Hermann Levin Goldschmidt’s THE LEGACY OF GERMAN JEWRY, lecture and book signing with David Suchoff and Willi Goetschel, Leo Baeck Institute, Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium, $10, RSVP 212-744-6400, 7:00
Thursday, December 13 Jewish Law — Courts in the Soviet Era, with Dr. Belkin, YIVO, free but reservations required, 7:00
Sunday, December 16 Lisa Small on Orientalism in Art, free with Yeshiva University Museum admission, 3:00
Tuesday, December 25 Winter Spectacular! A Celebration of Jerusalem in Music and Art, featuring Galeet Dardashti and her all-female ensemble, sing with DIVAHN and Their Mideastern Grooves, performances at1:30 and 3:00, with all-day family activities, adults $12, children $8, 212-294-8330, 11:00 am — 5:00 pm
Broadway to Park Ave. South, 14th — 15th Sts.
Monday through Friday 11:00 am — 8:00 pm; Saturday 10:00 am — 8:00 pm; Sunday 11:00 am — 7:00 pm
Admission: free
718-460-1208
More than one hundred vendors will be offering their wares in historic Union Square Park. In addition, on Friday, December 7, 14, and 21, at 4:00, the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers will sing Christmas carols as well as songs from off-Broadway shows.
Alvin Ailey takes over City Center for its annual
month-long season
New York City Center
130 West 56th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
November 28 — December 31
Tickets: $25-$160
212-581-1212
Alvin Ailey’s traditional end-of-season stay at City Center features two world premieres (Camille A. Brown’s “The Groove to Nobody’s Business” and Frederick Earl Mosley’s “Saddle Up!”), two company premieres (Maurice Béjart’s “Firebird” and Robert Battle’s “Unfold”), and three new productions (Alvin Ailey’s “Flowers,” set to the music of Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, and Blind Faith; Ailey’s “Reflections in D,” with music by Duke Ellington; and Talley Beatty’s “The Road of the Phoebe Snow,” featuring the jazz sounds of Ellington and Billy Strayhorn). The repertory also includes Ulysses Dove’s “Episodes,” Twyla Tharp’s “The Golden Section,” Judith Jamison’s “Reminiscin’,” Hans van Manen’s “Solo,” such Ailey classics as “Pas de Duke,” and, of course, “Revelations.” On December 18, associate artistic director Masazumi Chaya will be honored for his thirty-five years with the company. And every Saturday matinee is followed by “Meet the Dancers,” a free Q&A between the audience and the dancers.
The December 7 performance began with Ailey’s exhilarating “Night Creature,” as the company, led by the extraordinary Alicia J. Graf, adapted classical movement in flowy, flashy costumes, celebrating 1920s New York City nightlife to the sounds of Duke Ellington. Next was Elisa Monte’s brilliant 1979 piece, “Treading,” an achingly sensual and downright hot pas de deux with Linda Celeste Sims and Clifton Brown heating up the stage to the electronic sounds of Steve Reich’s “Eighteen Musicians.” Enhanced by Beverly Emmons’s appropriately sultry lighting, Sims and Brown performed slow, controlled moves of breathtaking power and precision that left us shaking our head in amazement.
Camille A. Brown’s “The Groove to Nobody’s Business” takes Ailey dancers down into the subway
Camille A. Brown’s brand-new “The Groove to Nobody’s Business” followed the first intermission. Energizing and entertaining, Brown’s three-part piece takes place in the New York City subway system, as a group of strangers wait for the train to arrive. As Ray Charles sings “Lonely Avenue” and “What’d I Say,” the would-be straphangers, dressed like everyday urbanites, interact by pushing one another, laughing together, and angrily watching trains pass by, with Matthew Rushing’s character quickly showing annoyance at the entire situation. Things don’t necessarily get better even when they finally board the train, to new compositions by Brandon McCune. The piece is marked by angular, energetic moves, as limbs extend out in all directions and dancers burst into herky-jerky walks and exaggerated postures. “Groove” is followed by Ulysses Dove’s inventive “Urban Folk Dance,” in which two couples (Roxanne Lyst, Vernard J. Gilmore, Rosalyn Deshauteurs, and Abdur-Rahim Jackson) express frustrations with their lives in a sort-of dance-off held in their side-by-side apartments, incorporating chairs and tables into their routine.
Most of the performances at City Center close with the spectacular three-part “Revelations,” in which the company brings the African American experience to life through glorious sections set to some of Ailey’s favorite spirituals he heard as a child, including “I Been ’Buked,” “Fix Me Jesus,” and “Wade in the Water,” before exploding in the all-out finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.” Jamar Roberts, Zach Law Ingram, and Malik Le Nost were particularly impressive dancing to the electrifying “Sinner Man,” while company veteran Rushing handled the beautiful “I Wanna Be Ready” solo. “Revelations” might be nearly fifty years old (it premiered in 1960), but the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater still performs it with an engaging freshness and vibrancy that delighted the rockin’, hand-clapping audience.
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Five Guys gets ready for hungry lunch crowd in Midtown
43 West 55th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
The first Manhattan location of Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries opened by popular demand — literally. It was scheduled to open November 2, but owner Salvatore Rincione had to open the doors to the public a day early because of the huge lines that started forming outside. Evidently, Manhattanites just couldn’t wait. And after sampling the burgers here, you’ll immediately know why. Five Guys was founded in Arlington, Virginia, in 1986 by retired insurance salesman Jerry Murrell and his wife, Janie; they named the restaurant for their five sons, all currently involved in the business. Unlike other well-known chains, everything here is freshly made, from the burgers to the fries to the buns (shipped in daily from Five Guys’ own bakery in Virginia); nothing is precooked or frozen. The burgers themselves are outstanding, ranking with the best of their kind. The patties are solid and flavorful; served well done but not overcooked, they’re juicy but don’t leak down your chin. Among the fifteen extra toppings — available at no extra charge — are mayonnaise, relish, sautéed mushrooms, jalapenos, onions, bar-b-q sauce, hot sauce, and green peppers. The fries, cooked in peanut oil, are available in regular or Cajun style. Each order — which could also include kosher hot dogs and grilled cheese and grilled veggie sandwiches — takes approximately seven and a half minutes to prepare; while hungry patrons await their lunch or dinner, bowls of free peanuts encourage snacking. If you’re not a burger junkie, we highly endorse the grilled cheese, a thick, tightly packed version grilled on terrifically fresh bread. Five Guys is a welcome addition to an already overloaded lunch area, and judging by its well-earned expansion plans, it’s likely to soon come to a location near you. In the meantime, it’s worth the trip to Midtown to check out one of the city’s best new burger joints.
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Kinokuniya features shelves and shelves of manga, in English and Japanese
1073 Sixth Ave. between 41st & 42nd Sts.
Admission: free
212-869-1700
After several years in Rockefeller Center, the Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya has moved to a new location, expanding its scope across three floors, selling just about everything Japanese you can think of. (The Rockefeller Center store will remain in operation through the end of the year before shutting its doors for good.) More than just a bookstore, the new Kinokuniya is like a Japanese oasis in the middle of hectic Midtown. The basement offers a multitude of stationery and gift ideas, from calendars and purses to toys and pens and plenty of branded products and knickknacks. The main floor includes kimonos, handbags, T-shirts, various collectibles, coffee-table books, and loads and loads of Japanese magazines. The third floor features rows and rows of manga, in both Japanese and English. Unfortunately, each one is individually shrink-wrapped, so you can’t check them out right there, which is disappointing; when you start buying manga, you’re making a major commitment, as each series could go on for dozens of books, so it’s a lot easier to start if you know what you’re getting into. There is also a section for DVDs of anime and classic films (by the likes of Kurosawa and Miike) and another of very fancy art books, focusing primarily but not exclusively on Japanese artists, as well as one table dedicated to Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy and other trend-setting genre works. And on the east side is Café Zaiya, where you can grab a bento box, salad, sushi, sandwich, or pastry and sit at a counter overlooking the holiday shops and the skating rink in Bryant Park.
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Inoue Takehiko works on mural for Kinokuniya
Kinokuniya will also host special events and art exhibits. Through December 1, "Kanzaburo: Behind the Scenes" features Michel Delsol’s photographs of Kabuki star Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII; on November 18, Delsol was on hand for a special presentation. The wall lining the escalator trip to the third floor is currently filled with framed artwork by manga master Inoue Takehiko (VAGABOND, SLAM DUNK); Inoue also drew a specially commissioned mural at the top of the escalator bank. There are also cooking demonstrations, workshops, readings, signings, and other events. We’re looking forward to this weekend’s matsuri wagashi — a Japanese sweets fair — beginning on November 30.
http://www.vertical-inc.com/books/MW/MW_preview01.html
There’s a reason why Osamu Tezuka (1928-89) gets his own table at the new Kinokuniya bookstore. Considered the founder of the graphic storytelling form known as manga, Tezuka told fascinating tales in words and pictures, often related to the after-effects of WWII on postwar Japan. Originally published in serial form from September 1976 to January 1978, MW is a picaresque manga that follows the villainous Michio Yuki, the embodiment of pure evil. As Yuki commits his heinous acts of kidnapping, embezzlement, rape, torture, murder, and whatever else he can think of, he confesses his sins to Father Garai — with whom he is also sexually involved. Yuki and the priest were the only survivors of a mysterious gas leak on an island outside of Okinawa; Yuki is now on a quest to find the remaining canisters and seek the ultimate revenge. Tezuka leaves nothing out of this viciously delectable tale, taking on all aspects of modern society, from business and religion to politics and love. His deft characterization and complex plot come alive through nearly six hundred pages; when you’re finished with it, you’ll remember it as if it were a movie, enhanced by his exceptional free-flowing visual style.
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Sonia Heidel serves her unique Belgian waffles in Bryant Park
The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park
42nd St. & Sixth Ave.
Monday through Friday, 11:00 am — 7:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am — 8:00 pm
Through Sunday, December 30
Admission: free
http://www.ThePondatBryantPark.com
The annual outdoor holiday market in Bryant Park features arts and crafts from more than eighty New York artists and artisans; if you go shopping with your kids on the weekends, be sure to take them for a ride on Le Carrousel, which is open from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm (rides cost $1.75); in addition, the Pond is open every day for ice-skating — and it’s free if you bring your own skates (otherwise it’s $10 to rent a pair). And as an added bonus, many of this year’s booths have sliding doors to keep the cold out while you hunt for the perfect present. Near the statue of William Jennings Bryan at the eastern top of the park — the great orator is currently covered in Christmas decorations — there are four food stands. Our favorite is Augustin’s Waffles (www.augustinswaffles.com), established by Augustin Peiffer, who claims that these concoctions from Liege are the real original Belgian waffle. The waffles are remarkably sweet on their own, encrusted with sugar crystals cooked right in, but they also come with your choice of chocolate fudge, cinnamon sugar, strawberries and cream, butterscotch, or Nutella. We suggest going for the trio sampler for six bucks. Sonia Heidel, who owns the Bryant Park franchise with her husband, John, told us that she is looking to break her 2006 record of selling 750 waffles in one day. We know we’ll be doing our part, because we’ll be back for more.
Tuesday, November 27 Holiday in Bryant Park: Tree lighting ceremony with Ben Vereen, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Norm Lewis, Carolee Carmello, the cast of IN THE HEIGHTS, Three Graces, Todd Eldredge, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, Jennifer Robinson, Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, the Haydenettes, and more, free, 7:00
Saturday, December 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
and
Sunday, December 2, 9. 16, 23, 30 Sing-along with Flaubert Frog, Le Carrousel, 2:15 — 3:45
Tuesday, December 4 NY Rangers Holiday Toy Drive, with current and former Rangers, with unwrapped toys going to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program, the Pond, 4:00 — 7:00
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Lord and Taylor windows are a treat for the senses
Lord & Taylor, Eleventh Floor Theater
424 Fifth Ave. at 39th St.
First Saturday of the month at 2:00
Admission: free
212-382-7670, reservations required
Every Christmas season tourists and New Yorkers alike line up to check out Lord and Taylor’s holiday window display. This year’s theme is "Christmas Is the Moment," celebrating the season through the five senses.
Thursday, December 6 Guys Night Out 2007, featuring special discounts, gift bags, and celebrity guests, reservations at 212-391-3604, 5:00 — 8:00
Tuesday, December 11 Meet Mark Badgley and James Mischka, 6:00
Jacob Javits Convention Center
Eleventh Ave. between 34th & 39th Sts.
Admission: $14 adults, $4 children twelve and under
800-282-3336
http://www.nyanimefestival.com
Fans of Kinokuniya are going to love the inaugural New York Anime Festival, which comes to the Javits Center for an exciting weekend of special programs, screenings, panel discussions, signings, and more. The guests of honor are Kobun Shizuno, the codirector of EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU (ARE) NOT ALONE; Peter Fernandez, the voice of Speed Racer, and Corinne Orr, the voice of Trixie; and author, artist, and illustrator Aimee Major Steinberger. Among the featured guests, including voice actors, industry executives, writers, photographers, animators, editors, and bloggers, are Abby Denson, Chris Hazelton, Jamie McGonnigal, Joe Ng, Juno Blair B, Rachael Lillis, Samurai Sword Soul, Uncle Yo, Yasushiro Koshi, and Yoshi Amao. There will also be live performances by J-Pop band Unicorn Table, Voltaire, and HAPPYFUNSMILE. Below are only some of the myriad special events, programs, and screenings; keep checking back as we add more cool happenings.
Unicorn Table will be playing the Javits anime fest
Friday, December 7 Program: Manga Entertainment Industry Panel, with the people behind GHOST IN THE SHELL, KARAS, and HIGHLANDER: VENGEANCE, 3:00
Friday, December 7 Program: Del Rey Industry Panel, with Dallas Middaugh, Mutsumi Miyazaki, Tricia Narwani, Ali T. Kokmen, and April Flores, 4:00
Friday, December 7 Premiere: BLACK BLOOD BROTHERS, 5:00
Friday, December 7 Premiere: APPLESEED: EX MACHINA, 6:00
Friday, December 7 The Anime Insider and World Cosplay Summit Masquerade, preregistrations needed to participate in contests, 7:30
Friday, December 7
through
Sunday, December 9 Three days of gaming battles, including KING OF FIGHTER XI, TEKKEN 5: DARK RESURRECTION, and VIRTUA FIGHTER 5, sponsored by New York-Tokyo, $5 entrance fee per tournament
Friday, December 7
through
Sunday, December 9 Elena Dorfman will be signing copies of FANDOMANIA: CHARACTERS & COSPLAY and taking Polaroids of cosplayers for display and autographing, Friday 3:00 - 5:00, Saturday 1:00 - 3:00, Sunday 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Saturday, December 8 Premiere: DOMO, 11:00 am
Saturday, December 8 Program: Anime Outtakes, 12 noon
Anna Tsuchiya can’t get away from Kyoko Fukuda in KAMIKAZE GIRLS
Saturday, December 8, 1:00
Testuya Nakashima’s fresh, frenetic KAMIKAZE GIRLS is the otaku version of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s AMELIE, a fast-paced and very funny story about two very different teenagers who become best friends against all logic. J-Pop star Kyoko Fukada stars as Momoko, a seventeen-year-old loner obsessed with all things rococo; dressed in white frilly clothing and always carrying a parasol, she daydreams of living in the eighteenth century. (By the way, the store where Komoko shops, Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, is based on a real establishment.) Anna Tsuchiya plays Ichigo, a tough-talking member of an all-girl biker gang who loves the designer knockoffs Momoko is selling. Hiroyuki Miyasako is Momoko’s lame onetime yakuza father, Ryoko Shinohara is her self-indulged mother, and Kirin Kiki is a riot as her one-eyed fly-catching granny. Best Hair in Show goes to Sadawo Abe as the Unicorn. KAMIKAZE GIRLS, a film-festival fave that garnered several Yokohama Movie Awards, is a silly, campy, and charming delight.
Saturday, December 8 Program: Spoiler: the Panel, 2:00
Saturday, December 8 Program: The Anime Match Game, hosted by GeekNights, 3:00
Saturday, December 8 Program: J-Horror with David Kalat, 5:00
Saturday, December 8 Premiere: TSUBASA and xxxHOLIC: THE MOVIE, 5:00
Sunday, December 9 Program: Vertical, Inc. Industry Panel, 11:00 am
Sunday, December 9 Program: Noh, Kabuki, and Buraku, with professor Joanne Izbicki, 12 noon
Sunday, December 9 Who Wants to Be a Voice Actor? contest, entry form needed, free, 12:30
Sunday, December 9 Premiere: NANA, 1:00
Sunday, December 9 Program: Taylor, Ortiz, Lillis & McGonnigal Spotlight on voice acting, 3:00
Sunday, December 9 Premiere: HONEY AND CLOVER, 3:00
Aetos / the Kobal Collection
Laura Betti gets a mouthful in Pasolini’s TEOREMA
Walter Reade Theater
65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
November 28 — December 4
Tickets: $11
Series Pass: $40 for five films
212-496-3809
The son of a professional soldier, Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-75) started reading Rimbaud in high school and studied Italian literature and art history in college in Bologna, all of which had a direct influence on him as he turned to screenwriting in the mid-1950s and then directed his first film, ACCATONE, in 1961. His life and career were riddled with controversy, with charges of armed robbery, obscenity, anti-government behavior, Marxism, and homosexuality, and he was attacked by both the left and the right. His tempestuous life came to a violent end when he was murdered by a hustler in 1975. But he left behind a legacy of films and writings that delve deep into the human psyche, displaying an individualistic humanity often centered on Catholicism and Rome. "Would Rome be the most beautiful city in the world if it were not, at the same time, the ugliest?" he wrote in "Roguish Rome" in 1957. "Naturally, beauty and ugliness go hand in hand. The latter renders the former touching and human. The former allows us to forget the latter." That description is as apt of Rome as it is of the life and work of Pier Paolo Pasolini, which is on view all across the city for the next few weeks, beginning with the below film series at Lincoln Center.
Through Sunday, December 2 Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Cinema Affiches, advertising poster exhibit, Frieda & Roy Furman Gallery, Film Society of Lincoln Center, free, Monday — Friday 10:00 am — 4:00 pm
Wednesday, November 28 MAMMA ROMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1962), restored print, 1:45 & 7:00
Wednesday, November 28 ACCATTONE (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1961), 4:00
Wednesday, November 28 THE HAWKS AND THE SPARROWS / UCCELLACCI E UCCELLINI (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1966), 9:30
Thursday, November 29 THE HAWKS AND THE SPARROWS / UCCELLACCI E UCCELLINI (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1966), 4:15
Thursday, November 29 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW / IL VANGELO SECONDO MATTEO (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964), restored print, 1:30 & 6:15
Thursday, November 29 ACCATTONE (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1961), 9:00
Saturday, December 1 ACCATTONE (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1961), 5:00
Saturday, December 1 PIGPEN / PORCILE (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1969), 7:20
Saturday, December 1 TEOREMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968), 9:20
Fondzaione Alda
Orson Welles and Pasolini on the set of LA RICOTTA
Sunday, December 2 LA RICOTTA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1963) and LA RABBIA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1963), 2:00
Sunday, December 2 SALO, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM / SALÒ O LE 120 GIORNATE DI SODOMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975), 4:00
Sunday, December 2 TEOREMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968), 6:15
Sunday, December 2 MAMMA ROMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1962), restored print, 8:30
Monday, December 3 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW / IL VANGELO SECONDO MATTEO (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964), restored print, 2:00
Monday, December 3 SALO, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM / SALÒ O LE 120 GIORNATE DI SODOMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975), 8:00
Tuesday, December 4 PIGPEN / PORCILE (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1969), 2:45
Tuesday, December 4 LA RICOTTA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1963) and LA RABBIA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1963), 4:45
Tuesday, December 4 NOTES TOWARDS AN AFRICAN ORESTES (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1970), restored print, and THE WALLS OF SANA’A (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964), 1:00 & 6:45
Pasolini, seen here on set, is being celebrated across the city
Italian Cultural Institute unless otherwise noted
686 Park Ave.
December 2-18
Admission: free unless otherwise noted
212-879-4242
http://www.pasolininewyork.com
The Pasolini celebration continues with panel discussions, photography exhibits, concerts, readings, and a free film series that examines the many facets of the complex artist.
Tuesday, November 27 Tuesday Night at the Movies: PASOLINI’S VOICE (Matteo Cerami & Mario Sesti, 2005), introduced by Matteo Cerami, 7:00
Tuesday, November 27 The Songs of Pier Paolo Pasolini as sung by Aisha Cerami and Nuccio Siano, Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., $12, 9:30
Tuesday, November 27
through
Saturday, December 15 Pier Paolo Pasolini: The Body’s Truth, Angelo Novi’s Photos from MAMMA ROMA (1962) to TEOREMA (1968), Monday — Friday 10:00 am — 4:00 pm
Thursday, November 29 The Last Questions of Pasolini, roundtable discussion with Gianni Borgna, Goffredo Pettini, Roberto Chiesi, Antonio Monda, Vincenza Cerami, and Patti Smith, Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo, NYU, 24 West 12th St., 6:00
Thursday, November 29
and
Friday, November 30 TRASH, inspired by Pier Paolo Pasolini, directed by Andrea Mancini and Lorenzo Bassotto, performed by Lorenzo Bassotto and Rhonda Moore, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, 74A East Fourth St., $15-$20, 7:30
Monday, December 3 Masterclass with Vincenzo Cerami: The Tale of Reality, CUNY Graduate Center, Skylight Room, 365 Fifth Ave. at 34th St., 6:30
Tuesday, December 4 Accattone in Jazz: An Homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini, a one-of-a-kind concert and reading with Valerio Mastandrea (voice), Roberto Gatto (drums), and Danilo Rea (piano), Walter Reade Theater, $12-$15, 9:00
Tuesday, December 4 Tuesday Night at the Movies: SOPRALLUOGHI IN PALESTINA (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964), 6:00
Tuesday, December 11 Tuesday Night at the Movies: PASOLINI L’ENRAGÈ (Jean André Fieschi, 1966), 6:00
Tuesday, December 18 Tuesday Night at the Movies: UNA DISPERATA VITALITÀ (Mario Martone & Laura Betti, 1998), III B FACCIAMO L’APPELLO (Enzo Biagi, 1971), PASOLINI E LA FORMA DELLA CITTÀ (Paolo Brunatto, 1974), and PASOLINI E IL CINEMA: AL CUORE DELLA REALTÀ (Francesco Savio, 1974), 6:00
Max Ophüls and Danielle Darrieux interact on set
BAMcinematek
BAM Rose Cinemas unless otherwise noted
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
November 28 — December 18
Tickets: $11
718-636-4100
Born Max Oppenheimer in Germany in 1902, Max Ophüls revolutionized world cinema with his innovative use of the camera and the way he portrayed time and memory. His films were about love — passionate love, romantic love, obsessive love, spurned love, love gone horribly wrong. His complex tales feature such international stars as Joan Fontaine, Louis Jordan, Peter Ustinov, Simone Signoret, the great Jean Gabin, Danielle Darrieux, James Mason, Charles Boyer, Vittorio De Sica, and even Douglas Fairbanks Jr. BAM pays tribute to his genius — cut short in 1957, at the age of fifty-four — with this festival of twelve of his greatest productions. His son Marcel followed in his footsteps, making such films as HÔTEL TERMINUS and VEILLÉES D'ARMES.
Wednesday, November 28
through
Tuesday, December 4 LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (Max Ophüls, 1948)
Thursday, December 6 LA SIGNORA DI TUTTI (Max Ophüls, 1934), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Friday, December 7 LOLA MONTÈS (Max Ophüls, 1955), 2:00, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Saturday, December 8 LA RONDE (Max Ophüls, 1950), 2:00, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Sunday, December 9 LE PLAISIR (Max Ophüls, 1952), 2:00, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Monday, December 10 LIEBELEI (Max Ophüls, 1933), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, December 11 THE TENDER ENEMY (LA TENDRE ENNEMIE) (Max Ophüls, 1936), 6:50, 9:15
Wednesday, December 12 CAUGHT (Max Ophüls, 1949), 7:00
Friday, December 14 THE RECKLESS MOMENT (Max Ophüls, 1949), 2:00, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Saturday, December 15 THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE... (Max Ophüls, 1953), 5:00, 7:15, 9:30
Sunday, December 16 THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE... (Max Ophüls, 1953), 3:00, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30
Monday, December 17 THE TROUBLE WITH MONEY (KOMEDIE OM GELD) (Max Ophüls, 1936), 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, December 18 THE EXILE (Max Ophüls, 1947), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Wong Kar-Wai and Christopher Doyle colorfully collaborate on HAPPY TOGETHER
MoMA Film
Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
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
MoMA looks at the art of collaboration in this wid-ranging collection of films focusing on how certain pairs worked together, as actor and director, writer and director, actor and actress, director and cinematographer, and other forms of connection. The diverse group features such marvelous — and sometimes explosive — duos as Ernst Lubitsch and Samson Raphaelson, Wong Kar-Wai and Christopher Doyle, Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich, Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht, and others.
Saturday, December 1 THE SMILING LIEUTENANT (Ernst Lubitsch, 1931), 2:00
Saturday, December 1 BROKEN LULLABY (THE MAN I KILLED) (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932), 4:00
Saturday, December 1 TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932), 6:00
Sunday, December 2 DUO LUO TIAN SHI (FALLEN ANGELS) (Wong Kar-Wai, 1995), 2:00
Sunday, December 2 CHEUN GWONG TSA SIT (HAPPY TOGETHER) (Wong Kar-Wai, 1997), 4:00
Thursday, December 6 THE SMILING LIEUTENANT (Ernst Lubitsch, 1931), 6:00
Thursday, December 6 TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932), 8:00
Friday, December 7 CHEUN GWONG TSA SIT (HAPPY TOGETHER) (Wong Kar-Wai, 1997), 6:00
Friday, December 7 DUO LUO TIAN SHI (FALLEN ANGELS) (Wong Kar-Wai, 1995), 8:30
Saturday, December 8 AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (Werner Herzog, 1972), 2:00
Saturday, December 8 WOYZECK (Werner Herzog, 1979), 4:00
Saturday, December 8 FITZCARRALDO (Werner Herzog, 1982), 6:00
Sunday, December 9 MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg, 1930), 2:00
Sunday, December 9 THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (Josef von Sternberg, 1928), with live piano accompaniment by Ben Model, 4:00
Sunday, December 9 THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Josef von Sternberg, 1934), 4:30
Sunday, December 9 JET PILOT (Josef von Sternberg, 1957), 5:45
Monday, December 10 BROKEN LULLABY (THE MAN I KILLED) (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932), 6:00
Monday, December 10 AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (Werner Herzog, 1972), 8:00
Wednesday, December 12 WOYZECK (Werner Herzog, 1979), 6:00
Wednesday, December 12 FITZCARRALDO (Werner Herzog, 1982), 8:00
Thursday, December 13 THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (Josef von Sternberg, 1928), with live organ accompaniment by Ben Model, 6:30
Thursday, December 13 JET PILOT (Josef von Sternberg, 1957), 8:30
Friday, December 14 SCARFACE (Howard Hawks, 1932), 6:30
Friday, December 14 BARBARY COAST (PORT OF WICKEDNESS) (Howard Hawks, 1935), 8:30
Saturday, December 15 BARBARY COAST (PORT OF WICKEDNESS) (Howard Hawks, 1935), 2:00
Saturday, December 15 GUNGA DIN (George Stevens, 1939), 4:00
Saturday, December 15 WUTHERING HEIGHTS (William Wyler, 1939), 6:30
Sunday, December 16 SCARFACE (Howard Hawks, 1932), 2:00
Monday, December 17 MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg, 1930), 6:00
Monday, December 17 THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Josef von Sternberg, 1934), 8:30
Friday, December 21 GUNGA DIN (George Stevens, 1939), 6:00
Friday, December 21 WUTHERING HEIGHTS (William Wyler, 1939), 8:30
A Greek puppet chorus channels Euripides in intriguing documentary
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
November 30 - December 13
212-924-7771
http://www.protagonistthemovie.com
Jessica Yu, whose innovative 2004 documentary, IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, told the story of outsider artist Henry Darger, looks at extremism in PROTAGONIST. Yu examines Hans-Joachim Klein, Mark Pierpont, Joe Loya, and Mark Salzman, four men who battle their upbringing by acting out or suppressing their real needs; Klein becomes a violent revolutionary, Pierpont hides his homosexuality through evangelism, Loya turns into a bank robber, and Salzman becomes obsessed with martial arts and the TV show KUNG FU. Inspired by the work of Euripides, Yu includes a Greek chorus of hollow-eyed puppets that introduce such chapters as "Character," "Opportunity," "Certainty," "Doubt," and "Turning Point," re-creating pivotal scenes from each man’s life. It takes a while to adjust to Yu’s complex and, at times, awkward structure, but stick with this intriguing and rewarding film.
Maurice Richard fights goons and bigotry in THE ROCKET
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
November 30 - December 6
212-924-3363
http://www.cinemavillage.com/chc/cv
Hockey fans, unite! It’s been a while since a good hockey movie hit the screens, and THE ROCKET is just that. A huge hit in Canada, where it garnered nine Genie Awards out of thirteen nominations, the biopic tells the story of Maurice “the Rocket” Richard, the Montreal Canadiens superstar who overcame not only size, injuries, and a working-class background but also an intense bias against French Canadians, becoming one of the greatest athletes of his time. Roy Dupuis is outstanding as Richard, his chiseled features displaying little emotion as the understated legend realizes there’s more to life than just hockey. (There is?) Stephen McHattie chews up the ice as tough-talking Canadiens coach Dick Irvin, while Julie Le Breton as the Rocket’s wife, Lucille, stands by her man through it all. Among the famous hockey names that pop up in the film are Frank Selke, Clarence Campbell, Jean Beliveau, Boom Boom Geoffrion, Toe Blake, and Conn Smythe, with appearances by current or recently retired players Stéphane Quintal, Patrice Robitaille, Vincent Lecavalier, Ian Laperriere, Mike Ricci, and pesky Sean Avery, who dons a Rangers sweater (prior to becoming a real Blueshirt in February 2007) in portraying one of the sport’s biggest goons, Killer Dill. THE ROCKET, which features excellent old-time hockey action, is must-see viewing for hockey fans.
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
Opens Wednesday, December 5
212-924-7771
http://www.billythekiddocumentary.com
While casting extras for a short film, Jennifer Venditti met Billy Price, an unusual young boy with a unique take on life. She decided to focus her own camera on the offbeat teenager, resulting in her first film, the affecting documentary BILLY THE KID. There’s something not quite right about Billy; although extremely intelligent, he’s also slightly off, leading some adults to treat him with suspicion while his mother defends him. (For example, his mother gets a call from the library after Billy takes out several books on serial killers. And it’s very interesting that Billy’s stepfather is never seen, something that is never explained.) But while Venditti says in the film’s production notes that some teachers described Billy by using such phrases as “emotional disabilities,” “extreme caution,” and “special learning environment,” she chooses not to evaluate Billy’s life and instead presents him as is, allowing him to tell his own story without any talking heads offering their opinions. While it’s difficult not to think that Billy might be a Columbine in the making, it’s also impossible not to root for him as he experiences first love with sixteen-year-old Heather. But as he leads her behind a building to ask her a question, it’s also hard not to imagine that something very bad might happen. Venditti’s nonjudgmental film, a festival hit around the world, is a compelling study that will have viewers questioning their own preconceived biases — and never forgetting the look in Billy’s disturbing yet fascinating eyes.
Lyra seeks the truth about intercision and dust in THE GOLDEN COMPASS
Opens Friday, December 7
http://www.goldencompassmovie.com
Based on the fabulous first book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, THE GOLDEN COMPASS is an engaging fantasy that for the most part gets thing right but, unfortunately, tries too hard to please younger audiences. Dakota Blue Richards makes her big-screen debut as Lyra, a young girl who might be the only person who can save this alternate universe from the clutches of the evil Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) and the Magisterium, who just might be responsible for the growing number of missing children. Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon (voiced by Freddie Highmore), who represents her soul, go off on a wild journey in which they meet cowboy adventurer Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), former ice-bear king Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen), sexy witch Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), and other fascinating characters as they try to find the kidnapped children and discover the mystery behind “dust.” The all-star cast also features Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel, Tom Courtenay as Farder Coram, Kristin Scott Thomas as Stelmaria, Derek Jacobi as the magisterial emissary, Kathy Bates voicing Scoresby’s daemon, Hester, and Ian McShane as the voice of Ragnar, who does battle with Iorek in the film’s most breathtaking sequence. Although fans of the book series — which in many ways can be considered the “anti-Narnia” — should be satisfied, the plot does jump around a bit, and the ending is sickly sweet and disappointing in laying the groundwork for the sequel, THE SUBTLE KNIFE, which is being scripted but has not been officially announced just yet.
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/books/golden_compass.html
Originally published in 1996, THE GOLDEN COMPASS is one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time, the first part of Philip Pullman’s epic trilogy, His Dark Materials, which also includes the remarkable books THE SUBTLE KNIFE and THE AMBER SPYGLASS. Set in an alternate England, the story follows young Lyra Belacqua as she sets out on a thrilling journey of destiny that involves such unforgettable characters as the powerful Lord Asriel, the mighty bear Iorek Byrnison, the wicked Mrs. Coulter, hungry creatures known as Gobblers, the witch Serafina Pekkala, and adventurer Lee Scoresby. And at the center of it all is the mysterious substance called Dust. With the help of her ever-faithful daemon, Pantalaimon, and the alethiometer, Lyra must do nothing less than save the universe. But as grandiose as it all sounds — and is — THE GOLDEN COMPASS, at its heart, is a masterfully told story about family, and especially childhood. The deluxe edition includes sixteen pages of new archival material as well as art by Ian Beck and Pullman himself.
Robert Neville (Will Smith) and Sam fight for survival in I AM LEGEND update
Opens Friday, December 14
Director Francis Lawrence’s modern-day update of Richard Matheson’s classic 1954 novel, I AM LEGEND, is a tense, nonstop thriller, liberally adapted by screenwriters Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman. While the book was a claustrophobic masterpiece, the film opens things up dramatically, with Robert Neville (Will Smith), the last survivor of a supposed cancer cure that turned into a deadly virus, riding the streets of New York City every day in a fancy car with his dog, Sam. In addition to hunting wild game that leaps through Midtown, Neville, an army scientist who is still searching for an antidote in his makeshift basement laboratory, kills cells of infected vampiric beings that have more in common with the violent creatures of 28 DAYS LATER than the slow-moving zombies of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Every night Neville barricades himself and Sam into their apartment overlooking Washington Square Park and dreams of the events that brought him to this point, centered on his desperate attempt to save his wife (Salli Richardson) and daughter (Willow Smith, Will’s real-life daughter). I AM LEGEND was actually filmed in New York, with pivotal scenes shot in and around Madison Square Park, Grand Central Terminal, the South Street Seaport, and a barren Park Ave., lending it a stark, frightening reality. Smith excels as Neville, his eyes quickly shifting from hope to disappointment, from promise to pain, and Lawrence (CONSTANTINE) does a marvelous job of translating the book’s inner monologue into a postapocalyptic visual nightmare.
http://www.tor-forge.com/iamlegend
In 1954, Richard Matheson wrote the sci-fi classic I AM LEGEND, about the last man on earth, the lone survivor of an epidemic that leaves the world immersed in the walking dead. Every day, Robert Neville battles vampires, searches for a cure, mourns his lost family, and ponders existential questions of life, death, and life after death. And the dog — well, let’s not go there lest we break down in tears yet again. The original novel is filled with marvelous insight, heartbreaking drama, and genuine scares galore; it was turned into the 1964 film THE LAST MAN ON EARTH starring Vincent Price and the 1971 movie THE OMEGA MAN with Charlton Heston; a brand-new version starring Will Smith, named after the book and filmed all over New York City, comes out this month. Matheson is also responsible for such outstanding tales as THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, TRILOGY OF TERROR, several well-known Poe screenplays, and numerous episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between University Pl. & Fifth Ave.
Opens Friday, December 14
212-924-3363
http://www.awalkintothesea.com
On a summer day in 1966, Danny Williams borrowed his mother’s car and drove to a cliff overlooking the sea. He was never seen or heard from again, his body never found. Williams’s niece, Esther Robinson, reveals many of the mysteries behind Williams’s life and apparent death in A WALK INTO THE SEA, a compelling debut that won the New York Loves Film Award at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and was named Best Documentary at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival. Robinson, who was aware that her uncle had some connection to Andy Warhol’s Factory, quickly discovered that Williams was the creative genius behind the Velvet Underground’s groundbreaking Exploding Plastic Inevitable light show, was one of Warhol’s lovers, and, perhaps most remarkable, had made some twenty experimental silent films that had only recently been found by then-MoMA archivist and curator Callie Angell. To learn more about her uncle, Robinson goes back to the source, speaking with such Factory regulars as Brigid Berlin, John Cale, Danny Fields, Gerard Malanga, Chuck Wein, Billy Name, Ron Nameth, and others, each of whom has their own very different memories of Williams.
She also speaks with her grandmother, Williams’s mother, at length, as well as Williams’s brother, David. Paul Morrissey, Warhol’s chief filmmaker and the director of such Factory favorites as CHELSEA GIRLS, FLESH, and TRASH, claims to barely remember Williams, but it soon becomes clear that he had reason to be extremely jealous of the young man who had stolen Andy’s heart — and was given Andy’s Bolex camera to use. Robinson cleverly cuts between new interviews and remarkable old footage of that person, shot by her uncle, which has never before been shown publicly. Not only does Robinson discover intimate things about her own family but also about Warhol’s Factory family, showing Warhol to be a manipulative user who cared only about himself. A WALK INTO THE SEA is a fascinating examination of a much-written-about time seen in a new light, a documentary that will appeal to Factory fans as well as those who have no idea who Andy Warhol, Paul Morrissey, et al., are.
twi-ny/mdr
Francis Ford Coppola arrives for YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH premiere at the Paris Theater
Opens Friday, December 14
Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in ten years is a complex mix of diverse elements and cinematic styles that begins promisingly but eventually wilts, like even the reddest rose. Tim Roth stars as Dominic Matei, an aging Romanian linguistics professor who has decided that he is ready to die now that he realizes he will never accomplish his life’s work — discovering the origination of language. But when he’s struck by lightning, he turns into a man half his age, given a second chance not only at his research but at romance, as he meets the apparent reincarnation of his one great love, first known as Laura but now Veronica (Alexandra Maria Lara). After another lightning storm, Veronica begins speaking in ancient tongues, propelling Dominic’s work — but at a terrible price. Based on a novella by Mircea Eliade, YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH eventually succumbs to its very lofty ambitions. Drawing from such auteurs as Truffaut, Godard, and Resnais (and owing a debt of gratitude to Raoul Ruiz’s TIME REGAINED and Dennis Potter’s THE SINGING DETECTIVE), Coppola has made an admirable low-budget film, examining the ravages of time, but the indie production is not, alas, his fountain of youth. He throws in the kitchen sink — magical realism, film noir, fantasy, WWII espionage, doppelgangers, melodrama, erotic thriller — but he weaves in too many paths that never meet. In the press booklet, Coppola compares YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH to THE TWILIGHT ZONE; indeed, the film, his first since 1997’s THE RAINMAKER, would have made a great episode of the Rod Serling omnibus series, but as a feature work it meanders too much to satisfy its two-hour length.
Denzel Washington walks tough in AMERICAN GANGSTER
In theaters now
http://www.americangangster.net
Based on a true story, Ridley Scott’s AMERICAN GANGSTER follows the path of two very different men during the Vietnam War era. Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) is a proud, dedicated man from poor southern roots who is determined to become the most respected and loved drug lord of Harlem. Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is an honest-to-a-fault Jewish cop studying to become a lawyer while failing miserably in his personal life. Cold, calculating, and smooth as silk, Lucas will do whatever is necessary to ensure his absolute success, including shooting another player in the head in plain view on an uptown street. Meanwhile, Roberts becomes a pariah in the corrupt police department when he finds nearly a million dollars in cash and turns it in. As the war escalates in Southeast Asia, Lucas and Roberts are both on a dangerous road that threatens to explode all around them. Filmed in New York City, AMERICAN GANGSTER — featuring an excellent script by Steven Zaillian and intense, superb direction from Ridley Scott — is a compelling thinking man’s mob pic, a worthy successor to (and mash-up of) such genre classics as THE FRENCH CONNECTION, SERPICO, and NEW JACK CITY. The diverse all-star cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, RZA, T.I., Josh Brolin, Carla Gugino, Cuba Gooding Jr., Common, and the great Ruby Dee and Clarence Williams III.
Jerry Seinfeld has created quite a buzz with new animated movie
In theaters now
Jerry Seinfeld should be ashamed of himself. BEE MOVIE is an awful animated children’s flick that is as unfunny as it is preposterous. Seinfeld, who cowrote the pathetic script with Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin, voices Barry B. Benson, a bee who dreams of being more than just another worker for the hive. When he gets out into the real world, he is shocked to see that humans have taken over the honey business; he also develops a crush on Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), a florist who develops a crush on him as well. The story quickly devolves into a ridiculous courtroom drama with an environmental message that will leave you openmouthed in horror. Among the other actors lending their voices to this disastrous mess are Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Richards, Rip Torn, and, perhaps most absurdly, Larry King, Ray Liotta, and Sting. BEE MOVIE gets a D.
Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman have some family problems in Lumet flick
In theaters now
http://www.7h58cesamedila-lefilm.com
Sidney Lumet (DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NETWORK) spins an intriguing web of mystery and severe family dysfunction in BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD. Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) are very different brothers who are both in desperate financial straits. Andy, a real estate exec, has a serious drug problem and a fading marriage to his sexy but bored young wife (Marisa Tomei), while ne’er-do-well Hank can’t afford the monthly child-support payments to his ex-wife (Aleksa Palladino) and daughter (Amy Ryan). Andy convinces Hank to knock off their parents’ (Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris) jewelry store, but when things go horribly wrong, everyone involved is forced to face some very difficult situations, leading to a harrowing climax. Seymour and Hawke are both excellent, the former cool, calm, and collected, the latter scattershot and impulsive. Tomei gives one of her finest performances as the woman sleeping with both brothers. Lumet tells the story through a series of flashbacks from various characters’ point of view, with fascinating overlaps – although a bit overused – that offer different perspectives on critical scenes. Adapted from a script by playwright Kelly Masterson – whom Lumet has never met or even spoken with – BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD (the title comes from an Irish toast that begins, "May you be in heaven half and hour…") is a thrilling modern noir that is from one of the masters of melodrama.
In theaters now
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thedarjeelinglimited
Wes Anderson takes viewers on a wild ride through India aboard THE DARJEELING LIMITED in this black comedy that opens the New York Film Festival. Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody), and Jack (cowriter Jason Schwartzman) are brothers who have not seen each other since their father’s funeral a year before, after which their mother disappeared. Having recently survived a terrible accident, Francis — looking ridiculous with his face and head wrapped in bandages — convinces them to go on a spiritual quest together to reestablish their relationship and help them better understand life. Peter and Jack very hesitantly decide to go along on what turns out to be a series of madcap adventures involving bathroom sex, bloody noses, jealousy, praying, cigarettes galore, running after trains, and savory snacks. Anderson (THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, RUSHMORE) injects his unique brand of humor on the action, ranging from the offbeat to the sensitive to the absurd as the brothers bond and battle in a search for themselves and what’s left of their family, set to a score adapted from the films of Satyajit Ray and Merchant-Ivory. The film features cameos by Bill Murray, Natalie Portman, Barbet Schroeder, and Anjelica Huston; check the Web site to watch the very entertaining related short “Hotel Chevalier.”
The Weinstein Company
Cate Blanchett is one of many Dylans in Todd Haynes’s I’M NOT THERE
Film Forum
209 West Houston St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
212-727-8110
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
1886 Broadway between 62nd & 63rd Sts.
212-757-0359
http://lincolnplaza.moviefone.com
Todd Haynes’s highly anticipated dramatization of the musical life of Bob Dylan is ambitious, innovative, and, ultimately, overblown and disappointing. Working with Dylan’s permission (though not artistic input), Haynes crafts a nonlinear tale in which six actors play different parts of Dylan’s psyche as the Great White Wonder develops from a humble folksinger to an internationally renowned and revered figure. Dylan is seen as an eleven-year-old black traveling hobo who goes by the name Woody Guthrie (Marcus Carl Franklin); Jack (Christian Bale), a Greenwich Village protest singer who later becomes a pastor; Robbie (Heath Ledger), an actor who has portrayed a Dylan entity and is having marital problems with his wife, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg); Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Whishaw), a staunch defender of poetry and revolution; an old Billy the Kid (Richard Gere), who has settled down peacefully in the small town of Riddle; and Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett), who is attacked by her audience when she goes electric. Each story line is shot in a different style; for example, Jude’s is influenced by Fellini and the Dylan documentary EAT THIS DOCUMENT!, Robbie’s by Godard, and Billy’s by Peckinpah. Excerpts from Dylan’s own version of his songs are interwoven with interpretations by Tom Verlaine, Yo La Tengo, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Stephen Malkmus, the Hold Steady, Sonic Youth (who do a killer version of the unreleased BASEMENT TAPES-era title track over the closing credits), and many more, with cameos by Kris Kristofferson (as the opening narrator), Richie Havens, Julianne Moore, Kim Gordon, Paul Van Dyck, Michelle Williams, and David Cross (looking ridiculous as Allen Ginsberg). The most successful section by far is Blanchett’s; she takes over the role with relish, and cinematographer Edward Lachman and production designer Judy Becker nail the feel of the mid-’60s energy surrounding Dylan. But the rest of the film is all over the place, a great concept that bit off more than it could chew.
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
212-924-7771
http://www.joestrummerthemovie.com
Director Julien Temple, who has made two outstanding documentaries about the Sex Pistols (THE GREAT ROCK AND ROLL SWINDLE and THE FILTH AND THE FURY), turns his camera on Joe Strummer of the British punk group the Clash in THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN. Temple collects remarkable home movies of Strummer, from his early days as young John Mellor, a career diplomat’s son, through his time as the leader of one of the most famous and controversial bands in the world and his death at the age of fifty from a congenital heart defect. Strummer’s friends and family gather around a campfire in Brooklyn’s Empire St.-Fulton Ferry Park and talk about Strummer’s life and career, sharing keen insight in a format that the musician loved; his campfire get-togethers came to be known as Strummerville, a place for people to assemble and discuss life, art, and anything else that came to mind. Temple adds lots of footage of the Clash in action, as well as clips from Strummer’s earlier band, the 101ers, made up of squatters fighting the power, and his last band, the Mescaleros. Temple also brings some of Strummer’s drawings to life, animating them in humorous ways. Strummer essentially narrates the film himself, as Temple includes audio excerpts from Strummer’s "Last Call" radio show and interviews he gave over the years. Temple, a close friend of Strummer’s, paints a fascinating portrait of the complex man, featuring stories from the likes of Bono, Johnny Depp, Flea, Mele Mel, Courtney Love Cobain, Martin Scorsese, Steve Jones, John Cusack, Matt Dillon, Steve Buscemi, Damien Hirst, Roland Gift, Don Letts, Mick Jones, and many others. And there’s lots of music as well, of course, including several versions of "White Riot."
Javier Bardem gets an awesome new do for awesome new Coen brothers flick
In theaters now
http://www.nocountryforoldmen-themovie.com
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, the Coen brothers’ NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is a gripping thriller dominated by the mesmerizing performance of Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, a psychopathic killer who believes in chance. When Llewelyn Moss (an outstanding Josh Brolin) accidentally stumbles upon the site of a drug deal gone terribly wrong, he walks away with a satchel of cash and the dream of making a better life for him and his wife (Kelly MacDonald). He also knows that there will be a lot of people looking for him — and the two million bucks he has absconded with. On his trail are the Mexican dealers who were ripped off, bounty hunter Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson), and the cool, calm Chigurh, who leaves a bloody path of violence in his wake. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) philosophizes on the sorry state of the modern world as he follows the proceedings with an almost Zen-like precision. Though it struggles to reach its conclusion, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is an intense noir Western, an epic meditation on chance in which the flip of a coin can be the difference between life and a horrible death.
Janus Films
Pascal Lamorisse gives orders to his best friend
BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
December 1-16, Saturday & Sunday, 1:00
718-636-4100
Two classic short works by Albert Lamorisse have been lovingly restored by Janus Films and will be shown in new 35mm prints for a special ten-day run at Film Forum. In THE RED BALLOON, which won a Palme d’Or at Cannes and an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, a young boy (Pascal Lamorisse, the director’s son) makes friends with an extraordinary red balloon, which follows him through the streets of Belleville in Paris, waits for him while he is in school, and obeys his every command. But the neighborhood kids are afraid of this stranger and go on a mission to burst the young boy’s bubble. Lamorisse gives life and emotion to the balloon (more than twenty-five thousand were used in the making of the film) in a masterful use of simple special effects well before CGI and other modern technology. THE RED BALLOON is being screened with another of Lamorisse’s classics, the lesser-known WHITE MANE, in which a magnificent white stallion "who felt trapped in the world of men," the "proud and fearsome" leader of a herd of wild horses, struggles to maintain his freedom from cowboys in Camargue in the south of France, helped by a young fisherman named Folco (Alain Emery). As in THE RED BALLOON, Lamorisse imbues the title character with, dare we say it, a unique humanity, as both the balloon and the horse fight for their individuality with only a single young boy at their side. The tender tale includes a new English translation spoken by Peter Strauss. Both films feature the splendid music of Maurice Leroux and the fine photography of Edmond Séchan.
Village East Cinemas
181 Second Ave. at Twelfth St.
212-777-FILM 922
http://www.2daysinparisthefilm.com
Julie Delpy’s delightful debut, 2 DAYS IN PARIS, is a true DIY indie, with Delpy serving as writer, director, editor, star, composer, soundtrack performer, and one of the producers. Delpy plays Marion, a flitty Frenchwoman who decides to bring her boyfriend of two years, Jack (a heavily tattooed Adam Goldberg), to spend two days with in her hometown in Paris as a stopover on their way from Venice to their apartment in New York City. But spending forty-eight hours with Marion’s family (Delpy’s real-life parents, Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet, and sister, Alexia Landeau) and bumping into a seemingly endless stream of Marion’s former boyfriends while not understanding a word anyone is saying might be a bit much for Jack, an interior designer whose own insides are rife with stomach problems and migraines. 2 DAYS IN PARIS is Delpy’s ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen, 1977), an engaging film filled with slapstick humor, inventive characters, and underlying truths about love and life.
Who’s the circumcised private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks?
Available on DVD
You can have IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, WHITE CHRISTMAS, even the great A CHRISTMAS STORY. For us, the holiday movie to beat is the one and only THE HEBREW HAMMER. Adam Goldberg (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) stars in this riotous low-budget laugh-fest that is as hysterically politically incorrect as possible. Goldberg is Mordechai Jefferson Carver, a "circumcised dick" who is hired by the Jewish Justice League, headed by Bloomenbergensteinthal (Peter Coyote), to save Chanukah, which Damian Claus (Andy Dick), Santa’s evil spawn, wants to destroy forever. The Semitic Stud gets help from Mohammad Ali Paula Abdul Rahim (Mario Van Peebles), head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front, and Bloomenbergensteinthal’s sexy daughter, Esther (Judy Greer), who is a "nice piece of tuchus." This is one funny self-described Jewxploitation flick that will bring knowing chuckles and guffaws to anyone who has ever attended Hebrew school or has an overbearing mother.
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594480003,00.html
Khaled Hosseini’s debut novel is an emotionally harrowing look at life and death in modern-day Afghanistan. The historical epic begins in December 2001, when the narrator, Amir, gets a phone call that sends him spinning back to a horrific day in the winter of 1975, when he was twelve years old. "That was a long time ago," he explains, "but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I’ve been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years." He goes back to that tragic day when something unspeakable happened to his best friend, "Hassan the harelipped kite runner," and he decides to finally make things as right as they possibly can be. For the next 370 pages, Amir digs up the past, weaving his own story into the tempestuous history of his nation, which remains overrun with racism, civil strife, and the daily struggle to just survive against unending violence. THE KITE RUNNER — which does lapse into melodramatic soap opera at times — is an intense journey that stomps on you and never lets you up. At one point, Amir’s father, Baba, tells him, "Think of something good. Something happy." Amir instantly recalls a moment of bliss, but it’s only a "perfectly encapsulated morsel of a good past, a brushstroke of color on the gray, barren canvas that our lives had become."
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN comes alive at the Hilton Theatre on Broadway
Hilton Theatre
213 West 42nd St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
November 15 performance reviewed
Tickets: $50-$120 ($450 Premier Seating)
212-556-4750
http://www.youngfrankensteinthemusical.com
Written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks and directed by Brooks, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is one of the funniest films ever made. Following the huge success of THE PRODUCERS on Broadway, Brooks and director-choreographer Susan Stroman have transformed the horror-movie spoof into a lavish musical that is better than the sum of its parts, sort of like the monster himself. Roger Bart, who was nominated for a Tony as Carmen Ghia in THE PRODUCERS, plays the Frederick Frankenstein role made famous by Wilder, but he lacks vocal power. The songs are mostly average at best, there is barely a thrilling choreographic move, there are far too many (and often too brief) set changes, and the supporting cast — save for a brilliant turn by Andrea Martin, who steals the show as (cue horses) Frau Blücher — does its job, but without much oomph. But even with all that, THE NEW MEL BROOKS MUSICAL YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is extremely likable, filled with an uplifting spirit and cool special effects. Brooks cherry-picks gags from the film, leaving some in (“What knockers!”) and many out (what, no scalpel in the thigh?), so the less you remember about the movie the better. When Victor Frankenstein dies, his only living relative, Frederick Frankenstein, is summoned to Transylvania to inherit Victor’s estate. Although he is determined not to follow in the family business, he is soon constructing a creature (Shuler Hensley) out of a dug-up corpse and an abby normal brain. He is helped by Igor (Christopher “What hump?” Fitzgerald), the very sexy Inga (Sutton “Roll in the Hay” Foster), and Frau (“Ovaltine”) Blücher while Inspector Kemp (Fred Applegate, who also plays the blind hermit) and the local townspeople suspect he is up to no good and Frankenstein’s fiancée, Elizabeth (a far-too-over-the-top Megan Mullally), won’t let him touch her. The musical shines whenever SCTV alum Martin is onstage, the scene in which the monster comes to life is cheesy and exciting, and the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” number is appropriately glitzy and spectacular — but alas, it’s the only number that will stay with you after the show. Still, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is a fun night at the theater.
Hawaiian Tropic Zone
49th St. & Seventh Ave.
Wednesday, November 14, 9:00
Tickets: $15 (includes free drink)
212-626-7312
http://www.undergroundgarage.com
http://www.hawaiiantropiczone.com
http://flickr.com/photos/twi-ny/sets/72157603010543763
On October 31, Little Steven’s Underground Garage held its inaugural show at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square, Halloween a Go-Go, featuring hot sets by the Saints and the Chesterfield Kings along with the groovy Garage Girls a Go-Go. Among the celebrities on hand were Vincent (Big Pussy) Pastore and David Chase, the man behind THE SOPRANOS. When asked how he thought the first night went, Stevie told us, "Fab! Fab! Fab!" On November 7, things were just as fab as the theme changed to Mexican Wrestling Swedish Surf Rock a Go-Go, with the masked avengers of rock and roll, Los Straitjackets, and Sweden’s one and only Hawaii Mud Bombers, playing their first show ever in America. Little Steven has dreams of turning Wednesday nights into the new CBGBs, only with nicer bathrooms.
Wednesday, November 28 Battle Beyond the Valley of the Super Vixens: Cocktail Slippers, Hell on Heels, Garage Girls a Go-Go, hosted by Genya Ravan, 9:00
Wednesday, December 5 Hellfire Hillbilly Hullabaloo and Rock & Roll Rave Up: the Wildbirds, Len Price 3, Garage Girls a Go-Go, 9:00
Wednesday, December 12 Wicked Cool Maximum Rock & Roll a Go-Go!: the Gripweeds, the Stabilisers, Garage Girls a Go-Go, 9:00
Japanese dance troupe sails into BAM
Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival
Howard Gilman Opera House
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
November 28 - December 1
Tickets: $20-$45
718-636-4100
Hiroshi Koike’s Japanese dance-theater troupe Pappa Tarahumara made its BAM debut with the mesmerizing SHIP IN A VIEW. (Coincidentally, the troupe is marking its twenty-fifth anniversary, as is BAM’s Next Wave Festival.) Incorporating choreographer Koike’s unique blend of space, time, and body, SHIP IN A VIEW is a dreamlike evening-length piece set in his hometown of Hatachi in the 1960s, as the industrial age in Japan beckons. At the center of the stage stands a monolithic mast, evoking not only the history of the fishing village but the Supreme Being watching over them. The twelve members of the troupe sing and dance around the pole, exploding with sudden bursts of energy and sharp movement. With fog rising over the horizon, a day in the life of this tight-knit but changing community goes on, with fear, trepidation, and loss taking its toll, as well as joy, love, and magic. With a startling nonnarrative but powerfully evocative style, Koike mixes in elements of Noh, Kabuki, and Butoh with contemporary dance theater and electronic sounds and music, resulting in a complex, thrilling work.
The Citizens Band puts on a panic of a show at Ars Nova
Ars Nova
511 West 54th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
November 30 - December 2
Tickets: $15
212-868-4444
http://www.thecitizensband.net
This new risqué neo-cabaret collaboration from the Citizens Band tells the story of a motley group of people must keep themselves entertained while hiding out in a bomb shelter. While in the shelter, the musical troupe entertains themselves with old songs and new compositions about the state of the world, throwing in lots of bawdy fun. Among the performers in the revolving group are Chelsea Bacon, Ian Buchanan, Rachelle Garniez, Angela McCluskey, and Ronin, with a special appearance by the Cardigans’ Nina Persson.
Mario del Curto
James Thiérrée’s acrobatic show fumbles into BAM
BAM Harvey Theater
651 Fulton Street between Ashland Pl. & Rockwell Pl.
December 4-16
Tickets: $20-$60
718-636-4100
The grandson of Charlie Chaplin and great-grandson of Eugene O’Neill, James Thiérrée brought his highly anticipated AU REVOIR PARAPLUIE (roughly translated as FAREWELL, UMBRELLA) to BAM’s Harvey Theater on December 4 for the first of twelve performances. Incorporating acrobatics, mime, vaudeville, dance, singing, and bizarre staging, the show, loosely inspired by the Orpheus myth, is all revved up with no place to go. Movements are repeated ad nauseam, sets appear and disappear for no good reason, and, well — there’s an awful lot of French mime. Karoi Ito’s frenetic sprite routine gets old fast (despite her remarkable skills), Magnus Jakobsson’s comic magic is neither comical nor magical, Maria Sendow’s singing is instantly forgettable, and Satchie Noro spends most of her time hanging from an immense center-stage rope tree or lying around in bed. Thiérrée heads the supposed festivities, displaying imaginative creativity with various objects (a rocking chair, sheaths of wheat, dangling fish hooks) and general silliness with others (he has trouble putting on his jacket, for instance, in an overdone bit that should go back to the closet), but the set pieces never congeal into a satisfying whole, and there’s little flow from scene to scene. AU REVOIR PARAPLUIE doesn’t approach the surreal circus it so wants to be.
French chanteuse Marie Zamora will be making her NYC debut at Joe’s Pub
Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette St. between East Fourth St. & Astor Pl.
Monday, December 10, 7:30
Tickets: $20
212-539-8778
http://www.testdrive-site.co.uk/NYmarie
French singer and actress Marie Zamora, who played Cosette in the original French production of LES MISERABLES, will be celebrating two hundred years of French salon music in this special one-night-only presentation, performing songs by Bizet, Poulenc, Debussy, Duparc, Fauré, Legrand, Piaf, and Barbara, including "Claire de Lune," "Habanera," and "Mon Histoire." Zamora, making her New York City debut, will be accompanied by piano, cello, and accordion. The show, directed by Gary Nadeau, will be enhanced by a trio of original paintings by former Brooklyn resident Alex Echo, who now lives and works in England; Echo will create one of the pieces onstage as Zamora performs. "It was a unique opportunity that I could not pass up," Echo told us about the unusual collaboration. "My work is about language, so the chance to act/paint as a 'living subtitle' was a natural extension of my work and its point of departure. The fact that it is all the language of great French lyricists and poets only added to the challenge and depth of this project." Zamora is excited to be working with Echo as well. "Alex’s paintings work so well because his paintings are as unpredictable as the combination of songs in my concert," she added. It will be fascinating to see what the two of them come up with on December 10 at Joe’s Pub.
Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
December 4-5, $32-$35, 7:30
Warsaw, 261 Driggs Ave.
December 6 & 8, $40-$45, 8:00
http://www.roselandballroom.com
Hasidic reggae rapper Matisyahu will be celebrating Hanukkah at four area shows. On December 4, he’ll be at Roseland along with Tim Reynolds and Blues Traveler, followed by the Wailers and Dub Trio on December 5. Then he’ll head over to Brooklyn, where he’ll be joined at Warsaw by Ryan Shaw and Trevor Hall on December 6 and Joseph Israel on December 8. As we wrote after seeing Matisyahu at the Hammerstein Ballroom in March 2006, "A worshipful packed house danced and davened as Matisyahu pranced across the stage, jumped on speakers, and even swung from a rope ladder…. Matisyahu is an engaging performer who, in the spirit of Bob Marley (who also sang about his religious beliefs and quoted the Bible) and the reggae pop of such bands as UB40, shares his convictions with fun music and involving shows."
Molissa Fenley is celebrating her thirtieth anniversary at the Joyce
Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
December 11-16
Tickets: $25-$38
212-645-2904
http://208.106.210.191/molissafenley
Molissa Fenley is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of her company during the Joyce’s twenty-fifth anniversary season with a series of special shows running through December 16. On opening night, December 11, Fenley presented the first of two programs, beginning with the world premiere of "Calculus and Politics," in which four men (Eric Jackson Bradley, Luke Miller, Paul Singh, Dušan Týnek) and three women (Ashley Brunning, Katie McGreevy, Cassie Mey) sweat their way through an exhausting routine of controlled chaos. The dancers weave in and around one another, sometimes separating by gender, sometimes partnering in shifting, swirling duos and trios, to the difficult, avant-garde sounds of Harry Partch’s "Castor and Pollux." Fenley even throws in a bunch of stuffed swans, playing off the many classically based moves. For the New York premiere of "Dreaming Awake," composer Philip Glass played his 2005 piece twice, with Fenley herself dancing two of her three variations (one and two) while McGreevy and Mey duet on variations three and one. Mey is particularly impressive, displaying wonderful extension and an infectious confidence in her movement. Following intermission, Fenley, Mey, and Glass returned for the 2006 revised version of "Provenance Unknown." The piece begins with Fenley performing a long solo as Glass plays his 1988 composition. Although Fenley is no longer light on her feet, she made her way around the stage showing off her trademark vocabulary. As Fenley exited the stage, Mey took over, expanding on Fenley’s movements with grace and beauty. The program ended with the two of them dancing in unison, the teacher passing the torch to the student. When Mey received an extra roar during the curtain call, Fenley winked and smiled at her, welcoming the next generation. The second program includes "Calculus and Politics," "Lava Field" (with live music by John Bischoff), and Fenley’s award-winning "State of Darkness," set to Stravinsky’s "Le Sacre du Printemps" and featuring guest dancers from the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
twi-ny/ees
Dick Valentine cuddles and croons the crowd at the Bowery Ballroom
Brooklyn Southpaw
125 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn
Wednesday, December 12, 8:00
Admission: free
718-230-0236
At the Bowery Ballroom on November 16, Electric Six came out to "It’s Showtime," the first track on their brand-new CD, I SHALL EXTERMINATE EVERYTHING AROUND ME THAT RESTRICTS ME FROM BEING THE MASTER (Metropolis, October 2007), and then put on one heckuva show, seriously rocking out with tongue-in-cheek lyrics so totally deadpan that not all of their masses of devoted screaming fans may have gotten the jokes. No matter. Lead singer Dick Valentine, a baby-faced showman, delivered the goods, even sliding offstage to croon to the crazed New Jersey girls in front of us. Fine and frenzied, Electric Six played a great version of "Danger! High Voltage," a smashing "I Buy the Drugs" finale, and a screaming four-song encore featuring one song from each of their albums, in chronological order, including the riotous "Gay Bar." On December 12, they’ll be playing a free show at Southpaw, with Earl Greyhound on the bill.
twi-ny/mdr
Mr. Scruff animates the crowd at 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival
BLVD
199 Bowery at Spring St.
Wednesday, December 12, 9:00
Admission: free, but RSVP: rsvp@giantstep.net
212-982-7767
DJ extraordinaire Mr. Scruff and Turntables on the Hudson will be headlining Giant Step’s annual holiday party, with DJ Moni, José James, DJ Center, Tiombe Lockhart, DJ Dhundee, Taylor McFerrin, Tyler Askew, and other guest spinners. The event is being sponsored by Stolichnaya, so there’ll be complimentary cocktails from 9:00 to 11:00. We saw Mr. Scruff and his ultrahip multimedia show — he includes fun animation behind him as he spins — at last year’s Montreal Jazz Festival, where the Manchester native had Club Soda dancing and shaking to his killer beats. He’s sure to do the same at BLVD, part of a great lineup.
twi-ny/mdr
Adrian Jewett gets things cooking with Most Serene Republic
Brooklyn Southpaw, 125 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn
Thursday, December 13, $10
718-230-0236
Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St. at Ave. A
Friday, December 14, $20
212-260-4700
http://www.myspace.com/themostserenerepublic
http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com
In October we caught Canadian band the Most Serene Republic at the Bowery Ballroom, during the brooklynvegan.com CMJ showcase, where they displayed their melodic, catchy indie pop with an almost frantic fervor. Led by singer Adrian Jewett wearing nerdy Woody Allen glasses and playing the trombone and a kitchen pan, the band featured songs from their latest release, POPULATION (Arts & Crafts, October 2007), including "Humble Peasants," "The Men Who Live Upstairs," "Present of Future End," and "Why So Looking Back," among others, in addition to "Phages," "You’re Not an Astronaut," and "Anhoi Polloi" from 2006’s PHAGES and "(Oh) God" from 2005’s UNDERWATER CINEMATOGRAPHER. They’ll be bringing their engaging, energetic show to Southpaw on December 13 and the Mercury Lounge on December 14.
© Lina Bertucci
Lina Bertucci, "Jamie, 29, Stay-at-home Mother," C-print, 2007
Perry Rubenstein Gallery
534 West 24th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Through January 5
Admission: free
http://www.perryrubenstein.com
For her latest series, New York City-based photographer Lina Bertucci traveled to tattoo conventions around America, taking carefully posed pictures of women with elaborate tattoos, each one identified by name, age, and occupation, as if they are contestants at a beauty pageant. But this is no contest; Bertucci’s subjects all show an innate strength and courage that fly in the face of what’s considered normal and conventional. These are by no means cheesecake shots meant to be drooled over, despite their beauty. Twenty-two-year-old graphic designer Sara looks determinedly at the viewer, revealing tattoos that climb up and down her arms and snake between her bare breasts. The tattoos that reach across twenty-six-year-old piercer and English teacher Ashley’s chest and left arm meld into the background wallpaper. Twenty-four-year-old makeup artist and fashion designer Jennifer Lee brushes her long black hair off her neck, her body and tattoo also blending in with the background. Twenty-nine-year-old stay-at-home mother Jamie has a hand on her belly, standing beside an elegant wooden door with pride and dignity. Twenty-two-year-old artist Shantelle relaxes on a couch, her back to the camera, completely ambivalent about being on display. And nineteen-year-old art student Casey wears a white ribbon in her air, which seemingly contradicts the skull-centered tattoo on her chest and spreading down her arms. The women in Bertucci’s photographs are not part of some kind of sideshow, yet you’ll have trouble taking your eyes off of them.
minus space
Gilbert Hsiao, "Go Off," acrylic on wood panel, 2007
The Painting Center
52 Greene St., second floor
November 29 — December 22
Admission: free
212-343-1060
http://www.thepaintingcenter.org
”Machine Learning” takes a look at the changing face of computer learning and language as seen through the work of reductive artists Henry Brown, Terry Haggerty, Gilbert Hsiao, Douglas Melini, and Michael Zahn, who contributes a special project room installation. The artists incorporate abstraction and repeating patterns and grids in their pieces, creating both optical illusions as well as new ways to portray on canvas the ever-changing digital information age, through mechanical and mathematical means. The exhibition was curated by Matthew Deleget, an artist and cofounder of Minus Space.
Giant Robot Gallery
437 East Ninth St. between First Ave. & Ave. A
December 8 – January 9
Admission: free
212-674-GRNY
Saturday, December 8 Optic Nerve creator Adrian Tomine will be signing copies of his latest graphic novel, SHORTCOMINGS (Drawn & Quarterly, October 2007), at the opening of an exhibit of his work, 6:30
Location to be announced
Tuesday, December 18
Tickets: $22
The creative folks at lvhrd, who stage monthly meet-ups that are unique and fun, will be holding Bifold Youth on December 18, putting together a young leader and a young artist as they look at the present and the future. As always with lvrhd events, the details will trickle in slowly the closer we get to the date.
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Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
Tickets: $25-$44
212-645-2904
Tuesday, November 27
through
Sunday, December 9 Ballet Hispanico celebrates its twentieth season at the Joyce with PALLADIUM NIGHTS through December 2, followed by repertory performances through December 9, featuring live music by Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra
Thursday, December 6 Noche de Ritmo Latino: Junior Society benefit, featuring Ballet Hispanico performing Talley Beatty’s CARAVANSERAI, William Whitener’s TITO ON TIMBALES, with live music by original members of the Tito Puente Ensemble, and Pedro Ruiz’s CLUB HAVANA, followed by a party at Kiss & Fly (409 West 13th St. at Ninth Ave.) with open bar and dancing, $75-$350, 212-362-6710 ext45, tbalser@ballethispanico.org
Rockefeller Plaza West
West 48th & 51st Sts. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Tree will remain on view through January 8, daily from 5:30 am — 11:30 pm
Admission: free
212-632-3975
http://www.rockefellercenter.com
Wednesday, November 28 Seventy-fifth annual event, featuring live performances, celebrities, and more, 7:00
Luna Lounge
361 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg
Admission: $8
Wednesday, November 28 Second annual birthday tribute to Gram Parsons, featuring New Heathens, Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, Mary Lee Kortes, Chip Robinson, Fiona McBain from Ollabelle, Demolition String Band, Bethany Saint Smith, Red Rooster, Future Farmers of America, Charlene McPherson, Kara Suzanne, Rench, Tim Bracy, B.B. Gun, Joe Cassady, King Vidor, and David N. Meyer, author of TWENTY THOUSAND ROADS: THE BALLAD OF GRAM PARSONS AND HIS COSMIC AMERICAN MUSIC, 7:00
Museum of Modern Art Café 2
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Tickets: $8-$10
Wednesday, November 28 A Night with Gert and Uwe Tobias, featuring a cocktail party, a viewing of the new exhibitions "Projects 86: Gert & Uwe Tobias" and "Multiplex: Directions in Art, 1970 to Now," with a live performance by Lewis & Clarke and a gift for every attendee, 8:30
The Parkside Lounge
317 East Houston St. between Aves. B & C
Admission: free
212-673-6270
Wednesday, November 28 Scurvy Merchants, 8:30; Tom Warnick, 9:15; Erica Smith, 10:00; and John Sharples, 10:45
Multiple locations
Admission: free
http://www.nascar.com/championsweek
NASCAR celebrates the end of its season with a weeklong party in New York City. In addition to the below events, the Pit Stop Tour and the Street Tour feature mobile marketing vehicles and authentic stock cars scattered around the city through Friday, November 30.
Wednesday, November 28 Victory Lap (1.5 miles) with 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and runners-up Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, and Kevin Harvick, starting at 44th St. & Broadway at 8:30 am, going as far north as 53rd St. and as far east as Madison Ave. before concluding at the Hard Rock Café at 9:00 am
Thursday, November 29
and
Friday, November 30 Fan Fest, featuring live entertainment, appearances by drivers and crew members, photo opportunities, giveaways, and more, Hard Rock Café, 11:00 am — 8:00 pm
Abrons Arts Center
Henry Street Settlement
466 Grand St. at Pitt St.
Tickts: $15
212-598-0400
Wednesday, November 28
through
Saturday December 1 Tchaikovsky classic relocated to the Lower East Side, featuring flamenco, hip-hop, martial arts, and more, directed and choreographed by Daniel Catanach
Gotham Comedy Club
208 West 23rd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Cover charge: $30, with two-drink minimum
212-367-9000
http://www.gothamcomedyclub.com
Wednesday, November 28
through
Sunday, December 2 The Kinsey Sicks, America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, perform their holiday musical comedy
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
212-620-5000 ext 344
Wednesday, November 28
through
Sunday, December 2 Shop for funky, bold, elegant merchandise in the Shop and Colonnade, 11:00 am — 5:00 pm
Wednesday, November 28 Holidays in the Himalayas shopping party, 6:00 — 9:00 pm
Wednesday, November 28 Dzogchen: Where Bon and Buddhism Meet, with author John Reynolds, 7:00
Thursday, November 29 RMA’s teen guides lead walks through the galleries, 3:30 — 5:00
Friday, November 30 Book launch: Melba Levick, INDIA SUBLIME, reading and signing, free, 6:00
Friday, November 30 Naked Soul: Paula Cole, $45-$50, 7:00
Friday, November 30 The Interfaith Experience, with Ezgi Sorman, spiritual life coach, meditation instructor, and metaphysician, free, 7:00
Friday, November 30 Book signing with Thomas Cahill, THE HINGES OF HISTORY, 9:00 — 9:30
Friday, November 30 CabaretCinema: TOM JONES (Tony Richardson, 1963), introduced by Thomas Cahill, free with seven-dollar bar minimum, 9:30
Saturday, December 1 Holidays in the Himalayas Family Day at RMA: Visitors are encouraged to play Tibetan percussion instruments in the Studio and make their own clay models of Tibetan ritual offerings known as torma, 11:00 am — 2:00 pm
Saturday, December 1 Holidays in the Himalayas Family Day at RMA: Tibetan-style treasure hunt through the galleries, 1:00 — 2:00
Saturday, December 1 Holidays in the Himalayas Family Day at RMA: A Tibetan fashion and fabric afternoon, with Tibetan fashion show, dress-up games, a stitching workshop, and collage creating, 2:00 — 5:00
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.
Closed Mondays
Through January 6, 2007
Admission: $12
212-685-0008
Through January 6 Charles Dickens’s CHRISTMAS CAROL
Friday, December 7, 14 Caroling at the Morgan, featuring singers from the Mannes College of Music, 6:30 — 8:30
Sunday, December 9 Family Day: Christmas Present!, with art workshops, costumed characters, live performances, and more, free with museum admission, 2:00 — 5:00
92nd St. Y
1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd St.
212-415-5500
Wednesday, November 28
and
Thursday, November 29 Hanukkah Shopping at the Y, free, 11:00 am — 6:00 pm
Sunday, December 2 Celebrate Hanukkah with holiday craft-making workshops, live music, storytelling, a latke cook-off, and more, adults $20, children $15, 10:30 am — 2:30 pm
Sunday, December 2
through
Wednesday, December 5 Hanukkah Shopping at the Y, free, 11:00 am — 6:00 pm
Steve Maloney, "Carumba," triptych, NASCAR sheet metal, aluminum, and acrylic on canvas, 2004
CODA Gallery
472 Broome St.
Through December 4
Admission: free
212-334-0407
Thursday, November 29 Book signing, 2:00
Friday, November 30 Opening night reception, 4:00
Jonathan Shorr Gallery
109 Crosby St. at Prince St.
Admission: free
Thursday, November 30 Ratpallax will be premiering several new films by and about poets from its DVD magazine, including John Giorno’s THE DEATH OF WILLIAM BURROUGHS by Antonello Faretta, short films by Billy Collins and Julian Grey, shorts about Yehuda Amichai, Sylvia Plath, and William Blake, and a reading by Robert Minhinick, 6:00
New Victory Theater
229 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Tickets: $10.50 - $50
646-223-3020
Friday, November 30
through
Sunday, January 6 Chinese troupe of acrobats, aerialists, and athletes from Shanghai perform remarkable acts, including select post-show talk backs, circus skills workshops, VICteens behind the curtain, a family benefit, and a sign-interpreted performance
Film Forum
209 West Houston St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
November 30 - December 13
212-727-8110
Friday, November 30
and
Saturday, December 1 XALA (THE CURSE) (Ousmane Sembène, 1974), 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:20
Sunday, December 2
and
Monday, December 3 MOOLAADÉ (Ousmane Sembène, 2005), 2:00, 4:25, 6:50, 9:15
Tuesday, December 4 CEDDO (Ousmane Sembène, 1977), 2:00, 4:20, 6:40, 9:00
Wednesday, December 5
and
Thursday, December 6 BLACK GIRL (LA NOIRE DE... ) (Ousmane Sembène, 1966) and BOROM SARRET (Ousmane Sembène, 1964), 1:00, 2:45, 4:30, 6:15, 8:00, 9:45
Friday, December 7
and
Saturday, December 8 MANDABI (THE MONEY ORDER) (Ousmane Sembène, 1968), 1:00, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10:10
Sunday, December 9
and
Monday, December 10 GUELWAAR, (Ousmane Sembène, 1993), 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00
Tuesday, December 11 FAAT-KINÉ (Ousmane Sembène, 2000), 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30
Wednesday, December 12 CAMP DE THIAROYE (Ousmane Sembène and Thierno Faty Sow, 1987), 1:30, 4:30, 7:30
Thursday, December 13 EMITAI (GOD OF THUNDER) (Ousmane Sembène, 1971), 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30
World Financial Center Winter Garden
225 Vesey St.
Admission: free
212-945-2600
http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/calendar
Friday, November 30
through
Saturday, December 22 The Accidentals: a cappella troupe performs holiday carols, weekdays 12 noon — 2:00 pm weekends 1:00 — 3:00 pm
Friday, December 7 Santa’s Winter Garden, 10:00 am — 1:00 pm, 2:00 — 5:00 pm
Sunday, December 9 Strauss/Warschauer Duo: Klezmer for Kids!, 12:30
Tuesday, December 18 ’Tis the Season to Celebrate Kwanzaa, with the Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, 12:30
Mulberry St. between Canal & Broome Sts.
Weekends through December 17
Fridays & Saturdays 11:00 am — 10:00 pm
Sundays 11:00 am — 8:00 pm
Admission: free
212-302-0551
http://www.littleitalynyconline.com
Friday, November 30
through
Sunday, December 16 Three weekends of live entertainment, Christmas carolers, and more
Saturday, December 1 Tree lighting ceremony, Church of the Most Precious Blood, 109 Mulberry St., 6:00 pm
Saturday, December 15 Parade with live music and floats, Mulberry St. from Canal to Houston Sts., 2:00
French Institute Alliance Française
Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th St. between Park & Madison Aves.
Tickets: $10-$25
212-307-4100
Friday, November 30 Bruno Frisoni of Roger Vivier, 7:00
Friday, December 7 Olivier Theyskens of Nina Ricci
Eyebeam Art + Technology Center
540 West 21st St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Admission: free; materials: $5-$25
212-937-6580
Saturday, December 1 Fourth annual Holiday Hackshop, featuring artist-led workshops and DIY activities, 1:00 — 6:00
Washington Square Park
Admission: free
Saturday, December 1 Help chalk the streets around Washington Square Park to bring awareness to the continuing battle against HIV and AIDS, 6:00 — 9:00 am
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Admission: free after 5:00 pm (some events require free tickets available that night)
718-638-5000
Saturday, December 1 Performance: the Starlite Serenaders perform Parang, festive Caribbean music, Hall of the Americas, 6:00 — 8:00
Saturday, December 1 Artist Talk: Rene Lynch and Patricia Cronin, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 6:00
Saturday, December 1 Film and Performance: Pianist Ben Model accompanies the classic silent film IT (Clarence Badger, 1927) and RUBE AND MANDY AT CONEY ISLAND (Thomas Edison, 1903), Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 6:30
Saturday, December 1 Hands-On Art: Sketch with charcoal from a live model, Education Division, 6:30 — 8:30
Saturday, December 1 Young Voices Gallery Talk: Contemporary Caribbean Art, meet at the entrance to Infinite Island, 7:00
Saturday, December 1 Young Voices Gallery Talk: Global Feminisms Remix, meet at the entrance to Global Feminisms Remix, 8:00
Saturday, December 1 Film: RAISING VICTOR VARGAS (Peter Sollett, 2003) preceded by CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS (Walter Tournier, 2001), Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 8:30
Saturday, December 1 Young Voices Gallery Talk: Brushed with Light, meet at the entrance to Brushed with Light, 9:00
Saturday, December 1 Dance Party: DJ Laylo of Liberation Lounge spins a hot mix of Brazilian hip-hop, Puerto Rican reggae, Brooklyn soul, and more, Beaux-Arts Court, 9:00 — 11:00
Madison Square Garden
31st to 33rd Sts. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Tickets: $125
212-354-2878
http://www.thebigappleclassic.com
Saturday, December 1 Exhibitors, bands, food, DJ, and more, 2:30
Saturday, December 1 HBCU College Fair, 3:00
Saturday, December 1 Step Show Competition, 3:30
Saturday, December 1 Drumline Competition, 5:00
Saturday, December 1 Howard University vs. Hampton University, 7:00,
Saturday, December 1 Virginia Union vs. Bowie State University, 9:00
Fashion Institute of Technology
West 27th St. between 27th & 28th Sts.
Registration: $95-$140
212-255-3236
Saturday, December 1
and
Sunday, December 2 Two-day conference featuring such lectures as Astrology and Weight Loss, Prediction and Behavior, and Jupiter and Saturn: The Dance of Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Vader, 9:30 am — 6:30 pm
Scandinavia House
58 Park Ave. at 38th St.
212-847-9746
http://www.scandinaviahouse.org
Saturday, December 1 A Swedish Christmas Workshop, ages five to ten, $6, 1:00
Saturday, December 8 A Family Lucia, with Swedish singer Eva Engman, ages five and up, $5-$10, 1:00
Saturday, December 8
and
Sunday, December 9 Holiday Smörgåsbord with Restaurant Aquavit, 212-307-7311 ext 204
Sunday, December 9 Tchaikovsky Goes Nutcracker: Christmas concert with Tengstrand-Sun and Magnus Martensson, $25, 4:00
Van Cortlandt House
Broadway at West 246th St.
718-543-3344
http://www.vancortlandthouse.org
Saturday, December 1 A Visit with St. Nicholas, featuring museum tour, free, 11:00 am — 3:00 pm
Saturday, December 15
and
Sunday, December 16 Van Cortlandt by Candlelight, featuring eighteenth-century holiday decorations, the legend of St. Nicholas, warm cider, and more, $10, 4:00 - 7:00
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery at Bleecker St.
Tickets: $10
212-614-0505
http://www.gustaferyellowgold.com
Sunday, December 2 Musical Moving Book for ages eighteen months to ten years at this special holiday performance featuring audience interaction, 12 noon
Multiple locations in Bushwick
Admission: free
Sunday, December 2 One-day art festival featuring live music, comedy, dance party, poetry, site-specific installations, and art, 12 noon — 8:00 pm
Eldridge Street Synagogue
12 Eldridge St. between Canal & Division Sts.
Admission: free
212-219-0888 ext308
Sunday, December 2 Grand reopening of the Eldridge Street Synagogue celebrating the newly restored main sanctuary, 2:00 — 5:00
Historic Richmond Town
441 Clarke Avenue at Arthur Kill Road, Staten Island
S74 bus from Staten Island Ferry
718-351-1611
http://www.historicrichmondtown.org
Sunday, December 2 Ornament making, caroling, and holiday shopping, 10:00 am — 4:00 pm
Saturday, December 8, 15 Candlelight Tours, with music, food, and holiday sounds, illuminated by candles, oil lamps, and hearth, adults $20, children twelve and under free, prepaid reservations required at 718-351-1611 ext280, beginning at 4:50
The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.
212-423-3337
Sunday, December 2 Hanukkah Art Fair: Drop-in Art Workshop, for ages three and up, free with museum admission, 12 noon — 4:00
Sunday, December 9 Imaginative Hanukkah Light Sculptures: Art Workshop and Gallery Tour, adults $12, children $10, 10:30 am — 12:30 pm
Admission: free unless otherwise noted
Sunday, December 2 The Story of Hanukkah, with Robin Bady, Belvedere Castle, midpark at 79th St., 212-772-0210, 12 noon and 2:00
Sunday, December 9 Make Your Own Menorah, Belvedere Castle, midpark at 79th St., 212-772-0210, 12 noon — 3:00
Sunday, December 9 Holiday Lighting, featuring cookie decorating, pinecone bird ornament making, live music by the Accidentals, and hot chocolate, Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, inside the part at 110th St. between Fifth & Lenox Aves., 212-860-1370, 3:00 — 5:00
Tuesday, December 11 Harlem Meer Social Hour: Holiday Wrapping Workshop, with Susan Beason, Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, inside the part at 110th St. between Fifth & Lenox Aves., 212-860-1370, 6:30
Paris Theater
4 West 58th St. at Fifth Ave.
Tickets: $12-$18
718-784-4520
http://movingimage.us/site/screenings
Monday, December 3 Advance screening of YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (Francis Ford Coppola, 2007), with Francis Ford Coppola, Tim Roth, and Alexandra Maria Lara in person, 7:00
Borders Columbus Circle
Time Warner Center
Admission: free
212-823-9775
Monday, December 3 Roy Haynes discusses and signs A LIFE IN TIME: THE ROY HAYNES STORY, 7:00
Wednesday, December 5 Ken Burns and Geoffrey Ward discuss and sign copies of THE WAR, 7:00
Thursday, December 6 THE LAST SUPPER: panel discussion with Melanie Dunea, Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert, and Claire Clark discussing what their last meal would be, 7:00
NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
566 La Guardia Pl. at Washington Square South
Admission: free but advance registration required
212-992-8380
Wednesday, December 5 Panel discussion with Georgia Arnold, Ambassador Mark R. Dybul, Laurie Garrett, Michael Rabbow, and Dr. Suniti Solomon, moderated by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, 6:00
Club Sol
609 West 29th St. between Eleventh & the West Side Highway
Tickets: $20-$30
Wednesday, December 5 Hanukkah party, with an open vodka and wine bar from 8:00 to 9:00
Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Pl.
Admission: $10
646-437-4200
Wednesday, December 6 Panel discussion with author Steven Lee Beeber, Susan Blond, Danny Fields, and Lenny Kaye, moderated by Mary Lucia, 7:00
Marymount Manhattan College
Regina Peruggi Room
221 East 71st St.
Admission: free
RSVP: 212-774-0780
Wednesday, December 6 Alice McDermott, lecture and book signing, 7:00
Music of the Spheres Society
Christ & St. Stephen's Church
120 West 69th St. east of Broadway
Suggested contribution: $30
212-877-4402
http://www.musicofthespheres.org
Wednesday, December 6 A musical portrait of 1907, featuring works by Charles Ives, Anton Webern, Frank Bridge, Scott Joplin, Maurice Ravel, and Joaquin Turina, performed by Stephanie Chase and Harumi Rhodes, violin; Dov Scheindlin, viola; James Wilson, cello; Jon Manasse, clarinet; and Todd Crow, piano, preconcert talk ("The Music of the Spheres and Its Origins") by Stewart Pollens at 7:30, concert at 8:15
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Rose Theater (RT), Allen Room (AR), Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (DC)
Broadway at 60th St.
212-721-6500
http://www.jazzatlincolncenter.org
Thursday, December 6
through
Saturday, December 8 Red Hot Holiday Stomp, Featuring Wynton Marsalis and Friends, including Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe "Pinecone" Gordon, Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson, Victor Goines, Joe Temperley, "Papa" Don Vappie, Reginald Veal, Dan Nimmer, Herlin Riley, and Roberta Gumbel, RT, $57.50-$127.50
Saturday, December 8 Jim Brickman Holiday Concert, featuring Jim Brickman and Richie McDonald, AR, 3:00 & 8:00
Monday, December 17 Love for the Holiday, hosted by Darlene Love, with Cissy Houston and the Choice’s Way Choir, RT, $65-$125, 7:00
Tuesday, December 18
through
Monday, December 24 Ann Hampton Callaway: A Holiday Celebration, featuring vocalist Ann Hampton Calloway, pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Jay Leonhart, and drummer Victor Lewis, DC, $30-$35 cover, $10 table minimum, $5 bar minimum, reservations at 212-258-9595, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30
Bronx Museum of the Arts
1040 Grand Concourse at 165th St.
Admission: free
RSVP for program: 718-681-6000 ext102
Friday, December 7 From Salsa & Bachata to Merengue & Son: The Popular Music of Two Islands, South Wing — Lower Gallery, 6:00 (galleries open 12 noon — 8:00 pm, including "Quisqueya Henríquez: The World Outside — A Survey Exhibition 1991-2007")
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
212-924-7771
Friday, December 7
through
Thursday, December 20 New 35mm print of David Lynch classic, made from brand-new digital restoration
Abrons Arts Center
466 Grand St. at Pitt St.
Tickets: $20
212-352-3101
http://www.henrystreet.org/arts
Friday, December 7
and
Saturday, December 8 Holiday celebration featuring Bar Kokhba, the Masada String Trio, Marc Ribot, Cyro Baptista, and Joey Baron, 8:00
Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Tickets: $19-$45
212-864-5400
Friday, December 7
through
Sunday, December 9 A Celebration of the Winter Solstice: five afternoon and evening performances featuring the Karelian Folk Music Ensemble, nickelharpa player Lief Alpsjo, hardanger fiddle player Loretta Kelley, championship dancers Karin Brennesvik, Tom Lovli, and Eivind Bakken, and the Revels adult and children's choruses
Whitney Live
Whitney Museum of American Art
Robert J. Hurst Family Gallery, lower level
945 Madison Avenue at 75th St.
Free with museum admission (pay-what-you-wish)
1-800-WHITNEY
Friday, December 7, 14 Site-specific multimedia dance/art commission by Moving Theater, featuring dancers Brennan Gerard, Ryan Kelly, Emilio Martinez Lopez, Thea Little, Marion Ramirez, Natalie Thomas, and Charly Tottwerwitz, videos by An Films, and live music by ICE, 7:00
JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th St.
Tickets: $12
646-505-5708
Saturday, December 8 Bringing in the Seasons: Five Fires, a Chanukah / Solstice Celebration, with mythweaver Rabbi Jill Hammer, storyteller Donna Minkowitz, singer-songwriter Avi Fox-Rosen, and Rabbi Nachum Kaunfer’s JewishPrayer Dance, 7:00
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North Sixth St.
Tickets: $16-$18
212-260-4700
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com
Saturday, December 8 Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger return home after their brief jaunt to Europe, touring in support of the excellent WIDOW CITY, with MGMT opening the show, 9:00
Church of St. Paul the Apostle
Columbus Avenue at 60th St.
Tickets: $15-$35
917-326-1422
http://www.nycmasterchorale.org
Saturday, December 8, 8:00
and
Sunday, December 9, 3:00 New York City Master Chorale performs works by Poulenc, Mathias, Lauridsen, Rachmaninoff, and other holiday favorites in nontraditional arrangements, featuring soprano soloist Rhea Walker and conducted by Dr. Thea Kano
Church of St. Luke in the Fields
487 Hudson St. south of Christopher St.
212-517-1776
http://www.westvillagechorale.org
Saturday, December 8 Winter Concert 2007: Go west, Young Man, featuring midwinter songs by Whitacre, Lauridsen, and Chatman based on the words of cummings, Graves, García Lorca, Wohlberg, and Silvestri, $15-$20, 8:00
Monday, December 10 Audience Participation Sings: Messiah Sing, directed by Michael Conley, 7:30 — 9:45
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th St.
212-316-7540 / 212-468-7619
Saturday, December 8 Seasonal music by the Cathedral Choristers and choir, Stewart Brass Works, organist Timothy Brumfield, and special guest artists Three Mo’ Tenors, conducted by Johnson Flucker, $20-$35, 866-468-7619
Thursday, December 13
through
Saturday, December 15 Solstice Unplugged: Paul Winter’s twenty-eighth annual Winter Solstice Concerts, with Renato Braz, John-Carlos Perea, and the Paul Winter Consort, $32-$75
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
895 Shore Rd, the Bronx
718-885-1461
http://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org
Saturday, December 8 Winter Family Day, featuring puppet shows, craft projects, hay rides, music, and more, $20 per child, adults free, 10:00 am — 2:00 pm
Sunday, December 16 Bronx Art Ensemble — Holiday Music, telling the story of Dutch Sinterklass, free tickets available by calling 718-601-7399, 12 noon & 2:00
Sunday, December 16 Candlelight Tour, with mansion decorated in the holiday spirit of the Bartow family, including warm cider and festive snacks, adults $10, children six and under free, 5:00 — 7:00
Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Rd. at Vernon Blvd.
Free with museum admission of $10
718-204-7088
Sunday, December 9 Bamboo and Rattan: innovating tradition, with Douglas De Nicola, with attendants receiving a special discount on Akari Light Sculptures, 3:00
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
4881 Broadway at 204th St.
Admission: free but reservations recommended
212-304-9422
http://www.dyckmanfarmhouse.org
Sunday, December 9 Story Time Sunday, featuring tales of Sinterklaas, for ages five to nine, 1:30
Sunday, December 9
and
Wednesday, December 19 Annual candlelight tour of nineteenth-century farmhouse, 4:00
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd St.
Tickets: $55 children, $125 adults
212-534-1672 ext3395
Monday, December 10 Annual celebration featuring celebrity reading of ’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, arts and crafts, magicians, clowns, buffet supper, and Santa Claus, 3:00 — 6:00
CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium
365 Fifth Ave. at 34th St.
Admission: free
212-817-2005
Monday, December 10 The Benjamin Constant Moment in America, with Stephen Breyer, Charles Fried, Philippe Raynaud, Patrice Higonnet, and Jeremy Jennings, 4:00
The Knitting Factory
74 Leonard St. between Broadway & Church St.
212-219-3132
http://www.knittingfactory.com
Monday, December 10 Pshotei Haaam, Heedoosh, DJ Balagan, and Y-Love, $25, 8:00
Tuesday, December 11 Pshotei Haaam, Pharaoh’s Daughter, DJ Handler, and Y-Love, $25, 8:00
St. Bartholomew’s Church
109 East 50th St. at Park Ave.
Admission: free
212-378-0200
Tuesday, December 11 The Center for Religious Inquiry discusses the differences between Christmas and Chanukah, with Rabbi Leonard A. Schoolman, followed by Chanukah refreshments, 6:30
Axelle Fine Arts
547 West 20th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Tickets: $25
212-757-0981 ext206
Tuesday, December 11 Second annual event, featuring live music by the Kelsey Jillette Trio, wine, and food, and more, 7:00 - 10:00
Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette St. between East Fourth St. & Astor Pl.
Tickets: $15
212-539-8778
Tuesday, December 11 Mike Errico Holiday Show, featuring Holiday Omens, $15, 7:30 & 9:30
Carnegie Hall
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
881 Seventh Ave. at 57th St.
Tickets: $27-$84
212-247-7800
Tuesday, December 11 The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus performs its annual holiday spectacular, with music director Charles Beale, 8:00
The New School, Tishman Auditorium
66 West 12th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Admission: free
212-229-5353
Wednesday, December 12 Featuring Allan Gurganus, Amy Hempel, A. M. Homes, Galway Kinnell, Naomi Replansky, Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Gerald Stern, and Jean Valentine, 7:00
B.B. King Blues Club
237 West 42nd St.
Tickets: $18-$22
212-997-4144
Wednesday, December 12 Sephardic Music Festival, featuring Soulfarm, the Sarah Aroeste & Roberto Rodriguez Projet, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, and very special guest Consuelo Luz, 7:30
The Town Hall
123 West 43rd St. between Sixth Ave. & Broadway
Tickets: $25
212-608-0555
http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org
Wednesday, December 12 Premiere high-definition screening of Warren Miller’s PLAYGROUND, chronicling winter sports in Sweden, Japan, Dubai, Alaska, and other locations, 8:00
Artists Space
38 Greene St. at Grand St.
Admission: $10 (open bar 7:30 — 9:00)
212-226-3970
Thursday, December 13 More than one thousand original drawings will be on sale for $35 to $60 in this annual benefit for Artists Space, 5:00 — 10:00 pm
Merchant’s House Museum
29 East Fourth St. between Lafayette St. and the Bowery
Tickets: $50
212-777-1089
Thursday, December 13 Annual 19th-Century Holiday Party, Featuring holiday decorations, caroling with the Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society, refreshments from the Bowl of Bishop, silent auction, holiday gift bazaar, and more, 6:00 — 8:00
The Concert Hall at the New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street at Central Park West
Tickets: $75-$500
212-277-7171
Thursday, December 13 Third annual benefit concert for Fordham’s WFUV, with Loudon Wainwright III, Madeleine Peyroux, Dan Wilson, and other special guests, 7:30
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden
421 East 61st St.
Tickets: $15 adults, $6 children under twelve
Reservations required: 212-838-6878
Thursday, December 13
through
Saturday, December 15 Visit the holiday season of 1827 with this eight-room tour that includes period music, hot cider, eggnog, and other goodies
Saturday, December 15 Holiday Concert: Sounds of the season with Maria Millar and Shawn Wyckoff, $10 children, $20 adults, 7:00
St. Ann’s Warehouse
38 Water St.
Tickets: $32.50
718-254-8779
http://www.stannswarehouse.org
Thursday, December 13
through
Saturday, December 15 The Tiger Lillies bring their unique brand of punk cabaret in this show featuring depraved holiday music, 8:00
South Street Seaport Museum
12 Fulton St. between South & Front Sts.
Admission: free
212-748-8786
Friday, December 14 The Literary Seaport, featuring readings from Melville, Whitman, and Mitchell and craft activities, 5:00 — 9:00 pm
Grand Ballroom, Manhattan Center
311 West 34th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
Tickets: $36
Friday, December 14 Second annual holiday concert with Aimee Mann and special guests, 6:30
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North Sixth St.
Tickets: $25
212-260-4700
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com
Friday, December 14 British glam rock legend Ian Hunter returns to New York City, touring in support of his latest fine album, SHRUNKEN HEADS
Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
566 La Guardia Pl. at Washington Sq. South
Tickets: $15-$45
212-992-8484
http://www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu
Friday, December 14
through
Saturday, December 16 Tchaikovsky holiday favorite performed by the Joffrey Ballet School, 2:00 & 7:00
Prospect Park Audubon Center
Lullwater & Boathouse
Admission: free
718-287-3400 ext114
Saturday, December 15 Participate in annual nationwide bird census, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Meet at the Washington Square Arch at 6:45 pm
Piece ends in Tompkins Square Park at 8:00 pm
Admission: free
Saturday, December 15 Seventeenth annual public presentation of Phil Kline’s outdoor ambient music piece for an infinite number of boom boxes; e-mail boombox@mindspring.com if you want to bring your own boom box and be given a tape to participate
Brooklyn Southpaw
125 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn
Tickets: $15
718-230-0236
Saturday, December 15 Norton Records Holiday Spectacular with...Reigning Sound, The A Bones, Luis & The Wildfires, The Nouvellas...special guests including Roy Loney, The Mighty Hannibal, Handsome Dick Manitoba & more, 8:30
The Fortune Academy
630 Riverside Dr. at 140th St.
Tickets: $25
212-255-4834
Sunday, December 16 The Gregory Singer Manhattan Symphonee performs a benefit concert for the Fortune Society’s Prisoner Re-Entry: Changing Minds & Building Lives programs, featuring holiday music by Vivaldi, Irving Berlin, and others, 2:00
Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church
921 Madison Ave. at 73rd St.
Tickets: $60
908-273-3509
Sunday, December 16 Ninth annual Celtic Christmas concert with the Clan Currie Society, 3:00
Riverside Church
490 Riverside Dr. between 120th & 122nd Sts.
Tickets: $10-$25
212-870-6784
http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/events
Sunday, December 16 Candlelight Carol Festival, the Nave, 3:30 & 6:00
Performing Arts Theater at Queensborough Community College
222-05 56th Ave., Bayside
Tickets: $20-$25
718-279-4842 / 718-631-6311
Sunday, December 16 The Oratorio Society of Queens and the Orchestral Arts Ensemble of Queens perform excerpts from Handel’s MESSIAH and Christmas and Chanukah songs, directed by Maestro David Close, 4:00
Church of the Intercession and Trinity Cemetery
West 155th St. & Broadway
Admission: free
212-283-6200
Sunday, December 16 Wynton Marsalis reads the Clement Clark Moore holiday classic, with a lantern procession to Moore’s gravesite nearby, 4:00
The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
319 East 74th St.
Tickets: $35-$150
212-971-9500
http://www.thecathedral.goarch.org
http://www.littleorchestra.org
Sunday, December 16 Great Music Under a Byzantine Dome: The Little Orchestra Society, 5:30
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th St.
Admission: free
212-423-3500
Sunday, December 16
and
Monday, December 17 Holiday music with the Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble and the Vox Vocal Ensemble, conducted by George Steel, in the rotunda, 6:00
Trinity Church Wall Street
89 Broadway at Wall Street
212-602-0800
http://www.trinitywallstreet.org
Sunday, December 16 A CHRISTMAS CAROL: SCROOGE & MARLEY, performed by the Theater at Trinity with audience participation, directed by Alejandra Arzate, free, Trinity Church offices at 74 Trinity Pl., second floor, 1:00
Sunday, December 16, 3:00
and
Tuesday, December 18, 7:30 The Trinity Choir Performs MESSIAH, $30-$50
The Bitter End
147 Bleecker St. between Thompson St. & La Guardia Pl.
Cover: $7
212-673-7030
Tuesday, December 18 Actress Alicia Witt (LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT, MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS) will make her musical debut performing original songs, 9:30
Kenny’s Castaways
157 Bleecker St.
Admission: free, but suggested donation of non-perishable food items
http://www.kennyscastawaysnyc.com
Wednesday, December 19 Patti Rothberg, the New Heathens, plus an all-star band with singers Felicia Collins, James Maddock, Kitty Kowalski, Yana Chupenko, Eric Jayk, Randy Lee, and many others, audience members are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to participate in raffle, with food being donated to the New York Food Bank, 8:00
Highline Ballroom
431 West 16th St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Tickets: $35
212-414-5994
http://www.highlineballroom.com
Wednesday, December 19 A benefit concert for SaveDarfur.org, with Teddy Thompson, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Kamila Thompson, Jenni Muldaur, Sonya Kitchell, Neal Casal, Tift Merritt, Christina Courtin, and surprise guests, 8:00