Yearly Archives: 2011

MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND: MILDRED PIERCE

Kate Winslet takes on iconic role first played by Joan Crawford in HBO miniseries MILDRED PIERCE

MILDRED PIERCE (Todd Haynes, 2011)Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Sunday, May 8, free with museum admission of $10, 10:00
718-777-6800
www.movingimage.us
www.hbo.com/mildred-pierce/index.html

Clearly, the Museum of the Moving Image has a wicked sense of humor. This Mother’s Day, the Astoria institution will be screening all five and a half hours of Todd Haynes’s splendid new version of Mildred Pierce, which recently premiered on HBO. This new Mildred Pierce is less a remake of Michael Curtiz’s 1945 noir original, which earned Joan Crawford a Best Actress Oscar for the title role, than a more faithful retelling of James M. Cain’s 1941 novel about a dedicated mother who cannot see through the deception of her awful, terrible, miserable, horrible, conniving daughter. Kate Winslet is stoic as Mildred, who, after her husband, Bert (Brian F. O’Byrne), leaves her for another woman, takes a job as a waitress to help take care of her two children, especially her piano-prodigy daughter, Veda (first played by Morgan Turner, then Evan Rachel Wood when she’s older). Soon after Mildred’s pies become extremely popular, she opens up her own restaurant, with the help of Bert’s former business partner, Wally Burgan (James LeGros), who doesn’t mind getting a little something extra from Mildred. Mildred starts living a more exciting life, gallivanting around with would-be playboy Monty Beragon (Guy Pearce), but her happiness is continually thwarted by her undying, undeserving love for her daughter, who does not return the feeling but is more than content to take her mother’s money. Haynes and cowriter Jon Raymond focus on the characters instead of the camp, coming up with a compelling and involving depression-era tale that will break your heart over and over again.

SUNSHINE AT MIDNIGHT: THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS

Asia Argento stars as a newfangled Mommie Dearest in HEART IS DECEITFUL

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS (Asia Argento, 2005)
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, 12 midnight
212-330-8182
www.landmarktheatres.com
www.heartisdeceitful.com

Asia Argento wrote, directed, and stars in this inspired adaptation based on the supposedly autobiographical novel by the recently exposed JT Leroy (a mysterious writer who turned out to be an elaborate creation of a former sex-phone operator). Argento, whose long resume includes a trio of films directed by her cult-fave father, Italian horrormeister Dario Argento, plays Sarah, a drug-addled loser who reclaims her seven-year-old son, Jeremiah (the frightfully good Jimmy Bennett), from his loving and well-off foster parents. Sarah, one of the worst mothers to ever grace the silver screen, mistreats the boy horribly again and again, even allowing her stream of dangerous and weird boyfriends (which include Michael Pitt, Marilyn Manson, and Jeremy Sisto) to do the same — and worse. At one point Jeremiah winds up living with his grandparents (Peter Fonda and Ornella Muti), religious nutcakes who harbor their own secrets. With pulsating original music by Marco Castoldi and Sonic Youth, brutal, fast-paced action, and leather-and-chains sadomasochism, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is reminiscent of Alex Cox’s Sid & Nancy (1986), with a little bit of Mommie Dearest (Frank Perry, 1981) thrown in. Argento’s compelling vision, which will grow on you if you let it, is not for everyone; at times it’s lurid, graphic, and hard to watch, but it’s also got its share of breathtaking moments. Just try your best to forget about the literary hoax that gave birth to this sordid story in the first place.

NYU STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL 2011

La Guardia Pl. between West Third & West Fourth Sts.
Friday, May 6, free, 1:00 – 5:00
www.nyu.edu

NYU’s annual Strawberry Festival heads into its second quarter-century on Friday with a street fair bustling with live performances, carnival games (giant Jenga!), balloon art, a milking contest, children’s activities, ice cream, bubble tea, cotton candy, giveaways, and New York City’s longest strawberry shortcake. The music lineup includes Lightning Bolt, Peterodactyl, Ducktails, the So So Glos, and a Brooklyn vs. the Bronx DJ battle between DJ Jules Verne and DJ Juan Farrakhan as students and faculty celebrate the completion of the school year.

WEEKEND CLASSICS — KUROSAWA: IKIRU

Takashi Shimura does a stellar job with a rare leading role in Kurosawa’s captivating melodrama IKIRU

IKIRU (TO LIVE) (DOOMED) (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
May 6-8, $13, 11:00 am
Series continues through August
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com

In Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 gem, Ikiru, the great Takashi Shimura is outstanding as the simple-minded petty bureaucrat Kanji Watanabe, a paper-pushing section chief who has not taken a day off in thirty years. But when he suddenly finds out that he is dying of stomach cancer, he finally decides that there might be more to life than he thought after meeting up with an oddball novelist (Yunosuke Ito). While his son, Mitsuo (Nobuo Kaneko) and coworkers wonder just what is going on with him — he has chosen not to tell anyone about his illness — he begins cavorting with Kimura (Shinichi Himori), a young woman filled with a zest for life. Although the plot sounds somewhat predictable, Kurosawa’s intuitive direction, a smart script, and a marvelously slow-paced performance by Shimura make this one of the director’s best melodramas. Ikiru will be screening at 11:00 am on May 6-8 as part of the IFC Center’s Weekend Classics — Kurosawa series, with half of the proceeds from all festival screenings benefiting Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund. Upcoming screenings include The Bad Sleep Well (May 20-22), The Hidden Fortress (May 27-30), and Stray Dog (June 3-5).

TAIWAN STORIES: CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY FILM FROM TAIWAN — JULIETS

Unrequited love is at the center of three very different tales in the cinematic omnibus JULIETS

JULIETS (Hou Chi-Jan, Shen Ko-Shang & Hou Chi Jan, 2010)
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St.
Saturday, May 7, 1:30, and Wednesday, May 18, 4:00
Series runs May 6-19
212-875-5610
www.filmlinc.com

The opening-night selection of the Golden Horse Film Festival, Juliets is a three-part anthology that offers unique takes on Shakespeare’s classic story of unrequited love, Romeo & Juliet. In Chen Yu-Hsun’s Juliet’s Choice, Vivian Hsu stars as Ju, a mousy, handicapped young woman who walks with one crutch — not very well — and toils in her father’s printing shop. Ju is immediately struck by Ro (Wang Po-chieh), a university student who is trying to get someone to print a Marxist pamphlet, not exactly the safest idea in 1970s Taipei, which is under martial law. Although Ju’s father rejects Ro’s proposition, fearing the authorities, she goes ahead with the project in secret, leading to personal, professional, and political repercussions and a sly twist. In Shen Ko-Shang’s Two Juliets, One Million Star finalist Lee Chien-na was named Best New Performer at the 2010 Golden Horse Film Awards for her role as Julie, a sexy chanteuse in a traveling outdoor burlesque show who gets into trouble when her relationship with the puppeteer’s son (River Huang) suddenly goes public, causing fighting among the families. The story is actually told in flashback through the eyes of the man thirty years later and the woman taxi driver (Hsu) who wants to help him make amends. And in Hou Chi-Jan’s One More Juliet, Hong Kong television star Kang Kang plays Ju Li-ye, a despondent thirty-nine-year-old who has just had his heart broken for the twenty-eighth and, he’s decided, last time. But just as he’s about to hang himself from a tree using the chain from his broken bicycle, he is asked to appear in a commercial that his being shot nearby. As the goofy ad for sculpted superhero undies is delayed by the rain, Ju hears a stirring tale told by another actor, Ron (Liang He Chun), bringing the two men closer together. Juliets offers three very different tales of unrequited love, set in three different times and in three different genres, yet they work well as a whole, displaying the main characters’ desperation, disappointment, and determination as they try to deal with the rough hand love has dealt them.

Juliets is screening May 7 & 18 as part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s “Taiwan Stories: Classic and Contemporary Film from Taiwan,” which runs May 6-20 and also includes such older works as Liang Zhefu’s Early Train from Taipei (1964), Li Hanxiang’s Beauty of Beauties (1965), and King Hu’s A Touch of Zen (1969) as well as such modern films as Wei Tei-Sheng’s Cape No. 7 (2008), Chen Wen-tang’s Tears (2009), and Chung Mong-Hong’s The Fourth Portrait (2010).

THE FIERY FURNACES

Eleanor Friedberger and brother Matthew are playing a pair of intimate duo shows at Rockwood Music Hall this week (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2
196 Allen St. between Houston & Stanton Sts.
May 4-5, $20, 9:30
212-477-4155
www.thefieryfurnaces.com
www.rockwoodmusichall.com

The Fiery Furnaces kicked off a brief nine-city, twelve-show U.S. tour last night at Rockwood Music Hall with an intimate nineteen-song set that revealed fascinating aspects of their creative process. Playing as a duo, with Matthew Friedberger on piano and sister Eleanor on vocals, the pair both used lyric sheets as they delved deep into their songbook, highlighting rare tunes, including several that they have never before performed in public. It often felt like they had invited people in to watch them rehearse, as they made minor mistakes, missing cues, garbling a few words, or discussing the ending. But the overall effect came off as charming and endearing, especially as the siblings, both of whose bangs were in fine form, prepare for a brief hiatus, with Eleanor touring behind her debut solo album this summer and Matthew continuing his series of solo records, each one using a different instrument. The varied setlist, which is sure to change for their second show tonight, ranged from “Black-Hearted Boy,” “Blueberry Boat,” and “Even in the Rain” to “Cousin Chris,” “South Is Only a Home,” “Nevers,” and “The Vietnamese Telephone Industry,” from “Uncle Charlie,” “Single Again,” and “The Garfield El” (the “El” stands for Eleanor, not elevated, Eleanor pointed out) to “Smelling Cigarettes,” “Wolf Notes,” and “Evergreen,” the latter set to the music of Bob Seger’s “Still the Same.” Matthew stumbled at the ivories at the beginning before settling down, occasionally contributing vocals to Eleanor’s poetic, word-strewn lead. Eleanor’s obvious comfort level kept things light and fun despite the flaws as the Fiery Furnaces once again delivered an unusual, unpredictable, and unabashedly entertaining show. It all had the feel of their wanting to do something very special, for themselves as well as the audience, before they take their break. Their friend and former percussionist Michael Goodman opened up, playing short, sweet originals and a Buddy Holly cover on acoustic guitar in a warm, funny style, particularly on a duet on which he sang the parts of both the man and the woman. Be sure to get there on time to check him out.

ARTIST TALK: KIM BECK

Kim Beck, “Space Available,” painted plywood and steel, 2011 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Bumble & Bumble
415 West 13th Street, third Floor
Friday, May 6, free, 6:30
Installation remains on view through January 2012
RSVP: 212-206-9922
www.thehighline.org
www.idealcities.com
space available slideshow

In addition to being a work of art itself, the renovated High Line has featured a number of site-specific installations since the initial section opened to the public in June 2009, including Spencer Finch’s “The River That Flows Both Ways,” Stephen Vitiello’s “A Bell for Every Minute,” Valerie Hegarty’s “Autumn on the Hudson Valley with Branches,” Demetrius Oliver’s “Jupiter,” and Richard Galpin’s “Viewing Station.” The latest work of art to grace the former elevated railway tracks is Kim Beck’s “Space Available,” which consists of three naked billboards on rooftops along Washington St. (between 13th & Gansevoort) that can be seen from the High Line. The sculptural structures have no advertisements on them, evoking both transition as well as the state of today’s American economy, a stark contrast to the several billboards that do indeed pitch products around the area. You might have actually already seen Beck’s painted plywood and steel pieces but not realized it, since they blend in so well with the neighborhood. But be sure to check them out from different angles, because their supposed three-dimensionality is merely an illusion. On May 6, the Colorado-born, Pittsburgh-based Beck will give an artist talk about the project, taking place at 6:30 at the Bumble and Bumble on West 13th St. and is free with advance RSVP to 212-206-9922.