Yearly Archives: 2011

JANUS FILMS CLASSICS: INGMAR BERGMAN

Death (Bengt Ekerot) is not exactly holding out the red carpet in Bergman classic

THE SEVENTH SEAL (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St.
Tuesday, March 29, 1:00 & 3:00
Series runs through April 1
212-875-5610
www.filmlinc.com

It’s almost impossible to watch Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal without being aware of the meta surrounding the film, which has influenced so many other works and been paid homage to and playfully mocked. Over the years, it has gained a reputation as a deep, philosophical paean to death. However, amid all the talk about emptiness, doomsday, the Black Plague, and the devil, The Seventh Seal is a very funny movie. In fourteenth-century Sweden, knight Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) is returning home from the Crusades with his trusty squire, Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand). Block soon meets Death (Bengt Ekerot) and, to prolong his life, challenges him to a game of chess. While the on-again, off-again battle of wits continues, Death seeks alternate victims while Block meets a young family and a small troupe of actors putting on a show. Rape, infidelity, murder, and other forms of evil rise to the surface as Block proclaims “To believe is to suffer,” questioning God and faith, and Jöns opines that “love is the blackest plague of all.” Based on Bergman’s own play inspired by a painting of Death playing chess by Albertus Pictor (played in the film by Gunnar Olsson), The Seventh Seal, winner of a Special Jury Prize at Cannes, is one of the most entertaining films ever made. (Bergman fans will get an extra treat out of the knight being offered some wild strawberries at one point.) The film is screening on March 29 at 1:00 as part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Janus Films Classics series and will be followed at 3:00 by Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (1972).

TWI-NY TALK: KIDS OF 88

Kids of 88 will be playing their sweaty, sexy electro-pop at Piano’s on March 28 (photo by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Piano’s
158 Ludlow St.
Monday, March 28, $8-$10, 9:00
212-505-3733
www.myspace.com/kidsof88
www.pianosnyc.com

Best buds Jordan Arts and Sam McCarthy have been making music together since they were twelve years old, banging pots and pans and listening to Hendrix. The Auckland duo known as Kids of 88 — vocalist McCarthy and programmer and keyboardist Arts were both born in 1988 — burst onto the scene a few years back with the sexy, steamy electro-pop hits “My House” and “Just a Little Bit” and have gone on to make remixes for Cobra Starship and Ke$ha, even going out on the road with the latter on a recent brief European tour. On such big-sounding dance-club songs as “Downtown,” “Sugarpills,” and “Just a Little Bit,” they sing about slutty sex, getting unprofessional, and, well, just having a damn good time. Upon returning from their highly praised shows at SXSW, Arts and McCarthy, who will be playing Piano’s at 9:00 on March 28 on a bill with Cassette Kids, K. Flay, Bo Bruce, and the Lopez, answered questions about Austin, their friendship, and ’80s theme songs.

twi-ny: You’ve just finished several gigs at SXSW, where the raves keep pouring in. What was the overall experience like? Did you get to see other bands play as well, or were you too busy with your own shows and press?

Sam McCarthy: The overall SXSW experience was festively turbulent. We had been tipped off about how crazy things can potentially become, so we were well prepared when it came to maneuvering our way about the town, meaning we could focus on what we were there to do and have an amazing time doing it! Unfortunately we only managed to capture a few other bands. Surfer Blood on the Tuesday night was great, If only we could have caught the amazing Gayngs, then we would have been set for life.

Jordan Arts: South by South Swag was what Theophilus London called it when he took the stage for the MTV Garage showcase, which we were also playing at. To be on the bill with the likes of him and Friendly Fires and Matt & Kim was awesome, so that was a highlight for me. It was a bit of a whirlwind experience but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

twi-ny: The two of you have been making music together now for more than half your lives. Do you ever get sick of seeing each other, or are you more like kindred spirits, meant to be together?

JA: I think kindred spirits is a nice way to look at it. We are more often than not on the same wavelength, which doesn’t always happen with everybody. To be experiencing parts of the world we’d never had imagined we would be in together can only mean that we’ll be reminiscing about the past when we’re sixty years old!

SM: We have moments where we can clash, but they are always positive disagreements, whether that results in an idea that neither of us would have conjured up or it keeps the other on their toes; however, most of the time it’s a happy band-ship. We’re both Aquarian, so even if we wanted to tiff it’d be forced.

twi-ny: On your website, you describe your music as “a cross between a late ’80s police drama intro theme and a sophisticated super hussy.” What is your favorite late ’80s police drama intro theme, and who is your favorite sophisticated super hussy?

SM: Beverly Hills Cop is up there. I also think a disco rework of the America’s Most Wanted song could be pretty epic. Top bird? Daryl Hannah in a pant suit is a sight for sore eyes; I could have easily bitten off a bit of Sharon Stone in her heyday also.

JA: Although bending the rules a bit, my favorite theme would probably be the Beverly Hills Cop intro or maybe the amazing Knight Rider theme. As hussies go, I think Lisa [Kelly LeBrock] from Weird Science takes the cake. She’s oh so sexy, but the fact that she can do out-of-this-world things makes her very sophisticated!

INFINITE VARIETY: THREE CENTURIES OF RED AND WHITE QUILTS

Some 651 red and white qulits of inifinite variety are on display at Park Ave. Armory (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Ave. at 67th St.
Through March 30, free, 11:00 am – 5:00 or 7:00 pm
347-463-5143
www.armoryonpark.org
www.folkartmuseum.org
infinite variety slideshow

Joanna Semel Rose wanted something very simple for her eightieth birthday: to see her collection of 651 red and white quilts together, all in one space. Her husband, Daniel, helped make that happen, resulting in the stunning exhibition “Infinite Variety,” on view for free at the Park Ave. Armory through Wednesday. Curated by Elizabeth V. Warren and held in conjunction with the American Folk Art Museum’s “Year of the Quilt” celebration, the quilts are hung throughout the massive fifty-five-thousand-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall, arranged in swirling silo-shaped cylinders you can walk in and laid out in a curved display near the back wall (where the makeshift Butterfield Market is serving red velvet cupcakes and other treats). You don’t have to be a quilt maker or quilt lover to be dazzled by the visual splendor, the myriad red and white designs coming at you from all directions, the patterns luring you in like endless eye candy, at times reminiscent of international flags with no political agenda. Rose, who considers herself a treasure hunter, not a collector, also thinks of the exhibition as a present for New York City, although there are plans to take it on the road. Named after a line from William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra (“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”), the exhibit is part of an anticipated gift to the American Folk Art Museum by the philanthropic Roses, whose family has their names attached to such spaces as the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio and Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center. “Infinite Variety” is a must-see for New Yorkers of all ages; in addition, the American Folk Art Museum currently has on view “Quilts: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum” at its 45 West 53rd St. location and “Super Stars: Quilts from the American Folk Art Museum” at the 2 Lincoln Square branch. (Curator Warren will be giving a lecture on Sunday at 2:00 at the Armory, “Infinite Variety: A History of Red and White Quilts,” followed by a book signing; tickets are $15-$20.)

CONCERT TO BENEFIT JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

Experimental composer and musician John Zorn is curating two exciting benefits for the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund at the Abrons Art Center

Abrons Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement
466 Grand St. at Pitt St.
Friday, April 8, $35-$50, 6:30 & 9:30
212-352-3101
www.henrystreet.org

Jon Zorn, whose Masada Marathon takes place March 30 at New York City Opera, is one of the leading figures participating in benefits for the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. On April 9, he’ll be playing in the 1:00 gala block ($100) with Philip Glass, Hal Willner, Lou Reed, and Laurie Anderson at Japan Society’s twelve-hour Concert for Japan. And the night before, he’s curating two programs at the Abrons Art Center ($35-$50). At 6:30, Zorn will be playing in a duo with Ikue Mori along with Thurston Moore, Elliott Sharp, the Alhambra Trio with Rob Burger, Erik Friedlander, Lizz Wright & Aya Nishina, Milford Graves, Jamie Saft and New Zion Trio, Gyan Riley, Matthew Shipp, the Masada String Trio, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier, Miya Masaoka, and Jack Quartet. That incredible lineup will be followed at 9:30 by a show featuring Norah Jones, Jessie Harris, Vinicius Cantuaria, Buke and Gass, JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia, Elysian Fields, and Sex Mob. “The tragedy and devastation is really overwhelming,” Zorn said in a statement. “I’ve always felt a strong personal connection to Japan, and I’m just glad to be able to do my part to help. It should be an amazing night.”

SUNSHINE AT MIDNIGHT: IRRÉVERSIBLE

Gaspar Noé’s controversial IRRÉVERSIBLE screens tonight at midnight at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema

IRRÉVERSIBLE (Gaspar Noé, 2002)
Landmark Sunshine
143 East Houston St.
Saturday, March 26, $10, 12 midnight
212-330-8182
www.landmarktheatres.com
www.marsfilms.com

Gaspar Noé’s controversial film, starring husband and wife Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci, is an assault on the eyes, the ears, and good taste. Some critics were so offended by the film, which includes a horribly sadistic and bloody killing as well as a horribly sadistic nine-minute rape scene, that they “awarded” it zero stars in their reviews. The swirling, fast-moving handheld camerawork and thumping score of the early club scene will leave you breathless, dizzy, and freaked out. The rape scene might just drive you out of the theater. There’s no way we can recommend this film, although there are many aspects to it that are fascinating.

TRIANGLE FIRE TRIBUTE: 100th ANNIVERSARY EVENT

Centennial tribute honors victims through music and poetry

Museum at Eldridge Street
12 Eldridge St. between Canal & Division Sts.
Sunday, March 27, $15-$20, 3:00
212-219-0302
www.eldridgestreet.org

On March 25, 1911, a devastating fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory at 29 Washington Pl. took the lives of 146 garment workers. The fire in the Asch Building led to significant changes in labor laws and to the creation of the American Society of Safety Engineers. There are special memorial events being held all over the city in conjunction with the centennial, including a commemoration on March 26 at the Museum at Eldridge St. that will include live music by Deborah Strauss and Jeff Warschauer, poetry inspired by the tragedy, and actors portraying the 146 victims, who were primarily Jewish and Italian immigrants. The event will be moderated by Caraid O’Brien and is cosponsored by the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition and the National Yiddish Book Center.

WALLY CARDONA: INTERVENTION #6: ARUP, ACOUSTICIANS AND THEATER CONSULTANTS

Wally Cardona will hold INTERVENTION #6 on March 26 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (photo by Peggy Kaplan / artwork by Adam Shecter)

Baryshnikov Arts Center, Studio 4A
450 West 37th St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Saturday, March 26, $15, 8:30
646-731-3200
www.bacnyc.org
www.wcvismorphing.org
www.arup.com

Since last fall, Brooklyn-based dancer and choreographer Wally Cardona has been staging “Interventions” in which he goes to various cities and is introduced to a local stranger who is an expert in a field other than dance, and the two collaborate for five days, then present their one-night-only work to the public. On March 26, Cardona will offer Intervention #6, the third of three Interventions at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Following his fruitful collaboration with activist and sound artist Robert Sember in January — the two developed a complex piece involving verbal and nonverbal communication and movement over the course of a series of repeated scenes, each with unique and challenging variations — and his not-quite-as-successful pairing with performance-space architect Martin Kapell, which included literary quotations and lots of time and space to kill, Cardona (Really Real, A Light Conversation) has teamed with Raj Patel, Rachid Abu-Hassan, and Terence Caulkins of Arup Acoustics and Theatre Consulting, the company behind part of the refurbishment of the Jerome Robbins Theatre at BAC. “For me,” Cardona explained in our February twi-ny talk “a powerful thing in each Intervention is not just the fact that I’m meeting a person from a very different discipline or field of inquiry but that I’m meeting a complete stranger. And with the agreement that we’ll spend a week together. The first thing that happens is I perform my ‘empty solo’ for them, and I have to confess that with each Intervention, I begin the second day wondering if the person will show up again.” The Interventions are part of a collaboration with Paris-based choreographer Jennifer Lacey, whose My First Time with a Dramaturge series will come together with Cardona’s Interventions for the larger project Tool Is Loot, with music by Berlin-based composer Jonathan Bepler. The seventh and final Intervention takes place April 23 at Dance Place in Washington, DC, with public servant Silas Grant.