Yearly Archives: 2012

IMAGES FROM THE EDGE: WHITE WHALES

Friðrik Thór Friðriksson’s THE CIRCLE will screen continuously for free at Lincoln Center’s “Images from the Edge” Icelandic series

CLASSIC & CONTEMPORARY ICELANDIC CINEMA: WHITE WHALES (SKYTTURNAR) (Friðrik Thór Friðriksson, 1987)
Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St. at Amsterdam Ave.
Thursday April 19, 8:45; Tuesday, April 24, 4:00
Series runs April 18-26
212-875-5601
www.filmlinc.com

For thirty years, Friðrik Thór Friðriksson has been one of Iceland’s most prominent and important directors, making both documentaries and narrative features that delve into the unique personality of the Scandinavian nation. Founder of the Icelandic Film Corporation, Friðriksson will be represented by four works at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s “Images from the Edge: Classic & Contemporary Icelandic Cinema” series, which runs April 18-26. Throughout the festival, his highly experimental 1985 road-trip documentary, The Circle (Hringurinn), in which he strapped a camera to a car dashboard and made his way down Highway No. 1, will play continuously for free in the Frieda & Roy Furman Gallery at the Walter Reade Theater. His 1982 documentary Rock in Reykjavik, about nineteen Icelandic bands (including Tappi Tíkarrass, with a teenage singer named Björk), will be shown April 21, while his 2000 portrait of mental illness, Angels of the Universe (Englar Alheimsins), will screen April 22 and 25, with Friðriksson present for all events.

WHITE WHALES follows the travails of a pair of down-on-their-luck losers wandering through Reykjavik

The series also features Friðriksson’s first fiction film, the dazzling black comedy 1987 White Whales (Skytturnar). Reminiscent of the work of Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki (The Match Factory Girl, Le Havre) and Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Down by Law), White Whales follows the travails of a pair of pathetic if lovable losers, Grímur (Þórarinn Óskar Þórarinsson) and Bubbi (Eggert Gudmundsson). The film begins like a nature documentary, with gorgeous shots of breeching whales — suddenly interrupted by whalers who harpoon one of the beautiful mammals and bring it in to shore. On board the ship, Grímur considers their bleak future as Bubbi spends his time looking at porn. “Well, if we’re lucky, we might get a job shoveling shit,” Grímur says. “And if that doesn’t work out, we’ll have to eat shit.” Nothing seems to faze either man as they head out on an offbeat adventure that takes them hitchhiking, coming upon an injured horse, wandering around Reykjavik, stopping in at bars, visiting Grímur’s beloved grandmother, and then, ultimately, crossing over a line and ending up in some very deep trouble. Combining Icelandic music with such English-language songs as Nick Cave’s cover of Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” Merle Haggard’s “The Fugitive,” and Tom Waits’s “Tom Traubert’s Blues,” Friðriksson, who will attend both the April 19 and 24 screenings of White Whales, creates a hysterically funny existential atmosphere that erupts in surprising violence. Try not to let the poor subtitling get in the way of your enjoyment of this Icelandic gem.

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL: THE FLAT

Director Arnon Goldfinger discovers a lot more than he bargained for in intensely personal documentary THE FLAT

THE FLAT (HA-DIRA) (Arnon Goldfinger, 2011)
Clearview Chelsea Cinema
260 West 23rd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Sunday, April 22, 6:30; Monday, April 23, 3:45; Thursday, April 26, 3:45; Saturday, April 28, 5:30
www.tribecafilm.com

After his grandmother’s death at the age of ninety-eight, filmmaker Arnon Goldfinger (The Komediant) brought a camera to her Tel Aviv apartment to document going through the things she left behind and delve into Gerda Tuchler’s long life, which included growing up in Germany prior to WWII and escaping to Palestine in the 1930s. While opening drawers and closets, Goldfinger discovers a stack of Nazi propaganda magazines, soon learning a secret about Gerda and her parents that shocks him and his family. And in investigating further, he finds out yet more about this fascinating yet troubling relationship that has direct links to the highest levels of the S.S., coming upon intriguing details that he must decide whether to reveal or keep buried, well aware how they could affect other people’s lives and memories. The Flat is a compelling research procedural that Goldfinger spent five years putting together, with no intention of stopping, despite the potential hurt it could bring to his friends and family, particularly his mother. But it is not cruelty or revenge so much as a thirst for knowledge and the truth that drives him, no matter the cost, as he explores his Jewish grandparents’ questionable ties to their German roots. Last July, Goldfinger was named Best Director of a Documentary at the Jerusalem Film Festival, with the jury noting, “This is a beautifully composed film about uncomfortable truths and the challenge of confronting them. Mr. Goldfinger undertakes expert research and leads us through his findings in a way that is not only gentle and sensitive, but also compelling and creative.” The Flat, which is screening at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 23, 26, and 28, is indeed all of those things and more.

NELLY VAN BOMMEL / NØA DANCE: PINGULI, PINGULI

Nelly van Bommel explores community culture and ritual in PINGULI, PINGULI, playing this week at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (photo by Julieta Cervantes)

Baryshnikov Arts Center, Howard Gilman Performance Space
450 West 37th St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
April 18-19, $20, 7:30
866-811-4111
www.bacnyc.org

Born and raised in France by Dutch parents and now based in Mamaroneck, Nelly van Bommel uses her diverse background in dance, dance theater, musicals, improvisation, and athletics to create eclectic pieces inspired by folk culture, as evidenced by such works as Pax Aeterna, Fanfarnèta, and Addio Amore. Van Bommel and her talented NØA Dance troupe will explore community ritual and practice in Pinguli, Pinguli, a fifty-minute piece that will be performed at the Baryshnikov Arts Center April 18 and 19. Set to music by Savina Yannatou, a popular Greek singer and songwriter who has composed works for the National Theatre of Greece and the Theatre of Silence, Pinguli, Pinguli mixes in a playful sense of humor with classical ballet movement in its choreography. Tickets are $20, but if you combine it with the May 2 or 4 Orchestra of St. Luke’s presentation of “Life Stories” — an evening of Mozart, Marshall, and Glière that is part of the Morgan Library’s Chamber Music Series and costs $45 by itself — you can get two tickets to each event for a total of $50.

DOCUMENTARY IN BLOOM: OKI’S MOVIE

Oki (Jung Yumi) walks the fine line between fiction and reality in OKI’S MOVIE

OKI’S MOVIE (OK-HUI-UI YEONGHWA) (Hong Sang-soo, 2010)
Maysles Institute
343 Malcolm X Blvd. between 127th & 128th Sts.
April 16-22, $10, 7:30
212-582-6050
www.mayslesinstitute.org

In works such as Like You Know It All, Woman on the Beach, Tale of Cinema, and Woman Is the Future of Man, Korean director Hong Sang-soo has explored the nature of his craft, using the creative process of filmmaking as a setting for his relationship-driven dramas. He examines the theme again in Oki’s Movie, a beautifully told tale told in four sections built around film professor Song (Moon Sung-keun) and students Jingu (Lee Sun-kyun) and Oki (Jung Yumi). Each chapter — “A Day for Chanting,” “King of Kiss,” “After the Snowstorm,” and “Oki’s Movie” — features a different point of view with a different narrator while walking the fine line between fiction and nonfiction. As in Tale of Cinema, certain parts are films within the film, shorts made by the characters for their class. Hong keeps viewers guessing what’s real as Oki balances a possible love triangle between her, Jingu, and Song; the final segment is a poetic masterpiece that brings everything together. In an intriguing twist — and emblematic of the realistic quality of Hong’s oeuvre — Oki’s Movie is having its official U.S. theatrical release April 16-22 at the Maysles Cinema, the Harlem institution devoted to documentaries, as part of the “Documentary in Bloom” series curated by Livia Bloom.

TICKET ALERT: TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2012

Val Kilmer steals the show as Val Kilmer in THE FOURTH DIMENSION at the Tribeca Film Festival

Multiple locations in Manhattan
April 18-29
646-502-5296
www.tribecafilm.com

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday morning, April 16, at 11:00, as the Tribeca Film Festival begins its second decade. Running April 18 to 29, this year’s programming was selected by Geoffrey Gilmore, Nancy Shafer, Frédéric Boyer, Genna Terranova, and a team of specialists, resulting in sixty-three feature narratives, thirty-eight full-length documentaries, and sixty shorts (grouped into such compilations as “Character Flaws,” “Escape Clause,” “Fallout,” “Help Wanted,” and “Journeys Across Cultural Landscapes”). The films range from such high-powered fare as Joss Whedon’s The Avengers and Nicholas Stoller’s The Five-Year Engagement to much smaller indie films from around the world. This year’s panels include Robert De Niro, Judd Apatow, and others discussing “100 Years of Universal”; writer-director Charles Matthau and stars Christian Slater, Crispin Glover, Michael Jai White, and Andy Dick talking about Freaky Deaky following a screening of the film based on the Elmore Leonard novel; Oscar-nominated director Jim Sheridan interviewed by his Oscar-nominated daughter, Naomi Sheridan; Michael Moore interviewed by Susan Sarandon; and director John Badham, actress Ally Sheedy, and others taking part in a postscreening talk about the 1983 classic WarGames. Among the free events at the 2012 festival are a series of talks at the Apple Store and the Union Square Barnes & Noble with such favorites as Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Morgan Spurlock, Chris Colfer, Mets pitcher R. A. Dickey, and others; Soccer Day, including a celebrity match and workshops for kids; Sports Day, with a BMX stunt show, appearances by New York athletes, and family-friendly games and activities; a street fair with live performances, local food booths, kite flying, arts and crafts, and a Bubble Garden; and outdoor drive-in screenings of Jaws, The Goonies, and Knuckleball! Keep watching twi-ny for select reviews and highlights during the festival.

CATALPA FESTIVAL EARLY-BIRD WEEKEND PASSES

The Black Keys will headline inaugural Catalpa Festival this summer on Randall’s Island

Randall’s Island
Saturday, July 28, and Sunday, July 29
Early bird weekend passes available through Sunday, April 15, $99.99
www.catalpanyc.com

Hoping to pick up where such former summer music festivals as the Fleadh and All Points West left off, the inaugural Catalpa Festival will take place July 28-29 on Randall’s Island. The two-day, twenty-hour, green-friendly party will feature a mix of old and new bands, site-specific art installations, gastronomic booths, the Church of Sham Marriages, and other elements to create what they expect to be a unique atmosphere and different kind of experience. So far the announced performers include the Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, TV on the Radio, City and Colour, Umphrey’s McGee, the Big Pink, AraabMuzik, Felix Da Housecat, and Fort Atlantic. Discounted early-bird weekend passes are available through Sunday for $99.99, after which they will go up to $139.99 and then $179.99, so grab them now if you’re planning on going.

POETRY NIGHT IN THE GARDEN

E. V. Day and Kembra Pfahler have transformed the Hole gallery on Bowery into Monet’s Giverny (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

GIVERNY: BY E. V. DAY AND KEMBRA PFAHLER
The Hole
312 Bowery
Friday, April 13, free, 8:00
Exhibition continues through April 24
212-466-1100
theholenyc.com
giverny slideshow

From 1883 until his death in 1926 at the age of ninety, master Impressionist Claude Monet lived and painted in Giverny, a garden paradise in France filled with colorful flowers, trees, plants, lily pads, a Japanese bridge, walking paths, ponds, and other primarily natural elements that populated many of his most famous works. In 2010, installation artist E. V. Day was awarded the prestigious Versailles/Giverny Foundation Munn Residency, allowing her to live in Giverny as a means to inspire her the way Monet himself was inspired by his surroundings. The native New Yorker invited her friend Kembra Pfahler, lead singer of the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, to join her for part of the stay, during which Day photographed a naked, purple, fright-wigged Pfahler, made up like a shocking version of LeRoy Neiman’s Femlin character. Day and Pfahler’s thrilling collaboration is now on view at the Hole through April 24, where they have re-created a section of the garden, complete with live flowers, wallpaper of trees, fake grass, a stone path, and the Japanese bridge arching over a large pond. As you walk through the indoor Bowery garden, you’ll come upon many of the photos Day took of Pfahler, who inhabits the scenes as if a living, breathing creature emerging from nature. “Giverny” is a gorgeous installation, offering visitors the opportunity to walk through Monet’s mind and palette. On Friday, April 13, the Hole will host a free evening of poetry, featuring Stefan Bondell, Lizzi Bougatsos, John Holland, Bob Holman, Stuart S. Lupton, Lisa Pomares, Michael Quattlebaum Jr., Jessica White, Arden Wohl, and Pfahler reading from the bridge.