Yearly Archives: 2012

HAPPINESS IS . . . FIVE EASY PIECES

Jack Nicholson places the most famous sandwich order in film history (Sony Pictures Repertory)

CABARET CINEMA: FIVE EASY PIECES (Bob Rafelson, 1970)
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Friday, October 12, free with $7 bar minimum, 9:30
212-620-5000
www.rmanyc.org

A key film that helped lead 1960s cinema into the grittier 1970s, Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces is one of the most American of dramas, a tale of ennui and unrest among the rich and the poor, a road movie that travels from trailer parks to fashionable country estates. Caught in between is Bobby Dupea (Jack Nicholson), a former piano prodigy now working on an oil rig and living with a well-meaning but not very bright waitress, Rayette (Karen Black). When Bobby finds out that his father is ill, he reluctantly returns to the family home, the prodigal son who had left all that behind, escaping to a less-complicated though unsatisfying life putting his fingers in a bowling ball rather than tickling the keys of a grand piano. Back in his old house, he has to deal with his brother, Carl (Ralph Waite), a onetime violinist who can no longer play because of an injured neck and who serves as the film’s comic relief; Carl’s wife, Catherine (Susan Anspach), a snooty woman Bobby has always been attracted to; and Bobby’s sister, Partita (Lois Smith), a lonely, troubled soul who has the hots for Spicer (John Ryan), the live-in nurse who takes care of their wheelchair-bound father (William Challee). Rafelson had previously directed the psychedelic movie Head (he cocreated the Monkees band and TV show) and would go on to make such films as The King of Marvin Gardens, Stay Hungry, and Black Widow; written by Carole Eastman, Five Easy Pieces fits flawlessly in between them, a deeply philosophical work that captures the myriad changes the country was experiencing as the Woodstock Generation was forced to start growing up. The film suffers from some unsteady editing primarily in the earlier scenes, but it is still a gem, featuring at least two unforgettable scenes, one that takes place in a California highway traffic jam and the other in a diner, where Bobby places an order for the ages. And as good as Nicholson is, earning the first of seven Best Actor Oscar nominations, Helena Kallianiotes nearly steals the picture as a crazy woman railing against the ills of the world from the backseat of Bobby’s car. Five Easy Pieces will be screening October 12 as part of the Rubin Museum Cabaret Cinema series “Happiness is . . .” and will be introduced by comedian Brooke Van Poppelen. “Living here . . . that’s what you want?” Bobby asks Catherine. “Yes,” his sister-in-law responds. “That will make you happy?” he says. “I hope it will. Yes,” she replies. The series continues with such other happy films as Fellini’s 8½, Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, and Bergman’s Cries and Whispers, held in conjunction with the larger program “Happy Talk.”

HOUSE

Japanese cult classic is back for a pair of late-night screenings in Brooklyn

HOUSE (HAUSU) (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977)
Nitehawk Cinema
136 Metropolitan Ave.
Friday, October 12, and Saturday, October 13, 12:20 am
718-384-3980
www.nitehawkcinema.com
www.janusfilms.com/house

Just a few years ago, one of the craziest movies ever made, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 cult classic, House (Hausu), made its first-ever U.S. theatrical release, in a new 35mm print at the IFC Center. Ever since then, it’s been a mainstay at midnight screenings at numerous venues across the city, including this weekend at the Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg. Truly one of those things that has to be seen to be believed, House is a psychedelic black horror comedy musical about Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) and six of her high school friends who choose to spend part of their summer vacation at Gorgeous’s aunt’s (Yoko Minamida) very strange house. Gorgeous, whose mother died when she was little and whose father (Saho Sasazawa) is about to get married to Ryoko (Haruko Wanibuchi), brings along her playful friends Melody (Eriko Ikegami), Fantasy (Kumiko Oba), Prof (Ai Matsubara), Sweet (Masayo Miyako), Kung Fu (Miki Jinbo), and Mac (Mieko Sato), who quickly start disappearing like ten little Indians. House is a ceaselessly entertaining head trip of a movie, a tongue-in-chic celebration of genre with spectacular set designs by Kazuo Satsuya, beautiful cinematography by Yoshitaka Sakamoto, and a fab score by Asei Kobayashi and Mickie Yoshino. The original story actually came from the mind of Obayashi’s eleven-year-old daughter, Chigumi, who clearly has one heck of an imagination. Oh, and we can’t forget about the evil cat, a demonic feline to end all demonic felines. The film has also been recently released on DVD from Janus, the same company that puts out such classic fare as Federico Fellini’s Amarcord, Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Jacques Tati’s M. Hulot’s Holiday, François Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player, Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game, and Jean-Luc Godard’s Vivre sa Vie, so House has joined some very prestigious company. And who are we to say it doesn’t deserve it?

MOTHERBOARD

It’s man against machine in AntiMatter Collective’s sci-fi thriller MOTHERBOARD (photo by Jonathan Shaw)

The Secret Theatre
4402 23rd St., Long Island City
Thursday – Saturday through October 14, $18
1-800-838-3006
www.antimattercollective.org
www.secrettheatre.com/motherboard

It’s 2445, twenty years after humankind defeated an all-out attack by robots, who suddenly and inexplicably stopped fighting after having wiped out two-thirds of the earthlings in a ridiculously short amount of time. Scientist Gershwin Scott (James Rutherford) and war hero Captain Abraham Lennox (Casey Robinson) are experimenting on one of the supposedly deactivated machines (Rebecca Hirota) when the nannybot suddenly comes to life, exciting Scott, who wants to study it, and enraging Lennox, who wants to destroy it. Soon the robot, called C-12, is off on an adventure through a postapocalyptic world filled with scavenging survivors who are suspicious of strangers and understandably fearful of technology, save for Penelope (Elizabeth Bays), a young girl who illegally collects electronic gadgets. Staged by the Brooklyn-based AntiMatter Collective in the small Secret Theatre in Long Island City, Motherboard is a fun, if slight, sci-fi thriller wittily written by Adam Scott Mazer and playfully directed by Will Fulton. The company, whose previous shows include Gregory S. Moss’s sixsixsix (based on Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus), Mazer’s Death Valley, and Fulton’s adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s The Dreams in the Witch House, mix in elements of the Mad Max films, Star Trek, and other genre classics, along with some unexpected gore, in telling the age-old story of man versus machine. The best parts of the show are the relationships that develop in the beginning between C-12 and Scott (who, sadly, is not seen again) and in the end between C-12 and Penelope; unfortunately, much of what occurs in the long middle section, which centers around feral S&M couple Sweetums (Allison LaPlatney) and Maggot (Bryce Henry), is meandering and unnecessary. But even in this futuristic world, at the heart of society lies the bond between parent and child; it’s no accident that C-12 is a nannybot, responsible for the welfare of children, a theme that runs through all of the appropriately titled Motherboard.

(Note: The theater might want to rethink its policy of allowing people to bring drinks inside, as the night we went, bottles and cups kept getting kicked over, and two very drunk young women had to be told repeatedly to stop slurping their drinks and talking — which they eventually did, but then one of them got a bad case of the hiccups, and instead of leaving the theater she just kept on hiccupping, the sound echoing loudly throughout the space.)

NEW YORK COMIC CON

New York Comic Con celebrates King of the Nerds and more at the Javits Center (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 West 34th St. (11th Ave. between 34th & 39th Sts.)
October 11-14, sold out
www.newyorkcomiccon.com

If you’ve ever attended New York Comic Con, you know that the biblical prediction “The geek shall inherit the earth” is certainly true. For four days at the Javits Center, sci-fi and comic-book nerds will descend on the far west side, lining up for autograph signings (beware: some require substantial additional fees), giveaways, film screenings, panel discussions, concerts, and other special events that get bigger and bigger every year. The 2012 edition, which is completely sold out, includes a bevy of A-list, B-list, and C-list celebrities; among the wide variety of guests are Batman’s Adam West and Burt Ward, Carrie Fisher, Bill Paxton, Stan Lee, Bruce Campbell, Chris Columbus, Christopher Lloyd, Dee Snider, Anne Rice, Guillermo Del Toro, Kevin Bacon, Julianne Moore, Kirk Hammett, Tess Gerritsen, Rob Corddry, Ned Vizzini, Sean Astin, Seth Green, Kim Harrison, Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Sir Terry Pratchett, Kevin Smith, Ron English, and legendary nerds Curtis Armstrong and Robert Carradine. Below are some of our recommendations for this massive celebration of a lot more than just comic books.

Thursday, October 11

Neal Adams Spotlight, with Josh Adams and Neal Adams, 1A14, 3:45

Robert Kirkman Autographing, Booth #1229, 5:00 – 6:00

Comic Studies Conference: Power and Sexuality in Comics, with Beverly Taylor, Cameron McKee, Evan Johnson, Mark Head, and Sam Cannon, 1A07, 5:15

Friday, October 12

CBLDF: The History of Comics Censorship, with Charles Brownstein, 1A08, 11:00 am

Adam West and Burt Ward Spotlight, with Adam West and Burt Ward, 1A23, 12:15

Christopher Lloyd Q&A, with Christopher Lloyd, 1A10, 12:30

Sir Terry Pratchett Introduces . . . Dodger, with Sir Terry Pratchett, Unbound Stage, 1:00

AMC Presents Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Men, with Bryan Johnson, Kevin Smith, Michael Zapcic, Ming Chen, and Walter Flanagan, IGN Theater, 2:45

Joe Simon Memorial Celebration, with Angelo Torres, Carmine Infantino, Jim Simon, Mark Waid, Paul Levitz, and Stephen Saffel, 1A01, 5:15

Robot Chicken, with Clare Grant, Kevin Shinick, Matthew Senreich, and Seth Green, IGN Theater, 6:30

Kirk Hammett, Lead Guitarist for Metallica, Talks to Kevin Clement about His Passion for Collecting Monster Movie Memorabilia, with Kevin Clement and Kirk Hammett, 1A23, 9:00

Fans will be on their hands and knees, begging to get in to several special WALKING DEAD events at this year’s New York Comic Con

Saturday, October 13

Once More with Feeling: 15 Years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with Jane Espenson, Jenny Frison, Rebekah Isaacs, Scott Allie, and Sierra Hahn, 1A21, 11:15 am

Mad about MAD, with Al Jaffee, Bob Wayne, Drew Friedman, John Ficarra, Peter Kuper, Ryan Flanders, and Sam Viviano, 1A23, 12:15

Bill Paxton and Johnn McLaughlin’s Seven Holes for Air Introduction, with Bill Paxton, David Uslan, Eric Reid, and John McLaughlin, 1E13, 12:30

Stan Lee’s World of Heroes, with Peter David and Stan Lee, 1E13, 3:00

Carrie, with Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Kevin Misher, and Kimberly Peirce, IGN Theater, 3:45

AMC’s The Walking Dead Panel Event, with Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Chris Hardwick, Danai Gurira, David Morrissey, Gale Anne Hurd, Glen Mazzara, Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, and Robert Kirkman, IGN Theater, 5:00

Sunday, October 14

666 Park Avenue Special Video Presentation and Q&A, with Dave Annable, David Wilcox, Erik Palladino, Helena Mattson, Matthew Miller, Mercedes Masöhn, Rachael Taylor, Robert Buckley, Samantha Logan, Terry O’Quinn, and Vanessa Williams, 1E13, 11:00 am

The Following Pilot Screening and Q&A, with Annie Parisse, James Purefoy, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Williamson, Marcos Siega, Natalie Zea, and Shawn Ashmore, 1E07, 12 noon

Josh Gates Q&A, with Josh Gates, 1A10, 1:30

Ian McDiarmid Spotlight, 1E13, 2:45

NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL: POLITICAL MOTHER

The Hofesh Shechter Company will perform its explosive POLITICAL MOTHER this week at BAM (photo by Ben Rudick)

HOFESH SHECHTER COMPANY: POLITICAL MOTHER
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
October 11-13
718-636-4100
www.bam.org
www.hofesh.co.uk

British-based Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, a former drummer and tap dancer, has struck a chord around the world with his debut full-length piece, the brash and bold Political Mother. A work for twelve dancers, Schechter’s follow-up to Uprising/In your rooms once again features his physical, in-your-face choreography set to his own propulsive score, played by a live heavy-metal band led by music collaborator Yaron Engler, with Lee Curran contributing the powerful lighting design, Tony Birch the sound design, and Merle Hensel the costumes. The seventy-minute multimedia assault on the senses, first performed in 2010, was expanded into a “Choreographer’s Cut” at Sadler’s Wells last year with even more dancers and musicians. Political Mother, which is built around ideas of control, is running October 11-14 at BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House as part of the thirtieth Next Wave Festival. In addition, while in New York, the Hofesh Shechter Company will be holding intensives at Cedar Lake in Chelsea from October 15-19; the 10:00 am – 2:00 pm slots are sold out, but there is still limited availability for the 3:00 – 7:00 pm workshops, designed for “professional dancers/recent graduates and third year students in full time dance training.”

Music and dance collide in loud, beautiful ways in POLITICAL MOTHER (photo by Julieta Cervantes)

Update: As the audience enters, a smoky mist drifts through BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House. Soon a lone figure appears center stage, dressed in a samurai outfit. He pulls out a sword and commits hara-kiri. Then the soundtrack suddenly blasts out of the speakers and two words are illuminated on a backdrop: Political Mother, announcing that Hofesh Shechter’s hotly anticipated international sensation is about to blow your mind. And blow your mind it does, for more than an hour of energizing movement, blaring music, and blazing lights. A dozen dancers move on- and offstage, running, jumping, writhing on the floor, and forming a hora-like circle as they change costumes from ordinary clothing to gray, dingy prison garb. Behind them, drummers in military outfits pound away, while above the percussionists are five guitarists who play screeching industrial hard rock tinged with Middle Eastern melodies. Occasionally a man up top, dressed alternately as a heavy metal hero, an old-time crooner, or a brutal dictator, grabs a microphone and bellows out an unintelligible song or command as the dancers/inmates below wait on his every word. Somewhere in the middle of this marvelous maelstrom, a classical interlude gives everyone, onstage and in the audience, a brief respite, but then it’s back to the madness as Shechter explores ideas of power and control in his breathless choreography, with Lee Curran’s superb lighting signaling changes like a strobe operating in slow motion. Then, as explosive as it’s been, it stops, reconfiguring itself with a song choice that makes the audience laugh out loud, bringing it all back home with a fond simplicity. No mere dance, Political Mother is like an event unto itself, a daring, balls-out work that takes over your mind, body, and spirit for seventy glorious, unforgettable minutes.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “KEEPER OF ATLANTIS” BY PUJOL

“My bootstrap of austerity’s / a service sector BFA / in post-industrial malaise,” Pujol declares on “DIY2K,” the opening track of his debut full-length album, United States of Being (June 2012, Saddle Creek). On the record, Nashville-based Daniel Pujol sings and plays guitar, piano, and drums, receiving help from such friends as Stewart Copeland, Mitch Jones, Jack Lawrence, and Dillon Watson on a dozen tracks in which he tries to find his place in contemporary America. The more abstruse the lyrics, the more successful Pujol is, particularly on such songs as “DIY2K,” “Mission from God,” “Providence,” and “Reverse Vampire,” which incorporate elements of surf punk, 1960s melodies, Joe Walsh bombst, and Bob Mould fury. (You can stream the album for free here.) “My old man he used to say / I do a good thing like every day,” Pujol sings on “Keeper of Atlantis.” You can do a good thing on Thursday by checking out Pujol headlining the early show at Mercury Lounge on October 11 with Little Racer opening up or on Monday, October 15, when they’ll be at Death by Audio with Nude Beach and Strip Mall.

TEN CHIMNEYS

Real-life couple Byron Jennings and Carolyn McCormick play real-life couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in exhilarating TEN CHIMNEYS (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Theatre at St. Clement’s
423 West 46th St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Wednesday – Sunday through October 27, $65
www.thepeccadillo.com

One of the best plays of the new season is taking place off Broadway, set in a Wisconsin country home but firmly entrenched on the Great White Way. Real-life husband-and-wife acting couple Byron Jennings and Carolyn McCormick do a splendid job starring as real-life husband-and-wife acting couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in the Pecadillo Theater Company’s rollicking Ten Chimneys. It’s 1937, and Alfred and Lynn are beginning rehearsals for their upcoming Broadway production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, with Lunt playing Trigorin, Fontanne playing Arkadina, Uta Hagen (Julia Bray) as Nina, and Sydney Greenstreet (Michael McCarty) as Sorin. Also joining them at the farmhouse are Alfred’s demanding mother, Hattie (Lucy Martin); his half-sister, Louise (Charlotte Booker), who does all the cooking and cleaning (and complaining); and his half-brother, Carl (John Wernke), a handyman who moonlights as a pool shark. As they delve into the play, as well as the play within a play, jealousy breaks out in many forms — between siblings, between lovers, between parents and children, between actors, and between fictional characters, resulting in a multilayered story that is simply exhilarating.

Jeffrey Hatcher’s razor-sharp dialogue is fanciful and whip smart, wonderfully playing with theatrical conventions and revealing tantalizing secrets. Dan Wackerman’s direction is breezy and inviting, while Harry Feiner’s rustic stage design provides just the right setting for the proceedings. Ten Chimneys is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Lunt and Fontanne’s working process, particularly when Greenstreet commandingly directs the couple through one scene and when Lunt and Hagen examine another run-through that ends in a kiss. The actors’ deconstruction of The Seagull stokes the fires of Ten Chimneys, a thrilling play about the theater that celebrates itself without becoming pedantic or melodramatic. Instead, it’s great fun, romantic and insightful, a must-see for lovers of theater. Don’t be surprised if after the show, which continues at the Theatre at St. Clement’s through October 27, you see Jennings and McCormick dashing down West 46th St. and jumping into a taxi together, just as Lunt and Fontanne must have done so many times during their long careers.