twi-ny recommended events

IDIOTAROD 2010

55 Central Park West, 9:00 am
Saturday, January 30
Registration: $40 per cart
www.cartsofbrooklyn.com

At first, the Mets fan in us thought the Idiotarod was an event not exactly honoring Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (as in “that idiot A-Rod”), but it turns out that it’s something very different. Not quite yet at the level of the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race held annually in Alaska, the Idiotarod is now in its sixth year featuring five-person teams streaming through city streets in souped-up shopping carts (no motorization allowed). Despite some behind-the-scenes strangeness involving Team Danger Zone and Corporation X, the race is scheduled to go off on Saturday, January 30, at 9:00 am, beginning at 55 Central Park West, with a theme celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of GHOST BUSTERS. Register now so you can battle it out for such awards as Best in Show, Best Sabotage, Best Bribe, and Best Psych Out in addition to special judges awards: In 2007, the Mimes won Best Team Without a Cart; in 2008, No Sheep Til Brooklyn won the Spirit award; and in 2009, Little Lebowski Urban Achievers won Best Story of Cart Acquisition. Just try not to get the cart with the funny wheel that has a mind of its own.

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: MEMBERS OF THE FUNERAL

Dysfunctional family comes together unexpectedly in MEMBERS OF THE FUNERAL

MEMBERS OF THE FUNERAL (Baek Seung-bin, 2008)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, January 26, free, 7:00
Reservations accepted at info@koreanculture.org or 212-759-9550
www.subwaycinema.com
www.tribecacinemas.com

The Korean Cultural Service is presenting Korean Movie Night on the second and fourth Tuesdays of January and February at Tribeca Cinemas, with free screenings of contemporary Korean cinema. Things got under way on January 12 with the New York premiere of Noh Young-seok’s DAYTIME DRINKING and continue on January 26 with the North American premiere of Baek Seung-bin’s 2008 dysfunctional family drama MEMBERS OF THE FUNERAL. The death of a teenage boy brings together an estranged father (Yoo Ha-bok), who is attracted to younger men, mother (Park Myeong-sin), who is a mean-spirited teacher but desperately wants to be a mystery writer, and daughter (Kim Byeol), who has a thing for dead people. Flashbacks reveal how they each came to be the way they are, deeply scarred by nasty grandparents, closeted therapists, and other odd figures. Meanwhile, one of the mother’s students (Lee Joo-seung) is writing a novel that seems to mimic the family’s life. It’s all kind of creepy and tongue in cheek, especially the awesome score. It’s a compelling tale, and one that was made for a mere sixty grand. Junh Jai-hong’s 2008 debut feature, BEAUTIFUL, based on an unfinished script by Kim Ki-duk, screens on February 9, followed by BREATHLESS on February 23, a film written, directed by, and starring Yang Ik-june. Korean cinema has been gradually infiltrating North America; this free series is a great way to see what all the fuss is about.

CorePrana Pilates / Yoga Fusion Workshop

Jordanna Dworkin will team up with Aarona Pinchinson on the Upper West Side and down Mexico way

Jordanna Dworkin will team up with Aarona Pichinson on the Upper West Side and down Mexico way

Reebok Sports Club/NY
160 Columbus Ave. at 67th St.
Saturday, February 6, $20-$35, 3:30
Registration: 212-501-1419, asrodriguez@reeboksportsclubny.com
www.thesportsclubla.com
www.intouchnyc.com

Too easy for that January resolution to wear out by Groundhog Day? Master teachers Jordanna Dworkin and Aarona Pichinson have come up with an ab-flab buster that we just love: CorePrana. The class mixes twists for the spine and guts, balances for the core, and serious sculpting for the butt and abs, all flowing along with music and thoughtful attention to the prana, or energy, of both the class and the students. With two instructors and four hands, there’s ample room for personal attention and adjustments for those who may have overdone it already – either at the table or in the gym. Both advanced Pilates and yoga practitioners and beginners will find plenty of attention and challenge that’s just right for their own Core and Prana. For the more adventurous out there, the dynamic duo will be hosting a Fusion Retreat in Tulum, Mexico, March 13-20.

FIRST SATURDAYS: BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Become a Brooklyn Museum 1stfan for $20 and receive a free limited-edition print of Valerie Hegarty’s “First Harvest in the Wilderness with Pileated Woodpecker,” inspired by Asher Durand

Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Saturday, February 6, free after 5:00 (some events require advance free tickets available an hour or two before showtime)
718-638-5000
www.brooklynmuseum.org

The Brooklyn Museum’s monthly First Saturdays program celebrates Black History Month with another evening of free activities, featuring live performances by the Igmar Thomas Group, Impact Repertory Theatre, and Dja-rara, screenings of Jeremy Robins and Magali Damas’s 2008 Haitian documentary THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WATER and Mel Stuart’s 1973 classic WATTSTAX, a Hands-On wearable art workshop, gallery tours, a book club meeting discussing THE BLACK BODY, and a Mardi Gras dance party hosted by DJ Ian Friday. Also, 1stfans will receive a free print by Valerie Hegarty. In addition, all of the exhibitions will be open, including “Healing the Wounds of War: The Brooklyn Sanitary Fair of 1864,” “Body Parts: Ancient Egyptian Fragments and Amulets,” and “From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith.”

FROM GOTHIC TO GRAPHIC

Austen authors gather at the Morgan for panel discussion

Austen authors will gather at the Morgan for panel discussion

ADAPTING JANE AUSTEN NOVELS
Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.
Tuesday, January 26, $15, 6:30
212-685-0008
www.themorgan.org

In conjunction with the Morgan’s revelatory exhibit “A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy,” the museum will be hosting a panel discussion about literary adaptations of the author’s works, with Austen experts Ben Winters, Jason Rekulak, Jane Rubino, Caitlen Rubino-Bradway, and Nancy Butler, moderated by Juliette Wells. The discussion begins at 6:30, but the exhibition will be open for viewing at 5:30. Austen lovers might want to return to the Morgan on February 12 at 7:00, when “Jane Austen on Screen: Sense and Sensibility” features a screening of Ang Lee’s 1995 adaptation of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (free with museum admission).

THE DOUBLE EDGED SWORD: THE CHAMBARA FILMS OF SHINTARO KATSU & RAIZO ICHIKAWA

SAMURAI VENDETTA kicks off Monthly Classics series at Japan Society

SAMURAI VENDETTA (A CHRONICLE OF PALE CHERRY BLOSSOMS) (HAKUOKI) (Kazuo Mori, 1959)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
December 11 – May 14
Tickets: $15 for opening night, $11 thereafter
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

When local official Tange Tanzen (Raizo Ichikawa) comes upon a battle between two schools of sword fighting, including his own, he chooses not to get involved as rogue samurai Yasubei Nakayama (Shintaro Katsu) displays his discipline’s superiority by killing several members of Tange’s school. After Tange is expelled from his school for turning his back on his brothers, Yasubei is expelled from his as well as an act of honor and enmity. Soon the two ronin are helping each other while also falling in love with the same woman, Chiharu (Chitose Maki). But blood and betrayal await them as they set off on new paths that continue to cross. Inspired by the classic story of the 47 Ronin, SAMURAI VENDETTA is an entertaining period piece despite its overt cheesiness, especially the fight scenes shot on a bridge with a ridiculously fake sunset in the background. Although there’s not nearly enough sword play – there are long periods of sentimental melodrama – the finale in the snow is a doozy. The screening will be followed by a reception and book signing with Chris D., author of OUTLAW MASTERS OF JAPANESE FILM.

SAMURAI VENDETTA kicks off the Japan Society’s Monthly Classics series “The Double Edged Sword: The Chambara Films of Shintaro Katsu & Raizo Ichikawa,” which features a film by either of the stars once a month through May 2010. Among the upcoming selections, curated by Chris D., are three Zatoichi films, Kenji Misumi’s DESTINY’S SON (KIRU), Daisuke Ito’s SCAR YOSABURO (KIRARE YOSABURO), and Kazuo Ikehiro’s NEMURI KYOSHIRO AT BAY: THE SWORD OF SEDUCTION (NEMURI KYOSHIRO JOYO KEN). Chambara, which means sword fighting, got its name from the sounds made as swords slice through the air and clang against each other during battles. The films became popular in postwar Japan both as a look back at the nation’s history as well as a reaction to the industrial, financial, and social changes occurring following WWII. Two of the genres biggest stars were Katsu and Ichikawa, with Katsu serving as the brutish figure and Ichikawa more of the romantic lead. Both tragically died of cancer, Katsu at sixty-five, Ichikawa at only thirty-seven.

OCEANA RAW BAR

Oceana offers a changing variety of oysters every day (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

OCEANA
1221 Sixth Ave. at 49th St.
212-759-5941
www.livanosrestaurantgroup.com
flickr slideshow

After eighteen years in its cozy East 54th St. townhouse, Oceana moved west to Sixth Ave. and 49th St. this past summer, placing it firmly in the midst of the Rockefeller Center and Times Square tourist trade. Thankfully, though, it has not messed with success; owned by the Livanos family, which also runs Abboccato, Molyvos, City Limits, and Burger Deluxe, Oceana fits in its new home very well. The new space spreads across 12,000 square feet, with fourteen-foot-high ceilings, large windows that are great for people watching, and, of course, a Nautilus-inspired design. But the biggest change of all just might be the addition of an excellent raw bar, crafted from veined Paneozetti marble and offering a sumptuous array of sea creatures.

Plateaus offer a plethora of outstanding shellfish (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

The raw bar menu features a changing variety of oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster, king crab legs, stone crab claws, mussels, and periwinkles (from which executive chef Ben Pollinger actually removes each individual inedible operculum by hand). On a recent visit we enjoyed Bélons from Brittany, Blue Points from Long Island, Kumamotos from Japan, and Wellfleets from Cape Cod, among other varieties, accompanied by a quartet of outstanding homemade sauces: passion fruit mignonette, curry-based vinaigrette, piquolla aioli, and a fine cocktail sauce. Multilevel “plateaus” of seafood include the Rock ($44) and the Oceana ($120). Pollinger also serves oysters marinated with cucumber, apple, and toasted spices – flavors that surprisingly do not overwhelm the tasty mollusk – in addition to a poke trio of hamachi, salmon, and tuna; hiramasa crudo; and tangy snapper ceviche with roasted corn, hearts of palm, and cilantro. The amuse bouche – a shot of lobster bisque – gets everything going.

Oceana's new raw bar is a decadent delight (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Wine director Roy Mahan has some five hundred wines for diners to choose from, but it’s beer, ale, and stout that traditionally go best with oysters and other shellfish. Mahan has carefully put together a draft-beer menu that includes Allagash White, Ommegang Hennepin, Sixpoint Righteous Rye, and Keegan Mother’s Milk Stout, as well as sixteen international bottles. Oceana also makes elaborate signature cocktails; for example, the Oceana combines fjallagros-infused vodka with yuzu, Serrano, and shiso, while the Marie Leveau mixes Basil Hayden bourbon, amaro, elderflower, and Persian cardamom.

Pastry chef Jansen Chan, who studied architecture and specially designs each dessert both for taste and appearance, prepares a terrific chocolate custard brownie with roasted cinnamon cream and espresso granite that is a fine conclusion to beer and oysters; another excellent choice is Oceana’s famous platter of doughnuts in five different flavors. And come next summer, Oceana is promising another bonus in its new digs – outdoor seating.