this week in film and television

THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE

Walter Matthau tries to get to the bottom of a bizarre subway heist in THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE

THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (Joseph Sargent, 1974)
92YTribeca
200 Hudson St. at Canal St.
Wednesday, March 3, $12, 8:00
212-415-5500
www.92YTribeca.org/film

Loosely adapted from the book by John Godey, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE wonderfully captures the cynicism of 1970s New York City. Four heavily armed and mustached men — Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), Mr. Green (Martin Balsam), Mr. Gray (Hector Elizondo), and Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman), colorful pseudonyms that influenced Quentin Tarantino’s RESERVOIR DOGS — hijack an uptown 4 train, demanding one million dollars in one hour from a nearly bankrupt city or else they will kill all eighteen passengers, one at a time, minute by minute. The hapless mayor (Lee Wallace) is in bed with the flu, so Deputy Mayor Warren LaSalle (Tony Roberts) takes charge on the political end while transit detective Lt. Zachary Garber (a great Walter Matthau) and Inspector Daniels (Julius Harris) of the NYPD team up to try to figure out just how in the world the criminals expect to get away with the seemingly impossible heist. Directed by Joseph Sargent (SYBIL), the film offers a nostalgic look back at a bygone era, before technology radically changed the way trains are run and police work is handled. The film also features a very funny, laconic Jerry Stiller as Lt. Rico Patrone and the beloved Kenneth McMillan as the borough commander. The film was remade as a television movie in 1998, starring Edward James Olmos, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Lorraine Bracco, and as an embarrassingly bad big-budget bomb in 2009 by Tony Scott, who we’re hoping won’t ruin his upcoming remake of THE WARRIORS as well. The March 3 screening of the original TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE at 92YTribeca will be hosted by Elliot Kalan and feature special guest Wyatt Cenac from THE DAILY SHOW.

FIVE EASY PIECES

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

FIVE EASY PIECES (Bob Rafelson, 1970)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
February 26 – March 4
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.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; 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 at Film Forum for one week in a brand-new 35mm restoration in honor of its fortieth anniversary.

THE ART OF THE STEAL

Dr. Albert Barnes’s legacy is torn to shreds in gripping documentary

THE ART OF THE STEAL (Don Argott, 2009)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
Opens Friday, February 26
212-924-7771
www.ifcfilms.com
www.ifccenter.com

Director Don Argott details a very different kind of art theft in the gripping documentary THE ART OF THE STEAL. But in this case, it’s not a famous painting that disappears from a museum in the middle of the night but an entire collection, as well as a man’s legacy, absconded with in full view of the art world. In 1922, Dr. Albert C. Barnes established the Barnes Foundation, displaying his remarkable collection of post-Impressionism art in an arboretum in Merion, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia. His goal was to share his magnificent works — including a stunning array of paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Seurat, and Van Gogh — with bona fide art lovers and students, setting up a school and denying access to the general public, the mass media, and the rich and powerful. He adamantly refused to let any single piece ever be loaned, sold, or moved, outlining the demand very specifically in his will. After his death in 1951, Violette de Mazia continued to carry out his wishes as the Arboretum School expanded, but when she died in 1988, the trust was put in the hands of small Lincoln University and suddenly the Barnes Foundation, which had treasured its privacy, was put into play as politicians, charities, collectors such as the Annenbergs, the press, and the public at large descended on the Barnes like vultures, everyone wanting a piece of the action. Argott follows the money with archival footage and photographs and new interviews with many of those involved on both sides of the caper — although several of the more prominent “thieves” refused to participate. THE ART OF THE STEAL is a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the ritzy art world, a must-see for art lovers who get to peek behind the scenes of a multibillion-dollar heist going on in plain sight.

MEMORIES & MURDERERS

Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) is searching for his missing daughter in THE HOST

THE FILMS OF BONG JOON-HO
BAMcinématek
BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
February 25 – March 1
718-636-4100
www.bam.org

In 2006, South Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho burst onto the international cinematic landscape with the sleeper hit THE HOST, a modern-day monster movie with a lot of heart. He followed that up with the touching segment “Shaking Tokyo” in the compilation film TOKYO! and now is back with the highly anticipated MOTHER. BAMcinématek is paying tribute to the director with a five-day festival that includes all of his work, from 2000’s BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE through 2003’s MEMORIES OF MURDER, THE HOST, and a collection of shorts. Bong will be on hand for the February 26 screening of MOTHER and the February 27 6:30 screening of THE HOST, introducing the films and participating in postscreening Q&As. Bong will also take part in a special program at the Korea Society on February 25, featuring a reception, clips from MOTHER, and a discussion moderated by film professor Michael Atkinson ($15, 212-759-7525, 6:00)

Local detectives are searching for a serial killer in MEMORIES OF MURDER

MEMORIES OF MURDER (SALINUI CHUEOK) (Bong Joon-ho, 2003)
Thursday, February 25, 7:30
www.magpictures.com

Inspired by actual events, Bong Joon-ho’s MEMORIES OF MURDER is a psychological thriller set in a rural South Korean town. With a serial killer on the loose, Seoul sends experienced inspector Suh (Kim Sang-kyung) to help with the case, which is being bungled by local detectives Park (Song Kang-ho) and Cho (Kim Roe-ha), who consistently tamper with evidence, bring in the wrong suspects, and torture them in both brutal and ridiculously funny ways. But as the frustration level builds and more victims are found, even Suh starts considering throwing away the book and doing whatever is necessary to catch the killer. Bong’s first major success, earning multiple awards at film festivals around the world, MEMORIES OF MURDER is a well-paced police procedural that contains just enough surprises to overcome a few too many genre clichés. The film is beautifully shot by Kim Hyung-gu, from wide-open landscapes to a busy, crowded factory. But the film is dominated by Song’s (THE HOST, THIRST) big, round face, a physical and emotional wonder whether he’s goofing around with a prisoner or dead-set on catching a criminal.

THE HOST (GWOEMUL) (Bong Joon-ho, 2006)
Saturday, February 27, 6:30, 9:30
www.magpictures.com

Several years after the government improperly disposes of chemical waste, a huge monster appears under a bridge on the Han River. The lazy, childlike Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho), who works at his grandfather’s food stand on the shore — that is, when he’s not sleeping — tries desperately to save his young daughter, Hyun-seo (Ko A-sung), from the creature’s grasp, but when the monster runs off with her, Gang-du does everything in his limited power to try to get her back — if she’s even still alive. He gets help from his well-dressed brother and Olympian archer sister, who are determined to rescue their niece, but the creature has no intentions of just coughing her up. THE HOST wants to be more than just another monster movie, injecting humor and strong family bonds, but it never quite pulls itself together. For every great scene with the creature, there’s a silly scene with the family that misses the mark. Still, Song is a hoot to watch, and the special effects folks have created one heck of a cool monster.

WAVERLY MIDNIGHTS: BIGELOW VS. CAMERON

Former husband and wife James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow claim to still be good friends, but they’ll be battling it out in Hollywood and the IFC Center

Former husband and wife James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow claim to still be good friends, but they’ll be battling it out for directorial supremacy in Hollywood and the IFC Center

IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
Weekends at midnight, February 26 – April 17
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com

The IFC Center isn’t waiting until March 7 to watch Kathryn Bigelow battle it out for Oscar supremacy against former husband James Cameron. Starting this Friday night and continuing into April, IFC will match up the writer-directors of THE HURT LOCKER and AVATAR by screening their earlier works on alternating weekends at midnight, a cool collection of underrated flicks and big-budget epics that all contain elements of genius, nearly every one action-packed, filled with chills and spills — and Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Yes, movie lovers, the fight kicks off February 26 with Bigelow’s kitschy classic, POINT BREAK (1991), in which FBI Agents Johnny Utah (Reeves!) and Pappas (Gary Busey!) chase surfing bad boy Bodhi (Swayze!) along the beautiful beaches of California. POINT BREAK will be tough to beat, but Cameron’s THE ABYSS (1989) will go where its challenger did not — deep underwater with Ed Harris (March 5-6). Cammie and Biggie, who were husband and wife from 1989 to 1991, will both enter round two with Jamie Lee Curtis by their side, either basking in the glow of Oscar or wallowing in sheer misery, pitting Kathryn’s 1989 cop drama BLUE STEEL (March 12-13) against Jim’s explosive 1994 remake of a French film, TRUE LIES (March 19-20), followed by KB’s misunderstood STRANGE DAYS (1995) against JC’s awesome ALIENS (1986). If there’s still any doubt as to whom the victor is, the IFC Center has loaded the deck for the last round, as Big’s 1987 vampire drama NEAR DARK (April 9-10) stands little chance against Cam’s 1984 favorite, THE TERMINATOR (April 16-17), in which Ahnold will make sure who the winner is, even if he has to travel through time to make it so.

FILM COMMENT SELECTS: LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL

Kim Tae-woo is outstanding as annoying, self-obsessed auteur in Hong Sangsoo’s LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL

LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL (JAL ALJIDO MOT HAMYEONSUH) (Hong Sangsoo, 2009)
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater
70 Lincoln Center Plaza, 65th St. at Amsterdam Ave.
March 2, 3:45 & 9:00; March 3, 6:00
Series runs through March 4, $12 per screening, All Access Pass $129
212-875-6500
www.filmlinc.com
www.blog.naver.com

South Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo’s latest film about a South Korean auteur, LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL, is another intriguing examination of art and sex in contemporary society, following NIGHT AND DAY (2008), WOMAN ON THE BEACH (2006), TALE OF CINEMA (2005), and WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN (2004). Hong, who has served as a juror at several film festivals and whose work has screened at fests all over the world, sets his latest self-reflexive story at the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival, where director Ku will be part of the jury. But it turns out that Ku is a self-absorbed, insensitive, and subtly obnoxious filmmaker who cares only about himself, walking away from fans and colleagues in the middle of a conversation or in the midst of signing an autograph, interested only in listening to people praise his own talent, which has been relegated to art-house films that few people see and even fewer understand. After leaving the festival to teach a class at a school on Jeju Island, he visits with a famous painter and former mentor who has unknowingly married Ku’s first love, setting the stage for the creepy Ku to perform yet more selfish acts. Kim Tae-woo is outstanding in the lead role, playing the self-obsessed director with an unerring casualness that makes him more absurdly ridiculous than conniving and mean-spirited. With a little bit of Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 here, Woody Allen’s STARDUST MEMORIES there, Hong once again reveals the soft underbelly of ego within the film industry, but he also needs to edit himself more, as the bittersweet, slyly ironic LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL, made for a mere $100,000, is his latest film to clock in at more than two hours.

Matt Damon stars in closing-night film, Paul Greengrass’s GREEN ZONE

LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL is screening as part of Film Comment Selects, the cinephile magazine’s tenth annual examination of international works that have been overlooked, have not yet received distribution, or deserve to be rediscovered. The series, held at the Walter Reade Theater, runs through March 4 and includes such films as Elia Suleiman’s THE TIME THAT REMAINS, Edward Yang’s A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s AIR DOLL, a four-film focus on Philippe Grandrieux, Carl Foreman’s THE VICTORS, and a special screening of THE AVIATOR’S WIFE in honor of the late Eric Rohmer.

FILM COMMENT SELECTS: AIR DOLL

Nozomi (Bae Doona) dreams that there’s more to life in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s AIR DOLL

AIR DOLL (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2009)
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater
70 Lincoln Center Plaza, 65th St. at Amsterdam Ave.
Tuesday, February 23, 6:15; Saturday, February 27, 1:30
Series: February 19 – March 4, $12 per screening, All Access Pass $129
212-875-6500
www.filmlinc.com

Over the last fifteen years, Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda has compiled a remarkable resume, directing seven narrative features and one documentary that investigate such themes as memory and loss. His latest, AIR DOLL, examines loneliness through the eyes of a blow-up doll come to life. Bae Doona stars as Nozomi, a plastic sex toy owned by Hideo (Itsuji Itao), a restaurant worker who treats her like his wife, telling her about his day, sitting with her at the dinner table, and making love to her at night. But suddenly, one morning, Nozomi achieves consciousness, discovering that she has a heart, and she puts on her French maid costume and goes out into the world, learning about life by wandering through the streets and working in a video store, always returning home before Hideo and pretending to still be the doll. Adapted from a manga by Yoshiie Goda, AIR DOLL is another beautiful, meditative study from Kore-eda. Nozomi’s wide-eyed innocence at the joys of life comes sweet and slowly, played with a subtle wonderment by South Korean model and actress Bae (SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, THE HOST). The film does, however, take one nasty turn and is a bit too long, at more than two hours. But it’s still another contemplative gem from the director of MABOROSI, NOBODY KNOWS, and STILL WALKING.

Movie lovers will be flocking to see George A. Romero’s latest zombie flick, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, and other underseen, overlooked gems at Lincoln Center

AIR DOLL is screening as part of Film Comment Selects, the cinephile magazine’s tenth annual examination of international works that have been overlooked, have not yet received distribution, or deserve to be rediscovered. The series, held at the Walter Reade Theater, begins February 19 with Jonathan Kaplan’s 1979 drama OVER THE EDGE, which will include a cast reunion (Matt Dillon and Vincent Spano!) and after-party, and ends March 4 with Paul Greengrass’s GREEN ZONE. The festival also includes Edward Yang’s 1991 epic A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY, a program of Godard rarities, Hong Sang-soo’s insightfully funny LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL, a four-film focus on Philippe Grandrieux, a Kiyoshi Kurosawa double bill of THE REVENGE: A VISIT FROM FATE and THE REVENGE: A SCAR THAT NEVER FADES, a special screening of THE AVIATOR’S WIFE in honor of the late Eric Rohmer, and even George. A. Romero’s latest zombiefest, SURIVIVAL OF THE DEAD, among other films from Hong Kong, Denmark, France, and Russia. On February 27, AIR DOLL will be shown as part of a $40 Day Pass along with Luc Moullet’s THE LAND OF MADNESS, Patrice Chéreau’s PERSECUTION, and the Romanian compilation TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE.