this week in film and television

THE WOLF MAN

Lon Chaney, Jr., does some terrible things in 1941 horror classic

THE WOLF MAN (George Waggner, 1941)
Available on DVD

The third jewel in Universal’s horror crown (following 1931’s DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN), THE WOLF MAN stars Lon Chaney, Jr., in his signature role, the goofily charming Larry Talbot, who just happens to have a problem on certain evenings when there is a particularly bright moon. Talbot has returned home to the family mansion after the sudden death of his brother, who appeared to have been mauled by some kind of wild animal. Reunited with his erudite father, Sir John (THE INVISIBLE MAN’s Claude Rains), Larry quickly gets the hots for local antiques dealer Gwen Conliffe, but when their first date involves the tragic death of Gwen’s friend Jenny (Fay Helm) and Bela the Gypsy (Bela Lugosi), Larry becomes a suspect in the murders. And when he keeps waking up with ripped clothing and blood on him, he begins to think that maybe he has indeed done some very terrible things. THE WOLF MAN is the only one of Universal’s three primary horror classics that is not based on a popular novel; instead, Curt Siodmak wrote a fascinating original script that delves deep into the psyche of its protagonist, whose physical and mental transformation echoes the rage inside us all. The all-star cast also features Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Montford, the town constable; Patric Knowles as Frank Andrews, Gwen’s fiancé; and the great Maria Ouspenskaya as the mysterious Gypsy woman Maleva. THE WOLF MAN might not have the chills and thrills of DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN, but it still more than holds its own after all these years. (Oh, and if you’re expecting the famous scene when Chaney’s face goes all hairy, that actually occurs in the sequel, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN.)

THE WOLFMAN

Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins really should have found better things to do than star in horrible horror remake

THE WOLFMAN (Joe Johnston, 2010)
Opens Friday, February 12
www.thewolfmanmovie.com

Universal put together an all-star lineup for its big-budget remake of its own 1941 horror classic, THE WOLF MAN, but everything did not quite go as planned. A year delay was promulgated by the first director, Mark Romanek, quitting, composer Danny Elfman walking out, monster guru Rick Baker having to redo his initial batch of designs, one of the leads unable to join the rest of the cast for some very late reshoots, and a pair of emergency editors being rushed in to salvage at least something. Well, they should have left it all on the cutting-room floor. THE WOLFMAN (yes, they made it one word, probably to make it easier to find in web searches?) is indeed the very disaster it looked like it would be, a soulless reimagining of George Waggner’s psychologically dramatic and sweetly charming original. The schlocky new production stars Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, the prodigal son returning to the family homestead following the disappearance of his highly esteemed brother. Lawrence immediately falls for his brother’s fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), while attempting to get along with his regal father, Sir John (Anthony Hopkins), but all of the relationships in the film feel forced. Director Joe Johnston (JURASSIC PARK III) eschews real terror in favor of cheap thrills and unnecessary violence, although there are a couple of pretty cool beheadings. But by the end, you’ll find yourself laughing out loud at the utterly absurd dialogue, which doesn’t even qualify as camp, though it does come close in a few places.

THE YEAR OF THE TIGER: 4708

Chinatown Lunar New Year celebration goes into full swing this weekend (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
Museum of Chinese in America (and other locations)
211 Centre St. between Howard & Grand Sts.
Thursday – Monday, $7 (free Thursdays 11:00 am – 9:00 pm)
212-619-4785
www.mocanyc.org

The Museum of Chinese in America will be celebrating the Year of the Tiger, 4708, in its beautiful new space on Centre St., honoring the animal that represents courage and bravery. Tonight, Brooklyn-based Chinese Taiwanese American spoken-word artist Kelly Tsai will host an open-mic event dedicated to Valentine’s Day and the Lunar New Year, both of which occur on Sunday, two holidays bathed in beautiful red colors. For the next two Saturdays, MOCA is holding walking tours entitled “Prepare for the New Year in Chinatown.” The Lunar New Year Flower Festival takes place in Sara D. Roosevelt Park on February 12-13, featuring a bevy of cultural programs and traditional festivities, while on Sunday the annual New Year’s Day Firecracker Ceremony and Festival will light off an estimated 600,000 rounds in the park. On February 18, as part of the Free Fridays program at MOCA, the museum will be screening CHINESE ODYSSEY 2002 (Jeffrey Lau, 2002) at 6:30. If you’ve never been to Chinatown in Flushing, the fourteenth annual Lunar New Year Parade and Festival offers an excellent opportunity to check out that growing neighborhood, February 21 beginning at 11:00 am. And the weeklong partying comes to a close that same day with the eleventh annual Lunar New Year Parade and Festival starting in Little Italy at 11:30 am, with Lion Dancers going in and out of local stores and restaurants to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Be sure to stop off for some dumplings, moon cakes, and other festive food, even if you’re not exactly sure what it is. Gung Hey Fat Choy!

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: BEAUTIFUL

Korean psychological thriller looks at beauty and dangerous obsession

BEAUTIFUL (A-LEUM-DAB-DA) (Juhn Jai-hong, 2008)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, February 9, 7:00
Admission: free; reservations accepted at info@koreanculture.org or 212-759-9550
www.subwaycinema.com
www.tribecacinemas.com
www.koreanculture.org

Juhn Jai-hong’s 2008 debut feature, BEAUTIFUL, based on an unfinished script by Kim Ki-duk, is a harrowing psychological tale of dangerous obsession. Cha Soo-yeon stars as Kim Eun-young, a beautiful woman who wants to live a normal life but is constantly harassed by teenage girls who want her autograph, refusing to believe she is not a celebrity, and men who are uncontrollably drawn to her because of her perfect face and body. When one of her many secret admirers attacks her in her apartment, she soon decides to try extreme methods to change her appearance as she begins a slow descent into madness. At first, a local detective (Choi Myeong-soo) seeks to protect her, but he becomes obsessed with her as well, leading to a violent, dramatic conclusion. BEAUTIFUL goes from the ridiculous to the sublime and back again as Kim proclaims her desire to live despite the horrible things that are happening to her, with Junh alternating between the lurid and the exploitative to the poignant and heartbreaking, in some ways a mix of executive producer Kim Ki-Duk’s TIME and BAD GUY. The film is being screened as part of Korean Movie Night presented at Tribeca Cinemas by the Korean Cultural Service; the series continues on February 23 with BREATHLESS, a film written, directed by, and starring Yang Ik-june, followed by three films in March and April (every other Tuesday) that are all being remade in America.

RED RIDING TRILOGY

British trilogy will get special screening at IFC Center

RED RIDING — 1974 (Julian Jarrold, 2009)
RED RIDING — 1980 (James Marsh, 2009)
RED RIDING — 1983 (Anand Tucker, 2009)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com
www.channel4.com

Based on four novels written by British author David Peace (THE DAMNED UNITED), the RED RIDING TRILOGY is an epic crime noir set against the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, a series of murders that took place in England in the 1970s. The first part, RED RIDING — 1970, directed by Julian Jarrold (BRIDESHEAD REVISITED), follows hotshot reporter Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield) as he returns home after an unsuccessful attempt at making a name for himself in the big city. Dunford is investigating the disappearance of several young girls, but he soon gets in too deep, uncovering rampant police corruption, falling for one of the victim’s mothers (Rebecca Hall), and battling powerful businessman John Dawson (Sean Bean), who will stop at nothing to build the area’s first giant shopping complex. The second film, directed by James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE), moves the action to 1980, as Manchester detective Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) is summoned to help capture the Yorkshire Ripper. Trying to put his past behind him, Hunter immediately finds himself up against the local police, particularly Bob Craven (Sean Harris), who is hiding a dark secret. The third film, directed by Anand Tucker (HILARY AND JACKIE), heads forward in time to 1983, as Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey) begins to question his involvement in the corruption and cover-up and ragged lawyer John Piggott (Mark Addy) believes they might have convicted the wrong man.

Sean Bean plays a critical role as corrupt businessman in crime trilogy

Written by Tony Grisoni (FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS), the RED RIDING TRILOGY is a moody, gripping thriller that is part SERPICO, part THE WIRE, part INFERNAL AFFAIRS, with the first film focused on journalism, the second on police procedures, and the third on the law. Although each film — originally made for British television with an eye for international release — can stand on its own, there are recurring characters and overlapping story lines, and the dark, foreboding atmosphere haunts all three works. Despite being made by different directors, the films flow seamlessly into one other and are best seen back to back to back. With that in mind, the IFC Center will be screening the whole series fourteen times from February 5 to 11, beginning each day at 1:00 and 7:00, unfurling this Special Roadshow Edition of the five-hour trilogy for a special price of $25 that comes with a collectors program, free popcorn, two intermissions, and no commercials or trailers. Starting February 12, the films will be shown individually, with separate admissions.

EYES WIDE OPEN (EINAYM PKUHOT)

Moving Israeli film examines forbidden love in a religious Jerusalem community

Haim Tabakman’s debut feature examines forbidden love in Jerusalem

EYES WIDE OPEN (EINAYM PKUHOT) (Haim Tabakman, 2009)
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between Fifth Ave. & University Pl.
Opens Friday, February 5
212-924-3363
www.cinemavillage.com
www.eyeswideopenisrael.org

After his father dies, Aaron (Zohar Shtrauss) decides to keep the family butcher shop going, even taking on a mysterious apprentice, Ezri (Ran Danker), who has arrived in Jerusalem with nowhere to stay and no money. Rumors swirl throughout the tight-knit Orthodox community about Ezri’s past, but Aaron refuses to get rid of him — and soon finds himself unusually attracted to the young gay student. As he fights his desires and tries to keep the burgeoning relationship a secret from his family, his wife (Tinkerbell) starts suspecting something is wrong, and everything he has built threatens to fall apart. A festival favorite at Cannes, Toronto, Karlovy Vary, and last month’s New York Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center, EYES WIDE OPEN is a subtly beautiful examination of forbidden love flying in the face of religious belief. Shtrauss portrays Aaron with an awkward uncomfortability that reveals his character’s painful inner struggle and complex moral dilemma, while Danker infuses Ezri with a quiet power. First-time director Haim Tabakman and screenwriter Merav Doster keep things slow and steady all the way, avoiding genre clichés and grandiose statements in favor of a gentle, compelling narrative that never hits you over the head.

KAREN COOPER CARTE BLANCHE

Jennie Livingston’s PARIS IS BURNING is part of MoMA celebration of Film Forum’s fortieth anniversary

40 YEARS OF DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES AT FILM FORUM
MoMA Film, Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
February 3-20
Tickets: $10, in person only, may be applied to museum admission within thirty days, same-day screenings free with museum admission, available at Film and Media Desk
212-708-9400
www.moma.org

One of the most important, influential, and beloved independent cinema houses in the country, Film Forum has been presenting feature-length narratives, repertory series, and new documentaries since 1970. In 1972, Karen Cooper took over as director, helping Film Forum become the place to go for the best in international cinema. In honor of Film Forum’s fortieth anniversary, Cooper has curated an exciting retrospective of nonfiction works that premiered at the three-screen art house, which has been located on West Houston St. for two decades. The series includes such seminal documentaries as Nathaniel Kahn’s MY ARCHITECT, Bruce Weber’s LET’S GET LOST, Rudy Burckhardt’s UNDER THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, Agnès Varda’s THE GLEANERS AND I, Terry Zwigoff’s CRUMB, Kevin Rafferty’s THE ATOMIC CAFÉ, D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’s THE WAR ROOM, and Jennie Livingston’s PARIS IS BURNING in addition to films by Werner Herzog, Frederick Wiseman, Mosco Boucault, Paul Cox, and others. On February 5 at 7:00, Cooper and George Griffin will introduce short films from Serious Business Company, including Griffin’s VIEWMASTER, Bruce Conner’s TAKE THE 5:10 TO DREAMLAND, Anita Thacher’s HOMAGE TO MAGRITTE, Scott Bartlett’s 1970, and Karen and David Crommie’s THE LIFE AND DEATH OF FRIDA KAHLO AS TOLD TO DAVID AND KAREN CROMMIE. This MoMA series is a marvelous way to celebrate one of the city’s shining jewels and, for those of you who have never been to Film Forum, to discover what the rest of us already know.