this week in film and television

WEEKLY LISTINGS: Oct. 21-28

Artistically redesigned bikes are on view at armory before going to auction (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

ARTS AT THE ARMORY: STAGES
Park Ave. Armory
643 Park Ave. between 66th & 67th Sts.
Admission: free
212-616-3930
http://www.armoryonpark.org
http://www.livestrong.org

Through Thursday, October 22 Exhibit of bicycles used by Lance Armstrong while training to return to competition, designed by Damien Hirst, Yoshitomo Nara, Kenny Scharf, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, and Marc Newson, which will be put up for auction at Sotheby’s November 1, along with a preview of painting and sculpture that will be part of an exhibition at Deitch later this month, including works by Cai Guo-Qiang, Raymond Pettibon, Richard Prince, Dustin Yellin, Os Gemeos, and a fab bike by Tom Sachs; all proceeds benefit the LiveStrong foundation

Vella Lovell (Andromache, seated) and Sol Marina Crespo (Hermione) star in new version of Euripides' ANDROMACHE

EURIPIDES’ ANDROMACHE
Workmen’s Circle
45 East 33rd St.
Tickets: $8-$20
http://www.fullofnoises.org

Through Sunday, October 25 Greek tragedy is staged in New York City is staged for the first time ever in a new version by Jesse Alexander Myerson

ANCIENT PATHS, MODERN VOICES
Carnegie Hall
57th St. at Seventh Ave.
212-247-7800
http://www.carnegiehall.org/chinafestival

Wednesday, October 21
through
Tuesday, November 10 Three weeks of special events and exhibitions celebrating Chinese culture

LOOKING FOR CALVIN AND HOBBES
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
594 Broadway, Suite 401
Admission: $5
212-354-3511
http://www.moccany.org

Thursday, October 22 Nevin Martell, author of LOOKING FOR CALVIN AND HOBBES, in conversation with cartoonist Ruben (“Tom the Dancing Bug”) Bolling, discuss the life and career of Bill Waterson, 7:00

SUSIE ESSMAN
Carolines on Broadway
1626 Broadway at 50th St.
Reservations required
212-757-4100
http://www.carolines.com

Thursday, October 22
through
Saturday, October 24 Comedian and actress Susie Essman returns to Carolines hot on the heels of the new season of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and the release of her new book, WHAT WOULD SUSIE SAY?

R. CRUMB IN CONVERSATION WITH FRANÇOIS MOULY
Barnes & Noble Union Square
33 East 17th St.
Admission: free
212-253-0810
http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Friday, October 23 R. Crumb and François Mouly team up in a discussion, visual presentation, and signing of THE BOOK OF GENESIS, 7:00

dangergiantess

GIRLS & BOYS PRESENTS THE AM ONLY CMJ SHOWCASE
Webster Hall
125 East Eleventh St. between Third & Fourth Aves.
Tickets: $15-$25 ($1 entry and $1 drinks with below link)
Girls get in free all night long
http://www.websterhall.com/dollardaze/friday
http://www.websterhall.com

Friday, October 23 Yes Giantess, Red Wire Black Wire, Vega, We Are Enfant Terrible, Body Language, Two Fresh, and Beast in the Studio (7:00 pm – 12 midnight), with Danger, Felix Cartal, Filthy Dukes, Bird Peterson, Mickey Factz, Wallpaper, 12th Planet, and Shout Out Out Out Out in the Main Room (11:00 pm – 5:00 am), resident DJs Alex English, Gavin Royce, Kids with Snakes, Gavin Royce, and Rekles, Trash! with DJ Jess & Alex Malfunction, and more, 10:00

John William Coddling adds a whole new level of fear to Christopher Walken

SUNDAYS WITH CHRIS
DVF Gallery
444 West 14th St. between Washington St. & the West Side Highway
Admission: free
http://www.sundayswithchris.com

Friday, October 23
through
Sunday, November 1 Exhibition of John William Codling’s obsessive paintings of Christopher Walken

Maya Lin exhibit will continue through October 24 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

MAYA LIN: THREE WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE EARTH
PaceWildenstein
545 West 22nd St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Through October 24
Admission: free
212-421-3292
http://pacewildenstein.com
http://www.salon94.com
When we saw Maya Lin’s “Systematic Landscapes” at the Corcoran earlier this year, each piece was squeezed into a different room, photographs were not allowed, and interaction with some of the works was not allowed. Things are very different at PaceWildenstein in Chelsea, where visitors can snap pictures, get up close and personal with the art, and even stick their heads through various openings. The three large-scale pieces offer environmentally friendly alternate takes on physical landscapes, from the ocean to mountains to a hill, and they are arranged so that all three can be seen at the same time, a boon for architecture lovers. While “Three Ways of Looking at the Earth” ends October 24, Lin’s “Recycled Landscapes,” consisting of colorful, smaller sculptures made out of plastic toys and other found objects, will continue at Salon 94 (12 East 94th St.) through November 13.

GREENPOINT OKTOBERFEST
Transmitter Park, Brooklyn waterfront
1 Greenpoint Ave. near West St.
Admission: free

Sunday, October 25 Beers and brauts, as well as root “bier” floats, pumpkin decorating, face painting, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, Hallo Berlin, Robicelli’s Cupcaes, live music by Michna and Cowboy Mark, DJ Synapse, and brews as Blue Point Old Howling Bastard, Nut Brown Ale, Hoptical Illusion, Black Chocolate Stout, Benegali Tiger, and more, 12 noon – 8:00 pm

GOODWILL NY/NJ COSTUME DESIGN CLOTHING SWAP
Boxcar Lounge
168 Ave. B between East Tenth & Eleventh Sts.
Admission: $5 Goodwill donation or one bag of lightly used, freshly laundered clothing
http://goodwillnynj.wordpress.com

Sunday, October 25 Crafters from I Love to Create will be on hand to help people make low-cost, environmentally friendly costumes for Halloween, with music, drink specials, 3:00 – 7:00

GRANA PADANO
Multiple locations
Admission: free
http://www.nycmarathon.org/schedule.htm

Tuesday, October 27
through
Sunday, November 1 In preparation for the New York City Marathon, Italian cheesemaker Grana Padano will be offering tastings and in-store promotions at BuonItalia in Chelsea Market, Di Palo’s Fine Foods in Little Italy, and Murray’s Cheese in Grand Central and on Bleecker St.

FOOD BEWARE

One French village tries to do something about unhealthy food in important doc

FOOD BEWARE: THE FRENCH ORGANIC REVOLUTION
(NOS ENFANTS NOUS ACCUSERONT) (THAT SHOULD NOT BE) (Jean-Paul Jaud, 2008)

Quad Cinema
34 West 13th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Opens Friday, October 16
212-255-8800
http://firstrunfeatures.com
http://quadcinema.com

Director Jean-Paul Jaud puts a whole new spin on the old adage “You are what you eat” with FOOD BEWARE, an important documentary on the increasing hazards of chemicals and pesticides in food production. Jaud travels to a small village in France where the entire community — including farmers, teachers, politicians, parents, and children — are trying to do something about it. Hammering viewers over the head with frightening statistics, especially the cancer rate among children, Jaud reveals how the village is turning organic, the villagers having decided that the health of current and future generations is worth the added monetary cost. Jaud also cuts in segments from a UNESCO symposium where scientists are warning that people everywhere must start concentrating more on health and the environment when it comes to food production and consumption or face the devastating consequences. At nearly two hours, FOOD BEWARE is too long, and there are so many numbers that they threaten to get lost, but the film is a crucially important document in the fight for healthy food and shows how one community is able to do it, providing a blueprint for the rest of the world.

THALIA FILM SUNDAYS: AMERICAN CASINO

Documentary look at American mortgage crisis

THALIA FILM SUNDAYS: AMERICAN CASINO (Leslie Cockburn, 2009)

Symphony Space, Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Sunday, October 18 & 25 and November 1, $11, 4:00 & 8:00
212-864-5400
http://www.symphonyspace.org
http://www.americancasinothemovie.com

“I have spent much of my career filming in war zones and postapocalyptic societies — Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan,” notes director Leslie Cockburn in a statement about her latest film, AMERICAN CASINO. “But I never expected such a disaster at home.” Beginning in January 2008, Leslie Cockburn and her husband, writer-producer Andrew Cockburn, began to delve into the U.S. financial crisis, focusing on the controversy surrounding the subprime mortgage loan fiasco. What they found was both shocking and infuriating. Bloomberg financial reporter Mark Pittman and Professor Michael Greenberger explain how it all happened from the Wall Street side, while mortgage bond salespeople and loan officers describe doctoring forms and making up numbers in order to push through loans that were clearly destined for foreclosure. The Cockburns personalize all the billions of dollars by speaking with Maryland high school teacher Denzel Mitchell, Rev. Almalene Wade, and Johns Hopkins therapist Patricia McNair, three individuals seeking the American dream but instead facing being homeless. And it’s no coincidence that Mitchell, Wade, and McNair are all black, as the Cockburns reveal that low-income minority communities were specifically targeted by banks and mortgage companies, who were building a house of cards destined to collapse. AMERICAN CASINO has several slow patches that meander a bit, as if the filmmakers needed to stretch it to reach its running time of eighty-nine minutes, but hang in there — you’re not going to want to miss how exterminator Jared Dever connects to the crisis.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Max becomes king of the Wild Things in fantastical film

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (Spike Jonze, 2009)

Opens Friday, October 16
http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com

The endlessly inventive Spike Jonze (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION.) has done the seemingly impossible, expanding Maurice Sendak’s classic 1963 children’s book, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, into a fun and fantastical feature-length film. Written by Jonze and Dave Eggers (A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS), the movie uses the ten sentences of the book and Sendak’s magical characters and transforms them into a world of wonder. Acting out after his sister’s friends crush his igloo and his divorced mother (Catherine Keener) ignores him in favor of a new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo), nine-year-old Max (Max Records) runs away and sails across the ocean, landing on a faraway island where seven giant monsters live. In search of a leader, they name Max king, but he gets more than he bargained for as the ruler of the cynical Judith (voiced by Catherine O’Hara), the dumpy Ira (Forest Whitaker), the independent KW (Lauren Ambrose), the mysterious Bull (Michael Berry Jr.), the sad sack Alexander (Paul Dano), the dependable Douglas (Chris Cooper), and, most importantly, the manic-depressive Carol (James Gandolfini).

Carol and Max develop an unforgettable relationship in WILD THINGS

Each character represents a different part of Max, a developing emotion that he must learn to deal with as he grows up. He is immediately drawn to Carol, whom he first sees destroying the group’s small, makeshift homes, echoing Max’s feelings about his own family situation. Max’s relationship with Carol — himself in the midst of a breakup with KW — is the heart of the story, as Carol goes from one extreme to another, at one point bouncing around the forest with sheer glee, then snuggling up with everyone in a warming group sleep, and finally turning into a dangerous ogre. As Jonze has pointed out, WILD THINGS, which has the full blessing of Sendak, is not necessarily a movie for children but about childhood. It beautifully captures a child’s innate sense of adventure and imagination while also showing that choices come with consequences. Fans of the book will be amazed at how well Jonze depicts the Wild Things themselves, which come alive as if they just jumped right out of the pages of the book; actors (not the voice-over artists) are in the costumes, their faces digitally manipulated by CGI effects, but they feel as real as they did when your mother first read you the enchanting story while tucking you in your bed.

BLACK DYNAMITE

BLACK DYNAMITE is not as explosive as it could have been

BLACK DYNAMITE (Scott Sanders, 2008)

Opens Friday, October 16
http://www.blackdynamite.com

In the 1970s, the so-called blaxploitation genre gave rise to such films as SHAFT, SUPER FLY, ACROSS 110th STREET, CLEOPATRA JONES, BLACK CAESAR, and DOLEMITE, movies of varying degrees of quality that tackled such themes as urban drug use, prostitution, and crime, made primarily by black filmmakers with black actors and comedians and rousing soul soundtracks. In 1997, Quentin Tarantino paid homage to the genre with JACKIE BROWN, while Keenen Ivory Wayans spoofed it in 1988’s I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA. Scott Sanders’s BLACK DYNAMITE, which screened at the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, can’t decide whether it’s paying tribute to the genre, spoofing it, or merely remaking it, leaving it in a no-man’s land with some very funny scenes that ultimately fall flat as a whole.

Cowriter Michael Jai White stars as Black Dynamite, a mythic figure determined to clean up the ghetto. But when his brother, Jimmy (Baron Vaughn), is murdered, he sets out to find the killers and exact his punishing revenge. A kung fu master who is expert with both a .44 Magnum and a shiny set of nunchucks, BD’s search leads him to such genre-worthy characters as Osiris (Obba Babatunde), Cream Corn (Tommy Davidson), Afroditey (Dionne Gipson), Tasty Freeze (Arsenio Hall), Sweet Meat (Brian McKnight), Mahogany Black (Nicole Ari Parker), Kotex (John Salley), Mo Bitches (Miguel Nunez), Chicago Wind (Mykelti Williamson), Honey Bee (Kym Whitley), Bullhorn (cowriter Byron Minns), Back Hand Jack (Bokeem Woodbine), and Chocolate Giddy-Up (Cedric Yarbrough). As actors trip over their lines, the boom mic gets in the way, and purposefully bad edits elicit some laughs, they also become repetitive. The soundtrack features original songs that too often mimic exactly what’s going on in the plot, including “Jimmy’s Apartment,” “Man with the Heat,” “Anaconda Malt Liquor,” and “Your Kiss Sho Nuff Dynamite.” The film had us much of the way, but things really fall apart when President Nixon (James McManus) enters the fray.

SCARY MOVIES 3

Cult favorite CANDYMAN offers many sweet treats

Walter Reade Theater
65th Street between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Series Pass: $45
212-875-5600
http://filmlinc.com

For its third year of seasonal flicks to get you in the mood for Halloween, the Film Society of Lincoln Center is presenting another eclectic group of scary movies, from such genre masters as Clive Barker, Dario Argento, and Terence Fisher as well as directors who are not necessarily as well known for their horror work, including Peter Jackson and Jerzy Skolimowski (whose film THE SHOUT is one of the all-time crazy existential frightfests). You might not want to eat right before seeing many of these films, as several of them involve, well, food-related issues, from cannibalism to finger fries. The series has some fine star power, featuring such creepy and cool characters as Peter Lorre, Jennifer Connelly, Rutger Hauer, Samantha Eggar, Oliver Reed, Virginia Madsen, Alan Bates, Susannah York, Guy Pearce, Donald Pleasence, and, of course, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. In addition, some of the writers/directors/producers will be around to introduce their work or participate in postscreening Q&As — we’re particularly psyched that John Landis will be discussing his great AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON on October 15.

Monday, October 12, 7:00 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (Oren Peli, 2007)

Monday, October 12, 9:30
and
Tuesday, October 13, 4:00 MACABRE (the Mo Brothers, 2009)

Monday, October 12, 2:30
and
Thursday, October 15, 6:00 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (Tom Savini, 1990)

Monday, October 12, 4:30
and
Friday, October 16, 9:00 DEAD-ALIVE (Peter Jackson, 1992)

Tuesday, October 13, 6:00
Thursday, October 15, 4:00
and
Sunday, October 18, 5:00 THE SHOUT (Jerzy Skolimowski, 1978)

Tuesday, October 13, 2:00
and
Saturday, October 17, 9:35 THE BROOD (David Cronenberg, 1979)

David Cronenberg's THE BROOD is one of many frightfests at Lincoln Center

Wednesday, October 14, 1:30
and
Thursday, October 15, 8:00 AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (John Landis, 1981), followed by a Q&A with writer-director John Landis

Wednesday, October 14, 9:00
and
Sunday, October 18, 2:45 CREEPERS (aka PHENOMENA) (Dario Argento, 1985)

Thursday, October 15, 2:00
and
Friday, October 16, 6:30 LONG WEEKEND (Colin Eggleston, 1978), followed by a Q&A with producer Richard Brennan

Friday, October 16, 4:20
and
Monday, October 19, 9:30 RAVENOUS (Antonia Bird, 1999)

Friday, October 16, 2:00
and
Sunday, October 18, 7:00 WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? AKA ISLAND OF THE DAMNED / ¿QUIÉN PUEDE MATAR A UN NIÑO? (Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, 1976)

Saturday, October 17, 6:00
and
Wednesday, October 21, 4:10 HORROR OF DRACULA (Terence Fisher, 1958)

Saturday, October 17, 7:45
and
Wednesday, October 21, 2:15 THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (Terence Fisher, 1961)

Sunday, October 18, 9:15
and
Monday, October 19, 4:30 THE STEPFATHER (Joseph Ruben, 1987)

Monday, October 19, 2:30
and
Wednesday, October 21, 6:00 CANDYMAN (Bernard Rose, 1992)

Tuesday, October 20, 2:00
and
Tuesday, October 20, 9:00: THE HITCHER (Robert Harmon, 1986), introduced by writer Eric Red

Tuesday, October 20, 4:30
and
Thursday, October 22, 9:30 THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS (Robert Florey, 1946)

Tuesday, October 20, 6:30: followed by a Q&A with writer-director Eric Red
and
Thursday, October 22, 2:00 100 FEET (Eric Red, 2008)

THE DAMNED UNITED

Michael Sheen scores as UK football manager Brian Clough

THE DAMNED UNITED (Tom Hooper, 2009)
http://www.sonyclassics.com/thedamnedunited

Screenwriter and playwright Peter Morgan has become the go-to guy in British film for retelling fascinating fact-based stories. In the past few years he has written or cowritten THE QUEEN, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, and FROST/NIXON. Although he writes sharp, biting dialogue, he also makes a lot of it up to propel the narrative, creating scenes and conversations that might or might not have actually happened. After attending an advance screening of his latest film, THE DAMNED UNITED, set in the world of British football (soccer) between 1969 and 1974, we took the elevator down with an American who had lived in England at the time and was a huge sports fan. When we asked him how accurate the film seemed to him, he looked at us with a happy grin and told us, “It’s all true.”

Directed by Tom Hooper (JOHN ADAMS, LONGFORD), THE DAMNED UNITED follows the exploits of frightfully ambitious football manager Brian Clough (Michael Sheen), who coaches low-level Derby County but is determined to take over Leeds United, the champions whom he believes win because of their aggressively dirty and illegal style of play. The strongly opinionated Clough, who seems to get into some kind of trouble with someone every time he opens his mouth, is accompanied on his journey by his trusted sidekick, Peter Taylor (the incomparable Timothy Spall), who tries his best to keep the younger, brash Clough in check, with only limited success. Despite his admirable triumph with Derby, Clough has his sights set on a very personal goal – replacing legendary Leeds manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney) and topping his achievements.

Colm Meaney is eerily good as Leeds legend Don Evie

Colm Meaney is eerily good as Leeds legend Don Revie

Based on the novel by David Peace, THE DAMNED UNITED is much more than just a sports movie, and you don’t need to know (or like) anything about soccer to get sucked into its charm. At its heart, it’s a rather tender love story between Clough and Taylor (who kiss and hug numerous times in the film, though not necessarily romantically), with trouble perpetually on the horizon in the form of Revie. The three leads are absolutely extraordinary, showing off a whirlwind of acting chops, along with Jim Broadbent, who plays the cigar-chomping owner of Derby County who is in constant battles with Clough. Sheen, who has been so effective bringing to life such real-life figures as Tony Blair, David Frost, H. G. Wells, and even Nero, once again stands out from the crowd, capturing the heart and soul of the blindly driven Clough.