A four-day program at White Box celebrates the centenary of the birth of revolutionary sound artist John Cage
White Box
329 Broome St. between Grand & Delancey Sts.
December 20-23, suggested donation $10
www.eartotheearth.org
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New York City’s celebration of the centennial of John Cage’s birth continues with an impressive collection of audiovisual programs December 20-23 at White Box. Held in conjunction with Ear to the Earth and MA.P.S (Media Arts, Performance, and Sound), “100 x John: A Global Salute to John Cage” consists of one hundred compositions and sound projects, beginning Thursday at 5:00 with “Phill Niblock: Four Videos from Working Title, in which Niblock will present a multimedia examination of his life and art. At 7:00, “Cagean Mix #1: Sounds from Around the World” is highlighted by a sound collage organized by Joel Chadabe and video improvisation by Luke DuBois, followed at 8:00 by solo soundscapes by Rodolphe Alexis, Adam Gooderham, Walter Bianchi, Warren Burt, Thomas Gerwin, and Arsenije Jovanovic. Friday night’s program includes “Cagean Mix #2: Sounds of Water and the Natural World” at 7:00 and performances by Joseph Kubera, Susan Kaprov and Don Bosley, and David Rothenberg. On Saturday at 12 noon, “Sounds and Images” comprises solo pieces by David de Gandarias, Jovanovic, Alexis, Leah Barclay, and Annea Lockwood, followed by a book talk at 3:00 with Kay Larson, author of Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Inner Life of Artists; at 8:00, there will be performances by Garth Paine, Guy Barash, and Richard Lainhart. The festival concludes on Sunday with a Christmas party and “Cagean Mix #3: Sounds of New York City” at 5:00 and “Shelley Hirsh, Katherine Liberovskaya, Gil Arno: New York Stories” at 8:00. To get a sneak peek at some of the “100 x John” soundscapes, go here.
After collaborating on a number of works by such auteurs as Mauro Bolognini and Federico Fellini, poet and novelist Pier Paolo Pasolini made his directorial debut in 1961 with the gritty, not-quite-neo-realist Accattone (“scrounger” or “beggar”). Somewhat related to his books Ragazzi di vita and Una vita violenta, the film is set in the Roman borgate, where brash young Vittorio “Accattone” Cataldi (Franco Citti) survives by taking crazy bets — like swimming across a river known for swallowing up people’s lives — and working as a pimp. After a group of local men beat up his main money maker (Silvana Corsini), he meets the more naive Stella (Franca Pasut), whom he starts dating with an eye toward perhaps converting into a prostitute as well. Meanwhile, he tries to establish a relationship with his son, but his estranged wife and her family want nothing to do with him. Filmed in black-and-white by master cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli, Accattone is highlighted by a series of memorable shots, from Accattone’s gorgeous dive from a bridge to a close-up of his face covered in sand, many of which were inspired by Baroque art and set to music by Bach. Written with Sergio Citti and featuring a production assistant named Bernardo Bertolucci, the story delves into the dire poverty in the slums of Rome, made all the more real by Pasolini’s use of both professional and nonprofessional actors. Accattone is screening December 14 and 27 as part of MoMA’s “Pier Paolo Pasolini” series, a full career retrospective that runs December 13 to January 5 and includes such special events as “Recital: An Evening Dedicated to Pier Paolo Pasolini the Poet” at MoMA on December 14 and the Sunday Sessions program “Pier Paolo Pasolini: Intellettuale” at MoMA PS1 on December 16 with Paul Chan, Ninetto Davoli, Emi Fontana, Barbara Hammer, Alfredo Jaar, Lovett/Codagnone, and Fabio Mauri. In addition, there will be a number of other Pasolini celebrations around the city, including the December 13 seminar “Pasolini’s Languages” at the 
“I consider myself more of a chess player,” Ai Weiwei says at the beginning of Never Sorry, Alison Klayman’s revealing documentary about the larger-than-life Chinese artist and dissident. “My opponent makes a move, I make a move. Now I’m waiting for my opponent to make the next move.” Over the last several years, Ai has become perhaps the most famous and controversial artist in the world, primarily since he participated in the design of Beijing National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, for the 2008 Summer Olympics, then denounced the Games on political grounds. Ai gives director, producer, and cinematographer Klayman, making her first full-length film, remarkable access to his personal and professional life as he gets physically abused by Chinese police, prepares to open major exhibits in Munich and London, and visits with his young son, Ai Lao, the result of a tryst with Wang Fen, an editor on his underground films. Klayman speaks with Ai Weiwei’s devoted wife, Lu Qing, an artist who publicly fought for his freedom when he disappeared in 2011; his mother, Gao Ying, who spent time in a labor camp with her dissident-poet husband, the late Ai Quing; and such fellow Chinese artists and critics as Chen Danqing, Feng Boyi, Hsieh Tehching, and Gu Changwei, who speak admiringly of Ai’s dedication to his art and his fearless search for the truth. A round man with a long, graying bear, Ai is a fascinating, complicated character, a gentle bull who openly criticizes his country because he loves it so much. He is a social media giant, making documentaries that are available for free on the internet and revolutionizing the way Twitter and the blogosphere are used. Ai risks his own freedom by demanding freedom for all, calling for government transparency before and after he is secretly arrested, not afraid of the potential repercussions. And he is also a proud cat lover — more than forty felines regularly roam around his studio — eagerly showing off one talented kitty that has a unique way of opening a door. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry shows Ai to be an honorable, supremely principled human being who has deep respect for the history of China and a fierce determination to improve its future, no matter the personal cost. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is being shown on December 12 at 7:00 as part of MoMA’s annual series “The Contenders,” consisting of exemplary films they believe will stand the test of time, with Klayman on hand to participate in a postscreening discussion; upcoming entries include Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Charles Atlas’s Ocean, and Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. (To find out more about Ai Weiwei’s art, specifically his recent projects in New York City, please follow these links: 
There’s a reason why Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window keeps popping up all over town, at such venues as BAM, the IFC Center, and the Guggenheim Museum: Watching it makes people happy. One of the Master of Suspense’s best films, it’s an unforgettable voyeuristic thriller starring James Stewart as temporarily wheelchair-bound photojournalist L. B. Jeffries and Grace Kelly as his society-girl friend (and extremely well dressed) Lisa Carol Fremont. Bored out of his mind, Jeffries grabs a pair of binoculars and starts spying on the apartments across the courtyard from him, each one its own television show, including a musical comedy, a lonely romance, an exercise program, and, most ominously, perhaps a murder mystery. Ever the reporter, Jeffries decides to go after the possible killer, Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), and he’ll risk his life — and Lisa’s — to find out the truth. Sensational from start to finish, Rear Window works on so many levels, you’ll discover something new every time you watch it. Rear Window is screening on December 7, introduced by Russian-American documentary and fine art photographer Lena Herzog, as part of the Rubin Museum Cabaret Cinema series “Happiness is . . .,” held in conjunction with the larger Rubin Museum program “
