Off Broadway, Close Up Space, by Molly Smith Metzler, stars
the, as always, splendid David Hyde Pierce as a book editor, in this
off beat comedy, which surrounds him with four unbelievable, irritating
characters. The opening night party took place in Beacon restaurant with
guests like Alex Timbers, Christopher Durang and Marsha Norman.
The Nutcracker, choreography by Alexei
Ratmansky, is a delightful new version by American Ballet Theatre,
presented at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. The grown up Clara and
Nutcracker were danced by Gillian Murphy and Eric Tamm, who
were wonderful. The entire production is a joy and very welcome in the
holiday season. It is worth the trip to Brooklyn.
A party followed after a reading of A Tomato Can't
Grow in the Bronx, by Philip Morgaman, at Inc Lounge in the Time
Hotel on West 49th St, with cocktails and delicious pizzas. Among the cast
members were Brooke Shields and Robin Strasser. A fun party.
Samuel L. Jackson received a birthday cake on
stage after his matinee performance of The Mountaintop on Wednesday.
Al Sharpton surprised him leading the audience in singing Happy
Birthday, joined by co-star Angela Bassett.
50 Years of the New York Film Festival had a
screening of L'Amour Fou, by Jacques Rivette, 1969, France. It
is about an unhappy actress (a brillliant performance by Bulle Ogier),
whose husband (Jean-Pierre Kalfon) is directing a play by Racine. It
is a fascinating look at the rehearsal process, but overlong at 252 minutes.
The reward comes near the end of the film. when the marital pair lock
themselves in their apartment, in which they make love, trash their home and
behave like emotional lunatics. It is amazing, memorable scene.
Spanish Cinema Now concluded its screenings on
December 22, and I was able to see two more of the excellent films of the
late, great director Luis Garcia Berlanga. The National Shotgun,
1978, Spain, is one of the first films without censorship, and tells the
story of a hunting weekend, where a Catalan industrialist tries to make
business contacts with influential people, politicians and wealthy
individuals. It is an entertaining comedy with a group of marvelous
characters. Long Live the Bride and Groom, 1970, Spain, is equally
amusing, when a man arrives for his wedding in Sitges, a beach town, to
marry his fiancee, only to be distracted by all the beautiful, sexy tourists
from Sweden, Germany and especially a gorgeous Irish painter. It is broad
comedy at its finest.
The New York
Jewish Film Festival January 11-26 had press screenings of
Remembrance, by Anna Justice, Germany, 2011, a powerful film
based on true events. A Jewess in a concentration camp in Poland in 1944 (a
heartbreaking performance by Alice Dwyer) is rescued by a Polish
prisoner, who has fallen in love with her.
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In their flight, they are separated, and both believe the other is dead. Thirty years later now married in New York, she sees him on television and begins a search for him. This wonderful film is highly recommended. Bachelor Days are Over, by Katia Lewkowicz, France, 2011, is one of the most enjoyable films of the festival. Benjamin Biolay plays a 35-year old man about to be married. His fears and uncertainty before he is led to the altar are beautifully portrayed. The film is filled with good humor and all the cast is terrific. Make sure you see this film. You will leave the cinema laughing. Iraq 'n' Roll, by Gili Gaon, Israel 2011, is about an Israeli rock musician, Dudu Tassa, whose grandfather was one of the leading musicians, with his brother, in Iraq. When they emigrated to Israel, their stature was diminished and their fame and music was ignored. His grandson was determined to revive their music in a modern way, and in a concert, we see his dream realized.
It is a warm, unforgettable documentary. The final three screenings were documentaries. White: A Memoir in Color, by Joel Katz, U.S., 2012, is two stories. His father was the only white professor on the faculty of the African-American Howard University in 1968, and the filmmaker and his wife adopted a mixed-race baby. The Moon is Jewish, by Michal Tkaczynski, Poland, 2011, is an amazing story of a violent, prejudiced soccer fanatic, who discovers he is of Jewish descent and is converted to becoming an Orthodox Jew. 400 Miles to Freedom, by Avishai Yeganyahu and Shari Rothfarb Mekonen, U.S./Israel, 2012, is the story of the filmmaker's journey to Israel from Ethiopia. He is kidnapped at the age of 10 in the Sudan, but rescued, and his search for his own identity as he continues his journey to America. The three films provide a penetrating look at what it means to be a Jew in the various countries. All the screenings we have seen have been first rate.
Last Days Here, by Don Argott and Demian Fenton, is a documentary about Bobby Liebling, a heavy metal rock star with a group called Pentagram, who lived a life of drug addiction. In his fifties, he makes a recovery, and performs again, and even marries and has a child. It's an appalling look at the life of a wasted individual, who, hopefully, will maintain his return to normalcy. Fans of this type of music may enjoy the many selections of music played. I was not one of them.
12-22-11
Al
Sharpton
(L)
joins
cast
members
Samuel
L.
Jackson
and
Angela
Bassett
backstage
to
celebrate
Jackson's
birthday
with
a
cake
after
the
matinee
performance
of
"The
Mountaintop"
at
the
Bernard
B.
Jacobs
Theatre.
242
West
45th
St.
Wednesday
afternoon.
12-21-11
HAPPY
HOLIDAYS! |