The New York Musical Theater Festival (NYMF) held a special preview of
their 2012 musicals, which will be presented from July 9-19. Wonderful
singers like Leslie Kritzer, Matt Bogart, Natalie Toro and
Jeremy Kushner sang selections from the musicals in which they will
appear. From this brief sample, the festival seems destined to be a
success.
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) closed its season
with Le Corsaire, with a splendid cast and certainly was one of
the highlights of the season. Natalia Osipova was brilliant in
every act. She is an exciting dancer, secure in technique and thrils the
audience with her rapid turns, high flying jumps and her charisma. She
was well supported by an incredible Ivan Vasiliev as Ali in the
second act. His thunderous ovation was well deserved. Yuriko Kajiya
was amazing in the first act. She is a joy to watch. Johan Kobborg,
Aaron Scott and Jared Matthews contributed to one of finest
nights in ballet. It was a memorable night.
William Ivey Long hosted a delightful
birthday party for Willa Kim at Shoolbred's with delicious food
and drinks. Among the many guests were Cady Huffman, Tommy Tune, Tony
LoBianco, John Simon and Tony Walton. It was a lovely
occasion.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, by Alison
Klayman, USA, 2012, which opens on July 27, is a remarkable
documentary about a courageous Chinese activist, considered one of
China's most famous conceptual artists. His fight for freedom of
expression on the internet in his blog and then on twitter is
brilliantly portrayed in this film, which follows him from his youth,
his time spent in New York City, his creation and exhibition of his
works in Munich and London, to his activities to expose the disaster of
the Sichan earthquake, in which over 5,000 children perished, mainly
because of shoddy school construction. It is a powerful film, which is
an indictment of the repressive Chinese government. I feel this is a
very important documentary, opening very soon, and I want to remind
filmgoers not to miss this story of a very brave and talented man.
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The Sting, by George Roy Hill, USA, 1973, was screened at Lincoln Center. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and it is an entertaining film about two con artists pulling off the perfect sting. It is a pleasure to enjoy these film treasures again, and remind us how thirty nine years ago, great movies were made and should never be forgotten.
The 11th New York Asian Film Festival presented two films on Sunday. You Are the Apple of My Eye, by Giddens Ko, Taiwan, 2011, is a romantic comedy about an honor student in a private high school, who helps a mischievous student, who does not want to study. As the years go by, they form an attraction to one another. It is a sweet, funny, sentimental film, that became one of the biggest box-office hits in Taiwan. The director and star Michelle Chen attended a reception with Ambassador from Taiwan Andrew Kao before the screening and held a Q & A after the screening.
The second film was Love in the Buff, by Pang Ho-cheung, Hong Kong, 2012, is a sequel to Love in a Puff by the same director and film stars, which had great success. It is also a romantic comedy which follows the the stars Shawn Yue and Miriam Yeung from the first film after they break up, move to Beijing, find new lovers, but cannot forget each other. It is another sweet, funny, sentimental film and the director attended a Q & A after the screening. Both films reflect how modern their societies have become. It is the tenth anniversary since Infernal Affairs I became a smash hit, and I attended the prequel Infernal Affairs 2, by Wai-Keung Lau and Alan Mak, Hong Kong, 2003, which tells how a gangster infiltrated the police force and a policeman infiltrated a triad. It is an action packed drama, filled with bloodshed. Mobsters are burned alive, stabbed, shot and even murdered with a plastic bag. The twists and turns of the plot keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. I enjoyed it.
Easy Money, by Daniel Espinosa, Sweden, 2010, will open at Film Forum July 11-24. Don't miss this wonderful crime thriller. It tells the story of three men, who become involved in a drug heist in Stockholm. One is A Swedish business student, another is a Spaniard escapee from prison and the third is a ruthless Serb. How these three mismatched men come together is the absorbing story of this well-acted, well-made film. It certainly is one of the highlights of this year's new films.
The Morgan Library & Museum is presenting Churchill: The Power of Words June 8-September 23, a wonderful exhibition, which honors one of the great statesmen of the twentieth century. There are letters, artifacts and photographs that illustrate his life, especially recordings of portions of his great speeches before, during and after World War II, illustrated with photographs of the period. When one finishes the exhibition, one feels that one knows and admires Churchill like no other politician. His speeches during the war were a source of comfort for the British people (I among them) and unified the country to succeed in defeating the Nazis, and protect the world from Nazi tyranny. This exhibition truly shows the power of his words,and demonstrates why he deserved the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. I urge all anglophiles, especially, to attend this exhibition, and all lovers of fine art and books should definitely visit the Morgan Library, one of the treasures of New York.
06-11-12
2012
Special
Tony
winner
Bernadette
Peters
and
Jessica
Chastain
at
the
66th
Annual
Tony
Awards
on
the
red
carpet
on
Amsterdam
Ave
&
73rd
St.
Sunday
night
06-08-12 |