Off Broadway, Lemon Sky is an old
fashioned play, about a 17-year-old son going to
live with his estranged father in California,
and the toxic relationship between them,
starring Keith Nobbs, with Kevin
Kilner as the father. The acting is first
rate. The Keen Company is to be commended for
reviving Lanford Wilson's play.
The Bald Soprano
was given a splendid production, with an
outstanding six member cast, by the Pearl
Theatre. We celebrated this amusing theatre of
the absurd with a party in the rehearsal room at
City Center.
The Submission is
well acted play about a white male playwright (Jonathan
Groff), who submits his play to a festival,
pretending to be an African-American woman. He
persuades a black actress (Rutina Wesley)
to attend the festival as the bogus author.
Complications ensue. The opening night party at
49 Grove was attended by many actors like
Hugh Dancy, Nina Arianda and Hamish
Linklater.
Phyllis Newman
hosted a reception in her beautiful apartment
for the publication of her book What's New at
the Zoo. Many of her friend like Polly
Bergen, Nancy Opel, Kate Baldwin and
Alexandra Silber attended.
The Casting Society of
America presented the 27th Annual Artios Awards
at District 36. Whoopi Goldberg received
the New York Apple award from Mike Nichols.
Among the many presenters were Lucy Liu,
Rachel Griffiths and Patina Miller.
Sir Howard Stringer
was honored at the 2011 American Theatre Wing
Gala at the Plaza Hotel. Among the many guests
were Marilu Henner, Angela Lansbury, Lucie
Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill.
Submissions Only Season
2 had a reception and screening at Ink
Lounge, and Max Von Essen, Becky Gulsvig
and Beth Leavel were among the many cast
members and Broadway actors.
A Soprano Celebrity Dinner
was held at the Empire Steak House with cast
members like Dominic Chianese, Vincent
Pastore and Tony Darrow.
I attended the reception
for the Indian Institute of Technology (ITT) at
the Hilton Hotel. Grammy nominated singer
Chandrika Tandon performed at the beginning
of the opening night night of the conference
which takes place September 30-October 2.
The New York City Ballet
presented Ocean's Kingdom, choreography
by Peter Martins, with music and libretto
by Paul McCartney, his first composition
for dance. The music is quite pleasant, but the
fairy tale libretto leaves a lot to be desired.
The lead dancers, Sara Means and
Robert Fairchild were excellent. The second
ballet on the program was Union Jack, by
Balanchine, an inspired tribute to Great
Britain. It is colorful and entertaining,
filling the stage magnificently with seventy
members of the company. It is one of my favorite
ballets.
The screenings of the Film Society of Lincoln
Center's 49th New York Film Festival continue.
The Turin Horse, by Bela Tarr and
Agnes Hranitzky,
Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland, 2011, is a
long, very long story (146 minutes) about a
father and daughter and their horse, who live in
isolation in a desolate landscape. They rarely
talk together, and spend their days sleeping,
eating potatoes, while the daughter sews,
fetches water from the well, cooks their
potatoes, and dresses and undresses her disabled
father.
It is a grim, depressing view of two lonely
people's lives. When you leave the screening,
you will be blissfully happy that you live in
New York. 4:44 Last Day on Earth. by
Abel Ferrara, USA, 2011, takes place in a
loft in the Lower East Side in New York, where a
couple, Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh
await the end of the world. They spend the
remainder of their life on earth making love,
ordering Chinese food and talking to family via
SKYPE.
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The man wanders around the
streets and visits some friends after a fight
with his girlfriend. He then returns home for
their eventual demise. It is another gloomy
film, with little redeemimg virtue, with the
exception of the young lady, who is quite
attractive.
Miss Bala, by Gerardo Naranjo,
Mexico, 2011, is about a beauty queen, who
becomes involved with a drug gang in Tijuana. It
shows the violence and horror that exists today
in Mexico. It is a powerful film, showing the
persuasive corruption in the society and the
abuse of women. The director and the lead
actress Stephanie Stigman attended a Q &
A after the screening. Carnage, by
Roman Polanski, 2011, France/Germany/Poland,
is a enjoyable film, based on the Tony winning
play by Yasmina Reza. Jodie Foster,
Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C.
Reilly are two couples, who meet to resolve
the conflict that arises when their sons have a
brutal fight in a playground. Their civilized
behavior collapses as the meeting progresses to
the level of their children. The actors are
splendid and it is a funny film. It is highly
recommended.
A Separation, by Asghar Farhadi, 2011
Iran, is a powerful, well acted film about a couple
who separate after a 14-year marriage. The fight
over the possession of their 11-year-old girl is
complicated by the hiring of a pregnant woman to
look after the husband's father suffering from
Alzheimer's disease. The story evolves into a very
serious legal case. The twists and turns of this
very impressive film keeps the audience in suspense
from the beginning to end.
The Student, by
Santiago Mitre, 2011, Argentina, is about a
university student caught up in campus politics. On
a grant to the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, I was
surprised how active student politics were then, and
this film realistically captures the atmosphere that
exists today in Latin America. A fine debut feature
by the director, with an excellent cast.
Retaliation, by Yasuharu Hasabe, 1968,
Japan is one of 37 films of Velvet Bullets and
Steel Kisses: Celebrating the Nikkatsu Centennial,
which will be shown from October 1-16. The
film is a gang war full of blood and gore, that
makes American gangster movies look mild and gentle
by comparison.
Sleeping Sickness, by Ulrich Kohler,
2011 Germany/France/Netherlands, is about a white
doctor in Cameroon, and a black doctor from Paris
who comes to evaluate his project three years later.
It is an absorbing film, which shows the poverty and
poor quality of life of the majority of native
inhabitants, and the disappearance of much of the
foreign aid to help them, on account of the
corruption that pervades the country. Once upon a
Time in Anatolia, by Nuri Bilge Ceylan,
2011, Turkey, is a police investigation searching
for the victim of a murder in a small town in a poor
section of the country. As the film progresses, we
become acquainted with the police inspector, the
prosecutor and a doctor, who will perform an autopsy
on the victim. The film captures the way of life in
a rural area of the country, and leaves a profound
impression on the viewer. Both films are highly
recommended.
09-30-11 Cast members of "The Sopranos" (L-R Dominic
Chianese. Tony Darrow at a "Soprano Celebrity Dinner" at
the Empire Steak House. 36 West 52nd St. Thursday night
09-29-11 |