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The rumors are true: other things will be screening this weekend besides The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Broken Embraces showcases a few of director Pedro Almodóvar’s favorite things: bold colors; cinephilia; twisty, melodramatic plots; and, of course, Penélope Cruz. Broken Embraces defies a simple one-line description—something about a big-shot director turned blind screenwriter, a prostitute turned actress, and the power of film to tie it all together—but, as with any Almodóvar picture, the pleasure will probably come less from narrative synopsis and more from the heady, ridiculous gorgeousness of his ideas and images as they swirl around you.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is directed by Werner Herzog and stars Nicolas Cage. If these two facts do not immediately excite you in their nutso, gasoline-meet-match potential, then this is probably not your movie. If it does, then prepare yourself for a drug-riddled trip down the rabbit hole, complete with full-on Cage madness and a bevy of sinister iguanas.
The Sun continues director Alexander Sokurov’s planned tetralogy on the downfall of powerful and often-tyrannical leaders. This time, he sets his sights on Japan’s Emperor Hirohito, as he slowly loses his grip on national control in the wake of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
The Blind Side chronicles the true story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), the Baltimore Ravens football star who, as a homeless black teenager, was taken in by a wealthy white Memphis family. Sandra Bullock stars as the take-charge family matriarch who supports Oher through his academic and personal struggles. It all sounds a little much to me, but be sure and check out Armond’s review, which defends the film as the perfect antidote to “Preciousmania.”
Michael Jackson’s Video Art takes us on a journey through the late singer’s innovative music videos. And what better person to guide you than our very own Armond White, who will be on hand to discuss Jackson’s videos and sign copies of his new book, Keep Moving: The Michael Jackson Chronicles. It all happens at The Walter Reade Theater this Sunday at 6:15 p.m.
The Tim Burton Retrospective at MoMA will technically be around until April of next year, but much of his beloved film work will only be screened over the next couple of weeks. Highlights of this weekend include both of Burton’s Batman films; Ed Wood, his brilliant biopic of the eponymous B-movie director; and screenings of his lesser-known shorts, Vincent (1982) and Frankenweenie (1984).
The Hoodlum is the centerpiece of Film Society of Lincoln Center’s celebration of silent star Mary Pickford’s film debut one century ago. Ben Model, the great silent film accompanist, will play his new score for The Hoodlum during the screening, which also includes two Pickford short directed by D.W. Griffith.
Los Angeles Plays Itself is Thom Anderson’s epic video-essay on the titular city: its real-life character, its filmic representations, and everything in between. 92YTribeca’s screening—this Saturday at 7:00 p.m.—provides the perfect opportunity to see this unique work, which remains unavailable on DVD due to the inability to get rights clearances for the hundreds of film clips it contains.
M. Hulot’s Holiday begins its two-week run at Film Forum, with a brand-new 35mm print of Jacques Tati’s masterpiece. A comic chronicle of travel’s many pitfalls, this film introduced the world to Monsieur Hulot: Tati’s pipe-smoking alter-ego who would go on to appear in several of the director’s films.
New Czech Films celebrates its tenth year, making it as BAMcinématek’s longest-running annual series. This year’s selections includes the New York premieres of René—Helena T%u0159eštíková’s documentary about a troubled man whose life has been constantly filmed since age seventeen—and Jan H%u0159ebejk’s I’m All Good, a comedy about a group of friends who take matters into their own hands after one of them becomes the victim of a con-artist.
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You, 2009 enters its fourth year at MoMA, showcasing five noteworthy films from the past year that are currently without distributors. Be ahead of the curve and check out these critically-acclaimed films before anyone else has heard of them; past years have included such buzzed-about films as Ronald Bronstein’s Frownland and So Yong Kim’s In Between Days.
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See the poster children of Brooklyn sound, Dirty Projectors, at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N. 6th St. (betw. Wythe & Kent Aves.), 718-486-540; 8, $15
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Artist Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who is best known for her collaborative environmental arts installations with husband Christo Javacheff, died today in Manhattan of complications stemming from a brain aneurysm. Jeanne-Claude, 74, is survived by her husband and son Cyril Christo.
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When I first heard Evangelicals’ sophomore release The Evening Descends in December of 2007, it sounded like the second coming of Arcade Fire. To my ears, it was the only album since Funeral capable of matching its intensity without sounding like a canned attempt at doing so. It brought Graham Parsons and Beethoven to mind in equal measure; it was marked by thematic cohesiveness, lyrical depth and an epicness that most other swing-for-the-fences-type indie acts come embarrassingly short of achieving. It had moments you just couldn’t totally shake: the opening bass line of “Skeleton Man;” the anguished, wailing coda to “Party Crashing,” the bitingly hilarious and totally unexpected satire of the “blind leading the blind” parable from the New Testament at the tail-end of “Bloodstream.” And I could go on like this.
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Helmer Toro, owner of H&H Bagels, was indicted for tax fraud yesterday. He pled not guilty to charges of withholding over $360,000 in payroll taxes. Surely the owner of the self-described “largest bagel manufacturer in the world” wouldn’t risk an enterprise that promising just to get out of paying some taxes?
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Air Waves addicts can check out the pop trio tonight with Bright Lights at Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave. (at N. 11th St.), 718-963-3369; 9, Free.
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