Wednesday, February 27, 2013
THE RADIANT
THE RED FERN THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS
New York Premiere
THE RADIANT
By Shirley Lauro
Directed by Melanie Moyer Williams
The Theater at the 14th Street Y
Marie Salomea Skłodowska Curie, together with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel received the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery and analysis of radioactivity, and she alone the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for isolating Radium and Polonium. It was work of brilliance and extreme perseverance.
See below for videos with Marie Curie
Nevertheless she faced severe career obstacles, mostly because she was a woman, partly because she was Polish.
Marie Salomea Skłodowska became a student of Pierre Curie and he was her first champion. They fell in love and were married. They had two children, (one of whom, Irene, later also won a Nobel Prize). Then, while crossing the street, Pierre was killed by a passing horse and carriage.
THE RADIANT begins as Mme Curie tries to deal with the aftermath of his death. She is assisted and encouraged by a former student, a brilliant Paul Langevin, who is Catholic, and married. They have a passionate affair.
THE RADIANT is a serious, distinguished play that credibly portrays the energy, persistence, commitment to surviving and becoming a success, brilliance, dedication to science, personality and passion of Mme Curie.
The play is very nicely cast, the simple set is well dressed, the hair and makeup and costuming well done, to bring to vivid life a re-creation of this great woman and her work and her affair with Paul, and the milieu of their lives in the years after 1906.
THE RADIANT
Photo by Michael J. Palma
THE RADIANT
Photo by Eric Roffman
In part because of its integrity; in part because of the interest and importance of its story and the brilliance of its characters, this is a play to be seen. It's interesting and entertaining.
Some relatively minor issues: The first act has a lot of information to convey about who Marie Curie is and why we should care about her -- it's very interesting, but still quite a lot of exposition mixed into the drama. The whole play could use a bit more humor. And the final scene very satisfyingly ties up a lot of loose ends, but it is something of an anti-climax, and a bit of a downer (but not enough to make this a tear-jerker).
A play like this would do well to find a long life visiting college theaters, community productions, and perhaps a residency at some big-city playhouses, where it could entertain and inform -- and provide a valuable and enjoyable service to many people.
The Radiant performs Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm.
There is one additional performance Monday March 4, at 7:00pm.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at
or
866-811-4111.
TIMELINE
1859, May 15 -- Birth of Pierre Curie
1867, Nov 7 -- Birth of Marie Curie
1891 -- Marie's Parisian studies begin
1895, Mar -- Pierre receives his doctorate
1895, Jul 26 -- Marriage
1897 -- Birth of daughter Irene
1903 -- Nobel Prize in Physics
1906, Apr 19 -- Death of Pierre Curie (at 46, in his prime intellectually)
1906, Nov 5 -- Marie's inaugural lecture at the Sorbonne (first by any woman)
1907 - 1911 -- Roughly the dates of the affair between Marie Curie and Paul Langevin
1910 -- Publication of Marie's textbook "Treatise on Radioactivity"
1911 -- Nobel Prize in Chemistry
1934, Jul 4 -- Death of Marie Curie (at 66)
Note: Marie & Pierre Curie's granddaughter, Hélène Joliot (see video below), married Langevin's grandson, Michel Langevin.
VIDEO
(Note... I could not (yet?) find any video with Marie Curie actually speaking.)
THE SOLVAY CONFERENCE 1927 (VOICE-OVER)
Brief glimpses of
Mme Curie -- @ 2:00 and 2:21
Paul Langevin -- @ 2:25
Einstein -- @ 2:29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GZdZUouzBY&feature=share&list=PL53873D66821A9191
MARIE CURIE (SILENT)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HiMWnCSexM&feature=share&list=PL53873D66821A9191
MARIE CURIE -- BACKGROUND MUSIC BUT NO VOICES
http://youtu.be/LY1KhdzoN4s
A BIOGRAPHY OF MARIE CURIE WITH MANY VIDEOS (IN GERMAN)
http://youtu.be/--gEH5NQsvI
MME CURIE -- THE CHEMISTRY (IN FRENCH)
(The modern labs at Saclay are very attractive. Marie et Pierre had to scrounge for every bit of equipment, all their supplies, and even a place to use as their laboratory.)
http://youtu.be/o3BoFSncRHM
EVE CURIE TALKS ABOUT HER MOTHER'S POLAND
http://youtu.be/vVKtUw8vuU8
MARIE SKLODOWSKA CURIE'S GRANDDAUGHTER - HELENE JOLIOT-LANGEVIN (IN FRENCH)
http://youtu.be/wT2bVywuNOw
AND...
http://youtu.be/IpuLsfnUgv4
SCHOLARLY LECTURES ABOUT MME CURIE
http://youtu.be/fVgfymHVhNM
Labels: chemistry, Henri Becquerel, Marie Curie, Marie Salomea Skłodowska Curie, Mme Curie, Nobel Prize, Paul Langevin, physics, Pierre Curie, Polonium, Radium
Sunday, February 24, 2013
2013 ACADEMY AWARDS
2013 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS
SUNDAY FEB 24
ABC
RED CARPET AT 7:00
AWARDS AT 8:30
HOST: SETH MACFARLANE
PICTURE AWARDS
BEST PICTURE
"Amour"
"Argo"
"Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Misérables"
"Life Of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Amour" (Austria)
"Kon-tiki" (Norway)
"No" (Chile)
"A Royal Affair" (Denmark)
"War Witch" (Canada)
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
"Brave"
"Frankenweenie"
"ParaNorman"
"The Pirates! Band Of Misfits"
"Wreck-It Ralph"
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"5 Broken Cameras"
"The Gatekeepers"
"How To Survive A Plague"
"The Invisible War"
"Searching For Sugar Man"
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Inocente"
"Kings Point"
"Mondays At Racine"
"Open Heart"
"Redemption"
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"Adam And Dog"
"Fresh Guacamole"
"Head Over Heels"
"Maggie Simpson In 'The Longest Daycare'"
"Paperman"
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Asad"
"Buzkashi Boys"
"Curfew"
"Death Of A Shadow" ("Dood Van Een Schaduw")
"Henry"
CREATIVE AWARDS
DIRECTING
Michael Haneke, "Amour"
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
Ang Lee, "Life Of Pi"
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"
WRITING - ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chris Terrio, "Argo"
Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
David Magee, "Life Of Pi"
Tony Kushner, "Lincoln"
David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"
WRITING - ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Michael Haneke, "Amour"
Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"
John Gatins, "Flight"
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, "Moonrise Kingdom"
Mark Boal, "Zero Dark Thirty"
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Seamus McGarvey, "Anna Karenina"
Robert Richardson, "Django Unchained"
Claudio Miranda, "Life Of Pi"
Janusz Kaminski, "Lincoln"
Roger Deakins, "Skyfall"
FILM EDITING
William Goldenberg, "Argo"
Tim Squyres, "Life Of Pi"
Michael Kahn, "Lincoln"
Jay Cassidy And Crispin Struthers, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Dylan Tichenor And William Goldenberg, "Zero Dark Thirty"
ACTING AWARDS
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Hugh Jackman, "Les Misérables"
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"
Denzel Washington, "Flight"
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"
Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin, "Argo"
Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams, "The Master
Sally Field, "Lincoln"
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"
Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook"
MUSIC AWARDS
MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE
Dario Marianelli, "Anna Karenina"
Alexandre Desplat, "Argo"
Mychael Danna, "Life Of Pi"
John Williams, "Lincoln"
Thomas Newman, "Skyfall"
MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG
"Before My Time" From "Chasing Ice"
(Music and Lyrics: J. Ralph)
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend" From "Ted"
(Music: Walter Murphy; Lyrics: Seth Macfarlane)
"Pi's Lullaby" From "Life Of Pi"
(Music: Mychael Danna; Lyrics: Bombay Jayashri)
"Skyfall" From "Skyfall"
(Music and Lyrics: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth)
"Suddenly" From "Les Misérables"
(Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil)
TECHNICAL AWARDS
COSTUME DESIGN
Jacqueline Durran, "Anna Karenina"
Paco Delgado, "Les Misérables"
Joanna Johnston, "Lincoln"
Eiko Ishioka, "Mirror Mirror"
Colleen Atwood, "Snow White And The Huntsman"
MAKEUP
Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel, "Hitchcock"
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, "Les Misérables"
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Sarah Greenwood (Production Design); Katie Spencer (Set Decoration)
- "Anna Karenina"
Dan Hennah (Production Design); Ra Vincent and Simon Bright (Set Decoration)
- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Eve Stewart (Production Design); Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration)
- "Les Misérables"
David Gropman (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
- "Life Of Pi"
Rick Carter (Production Design); Jim Erickson (Set Decoration)
- "Lincoln"
SOUND EDITING
Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van Der Ryn, "Argo"
Wylie Stateman, "Django Unchained"
Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton, "Life Of Pi"
Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers, "Skyfall"
Paul N.J. Ottosson, "Zero Dark Thirty"
SOUND MIXING
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia, "Argo"
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, "Les Misérables"
Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin, "Life Of Pi"
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins, "Lincoln"
Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson, "Skyfall"
VISUAL EFFECTS
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White,
- "Life Of Pi"
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott,
- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick,
- "Marvel's The Avengers"
Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill,
- "Prometheus"
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson,
- "Snow White And The Huntsman"
Here are a few selected stories from QPORIT about people and films that are up for awards!
JESSICA CHASTAIN (up for Best Actress)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/jessica-chastain.html
FLIGHT (Denzel Washington up for Best Actor)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/10/only-when-you-win-flight-at-nyff-50.html
AMOUR (up for several awards)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/10/only-when-you-win-flight-at-nyff-50.html
LIFE OF PI (up for Best Picture and other awards)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/10/amour.html
A ROYAL AFFAIR (up for Best Foreign Film)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-royal-affair.html
ANNA KARENINA (up for several awards)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/11/gleeson-and-vikander-from-anna-karenina.html
Labels: A ROYAL AFFAIR, Academy Argo, AMOUR, Ang Lee, Awards, Daniel Day Lewis, Denzel Washington, FLIGHT, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Oscars, Silver Linings Playbook
Preview: 18TH RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA - 2013
18TH RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA 2013
The Film Society, the IFC Center and BAMcinématek,
February 28 – March 1 2013
The RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA is always one of the highlights of the year. The current program looks like an especially interesting selection of films, with some extra, special events.
I am particularly looking forward to a Transmedia Program that will be new for the Rendez-Vous. It is part of the Film Society's recent commitment to transmedia -- programming that merges elements from many media, often including live, filmed, interactive and web events all as part of the same event.
Among many special features of the film program will be performances by wonderful young actresses that have been selected as "Shooting Stars" by the EFP (European Film Promotion). .Christa Theret appears in RENOIR and Anais Demoustier is in THÉRÈSE DESQUEYROUX. (Many of the young actors selected in the past as "Shooting Stars" have gone on to become big stars, notably, for example, Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Hannah Herzsprung, Alba Rohrwacher, Ludivine Sagnier, Moritz Bleibtreu and Nina Hoss. Anais is already a major young star in France.)
RENOIR must be one of the best looking, visually rich films ever, with Christa playing Renoir's model, and muse to both Renoir pere et fils! (both father and son). The film luxuriates in the spectacular landscape and the sensual joy of painting.
Berenice Bejo, star of THE ARTIST, who was here in NY at the 2011 New York Film Festival, will be in the Opening Night Film.
after a screening and press conference of
THE ARTIST at the 2011 New York Film Festival
Berenice appears in the Opening Night Film POPULAIRE.
Audrey Tatou will be visiting New York in person. Romain Durin will present the Opening Night film, POPULAIR, and he will be present for the screening of second film, PERSECUTION, as well! Many other directors and actors will be here in person presenting their films.
Several new films have precursors in past film history. Georges Franju's 1962 film of THÉRÈSE DESQUEYROUX, which stars a young Emmanuelle Riva (more recently seen in AMOUR), will be shown... as well as the new version by Claude Miller. RENOIR, about the painter and his son, the filmmaker Jean, will be presented along with three of the classic films by Jean Renoir.
Films, Descriptions & Public Screening Schedule
(Please doublecheck dates and times – as this is an early preview.)
(And note that personal appearances are always subject to possible change.)
Main Venues:
BAMcinématek (BAM)
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center (EBM)
IFC Center (IFC)
Walter Reade Theater (WRT)
Opening Night: The Paris Theater (PARIS)
The Opening Night Film
OPENING NIGHT!
US PREMIERE
POPULAIRE
Régis Roinsard, 2012, France, 111m
Stuck in the provinces of 1950s France, Rose (Deborah François) is taken under the wing of her handsome boss (Romain Duris) and develops astonishing skills as a high-speed typist, leading to unexpected fame. In the grand tradition of French social comedy, Régis Roinsard has concocted a scintillating entertainment lovingly looking back on an idealized and innocent decade. Starring Deborah François, Romain Duris. The Weinstein Company will release the movie in July 2013.
Thurs., Feb. 28, 7:30pm – PARIS;
Fri. Mar. 1, 7:00pm - BAM;
Sat., Mar. 2, 7:00pm - IFC
In person: Romain Duris, Régis Roinsard, Deborah François
NEW YORK PREMIERE
THE ATOMIC AGE/L’AGE ATOMIQUE
Héléna Klotz, 2012, France, DCP; 68m
Arriving from the Paris outskirts for a round of weekend clubbing, good-looking Victor (Eliott Paquet) and his Central European friend Rainer (Dominik Wojcik) are full of self-confidence and a youthfully self-conscious hipness. But across the span of one night, their impulsive adventure tests emotional and physical limits the lads never before knew in Klotz’s impressively mesmerizing feature debut. Winner of the 2012 Prix Jean Vigo. A TLA Releasing film.
Wed. Mar. 6, 9:30pm – IFC;
Thurs. Mar. 7, 4pm – WRT;
Fri. Mar. 8, 9:00pm - WRT
NEW YORK PREMIERE
AUGUSTINE
Alice Winocour, 2012, France, 102m
Based on a true case, writer-director Winocour has adapted the story of a progressive 19th century doctor/therapist and his unusual patient into a study of personal wills, hidden desires and reversals of fate. A maid who suffers from seizures is sent to a mental hospital, where it seems she’ll be condemned for life until Professor Charcot finds in her the possibilities of testing his advanced notions of the sources of so-called “hysteria.” Soko as Augustine and Vincent Lindon as Charcot deliver astonishing performances. A Music Box Films release.
Sun. Mar. 3, 6pm – WRT (no talent);
Tues. Mar. 5, 9:00pm – WRT;
Wed. Mar. 6, 7:00pm – BAM;
Thurs. Mar. 7, 7:00pm – IFC
In person: Alice Winocour
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
BAD GIRL/MAUVAISE FILLE
Patrick Mille, 2012, France, 108m
25-year-old Louise is suddenly hit with a double dose of life-altering reality: She learns that she’s pregnant and that her mother has had a relapse of advanced cancer. Justine Lévy has adapted her own novel with spiky humor and brilliance, and director Mille mines the complex family material for an amazingly wide range of tones from poignant to irreverent. Izïa Higelin, Carole Bouquet, Bob Geldof and Arthur Dupont co-star.
Tues. Mar. 5, 7:00pm – IFC;
Wed. Mar. 6, 9:00PM – WRT;
Thur. Mar. 7, 6pm – WRT;
In person: Patrick Mille
Classic
BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING/BOUDU SAUVÉ DES EAUX
Jean Renoir, 1932, France, 84 min.
Boudu (the irrepressible and unforgettable Michel Simon), a Parisian tramp, tries to end it all with a plunge into the river, only to be saved by a well-meaning bookseller. But when his rescuer offers him shelter, Boudu’s anarchic charms rock the household to its foundations. Shot largely on location along the quays of the Seine, Renoir’s freewheeling satire of bourgeois respectability is one of the master’s most innovative early works; it remains, in the words of critic Dave Kehr, “as informal, beguiling, and subversive as its eponymous hero.” Screening in a digital restoration.
Sat. Mar. 2, 1:00pm – IFC
THE DAY OF THE CROWS / LE JOUR DES CORNEILLES
Jean-Christophe Dessaint, 2012, France, 96m
Raised like a wild child in the woods by his bitter and fearsome father, a boy finds himself discovering the world beyond the forest in director Dessaint’s enchanting visualization of Jean-Francois Beauchemin’s novel. The sensitively rendered hand-drawn animation and depth of characterization seem like a tribute to the films of Hayao Miyazaki, and yet, this movie for all ages stands very much on its own. Featuring the voices of Jean Reno, Lorànt Deutsch, Isabelle Carré and the late Claude Chabrol in his final film credit.
Sat., Mar. 9, 1:00pm – WRT
In person: Jean-Christophe Dessaint
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
THE GIRL FROM NOWHERE/LA FILLE DE NULLE PART
Jean-Claude Brisseau, 2012, France, 91m
Lost in a maze of his philosophizing while trying to write a book, a retired math teacher is forced to deal with the real world when he must rescue a young woman from the clutches of a thug outside his Paris apartment. What the teacher doesn’t know is that this woman may be his muse, a mystical agent or an angel of death. Stars director Brisseau and Virginie Legeay. Winner of the Golden Leopard, Locarno Film Festival 2012.
Sat. Mar. 2, 2:45pm – IFC;
Sun. Mar. 10, 2:30pm - WRT
NEW YORK PREMIERE
GRANNY’S FUNERAL/ADIEU BERTHE: L’ENTERREMENT DE MÉMÉ
BRUNO PODALYDÈS, 2012, FRANCE, 100M
Although he made no effort to see his grandmother in her waning years, pharmacist Armand (director Podalydès’ brother and co-writer Denis) must now deal with her funeral arrangements. This is awkward enough, but nothing like his emotional swings between a wife he can’t quite part from and a lover he can’t quite commit to, in a comedy stamped with the Podalydès brand of caustic, Gallic wit. With Valérie Lemercier, Isabelle Candelier, Catherine Hiegel and Benoît Hamon.
Fri. Mar. 1, 9:45pm – IFC;
Sun. Mar. 3, 8:15pm – WRT;
Mon. Mar. 4, 3:45pm – WRT
NEW YORK PREMIERE
IN THE HOUSE/DANS LA MAISON
François Ozon, 2012, France, 105m
Swept up in the increasingly dazzling and inventive fiction writing of a precocious student, a high school literature teacher and frustrated author (Fabrice Luchini) married to a gallerist (Kristin Scott Thomas) sees real life overtake the fiction. Ozon is at the height of his powers in this ironic, cautionary tale on the dangers of mentoring gone too far. With Emmanuelle Seigner and Ernst Umhauer. A Cohen Media Group release.
Fri. Mar. 1, 9:00pm – WRT;
Sat. Mar. 2, 9:00pm - BAM;
Sun. Mar. 3, 6:15pm – IFC
In person: François Ozon
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
JAPPELOUP
Christian Duguay, 2013, France, 130m
A true sports story that utterly defies the odds, Duguay’s film captures the wild ups and downs of the Olympics-bound career of legendary equine star Jappeloup and his troubled rider, locked in a tense relationship with his horseman father and forever uncertain of his own skills as an equestrian. Stars Guillaume Canet, Daniel Auteuil, Marina Hands and Tchéky Karyo.
Sat. Mar. 2, 9:40pm – IFC;
Wed. Mar. 6, 3:30pm – WRT;
Sat. Mar. 9, 5:30pm - WRT
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
JOURNAL DE FRANCE
Raymond Depardon & Claudine Nougaret, 2012, France, 100m
Depardon’s brilliant self-portrait (co-directed by his longtime collaborator and sound engineer Claudine Nougaret) takes a surprising point of view on the great documentarian’s life—not only as a filmmaker, but as a photographer of expressive precision, capturing the entirety of French society over the decades. The patience of this imagemaker’s practice is testament to an alternative to the hyper-fast, instant delivery of digital images that now dominates the culture.
Mon. Mar. 4, 8:30pm – IFC;
Fri. Mar. 8, 4:15pm – WRT;
Sun. Mar. 10, 12:15pm - WRT
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
A LADY IN PARIS/UNE ESTONIENNE À PARIS
Ilmar Raag, 2012, France/Belgium/Estonia, 94m
Offered a job in Paris to look after a fellow Estonian-born woman, Anne leaves her homeland and finds herself in an emotional hornet’s nest. Frida, the elderly Estonian, gives new meaning to the word prickly and won’t be tended to, even though that’s exactly what Frida’s younger ex-lover wants. Stars a stunning, flinty and memorable Jeanne Moreau, Laine Magi and Patrick Pineau.
Sat. Mar. 2, 4:30PM – IFC;
Sun. Mar. 3, 3:15pm – WRT;
Mon. Mar. 4, 9:15pm – WRT
In person: Ilmar Raag
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
LA MAISON DE LA RADIO
Nicolas Philibert, 2013, France, 103m
Radio France is a massive 24/7 operation, a national network which explores every aspect of life from breaking news to live cultural events. Applying his attuned senses to the mega-complex that is Radio France, non-fiction film master Philibert reveals the vast, rich and unexpected world of radio production and the imaginative power of sound.
Fri. Mar. 1, 3:30pm – WRT;
Sat. Mar. 2, 3:15pm – WRT;
Sun. Mar. 3, 1:00pm - IFC
In person: Nicolas Philibert
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
MY BLUE-EYED GIRL/MA BELLE GOSSE
Shalimar Preuss, 2012, France, 80m
Preuss’ uncommonly sensitive and nuanced debut follows the eldest daughter of a family on holiday as she navigates her growing desires for a prison inmate with her heartfelt but fraying familial love. Under the film’s placid surface is a teenage, and very human, restlessness that suggests impulsive curiosity, yet also wisdom. Stars Lou Aziosmanoff, Jocelyn Lagarrigue, Victor Laforge.
Mon. Mar. 4, 10:20pm – IFC;
Tues. Mar. 5, 4pm – WRT;
Sun. Mar. 10, 4:40pm - WRT
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
THE NUN/LA RELIGIEUSE
Guillaume Nicloux, 2013, France/Germany/Belgium, 114m
Drawing on the same Denis Diderot classic as Jacques Rivette’s 1966 film, Nicloux’s version provides a fresh take on the 18th-century story of a young woman’s (a stunning Pauline Etienne) harrowing experiences in nunneries, one run by a too-loving Mother Superior (Isabelle Huppert). Young Suzanne’s discovery that she’s an illegitimate child compels her to a life in the convent, where inhumanity rules and battles of wills ensue. With Louise Bourgoin, Martina Gedeck, Françoise Lebrun.
Fri. Mar. 1, 7:00pm – IFC;
Sat. Mar. 2, 9pm – WRT;
Sun. Mar. 3, 8pm – BAM
In person: Guillaume Nicloux
PERSECUTION
Patrice Chéreau, 2009, France, 100min
A brutally intimate close-up of the moment-to-moment dissolution of a love affair, this psychological drama stars Romain Duris as a brooding, bestubbled Parisian juggling a hot-and-cold relationship with a jet-setting careerist (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and the intrusions of a middle-aged male stalker who has claimed him as the love of his life. Fueled by emotionally charged dialogue and nervy, passionate performances, Persecution continues Chéreau’s masterful observation of human desire in all its intricacies and contradictions. With Jean-Hugues Anglade.
Fri. Mar. 1, 9:40pm – BAM
In person: Romain Duris
RENOIR
NEW YORK PREMIERE
RENOIR
Gilles Bourdos, 2012, France, 111m
Set in 1915, a pivotal time in the lives of master painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his war-wounded son Jean (who’d become one of cinema’s great masters), Bourdos’ atmospheric drama explores the ways in which creative powers wax and wane as one generation gives way to the next. Key to the changes that father and son experience is a female model who’s the elder painter’s last inspiration, and the figure who may turn Jean’s life around. Stars Michel Bouquet, Christa Théret, Vincent Rottiers, Thomas Doret, Romane Bohringer. A Samuel Goldwyn Films release.
Sat. Mar. 2, 6pm – WRT;
Sun. Mar. 3, 5:00pm – BAM;
Wed. Mar. 6, 7:00pm – IFC
In person: Gilles Bourdos
NEW YORK PREMIERE
RICH IS THE WOLF/LA RICHESSE DU LOUP
Damien Odoul, 2012, France, 82m
Perplexed at the sudden disappearance of her husband, a wife watches hours of videotape that he’s recorded over the previous seven years to piece together some clues. Odoul’s most daring feature, whose color and black-and-white images are culled from his own videotaping, confirms his place as one of France’s genuinely exploratory filmmakers. Stars Marie-Eve Nadeau, Damien Odoul.
Mon. Mar. 4, 6:45pm – IFC;
Sat. Mar. 9, 3:30pm – WRT
Classic
THE RIVER (LE FLEUVE)
Jean Renoir, 1951, France/India/US, 99 min.
One of a British upper middle-class family of eight living on the banks of the Ganges River, teenage Harriet grows up in a tolerant and loving atmosphere that blends East and West. But when a dashing captain arrives at a neighbor’s home, the girl’s passions are ignited in ways she can barely fathom or control. Renoir’s classic, first color film, presented in a gorgeously restored print, remains a special and deeply emotional work in the master filmmaker’s oeuvre. Stars Patricia Walters, Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight. Restored by The Academy Film Archive in cooperation with The British Film Institute and Janus Films. Restoration funding provided by The Film Foundation and The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Sun. Mar. 3, 1:00pm - WRT
Classic
THE RULES OF THE GAME/LA RÈGLE DU JEU
Jean Renoir, 1939, France 106m
Renoir’s finest achievement and consistently praised as one of the best films ever made, The Rules of the Game is essential cinema; entire styles of filmmaking (Altman’s for one) are unthinkable without it. As a cast of characters from all classes assembles at a country house, the farce and melodrama commence, giving occasion for everything from hunting parties and gala balls to extramarital affairs and finally even murder.
Sun. Mar. 3, 2:30pm – BAM
In person: Introduction by RENOIR director Gilles Bourdos
NEW YORK PREMIERE
THE SUICIDE SHOP/LE MAGASIN DES SUICIDES
Patrice Leconte, 2012, France, 105m
Master filmmaker Leconte makes a startling and unforgettable departure from his previous work with this whimsical animated 3D musical about a family business offering certain special “end-of-life” services. Rather than succumbing to a purely mordant perspective, the movie switches course and mood, driven by the family’s perpetually happy child whom they can’t control. Based on the novel by Jean Teulé and with the voices of Bernard Alane, Isabelle Space, Kacey Mottet Klein, Isabelle Giami, Laurent Gendron.
Thurs. Mar. 7, 9:30pm – IFC;
Fri. Mar. 8, 6:30pm – WRT;
Sat. Mar. 9, 8:15pm - WRT
A European Shooting Star
And a Breakthrough Performer at the Hamptons International Film Festival
Plays the sister-in-law of Therese Desqueyroux
Photo by Eric Roffman at the Hamptons International Film Festival
US PREMIERE
THÉRÈSE DESQUEYROUX (2012)
Claude Miller, 2012, France, 110m
The late Miller’s final film elegantly adapts François Mauriac’s modern classic of a woman’s growing resistance to her suffocating marriage, and showcases a remarkable Audrey Tautou as the disturbed titular heroine. With Gilles Lelouche, Anaïs Demoustier, Catherine Arditi. An MPI Pictures release.
Fri. Mar. 1, 6:15pm – WRT;
Sat. Mar. 2, 6:00pm – BAM;
Sun. Mar. 3, 3:30pm – IFC
In person: Annie Miller (producing partner and widow of director Claude Miller), Audrey Tautou
Classic
THÉRÈSE DESQUEYROUX (1962)
Georges Franju, 1962, France, 109m
Franju’s adaptation of François Mauriac’s novel adheres closely to the source’s flashback structure, while set in a somewhat more contemporary setting, thus providing fascinating contrast to Claude Miller’s new version. Continuing to tap into the extremities of human behavior that engrossed him as an artist, Franju crucially assembled a brilliant cast, including Emmanuelle Riva, Philippe Noiret and Edith Scob, with a magnificent Maurice Jarre score.
Sat. Mar. 2, 1pm - WRT
NEW YORK PREMIERE
THREE WORLDS/TROIS MONDES
Catherine Corsini, 2012, France, 101m
A hit-and-run accident involving a hotshot car salesman and an émigré worker from Moldavia triggers a chain of dramatic events with life-altering consequences. Corsini’s complex narrative traces the small yet crucial events that expose a character’s true self, and the rottenness at the core of certain nouveau riche. A Film Movement release.
Tues. Mar. 5, 9:30pm – IFC;
Wed. Mar. 6, 6:15pm – WRT;
Thur. Mar. 7, 9pm – WRT
In person: Catherine Corsini, Raphaël Personnaz (Tue & Wed only)
NEW YORK PREMIERE
YOU, ME AND US/UN ENFANT DE TOI
Jacques Doillon, 2012, France, 136m
The tentative nature of relationships is explored in dazzling, three-dimensional fashion in this cleverly written and directed roundelay between current and former lovers. Aya, the mother of a bright young daughter, struggles to come to terms with the end of her marriage, while hoping to have a child with her new lover. Stars Lou Doillon, Samuel Benchetrit, Malik Zidi, Olga Milshtein.
Sun. Mar. 3, 8:45pm – IFC;
Mon. Mar. 4, 6pm – WRT;
Tues. Mar. 5, 6:00pm – WRT
In person: Jacques Doillon
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
YOU WILL BE MY SON/TU SERAS MON FILS
Gilles Legrand, 2012, France, 102m
Instead of grooming his son to inherit his lucrative wine-growing business, an imperious vintner (Niels Arestrup) looks to a talented California-based grower, rendering a harvest of jealousy and worse. Legrand’s narrative takes on Shakespearean qualities, driven by a titanic performance by Arestrup, while the film’s observations on the wine-growing business are thoroughly engrossing. A Cohen Media Group release.
Sun. Mar. 10, 6:30pm – WRT
In person: Gilles Legrand, Niels Arestrup
ALT_MINDS AND THE ART OF FRENCH TRANSMEDIA
Some of the most exciting advances in storytelling are taking place in France, with independent creators, corporations, and game companies reshaping how audiences consume stories. At the forefront of this transmedia revolution is the epic pan-European immersive experience ALT_MINDS.
When six scientists disappear while on assignment their kidnapping sparks a multinational manhunt. Mysterious online videos, mind-bending puzzles, and clues that point to a dark conspiracy of vast proportions threaten to ensnare the investigators charged with unraveling the mystery.
The trick is that in this interactive experience the part of investigator is not played by an actor but assumed by the audience.
Game designer, Eric Viennot of Lexis Numérique, will discuss this genre-bending project and the future of storytelling.
Sat. Mar. 2, 5:00pm– EBM (Free)
In person: Eric Viennot
FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
www.filmlinc.com
UNIFRANCE FILMS
http://en.unifrance.org/
Labels: Anais Demoustier, Audrey Tatou, Christa Theret, Michel Bouquet, RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA 2013, Renoir, Romain Duris, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, transmedia
Monday, February 18, 2013
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING AT TFANA
THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE (TFANA)
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Directed by Arin Arbus
Arin Arbus has created a delightful, funny (sometimes hilarious!) very clear and enjoyable production of Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, starring Jonathan Cake as Benedick and Maggie Siff as Beatrice.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Photo by Gerry Goodstein
Maggie, and most of the cast (with the notable exception of Jonathan Cake), form almost a repertory company at TFANA, playing roles in many plays. (I recently saw Maggie Siff at TFANA in THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, a play with some kinship to MUCH ADO.)
The action takes place on a simple but attractive plain wooden slab -- with a large swing.
While the audience enters, an accordionist plays and women are folding the wash. It gives a nice sense of place (without being specific to any location, tho' as described by Shakespeare it's quite specifically "Messina"). It's kind of placeless. There is no particularly obvious time period for the setting either (certainly the accordion is not an Elizabethan period instrument), nor do the costumes spell out a date -- it's kind of timeless.
While being specific in the moment-to-moment details, perhaps the staging -- as timeless and placeless -- is intended in part as a metaphor of the "Nothing" in the title.
Note: The wikipedia article on MUCH ADO makes much ado of connections between "nothing" and "noting" - meaning gossip, rumor and overhearing - which were homonyms for Shakespeare, and of a pun on "no thing" slang for a woman's vagina (which is not a penis), and on "notes" as in musical notes or letters or observations. A quick check of the script also reveals lots of different uses of the word "nothing" in the script, and a gazillion uses of "not." (Shakespeare loves using the same word over and over -- in both plays and poems.) One of the famous exchanges in the play is:
BENEDICK
I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is
not that strange?
BEATRICE
As strange as the thing I know not. It were as
possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as
you: but believe me not; and yet I lie not; I
confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin.
BENEDICK
By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me.
The production uses original musical settings to Shakespeare's songs.
I believe, though, that more could be made of the meaning of these songs. The lyrics are sharp in reference to the action of the play. They are more than just throw-away moments of music.:
Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never:
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny.
Sing no more ditties, sing no moe,
Of dumps so dull and heavy;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leafy:
Then sigh not so, & c.
ALSO...
Pardon, goddess of the night,
Those that slew thy virgin knight;
For the which, with songs of woe,
Round about her tomb they go
Midnight, assist our moan;
Help us to sigh and groan,
Heavily, heavily:
Graves, yawn and yield your dead,
Till death be uttered,
Heavily, heavily.
In addition to using music and song, the words of the play are broken up with moments of dancing. And the swing on the stage, simple though it may be, works wonderfully.
What makes this Arin Arbus production so terrific, is twofold. First: By slowing down some of the "witty" dialog -- which is incomprehensible in many other productions, by adding facial expressions and body language, and by getting the "comic timing" just right, she has been able to make the "wit" witty and the jokes funny.
Secondly, she has structured the play and directed the actors so that the strange contrast between the merriment of the first part of the play, and the serious deceptions and betrayals of the second part are jolting but still credible.
It's an excellent and very enjoyable production!
By the way, in a bold move, TFANA, which has never had a real home of its own, has just been building a new theater in Brooklyn across the street from BAM. It will be inaugurated next season with a new production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM directed by Julie Taymor.
THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE (TFANA)
http://www.tfana.org/
WIKIPEDIA - ON MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Ado_About_Nothing
A COPY OF THE TEXT OF THE PLAY
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/much_ado/full.html
QPORIT - ON THE TFANA PRODUCTION OF THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/04/taming-of-shrew.html
Labels: Arin Arbus, Beatrice, Benedick, Jonathan Cake, Maggie Siff, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare, TFANA, Theatre For A New Audience
Saturday, February 09, 2013
SNL -- FEB 9, 2013 -- HOST: JUSTIN BIEBER with musical guest... JUSTIN BIEBER
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
SNL -- FEB 9, 2013
JUSTIN BIEBER
HOST And! MUSICAL GUEST
Justin Bieber has the unusual honor of being both the host and the musical guest on SNL. Fans (Beliebers, or in French, LeBiebers) waited in the cold and snow for tickets. According to reports, the waiting hordes had some support from SNL and JB himself with soup and pizza.
Justin is probably the biggest star ever to have been discovered from his postings on YouTube. His home-made postings were spotted when he was a young teen. Now 18 (Next birthday, March 1.) he continues to be a major force on Twitter with tens of millions of followers and a hefty percentage of the total traffic.
Some promos for the show:
Recap:
A good show. Justin was a game host -- he was in many sketches; he acted well and naturally; he parodied himself; he only broke up out of character once, and why not, it was a funny moment.
Several sketches were not just just non-verbal comedy. -- I'd call them anti-verbal.
There were lots and lots and lots of ads, adds, addds, addddddddds..........
Keenan Thompson is becoming more and more of a solid, funny presence from show to show.
COLD OPEN -- An anti-verbal sketch. An accurate and sometimes hilarious description of TV anchors with nothing to say and airtime to fill -- in this case sportscasters during the superbowl blackout. Best line: when the clock in the stadium stops, do we stop aging?
MONOLOGUE -- Justin was good. Whoopi was a nice surprise. (But I'm not fond of people wearing religious necklaces on stage.)
SOAP NET - THE CALIFORNIANS -- Another anti-verbal sketch, as the Californians say nothing except to name the roads they drove on. This time it was well-directed and despite (or because of?) several actors failing to maintain a plausibly ridiculous accent, it was quite funny.
Lots of Ads Adds Addddds... But I do like the GE commercial (just not too often).
MSG SECURITY - BODY DOUBLES -- A premise ridiculous enough to be funny. Ellen was the best double (and... they were setting up a joke for later!)
ONLY ON BRAVO - REALITY SPINOFFS -- Wacky ideas. Some funny. Best: "Real House Plants of Beverly Hills"
More ads... But I liked the Buick ad: Every car should have a rear view camera and a super-wide angle side view mirror. My car has some serious blind spots.
MUSIC -- Justin sang some interesting songs.
WEEKEND UPDATE -- Recently the jokes have been consistently funny. Best line: Is the criteria for a drone strike "a just cause" or "just 'cus"? CHILDHOOD FRIENDS OF RICHARD III was amusing; so was THE ONE BLACK GUY IN EVERY COMMERCIAL (another successful Thompson bit).
GREASE PARODY -- Justin as an 11 year old in love, with no idea what it's all about.
More ads; even one for the Metropolitan Opera.
MILEY CYRUS FAN CLUB -- Well done, with Justin as a Miley Cyrus Fan. The Ellen joke pays off here.
MEET THE PARENTS AND THE BRO' -- Another anti-verbal sketch. Justin kind of breaks up and loses it here for a moment with Bro' screaming "glice" in his ear.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM JUSTIN BIEBER -- Alas, this sketch did not really work.
BOOKER T WASHINGTON HS VALENTINE'S (ABSTINENCE) DANCE -- Some funny moments, but the sketch seems underdeveloped.
Overall, Justin's sketches seemed to focus often on parodies of immaturity. But he was game for all the innuendos, contributed a lot to all the sketches he was in, and was in many. He did a good job!
LINKS:
JUSTIN BIEBER ON WIKIPEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bieber
Looking at Justin's bio on Wipipedia gives a tremendous impression of the huge power of the Bieber experience.
Note... there are more than 11,000(!!!) Bieber items on Amazon! Here's a sample:
Click the top icon to see many more Biebitems!
Here are links to some other SNL stories on QPORIT:
SNL -- JAN 26, 2013 -- ADAM LEVINE with KENDRICK LAMAR (Great show! & lots of clips!!)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2013/01/snl-jan-26-2013-adam-levine-with.html
SNL -- JAN 19, 2013 --JENNIFER LAWRENCE with THE LUMINEERS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2013/01/snl-jan-19-2013-jennifer-lawrence-with.html
SNL -- DEC 15, 2012 -- MARTIN SHORT WITH PAUL MCCARTNEY
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/12/snl-dec-15-2012-martin-short-with-paul.html
SNL -- DEC 8, 2012 -- JAMIE FOXX WITH NE-YO
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/12/snl-dec-8-2012-jamie-foxx-with-ne-yo.html
SNL -- NOV 10, 2012 -- ANNE HATHAWAY WITH RIHANNA
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/11/snl-nov-10-2012-anne-hathaway-with.html
SNL -- OCT 20, 2012 -- BRUNO MARS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/10/snl-oct-20-2012-bruno-mars.html
SNL -- SEP 22, 2012 -- JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT WITH MUMFORD & SONS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/09/snl-sep-22-2012-joseph-gordon-levitt.html
SNL -- SEP 15, 2012 – SEASON PREMIERE! -- SETH MACFARLANE WITH FRANK OCEAN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/09/snl-sep-15-2012-season-premiere-seth.html
Labels: glice, Justin Bieber, Saturday Night Live, SNL, YOUTUBE
