Tribeca Movies 2008

The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival ran from April 23 - May 4. Compared to last year, the event featured fewer movies, lower ticket prices and a return to theaters located exclusively in downtown Manhattan.

Once again, I neglected laundry and cleaning for two weeks while I took advantage of the opportunity to attend the festival’s screenings. Here’s what I saw in the order in which I saw them. The descriptions below are taken from the Festival’s Web site. My favorites appear in red.

1. Thriller (short)
2. The Making of Thriller
   Join filmmaker and “Thriller” video director John Landis for a special 25th anniversary screening of Michael Jackson’s epic 1984 music video, plus the classic Making of Thriller.
3. Squeezebox!
   Like the weekly pansexual party it pays tribute to, SqueezeBox! immortalizes the no-holds-barred, anything-goes attitude that its denizens embodied. The legendary club where the Toilet Boys and Hedwig were born gets the ultimate rock-and-roll tribute where all are welcome.
4. Gotta Dance
   The inspirational story of the New Jersey NETSationals, the NBA’s first senior citizen hiphop dance team. Against all odds, these energetic and dedicated seniors prove that even in their golden years, they’ve just Gotta Dance!
5. Live Long Love
   When Oscar®-nominated Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) was invited to film the Gumball Rally, the famous high-speed race in Istanbul, he decided instead to craft a raw and intimate film that exposes the effects of an unexpected sexual encounter and the high stakes of the race on two strangers. For seven days, Figgis shot in his signature run-and-gun style—the result is a courageous new work that blurs fact and fiction and probes the unsettling consequences of infidelity, loneliness, and life in the fast lane.
6. A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy
   Culled from direct cinema pioneer Robert Drew’s unparalleled behind the-scenes footage of JFK at work in the Oval Office, and the events that brought him there, this remarkable film proves a timely update of the Kennedy mythos and an eerily intimate portrait of the man himself.
7. Green Porno: Bee (short)
   
8. Green Porno: Praying Mantis (short)
   A short short-conceived, written, directed by, and featuring Isabella Rossellini (who co-directed with Jody Shapiro)-providing a comical but insightful glimpse at how bugs and insects “make love.”
9. The Caller
   Frank Langella gives a tour-de-force performance as an energy executive who tries to expose his corporation’s corrupt practices in this quiet yet chilling neo-noir thriller. He hires a private investigator (Elliott Gould) to forward his efforts, but who is investigating whom? Winner of the “Made in NY” Narrative Award.
10. Conessionsofa Ex-Doofus-Itchy Footed Mutha
    Melvin Van Peebles, still our most playfully inventive filmmaker after nearly 50 years, returns with a boisterous adventure that ranges from Harlem to the high seas, following the exploits of a man (MVP, natch) who’s always on the move–but always returns to New York.
11. So Beautiful (short)
    Sonia, an elderly lady, treats herself to a day at the beach. Soon she is approached by a young woman who asks her to keep an eye on her bag. Time passes and Sonia wants to go home, but there’s no sign of the girl. By opening the girl’s bag to have a look before she leaves, she starts longing for her younger days. She goes away, leaving behind a surprising gift for the girl.
12. 57,000 Kilometers Between Us
    A provocative yet charming take on digital communication, this debut follows a teen caught between her stepdad (who records the family’s supposedly perfect life online), her real father (now a transsexual), and the refuge of her online life as she searches for meaningful connections.
13. Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot
    Rucker Park. The mecca for all street basketball players. In Beastie Boy Yauch’s super-energized documentary, eight of the country’s top 24 high school players participate in the first “Elite 24″ tournament on the same court that helped turn Dr. J, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain into legends.
14. Green Porno: House Fly (short)
    
15. Green Porno: Firefly (short)
    
16. Green Porno; Worm (short)
    A short short-conceived, written, directed by, and featuring Isabella Rossellini (who co-directed with Jody Shapiro)-providing a comical but insightful glimpse at how bugs and insects “make love.”
17. Toby Dammit
    A gorgeous new restoration-supervised by its cinematographer, Giuseppe Rotunno-of Fellini’s adaptation of a Poe short story has Terence Stamp as a British celeb struggling through a haze of booze and drugs to make sense of the paparazzi and produttore who welcome him to Rome. Presented by Taormina Film Fest. Co-hosted with Italian Cultural Institute of New York.
18. Kassim the Dream
    Kassim “The Dream” Ouma went from Ugandan child soldier to world champion boxer. In this gripping tale of survival and determination, Kassim proves that even against all odds, a man can achieve his dreams and turn tragedy into inspiration.
19. Lioness
    U.S. policy bars female soldiers from engaging in direct ground combat, so why were the women of Lioness sent out routinely with the marines into the some of the bloodiest counterinsurgency battles of the war? Co-hosted with Human Rights Watch International Film Festival.
20. The Dalai Lama: Peace and Prosperity
    An amazing experience for those unable to attend the ‘07 live event, this film is a visual record of the Dalai Lama’s visit and presentation to a sold-out Radio City Music Hall. With photographic montages by Richard Gere and music by Tom Waits and Philip Glass.
21. Going on 13
    Ariana, Isha, Rosie, and Esme are young girls who are followed for four years as they navigate the precarious path to womanhood and, in Valadez’ and Guevara-Flanagan’s expert hands, breathe new life into the coming-of-age story. Co-hosted with New York Women in Film & Television.
22. Eau Boy (short)
    A young man who has suffered from excessive sweating since birth is blown away by a strange encounter. Directed by Eric Gravel.
23. When I Become Silent (Watashi ga chinmoku suru toki) (short)
    Aspiring writer Kyoko has a problem. She wants to begin writing a novel, but her mind is not into it. Is it because Rie, her girlfriend that she has been with for more than a year, has proposed they move in together? As the moving day approaches, Kyoko’s uneasiness grows.
24. I Think I Thought (short)
    Joe’s life threatens to come apart when he begins thinking too much: at home, at work, on the train, in the bookstore. Luckily, he discovers Thinkers Anonymous, where he learns that thinking is best left to professionals like politicians, religious leaders, and the news media. After all, they’re the ones who know what’s best for us, right? Directed by Matthew Modine.
25. Shift (short)
    Fifty-year-old George Komann and his colleagues face the possibility of being laid off by their company without even receiving decent compensation. Knowing that no one will rehire people their age, Komann risks everything by asking his boss for 15 minutes to discuss a delicate matter, the outcome of which will be either the making or the undoing of each man.
26. Irish Twins (short)
    Despite being born within a year of each other, Michael and Seamus Sullivan have become very different men. On the night after their father’s funeral, Seamus drags Michael to the local pub in their small hometown in Northern California and attempts to convince his brother that they must take their father’s ashes to Ireland in tribute. Of course, it isn’t long before Seamus’ true intentions surface, and Michael must confront how much he is willing to sacrifice for his Irish Twin.
27. Tournament (Il Torneo) (short)
    In the suburbs of Rome in 2007, an outcast group of teenagers dreams of participating in a soccer tournament but does not have enough money to buy the team uniforms.
28. Sikumi (short)
    Apuna, an Inuit hunter, is driving his dog team on the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of seals when he becomes witness to a violent murder. With no anonymity in the microscopic communities of Arctic Alaska, Apuna realizes that he knows both the victim and the murderer. The latter claims self-defense and is desperate to avoid punishment, so Apuna finds himself forced to navigate the uneasy morality between honoring the body and memory of one friend while destroying the reputation and life of another. Shot on anamorphic 35mm at temperatures of 20 degrees below zero, Sikumi is the first film ever made entirely in the Iñupiaq language.
29. A Donkey in Lahore
    An unusual love story that follows the quixotic courtship of Brian, an ex-goth puppeteer from Australia, and Amber, the traditional Muslim girl he met and fell in love with in Pakistan. Can this unlikely couple survive the challenges they are about to face?
30. 7 Cities (short)
    Striking painted visuals evoke the encounter between the great 13th-century Sufi poet Mevlana Rumi and the wandering dervish Shamsuddin of Tabriz, who would become his mentor.
31. My Marlon and Brando (Gitmek)
    They fell in love on a film set-but she’s a Turk living in Istanbul, and he’s a Kurd living in Iraq, which US forces have just invaded. The lovers play themselves in this captivating film, based on their true story.
32. Yonkers Joe
    A small-time con man’s search for the perfect scam is disrupted by unexpected family challenges. This heartwarming drama features memorable performances by Chazz Palminteri and Christine Lahti.
33. Two Mothers (Meine Mutter)
    At age 58, award-winning filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim found out he was adopted. The search for his biological mother leads him-and the audience-on a dark and engrossing journey into a world of Nazi occupation, prison hospitals, and the SS.
34. Sita Sings the Blues
    Using a variety of colorful animation techniques, writer-director Nina Paley wittily interweaves the story of Sita, the leading lady of the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, with the story of a modern American woman struggling to keep her marriage afloat.
35. Worlds Apart (To Verdener)
    The world of a dutiful daughter and Jehovah’s Witness unravels when she falls for a nonbeliever. She is torn between her conscience, faith, and passion-and forced to make a choice between a love and a family that are worlds apart. Based on a true story.
36. Lake City
    When her family is threatened by violent criminals, a mother and son must reconcile the past in order to save their home. Powerful performances by Sissy Spacek and Troy Garity highlight this potent drama, also featuring Dave Matthews and Rebecca Romijn.
37. A Story of the Red Hills
    The story of a disheartened dancer and a disabled boy–both of whose lives are transformed by the magic and power of Chhou, a traditional Bengali dance of great spectacle and color-is recounted movingly, if improbably, by a renowned Bollywood choreographer.
38. Under Our Skin
    Arguably the most overlooked and misdiagnosed ailment currently verging on epidemic throughout the United States, Lyme disease and the shocking controversies surrounding its identification and treatment are the focus of this provocative and often terrifying documentary.
39. Baghdad High
    Four classmates (Kurd, Christian, Shiite, and Sunni/Shiite) in Baghdad are given cameras to document their last year in high school, resulting in a rare firsthand view of what it’s like growing up where sectarian violence rages right outside the classroom window.
40. Secrecy
    In the years following September 11, the black redaction stripe has become a familiar sight to most Americans. Secrecy probes the roots of the United States’ culture of classification-and its consequences.
41. Zen of Bobby V
    Former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine took his baseball expertise to Japan in 2004. This film follows a season in the life of an American who has become an admired icon-and a primary reason that baseball remains Japan’s most popular sport.

Director Mike Figgis

Director Adam Yauch

Director Melvin Van Peebles

Director Dori Berinstein

Director Robert Drew

Tribeca Film Festival
57,000 Kilometers Between Us
7 Cities
Baghdad High
The Caller
Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha
The Dalai Lama: Peace and Prosperity
A Donkey in Lahore
Eau Boy
Going on 13
Gotta Dance
Green Porno
Green Porno: Official site
Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot
I Think I Thought
Irish Twins
Kassim the Dream
Lake City
Lioness
Love Live Long
My Marlon and Brando
A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy
Secrecy
Shift
Sikumi
Sita Sings the Blues
So Beautiful
SqueezeBox!
A Story of the Red Hills
Thriller Night
Toby Dammit
Toby Dammit’s Inspiration: Edgar Allen Poe’s Never Bet the Devil Your Head
Tournament
Two Mothers (Meine Mutter)
Under Our Skin
When I Become Silent
Worlds Apart
Yonkers Joe
The Zen of Bobby V

SqueezeBox!

In the mid-1990s, a New York City nightclub owner Don Hill decided to hold a weekly “gay night.” He hired a party planner who vowed to create an event that included everything he liked and nothing he didn’t, and they called the result SqueezeBox! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the name).

The Friday night SqueezeBox! parties offered uncensored, uninhibited entertainment and attracted a regular audience of drag queens, rock & rollers and celebrities. After several years, the parties had run their course.

The last SqueezeBox! event, a gala farewell party, was held on May 18, 2001, and filmmakers almost immediately began working on a documentary. Last night, the movie that was seven years in the making was shown as part of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Some of the SqueezeBox! regulars showed up in full party regalia and, for a few moments, the lobby and street outside the theater were transformed into the site of an impromptu drag performance, fashion show and family reunion.

The filmmakers onstage

Screening attendees

Attendee in the lobby

Jayne Country at the screening

In front of a Tribeca Film Festival banner

Jim Wallerstein and Bebe Buell

On the street in front of the theater

Film attendee in the street

Tribeca Film Festival: SqueezeBox!
Don Hill’s SqueezeBox Party
MySpace: SqueezeBox The Movie
MySpace: Squeeze Box

The New York Television Festival

Two years ago, the New York Television Festival (NYTF) was established to bring together independent video artists, television insiders and fans. The Festival allows people with new and original visions to connect with those who are already established in the broadcast industry. 

Some of the producers, writers and directors who’ve exhibited their work in past years have established deals with major television networks including NBC Universal and A&E. The festival’s slogan is “All you need is an idea and a video camera.”

Tonight, the NYTF’s programming included the Comedy Short Cuts Diversity Film Festival. Organized by comedian Wil Sylvince and hosted by cast members of sitcom 30 Rock, the evening showcased eight independent comedy shorts:

• * Bitch by Lilah Vandenburgh.
• * Color Me Blind by Douglas Keller.
• * After School Midnight by Hitoshi Takeiyo.
• * Mac-PC Spoof by Tvli Jacob and Steve Judd.
• * El Chisme by Miguel Becerra.
• * A Fat Girl’s Guide to Yoga by Gregory M.T. Colleton and Tajamika Paxton.
• * Aquarium by Rob Meyer.
• * The Sunday Man by Danielle Shamash.

After the program, I exited the theatre at the same moment the 30 Rock crowd was leaving and became surrounded by their party. I decided to go with the flow.

When they all veered to the right, ascended a flight of stairs and breezed past a phalanx of security guards, I did the same and found myself in the official after-party.

A nice surprise; a show and dinner (satay, hors d’oeuvres and wine), too! I mingled with the crowd, posed for photos and, when I left, was presented with a gift bag containing a DVD, a water bottle and a nifty little flash drive. Not bad for an otherwise quiet Thursday night.

The New York Television Festival
Comedy Short Cuts
MySpace: Comedy Short Cuts Film Festival
MySpace: Wil Sylvince
30 Rock
Bitch
El Chisme
A Fat Girl’s Guide to Yoga
Aquarium
The Sunday Man
TV Squad: NYTVF: NBC Comedy Short Cuts

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story

Tonight I attended a special screening of Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story at the ImaginAsian Theater. The documentary tells the story of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese schoolgirl who disappeared in 1977, and of her family’s long, heartbreaking struggle to find her.

Decades after she vanished, a North Korean defector revealed that Kim Jong Il’s henchmen had abducted more than one dozen innocent Japanese citizens. They were transported across the Sea of Japan and forced to teach North Korean spies how to speak, look and “act” Japanese. Taken at the age of 13, Megumi was their youngest kidnapping victim.

While the abductions have made headlines and caused governmental upheavals in Asia, they are little known in the rest of the world. In fact, I wasn’t aware of them until I saw this award-winning film.

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story is the first effort from husband and wife directing team Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim. They appeared onstage for a question and answer session and described how reading a small article in the Washington Post inspired them to put Megumi’s story on film.

Also present was Noel Paul Stookey, the “Paul” of the legendary folk music group Peter, Paul and Mary, who performed his Song for Megumi. He explained that he wrote the song because folk music traditionally tells stories of struggle and injustice. 

He sang, “Return to me, Megumi, across the waves of the sea. Send me your spirit. My heart will hear it. And lead you home to me.”

Noel Paul Stookey, Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim

Noel Paul Stookey

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story
Rescuing Abductees Center for Hope
Abduction Blog
Noel Paul Stookey
World Politics Watch: American Folk Singer Pens ‘Song for Megumi’
ImaginAsian Theater

I ♥ Anderson Cooper

The graffiti about the popular newscaster was written on a construction wall near the entrance to the 66th Street-Lincoln Center subway station.

I felt a bit guilty asking the elderly man who was leaning against it to move so that I could take a photo, but he readily obliged. As he slowly moved past me, the fellow grinned, leaned over conspiratorially and whispered, “If what I’ve heard about him is true, that might have been written by a man.”

“If what I’ve heard about him is true,” I responded, “it might have been written by his mother.”

Entrance to 66th Street-Lincoln Center station

I ♥ Anderson Cooper

CNN: Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° Blog
Wikipedia: Gloria Vanderbilt
Gloria Vanderbilt

A Legend Early in the Morning

Every summer two popular television programs compete for early morning audiences by broadcasting concerts live from New York City.

The National Broadcasting Company’s Today Show holds their concert series on the Plaza at Rockefeller Center. Concerts from the American Broadcasting Company’s Good Morning America program take place in Bryant Park.

Both concert series are held in midtown Manahattan, both are free and open to the public, both include a variety of performers and musical genres. Good Morning America’s offerings take place on Fridays; the Today Show’s concerts are generally held on Tuesdays or Fridays.

Recently friend asked why I, who live so close to the venues and enjoy music so much, have never attended one of these peformances. This note from Good Morning America’s Web site might explain:

Show up at Bryant Park (41st and 6th Ave) around 6:00am, or earlier, to get a good spot in line.

Nevertheless, I decided to set my alarm extra early and give a (practically) crack-of-dawn concert a try today when R&B singer, songwriter and pianist John Legend appeared on Good Morning America.

Legend, a Grammy-award winner, performed romantic ballads influenced by gospel, jazz and hip-hop. After the show, the audience received free samples provided by the program’s sponsor, Listerine mouthwash.

Wonder whether the Listerine is at all responsible for Legend’s sweet, mellow sound?

The temporary stage in Bryant Park

Rehearsing with back-up singers

Singing during the rehearsal

Joking with Diane Sawyer & Sam Champion

John Legend performing with the band

John Legend making hearts flutter

John Legend
MySpace: John Legend
Today Show Concert Series
Good Morning America
Bryant Park: Good Morning America Concert Series
Listerine

A plea to readers

I’ve never written a post like this before, but the issue is too important to ignore. If you are a New Yorker, ever plan to visit New York or just care about freedom of speech and expression, this is a plea for your help. 

A controversial new city proposal would require formal permits for a wide range of casual photography and would affect visitors and residents alike.

“Some tourists, amateur photographers, even would-be filmmakers hoping to make it big on YouTube could soon be forced to obtain a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance before taking pictures or filming on city property, including sidewalks.

New rules being considered by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting would require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance.

“The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment.”
– New York Times, June 29, 2007

It seems absurd, doesn’t it, that a city like this would crack down on people taking photos in public places, but the threat of that happening is very real — and implemention of the rules imminent – unless we make our voices heard.

Following a request from the NYCLU, New York City has agreed to reopen the period for members of the public to submit comments about this proposal. The City will accept comments until Friday August 3.

Comments should be sent as soon as possible to the following person:
    Julianne Cho
    Assistant Commissioner
    Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting
    1697 Broadway
    New York, N.Y. 10019
    jcho@film.nyc.gov

An ad hoc coalition of working artists, filmmakers, and photographers have joined together to fight the proposed rules. Calling themselves Picture New York, they have launched a blog and an online petition which will be closed on Friday, August 3.

If you believe, as I do, that we should remain free to take photos and shoot videos on the streets of New York City, please let officials know before it is too late. They will stop accepting comments in only two days.

If you live outside the city, or even outside the U.S., you might hesitate to contact the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting.

You may think that it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to get involved in what seems like a local fight, but the city needs to hear from as many people as possible, no matter where they live. Please help us keep New York accessible and open to all photographers.

============

Addendum:
Award-winning newscaster and commentator Keith Olbermann has named Julianne Cho Worst Person in the World for July 31, 2007.

============

Addendum:
“Responding to an outcry that included a passionate Internet campaign and a satiric rap video, city officials yesterday backed off proposed new rules that could have forced tourists taking snapshots in Times Square and filmmakers capturing that only-in-New-York street scene to obtain permits and $1 million in liability insurance.

“In announcing the move, officials at the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting said they would redraft the rules, intended to apply to commercial film and photography productions, to address complaints that they could be too broadly applied. They will then release the revised rules for public comment.

“It appears that the mayor’s office on film has come to their senses,” said Eileen Clancy, a member of a group formed to protest the rules. “Clearly, they did not anticipate the way in which the rules were likely to affect so many different groups of people.””

For the rest of this New York Times article, click here.

Picture New York blog
Picture New York petition
New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU)
Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting
Text of Proposed rule (Amendment to Title 43) [pdf]
NY Times: Artists Organize to Fight Camera Permit Proposal
NY Times: City May Seek Permit and Insurance for Many Kinds of Public Photography
Sewell Chan: A Shout Out to the M.O.F.T.B.
Olde English: Free NYC Rap video
Keith Olbermann
NY Times: After Protests, City Agrees to Rewrite Proposed Rules

Daytime Television

When television was in its infancy, most American programs were produced in, and broadcast from, New York. Over time, the majority of the major studios moved to California; the shows that remained here were primarily news, variety and daytime programs including soap operas, game and talk shows.

When I was a kid, schools around New York frequently sent students on excursions to the sets of local shows. I have memories of sitting with my classmates and obediently obeying APPLAUSE signs at game shows, but by 6th grade I was bored with the whole experience. As a result, I haven’t been part of a studio audience since junior high school – until today when, much to my surprise, I sat in on the taping of two daytime television shows.

The day began with a visit to The View, described on its Web site as a “morning chatfest, featuring a team of dynamic women of different ages, experiences and backgrounds discussing the most exciting events of the day.” There is a one-year waiting list for tickets and audience members must conform to a dress code (business casual, bright colors preferred).

Once we entered the ABC building on the Upper West Side, we were greeted by a warm-up comedian who engaged the (primarily female) crowd while we stood on line and watched busy staff members come and go. We were warned that there were no bathroom breaks, told to turn off mobile devices, and welcomed inside the studio. As we entered, we were handed packets of chocolate chip cookies and bottles of juice (I would have loved that during those 6th grade tapings of Tic-Tac-Dough) and shown to our assigned seats.

The show is broadcast live and once it began, it went at a furious pace. Hair and makeup people kept rearranging stray hairs, adding dabs of powder, and ducking out of camera range. The hosts for the day included Rosie O’Donnell, Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar. Goldie Hawn served as a guest host and Brooke Shields and Gena Rowlands were the guests.

During commercial breaks the hosts waded out into the audience, answered questions and posed for photos. One audience member (sadly, not me) was selected for a trip to London and we all received gift bags containing a Barbra Streisand CD and an assortment of Tupperware.

We emerged onto West 66th Street where eager young men and women offered us tickets to the Montel Show. When? “Now!,” they cried. “You have to go now! Just take a cab and we’ll pay your cab fare!” Um, OK. But before jumping into a taxi, I asked for a note containing the name of the person who would give me the money and made sure to ask the driver for a receipt.

The Web site for the Montel Show says that it is, “entertaining, informative and relatable … a testament to Mr. Williams’ sincerity and compassion, in addition to his willingness to tackle complex issues head on.”

The differences between the shows were apparent even before we entered the building. While the line to get into The View was orderly and well-managed, with frequent announcements about how soon the doors would open, no one seemed to be in charge of those waiting outside The Montel Show. People milled around, pushed and shoved for position and quarrelled about where the line began and how long we’d have to wait for admittance.

Finally, the doors opened. We were herded into a dark, dingy room equipped with pots of tepid coffee (no cups), several large, plastic garbage cans, a broken soda vending machine and a large color photo of the show’s host, Montel Williams.

When the doors (which bore a large sign warning us not to take photos) finally opened, we were told to keep mobile devices in sight (”hold them up next to your face”) so the security staff could examine them and passed through metal detectors. Finally, we entered the studio. Smaller and darker than that of The View, there was no warm up, no snacks, no comedy. We sat and waited until the host himself came out and sternly recited a long list of rules that his audience must follow (”If I point at you, I mean MOVE NOW!”). 

The single guest was self-proclaimed psychic Sylvia Browne. The audience members included several who claimed to have come from as far away as Greece and Australia, simply for the opportunity to ask her a single question.

For the next two hours, the raspy-voiced psychic clicked her long, lacquered nails, the host barked out orders and the audience members meekly did their best to obey, lest they joined those who failed and were in disgrace (”Nope, you can’t ask your question. You blew it.”).

The show is taped and several times during the production the host halted the action and ordered some changes to the equipment or demanded that a segment be repeated. The most bizarre moment occured off-camera when an unidentified man, who was clearly a staff member, stood up and prompted the host to discuss his hawkish political views and ambitions.

At the end of the taping, as the audience was being herded out the door, I began to search for the person who was supposed to pay for our cab fare. Good thing I’d obtained a note from the people who’d given us the tickets and had a receipt from the driver.

It took a while, and there was a bit of quibbling when I insisted on being reimbursed for the tip, too, but they finally came through. I felt sorry for a mother and daughter duo, though. They had been approached outside The View, too, and the people who’d given them tickets promised that lunch would be served after the taping. Nope, no food was available, not even a piece of gum; the promise was just a way to fill the empty seats.

By the way, just for the record, I’m not a regular viewer of either show.

Sign on the set
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Warm-up comedian
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Audience members dancing onstange
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Joy Behar speaking to the audience
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Rosie & staff member with Goldie Hawn & Brooke Shields
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Elizabeth Hasslebeck during a break
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Gena Rowlands, Joy & Elizabeth
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Rosie O’Donnell talking to the audience
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Behind the cameras
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Goldie Hawn grinning
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Goldie Hawn
Originally uploaded by annulla.

The door to Montel’s studio
Originally uploaded by annulla.

The View
The Montel Show
Sylvia Browne
Go Sylvia Browne
Stop Sylvia Browne
Open Letter to Montel Williams: An Answer?

At the Movies

The Tribeca Film Festival ran from April 25 - May 6 and included 157 features and 88 short films from 47 countries. I’m not entirely sure that it is possible, but I just might have gone a bit overboard with my film viewing. 

Here’s what I saw in the order in which I saw them. Some were great, some mediocre, and I actually walked out of one film. The descriptions below are taken from the Festival’s Web site. Most of the shorts are available online — to view them, just click here.

1. Playing the Victim
   In this black-humored Russian Hamlet by one of Moscow’s top theater directors, a young slacker receives nocturnal visits from his father’s ghost and literally “plays the victim” in crime reconstruction videos. Observing a farcical justice system with a brash collage of visual styles, this acerbic depiction of contemporary Moscow chronicles Valya’s dangerously escalating disgust with his world. Grand Prize Winner, Rome Film Festival.
2. The Pelican
   Dubbed “the French James Dean” for his roles in films by Claude Chabrol (Le beau Serge, Les cousins) and Howard Hawks (Hatari), Gérard Blain’s work as director never surfaced in the U.S. This is his masterpiece, a moving account of parental love and obsession, filmed in a rigorous style that recalls Bresson or Dreyer—sans religion.
3. To Die a Little (Short)
   A remarkable rediscovery: In Chile, To Die A Little (Morir Un Poco) was proscribed, hunted down and destroyed. Considered “lost” for decades, a copy was recently discovered in the vault of a European film festival. An unknown jewel of Latin American filmmaking, unearthed and restored last year, it features images recalling Cassavetes and Rouch.  
4. Memories About Sayat Nova (Short)
   (aka The Color of Pomegranates)—Restored, Memories About Sayat Nova (Vospominania o Sayat Nove) reveals astonishingly beautiful, newly discovered scenes from Sergei Paradjanov’s masterwork Sayat Nova, which was censored by the Soviet government.
5. Shame
   In 2002, Mukhtaran Mai, a woman living in a remote Pakistani village, was publicly gang raped to atone for a crime her brother allegedly committed. Instead of killing herself, as she was expected to do, she raised an outcry that became an international cause. A powerful essay in courage. In Urdu and Sariki.
6. Normal Adolescent Behavior
   A darkly comic look at precocious teens grappling with sex, excess and alienation. Avoiding the high school party scene and random hookups, Wendy (Amber Tamblyn) and her friends form a clique that claims a more fluid sexuality. Schacter’s directorial debut delivers a provocative take on teen romance in this modern promiscuous age.
7. Planet B-Boy
   A powerful documentary about the vibrant global resurgence of break-dancing, Planet B-Boy goes inside the underground hip- hop dance scenes around the world, as the best crews prepare for the “The Battle of the Year”—an annual “World Cup” of b-boying. Director Lee combines spectacular dance footage with poignant insight explaining why these dancers make tremendous sacrifices for their art. In English, French, Japanese and Korean.
8. Man of Two Havanas
   Growing up in Miami, the director witnessed drive-by shootings and death threats directed toward her father, a former friend of Fidel Castro and opponent of the embargo. Using never-before-heard CIA audiotapes and fascinating interviews with her father, Weisman links his past and present in an eye-opening film that’s sure to be talked about. In Spanish and English.
9. Say Can You See (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
   An improbable witness experiences New York City from atop the Empire State Building during a time of extraordinary change. Day to night, light to dark, the pathos of the American spirit is explored through a historic event.
10. Red Shoes (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
    An aging Chinatown masseuse, Linda, tries to find a way to buy her 10 year-old daughter, Dee, a pair of shoes. When pressured by her client to make easy money, her vanity gets the better of her and she gives in to temptation. But as Linda finds herself falling down the slippery slope of moral compromise, Dee begins to discover the truth about what her mother does for a living. How far will Linda’s greed take her, and will she be able to continue protecting Dee from the truth?
11. Lock (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
    Two strangers briefly connect as they find themselves locked on a New York city rooftop.
12. A Nick In Time (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
    An old school Brooklyn barber recounts an incident from his past to a troubled young man who is on the verge of making a major life-altering decision. But can the barber get through to him before things spiral out of control?
13. Super Powers (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
    A young couple tries to save their marriage by dressing up as super heroes in the bedroom. But when they’re unexpectedly forced out onto the streets of New York City, they end up saving much more than their sex life. Winner, Special Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short.
14. Raving (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
    With no apparent direction, young and reckless urbanite, Katie, uses her charm to swindle her way through life. When she meets Dito, an older man in search of a cleaning lady, she thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to clean him out. She soon learns, however, that for Dito, it’s not about getting rid of the clutter in his apartment, but also the memories that go with it.
15. Happiness (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
    One evening, after work, Iwona buys a box of happiness in a strange discount store and has to decide what to do with it. Inspired by the myth of Pandora’s box, Happiness is a straight-faced comedy about how the little things can make all the difference in a humdrum world.
16. In Vivid Detail (Short — Express Stops Only Program)
    In Vivid Detail is the unusual love story between Leslie and Justin, an architect who suffers from Prosopagnosia — a neurological disorder that makes him incapable of recognizing faces. The couple must decide whether their new relationship can overcome the obstacles ahead of them as they try to cope with this bizarre but real condition, meanwhile raising the questions about how beauty is measured.
17. Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life
    Darius, a 15-year-old with muscular dystrophy, has never been outside of Georgia, until his 11 closest friends rent an RV and take off across the country, hoping to convince MTV’s Pimp My Ride to work on his wheelchair and raise awareness about the disease. On their long adventure they learn that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.
18. Between Heaven and Earth (Tussen Hemel en Aarde)
    In the heart of the Eurasian continent, the ancient center of the world where the Silk Road connected China to Europe, the circus is a deeply rooted cultural phenomenon. This film focuses on two circus artists, whose lifelong friendship is affected by the differing political choices they make under the dictatorship in Uzbekistan. In Russian and Uzbek.
19. Take the Bridge
    Four young strangers meet after their failed suicide attempts land each of them in the hospital on the same day. United by circumstance, they may yet discover a reason to live. This fresh, original take on city life pays tribute to the vitality and energy of the Dominican community in Washington Heights. In English and Spanish
20. Blackout
    In summer 2003, America experienced the largest blackout in its history–widely reported as peaceful. But in Brooklyn’s forgotten East Flatbush neighborhood, mayhem unfolded when the power shut down. This is the untold story of the blackout–a place where, as night fell, looters emerged, violence surfaced and residents feared for their lives. With Melvin Van Peebles and Jeffrey Wright.
21. Nobel Son
    In this taut thriller spiked with droll humor, Ph.D. candidate Barkley (Bryan Greenberg) is kidnapped the night before his father Eli (Alan Rickman) will receive the Nobel Prize. When Eli refuses to pay a ransom equal to the $2 million prize, secrets, betrayal and revenge collide. With Bill Pullman, Shawn Hatosy, Danny DeVito, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson and Eliza Dushku.
22. Falafel
    Everything bad that can happen on the way to a party happens to easygoing young Tou in this chronicle of a nighttime trip though Beirut, permeated by the smell of falafel frying at neon-lit stands. Flipping between the playful youth and scenes of unexpected danger, Kammoun creates a kind of Lebanese After Hours.
23. Forging a Nation
    Accompanied by his mother, cousins, aunts and uncles, the director retraces the steps of his Jewish ancestors, who fled Europe in the 1920’s hoping to find in Argentina the land of their dreams. This poignant film journey uses the documentary as a singular tool to explore the multifaceted ways in which the Argentine nation was built.
24. Miss Universe 1929
    Amateur filmmaker Marci Tenczer was smitten with his cousin, Liesl Goldarbeiter and chronicled her rise from a modest childhood in Vienna to the Texas competition where she was crowned the first Miss Universe. Then Hitler upended everyone’s universe. Péter Forgács (El Perro Negro, Best Documentary, 2005 Tribeca Film Festival) continues his fascinating exploration of Europe’s private history through home movies.
25. Vartan, LLP (Short — Ulterior Motives Program)
    Sidney Taylor heads up one of the most successful asset management funds on Wall Street. He has always escaped the pain and disappointment of life by throwing himself one hundred percent into his work. But when Sidney discovers his estranged best friend and former business partner has died of cancer, all the emotional walls he has built to protect him instantly disappear, and he is shaken to his core with regret so powerful he can barely stand it.
26. The True Legend of Tony Vilar
    Using a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary style, this half-true, half-imagined tale is based on the story of real-life singer Tony Vilar. Born in Italy, he later moved to Argentina and became one of the most popular crooners in 1960’s Latin America, then mysteriously disappeared, leaving a faint trail apparently leading to New York City.
27. The Gates
    In 1979, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude proposed one of the largest public art installations in history: a “golden river” of 7,500 fabric-paneled gates in Central Park. Transcending controversy, it was finally completed in 2005. Renowned documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles and long-time collaborator Antonio Ferrera chronicle the artists’ 26-year commitment to transform the winter darkness of the park into a garden of light and color.
28. NYC Weights & Measures (Short — Archiving Identity Program)
    NYC Weights and Measures is a simple gathering of New York City street footage. Shot with a spring-wound 16mm Bolex on, above, and below the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn , this dreamy film explores the city’s many moods, even including footage of the ticker tape parade for astronaut John Glen.
29. Palo Alto
    It’s a bittersweet homecoming when four college freshmen return to their quiet northern California town for Thanksgiving. In the tradition of American Graffiti, this first feature film by college students Brad Leong and Tony Vallone follows the adventures of four friends on one eventful night that changes everything.
30. Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother
    An intriguing look at sex and celebrity, this richly textured documentary, filled with drag queens and Hollywood glitterati, is actually a serious movie about transgendered life. In this unique and candid documentary, Alexis reveals a more private side as she grapples with the process of sex reassignment surgery.
31. The Education of Charlie Banks
    Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst makes his directorial debut with this potent coming-of-age drama about confronting one’s fears. Pensive, honorable college student Charlie Banks must reconcile with his past when he gets an unexpected visit from a hometown thug-who may or may not know that Charlie once ratted him out to the police. Starring Jesse Eisenberg. Winner, “Made In NY” Narrative.
32. Where God Left His Shoes
    Frank Diaz (John Leguizamo) and his family have been living in a homeless shelter for months. But on Christmas Eve, they receive the best gift possible-the chance for an apartment. To get it, Frank needs a job, so he and his stepson go on the hunt for employment. This heartwarming tale shows the compassion of a family that comes together when all else feels lost.
33. The Workshop
    A spiritual search for answers leads the filmmaker to a California workshop run by a spiritual leader who promotes sexual adventure — and the possible existence of aliens. In this amusing and emotional film, Jamie and his friends shed their clothes and inhibitions for a wild ride of sex, fear, love, anger, betrayal and joy.
34. Dorme (Short — Show and Tell Program)
    Dorme (meaning “sleep”) takes us on a magical journey into the world of dreams, that mystical place our spirits go to play when our bodies go to sleep at night. A beautiful and mesmerizing fantasy film, Dorme is a celebration of the sub-conscious mind, an artistic feast for the eyes and an escape for the soul. Told without the use of words, this universal story is about a boy lulled to sleep by a captivating melody only to begin his adventure of transformation and discovery
35. Chinese Dumplings (Short — Show and Tell Program)
    Like any kids their age, sisters Lucy, 9, and Grace, 7, would rather be playing outside after school than practicing the violin in their living room — especially since it is Grace’s birthday, and they deserve a break! Lucy goes out of her way to look out for their interests, but in the end it is younger sister Grace who surprises everyone with her actions and illuminates how, in childhood, even the smallest moments define us in big ways.
36. Fish Miracle Sky (Short — Show and Tell Program)
    The FishMiracleSky is a short film trilogy about childhood, specifically three significant moments in the life of a five-year-old girl. In When Fishes Cry, Kate tries to save her dream world against the reality of life. In The Miracle, Kate thinks that she can change real life with her imaginary dream world methods. In Closer to the Sky, Kate opens the gates of life.
37. For All The Marbles (Short — Show and Tell Program)
    Recess begins — the schoolyard is flooded with kids! Ten-year-old Jeff reveals his prized cat’s-eye marble in a bid to win the Universal Marble Championship. But just before his winning shot, Cricker, the schoolyard bully, grabs it and launches it to the other side of the playground, and Jeff must set off across the infamous “big-kid’s area” to retrieve it. With danger at every turn, Jeff plays his way through various games in order to claim his marble, but will he return in time to win the game?
38. Amarelinha (Short — Show and Tell Program)
    In Amarelinha, Matteus is a six-year-old who treasures storytelling hour with his parents before bedtime. Believing that they will stop telling him bedtime stories once he learns how to read, Matteus comes up with a plan to exempt himself from reading exercises at school.
39. Dear Lemon Lima (Short — Short Attention Span Program)
    A lonely girl with a vivid imagination struggles to plant seeds of love after her narcissistic sweetheart breaks her heart. But a chance meeting with “angel-headed dorks” Hercules and Nothing enables her to overcome her heartbreak on a serendipitous summer day. Dear Lemon Lima thrives on the notion that life is a time to celebrate our common traits and differences and inspire kindness and equality in others.
40. Thorndike (Short — Short Attention Span Program)
    Todd, an awkward teenage boy, makes a mess of the last day he and his girlfriend get to spend together before she moves away. He enlists his friends in a harrowing plan to make it up to her but realizes that no effort will take away the melancholy of losing his first love.
41. Miss Chinatown, U.S.A. (Short)
    Miss Chinatown, U.S.A. is the comical and touching story of a young woman who competes in one of America’s oldest ethnic beauty pageants. As Katie travels from her native Seattle to the bustling streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown, she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery — forever changing our notions of what it means to be young, female, and Asian in America.

Banner on Lamppost
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Festival Box Office at Varick & Laight Streets
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival Shorts
NY Magazine: Tribeca Shorts
Jarman
Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother
Amarelinha
Between Heaven and Earth (Tussen Hemel en Aarde)
Blackout
Chinese Dumplings
Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life
Dear Lemon Lima
Dorme
The Education of Charlie Banks
Falafel
Fish Miracle Sky 
Forging a Nation
For All The Marbles
The Gates
Happiness
In Vivid Detail
Lock
Man of Two Havanas
Memories About Sayat Nova (Vospominania o Sayat Nove)
Miss Chinatown, U.S.A.
Miss Universe 1929
A Nick In Time
Nobel Son
Normal Adolescent Behavior
NYC Weights & Measures
Palo Alto
The Pelican
Planet B-Boy
Playing the Victim
Raving
Red Shoes
Say Can You See
Shame
Super Powers
Take the Bridge
Thorndike
To Die a Little (Morir Un Poco)
The True Legend of Tony Vilar
Vartan, LLP
Where God Left His Shoes
The Workshop

The Dance-In Drive-In Movie

Drive-in theaters are the product of a time and place (America in the early 20th century) where land and gasoline were plentiful and cheap. Uniting two national passions — cars and movies — thousands of drive-in theaters operated across the country during the 1950s and 1960s.

Today, they are rapidly disappearing from the landscape and in New York City (which has the lowest rate of private automobile ownership and highest real estate prices in the U.S.) there are none at all.

But this week, the Tribeca Film Festival recreated the drive-in experience in Lower Manhattan. Today a large screen, loudspeakers and rows of chairs were erected in the cove behind the World Financial Center for an event called the “Tribeca Drive-In.”

Early arrivals received free popcorn, candy, drinks and seat cushions and settled in for a special screening of Planet B-Boy. The film is a new documentary about Battle Of The Year, a world-wide break-dance competition held annually in Germany.

The evening’s program began when Fab 5 Freddy, the former host of Yo! MTV Raps (who is now known as the grandfather of the New York hip-hop scene), welcomed the crowd. He explained that “B-Boy” stands for, variously, “Break-Boy,” “Beat-Boy” or “Bronx-Boy,” and is the preferred term for those who practice this form of dancing.

He went on to introduce Ken Swift, one of the original members of the fabled Rock Steady Crew, who demonstrated “classic” break-dancing moves and gave lessons to audience members. Other live performers included the Persuaders, the Beatbox Orchestra, Knucklehead Zoo, Toni Blackman and the Drifters (a team of B-Boys from Korea).

By the time the sky was dark enough for the main attraction, the crowd that had gathered at the “Drive-In” was overflowing and enraptured. Even when it began to rain, the crowd stayed in place to watch the film and, afterwards, to give director Benson Lee a standing ovation.

Fab 5 Freddy
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Ken Swift
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Knucklehead Zoo
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Persuaders
Originally uploaded by annulla.

The Persuaders
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Beat Box Orchestra
Originally uploaded by annulla.

Planet B-Boy
MySpace: Planet B-Boy
Battle of the Year
Tribeca Drive In
Fab 5 Freddy
Rock Steady Crew
Ken Swift’s Breaklife
Knucklehead Zoo
Toni Blackman
The Persuaders
Google video: Drifters (Korea) v. Pokeman (France)
Wikipedia: Drive In
Wikipedia: Yo! MTV Raps
World Financial Center

Blood Diamond

New York is filled with famous, glamorous people leading exciting, glittering lives. I’m not one of them. However, on rare occasions, I manage to find myself in their midst. This evening was one of those times.

Tonight Marie Claire magazine held a cocktail reception and screening of the new adventure film “Blood Diamond.” The screening was followed by a discussion featuring Brooklyn native and star Jennifer Connelly, director/producer Edward Zwick and the magazine’s editor in chief, Joanna Coles.

The event ended when the star was reminded that she had to leave; she was due at a taping of the Conan O’Brien show. As the attendees went out into the cold December night, we were given copies of the January issue of Marie Claire featuring Jennifer Connelly on the cover.

Producer Marshall Herskovitz, Jennifer Connelly, Joanna Coles, Edward Zwick, Publisher Susan Plagemann  

Jennifer Connelly with Marie Claire cover  

Blood Diamond
The New Yorker: Review of Blood Diamond
Amnesty Magazine: Blood Diamonds
The Kimberley Process
Marie Claire
Conan O’Brien

Seeing “Together” Together

Tonight, in the offices of a small, local non-profit group, I attended the special invitation-only screening of a new film. In middle of a large, loft-like room, screens were erected, folding chairs arranged, a projector set up, and long tables covered with movie-fan-appropriate food (popcorn, soda, candy bars).

Friends, fans and family of the cast and crew filled the seats and watched the sort of, kind of, semi-official premiere of “Together,” a quirky romantic comedy set among geeks and artists in New York.

From the film’s Web site: Together was written in the summer of 2005 by Jason Hammonds and Mike Murphy. Murphy is a law student and writer at the University of Michigan and he and Hammonds have collaborated solely via the internet and phone on this project. Much credit to Emmanuel Ording, Nick McIntyre and Chad Jenkins for helpful edits and insites [sic] along the way.

The film was shot in October/November of 2005. Together takes a look inside of [the] reality and fidelity of a single man, living in NYC [and] running a business from his cramped apartment. It is a comedy with a darker side that speaks to the slightly tempestuous situations that most of us face in the course of our lives.

Smattered with characters that are just pure funny, this tragic comedy is something that everyone can relate to. The story unravels around decisions about getting married wrapped with reflections on what brought the two main characters to where they currently sit (literally at a dinner table).

This little film is low budget, but definitely not low talent.

Together: On the lake

Together: Central Park

Together: Friends talking

Together

Together credits

Open Door Productions

Zoe Hunter

Alex Emanuel

Emily Fletcher

5th Annual Tribeca Film Festival

“Created by Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro, the mission of the Tribeca Film Festival is to enable the international film community and the general public to experience the power of film by redefining the film festival experience. The Tribeca Film Festival was founded to celebrate New York City as a major filmmaking center and to contribute to the long-term recovery of lower Manhattan”.

The Tribeca Film Festival grows larger every year. This spring, for the fifth anniversary, the Festival broke all records: 274 films from 40 countries were screened at locations around Manhattan. Banners advertising the festival flapped from lampposts, posters appeared in shop windows, and information booths and free popcorn stands were erected in strategic downtown locations. For two weeks the city celebrated film, filmmakers and filmgoers.

“The response to this year’s volunteer recruitment drive has been amazing. At present we have received our full quota of applications for our Volunteer Pool … [and] have begun a Standby List. While we can give you no assurance that you will be assigned to a volunteer shift if you are on our Standby List, you are welcome to send in an application to volunteer. Without the volunteers, the Festival could not operate.”

While most Festival volunteers have (or wish to have) some connection with the film industry, many are simply passionate about the movies. Volunteers received t-shirts, sports bags, badges, a voucher for a free burrito and access to certain screenings - often without any information about which film they would see. The Festival ran from April 25 to May 7 and I viewed an average of one film per day.

Air Guitar Nation 

Blood of My Brother 

Choking Man 

Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint 

East Broadway 

Encounter Point 

Fat Girls 

I Am You Are 

Kiss Me Again 

Long Time Listener 

loudQUIETloud 

Middletown 

Mission Impossible III 

Tell Me Do You Miss Me 

The Treatment 

Wordplay 

Air Guitar Nation

The Blood of My Brother: A Story of Death in Iraq

Choking Man

Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint

East Broadway

Encounter Point

Fat Girls

I Am You Are

Kiss Me Again

Long-Time Listener

loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies

Middletown

Mission Impossible III

Tell Me Do You Miss Me

The Treatment

Wordplay

Tribeca Film Festival

Chipotle Mexican Grill