STEVE JOBS-a Biopic Movie that Works on all Drives Dir by Danny Boyle

The biopic Steve Jobs movie, is an engrossinga film of a visionary genius whose imprint on our daily lives is omnipresent & immeasurable.  Steve Wozniak (orig. co-founder of Apple) asks Jobs contentiously, "You're not an engineer, you're not a programmer, what is it you do exactly?"  The compelling answers lie with Jobs' focus and determination.  Here is the man responsible for the seismic shifts in everyone's life which impacts everything we do.  This gripping story by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) sets a feverish, unrelenting pitch.  Oscar winning dir. Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) takes us behind the scenes of 3 major Apple launch presentations where the frenzied deadlines are plagued with technical & personal problems.  The minutes ticking down are as palpable as those of a space craft launch plaqued with combustible parts.  Jobs is played with temperamental intensity that is convincing and disturbing by Michael Fassbender (X-Men.)  An almost unrecognizable Kate Winslet is Joanna Hoffman, Jobs' longtime right hand, embattled associate.  Both actors should be recognized come awards season.  The heart of this blazing film is the diametrically opposed convictions & insights to the future of mankind and his myopic visions that didn't allow for faillibility or lasting friendships.  His most egregious error was his failure to acknowledge the legitimacy of his daughter Lisa.  By the end of this whirlwind film we're convinced of the inherent complexities inherent in a true genius who discovers his own humanity without refraining from seeing the world of possibilities most of us could never conceive.  The scenes behind the curtains & inside the board room are riveting.  Hoffman's "fix-it" meltdown to Jobs regarding his daughter near the end is heavy handed.  Still, this is a intelligent & entertaining movie of an individual possessed of a truly great mind and of a man, unlike the technology he promulgated, who came with flaws & human emotions.

Austrian Horror Film GOODNIGHT MOMMY-Mommy Dearest from Hell

GOODNIGHT MOMMY is of thehorror genre.  It gets under your skin in the most sinster way possible; it's believable with mounting tension.  Identical twin brothers, Lukas & Elias (played by Lukas & Elias Schwarz) are inseparable & indomitable.  Their mother returns to their contemporary home in the isolated, paradisal countryside swathed in bandages.  Her face reveals little but bruising and piercing eyes.  This movie is a molten mix of Children of the Corn, Mommy Dearest, The Bad Seed, Parent Trap and Misery.  It doesn't take long for the boys to question the veracity of the person posing as their mother.  The mother is both physically abusive and mentally cruel, favoring one child & devising a wedge between the siblings.  The dir/screenwriters (b. Austria 1985) Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala maintain a firm grip on both creepiness & credibility.  The austere filming oozes between shadow & light, innocence and cruelty.  The tempest augurs in the explosive climax you may see coming.  This in no way mitigates the purgatory created by this disturbing & frightening film.  Good luck getting a good night's sleep after seeing GOODNIGHT MOMMY.        

WHORL INSIDE a LOOP at 2ST Packs a Whirlwind of Emotions

The dark comedy/drama WHORL INSIDE a LOOP is a hurly-burly, ingenious staging taking place inside a prison and backstage at an off-bwy theater. The seamless set switches sets have actors in multiple roles.  It's easy to be caught off guard by the energetic & congenial cast lead by Sherie Rene Scott (EVERYDAY RAPTURE)the "volunteer" teaching drama at an upstate prison to a group of inmates.  Scott also co-wrote the play.  The 6 inmates (all playing dual roles) are convincing & stirring as convicted murderers.  The prisoners are affable for the opportunity to alight their "alive but dead" existence by participating in the 12 week drama program.  The inmates are asked to prepare a monologue for class.  These men all bear their souls with heart wrenching candor.  We can't help but be moved by their circumstances told in their elogquent prose.  "I am not the worst thing I have ever done." The play's title WHORL INSIDE... refers to the markings on one's fingerprint.  The Volunteer (Scott) is told by another prison volunteer, a dance instructor, she possess this rare marking indicating a person who has both admirable & heinous characteristics.  The instructor/oracle's reading correctly identified her persona.  The dazzling exchanges between the inmates & The Volunteer assault the audience with their fortitude.   The audience is witness to the fraudulent exploitation of the prisoners by The Volunteer.  The cast are all 1st rate.  I want to pick Chris Myers from the line-up for his exceptionally moving performance as Jeffrey.  I did enjoy this 1 hr 40 min 1 act play.  However, I find myself feeling quilty for liking this play that has captured my considerable contemplation.    

Australian Aboriginal Artist W. Tjapaltjarri at Salon 94 in SoHo

Contemporary artist Warlimpirrga Tjapaltjarri (WJ) was born in Western Australia sometime in the 1950's.  He lived a nomadic lifestyle with his family and the Pintupi kin until 1984 when they were seen in a remote region by S. Amer. muralist Pinta Pintor who was camping with his family at the time.   WT & his family are among the "lost tribe"of the indigenous Aborginal people (although WT rightly contends that they were never lost.)  The fortuitous encounter made sensational news.  The happenstance meeting led to a seismic shift in the lives of WT & his family.  The family relocated into a more mainstream Australian lifestyle. WJ's paintings & additional works sparked an artistic renaissance in Aboriginal art.   The 6 large scale paintings reflect a shimmering or disorienting representation of the landscapes of WT's homelands.  There are similarities between these paintings.  They all undulate with recurring lines which resemble enlarged fingerprints.  The deceptively basic lined paintings are multi-layered.  Up close they reveal underlying color palettes and tiny dabs of paint that appear linear.  I feel the paintings create optical illusions that whirl around and move on the canvas.  The works are both exciting and uncomfortable, causing a vertigo, unsettling sensation.  These fascinating paintings reveal an interesting view into the little known ancient Pintupi culture.  The work is both serene and unsettling, depending on your view.  

PAWN SACRIFIC-Historic Chess Match Made Suspenseful?

Dir Edward Zwick (Shakespeare in Love & Traffic) has made a biopic feature about Bobby Fischer, the 1st Amer. to win the world title chess championship played for the spoils of a cold war with Russia during the 1970's.  Despite the convincing moves of world class actors Tobey McGuire (Bobby Fischer,) Lieve Schrieber (Boris Spasky) and Peter Saarsgaad (as a benevolent priest and voice of reason) the movie never rises above tepid.  As riveting as the chess match between the young Bobby Fisher and the Russian demagogue Boris Spassky was in '72, in retrospect it fails to mark a significant check mark on the eon.  The calculated study of Fischer shows a determined young man whose mastery of chess rises as his sanity is overtaken by paranoia.  Fischer's genius lead him down the rabbit hole.  McGuire evokes pathos and sympathy but the overshadowing mania take center stage.  Fischer is credited with endearing chess to a generation much like Harry Potter awoke young bibliophiles.  The strategic plodding towards a foregone match and Fischer's mental demise & fall from grace do not add up to a winning film.  

Chinese Film COMING HOME starring Gong Li

COMING HOME a film by Chinese dir Zhang Yimou & starring Gong Li is a major accomplishment in movie making.  It is an unrelenting film that imbues the numbing and tortuous epoch of China's Cultural Revolution.  The brutal Mao regime under the ironic guise of a Cultural Revolution in essence suppressed all forms of expression that veered from its communist ideology.  The brainwashing or threat of reprisal quelled familial bonds and any form of articulation other than those imposed by the communist party for a decade: 1966-76.  Gong Li is the central figure in this tormented, romance drama as a wife/mother whose husband, a prof. & musician has been imprisoned.  Li is highly regarded as one of Chinese most acclaimed actresses. She is acknowledge for bringing Chinese film into the forefront of European & Amer. cinema.  Li's performance is nothing less than miraculous.  Her portrayal of a woman literally stuck in time is heart wrenching.  It's a poignant reminder of the absence of free thought & expression that marred an era, turned generations against one another, and destroyed families.  All loyalties were to the party.  Li's daughter is a budding ballerina (who aspires to be cast in ballets glorifying the Chinese leader.)  She wants the lead so intensely she reports her mother for planning on fleeing with her escaped father (whom she hasn't known.)  The catastrophic fallout are repeatedly played out with raw emotional impact.  Li's performance and that of her co-star are unforgettable.  COMING HOME is not a welcoming or enjoyable film.  It's an iconic film of incredible dignity and historic signifigance.    

Spanish Dir Isabel Croixet's film LEARNING to DRIVE with Ben Kingsley & Patricia Clarkson

LEARNING to DRIVE is a contemporary movie filmed in NYC by one of Spain's most prolific and highly awarded film directors, Isable Coixet.  Coixet assembled and int'l cast of 1st rate actors and directs a movie that so easily could have taken wrong turns and a led foot on the gas pedal towards pithy allegories on steering oneself through life.  The brilliant cast include Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson and Sarita Choudhury.  Darwan (Kingsley) is an Amer. citizen who received political asylum after having been a political prisoned in India.  While he has been granted citizen "just under the wire in 2000" according to an officer who has arrested 2 of his undocumented housemates.  Darwan is a religious sheikh with a righteous moral compass.  Don't mistake his steady kindness for a pompous ass.  That would be Wendy's husband.  Wendy (Patricia Clarkson) plays a Jill Clayburgh character as in "An Unmarried Woman." She exudes sympathy, resiliency, strength & credibility to her part. Wendy's  husband just left her for a younger woman. He tries to flee by getting in the taxi being driven by Darwan.  Darwan is an unwitting party to Wendy's ignominious betrayal.  He drives Wendy home (alone.)  Bewildered and dismayed, Wendy leaves a package in the cab.  He returns the package (this is a bit of a stretch) and refuses payment.  But, Wendy signs up for his driving lessons (his 2nd job) so she can visit her daughter in VT.  The symbiotic friendship gets in high gear as they listen and learn from each other.  I was completely taken along for a joyride by this intelligent and heartfelt movie.  "People are not meant to be alone."  People - head straight for this poignant picture that should earn the 3 leads Oscar nom., along with best dir. and best picture nominations.  I give it the green light in all directions.

THE Doc. Film PAUL TAYLOR CREATIVE DOMAIN-A Privileged Peek at Paul's Mystique

Paul Taylor (b. Amer 1930) is a world reknown choreography & Kennedy Honor recipient.  He's not showing any signs of slowing down. The doc. CREATIVE DOMAIN ('14) is a very clear look into the mysterious, magical process of choreographing a modern dance.  Taylor's narration is the driving force that gives us a behind the scenes look into a dancer's life & the creative process.  It's especially exciting to glimpse the very private and elusive life of Mr. Taylor.  There persists an artistic ambiguity to Taylor's works. "Dance equates to poetry, leaving room between the lines,"(PT.)  This film will win the hearts of dance lovers. Mr. Taylor's candor and kindness with his collaborators was admirable.  This film may not have a broad appeal.  It has great appeal for dance fan.  For those hoping for  a backstage drama of divas, stay home & watch housewives.  This intelligent film captures the process from inception to performance of the dance THREE DUBIOUS MEMORIES. The composer, Peter Taussig, was brought in to see the piece late in the process.  Taussig was delighted and deeply moved.  Viewing the rehearsals was fascinating and grueling (without the omnipresent pain felt by dancers.)  After the 1st live performance, the dancers were anxious to dance the piece again.  I felt the arduous repetitiveness.  The performance became anti-climatic. (Hence, I'm in the audience, not on stage.)  Needless, Mr. Taylor aspirations "to lift the audience to the miraculous in human nature," are deeply appreciated.

9/11 Yankees v Blue Jays 11-5 Loss Was a Disastrous Evening, Everywhere

The tragedy of 9/11 puts life in perspective.  The aftermath of that horrific day continue to impact our daily lives.  Sept. 11th is a somber day of reflection.  My subway ride to the Bronx was an auspicious start to a series of disastrous events.  As I boarded a car, 1 man was asking another to stop banging him with his back-pack.  Ironically, they were both beneath the courtesy campaign asking people to hold their backpacks.  The jerk with the bag just glared at the man & did not comply.  I fell into the fray by proximity.  I asked if he would please bring his bag down and pointed to the sign.  I got the same hostile, non-cooperative response.  "You touch that blade and you are going down hard," yelled the gentleman.  Two other men on the train immediately stepped in front of me and cut off the 2 men.  The  backpack wask was also wielding a switchblade in his pocket.  The wacko witht he knife exited at the next stop.  Lessons: a) be courteous b) be vigilant - it's not worth getting into a violent melee.  Shaken by this incident, I cooled off before getting inside Yankee Stadium.  It took 30 min. to enter; everyone's bags were inspected, computers taken (for the duration) and everyone sent through scanners.  I just reached my seat at the bottom of the 1st, 1 of the worst; Yanks gave up 5 runs. The Blue Jays 1st batter hit a double.  A few pitches later, Severno fell to his knees; literally.  He got up to finish the inning but it was the beginning of the end.  "My location with my fastball wasn't there," said Severno.  The stress was felt by a man in the stands who fainted & was carried out by paramedics.  Sept. 11th is a day we will never forget.  The night will be remembered by me with dread.

SLEEPING with OTHER PEOPLE is a Sexier, Funnier When Harry Met Sally

SLEEPING with OTHER PEOPLE deals with the enigma - can men & women ever really just be friends, i.e. does sex destroy the relationship?  The general consensus in both the hilarious & charming SLEEPING with OTHER PEOPLE & WHEN HARRY MET SALLY is: a) men & women cannot maintain a platonic friendship and b) this is not necessarily the kiss of death.  Romantic comedies of the 21st C have come a long way from Gable & Lombard or Grant & Hepburn.  But, it hasn't strayed far from the contention that sex will always get between a man & woman.  SLEEPING… sustains this flimsy conflict of a plot on the surprisingly sexy and tongue-in-cheek banter of leading man, Jake (Justin Sudekis.)  Sudekis (SNL & HORRIBLE BOSSES) is Olivia Wilde's real life leading man.  His starring role proves how seductive & sexy Sudekis is on the big screen.  Lainey (Alison Brie, COMMUNITY & MAD MEN) is Jake's best friend.  They meet as Columbia college students ('02)  in a dorm when Laine is pounding down the door to her love obsession, Matthew (Adam Scott, PARKS & RECREATIONS.)  Jake rescues Lainey from being tossed from the dorm. This leads to their 1st toss  in the sheets & mutual virginity loss.  Swoop to present day NYC (beautifully shot in the style of Woody Allen) and they meet again for the 1st time since that infamous night outside a sex addiction support group they were both attending.  So begins the sojourn towards the inevitable epiphany (we all see coming) that their love for each other is the real deal.  Ride along for the enjoyable journey is filled with sophisticated romance, sophomoric humor and great supporting cast (including Amanda Peet.)  Cupid's arrow hits its mark aimed for the heart.  I highly recommend this chick flick for its good humored frivolity and its update on the romantic/comedy genre.

GRANDMA is Likeable Because of the Grande Dame Lily Tomlin

The film by dir/writer/prod Paul Weitz (Admission & American Pie) is entertaining because of the unflappable comic actress, Lily Tomlin.  Tomlin plays the lead role as Elle, grandma to Sage (Julia Garner) & co-mother to Judy played by oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden.  What might have been either a droll or pedantic movie about abortion, is engaging, entertaining and sobering.  The message that legalized abortion is the alternative to back alley procedures is clear but the  of the movie goes much deeper.  The multi-generational females features Elle (for the L word?) as the matriarch  of the family consisting of her straight laced, fast paced executive daughter who detests her and a teen pregnant granddaughter who turns to her rather than face her mother's wrath.  Sage (for naive?) needs money, $630 to be exact in order to have her scheduled abortion that evening.  Elle, shows us her crusty exterior & vulnerable side, proves supportive & stalwart to obtain the $ and get Sage to her Dr.  on time.  Elle, however, is broke & without a credit card so the odyssey to commences on a broken down road trip.  I would have cut a lot from the dismal day, particularily the scene where Elle resorts to asking her ex-husband, Sam Elliot for $500, and the maudlin, selfless apology to her recent ex-lover. Still, the familial bonds prove heartwarming given the tri-fecta star power of Tomlin, Harden & Garner.  You can go home again.  And, a woman's right to a legal, medical abortion is critical.

PICASSO SCULPTURE at MoMA a Plethora of Surprises

Perhaps, lesser praise has been bestowed Picasso for his sculptures.  After viewing this phenomenal body of work, one may wonder why.  I surmise his prolific work and incomprable genius may be an impediment to the unending laudatory praise he's due.  This inspiring collection occupies the entire 4th flr in the MoMA.  The show contains more than 150 Picasso sculptures.  It's laid out in chronilogical order and includes paintings, drawings and collages.  I took pleasure in the paper structures of musical  instruments; a recurring motif.  An extensive retrospective of this magnitude has not been seen in the U.S. since the mid 60's.  The timeline illustrates the continual evolution of Picasso's genius.  Other artists whose work is reflected during the same span include Giacometti, Calder & Matisse.  The somber art made during WWII (when Nazi's forbade any exhibition of his "degenerative" work) and during the Spanish Civil War emote the horrors of war.  Several of these pieces were incorporated into his Guernica painting.  The plethora of materials utilized by Picasso were numerous:  wood, metal, clay, wire, found objects and paper.  The galleries with his later works are more fanciful & lighthearted.  Note the figurine of a woman reading on a bench.  Her limbs are constructed from screws, her torso made of wood and her face & tablet are ceramic.  I found this a delightful & serene figure.  The floral sculptures possess a kinetic sensibility that belies their rigidity.  The final gallery contains life-size statues full of whimsy & joy.  The woman pushing a stroller with an infant is humorous and the child jumping rope full of exuberance.  The totemic forms are inventive & enhanced by Picasso's brilliant brush strokes.  This show is a must go.  There is so much to behold and admire it requires an additional visit.

Seeing A WALK in the WOODS with Robert Redford is Wallowing in Drudgery

Bill Bryson is a best selling author of humorous travel books.  He wrote the screenplay for A WALK in the WOODS and cast his character in the lead role starring Robert Redford. This movie is duller than petrified wood. The humor is moronic, the charm outside of the Appalachians' natural splendor is nowhere to be found. The scenery is the only redeeming quality in a tedious and plodding journey.  Bryson is now at an age when travelling is more laborious than glorious.  Still, Bryson feels the desire to push himself and undertake the rigors of backpacking the Appalachian Trails.  His sensible, loving wife (played by a forlorn Emma Thompson) can't dissuade him but insiststs he be accompanied on this hazzardous, months long trek.  All Bryson's friends possess more common sense (or listen to their wives) and decline his inane invitation.  He receives a call from an old childhood friend, Steve, asking if he could join him.  Nick Nolte plays Steve.  Nolte appears much like he does in his infamous mug shot.  If bad acting were a crime, he'd be arrested.  Nolte plays a doddering lech.  Mary Steenbergen appears in a few scenes; squandering her talent.  The dreadful plot continual takes major missteps.  Redford's lead role in this debacle is the most baffling.  Bryson refers to naturalist John Muir.  Muri said "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."  Walk away from this smelly waste.  It should get buried.

Israeli Film THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER-Kind Hearted or Treacherous?

Dir/screenwriter Nadav Lapid (b. Israel 1975) received high honors for his previous film THE POLICEMAN.  His current film, THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER (in Hebrew/English sub-titles) is haunting and unforgetable.  It is both poetic and polarizing; constantly blurring the boundaries between art and obsession, beauty & cruelty.  Nira, a kindergarten teacher, wife and mother of 2 grown children becomes obsessed with Yoav, a young prodigy in her care.  Yoav's recites poetry of such potent beauty and poignancy it seems beyond his comprehension.  His recites his poems which he is not capable of writing down.  Both his nanny and Nira, herself an aspiring poet capture his poems on paper & appropriate them for self-serving purposes.  However, Nira's intent is nebulous and her focus on Yoav is confusing; crossing the boundaries between care & perversion. Ironically, Nira teaches her class a well-known Hanukah song with lyrics "In every age a hero or sage shall come to our aid."  Recognizing Yoav as a sage, Nira takes it upon herself to protect & encourage his creativity.  Determining what is art is subjective.  Differentiating between good & evil is not always black or white.  THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER is a skillful & disturbing film.  Its credibility is potent and signifigance multi-layered.  The young actor who plays Yoav is cherubic & charming, you can almost appreciate Nira's misguided actions.  This is a movie you cannot dismiss.  I grade it an A.    

Albert Oehlen: Home and Garden at New Museum HO HUM

Albert Oehlen (b. Germ. 1954) is a contemporary painter who studied under fellow German artist, Sigmar Polke.  Oehlen's surrealism oil painting, mired with computer prints appropriated the styles of artists whose works were included in the CONTEMPORARY NOW exhibit at the MoMA this past spring.  Anchoring that show were the works of Sigmar Polke.  The majority of Oehlen's works were underwhelming compared to works by Christopher Wool, Charlene von Heyl, Laura Owens, Amy Sillman & Wade Guyton.  The most intriguing, hilarious paintings & installations were figurative self-portraits.  The room installation; complete with bed, chamber pot, turn table & albums (think Tracey Emin) featured a self-portrait of Oehlen's head in the bed with a paint brush sticking out from his nose as if thumbing it at the viewer.  He also portrayed himself as a dutch woman, complete with a Rembrandt style helmet. A large, colorful diptych SPRING is a detailed painting of flowers and trelises with a large self-portrait (where he looks more like Dali) and a smaller photo of himself rising out of a painted "genie" urn with frazzled rope attached.  His self-portraits were entertaining for their humorous narcism and whimsy.  All in all, I found this show rather flimsy.  

Sarah Charlesworth Photography at New Msm. of Contemp. Art

The arresting exhibit of Sarah Charlesworth's (Amer. b 1947-2013) photographs is hypnotic, haunting and alluring.  Charlesworth regarded herself as a conceptual artist and did not want to be labled as a  photographer.  Her legacy of photos will connect her with the "Pictures Generation 1980's" which includes Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince and Nan Goldin.  The DOUBLEWORLD show that is about to close at the New Museum of Contemporary Art portrays a prolific body of photographs with a skillful eye for composition and color.  Horrific, iconic images of people jumping from the Twin Towers on 9/11 will forever be entwined with the tragic murder of thousands of innocent lives.  As a  witness to the event recounted "I felt compelled to look out of respect for those jumping to their deaths."  Charlesworth's STILLS series from 1980 are 6'6" black/white blurred photos of people leaping or falling to their deaths from tall buildings.  The int'l photos of both men & women command our respect.  They are startling with an eerie somnolence.  Her other series:  Objects of Desire (1983-88) I found incredibly beautiful.  The mostly solitary items appear to radiate a shimmering light.  Some photos give off a cool, peaceful ambiance and others an ominous, immoral aura.  In the case of the Blue Buddah, the diptych is both peaceful and frightening.  Is the aperture a divide between celestial skies or eternal death.  Sadly, Charlesworth died suddently of an aneurism in 2013 at the age of 66.  She received 4 Nat'l Endowments for the Arts & a Guggenheim Fellowship.  She had requested her work be shown at the New Museum.  I strongly urge viewing DOUBLEWORLD before it leaves on Sept. 20th.  

HAMILTON on B'wy Makes History as the Greatest Musical

HAMILTON an American Musical intrigues Americans into our history and makes us proud while entertaining the audience with the greatest musical to grace the Great White Way.  I cannot due justice to the brilliance, power & enjoyment of this original new B'wy musical by 4 time Tony winning playwright/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Miranda's 1st Broadway production, IN the HEIGHTS won Best Musical, Best Score, a Grammy & Pulitzer Prize nom.  (I saw it and was not overly impressed.)  Although, I thought not bad for a young man just out of college.  It did portend Miranda's genius.  It seems unfathomable Miranda wrote the book, music, lyrics and stars as Hamilton.  This is a miraculous achievement.  I consider this the best musical ever to be performed on a B'wy stage.  Everything about this show, in addition to the historical re-enactment, is exceptional.  This show has so much talent; every character extraordinary, beautiful singing, powerful lyrical rapping, outstanding choreography and staging, hear breaking poignancy and humor.  I cried at moments and at the final curtain for having been privy to something so incredibly moving.  I have only the highest accolades for   this show. (I feel remorse for the years' other new musicals.)  Just surrender all the TONYs to HAMILTON.  There will only be white flags upon other stage doors.  Hamilton will have a legacy of honor and distinction.  It is deserving of the Pulitzer & Nobel Prize.  If there is only one show you see, ever, this is the show to see.  I hope a video is made available for all high schools in the U.S.  This should spark pride and interest in our history, our government and of course the arts.