Susanna Malkki Making Her NYPhil Conducting Debut Featuring a Brahms Prog.

As the Philharmonic's season winds to a close, guest conductor Susanna Malkki, recently appointed Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orch, lead the NYPhil in a magnificent program including Brahms Piano Concerto #1 & Brahms Variatons on a Theme by Haydin.  Ms. Malkki was a principal cellist with Sweden's Gothenburg Symph Orch prior to her recent conducting career.  She has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Acad of Music in London ('10) and has been awarded the Order of the Lion, one of Finland's highest honors ('11.)  It was a privilege to be amongst the 1st audience to hear Ms. Malkki debut with our NYPhil.  Brahm's appropriation on Haydn themes pay tribute to Haydn's genuis with masterful innovative disparities.  British composer Jonathan Harvey's Tranquil Abiding (1998) was placed comfortably between Brahm's compositions.  I discerned the relationship between Brahms & Haydn as well as a connection between Harvey (1939-2012) & Brahms.  Tranquil Abiding used bamboo clusters, gongs, bells & wood block in his instrumentation along with bassoons, oboes, flutes & clarinets for an added, modern percussive element.  Brahms dynamic & robust Piano Concerto #1 ended a magnificient program that introduced Conductor Susanna Malkki with Amer. audiences and made a resounding link between 18th &19th C composers as well as 19th & 20th C compositions.

EX MACHINA-Excellent Sci-Fi Movie on Artificial Intelligence

I ROBOT did a major disservice to the sci-fi genre of artificial intelligence (A/I.)  Redemption is made on an exceptional level in EX MACHINA.  This sic-fi cinematic achievement probes the pros & cons of A/I and it's relationship to mankind.  It's also a suspenseful 3 way chess match.  British dir. Alex Gorland (The Beach) makes a really intelligent film that philosophizes on humanity while driving a credulous & tension wrought film.  It's also programed with a lot of emotion, empathy & sexuality.   Nathan (Domhnall Gleeson, "About Time") wins the lottery to spend a week with the founder of a high tech co. in his private, remote residence.  (Be careful what you wish for…)  The brilliant/mad scientist, Caleb, played by Oscar Isaac ("Llewyn Davis") is cunning & ruthless.  Nathan is taken by helicopter & abandoned on the isolated, expansive estate of Caleb.  The idyllic terrain, complete with waterfalls are subterfuge for the underground residence which is both paradise & prison.  Nathan's reluctance to remain gives way to temptation.  He desires to be privy to the A/I creation smarmy & swarthy Caleb promises.  Ava (Alicia Wikander, an angelic beauty) is introduced to Nathan who becomes instantly &  totally infatuated.  This haunting spin on Frankenstein or Adam & Eve is eerily prescient.  EX MACHINA is the real deal; sci-fi at its finest.  

SAINT LAURENT-A Biopic Art Film on French Designer YSL

Unlike the current doc. films on fashion designers Raf Simons of Dior & IRIS, an octogenarian fashion maven, Saint Laurent is a scripted and incredibly well acted drama of the late designer Yves Saint Laurent (YSL.)  Laurent is credited with bringing haute couture back in vogue during the turbulent 60's - 70's.  An era laden with war, protests & sex, drugs & rock & roll.  The montage of colorful glamorous fashion shows juxtaposed against black/white footage of conflicts & unrest is one of many brilliant, vivid artistic motifs.  The Mondrian format of Yves colorful fashion show is another highlight from this visually intoxicating film.  Homage is given to fashion, design, music & the arts.  The film appeases the senses of sight, sound, taste & touch.  The film is in French with subtitles. It is directed by Bertrand Bonello.  Bonello is also a screenwriter & composer who has received Cesar nominations in all 3 categories.  The casting for Yves' lover/partner Pierre Berge & muse LouLou are magnifique.  Actor/model Gaspard Ulliel is incredibly sexy & convincing as YSL.  He embodies the elegant style & iconic images of YSL.  The grungier underbelly of smokey infused opium dens & arousing sex are filmed with a glossy, sensual aesthetic.  Fashion is fleeting bu SAINT LAURENT is a stunning & exceptional work of art.      

I'll SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS-A Golden Girls Cast Makes a Must See Movie

The thoroughly entertaining movie I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS is a contemplative look at seniors living into their golden years.   Blythe Danner plays Carol, a widow of 20 years, with no intention of moving from her home to a senior retirement community where all her friends have relocated.  Carol has a group of gal pals that outshine the Golden Girls; they're vivacious, warm, funny and supportive.  Anyone would adore friends like these and they're any directors' dream team of actors.  The cast includes Mary Kay Place, June Squibb and Rhea Pearlman at her most irresistible.  There's a hilarious scene where the women get high & have an escapade worthy mischievious teenagers.  Carol finds the  idea of dating daunting but the reality of being alone more haunting.  She finds a dreamy  romance with the sexy Sam Sheperd.  This is a movie that embraces life; a carpi diem motif that resounds with heart & humor.  Blythe Danner is pitch perfect as an older  woman looking back on her life & looking forward to what life may have in store.  This is the movie to see and cherish.    

FAR from the MADDENING CROWD-an Outstanding Adaptation Starring Carrie Mulligan

The sumptuous screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy's "Far from the Maddening Crowd," is far & away one of the most passionate & unforgettable film renditions of a great British classic.  The filming is flawless. The British countryside of the 19th C is captured in all its beauty & muck.  We experience the social Victorian restraints of the times and realize the importance placed on propriety.  These imposed norms wrought pangs of guilt, pity & desires.  Mulligan plays an admirable Victorian woman of virtue with strength & perseverance.  Despite her character's poor choice of a suitor, the flawless direction & impeccable cast cause this movie to resonate with pain & romance. Tom Sturridge plays Mulligan's dashing cad of a husband with wicked perfection.  Michael Sheen & Matthias Schoenaerts play Mulligan's other love interests with debonnaire & palpable sexual tension.  The stunning cinematography adds a rich, vibrant textile that provides a gateway back in time.  This is no ordinary representation of Hardy's classic novel.  FAR from the MADDENING CROWD should far outnumber the horde of films with Oscar nominations.

PITCH PERFECT 2-Too Funny, A Grand Slam Hit

Spin-off sequels seem to be hitting them out of the park.  PITCH PERFECT 2, dir. & starring Elizabeth  Banks is a perfect example where 2 is better than 1.  Most of the original cast are back:  Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and John Michael.  Michael & Banks redux bantering commentators garner the biggest laughs that zing by at 90 miles an hour. This comic pairing should go down in comedy history for their hilarious, zany & politically imperfect remarks.  Adding extra knock-out star power is Key of the comedy team Key & Peele, Snoop Dog brings his singing chops and Acad. Award Nom. Hailee Steineld is the charming new member of the singing group.  Face it, the girls couldn't pass for college students in the original; graduation is past due.  Surprise cameos by Green Bay Packers scores big time.  The singing/dancing numbers are GLEEful and winning.  Perhaps there may be too much  singing but who cares?  PITCH PERFECT 2 has you laughing & feeling perfectly happy.    

Comendy Night with Andrew Cornelius-Comedy Naught!

Andrew Cornelius is "astonishingly, a working actor, comedian and voiceover artist."  This according to the flyer promoting Comedy Night at the UWS Yoga Studio.  Andrew will tell you himself, for the next tedious 1 hour  of self-indulgence everything you didn't care to know in his biopic, myopic focus on - himself.  Before sounding too harsh (too late) he is an ingratiating & benevolent raconteur, only his life story wears thin.  He does have a small cult following among his yoga class mates and convention audiences.   I cheer the goodwill extended by the studio owners who made Andrew's "comedy" night possible.  The $10 admittance was a mere pittance.  However Andrew's former career as an MBA corp. until his seismic shift to comedy/acting was anything but earth shaking (except to his mom.)  But, if he can make it here, he can make it anywhere, at least as a body double stand-in or waiter.  The highlight of the night was an improvised sketch with 10 year old Jason who aspires to a career onstage.  Their comedy skit together was genuine and skillful.  This kid had something & Andrew played nicely off him.  He also doted on the owners young daughter with age appropriate riddles.  I was enticed by the close proximity and the $10 fee with NO 2-drink minimum.   Sadly, the laughs were at a minimum, too.

Turning a Cold Shoulder to Frieze? Instead, these may please:

Possible reasons to ice over Frieze NY Art Fair:

Expense - $44/day entrance fee or $75.50 with the catalogue (some bargain, NOT)
Getting there - cheapest, easiest way to get there (other than walking) is bus service from 5th Ave/88th -
   $8 round trip (but you've got to get there & wait for the bus)
Travel time - 20 minutes WITHOUT traffic one way - hah NOT gonna happen
Over crowded - don't enjoy justling crowds to view art?

Of course, there is plenty of art to be seen at Frieze NY.  But, there are other options for free, easy access to viewing fabulous art in NYC.
  The galleries in Chelsea are putting on their A game exhibits for the overflow from NY Frieze.
  The price of admission to these galleries is FREE.  Free is Free.
I Suggested the these exhibits to view in lieu (or added to) Frieze:
   Alma Thomas   Paintings at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
   Robert Motherwell   Works on Paper 1951-91 at Paul Kasmin Gallery
   Christopher Wool   New Sculptures & Paintings at Luhring Augustine Gallery
   Kim Dong Yoo   New Paintings at Hasted Kreuter Gallery
   David Salle   New Paintings at Skarstedt Gallery
Or, try walking in out of any number of galleries or take a walk on the wild side:
   Walk on the High Line (which tends to be crowded) - but it's beautifully landscapped, the views are             spectacular, various artists are presenting their works in the current PANORAMA exhibit and it's free.  And, free is free but not at FRIEZE.  
 

Yoko Ono A One Woman Show @ MoMA

1. Oh no, a show about the spawn of satin who spoiled the Beatles?  Oh yes, and after experiencing this extraordinary show, perhaps you'll think that Lennon's genius overshadowed & stymied the talents of a groundbreaking artist.  We know Yoko as John Lennon's wife but priot to becoming a couple, she was associated with artists such as Duchamp, Rauschenberg & Morris.  Yoko also colloborated with composer John Cage.  Obviously, her esteemed peers recognized Yoko for her creativity & ingenuity.  Some items may make you cringe & your skin crawl as with the video of a nude who remains deadly still while numerous flies alight on her body. The touch poems of human hair were off-putting and the room inviting people to enter & touch each other - wasn't going to happe for me.  But, there was so much more that delighted and absorbed my attention.  Most riveting is the "Cut Piece" video filmed by the Maysles brothers which features a young Yoko; her clothes are being cut off her in pieces by numerous individuals.  Her tension & poise are a hypnotic vision that captures your eye.  So too, the large video of Yoko's eye is mesmerizing.  The extensive exhibit features her iconic (albeit forgotten) instruction pieces and poetic notes.  "Take the 1st word that comes to mind.  Repeat the word until dawn."  Take my recommendation and experience this remarkable show.  It will please, puzzle & repell you.  Yoko is an artist whose work was ahead of her time & she's owed her due.  

Doc. IRIS-Don't Miss It-Accessorizie to Inifinity & Beyond

The delightful doc. film on fashion maven, Iris Apfel, known for her extensive collection of costume jewelry, is a treasure grove of baubles, bangles & bright shiny things.  NYC's own, Iris Apfel, now 80 something, is something else.  She's got style, she's got pizazz, she's got more clothes, furniture & bric-a-brac to flood an enormous landfill.  It's not the quantity (which borders as hoarders) but the quality that is most astounding.  Her tastes run the gammet from the exotic haute couture, to tawdry manure.  But this dame doesn't abide by rules and comes out looking smashing.  Iris' philosophy:  improvise, have fun and do what feels right.  She laments on the homogenized & uniformed look of most people.  The film was directed by Albert Maysles & is being released posthumously.  Maysles was awarded the Nat'l Medal of Arts by Pres. Obama in 2013.  The camera follows Iris as she goes shopping, styling, socializing & proffering her wisdom.  Her beloved husband, Carl celebrates his 100th on screen. He is never far from her side.  The charm of their enduring affection for one another almost overshadows Iris' lauded artistic style.  Her style is extolled by famous curators, photographers and fellow fashion icons.  But nobody puts this baby in a corner (it would be hard to find space in her place.)  There is nothing like a dame, especially one who is as bold, glamourous and winning as Iris Apfel.  Of all the fantabulous accessories Iris possesses, her winning smile is the most dazzling.  See this agreeable, meandering documentary that applauds individuality, creativity, humor & love.