Out of Focus

Day 1 was film; Day 2, nightlife and music. For hump day, we’re taking a little detour from the arts and lifestyle folks and taking you into city politics. Please meet Jessica Lappin, today’s Gothamist Interview. Jessica is the 29-year-old District Chief of Staff to City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, and when term limits force Miller to vacate his seat next year and he tries for NYC Mayor, Lappin will be running to replace him as the representative from the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island.

I found her interview particularly interesting, especially reading the views of someone who actually is optimistic about City government. So say hi to Jessica. You never know: in just over a year, you could be voting for her to be your Councilwoman. (I’m sure she’d appreciate that.)

Lindsay may have put the Ritalin Reading Series on hiatus for the summer, but tomorrow night at Joe’s Pub is another edition of Heeb Storytelling, brought to you by the fine folks at Heeb Magazine. The stories are longer than Lindsay’s but still for the ADD afflicted as they are supposed to stick to (I believe) 7 minutes. I’ve been to a couple at the old location (Lansky Lounge), and they’ve always been fun evenings. They’ve put together an eclectic lineup this time too including legendary docu filmmaker Albert Maysles, funny lady Jessi Klein and Stephen Glass (yes, THAT Stephen Glass), in an evening MC’d by comic Marc Maron.

And if you’ve never picked-up the magazine, a new issue is finally out; this time, it’s themed — “The Guilt Issue.” I’ve been reading Heeb like a good secular Jew ever since issue #1 hit stands a few years ago, and I’ve been impressed with the growth they’ve shown from issue-to-issue. Check it out.

UPDATE: Never mind! Looks like yours truly won’t even get there because they’ve sold out Joe’s Pub in advance. The other events have sold out and they’ve turned away people too, but usually not until the night of. So sorry for getting all those hopes up. But go buy the magazine anyway.

Today’s Gothamist interview is up. Hopefully you all enjoyed yesterday’s with Diana Williams. Lily and I wanted to present people from across the spectrum of NYC living, so today we switch away from the film world and over to music and nightlife. Today’s interview is with Rob Sacher, the co-owner of Luna Lounge on Ludlow Street and Luna Sea Records. Rob has been a part of the NYC music and nightlife scene for over 20 years, and he has several interesting comments on both. In fact, Rob’s interview was conducted by phone (as opposed to email like the others), and unfortunately we spoke for so long, I simply couldn’t fit everything he had to say into the actual interview. But, if you click the “continue reading” link at the end, I’ve provided a transcript of most of our conversation. Personally, I found his story concerning the development of Luna Lounge and his thoughts on the changes to and ever-growing popularity of his LES neighborhood really interesting. He also goes into more detail about the beginnings and success of the band Longwave, including their relationship with The Strokes. All of this stuff is hinted at in the main body of the interview, but you can read more detail in the transcript.

Additionally, Rob talks about the fact that Luna will have to move by the middle of next year when the bar’s current lease will expire. He’s looking for a new location anywhere in Manhattan below 34th Street, and as you’ll see in the interview, he seems particularly interested in Chelsea. If you have any suggestions of commercial space — he’d like a one- or two-story building or at least a non-residential building: he doesn’t want to “be under anyone’s mattress” — that could become the new home to Luna, you should let him know. You can email him here.

Just a little continuing reminder about TCM’s “Summer Under the Stars” programming for this week: today is all about Henry Fonda, tomorrow shines the spotlight on Jean Harlow, Thursday features Laurence Oliview and the week wraps up with Doris Day. If I had to pick just one film to watch over the next four days, I might very well go with Hitchcock’s Rebecca as part of the Olivier program on Thursday. It is most definitely a classic.

You can revisit my original post here, or if you’d just like to read about what I wrote regarding these four, I’ve reposted those bits after the jump.

Continue reading “TCM WATCH: THE WEEK “UNDER THE STARS””

Actress Fay Wray passed away yesterday at the age of 96. Although Wray appeared in over 90 films throughout her career, she will always be remembered first and foremost for being dragged up the Empire State Building by a really big gorilla in the original 1933 classic King Kong. She really became the all-time icon for the damsel in distress character. Next year, we’ll get to see Naomi Watts step-up to try to match Wray when she stars as Ann Darrow in Peter Jackson’s version of the classic story.

Wray never became a huge star beyond that one film. For years she apparently resented the association and what it meant to her career, but in her later life she seemed to relish it. I wonder if in the midst of TCM’s Summer Under the Stars, they’ll find a place to squeeze in a showing of the big monkey movie. I would be surprised if they programmed a whole day around her, replacing one of their preselected stars. But the original film, which both saved RKO and was one of the first true special effects blockbusters, will always be a film classic, and no matter how much I love Watts, Wray will always be the girl in the great apes clutches.

As I mentioned on Friday, my good friend Lily and I have taken over the Gothamist Interview this week. I think we’ve got a great lineup filled with a varied group of interesting people. So be sure to check it out daily, and let us (and Gothamist) know what you think. And besides, Lily’s involvement means that it will be interesting and well-written, so what do you have to lose?

Today’s interview is with film producer Diana Williams, who worked with Jim McKay on the wonderful Our Song a few years ago and has plenty of stuff in development, including one of this year’s Tribeca All Access winning projects.

UPDATE: For all of you who have been dying to know just a little bit more about me (and I really mean “a little bit”), here’s our introduction to the Gothamist readers courtesy of Gothamist editor Jen.

I just wanted to give a Happy 30th Birthday wish to Uncle Grambo. As an old(er) soul, I can honestly say that I’m sure your 30s will be fantastic. Isn’t that what everyone who has entered his or her 4th decade of living says? I’m glad that most people are much more calm, cool and collected than I, because it’s just not right to freak-out and cry and have a near-nervous breakdown the night before absolutely nothing changes except for that number of how old you call yourself. And no … of course … that didn’t happen to me. Much.

Even more importantly however, I wanted to make sure that Lindsay knew that my birthday is September 21 (I will be … shudder … 33 … even though by all laws of science, as I see those numbers on the page, I know it is not possible). I plan to check my email on that day religiously!

A couple things that absolutely required my attention before we part ways for the weekend:

• I figured I might as well go forth with some box office predictions. The big question this week is if Collateral will make enough to take over #1 from The Village. The latter film is in more theaters, but I don’t think word-of-mouth has been so hot on it, and DreamWorks has been promoting the hell out of grey-haired Tommy boy. I’m guessing $42 Million for Collateral with The Village holding on at #2 with a pretty steep drop down to about $22 Million. I’m going to give Little Black Book the benefit of the doubt because it really has no competition for the romantic comedy market right now. It should grab # 3 with $18 Million. The Village gave The Bourne Supremacy a big 54% decline last weekend, but I think that may slow-up a bit, and I see Bourne dropping to #4 with about $14 Million. I, Robot should hit #5 with about $7 Million, finally pushing Spider-Man 2 out of the top 5. Don’t feel too sorry for Peter Parker though. His film will have passed $350-Million before this weekend is up (if it hasn’t done so already.)
  UPDATED: I’m having some very weird trouble reading these days. I keep saying the wrong date with the day of the week (such as Monday 8/10, when Monday will be the 9th) and now I’m just missing movie titles. Such as The Manchurian Candidate: The New Class. Obviously, I, Robot is plummeting south of #5, because that’s where Denzel will be hanging when Jonathan Demme’s second straight attempt at remaking a classic film will be pulling in somewhere around $12-Million.

• Sitting down at my desk today, I saw that Variety had one of those full-page advertisement covers. What for, you ask? Elektra. That would be the Daredevil spin-prequel featuring Jennifer Garner’s character who (yeah, I’m going to ruin it for you) dies in the original film. I’m a bit intrigued by this sequel because one of the credited writers is Henry Bean whose work is almost always at least interesting. On the other hand, he’s one of four writers listed on IMDb right now. And you know, Daredevil kind of sucked. Like, really hard. It was released in February which is a notoriously less-competitive month and a bit of a dumping ground for all the films that weren’t bad enough for a January release but definitely aren’t good enough to hold their own in March. When’s Elektra coming out, per this cover ad on Variety? January 14, 2005. Oh yeah, it’s gonna rock.

• Providing a wonderful sign of how much business the RNC is bringing to New York, two Broadway shows – Frozen and the Tony Kushner musical Caroline, or Change – will close on 8/22 and 8/29 respectively. According to a Caroline producer, “The Republicans will be in the convention hall, and people who aren’t Republican won’t be coming to town that week.” And a Frozen producer added that were it not for the RNC, “we probably would have gone until labor day.” Like the rest of us know, and reported on last night’s The Daily Show, all the delegates will be spending their free time at strip clubs and dungeons.

• And just when you thought Flash Gordon couldn’t get any cornier than the cult-hit from 1980, audiences will be subjected to an even flashier Flash with even less character – a veritable black whole of substance or supernova of cliché – all thanks to the awful stylings of sir Stephen Sommers who plans to adapt a new feature which I’m sure will have a very high budget, lots of special effects and be very flashy. Sommers makes films that people with IQs in the low-40s could poke holes through and laugh at, rather than with. I’m so glad people keep giving him money to make movies. But that’s what happens when even crap like Van Helsing makes over $100-Million domestically.

• And this just in … uhm … last night. Bill Clinton will be on The Daily Show on Monday. Possible best ep evs? Thankfully, we have the whole weekend to look forward to it. Have a good one.

This has been a weird week. As I mentioned on Monday, last weekend I was Mr. Movie. Between theaters and home from Thursday through Sunday, I watched nine films, four in a little marathon at the AMC on 42nd. (Time of the Wolf, Exodus, Man Bites Dog, Underworld, Wonderland, Napoleon Dynamite, The Notebook, Zatoichi and Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut.) And then Wednesday night, I got to Garden State. But I just haven’t been able to get around to writing much about any of them yet. Maybe it’s because I’ve been a bit distracted by my little project for next week when I’ll be helping take over the “Interview” feature over at Gothamist. My friend Lily and I have partnered to create a scintillating series of five interviews with varied interesting New Yorkers. And see, you can all rest assured; since I’m not doing this alone, and since Lily actually gets paid for the things she writes, these might actually be interesting.

But what’s that got to do with this site? You’re right. Not all that much. And while I’m sure most of you couldn’t care less about Exodus and might still be staring in disbelief at the fact that I went to The Notebook, being an active participant in the blogosphere means it is imperative that I comment on Napoleon Dynamite, Donnie Darko and Garden State. Being an active participant in the film niche of the blogosphere probably also requires me to discuss Time of the Wolf. Of course, maybe I’ll blame my lack of critical writing on Time of the Wolf, a movie that I think I may still be processing. I’ll also blame it on being completely blown away earlier in the week by Ultragrrrl’s simply incredible analysis of how the specific parts of the Donnie Darko soundtrack fit and enhance the film. (I know. Is that three Ultragrrrl mentions in one week. I swear, this isn’t a TCM fansite, nor is it an Ultragrrrl fansite, even if I am a big fan of both.)

Basically what I’m saying is that it’s easier to spend a couple minutes writing absolutely nothing (see above) than actually allowing my brain to work. But you’re reading this, so obviously you know what I mean.

So in addition to finishing up the interviews for next week, I’ll be working on getting up to speed with my fascinating insightful comprehensive … ah screw it … with some movie chatter. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of movie-stuff to do in New York this weekend. Sure Michael Mann’s Collateral opens today with Tom and Jamie, and while I’m not a huge Michael Mann fan, I am encouraged by the fact that he kept the running time on this one to a reported 2 hours. If you want some lighter fluff, there’s Little Black Book. I do worry that the most clever element of the movie is the title since it refers to a PDA (ooh, look at as being all modern). But Stephen Holden’s negative review combined with his apt description of the movie’s star actually encourages me to see this bubblegum crappy romantic pop film. But if you want more substance and a smaller movie, you’ll probably be happy with either Open Water or Stander, the latter of which I’m really looking forward to. On the coasts, we also get to take a peak at the latest from Michael Winterbottom, Code 46, as well as the movie Filmbrain gushes over any time its title is mentioned: Last Life in the Universe. And lastly, the anti-Fox News Channel doc Outfoxed gets a limited theatrical release too, however you can also pick-it-up on DVD. And whether or not you check-out Stander, you should definitely try to get your crime-film fix by hitting Film Forum in the next week to see one of the all-time great police dramas: Serpico.

Personally, I’ll be at Pier 25 tonight for an outdoor screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I’d appreciate it if only a few people came so my girlfriend and I can get a good spot. Thanks for your consideration.

And speaking of TCM (you know, a couple paragraphs ago), don’t forget that their “Summer Under the Stars” month continues, this weekend featuring a brilliant triumvirate of Lucille Ball, Katharine Hepburn and Clint Eastwood, with Ava Gardner following on Monday. If you like, you can revisit my original post here. If you just want to see the bits about those four, they’re after the jump.

Continue reading “SO MUCH NOTHING, I COULDN’T EVEN THINK OF A HEADLINE”

Seriously, shutting me up and shortening my rants is far easier than it seems. Really. Hey, stop laughing.

But it’s true. I don’t think anything more needs to be said about what needs to be done with the James Bond series because the Tagline boys, with the help of their friend Pete, have worked it all out, and they’re 100% right. Their “Seven ways to fix Bond” are just that and would actually do the trick. I particularly applaud nos. 1, 5 and 7, but don’t get me wrong; each “way” is totally valid. Here’s hoping the right people find their way to their site.