Kaufman-Astoria is Super Bad

Saturday morning Wesley and I wake up bright and early, as is our wont these days. We're not sure at what point we morphed into senior citizens but our circadian rhythms seem permanently set on "wake up early and have a fun day." I blame it on the pregnancy hormones, which really doesn't seem fair because I have pregnancy insomnia to boot. I will never sleep again.

So anyway, on Saturday, after drinking coffee, reading the paper, doing the NYT crossword puzzle (that's right, suckers, I can do Saturday), enjoying the infonot, eating breakfast, doing a little light housecleaning, going to Nita's for pregnant lady's second breakfast, reading a few chapters in my book, and clearing out my email inbox, Wesley had a suggestion.

"Wanna see Superbad?"

Fuck yeah, I want to see Superbad. (You do, too, by the way).

We chose the 11:05 at Kaufman Astoria so we could get back in time to do some more Time Warner Digital Cable surfing before the Mets game at 3:30.

We get to KA at 10:50, because we believe that you should be early for a movie. (We also believe that you should shut the fuck up and turn off your cell phone, but it's much more rewarding to believe in things you can control.)

There was a crowd outside, and the gates were down. There appeared to be no signs of life inside. We really didn't know what to do. Later shows would cut into our Mets game. Wesley said, "maybe we should go get waffles?" We've never gone for waffles before, so I guess he was joking, but it was coming up on time for my third breakfast so I was having a hard time concentrating on willing the movie theater to open because of the steady hum in my head, going "waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffles."

At 11:02 the gates open and all 50 of us bumrushed the entrance. I headed for the ticket line, wishing I had body armor to protect my belly from the people who were diving over and under the line to get as close to the front as possible. I don't blame them because there was only 1 woman selling tickets.

Wesley joined the mob at the machines, even though that is a true fool's errand because only 2 of them ever work at any given time and it's never the same 2. I was easily 8 people back and still got my tickets from the 1 slow lady (who even disappeared for a few minutes) before the people in front of Wesley had scored a successful swipe.

At least they started the movies on time, because that's what's important. Screw the audience, right? We made it just in time for the 100 minutes of awesome vulgarity that was Superbad. I'd say it was worth it but I'm too hungry to keep writing.

Manda Bala at MMI--Video Interview with Director Jason Kohn

I was at Sundance this year, and I kept hearing tremendous buzz about a little documentary called Manda Bala (Send a Bullet), which is screening this Saturday at 6:30 at the Museum of the Moving Image.

Here is a video interview with the director:



The interviewer, Reid Rosefelt, is a veteran publicist who helped launch the careers of such filmmakers as Pedro Almodovar and Jim Jarmusch. He wrote a lot more about the movie here, saying:

There are two basic strands to the story. One involves the super-violent world of kidnapping in Sao Paolo. We meet a woman who had both her ears cut off by kidnappers. It seems ear amputation is the preferred method of terrifying families into paying huge ransoms. There is a plastic surgeon that has developed a practice of reconstructing ears. A businessman relates that nearly every person of wealth has been a victim of crime or kidnapped. Some have been kidnapped more than once. Kidnapping is a booming business in Sao Paolo: it has the most bullet-proof cars, and the most private helicopters. Technologies.

The second part of MANDA BALA is about Jader Barbalho, Brazil's most powerful politician. It's really hard to think of too many people in the the world who are more outright evil than this man. Kim Jong-il? In a nutshell, he stole over two billion dollars from a public works project, thereby plunging the entire northeast of the country into starvation and death. I kept thinking, "what is he going to do with two billion dollars?" If he had considered stealing only one billion instead of two billion, it would have had a titanic impact on the ability of tens of thousands of people to survive.

Socrates Park Outdoor Cinema Schedule

WEDNESDAYS, JULY 11 - AUGUST 29, 2007
AT SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
32-01 VERNON BOULEVARD AT BROADWAY IN LONG ISLAND CITY
TAKE N/W TRAINS TO BROADWAY IN QUEENS
PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCES BEGIN AT 7PM
FILMS BEGIN AT SUNSET
FREE ADMISSION

On Wednesday evenings in July and August, Socrates Sculpture Park, Museum of the Moving Image and Partnerships for Parks will present the ninth annual international festival of open air cinema, music, dance and food. Visitors to the Park can sample regional cuisine from neighborhood restaurants, picnic on the grass as the sun sets over the city, enjoy performances by local musicians and dancers, and, as the sky
darkens, see exceptional international films on a large-format screen, all set against the spectacular backdrop of the East River and the Manhattan skyline.

Pre-screening performances begin at 7:00 pm, films begin at sunset. All performances and screenings take place in the Park and admission is free. Free parking is available next door in the Costco lot.

Pre-screening performers and restaurants will be announced weekly and scheduling is subject to change. In the event of rain, the first cancelled film will be rescheduled to August 29. Please call to confirm programming or sign-up for weekly updates here.

The films for Outdoor Cinema 2007 have been selected by Chief Curator David Schwartz and Assistant Curator Livia Bloom, Museum of the Moving Image.

JULY 11 TURKEY
CROSSING THE BRIDGE: THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL
2005, 90 mins. Directed by Fatih Akin. A tour of Istanbul's unique musical scene, with its pungent blend of rock, modern, and traditional sounds, this film "uses music to paint a portrait of a vibrant cosmopolitan city and provide a window into a rich and varied national culture." (Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times)

JULY 18 BRAZIL
THIS IS BOSSA NOVA
2005, 126 mins. Directed by Paulo Thiago. This enthralling chronicle of the Brazilian sound that became an international sensation traces the music's roots from 1950s samba. The mix of rare archival footage, interviews, and contemporary performances focuses largely on the living musical legends Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyra.

JULY 25 JAPAN
LINDA LINDA LINDA
2005, 114 mins. Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. A girl band rehearses for a rock festival in this dryly-funny charming film that is named for its irresistible theme song. "An extremely well-written, emotionally complex coming-of-age tale that has a John Hughesian respect for teenage angst."
(G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle)

AUGUST 1 USA
THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T
1953, 88 mins. Directed by Roy Rowland. With Tommy Rettig. Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) wrote the screenplay and lyrics for this wildly inventive musical fantasy about a young boy whose dreams and nightmares are sparked by the fear of his overbearing piano teacher.

AUGUST 8 INDIA
KAL HO NAA HO
2003, 186 mins. Directed by Nikhil Advani. This Bollywood extravaganza is a Romeo-and-Juliet tale set, and partly filmed, in New York City. This film "has little notion of restraint. Its luxuriant running time allows lots of room for spectacular musical numbers and dramatic climaxes." (Dave Kehr, The New York Times)

AUGUST 15 CUBA
CALLE 54
2000, 105 mins. Directed by Fernando Trueba. With Tito Puente. A stylish and loving tribute to the Latin American jazz scene. "The film is such a pure expression of the director's love for the music, a love so infectious it should leave you elated." (Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times)

AUGUST 22 SOUTH AFRICA
U-CARMEN E-KHYELISTSHA
2005, 120 mins. Directed by Mark Dornford-May. Georges Bizet's Carmen is magically transported to modern-day South Africa. "The setting brims over with the same wicked froth of danger, exoticism, and passion that 19th-century Seville must have had before it got stylized into oblivion." (Julia Wallace, Village Voice)

Socrates Sculpture Park was an abandoned riverside landfill and illegal dumpsite until 1986 when a coalition of artists and com-munity members, under the leadership of sculptor Mark di Suvero, transformed it into an open studio and exhibition space for artists and a neighborhood park for local residents. Today, it is an internationally renowned outdoor museum and artist residency program that also serves as a vital New York City park offering a wide variety of free public programs. The Park's existence is based on the belief that reclamation, revitalization and
creative expression are essential to the survival, humanity and improvement of our urban environment. Socrates Sculpture Park is open 365 days a year from 10am to sunset and is located at the intersection of Broadway and Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City.

***

The 2007 Outdoor Cinema program is supported by funding from the New York City Council and The New York Times Company Foundation.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The film series is made possible by the generosity of Scharff Weisberg, and by contributions from Costco Wholesale, and Spacetime C.C.

Special thanks to the City of New York, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Councilmember Eric Gioia, and the Department of Parks & Recreation, Commissioner Adrian Benepe.

Learn About Location Shooting at AMMI

This sounds really cool--make sure to ask them what a "honeywagon" is!

Sunday, May 20
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
‘NEW YORK ON LOCATION’: FREE DAY AT THE MUSEUM + INSIDER'S LOOK AT LOCATION SHOOTING

Location: 36 Street between 34 and 35 Avenues in Astoria
The street between the Museum and Kaufman Astoria Studios will be the site of a day-long, free outdoor event offering a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking in New York. Film trucks—wardrobe and makeup, star dressing room, lighting and electrical, special effects, and more—will line the street. Stunt, special effects, makeup, and wardrobe demonstrations will be presented. Food available from TomKats Movie Catering. The Museum will be free all day with interactive exhibitions and workshops. Click here to view a flyer. More details to follow in a separate e-mail.