Armani's 'One Night Only' Stand and a Little House in the Bronx

24 Oct. 2013/NEW YORK – FASHION shows in New York are no big deal. Nor is it a big deal to see famous faces in attendance.

This, however, was no ordinary fashion show. First, Armani doesn't show in New York. If himself is spotted in the fashion tents where Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York goes down, expect Jesus' imminent return. No doubt, there is a promotional component to "One Night Only." What a brilliant marketing idea, no!

Call it Armani's greatest hits. Or a trip down fashion memory lane. It was a star-studded, sequinned, silky and glittering affair when The Man brought his "One Night Only" show out of Europe and Asia and into the New World. To, where else, New York City. Think of it as that first Barbra Streisand retirement concert to put its importance in proper context. (See the entire video of the show at top).

Armani and the girls (the models). Photos from Armani Facebook page.

The only aspect of the extravaganza that outshown the show, which was huge, capturing every corner of the Armani design motif, from lunch to lavish affair. Yes, the lone thunder-stealer was the galaxy of stars: Lauren Hutton, Hillary Swank, Glenn Close, Leonardo de Caprio and Martin Scorcese. Yes, Martin Scorcese. Where was Richard Gere, pray tell?

The "Eccentrico" exhibit represents nearly a decade of Giorgio Armani Privé.

Lest one forget, Armani is the fashion designer who started dressing Hollywood characters before any of his colleagues were doing so. It started with RG's hustler in "American Gigolo" and continues with Jodie Foster’s homeland security chief in "Elysium" and Michael Fassbender's attorney in "The Counselor."

Armani, center, and the boys (Marty and Leo).

Consequently, an Armani retrospective fashion show and its accompanying "Eccentrico" exhibit, featuring eight years of Giorgio Armani Privé (http://www.bit.ly/H9H3G3), is one of the few events in the world that can attract the kind of movie star crowd that presented itself at Super Pier at Hudson River Park. Not simply starlets, reality show people and socialites, but A-list types.

Of course, everybody was well-dressed.

Visit http://www.armani.com/ to learn more about the "One Night Only" tour and "Eccentrico."

On Docket: 'Blue Is the Warmest Color,' and 'The Counselor'

ONE regret of Yours Truly dating to The 51st New York Film Festival is that I did not see tender, lovely and controversial “Blue is the Warmest Color” in its New York premiere.

Of course, one had opportunities, but was being a bit of a brat, whining about not wishing to see a nearly three-hour film. And not any long film, but one that made history at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in winning the Palme d’Or for both director Abdellatif Kechiche and its two lead actresses, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux.

It also contains explicit sex scenes, hinted at in its rating. And it has been banned from some theaters. (See trailer at top).

Regarding the ecstasy and agony of young lesbian love over the course of several years, “Blue” garnered universal raves. It doesn’t have any marquee names, which is in part why it is opening in only four U.S. theaters today.

“Blue” will eventually open wider but certainly nothing on the scale of the 3,000-plus theaters in which the “The Counselor” is enjoying its opening today. (“Blue” is also opening in India, Japan and Spain today, while “The Counselor” also opens in the United Kingdom).

Few moviegoers will see “Blue,” a very deserving, if disturbing, film. On the otherhand, massive numbers (at least have the opportunity to do so) will see “The Counselor.” What a pedigree, has this latter film! The director is Ridley Scott. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and octogenarian Cormac McCarthy (“No Country for Old Men.”) makes his screenwriting debut.

“The Counselor” boasts a dreamlike cast: Michael Fassbender (who seems lately to do no wrong, cinematically speaking), Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, as well as spouses Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. (See trailer below).

Set on the Texas-Mexican border, “The Counselor” commences a bit awkwardly with some sexy bedroom banter between Counselor, MF’s only moniker in the movie, with his betrothed, Laura (PC). He loves Laura to death, a good, godly and naive woman for whom he is prepared to do anything.

Indeed, Counselor’s love knows no legal bounds, leading him down a slippery slope into the underworld of cocaine – not a place for a decent man such as he. Too late, especially by the time his paths cross two lowlifes, Westray (BP) and Reiner (“No Country for Old Men alum JB.)

The film is beautifully shot. The performances are universally good; vixenish CD, for instance, further hones her facility for playing sexy with a bit of humor. What a pity then, that the film fails to make a good case for itself.

Place the blame squarely on the high-falutin’ palaver CM insists on that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Muddled, muddled is this puzzle. Too many minced words; too many soliloquies about greed not being good. A surfeit of this type of verbiage wrapped awkwardly around killings, beatings, decapitations, big cats and drug deals gone bad. And to what end?

In the final analysis, “The Counselor” – with every advantage – fails the client. That is, the moviegoing public.

"Blue is the Warmest Color" is rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content. Visit http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/blue-is-the-warmest-color to learn more about the film. "The Counselor" is Rated R for graphic violence, some grisly images, strong sexual content and language. Visit http://www.thecounselormovie.com/us/ to learn more about the film.

Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival Disgestif

A better burger from Distilled. Photo by William Gaines.

HEAD’S UP: Welcome to a Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival edition of Chow Talk. There were ample morsels to chew on during the nearly four full days to merit an entire column. So here goes. Bon appetit!

REGARDLESS of the judges’ or voting public’s wrong-headed ideas, the best burger at the Blue Moon Burger Bash during last week's Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival’s was the Shane Lyons creation that he dishes out at Distilled.

It was extremely juicy. And so was the Distilled hospitality, which is just how they roll down yonder. That is, in the Tribeca section of Manhattan where the several-months-young “New American Public House” is ensconced (http://www.DistilledNY.com/) ... More shortly.

Visit http://www.nycwff.org/ to learn more about the Food Network Wine & Food Festival 2013.

'Yoga: Art of Transformation,' Plus a New Golden Foot & More

Debra Diamond, Alec Baldwin, Hilaria Baldwin and Dame Jillian Sackler taking the measure of a certain man. Photos by Tony Powell.

17 Oct. 2013/WASHINGTON, D.C. – JUST what the U.S. capitol – the world’s most dysfunctional city needs – some enlightenment.

And so it was with “Some Enlightened Evening.” The gala heralded the opening two days later of the eagerly awaited “Yoga: The Art of Transformation.”

The traveling exhibit, moored at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery through 26 Jan. 2014, is being called the world’s first dedicated to yoga.

“Yoga: The Art of Transformation” is an interactive, multimedia, uber-informational and comprehensive installation of more than 120 items dating from the 3rd to the 20th century. Visitors can expect ancient court paintings, icons, manuscripts, photos, books, films, tours, classes and Temple sculptures.

Pari Bradlee&Co. bring yoga to the dance floor.

Here is a must-visit destination for yoga enthusiasts and/or newbies interested in learning more about how this art has transformed body and soul and how yoginis and yogis have figured in Indian society for 2,000-plus years.

Gala chairperson Chandrika Tandon entertains the crowd with a little night music.

“Some Enlightened Evening” has a dual role, as it regards “Yoga,” in that it is also a fundraiser. Gala chairs Dame Jillian Sackler, singer Chandrika Tandon, as well as yoga power couple Hilaria and Alec Baldwin orchestrated a soiree where cuisine was prepared by a world-class chef, a yoga performance was given, as well as a mini-concert by gala chair member CT.

A LuLu Lemon performer shows how it's done during the "Some Enlightened Evening" gala.

Also during the evening, at least one scion took to the after-gala dinner dance floor to strike some poses – yoga-style.

Some enlightened evening, no?

Visit http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/yoga.asp to learn more about “Yoga: The Art of Transformation.”

What Precisely Says Didier About the Foot in His Hand?

Prince Albert II (left) of Monaco and Didier Drogba with the Golden Foot Award. Photo from Getty Images.

STAY tuned to learn some of footballer Didier Drogba's thoughts about winning the 2013 Golden Foot Award and having an immortalized footprint in Monaco, France.

In New York City, meanwhile, the American Folk Art Museum created buzz for its upcoming (January) exhibit, "Folk Couture: Fashion and Folk Art" with the "Folk Couture Benefit Gala" hosted by Tim Gunn.

A day later on a Gotham runway were seasonal styles from DKNY, Bow & Drape and JustFab shoes in support of the first-ever fashion show for the first-ever Techweek New York City.

NYC Wine & Food Fest: Good Reasons to Eat, Drink

Joe Namath and Mario Batali like football and food. Photo from Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival Web site.

CHEW on this: On Saturday afternoon (19 Oct.), a body can chow down USA-style on steak, dogs, burgers and mo' with Joe and Mario at Jets + Chefs Ultimate Tailgate hosted by Joe Namath and Mario Batali.

Toward evening, with a powerful thirst, said body can make its way to The Art of Crafting Bubbly- How the World's Greatest Wine Is Made and How to Drink It to learn a thing or two about making Champagne from such an august person as Laurent Fresnet, cellar master at Champagne Henriot. Here’s an opportunity to sip - with fingers holding the stem of glass - Brut Souverain, Brut Rose, Blanc de Blancs and other elixirs.

With nightfall comes Global Night Market at The Plaza Food Hall hosted by Todd English and an opportunity to partake of Three Tarts’ biscotti and other European fare in the hallowed food hall of the hallowed restaurant.

Full yet? Should be, because nobody should leave the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival without having been more than amply watered and fed. Many of the feeding, drinking emporiums are already at capacity!

Three Tarts has the sweet treats, Eurostyle. Photo from Three Tarts Web site.

The 2013 edition opens for business tomorrow with a dinner featuring ingredients from farms across New York. Does that mean some sort of apple dessert will be on the menu? It is hosted by Eleven Madison Park chefs Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. The two are using the occasion to bring attention to the birth of their months-old cookbook, “I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes" (Ten Speed Press)

Bobby Flay and friends turn out tacos that wash down with a special beverage. Photo from Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival Web site.

Before NYCWFF winds down Sunday evening, with several dinners and perennial, Grand Tasting presented by Shoprite, more than 100 eating and drinking salons will have hosted thousands in the Meatpacking District and other venues. New northern west side venues figure in the mix this year, including Piers 92 and 94.

Always attracting large crowds are Blue Moon Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray and Olmeca Altos (Friday night), Bobby Flay’s Tequila & Tacos (Saturday night), and "Chicken Coupe" hosted by Whoopi Goldberg (Friday night). The three showcases also attract top specialists, and the former and latter have a competitive component.

Dr. Mark Hyman and Chef David Bouley know well the connection between food and medicine. Photo from Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival Web site.

Those who favor sitdown meals will have their fill with the Bank of America Dinner Series. Others aside from the aforementioned “I Love NY” are Friday-night specials, a “Cross-Country Dinner" hosted by Sean Brock, George Mendes and Daniel Patterson, and “The Chef and the Doctor” with David Bouley and Dr. Mark Hyman. Think of that old adage, “Food is your medicine and medicine is your food.”

Yet another in the Bank of America series is a farm-to-table spread hosted by Bill Telepan and Andrea Reusing (Thursday night). The “Rockin’ Cuisine” experience promises such moutherwatering offerings as Cape May salt oysters, Striped bass sashimi with marinated beet and horseradish, Crispy okra, Grass-fed ribeye with oxtail broth, charred onion, cabbages & egg linguini, as well as Pumpkin cheesecake sundae with glazed pecans & cinnamon caramel sauce, and assorted Domori chocolates.

Joseph Schwartz specializes in the art and science of the cocktail. Photo from Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival Web site.

To wash it all down, Champagne GH Mumm Cordon Rouge, ABSOLUT ELYX, unspecified beverages, Nestle water and coffee.

Speaking of washing it down, so it goes at “Patron XO Café Late Night” (Thursday), and Justin Warner’s “Mixology Masters,” where big dogs, including Joseph Schwartz, are expected to turn out their versions of the perfect cocktail (Sunday night).

Free stuff? Yeah, but it’s mainly in the form of three panel discussions from late Friday morning to early Friday afternoon at Bullfrog & Baum. To that end, attendees should plan to eat before or after “Got Soul,” “Will Travel for Food” and “Click. Click. Boom!”

Art Smith, Whoopi Goldberg&Friends will be holding it down in the "Chicken Coupe." Photo from Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival Web site.

Among fee-based panels and seminars is “Food & Wine: Fond Memories” (Saturday morning). Food & Wine Editor-in-chief Dana Cowin moderates as Marcus Samuelsson, Andy Ricker and other star chefs riff on their favorite dishes and their earliest food memories. Sounds yummy.

Doubtless, yummy will be the “Le Pain Quotidien Tartine-Making Master Class” hosted by Alain Coumont (Saturday afternoon). Pupils will gain entry into the hallowed space of the International Culinary Center to learn from a master and to learn about the accidental birth of a delectable dish.

One of the hottest tickets Friday night is likely to be “25th Anniversary of FOOD & WINE’s Best New Chefs. Expected at this special soiree, where Perrier-Jouët will be flowing freely, are alums such as Dan Barber, Daniel Boulud and Rich Torrisi.

Perhaps a bit of liquid gold from Champagne Henriot??? Photo from Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival Web site.

Lest one forget, NYCWFF is more than simply eating, drinking, merrymaking and stargazing. It is also a fundraiser from which 100 percent of proceeds go to Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

Indeed, Eat. Drink. End Hunger.

Visit http://www.nycwff.org/ to learn more about the Food Network Wine & Food Festival 2013, including schedule, tickets and venue. Visit http://www.foodbanknyc.org/ to learn more about Food Bank For New York City and https://www.nokidhungry.org/ to learn more about Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® campaign.

Card-Carrying Member of Breast Cancer Awareness Club

IN recognition of October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, serial and serious networkers can distribute another type of “business card.” That is, the Breast Self-Exam Card.

Approximately 3” x 8,” the card is waterproof and has breast exam instructions in English or Spanish. (http://www.bit.ly/19LqG8U).

The card also bears the trademark pink ribbon that signifies support of breast cancer eradication.

Visit http://www.nbcam.org/ to learn about various National Breast Cancer Awareness programs and events.

NYFF51 Day 16: Generations After Crackberry Comes 'Her'

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

IN the not-so-distance future, people will have full-blown relationships with their electronic devices, including doubledates and surrogate sex.

This scenario is presented in Spike Jonze’s “Her,” the closing film of The 51st New York Film Festival in its world premiere tonight. (See video at top).

An intriguing premise, but the devil is in the details of execution. Pressed to give one word to describe the film, it would be boring.

However, Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as nerdy-sensitive professional letter writer Theodore Twombly who falls for his OS (operating system), an extremely engaging voice provided by Scarlett Johansson.

NYFF51 winds down Sunday with encore screenings of select films, including "Gloria," "12 Years a Slave" and "Blue is the Warmest Color."

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

In 'Gravity,' Holding on to Faith and Belief for Dear Life

BY CARLTON BUSH

IF, this time last year, anyone had asked what the Academy Award frontrunners for Best Picture would be, the smart money consensus would have opined that the then-unseen “Les Miserables” and “The Hobbtt: An Unexpected Journey” were clear favorites and easy bets to win.

In reality, the sleeper hits, “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Life of Pi,” were the outstanding motion pictures of 2012.
This year, three standouts have already emerged. “Gravity,” which opened last week and continues to rollout through mid-December, is one of them. The film exceeds the innovations in cinematography of “Children of Men” among Alfonso Cuarón films and equals “Life of Pi” in its seamless use of CGI in the 3D format.

The introductions of swimming in space, floating in air and fire are majestic. See this film in the biggest IMAX screen possible, in Dolby Atmos, if possible. The first 17 to 20 minutes is one unbroken CGI shot that frames the story.

The initial momentum of the film’s $55.6 million U.S. opening weekend (4-6 Oct.) has elicited a backlash about factual representations of science and space as depicted in the film, of plausibility of the physics of events. Ignore this negative campaign completely. It is nonsense, fueled by bad intentions and ill spirits. (See video at top).

This is not a story about space. This is a story of adversity and the overcoming of it, of the voice in isolation and the Leap into the void.

Sandra Bullock’s, Ryan tells George Clooney’s astronaut Kowalski that she could get used to the silence. But he keeps talking throughout.

The voice of Ed Harris’ “The Right Stuff” astronaut serves as Mission Control in Houston in constant voiceover. Kowalski constantly reminds Ryan to keep talking even if she thinks Mission Control can’t hear.

The silence of space will doom you.

The sound design in “Gravity” is impeccable. The filmmakers have created a beautiful sound floor with discreet off-center touches and noises, with a beautiful sensibility of air and voice mingling with air.

The voice that calms you down is often your own. The film affirms the need for calm in life-threatening and near-impossible situations. Not the voice of the obscure, but the voice of the normal everyday that, when isolated in space, is resonant and redolent of home.

If the dialogue in “Gravity” seems matter of fact, it is seductive and will become clear why by the end of the film. The voice in your head will keep you grounded. The voice in your head will pull you back to earth when you are lost in space. The voice in your head will keep you alive.

There remains another that restores Ryan’s hope although it is meaningless – it is not Mission Control or another astronaut – through which she is reminded of the sounds of earth almost as in song. It is a counterpoint to her statements early in “Gravity” where she tells Kowalski that she listens to anything as long as there is no talking. Her voice in the film is the voice of prayer.

Astronauts Ryan (Sandra Bullock) and Kowalski (George Clooney) navigate space and other matter(s) in "Gravity." Photo from "Gravity" Facebook page.

It is significant that the astronaut in “Gravity” is a woman, Not only because SB nails the performance, but also because her reactions are so subtle. Divorced from life and isolated, she is jerked back to life by the nagging responsibility to live through this, to become aware, to use her senses, to constantly leap from one crisis to another, to react though she has willed herself to be numb.

The accidents of life have left her unmoored. Now the reality of being stranded forces her to remember her life, to remember her training, to come back from the brink and constantly try.

To survive, to live your life, you must leap into the void and believe in yourself.

This is a film about restoring one’s faith.

“Gravity” is Rated PG-13 for intense perilous sequences, some disturbing images and brief strong language; visit http://www.gravitymovie.warnerbros.com/#/home to learn more about the film.

NYFF51 Day 15: Keeping Government Open, or 'Sam in the Snow'

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. in "Sam in the Snow" - a man caught between a rock and a hard place. Photo furnished by New York Film Festival.

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

“HOW Democracy Works Now” could not be more timely, considering the debacle going on in the nation’s capital. What shall it be termed, Shutdowngate?

Ten in the series of 12 documentaries from Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini about the debate over immigration, dating to 2001, are having their world premiere at The 51t New York Film Festival. (See video below).

Three screened yesterday and two screen on Saturday. Today, five are on the docket, including “Sam in the Snow.” It spotlights the then-Sen. Sam Brownback and current governor of Kansas. Considered a conservative, the Republican had some liberal views on immigration.

He worked on the issue with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. As their respective aides try to craft logical immigration reform, the George W. Bush White House is pushing to create the juggernaut that is now known as the Department of Homeland Security. In “Sam in the Snow," SB is presented as a man trying to do the right thing in the face of party and constituent opposition, as well as shifting priorities.

Screening later today and on Saturday are “The Kids Across the Hill," "Marking up the Dream,” “Ain’t the AFL For Nothin’,” “Brothers and Rivals,” “Protecting Arizona" and “The Senate Speaks."

Each series in "How Democracy Works Now" provides a glimpse of government that few see but should.

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

NYFF51 Day14: 'All Is Lost' With 'Only Lovers Left Alive'

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

PERHAPS with too much time on his hands (and too little imagination), Jim Jarmusch decided to share his thoughts on the wildly popular vampire genre.

His contribution is “Only Lovers Left Alive. Starring the winning duo of Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, it makes it U.S. debut this evening at The 51st New York Film Festival.

TS and TH are likable as an attractive, centuries-old couple, especially when they recall associates such as Darwin and Faust – wink, smirk. Alas, the vampire genre has been done to death. Nothing here is particularly interesting.

Not so for “All is Lost,” J.C. Chandor’s sophomore effort starring Robert Redford. It has the second screening of its North American premiere tonight. (See trailer at top).

It has been many a moon since RR undertook a role worthy of his acting prowess. Here is one that he sinks his teeth – and seemingly every other body part – into. He is a lone man stranded on the Indian Ocean in a battered boat. Anguish and a determination to live are palpable in his every twitch. The Sundance film festival founder has virtually no lines, yet this is one of his best roles ever.

“All is Lost” is proof-positive that acting is far more than speaking lines.

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

Cheating and Feeling Good About It - Way to Go!

Archive image.

WHO ever first said "honesty is the best policy" clearly didn't anticipate the article, "The Cheater’s High: The Unexpected Affective Benefits of Unethical Behavior."

The upshot is that when people get away with cheating and there are no adverse effects on anyone else, they don't feel bad.

This does not apply to the types who pilfer ink pens and paper clips from work or who pop into Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts to get a straw for the homemade smoothie that they did not buy there or the people who help themselves to the orange-infused water at L'Occitane without a giving a thought to plopping down $46 for the Almond Milk Concentrate.


L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate. Photo from L'Occitane.

No, not these types. Instead, the ones who cheat on exams and who outright steal. The kind who fudge their timesheets and overinflate their accomplishments if a promotion is at stake. Indeed, they don't feel bad in the face of their mendacity. They feel good!

The article is published online in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Read it and weep (or rejoice): http://www.bit.ly/qt54QV

NYFF Day 11: Agnes B. Has Designs on 'My Name Is Hmmm...'

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

“I am a good cook but I have no rules for cooking,” designer Agnès B. said by way of explaining her directorial process in a press conference following the screening of her first feature film, “My Name Is Hmmm …” (“Je m’appelle Hmmm…”).

Over the course of several days she also penned this story that involves incest. “My Name Is Hmmm …” has its North American premiere tonight at The 51st New York Film Festival. (See video at top).

In this refreshingly unsentimental character study, kindred spirits try to find their way, both having lost their innocence. At times, this buddy film takes on an “Alice in Wonderland” quality. Nothing, however, portends a tragic outcome.

Though pacing is ocassionally slow, a good freshman effort.

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

NYFF Day 10: After 'Abuse of Weakness' and 'Bastards,' Gloria!!!'

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

WHAT a day for film! Today, Day 10 of The 51st New York Film Festival, may go down as one of the strongest of this session.

Four films, either making a North American or U.S. premiere, deserve notice. First is James Gray’s very personal “The Immigrant.” The film starring, Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard, harkens to 1920s New York.

Intrigue and mendacity are omnipresent backdrops in this telling of the newcomer’s struggle to plant roots in the United States of America. (See video of interview with JG and JP a top).

Carrying more intrigue and mendacity than the law allows are two French films – with female directors. A slow, steamy burn to the end, is “Bastards” (“Les Saluds”). Director Claire Denis noted in a post-screening press conference that she and her team built the film brick by brick. What an engaging process to witness in this noirish film based on some recent French sex scandals.

CD employs numerous in her stable of actors, including protagonist Vincent Lindon, to birth this sad, salacious saga. The title is apt, for in this affair there are only two innocents – the young lady who has had unspeakable horrors visited upon her person and the boy of a woman (Chiara Mastroianni) who has made a Faustian deal.

“Bastards” is at once not predictable and not surprising. The ending, shot as a grainy video, is haunting and beautiful – a tasteful coup de grace.

Isabelle Huppert and Kool Shen rely on each other a little too much in “Abuse of Weakeness” (“Abus de Faiblesse”). Photo from "Abuse of Weakness" Facebook page.

“It was me, but it was not me,” Isabelle Huppert’s character emphatically states during an “intervention” in the closing minutes of “Abuse of Weakeness” (“Abus de Faiblesse”). She is referring to the destructive, co-dependent, symbiotic post-stroke relationship that she’s recently ended with a swindler of the stars portrayed by French-Polish rapper Kool Shen. The prolific check-writer was separated from more than 500,000 euros.

The leads give riveting performances in this part-thriller, part multi-layered black comedy based on an experience of director Catherine Breillat.

On a welcome, lighter note is the glorious “Gloria” from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio. This lovable coming-of-middle-age tale was written specifically for 50-something actor, director and playwright Paulina Garcia. “She was Gloria before we had a script,” SL disclosed in a post-screening press conference.

PG’s title character is heartwarmingly bumbling her way – with colossal eyeglasses perched on nose – in a world where her nest is empty of two kids and a husband. One cheers her on through every club dance, drag on a cigarette, phone call and pull of that trigger!

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

NYFF51 Day 9: 'American Promise' or 14 Years in Their Life

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

IN New York City, it is more than a notion to get a kid competently educated without money and, if said kid is a black male.

This is the thesis of “American Promise,” a documentary by Brooklyn filmmaking couple Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson.

They follow their son and a classmate from enrollment at the Dalton School through graduation. It has its U.S. premiere today at The 51st New York Film Festival. (See video at top).

Bound for the education circuit and PBS, “American Promise” is illuminating and disturbing, even as it fails when it insists on making practically every obstacle facing Idris and Seun about race when it is not.

Elsewhere at NYFF51, in its world premiere this evening, is centerpiece "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."

Director Ben Stiller also stars as the title character in this tale with tenuous ties to a James Thurber work. Along for the journey in what is a touching fantasy-filled love story is Kristen Wiig as the elusive love interest of the title character.

In supporting roles, too, are Sean Penn and Shirley MacLaine.. (See video above).>

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

NYFF 51 Day 7: Camera Doesn't Very Much in 'Stray Dogs'

Lu Yi-ching, Chen Shiang-chyi and Li Yi-cheng in "Stray Dogs." Photo courtesy of New York Film Festival.

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

“HE didn’t film it,” a cinematographer remarked after screening Tsai Ming-liang’s “Stray Dogs.” The film has its U.S. premiere tonight at The 51st New York Film Festival.

“He shot it digitally. You can’t hold a scene in one frame for 15 minutes.”

The latest from the Chinese director is haunting. It is also boring, owing mainly to his tendency to capture scenes for an interminable period. It thwarts the impact of his tale of a homeless Taipei family. Mercifully, “Stray Dogs” does not seem as long as its 138 minutes. (See video below).

Let’s hope this won’t be ML's last film, as he indicated in Venice.

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.

NYFF 51 Day 5: 'About Time' for 'Jimmy P.'

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

FOR the witty take on time travel at the heart of “About Time,” Richard Curtis gathers what audiences have come to expect in the form of offbeat, oddball characters, including Lindsay Duncan and Bill Nighy.

A newcomer to the RC stable is all-grownup “Harry Potter” alum, Domhnall Gleeson. The young man, who is looking very much like a younger Boris Becker, comports himself admirably in the lead role. (See video at top).

“About Time” has a similar tone of earlier RC works, “Love, Actually” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” but cannot be accused of being derivative. In its North American premiere this evening at The 51st New York Film Festival, “About Time” is universally well-acted and delightful.

Also in its North American premiere today is “Jimmy P: Pychotherapy of a Plains Indian.” Based on a book by Georges Devereux, the film stars Benecio Del Toro as the patient of the title, and Mathieu Amalric as his therapist. It is set in 1940’s at Texas’ Menninger Clinic.

More offbeat characters. One from the Blackfoot Nation; the other a Hungarian Jew passing for French. The outsiders – beatdown by life in very different, yet not-so different ways – break, bond and heal through the prism of taking therapy. Masterful, but understated performances from the leads in this psychological drama. “Jimmy P: Pychotherapy of a Plains Indian” is moody, romantic and tense.

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.