To Be Mesmerized by a Certain Frig Is Reason Enough to Visit the Experience That Is Samsung 837

Florence + the Machine in concert at Samsung 837. Photo by V.W.

BY V. W.

FLORENCE + the Machine will always have a special tie to Samsung 837. The British indie rock band has the unique distinction of being the first act to perform at Samsung’s North American flagship space.

Incidentally, as of 11:30 a.m. today, Samsung 837 is open to the public. As its name alludes, the three-level, 40,000 square foot glass and steel structure is situated in New York City’s Meatpacking District at 837 Washington Street (at 13th street).

Do note that Samsung 837 is not a store. This writer used the S-word last night and was soon apprised of the error of her ways. “It’s not a store, it’s an experience,” General Manager Zach Overton gently corrected. We were seated next to each other during the concert, agreeing at least that Florence Welch reminds us of Stevie Nicks.

It really isn’t a store for the simple fact that the staff won’t be directly selling merchandise to the public. All of the Samsung product and devices lounging around the space like felines are for demos only. Of course, there is a strong power of suggestion in all of this syncing and surfing.

The Samsung refrigerator does far more than keep food at the approprriate temperature. Photo by V.W.

Tech support will eagerly lend a hand to Samsung owners and would-be owners who can’t, for instance, figure out using their current and/or future device how to shoot video vertically, but have it come out horizontally.

Last night, however, was about celebrating a vision that was long in the making, one that will undoubtedly inspire Apple toward the experience model. At the swanky opening party, attended by Terrence Howard, Bobby Cannavale and other Famous Friends of Samsung, Florence + the Machine opened its nearly dozen-song set in the amphitheater of Samsung 837 with a spirited rendition of “St. Jude.”

The amphitheater, which accommodates a three-story screen, will be the venue for various productions, including cooking demos (by the way, there is a full working kitchen in the space), one of its guides gave this reporter to know.

Speaking further of kitchen, ensconced in a corner of Samsung 837 adjacent to one of its lounging areas and across from the kitchen, is an as-yet-to-be named smart refrigerator endowed with technology that is simply astonishing.

Among its skills-sets: takes photos of what’s inside whenever the door is opened, allowing you, you and you to also see the image on your synced phone - not necessarily a Samsung - while you are standing in line at Trader Joe’s.

Currently rolling out, the refrigerator is equipped with a notepad on which a shopping list can be made and synced with the phone, also allowing one to see it while standing in the supermarket queue.

Exterior of Samsung 837 with clock counting down to opening day. Image from Samsung

Sync it with any TV in the house to watch a favorite program in the kitchen. Need the weather? Forget the local meteorologist, just call it up on the refrigerator for a five-day forecast. One can go on and on about this $5,000 wonder.

When it was suggested that Samsung should similarly bedazzle a guitar as Florence/Machine drummer Christopher Hayden strapped on one for the next song, ZO leaned in close.

“A piano is next,” he smiled.

Visit http://www.samsung.com/us/837/?cid=ppc-#!/home to learn more about Samsung 837.

Intriguing Cast of Characters in 'The Company You Keep'

IT has a marquee name director-producer and a high-voltage cast.

These are the two most interesting aspects of “The Company You Keep.” The film opens today in New York and Los Angeles before rolling out elsewhere. It had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

Robert Redford is not only one of the producers and the director, he is the star among stars of the film. When was the last time RR had a major role as a director or actor? Long time ago. Also onboard in “The Company You Keep” are Julie Christie, Chris Cooper, Sam Elliott, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.

That’s a lot of starpower for this little thriller based on Neil Gordon’s book of the same name. The plot centers around a former Vietnam-era radical Nick Sloan (RR) who went underground after he was accused of some lawbreaking he may or may not have participated in. He’s guilty of something, but not the crime that the FBI wants to put him away for. Smart guy that he is, Nick remakes himself as Jim Grant. (See video above).

Jim had been living a good, quiet life until overly ambitious and ethics-challenged reporter Ben Shepard (Shia LaBeouf) outs him. Now Nick/Jim is on the run from the FBI while he searches for a former flame, Mimi (JC), who can clear his name.

During the chase and search, many characters in the guise of the aforementioned names figure in the mix. So often, films with too much star power turn out to be a big mess. No so for “The Company You Keep,” but it is not a great film either. It is a middling affair that is made all the more bearable because one can gawk at the stars, even if only in a cameo role.

“The Company You Keep” is rated R. Visit http://www.sonyclassics.com/thecompanyyoukeep/ to learn more about the film. Rx

'Red Tails' and 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'

INCREDIBLY, “Red Tails” is the first widely released feature film based on the story of The Tuskegee Airmen. HBO’s “The Tuskegee Airmen” (1995) enjoyed a very limited release in theaters, but only after its debut on cable.

For those scratching their heads, the flyboys in question is the U.S. Army Air Corps' 332nd Fighter Group, the all-black combat unit trained at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama around the time of the WWII. They served and fought heroically in a segregated military.

The George Lucas-produced “Red Tails,” which opens today, picks up the action in Italy where the airmen are grounded 100 miles behind enemy lines except for meaningless flight exercises. It is an important film because it puts the spotlight on a piece of American history and military history that continues to linger in the wings. Even today – in the 21st century – one still hears through the grapevine the occasional story of a university history professor, for instance, asserting that no black pilots served during WWII.

If for no other reason in a culture where books are increasingly falling out of favor with the masses, “Red Tails” should be required viewing. The service of these young men to their country should be as well-known to the general public as the number of days Kim Kardashian was married.

While “Red Tails” is important viewing, it is aside from some spectacular fight sequences not an engaging film. In fact, it has many cringe-worthy moments … More shortly.



Also opening today is “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” another film based on true events.

Specifically, it is adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer’s best seller about precocious and extremely curious 11-year-old Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn in his acting debut) who finds a key left behind by his father Thomas (Tom Hanks) who died in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Oskar sets out across the boroughs in an Alice in Wonderland-like pursuit of the item that the key opens.

As with the book, many reviewers are ambivalent. Whether they like the film or not, they cite the nature of the material, wondering whether it is exploitative; some disdainfully dismiss it as cloying. The tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 is still fresh in the psyche of many Americans, particularly New Yorkers and those in the Tri-state area. It is sacred territory on which one must tread extremely carefully, lest s/he upset tender sensibilities. Generally, reviewers based in the Northeast are a bit more circumspect than those from other regions.

There is almost universal agreement, though, that the film is well-acted. For his turn as Oskar, TH is getting a lot of positive notice in a cast that also includes Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Max von Sydow and Jeffrey Wright.

“Red Tails” is rated PG-13 for some sequences of war violence. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" is rated PG-13 for emotional thematic material, some disturbing images and language.