Master Stroke: Local Color

Local Color (TFF 2006) is a quiet, lovely movie about ideas, art, and coming of age, with gorgeous scenery and some understatedly powerhouse acting from the likes of the always-compelling Armin Mueller-Stahl (most recently seen in Angels & Demons and The International). After a successful life on the festival circuit, Local Color is finally wending its way to theaters, starting with the Quad Cinema in New York this Friday (July 3).

Set in the summer of 1974, the film centers on the unlikely friendship that develops between Nicoli (Mueller-Stahl), a retired Russian artist, and John (relative newcomer Trevor Morgan), a young man with raw talent as a painter and an enthusiasm for art that rejuvenates the old man’s spirits. Along the way, the two (and others, including a pretentiously fey Ron Perlman) consider, debate, and argue art theory, modernism, and ways of viewing the world. Set against the backdrop of Pennsylvania farm country (Wyeths, anyone?), the characters are dealing with a range of personal pain, from the aftermath of war to the loss of loved ones to general adolescent malaise. Of course, there’s a love interest (the just-enough-older Samantha Mathis) and a hard-nosed father (Ray Liotta) for John to contend with, and contend he does.

All in all, this semi-autobiographical offering from writer/director George Gallo (most notably, the writer of the hilariously classic Midnight Run) covers a lot of ground: it's both a contemplative look at how innocence and experience can complement each other and a testament to the power art has to expand the mind, heighten the senses, and make the world a little brighter.

Watch the trailer:


 

Buy tickets now.

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Price of a Movie: 7.01.09

Fireworks everywhere you look and free shows by child-actor-turned-rocker Jenny Lewis? Summer in the city is heating up for July 4, all for the Price of a Movie or less! 

Celebrate the Holiday: Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks 2009

July 4 marks the 400th anniversary of the exploration of the Hudson River by Henry Hudson. So in a break with tradition, this year's Macy's fireworks are going west to the Hudson. The out-of-this-world pyrotechnic show will be hard to miss, featuring more than 40,000 shells exploding at a rate of more than 1,500 per minute: eight times more boom and bang than before! To accompany the fireworks, the legendary New York Pops will perform under the direction of Steve Reinke, with Broadway superstars Audra McDonald and Idina Menzel also on the line-up. Before the show, check out an FDNY Fireboat water show (featuring arcs of red, white and blue soaring into the air), and an Air National Guard jet fly-over.

Best Places to View: West Side Highway and Surrounding Area—in Manhattan, 12th Avenue and the northbound lanes of the West Side Highway between 23rd and 59th Streets. (The highway will be closed to traffic for public fireworks viewing.) Pedestrian access to the viewing area will be via the following streets: 24th, 26th through 30th, 34th, 40th through 44th, 47th through 52nd, and 54th through 57th.

According to some, the best spots will be south of 42nd Street along the pier by the Circle Line, including: Dewitt Clinton Park (access from 11th Avenue) Pier 54 (limited access from 14th Street), Pier 84 (limited access from 44th Street), and selected side streets between 11th and 12th Avenues.

Where: The Hudson River, watch on Manhattan's West Side between 23rd and 59th Streets.
When: Saturday, July 4. Fireworks begin at approximately 8:20 pm, but get to your viewing spot well before 7:00 pm for a decent view.
Price: Free!
 

The 94th Annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest

According to legend, on July 4, 1916, four immigrants had a hot dog-eating contest at Nathan's Famous Stand on Coney Island to settle an argument about who was the most patriotic. The tradition has continued, as the world's most famous hot dog-eating contest occurs every Independence Day. A group of twenty individuals line up behind a 30-foot-long (ha) table to participate in the twelve-minute event. This year marks the 94th annual contest, which is televised live on ESPN and usually attracts over 30,000 spectators. These guys are going to give it their all: since 2007, along with other prizes, first place wins $10,000!

Where: Nathan's Famous Flagship Restaurant, 1310 Surf Avenue, Coney Island
When: Saturday, July 4, at 12:00 pm
Price: Free! 
 

Aperitivo: Happy Hour at Dell'Anima

Opened in 2008, Dell'Anima has quickly become one of the West Village's most praised neighborhood Italian spots. Check out the restaurant on Friday through Sunday, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm for an "aperitivo." Aperitivo is an Italian tradition focused on socializing and winding down after a day of work. Even better, as described by the restaurant, "Aperitivo is much more than the happy hour cocktails we know and love; bars throughout Italy display an array of foods with the hopes of attracting drinkers who want to get an early start on the night. The best part, the food is entirely free and seemingly endless—that is, if you buy a drink." What a deal: delicious and free Italian plates, accompanied by great drinks and a cozy, vibrant atmosphere!

Where: Dell'Anima, 38 8th Avenue, Manhattan
When: Friday through Sunday, 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Price:  Drink prices range from $7 to $13, with free food!

Summer Fireworks on the Coney Island Boardwalk

If you can't get enough fireworks, or want to avoid the crowds on July 4, you're in luck! Continuing an 100-year-old tradtion, Coney Island will host free fireworks shows every Friday night this summer through Labor Day. For a spectacular front row view, watch the fireworks from 150 feet up, on top of the NYC landmark Wonderwheel. Afterwards, stick around the boardwalk for a variety of live entertainment.

Where: The Boardwalk between West 10th and West 12th Street, Coney Island
When: Fridays throughout the summer at 9:30 pm
Price: Free!
 

River to River Festival: Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band with Jenny Lewis

The River to River Festival takes place each summer from June through August in a variety of public venues that canvas all of downtown New York. Devoted to providing cheap access to culture downtown, they're getting a start with a great July 4 show: Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band with Jenny Lewis at Battery Park. (Normally, tickets for this sort of bill would be $30+ and probably sold out.) Conor Oberst is a talented Americana folk rock singer/songwriter whose catchy tunes touch on New York, his Midwest roots, and political protest. His collaboration with The Mystic Valley Band in 2008 on the album Outer South earned him "best songwriter" from Rolling Stone Magazine. Oberst and his band will follow the all-grown-up, rocking and wry opener Jenny Lewis, whom you may recognize as a former child actress (80s kiddie classics like Troop Beverly Hills and The Wizard), and erstwhile frontwoman of Rilo Kiley, when she's not touring her just-as-critically-acclaimed solo work.

Where: Battery Park, Battery Place to South Street (at State Street), Manhattan
When: July 4, 3:30 pm
Price: Free! (The event is not ticketed, but space is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.)
 

If you have a suggestion for this column, please e-mail editors@tribecafilm.com.

The Hurt Locker: Screening Report

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker opened this weekend to boffo box office. On just four screens in NY and LA, indieWIRE reports, the film grossed $144,000. Now that's nothing compared to Transformers' stunning, record-breaking weekend, but it's quite a feat for a small indie movie with no lead stars and a depressing synopsis.

At the 7:10 screening on Saturday night at Landmark Sunshine, Bigelow (who just emanates "cool") and screenwriter Mark Boal were on hand to take questions from an impressed crowd. When asked whether troops in Iraq had seen the film (which bowed last fall at Toronto) yet, Boal explained, "It was pirated about six months ago, so a lot of people [over there] have seen it. I still don't have a DVD yet, but on Baghdad streets, they are practically five for $1."

On the question of her skilled casting, Bigelow explained that her rationale for using unknown actors was to accentuate the unknowns of the film's situations—if the audience doesn't know the actors, the suspense is heightened since we also don't know know which characters are expendable and which are not. "Casting emerging talent was one of the parameters from the get-go."

Someone complimented Bigelow on her action movie prowess: "This was the first action movie I've seen in a long time where I could follow what's going on." Bigelow accepted the compliment, but shared it with Boal: "The script was so clear, so magnificently crafted. You have to be specific in bomb tech. The tension is inherent in the story—I didn't need to heighten it with frenetic cutting."

Bigelow had some fun with the audience, too. "Did you have fun making this movie?" "I had a blast," she twinkled. "Pun intended."
 

See The Hurt Locker today.

RIP, Michael Jackson

MJ, Jacko, the King of Pop, or the pint-sized frontman of the Jackson 5: however you choose to remember Michael Jackson, he's just a memory now, albeit it a media-saturated, permanent-record kind of memory. His sudden death on Thursday came as a shock, as the world was instantly forced to reconcile memories of an incredible performer with a wariness about the man he had become in recent years.

As the 24-hour news channels scramble to pull together tributes to the global icon—and dissenting voices dredge up the sordid trials and allegations—we at Tribeca remember a very special night at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. On the 25th anniversary of the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, the Tribeca Drive-In hosted the world's largest zombie disco, complete with a Michael Jackson lookalike contest and face-painting for all. (Browse photos of the event.)

John Landis, the director of the seminal "Thriller" video, was on hand to ghoul out with the enthusiastic crowd that night (see the video below). Landis has released this statement: "I was lucky enough to know and work with Michael Jackson in his prime. Michael was an extraordinary talent and a truly great international star. He had a troubled and complicated life and despite his gifts, remains a tragic figure. My wife Deborah and I will always have great affection for him."



RIP, Michael. You made us dance.
 

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