Price of a Movie: 01.18.11
Freezing rain got you down? Us too. Until we remembered we live in NYC, where this week's activities include free samples of the latest foodie rage, bandying with bad-ass baristas, and a trip to the tropical Brooklyn Botanical Garden where temps are always toasty! 
How to Pickle, Jar & Ferment
Participate in the latest foodie rage in the city! Local artisans will share their pickled and jarred goodies and offer tips on how you can make you own preserved treats. Among the pickling pros on hand will be Anarchy in a Jar and Kombucha Brooklyn. Sponsored by Edible Manhattan magazine, with $4 beers from Brooklyn Brewery to complement the free and tasty samples.
Where: The Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th Street, Brooklyn
When: Wednesday, January 19, 8 pm to 10 pm
Price: Free, RSVP here
Zenith
Described as a “brooding science-fiction trip” (Village Voice) and a “trippy, frontal-lobe screwer” (that’d be the Oklahoma Gazette), this flick is a steam-punk thriller about two men in two time periods who come together to unmask a dangerous conspiracy. How fitting then, that the film will be screened in a former Communist meeting hall. (Rumor has it that audiences will be hypnotized before the film unspools.)
Where: Cinema Purgatorio at the Kraine Theatre, 85 East Fourth Street, Manhattan
When: January 19 to January 26, 8 pm
Price: $8, get tickets 
Manual Brewdown
Are you a totally bad-ass barista? Bring along your fave beans and brewing tools and prove it at RBC NYC’s first manual brewing showdown, with judges from Counter Culture Coffee, Barismo, and Third Rail Coffee evaluating your cuppa joe. You’ll get to test out the latest in professional coffee machines — the Luminaire LB-1 and the UberBoiler — and compete for prizes including brewing equipment, beans, coffee-related T-shirts and totes, and more. Brooklyn Brewery brewski will also be served.
Where: RBC NYC, 71 Worth Street, Manhattan
When: Thursday, January 20, 7:15 pm sign-up, 7:30 pm showdown
Price: Free!
Australian Flood Relief Fundraiser
Australia has given us many wonderful things: Peter Weir, INXS, Russell Crowe, Crocodile Dundee. Now it’s your turn to give back. The devastating flooding in Queensland cannot be overstated; to date, tens of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed. Help those affected at this Australian Consulate fundraiser, where the $20 cover charge goes directly to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal. Upon entry, you’ll get a free drink, and there will also be live Aussie music, door prizes, and raffles. It’s a great way to support your mates Down Under.
Where: The Australian, 20 West 38 Street, Manhattan
When: Thursday, January 20, 6 pm to midnight
Price: $20
Liberty Hall Screening: Tell Them Anything You Want
Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs (who’ve created videos for likes of Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Arcade Fire, and the Beastie Boys) directed this documentary portrait of Maurice Sendak. It captures the quirky 82-year-old Where the Wild Things Are author in all his curmudgeonly glory, and includes interviews with his many celebrity fans — Meryl Streep, Catherine Keener, and James Gandolfini among them. Both Jonze and Bangs will be present at the screening for a Q&A. Part of the weekly underground film series.
Where: Liberty Hall, Ace Hotel basement, 20 West 29th Street, Manhattan
When: Sunday, January 23, doors open at 7 pm
Price: Free!
Credit: Photo by Rebecca Bullene
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
What could possibly be blooming in a garden in the dead of winter? Plenty, if you head to the Brooklyn Botanical’s Steinhardt Conservatory and the Desert and Tropical pavilions, where temps are toasty year-round. Gladioli, Jamaican poinsettia, Amazon lilies and orchids are just a few of the many blossoming flowers. And who knew something that’s been alive for hundreds of years could be so cute? Among the ancient bonsai trees on display is a Japanese white pine bonsai that’s over 300 years old. Take that, Yoda.
Where: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn
When: 8 am to 6 pm
Price: Free, weekdays only through March
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Price of a Movie: 01.11.11
Price of a Movie is back after a holiday break—and hell-bent on filling up your calendar without burning through your year-end bonus (or that check from grandma). This week, head to Astoria to eyeball the $65 million expansion of the Museum of the Moving Image, bid on (or just peruse) pieces from Dennis Hopper's collection at Christie's auction house, and roll around on the faux lawn in a downtown gallery's fabricated green space.
The Dennis Hopper Collection Auction
As you might know, the late actor Dennis Hopper was an art aficionado, and built up quite a respectable private collection, with works by Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, and Kenny Scharf (along with several pieces by his close friend, actor Viggo Mortensen).
Though the first installment of the two-day auction ended on January 11, today's sale features vast array of memorabilia and decorative objects from Hopper's LA home. Among them: from Easy Rider, an original 1969 poster (est. $1,000-$1,500) and an unbound shooting script (est. $2,000-$3,000), and an award commemorating his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (est. $1,000-$1,500). Short on cash? You don't have to bid; the collection is open for public viewing.
Where: Christie's, 20 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan
When: Viewing times, 9:30 am to 5 pm; auction at 10 am and 3 pm
Price: Free to look!
Bonanza
Part of the Under the Radar Festival, this theater-film event offers a documentary portrait of an abandoned gold-rush town in Colorado called Bonanza. Where there were once thousands of residents, it's now down to just seven, but that doesn't mean the town doesn't have its fair share of feuds, gossip, litigation and even accusations of witchcraft. On the stage, underneath a scale model of the town, are five small screens – one for each home in Bonanza – onto which is projected the lives of the inhabitant(s). They include an artist, a reverend, a cowboy, and, yes, a possible witch.
Where: Robert Moss Theatre, 440 Lafayette Street, Third Floor
When: Wednesday, January 12 to Sunday, January 16, various times
Price: $15 
PHOTO CREDIT: A rendering of the new 267-seat theater.
[Image courtesy of the Museum of the Moving Image.]
Re-opening of the Museum of the Moving Image
After a $65 million expansion and renovation, the museum re-opens Saturday, January 15, with lots of new ways to celebrate film, television and the video arts. Along with the 15,000-square-foot core exhibit "Behind the Screen," which shows you how movies and TV programs are made, there's a six-week inaugural program called "Celebrating the Moving Image." It features screenings of newly restored classic and contemporary films (opening weekend is "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Hustler"), workshops (digital drawing), and performances (Saturday is the first Signal to Noise party, with live electronic music, silent films, and interactive art from 8 pm to 2 am).
On MLK day, museum admission is free, as are the screenings: "Coraline" in 3-D, and "King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis."
Where: Museum of the Moving Image, 3601 35th Avenue, Queens
When: Opening Saturday, January 15
Price: Museum admission, $10 (free on Monday, January 17 and Fridays after 4 pm)
Park Here Indoor Park
Snow and slush and leaf-less trees are everywhere you look – except at the Park Here pop-up green space. A Nolita gallery has been transformed into a 4,500-square-foot indoor park, complete with faux lawn, trees, park benches, forest murals, and light boxes that treat seasonal affective disorder. Stop by for a daytime yoga or Pilates class, or sign up for a special flower-arranging workshop or chocolate tasting. And what would a day at the park be without a picnic? There are tasty offerings from Luke's Lobster, Mexicue, and Sweetery, and regular evening movie screenings sponsored by Urbandaddy.com.
Where: Openhouse Gallery, 201 Mulberry St., Manhattan
When: Daily through Sunday, January 30, 11 am to 7 pm
Price: Free (there's a fee for classes and food) 
Oyster Bar Happy Hour
It's often assumed that oysters are only safe to eat in months with the letter "r" in their name (meaning May to August, you're out of luck). That's actually a myth, but nevertheless, worriers can indulge without fear for the next few months and take advantage of the Oyster Bar Happy Hour at the John Dory. For $15, you get a choice of a half-dozen oysters (either East or West Coast) or clams (Long Island or Wellfleet, depending on season), along with a glass of sparkling wine or a can of Snapperhead ale. Best of all, the twice-daily happy hours satisfy both the after-work crowd and late-night partiers.
Where: John Dory Oyster Bar, The Ace Hotel, 1196 Broadway
When: Monday to Saturday, 5 pm to 7 pm and midnight to 2 am
Price: $15
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