A Monday Night in October, Time Square Subway Station, NYC

GILBERT & GEORGE IN TIME SQUARE

Thank you again Creative Time for helping us find this unexpected pleasure on a resent visit to Times Square on a Monday Night.

A Portrait of the Artists As Young Men, 1970; The Nature of Our Looking, 1972

October 3–November 14, 2008

These videos are running in conjunction with the last stop of their monumental retrospective on view at the Brooklyn Museum. We caught this show last year at the Tate Modern. Massive in its scope, gird your loins and take the plunge. There are some splendid rewards, especially in many of their mid-career stain-glass window homages to street boys.

FAILURE HITS THE UES - William Pope.L @ Mitchell-Innes & Nash

As the financial and house markets seemed to be coming down around our ears, we journeyed up to that bastion of gracious living and expense accounts, Madison Avenue and 79th Street to pop in to the opening of William Pope.L's first show with his new gallery, Mitchell-Innes & Nash. And what a pleasant surprise! What should we find covering four walls of one of the two main gallery areas but hundreds upon hundreds of "Failure" drawings. These small intimate drawings where all done on available paper while traveling, so we get a wide range of sizes; coasters, hotel stationery, notepads, small photos, etc). Beautifully installed!!

In the second gallery, are two larger pieces, plus a small wall sculpture consisting of two drinnking glasses with water. The large wooden coffin for the US flag is raised off the ground and emits the soft sound of a flag flapping in the wind.

Screw the NY Times! A great little debut show! ENCORE!!!

Lost Serra

Encountered this large Cor-Ten slab at the corner of 12th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan today, Looks like a Richard Serra piece that fell off a truck, eh what?

We believe it is a small "prop" piece from early in Mr. Serra's career and was obviously abandoned by its captors once they realized how heavy and cumbersome the damn thing was.

Any leads to it owner and proper return will be appreciated.

The Management of JTLR

Memento Mori

Richard Wright
David Foster Wallace
Oded Schramm

You Shall All Be Missed!!

FILM REPORT FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY or What you see in Vermont should stay in Vermont

Trying to beat the holiday crowds on the road this Labor Day Weekend, we decided to take off this past weekend for an extended one in the mild wilds of Burlington, VT. Summoned by the siren call of the annual Montpelier Used Instrument Sale, one cannot visit Burlington in the summertime and not pay a visit to the Sunset Drive-In, a four screen outdoor film screening extravaganza (now with a rather mediocre mini putt-putt golf course) where you cannot fail to be entertained. Our recent visit allowed us to see two of this summer's male bonding comedies, Pineapple Express and Step Brothers!!

Let's start with the latest Judd Apatow/Seth Rogen effort Pineapple Express. Along with their cohort Evan Goldberg, these three have created a new sub-category to Buddy Flicks, The Post-Modern Male Bonding Flick. In this particular instance it is Dale Denton, a pot-head Process Server played by Seth Rogen and his pot dealer Saul Silver (James Franco) who are forced to take it on the lam after Dale witnesses a gangland murder. After a hilariously paranoid evening in the woods of LA, the two run around the city, hither and yon, trying to figure out who knows what, who has killed or will kill, and basically trying to stay alive. There is a hilarious scene with a school guard officer, played by Cleo King, who takes Dale down for dealing drugs to children and lectures him face-to-face while driving him down to the station. Now that one can't have SEX and DRUGS and ROCK N ROLL, Apatow and Rogen seem to be asking us to consider which one IS worse SEX or DRUGS (Dale, who is in his early 30's, has a "relationship" with a 17 year old High School student, and no one, except her Dad (a wonderful cameo role for Ed Begley, Jr.) seems to have problem with this age discrepancy). Rogen has a corner on the market when it comes to hazy heroes; his bearish grin makes me think of Yogi Bear after a weekend in Amsterdam. As in Superbad, the film culminates in the two male protagonists saying "I Love You" to each other and NOT having sex. In fact, the less actual touching during those moments supposedly the better, and a lot is milked out of the emotional and physical effort that NOT touching causes. What made Superbad far more effective as a film was that we knew the two male protagonists, Jonah and Michael, were being torn apart by school, by distance, by social "values", and even by sexuality, whereas Dale and Saul seemed fated to survive together in the cloudy hazy of a cross-joint.

;--{ A few honest laughs and some nice cameo work; worth the $2.50 so far (Did I mention that we snuck someone in without paying?)!!

After some fries, and onion rings, and one of the cheapest burgers in town ($2.50), we settled in for our second feature Step Brothers. Directed by Adam McKay and written by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay from a story by the two along with John C. Reilly, this movie should go over big at the cineplex in Boca Raton. The meeting and mating of Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen) and Dr. Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins) comes fast and furious, and both bond over their deep, dark secret; they each have a middle-aged son living with them at home. Nancy's son Brennan (Will Ferrell) is a sensitive, artistic, mamma's boy, while Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) fears the a lose of the all-male dominion he shares with his dad ("We go to the bathroom with the door open!")

The "comedy" comes out of the joining of these two households as one, forcing these two middle-aged adolescents to confront and conform to each others quirks and idiosyncrasies. As opposed to laughs, we are presented a series of peculiar moments of grown men acting out like tired 10-year-olds. When the "boys" are told they can borrow anything out of dad's clothing closet to look their best for a job interview, they opt to deck themselves out in evening clothes, cut-aways, cummerbunds and bow ties. Hilarious perhaps to a 10-year-old, things don't improve for us grown-ups when the two decide to interview for a job as one. And the fight over whether Brennan had touched Dale's drum kit or not is down-right painful. After driving a wedge between mom and dad by wrecking dad's dream boat (and dream of early retirement to sail around the world) while producing their first music video together, the two boy's finally hunker down, get jobs, and ultimately get their parents back together. Fairy tales can come true!!

:-( Amazed I stayed awake for the whole thing! Silly idea, poor presentation and badly written. Skip it if at all possible!!

Finally, we attended a special wine-tasting screening of the small indie film Bottle Shock at the Roxy in downtown Burlington. A poorly planned event sponsored by a new local wine shop, mayhem preceded the screening as people crowded around to sample and vote on their preferences between three pairs of wines, one French, one Californian (we preferred the French two to one). I doubt any amount of alcohol would relieve the pain of this ridiculous dramatization of the "famous" event in 1976 which pitted the best of French wines against those of California's Napa/Sonoma Valleys. Basically an enormous advertisement for the winery Chateau Montelena (an establishment of undeniable quality; will this now allow them to jack their pricey prices up even more?), there is no plot per se, no hero to root for, and no sense to pacing to create any kind of tension. Skilled, talented actors like Dennis Farina, Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman do their best to rise about the mediocre material they have to work with, but struggle is futile and the strong gravitational pull of dullness drags down even these seasoned veterans.

:-( :-( :-( AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! THIS AIN'T NO SIDEWAYS!!!! BOTTLE SCHLOCK!!!!

LET IT FLOW, LET IT FLOW, LET IT FLOW - Olafur Eliasson's "The New York City Waterfalls"

If you haven't taken a ride on the Staten Island Ferry recently, take the opportunity to do so now! Not only will it cool you off from the city heat, but it will give you a magnificent opportunity to view all four of Olafur Eliasson's "The New York City Waterfalls" at once. Be sure to be at the back of the boat as it leaves the Manhattan side (or the front as it docks there).

These four waterfalls are actually enormous scaffold-like towers that pump river water up and out their tops. Aesthetically speaking they aren't much to look at, but their is something unmistakably magical about these waterfalls. Depending on their placement, width and height, the falls themselves have varying effects as they cascade down. I particularly like the effect of the tower on the Brooklyn piers; tall and wide, its placement seems to catch the breeze coming up the Narrows (or is it the traffic from the BQE?) and always seems to have the quality of an airy bridal veil. Eliasson is a master of emotional minimalism; vague and seemingly effortless, he is able to conjure a happy vertigo.

Check'em out!!

August 27th: Panned by "L" Magazine as the most disappointing public art work! Everyone keeps comparing it to"The Gates"! Why? You aren't able to interact with these pieces in the same way, but they can be enjoyed as unique, individual experiences. Will "L" query people about their feelings for the Falls at the end of their run in October? Anyone taking any bets?

MEMENTO MORI - They Go in Threes

HARVEY KORMAN
YVES SAINT LAURENT
BO DIDDLEY

Thank you!

rest in peace

THE TOURONDEL OF THE SCREW: BLT Burger

Of all the top chefs of New York City, Laurent Tourondel seems to have the most sordid past. As the chef many years ago at the Upper East Side boite Cello, Tourondel served up immaculate seafood to rival Eric Ripart at Le Bernardin and flavor combinations to give Daniel Boulud a run for his money. Then POOF!! The place closed overnight, deep in debt, one of the partners having embezzled most of the funds. Tourondel also seemed to disappear into the night.

Then in 2004, he reappeared on 57th St with Bistro Laurent Tournodel Steak, a French twist on the American steakhouse, which proudly proclaimed the chef was back and with a vengeance!! As the restaurant garnered praise, the Bistro Laurent Tourondel (BLT) brand spread; BLT Fish and BLT Prime opened in the City; satellites of BLT Steak sprung up around the country. Like a spurned lover, Tourondel reemerged as a restaurateur determined NEVER to have THAT happen to him again!!

Now we have BLT Burger, on 460 Sixth Avenue (twixt 11th and 12th st). Taking on the all-American hamburger, Tourondel has eschewed the high-end Boulud Burger for the basic Burger King take-out variety.

Diagrammatically analyzed and constructed (bun, burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard, ketchup and mayo), they are never cooked beyond medium. You can upgrade your beef to American or Japanese Kobe beef (the Japanese will raise your burger investment closer to Boulud's at $62!), but I'd question whether it's worth it. Using a blend of four different beef cuts for his patties, I found the burger genuinely tasty and moist. Whether striped down to its essential beef-and-bun (you can request items be removed from your burger) or all dolled up (sorry but I just don't do pickles and mustard on ANYTHING), the sandwich is consistently flavorful with a nice grill-charred smokiness to it. Matched with nicely prepped French Fries, a classic platter with a soft drink will set you back $13. Platters can also be ordered with a milkshake (served in a classic fountain milkshake glass) for $16 or a draft beer (brewery choices include Blue Point, Mad Hat and Smutty Nose) for $17. If you are going a la carte, I would suggest replacing your fries with the Vidalia Onion Rings to accompany your burger. Desserts such as pie a la mode and ice cream sundaes are available, if you have room.

Decor seems overlooked in this shotgun bistro-cum-diner, and the frosted lighting give the impression of it being smoke-filled and dank on the nicest day. But I haven't been returning for the "scene". I have finally found where the beef is!!

WHO'S LIFE IS IT ANYWAY? - Godard's Vivre Sa Vie @ Film Forum

You still have a few days to catch this wonderful new print of Jean-Luc's Godard early masterpiece at Film Forum (I wouldn't be surprised if it it gets held over).

I am not a big Godard fan. I find him pedantic and petulant most times. But there is something about the lyricism of this black-and-white elegy that raises it to the level of poetry.

We know were in for something different right from the first scene (the film is divided into 12 scenes, each with its dutiful Godard placard). Nana (Anna Karina) is having a conversation with her estranged husband in some nameless Parisian cafe. They talk about their child, his parents, why she has left him (to become a film actress). And the entire conversation is shot from behind; all we are seeing is the back of their heads!

Karina was concerned about her looks during the filming; she felt her deteriorating relationship with Godard and a low budget were making her look "bad". I'd have to disagree. She looks luminous and her dark pageboy haircut accentuates her keen features. She is a doomed beauty. How can you not love her as we watch her watching an interrogation scene from Dreyer's Passion of Saint Joan? Godard certainly lavished the same doting close-up time to his saintly title character as Dreyer did to his.

A masterpiece!! Catch this great new 35mm print while you can!!