Need a last minute costume idea and in a New York state of mind? Here are a few NYC-themed ideas for your Halloween fête...
Be New York for Halloween
The Cinecultist's Weekly DVD Pick: Springtime in Paris Edition
(directed by Danièle Thompson)
Hotel Chelsea vs Hotel Chelsea
Seems like the Hotel Chelsea residents have long been at battle with the clubs that open in the basement of the building. This used to be the case with Serena (which was owned by Anna Wintour's stepson/Minnie Driver's cousin) and now with Star Lounge (which has opened in its place). The basement lounges seem to draw a posh crowd that's the antithesis of who the Hotel was founded upon: starving (or at the very least, quirky) artists.
One Too Many Versions of Across the Universe
Just like Factory Girl, Across the Universe, the $45 million hippie, trippy love story set to the music of 35 Beatles songs, is going through some rough times. Seems the director Julie Taymor and the studio are battling it out.
Pencil This In
THEATER: There’s a growing cultural phenomenon in Japan called hikikomori, in which young people (as many as 1 million) withdraw into their rooms and refuse any contact with the outside world, sometimes for years. (In America, it’s called adolescence.) The Attic, by acclaimed Japanese playwright Yoji Sakate, is about “a mysterious company that sells tiny ‘attics’ over the internet to people who want to withdraw from society. One man embarks on a quest to find the source of these dwellings after his brother commits suicide in one. On the path to discovering the source are several attic dwellers including a teenage girl and a kidnapper, samurai, polar explorers, soldiers fighting a multi-national war, and many other commonplace and fantastical characters.” John Beer at The Village Voice says, “It might come in a coffin-like box, but this witty, bizarre, and intensely moving production is a rare gift.” - John Del Signore
Factory Girl is Here
Looks like Factory Girl will finally see the light of day, it opens in theaters this Friday February 2nd. The film, a look at the life of Edie Sedgwick, has gone through reshoots and threats of lawsuits (the latter coming from Bob Dylan). Director George Hickenlooper stated, "I couldn't care less about Bob Dylan's reaction," and now the film seems ready for release.
Dylan Takes on "Factory Girl"
Seems like "Factory Girl" may take a little longer to come out than originally thought. Bob Dylan and his team of lawyers want to stop the movie from seeing the light of day. Dylan says the upcoming Edie Sedgwick film falsely suggests he was responsible for her suicide.
Movie Awards Buzz Has Begun
It's December today and you know what that means...let the rampant awards season speculation commence! As the year comes to a close, it's that magical time when all of the movie studios begin unloading their most precious commodities into our theaters, making sure things come out in New York (and LA) before Dec. 31 so they'll be eligible for this year's Academy Awards. But of course, we're still weeks away from any nomination announcements for the Oscars. Heck, even the Golden Globes noms are still but a fantasy of a date marked with a big red X on the calendar. (Okay, fine they'll be broadcast on December 14th. It's closer than it seems.)
Factory Girl
Edie Sedgwick, "It" girl of the 60s, once said her colorful life could never be accurately portrayed on The Big Screen. However, now it is (though it's accuracy is in question). The actress playing Edie is Sienna Miller, has just finished reshooting some scenes for the movie (called Factory Girl) that is supposed to be out sometime in the next month.
Kino Presents... Aki Kaurismki
Ordinarily Gothamist wouldn't recommend seeing a director's works based on the coolness of his name alone, but the fun induced when saying "Aki Kaurismki" in a sing-song voice is directly proportional to the whimsy found in his movies. Whimsy plus memorable characters and compelling melodrama often about the Finnish under-classes, mind you.

