Archive for the ‘Film’ Category

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, April 26, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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For fans of the absurd and incongruous, the year 2010 marked a watershed moment. For it was in Madison, Wis., that purveyors of the found and forgotten came together for the first time. On Saturday, in Danbury, the two will come together again.

Heirloom Arts Theatre is hosting an evening of Found Vs. Found, which pits the creators behind the Found Footage Festival with the people behind Found Magazine. Found videos will go up against found notes and the victor will be determined by a jury. Get ready to see unusual clips of exercise videos and listen to missives that range from the mundane to the sublime.

Of course, such a rich stew of human behavior may not be what you are looking for this weekend. If that is the case, your music offerings include visits by country rock pioneer Poco, cornet player Kirk Knuffke, The Fab Faux, Mystic Bowie and Anthem, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Max Creek and Tower of Power. Some classical performances are expected to be turned in, too, including a special concert, “Mozart and Constance: Love Letters” in Greenwich, “LIFE: A Journey Through Time” in Hartford, The Declassfied, and a Festival Chorus. You can even check out some bug music.

On stage, the “Fifty Shades of Grey” book series gets a send-up with “50 Shades! The Musical” in Waterbury. A.R. Gurney’s “The Dining Room” opens in Westport. And a 1978 film “In a Year with 13 Moons” inspires a live stage production at Yale Rep. Indian cultural traditions will take center stage in Stamford, while “Cole” continues in Westport. “The Twin Desperados” roll into Bridgeport and “Alice in Wonderland,” will be staged in Danbury.

Some big festivals are hoping to attract guests, including a women’s expo in Stamford and Meriden’s Daffodil Festival. Meanwhile, the Beardsley Zoo is encouraging families to come by to see what animals are out and about and what is in bloom. A singing duo hopes to draw families with children of all abilities to a concert in New Canaan.

The weekend, as per usual, is a chance to see some art. In New London, Canvases For a Cause will support research for cancer. And in Stamford, the Loft Artists Association is hosting its final open studios at its location on Canal Street.

Whatever you do, make sure to get on out there.

Until next time …

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, April 5, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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Film fans will be treated to two festivals in Connecticut this weekend, with one focused on shorts and the other on the Jewish experience. The Brookfield Film Festival will bring a program of international shorts to the Edmond Town Hall in Newtown from Friday to Sunday, while the Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Fest delivers an international slate of movies to five different venues throughout 10 days (Above, check out the trailer to the documentary “Welcome to Kutshers – The Last Catskills Resort,” which is making its Hartford premiere.) Other film events include a Holocaust Remembrance event in New Haven and a special screening of art shorts in Stamford.

However, film is not the weekend’s only diversion.

The music landscape will be populated with Boz Scaggs in Bridgeport, Audra McDonald in Stamford, The Wallfowers in Uncasville, Elton John and Billy Joel tribute artists at the Downtown Cabaret, Three Phantoms in Fairfield, and Englebert Humperdinck in Ridgefield.

But, as they say, that’s not all. Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot (which features members of Billy Joel’s band) will perform at an autism benefit on Saturday at the Quick Center. Kung Fu will be at the Fairfield Theatre Co. The Nutopians will be in Mamaroneck, N.Y., Vance Gilbert will be in Old Saybrook. Enjoy a “Piano Bar…n!” in Ridgefield. Michael Jovovich and Friends make it to the Dressing Room Theatre. The Angel Choir performs in Greenwich. For the Heart covers Broadway in Westport. The award-winning composition team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul bring songs and tales to Wilton. Joe Crookston will perform in Ridgefield. And the Greenwich Chamber Players will bring “Winds of Change – from Beethoven to Gilbert,” to two venues this weekend.

For the younger set, there is music, too, with the performance of Dog on Fleas set for Sunday in Norwalk. Up in Hartford, the Bushnell Center will be the scene for ERTH’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo. The “Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle” chugs into Westport. “Click, Clack Moo” plays at the Emelin. The New Milford Historical Society and Museum will host a children’s tea party. Enjoy a Kaleidoscope Ball in Norwalk. And the Loft Artists Association will be putting on a “Draw On” workshop on Saturday, and next.

On stage, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” belt it out in Shelton, while area performers take a trip to “Oklahoma.” “Guys and Dolls” are on stage in Elmsford, N.Y. “Ride the Tiger” continues at Long Wharf Theatre. Play with Your Food returns on Tuesday. “The Red Mill” opens in Norwalk. And, Shakespeare on the Sound hosts a gala on Saturday. “The Importance of Being Earnest” comes to White Plains, N.Y. “Run For Your Wife” opens in Sherman. And the Carriage House Arts Center in Norwalk begins its eighth season with  V-Day Norwalk 2013’s benefit production of “The Vagina Monologues.”

Art is around, too, with the opening of “Strange Invitation” at the Franklin Street Works art space in Stamford. Later in the week, the Westport Library will host a program on the Federal Art Project. Heather Sandifer’s “Spring Notebook,” is at Les Beaux Arts Gallery in Greenwich. An opening reception is planned for Friday for the “Eric von Schmidt—A Life in Art,” exhibition at the Westport Library. Across the Saugatuck, Westport Arts Center opens its SOLOS 2013 members show, also on Friday evening.

Those looking to learn the value of their antiques can head over to Newtown. Finds also may be found at Adopt-A-Dog’s first Rummage for Rescue Tag Sale in Greenwich. The Vintage Clothing, Accessories, Textiles & Jewelry Show returns to Danbury this weekend for its eighth year. Print fans should make a stop at Norwalk’s Center for Contemporary Printmaking where the second annual Connecticut Printmakers Invitational kicks off. Chef Claire comes to Stratford. And Greg Mort, whose art is currently on display at Stamford Museum and Nature Center is expected to visit an Astronomy Night event on Friday at the site’s observatory. And Dan Aykroyd will be at Total Wine & More in Norwalk on Saturday.

Until next time …

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, March 15, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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You don’t have to be Irish, nor do you have to wear green to enjoy events going on this weekend. However, the observance of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday is coloring the flavor of entertainment throughout the region. From bars and clubs, to music halls and downtown streets, be ready to be part of the fun through Sunday.

Once you get your fill of cultural celebrations, there will be plenty of performers set to entertain through a variety of genres. Music acts making their way through the region include Jewel, Ada Pasternak, Soilwork, CT Bluegrass All-Stars, A Faylene Sky, Helen Money, the Choir of the College of William and Mary, Fairfield County Chorale, Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney, The Phantom Pluckers, El Gran Combo, Rita Coolidge, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Peter Mulvey and Jeffrey Foucault, John Farrell, Drive-By Truckers (check out their video below), Cowboy Junkies, Rain, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, American Brass Quintet, Cassatt String Quartet, Della Mae, the “Saxtet” and the Doc Wallace Trio.

There will be a melding of words and music, by the way, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Stamford this weekend when author Geraldine Brooks is teamed with the Dessoff Choirs. And, James Naughton helps to support the troops in Westport.

You will find opportunities to catch some comedy with Ron White, Bill Cosby, Isaacs & Baker, Demetri Martin, and Joey Kola and Vincent McElhone in the area.

Have you been suffering from identity crisis? The Connecticut Science Center might be able to help you with its latest exhibition, “Identity: An Exhibition of You.” It is a good family diversion, as is the Zany Science Lab tea set at Stamford Museum and Nature Center or the royal meet-and-greet getting under way at Bridgeport’s Bijou Theatre. Or, get a some quality on the ground airtime when the New England Air Museum hosts Open Cockpit Day.

One also can look toward the stars this weekend, too, or possible spy a few birds during events in Greenwich and Trumbull. Kids, meanwhile, get a night out in Milford.

Maybe you are looking to catch a movie or two or three. The documentary “Mothers of Bedford,” will get a screening in Ridgefield, while the Wild and Scenic Film Festival will run for an evening in Westport. The New Perspectives Film Series also continues in Wilton this weekend.

If the idea of checking out art is what draws you out this weekend, then make way to the Mark Twain Library where sculptor Edward Marshall Boehm’s work will be on display. The 96th annual juried exhibition of the Greenwich Art Society continues. And, a special event is planned in connection with Paul Larson’s exhibition on view now at the Loft Artists Association. Meanwhile, Franklin Street Works will be helping to make an art-friendly habitat. Art for everyone is available, too.

On stage, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” continues at Curtain Call;. “The 39 Steps” plays out in Darien. “And Then They Came for Me … Remembering the World of Anne Frank” will run for a couple of days in Fairfield. “In the Heights” continues in Westchester. “Sh-Boom, Sh-Boom Life Could Be a Dream” is realized in Ivoryton. “Hamlet” will be staged in New Haven, which is where you can find The Blue Man Group, too. “Adrift in Macao” stays anchored in New Milford. “All My Sons” plays in Ridgefield. The “Sound of Music” gets a run in Greenwich. “Rounding Third” comes to a close this weekend. “SPANK! The Fifty Shades of Parody,” arrives in Tarrytown. And a reading is set in Westport for “Beau Jest.”

Well, there’s plenty to do so get to it!

Until next time …

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, March 8, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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Fans of film, fans of France and fans of festivals are in such luck this weekend. Focus on French Cinema (see trailer below) will run throughout the weekend at Purchase College in Purchase, N.Y. The festival, which is in its ninth year, offers a mix of documentaries, comedies, dramas and animated films. Throughout the weekend, there also will be featured guests, who will participate in a discussion on Saturday morning. There also are student workshops. Here’s some additional information on schedule and festival passes.

Maybe it is not films, but fumes that you are seeking. Make haste, then, to get over to the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport where Monster Jam will rev it up, big wheels time. Throughout the weekend, monster trucks will rumble through any number of contests.

This weekend also will offer a rich destination for those looking to learn how to spruce up their homes and yards. The Home & Outdoor Living Expo will take up shop at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Stamford Saturday and Sunday. It is hoped those looking to learn more about indoor and outdoor projects make the stop to check out hundreds of exhibitors, as well special prize opportunities and giveaways.

If films, monster trucks and home improvement leaves you with a ho-hum feeling, don’t worry, the weekend is packed with other activities, too.

Music, a perennial if you will, once again delivers. Clint Black will be in Ridgefield on Friday. The sister duo the Nields will perform in Westport on Saturday. The Afro-Cuban All-Stars will be in Waterbury on Sunday. The Musicians from Marlboro will be in Greenwich on Sunday. Frank Mastrone will be in Stamford Saturday and Sunday. Andy Cooney will be in Elmsford, N.Y. on Monday. The Chieftains will be in the area on Tuesday. And, the Marshall Tucker Band will be in Ridgefield on Wednesday.

Ailey II dancers are coming to Westport to help raise funds for Neighborhood Studios, which are located in Bridgeport. And the Russian National Ballet Theatre will be in Fairfield. And the Juan Siddi Flamenco Theatre Company will be in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Sandra Bernhard will be in Tarrytown, N.Y., while other celebrities will be on stage in Danbury.

For kids, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is hosting a Slither into Spring on Saturday, featuring some of the reptilian education ambassadors. Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk will be welcoming families of children with special needs for a special morning program that features free admission. The Berenstain Bears will be performed in Ridgefield, while young people will get a taste of the orchestra in Stamford. A WACky Family Day is set in Westport. In Greenwich, the Bruce Museum will host the Diane W. Darst Family Art Appreciation Day.

On stage, you can “Play With Your Food,” on Tuesday, or catch “39 Steps” in Darien. “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” opens in Stamford.

The forecast looks good, so those looking to check out late winter vistas should get themselves on out there. Spring, to the relief of many, I suspect, will arrive soon enough.

Until next time …

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, March 1, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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The sweet, the smooth, the sensational, the scalawaggy … you can find all that, and more, as they say, with another weekend soon to get under way.

The Stamford Museum and Nature Center will be presenting its 14th annual Maple Sugar Festival, with plenty of maple sugar, goodies, demonstrations and an “Iron Chef”-inspried cookoff. Maple sugar also will figure prominently at the Ansonia Nature Center and the Institute for American Indian Studies. Meanwhile, Jim Brickman will be bringing the sounds of the 1970s to Oakdale. Bowfire will bring its genre-mixing performance to Ridgefield. And, children, and adults, can travel to Westport where they can learn how to become a pirate.

Still not enough? Well, you can go and see the singer and songwriter Vance Gilbert over at the Westport Arts Center (check out a video of one of his performances below). Suzanne Sheridan and Friends in Shelton, Livingston Taylor in Bridgeport, Shawn Mullins in Farifield, Deep Banana Blackout in Port Chester, N.Y., The Saw Doctors in Uncasville, the Chamber Players in Greenwich, the Connecticut Master Chorale in Newtown, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

If you want to learn more about the former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, you get get a look at the life of the late politician in Neil Barsky’s documentary, “Koch,” which will have several screenings in our area. A documentary on rock will be in Danbury.

Want to learn more about the Reanimation Library? Then make sure to take a trip to the Ferguson Library this weekend.

On stage, one can find “Distracted” in Stratford, “The Fox on the Fairway” in New Canaan, “Spring Awakening” in Danbury, “In the Heights” in Elmsford, N.Y. (where it just received an extended run), “American Idiot” in Hartford, “Curse of the Starving Class” in New Haven, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” in Stamford, “Rounding Third” in Newtown, and “Sister’s Easter Catechism: Will My Bunny Go to Heaven?” in Wilton.

The 46th annual Darien Antiques Show will bring dealers from around the area to the First Congregational Church throughout the weekend. On Monday, the Greenwich Antiques Society will take a look at how Irish craftsmen made their marks on American period furniture.

If you are hungry, there are some deals going on in the restaurants in our area too, including those in Stamford, Darien, Greenwich and Port Chester, N.Y.

Make time for laughter, too, as several venues are hosting comedy nights, including Marisa’s in Trumbull, Port Chester, N.Y., New Haven, Mamaroneck, N.Y., Mashantucket and Uncasville.

If you want to catch some art, there are multiple opportunities. The work of Henriette Simon Picker comes to Stamford, which is where you can also find the work of young artists. Bridgeport also will be the scene of artists who are still learning.

For kids, there are opportunities to see some of the wonders of nature. Creatures of the sea are the stars in Greenwich. And kids can have a night out at the Coastal Center at Milford Point.

Until next time …

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, February 22, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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The Harlem Globetrotters will be dribbling, dunking and causing mayhem up and down the court when the team comes to the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport Friday night. The team is currently on a four-month North American tour that asks the fans to make the rules.

After 87 years, they gang remains as spry and fleet of foot as ever. They go up against the Washington Generals at 7 p.m. Just be prepared that at any moment you may become part of the action.

From basketball to blooms, this upcoming weekend and the days ahead feature diverse programs and activities to keep all ages entertained.

The Connecticut Flower and Garden Show brings spring’s colors and scents to Hartford, while bluegrass will be in the air when Del McCoury and Sam Bush visit Norwalk. Local musicians will come together to raise funds for Newtown. And the Rennie Harris Puremovement dancers will bring a dynamic performance to Fairfield.

Comics from throughout New England will be trying to rise to the top of the ranks at Mohegan Sun.  Lewis Black promises to bring the rant when he performs in Stamford. And, Linda Belt brings her humor to a spirited lunch.

Music, as always, will sound from across the area. The Nutopians will be in Bridgeport as will Kung Fu, Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang. Gunsmoke, The Grapes and Mars Project are in Stamford.  Meanwhile Stamford’s Richard “Cookie” Thomas will be in Westport. John Corbett will be in Fairfield. John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey perform in Purchase, N.Y. The Pears come to Pawling, N.Y. And, Fairfield’s Brian Dolzani travels to Pound Ridge, N.Y.

Maroon 5 and Chubby Checker perform two separate nights at Mohegan Sun. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals will be at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., this weekend. Tickets remain for the Sunday show (Bridgeport-based The Stepkids are the opening band.)

Gospelfest takes place in Fairfield and the Walkingwood Mandolin Quartet performs in Milford. Connecticut Master Chorale will have a concert this weekend in Newtown.

Western Connecticut State University hosts the final film in its African Film Festival, while the New Canaan Library screens “Searching for Sugarman.” The Avon Theater in Stamford will host an Oscar night on Sunday, as will Milford’s Center for the Arts and the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook..

For kids, “Freckleface Strawberry the Musical,” plays at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, and the Fairy Wedding Tea event at the Barnum Museum celebrates the 150th anniversary of Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren’s wedding. And, in Trumbull, a Purim Carnival is set to go on Sunday.

Several art exhibitions have opened or are currently in their run. “Aesthetic Expressions” is now on view in Danbury. New exhibits open at Silvermine Arts Center.

On stage, “The Curse of the Starving Class,” continues its run in New Haven (see the trailer below). The Ridgefield Playhouse hosts an evening with Stephen Sondheim. “In The Heights” is featured at the Westchester Broadway Theatre. “Adrift in Macao” will be staged in New Milford. An interactive murder event is revealed in Stamford (there is one in Southbury, too.). And the Town Players of New Canaan bring a story about love and golf to the stage.

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, February 15, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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Cathy Rigby reprises her role as Peter Pan for a production that arrives at the Palace Theater in Waterbury this weekend. At 60, Rigby is still up for the demands of playing the part of a boy who is loath to grow up. With some preparation, she told my colleague Joe Meyers that she is well prepared to add on even more performances to the more than 3,000 she has already logged as James Barrie’s classic character. Shows will run through Sunday.

It is a varied weekend when it comes to entertainment, from a gathering of outdoor enthusiasts to those who like a good yarn. Events continue through the weekend to honor the holiday of love. A new art exhibit in Stamford will honor the spectacle and beauty of the night sky. A Redding artist’s cardboard creation will get another look in another medium. An author brings a tale of corruption to the Ferguson. Images of varied landscapes will be on view in Danbury. And some “Stars With Their Cars” will open in Newtown.

As always, music fans have myriad events to attend. There will be a musical adventure at Yale, the arrival of 3 Doors Down and Daughtry in Uncasville, Stefon Harris and Blackout to Fairfield,  Donna Ullsse and the Poor Mountain Boys to Mamaroneck, N.Y., piano virtuoso George Li in Stamford, the dual piano performance of Igor Lovchinsky and Jonathan Coombs, the Blues Brothers Revue in Ridgefield and plenty of acts throughout the clubs of Fairfield County.

Oscar fans have multiple opportunities to check out some of the movies that are up for honors, with series set in Bridgeport, Stamford and Trumbull.

On stage, “The Kid Who Would Be Pope,” arrives at Curtain Call in Stamford. “In The Heights” continues in Elmsford, N.Y. “Curse of the Starving Class” plays at Long Wharf Theatre. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” adds dates in Stamford. “Big River” courses through Shelton. And “Rabbit Hole” plays out in Westport.

Of course, there is plenty of snow to keep avid sledders busy, too.

Until next time …

Koch documentary to be screened in Stamford, Hartford

Friday, February 1, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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Today, the Avon Theatre in Stamford was busy preparing for its 007 Red Carpet Festival Oscar Nominated Film Festival – a monthlong event that kicks off this weekend – but an event next month is likely to prove a popular draw, as well.

On Wednesday, March 6, the downtown theater will welcome former journalist and  filmmaker Neil Barsky for a question-and-answer session following the screening of his new film “Koch,” a 95-minute documentary about the former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, who served for three terms from 1978 to 1989.

Koch died Friday at the age of 88.

“We had already been anticipating that this would be a popular event that would generate a lot of interest,” said Adam Birnbaum, the theater’s director of film programming.

Birnbaum said there are plenty of transplanted New Yorkers now living in Stamford and other parts of Fairfield County, and many residents who work in the city.

Currently, the movie is set to be screened through the beginning of May in a handful of states including California, Connecticut, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, and in Washington, D.C. It also will be featured at the Hartford Jewish Film Fest.

If you are interested, you can find out more about the Avon’s special presentation at its website.

The film covers the issues that Koch faced, including race relations, economic woes and homelessness, through interviews, archival footage and photographs.

In a director’s statement, released by Zeitgeist Films, Barsky talks about his subject:

Koch proved a perfectly complex character. He is funny and he can be a bully; he is charming and also narcissistic. He has a much-speculated-about private life which he doesn’t mind being asked about, so long as you don’t mind being told to mind your own business. He is a man surrounded by friends and admirers, and he is a man alone.

On the day of Koch’s death, a search through the Stamford Advocate’s archives revealed he had his fans in Fairfield County. In particular, a number of appearances in 1984, in support of the book he released that year “Mayor: An Autobiography,” drew crowds to several stores in the area. Hundreds came out to the New Canaan Book Shop, which has since closed, and many others got to meet him at the Caldor’s in Stamford (which is now Burlington Coat Factory).

Known for not mincing words, he was asked by then New Canaan teenager Laura Kane: “Mr. Koch, what do you think of the community of New Canaan?”

His response?

“Oh, I can take suburbia for about 48 hours,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

Above, then New York City Mayor Ed Koch poses with his book “Mayor” and 13-month-old Kevin Swinton at Caldor’s in Stamford in June 1984, while Kevin’s mom, Pat, takes a picture.

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