"Happy-Go-Lucky": Movie on Pursuit of Happiness

I saw Mike Leigh's movie Happy-Go-Lucky last night. A British film by the director of Secrets and Lies and Vera Drake, it is, as director Leigh calls it in an interview with The Star, an "anti-miserabilist" film. That sums it up succinctly: the film is about a cute, diminutive cheerful woman, "Poppy," who manages to stay keenly optimistic despite the woes and unfriendliness she encounters in her life.


An English film, it was just recently released in the US and has received astounding reviews and substantial acclaim already. Besides its sentimentality and optimism in a markedly cynical and difficult time, what is striking about the film is its really jarring, realistic quality. Though I found the film slow at times (at a full two hours, it was on the longer side), I found myself forgetting that the film is fictional and the characters are, indeed, simply characters. In an interview with New York Magazine, Mike Leigh elaborates that Sally Hawkins, the actress who plays Poppy, was intended to be at the center of the film before he had worked out the plot details. It is Leigh's unconventional directorial process, wherein he determines the actors before the roles, and the actors improvise and work out the nuances of their characters and their lives, that gives the film its highly realistic, personable quality.

A review of Happy-Go-Lucky in New York Magazine by David Edelstein describes Poppy's outlook as much more than mere whimsy, but rather a deep "design for living"; and I would agree with this reviewer. It encourages us to go out and seek our inner-Poppy. The film is testimony that it is possible, even with unsettling and discouraging circumstances, to maintain a positive outlook in life.

See the official movie site here.

Upcoming Dance Shows

I don't see dance performances enough, but I love them. Here are some highlights of upcoming dance performances.

The Joyce Theater at 175 8th Ave, at 19th St., is a convenient location to see reasonably-priced shows. Currently the performance there is Ballet Hispanico, which runs Tues-Sun evenings, 8 pm (Sun, 7:30 pm), and weekend matinees at 2 pm, until October 19. Tickets are available from $19 and up. Also, a suggestion to those looking to really see a show on the cheap: the Joyce is generally looking for ushers, an opportunity which simply requires wearing black, showing people their seats and giving out programs, and which allows you to see performances free of charge. I believe they generally require two weeks' notice for ushering interest.



Ballet Hispanico, above. You can also visit their website here.

Other upcoming shows at the Joyce are the ODC/Dance Company, an international contemporary dance company, performing from October 21-26, and Eiko & Koma, performing from October 28-November 2nd, with a special Halloween performance! And, for a more intimate and less costly show, I recommend heading to the Joyce Soho, a venue with only 74 seats and featuring emerging dancers and choreographers.

Finally, for a Brooklyn performance experience, I recommend the BAM Next Wave Festival. From October 23-25, at 7:30 pm, Awakenings, a performance by an Australian dance trope, promises to seamlessly intertwine Aboriginal politics with dance for a mesmerizing, mythical experience. The show is at the BAM Harvey Theater, at 651 Fulton Street. See NYTheatre.com for directions and other performance recommendations.

So go out already and see some art, catch a dance performance, and enjoy the city!

Yelle Re-Cap

Yelle was a fabulous time! She struck me as a French, electro-pop version of Lady Sovereign: another one of those cheeky white rapper girls, with more attitude and energy than one would expect from a skinny young white girl... And, though I basically did not understand Yelle's lyrics, a girl next to me was kind enough to translate the general gist to me; and, from what I gather, her songs mostly are about looking good, boys, ragging on other girls, and having fun.

Pictures - and videos! - from the evening follow.





(above shirt slogan: "DANCE OR DIE"; I purchased one for myself!)




You can also see more pictures on PrefixMag.com.

Also, see this link to a video and interview on Yelle's American success, with footage from the Oct. 18th show.

Yelle at Webster Hall, tonight, 10/14

I am seeing Yelle, the French pop-princess superstar extraordinaire, tonight! Ok, I don't actually (yet) own any of her music, but she seems like a blast. What's not to like about quirky French pop music?

See the Flavorpill write-up here, which cites Cindy Lauper as a source of inspiration, and go here for tickets (or just hang around Webster Hall to try to score one). Tickets are only $20 a piece.

Her Myspace page provides samples of her music to the uninitiated. And, Wikipedia gives further background information, including the fact that her real name is Julie Budet and her musical name Yelle comes from YEL, a feminine acronym for "You Enjoy Life."

Notable Art Happenings!

As always, there is an almost endless, inexhaustible amount of arts and entertainment in NYC. Below are some highlights!

Banksy, a well-known British street/graffiti artist, has an exhibit up in the West Village at The Village Pet Store Bar and Grill. It will stay up through Halloween, October 31, 2008. This is apparently Banksy's first show in NYC (apparently there have been many shows purportedly with Banksy's works previously, which have all been revealed as fakes... ), as well as his first time using animatronics. There is no graffiti or street art in the so-called "store," but rather a bizarre combination of "animals" to behold.

The gallery/store is open daily from 10 am-12 am., at No. 89, 7th Ave South, between W. 4th and Bleeker St. The entire store also is viewable through the storefront window.





Banksy's site can be seen here.

In other art happenings, the Williamsburg Gallery Association offers free events every second Friday of the month. I also recommend the Live With Animals gallery in Williamsburg, on the corner of Kent Ave (210 Kent Ave.) and Metropolitan Ave. The gallery is open 2 pm to 7 pm, Sat-Sun, and the current exhibit is Against Nature, by Sebastian Mlynarski. The exhibit, up until October 26, features photographs that examine and confront the difficult relationship between humans and nature. The evening of Sat October 18th features an evening of art and music, with Bill Bronson performing a piece inspired by the exhibition.

October 24-26 features the NY Art Book Fair free to the public, at Phillips de Pury & Company, at 450 W. 15th St. at 10th Ave, 3rd fl. A list of exhibitors can be seen here.

Of Montreal at Roseland Ballroom

Before seeing of Montreal at Roseland Ballroom yesterday, I had seen them once previously, about a year or so ago. Having seen them before, I knew that the band gloriously lives up to its quirky, innovative sounds and general sense of free-spirited fun.

Rolling Stone Magazine discusses lead singer Kevin Barnes and his band in an article, "The Surreal Life," which reveals that Barnes has a darker side that has often affected his music. It discusses, for example, that Barnes contemplated suicide after realizing his wife was pregnant. Was this his fear of having to assume the responsibilities of a father and an adult? Regardless, the act of him attempting suicide by hanging himself was re-enacted onstage last night. Disturbing.

The odd thing was that otherwise the performance was generally supremely fun-filled. With large-scale video backdrops, (some directly from their music videos), choreographed costumed dancing and theatrics, and even a white horse onstage, of Montreal's performance was a non-stop colorful tour-de-force.
Brooklynvegan has a more critical review of the show, but has an amazing slew of images that much more precisely give an insider view to the theatricality of the performance.

Wikipedia describes the band's and Kevin Barnes's history a bit more in-depth.

Columbus Day weekend events

I don't really know what I will be doing over the Columbus Day weekend, but here are several highlights:

This weekend is the 4th-Annual Bed-Stuy Alive! Festival.
Also, Saturday night, 10 pm, features a free performance at the BAMcafé, featuring Spanish singer Rosalía. The event is described on the BAM Café Live website as follows:

"In conjunction with BAM’s New Voices from Spain series (2008 Next Wave Festival), BAMcafé Live presents an artist on the smoother, sexier side of Iberia’s burgeoning music scene: the keen-eared, classically-trained guitarist/singer Rosalía. Steeped in Spanish folklore, Latin rhythms, and jazz, Rosalía’s guitar lines are lush and sinuous, guiding the listener/vagabond into the most unlikely nooks and crannies of modern Spanish culture."

I recommend getting there early; space fills up fast!

Also, ISSUE Project Room will be having musical events every evening, featuring highlights of experimental music and videos from the 80's, 90's and 2000's, every evening, tonight through Saturday. Each event is $10 and begins at 8 pm. Sunday they are hosting an event at Spiegeltent.

And tomorrow, Friday, I will be seeing Of Montreal at Roseland Ballroom. There are also a LOT of other big shows on Friday; again, many of which may already be sold out, but go after tickets if you want 'em! Beck is playing again, Man Man (not sold out yet!) is playing ... and check out ohmyrockness for more suggestions.