The producers say that John Cusack’s latest film “War, Inc.” is “in the vein of ‘Grosse Point Blank,’” but this puppy takes the biting satire and off-beat comedy to a whole other level.

The story is set in Turaqistan, a Middle-Eastern country supposedly under American occupation, except that every aspect of the war and the American presence has been outsourced to a private corporation, Tamerlane (run by the former US vice-president).

John Cusack plays a troubled hit man, hired by Tamerlane to kill the oil minister, Omar Sharif (who is of no seeming relation to the actor). Nothing should get in the way of American profits.

Of course, along the way he falls for the sexy journalist Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei), who is trying to uncover the truth. In one amusing sequence, Tomei’s character is kidnapped by hooded thugs, and forced to make one of those familiar-looking videos, outlining the group’s demands. She pleads for mercy, explaining that she’s written countless articles on the situation, published in every major journal in the world. But it turns out those dudes are just interested in shooting videos, not the issues.

You hardly find John Cusack films that don’t also feature his sister Joan, and you’ll find her here too, playing the usual, neurotic sidekick. Sir Ben Kingsley and Dan Aykroyd give excellent supporting roles. Oh, and Hilary Duff’s in it too.
 

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the whole “prom-disaster” teen movie genre.

Unfortunately, it’s the premise of Bart Got a Room, which is otherwise a quite interesting film, which had its world premiere at Tribeca.

As far as I’m concerned, the whole prom element is simply boring and over-done. However, the film did have a few great things going for it:

1. It’s set in a retirement community in Florida. This makes for a great comedic backdrop for the kooky characters, and it’s not generally the setting for a coming-of-age film (more like a coming-to-the-end-of-life flick).  

2. There are great performances from Cheryl Hines, William H. Macy—in fact, it’s worth seeing if only to spend an hour and a half in the presence of his fabulous perm alone—and a solid effort from Steven J. Kaplan (in his feature film debut).

3. Quirky, quirky, quirky. Can’t say it enough. The characters, the parts of the plot that don’t have to do with prom—it’s great.

SPOILER ALERT.
One of the most endearing aspects of this film is the depth of concern that the characters clearly have for one another. Case in point? When the main character, Danny, calls his father (Macy) in an absolute panic because his last-minute prom date fell through, saying “You have to help me!” Macy is determined to get his son a date. He trawls a bar mitzvah (all the girls were too young or too old) and ultimately cruises for a hooker, who he picks up and delivers to the prom venue.

Now that is fatherly love!

There's a new trend in town. The mobile waffle truck known as Wafels & Dinges has been a hit. Waffle lovers line up for a taste of imported Liege Belgium waffles topped with fruit and Nutella. Now comes a stationary restaurants that plans to do the same. Le Petit Belge is set to open this week at 22 E. 14th St at University and plans to sell, you guessed it, Liege waffles. They will offer other items like chocolate (duh! Belgium!). It's really only a matter of time before waffle restaurants start springing up all over town. Remember the choux puff craze of 2004? The burgers that took over in 2006? BBQ anyone in '07? The fro-yo craze that keeps on ticking? Over/under is 6 months on another waffle spot in town. Place your bets.

Sissy Spacek is one of those art-film actresses whose name alone can draw a crowd, and Saturday night at the Director's Guild of America theater in midtown proved to be no exception, with the premiere of Perry Moore and Hunter Hill's first feature, "Lake City."

 

In the film, Spacek plays an older mother whose kids are gone, leaving her to take care of the family house in rural Virginia. Her son unexpectedly returns home with a young boy, bringing some unwelcome elements into the small town in the process. Spacek, who lives in Virginia, said she was drawn to the story in the film.

 "I live in a rural area not far from where we filmed, and I've seen families lose their farms," she said. "I have a family, and I've been chased through a cornfield," jokingly referring to her debut role in the 1972 film "Prime Cut."

"I thought it might be the last opportunity I have to be chased through a cornfield," she said, adding another reason for joining "Lake City."

Spacek said that as she's grown older, she's found that she's able to get more parts, like the mother she played in Todd Field's film "In the Bedroom."

 "When you hit about 40, the bottom drops out," she said, referring to roles in films. "You get over that hump, and more roles begin to appear. That's the good thing about getting older: more parts."

With her strong performance in "Lake City," Spacek shouldn't have to worry about getting more parts. Whether they'll include a cornfield chase, however, isn't certain. 

Imagine for a moment that it was your job to choose which film would open the 7th annual Tribeca Film Festival. What would you choose: A gritty, edgy drama that personified urban living in the Greatest City In The World? Or perhaps a brilliant foreign film, filled with complicated characters and nuance, but one that deftly reaches the very core of the human condition? Or would you choose, essentially, a chick flick?

When the lights dimmed, and the opening image of Baby Mama flashed across the opening-night screen—with sweeping views of the East River and several Brooklyn-Manhattan bridges—I thought, “Ah, I get it.” This film was going to be a portrait of the city. Perhaps it was going to be one of those perennial New York Stories.

It wasn’t. Granted Tina Fey is a bit of a New York icon right now (she lives here; she’s the head writer for Saturday Night Live; and she writes, executive-produces and stars in a show about a show made in Rockefeller Center). And—in an even greater stretch—I’ll allow that there are a great number of females living in New York who put their careers as priority number one, moving up a corporate ladder at the expense of cashing in on prime baby-making years.

But can this possibly justify Baby Mama’s selection as the festival’s numero uno prime attraction?

Personally, I found the film to be very funny. As a 31-year-old woman, working on said career and yet to test out the trusty fallopians, for me it was one of those “it’s-funny-coz-it’s-kinda-true” experiences. But is this what Tribeca should be about?

When the Tribeca Film Festival was first conceived—by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff—to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks, nobody wanted more drama. Comedies were highly appropriate. But we are not there anymore.  

In 2006, organizers opened with United 93, signifying a readiness to deal with what is emotionally fraught. Then came the premiere of Spider-Man 3. Now, in 2008, with weighty issues facing this country and slew of pictures to choose from, they seem to be pulling in a different direction. And not in a good way.  

In "This Is England," which graced many top-ten lists last year, Shane Meadows told his own life story of growing up in a working class neighborhood in the north of England, where skinhead culture appealed to wayward youth looking for a community.

In "Somers Town," Meadows takes on a contemporary story, set in the forgotten neighborhood of Somers Town in London, best known as the place between two train stations. The story again stars Thomas ("Tomo") Turgoose, who charmed audiences in "This Is England," in a tale of two fifteen-year-old boys who obsess over the same older woman. Newcomer Piotr Jagiello plays Marek, a Polish boy who is new to England, and makes friends with Tommo (Turgoose), who has run away from a foster home.

Meadows said that he was interested in the story because it focused on immigrants, providing a counter-argument to "This Is England," which portrayed characters who were fiercely anti-immigrants.

"It's almost showing us the flip sideof what the characters (in "This Is England") are worrying about," he said at an interview at Tribeca. "Thething I liked about this family (Jagiello and Ireneusz Czop, who plays his father),is that they’d come there (to London) because he split up with hiswife and wanted to make a new start. People assume they’re desperate. The poles are the hardest working people I’ve ever comeacross. The people that don’t want them there, are some of the laziest."

"Somers Town" plays at the Tribeca Film Festival on Monday, April 28 at 9:45 p.m.; Thursday, May 1 at 4:15 p.m., and Saturday, May 3 at 3:15 p.m.

Steven Hanson of B.R.Guest Restaurant Group is throwing his hat into the BBQ ring. His Wildwood restaurant opened last night with Big Lou Elrose at the pit's helm. Those who have a cue clue, know Lou from the competing circuits where he has won countless awards. And everyone knows him from standing beside Adam Perry Lang at Daisy May's BBQ and most recently beside Robby Richter at Hill Country - by far one of the City's most successful new cue joints. Well get ready for more competition, because Wilwood is serving up four kinds of ribs (dubbed dry and wet), pork briskert, pulled pig and Big Lou's signature smoked chicken and kielbasa that have garnished nothign but finger lickin reviews from friends and family visits. And the cute shirts on the waitstaff only help the equation (gals gone wildwood, if you mess with me you mess with the whole trailerpark). Good think Robby Richter parted ways with Hill Country. Cause it would have been a saucy fight otherwise. Photo from NY Times. - Fabiana Santana

The Tribeca Talks Industry panel titled “Click to View: The Future of New Media” grappled with the competing interests of all those who plug into the internet—users, artists, old school media companies and the new media folks.

When it comes to internet-related media, the biggest issue for industry types is piracy. And the corresponding corporate question: How can we “monetize” what seems to be free?

“There is an avalanche of stolen content online,” said Rick Cotton, executive vice president and general counsel for NBC Universal. “The technology has trained a generation of people that there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Jason Hirschhorn (president of Sling Media) summed it up well: “Years ago, scarcity bred value, but now it breeds piracy. So I think the challenge is for the networks—how to give a legitimate way to access it.” And make a profit.

For the studios and networks the question becomes: What can we offer that is unique and valuable? Ideally, they’ll be getting one step ahead of the new technology. Because as Cotton pointed out “the time when organizations collapse is when the rate of change outside the organization outstrips the rate of change inside.”

On this panel, nobody seemed to really speak to how this could be achieved, but were adamant it had to happen.

Gaurav Dhillon, a new media start-up entrepreneur suggested that a new model for access to content might be called “freemium”—a combination free content and a subscription.  

Beloved actress (and former model) Isabella Rosellini gave an artist’s perception, speaking about her experience making a series of short films, designed for viewing on mobile phones, called Green Porno.

She spoke about “the conversation” that can be created around films when they’re passed around by sharing on the web, and the way that people can give direct feedback to the artists themselves. A little intimidated that people might use comments and forums to spout nastiness they’d never dare say in person, she said, “I mean, critics were bad enough!”

Her films were made in association with the Sundance Channel, and she mentioned some sort of collaboration with Robert Redford. Oh, and it’s about insect sex. It’s worth checking out.

As for the others on the panel, they seemed to want it both ways—to benefit from potential of viral success on the internet (and the promise of more “buzz”), but also to see people somehow paying (or being “monetized”) to see their downloads.

I wrote about how rad the new Cut Copy album is. And others have noted how rad it is as well. —Matt Rodbard

 

 

New York has never lacked for movies. From picture palacesto hole-in-the-wall art houses, there’s a place to see almost any kind ofmovie. But, until the Tribeca Film Festival started seven years ago, therewasn’t a big, fancy grab-bag festival to be found in the city. So, the city’smovie fans trudged to Cannes, Sundance and Toronto to see films before theywere famous.

 

Now in its seven year, Tribeca’s changed all that, and at apress conference on Wednesday morning a grab-bag of Tribeca supporters—GovernorDavid Patterson, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, director Doug Liman, as well as somefilmmakers from this year’s festival—gathered to kick off a festival that growsmore comfortable with itself each year.

 

Patterson, who is legally blind, kicked things off bytelling the audience that he can see the movies, but only if he sits in thefront row. But, his best line, at least for those who make movies, came when heannounced a tripling of tax credits, from 10 percent to 30 percent, for filmsmade in the state, which should allow New York to take back some of its filmwork from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Bloomberg didn’t have any new tax programs to offer, but hedid try to best Patterson by talking up his performance in last week’s episodeof  “30 Rock” with Tina Fey, and anupcoming appearance in the film version of “Sex in the City.”

With just three questions from the hundred or so mediaoutlets there, it’s clear that the only news was that the festival is started,but that’s enough. Tonight, it’s the premiere of “Baby Momma,” directed by Fey,who has become a patron saint of this year’s fest. But, most importantly,Tribeca has shown that in just seven years New York can pull off a film festivalthat’s as important as it’s more established rivals.

The Little Owl (90 Bedford St. at Grove. 212.741.4695) is doing eager eaters a solid. The intimate eatery, often booked months in advance, has begun offering lunch service  starting today, which will be a treat to diners who have yet to sample Joey Campanaro's skilled hand at preparing dishes like meatball sliders, ricotta filled cavatelli and the famous pork chop cutlet which all make lunch time cameos. Yes, they have wi-fi which seems to be a prerequisite for restaurants offering midday meals., but do yourself a favor and leave the laptop at home.  A meal this good deserves your undivided attention. (photo from eater) - Fabiana Santana

 

 

Some thoughts of spending a day at Comic-Con (as seen in these lovely photos), courtesy of our writer Lincoln Chinnery:

11 AM- SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS! Look at that line. Thank goodness I don't have to stand on it...What's with all the black suits? Did Marvel put out a Johnny Cash comic? Don't tell me Will Smith got it in his head to do a MiB 3? I's rather watch my sister give my uncle a lap dance than sit through another Big Willie Smith Meagcrap movie..Wait a tic! It the line for the Job Fair. Never have I been happier to have a job.

 

Built by Wendy's sequin dress 

So you've filed your taxes and found some change to spare. Of course, saving it is the responsible choice, but Built by Wendy's shopping party is too good to pass up. With new fashions on the racks (sequin top dresses, madras camp dresses, cotton lattice wedges), you'll find everything to create a new stylish spring you. And if you're on a budget, relax: everything tonight is 20 percent off.

Donatella Arpaia, owner of Anthos, Mia Dona and partner in davidburke & donatella (and fellow Puglia decendent), is working on a reality show with Bravo TV. The show will follow the restaurant maven as she tackles the hurdles that she encounters while growing her restaurant empire. In terms of becoming a brand, Donatella has come a long way. From starting as the Entertainment Consultant for Spiegel catalog, to editing Donatella Style and now her own show, she is well on her way to becoming a younger, hipper, and more relevant, version of Martha, which was suppossed to be Giada's role, wasn't it? - Fabiana Santana

A random invite last Thursday to the Living Room turned into a Who's Who fest of indie/alt-rock royalty. On hand to take in songwriter Ben Sollee were James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle), Joseph Arthur and new Chelsea resident Jim James (My Morning Jacket).

Sollee wasn't the usual Living Room sensitive crooner (thankfully) -- his songs were given a dramatic backdrop, thanks to his preference of cello over acoustic guitar. The cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" sort of rocked, too. Anyway, one to watch (he'll be back on May 29th at Battery Park)

By the way, we also realize seeing James Iha in a bar in New York is sort of like bumping into Milan from "Project Runway" anywhere. (Translation: It's pretty much something you can check off on a weekly basis)

 

 

Curious about H&M’s new Marimekko tribute collection, we took a lunch break away from our computers and headed to the nearest H&M. The line boasts colorful prints on everything from vintage-inspired bathing suits to long dresses to accessories such as chunky jewelry and tote bags with prices being consistent with H&M's usual affordability. However, even with this bargain, we had a hard time committing to a maxi dress with siren-loud color prints splattered all over—even if spring weather is just 'round the corner. And it seems other shoppers concur: a shop clerk admitted that although it’s been busy, there were no lines.

 

Never been to a Red Bulls game? Not sure WHAT a Red Bulls game is?

The days of Pele and the New York Cosmos aside, America has always maintained an indifference to soccer...mainly, by calling it "soccer" while the rest of the world calls it football. But thanks to the arrival of David Beckham, soccer seems like it may make it as a professional sport in this country....

Or not. Saturday was opening day for the Red Bulls, New York/New Jersey's pro team. As a rough estimate, I'd say 10,000 people attended the event (the official count was 17,000 and change); in Giants Stadium, this meant two of the three levels were completely empty. 

Still, there was a fair amount of enthusiasm throughout the crowd. A few things we noticed:

1. Despite the ownership and the name, we couldn't find any Red Bull for sale.

2. The die-hard fans (maybe around 500) are all pushed together on one end of the stadium. If you want to sing endless renditions of "Ole!," this is where you want to be

3. A drum corps was located in one of the upper tiers. Thankfully, it was nowhere near our seats.

4. Want alcohol? Coors Light is $7.25, Guinness is $7.50 and Bass is $7.75. Pony up that extra quarter or two, big guy...and be sure to order before the end of halftime, or you're out of luck. This HAS to be the most restrictive drinking policy in pro sports, no? (Yes, I'm aware that many European teams do not allow alcohol in their stadiums...but we don't have hooligans!) 

5. There are no soccer hooligans.

6. The game opens with four dudes in full Red Bull attire parachuting into the stadium while doing skydiving stunts. It's, admittedly, very cool.

7. Apparently, any player that receives a red card (that's for penalities) are fined $250 (as Jeff Parke of the Red Bulls found out...as a player making five figures per year, this is not chump change).

8. It was free scarf day, and those RB scarves are kinda...groovy.

9. The Red Bulls won 2-0. In case you care.

10. July 19: L.A. Galaxy (a.k.a. Beckham's squad) are comin' to town. It's worth a trip out... 

 

Oh, and this Simpsons clip pretty much sums up soccer in America:

Simpsons on soccer from http://cruftbox.vox.com/

 

Pichet Ong is having a good week. Just days after his long awaited dessert shop Batch opened (located next door to his savory/sweet resto P*ong at 150 W. 10th Street), the man got the call. Nominated for the 2008 Outstanding Pastry Chef Award, this makes Pichet the first person of Asian descent to ever receive the honor. Fellow Asian Beard alum include David Chang, Martin Yan and Nobu Matsuhisa, so Ong is no doubt in good company. Yes, it is a good week indeed. Maybe it's time to play the lotto, Pichet? And if you do, pass the numbers this way.

Photo: Bryan Bruchman

"Japanese action comic punk band" Peelander-Z is a gang of primary-color caped crusaders who expend more energy during one song than most bands use up in an entire tour. They are not an easy act to follow. On Saturday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, the opening bands were probably happy to have earlier slots, especially since that meant they could relax and enjoy the spectacle with the rest of us.

The Soundscapes, a.k.a. Brazilian brothers Raphael and Rodrigo Carvalho, played first; they wear their Sonic Youth influences on their sleeves, but they neatly recreated everything that was good and propulsive about the early nineties. It's safe to say that Brazil's loss is Brooklyn's gain. Later, An Albatross brought their dance metal freakout to life: everything you've heard about their live show is pretty much true, and this one boasted a badass "supplementary percussionist" and a projection of “Fantastic Planet” on the wall.

Peelander-Z has been touring for weeks without drummer Peelander-Blue—his substitute, Peelander-Green, even took over the band's MySpace blog—but P-Blue was in the house (and on the floor, and on top of the crowd) this weekend. That left P-Green free to handle other tasks, like donning a tiger head for "Mad Tiger," waving placards with each song's title (conveniently, P-Z's song titles are often the song lyrics) and shredding on Peelander-Yellow's guitar while P-Yellow was busy doing... something else.

So let's see, what happened during Peelander-Z's set? The usual: a conga line with the audience, a round of limbo, a rowdy game of "human bowling" and an autograph session with bassist Peelander-Red, who Sharpied the letter Z on upraised hands. Remarkably, the band's only evidence of injury was an Ace bandage on P-Green's knee; this didn't stop P-Green from clambering up the railings to the balcony, leaping over the other side, sliding down a column and crowdsurfing back to the stage. For their last song, the Peelanders unleashed "S.T.E.A.K." to cheers and chants of "medium rare!" After a show like this, the only logical finale is a group singalong to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," and that's exactly what we did.  —Mary Phillips-Sandy

Photo: Mina K.

Shorties, take note: The Music Hall of Williamsburg is your friend. A friend and I arrived at the not-so-new but definitely improving venue on Wednesday (a little mezzanine bar goes a long way) and promptly installed ourselves along the rail of one of the mini balconies that line the main room. These things are genius. Just a couple feet off the ground allows for a clear view of the stage no matter how many tall dudes may be clustered on the floor (and with the number of dudes in attendance at this show, you can only imagine).

John Vanderslice opened the show with his usual exquisite indie rock, a feat made all the more impressive when he revealed he was fueled only by a vegan hot dog downed moments before he took the stage. As opposed to the last couple of times I've seen him, where he attacked his acoustic guitar solo (and with gusto), tonight he was ably assisted by a small band who produced some gorgeously layered textures, bringing the depth of the studio recordings to the live show. The violinist, in particular, deserves credit for playing so hard that half the hair on his bow was blowing in the breeze midway through the set. Way to take one for the team, man—he admitted it costs $50 to get it rehaired. For the last song, Vanderslice and co. brought it down to the floor for an unamplified acoustic version of "Nikki Oh Nikki" (off perhaps his best album, 2002's "Life and Death of an American Four-Tracker"). Despite the over-air-conditioned room, the song brought goosebumps. And despite the chills, the crowd was sufficiently warmed up for the headliner.

It's taken a few years, but Stephen Malkmus is finally getting some credit for his solo career—along with the inevitable questions about Pavement. Answer: Pavement is over. Done. Fin. The Jicks are here, now and pretty damn good. They seem like a solid unit, a band through and through, comfortable and confident within their seemingly loose song structures. As can be heard on "Real Emotional Trash," the Portland crew is shaking out to be more of a psychedelic guitar band than an indie-pop band, despite the hooks of a song like "Hopscotch Willie." The much-discussed long, meandering jams are a showcase for those guitar skills and most likely, more mapped out than one would think.

And though there seemed to be some improvisation (that's master beatkeeper Janet Weiss, of Sleater-Kinney and Quasi fame, behind the kit), this is not sloppy Pavement seconds. Lyrically, the tunes are just as obliquely quirky as they were back in the "Wowee Zowee" days, still struggling with restlessness but now ruminating on daddyhood, it seems. And yet the crowd went wildest for the relatively simple sentiments of tracks like "Baby C'Mon" and the Mungo Jerry cover "Alright, Alright, Alright" (a definite highlight of the set, and a version of which a little birdie told me is to be released on vinyl soon).   —Catherine Hopkinson

Thunder Jackson's. Even the name sounds bombastic. This new Bleecker Street "urban roadhouse" sports bar is pretty much what you might expect of a Bleecker Streeet "urban roadhouse" sports bar. 

When I first heard whispers that they served forties in paper bags, the first thing I thought, for obvious reasons, was "that's obnoxious." 

Then I read Eater's affirmation of the fact— they succinctly break it down in a post.

An excerpt: "The place serves forties in brown paper bags. There's just no better gimmick for making your yuppie bar stand out than appropriating a clichéd symbol of poverty. Now a look at the food and clientele."

A fab photo of a heard of faceless blue-shirts with nice watches promptly follows.

I'm not sure that serving forties in a Village sports bar is ironic,  funny, or cute. I actually think it's silly and kind of mean. Maybe they thought since they bill themselves as an "URBAN roadhouse," it might be amusing. All it really does is contribute to young professional-types running around telling all their buddies about how awesome it was that they sipped forties at the bar after work (and closed out with a corporate AmEx).

-Perrie Samotin 

(A vintage ice bucket from vendor Merchant Army)

Make sure to make Fort Greene brunch plans this Sunday. Afterwards, you can hit up New York's latest flea market, Brooklyn Flea at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. The brainchild of Brownstoner’s Jonathan Butler, Brooklyn Flea will debut with over 200 vendors selling everything vintage clothes, furniture, music and thankfully, no tube socks.

Steak staple Old Homestead is jumping on the burger

bandwagon in a big way. The 140-year-old menu has just

been updated with the addition of an $81 burger. Made

from 100% grade five Japanese Kobe Wagyu, this is not

your standard all beef patty. Each 18 oz whopper is

made with 14 oz. of Japanese Kobe Wagyu with 4 oz. of

seared sirloin stuffed inside (in lieu of the foie

gras normally found inside high price burgers in the

City. db anyone?). As if that wasn't enough, sake

onion ketchup plus meal.

Welcome to your meat coma, please BYOB...as in bring

your own blanket.

-fs