Monthly Archives: October 2016

Reading and Riding

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Mark Stern

We all feel happy. There are two dogs on the 1, a Yorkie squirming out of her stylish carrying bag, and the other, small and soft with a sweet face, sitting on the floor, semi-hidden between her mom’s knees. To my … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs, Family, Friends, Literature, Photography, Photos | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Ramen Quest

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Mark Stern

There are other food films, of course (I’m partial to “Babette’s Feast,” for the obvious reason), but Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” (1985) is the perfect one, cleverly, raucously, reflecting everything we want/need from food, delivering everything we want/need from film. The central story features … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Food, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating the Interdisciplinary Work of Alexander Kluge

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Mark Stern

Alexander Kluge, filmmaker, is less well-known in the United States than his compatriots Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders. His reputation here “is still narrowly associated with the 1962 Oberhausen Manifesto,” which declared the need for a new German film. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pierre Étaix 1928-2016

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Mark Stern

Pierre Étaix, the incomparable French comedic actor, director and screenwriter died in Paris on Friday. During Film Forum’s 2012 festival celebrating Étaix, in a post titled “Where have You Been All My Life,” I wrote: Pierre Étaix, director and actor, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos, www.robinholland.com | Tagged | Leave a comment

NYFF54: The Divine Miss H

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Mark Stern

The film critic J. Hoberman has said that Isabelle Huppert is “possibly the most essential actor in the world.” (Essential, indeed–try imagining another actor in any of her signature roles, from “The Piano Teacher,” to several collaborations with Chabrol, and going all … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Deconstructing the Sofa (Working Like a Dog)

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Mark Stern

I never liked Mark’s high-backed Vico Magistretti sofa. But all four of our Labs have considered its red wool the ultimate in comfiness for nap time. Before we realized how much we’d accommodate our dogs (happily, with love), and how much physical, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs, Family, Friends, Photography, Photos | Tagged , | 11 Comments

NYFF54: Special Events (Lives of the Players, Life of the Play)

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Mark Stern

On November 16, 1981, after weeks of hectic previews, “Merrily We Roll Along,” Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince’s latest collaboration, opened at Broadway’s Alvin Theater. And shockingly, closed after just 16 performances, stunning the two “theater gods”–and the bulk of the theater … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

NYFF54: Revivals (Paris, Kentucky*)

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Mark Stern

The great filmmaker Barbara Kopple, with her crew, spent more than a year documenting the coal miners’ strike at the Eastover Mining Company’s Brookside (Kentucky) Mine, which began when the firm refused to sign a contract with its newly unionized workers. In her staggeringly powerful film, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

NYFF54: Free Daily Talk Series

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Mark Stern

The fifth edition of NYFF Live, evening discussions which run through Friday, October 14, feature directors, actors, writers, critics and others in the film industry. Alice Rohrwacher, the New York Film Festival’s 2016 filmmaker in residence, whose captivating second film, “The Wonders,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , | Leave a comment