Capital New York

'Polisse': What could a child-protection officer possibly do for fun?

"You try to handle it on a case-by-case basis," one member of Paris' Child Protection Unit says, when asked about the emotional implications of his job.

He deals with victims of incest, pedophilia, drug addicted parents, abductions. The toll such work takes is extreme. More

Posted on May 18th, 2012 5:04pm

'Rubberneck': Alex Karpovsky on the dark side of nice

Alex Karpovsky is everywhere right now. Along with being a series regular on Lena Dunham's new HBO series Girls (he also appeared in her first feature, Tiny Furniture), he continues to be a strong presence in independent cinema, acting, directing, and writing.

Known mainly for his offhandedly dry comedic sensibility, Karpovsky has come up with a surprise. Rubberneck, his fourth feature, co-written with Garth Donovan, is a psychologically twisted intense thriller, reminiscent of some of the great 70s paranoid anti-hero films. It's a portrait of an isolated man and his increasing psychosis, as his social connection disintegrates, bit by bit, leaving him alone and unprotected. Rubberneck glories in the thriller genre, and features standout performances by all of the leads. More

Posted on April 28th, 2012 8:23am

Shawn Christensen on the inspiration and luck that led him to Fatima Ptacek, and 'Curfew'

Curfew, which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival, is director/writer Shawn Christensen's third short film.

He attended the Pratt Institute and got a degree in illustration and graphic design. He was also an actor, and a member of a band, Stellastarr, that signed with RCA. And he wrote the screenplay for Abduction (2011), the Taylor Lautner vehicle.

Curfew is a dark and insightful New York movie, perfect for the Tribeca Film Festival, and features a beautiful performance by Christensen as Richie, as well as his two co-stars, Kim Allen (who plays Richie's sister Maggie) and Fatima Ptacek (who plays Sophia, his niece). Only 19 minutes long, and shot in 7 days, it is a perfectly realized and beautifully imagined story of a drug addict uncle trying to connect to his 9-year-old niece. I was happy to get the chance to speak with Christensen about the making of Curfew. More

Posted on April 25th, 2012 11:45am

How an actor from New York and a cinematographer from Texas made a movie about small-town Mass.

The impetus for writing the script was not only the town of Fairhaven itself, which O'Brien found "cinematic," but an interview he heard with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, in which Brady said, "There's got to be something more than this," a comment that is a running theme throughout the film. More

Posted on April 24th, 2012 11:31am

'The Russian Winter': John Forté and the common languages of music and hardship

Standing with his bandmates on an ice-encrusted platform somewhere in Siberia, as workers chip the ice off of the train wheels, Grammy-nominated artist and producer John Forté uses the word "quixotic," casually, in reference to one of the songs he had been working on. Someone asks what the word means, and Forté provides a definition, adding, "The root is from Quixote. You know. Don Quixote." More

Posted on April 23rd, 2012 3:56pm

'Booker's Place': A documentary about the purpose, and the incredible cost, of speaking out

In 1965, African-American waiter Booker Wright gave an impromptu interview to filmmaker Frank De Felitta, who was visiting Wright's hometown of Greenwood, Mississippi to do a documentary for NBC on racism in the South. More

Posted on April 23rd, 2012 1:39pm

'Curfew': Life and near-death in New York, in 19 incredible minutes

Some short films are one-trick ponies. Some lead up to an inevitable punchline. Some are gimmicks. Some feel like sketches for a feature-length film.

But there are some shorts, the rare ones, that feel complete in and of themselves, that present a three-dimensional and fully realized experience, with the depth and complexity of a short story by Chekhov or Lorrie Moore. While such shorts may leave you wanting more, there is really nothing more to add. Some things are perfect as is. More

Posted on April 22nd, 2012 9:33pm

'Downeast': Rescuing the American worker takes more than heroism, sadly

In 2010, Stinson Sardine Cannery, the last sardine cannery in the United States, located in Gouldsboro, Maine, closed after a century of business, leaving 128 people out of work, and the economy of the area devastated. Most of the workers had been with the cannery for 30 or 40 years. None of them can afford to retire. More

Posted on April 20th, 2012 4:33pm

'Fairhaven': The real world, where a random quote from Tom Brady can crush a guy

Jon (Tom O'Brien) is a thirty-something guy who lives in the fishing town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

He was a football star in high school. He now works on a fishing boat, and has dreams of becoming a writer. He's dating Angela (Alexie Gilmore), a sweet woman who meditates, does yoga, holds acting workshops in a gymnasium, and talks about how it would be OK to have an "open relationship," as long as they both are honest. More

Posted on April 20th, 2012 3:54pm

Jennifer Lawrence could end up like Ingrid Bergman, if she doesn't listen to the critics

Stepping into the lead role in a beloved franchise, especially of the Y.A. variety, is not for the faint-hearted. Everyone and their grandma will have an opinion on whether or not you are "right" for the part. Fans of such books as Twilight and The Hunger Games have a fierce sense of ownership over those characters, and may even think that they should be consulted over who gets to play what. Nothing escapes judgment. More

Posted on March 29th, 2012 6:24pm