All addresses are in Hudson, unless otherwise indicated.

Monday-Sunday, January 22 through 28, 2018

Films at TSL:

Frank Serpico – (2017) — In the 1970s, one man stood up to the entire New York City police force.  Hailed as a hero, hated by others, officer Frank Serpico made headlines when he blew the whistle on a culture of corruption in the department.  His one-man crusade for police reform inspired the Al Pacino classic that bears his name, but the real saga is as gripping as anything Hollywood could dream up.  Now, Serpico tells his story in his own words.  Featuring music by Jack White and interviews with Serpico’s associates and admirers, this is an inspiring, all-access portrait of a courageous man who refused to betray his ideals.

Children of Paradise – (1945) – Widely considered one of the greatest French films of all time, this nimble depiction of 19^th-century Paris’s theatrical demimonde, filmed during World War II, follows a mysterious woman loved by four different men: an actor, a criminal, a count, and, most poignantly, a mime (Jean-Louis Barrault, in a longing-suffused performance for the ages)…..Thanks to a new restoration, this iconic classic looks and sounds richer and more detailed than ever.  In French with subtitles

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story – (2017) – What does the most ravishing actress of the 1930s and 40s have in common with an inventor whose concepts were the basis of cell phone and Bluetooth technology?  They are both Hedy Lamarr, the glamour icon and technological trailblazer who perfected a radio system to throw Nazi torpedoes off course.  From Hedy’s beginnings as a Jewish émigré, to her scandalous nude scene in the 1933 film, Ecstasy, to her ground-breaking and uncredited inventions, to her latter years as a recluse, Bombshell tells the story of a woman spurned as too beautiful to be smart who is a role model to this day.

Lady Bird – (2017) – “Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter.  Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson…fights against , but is exactly like, her wildly loving, deeply opinionated, and strong-willed mom, a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird’s father loses his job.  Set in Sacramento, CA in 2002, amid a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, Lady Bird is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.”

On the Beach at Night Alone – Art imitates life in this quietly devastating masterpiece from Hong Sangsoo.  Kim Minhee (The Handmaiden), in the role that won her the Silver Bear for best actress in  Berlin, plays Younghee, an actress reeling in the aftermath of an affair with a married director.  She visits Hamburg then returns to Korea, but as she meets with friends and has her fair share to drink, confessions emerge.  In English, Korean, and German with subtitles.

The Other Side of Hope – This wry, melancholic comedy, a response to the current refugee crisis, follows two people searching for a place to call home.  Displaced Syrian Khaled lands in Helsinki, while middle-aged salesman Wikstrom buys an unprofitable seafood restaurant.  After Khaled is denied asylum he decides not to return to Aleppo and the paths of the two men cross.  The film is “a bittersweet tale of human kindness in the face of indifference.”  In English, Finnish, and Arabic with subtitles

Shadowman – In the 1980s, Richard Hambleton was the Shadowman, a specter in the night who painted hundreds of startling silhouettes on the walls of lower Manhattan and, along with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, sparked the street art movement.  After drug addiction and homelessness sent him spinning out of the art scene for 20 years, the Shadowman gets a second chance, but will he take it?

Schedule and tickets at 518-822-8448 or www.timeandspace.org  – Time & Space Limited., 434 Columbia Street

Story Slam Alert

On the Fly Story Slam:  Starting Over – This past Tuesday, “Starting Over” was both the theme and the reality of this popular, monthly storytelling event.  News is that On the Fly is joining forces with the Helsinki Open Mic series which takes place every Tuesday night.  On the Fly will be a monthly event, and will take place on the third Tuesday of every month ahead of the Helsinki Hudson Open Mic.  Story Slam’s sign-up starts at 5:30 pm and the slam begins at 6 pm – On slam nights, Open Mic begins once the story slam concludes.  On the Fly Story Slam is a Moth style event where storytellers are given five minutes to tell a story based on personal experience relating to a specific theme.  Produced by Christina Thyssen and Debra Gitterman, On the Fly welcomes local storytellers and those who love stories to participate by telling a story, volunteering to judge, or simply by enjoying the events.  Storytellers are selected at random from those who sign up on the night of the story slam. – For more information, follow On The Fly Storyslam on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ontheflystoryslam/ and Instagram #ontheflystoryslam. – Sign-up at 5:30 pm; Performance at 6 pm – Club Helsinki, 405 Columbia Street – On the Fly Storyslam will be back on Tuesday, February 20 for its next joint program with the Open Mic.

Friday, January 26

HWM Free Tasting –In-store wine tasting with Maria Clark from Polaner – She will be pouring wines from around the world, including winter reds and a fresh, energetic Italian white – Information at 518-828-6411 – 5 to 7 pm – Hudson Wine Merchants, 341 Warren Street

Aaron Roche & Kate Harken (from Sleater-Kinney) – Songs about people the protagonist hasn’t met yet, and responses – Information at 518-671-6006 or visit http://www.thespottydog.com   – Doors at  7 pm, show at 8 pm – The Spotty Dog Books & Ale, 440 Warren Street

Nancy Feast / Lizzie Loveless / Miles Francis – Live at the Half Moon – Information at thehalfmoonhudson.com/events/ or call 518-828-1562 – 8 pm – The Half Moon, 48 South Front Street

The DuPont Brothers and The Sea The Sea – Two of the most gorgeous harmony duos around – – Information and tickets at helsinkihudson.com or call 518-828-4800 – 9 pm – Club Helsinki, 405 Columbia Street

Friday-Sunday, January 26-28

Opening week of Ghent Playhouse’s production of Joe DiPietro’s  Clever Little Lies, “a contemporary adult play that sheds a comedic light on the secret corners of marriage, relationships and family” — Reservations and information at 518-392-6264 or www.ghentplayhouse.org – Runs through February 4 – Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 pm & 8 pm, and Sun at 2 pm  – Ghent Playhouse, 6 Town Hall Place, off Route 66, Ghent

Saturday, January 27

The Metropolitan Opera Company presents Sir David McVicar’s new production of Puccini’s Tosca – Information and tickets at 518-822-8448 or www.timeandspace.org  – 12:55 pm – Time & Space Limited., 434 Columbia Street

Screening of After Louie – Directed by Vincent Gagliostro – Presented in collaboration with Wise Bodies, The Link Project, and Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York  – Information at 518-828-5938 or House Rules Café facebook page – 6 pm – House Rules Café, 757 Columbia Street (corner of Eighth Street)

DJ T-Bone – Information at thehalfmoonhudson.com/events/ or call 518-828-1562 – 9 pm – The Half Moon, 48 South Front Street

Sunday, January 28

Talking Sen$e About a Sustainable Future – A panel discussion sponsored by the Columbia County Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby/Citizens’ Climate Education– The Keynote Speaker will be  David Levine, co-founder and CEO of the American Sustainable Business Council – Panel Moderator is Karen Frishkoff from the Columbia County Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby; Panelists include Mark Dunlea, Chairperson, Green Education and Legal Fund; Sara Hsu, Associate Professor of Economics at SUNY New Paltz, and main contributor to the NYS carbon tax proposal; Rabbi Glenn Jacob, Executor Director, NY Interfaith Power and Light; Michael O’Hara, Past Alderman, City of Hudson Common Council and volunteer with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. – Among questions the panel might consider are:  How might solving the climate crisis affect our economy? What does “pricing carbon” mean? If prices go up, what happens to small businesses and consumers?  What about the poor? and What can New York State do on its own? – Information at 518-672-7901 – 3 to 5 pm – Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street (corner of State Street)

Community Music Space Young Performers’ Showcase  – Information and tickets at helsinkihudson.com or call 518-828-4800 – 7 pm – Club Helsinki, 405 Columbia Street

Start Living a Normal Life – Rowden/ Zarsutzki//Jen Kutler//HSFB//Alexander – Information at 518-671-6006 or visit http://www.thespottydog.com   – 8 pm – The Spotty Dog Books & Ale, 440 Warren Street

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

* Bridges Past and Present: Crossing the Hudson River – By artist Otto Miranda  – Sixty-three watercolors of bridges from the 1800’s to the present that pass over the Hudson River from New York City to the river’s beginning in the Adirondack Mountains at Lake Henderson’s Tear of the Clouds – The bridges represented include vehicle, railroad, pedestrian bridges, and even a troop bridge.   The exhibit is open for viewing during library open hours and is on view through February 28.  School groups are also invited to view this important local interest exhibition for discussions on history, engineering and art – Information at hudsonarealibrary.org or call 518-828-1792, x 101 – Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street (corner of State Street)

* Sanford R. Gifford  In The Catskills – Explores the work of the Hudson River School artist, Sanford R. Gifford – Curated by Kevin J. Avery, Senior Research Scholar at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.  It explores the artist’s creative process and for the first time brings the original paintings to a venue just a few miles from the sites that inspired them. – Information at http://thomascole.org/events/ – New Studio Gallery, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, 218 Spring Street, Catskill

* The Coffins of Paa Joe and the Pursuit of Happiness at Jack Shainman Gallery / The School – , Two inter-related shows at the gallery’s Chelsea location and The School, located in Kinderhook. –“ Serving as the centerpiece of the large-scale exhibition, The Gold Coast Slave Castles of Paa Joe honor the Ghanaian legacy of  abebuu adekai, or fantasy coffins. The ornate sarcophagi celebrate death and the afterlife, sculpted in the form of objects representative of the deceased and their interests….” –– On view through February 24, 2018 – Information at [email protected] – Open Saturdays from 11 am to 6 pm – The School, 25 Broad Street, Kinderhook

* Transcendent Functionalism – An exhibition featuring designers and artists who take design as a point of departure, appropriating and personalizing the forms of furniture, garments, graphics, and other useful things – Works by some 15 artists, plus objects from the Shaker Museum || Mount Lebanon – On view through January 28, 2018 – Information at 518-828-6680 or by email to [email protected]  – Jeff Bailey Gallery, 127 Warren Street

* Martin Dull: Sailing to Byzantium – Works using paint and found objects – On view through January 29 – Information at 518-828-5907 or by email to [email protected] – John Davis Gallery, 362½ Warren Street

* Painted Cities – A group exhibition – On view through February 18 – Information at www.carriehaddadgallery.com or call 518-828-1915 – Carrie Haddad Gallery, 622 Warren Street

* Into the Garden: Paintings by Kate Knapp – On view through January 28 – Information at www.510warrenstreetgallery.com or call 518-822-0510 – 510 Warren Street Gallery, 510 Warren Street

* Katrina Hude: Harmonic Cognizance – The artist says: “Pattern studies and visual arrangements are my sanctuary.  The investigation of harmony in pattern is the study of nature and of our sentient needs.” – The exhibition is on view through March 25, except for the month of February when the gallery is closed – Information at thompsongirouxgallery.com  or call 518-392-3336 – Thompson Giroux Gallery, 57 Main Street, Chatham

For more information on Columbia County events, visit www.columbiacountytourism.org

All content herein copyright 2018 Ellen Thurston

ellenthurston1@gmail.com