Scene Magazine » meryl streep

The NYC Bicycle Film Festival Starts Tonight, And We Spoke (Sorry) with its Founder Brendt Barbur

Margaret Nickens — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:51:49 -0400

Brent Barbour. (Photo by flickr.com/imonfort)

Twelve years ago, Brendt Barbur was happily riding his bicycle through the streets of New York City when one oblivious driver doored the hapless biker, throwing him into the path of an oncoming bus. “I saw the light,” Mr. Barbur said, quickly adding, "just kidding.” While he was able to walk away from the accident with limbs in tact, it inspired him to found the Bicycle Film Festival (adorably acronymed BFF) to “do something positive for bikes,” he said. Since its 2001 founding, the festival has traveled to over 30 cities around the world, including Moscow, Sydney, Paris, San Francisco and, of course, New York. This weekend BFF is back for the 12th annual Bicycle Film Festival NYC, and before the credits roll tonight at Anthology Film Archives, Mr. Barbur sat down with The Observer to talk about snooty bikers, lemonade massages and Meryl Streep’s secret biking fetish.

What’s the best bicycle scene in a big time movie?

One of the most tragic scenes is when the son in Bicycle Thieves sees his father get caught stealing another bike. And I really like Large Marge in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure--when the guy at the diner is telling the story about Large Marge. That was just funny. But there aren't too many Hollywood movies [about bicycles]. I guess there’s Quicksilver. The messengers are doing tricks on their bikes.

Who is your favorite New York bike celebrity?

I don’t know her at all, but I heard Lucy Liu was riding a bike. She’s just cute. I also heard that Meryl Streep was. Oh my god. I’m not supposed to say that … I don’t think Meryl Streep wants people to know she rides bikes. I know that Cindy Sherman’s riding bikes. I like her. I’ve named all women so far, haven’t I? My favorite really is Blonde Redhead. I don’t know if they’re celebrity or an unknown band. Oh! Matthew Modine--my only celebrity friend is Matthew Modine.

What do you think of Mayor Bloomberg’s new bike-share program?

I’ve used the one’s in Paris and Montreal and London, and I think it’s great that people are talking about bikes.

What’s your favorite bike route in New York City?

I do really enjoy going over the Williamsburg Bridge. The view is nice and the hill.

What is the most ridiculous New York biker habit?

I think it’s really funny how new bikers are kind of snooty toward other bikers. You can tell they’re new bikers. Bicycle etiquette is very funny.

One film in the festival this year, Line of Sight, has gotten some flack for the crazy stunts it features. What is the wildest bicycle stunt that you’ve ever done?

At the Bicycle Film Festival, I had to jump on a BMX in front of hundreds of people, and I hadn't done that since I was a kid. I’ve done a lot more wild things. I mean, I’ve ridden all over the world. I think I’ve ridden with three people on my bike before. Well, two people, three including myself. Someone on the handlebars and then someone with their feet on the bolts on the back wheel.

After a really long bike ride, what’s your favorite thing to do to relax?

I like to get a massage. The pros, they get massages before and after races. And maybe some lemonade. A lemonade massage. On our roof garden. You should see our roof garden. It’s a beautiful roof. So, a massage and lemonade on my roof garden.

To Do Thursday: Red, Red Wine

Daniel D'Addario — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:00:49 -0400

Meryl Streep (Getty Images)

After last night’s display of Judd Apatow’s newfound ability to cast roles for the ladies, we’re feeling enlightened, empowered, ready to take up arms against the so-called war on women! Where better to start than at Equality Now’s 20th-anniversary benefit dinner, raising money to fight ills from genital mutilation to sex trafficking? Meryl Streep, recently awarded an Oscar for playing feminist humanitarian (O.K., maybe just “powerful woman”) Margaret Thatcher, is among the stars slated to appear, along with Downton Abbey hostess Laura Linney and The Avengers director Joss Whedon. Meanwhile, the Consul General of Argentina hosts a malbec tasting at the Guggenheim—and after a few delicious glasses, we’ll find it hard to understand why Eva Peron’s countrymen are crying all the time!

The Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, show at 7:30 p.m., reception at 9 p.m. Tickets and information can be found at http://www.equalitynow.org; Guggenheim Museum, private event.

Mike Wallace, as Memorialized in Patrick McMullan Pictures

Daniel D'Addario — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:37:23 -0400

The late Mike Wallace was legendary for his dogged questioning on 60 Minutes. He also was a New York bon viveur, as seen in the photos of his many friendships over the years. Herewith, some of his off-the-clock moments.

Streep, De Niro, Sarandon to Attend Tribeca Special Events

Daniel D'Addario — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:10:15 -0400

Meryl Streep. (Getty Images)

This year's Tribeca Film Festival has announced its special events for this year's program. The events New Yorkers can catch are to include an April 22 interview between movie-industry stalwarts and prominent political commentators Michael Moore and Susan Sarandon--warning, first three rows may get politically awakened!

Jim Sheridan, director of In the Name of the Father and My Left Foot is to be interviewed by his screenwriter daughter Naomi Sheridan on April 28. As for special talks, classic thriller WarGames is to come with a post-show discussion with actress Ally Sheedy, director John Badham, and officials from BitCoin and the U.S. Air Force on April 28; the documentary Let Fury Have the Hour comes with a post-screening talk with artist Shepard Fairey and Eve Ensler among others on April 23.

Perhaps the biggest stars are to be in attendance on April 19 at a talk on Universal Studios' 100th anniversary--Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, and Judd Apatow will discuss their favorite major production company. The full Tribeca events slate--including the world premiere of Rob Lowe's political satire Knife Fight on April 25--is available here.

Meryl Streep Hosted an Advanced Screening of Bully

Ben Weitzenkorn — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:45:36 -0400

On Tuesday night Meryl Streep hosted an advanced screening of Lee Hirsch's new documentary, Bully, at the Paley Center for Media. Bully is a film that follows the lives of six families and children for whom taunting, teasing and violence has been an unlivable problem. Celebrity anti-bullying advocates sounded off on the MPAA's controversial R rating for the film, how the film resonated with their own experiences and how Dhuran Ravi's conviction of a hate crime, in the death of Tyler Clementi, is raising questions about the line between youthful pranks and serious criminal acts

"I was really upset when I saw it," Ms. Streep said of Bully. "When I watched it, it brought me back to New Jersey in ninteen fifty. . .—a long time ago. I was eight years old and up a tree and a group of kids was below me and my nemisis, this one bully, was hitting my legs with a stick until they bled," she said. "It was very lord of the flies—a very nice Republican community."

We're not touching that last one.

Although Martha Stewart can't recall being bullied—she was "pretty big and strong and certainly didn't bully anybody—" she attended the screening because bullying is a phenomena that needs to be publicized and addressed.

Billie Jean King, like Meryl—but unlike Martha—also remembers being bullied.

"I'd be going home and he'd stop me and start just making me feel really scared, and obviously, being gay was really difficult."

Ms. King told Velvet Roper that she'd hid her sexuality for a long time until finally being outed in her thirties—the decision to publicly identify as a lesbian—or not—had been taken away from her.

"People called me a slut and called me a horrible person and then I could tell who my real friends were though," Ms. King said. "You start to learn about yourself and about the world, the way it really works."

"I think it's ridiculous," Julie Taymor said, when asked what she thought about Bully''s R rating. But this isn't the first time the MPAA has caught Ms. Taymor's ire. "On Across the Universe we had to fuzz out one nipple of the character Lucy, how is that going to endanger anybody?" she mused. "And also in Titus, I had to fight for an R rating because there was a little bit of nudity. I think that the MPAA is completely on the wrong end of things. It's okay to have violence but you can't have love . . ? I find it appalling what is allowed and what isn't allowed."

As far as Mr. Ravi is concerned, Ms. Taymor, is uncertain how he should be treated.

"I don't know about the sentence for him," she said. "I don't know whether it was a hate crime or whether it was really just being mean and nasty . . . It is terrible, but is he a murderer? I don't think that was his intention and there's plenty of hate crimes where that is the intention. Bullying yes, it probably was bullying."

Ms. King agrees. without a precedent, it's unclear how this case should be treated.

"I think it's probably a little bit of an overreaction but I think it brought the subject matter to the forefront, which is good," she said. "He didn't kill him. I'm not sure what the sentence should be exactly . . . He's young too and you hope he can change. I hate it when I see a young child make a huge mistake and not have a chance to change."

Mr. Hirsch, described Mr. Clementi's death as "a total tragedy," adding that he's spent the last three years reading about suicides all over this country that don't make national headlines.

"Each one is so upsetting and many of them don't receive [that] kind of attention, but for me, because it's the work that I do, I'm engaged with so many of these families and it just always breaks my heart." Mr. Hirsch said. "His death, of course was a heartbreak. Any death like that is so sad."

Mr. Hirsch said that despite the tough topics he tackles in his work, the reward outweighs the hardship.

"I get a lot of energy from the people that write us and tell us that we're making a difference for them," he said. "I'm probably on a huge deep well of adrenaline and just feeling like this is the moment and I've just got to push as hard as I can and keep trying to make that difference. I'm tired but I'm also energized all the time."

Ms. Taymor said she believes strongly in hate crime legislation and believes it should be extended to cover transgendered and gay persons as well as women.

"I think what goes on everywhere all over the world with the bullying that women go through with honor killings and rape," she said. ". . . With what's gone on in the Middle East and Africa, as well as the United States with how women are constantly bullied. But I think we take it for granted. We just say, 'Oh, that's private, it's in the home,' but I don't think that, so I hope it just explodes into talking about women. They're bullied and they're abused and they're frightened and that's a hate crime because men do it because they can and because women are considered less, less than human."

Before the film began, Regency Boies told a story about her time in high school with Ms. Streep's duaghter, Mamie.

"I saw her, on more than a few occasions, come to the rescue of some of our classmates that were being ridiculed, when none of the rest of us were brave enough to defend them," Ms. Boies said. "I know that it is the integrity and the kindness that you instilled in Mamie that is bringing you here today and thank God we have your voice."

When Ms. Streep heard this she was almost moved to tears, covering her mouth with her hands.

"I didn't know that story about Mamie, she said as she introduced the film. "Now I have to recover because that's just so great to hear. You never know what they're doing at school."

The crowd laughed and Ms. Streep added one more sentiment.

"A team is stronger than a bully . . . Tell absolutely everyone that it (Bully) should have the MPAA rating of PG-13 . . . or PG."

The Cutest Couples at the Opening Night for Death of a Salesman

Daniel D'Addario — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:52:30 -0400

Last night brought the opening of Death of a Salesman as directed by Mike Nichols and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. They're a nice pair--and so too are these couples snapped on the carpet, though we're not sure why they all seem to be running away from the camera!

Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich
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