Featured Film: I Like Killing Flies

Though his version of "No soup for you" would undoubtedly contain a few choice words unfit for prime-time, Kenny Shopsin, proprietor of the legendary New York diner which bears his name (and which imposes a strict set of rules on its diners), does bear more than a few similarities to Seinfeld's classic Soup Nazi character. Then again, it's tough to imagine Larry Thomas' severe television personality confessing that he used to believe that only path to change was through Freudian analysis, or to extend his ongoing battle with the flies in his kitchen to a metaphor for the war in the middle east and, in fact, the entirety of human conflict. Indeed, the central figure in Matt Mahurin's documentary I Like Killing Flies is about as complex and interesting as a subject as a film could hope for.

The loose story arc of the film, which follows the Shopsin family's forced relocation, due to a rent hike, from the corner location that they'd occupied for 30 years, could have easily been milked for all sorts of juicy big-picture documentary moralizing about the sadly changing ways of the world, but the filmmaker is wise enough to know that the real story here is Shopsin himself, whose string of seeming contradictions gradually begin to make a certain odd sense the longer you sit with them. The restaurant itself is certainly unique enough, offering a 10 page, 900 item menu with idiosyncratic menu items such as mac and cheese pancakes (born when a customer who always ordered one of the two titular components one day couldn't decide between the two), post modern pancakes (pancakes, cooked up, torn up, added back to the batter, and cooked again.) and Indomalekian Sunrise Stew (a traditional dish of a country invented by Shopin and one of his sons). But the restaurant, like the film, would be just another in a long line of perfectly palatable variations on a theme without the charismatic character that drives it. With him, however, both are unmissable experiences.

Improv Everywhere Loves Lunch

Chances are good that anyone who's ever been witness to an undead army of zombies roaming the streets or peered through a cloud of feathers at a mob of gentle warriors furiously pillow-bashing each other, only to then watch them all disperse as quickly as they came, has asked around a bit an came up with the name Improv Everywhere. Chances are even better, however, that this person got some bad information.
Something of a mature older brother to the rebellious young flash mob, Improv Everywhere has become a proprietary eponym, along the lines of Band-Aid and Kleenex, for all sorts of pre-planned displays of coordinated public ridiculousness. And while there is much to love in a seemingly spontaneous outbreak of applause in a hotel lobby or hundreds of headphone-clad, moneymaker-shakin' club kids grooving to an imperceptible groove, what IE does feels a bit more refined. Sophisticated, even. A few steps closer to legitimate theater. It could be that the troupe spun off from New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, quite possibly the finest repository of longform improv (in contrast to the shortform of Whose Line is it Anyways and theater sports) in the land. But it could also be their predilection for putting on mini-musicals, complete with catchy, toe-tappin' tunes and rudimentary choreography. Their latest is an ode to that in-betweenest of meals: Lunch. Performed in the atrium of the Trump Tower during the titular meal hour, Lunch: The Musical is not only the greatest song ever written that uses the word spork, it might just be Improv Everywhere's greatest performance yet.

Windows of Opportunity

The city of York, in the UK, sees empty store fronts as an opportunity for rising star graphic designers to strut their stuff...an inspiring fusion of street art, breathing life to abandoned buildings, and celebrating the local artist community. The project is called Windows of Opportunity, and it's a unique example of collaboration between the city of York and its museum collective, York Museum Trust. WOO will dress empty shop windows with external, high quality vinyls which feature contemporary digital designs that respond to their setting, submitted by local artists. We're so inspired by this concept, especially during the economic hardships experienced by small towns and city centers nationwide. Wouldn't it be refreshing to see a project like this take hold in our own hometowns? Or perhaps it's already happening? If so, tell us about it - we'd love to share your story!

Featured Destination: SPiN New York

Hipster Ping Pong? Yes, table tennis will have its day. SPiN New York is certainly the first high end table tennis social club that we've ever discovered. This is not your father's ping pong. This is 13,000 square feet of pro Olympic quality cushioned flooring and 13 state-of-the-art JOOLA tables, with world-class coaching and a stadium-like center court. Not to mention, the club also boasts a pro shop, lounge, cocktail bar and D.J. booth, complete with house parties and a celeb clientele (actress Susan Sarandon is an investor). Pictured is The Fred Perry Room, in honor of celebrated tennis player, Fred Perry, who gained fame early in his career playing table tennis. The stunning room is reserved for private events, anchored by a polished stainless steel table and glass net, designed by contemporary artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. Who knew table tennis could be so hip? Unfortunately, a trip to the treadmill now seems a little boring.

Joshua Allen Harris' Animated Street Sculptures

If you were to walk by one of Joshua Allen Harriss' sculptures on the streets of New York, you'd likely see nothing more than an unremarkable pile of trash lying on a subway grate. If, however, there happened to be a subway train passing below, you'd be greeted by a snarling polar bear, an shaky-legged giraffe, or a menacing creature like something from H.P. Lovecraft writhing and undulating before you. Soon enough, however, the creature would grow weary and melt back into the sidewalk, to await another gust of life from a passing subterranean train.

Hearing Rumors: Michelin Tweets

Michelin's oh-so-mysterious-famously-anonymous band of restaurant critics speak out for the first time…well, behind a clever twitter cloak. The company launched a twitter site (twitter.com/michelinguideny), in prep for the October 5th release of the Michelin New York ratings. They'll maintain their hush-hush protocol by delaying tweets, so we'll never really know where they are at any given moment. We can however, get a little closer to the team by hearing their on-the-fly tips and recos from every corner of NYC.