It is probably old news to many of you, but I was out of town for a week. Another fine Central Texas institution is going away. This will be the last season for the Backyard but let’s be honest and admit that we knew the magic was gone as soon they built an effin’ mall around it. I remember fondly many nights driving out to the middle of nowhere and hearing awesome music as the cool Texas hill country breeze drifted through. During more recent concerts at the Backyard, though, I spend my time looking at the Best Buy Magnolia Home Theater store wondering if over-priced electronics can be mood enhancers.

Becky and I caught a few films at Tribecca Film Festival. Here’s the scoop on our favorite:

My guess is the marketing for a US release of Fighter will focus on the excellent fu choreography but chop-heads should read the fine print before rushing out to see this Danish film about a teenage Muslim Turkish immigrant girl who just wants to practice martial arts. The core of the film is a story as old as Footloose, Aicha loves kung fu more than anything else including boys and school but all her father cares about is the family’s image. Her brother is trying to get engaged to a woman whose father is a man of means…well, more means than Aisha’s family has. Just when her father tells her to quit fighting and prepare her grades for med school she is offered a spot to train with the best kung fu team in town.

Natasha Arthy (director), Master Xian Gao (fight coreographer, and actor), and the actor who played the movie’s foil were in attendance. They discussed the parallels of Copenhagen’s growing right wing conservatism (and its impact on the Turkish immigrant community) alongside the Muslim ideal of family honor. Master Gao answered questions about his coreography and the wirework that was used sparingly in the film.

In Danish and Turkish with a little Mandarin and English, the film is an excellent cross cultural story about identity and girl power. (Becky can’t wait for the chance to take her BBBS mentee to see it.) The fight choreography is amazing. Master Gao commented that this was the first film he worked on where the fight scenes were really integrated into the story line, and I agree that the fight sequences were well mixed with the family drama and coming of age storylines.

The film’s star was simply perfect for the role, equally believable in poignant scenes with her father and in the numerous scenes where she is kicking serious ass. She is an untrained actress (studying to be a pahrmacist — wth?!?) with a blackbelt in karate. She should give up her dreams of dispensing pills, but I don’t know how profitable the field of action film acting is in Copenhagen.

There are certainly better kung fu movies, but this is a great mixed genre film with some fantastic moments.

A new conveyor belt sushi place. It has a great rating and mostly great reviews.

Now with video.

There were several “only in New York” moments (like the tiny trained cat and dog show off Times Square) but the only one I caught on video was this dude in a suit playing his didgeridoo sitting in a barred park.

I first saw this guy as part of a video/sculpture installation at the Whitney Biennial 2008. I made a point of finding him in Union Square to see the spiel for myself. Some of you will now be able to guess what gift we brought you form NYC.

Apple juice in a squeeze bag, crayons and a pb&j shaped like a dinosaur.

The Guggenheim is currently exhibiting a collection showing the work of Cai Guo-Qiang, a Chinese contemporary artist. It was a stunning exhibit and in the center of the museum was a new piece about the prevalence of car bombs in our society and as a reaction to 9/11. Breaking the first rule of the museum I slipped my camera out and took these videos.

From below:

From above:

p.s. I say this too much, but it is awesome that we live in the future. This post was made from the waiting area outside gate 19 on our way home to Austin, thanks to JetBlue’s free WiFi.

Here are a few “ambiance” videos from our walk in Central Park the other day. We were cutting across from Columbus Circle headed to the Whitney. Out of pure fortuitousness we stumbled out of the park on the street that exactly borders the museum — couldn’t have planned it better if I lived here.

The W family of hospitality includes Bliss Spa (who is lucky enough to employ renowned architecht Ashley McClaran) so we stopped in this morning for pedicures. My feet are soft and supple, and happy to receive a little rejuvination after so much walking.

Coca cola cake.

…at a spot called Chat ‘n Chew near the theater.

It is cold and wet in NYC so we decided to stop in at the finest haberdashery the Manhattan has to offer.

Staying at the W hasn’t been the best hotel experience ever — the Waldorf-Astoria will be hard to defeat with that title…then again they have more experience — but there are a lot of nice touches that make it feel upper crust. The swinging explosive doorman, Denzel, made our arrival seem like we were about to meet the Wizard. Daily lobby offerings of crisp fresh apples or oversized Bliss Spa towelettes make our departures and returns refreshing. In the evenings the lobby becomes a lounge and the bulk of the transformation is carried by a video installation that changes the interpretation of the overhead sculpture from peaceful meadow to an artsy frenetic dance motif.

I think I have this new camera figured out. It should work great for vlogging. I’ll set your mood to “big city” and ask your indulgence for pointless video.

One thing that convinces me the I can’t live in NYC are these ridiculously claustrophobic lengthy subway escalators. I could neer get used to this.

“My heart fills up like a balloon—and it’s about to burst.”