Burning Down the House: The History of CBGB
Did you know the acronym of Hilly Kristal's late, great club stands for "Country Bluegrass Blues"? Starting here, this documentary by Mandy Stein looks at CBGB's history and influence, as well as its embattled final years, and features electrifying performances by Patti Smith, Bad Brains and many more. Following the screening, Stein joins a panel of music notables -- from Tommy Ramone of the Ramones to Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz -- in a discussion about the iconic venue. 7PM, SVA Theater.
Kobe Doin' Work
Aside from Woody Allen's Whatever Works, has any single film at TFF '09 been hyped more than this latest from Spike Lee? Not likely. Lee -- as you might have suspected from all those pap shots of him sitting courtside -- is a major basketball fan, and here he turns his obsession into art filming Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant over the course of a single 2008 game (or workday, as Lee sees it) against the San Antonio Spurs. 3:30PM, AMC Village VII.
Playground
Libby Spears ferrets her documentarian's lens deep into the heart of the global child sex trade, tracing it from brothels in Thailand and South Korea all the back to the U.S. George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh executive produced this disturbing stunner. 10:30PM, AMC Village VII.
