Books
For a brand founded on the principle of not being a brand (in Japanese, mujirushi literally means “no brand”), Muji has done exceptionally well. The design house creates apparel, home accessories, fabrics, furniture and more, all with the theme, “Not ‘this is what I want,’ but ‘this will do.’” About moderating excess and focusing on the beautiful simplicity of its products, Muji’s eponymous book (Rizzoli New York) is no exception. Rizzoli Bookstore, 31 W. 57th St., 212-759-2424; rizzoliusa.com
The famed Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa gave new meaning to the term “pop of color” with her fashion coverage and celebrity portraits. Her new self-titled coffee table book (Rizzoli New York), with page after page of gorgeous flowers, insects, animals and people, will bring a breath of life to your living space in a color spectrum that Emilio Pucci himself would envy. Rizzoli Bookstore, 31 W. 57th St., 212-759-2424; rizzoliusa.com
Performance
When asked about this year’s Nightmare: Superstitions (PICTURED TOP LEFT), artistic director Timothy Haskell laughs and says it’s set “inside the paranoid schizophrenic wing of an insane asylum.” Funny indeed. The theme of the scary-as-hell interactive Halloween experience is superstition, inspired by the seventh anniversary of the haunted house. “The number seven has all kinds of superstitious implications,” he says. “For our seventh year, we’ve made it our own lucky number and made the house all about superstitions.” Last year Haskell asked readers of his blog to submit their superstitions, and he picked the top responses. The experience in his words: “Visceral.” Noho Event Center, 623 Broadway, 212-352-3101; nightmarenewyork.com
Film
It seems appropriate that Galt Niederhoffer’s two major film adaptations fall on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum: 2001’s Prozac Nation is an examination of depression, and the just-released The Romantics, adapted from Niederhoffer’s novel of the same name, explores the emotional highs among a group of seven friends who bonded over the poetry of John Keats at Yale, then reunite six years after graduation to attend the wedding of Tom (Josh Duhamel) and Lila (Anna Paquin) (PICTURED TOP RIGHT). “The love story has always been of special interest to me,” says Niederhoffer. “The crisis at the heart of these characters is the search for inspiration.” Theaters, citywide
