Friday, January 16
Madison Square Garden is transformed with 1.5 million pounds of dirt as the world's top 35 bull riders compete in what's been described as the “toughest 8 seconds in sports,” riding wildly bucking bulls for as long as they can hang on. Tickets for the Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden are priced from $25 to $200. The event begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday from 7 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. Seventh Ave. at 33rd St., Midtown.
The Rubin Museum of Art’s Friday movie screening night this week features “The Epic Of Everest,” a 1924 film capturing the third attempt to climb Everest, which famously culminated in the deaths of two of the finest climbers of their generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. The film sparked an ongoing debate as to whether or not they reached the summit before their deaths. The film is one of the earliest filmed records of life in Tibet. From 7 p.m. at 150 W. 17th St., West Village. $16.
Saturday, January 17
The Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look festival, which wraps up this weekend, is not just a festival of new films, it presents new approaches to filmmaking. Saturday at 2 p.m. catch “Bx46,” the New York premiere of a cinematic tour through a legendary Bronx fish market, a waste management plant, and a correctional center barge near Riker’s Island. Also screening at 2 p.m., filmmaker and archivist Gina Telaroli will personally present two new short films (this presentation is free). At 4:30 p.m., Belgian filmmaker of Iranian descent, Sanaz Azari, will be appearing to present the U.S premiere of her latest film “I for Iran (I Comme Iran).” $12 per screening. 36-01 35 Ave., Astoria, Queens.
Head to Scandinavia House for a fun kid's Scandinavian Sing-Along featuring Danish musician Vibe Normann. Vibe will introduce children (ages 1 – 7) to a treasure trove of children’s songs and games from Europe’s cool northern quadrant. 58 Park Avenue, Midtown. From 1 p.m., $7.
Sunday, January 18
Interested in New York City’s gritty underside? Join Ike Ilkew, a licensed private investigator and former NYC cop, as he leads a small tour group (maximum of 10) to real and fictional crimes scenes across Manhattan. Visit the spots where your favorite characters were filmed and see the real hangouts of former mob bosses. The 2.5 hour tour leaves from Little Italy, with two departing this weekend, both Sunday and Saturday. From 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., $30. Bookings essential.
Austrian painter, Egon Schiele, a protégé of Gustav Klimt, was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century. Wrapping up this weekend at the Neue Galerie, “Egon Schiele: Portraits” is the first exhibition at an American museum to focus exclusively on Schiele’s portraiture. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Neue Galerie New York, Museum for German and Austrian Art, 1048 Fifth Ave., Upper East Side. $20.
