Friday, January 30, 2009

Revolutionary Road

I saw Revolutionary Road last night. and. oh. my. It was a deep, beautiful, intense, gripping, wonderful movie. I can understand why it got snubbed Oscar-wise though. I think its messages are such that Americans would have a hard time wanting to relate to them, although, ironically, the themes hit so deeply close to home. I think people, especially as most are watching their American Dream crumble away down the Housing Crisis/Credit Crunch Rabbit Hole, don't want to be faced with questions about how fulfilling that Dream really is.

As April points out in the film, "The truth is constant, everybody knows the truth; it is the lies that take practice and eventually we become good liars to everyone, including ourself." (not sure this is an exaclty accurate quote) Just as the character who represents truth in the film lives on the fringes of "normal" society and tends to incite either discomfort or anger, this film, perhaps, struck similar chords.

I'm still musing over the themes, still picturing the beauty and graceful visual execution and the remarkable, remarkable performance by Kate Winslet. I connected and identified with her more than I have with any film character, thanks to her ability to let you fully in. She deserves every accolade. I'm also thinking about how grateful I am to have learned that you have to be your own ticket to your dreams, and I'm glad to live in a time when women can more easily act on that idea. Although another element to the idea of walking your own path is pointed out by Richard Yates, the author of the novel: "If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy."

I thought I would look up some of the cultural messages via ads and articles from 1955 (when the film takes place) to get a sense of what the American Dream looked like then. Here's what I found:

This ad is for feminine hygene products and is sort of tragic.


"1955 sees dramatic increases in the sales of home appliances, new homes, and televisions."



It's sort of rare these days to see men in cosmetics ads. I think the messages have changed from pleasing your man to looking good for everyone in a "the whole world's a stage" kind of way. Max Factor's slogan is now "The Makeup of Makeup Artisits," as if we're all moments from being a star.


"By 1954 54% of American homes had television sets." I love how these two wear party clothes to watch tv in their prisitine, white home.


Look good for the neighbors.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

"The Wonderful Land of the Internet"

I spend a fair amount of my time at a computer, which inevitably leads to internet time, which lately, has been a strange adventure every day. Internet exploration is new to me, but it feels as though I've been plunged into a strange and colorful land where there are endless things to see, characters to meet and inspiration to be had. And all from the comfort of my chair. For many, this revelation may seem laughably overdue (afterall, how long has the internet been around?), but I have somehow managed to avoid any recreational internetting. Anyhow, this new exploratory spirit accounts for the direction this blog has taken. It was originally a place for me to share random thoughts and talk about nothing in particular (hence its title). I've found, however, that each day brings me something exciting and inspiring that I must share. Today's no different. Perhaps my musings over "the Land of Internet" was what drew me to Samantha Zaza. I absolutely love her take on Oz (as I interpret it, anyway: girl with small dog in a blue dress, field of poppies, sleepiness, a lion...) anyway, it seems appropriate for this post:


She also has two series on her website that make me smile, and that I simply adore. The first, called "Angry Women in Party Dresses" is brilliant:



I like her so much, I even subscribed to her blog. Her sketches and the stories that accompany them are delightful. ♥

Listening to Yacht.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Casually Ornate

Jolynn Krystosek is in town and I will be able to see her work this Saturday. I am very thrilled about this because, really, how could you not be? Just look at how lovely her work is:






She manages to carve, paint, cut, piece together simple materials into complex and ornate shapes while maintaining the casual nature of the medium. It is pretty remarkable that I can use "casual" and "ornate" in the same description, but she somehow succeeds in making this unlikely pairing. I cannot wait to get a close look at some of these!

Listening to The Deep Dark Woods.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Goodbye.

On a sad note, John Updike died today. He'll be missed.



"Tell your mother, if she asks, that maybe we'll meet some other time. Under the pear trees, in Paradise." –Rabbit at Rest

Globe Trekker

Speaking of things I discovered in college (see previous Bitch post), I was staying with a friend recently who has a TV, and I happened to come across my favorite, favorite travel show, Globe Trekker. I was thrilled! This show was a Sunday ritual for me, and, being now (mostly happily) without television, I haven't thought about the show in a few years. What a nice reunion it was though. What makes this show great is its low-key, toned down approach. It is definitely not one of those "XXTREME IN YOUR FACE" shows, yet there is plenty of adventure to be had. The hosts are always charming in their own unique ways, and really have a way of making the viewer feel like a friend who had been invited along on this journey. They are respectful of the cultures they encounter and provide well researched, delightfully informative narration. I can't say enough about this show (although the website leaves something to be desired). I may have to purchase a few seasons. Ah, Love.

Check out a little preview here.

It's going to be an exciting season, as they are going to England & Wales


Iran

the Greek Islands


Kenya


Peru

and

New Zealand


...just to name a few.

Listening to kim ki o.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Bitch Magazine

I'm moving house soon, and I've been thinking about all the things I need to do to prepare. Some things are more exciting than others--bleaching shower tile grout and filling in nail holes make the procrastinator in me suddenly take hold. On the more interesting list, however, are my magazine subscriptions. I've let them lapse lately because I am never home to receive them, but I foresee a lot of lovely Sunday mornings in my new kitchen, reading some of my favorite magazines. First on my renewal list: Bitch magazine. The magazine tags itself "A Feminist Reponse to Pop Culture," and while that is the main thrust of the magazine, I consistently find wonderful social commentary, calls to action, thoughtful dialogue and a sense of intelligent fun that take this magazine to a new level. It reaches beyond pop culture, feminism, girl-centricism (centric-ness?), and is the only "women's" magazine I devour from cover to cover. I've been reading since college, and hope it stays around, because I plan on reading as long as it's here. I mean, how can you NOT love a magazine that quotes Rebecca West in its "About Us" section?

When I bought the new issue it solidified my love for this magazine. They did a Noir issue! Ah, Bitch, how I love thee. Please buy and read the article on Twilight. If only more young women read Bitch...

Friday, January 23, 2009

I saw Slumdog Millionaire last night. While I can appreciate that it is a good movie, and that people are drawn to the story, which is compelling, I’m not sure I can buy into it as hard-core as to say it was the Best Picture of the Year.

It struck me as a rather heavy-handed fairy tale. While the gritty, crushing hardships endured by the characters verge much closer to reality than, say, Cinderella scrubbing floors and sleeping in a cartoon mouse-infested attic, toward the end, I could almost hear “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” swelling in the background as the characters realize that love conquers all, especially the predestined kind.

Don’t get me wrong, it serves its entertainment purpose, which is what most people are looking for in their trek to the movie theatre, but I didn’t connect with it in an affirmation of the human spirit, etc. sort of way that I suspect made many vote this into best picture category. I do not discount the successes of the movie—the audience is taken into the festering slums with such candid detail you feel as if you had really been there, the acting is good, the music is cleverly used as a playful and much needed reprieve from hard-to-watch scenes, and the storytelling is creative. The premise IS pretty original and the film has charm, but I just couldn’t fully stomach the “it is written,” “it’s our destiny” cop-out convenience of it all. Although the characters endure hellish circumstances (the little tent in the trash pile made me cry), I still just couldn’t get behind the final message, which feels as old and stale as any of the Disney princess movies.

The “Little Engine That Could” aspect (found here when the country rallies behind Jamal at his final question) is a crowd-pleaser every time, but I think what I was missing from this story is a sense of what any of it means to Jamal other than his singular focus on Latika. One would like to say it’s about the family you create, or the juxtaposition between his path and that of his brother, about choices and responsibility, even about triumph over hardships. While there are sprinkles of that, it didn’t fully resonate. And it perpetuates, unfortunately, the ever-present movie industry idea that love is as easy as “destiny.” When the apparently more reality savvy Latika asks Jamal “what would we live on?” and he replies “love,” I had to ask myself, is that blind idealism something we should really be rooting for? And if it is too irresistible to deny, shouldn’t we at least require some substantial message behind it? I don’t know, maybe I’m a cynic.

If you want a true story of inspiration from dismal circumstances, I suggest Born Into Brothels, a wonderful documentary by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski about teaching photography to children of Calucutta brothels. You can also buy the childrens' wonderful photos and help support them. Here are some examples:



Thursday, January 22, 2009

In light of the Oscar Nominations...

Well, the Oscar nominations came out today and I realized that sadly, I have seen none of the films nominated in the big categories. This got me thinking about film in general and how little I have taken in lately. And I love film. I think I need to solve this problem, and that is why I am going to the movies tonight and probably pretty regularly until February 22. Although I still don't know how excited I am about any of the nominations this year. Anyway, this got me on a film kick and I've been active on the Criterion website today, looking for films I want to watch. While this won't hlp me with my Oscar nominee knowledge, it will make me excited about film again, something I knew was missing the last time someone asked me what my favorite movie is and I couldn't remember. Eesh.

I only got about ankle-deep into the site and here is my huge list so far:
Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?
F for Fake
Fishing With John
Charade (now, of course I've seen this, but the Crtiterion one promises it in all it's Technicolor glory (or as close as they can get) so I need to see this version)
I hope it in some way harnesses the cool that is the Japanese poster, because I love this:

Contempt
Elena and Her Men
The Red Shoes
Summertime
The Fire Within
Hiroshima Mon Amour
The Lovers
Diabolique
High and Low
Le Samourai
The Third Man
The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
A Woman is a Woman

Listening to Beirut, whose new double EP is out soon. Yay!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

I love collage and mixed media. Recently I came across Micael Mew<

Aster and Mew

I love collage and mixed media. Recently I came across Michael Mew And I really like a lot of his work. They are bright and well-composed.






Today I'm listening to Aster.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inauguration Day! and a birthday shoutout


Download poster HERE

What a great day! This morning I listened to the inauguration from work. I loved his speech, and am just elated and relieved. And tonight I get to celebrate a friend's birthday. In honor of said birthday, here is a visual treat:

Friday, January 16, 2009

Send me a postcard, baby....

Ah, posting yesterday was a bit of a hassle, so I'm going to do two today. Yesterday what was on my mind was vintage postcards. While my friend and I were in San Francisco recently, we really wanted to find some vintage postcards to send home, but, alas, we never found any. Perhaps we should have checked the internet (although I didn't have a ton of luck there either). I did find these gems though, and I have to share:




I even found these from San Francisco and I think they're great. I love the colors.



I'm going to an antique expo this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to find some there. I have some projects in mind that include old postcards :)

I was, aptly, listening to The Postal Service.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

20's Costuming

I love love love Art Deco and Nouveau, I love simple images mixed with borders and flowers, right angles mixed with swirly lines. I love the color palettes. I am also a fan of fashion and costume illustrations. Well, today, I found George Barbier. Here are some of his works:






Love.

I'm listening to Zoe Boekbinder because I like her.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Otters and Oddities





I love the work of Carson Ellis because it is often whimsical, recalls a grittier past, and integrates nature and "modern" life in a way that is both fun and folksy.

Speaking of Carson Ellis, the Decemberists have a new album coming out on March 24 called the Hazards of Love. (also, I'm tickled by their new song Valerie Plame--not on the album).