HESHER – DIRECTED BY SPENCER SUSSMAN
REVIEWED BY NANCY SMITH. MAY 18, 2011
or: as the underground art world likes to say . . . . HESH, YES !!
‘HESHER’ – A FILM BY SPENCER SUSSER – PRODUCED BY NATALIE PORTMAN – WRITTEN BY SPENCER SUSSER & DAVID MICHOD – OPENED THIS PAST FRI – MAY 13, 2011, and, hell yes . . . it has a real shot of being to 2011 – what ‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE’ – was to 2006: the sleeper hit of the year – all the way to the academy awards !!
ok. it’s a little bit darker, and takes you to places off the chart – but hey – that’s what it’s all about. it hits home and presses your buttons, way before you realize – you’re silent and watching . . . and, not so laughing out loud, anymore. A brilliant family portrait that hits all age groups, and spares no one. it’s one big ride !! now, that’s what I call – entertainment.
ok. there’s some differences – HESHER rides around in a BLACK VAN !!
‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE’ scored 2 ACADEMY AWARDS:
ALAN ARKIN for BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE, and BEST WRITING ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – to MICHAEL ARNDT !!
it also scored a (huge) nomination for BEST MOTION PICTURE (no joke !!), and ABIGAL BRESLIN, as the young girl who is at the center of the flick’s narrative – was nominated for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS !! – her first time out.
artlovers’ film contributor, JAN ALBERT wrote of ‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE ‘ in her BEST of 2006:
“quirky, beautifully cast, and laugh out loud funny . . . not to oversell this small joy but it’s a great ride.”
see: ‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE’ – OFFICIAL WEBSITE
‘HESHER’ – has RAIIN WILSON, (THE OFFICE !!), JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT as HESHER (YES !! WAY, SUPER SUPER YES !!) and DEVIN BROCHU as TJ – the bullied bereft kid (YES YES & more YES !! Abigail move over) – sitting around the family dining room table, scarfing up the food – and the life !!
say what ?
quirky, beautifully cast and (in the beginning, cause ‘HESHER’ is a thrill ride – as in: no slouch !!) laugh out loud funny . . .
that goes way over the line and then some . . .
‘HESHER’ – to use Jan’s ‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE’ words, is quite simply . . . “not to oversell this small joy but it’s a great ride.”
RAIIN WILSON in particular comes in for some good words, in the ‘Sunshine’ comparison. he plays his role so convincingly – and so – on the low down, baby. he beats out Steve Carell, hands down.
NATALIE PORTMAN – in ‘HESHER’ . . . one of her best performances, ever !!
if you begin to think ‘HESHER’ goes too far – in the unexpected department. just think on the last time you opened up a conversation with a complete stranger – to find a beautiful loser !!
and like ‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE’ – this first feature by DIRECTOR SPENCER SUSSER, (NATALIE PORTMAN has a producer credit on the film’s website) – has an ace story line, that just never stops. a wicked witty take on the casual world we inhabit, as we all try to survive. . . and dream. not to mention an intimate portrait on the generational dance . . . that shines a sweet light on the darker side of the family dinner table.
not to forget knock-down production values. ace acting – the whole ensemble is amazing – it’s like watching a play. ace dialog. ace sets, ace cinematography. and ace (subtle as hell) sound effects & sound track.
instead of ALAN ARKIN as the outrageous grandpa, we get PIPER LAURIE as the sweet but goofy, clueless. not long for this world, and soon to pop-off grandma. if she ain’t dishing the potatoes, she’s sharing the bong !!
RICHARD BRODY reviewed ‘HESHER’ in the NEW YORKER, last week too . . .
‘HESHER’ . . . stars JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT as the burn-out of the tile, an unemployed, unhinged, uninhibited heavy-metal stoner who barges into the life of a bullied teen-ager (DEVON BROCHU) and violently imposes himself on the kid’s grief-shattered household . . .
In exchange for bed, board, and complete, uncritical, and unquestioning indulgence HESHER offers meaningful life lessons.
There’s also an awkward bedraggled supermarket cashier (NATALIE PORTMAN) who adds to the film’s gallery of run-down and used-up people in need of just the kind of jolt that a foulmouthed, undisciplined, impulsive pyromaniac with a heart of gold, can provide.”
yeah bro, it’s a rainy day. take a web ride & check out: ‘HESHER’ – THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE !!
but just know – it ain’t got nothing – on the movie.
ANGELIKA – here we come !!
ALL PHOTOS: COURTESY/THE OFFICIAL MOVIE WEBSITES
~’HESHER’ = THE NEW ‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE’ ? HELL, YES !! |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 18th, 2011, 12:43pm
TEXT & PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. MAY 13, 2011
FILE UNDER: THE HESHER – !! – MAKING INDIE WAVES !!
YES, that is art HOMEBOY – HESH – !! – aka HASH HALPER – who’s parodied, or hero-ed, or had his life-story stolen !! – or whatever you would friggin call it – identity-theft ? – in the new indie release: ‘HESHER’ – which just scored 3+1/2 stars out of 4 (!!) in a movie review just posted by KYLE SMITH – in the NEW YORK POST – this morning !!!!
the infamous – now famous ? HESH, center . . . of attention, natch. flanked by his sister SARAH LEWIS and artlovers’ KATE CERIGO – at the recent opening of another sister – ESTE LEWIS at THE PROPOSITION – MARCH 26, 2011 !!
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: ESTE LEWIS MEETS JAMES MONT !!
titled: ‘Antihero to the rescue’ – the KYLE SMITH review is a little hard to fathom – but the main deal gets across: HESH, or here as he is called, HESHER !! – RULES !!
Hesher . . . “a heavy-metal angel played by JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT . . . violent of hair, bare of chest, black of jeans and sporting a large middle finger tattoo on his back (in case you get behind him) is a burnout who appears in the life of a miserable young boy (Devin Brochu) who is missing his mom.
The boy is living in the past. His father (Rainn Wilson), a crumpled ex-man in sweatpants, isn’t living at all. Only the boy’s sweetly weird grandmother (Piper Laurie) appreciates the importance of the present, although she is aided by what she calls ‘medical cigarettes to help with nausea’.” ha.
the review continues: “Real-life Heshers – seen snickering six inches off the boundary of high school, smoking cigarettes and smashing bottles – are best avoided during that brief period between the full flowering of their anti-social skills and their inevitable departure to prison or the military or maybe the grave.” I’m sure the real Heshter – would take righteous issue with that !! it’s obvious that although the filmmakers know the real Hesh, Kyle Smith does not, but he intuitively gets it right as he continues, “The screen Hesher, though, is a cosmic clown, an imp of the perverse on a mission of the inappropriate” . . . and thank god for that – that somebody’s got the brains & ‘color’ – to be on that kind of mission . . . for sure. in these sorry days. right on, Hesh !!
and Kyle Smith does end his review with these fightin’ words: “Sometimes the only response to despair and cruelty, Hesher figures, is to make things go boom. In some bizarro Book of Job, I’d like to see the poor slob fight back as colorfully as Hesher: It wouldn’t accomplish anything, but it would at least show some freaking spirit.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
amen.
read: the complete HESHER /REVIEW by KYLE SMITH/NEW YORK POST May 13, 2011 – yo, that’s right. FRI the 13th, ha.
the POST also has a great ‘exclusive’ clip up & running:
see: WATCH A CLIP FROM – HESHER !!
‘HESHER’ – is currently playing at the ANGELIKA – HOUSTON and MERCER streets.
from their website, cause it rings TRUE, is why !!
FROM DIRECTOR: SPENCER SUSSER – with NATALIE PORTMAN, JOSEPH-LEVITT, RAINN WILSON, PIPER LAURIE & JOHN CARROLL LYNCH – “Loud music. Pornography. Burning shit to the ground. These are few of Hesher’s favorite things. And they are what Hesher brings into the lives of TJ and his father . . when he takes up residence in their garage uninvited.”
you can also catch: ‘HESHER’ – THE OFFICIAL TRAILER, on the ANGELIKA WEBSITE !!
WOW – GREAT TRAILER, OR WHAT !!!! – HESH YOU GO – BOY !! – DON’T BLINK – HIT THE LINK !!
~yes !! that’s HESH !! |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 13th, 2011, 8:20am
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999) – DIRECTED BY SOPHIA COPPOLA
REVIEWED BY NANCY SMITH. APRIL 19, 2011
I had a lot more fun, (as opposed to having just seen MEEK’S CUTOFF !!) – the next night, watching SOFIA COPPOLA’S – THE VIRGIN SUICIDES’ (1999) – which has has just popped up on: NETFLIX – INSTANTS !!
now there is a narrative, and a real slice of the American pie – which even though its story is hyper-fantastic – rings true all the way through. even to getting dumped on the football field – after the big prom nite . . .
JAMES WOODS takes the cake as the dad. A young JOSH HARTNETT, in a midnight blue velvet suit !! – is to die for. (apparently, literally) . . .
and a young KIRSTEN DUNST – oh la la. pioneer American rose in the blooming.
the LISBON girls: THERESE, LUX (KIRSTEN DUNST), MARY and BONNIE.
at first there were five . .
PHOTO: imdb media
JOSH HARTNETT as TRIP FONTAINE !!
PHOTO: imdb media
JOSH HARTNETT – at the RON TRUBKOVICH OPENING/FEB 15, 2008.
PHOTO BY: NANCY SMITH / first posted on artlovers/FEB 16, 2008
SOFIA COPPOLA – PHOTOGRAPHED at the GBE/ELIZABETH PEYTON OPENING, APRIL 17, 2004
PHOTO BY: NANCY SMITH – first published in artnet/APRIL 2004
‘THE VIRGIN SUICIDES’ – WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY – SOFIA COPPOLA – 1999
YO !! . . . . . WATCH THE ORIGINAL TRAILER – on YouTube !! !!
CECILIA – the first to go – the dying Elm tree in their suburban front yard – was the tip-off !!
~SOFIA COPPOLA: VIRGIN SUICIDE GIRL |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 19th, 2011, 11:06am
MEEK’S CUTOFF – DIRECTED BY KELLY REICHARDT
REVIEW & PHOTOS BY NANCY SMITH. APRIL 19, 2011
MICHELLE WILLIAMS in the lobby of the FILM FORUM, SAT APRIL 16, 2011
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
. . . after my downright enchanting, mind-freeing, soul-reviving, box-breaking – brain-power revving – not to forget, tangy-soup eating – rainy day excursion at RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA’S – ‘FEAR EATS THE SOUL’, I wandered over to the FILM FORUM to catch MICHELLE WILLIAMS’ latest flick – ‘MEEK’S CUTOFF’ – DIRECTED & EDITED BY KELLY REICHARDT – where my koda-chrome photo luck continued !!
lucky timing or what – MICHELLE WILLIAMS was there in the lobby on some private p.r. mission – and flashed me a really nice killer smile.
damn, if I didn’t die and go to paparazzi heaven right then, and there.
it took me at least 2 hrs to recover my equilibrium . . .
lucky I had that rush – because I can’t really recommend the film, except to die-hard MICHELLE WILLIAMS fans. what a dud. slow as molasses, with none of the sweet return.
even die-hard history buffs are gonna be disappointed. the film just never lifts off. never becomes authentic, even for the trying. you have a better shot on PBS. item: trying hard to get over on ya – EMILY TETHEROW, Ms. Williams’ character – loading a real black powder muzzle loading (Baker?) rifle, damn those things were heavy, solid steel.
(the best part of the movie – when her skinny arms recoiled from the actual strain). and took forever to fire. or seeing her grinding coffee. with a museum-worthy rusty squeaky handle-cranked bean grinder. the knitting scenes were the worst. yeah, those girls were really knitting, but silly scarves. in the desert. I don’t think so. they would have been patchin’ or crashin’.
and forget dramatic. all the men were cinematic duds. ole man Meek was a windbag – annoying – but not annoying enough – though you couldn’t get over the beautiful almond shape of his eyes over all that beard. and he had a great fringed leather costume. the Indian was ok. at least he seemed to sing soulful Indian, ok. but I would have preferred something really racy between him and Emily . . . Emily Tetherow, (Michelle) and SHIRLEY HENDERSON, as Mrs. GLORY WHITE – were captivating, cinematically, any time they got screen time – which was most of the time. no wonder. none of the others had any chemistry with the camera, let alone the script. maybe that was a kind of deliberate shaded-into-nothing form of casting ? is all I can think.
and when the film finally ended, with no plot in sight – let alone water – I wasn’t the only one who stood up, uttering those dread audience words aloud: a small chorus of . . . what the fuck was that ??
ya’ll know I am all for Americana – so, sorry for the busted review. but that’s how the dust settled.
interestingly enough, they had 2 actual costumes on hand – from the movie – displayed in the FILM FORUM LOBBY,
where you can still see the embedded desert dirt in the presumably laundered duds.
well, they weren’t all smelly and perspiration-stained. the (neck) ties of the bonnets took the biggest beating.
ORIGINAL PERIOD GARMENTS from the film by costume designer VICKI FARRELL.
materials: calico, muslim, cotton cording & Oregon desert dust.
left: MRS. EMILY TETHEROW – worn by MICHELLE WILLIAMS.
RIGHT: MRS. MILLIE GATELY – worn by ZOE KAZAN.
EMILY TETHEROW’S BONNET.
MILLIE GATELY’S BONNET.
detail, MILLIE GATELY sleeve.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. FILM FORUM – 209 WEST HOUSTON ST, APRIL 16, 2011.
see: ‘MEEK’S CUTOFF’ – THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE
~MICHELLE WILLIAMS: PIONEER GIRL |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | April 19th, 2011, 10:26am
. . . f*ck me.
TRON !! – who cares about stories when you are racing through an alternative universe – on a day-glo grid – at the most unimaginable high speed.
if you want a story – read a friggin book. state of the art screen time. you most def walk out a little more perceptually stunned, then when you went in – that’s for sure.
yeah. TRON in 3D – it’s so, so, not about the story, duh. its about speed on the grid. free falls thru vast twisting space. the vortex that is web.
conceptual. not so much. mathematical no. spatial. yes.
even the official website – falls flat – too much emphasis on the narrative – when – really the film is a great . . . big, huge. visual blow-out. the trailer is dumb, don’t let it turn you off. they shoulda just let it run free – like it does in the movie.
it’s #1 – for a reason. and it’s not the story. it’s like people who can’t see the art, unless – there is a story. a background. forget story, think alt. alternative . . . reality. visual mind trip. the story is just the pretext. you don’t need it – and thank god, unlike Avatar – they really don’t serve it up . . .
its all about the production – and they aced it. twisted and tweaked that flat screen, deep. big time.
and, talking about – twist.
as in, talking bout users.
there’s users, you know people who use ya – and then spit on ya – and then there’s users, like in web users. funny / a funny divergence of meaning – for one little word.
I got a fortune cookie with my take-out General Tsao’s Chicken – just the other day.
it said: “throw mud – lose ground”. ha.
so, here’s a question for ya: can you lose ground – on an open-ended infinitely spatial grid. aka the web ?
I guess so. maybe. I mean you can fall thru a shattering spatial crystal. and die. actually – really shatter. turns out, things are really brittle on the grid.
but, can you lose ground – calling a spade a spade in this crummy little island and its narrowing little art world. TRON gonna wipe you out. you are so boring.
unless your art is really . . touching the earth – down-right-to-honest – good. like what makes ordinary day-to-day human birth – equivalent to – paranormal experience !!
in the end, our primitive little celestial globe – aka earth – seems so sweet, just like Justin Samson’s baby photo and all that rad Philly art – (below/previous post) – esp. after the endless day-glo night of the alternative logic board.
talk about hard edged w-i-r-e-d. no let-up. no sunset.
and yeah. speaking of which, yes. I caught the rare lunar eclipse on the winter solstice – last nite. like an eerie sleep walker – totally unaware, a light of moonbeam so strong it woke me – from 2 rooms away – beckoned to me like a strange magic witch on a lonely moor – and called to me – follow the path to the kitchen. where I looked up – what up, with this dumb sleep walking and eerie bright night sky – and then I saw the moon grow dark and be eclipsed. and the room turned dull red.
lucky I didn’t get beamed up, right then and there. kidnapped by aliens – good grief – Disney what are you thinking ? alien races needing our earth moms . . . to raise their kiddies ?
no joke. it’s the animated trailer before Tron comes on. good grief. if that isn’t enough to stop you in your tracks, what is ? maybe Holland Carter in the New York Times, this past Saturday Dec 18, admonishing Huma Bhabha, – sounds Star Wars does it not – not to lose her soul – in the race to fill up on – her new over-size ambitions ? as if we didn’t see that coming.
“Much of the work in both shows is dated 2010, which could point to the problem: overproduction in a short time. It wouldn’t hurt if, at this juncture, Ms. Bhabha slowed down a little and – for sure – forgot about trying to fill Blum’s ridiculously large Chelsea space. She’s coming into mid-career, a period when a style can, without vigilance, turn into a set of moves.”
oops, I feel the ground moving. caught between the web and a hard place.
UP-DATE: FRI DEC 24, 2010 12:34 AM
. . . . ok. ok. if you are a cool dude under 21 – and live in a 24/7 wired man cave – you might find the TRON #2 narrative “corny”, and the fight scenes . . . just so-so !!
esp the bit with the slick chicks and the evil DJ Brit dude – duh is nowhere near BATMAN the movie – resonance.
but then again – KICK-ASS (ha) might just be your favorite (groan) release of the year.
if you are a serious film buff – esp sci fi – you might also find the narrative lacking.
but, if you look at art, esp gallery art 24/7 – and, you are a big big comics fan – illustration zombie and computer animation geek – hands down, you’ll agree – the spatial ride – the computer animation, I guess – is the word ? – is superb, far-out, flung-out, beyond comprehension and absolutely flawless. it’s not just special effects – it is space travel at amazing speed. thrilling. and multi-dimensional beyond current vocabulary definition. and it is 99% of the movie anyways, so. from my art world perch, or is that porch ? I still say – hell yeah – TRON 2 – FLIES !!
~T-R-O-N !! |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 22nd, 2010, 2:12am
FILE UNDER: CRACKULA MEETS DUMBLEDORE !!
. . . UNDESIRABLE No. 1 – GHOST OF NANCY PAST – AKA CRACKULA – WANTED . . .
CONTACT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION . . . . CONCERNING HER WHEREABOUTS.
FAILURE TO REPORT WILL RESULT IN IMPRISONMENT. REWARD 10,000 GALLEONS
THE GHOST OF DUMBLEDORE PAST !!
wow – “these are dark times – there is no denying . . ”
straight up from the intro – we are off and running . . .
and for love-starved, action-starved artists of all kinds – the magic literally begins with the first title graphics. the letters – grow large and eerie – rusted old iron gates – and we are inside the action and transported right up – onto the big screen – ourselves – before we knew it. talk about absolutely thrilling, perfectly calibrated animation. nice fonts, too. the whole production ticks this way – brilliant, and subtle. fire on the lowdown. it almost plays out in black and white – as the fingers of evil, entwine their clammy little paws – around your throat.
helping make this, the 7th in the series – esp earmarked for visual artists – are the huge horizontal screenshots of unbelievably breathtaking mythical British landscapes – and the gorgeous light that subtly changes from day to night, and flickers – albeit with an eerie cold heart – from season to season. a shout out has to go to EDUARDO SERRA – the film’s Director of Photography. in fact this is the first film in the beloved franchise – to take our 3 heros away from Hogwarts and its familiar surroundings. in fact Hogwarts is never seen, Dumbledore is referenced but with growing conflict and doubt, and so – the film casts its spell in a whole new realm of sets, and mind-sets !! this is esp powerful and haunting – as it lets the 3 young Brits – Danile Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – who we’ve watched grow up – through the series – really ‘grow’ into, or ‘become’ as they say – the fictional characters who may have taken over their real lives, or is that visa versa . . . hard to say. what’s most def – is that their new dynamics still hold forth on the big screen, larger than life – and most magically telling the story. Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry has become more of a nerd !!
trying to become more of man-boy and less of a wizard. but still just as intuitive. and ready to go for it. all. Hermione Granger is just awesome. Emma Watson, even . . . Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander – brilliant as she is – has nothing on you. where you walk in the film – there goes my heart – on tiptoes of fear. and Rupert Grint – oh my god – what a hunk, Ron Weasley grew up to be !! of course Alan Rickman scores as the dark Severus Snape, and Brendan Gleason, is the sad Mad-Eye Moody – straight out of Mad Max – or Brooklyn’s own Black Label tall bike club – whichever comes first to your mind – who gets knocked out pretty much from the get-go. does that guy remind of me – of the Enger bros – or what ? kind of a twisted out made evil but good – version of a midwestern Army brat – gone underground and highly skilled – who likes to party hard – gone batty and mad – but brilliant, street-wise and military hardened.
. . . but my absolute fav is the long haired – straight to his shoulders, white-haired and gorgeous – RHYS IFANS – as the new character – XENOPHILIUS LOVEGOOD, the father of the moonstruck for real – Luna, who else ? what a name . . . what a brilliant stroke of casting. absolutely eccentric, creative, revealing, and deceiving – it is he – whom the whole story turns on . . . at this point. we first meet him at the wedding . . . where is just slightly dwelt on – as the father of Luna. but turns out his was wearing the symbol – yes, the code !! – a circle within a triangle with a line through the middle – the symbol of the DEATHLY HALLOWS – as a charm on a chain – around his very neck.
p.s. talk about production details – for artists – not just kids – there is a credit to GUCCI – “for letting the filmmakers base Fleur’s wedding dress – on the work of ALEXANDER McQUEEN” !! I thought there was something unearthly and absolutely fashion-forward happening there – as soon as I saw it . . .
p.s.s. Luna makes some small talk at the wedding – that would make many a gallery-goer blush !!
did I mention – he is also an editor !!
yes, Xenophilius Lovegood – is the editor of THE QUIBBLER an “underground publication that bravely champions Harry . . .” and in their search for the answer to the code – of the DEATHLY HALLOWS – that they remember as the pendant he wore around his neck – Harry, Ron and Hermione journey to his house. another great part of the visual impact of the film – are these ghostly eccentric patchwork houses conjured up on lonely moors – where we are treated to the detailed chaos of a creative mind – a storehouse of fable and witchery – gone the more crazy as we are to learn – by the dark side – suits if suits were bad wizards – who have kidnapped his precious Luna. oh no. oh yes !!
there is his early century printing press on the tumbling-in topsy-turvy ground floor – the walls lined with art work by Luna. (the equally magical in real life too,we suspect – EVANNA LYNCH. yep. real name . . in fact I believe it was she who wrote the winning essay – in a contest to gain a role in the film – and thus: Luna Lovegood – comes to life most strangely, is it not) . . . but, back to Xenophilius – did I mention – several people have already told me – his hand knit garments, some patched and most creative to say the least – and esp his knit fringed overcoat – reminded them of my handiwork – 0 what a babbler. and he is one too. not just an editor and writer. keeper of secrets. champion of good. he draws.
. . . he draws and explains the code – with a nib pen in ink – the symbols. the magic symbols of the Deathly Hallows and it is he – who opens the way for the most beautiful animation almost ever – the fable of the Deathly Hallows – itself – the ancient tale of three men who try to cheat death. done in animated hand puppets – ala Kara Walker – if she hadn’t already mined the genre – the invisibility cloak being the most sublime graphic to come to mind, almost forever . . . while all the while – seeping tea in pots without water – he is thinking that when push comes to shove – Harry Potter aside – justice does just trickle down to him, and beloved lost Luna. his daughter.
the very last thought: XENOPHILIUS LOVEGOOD – the very first blogger !!
if I ever did see one – weren’t those guys who ran the early one-man printing presses – bloggers ? come on. yes, they were.
and he drew. and he told stories. and made tea. and held keys to secret codes !! not to mention wore hand-knit eccentric one-of-a kind pieces !! and had a talented lovely daughter he loved and doted on – to no end.
(hope Kate doesn’t read this. don’t tell her I said so.)
how great that J.K. Rowling – let this guy wear so many hats !!
and that long white hair – is so divine – I think he’s gonna start a trend . . . oh how I yearn to change my name from Smith to Lovegood – though it’s close. Brit like. and all.
but, what do you think – should I change artlovers for . . . . THE QUIBBLER, or what !!
so o.k. – long story short:
action junkies and young men, even older men film reviewers, I’ve found – might find the telling a tad extended, and maybe too intense – “get me to the finale” !! the big face-off.
but, anybody with even half-an0artist in their souls – will be lost spellbound . . . up to the very last blood drop. if not even the very last font of the closing credits.
and oh yeah. I did see two quilts in the movie !! yes. real antique ones – a testament to the great and ingenious British handicraft tradition that came with the very first wave of colonists to
populate our country of USA. the first was an old patchwork bed quilt – looked to ca. colonial times – a tiny diamond pattern – kind of genre we call – postage stamp. the othr was a victoan era Crazy quilt.
and I liked the music too. just brooding enough. chilly and underplayed, yum . . . here’s a final and closing shout-out to the movie’s composer – ALEXANDRE DESPLAT.
the whole production team & esp the animators and graphic artists, set designers. you name it, they did it.
check it out: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1/official website !!
all pix – generated from the official HARRY POTTER WEBSITE.
yep, look around – you too, can make an interactive WANTED poster !!
archival photo of NANCY SMITH – ENEMY No. 1: copyright NANCY SMITH
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS/PART I |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 30th, 2010, 12:58pm
yo, I gotta split for a week – you know – it’s a thing called life !! and I have one . . . and it’s calling – me home.
so, good luck trying to find yourself entertained and informed – as well as making dough – if you are smart enough to follow the bread crumbs . . .
should be back up and running – by mid November – til then, if you get bored – go see: ‘NOWHERE BOY’ !!
yeah. it’s that good.
it’s – THE YEAR OF THE BOY.
NOWHERE BOY – OFFICIAL WEBSITE !!
yep, it’s the best movie about an artist – since Julian Schnabel’s bio-flick – ‘BASQUIAT’ – no doubt about it.
probably – because an artist made it: SAM TAYLOR-WOOD – and a Brit at that.
sure saved that young actor’s sorry self – AARON JOHNSON – otherwise doomed to be playing type-cast versions of KICK ASS, for-ever. or at least for the rest of his life. no wonder he fell in love with her.
Sam Taylor-Wood.
connect the dots yourself – got to run.
~STAY TUNED/NOWHERE BOY |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 9th, 2010, 1:33am
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, NYC, SUMMER 2010.
if you are chasing TILDA SWINTON – forget about ‘I AM LOVE’ – how does a movie that starts off so good – turn so bad ? and I mean really bad. the opening shots and esp the black and white location photography is wonderful, and so are the titles, as in “SAN REMO”, which stretch from one end of the screen to the other in large black block letters . . . but that’s about it, it just gets too bad to even consider. the one interesting (art world) note – the inlaid marble ??!! ground of the big pedestrian square in San Remo – seems to have been the uncredited inspiration for MARTIN CREED’S marble floor installation at Gavin Brown’s ??
. . . but chasing the snake-hipped RUSSELL BRAND in ‘GET HIM TO THE GREEK’ – now, that paid off !! uncertain whether my big-time crush on all things Russell Brand was universal, I asked my colleague, film maven JAN ALBERT for her take. Jan’s reply:
“oh yes, I really enjoyed it – the music video parody – African Child – was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in recent memory.’ !!
check out: GET HIM TO THE GREEK/OFFICIAL WEBSITE !!
~CHASING RUSSELL BRAND/GET HIM TO THE GREEK |
Posted in Movie Reviews | By Nancy Smith | July 15th, 2010, 7:22am
yep, that’s me.
doing the art rounds in Chelsea, on a few recent weekends – I noticed a whole bunch of complete strangers, nice, intelligent-looking strangers – waving hello to me. what gives ? I just sort of waved back. and then it slowly dawned on me – they must know me from WE LIVE IN PUBLIC !!
sure enough, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC was undergoing a little publicity surge – some additional summer heat in New York City. Apparently MOMA recently honored WE LIVE IN PUBLIC by announcing its purchase it for their prestigious film collection – and it was screened July 4th weekend at MOMA in honor of that acquisition.
see: MOMA Recent Film Acquisitions
MOVIES ON DEMAND – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – is number 2 !!
then quickly followed an up-dated press release from the WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/INTERLOPER FILMS crew – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – “is finally accessible to the masses via DVD and Video On Demand! It’s everywhere! We’ve been reaping consistent praise and buzz with continued great press and nonstop love . . . After much blood, sweat, and tears, we feel that we’ve created a little bit of history here. Over the course of our ground-breaking 6-city webcast DVD launch party (which drew 77,000online participants), we tracked the film’s rankings at the iTunes store. On March 1st, we were #43 in rentals and by the end of the event we had risen to #20, which is all well and good. BUT THEN, by the next morning … our film had blazed all the way up to #2 in rentals and #3 in sales and stayed there for the month of March!”
the Interloper team then goes on list the newest “phenomenal feedback” … “as we push the film out into the world”, including:
OnDemand
“Timoner has found a public visionary that goes to the the beat of his own drum, even if that means destruction.”
see: WLIP/OnDemand !!
Time
“The film holds out Harris as a kind of holy fool, a demented visionary who managed to anticipate the new normal of constant public exposure.”
see: ‘Web Privacy: In Praise of Oversharing’/Time !!
Cinematical
“She captured elements of the late 90s and early 2000s that I imagine will be seen decades from now by young people who will wish they’d been there.”
see: ‘DocTalk: Ondi Timoner’s ‘Dig!’ and ‘We Live in Public”/Cinematical !!
Pop Matters
“We Live In Public demonstrates in shocking relief, the growing importance of social media in most people’s everyday lives is a recent phenomenon, but one that has its roots in our most basic feelings, a particularly effective way of addressing an age-old humann drive.”
see: ‘Someone to Watch Over Me: An interview with Ondi Timoner/Pop Matters !!
Roger Ebert
“[WLIP] is a remarkable film about a strange and prophetic man.”
see: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/ROGER EBERT !!
San Francisco Chronicle
“To watch ‘We Live in Public’ is to wonder if the world we live in is just a reflection of one man’s neurosis – if Harris’s mix of emotional distance and rabid self-promotion has simply gone viral.”
see: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/San Francisco Chronicle !!
DealNay
provides an extensive compilation of recent reviews.
see: Save $9.29/WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/DealNay !!
then there’s that great interview with Ondi at the Ambulante Film Festival founded by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna !!
ONDI TOMONER and ROBERT REDFORD – SUNDANCE INSTITUTE LAB, UTAH. JUNE 2010
PHOTO COURTESY/INTERLOPER FILMS
ONDI TIMONER and ED HARRIS – SUNDANCE INSTITUTE LAB, UTAH. JUNE 2010
PHOTO COURTESY/INTERLOPER FILMS
from the Interloper crew:
“The folks at Sundance have been incredible fans and friends of Interloper Films, gracing 2 of our docs with Grand Jury Awards (Dig! in 2004 and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC in 2009) . . .”
(it’s worth noting ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ was up against the ‘SEPTEMBER ISSUE’ !! – nancy)
. . . “making Ondi the only person to receive that honor multiple times. So we were extra-thrilled when Ondi was invited back to Sundance this year for the prestigious Sundance Institute Directors Lab. While ‘WE LIVE In PUBLIC’ bends the brains of documentary fans worldwide and ‘COOl IT’ is being whipped into editorial submission, Ondi is sequestered in the mountains at the Sundance Institute, shooting practice scenes for her debut pre-scripted actor film, ‘THE PERFECT MOMENT’, based on the life of controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Ondi is one of eight directors chosen from around the world to undergo master training at this prestigious invite-only think tank. She is spending the month of June making her transition into this kind of storytelling with the daily guidance of advisors like Robert Redford, Ed Harris, Joan Tewkesbury, Douglas McGrath, Joan Darling, Gyula Gadzag, Michael Hoffman, Brad Siberling, Caleb Deschanel, among others, as she embarks on this new phase in her career. We spoke with Ondi from Sundance, and she described what she is experiencing as “Jedi warrior training” !!
see: Sundance Institute Announces 13 Projects for 2010 JUNE Directors & Screenwriters Labs.
additionally – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – still seems to capturing the imagination in the U.K. !!
In early June, WE LIVE In PUBLIC aired on the U.K.’s More4 True Stories to an audience of 87,000 people up against the World cup, Big Brother and Borat !! The film was recognized as pick of the night by the Independent (UK), which cited the film as “an extraordinary tale of a man tragically just ahead of the curve – and. for anyone who’s ever clicked refresh on their Twitter feed a little too compulsively, required viewing.”
see: last night’s t.v./INDEPENDENT (UK) !!
The Guardian (UK) describes WE LIVE IN PUBLIC as an “incredible film” and had it as their pick of the week, as well.
TV PIXIE (UK) describes WE LIVE IN PUBLIC as a “startling precusor to the online environment we know know.” !!
see: WLIP/TV PIXIE
and highlighted their post – with a great photo of JOSH as his alter-ego – LUVVY !!
JOSH HARRIS and LUVVY – one and the same !!
PHOTO COURTESY/TV PIXIE (UK)
last, but not least on the U.K. front – you gotta love that dry Brit wit !!
The Arts Desk writes: “American film director Ondi Timoner’s documentary is an unsettling look at Harris’s struggle to find himself which could be viewed as a cautionary tale for any parents who use their television or PC as a child minder !!
see: “. . . the fears of a clown” !!/ArtsDesk !!
so, be sure to catch all the newest !! WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – downloads :
at: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOADS !!
and finally – find all things, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC at: weliveinpublicthemovie.com !!
~ONDI TIMONER/WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/up-date !! |
Posted in Movie Reviews | By Nancy Smith | July 12th, 2010, 9:01am
‘PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE’ – A STEVEN SEBRING FILM
REVIEWED BY NANCY SMITH, JAN 4, 2010
‘PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE’ – premiered on P.O.V. – PBS Channel 13 NYC – WED DEC 30, 2009.
. . . heading into this New Year’s Eve, I sunk deep into a big funky look back – instead of partying – I slept for 2 days solid – except for some intermittent – weird hour – kitchen table-top – solitaire – with real cards – and a bottle of KHALUA leftover from Christmas. what the hell ? was life that bad – would the future – be that mean.
finally emerging at what crazy hour – 3 am – Friday night, really Saturday morning Jan 2. 2010 – and totally out of sync with the rest of the world – with nothing to lose, nothing to do, and thinking nothing to gain – I turned on the t.v. – fully expecting to bore myself back to sleep with infomercials. not.
with typical innate crackula timing – I had hit the remote – with some kind of magic – that promised more life was yet to be lived !! talk about flip. despair to transfixed delight in a nanosecond – as the opening credits of ‘PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE’ – began a seriously off-hours broadcast re-run – on PBS – for the city that never sleeps. wow !! did I get snapped up and swept away – or what. a documentary, more like a dream, and thus aptly titled, more like a poem, or a love song – it caught the core – of what can only be called wild, raw, deathly beautiful, off-the-wall and truly – anti-establishment – inspiration. the iconic punk mother musician of them all – Patti Smith – looking back, and going forward. mostly through black and white footage, accompanied by a narrative in her own words – of a pretty straightforward, yet personal nature. a little guarded. a little visionary. also interweaving in the words of her songs, and the texts of her poems.
I fell hard. immediate entrancement – smack up against a poem of a portrait of a rebel of an icon. a cinematic poem of a slim but strong-boned woman, with a mostly unkempt mane of hair – always in men’s clothes and a series of hard-core boots – a documentary of fleeting moments strung together – like black and white Christmas lights – with the lightest of touch – and joy – by a fashion photog – of all people. it’s a documentary that feels photographic, as opposed to cinematic. ghostly as opposed to agenda-like. footage that was allowed to run free. feel wild. catching a ghost by the toe ? you can catch a few fleeting frames of the filmmaker himself – Steven Sebring – he’s that wild strawberry-colored character that kind of bookends the film’s spin. and the film does spin a fine web – with bits of archived historic footage – memories – caught up in the also mostly black and white footage Mr. Sebring pulled from the past 11 years of jumping in on her life – starting from the moment when he first interfaced with her, in 1995, when she (has to) return to perform, after the deaths of her husband, and her brother.
what a way to wake up to: YEAR 2010.
just imagine how Patti Smith felt. She turned 63 this past Wed Dec 30th !! she was in concert for 3 nights, as per her 11 year tradition at the Bowery Ballroom, and this gossamer of a film tribute debuted on Channel 13. apparently almost around the clock !!
so, she goes from 50 to 60 in the 11 years Mr. Sebring filmed her. its fascinating to watch. esp in one so free and wild. 50 can still be young in artworld years, it’s only ten from 40 – but 60 really seems to be on the cusp of turning a corner.
it’s also fascinating to watch the intertwined clips from even further back – illuminating her true blue American journey from early rural factory roots to the punk rock scene of New York City in the late 60s, and 70s – CBGB, and the Chelsea Hotel via the words of William Blake – and seriously interfacing in person – with Robert Mapplethorpe and William Burroughs.
truth be told – at times it felt like it needed one more edit. by a harsher hand than the loving one that held the camera.
loved all that passing highway scenery, give me more – but the scenes with her parents were a smidgen too long. that early footage with her son – where he is talking in his room to the out-of-range interviewer is way too corny. and the scene where she is on the beach with, I guess, a new lover – is downright cringe-inducing. bad enough they are trading pee stories, but to see this rebel icon, who doesn’t think twice about showing up on stage in a beat-up man’s suit jacket with messy lame hair – transparently calculating the risks of alienating her man – by outdoing him with bragging rights – is too much. well I guess it is revealing. even Patti Smith has clay feet. but better watch out or that segment is going to end up in YouTube afterlife – as the closest thing the artworld has ever got – to being celebrity ridiculed on – by Joel McHale and his E!! Soup.
on the other hand, on the list of: wish there was more of. wish there was more footage of her husband and that he had been more clearly hi-lighted as such – as his briefest of brief cameos flash by, we aren’t all insiders. same with the the members of her band, wish there was more on them, and on her bro. it was riveting to hear her tell of his support from earliest days forward.
and then, there’s her painting. put it this way – I don’t dream to post my musical pretensions – just cause primal music has a case for it. ok. just because Jackson Pollock used drips – doesn’t make all drip painting – painting. though it was kind of fun to see her try to cross the cultural divide, and it was touching to see her final cameo – one of the few moments filmed in color – as she sits beneath her big, now framed drip painting.
I haven’t said too much about her music. well, it’s in there – as it should be – beyond words – included are great clips of her in early performance. and later forays. Simon says her first 2 albums “were amazing. in a class with the Velvet Underground. She was much more important, much more of a punk icon, than Blondie.”
you can watch the trailer, and catch more info on the film,
– including interviews with the film’s maker STEVEN SEBRING & PATTI SMITH, herself: here on P.O.V./PBS !!
more pix – from ‘PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE’ – off the TV !!
loved loved loved – all those – on-the-road trip clips !!
see that big ole POLAROID camera to the right. she’s pretty much joined to the hip with it – throughout !!
wonder if she can still get film – for it ? it’s fun watching her handle it – heavy-duty snapshots for sure !!
lots of the action takes place at the Chelsea Hotel !! or is that – Hotel Chelsea – that they call it now ?
at some stage in her life – she’s got these great messy braids down the front – love it.
you can also watch her rings change places on her fingers, over the years, if you look closely.
with ALLEN GINSBERG.
with ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE, who she talks about the most. and with whom she seems to have been the most bonded.
she even shows us a small ‘Persian’ urn of a portion of his ashes, and says it’s not so much ashes – as fragments of hard chalk-like substance – I think they call that bone, Patti.
the film’s maker – STEVEN SEBRING
later on. that Polaroid is still hangin’ in there.
today. or at any rate – the latest segment caught on the film.
the film follows her in real life – for 11 years, from 50 t0 60.
and includes some early archival footage – going all the way back to childhood, and of course: those heady, early CBGB days – when PATTI SMITH ruled.
yep, you can just catch a glance of her painting, a gesture drip sort of thing – behind her. ok. it doesn’t look too bad, here.
maybe you had to see some of the live footage of her creating it. maybe it was her commentary at the time – that rang a little flat for me. ok. no fair – I’m in art 24/7.
ok. not bad for a rebel punk musician. poet. thinker. seer. put it this way – at least she counts us on her side of things.
and that’s a good thing.
~PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE |
Posted in Movie Reviews | By Nancy Smith | January 3rd, 2010, 4:58pm
