ok OK. here’s some pix from the unveiling – of the ROB PRUIIT- ‘ANDY WARHOL’ – SCULPTURE . . . that went up this past SPRING 2011 – in UNION SQ.
ROB PRUITT – with his ‘ANDY’ – MONUMENT.
ROB PRUITT, center back – with some of the original superstars of the ANDY WARHOL FACTORY,
from left:
ULTRA VIOLET; poet TAYLOR MEAD gesturing in the air; and Warhol’s main screenwriter (!!) ROBERT HEIDE, on the right.
a happy crew, still keepin’ alive – the legend.
bye the way. ANDY WARHOL – another giant of the ‘appropriation’ dance – if not the grand daddy – of ’em all.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, UNION SQUARE, NYC. MARCH 30, 2011
~they be doin’ . . . the ROB RUITT & ANDY WARHOL THING. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 14th, 2011, 2:00pm
they look to be …….. ‘doing the . . . ROB PRUITT’ !!
or: YOU BE – PUNK’D !!
say what ?
why, that be – a new dance version – of that ole art world game, called – ‘appropriation’ !!
it’s a little hard to define.
but, basically, you know, that: OTHER ARTISTS’ WORK – APPROPRIATION – RIFF. CRAZ-EY DANCE – THING ?!!
it’s been going on for a long time. JEFF KOONS & RICHARD PRINCE probably hi-lited the ‘genre’.
but this time – the joke’s on Rob, !! how fun, ya gotta love it.
it’s kinda like an in-house – prank. Rob Pruitt being a self-declared and newly aspiring master of the ‘take’ – ‘appropriated’ images – attributed mostly by implication, and some not so obvious.
you know: improv. sometimes it is unintended, but that makes it even more freaky, no ?
the ultimate – random – match-up ?
most of the time – it’s just part of the on-going creative dialog.
unless it’s Richard Prince doing the Marlboro man ? Shepard Fairey and the A.P. photo of Obama ?
. . . and, don’t be treading on my photos, yo – that’s copyright infringement . . . damn straight.
TOM HOLMES, ‘Untitled Monument (Booberry on Blocks)’, 2011
Inkjet, watercolor, ink on paper, 11.75 x 11.75 in.
now showing at the BUREAU, NEW YORK booth / LISTE 16, BASEL ART FAIR.
JUNE 13 – 19, 2011
ROB PRUITT – GOOGLE EYES CARDBOARD MONSTER, at his one person show,
‘PATTERN & DEGRADATION’, this past SEPT 2010 – at Gavin Brown’s.
don’t remember the exact dimensions, but it’s life-size.
I think the google eyes were wired to move . . .
so, I didn’t really like this show – when I first saw it. spatially, it didn’t exactly hit the floor running . . .
but now, I really really love some parts of it, like this piece. drop-dead great – esp seeing it again, through new eyes.
. . . and, I could name 5 more artist – ‘appropriations’ – than the NEW YORK TIMES and TIME OUT did. but when the ‘appropriation’ source is not as easy to spot, and name check, and therefore credit the work to . . . like a big name like RICHARD PRINCE . . . and it’s derived from a way less-known artist – who remains unaccredited for his thoughts – it’s not so funny. esp if it’s close to home.
maybe if Rob would itemize his ‘appropriations’ – like he did his email log !! it would be a step-up, in the game. I mean, even conceptually. if not to actually help shed some light on some lesser-known talent !!
as, if . . .
so I guess you could say I didn’t like the show for its lack of: inspired/over-all composition – and for ‘political’ reasons.
but as I looked back at the show, just now – to grab those cardboard google eyes, I realized their image had stayed with me. burrowed in. made a lasting impression. . . I kinda realized – I was actually really really liking the show, gallery spatial dynamics and political agendas aside – better and better.
esp when it came to the individual stuff in the MACARONE side . . . and esp with these new TOM HOLMES dance moves . . . intended or not intended. entering the picture.
pun or no pun intended.
just the juxaposition is enuff . . . to make you look back, twice-over.
and, NOT !!
just cause I caught ALFREDO MARTINEZ – in front of the ROB PRUITT – ‘KITLER’ WALL – !! – at the opening.
. . . . with a great hair cut, bye the way.
and lookin’ as . . . cute as a panda bear !!
and, yo – that PANDA painting was good. as good as ever.
and so was this one. my fav !!
what can I say. words fail me. ya gotta love it – esp the second time around.
super slick. too cute. sick. fab. a kind of defining moment. esp graphic design-wise.
how about: ‘souvenir’ art – for the decade.
ALL PHOTOS FROM THE ROB PRUITT OPENING – ‘PATTERN & DEGRADATION’. SEPT 2010.
AT GAVIN BROWN’S ENTERPRISE & MACCARONE, NYC – BY NANCY SMITH.
THE TOM HOLMES IMAGE – IS COURTESY/BUREAU, NEW YORK.
~meanwhile, over in BASEL . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 14th, 2011, 11:04am
OR: LOVE THE ONE YER WITH – PART 1
The theme of this year’s 54th VENICE BIENNALE is: ‘ILLUMINATIONS’.
. . . meant to “evoke the notion of artists as a source of enlightenment” !!
but it’s truly – ALLADIN’S LAMP – translation: illumination plus MAGIC – all the way . . .
here, in the gritty streets of NYC !!
URS FISCHER WAX CANDLE/VENICE BIENNALE 2011 – PHOTO COURTESY/MADE IN SLANT
ok, so you can’t be in VENICE – catching the giant URS FISCHER wax candles self-destruct !!
. . . read more: MADE IN SLANT
IRAQI ARTISTS / AHMED ALSOUDANI (LEFT) POSES FOR ADEL ABIDIN/PHOTO BY JESSICA CRAIG-MARTIN for THE NEW YORK TIMES
and for sure you ain’t in a private water taxi “piled in, a tangle of gowns and glitter” speeding “across choppy waterways clogged with other party commuter craft” motoring towards some fabulous afterparty in honor of the VENICE ART BIENNALE 2011 – actually this one was thrown by mega collector FRANCOIS PINAULT at the “Cini Foundation, an opulent former Benedictine monastery” . . . where “young aristos flitted about the gardens in Balenciaga and Lanvin” . . .
(what did I tell you about jazz era slouchy deluxe !! – ala MARION COTILLARD in MIDNIGHT IN PARIS)
. . . read more: : The Art World’s New Darlings/NEW YORK TIMES
yo, but if you be – in gritty hot New York City, you might have caught WIGGS, a young art collector – based in Harlem – at the corner of 8th Ave and 33rd St – with his newest purchase !!
a painting by his friend, SAMUEL MARK, it is a narrow, intense, portrait of a spray paint can – on canvas, and it says: GIVE MORE TO WHAT YOU WANT TO BECOME . . .
it’s as luminous as a lit candle, no ? and enlightenment – no shyte.
it’s always very fun, not to mention amazing – to see just how right on the streets of crazy mad New York be . . . on the issues of the day.
and usually doing it – better. make tha : BETTER, all in caps, dude.
it is signed and dated by the artist SAMUEL MARK, and dedicated to WIGGS on the back.
SAMUEL MARK – 2011.
WIGGS had just picked up a ‘gun’ piece on collaged paper he had recently bought from ALFREDO MARTINEZ, and had just g had custom framed.
GUN PIECE BY ALFREDO MARTINEZ. it is bigger than it looks in the photos – approx 2 ft. x 3 ft.
Alfredo based the built-up collaged paper that the drawing is done on – on the back side of a map !!
the frame was designed with a ‘window’ of plexi on the reverse to show the map.
detail, reverse. the map.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH – UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
~WIGGS . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 9th, 2011, 8:44pm
OR: SATURDAY MORNING FUNNIES – PART II
OR: OUR BOY DOESN’T SKIMP – WHEN IT COMES TO SUSHI. YEP, IT TAKES A WHOLE VILLAGE TO FILL THIS PLATE.
JOSH HARRIS JUST POSTED A VERY FUNNY VIDEO – TITLED: THE BIG SUSHI / ALFREDO MARTINEZ CELEBRATES THE SALE OF A GUN PAINTING BY TAKING JOSH HARRIS, HESH HALPER & TJ FOR THE BIG SUSHI MEAL …… !!!
ALFREDO MARTINEZ – THE VERY PICTURE OF RAPTUROUS JOY !!
DAMN. IF THIS AIN’T THE RAPTURE – LAID DOWN UPON US – THEN, WHAT IS?
and double damn !! yes !! that’s HESH – or, as you may know him – WILL THE REAL ‘HESHER‘ – PLEASE STAND UP !!
it’s very interesting to note Hesh’s delicate little plate of rolls – compared to Alfie’s humongous fish farm !!
the best part of the clip ? Alfie goes in for the kill !!
yep, watch as Alfie deftly by-passes the big boys – to go in the for the delicate morsel on the left !!
his years in China have obviously left him skilled with the sticks !!
well, that’s why they call it – hot tuna !!
thanks for the clip, JOSH !!
ok. OK. here’s JOSH HARRIS – who filmed that little big sushi supper – gem.
some people in the (film & tech) press have called him the ‘Andy Warhol’ of the web. ouch. Peter Brant must be really rollin’ over – with that one. esp as it starts to really – pan – out !!
. . . just not his, Peter Brant’s day, I guess. meow.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH OCT 2010.
in fact, if you were living in the chicken factory of Josh’s great Wired imagination, or is that city ? what the hell. anyway. you’d probably catch him hard at work – looking pretty much just like this. ha.
in fact – see that little window on the left hand wall – towards the back . . .
some spooky music please . . .
well remember GREENBERG THE CAT ?
Josh’s found ‘saved’ cat that was actually a ‘rejected’ found cat – as in as hardcore bad as you can get, if you are a cat, dude – and re-found by Josh off some super desperate to get rid of him Craig’s list patron . . . well turned out Greenberg had pretty much used up his nine lives – by the time he got to Josh.
plus, he had a strong predilection for high places . . .
yeah, and Josh lives on the 5th floor.
in fact, that’s Josh’s fire escape, facing the street, he’s at the top.
see that little open space in the back window . . . yeah Greenberg jumped out, about a month ago, while Josh was sleeping. in fact, Josh says he got woken up by Greenberg’s wails from down under . . . and he raced down.
ever hear of the money shot ?
well, this is the splatter shot.
all Josh will say is: Greenberg had to get the big sleep shot.
big sushi dinner.
big sleep shot. what a diff one s word can make !!
JOSH HARRIS STUDIO PIX: BY NANCY SMITH.
WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN. NYC. OCT 2010 and MAY 2010.
~YUK YUK YUK. SO, THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT: HOT TUNA !! & OMG HESH ALERT !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 4th, 2011, 11:08am
or: I haven’t woken up to so much fun on a Saturday morning – in a long time.
ABE LINCOLN Jr. – ‘your moms went to chelsea and all you got was a shitty abstract’.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
WATCH OUT !! (shitty) ABSTRACT PAINTER – JOSH SMITH.
WHILE YOU ARE OVER IN VENICE UNDERWHELMING EVERYBODY WITH YR VISUAL SKILLZ – A LITTLE 4 YR OLD “ART WORLD PHENOM” – IS STEALING YOUR SCENE RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER YR NOSE – BACK HOME !!
PETER BRANT – “THE GUY WITH THE EYE” ? – DU DU DUDE, ONLY IF YOU, AND CAROL VOGEL SAY SO !!
AELITA ANDRE PHOTO BY (HER MOM) NIKKA KALASHNIKOVA/NEW YORK POST
ABSTRACT PAINTER, AELITA ANDRE SCORED THE WHOLE Of PAGE 3 In THIS MORNING’S NEW YORK POST !!
must be a slow news day in NYC.
what, no women being cut off in half by rushing subways ? the hard weiner scandal – dying down ?
~YUK YUK YUK. ABE LINCOLN Jr vs JOSH SMITH: TAKE II !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 4th, 2011, 10:43am
SPORK – WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY J.B. GHUMAN
REVIEWED BY NORA DEMENUS. JUNE 2, 2011
SPORK is an electrically colorful and vibrant little movie about a young, outcast girl, played by the cute and clumsy SAVANNAH STEHLIN, brought up in a trailer park who happens to be a hermaphrodite. Without a mother and father, her older brother, a pot-smoking slacker has raised her in the family Airstream and as a result she knows little of femininity and seemingly even less about hair care. Much like a modern-day Williamsburg scenester, she rocks a fuzzy and wild ratsnest of a hairdo, wears giant Terry Richardson-esque glasses and has little to no fashion sense. Ridiculed in school for her publicly known confusing sexuality, she has no real friends. In the trailer across the way, her neighbor and classmate – an incredibly foul-mouthed fly-girl who is hip on the dance scene – takes her to a booty-shaking club for a night and inspires her to sign up for her middle school dance off.
As a first feature length film for Director J.B. Ghuman Jr., it came across a bit too much like the leader in films like these, Napoleon Dynamite. However, he makes very good use of all of the conventions of this recently popularized genre of ‘unpopular teen-life in the middle of nowhere’ flicks – everything from its bright colors, cartoony editing, cool 90’s soundtrack, on-screen doodles (the sun and clouds are cleverly drawn directly over the film with crayon), and awkwardly amusing characters that you sort of have to love out of pity – making it an enjoyable film to watch. The plot was remarkably similar though, and throughout the film I found myself feeling as if it was a Napoleon Dynamite for young girls!
I thought the most impressive aspects were the costumes and dance numbers which basically owned the hour and half long flick. One in particular was really cool, when Spork’s neighbor drags her along to watch her compete in a high energy krumping competition. Everyone in the club had awesome almost tribal-seeming red and white face paint on, complementing their shrunken jean jackets, denim leggings, shiny bras and converse hightops – the lights, colors, and the sick, high-energy dance moves were most entertaining! Another scene that stood out to me was where the mean girl posse at school (nicknamed “the Byotches”) gather in the hallway to show off their slick skills (and hilarious matching hairdos), dancing and lip synching to a fun, choreographed ‘Is It Cos I’m Cool’ by Mousse T. Spork’s final dance in the school dance-off where she busts loose some serious break dance moves with the help of a twister mat and UV lights, is also pretty sweet.
A big thumbs-up to all of the young talent in the film – the dancing was supreme and they really brought across a great and funny exaggeration of middle/high school life!
I would say, go see it, it was a real fun time for sure.
It’s not boring at all – and it’s sort of cool, too. Although I felt like I had seen a lot of it done before, there were a lot of fun, quirky things that had yet to be done in the quickly growing (and quickly running out of new things to amuse us with) world of hipster cinema.
NOW PLAYING AT THE QUAD CINEMA, NYC.
watch: the trailer on the film’s official website.
where there is also a video interview option – with the film’s director – J.B. GHUMAN (above).
there is also a very enlightening Q & A with Mr. Ghuman in the film’s ‘PRESS NOTES’ option, left of screen, that begins with these intriguing words . . . “My father is from India, and my mother is from North Carolina …. ” !!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
artlovers has got a new movie page contributor !!
meet NORA DEMENUS – a recent grad of NYU FILM SCHOOL (CLASS OF 2008).
SPORK is her debut essay.
~NORA DEMENUS REVIEWS: SPORK |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 2nd, 2011, 11:47am
TEXT & PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. MAY 20, 2011
“SOMETIMES LIFE GIVES YOU THE FINGER / AND SOMETIMES IT GIVES YOU . . . HESHER”
the real HESH – at the ANGELIKA FILM CENTER – last FRI MAY 13th, 2011 – the first day of the film’s commercial screening in NYC . . .
HESH aka HASH HALPER – the film’s off-the-wall HESHER, played so brilliantly by JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT. and he is hot. ok. violent and out of control too, what else is new . . . is a take-off on the real-life Hesh. outlaw. underwear, shirtless and all. somehow – just there. making the dots scramble, non-conformist. karmic ? moving through people and places with an unworldly wind, and seemingly not a care in the world – behind his back.
yep, this is the character . . . that launched a movie.
the character . . . behind the character.
He brought a small posse to the screening. although obviously the filmmakers had had some kind of relationship with him, Hesh, and certainly none of his friends had seen the flick . . . before, so nobody really knew what kind of a ride – they were in for. but the way Hesh showed up – was kinda auspicious, no ?
First off, before the flick even started the entrance was kinda grand. with the security guard inquiring of us – as to whether that was – the HESHER of the movie ? hell, yes !!
Then, when we got into the small multi-plex cinema, there were only two completely empty rows left – in the back which would enable Hesh and all his pals – to sit together . . . except for one nice straight-looking ultra conservative middle-aged businessman-type guy sitting smack dab in the middle of the last row of empty seats. what to do ? no problemo. Hesh, the real Hesh – just, rather imperiously told the guy, in no uncertain terms to scram.
“Hey dude – this is my movie !! You gotta move so me and my friends can watch it together. YO. I’m not joking dude, this is my movie. . .” After a few seconds of thinking it over – and probably for the better. the guy actually got up and moved. I’m not sure how I would have re-acted in the same circumstance, but anyways. the lights went down and the opening trailers went up . . . and, then what a shock – as ‘HESHER’ unspooled. I guess we all thought it would be one big hoot. a real laugh-fest. and in some ways it was . . . at first.
the first few times Joseph Gordon-Levitt hit the celluloid and popped up as the on-screen Hesher – we all went crazy. screaming and clapping with delight – damn !! he was HESH !! but then as the story progressed, and things got darker and more stuff was at stake – than we could have possibly imagined – the power of movie-making, dudes. the real-life peanut gallery grew just as silent and engrossed as the rest of the audience. no doubt about it, that was one shocking ride. it took you up and didn’t put you back down, for one moment. wow. how much of this was Hesh, and how much of this was movie magic ?
as we stumbled out, numb and in total silence – It was plain to see that the movie had hit home in ways hard to explain, to each one of us, in its own way, but in particular to the star attraction. Hesh looked to be in shock. shock and awe. First he said, and we all agreed in complete unison – wow, we didn’t think it would ever – be that good. damn. Then I asked Hesh, well did it trouble him ? I’m thinking bout the violence. but that seemed to go right over his head. He just replied, “well, its true once a friend of mine’s had someone die in their family, and I moved in for two years” . . . but, he continued . . the worst thing about the whole movie – was how it had stripped him of his anonymity !! Already, he complained, kids were waving to him – in the street !!
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVEITT as HESHER . . .
image/courtesy: HESHER – THE MOVIE
one of my very fave parts of the movie, apart from being captivated by the on-screen HESHER. was that primitive black line, like a marker. stick-man tattoo on his chest- blowing his brains out !! a metaphor – for these days – of challenged creativity and spirituality. dead-endness – if I ever did see one. In his rave review, ‘Antihero to the rescue’ – KYLE SMITH of the NEW YORK POST last week, spoke of: “Hesher, violent of hair, black of jeans and sporting a large middle finger tattoo on his back …” – but it was the front tattoo of the chalk-like stick-man blowing his brains out – at point zero – that got to me !!
p.s. did you catch how bad KYLE SMITH trashed “YAWNY DEPP” – aka – ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” in the paper today ? ha. calls it “barely see-worthy” !! yep, our boy HESHER beats out Johnny Depp, this time around.
flamin’ outsider in his beat-up van – takes down the million dollar blockbuster – with its worn-out ways, hands down.
bye the way, I asked. the real Hesh – has no tattoos.
LOST.
but come to think of it, I did just come across some sidewalk chalk scribbles recently, that caught my attention.
looking back . . .
WHITE BOY RULES WORLD . . . . ?
wow. they do remind me of that ‘chalk-like’ stick-man tattoo . . . blowin’ out his brains, that the celluloid Hesher sports.
it was the night of the KARA WALKER opening at LEHMANN MAUPIN on the Lower East Side. April 21, 2011.
and hey, coincidence or what. Hesh, the real Hesh was there, too.
speak of the devil.
Flash forward to this past Sunday. Sunday May 15, 2011.
2 whole days after we had seen the movie – as I rolled into Williamsburg to do some business – who be calling my name out on the busy hub of Bedford St. – but Hesh, the real-life Hesh and his pal, TJ. hanging out a bar window, natch.
(I hate to ask, but . . . the real TJ ? not, I think . . . )
anyways, that’s how the real life Hesh manifests. in real time. movin’ and groovin’ to a secret beat. mystical. way beyond the simple hours as they peel off the clock face.
anyways, like I said. I had had time, 2 whole days, to think about it . . . and so since the opportunity presented itself, so beautifully, as if by magic. I asked Hesh outright what I was dying, burning ? to ask him right after the movie but didn’t quite have the words . . . having had my own buttons pushed by the film, and yeah. I was rendered immediately speechless afterwards too, just like the rest of the crew.
so catching the momento – I really tried to a nail Hesh on the violence in the film that bears his name. bears witness to him. Answer, Hesh. Was he shocked by the violent bent in the movie ?
“No”, he said. “My friends know I have violence inside me – but I manage to keep it in check.”
and there ya go, outta the mouths of the ‘marked’ ones, the ones that jump the grid, and spin the grind !! of everyday life – human truth. in a nutshell. go figure !!
ALL PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH – EXCEPT WHERE OTHERWISE – NOTED.
see: HESHER THE MOVIE/THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE
~WILL THE REAL HESH – PLEASE STAND UP . . . NEW PIX !! |
Posted in Movie Reviews, The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 20th, 2011, 11:05pm
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
. . and other NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS: as in artist/artisans – & – talk about the glory days of AMERICANA !!
DEDICATED TO DAN CASSARA: THE SVA GRAPHIC DESIGN ‘whizz kid’ CLASS OF a 2008 – who just packed it all up – quit his plum job at MTV (!!) – and headed out cross country to Portland, OREGON, in a mini RV !! – hoping to sell his creative skills as he goes. and yes, if you run across him on his great adventure – you DO want him to to do your restaurant menu, signage, logo, or maybe even ‘stencil’ your walls. ha.
itinerant creative types, not to mention independent & entrepreneurial !! on the move again, just like in the old colonial days, or what !!
this is where it’s at – America 2011. wagon-ho !! even Brooklyn ain’t cool enuff.
and just sayin – but what an RV – if not a tipi ?
Pack it up – and you go, boy. westward, ho. shades of Michelle Williams, or what.
Cadzi Cody (Cotsiogo) (Shoshone, 1866-1912). Painted Robe, circa 1900. Wyoming. Elk hide, pigment, approx 81 x 88 in. BROOKLYN MUSEUM, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 64:13.
PHOTO COURTESY/BROOKLYN MUSEUM
TIPI: HERITAGE of the GREAT PLAINS
FEB 18 – MAY 15, 2011
MORRIS A. and MEYER SCHAPIRO WING, CANTOR GALLERY, 5th FLOOR
BROOKLYN MUSEUM – 200 EASTERN PARKWAY – BROOKLYN
SUGGESTED CONTRIBUTION: ADULTS $10 / STUDENTS $6 / CHILDREN UNDER 12 FREE
all following texts – from the BROOKLYN MUSEUM WEBSITE:
TIP: HERITAGE of the GREAT PLAINS focuses on the tipi as the center of Plains culture and social, religious, and creative traditions
from the early 19th century to the present . . . TIPI features more than 160 objects from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection of Plains material, as well as selected works from other museums; objects by contemporary Plains artists; and 3 full-size tipis, two with furnished interiors.
The exhibition includes objects from a large number of tribes from the Northern, Central, and Southern Plains. . . it explores the role of women, who were the owners of the tipi and makers of the tipi itself as well as the furnishings, clothing, and accessories kept within it; the traditional role of men as warriors,whose military exploits are depicted on tipi covers and liners; and the tipi as the center of childhood and family life.
In addition to historical and contemporary objects, the exhibition includes photographs of contemporary Plains family and community life and images of contemporary Native American architecture inspired by the tipi form.
Lyle Heavy Runner (Blackfeet, b. 1958) design owner and painter, Naomi Crawford (Blackfeet, b. 1935), tipi maker. Blackfeet Tipi 2010. Great Falls, Montana. Canvas, latex paint, wood. h. 27 ft. Commissioned for TPI: HERITAGE of the GREAT PLAINS, BROOKLYN MUSEUM, TL2010.89
PHOTO: JENNY STEVEN. PHOTO COURTESY/BROOKLYN MUSEUM
Tipi designs connect their owners with all the other beings in the world as well as with their ancestors, who transfer designs to their descendants in visions. (!!) Design ownership means that a person has the right to pass that design to someone else through ceremony. The Bleeding Skull design (of this tipi above) was given to Blackfeet artist LYLE J. HEAVY RUNNER by his mentor, ROBERT L. ‘RICE’, CRAWFORD, who received it from his grandparents.
Tipi designs are read from the ground up , from earth to sky. The red triangles on the bottom are mountains; the yellow circles are starbursts or falling stars, indicating a lodge containing a medicine bundle ( a sacred bundle containing medicines and other materials that provide power and protection. (!!)
The main design of bleeding skulls can be interpreted as two standing men extending pipes and hatchets. The back of the tipi (not visible in the photo) features a red beaver lodge surmounted by a tree, referencing the fact that Crawford’s parents were holders of the Beaver Medicine Bundle.
The top of the tipi is painted with a rainbow of green (earth) , yellow (sun), and blue (sky), above which is the North Star, and the yellow circles on the ear flaps represent the Big Dipper and the Pleiades.
Yanktonai artist. Shirt for Chief’s War Dress, early 19th century, Fort Snelling, Minnesoat. buckskin, pony beads, porcupine quills, buckskin, maidenhair fern stem, human hair, dye, feather, 44 x 68 in. BROOKLYN MUSEUM, HENRY L. BATTERMAN FUND and the FRANK SHERMAN BENSON FUND, 50.67.1a PHOTO COURTESY/BROOKLYN MUSEUM
(YO, human hair ? this shirt carries its own DNA sample. cloners in the future – gonna like that. no doubt !!)
( . . . along with the colonial white people’s souvenir/keepsake – ‘locks of hair’ – snipped & stored in golden lockets).
(damn sharp pre-sentient instincts – or, what !!)
This war shirt with matching leggings was collected by by Dr. Nathan Sturges Jarvis Sr., a military surgeon stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, from 1833 to 1836. The shirt’s painted designs probably represent war exploits: single lines are stylized rifles, bifurcated lines are quirts (riding whips). The horse tracks on the right sleeve indicate successful horse raids.
Sioux artist. Storage Bag, late 19th century. Central Plains. Hide, beads, tin cones, horsehair, 15-1/2 x 20-1/2 in. BROOKLYN MUSEUM, BROOKLYN MUSEUM COLLECTION, X1111.1. PHOTO COURTESY/BROOKLYN MUSEUM
During the 18th century, European traders brought glass beads to native tribes living west of the Missouri River. The numerous colors of beads allowed for more creativity, and they supplanted the more subdued and labor-intensive bird and porcupine quills that had been used for decoration. The early white, blue, and black beads were called pony beads because they were transported on ponies. Smaller ‘seed’ beads replaced the pony beads in popularity because of greater availability and color choice.
end text: BROOKLYN MUSEUM.
. . . . . . . . . . .
PATRICK GRIFFIN. ‘COUNT THY BUTTONS’. THE JOURNAL GALLERY, BROOKLYN. AUG 14, 2008.
p.s. from the golden oldie vault. what only 3 long years ago ?
here’s some sunny day Monday blues fun – take a trip back in time – & – check out some pix – from the long hot summer of 2008.
it’s got some real gems . . such as ? PATRICK GRIFFIN & his ‘COUNT THY BUTTONS’ show, for starters. still among my top ten faves of all time !!
see: ART LOVERS PHOTOS – SUMMER’S HEAT 2008 !!
~LAST WEEK to CATCH THE TIPIS !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 9th, 2011, 10:44am
