by Sandy | Sep 3, 2009 | Art, Artist, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
One of the current offerings at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco is “3 Worlds – Myths / Bricks / Prints” featuring the diverse work of colorful Peruvian artist Luis Arias Vera, the late African American artist Casper Banjo, who used bricks to create his images, and Chicano poster artist Juan R. Fuentes.
“3 Worlds: Arias – Fuentes – Banjo”
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts – MCCLA
2868 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA
(Images: “Pensando en la Paz”, silkscreen print, 1988, Fuentes and exhibit poster from the MCCLA)
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by Sandy | Aug 31, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Photograhy
“Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946 – 2004”
More than 200 photographs are included in this retrospective of Avedon’s work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
He was born in NYC in 1923 and began work in 1944 at a department store, but quickly became the go-to photographer for magazines like Vogue, Look, Harpers Bazaar, etc. Richard Avedon may be best known for his pictures of movie celebrities, rock stars and fashion magazine covers, but he was also involved with film and published several books.
“Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946 – 2004” – Until November, 2009
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / SF MOMA
151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA
by Sandy | Aug 28, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Film, Movies
The usual suspects, not the film, but the movies you would expect, made the list of the 2008 American Film Institute’s “100 films/100 years” – “All About Eve”, “Casablanca”, “Lawrence of Arabia” and the same #1 as 10 years ago when AFI published its 1st poll, Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane”. (Don’t quite know how accurate this all is, since it is all opinion, but, it is fun.)
Chosen from ballots sent to 1,500 Hollywood filmmakers, actors, writers, critics, etc, a few of the films have moved around, up, down or a complete move out into the ether. And, there were additions: “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (#50), “Saving Private Ryan” (# 71), “Titanic” (#83) and “The Sixth Sense” (#89).
Those that dropped from the 1998 “100” were: “Doctor Zhivago” 1965, “Amadeus” 1984, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” 1977 , “Dances With Wolves” 1990 and “The Jazz Singer” 1927.
How many have you seen/ missed/ want to revisit? See the top 25 below:
1. “Citizen Kane,” 1941.
2. “The Godfather,” 1972.
3. “Casablanca,” 1942.
4. “Raging Bull,” 1980.
5. “Singin’ in the Rain,” 1952.
6. “Gone With the Wind,” 1939.
7. “Lawrence of Arabia,” 1962.
8. “Schindler’s List,” 1993.
9. “Vertigo,” 1958.
10. “The Wizard of Oz,” 1939.
11. “City Lights,” 1931.
12. “The Searchers,” 1956.
13. “Star Wars,” 1977.
14. “Psycho,” 1960.
15. “2001: A Space Odyssey,” 1968.
16. “Sunset Blvd.”, 1950.
17. “The Graduate,” 1967.
18. “The General,” 1927.
19. “On the Waterfront,” 1954.
20. “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 1946.
21. “Chinatown,” 1974.
22. “Some Like It Hot,” 1959.
23. “The Grapes of Wrath,” 1940.
24. “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” 1982.
25. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” 1962.
(Some of my favorites: # 51- “Westside Story”1959, and #92 -“Goodfellas” 1990)
AFI 100 List
by Sandy | Aug 26, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Film, Movies, music
“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day…”
The opening bass line that precedes the above lyric to the “Temptations” song “My Girl”, is instantly recognizable, instantly evoking a time/ place/age gone but still very much alive when the music plays. (I still know all the words.)
I watched the 2002 DVD, “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” again. It tells the story of the “Funk Brothers”, those musicians who rhythmically supported the stars of Motown with their piano, drums, horn section and guitars. According to the liner notes, “They played on more #1 records than the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elvis combined…”
There are interviews, funny and touching, with the guys as they reminisce about their experiences at “Hitsville, USA”. Unknown by the thousands of us that religiously bought a new 45 whenever possible, they drove the beat behind the Motown hit records from the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder (he was “little” then), the Miracles, etc. The stars were good, but so was the band.
We are also treated to concert footage – artists of today singing the old songs. It’s been a long time, but the music lives – they do a great job, different but still great.
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by Sandy | Aug 25, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Film, Theater
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is my favorite!
“Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble…”
I know, if I want to impress, I should say – Hamlet, King Lear, etc.They may be “deeper”, but, they’re not as much fun.
Macbeth has witches- 3. It has ghosts – 8 plus. (Hamlet only has a flickering dad). The play has a “moving” forest and a man with a questionable birth. This is drama!
You are grabbed with the first scene and it won’t let you go until that pesky forest starts to inch forward, (I hope I haven’t given too much away)
I’ve seen Macbeth on stage twice – in one version, the witches were in Japanese white Butoh masks (interesting). I have relied on an occasional reread and film rentals to revisit this story of power and madness. There are several British color versions from the 70’s and 80’s, but, the Orson Welles’ version is my favorite. He starred in and directed a stark, black & white minimalist film (read low budget with paper-mache sets, and cardboard crowns) in 1948.
Welles, as Macbeth, and Jeanette Nolan, as Lady M, bring the play to life. They, and the rest of the spirited cast, proceed to climb the scenery, without there being much to climb. (The sets are pretty bare). All underlying ambition and greed of the passionate duo is uncovered, They eventually totally embrace their baser nature and self destruct. Sound familiar?
Wm. Shakespeare’s flawed characters’ transcend centuries – we can still relate. Love it.
by Sandy | Aug 24, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Film, Movies
The 2004 thriller is really worth a look. And the term “thriller” is accurate, especially when a train ride is involved.
Tom Cruise, as “Vincent” the deadly, grey haired mystery man, jumps into a cab driven by “Max”, Jamie Foxx, and the 2 of them are off on a fast night of cat & mouse games.
Foxx is excellent. He was nominated for Academy Awards for “Collateral” and the Ray Charles movie – he won for his portrayal of the legendary singer – but, I think he could have won for his work in this film. His turn as the confused, terrorized, Los Angeles cabbie is terrific – the viewer becomes invested in the suspense and the action and wants the good guy to win. (In this case, “winning” means staying alive.)
Well directed by Michael Mann, (“Heat”, “Inside Man” “Miami Vice”),besides the great work of Cruise and Foxx, the super cast includes Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Barry Shabaka Henley, and Irma P. Hall.
“Collateral” – good movie!
