Yankees win! Thuhuhuhuhuhuh Yankees win!

Wish I had my camera...

I stop at Two Boots Pizza on 7th Ave & Greenwich (NYC) to grab a slice and in their window display were 2 fireman boots. OK, makes sense, right? In the boots were decorative tree branches. On the branches was a string of baseball shaped holiday lights, with the Mets logo on the baseballs. Also on the branches were mardi gras beads. And finally, sticking out of the boots were two rainbow flags.
Wish I had my camera with me...

GUIDE TO MODERN LIVING - Chapter 1

Part 1: Don't talk in movie theatres.
During commericals and trailers it's Ok, but once the flick starts, shut up! This is not a cultural thing, this is basic manners. At $12.50 a pop for some theatres in NYC, a person shouldnt have to miss one second of a film because some knucklehead is talking on her cell, or another knucklehead is giving commentary on the film like he's the director on a DVD extra. Ya wanna narrate? Do it on your couch!

Part 2: Never let waitstaff clear the plates til everyone at the table is done eating.
This makes the person still dining uncomfortable and pressured, two things one does not want to experience during dinner. People eat at different speeds, sometimes a person tells a long story, whatever. If I finish first, I leave a bite or a piece of bread on my plate and say, "Still working on it" when they try to clear, until everyone's done eating. Plus if your dining companion(s) order something that you're envious of and they don't finish it, you can score a few bites by sliding it over onto the open real estate on your plate!

This is really Part 1-A:
Shut off cell phones in movie theatres, live theatres, religious services, lectures, concerts, etc.
This is a no-brainer.

More to come...

Gallery Shows: Lennon Weinberg & Nancy Margolis

A bit behind am I, so here's some catch-up on gallery visits in Chelsea, NYC. Nancy Margolis Gallery had a show featuring works by Wendy Heldman. I've written before about this trend I've seen the past year + of environmental chaos -- buildings exploding or images of them being deconstructed in a wild diagrammatic fashion. Also houses, cityscapes and more in a representational and abstract style. Heldman had pieces of library racks with books scattered all about - "We Just Keep Taking Turns" and "One Against Two". These were made from photos of libraries in California after an earthquake. I discovered this when talking to the woman working at the front desk (don't be intimidated to ask questions about the work! Often they are bored or simply welcome a break to chat about the art and you usually get some interesting info), and I mentioned the trend I've noticed and she agreed. Apparently, this has indeed been a frequent element in works as of late.
What could be the reason for this? Is it because this is a common CGI (computer generated imagery) effect in hugely popular home video games? Think of all the grand explosions and mass destruction so realistically depicted in Hollywood films courtesy of CGI - I believe this has all sunk into our subconscious which gets stirred into the soup of peoples' visual creative vocabulary. How could it not? Every artist is influenced by their environment, what they see, hear and feel.
Or is it deeper - a feeling of danger, post 9/11 trauma, insecurity, and lack of faith/trust in our leaders and political system that creates this feeling of our "world" being torn apart by forces beyond our control? or is it the artist TAKING control and deciding when and how he/she will deconstruct their world. Perhaps I'm reaching too far, but the more I see of this imagery, the more questions it raises as to common motivations and inspirations for it.
"Little By Little and Then Not Even That" is an acrylic piece of a decrepit building that's obviously been sitting a long time in that state. Was it commercial or residential? Where is it? Why did this happen and how? Natural disaster or an explosion? A successful piece in that it triggers these thoughts and questions and stirs the imagination.



A retrospective Cindy Workman's works of women were on view at Lennon, Weinberg Inc this summer. Composite images address the many roles women perform, or feel compelled to perform, in society. "Fig. 35-92" (left) from 2000 combines drawing with digital imagery with a blond child, a scientific diagram and a black and white sexy image of a woman, all layered in this intriguing image. "Pebbles" from 2003 (right) presents a more pornographic image of a woman with the face of Pebbles Flintstone, a child-like crayon drawing of a child over her face, and a connect the dots image of a skating girl. A jumble of females in different styles and media in a simple yet powerful composition.

"Diabolical Small Talk"

Saw Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" last weekend. The promo budget for this film must have been tremendous, there was a ton of hype and Tarantino seemed to be everywhere doing interviews. Either he felt he needed a big hit, or he knew it was going to be a hit and wanted to make sure it was seen.

I heard him explain how he came up with the idea - simple and interesting. He was thinking that it's been awhile since they did a "group of guys" war movie ala "Kelly's Heroes" and the "Dirty Dozen." The next step, was how to put a twist on it. He thought about what if they were all Jewish? But instead of being POWs or in a concentration camp, they were on the offensive? and violently killing Nazis? and so on, in his signature style.
Indeed, "Inglorious Basterds" has all the Tarantino trademarks. There are titled chapters. Separate stories slowly merging together. Pop culture references. A unique soundtrack. Some recurring actors. Oh, and violence - very graphic violence. I don't know how much of that is because he watched so many horror/gore films from the 70s, or if he's saying, "Oh you like action flicks? You like violence? Well, THIS is what violence really looks like - do you still dig it? Is it still fun?!?"

Either you like Tarantino or you don't. I have yet to hear many people be lukewarm about his work. But one thing cannot be denied - he is quite the wordsmith. And he uses dialogue, and the pacing of that dialogue masterfully in this film, particularly through the character of Col. Hans Landa played by Christopher Waltz. There is surely a Best Supporting Actor nomination in store for Mr. Waltz. His cat and mouse verbal slow torture is gut-wrenching, you can feel the tension building inside you as he toys with his "victims." In thinking about this post, I came up with what I (not too humbly) think is the perfect description of this aspect of Quentin Tarantino's writing:
"DIABOLICAL SMALL TALK."
So many of his films' characters have done this seemingly innocuous chit-chat, and yet there is the underlying tension, building like an old Edgar Kennedy slow burn, wondering at what point things are going to combust. Like when Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta are in the room with those college kids and Jackson is rambling on about burgers and the metric system.
I recommend you see this film. The violent parts are pretty nasty, but it's obvious when they're about to happen so you can always close your eyes for a sec or look away, and then get on with the good parts of this movie - like the Diabolical Small Talk!