Sunday, September 11, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 09, 2011
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Friday, September 02, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Edouard Martinet
French sculptor Edouard Martinet uses myriad discarded parts from old bicycles, cars, and mopeds to create these astonishingly anatomically correct representations of sea life, birds, amphibians, and insects.
Martinet transforms everyday objects found in flea-markets and car boot sales into works of art.
Working with a variety of refuse materials such as rusted kitchen pans, typewriter keys, car lights and other scrap metals, Edouard Martinet sculpts several types of animals and insects. His sculptures are made without the use of solder. He fits each component into place as if putting together a puzzle of random pieces and parts. Each piece is carefully assembled after having drafted several detailed sketches.
This process requires a sufficient amount of time to get from the idea to the completion.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Grey Gardens (1975)
Grey Gardens is a 1975 documentary film by Albert and David Maysles, with Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive socialites, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived at Grey Gardens, a decrepit mansion at 3 West End Road in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York. The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.
In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale were the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. The two women lived together at Grey Gardens for decades with limited funds, resulting in squalor and almost total isolation.
The house was designed by Joseph Greenleaf Thorpe in 1897, and purchased in 1923 by Phelan Beale and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale. After Phelan left his wife, Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale lived there for decades more, over 50 years in total for each woman. The house was called Grey Gardens because of the color of the dunes, the cement garden walls, and the sea mist.
In the fall of 1971 and throughout 1972, their living conditions—their house was infested by fleas, inhabited by numerous cats and raccoons, deprived of running water, and filled with garbage and decay—were exposed as the result of an article in the National Enquirer and a cover story in New York Magazines after a series of inspections (which the Beales called "raids") by the Suffolk County Health Department. With the Beale women facing eviction and the razing of their home, in the summer of 1972 Jacqueline Onassis and her sister Lee Radziwill provided the necessary funds to stabilize and repair the dilapidated house so that it would meet Village codes.
Albert and David Maysles became interested in their story and received permission to film a documentary about the women, which was released in 1976 to wide critical acclaim. Their direct cinema technique left the women to tell their own stories.
"Big Edie" died in 1977 and "Little Edie" sold the house in 1979 to former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his wife Sally Quinn. "Little Edie" died in 2002 at the age of 84.
According to a 2003 article in Town & Country, after their purchase, Bradlee and Quinn completely restored the house and grounds (the sale agreement forbade razing the house).
Jerry Torre, the handyman shown in the documentary, was sought by the filmmakers for years afterward, and was found by chance driving a New York City taxicab. He is now a sculptor at The Art Students League of New York and a documentary is being made about his life by Jason Hay and Steve Pelizza of Aggregate Pictures.
Lois Wright, one of the two birthday party guests in the film, has hosted a public television show in East Hampton since the 1980s. She wrote a book about her experiences at the house with the Beales.
In 2006, Albert Maysles made available previously unreleased footage for a special 2-disc edition for the Criterion Collection. It included a new feature titled The Beales of Grey Gardens, which also received a limited theatrical release.
Walter Newkirk, a longtime friend of Little Edie, interviewed her during his college days. A CD of the interview is titled Little Edie Live! A Visit To Grey Gardens. It was followed with a scrapbook memoir of their friendship entitled memoraBEALEia (2008).
Grey Gardens was adapted in a musical and in an HBO film, stars Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as the Edies, with Jeanne Tripplehorn as Jacqueline Kennedy, and Daniel Baldwin as Julius Krug. Directed and co-written (with Patricia Rozema) by filmmaker Michael Sucsy, filming began on October 22, 2007 in Toronto. It flashes back and forth between Little Edie's life as a young woman and the actual filming/premiere of the 1975 documentary. It first aired on HBO on April 18, 2009, won six Primetime Emmys, and two Golden Globes.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 05, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Million Pound Note (1954)
Based upon the Mark Twain short story about two eccentric brothers living in Edwardian London who give a stranger a million pound bank note to settle a bet, "The Million Pound Note" is a fun movie starring Gregory Peck in the lead role. Although saying that it is fun is not doing it complete justice because surprisingly it throws up some interesting points about wealth and happiness whilst also being entertaining.
Having found himself penniless on the streets of London, American Henry Adams (Gregory Peck) suddenly gets a stroke of luck when two eccentric brothers hand him a Million Pound Note as part of a bet between themselves. With new found wealth Adams finds that not only do people start to treat him differently but most people don't want paying when he buys stuff. But his initial happiness turns to sadness when he starts to realise that being perceived as wealthy doesn't come with out a certain amount of issues.
In "The Million Pound Note" the original Mark Twain story is nicely expanded upon in creating the clever and amusing story about wealth. It takes you through various stages from people's perception of someone who looks like they have no money to spend then also delivering the counter viewpoint of people's behaviour to perceived wealth when Adams gets the million pound note. But then it also makes a comment on how being rich doesn't always bring happiness with people pretending to be your friend and the numerous begging letters asking for financial help.
Gregory Peck as Henry Adams enters into the fun with moments of mild slapstick such as tripping up stairs as the million pound note is whisked from his hand in a gust of wind.
Gregory Peck as Henry Adams enters into the fun with moments of mild slapstick such as tripping up stairs as the million pound note is whisked from his hand in a gust of wind.
His performance is pretty spot on and so is the choice to cast him. With his rugged good looks and amiable nature the character of Adams is perfect and the way Peck plays him from being the penniless American through to the perceived millionaire it's just a great all round performance. In fact "The Million Pound Note" is very much Peck's movie with him outshining the majority of the other stars from the aforementioned Reginald Beckwith through to love interest Portia Lansdowne played by Jane Griffiths.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Big Dig
Berlin-based firm Topotek1 latest installation for the 2011 Xi’an International Horticultural Exposition, The Big Dig, is a an enormous hole that simulates an audio connection with Sweden, Argentina, the United States and Germany. While standing at the edge “soundtracks of the life on the other side: cows from the pampas of Argentinas, commuters rushing among transit through New York City, the maritime life of Stockholm, and layers of history so audible among the streets of Berlin. These soundtracks pique the imagination of the visitors, transferring them away from China, away from the garden.” A glass barrier prevents exposition visitors from “becoming too curious” however it would be amazing to see the space with an unobstructed view and imagine sliding down the sloping green surface and finding yourself on the other end.
Bond23 update
According to he usually-reliable columnist 'Mandrake' in today's edition of The Telegraph, Welsh actor Rhys Ifans will be joining the cast of the 23rd James Bond film.
“Ifans will appear in the film, as well as Javier Bardem, who will play the baddie,” says the paper's source. “Much of the filming will take place in South Africa.”
Ifans and Daniel Craig, who are both 43, appeared together in the 2004 film "Enduring Love", although the Welsh actor is best known to movie fans for his star-turn in the romantic comedy "Notting Hill" and had just completed "The Amazing Spider Man" in the role of the 'Lizard'.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Bond 23 update
If the UK tabloid, The Daily Mail is to be believed, the London-born Naomie Harris is in the "final stages of negotiations" to play M's timeless secretary, Miss Moneypenny, in the 2012 adventure: James Bond 23.
The actress came to stardom in the Danny Boyle-helmed "28 Days Later" and has recently starred in the successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.
The rumours continue with talk of Harris taking up the mantle of Moneypenny, previously played by Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss and Samantha Bond in the series' 22 films to date.
The Mail also claims that "[t]he actress is poised to appear alongside Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes and Judi Dench when filming begins later this year."
Shall we take it as confirmation that both of the big named stars previously associated with the 23rd James Bond adventure have now been locked in?
Hard to believe, but if true we'll have such a "different Bond" with Sam Mendes directing and an all stars cast, ending up to be the best Bond ever....or the worst.
Expectations are growing, stay tuned for updates...
Friday, July 08, 2011
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Monday, July 04, 2011
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