Next week’s Downtown Film Festival (launches September 8th) is shadowed by controversy with the screening of the much talked about art/sex film series called “Destricted.”
Destricted is the first short film collection of its kind, bringing together sex and art in a series of short films created by some of the world’s most visual and provocative artists and directors. Beyond explicit in content, these films (including Richard Prince’s House Call, Gaspar Noe’s We Fuck Alone and Hoist by Matthew Barney’s a.k.a. Bjork’s husband) reveal the diverse attitudes by which we represent ourselves sexually.
Formed in 2004, the Destricted brand is the first in a continuing series. The seven films highlight controversial issues about the representation of sexuality in art; opening up for debate the question of whether art can be disguised as pornography or whether pornography can be disguised as art or something else altogether. The result is a collection of sexy, stimulating, challenging, provocative, strange and sometimes humorous scenarios that leave it up to the viewer / voyeur to decide.
The 2010 Downtown Film Festival L.A. will be held Sept. 8-12 in venues throughout Los Angeles’ historic core. More than 100 feature-length and short films – narrative, documentary and experimental – will be presented along with filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, cocktail parties, live music events and receptions. More information can be found at www.dffla.com.
That’s right, the hippest, coolest cameras out there will be slashing prices in half this weekend at their Gallery store here in Los Angeles. Lomography’s coveted cameras are known for producing over-saturated, off-kilter exposure, blurring, happy-accident-type photography (think “Hipstamatic”). Get yourself a Fisheye, or a classic Holga this Saturday, August 28, and Sunday, August 29, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lomography Gallery Store, 7998 Santa Monica Boulevard (near North Laurel Avenue); 323-301-1414.
London’s esteemed beacon of all things lowbrow, Lazarides Gallery will conclude their four month run of shows this week at their temporary Beverly Hills pop up annex with a show by sculptor, painter Jay Jay Burridge.
Offering a twist on predictable images of dinosaurs roaming in classic settings Burridge instead portrays them dancing, skating and sipping tea, with a weighty series of technically dexterous paintings and humorous sculptures and installations.
Forget the artschool alumni, last week’s opening of this event was all about glam, with a gaggle of celebrities and LA artscene luminaries on hand to celebrate at the event, and its Soho House after party. TV types included a seemingly single and roaming Gavin Rossdale, and expletive (and wife) equipped cordon bleu Gordon Ramsay who hinted something about a forthcoming restaurant he and David Beckham will open in LA.
Gallerists hinted sales were healthy, with Ramsay apparently buying a sizeable painting worth over $5000. Other works will sustain in the memory purely as testament to the artists’ ingenuity, including full scale dinosaur sculptures masked with plastic tape baring his signature and others poised over musical instruments.
Jay Jay Burridge graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design with a degree in art. In addition, Burridge directed the music video for the song “Inspired By” by The Brightlights and was art director on Hot Chip’s “Boy from School” video, for which he won a Cads Music Vision Award. He also designed several large denim butterflies, which went on display on the streets of London, as part of an advertising campaign for Levi Strauss & Co.’s “Live Unbuttoned” 501 jeans.
Celebrity stylist Amanda Brooks’ brilliantly stylized book, ‘I Love Your Style,’ provides pages and pages of fashion heaven, showcasing style secrets from fashion icons of the 21st century (like Kate Moss).
Brooks, the former muse and creative director for designer label Tuleh and author of the blog ‘In Her Eyes’ for Men′s Vogue, has spent her life creating her own effortlessly cool, seamlessly unique sense of style. With a nod to the classic 20’s, a dab of boho, a touch of lavish designer decadence, and a passion for the best deals, Brooks ties in her own personal fashion style (thanks to inspiration accumulated from the runways, glossy magazines, flea markets, films, and passer-bys on the street) into every fashionista’s bible ‘I Love Your Style.’
‘I Love Your Style’, the spectacular look-book with a comprehensive collection of over 400 classic and modern photographs, is a must-have for every minx. Get yours today (for only 15 bucks)!
L.A.’s most iconic artist, John Baldessari, is currently being featured in over five shows in Los Angeles, and we insist that you check out the most impressive and extensive exhibit of them all: Pure Beauty! Currently featured at our very own Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s, the show features more than 150 pieces spanning the Baldessari’s career from 1962 to today, and includes works in a variety of mediums: canvas, photography, interactive videos, and books. The retrospective is so marvelous, you will find yourself being asked to leave at the museums closing.
If you can’t make it to L.A.C.M.A this summer, John Baldessari has teamed up with L.A.’s ForYourArt and Ovation to create an interactive artwork Iphone/Ipad app called “Make Your Own Art“! The program allows you to interact with his famous piece, In Still Life 2001-2010, and make your own pieces of artwork. John Baldessari’s new app, In Still Life 2001-2010, is available on iTunes for Apple users and at ForYourArt’s site for PC users, and guess what? It’s free.
L.A.C.M.A., 5905 Wilshire Boulevard (at South Fairfax Avenue); 323-857-6010. June 27, 2010 – September 12, 2010
Everyone loves an outlaw, and Robert Williams just happens to be the most celebrated one in the art world. Luckily, you can learn even more about him this Wednesday at LACMA. The documentary Robert Williams: Mr. Bitchin’, will be unveiled for a one-night only showing, benefiting its Prints and Drawings Council.
The movie recounts Williams’ emergence from humble beginnings in hotrods and the Zap Comix collective, to his surfacing as a celebrated artist. What became fifteen years in the making has resulted in an irreverent and comical look at all of the things that are so right about contemporary American art. The audience gets an inside look at Williams’ background, from his 1979 book The Lowbrow Art of Robt. Williams (which brought the term “lowbrow” into the fine arts world), to his work on Guns n’ Roses album covers, and the founding of Juxtapoz magazine. The film also features never-before-seen interviews with California luminaries Ed Roth, Don Ed Hardy, and Walter Hopps. But best of all is that Williams’ himself will be on hand after the screening for a Q&A session led by Coagula Art Journal founder, Mat Gleason.
It has been a year of achievements for Williams, as this year’s recipient of the Whitney biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the subject of a recent show entitled “Conceptual Realism in the Service of the Hypothetical” at the famed Tony Shafrazi Gallery. And chances are things will just keep getting better.
Any Minxes unfortunate enough to miss this screening will have to wait for the films theatrical release this fall. And this will definitely be worth the wait.
Robert Williams: Mr. Bitchin’ is this Wednesday, June 16 at 7 p.m. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. (323) 857-6010. Tickets $15
With a name like Kate Rockland (frequent contributor to Rolling Stone, Spin, Playboy, and the New York Times style section), it’s only fitting that this author’s first-time novel deals with a rock star theme.
Falling Is Like This follows the journey of 23-year-old Harper Rostov, a tabloid columnist who leaves her job and her stable boyfriend to pursue her dream of becoming a music journalist. But before she can leave New York to move back in with her parents in New Jersey, she runs into Nick: a certified punk rock god and her longtime crush. Within the span of a day and one coffee shop date, the two begin a hasty weeklong romance that shows Harper just how much passion had been missing from her life. As Harper deals with the overdose of charm and chemistry that Nick brings, she is soon forced to make life-changing decisions. Should she become a groupie and follow Nick and his band on their adventures, or try to piece her old life back together and reconnect with the depressed sister who so desperately needs her?
Portrayals of East Village dive bars and dingy recording studios are dealt with in vivid and captivating imagery, not an easy accomplishment considering how quickly that area of town changes. However, the downfall of Falling Is Like This lies in the protagonist of Harper who, as the novel progresses, becomes increasingly less endearing. Flashbacks to Harper’s childhood coupled with her dull personality seem in stark contrast to her oddball parents and the colorful backdrop New York provides.
While the story falls slightly short, if you want to get a taste of the New York punk rock scene, this is an easy summer read.
Sneak a peek at some of the art and architecture LA has to offer this weekend at the annual Venice Art Walk & Auctions.
Now in its 31st year, the event will highlight more than 50 artists’ studios and special exhibits, as well as a 400-piece silent art auction. And three separately ticketed Art & Architecture Tours help to complement this. The architecture tours will focus on exploring Rustic Canyon, another centers on architects’ homes in Venice and Santa Monica, and the third promises to weave you through Venice’s famous walk streets and canals.
Once you finish up your tours, there will be live jazz and food vendors on hand to add to the experience, with cuisine from hometown favorites like Chaya Venice. And if all that eye candy puts you in the mood for some libations, there’s a cocktail lounge for that.
If you wind up bidding on a piece at the silent auction, and who could resist with featured artists like Ed Ruscha, know that it all goes to a good cause. Proceeds benefit the Venice Family Clinic, which provides providing free, quality health care to people in need.
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in “Blue Valentine,” the indie film that is already making waves with its steamy sex scenes. Today, the duo made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival 2010, certainly looking like real-life lovers. Williams, in a Suno mini, revealed her new cropped ‘do. What do you think? Click READ MORE for the “Blue Valentine” trailer…
“Exit Through the Gift Shop” is described, in its short and clever promotional trailer, as ‘the world’s first street art disaster movie’ but this hardly sums up the nearly unclassifiable hybrid documentary conceived by international street-artist, Banksy.
The odd-ball documentary follows an intriguing, and often funny, self-proclaimed ‘documentarian’ named Thierry “Terry” Guetta. He’s undoubtedly French, massively out-spoken and obsessed with capturing the underground art movement on his low-res, handheld camcorder. Yet in a peculiar turn of events, Guetta is yanked from behind the camera and catapulted into the spot-light of underground graffiti, twisting the narrative of the film in ways you’d never expect (and if you’re a conspiracy theorist like myself, you’ll quickly attempt to find holes in the filmic logic and tear them wide open.)
On one side, the documentary is a straight-forward showcase of the cult-like rise of ‘street-art’, as well as an expose on a talented group of modern artists. On the other hand, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” plays out like a sly, twisted high-art version of “Punk’d” — minus the ever important ‘moment of cathartic reveal’ we’ve been trained to expect.
Catch “Exit Through the Gift Shop” in select theaters, including The Arclight in Hollywood and The Landmark in Los Angeles.
In the tradition of Pink Floyd’s cinematic weird-fest “The Wall” and The Who’s pinball-obsessed rock opera “Tommy”, progressive-rock giants The Mars Volta, and more specifically guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, have created their own unique mixture of film and music. Rodriguez-Lopez’s 95-minute maiden voyage into cinema is “The Sentimental Engine Slayer”, an experimental, non-linear ‘coming of age story’ set in blistering El Paso, Texas.
The film gained heavy notoriety and review this past Tuesday at The Tribeca Film Festival in Lower Manhattan. Rodriguez-Lopez was applauded for not only writing, directing and composing the music for the hallucinogenic-laced film, but for also starring as the dynamic, and often funny, lead role.
Rodriguez-Lopez gathered his Volta band mates, as well as a mish-mosh of musical masters, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers John Frusciante (who also serves as Executive Producer on the film) to create the scorching soundtrack. Take a look at the visually-intriguing and ultimately confusing trailer below.
World-renowned celebrity photography duo, Markus Klinko + Indrani, team up with SMASHBOX, Los Angeles’ preeminent photo studio, for an LA POP UP PHOTOSHOOT. This Friday April 30th models are invited to attend for a chance to be photographed during an open-call, high-fashion swimwear test shoot at Leo Carillo State Beach in Malibu California.
Models should be 18 – 25, and arrive ready to shoot in swimwear. Both women and men are welcome. We expect a strong turn out, and participation in the final shots will be determined by the photographers and is not guaranteed. This is a rare opportunity to have your picture taken by high-profile photographers whose recent subjects include Kate Winslet, Eva Mendes, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West, Lady Gaga and countless others. The images will be published on SMASHBOX’s creative culture blog Yello!, and will not be used for commercial purposes.
Leo Carillo State Beach
11am Call time, Hair, Makeup
2-8pm: Shoot
Here’s a sneak peak to famed Los Angeles photographer Tyler Shields’ newest project: a photography book called The Dirty Side of Glamor. Shields describes the collection as “people doing crazy things in a crazy way” and compares the shoots to filming scenes in a movie. “It’s not softcore porn, hunny, it’s called ART,” Lindsay Lohan described the bare and bloody photoshoot. Check out Tyler Shields’ site for updates on the release date of The Dirty Side of Glamor, which includes celebrities Jaimie Alexander, Matt Dallas, Hayden Panettiere to name a few.
We live in The Era of the Remake. A moment in time brought on by a dizzying combination of blowback from the 2007 Writers Strike and the cowardly film markets attempt to cash in on ‘franchised-property’ with ‘built-in audiences. ’An age in which original ideas are shelved and remakes are green lit within the blink of an eye. Though, in a world of remakes, I suppose the least annoying genre to re-boot is the good old fashioned horror film. A genre built on the concept that young people love to watch other young people get their throats slashed open.
And that’s exactly what to expect when watching “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, a re-boot of Wes Craven’s 1984 ‘dead-in-your-dreams’ slasher-pic. The remake is a dumb, clichéd, poorly written send-up of the original — yet it’s so overstuffed with gratuitous violence and genuine scares that (if you’re into that kind of stuff) you’re happy to stick around for the short and bloody 95 minute running time.
Story-wise the film hits all the same beats as the original: Teens are tormented by a blade-fingered serial killer who murderers them in their dreams, resulting in their actual deaths. Director Samuel Bayer, famous for Nirvana’s iconic “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video, is spot-on when it comes to visual style but fails to impress with garnishing any stellar performances from his brigade of young actors.
As for the cast, there’s enough young, beautiful Hollywood in this gore-fest to over-capacitate Teddy’s on a Monday night. Katie Cassidy, of the CW’s “Melrose Place”, is wonderful eye-candy throughout the film and “90201” star Kellan Lutz fits perfectly as the disturbed, yet incredibly well-toned bad-boy role. Though, the stand-out of the film is actor Kyle Gallner, channeling similar strokes as his performance in 2009’s surprisingly creepy, “The Haunting in Connecticut.” The kid’s got chops, no doubt.
Jackie Earle Haley, who earned an Oscar-nom for his performance in 2006’s “Little Children”, portrays famous finger-slasher Freddy Krueger with little gusto and even less energy. Basically, this is a VERY talented actor hidden behind 5-hours of prosthetic make-up and working with a half-assed script.
Overall, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a luke-warm remake of a campy Hollywood classic saved by the director’s visual flair and some clever and macabre death sequences.
Kirsten Dunst made her long awaited comeback this weekend premiering her short-film, ‘Bastard’, at the 9th annual Tribeca Film Festival. Her piece will close the Cannes’ Critics Week sidebar on May 20th.
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