20 Nov 06 Entertained
Anyone who keeps a casual and personal blog understands how it feels when there’s not much in the brain itching to be written about yet when you write nothing, a nagging pressure mounts to pick a random topic out of the ether and get over the slump. So here’s my random topic: entertained.
Not all of my time in the past while has been spent shooting pictures or editing pictures. Matt and I have been out patronising galleries and theater and cinemas, as well we have lounged a bit in front of the TV. Some recent highlights include:
The Fischli and Weiss exhibit at Tate Modern
A sincerely fun retrospective of these two Swiss artists that have collaborated for 30+ years and who I’d never heard of before this show. My favourite section is the enormous room set up as what appears to be the artists’ working studio - miscellaneous tools, crates, pizza boxes and assorted junky things. The twist is that none of the objects in this room are ‘real’, but sculpted fabrications of the real things. Having not realised this until days after we visited the exhibition, I had to return to scrutinize it all for signs of imitation. Even the rubber boots and gloves looked real, it’s a complete mind-bender. Also, separately entertaining to see is the installation of giant slides in the Turbine Hall which have attracted swarms of eager and vocal kiddies.
One Man Star Wars
Nutty Canadian Charles Ross is touring his one-man spastic interpretation of the original Star Wars trilogy. We caught the show at the Garrick Theater and were generally impressed by the unpretentious wackiness of a solo guy playing all the pertinent roles plus the spaceships as though he were performing in a livingroom for a bunch of friends for a laugh. The audience loved it but, for the few who might not have, Ross offered an apology at the end mentioning how easy it could have been to misinterpret the title of the show and have expected something different… :P
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Hysterically ridiculously belligerently funny movie, yes it is, and the humour is so way over the top to be judged only ‘politically incorrect’. Any person easily offended by pretty much anything should probably never see this flick. Just when I needed lots of laughs this movie came through, however I would happily take back five of the six (or eight) minutes I spent watching that nude wrestling scene. In light of the controversial revelations regarding the making of the film my thoughts are: Sacha Baron Cohen tricking some frat guys into drinking too much - OK whatever - but swindling an entire village of poor Romanian gypsies is perhaps ethically questionable and not entirely a practice I’d like to pay money to support.
Breaking and Entering
A London-filmed movie with Jude Law, Robin Wright Penn and Juliette Binoche - some actors I quite like to watch. Unfortunately there was no baring of Jude’s bum for this one but the interesting story and clever pacing made for a decent evening out. We have a newly opened cinema / multi-purpose community arts facility in our area, Rich Mix, where tickets cost only £6 (versus £12.50 at Leicester Square)!
In the Face of History: European Photographers in the 20th Century at Barbican
Spent a few hours wandering through this enormous and engaging photography exhibit, primarily featuring exciting and moving documentary-style images. Aside from Atget and Brassai whose images of Paris I am familiar with, top highlights for me were Henryk Ross ( represented by a series of shocking images which he took in secret while imprisoned in the Lodz ghetto in Poland during World War Two) and Anders Peterson, whose photographs taken in Sweden at “Cafe Lehmitz”. Some of those pictures are the best I have ever seen, ever, and I discovered this afternoon he was here in London giving a lecture ten days ago… aaargh!
BBC’s Planet Earth series with David Attenborough
It’s nature programming at its absolute best and intriguing, really, and you can buy it on DVD. It’s equally amazing to watch the ‘diaries’ segments that document some of the trials of making the series. Unbelievably these filmmakers have suffered near attacks by lions and polar bears and extreme cold all for their commitment (and producer-pressure, I think) to record unforgettable footage. Last night’s rainforest episode had the photographer waiting 120 hours in a covered hole in the ground (not in one go), waiting with a male six-wired bird of paradise to meet a female mate. The results were worth it!
1 Comment »
RSS feed for comments on this post.
GET FED:
Hi Tiffany & Matt
Henry (being a Star Wars nut) was intrigued by the One Man Star Wars show!
Comment by Lynda & Henry — December 11, 2006 #