Today, I’d like share one of my favorite movies with you. Sweet Elizabeth brought this into my life many years ago and it has been my answer to “what’s your favorite movie?” ever since. I can’t even begin to relate to you how wet this movie is. Kof & Lan know. I watched it over and over in Tendrich. I don’t know. It’s just my kinda shit. Reality will always outdo fiction, because that shit actually happened. And nothing is crazier than that.
Any chance we get to take a look into the world and the mind of somebody as inspiring as Basquiat is one I think we should take. Tamra Davis’ upcoming documentary feature, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child will offer just that: a glimpse at the life and work of her personal friend, and one of the most important visual artists of the 20th century. Slated to drop later this year, the film features original music from Adam Horovitz & Mike D of the Beastie Boys and visual work from Shepard Fairey. Peep the trailer above.
Here’s one for Tom. I have to admit I was lightweight skeptical going into Avatar. As far as movies go, I generally fuck with the ones with small budgets more than the ones that cost $400 million to make. Doubting James Cameron won’t get you too far though. Not only is Avatar a record-breaking box office smash, but it’s also just a dope story, and a well-made film. And as promised, Cameron unveiled some of the most impressive and pioneering technology in movie history. The video above gives a detailed look into the movie, helping to break down some of the tech wizardry that went into the world of Pandora. Some of this is just ridiculous.
Even if this trailer wasn’t fantastic, Up In The Air would still have a lot going for it. Written and directed by Jason Reitman, the man behind Juno and Thank You for Smoking, the film boasts a talented cast (Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Zack Galifianakis) headed by the smoothest dude in the business. Add to that a host of positive reviews, and it’s looking like a winner. They say hype kills though. So you’ll have to decide for yourself.
Looking to make the most out of my settled Sunday, I hit up Ashley round one to meet up and kick. “Wanna go on an adventure?” I asked. “Oh god.” she replied on the phone. “What are you trying to do?” I told her about my plans to photograph the Reserve store on Fairfax and hit up the swap meet afterwards. After mulling over the idea for a moment, she agreed. “See you in 20,” she said. 40 minutes later, Ash arrived at my doorstep and we made moves. A settled Sunday, I was content shootin the shit with Ashley and slappin some Mayer on the ride over. Yes, it’s true. Bundy’s slowly making me a believer. On the ride over, sitting in some booty traffic, a novel realization came to mind.
Stanley Kubrick is one fascinating dude. Completing just 13 films in a 50-year career, he was known for his meticulous attention to detail, crafting some of the true masterpieces of the artform. Little known outside of movie buff circles is Napoleon, the biographical story of Napoleon Bonaparte that never made it to production. Originally slated to star Jack Nicholson, the film was expected by Kubrick to be “the best movie ever made”. Now Taschen is offering a limited collector’s edition book, complete with pictures and a facsimile of the script. Hella bread, but coppable here.
I think given a little creativity and a positive mindset, anyone can find success. Maybe even notoriety. But being an icon means you did you so powerfully, and so persuasively that your work just becomes undeniable. Osamu reached this status by drawing pictures. Over 170,000 pages of them, to be specific. Known by many as the Walt Disney of Japan, Tezuka is widely regarded the godfather of anime, and as one of the key figures in Japanese pop culture. God of Manga is the first authorized biography of the legendary comic artist, featuring 300 pages of images and a 45-minute DVD of Secrets of Creation, a documentary on Tezuka’s creative process. Coppable here and here.
It seems like a lot of the most crucial conflicts in the world happen because people don’t take the time to understand one another. Our generation has seen firsthand the effect of different cultures and religions clashing, without either side really having the wisdom to learn enough about the other’s ideology. To some folks, this video is nothing they haven’t heard before. For others, it’ll be a learning experience. A simple and concise explanation of what exactly “karma” means as a philosophy. Falling somewhere between music video and documentary, This is Karma is not only informative, but also dope on the visual side. I think the world would benefit from more projects like it.
This might just be the strangest piece of art Kanye has ever put together. Keep watching until the end and you’ll see what I mean. The last time these two linked up, it was for the “Flashing Lights” video, another brilliant piece of oddball film that left folks scratching their heads. Spike Jonze of course, is the director behind this fall’s blockbuster Where the Wild Things Are, as well as Adaptation, Being John Malkovich and a handful of the dopest music videos ever. To me, this is amazing. To others, it might just be weird. Either way, it’s worth the watch (EDIT: The video keeps getting taken down, but we’ll re-up it as different versions become available).
This Sunday marked the season finale for Entourage, complete with a few golden moments and some gaudy cameos (King James, Matt Damon). For those of you who fuck with the Sidereel or TiVo, I’ll keep the rest of the spoilers to myself. Suffice to say it was a dope episode, with a pretty clear goal of pulling on a few heartstrings. After six full seasons in the game, its easy to forget how consistently brilliant Jeremy Piven is as Ari Gold, until you see a monologue like this. Ari at his finest. Personally, Entourage is about the only show I still follow, so I might need some suggestions to keep me entertained for the next few months. Is Mad Men really that dope?
I think on some level, all of us are aware of injustice and poverty on a global scale. But sometimes it really takes a slap in the face for folks to wake the fuck up and give the complexity of these issues some serious thought. So far, The End of Poverty, a documentary directed by Phillipe Diaz, has gained critical acclaim and all kinds of film festival love for doing just that. Being in America, and especially considering the wealth of resources we have (food, clean running water, access to education and technology), I think we’re all somehow implicated in this mess. And though thinking about how to address issues of global economics is a pretty daunting question, I think the first step is to become informed. This looks like a good place to start. Due out in November.
Everybody knows Dustin is that dude. The Graduate is one of those movies you can only really speak of in superlatives. If you were an aspiring filmmaker, actor or screenwriter, this would probably be on a short list of movies you should see immediately. Not to mention the Simon & Garfunkel laced soundtrack. Classic shit. Anyway, this scene is for those in need of a reminder that your intuition can be your best friend. Sometimes you just gotta go off top and see what happens.
I feel like our generation has sat through an unprecedented amount of wack ass commercials in our young lives. I can’t fuck with television anymore for this very reason. I will really never care if Swiffer Wet jet is the leading cleaning brand in America, or if the new Honda XVR7290F342 is the safest car with additional 2.3% APR financing (You feel me?). The bombardment has created a climate where it’s imperative for companies to differentiate themselves in more ways than one to even be considered let alone heard in this shouting match. Hopefully, Art & Copy will shed some light upon this industry while enlightening us about the rhetorical strategies that have been used on us time and time again. Click MORE for a synopsis of the film.
