FILM
Last month, New York Times Magazine gathered the year's best film performers to create a short series of beautifully chilling videos directed by Alex Prager called A Touch Of Evil. Killers, crooks and crazies are just a few of the villianous archetypes that were selected and portrayed by our favorite actors. (Watch the whole series here.)
There's Brad Pitt as the madman, where he says he was channeling ‘‘Peter Lorre — with a dose of Kramer.’’ He was praised last year for Moneyball and The Tree of Life. Mia Wasikowska becomes and axe-weilding home wrecker reminiscent of The Shining. Her best performances include Albert Nobbs, Jane Eyre and Restless. Rooney Mara, leading "lady" in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, dresses as the sociopathic Alex from A Clockwork Orange. Gary Oldman imitates a creepy ventriloquist dummy in his spooky spot. Quite a different role from his performance in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Whether you were into kinderwhore or hypercolors, the 90’s were an exciting time in personal fashion. Not everything always made sense (ultra low rise jeans, anyone?) but it was certainly always interesting.
Naturally, the films produced during that time reflect this smorgasbord-aesthetic. Every girl remembers the first time they saw “Titanic” or “Clueless”. We remember sobbing with our friends at the end of “Cruel Intentions,” cheering on the protagonists of “Pretty Women” and “A League of Their Own,” and having our jaws drop during the adrenaline needle scene of “Pulp Fiction.” While these films are not exactly all Oscar-winners, they have stood the test of time in a different way. The reason it was so easy for us to jump right into the worlds of the characters was due to the flawless work of their costume designers.
A lot can be conveyed in a short amount of time. Entire stories can be told in under ten minutes. From the cartoons of our childhood to the Youtube videos and Twitter of today, we’ve become used to explored entire worlds in fractions of our leisure time. Mont Blanc, however, held a competition that rapidly reduced that time. Giving new meaning to the short film, contestants in this competition submitted videos only one second long. These videos, however, still tell entire stories.
Writer and Director Michael Stein has come up with a brilliant idea. He has created a movie called The Guitar Player, which is about a homeless street performer who has been living on the streets for 20 years. The film highlights the struggles and stark realities of homelessness, a widespread problem throughout the United States.
The catch is this: the movie is to be funded by the public. Stein has created an elaborate fund raising campaign to finance the film, and intends of giving half the profits to various homeless charities.
The Devil's Double is based on the autobiography of Latif Yahia, who was forced to become the body double of Saddam Hussein's eldest son, Uday Hussein in the '80s. Besides some graphic torture scenes and gratuitous blood-gushing and gut-spilling, I really enjoyed it. It's violent and gritty and sexy and has been acclaimed as "The Scarface of Arabia."
Apparently, third time's the charm in the Paranormal Activity movies. Think back, children of the mid '80s to early '90s. Remember this?
"Bloody Mary, bloody Mary, bloody Ma- STOOOOP!!!!" *turn lights on furiously, open the door, & run like the wind*
...At least that's what would usually happen every single time I'd attempt to play "Bloody Mary" in the bathroom. Surely, most of you are at least familiar with the myth/game. You say the name three times in the dark and you could potentially be haunted/stabbed/murdered by the crazy lady in the mirror. Those are what consisted many of our childhood days. Good times, good times...the world was a bit more awesome: there was less reality television and more of this thing called playing outside.
You've heard it before and you'll no doubt here it again: New York City is the epicenter for culture, art, film and particularly, music. However, in the last few years, the New York these people are raving about is no longer Greenwich Village or the Lower East Side; It's Brooklyn. And not just any ol' area of Brooklyn.
Williamsburg and Greenpoint have created a chasm of collectives, movements and underground venues within the confines of this great city that reach far beyond the boundaries of these five boroughs. Places like Glasslands Gallery, IndieScreen Theater, The House of Yes and 3rd Ward (both on the cusp of E. Williamsburg/Bushwick), Shea Stadium (no, not the baseball field), and so much have spawned a new generation, a new outlet and platform in which to speak to and hear from open-minded, progressive thinkers, musicians, poets, writers, directors, and artists of all likenesses.
The highly anticipated sequel to the surprise sleeper hit finally arrived in theaters in 05/26/11, the eve of Memorial Day weekend. The first Hangover, first released in summer 2009, garnered the attention of both critics and audiences alike through word-of-mouth buzz, as well as its comedic trailers. This second installment of the franchise is already making history with its first weekend, making it the best R-rated comedy opening ever for the domestic box office. Fans of the original anxiously lined up in the blazing summer heat to rekindle their relationship with The Hangover.
Did the second helping deliver?
Lazy Teenage Superheroes is an ambitious short film making its rounds on Youtube about an average teen named Tyler, whose roommates all have super powers. Like the title implies, they aren’t exactly active in the Superhero community anymore. Like many teens, they just want to crack open a beer and play Team Fortress 2. Tyler doesn’t quite get exactly why his new friends aren’t making use of their awesome powers until they reveal some unsavory tidbits of their past as heroes.
The film is a funny and really well-written take on the lives of “average” heroes. Mitch, Calvin, and Richard's civilian lives are constantly being interrupted by archenemies and giant robots no matter how hard they try to hide their powers and pasts. They’re not exactly Superman or Captain America when it comes to enthusiasm when being called to task either, which makes for a fairly amusing contrast.
The first wave of performers at the 19th annual Noise Pop Festival have been announced.
Early bird badges are on sale now for $125 and include a free festival T-shirt. Regular badges are $160 and will be available on December 9th. The festival will be held on February 22 - 27 and will take place in various venues around the city (Bottom of the Hill, Great American Music Hall, etc.). Noise Pop also includes a film festival, art shows, a craft fair, and a music industry conference.
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