Sacrament
Archive for the ‘Theater & Film’ Category
Big Big Love
Sunday, February 21st, 2010Macau, China. Cirque du Soliel “Zaia”
Sunday, August 10th, 2008Took the hydro ferry for a nice day trip to Macao. The weather is great and this is a cool set of islands. Coloane has a relaxing beach of black sand, perfect swimming. Saw some highway signage that had been ripped from the ground from a prior typhoon.
Macau is becoming the Asian version of Las Vegas gambling haven. The large hotels that shoot skyward and many are still under construction, are a bit disturbing.
But went and saw Cirque du Soliel’s new show called “Zaia” in the Venetian Macao. It’s about a little girl’s dream /journey into space, where she to gains a better perspective on her and humanity’s relationship to Earth’s environment. A perfect story for a polluted part of the world, no?
Small review and a strictly tourist pictures from Macau, soon.
Macau – Olympics Fuwa creatures
Cirque du Soliel in Venetian Macau
This place is way too opulent, but a great show. I’ll write more about it soon.
Venetian Hotel Macau China
did they spare any expense when building this place? It’s sort of ironic that it is so over the top while the “Zaia” show is about being more in touch with our natural environment.
Coloane and the black sands
Dinner, beach, moon, bus.
PS: The famous good almond cookies on the street…
PPS: ..also fantastic custard tarts of Macau.
Controlling the load
Monday, April 21st, 2008Warner Brothers
So these guys do a good job of controlling the way the Flash elements load on a page. It’s a very orchestrated visual loading for a fairly straightforward media site. I liked the web site more than the movie.
Warner Brothers — Harry Potter’s and the Dark Knight’s studio
Mass Art student event
Thursday, March 27th, 2008Mass College of Art Spring show
SCHOOL OF INTERRELATED MEDIA: The BIG SHOW
Performances, paintings, video art..This dude:
The event poster.
Boston Underground Film Festival
Thursday, March 20th, 2008I’m used to the autumn/winter film festivals, but this is a cool springtime film festival. Check it out, next time you can…
Boston Underground Film Festival
Christopher McCandless “Into the Wild” comes to DVD
Thursday, March 6th, 2008More thoughts on the recent DVD release of this movie/tall-tale.
Garbage Island = Plastic in your food chain
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008Watch this web video documentary about a floating island of garbage.
very affecting look at how polluted our oceans have become. Loads stringy molecules of decomposing plastic are floating in most of the ocean. These pollutants are being ingested by the fish, and other wildlife, and perhaps even you and I. Do we have to start worrying about plastic level in our sushi now, like we woory about mercury?
GARBAGE ISLAND
- Good web documentary
2 really great DVDs
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008Violent Femmes DVD Live and Otherwise
I really liked this, a really good concert DVD. Not only a fantastic and fun performance, and a great sound recording as well.
Violent Femmes
Amazon
Shaolin Soccer
kung fu on the pitch! Fun story of a rag tag team of soccer players with mutant kung fu powers.
The “Violent Femmes” sing about dissolution and not getting any, so so well. Some casual fans actually think that their songs are their lives, many of us see through that. Also, another band the “Hold Steady” sing about getting hammered all the time. Some of their fans believe that that is their reality as well. But others see them as normal people. It’s funny that some people can get so wrapped up in art. Watching too much TV or browsing too many pages can flip out people, Id imagine.
But, if you liked their music, do take a moment to watch the Violent Femmes DVD, it’s a great recorded concert in a tight space.
Holiday Movies
Friday, December 21st, 2007
NEW ORDER STORY
(1994)
A nice documentary on New Order, which was satisfying to watch after the somewhat depressing Ian Curtis biopic “Control”. Happily learned more than I expected to, of how the band views their own synth-drumkit music success and the cheeky and detached scene they created. Interviews include the band’s manager and the graphic designer Peter Saville, who was responsible for the band’s iconic album covers and “new order look”. The documentary also talks with impresario Tony Wilson who helped out a few emerging Manchester bands, like Joy Division and the Stone Roses, as well as managed Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub. Tony Wilson, as portrayed in the documentary, was a big part of New Order’s personal story. He passed away in early August of 2007 at the age of 57. There is also great footage of Peter Hook slamming into his hot bass playing, if you like that sort of thing, which I do. Promptly loaned this DVD to a buddy.
This is cool. A more recent album cover design from Peter hook.
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Directed by Kar Wai Wong (2000)
2046
Directed by Kar Wai Wong (2004)
Even though there is a 4 year gap between the filming of “In the Mood for Love” and “2046″, the story line seamlessly carries forward, so I recommend viewing both movies as close as possible. The second movie “2046″ is a continuation of the moody and bohemian newspaper man’s story from the first movie– who, after the prior events-of-the-heart, attempts to give up not only writing news but other certain feelings. I really liked “2046″ better then the first movie, because of its great analogies, epic character pathos and tender subplots… but also the way it echoes and makes sense of the prior film. The director blurs the sense of place, breaks time lines, and strongly carries the character’s feelings to the viewer. There is even a yearnful sci-fi train ride, heading back from the future, vainly trying to traverse emotional time, which is coiled around the main plot.
It’s a romantic and poignant double-bill — bathed in beautiful light, alien in setting and pace, and rich with exploration of every character’s emotional world — that cannot be beat. Sixteen thumbs up.
more… 2046
Lynch (one)
Thursday, December 20th, 2007blank and white documentary of David Lynch, made during the preproduction and creation of his last movie. Oh that hair and fascination with visiting factories in eastern europe.
An extreme close-up of David Lynch
Lynch (one)
Directed by: blackANDwhite
Starring: David Lynch
At: the Brattle Theater, Cambridge
Running time: 82 minutes. Unrated
“Lynch (one)” may be the documentary David Lynch wants, but I’m not sure it’s the one he or we deserve.
Made by someone who calls himself blackANDwhite, a longtime member of the director’s inner circle who prefers to remain pseudonymous (it’s not Lynch), the film’s definitely worth a look if you’ve followed the maverick filmmaker on his termite’s path through the pop-culture consciousness. Even die-hard fans, though – by whom I mean those who saw and liked last year’s brilliantly obscure “Inland Empire” – may want more than “Lynch (one)” is willing to give.
…
Lynch’s public persona is that of a folksy genius, but the documentary gives us just enough glimpses of the director in action to reveal a surprisingly harsh on-set taskmaster, with the impatience of an artist, the command of a born leader, and a pungent vocabulary at odds with his devotion to Transcendental Meditation. “Lynch (one)” exposes these contradictions without investigating them, perhaps not wanting to displease the boss. …