Italics. Italian Art between Tradition and Revolution. (1968 – 2008).
Francesco Bonami's Italics: Italian Art Between Tradition and Revolution, 1968-2008 (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; November 14, 2009 - February 12,2010). It includes 250 works by 107 Italian artists, Italics is not just an exhibition about art made in Italy but, more importantly, demonstrates how these artists have forged new identities from deep roots blossoming in many different directions.
In the polemical essay from the exhibition catalogue, Borami writes that Italics was "not based on a thesis but on a situation." The curate maintains and develop contemporary art on an adequate scale. So, Boanami set out to prove the richness of the contemporary Italian art scene through this exhibition. His excoriation of the cultural apparatuses at work in Italy gives a good sense of the passion that he brought to the task of organizing the show. Indeed, as he sought to demonstrate the sophistication, vitality, and idiosyncrasy of contemporary Italian artists, Bonami selected some pitch-perfect examples that do make us wonder why many of these artists are not more widely known.
Parting down the list of discoveries from this show is a daunting task, but at the very least would be the works by Pietro Roccasalva and Carol Rama, followed by those of Roberto Cuoghi and Giuseppe Gabellone. The highlight of the exhibition for me, though, was a curatorial gambit rather than a single work; the juxtaposition of two seemingly unrelated videos in one room. The first is Domenico Mangano's The Story of Mimmo (1999-2000), an eight-minute piece that features the artist's fat uncle ruminating on life, religion, and food while wearing only a pair of skimpy shorts.
Because of his large size, Mimmo no longer works or even seems to leave his cramped apartment. The video emphasizes this idle claustrophobia in unrelenting fashion as Mimmo's body fills almost every frame while he eats, tries to sleep, and even sits on the toilet at one point. In this way, the viewer gets a sense that the totality of this man's existence is talking and digesting.
Just to Mangano’s work is Monica Bonvincini’s video shows a nude woman whose head is entirely covered by a white architectural model of a home. She is backed into a corner space created by two bare walls against which she repeatedly bangs her house-head. Clearly, Bonvicini has attempted to bring one of Louise Bourgeois’ feminine-maison figures to life. In that regard, the work feels somewhat strident and student-like. Yet, there is also a grace and dignity to the woman’s repetitive struggle, which elevates it beyond merely derivative.
Bonami also includes a fair number of works by Italy’s more established artists. Mario Merz, Michelangelo Pistolletto, Francesco Clemente and Sandro Chia are here. However, there works by Italian A-listers particularly stood out. Of those, surely the most striking is Maurizo Cattelan’s All (2008), which greets us as we enter the exhibition. The piece consists of nine marble sculptures meticulously carved to represent covered corpses, neatly lined up in a row. Walking around the prostate figures, I kept looking for some sign that would clue me in to the joke or the wry humor I expected. Instead, the piece was powerfully sober and I felt oddly chastened by the gulf between my expectations and my experience.
The show had is curatorial flaws – half hearted thematic groupings and excessive amounts of photojournalism were the most onerous. Simone Berti’s Senza titolo (1999) offers spokes models for Bonami’s theory. The large-scale color photo depicts a carefully coiffed family posing on a lawn. Its strength is the consistently good work featured throughout the exhibition. Countless times, I was excitedly jotting down artists’ names so that I could find additional information about them later or recording my surprise at works or artists I thought I already knew. But Italics is more than old fashioned ideas that good art continues to be made because artists simply have to do it.
Though the former Museum of Contemporary Art senior curator Reiner Zetti insists, in the “Italics” catalog, he “does not pretend to rewrite 40 years of art history but rather to tell a different tale in a new way,” artist Jannis Kounellis disliked Bonami’s departures from the canon so much he withdrew from the show. Though Bonami rails against the conservative art system that has stifled artistic opportunities and recognition in his homeland, the quality of the work here indicates that at least something is going right.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
three short reviews
Avatar is an epic science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron. For the most part, most complaints stem from the story line, which is said to sound like ‘Dances with Wolves.” It's also said that as Titanic had themes of "Romeo and Juliet", Avatar has themes of "Pocahontas." Still yet, there's one thing everyone agrees on: the special effects are awesome. The Na'vi - the 10 foot tall blue creatures are unlike anything ever seen before. The colors, the special effects, everything in this film are what make the show so awesome. Want to see something really great? Go see Avatar in 3D, the film is phenomenal.
Avatar, directed by James Cameron. 2009
In his newest poetry book Peter Gizzi writes about “nothing.” It’s a little bit of satiric poetry. “In Defense of Nothing”? In everyday life, in mathematics and science "nothing" does not have a technical meaning. “Nothing” is zero. But in poetry, “nothing” could mean something very important. The poet is saying, “It’s hard to imagine atoms, hydrogen & oxygen binding” (53). Without “hydrogen & oxygen binding,“ we cannot live more than three minutes. We do not think about it everyday, but it is part of our existence. I would suggest that is what makes his poetry interesting. That’s why the poet wants to defend nothing but air on which everything lives on planet Earth.
Some Values of Landscape and Weather
by Peter Gizzi. Wesleyan University Press 2003
Love and Theft, Bob Dylan’s 2001 album, looms large in his storied catalog, and not just because it came out on 9/11. Sure, “Lonesome Day Blues” and “High Water (for Charley Patton)” were spooky-prescient meditations on autumn 2001’s. “Summer Days” and the lascivious stomp of “Cry a While” showed that Dylan wasn’t through giving pleasure or cracking wise, either “Last night ’cross the alley/There was a pounding on the walls.” Add to the package his best backing band in decades, and it’s all over but the debate with your boomer parents about whether this achievement equals Blonde on Blonde.
Avatar, directed by James Cameron. 2009
In his newest poetry book Peter Gizzi writes about “nothing.” It’s a little bit of satiric poetry. “In Defense of Nothing”? In everyday life, in mathematics and science "nothing" does not have a technical meaning. “Nothing” is zero. But in poetry, “nothing” could mean something very important. The poet is saying, “It’s hard to imagine atoms, hydrogen & oxygen binding” (53). Without “hydrogen & oxygen binding,“ we cannot live more than three minutes. We do not think about it everyday, but it is part of our existence. I would suggest that is what makes his poetry interesting. That’s why the poet wants to defend nothing but air on which everything lives on planet Earth.
Some Values of Landscape and Weather
by Peter Gizzi. Wesleyan University Press 2003
Love and Theft, Bob Dylan’s 2001 album, looms large in his storied catalog, and not just because it came out on 9/11. Sure, “Lonesome Day Blues” and “High Water (for Charley Patton)” were spooky-prescient meditations on autumn 2001’s. “Summer Days” and the lascivious stomp of “Cry a While” showed that Dylan wasn’t through giving pleasure or cracking wise, either “Last night ’cross the alley/There was a pounding on the walls.” Add to the package his best backing band in decades, and it’s all over but the debate with your boomer parents about whether this achievement equals Blonde on Blonde.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A web side review
The Poets' Corner is one of the largest and oldest text resources on the web. The goal of this ongoing project is to develop a user-friendly library that is both a useful reference and an appealing place to browse and explore - and there is plenty of material here to explore. The collection covers roughly 7,000 works by about 800 poets - including some of the best known works in the English language - and many obscure and forgotten works that are well worth reading.
This site has been recognized by numerous search engines (Britannica, Magellan, WebCrawler, Point, etc.), Publications (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Internet Life), Broadcasters (the BBC, Oxygen), numerous university programs, and many, many of its users around the world.
This web site is unique because it not only has poetry but also pictures of the poets, for example, every picture I have ever seen of Poe appears a little bit skewed in an appropriately unsettling way. One painting of Jonson looks as if all it would take is another beer to get him to pen another song. Pound's stare seems almost as pointed as his satire, though not as pointed as Dame Edith's facial features. Also we can find in the Poets’ Corner a face book fan page, blog, short biographical summaries, title indexes and condensed author indexes. That makes this web side very original and easy to find whatever you look for.
They advertise themselves in this way; it’s our business to help you. We can’t relieve you of the burden of doing your own share of the work, but we can make the whole process less onerous, less agonizing – and possibly even enjoyable. No single Web site (or book or even library, for that matter) can encompass the entire world of poetry. But we can provide you with the tools to find what you need in the shortest amount of time so that you can get back to what you really want to be doing – namely, writing poetry.
This site has been recognized by numerous search engines (Britannica, Magellan, WebCrawler, Point, etc.), Publications (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Internet Life), Broadcasters (the BBC, Oxygen), numerous university programs, and many, many of its users around the world.
This web site is unique because it not only has poetry but also pictures of the poets, for example, every picture I have ever seen of Poe appears a little bit skewed in an appropriately unsettling way. One painting of Jonson looks as if all it would take is another beer to get him to pen another song. Pound's stare seems almost as pointed as his satire, though not as pointed as Dame Edith's facial features. Also we can find in the Poets’ Corner a face book fan page, blog, short biographical summaries, title indexes and condensed author indexes. That makes this web side very original and easy to find whatever you look for.
They advertise themselves in this way; it’s our business to help you. We can’t relieve you of the burden of doing your own share of the work, but we can make the whole process less onerous, less agonizing – and possibly even enjoyable. No single Web site (or book or even library, for that matter) can encompass the entire world of poetry. But we can provide you with the tools to find what you need in the shortest amount of time so that you can get back to what you really want to be doing – namely, writing poetry.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Saturday Night Live
Tina Fey Justin Bieber On SNL:Watch Saturday Night Live Season 35 Episode 18 Online S35E18 – Saturday Night Live/SNL which was hosted by Tina Fey aired this weekend.
Fey appeared in every single sketch and even sang with musical guest Justin Bieber-just kidding.
And of course she took on her worst enemy Sarah Palin for the good of America. And let us be honest, it is always nice to see Fey or Amy Poehler for that matter back on SNL.
The show opened with a skit where Fred Armisen played Barack Obama and tried to explain the census.
Armisen added his own grain of salt when he talked about some very private matter like sexual habits and turned to those who speak Spanish to ask “Esta aqui ilegalmente?”
The opening monologue was not the best monologue ever but Tina Fey who played “every woman” and thanked all who made her great career possible, did have great moments worth remembering in there-such as:
-”I’m a more a role model for young women than I thought,” but remembered that the girls were there for Justin Bieber.
-Tina sang “I’m Every Woman” while introducing all the people who helped with her busy life on a daily basis: two nannies, some factory workers, New York Jet’s quarterback Mark Sanchez, Steve Martin, Justin Bieber and Chaka Khan (played by Kenan Thompson).
Next came a very nasty/disgusting yet funny fake commercial where Fey landed herself a Duncan Hines’ Brownie Husband, meaning a man entirely made out of chocolate whom she made out with shamelessly.
The Masters: SNL did not miss the opportunity to rip Tiger Woods apart for his latest Nike commercial and for his return at the Masters. Fey played Ashlyn St. Cloud, a Shakers stripper and self described as “Tiger Woods expert” who was willing to share some of Woods little secrets which included:
-”Michael Jordan has the funniest video of him choking me a little bit”
-”Filthy Ambien zombie sex”
-”PS: If Asians and Indians can compete with black people, it’s not a sport.”
But as always, Tina Fey came to the rescue with a hilarious segment called Women’s News which had fantastic jokes like:
-”When your body looks like a dirtbag’s binder from 7th grade metal shop, it doesn’t bode well for your character. For every Sandra Bullock out there, there’s a woman who got a tattoo on her forehead because she ran out of room on her labia. For every Elin Nordegren, there’s a Hooters waitress who spells her name Jamie with two Es’and a star. If Hitler were alive today, even he would be like, “Armer Sandra Bullock, sie sind so liebenswert” (“Poor Sandra Bullock, she is so likable.”)
This is a good show because of the hilarious humor, switching from Obama to Hitler. It covers politics, sports, sex, art, movies, and most current events which are surprisingly funny if you look at it from a comedic viewpoint. The actors on the show are good at improvising and are well equipped to play different roles. That is why the show has been so popular for almost four decades
Fey appeared in every single sketch and even sang with musical guest Justin Bieber-just kidding.
And of course she took on her worst enemy Sarah Palin for the good of America. And let us be honest, it is always nice to see Fey or Amy Poehler for that matter back on SNL.
The show opened with a skit where Fred Armisen played Barack Obama and tried to explain the census.
Armisen added his own grain of salt when he talked about some very private matter like sexual habits and turned to those who speak Spanish to ask “Esta aqui ilegalmente?”
The opening monologue was not the best monologue ever but Tina Fey who played “every woman” and thanked all who made her great career possible, did have great moments worth remembering in there-such as:
-”I’m a more a role model for young women than I thought,” but remembered that the girls were there for Justin Bieber.
-Tina sang “I’m Every Woman” while introducing all the people who helped with her busy life on a daily basis: two nannies, some factory workers, New York Jet’s quarterback Mark Sanchez, Steve Martin, Justin Bieber and Chaka Khan (played by Kenan Thompson).
Next came a very nasty/disgusting yet funny fake commercial where Fey landed herself a Duncan Hines’ Brownie Husband, meaning a man entirely made out of chocolate whom she made out with shamelessly.
The Masters: SNL did not miss the opportunity to rip Tiger Woods apart for his latest Nike commercial and for his return at the Masters. Fey played Ashlyn St. Cloud, a Shakers stripper and self described as “Tiger Woods expert” who was willing to share some of Woods little secrets which included:
-”Michael Jordan has the funniest video of him choking me a little bit”
-”Filthy Ambien zombie sex”
-”PS: If Asians and Indians can compete with black people, it’s not a sport.”
But as always, Tina Fey came to the rescue with a hilarious segment called Women’s News which had fantastic jokes like:
-”When your body looks like a dirtbag’s binder from 7th grade metal shop, it doesn’t bode well for your character. For every Sandra Bullock out there, there’s a woman who got a tattoo on her forehead because she ran out of room on her labia. For every Elin Nordegren, there’s a Hooters waitress who spells her name Jamie with two Es’and a star. If Hitler were alive today, even he would be like, “Armer Sandra Bullock, sie sind so liebenswert” (“Poor Sandra Bullock, she is so likable.”)
This is a good show because of the hilarious humor, switching from Obama to Hitler. It covers politics, sports, sex, art, movies, and most current events which are surprisingly funny if you look at it from a comedic viewpoint. The actors on the show are good at improvising and are well equipped to play different roles. That is why the show has been so popular for almost four decades
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
A review of the exterior of the new residential tower Aqua, at 225 N. Columbus Drive in Chicago
This building designed by: Loewenberg Architects and Studio/Gang/Architects
located near both Lake Michigan and the Chicago River reminds me not of a wave in the Lake Michigan, but spread harmony on which the Chicago’s wind can play the melody of the Middle West. The name Aqua gives us some idea that the building must be close to those waters, just like other buildings around it such as The Tide, The Shoreham, and The Regatta.
The building more looks like a sculpture than a place where people live. It is tall. It has 82 floors and that means that it has a beautiful view. Its maximum height is 870 feet / 265 meters. The location of this building makes it very expensive. Not very many people can afford to live there because of today’s economy, even though this is 21st century architecture which we can see from vast distances. It is a brand new building, built between 2006-2010. The color of the building is white, and the balcony is shaped to the waves. The balcony will get mostly sun coming through the apartments, and the apartment might be cool in the winter and shady in the summer. Not every apartment will have the same size balcony, which should be painted blue.
The building has 225 hotel rooms, 264 condominiums, 474 apartments, and 718 other residences. It is 1,900,00 square feet in floor space. None of this would matter without Gang’s singular design, whose three chief components are hotel space(for now, without an occupant) on floors 4 through 18, apartments on floors 19 through 52 and condominiums from floors 53 to 81. There are also shops, parking and townhouses facing an adjoining park. (Chicago Tribune). If you have a doctor imagination this building could remind you of layers of tissues in the human body, one after another, which accumulate fat and water. The building is made of glass and steel, which makes it light in the air. It can make a good impression in sunny days, when the blue color sky looks magnificent. During the winter the shape of the building can remind us of icicles which in the beams of the sun could remind us of a clean look of angel chests. The shape of the building for the human eye in the open space, with the background of air is hard to see by us but will be seen well by birds passing by. That is very important because contemporary skyscrapers cause a lot of bird deaths. Even the shape of the building is rectangular, if you look at a distance; the balcony around the building makes the impression that building is oval-like. The oval shape of the architecture can remind us of a finger, pointed towards the heavens. This makes a good impression on the average bread eater.
The Aqua is the tallest building designed by a woman-owned architectural firm and the first skyscraper from Chicago’s Jeanne Gang, of Studio Gang Architects, who is just 45years old (Chicago Tribune). Because of the woman architecture, we can believe the building will be friendly for family and kids and living there will makes their lives more comfortable than all the other buildings around it.
located near both Lake Michigan and the Chicago River reminds me not of a wave in the Lake Michigan, but spread harmony on which the Chicago’s wind can play the melody of the Middle West. The name Aqua gives us some idea that the building must be close to those waters, just like other buildings around it such as The Tide, The Shoreham, and The Regatta.
The building more looks like a sculpture than a place where people live. It is tall. It has 82 floors and that means that it has a beautiful view. Its maximum height is 870 feet / 265 meters. The location of this building makes it very expensive. Not very many people can afford to live there because of today’s economy, even though this is 21st century architecture which we can see from vast distances. It is a brand new building, built between 2006-2010. The color of the building is white, and the balcony is shaped to the waves. The balcony will get mostly sun coming through the apartments, and the apartment might be cool in the winter and shady in the summer. Not every apartment will have the same size balcony, which should be painted blue.
The building has 225 hotel rooms, 264 condominiums, 474 apartments, and 718 other residences. It is 1,900,00 square feet in floor space. None of this would matter without Gang’s singular design, whose three chief components are hotel space(for now, without an occupant) on floors 4 through 18, apartments on floors 19 through 52 and condominiums from floors 53 to 81. There are also shops, parking and townhouses facing an adjoining park. (Chicago Tribune). If you have a doctor imagination this building could remind you of layers of tissues in the human body, one after another, which accumulate fat and water. The building is made of glass and steel, which makes it light in the air. It can make a good impression in sunny days, when the blue color sky looks magnificent. During the winter the shape of the building can remind us of icicles which in the beams of the sun could remind us of a clean look of angel chests. The shape of the building for the human eye in the open space, with the background of air is hard to see by us but will be seen well by birds passing by. That is very important because contemporary skyscrapers cause a lot of bird deaths. Even the shape of the building is rectangular, if you look at a distance; the balcony around the building makes the impression that building is oval-like. The oval shape of the architecture can remind us of a finger, pointed towards the heavens. This makes a good impression on the average bread eater.
The Aqua is the tallest building designed by a woman-owned architectural firm and the first skyscraper from Chicago’s Jeanne Gang, of Studio Gang Architects, who is just 45years old (Chicago Tribune). Because of the woman architecture, we can believe the building will be friendly for family and kids and living there will makes their lives more comfortable than all the other buildings around it.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
review of painting
Rembrandt Self Portrait c.1660
March 31/2010
This magnificent painting differs from many of Rembrandt’s earlier self-portraits in that it shows the master as a working artist, rather than in some assumed identity. The mood and tone of this self-portrait are controlled and relatively light and clear. Rembrandt stands erect and alert, firmly grasping the weapons – palette, brushes, and maulstick – with which he will take on the changing the art of the world. The battle dress is not an exotic costume but causal garments of a working artist.
When he painted this portrait he was fifty-four, had visibly aged, and he painted his hair as white. Only the clarity of the eyes and his own vision remain unchanged.
Rembrandt’s study of his face has clearly helps him to paint other people’s faces without exaggerating any feature. He has also subtly manipulated the light to stress the three dimensional qualities of the sitter’s form. The cool colors and the sharp contrasts of color and value also help to strengthen the work’s lively impression.
This painting proves that Rembrandt’s search for social status during his life was a self-conscious one. There is little doubt that he had grown wealthy through his art. But the mood of this self-portrait indicates a yearning for the high-social status that he was dreaming of. Many of his personal pictures therefore must have been intended for the master himself rather than for the sale to his many patrons and clients. Thanks to that today we can not only enjoy his art but also we know how he looks like.
Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci
March 31/2010
Leonado Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the word although the painter died five hundred years ago. His painting is the subject of speculation for centuries and even today we do not who Mona Lisa was. Many people say that the she is the artist himself. The painting of the Renaissance master from Florence influenced almost every artist in the last 20th century. The famous Vienna psychologist and dream reader Sigmund Freud suggests that the Mona Lisa (specifically her smile) is a manifestation of Leonardo's submerged memory of the birth mother from whom he was estranged at age four. Freud theorizes she expressed an unnatural affection toward her young son (http://www.studiolo.org/Mona/MONASV12.htm).
You may like or not like Mona Lisa, but she is not a romantic myth, which made Leonardo a famous painter. She is just an ugly woman, who does not wear any jewelry and her finger are long and thin. She is a fat woman who looks straight at you asking; what do you think about my smile? She sits upright like a doll with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer. Her surprise and confusion is well hidden in her smile; you can see this in her eyes. She wonders why you want to look at her? Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to an even greater extent.
March 31/2010
This magnificent painting differs from many of Rembrandt’s earlier self-portraits in that it shows the master as a working artist, rather than in some assumed identity. The mood and tone of this self-portrait are controlled and relatively light and clear. Rembrandt stands erect and alert, firmly grasping the weapons – palette, brushes, and maulstick – with which he will take on the changing the art of the world. The battle dress is not an exotic costume but causal garments of a working artist.
When he painted this portrait he was fifty-four, had visibly aged, and he painted his hair as white. Only the clarity of the eyes and his own vision remain unchanged.
Rembrandt’s study of his face has clearly helps him to paint other people’s faces without exaggerating any feature. He has also subtly manipulated the light to stress the three dimensional qualities of the sitter’s form. The cool colors and the sharp contrasts of color and value also help to strengthen the work’s lively impression.
This painting proves that Rembrandt’s search for social status during his life was a self-conscious one. There is little doubt that he had grown wealthy through his art. But the mood of this self-portrait indicates a yearning for the high-social status that he was dreaming of. Many of his personal pictures therefore must have been intended for the master himself rather than for the sale to his many patrons and clients. Thanks to that today we can not only enjoy his art but also we know how he looks like.
Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci
March 31/2010
Leonado Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the word although the painter died five hundred years ago. His painting is the subject of speculation for centuries and even today we do not who Mona Lisa was. Many people say that the she is the artist himself. The painting of the Renaissance master from Florence influenced almost every artist in the last 20th century. The famous Vienna psychologist and dream reader Sigmund Freud suggests that the Mona Lisa (specifically her smile) is a manifestation of Leonardo's submerged memory of the birth mother from whom he was estranged at age four. Freud theorizes she expressed an unnatural affection toward her young son (http://www.studiolo.org/Mona/MONASV12.htm).
You may like or not like Mona Lisa, but she is not a romantic myth, which made Leonardo a famous painter. She is just an ugly woman, who does not wear any jewelry and her finger are long and thin. She is a fat woman who looks straight at you asking; what do you think about my smile? She sits upright like a doll with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer. Her surprise and confusion is well hidden in her smile; you can see this in her eyes. She wonders why you want to look at her? Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to an even greater extent.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Black Dogs Review
Book: Black Dogs: The Possibly True Story of Classic Rock's Greatest Robbery
Author: Jason Buhrmester
March 10/2010
The great British band Led Zeppelin gets our attention in the book by Jason Buhrmester, called Black Dogs. He introduces us to a fictional group of inept criminals led by one slightly more thoughtful mastermind. The other people’s stolen property doesn’t hold any value to them.
This is a story about the Led Zeppelin robbery which many of their fans don’t know about. In 1973, after three sold-out performances at Madison Square Garden, they had a lot of money stolen from a safe-deposit box at the Drake Hotel in what was called the single highest deposit box theft in the city’s history. Neither the evidence nor the money was ever found and no one was formally accused.
After what happened in New York City three decades after we may get some resolution from Jason Buhrmeste. This ragtag group swindles its way near Led Zeppelin on two occasions in pursuit of treasure. Nineteen-year-old Baltimorean-turned-New Yorker, Patrick Sullivan and his band of rock friends pulled off the heist. Patrick's Baltimore posse, such as it is, will never be mistaken for the Gambino Family. Hapless Alex should probably find another best pal, considering how Patrick has betrayed him. Smart-ass Frenchy lives for his guitar and little else. And Keith is the dumbest member of the group of people who aren’t that bright either. The plot twists bring even more wild characters into the fold, including Boogie, a safe-cracker with a funk band called the New York Giants, and mentally ill Backwoods Billy, a born-again biker who leads the Holy Ghosts Christian motorcycle gang.
This book is written with passion and with love for music. It is interesting, and fun to read because of the plot and the street language. There are simple dialogues with dirty words, which are the common in the world in which the main characters live. The language sounds natural and is the way of talking to people who are twenty years old and live mostly on the streets. The female characters are so naïve that sometimes it is hard to believe how people could be naive. The boys’ characters are exactly the same from the beginning of the story to the last page. The action of the book is interesting, but the first four chapters are boring. But the book was well researched - making the story seem so much more real while you read. The characters are people we all know, many of them are around us.
Every newspaper in New York ran a major story on Led Zeppelin being ripped off. The headline read LED ZEPPLIN ROBBED OF 203 G. Black Dogs brings to life one of the infamously unsolved rock'n'roll mysteries and introduces us to a lovable bunch of knuckleheads who may have just pulled off the greatest heist in rock'n'roll history. The author has proven that he has affection for rock 'n' roll's. The book is not about a bunch of morons but about music. The book never forgets that without the music, the whole thing means nothing.
Author: Jason Buhrmester
March 10/2010
The great British band Led Zeppelin gets our attention in the book by Jason Buhrmester, called Black Dogs. He introduces us to a fictional group of inept criminals led by one slightly more thoughtful mastermind. The other people’s stolen property doesn’t hold any value to them.
This is a story about the Led Zeppelin robbery which many of their fans don’t know about. In 1973, after three sold-out performances at Madison Square Garden, they had a lot of money stolen from a safe-deposit box at the Drake Hotel in what was called the single highest deposit box theft in the city’s history. Neither the evidence nor the money was ever found and no one was formally accused.
After what happened in New York City three decades after we may get some resolution from Jason Buhrmeste. This ragtag group swindles its way near Led Zeppelin on two occasions in pursuit of treasure. Nineteen-year-old Baltimorean-turned-New Yorker, Patrick Sullivan and his band of rock friends pulled off the heist. Patrick's Baltimore posse, such as it is, will never be mistaken for the Gambino Family. Hapless Alex should probably find another best pal, considering how Patrick has betrayed him. Smart-ass Frenchy lives for his guitar and little else. And Keith is the dumbest member of the group of people who aren’t that bright either. The plot twists bring even more wild characters into the fold, including Boogie, a safe-cracker with a funk band called the New York Giants, and mentally ill Backwoods Billy, a born-again biker who leads the Holy Ghosts Christian motorcycle gang.
This book is written with passion and with love for music. It is interesting, and fun to read because of the plot and the street language. There are simple dialogues with dirty words, which are the common in the world in which the main characters live. The language sounds natural and is the way of talking to people who are twenty years old and live mostly on the streets. The female characters are so naïve that sometimes it is hard to believe how people could be naive. The boys’ characters are exactly the same from the beginning of the story to the last page. The action of the book is interesting, but the first four chapters are boring. But the book was well researched - making the story seem so much more real while you read. The characters are people we all know, many of them are around us.
Every newspaper in New York ran a major story on Led Zeppelin being ripped off. The headline read LED ZEPPLIN ROBBED OF 203 G. Black Dogs brings to life one of the infamously unsolved rock'n'roll mysteries and introduces us to a lovable bunch of knuckleheads who may have just pulled off the greatest heist in rock'n'roll history. The author has proven that he has affection for rock 'n' roll's. The book is not about a bunch of morons but about music. The book never forgets that without the music, the whole thing means nothing.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Avatar
A good movie should touch us if does not touch it is a bad movie. Avatar ( an incarnation in human form) is a bad movie does not touch. But once again can we say that we have learned something about ourselves, the world or other people? Or can we reflect on this movie? This time James Cameron, the director of successful films like: Terminator or Titanic makes the movie industry high quality. Avatar used the most expensive animation techniques and 3D technology to date. It’s total budget was $250,000,000. It definitely made its money back and more.
The plot of Avatar is so simple and has a very poorly written script. The main character Jake (played by Australian actor Sam Worthington) is a paralyzed Marine. The mission is to replace his deceased twin brother in a scientific project on the faraway planet Pandora. Ex marine Jake Sully comes to Pandora with scientists that have bred the hybrids between humans and Na’vi. These body shells can be merged by a process with the consciousness of human Genspender. Externally, these look like the inhabitants of Pandora. This research interest collides with the tough economic interests of the Development Administration Group. The people protect its interests by a private army.
Jake runs into his new body in the jungle, at night. A Na’vi-tribesman finds him and wants to kill him first, but the daughter of the chief finds him and saves his life. He is not exactly received with enthusiasm, but the tribe always helps him. Jake will now have to constantly be shuttling between the human colony and the Na’vi. Here he is soon no longer sure which side he stands. It soon comes to the test.
The action of the movie takes place in the year 2154 on the planet Pandora. The planet Earth is already destroyed. At the beginning of the film, we can see what the technology can do. It is wonderful, the technique and the 3D effects as well as the animation get the audiences’ attention. The viewer flies over the rain forest of Pandora. They are beautiful shots but we still have those scenes from Vietnam era movies, but we know that this film is entirely a fictional world. Every tree, every rock, every vehicle, every flower, every bird, every insect was designed. We can see that technology can do a lot, but human imagination can do even more and that’s why Cameron’s vision of this movie did not impress me. He didn’t invent anything, he copied nature.
The whole movie is an allusion to the past when people on planet Earth colonized different parts of the world for centuries. At the planet Pandora, people have found a resource that could solve all their energy problems. But the planet is inhabited, with its enchanting nature of living things, the Na’vi, which are the reduction of the incredibly valuable mineral in the path.
The audience is sympathetic to the Na’vi. The big greedy company lost. The technological aspect of the movie was successful. We are impressed by the technology. But the dialogue was unimpressive. The technology overpowers our imaginations, which is why movies like this disappoint me. Imagination makes better movies than technology.
The plot of Avatar is so simple and has a very poorly written script. The main character Jake (played by Australian actor Sam Worthington) is a paralyzed Marine. The mission is to replace his deceased twin brother in a scientific project on the faraway planet Pandora. Ex marine Jake Sully comes to Pandora with scientists that have bred the hybrids between humans and Na’vi. These body shells can be merged by a process with the consciousness of human Genspender. Externally, these look like the inhabitants of Pandora. This research interest collides with the tough economic interests of the Development Administration Group. The people protect its interests by a private army.
Jake runs into his new body in the jungle, at night. A Na’vi-tribesman finds him and wants to kill him first, but the daughter of the chief finds him and saves his life. He is not exactly received with enthusiasm, but the tribe always helps him. Jake will now have to constantly be shuttling between the human colony and the Na’vi. Here he is soon no longer sure which side he stands. It soon comes to the test.
The action of the movie takes place in the year 2154 on the planet Pandora. The planet Earth is already destroyed. At the beginning of the film, we can see what the technology can do. It is wonderful, the technique and the 3D effects as well as the animation get the audiences’ attention. The viewer flies over the rain forest of Pandora. They are beautiful shots but we still have those scenes from Vietnam era movies, but we know that this film is entirely a fictional world. Every tree, every rock, every vehicle, every flower, every bird, every insect was designed. We can see that technology can do a lot, but human imagination can do even more and that’s why Cameron’s vision of this movie did not impress me. He didn’t invent anything, he copied nature.
The whole movie is an allusion to the past when people on planet Earth colonized different parts of the world for centuries. At the planet Pandora, people have found a resource that could solve all their energy problems. But the planet is inhabited, with its enchanting nature of living things, the Na’vi, which are the reduction of the incredibly valuable mineral in the path.
The audience is sympathetic to the Na’vi. The big greedy company lost. The technological aspect of the movie was successful. We are impressed by the technology. But the dialogue was unimpressive. The technology overpowers our imaginations, which is why movies like this disappoint me. Imagination makes better movies than technology.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
review of Leonard Cohen
The Various Positions of Lenard Cohen from 1984 could be considered one of his best albums. There are nine poems –songs which are wonderfully written and music written by someone who lives in a distant place a long time ago. The record starts with the song "Dance Me To The End Of Love,"
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violinDance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely inLift me like an olive branch and be my homeward doveDance me to the end of loveDance me to the end of love
The music of this song has it roots in the Mediterranean area where they is “an olive branch” and the climate is warm and pleasant for the heart and an ear. The soul of the listener of that record wants to travel to those magical, powerful, and secret places known for where western civilization was born.
The second song is in a Jewish style, which captures the imagination. "Hallelujah" brings the listener to the times of King David and invokes spiritual feelings but also loneliness and longing for love of other men.
Now I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the Lord
The other songs are good as well as those which I already mentioned; "If It Be Your Will", "The Captain", "Hunter's Lullaby" and "Heart With No Companion" are written and sung with great passion in ballad. Cohen knows how to please his audiences and the harmonic and background vocals of Anjani Thomas and Jennifer Warnes make a major contribution to his record.
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violinDance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely inLift me like an olive branch and be my homeward doveDance me to the end of loveDance me to the end of love
The music of this song has it roots in the Mediterranean area where they is “an olive branch” and the climate is warm and pleasant for the heart and an ear. The soul of the listener of that record wants to travel to those magical, powerful, and secret places known for where western civilization was born.
The second song is in a Jewish style, which captures the imagination. "Hallelujah" brings the listener to the times of King David and invokes spiritual feelings but also loneliness and longing for love of other men.
Now I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the Lord
The other songs are good as well as those which I already mentioned; "If It Be Your Will", "The Captain", "Hunter's Lullaby" and "Heart With No Companion" are written and sung with great passion in ballad. Cohen knows how to please his audiences and the harmonic and background vocals of Anjani Thomas and Jennifer Warnes make a major contribution to his record.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Blowin in the Wind - Assignment 2
Bob Dylan’s ballad “Blowin’ in the Wind” is a poem set to music. It is a story about a man told through song. It has sound and rhyme, which makes my heart beat faster and faster. I would not call this ballad as important to me as bread or water, but I have discovered the sound and words are refreshing, like cool rain. I want to say that Bob Dylan is a pivotal figure in my life and a frequent source of inspiration to my work.
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
The title, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” is a metaphor for something very big and very important. But what could it be? I really did not know what the metaphor was when I first heard the song. There is also the refrain, which I really liked because its stays in my ear for a very long time.
“Blowing in the Wind” means something is blowing in your face and you cannot do much about it. It could be something very pleasant blowing in your face, which could give you some kind of relaxation after working hard in a hot day. The wind could be very brutal and metaphorical; someone could be telling you something very important to your face and you still do not believe it. I would like to catch this wind and examine and touch every word of it. It could be sweet or it could taste like sweat.I could feel the wind because each time I thought about it, I had a shiver of happiness and joy.
This is a sculpture by Witold Sliwinski
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