Assemblog: July 5, 2013
Published on July 5th, 2013 in: Art, Assemblog, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Trailers, Upcoming Events |
Big Bad Wolves
New this week on Popshifter: Ann celebrated Pride Month with a review of Hirsute Pursuit’s Tighten That Muscle Ring; Julie thinks that Dave Davies’s I Will Be Me is mostly excellent; Cait takes umbrage to the word “twee” in her rapturous review of The Three O’Clock rarities compilation The Hidden World Revealed; Lisa has some offbeat suggestions for Fourth of July movies; Jeff time travels with Tesla’s Real to Reel; I recommend Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me for fans and not-yet-fans; Paul gifts us with a beautiful, touching article on the significance of music; and an anonymous contributor has some stern words for convention (non)attendees.
Assemblog: May 24, 2013 – On The Purpose Of Art
Published on May 24th, 2013 in: Art, Assemblog, Critics/Criticism |
Velvet Goldmine, 1998
Screencap from Screenmusings
New this week on Popshifter: Jeff explains what Billy Squier and Ratt have in common in this week’s installments of Metal Mayhem; Melissa describes the “strange mix” on the reissued The Legend/Come Back To Me disc from Marty Robbins and is brought to tears by Davell Crawford’s My Gift To You; I review the “dark, disquieting” film Comforting Skin, now out on DVD and the anything-but-boring Ready To Die from Iggy and the Stooges, and attempt to unpack David Bowie’s new video for “The Next Day.”
Upcoming Art Show: Vicki Berndt, Idle Worship: Jesus Camp and Drag Keanes
Published on May 3rd, 2013 in: Art, Feminism, Music, Upcoming Events |
In 2008, I conducted an interview with the fabulous artist and all-around amazing lady Vicki Berndt. In it, we discussed her artwork, photography, fanzines, fandom, the punk rock aesthetic, and much more.
La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles is presenting an exhibit of Vicki’s work that runs from Friday, May 3 through Sunday, June 2. She’ll be present at the artist reception on Friday, May 3 from 8 to 11 p.m.
For more information on Vicki and her art, be sure to check out her guest appearance on the “Over Under Sideways Down” podcast on LuxuriaMusic. It aired on Wednesday, April 24 and you can listen to the show on the LuxuriaMusic website (hour one and hour two).
La Luz de Jesus Gallery is located at 4633 Hollywood Blvd. In Los Angeles, CA. You can contact the gallery at 323-666-7667 or via their website at www.laluzdejesus.com. Take a look at the exhibit
online, too!
Check out more photos of Vicki’s art and her studio.
Assemblog: April 19, 2013
Published on April 19th, 2013 in: Art, Assemblog, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Trailers |
New this week on Popshifter: Jeff describes how Cliff Richard is wired for sound and explains the pros the cons of hitch hiking; Julie saw The Hives and has photos to prove that they’re a “fantastic rock & roll band in the purest sense”; I praise the exquisite songwriting on IO Echo’s debut album Ministry of Love; and Chelsea mourns the loss of Scott Miller (Game Theory, Loud Family).
The Art Of Frankenweenie: From FanExpo to Fantastic Fest
Published on September 20th, 2012 in: Art, Conventions/Expos, Film Festivals, Movies |At this year’s FanExpo Canada, I was fortunate enough to take a trip through the mind of Tim Burton. No, I wasn’t shrunk down like Fantastic Voyage or anything. The kind folks at FanExpo worked with Disney and Mr. Burton to present an exhibit of the artwork for the movie. Since Frankenweenie will premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest tonight (and will open in wide release October 5), I thought it was a good time to share these terrific photos with you.
First some history: Frankenweenie was a 29-minute short Burton made in 1984. The story is about a kid named Victor Frankenstein who decides to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life after poor Sparky is hit and killed by a car.
Like the original, the full-length Frankenweenie is in black and white, but the new version is much longer and will also be released in 3D.
These photos do not do the exhibit justice. The detail was amazing and I literally wanted to play with everything there, even the fake Tim Burton desk.
Take a look at these images and don’t forget to check out the movie in October!
Basquiat Goes To The Cinema
Published on August 20th, 2012 in: Art, Documentaries, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews |
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, 2010
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life seems all but made for the silver screen. The art world star lived fast. During his 27 years on the planet, he created a complex, engaging body of work. In addition to his solo paintings, he collaborated with Andy Warhol and formed the No Wave band Gray. He died young as the result of self-destructive habits. And he left a good-looking corpse. The half-life of flickering 16mm and unforgiving video reveals a young man with the sulky charisma of a 1950s screen idol.
About a decade after Basquiat’s death, he began surfacing in the movies. His life has the potential for either a brilliant big-screen epic in the style of Lust for Life or a misdirected attempt at catching lightning in a bottle. How have the different films about Jean-Paul Basquiat stacked up?
Valerie Solanas: Who Shot Andy Warhol?
Published on January 30th, 2012 in: Art, Books, Feminism, Issues, LGBTQ, Movies, Oh No You Didn't |In June of 1968, a woman named Valerie Solanas rode the elevator up to The Factory, Andy Warhol’s loft. In the elevator with her was Andy Warhol himself. In the Factory’s office was Mario Amaya, an art editor from London; Fred Hughes, one of Warhol’s assistants; and Paul Morrissey, Warhol’s executive producer. Morrissey walked into the bathroom. Within a few minutes, Solanas pulled out a .32 caliber gun and shot Warhol three times. She then shot Amaya in the hip. Hughes begged her to stop. When she fired the gun at him, it jammed. Just then, the elevator doors opened and Hughes told her get on. So she did.
Screencap from I Shot Andy Warhol, 1996
Soon after, Valerie turned herself in to police. When questioned by the media outside of the police station, Valerie said that her reasons for shooting Warhol were “very involved. Read my manifesto and it will tell you what I am.” Solanas served a three-year sentence for attempted murder and died in 1988.
Over 40 years have passed since the shooting, but people are still asking the question “Why?”
Best Of 2011: Less Lee Moore
Published on December 31st, 2011 in: Art, Best Of Lists, Blu-Ray, Cartoons, Comedy, Horror, Media, Movies, Music, The Internets, TV |As always, I wish I’d had the time and resources available to experience more, but here are some of the things that made 2011 memorable (in alphabetical order, to be fair).
À l’Intérieur (Inside) at TIFF Bell Lightbox, August 20: Though I’d already watched this film three times on DVD, I felt that I needed to see it on the big screen. I’ve probably said this a few times already, but it’s still true: it manages to completely transcend the horror genre to become a bona fide work of cinematic art. It is indescribable and powerful and if you haven’t experienced it yet, you should.
Adam Ant: For all those folks who thought he was a crazy, bloated has-been, recent live performance clips on YouTube will more than prove those half-baked theories wrong. He’s so much more than the guy who did “Goody Two Shoes” and any and all adulation for him is well deserved. His descent into madness, fall from grace, and subsequent return to form (used in the truest, most non-cliched sense ever) are remarkable achievements. He remains, after thirty years, a huge inspiration to me. (more…)
JG Thirlwell: Best Of 2011
Published on December 31st, 2011 in: Art, Best Of Lists, Movies, Music |
Here is some popular music I have been digging this year.
Some on this list came out this year and some didn’t.
(more…)
Erland and The Carnival: Best Of 2011
Published on December 19th, 2011 in: Art, Best Of Lists, Books, Comics, Culture Shock, DVD, Movies, Music, Toys and Collectibles, Travel |
Reissues: Roy Harper, Songs of Love and Loss
Listened to a lot: Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring For My Halo
Concert: Josh T. Pearson at Union Chapel in London on May 11
Movies: Benda Bilili! (watched on the tour bus), Michael Powell’s The Edge of the World (1937), and The Monk with Vincent Cassel
DVD: Brimstone and Treacle (the BBC TV version, not the Sting film!)
Film festivals: Screening of Ken Russell’s The Boy Friend at the BFI on December 9
Books: Oliver Twist, started reading Michael Horovitz
Art: Grayson Perry, “The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman” at The British Museum
Comic books: Anything by Alan Moore
Favorite cities: Dresden, Berlin, and started to enjoy London
Coolest thing found at a vintage or thrift store: A WWI officer’s compass
Best restaurant: The Golden Dragon in London’s Chinatown
Erland and The Carnival‘s latest album, Nightingale, was released on March 29. The band will be playing in Vienna at The Maifield Derby Festival on May 19 and again at The Orange Blossom Festival on May 26. For more on the band, please check out their website, Facebook, and Twitter.