sundance

Push This

It’s a few months late, but here’s an easy button for the “IS THIS A DREAM?” sound from “Inception.” I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I can’t stop pushing it. It makes everything seem so dreamily dramatic. [Via]

David Michod’s ANIMAL KINGDOM

David Michôd’s ANIMAL KINGDOM features one of the quietest protagonist you’ll ever meet. He’s ‘J’ (James Frecheville), a good looking kid with a heavy brow and downcast eyes, and in the first moments of the film – one of the strongest opening scenes I’ve seen in a while – he’s on the couch watching the telly (this is an Australian film) with his mum, who is asleep. Only she’s not asleep … (SPOILER ALERT – “inciting incident” about to be revealed right here and now) … she’s “gone and OD’d.” As the paramedics take her away, J, now fully alone, calls his estranged (no joke) Grandma Smurf (Jacki Weaver), and within minutes she’s on her way to pick him up . (“Do you remember where we live, Grandma?” “Course I do darling!”) She proceeds to pull him firmly into her family of criminal sons; into the ANIMAL KINGDOM where the weakest are, well, devoured. In this hyper aggressive world, where men lunge at one another like lions, shoot cops, do drugs and kiss their mother on the mouth, how did Michôd manage to pull off the writing feat of a passive protagonist? For much of the movie, J sits and stares, goes to his room and escapes to his girlfriend’s house. Passive.

Or is he?

Global Fast Food begs: WTF?

McDonald’s Mega Tomago in Japan: Double Big Mac with an egg patty and bacon

At a restaurant last week I was seated next to a table of four young Japanese girls who, upon receiving their entrees, each whipped out a camera and began snapping pictures of their food; They then compared shots with one another for a solid three minutes before digging in. My first thought was WTF? But my dining companion pointed at that maybe they were aghast at the sight of our large, American portions.

Wanderlust

Wanderlust from Thinklab on Vimeo. I’m mesmerized by the video Wanderlust. Since stumbling upon it via Vimeo I’ve repeatedly gone back to the little gem to sneak peeks of the world these filmmakers captured. It’s directed by Thinklab who “inspired by a TED talk by Stefan Sagmeister, packed up a Canon 5D and travelled through South [...]

No, he’s not trying to turn you gay

We are completely hooked on the dating research blog OKTrends because of how often it reminds us that the world is, in fact, a sane place — no matter how many of our politicians think that gay people shouldn’t be allowed to teach in schools or die for their country or get married or raise kids. The latest installment of research — based on OKCupid’s 3.2 million gay and straight users — is another perfect example, debunking some of the most common (and hostile) gay myths out there. For example, take the myth that “the gays” are on a mission to “convert” your precious little Johnny:

Weezer covers “Unbreak My Heart”

Although it was recorded in 2005, Weezer’s un-ironic cover of Toni Braxton’s hit song “Unbreak My Heart” recently hit the music blogosphere. Rivers Cuomo explained: I loved that song. It was actually Rick Rubin’s suggestion. We both loved that song and we both thought it would be great for Weezer, and for my voice, and [...]

Interactive: Gloves of the World Series

The New York Times has an interesting interactive photo website of various fielders gloves from past World Series. Hover over any portion of a mitt to see a close up of that section. Above is Babe Ruth’s mitt from 1926. [ Editorializing alert] Go Giants!

David Lynch’s AFI Fest

David Lynch is one the most imaginative and influential filmmakers of our day, and with a roster of films and TV series like TWIN PEAKS, BLUE VELVET and MULHOLLAND DR., it’s hard to imagine that he ever doubted his abilities, but back when Lynch was 22-years-old he was less than certain. “I was living in Philadelphia, and I didn’t see the brightest future for myself. I applied for an independent filmmaker grant in 1968, and I won that, and it changed my life.”

Green tech finds (10/28/10)

Electricity from beer, DIY electric bikes, and purple wind turbines… it’s green tech finds time!

• Beer power: Suffolk, UK’s Adnam’s Brewery will be contributing waste to an anaerobic digestion plant which will create enough power for 235 homes in the area. (via Green Upgrader)
  
  
• Florida utility offers solar hot water option: Lakeland Electric became the first utility company in the country to offer fixed-rate solar hot water service this week. (via The Ledger)
  
  

Halloween: The Gay Party Guide

Ke$HA + Sultry Cowboy = Party Perfection. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

The question that my girlfriends and I always have around Halloween is where to go? This is everything, honey. This is the most important decision. Where you go can make or break the night. You need to make the right decisions.

You have two basic choices: a) find the sickest, most off-the-hook party or b) throw your own. Both are great ideas that can pay off big-time. But both have the possibility of, you know, totally blowing. I’ve broken up with fag hags because of their awful parties, so be warned.

Finding the silver lining in porn addiction story

So the lurid headline in — natch — The Washington Times reads “More women lured to pornography addiction,” but we decided to find the silver lining in this news. The gist of the piece is that new research shows that women, and even — gasp! — Christian women are finding themselves “addicted” to pornography because it’s so much less risky to check it out online. (And for the record, our quote-marks around the word “addicted” aren’t meant to question the reality of pornography addiction, but rather to question The Washington Times’ definition of said addiction.)

Lois, a cool looking table

Charles Waugh of Boring (!), Oregon makes this cool flexible table named “Lois.” The cedar table top gives it a rustic warmth, while the metal legs, with parts scavenged from steel yards and dumpsters, adds a certain steampunk vibe. Get it here.

Paintings that look like compressed JPEGs

Kottke shared this amazing find of what happens when analog meets digital as in Andy Denzler’s series of paintings “that look as though they’re highly compressed JPEGs with encoding issues.” They also remind me of the Internet back in the modem days when Netscape Navigator would slowly render large pictures posted on GeoCities.

Amanda Lepore channels Monroe

AMANDA LEPORE “Marilyn” featuring CAZWELL directed by LEO HERRERA from Leo Herrera on Vimeo.

Amanda Lepore is the world’s most famous transsexual. And she’s proud of it. When you call Mandy’s cell phone and get her voicemail she coos that she has a “fully functioning vagina.” No. Seriously. She does.

Stories from the BP oil spill

As I’ve noted before, news on the impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has pretty much dried up since the oil company put caps in place on the leaking wellhead… no more oil spewing, no more stories to tell. While that may be the MO of the mainstream media, numerous other outlets realize that the story continues along the Gulf Coast as people deal with the continued economic impact of the spill, as well as fears about health and environmental issues still to surface.

The Artist’s Museum

Museums seem to always be on the lookout for new ways to group and exhibit the artwork already available to them in their permanent collection. Earlier this month, MoMA opened “Abstract Expressionists New York,” with pieces “drawn entirely from the Museum’s vast holdings” – not that there’s anything wrong with that; They bought those pieces for a reason and might as well show them off. MoCA will follow suit later this week with “The Artist’s Museum.” The title of the exhibition is a bit misleading; There’s no separate museum, it’s only meant to connote that the exhibition won’t be focusing on a particular movement but on a particular group of artists, Los Angeles-based artists, of course, from 1980-2010. They leave it to you to find a common thread.

Paris versus New York: a tally of two cities

Paris versus New York is a series of fantastic simplistic graphics by Vahram Muratyan which presents “a friendly visual match” comparing the greatest city in the world and Paris.

Hooking up on Halloween

Now-that’s-what-I’m-talking-about. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

In my previous entry around here I introduced myself and gave you, the professional fag hag, some pointers about Halloween. I am at it again. This time I want to talk about something even more important than your Halloween costume. It is what we all want on Halloween, whether we’re willing to admit it or not.

Halloween is all about Hooking Up, natch.

And what better night than Halloween to let that inner ho come out and see the light of day. We know you’re nasty, so stop acting all prissy. Strip off that twin-set, Muffy. We’ve got men to go after.

Unpopular Science

Based on supercomplicated physical observations, Einstein concluded that two objects may perceive time differently. Based on simple life experience, I have concluded that this is true. SunFiltered fave Christoph Niemann published his latest gem of insightful illustrations in his New York Times blog Abstract City. Titled Unpopular Science, Niemann depicts how “whether we like it [...]

Halloween treats for conscious trick-or-treaters

Kids all over are looking forward to trick-or-treating or Halloween parties this coming Sunday: dress up in a cool costume, get lots of candy… what could be better? If you’re a parent raising your child on a organic, vegan, kosher, or otherwise specialized diet, Halloween can be hell, though… not only do you need to check candy for tampering, but also for meeting the dietary guidelines you’ve established for your children.

A bloodless Halloween: The Steampunk Haunted House

Just when you were getting used to the fact that Summer is actually over and Fall is officially here, Halloween sneaks up on you with its demands for costumes, weekend-long partying and an array of haunted house experiences, each equipped with its own set of scare tactics. Honestly though, when you look at your options, most haunted houses employ the same tricks, namely blood, and lots of it. But not the Steampunk Haunted House, the goo-free production put on by the Bessie-award winning Third Rail Projects. It comes as no surprise that their version takes a decidedly more artistic approach with a lavish set constructed in the Abron Playhouse. Made over to look like a decrepit theatre/mad house, the Playhouse is packed with crazies in Victorian dress, roaming, sometimes running, from room to room, creating an immersive experience that thrives on audience engagement.

Happy Manhattanhenge

Happy Manhattenhenge! I snapped the above photo walking to work this morning west to east on 24th street in Manhattan. The sun was rising in the middle of the street and I was blinded walking, unable to see even a few feet a head. I put the pic on Facebook and a friend of mine [...]

Naked News: Long hair bias, Clarence Thomas, and spooky sex offenders

• Older women want everyone to stop making such a big deal out of their long gray hair already.
  
  
• High-end escort blogger/Swarthmore student turns out to be middle-aged male government worker in Delaware.
  
  

Muslims Wearing Things

Former NPR news analyst and now Fox News commentator Juan Williams found himself in hot water after he stated that he feared seeing “people who are in Muslim garb.” In response Muslims Wearing Things is a single serve humorous Tumblr blog focused on “pictures of Muslims wearing all sorts of things in an attempt to [...]

Rolex presents THE YOUNG LAUREATES: Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu (left) interviews a local. Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu’s fondest memories are of growing up on his father’s farm in Nigeria and learning the practices of sustainable agriculture. By the time Ikegwuonu had established his own farm—not to mention earning multiple degrees in development, history, and international studies—he was well aware of how few resources there [...]