sundance

Comedy gold: tweets in a Peanut universe

Peanutweeter is my current favorite website for chuckles: the site takes tweets from various people offering their insights, observations, and some thoughts better left unsaid and matches it with a frame from a Peanuts comic. For all of us bloggers, this is a great question asked by Lucy.

In praise of the quickie (and quickie erotica)

Have you ever glanced over at the alarm clock on your night-stand during sex and calculated exactly how many hours are left until it rings? An extended 69 or a slow and sensual love-making sesh is suddenly much less appealing when every minute of pleasure is a minute less of shut-eye. Which might explain a recent study which found that 8 in 10 people would choose a good night’s sleep over sex. But what if you didn’t have to choose, what if you could have both sleep and sex? Hello, quickie!

Vimeo of the Week: Collision

Collision (by Max Hattler) from Max Hattler on Vimeo. Max Hattler‘s film COLLISION was created in 2006 and it shows “Islamic patterns and American quilts and the colours and geometry of flags as an abstract field of reflection.” In 2008 The Gaurdian wrote, “to note the five long years that the Iraq campaign has chalked up this [...]

Photographer Ellen Kooi at PPOW Gallery

The work of Dutch photographer Ellen Kooi is as dramatic as it is mysterious. Like her previous work, Kooi’s latest set of photographs, “Out of Sight,” is set in a variety of natural landscapes in the Netherlands. These images are over-saturated and hyperreal, often highlighting the struggle between man and nature. A small group of people pick their way across bleak terrain or a solitary figure fights with or acquiesces to the mysterious forces of nature. She favors highly stylized scenes with a single child or adolescent, always in a desolate landscape – a forest, a swamp, a prairie.

Green tech finds (5/12/11)

Car parts made from dandelions, “flying” trains, and power-producing toilets… this week’s green tech finds.

• A field guide for tree species… on your phone: The new Leafsnap app allows you to identify species of trees simply by taking a picture of a leaf. Users can also share images and locations, making for potentially useful data on tree species. (via Grist and The Guardian)
  
  
• Car parts made from dandelions: The “milky-white substance that seeps from dandelion roots” may work as a sustainable source of “rubber” for car parts such as cup holders and floor mats. Ford and The Ohio State University are experimenting…
  
  

Want/Need glass

Clever glass with an opening from Alesina Design reminding us of that thin line between necessity and conspicuous consumption. Each is hand finished, numbered, and signed.

Amazing upcycle: old furniture into planters

Milan Design Week may be over and done with, but so many incredible ideas made their debut on the vast showroom floor that the event still has us buzzing. Take this deceptively simple idea from Italian designers Peter Bottazzi and Denish Bonapace that turns used up and useless old furniture into artfully rendered homes for plants. Called Da Morto A Orto, or from redundant to abundant, Bottazzi and Bonapace took various pieces of furniture and combined them into hybrids – a rolling desk chair with a wooden dresser drawer and an aluminum lamp or a plush armchair with metal pots sprouting out its back. The combinations are endless and these pictures are the ultimate inspiration for DIY-ers.

Reasons you’re still single

Mike Sacks is one fifth of the hilarious Association for the Betterment of Sex, the cabal behind the book Our Bodies, Our Junk, which we wrote about last year. So we weren’t surprised in the least to discover how much funny there is in Sacks’ own book, Your Wildest Dreams, Within Reason. It’s a collection of 54 short humor pieces, many of them written in collaboration with the other members of the ABS, amongst others. The essays include everything from “Rules for My Cuddle Party” (“#1: Please do not give birth in the hot tub.”) to a bridegroom on Twitter (“Attempting to fist-bump rabbi”) and icebreakers to avoid (“This party reminds me of 9/11″). To give you a taste, we’re excerpting one of the essays here in full…

Tom Sachs, Duct Tape painting

One of my favorite contemporary artists is Tom Sachs. For the art-cinephile here’s one of his pieces that I blogged about in the past. And for the art-techie, he has a Google Chrome theme as well. Anyway, @munipenny recently shared this link about the above “duct tape painting” with a brilliant story attached: I heard [...]

Sneak Preview: THE LEDGE

MATTHEW CHAPMAN’S CONTROVERSIAL THRILLER THE LEDGE

SNEAK PREVIEWS ONLINE AT SUNDANCENOW

Unique Release Continues Mission of Pioneering

New Distribution Methods to Reach the Widest Audience

New York City (May 6, 2011) – SundanceNOW, a new online destination to discover the best of independent film, announced today that the controversial Sundance thriller, THE LEDGE, is sneak previewing on SundanceNOW.com before it becomes available in theaters and On Demand marking the first time IFC Films has premiered a film online. THE LEDGE is a sexy, suspenseful, thriller that premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. It is directed and written by Matthew Chapman and stars Charlie Hunnam (SONS OF ANARCHY), Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, Terrence Howard, and Christopher Gorham (UGLY BETTY). The film is produced by Mark Damon and Michael Mailer. THE LEDGE premieres on Wednesday, May 11^th at SundanceNOW.com.

THE LEDGE is available for $12.99 on SundanceNOW prior to its pre-theatrical video-on-demand launch on May 25 on cable, satellite and digital platforms. The film is then going to have a theatrical premiere on Friday, July 8.
Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: “THE LEDGE is a provocative film with a shocking conclusion that will really get people talking. It is exactly the kind of film that will work well on multiple platforms and gives us a great opportunity to expand on our mission: bringing independent films to the widest audience possible, utilizing all the platforms available to us. We continue to believe that the audience for our films is best-served by bringing films to them via the electronic art-house circuit we have created and continue to innovate as well as via the traditional theatrical art-house.”

“These days, there are many new and innovative ways to distribute a film, and new techniques are constantly evolving. IFC is at the forefront of cutting edge independent distribution, and we love that they are trying something new with THE LEDGE,” says producer Mark Damon.

Adds director Matthew Chapman, “We sold the film to IFC Films because we knew they would help us reach the widest audience possible and this unique release strategy does just that. THE LEDGE is a film that is designed to get people talking and thinking and a sneak preview on the web is a great way to start the conversation.”

One step can change a life forever in THE LEDGE. After embarking on a passionate affair with his evangelical neighbor’s wife (Liv Tyler), Gavin (‘Sons of Anarchy’s’ Hunnam) soon finds himself in a battle of wills that will have life or death consequences. Gavin, an atheist, is lured by his lover’s husband (‘Insidious’ Wilson) to the ledge of a high rise and told he has one hour to make a choice between his life and the one he loves. Without faith in an afterlife, will he be able to make a decision? It’s up to police officer Hollis (Howard) to save both their lives but the clock is ticking in this edge-of-your-seat film that will leave you gasping until the final frame.

More Reasons to LOVE LUST – New Episodes Announced!

SUNDANCE CHANNEL’S SERIES CHRONICLING THE HISTORY OF POP CULTURE PHENOMENA:
SIX NEW EPISODES BEGINNING JUNE 7TH AT 10 PM

Six New Episodes Range from “Street Eats” to “Sex Symbols” to “The Undead”.

New York –May 10, 2011 – From the foods we love to eat to the mythical creatures that love to eat us, Sundance Channel’s LOVE LUST will take on our guiltiest pleasures this summer, including the undead (vampires, zombies, etc.), social networks, sex symbols and secret societies. Airing Tuesdays nights, beginning June 7th at 10 pm ET/PT, each hour-long episode of LOVE LUST provides a definitive and entertaining account of how life’s cultural innovations progress from novelty to ubiquity.

The series kicks off the first of six new episodes on June 7th at 10pm et/pt with “Street Eats,” a delicious account of the world’s oldest and most beloved way to dine: on the street. Our experts chew on the savory history of the food trucks and sophisticated finger foods that have helped build communities and bring people together of every ethnicity and viewers will meet the surprising people that helped cook up the our cultural melting pot and the modern day pioneers that are elevating street food from grunge to gourmet.

The first installment of LOVE LUST debuted on Sundance Channel in February 2011, kicking off fashion week with stories of iconic sartorial staples like the “Bikini,” and “The Little Black Dress.” Four hour-long episodes unraveled the origin, and stitched together the evolution of various fashion must-haves.

CERTIFIED SOURCE CODE COPY

Well, this is certainly random. But the last two movies I’ve seen: Duncan Jones’ SOURCE CODE and Abbas Kiarostami’s CERTIFIED COPY have more in common than at first meets the eye. Maybe in reality this correlation should only speak to my slightly diverse movie-going habits – big budget to small budget, American thriller to Iranian-directed drama – and the human need to draw lines between things. Nonetheless, back to back, both of these films engage with the notion that a copy or version of the self, if sent forward into the world or a parallel world, will behave differently and respond to different stimuli than would original ‘self’ (see how I’m getting all meta here with the single quotation marks?), and thus render strikingly different results for one’s life path. Characters from both films accomplish this. Cool, right?

Student music video trains peers on recycling

Ever get frustrated when you see someone throwing away a recyclable item… right next to a recycling bin? Or throw a recyclable item in the wrong container? High school junior CJ Joseph certainly has, and has played the role of “recycling police” (or “recycling nazi” if you prefer) at Queens’ The Renaissance Charter School: “If I see somebody I’m like, ‘You’re throwing that out in the wrong bin. Follow the signs people! I know you’ve heard it: Papers go in the blue (bins), and bottles in the green.”

But as many of us have learned, badgering only gets you so far… so CJ decided to apply her other passion, music, to her recycling fervor, and wrote the song “R to the E to the Cycle.” If you read the lyrics, you’ll see they’re not much different from her “recycling police” instructions… but definitely more catchy!

Christine Wong Yap’s weekly series “Positive Signs”

The website of the SFMOMA (where incidentally I had a Tony Bennett sighting when I visited this museum some years back!) has been featuring the work of California-raised and recent New York City transplant Christine Wong Yap, a self described interdisciplinary artist who creates art that “invite viewers’ optimistic and pessimistic attitudes, perceptions and emotions.” Every Wednesday through June, SFMOMA’s blog will post works from Christine’s weekly series “Positive Signs” that will highlight “interpretive diagrams, quotes, and speculations on creativity, optimism* and the lives of artists.”

Episode Recap – Leila Shams – Slutty vs. Sexy

I was not kidding when I told Leila Shams that the difference between slutty and sexy is three more inches on her dress. In the world of fashion, those three inches can mean a completely different customer, a different store and ultimately, a different type of business. In her heart, Leila knew exactly what I was talking about.

Leila was a designer who designed for herself. This became quite evident to me during our time together (heels were her sneakers and minis were her comfort clothes!) and that philosophy of design usually works for me, except when you need to expand. Despite any of my initial impressions of Leila when we first met, she’s actually a very hard-working, bright girl and even under all her funny moments (ace bandages!) I knew she had talent. Talent that could make her stand out – if she could just elevate her sensibility.

And I’m so glad that happened and the items that Intermix responded to was exactly the direction I was pushing Leila towards. That hammered satin green dress was a good catalyst to the beginning of a quieter, chicer Leila. While the dress wasn’t perfect, it was a great start.

A Taxonomy of Office Chairs

For designers, the chair is the ultimate object. Designer Ross Lovegrove puts it well. “Chairs,” he says, “are an infinite source of potential to explore material, structure, technology and form…all related to the human body and its elevation.” But given its status, Jonathan Olivares, who heads a design consultancy in Boston, was surprised that he was unable to find an objective reference manual on the subject. Books about chairs are popular, to be sure, but they’re skewed towards the author’s own personal tastes. So Olivares decided to write the book himself, an unbiased compendium that designers could refer to in order to get the whole history, not just one person’s historical preferences.

Japanese World Order featuring amazing dance

This new music video and catchy song out of Japan is one of the more remarkable things I’ve seen lately, especially the unique synchronized dance choreography. Also, the song’s message is more of a hopeful manifesto, as explained in the video description: Many disasters are ongoing in Japan; earthquakes, Tsunami, and nuclear accidents. These unprecedented [...]

Using shipping containers to house prisoners: green or inhumane?

Shipping containers have become a hot form of prefabricated building material: they’re cheap, plentiful, and ready for retrofitting. Their modular nature provides lots of opportunities for creativity, and architects have used them for both homes and larger buildings.

All of these reasons have played into Adelaide, Australia’s decision to experiment with shipping containers as prison cells. But a number of state legislators and activists are crying foul, claiming that the plan is inhumane. Civil libertarian George Mancini told The Advertiser that he sees the plan as representative of short-term thinking on corrections: “I would have thought the future of prisons involves the rehabilitation of prisoners… There needs to be a focus on rehabilitation and reasonable conditions, not just cheap housing but effective housing.”

God is obviously gay-friendly

In case you missed this making the rounds this last week, check out this 3 minute video of Representative Steve Simon (DFL Hopkins/St. Louis Park) eloquently — and we mean EL-O-QUENT-LY — urging his fellow Minnesotan lawmakers not to put a gay marriage ban on the ballot in 2012. They did, unfortunately. But that fact [...]

Overcoming Visual Insanity. Tonight at 10p.

Keith Pollock, who you see every week, is an old-friend and a trusted cohort of mine, who generally has no trouble telling me exactly how he feels about my work. If I style a story that looks a bit lackluster, he won’t mince his words. Same said for something he likes. He’s been so familiar [...]

Shark diving more valuable than shark finning

Shark fin soup has a long history in Chinese culture as a culinary symbol of prosperity and success, so it’s not surprising the the country’s economic growth has led to an increase in the dish’s consumption… and the killing of up to 73 million sharks a year largely to serve this demand.

Fortunately, public awareness campaigns on the threats to worldwide shark populations seem to have helped: in Hong Kong, for instance, this delicacy is losing its status as a “must have” for celebratory meals. A new study by Australian Institute of Marine Science, though, may completely redefine the equation between shark meat and success, as they’ve found that living sharks may have much greater economic value than dead ones.

PHOTOGRAPHY – looking at Libya and why combat photographers risk it all

Joao Silva is recuperating at Walter Reed hospital after a land mine exploded under him in Afghanistan while he was taking photographs for The Times.

In light of the recent tragedies in Libya involving combat photographers Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington, New York Times executive editor Bill Keller met with Times photojournalists Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva about their motivation for working under extremely dangerous conditions. Marinovich and Silva are co-authors of The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War, a book documenting their experiences of apartheid in South Africa. Keller and Marinovich met Silva in the hospital where he’s recovering from extensive bodily damage sustained during his most recent trip to Libya. He’s undergoing rehab after a series of invasive surgeries as well as physical therapy for prosthetic limbs. Still, after all the trauma he has suffered, including the loss of friends and fellow photographers, Silva insists he’d rather be back in Libya. “I wish I was in Libya right now,” he told Keller. “Yeah, without a doubt.”

Is that a lipstick in your pocket, or are you just…

A lot of the so-called “discreet” sex toys out there don’t exactly live up to their name. Sure, the I Rub My Duckie doesn’t look like a vibrator, but then you’ve still got to explain to your visiting aunt why, past the age of four, you keep a rubber duckie in your bath tub. And then there are those cheap mini vibes that claim to pass for a lipstick in your purse but just look like a kid’s play version of makeup instead. Which is why we love Lelo’s Mia vibrator — it actually looks like a lipstick. And because it’s made by Lelo, the uber-classy Swedish toy designers, it looks like a classy tube of lipstick, and not something meant for that ho Barbie.

Toby Wong retrospective

Portrait made from dice by Frederick McSwain

Toby Wong was a Canadian designer I once interviewed for FULL FRONTAL FASHION. He was a product designer and a subversive artist. His designs weren’t for everyone. He made gold coke spoons cast from McDonald’s coffee stirrers and diamond rings, inverted, so the diamond point was on the outside. That design was called “Killer Ring” obviously. This New York Times slideshow is a great reference of his work.

It is Design Week in NYC this week and a retrospective called Brokenoff Brokenoff, in Toby’s honor, will run May 14-17. It’s a celebration of Toby’s work including many close friends’ contributions.

Shaolin soccer

A neat photo gallery of Shaolin students in a monastery in Henan Province, China playing and practicing soccer just like the way I imagine them.