Love sucks, that’s why we brought pizza: a look at what’s playing this week on Sundance Channel
As the icy fingers of Winter continue to creep up on us it’s time to stay in, bundle up and get cozy – and what better way to add on layers of warmth than with your favorite comfort food? Read our resident food blogger Zach Golden expound on the feel-goodness of feel-good food, and then tune into a month of Love Lust episodes that celebrate the art of chowing down with tonight’s episode, “Comfort Food.”
The Sundance series continue all week long, but that doesn’t mean our film lovers are getting the short end of the programming stick. On Wednesday night we’re showing Joe Maggio’s 2008 PAPER COVERS ROCK, the first film in a planned ten-part series inspired by Krystof Kieslowski’s “Decalogue.” Later that night, Catherine Deneuve stars in Andre Techine’s 2009 GIRL ON THE TRAIN, which follows two families brought together by a seemingly inexplicable event. Then on Thursday, love stinks with I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY (2009), which follows newbie filmmakers, and ex-bf/gf duo Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones’ BREAKING UPWARDS, the not-at-all-bad-for-$15k indie film hit of 2010…
Read More »Williamsburg’s Corner Library: The smallest library in the world
There may be some other contenders for the smallest library title, such as Jozsef Tari’s collection of over 4,500 miniature books, but nonetheless, this mini library in Brooklyn would rival even the “book booth.”
Located on the corner of Leonard and Withers in Williamsburg, the Corner Library project is the brainchild of artist Colin McMullan, who first installed the functional, utilitarian art project in downtown New Haven before transplanting it here in New York. It’s a mini replica of what a library in a good ol,’ all-American small town would look like, and a timely commentary in an era where the traditional role of a library is changing rapidly with the growth of iPads and Kindles on one end and the aggressive (and shameful IMHO) defunding of town and city libraries on the other…
Read More »Philips Microbial system fuels your home with your crap – literally
Do you fantasize about living your life like a microbe of waste-producing bacteria? Well, now’s your chance. Unveiled during Dutch Design Week, Philips’ latest home design concept, The Microbial Home, takes inspiration from naturally occurring processes to create energy-saving kitchen, dining and bathroom devices. According to the designers, “‘we view the home as a biological machine to filter, process and recycle what we conventionally think of as waste.”
Read More »The Marlboro Man is wearing Spanx
Spanx, for the uninitiated, is a line of slimming lingerie. Got a body part that’s a little bumpier or bulgier than you’d like? Chances are, Spanx makes a product to smooth it over. Spanx have long been one of Oprah’s “Favorite Things” and celebrities rave about them. Okay, female celebrities rave about them. But we have yet to hear Brad Pitt or Robert Pattinson admit that their physique is aided and abetted by supportive undergarments. Because most fans, we’re guessing, don’t want to know that Brad Pitt is wearing Manx (seriously, that’s the name of the version for men). It’s perfectly acceptable for women to gab, conspiratorially, about what comes between them and their Calvins. but men are supposed to find all that stuff “girly,” right up there with diet soda and gossip magazines. For the record, let it be stated that we have no idea if Brad Pitt has ever worn Manx. We’re just talking hypothetically here…
Read More »Weekly movie trailer roundup: Steve McQueen’s SHAME is almost here!!!
“I’m essentially quite happy, but, for some reason, I have done a lot of stuff that is dark. I don’t know why that is and I don’t question it. I don’t really think you have a choice where you go as an artist.” So says Steve McQueen, the Turner prize-winning artist cum prize-winning director (his stunning 2008 film HUNGER won no less than 33 awards). Now his follow up feature, SHAME, which swept the Venice Film Festival awards and garnered high praise well in advance of its upcoming wide release is set to hit theaters on December 2nd. That’s less than one month away (!!!), and since I missed it at NYFF I have my calendar marked – literally. I’m one of those people who get really excited for a movie and try to read as little about it as possible until after I’ve seen it and formed my own opinions. It’s been kinda tough with SHAME because everyone is already raving about it, and with what looks like another unrelenting performance from Michael Fasssbender as well as from cinema’s darling Carey Mulligan, reviews and commentary are freaking everywhere. I also cant’ wait to watch it because then I…
Read More »GWLBWLB Meet The Cast: Olivia Likes Brent
What do you get when you combine a certified southern belle and one of Nashville’s most out-there event planners? The dynamic duo of Olivia and Brent, obviously! And you can be sure that wherever these two Southern socialites show up the GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS drama is sure to follow (are those sirens we hear?).
Read More »Elmo’s at the cineplex and I’m tickled!
Watch out, Margaret Thatcher. Move over, J. Edgar. Scoot over to the nearest subway grating, Marilyn Monroe. Elmo is back to claim his box office throne, as you recently heard from our very own cuddly Annie J. Howell.
It’s all thanks to Kevin Clash, the Baltimore-born man with a knack for sticking his hand up cloth creatures and making them sing, laugh, cry, and annoy in the most adorable ways. Most specifically, he’s known for doing Elmo the red monster from Sesame Street, and now they’re both stars of a film guaranteed a nomination for Furriest Documentary…
Read More »Mona Achache’s THE HEDGEHOG
I admit it. I hesitated on my in to watch Mona Achache’s THE HEDGEHOG (in select cities and making its last lap on the festival circuit). “Should I really do this?” I thought. Should I trust the French with a light comedy about a child obsessed with suicide? Hadn’t the Americans already proved that all efforts in this arena should cease post-HAROLD AND MAUDE? But in I went. And my expectations were spot on: a feel-good movie purportedly about darkness, but with very little darkness to be seen.
The casting of the eleven-year-old girl may have been the first misstep. A very skilled actor, Garance Le Guillermic’s craft was not the issue, it was simply her physicality that caused me to pause. Despite her best frown, perfected into a perma-grimace as bummer-child Paloma, this little girl has the architectural face of a Greek goddess and simply exuded light. I could not swallow that she was living under a black cloud…
Read More »A Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys Relationship Primer
The GWLBWLB objective is to have fun.
Symbiotic relationships have proven successful in the ongoing battle against natural selection. Take, for instance, the Clown Fish and Sea Anemone or the Homosexual Male and his Best Girlfriend. Both bonds persevere thanks to a certain chemistry. For gay men and straight women it may have something to do with their mutual attraction to men (sometimes the same one), but perhaps it’s deeper, as if nature, or some ‘Intelligent Designer,’ thought to create an ideal way for the sexes to coexist.
Read More »Best of the Web: New apps, see India from outer space & how to become “The Human Slinky”
India from Outerspace: NASA’s mega-bright images of India went viral last week. Bloggers speculated that the different colored lights had something to do with the celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Light. Of course, like total buzz kills, NASA issued a statement soon after claiming that the colored lights actually indicate economic growth at different time periods. But whatever, we prefer to believe all of India got together to create a giant light spectacle visible only from outer space…
Read More »Sundance Channel Greenlights Original Scripted Series RECTIFY
FROM THE PRODUCERS OF AWARD-WINNING BREAKING BAD, THIS PROJECT IS SUNDANCE CHANNEL’S FIRST WHOLLY-OWNED PRODUCTION
PREMIERES SIMULTANEOUSLY ON SUNDANCE CHANNEL GLOBAL
Further solidifying Sundance Channel’s commitment to high quality scripted programming, the channel today greenlit original scripted series RECTIFY with a six episode order. The hour-long legal drama was created and written by Academy Award winner Ray McKinnon (The Accountant) who also serves as executive producer on the project. The series represents the first wholly owned Sundance Channel scripted production. In addition, it will be the first project to premiere simultaneously on Sundance Channel in the United States and on Sundance Channel Global in countries throughout Europe, Asia and North America.
Veteran producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein of production company Gran Via will also serve as executive producers. This marks the second project for Johnson and Bernstein with AMC Networks. The first is AMC’s Emmy Award-winning series, Breaking Bad.
Read More »Music for my funeral
David Kraftsow, an artist and programmer based in Brooklyn, has made waves on the Internet for his various projects that blur the line between culture jamming and art on the web, most notably his YooouuuTuuube.com (rearranges any YouTube video into a sequential series of images) and First Person Tetris (playable version where instead of moving and rotating the blocks, you rotate the entire screen) earned him quite a bit of buzz even with the mainstream press…
Read More »Diana and Ashley’s excellent donut adventure
Watch “Love Lust: Breakfast” on Monday, November 14th at 8pm.
I never really understood the allure of the food crawl. Sure, there’s the obvious pleasure of going from place to place and gorging on food, but I wasn’t particularly enthused by the prospect of the aftermath of said gorging: belly bulge, greasy mouth, the inability to move from the fetal position for the rest of the day. Aside from holidays, Chinese restaurants and the days I’m cranky or sad or happy and need to eat my feelings, I like to eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m not. So um, really, hardly ever.
But then the idea of a donut crawl started circulating in my head. Every day I pass by three donut shops on my way to work, and then again on the way home. Located on the same one-mile stretch, they called out to me as I drove by. “Donut crawl. Donut crawl. Donut crawl,” they seemed to say. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t shut up the voice that kept pulsing inside of my head. So finally, after weeks of taunting, I commissioned my best friend to join me in my gluttonous mission. We picked an upcoming Saturday and set a starting time and place. “No turning back now,” I thought with a mixture of excitement and disgust. I could practically feel the impending stomachache that I would surely incur from embarking on this gastronomical misadventure.
Read More »A new sex toy for men, the REV1000
When it comes to sex toys, men get the short end of the stick. Besides butt plugs (a.k.a. the short end of the stick, ba dum ching!), there’s just not that many innovative options – a few massage sleeves, a couple of love rings and some blow-up dolls (and, if you ask us, blow up dolls are not really a viable option). So when something new in the world of men’s sex toys hits the market, it’s BIG news (at least in our world).
Introducing the REV1000. While it gives the unfortunate impression of sticking one’s dick in a blender, with 7 speeds and 7 functions for a total of 49 different sensation combinations, the REV1000 has the potential to threaten straight women’s vaginal egos as much as The Rabbit Habit vibrator pummeled straight men’s penile ones…
Read More »Today’s top hashtag: #ThatsWhatHoesDo
The #ThatsWhatHoesDo trend follows the same basic premise of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a redneck if…” jokes. In fact, it might as well read, “You might be a hoe if…” Apparently, hoes are quite dexterous where social media is concerned, strategically changing their Twitter location and Facebook relationship status. These are some of the best I found (even Betty White and Harry Potter chimed in), but it got about 100 new tweets per minute (for realz) so if I missed one, add your fave in the comments.
Otherworldly light paintings, sans digital manipulation
Over the past few years, with the widespread growth of both digital cameras and the blogosphere, there’s been a rising trend among amateur and professional photographers experimenting with “light paintings” or rather, photographs in which a slow shutter speed captures a light source that is moved to create illuminated shapes and effects. Last year, I blogged here about Freddie Wong, an insanely popular YouTube filmmaker (his channel have over 2.4 million subscribers), who shot a crazy action sequence using this light painting technique…
Read More »Design Dish: A city made of bubbles & a toxic underground village
Pritzker Prize to be Given in Beijing: With its explosive recent development, Beijing has become an appealing spot for the world’s most influential architects and designers. It’s no surprise then that the prestigious Pritzker Prize – sometimes referred to as the “Nobel Prize” of architecture – will be awarded in Beijing next year…
Read More »Based on books: Sundance Channel gets literary this week
What do these four films have in common? They’re all based books (okay, in one case it’s a play). We’ll break down the necessary details and you watch the films and tell us which is better: the book or the movie?
OSCAR AND LUCINDA (1997)
Directed by: Gillian Armstrong
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Ciarin Hinds and Tom Wilkinson
Based on the book by: Peter Carey
How you know him: He also wrote True History of the Kelly Gang, which won him his second Booker Prize- the first was for Oscar and Lucinda. In fact, he’s one of only two writers to win it twice (the other is J.M. Coetzee). He also collaborated on the screenplay for Wim Wender’s UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD…
GWLBWLB Meet The Cast: Tenisha Likes Jared
If we’ve learned one thing over here at Sundance Channel, it’s that true friendships flourish at casual dining establishments. In high school there were late nights at the IHOP or Waffle House. In college we brunched at local diners and The Cheesecake Factory (don’t judge). Tenisha and Jared are two GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS Nashville besties who met waiting tables at Red Lobster.
Read More »Branded men: Harrison Ford passes the leading man baton onto George Clooney
George Clooney is occupying a number of screens this Fall. Whether peering at us from the other half of TIME Magazine in the IDES OF MARCH poster or literally running through the trailer of Alexander Payne’s forthcoming THE DESCENDANTS, he seems to be everywhere you look, and since he’s pretty much the sexiest middle-aged guy around, I don’t think anyone’s complaining. He’s definitely the sexiest major leading man who used be only be a television actor. (I’m kidding! I know, I know, TV is all that.) But is his trajectory absolutely unique?
Read More »THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2: at IFC and VOD
A couple of days ago THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 was released On Demand to viewers everywhere, who are apparently ravenous for the sequel. As to why, I can’t say, but then again I’ve never been a fan of bad horror films that specialize in bodily disfigurement heretofore completely inconceivable to me (even in my wildest imagination, people aren’t scurrying around butt-to-mouth). In fact, last night on Halloween, I was a little afraid I might see a human centipede chain creeping its way down 6th Avenue in the New York Halloween parade. Luckily, I was spared the sight and, for the first time ever, I was actually happy to see a gaggle of store-bought Mario’s and Luigi’s bumble down the block instead. I’m aware that I may be a little outnumbered in my repugnance, that a lot of people are actually titillated by the film’s catch phrase, “100% medically inaccurate,” and to that I’d like to add: 100% totally gross. If you…
Read More »Comfort food: Feel less awful
So the phone company just called to say your girlfriend or boyfriend is breaking up with you. You could cry (expected and unsightly), get wasted and bang someone you’re nearly 100% sure isn’t your ex. You could start an underground cat fighting ring, or you could eat some comfort food.
While the first two options may seem like a viable way to cope with bad shit, comfort food seems to be the popular choice. Something in our brain tells us to fuck the diet we’ve been on and eat fried chicken. Or meatloaf. Or, if you’re a real life Cathy cartoon, a whole tub of ice cream. Because comfort food is the shit that reminds of us of our childhood, when our problems were relegated to not being tall enough for awesome roller coasters, the crusts not being cut off our sandwiches (“Goddammit Ma, I don’t know how many time I have to tell you…”) and those fucking annoying childproof pill containers.
Comfort food is a hug from the inside that says “Hey, I’m gonna fatten you up and contribute to your low body image, but just tonight – and probably tomorrow if you’re a slow healer – everything is gonna be alright.”
When I was a kid my mom would make lamb shanks, but that shit takes all day, so I made…
Read More »Art Buzz: Seriously hairy stairs & Malcolm Mclaren get his own award
The Sensorium: Beauty retailer Sephora and fragrance manufacturer Firmenich have teamed up to bring downtown New Yorkers the “Sensorium,” a pop-up museum of scents and smells complete with a “scent deprivation chamber” and a scent-mixing bar. This could either be totally amazing or totally gaggy—just come armed with a hankie to cover your nose in case you need a break from sensory overload…
Read More »The female reproductive tract explained in Rachel Maddow’s man cave
Wait, that title didn’t come out quite right. “Man cave” is not meant as a euphemism here, especially for Rachel Maddow’s lady parts (for several reasons). No, the “man cave” is just one of her dorky gimmicks whereby she tells her female viewers to take a break and pops a brewskie, puts up some sport paraphernalia and just talks to the dudes. (For a feminist lesbian, she sure likes to play-up gender stereotypes!) Her latest man cave episode involved explaining how egg fertilization happens within the female reproductive tract, because a lot of people, including Mitt Romney, don’t quite have it down. Nor do they understand how many forms of birth control work – birth control many of them use!…
Read More »Naked News: Babies clamor for dubious “7 billionth” honor
- Parents across the globe claim their baby was number 7 billion.
- Study shows only men think men are funnier than women.
- Ovarian cancer risk found to increase after IVF.
