Snippets:
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DVD: The Italian Job (1969). 99 min. w/ Michael Caine as Charlie Croker. Directed by Peter Collinson (Up the Junction). How to rob $4 million by causing a traffic jam. Story rather flat. Great scences of the Italian Alps. Humorous moments. Big advertising show for 'Mini' cars - they can go everywhere. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
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Video: Vanilla Sky (2001). 136 min. w/ Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell. Directed by Cameron Crowe. Rich playboy (Cruise) with vivid dreams fall in love with girl (Cruz), and survives car accident with jealous 'friend he occasionally sleeps with' (Diaz), waking up with a disfigured face. Dreams and reality merge. Even though Cruise is a mediocre actor, the mystery of the story captures the viewer's attention to the end. Cruz is charming. Some memorable lines: "I think she's the saddest girl ever to hold a martini" "Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around" "...pleasure delayer" "She looks like a moth". Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
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Video: I, Robot (2004). 115 min. w/ Will Smith (Del Spooner), Bridget Moynahan (Susan Calvin). Directed by Alex Proyas. Suggested by, i.e. loosely based on book of Isaac Asimov. In 2035, techno-phobic detective wants to clear up who murdered the inventor of a new generation of robots. Fairly shallow plot, but some funny moments. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Art: Yoshiaki Yuki is a Tokyo artist who paints calligraphically inspired designs on tables, screens, plates and bowls. Gallery Gen is his shop and gallery in TriBeCa, NYC.
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Literature: The "Big Three" science-fiction writers: Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke.
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Video: Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai, 1954). B/W. 208 min. Japanese w/ English subtitles. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. w/ Takashi Shimura. Peasants hire seven samurai to defend their village from bandits. Film was the predecessor for John Sturges' 'The Magnificent Seven' in 1960 (see September 4, 2004). Witty. Some action. Important film historical document. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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DVD: On the Waterfront (1954). 108 min. B/W. w/ Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy), Karl Malden (Father Barry), Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly). Directed by Elia Kazan (East of Eden). Longshoreman (Brando), connected to the mob through his elder brother, is plagued by assisting in the death of a fellow worker who was about to inform the police about crimes of a Union boss. Falling in love with the murder victim's pretty sister, and supported by the local priest, Malloy decides to follow his conscience. Leading characters were based on real people: Terry Malloy was based on longshoreman and whistle-blower Anthony De Vincenzo; Father Barry on waterfront priest John M. Corridan; Johnny Friendly on mobster Albert Anastasia. Some great shots of the Hoboken waterfront and docks, which has elements of film noir. Film won 8 Academy awards in 1955, including Marlon Brando for 'Best Actor in a Leading Role', Eva Marie Saint for 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role', and Sam Spiegel for 'Best Picture'. Contains famous taxi scene. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Film: Film Noir: A style of black and white American films containing the following 7 elements: 1.) a crime, 2.) the perspective of the criminals, not the police, 3.) an inverted view of traditional sources of authority, such as corrupt police, 4.) unstable alliances and allegiances, 5.) the femme fatale --- the woman who causes the downfall and/or death of a good man, 6.) brutal violence, and 7.) bizarre plot twists and motivations. Strictly speaking, film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style, point-of-view, or tone of a film. Examples include 'The Big Sleep' (1949) and 'The Third Man' (1949).
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Music: Recent concerts: 1.) Kate McGarry at 55Bar on Sat., August 20, 2005. w/ Steve Cardenas, Keith Ganz, Sean Smith and Ferenc Nemeth. Good, interesting jazz. 2.) Deborah Latz (voc)at Louis 649 (649 E. 9th Street at Ave C, East Village) on Mon, August 22, 2005. w/ John Merril (g). Critically acclaimed. Good voice, sometimes too sugar-coated; could have more of an edge. 3.) OK/OK at 55Bar on Tue., August 23, 2005. w/ Mike McGinnis (reeds), Khabu Doug Young (g), Kyoko Kitamura (voc), and very special guest Tony Moreno (d).
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Music: NYC Jazz Calendar at Gotham Jazz.
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Theater: Lady Convoy on 8/27/05 at the Players Theater, 115 MacDougal St, Greenwich Village, NYC, as part of the FringeNYC multi-arts festival 2005. w/ Kelly Rauch (Rubber Duck, also Managing Producer), Lucy Smith (Love Machine), Brad Thomason (Sheriff Lyle McGee), Gene Gallerano (James). Written by Ken Gallo. Directed by Robert Ross Parker. Leaning on the movie 'Convoy', the play sets up a female version of the convoy lead by a lady trucker. Memorable lines 'bitch on 18 wheels', 'duck power'.
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Art: Kim Luttrell, Brooklyn, NY. Paints two pictures on paper, then cuts them in stripes and weaves them together. More recently: Sculptures.

Kim Luttrell: Great Lover (Red)

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Snippets:
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Music: Kaki King. Plays guitar with provocative style. Heard on the radio playing Mountainstage (Week after 7/29 - Rebroadcast from Oct 2004)
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Music: Swingadelic. From Hoboken, NJ. Plays a mixture of swing, jazz, jump blues, and some Latin sounds. Leader: Dave Post. Albums (Swing-a-Delic!, 1999 and Organ-ized! 2002) lack the spirit of life perfmances. Saw in Hoboken on 7/14/05.
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DVD: Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). w/ Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Michael Caine. Directed by Jay Roach. Third in the series of Austin Powers films. Lots of cameo appearances. Silly, sometimes gross. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
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Transportation: Goethals Bridge connects Staten Island and New Jersey (I-287). Memorial to Major General George W. Goethals, builder of the Panama Canal. History of the bridge.
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Beaches: Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. Other New Jersey Beaches.
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Parks: Holmdel Park, NJ with Longstreet Farm, a historic farm (~1890) that includes the Holmes-Hendrickson House with lavish interior.
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Video: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Writing credits: Tim Burton (story) Michael McDowell (adaptation). First full-length stop-motion animated film ever created. Musical. The people of Halloweentown, and their king, Jack Skellington, discover that people outside their world celebrate Christmas. An attempt to stage a Christmas show of their owntheir own almosts leads to desaster. Kitschy. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
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DVD: In the Bedroom (2001). Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei. Maine college boy involved with older woman is killed by jealous husband. His parents grieve, and then take things in their own hands when the murder trials does not go to their liking. Dramatic. Somber. Sloooow! Nicely assembled, great cinematography, but too boring over long stretches. Could have made more out of that story. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
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DVD: Ray (2004) w/ Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington. 155 min. Movie about life and career of Ray Charles (1930-2004), his music, heroin addiction, and personal relationships. Movie was shot with continuous advice of Charles himself. Foxx is a perfect copy and received an Oscar in 2005 for 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role'. Story is structured clearly and well told, but film is a bit lengthy. One needs to like the music to favor the movie. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Shopping: Jokers. German Internet bookstore with good prices, but limited selection. Restseller (In German).
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Recreation: Country Fair Entertainment Park, Long Island (LIE, Exit 64). Miniture Golf, Go-Kart Racing, Batting Cages, Driving Range, Wildernis Area.
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DVD: Gandhi (1982). 188 min. w/ Ben Kingsley as Mohandas K. Gandhi. Directed by Richard Attenborough. Music by Ravi Shankar. Biography of the man that brought India to independence. Inspiring in picture and word. Superb performance by Kinksley. Great cinematography. Won 8 Oscars in 1983, including best picture. Overall rating: 9 out of 10.
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DVD: Spiderman 2 (2004). w/ Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson). Directed by Sam Raimi. Spiderman continues to fight evil, then quits to live a normal life, but realizes that heroes like him are needed in this world. Nothing more than an action comic book. Some good special effects, but don't look for any logic in the plot. Dunst, though quite good looking, remains the second worst actress after Nicole Kidman. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
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Snippets:
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DVD: Proof of Life (2000). 135 min. w/ Russel Crowe, Meg Ryan. After an engineer is kidnapped by guerillas in Colombia, his wife hires a professional negotiator to release him. Great pics of landscapes. Story predictable and shallow. Acting mediocre. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
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Okra (botanical name: Hibiscus esculenta): vegetable, used ofter in Southern style cooking.
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DVD: Das Experiment (2000). 119 min. German w/ English subtitles. w/ Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. Based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in 1971. Volunteers participate in a psychological experiment to 'play' a prisoner-guard situation. When things get out of hand, the real human nature is revealed. Terrific analysis of human behavior in a simple plot. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
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Music: Jonah Smith (vocals, fender rhodes electric piano); jazz, pop; saw at 55Bar on 7/22/05; resemles a jazz version of Jamiroquai.
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Video: Stangers on a Train (1951). 101 min. B/W. w/ Farley Granger (Guy Haines), Ruth Roman (Anne Morton), Robert Walker (Bruno Anthony). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Successful tennis player with wife and girlfriend meets lunatic stranger on a train who suggests the perfect crime: to swap murders. Highly advanced for its time, but a little too predictable for today. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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Music: Vanessa Williams; on the Green in New Haven, CT, on Saturday, July 30th, 2005
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DVD: Russian Ark (2002). 96 min. Russian w/ English subtitles. w/ Sergei Dontsov (as Sergei Dreiden) as The Stranger (The Marquis de Custine, an 18th century French diplomat, who wrote an account of his visit to Russia in 1839 entitled Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia). Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov. Cinematography by Tilman Büttner. Filmed in a single continuous take, the camera follows the Stranger through the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and 300 years of Russian history. No real story, more a continuous flow of events. Needs to be approached with a quiet mind set and appreciation for the marvellous costumes, and the technical challenges of the film. DVD contains a version with comments by producer Jens Meurer. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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DVD: Heaven (2002). 96 min. Italian and English. w/ Cate Blanchett (Philippa), Giovanni Ribisi (Filippo). Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Screeplay by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Carabinieri falls in love with frustrated, depressed school teacher who attempted to assassinate a drug dealer. Story is rather unrealistic, but once you get the hang of it, it it's rather enjoyable because of its unconventionalism. Some great areal shots of Montepulciano. Blachett plays her brittle character well. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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