LOMOGRAPHY

TOP OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

CAROUSEL AT DISNEYLAND

I love photography, but have been a tad disenchanted by the digital age. People take beautiful digital photos, but it tends to make me quite lazy. I've taken it upon myself to go back to film. And in an effort to spice it up, I've gone to my beloved LOMO camera.

Have you shot with a LOMO? You never know what you're gonna get. You click, you fire off some colored light, and you wait to develop. The idea of having to wait to see what your image looks like has brought back an excitement that reminds me of Christmas morning a bit.

I shoot with their classic fish-eye camera and their LC-A+ camera, which I'm still trying to master. It's tough trying to figure out how to focus and shoot with no f-stops. You may then ask yourself, why shoot with it? It has special lenses that are made in Russia and China and they put off a certain soft focus that is hard to get with digital cameras.

So long to the...
(click) "That sucked. Let's do that again."

Say hello to the...
(click. wind) "That was fun! I don't know what the heck that will look like... let's try that again! Go stand up on the edge of that bridge."

MY SISTA GETTIN' DOWN AT A BRAZILIAN PARTY

A SOMALIA PIRATE

SUGAR (2009)

Got to the Laemmle Theater after a long bout away from the darkness and saw a new film called, “Sugar.”

SUGAR is about a young pitcher from the Dominican Republic named Miguel “Sugar” Santos, who is in pursuit of a career in the majors. As he starts his journey in the minor leagues in an American small town in Iowa, we get a peek at the struggles he counters in a new country. With a severe language barrier and local prejudice, Sugar struggles to make his way in America and the dream of being a major league pitcher.

I really loved this film. It shied away from the traditional packaging you might find in a sports film and it dealt with a specific subject that hasn’t really been touched upon. Thousands of young baseball players come from outside the US, mostly uneducated, with unbelievable talent and a big dream. There is a curiosity as to how they can make it in a land where they can’t communicate, or how they can make a sufficient life here if they don’t make it to the majors.

Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, who also directed one of my favorite films, “HALF NELSON”, directed SUGAR. The direction always seems to be very specific without hitting you over the head, and their choice of shooting style is always very emotional. I loved the fact that they used mostly unknown actors, which brings a whole other level of realism to the film. I feel like the classic French Director, ROBERT BRESSON, had a lot of leverage as a filmmaker by casting non-actors. Often casting major stars in films can hurt the realism of the film because it takes you “out” of the film.

The performances are very believable and the writing is fantastic. There is a reoccurring scene in the film where the players go to a local café. They can’t speak English so they continually order ‘French toast’ because that’s the only thing they know how to say. There is a nice exchange between Sugar and the waitress over how to say the various types of ways to cook your eggs. A tad mundane on the surface, but it means the world to Sugar and is a small form of compassion amongst the dark world he’s experiencing.

The one thing that continues to be a great marker in Fleck/Boden films is the music. In “Half Nelson” they were lucky enough to use a lot of Broken Social Scene’s music, which is stunning. I really like the way they integrate music into the film. In this film they bring in TV on the Radio through the headphones of a player on the traveling minor league bus, then is edited in an intense montage of players fighting it out on the field.

If you get a chance to see this film, pick it up through netflix. It didn’t get a lot of attention in the theaters (limited release and no stars), but I think anyone who sees it will be satisfied with the heartfelt journey of Sugar and the juxtaposing emotion at the end of the film that is filled with sadness and hope.

FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR

This is one of my favorite times of year, the period before the Oscars. It’s not that the Oscars is really the draw, considering all of the politics, but when you go to the movie theater, you actually sit in a packed house full of people getting a glimpse at the best films of the year.

The experience of watching a film in the dark with a group of people as opposed to net-flixing a film and watching at home is a tremendous difference and one that can’t be substituted.

I saw most of the nominated films this year and was disappointed that some were not included (mainly Soderbergh’s epic, CHE, and best actor nomination for Benicio Del Toro).


I very much enjoyed Frost/Nixon and David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” but here are my top five films this year:

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. MILK
3. CHE
4. The Reader
5. Rachel Getting Married

Who will ultimately win…I’m betting on Slumdog.

In the Directing category, the level of artistry in these directors humbled me. Jonathan Demme brought such a beautiful verite style of filming to ‘Rachel Getting Married’ and Gus Van Sant brought an amazing re-creation to MILK. Stephen Daldry is by far one of my favorites in this category. There is always poetry in the vision of the film and a real softness and delicate handling of tough subjects and intense themes.

Based on the best picture, I think it will be Danny Boyle. There is such a rawness in the film and a real take on the slums of India. There is a richness in the photography and touching performances from the young cast. I love David Fincher and think he still has a shot (everything he does is fantastic), but I’m going with Boyle.

Best Actor – Sean Penn (he really deserves this. Who knows with the anti-Penn politics)
Best Actress – Kate Winslet (though Melissa Leo was superb in “Frozen River”)
Best Supporting Actor – Heath Ledger (but I think it should go to Josh Brolin)
Best Supporting Actress – Viola Davis (but I think it should go to Marisa Tomei)
Best Screenplay – MILK (Although “In Bruges” was pretty hilarious)
Best Adapted Screenplay – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (but I think it should go to “The Reader")

CHANGE IS HERE...THE INAUGURATION

No words can express the joy and pride I feel in this very moment. To awake to the view of millions of Americans united to ring in a new venture, was inspiring and surreal. I am humbled at the thought that my children will be raised not seeing the injustice and racism that was so rampant in our past. As they grow their first president will be Barack Obama. May our social consciousness rise to the occasion.

BANKSY

'When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness.'

- Emo Philips

This is a quote from BANKSY's MANIFESTO. It just struck me as simplistic, but daunting. I'm pretty blown away by the street art/graffiti of UK artist, Banksy. His portraits are always commenting on a social issue that we're feeling, but may not be discussing. That kind of thinking is right up my alley.

Check out his website at http://banksy.co.uk. Check out his 'outdoor' stuff he did down in New Orleans after Katrina. You'll see what I'm talking about.

RELEASE A PILL

“The problem with CDs is that they contain sound. For the next record, I will directly inject it into people. It would be awesome to just release a pill.”

- JAMES MURPHY of LCD Soundsystem

If you haven't heard LCD Soundsystem, I highly recommend you get up, walk to the counter, pick up your keys, drive to Amoeba Music, and buy the record SOUND OF SILVER. OR... you can go to itunes and click 'BUY.' Either way, put the record on and take a pill. Enjoy.

CURIOUS ABOUT THE WORLD

'If you remain curious about the world, you will stay young at heart.'

- GIORGIO ARMANI