I’ve been relying on Twitter to a fault to quickly update my blog. But I realize I need more than 140 characters to convey some of my thoughts which is why I started this blog in the first place. Recently I went to see Wong Kar Wai’s early movie Days of Being Wild starring Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau and Andy Lau, all HK Superstars. There is even a teaser with Tony Leung at the end to set up the sequel which was never made. Or, as the journalist Jaime Wolf paraphrased Wong Kar Wai at the NY Film Society screening, every movie he made afterwards was a sequel. But really, with In the Mood for Love’s success, 2046 ended up being a true sequel. It was great to see it on a big screen in a decent theater. I had seen it once at the Museum of the Moving Image during an awesome Wong Kar Wai festival which featured the director himself. But now I realize, the theater was not ideal. That is also the theater I saw Ashes of Time in. Recall that Ashes of Time was reduxed and shown at the New York Film Festival 2008. It completely changed my opinion of that movie seeing it at the Ziegfeld, with a new soundtrack and restored picture and sound. I appreciate the beauty of the story and the acting so much more after that screening. In fact, it was a rapturous experience seeing it. Watching Days of Being Wild was not as sublime but it was still cool. It made me very nostalgic for Leslie Cheung and his movies. He really had a unique relationship with Wong Kar Wai. They understood each other the way Wong Kar Wai and cinematographer Chris Doyle do. I’ve also always loved that title, Days of Being Wild. I think it comes from something but not sure what.

Coraline in 3D was beautiful. Yes, the button eyes are on the creepy side. But the images are stunning. The story was a little obtuse but ultimately, love wins the day.

Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety, and Myth

Recently saw one of the best curated exhibits of the development of an artist’s style at the Art Institute of Chicago entitled Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety and Myth. Munch’s The Scream has entered pop culture never to turn back. This Norwegian artist was a sponge. He loved art, he appreciated his contemporaries (Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin to name a few) and quoted similar themes in his work. You might be hard-pressed to see how Monet and Munch are related but this exhibit does the work for you. It puts together the pieces Munch studied and enjoyed during his lifetime next to his own work. Fascinating. The exhibit reminded me of Nick Hornby’s book of columns Shakespeare Wrote for Money. The premise of his column is that he is a voracious reader, soccer/football season aside, and his reading begets reading. He starts to read something and then is inspired to read something else. He may see a reference to an author or a topic and then he’s off to the bookstore to get a new book. I think that is how most of us experience books, movies, tv shows and all forms of art. I certainly am flighty and a bit compulsive about looking up related shows, books, movies when my interest is peaked by an author, artist, actor, show or the like. That’s why we love the interweb, as dear Tracy Jordan of 30 Rock likes to say. It’s instantaneous. We think of something we want to know or can’t quite remember and all we have to do is see if someone else documented it online for us to look up. Anyway, Edvard Munch experienced art this way. He took in what past artists studied and created. He looked at what his friends and colleagues were influenced by and created. Then he went into his studio and put down on paper with many mediums, oils, etching tools and woodcuts, his ideas.

chelfitsch Theater Company
Five Days in March

Saw interesting play at Japan Society entitled Five Days in March. It reminded me of the work done by the illustrious and brilliant Wooster Group.

Finally got around to looking at Watchmen. I figured since I’ve had my opening night IMAX tix for Watchmen since they first became available (because I love seeing event movies with boisterous crowds), I should look at the original material which has such a reputation. It really as great as people say. I don’t read many graphic novels but I know there are a lot of  hugely entertaining ones out there I’m missing out on, including the Buffy and Angel series. I read them occasionally, like Maus and Fun Home. And of course I had heard of Watchmen from many fellow Pop Culture Addicts.  Anyway, I wonder if it will translate to the screen. We will know soon enough!

I am so enthralled by KenKen. I like Sudoku well enough but don’t do those puzzles regularly. But I figured when Will Shortz introduced KenKen last week in the New York Times, I’d take a gander. The easy ones are very satisfying to finish and the hard ones are incredibly challenging. But so far, I am not deterred. If you go to the official KenKen site, you can sign up for a free link to numerous puzzles. I think I dl’d 24! Very generous of them.

At long last, Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse premiered! You can see it all over the place if you missed it. You can catch at Amazon or Fox.com for starters. I’m sure they will rerun it at some point as well. I watched it twice. First online and then via dvr. I am already a fan of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles so I am thrilled with the pairing of it with Dollhouse for our Friday night viewing. I love the potential for Amy Acker’s storyline. I’m just excited that Team Whedon is back in action and on tv.

SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH…

I’m still watching this show. I got my wish. I was thinking that Elton John would be a good host because he loves pop music and follows new music avidly as well as appreciating pop music of the past. He is an executive producer of the show so I figured he’d show up in person eventually. The most recent episode featured Diane Krall. As she is married to Elvis Costello, Elton John took over the role of interviewer for this show so as to keep down the bias. But the whole show is a love-fest anyway. That’s the point. It’s all about mutual admiration by these interesting musicians. Anyway, I don’t listen to Diane Krall actively but I enjoyed this episode and developed a deeper appreciation for her jazz piano-playing.

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