album covers... revisited

Superimposing album covers with NYC locations.  More here & here.

paintings by eric white

I love his work. Cool interview with him here.

"My childhood was somewhat chaotic, so drawing was a way to escape into my own little zone. I think it’s that way for a lot of creative people. You can’t control the things around you, so you create this little world you can escape into and control." - Eric White

Also check Artsy's Eric White page!

gigamesh!

Check out a preview of the new EP from Gigamesh.



And the hot breakdancin' clip for "Dream On."

desire

Andy Gibb is inspiring me lately.

best worst movie

As a kid in the early 90s, I didn't have HBO.  If I did, I may have found Troll 2.  The movie has eluded me for years until I watched it recently on Netflix instant--a source of discovery for a new generation of camp horror-inclined fans.  The legend of Troll 2 being one of the worst films is true, it's terrible--cheaply made and poorly acted.  Yet, there's a mood and texture about it that makes it more bizarre than most B-movie trash.

Having a fondness for the unintentional comedy of B-movies with serious intentions, I completely adored and was unexpectedly moved by Michael Stephenson's Best Worst Movie, a doc on the aftermath of Troll 2 and its cult following.  Stephenson is the child actor of Troll 2 who had dreams of being a star (I distinctly remember our era of Macaulay Culkin) but never saw his film until a year later on VHS and was embarrassed and disappointed.  With a sophisticated mix of humor and pathos, Stephenson tracks down and presents his director and fellow cast members of Troll 2, notably George Hardy, who played his father.  Hardy lives well in Alabama and is described as the "Patch Adams" of dentistry there.  Jovial and expressive, he loves to be the center of attention.  Stephenson's subject is entertaining and electric.  We watch Hardy's burgeoning egomania and enthusiasm for his past role as he attends fervent screenings of Troll 2 and his profound disappointment when people don't recognize him or the film at a UK horror convention.

It's also a film about Italian director, Claudio Fragasso.  At the time of shooting Troll 2, Fragasso spoke little English which caused a lot of communication problems on the set.  In the documentary, we watch his seething contempt at the actors (he describes them as "dogs") as they reveal their side of how incompetently  the movie was made.  It's a portrait of a filmmaker's frustration and his inability to defend both what he has created and its cult phenom (the jolly Fellini-esque score that sometimes accompanies the doc is befitting).  

When Stephenson and Hardy visit the Utah home of fellow cast member Margo Prey, an intensely somber strain emerges. Agoraphobic and taking care of her elderly mother, Prey speaks about her view of the film (a movie about people that compares to the likes of Casablanca) and her reluctance to go out to its screenings.  The contrast between Hardy and Prey (who played the parents in the original film) couldn't be starker and Hardy is visibly uncomfortable by her.  We also meet the actor Robert Ormsby, who, despite his extensive stage work, admits he has "frittered" his life away.  Stephenson creates something akin to Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, except this one is real and feels personal--a really complex testament to the making of low-budget horror. ***1/2

may farewells

Sad to see the passing of two disco legends in one month: Donna Summer and Robin Gibb.

yes we cannes

Seriously.  I'm living for Diane Kruger's Giambattista Valli Couture mint green dress at Cannes.  I love it.  Who wouldn't want to be wrapped up in this fabulousness?

Frieda Pinto in Michael Angel.

Marion Cotillard is peachy keen in Dior.  More at JJ.

Dolores Chaplin (Charlie's granddaughter).

Tilda!

science fashion: a post by karen g.

It’s always fascinated me what people predicted we and our alien invaders would be wearing in the future.  Science Fiction fashion was quite a hobby of mine when I was younger; being a little obsessed with TV shows like "Star Trek" and "Buck Rogers" and the Star Wars movies of course.  Below are some favorite moments (and outfits) from a selection of classic Sci Fi TV shows and movies.

The outfits, jewelry and hairstyles of former model, Michelle Nichols on the 1960s series “Star Trek” would look groovy even today!

Groundbreaking TV: The earth-shattering interracial kiss between Lieutenant Uhrura (played by model Michelle Nichols) and Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in 1968 was made even juicier by their amazing make-up and outfits. Work that beehive girl!

"Klaatu barada nikto":  In the 1951 film The Day The Earth Stood Still our alien Klaatu (played by Michael Rennie) wore an American Apparel-styled gray tracksuit while his robot “Gort” looked flashy in silver from head to toe, finished nicely with ankle-length matching silver Uggs.

I wonder if Sean Connery knew what kind of outfit he was in for when he signed up for the 1974 Post Apocalyptic film, Zardoz.  According to this film, this is what we’ll all be wearing in AD2293.  

Gil Gerard doesn’t need a shirt in the future: While earth recovers from a nuclear war, our hero, "Buck Rogers" saves the world in a gold outfit. (Now I’m convinced American Apparel draws inspiration from science fiction shows and movies.  I know I saw this jacket in their catalogue last year.)

Who is Aggie? For most, the name Aggie Guerard Rodgers doesn’t ring any bells, but mention Carrie Fisher’s 'slave costume' in Return of the Jedi and even people who aren’t Sci-Fi buffs will know what you’re talking about.  Rodgers, who designed costumes for movies such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; American Graffiti and Beetlejuice may be most remembered for the outfit Princess Leia wore while imprisoned by Jabba the Hut.

Even for those who didn’t enjoy the movie, Jean Paul Gaultier’s colorful fashions in The Fifth Element were a delight to watch.  The Blue Diva was my absolute favorite costume in the film. 

“You're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: the Twilight Zone!”  While each episode had an original cast, set/costume design and idea, some of the more creative and original stories and costumes I’ve seen over the years were imagined by Rod Serling.  

In 1983’s V – Our Aliens came disguised as friendly humans with big hair.  The alien planet is dying and our “intruders” have come to take the last of earth’s resources for themselves, looking super fashionable in red jumpsuits.

Inspiration for Lil Wayne’s hairstyle perhaps? Predator is still one of the most stylish and creative alien designs I’ve seen over the years.  (Love that he came equipped with his own repair kit!)

Back to the Future? It’s interesting to look back at the evolution of how our fashions and aliens have been imagined over the years.  Our aliens went from shiny silver in The Day the Earth Stood Still to shiny black in the 80s, Alien to blue in The Fifth Element and Avatar.  I’m curious to see, in this age of science fiction, when nothing seems too far-fetched anymore, what our costume designers will come up with next to keep us enthralled.  Have we seen it all? Or do our designers still have a few original ideas up their sleeves.  I guess we’ll all have to look to the future to find out.