I just watched this documentary, Captured, by Clayton Patterson tonight and it did not disappoint. I've heard about this doc for awhile and it filmed randomly here or there (which I never managed to catch) but now its on itunes and I was able to rent it. (did Anthology or IFC ever screen this? if so why not?) My point being this film deserves distribution. I'll watch anything and everything that features footage of nyc. I've always been like that, and its a contributing factor to my moving here, so of course this was no exception. Patterson has been able to preserve a nice slice of nostalgia focused on the Lower East Side. The main climax occurs during footage of the 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riots (which is in the East Village, were they all melded together then?) We are able to see that with his previous experience blending in, developing street creed, and learning to film action, it all culminated into being able to obtain this historical footage. Shit is off the hook. (although seemingly not as violent as more recent cop brutality footage ie. Rodney King, Hurricane Katrina, cops tasering people inappropriately etc.) This is in an era before cellphone cameras and twitter. That said, I can't imagine something like this happening today. It was bureaucracy vs the people. Not only did cops have a showdown at the park, but they took over the ENTIRE freakin neighborhood. And this is some raw, grassroots footage (no wonder he got jailed for it). The situation got out of control and the mayor, Koch, was off in the Hamptons for the wkend! How fitting. Its hard to form an opinion on all this as I wasn't around at that time and don't know what it was like, but all of it is unfathomable to me today. Patterson also has street footage of 9/11 which gave me goosebumps, his wife is on the tape saying "I want to get out of here, I want to get out of here". Towards the end he pines for the good ol'days of the LES. I understand his feeling of displacement, but I also think the city is vastly nicer to live in these days. I also understand the queasiness of the rampant gentrification thats been going on (which has slowed alittle in this economy). Hell, LES has changed dramatically since I moved here 7 yrs ago. I hardly even go down there anymore and it used to be one of my favorite neighborhoods. Now there's a lower, Lower East Side which I'm sure is creeping more and more onto the radar. I digress. This film is worth viewing if you live here, are curious about nyc, or like watching movies about nyc like I do.6/28/09
Captured
I just watched this documentary, Captured, by Clayton Patterson tonight and it did not disappoint. I've heard about this doc for awhile and it filmed randomly here or there (which I never managed to catch) but now its on itunes and I was able to rent it. (did Anthology or IFC ever screen this? if so why not?) My point being this film deserves distribution. I'll watch anything and everything that features footage of nyc. I've always been like that, and its a contributing factor to my moving here, so of course this was no exception. Patterson has been able to preserve a nice slice of nostalgia focused on the Lower East Side. The main climax occurs during footage of the 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riots (which is in the East Village, were they all melded together then?) We are able to see that with his previous experience blending in, developing street creed, and learning to film action, it all culminated into being able to obtain this historical footage. Shit is off the hook. (although seemingly not as violent as more recent cop brutality footage ie. Rodney King, Hurricane Katrina, cops tasering people inappropriately etc.) This is in an era before cellphone cameras and twitter. That said, I can't imagine something like this happening today. It was bureaucracy vs the people. Not only did cops have a showdown at the park, but they took over the ENTIRE freakin neighborhood. And this is some raw, grassroots footage (no wonder he got jailed for it). The situation got out of control and the mayor, Koch, was off in the Hamptons for the wkend! How fitting. Its hard to form an opinion on all this as I wasn't around at that time and don't know what it was like, but all of it is unfathomable to me today. Patterson also has street footage of 9/11 which gave me goosebumps, his wife is on the tape saying "I want to get out of here, I want to get out of here". Towards the end he pines for the good ol'days of the LES. I understand his feeling of displacement, but I also think the city is vastly nicer to live in these days. I also understand the queasiness of the rampant gentrification thats been going on (which has slowed alittle in this economy). Hell, LES has changed dramatically since I moved here 7 yrs ago. I hardly even go down there anymore and it used to be one of my favorite neighborhoods. Now there's a lower, Lower East Side which I'm sure is creeping more and more onto the radar. I digress. This film is worth viewing if you live here, are curious about nyc, or like watching movies about nyc like I do.
6/27/09
Sugar Hill
This place is right by my apartment. I knew it was built by one of the Barnum & Bailey circus guys but I thought it was still a functioning funeral parlor. I had no idea it was vacant and up for sale. If I had more than two nickels to rub together I'd buy this place. How kool is that spire! Its too bad its fallen into such disarray, maybe a blessing if anyone wants to restore it, that alot of original features are still in tact. But I have a feeling there's alot more work to be done than they're letting on. I mean the price went from $10mil to $3mil. But that could be a sign of the times also. This blog has excellent interior pix from a walk thru.
6/25/09
Moonwalking into the afterlife
What a weird day, first Farrah and then quite unexpectedly Michael Jackson. When I was around 8 yrs old or so I started a Michael Jackson fan club with my next door neighbor. It entailed wearing pins, trading stickers and I think we might have written letters. I can't recall all that went on in the Michael Jackson fan club except that this was right when "Thriller" came out and we were hooked. The fan club lasted a whole summer (a long time when you're 8) and then I lost interest, and I never liked Michael Jackson again after that. I guess I moved on in my musical tastes (to Prince) and never went back. As an adult I've had no idea what to think of him. He was a white woman trapped in a black man's body? He married Elvis' daughter? He has 3 white kids, one named Blanket (what the heck is going to happen to those kids now? hopefully intensive psychotherapy), not to mention the pedophilia and the subsequent escape to Dubai. I don't know. He just turned inhuman to me, not even a caricature, just not of this world. But who on the planet (over the age of 10) has not heard of Michael Jackson? His name is synonymous with Pop Culture and of course pop music. Its almost weird to imagine he died, he was mortal? I can only imagine the onslaught of media in the days to come and will be curious as to what the funeral will entail. But tonite, I will think back fondly to that summer of Thriller and Billie Jean and Beat it and P.Y.T. and Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. RIP.6/22/09
Amorphophallus Titanum
Its name means giant misshapen penis, it smells like a rotting corpse, and its over 10ft wide. What is it? A flower of course! The wonderful smell attracts "flesh flies" to pollinate it. "Studies have shown that the inflorescence also generates heat during flowering. This combination of odor, colour and heat effectively imitates a decomposing mammal, earning the plant the common name of carrion flower or corpse flower." Where can this beauty be found? Indonesia (It is found in the forests of Sumatra, an island in Western Indonesia to be exact). How do I know all this? A great site called Atlas Obscura for all your bizarre, esoteric travel curiosities. awesome.6/11/09
Day Dreaming
XLR8R magazine just posted a most delightful, wonderful, special mix of music that I just feel compelled to speak about it! It was put together by Alfred and Laura Darlington, who I've never heard of, but boy do they know how to put together a playlist. The tracks are pretty straight forward but something about the way its all put together and floats above your head, it's just as the title implies very dreamy, ethereal, bright, lite. I don't know how to put it directly in this post so I'll just direct you to xlr8r or go to itunes.
6/9/09
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
