Above:
On A Pedestal by Indulis
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Monday, January 27, 2014
Last Night...
Last night I skipped the Grammy's but did keep up on the coverage of Broadway Bares Winter Burlesque which took place at the XL Nightclub in New York.
Host Christopher Sieber (Above) seemed to enjoy the event and there were some great shots of one of my favorites, Sidney Erik Wright (below). Check out Broadway.com for full photo coverage HERE:
Indulis: Against The Sky
'I like working outdoors with a model posed against the sky.'
When I was first introduced to the work of Brookhaven photographer Indulis last spring, there were three distinct, but connected themes at the core of his work. The first was windows, but not just any windows but the windows from his home that look out over the land and water that surrounds his home. ( An Unobstructed View)
The second is that land and water and the artists passion for it. (An Island For One) The third theme may not seem connected, but like those windows, it serves as a way of getting even a greater view of all that surrounds.
We often put those we admire on pedestals. We feel their lives must be better than ours because they are richer or better looking or don't have the problems we must face each day. The longer I work on FH, the more apparent it has become that those in front of the camera, just like those behind it, live and breath on the same playing field as I do. That is what I find so refreshing about Indulis and his pedestals. They are not used to necessarily elevate the model so we see them better, the elevation is used to get closer to the sky and to see even more of what surrounds.
'I've always been entranced by nature, wildlife and the sea and my home embodies that, with unobstructed windows on every side and even all exterior doors made of glass. My work with figure models not only complements but elevates this primal instinct.'
Like his window's, the pedestals act as lens and the model as perspective. I think if not for fear of their safety, Indulis might elevate his models even higher as the closer to the sky one reaches, the more panoramic the view. Sometimes distance can actually make things so much clearer.
County Bypass
'It's the pills talking.'
My favorite films are character dramas. I, Like the rest of the world, also enjoy Meryl Streep as one of my favorite thespians to watch light up the screen. Funny then how much I disliked August: Osage County. Streep was great as pill poppin, truth telling Violet Weston, maybe too good. Like the rest of her family, I just wanted to get away from her whenever she was in the room. Watching a character you dislike can often be plenty of fun and can see how Violet would have been a powerhouse character to watch on stage. The play however did not translate to a watchable or worthwhile motion picture experience for me.
I did not see the play on stage, but Julia Roberts character also did little for me. Roberts and Streep were both great, but their relationship seemed forced, a way to give the two biggest stars in the film a hook together. The most interesting sister was by far Ivy, with Julianne Nicholson the movie's main source of appeal. It is too bad the producers sacrificed giving proper billing in favor of more well known actors. Nicholson was great, and along with Chris Cooper were the main reasons my Friday night out wasn't a total waste.
I must give the supporting cast their due. Without nearly as much screen time, they all made their characters memorable. This is the first time I have liked Juliette Lewis in a role since Cape Fear and Margo Martindale again reminded me of what a great actress she is, playing a great character, not a caricature, as she does on The Millers. In addition to Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Dermott Mulroney and Benedict Cuberbatch (who I did not catch was in the film) were also interesting to watch and provided a FH type reason to post about the film.
Chris Cooper, perfecting the ugly/sexy in Adaptation.
Mulroney in Intimate Affairs.
Cumberbatch in Last Enemy.
McGregor classic scene in Velvet Goldmine
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