Film Review http://culturecatch.com/film en What Is It to Be a Jew? A Bushel and a Peck of Answers http://culturecatch.com/node/4414 <span>What Is It to Be a Jew? A Bushel and a Peck of Answers</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/users/brandon-judell" lang="" about="/users/brandon-judell" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Brandon Judell</a></span> <span>February 7, 2025 - 17:36</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/813" hreflang="en">jewish film festival</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><figure role="group" class="embedded-entity"><article><img alt="Thumbnail" class="img-responsive" height="986" src="/sites/default/files/2025/2025-02/eli_wiesel_a_soul_on_fire.png" title="eli_wiesel_a_soul_on_fire.png" typeof="foaf:Image" width="1857" /></article><figcaption>A Soul On Fire</figcaption></figure><p>"It's hard being a Jew nowadays," began my 2023 coverage of this annual fest. Well, it's still not a breeze, but not just for the Jews. Ask the Angelenos, the Ukrainians, the Yemenis, and the Palestinians whose plight is so shatteringly captured in the documentary <i>No Other Land, </i>screened at last year's New York Film Festival.</p> <p>At the critics' screenings that September afternoon, an odd juxtaposition occurred. <i>No Other Land </i>was immediately followed by Jesse Eisenberg's nigh-perfect comedic drama, <i>A Real Pain</i>, which captures the lingering effect of the Holocaust on present-day Jews, a memory expiring far too swiftly. From the Middle East to Auschwitz within four hours, that's a handful.</p> <p>Which got me thinking, can you compare pain? Or the memory of pain? The posthumously declared anti-Semite Joseph Campbell sidestepped the issue and advised: "Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." Does that work against prejudice in the long run? Against genocide? </p> <p>Maybe.</p> <p>I do have a black-and-white snapshot of my stepmother smiling while sitting on a park bench in 1930s Berlin, a bench bearing a sign: "For Jews Only." She shortly escaped to the States but not before aborting what would have been her second child. Gerda Eisner Baum, as she was known then, refused to submit another soul to such a precarious future.</p> <p>Our current future seems to be again approaching that sense of precariousness, and the 34<sup>th</sup> edition of the annual New York Jewish Film Festival perfectly captures that trembling-in-the-balance uneasiness through works of humor, nostalgia and tears. Works disclosing anti-Semitism past and present, interfaith coupling, and sectarian conflicts. [No wonder the author of <i>Night,</i> Elie Wiesel, once asked, "I'm a Jew, but I don't really know what it means to be Jewish."</p> <p>Maybe the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who was knighted by the Queen in 2005, best captures the gist of this year's NYJFF: "Jews have survived catastrophe after catastrophe in a way unparalleled by any other culture. In each case, they did more than survive. Every tragedy in Jewish history was followed by a new wave of creativity." Here, the creativity is on view.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CzDYxAwoUWk?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>Starting the Festival on a highly cheery note is Joe Stephenson's wry biopic of the man who discovered the Beatles, <em>Midas Man</em>, transforming them from a scraggly quartet playing in a Liverpudlian club for naught into the world’s most consequential band. Yes, Brian Epstein. He rose like a firework into the heavens for five years and then took permanent residence up there at age 32.  Why?</p> <p>John Lennon might have been recalling Brian when he put forth: "The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is there something wrong with society that's making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?"</p> <p>Well, Brian was both a Jew and a homosexual in a country that rewarded both with an outsider status. Queerdom could also get you arrested, beaten, and blackmailed, but for some, the double whammy might also spur you on to succeed at any cost, as it did with the gent who gave us <i>Help </i>(1965).</p> <p><i>Midas Man </i>commences with<i> </i>the future entrepreneur working out of his father’s furniture store where he created within several square yards the hippest, most successful record store in Liverpool.</p> <p>One day several customers requested "My Bonnie," a recording from a small German company by an unknown band. "What's this?" Brian wondered.  Discovering the group was a local one, he sought out the lads, became their manager, replaced their drummer with Ringo, and after being rejected by Decca and a gaggle of other record companies, he got the Beatles a record deal. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became their first number one hit, and the rest is part of <i>our</i> history.</p> <p>Yes, those executives who laughed when Brian insisted, "My boys will be bigger than Elvis," laughed no more. Without this tortured Jewish homosexual, there might not have been a British Invasion, and we’d still be listening to Perry Como.</p> <p>With a vivid recreation of all this hoopla, the superb Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Brian, Emily Watson as Mom, Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan, and four lookalike, often sardonic Beatles, <i>Midas Man</i> is a never-less-than-engaging look at not totally surviving the sixties, a perfect Brit counterpart to <i>A Complete Unknown.</i></p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qnHI1ahMBpU?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>Moving on to the more disquieting, writer/director Oren Rudavsky's devastating, necessary documentary, <i>Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire, </i>concerns being a witness to history and then disseminating the horrors that the world means to forget or maybe worse . . . distort and make light of.</p> <p>"I'm sure that many people went to their death not even believing afterward that they were dead," Wiesel wrote of the Holocaust.</p> <p>Utilizing archival footage, interviews both new and old, salvaged photographs, and the blistering animation of Joel Orloff, <i>Soul on Fire</i> is a biography of a teen survivor of the concentration camps who when freed refused to weep: "We didn’t cry maybe because people were afraid. If they were to start crying, they would never end."</p> <p>Wiesel, who died in 2016, was a winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize for his defense of human rights and his crusade to prevent the Holocaust from being forgotten through his plays, 57 books, and teachings. Describing himself as "a storyteller, a teller of tales," not unlike the Ancient Mariner, his journey's end is still far in the future, as this documentary proves again and again.</p> <p>Phinehas Veuillet's <i>Neither Day Nor Night </i>focuses on the Gabais, a French family of Sephardic heritage, who have resettled in Israel within an ultra-orthodox Ashkenazi community. For the uninitiated, this could be a cause of some tsuris.</p> <p>Ahuva (Maayan Amrani), the mom, has gone whole hog with the religiosity. The only remnants of her wild, bare-midriff youth are snapshots hidden in a cardboard box under her bed. Her once flowing locks are now concealed in a tightly wrapped headscarf. Her smiles are now fleeting and forced.</p> <p>Shmuel (Eli Manashe), the dad, spends his days renovating apartments, apparently an unorthodox vocation. He also embraces his Judaism, but his dress, prayers, and temperament avoid the severe restrictions that his wife embraces. Spin-off: trouble on the mattress leading to sleepless nights.</p> <p>The center of this story, however, is the bar-mitzvah boy, Rafael (Adam Hatuka Peled), the couple's oldest son. The lad is a brilliant scholar, the best in his Talmud Torah class, which should easily earn him a spot in the best Yeshiva in town, but it's not to be so.</p> <p>The headmaster, Rabbi Shimon, who teaches that true scholarship brings its just rewards, will betray his own precepts. There is only one opening at Rafael’s preferred Yeshiva for a Sephardic student, and the good rabbi allows a dull-witted youth with a rich dad to weasel his way in.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJZlQAoK8iQ?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>So where will all this unkosher hypocrisy lead? Well, what you expect from life? A little tragedy, some shopping, a rethinking of past joys, a lot of prayer, some geschrei-ing, and an unanticipated finale. With fine thesping throughout, especially from Peled, a bubbe’s dream with his sorrowful eyes and pinchable cheeks, <i>Neither Day Nor Night</i>, described by an Australian festival as a “crime-thriller,” is a pleasing tale of overcoming adversity in an unsuitable manner.</p> <p>Moving back in time once again, Annette Insdorf, in her classic <em>Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust</em>, wrote: "Filmmakers and film critics confronting the Holocaust face a basic task—finding an appropriate language for that which is mute or defies visualization. How do we lead a camera or pen to penetrate history and create art, as opposed to merely recording events? What are the formal as well as moral responsibilities if we are to understand and communicate the complexities of the Holocaust through its filmic representations?"</p> <p>Writer/director Yoav Potash seems to have the answers with his 13-minute short "A Great Big Secret." The film opens in October of 2023 with Anita Magnus Frank standing by a screen, clicker in hand, addressing a group of attentive San Franciscans: "I am a Holocaust survivor. I survived the war as a child in hiding. I lived under a false name."</p> <p>Born in 1936 to an Orthodox Jewish family in the Netherlands, Ms. Frank had an ideal childhood, and the photographs prove it: "My father adored me, and by his description, I was a bright, delightful child. I was also a tough little girl."</p> <p>But then Hitler invaded her wonderland on May 10, 1940.  At this point, this teller of tales morphs into an animated white-line drawing on a black background, the only color being the yellow Jewish star she must wear. Worse, at the same time, her Jewish classmates began disappearing one by one.</p> <p>Finally, one morning, her family was forewarned that unless they wanted to wind up in a concentration camp, that night was their last chance to escape the fate of their Jewish neighbors. "I remember my mother saying to my brother and me, Anita and Norman . . . you're going to go and live with a family that you don't know. . . You never will tell anyone you're Jewish, or you will die."</p> <p>"I lived in constant fear, and I learned to hide my Jewishness," Ms. Frank admits. Then, from that first shelter, she was moved to a farm where a group of boys sexually violated her multiple times. She submitted out of fear of being exposed. Weeks passed, and she was reunited with her mother; the Americans showed up, and the war ended only to expose that post-war anti-Semitism had flourished among the gentile Dutch populace.</p> <p>Still forced to hide their Judaism, the family moved to the States, and Frieda, at age 16, got a job taking care of a director's brood on the West Coast, gained 50 pounds, went to Harvard, got a job with the Rand Corporation, married, became a mother, and now within her final decades, shares a story again and again. Why become a memory for others?</p> <p>Mr. Wiesel once noted, "Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future."</p> <p>What survives longer than a memory? Buildings, of course. Just ask Ada Karmi-Melamede, the subject of her daughter’s unflinching documentary, <i>Ada: My Mother the Architect</i>. As a voiceover notes: "She is the Madonna of Israeli architecture."</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r6igKalF6sg?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>Ms. Ada, who's designed Jerusalem’s Supreme Court building, Ben Gurion Airport, and the Open University of Israel, is, at times, a slightly prickly soul who, after not receiving tenure from Columbia University, packed her bags and moved back to Israel, taking everything she needed with her except her three children and spouse. As she herself notes, "Maybe I'm really not that much of a Jewish mother. I have never really worried about you."</p> <p>Catch the look on her daughter's face when Ms. Ada shares that. It’s priceless.</p> <p>Well, she wanted a career and not to be stifled, and she succeeded. Now in her 80s, she is considered "one of a group of architects who built Israel from the ground up." Some of her mottos for designing: "The feet look for the shortest dimension. The eyes look for the longest." "Today, there are buildings with no art." "Architecture is not necessarily about harmony."</p> <p>Talking about harmony, Ms. Ada is a bit distressed with the leadership of her country's leadership, which she calls "a bad dream now." That aside, for anyone with an affinity for a career involving light, glass, stone, and chutzpah, this is essential viewing.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kQ-fiNGsLdo?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>As essential as Joan Micklin Silver's 1975-Oscar-nominated <i>Hester Street.</i> Yes, it's been 50 years since Carol Kane taught herself Yiddish to play Gitl, a young woman with a child who travels to New York City to join her very Americanized, now philandering, husband Jake (Steven Keats).</p> <p>Can the head-scarfed Gitl win him back when she speaks not a word of English? Plus, her attire and stance are totally Eastern European. It's not sexy for this man who once loved her and is now ashamed of the same.</p> <p>And what about her boy Yossele, whom Jake's renamed Joey? Will he soon distance himself from his "Momala"? Well, Dad snips off his <i>payes</i> while Momma puts salt into his pockets to ward off the evil eye whenever he leaves the apartment.</p> <p>So you're asking, "What chance do centuries-old traditions have in the New World?" Who am I to tell you?</p> <p>Discovering who wins is the delight of this beautifully textured recreation of a time when being an immigrant had its challenges, although winding up in Guantanamo was not one of them.</p> <p>As for you TV bingers, don't feel left out.  There are six award-winning episodes screened of German TV's answer to <i>Dallas</i>, <i>The Zweiflers</i>. Imagine that the Ewings were uncommonly Jewish, lived in the Düsseldorf of today, and instead of owning an oil company, they dealt with pastrami and potato salad.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dETCvpKpgD8?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>Yes, there are four generations of Zweiflers, from concentration camp survivors to deli entrepreneurs to chronic kibitzers, each embracing their Judaism in a distinctive but overlapping manner. One might use ketamine and paint surrealistic group family portraits that are a bit graphic. Another might fall in love with a lovely Caribbean chef who's anti-circumcision." A third might insist: "Only money can free you from the ugliness of the world . . . . A defenseless Jew is a dead Jew."</p> <p>And how's this for a marital chat?</p> <p>Husband to his kvetching wife: "Isaac Beshiva Singer once said, 'Life is God's novel. Let him write it."</p> <p>Kvetching wife: "You're trusting in God? When did he last help us?"</p> <p>She later brags to her hubby, who suddenly wants an open marriage: "I never had an uncut penis in my life."</p> <p>With a first-rate cast, a stunning male lead, an often-hilarious sendup of Jewish stereotypes, blackmail, a mohel, plus platters upon platters of delicious edibles, the Zweiflers<i> </i>never forget for long that even in the Germany of today, especially in the Germany of today, they are seen always as Jews.</p> <p>Without a doubt, this festival is a tribute to Primo Levi's words: "The injury cannot be healed. It extends through time."</p> <p>(Presented by the Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center, the films for the 2025 New York Jewish Film Festival (January 19-29) were astutely selected by Rachel Chanoff, Founding Director, THE OFFICE performing arts + film; Lisa Collins, director, writer, special correspondent, programmer, and events/film producer; and Aviva Weintraub, director, New York Jewish Film Festival, the Jewish Museum; with assistance from Cara Colasanti, film festival coordinator, the Jewish Museum.)</p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4414&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="Aj_wqocZNbgUVpJRhAqgxDD5yDGIyRfMSeAbfo0cRCU"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Fri, 07 Feb 2025 22:36:00 +0000 Brandon Judell 4414 at http://culturecatch.com Honey, I Became One with the Universe http://culturecatch.com/node/4413 <span>Honey, I Became One with the Universe</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7306" lang="" about="/user/7306" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Chet Kozlowski</a></span> <span>February 5, 2025 - 12:53</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/761" hreflang="en">science fiction</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><article class="embedded-entity"><img src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2025/2025-02/my_husband_the_cyborg_.png?itok=tkj6w61F" width="1200" height="624" alt="Thumbnail" title="my_husband_the_cyborg_.png" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /></article><p>Scott Cohen is a high-powered music executive with an interest in future technology. He is a proponent of "The Singularity," the theory that the rate of technological change will become so rapid that man will meld with machines. About six years ago he took his first steps to become a cyborg. He had a titanium station surgically implanted into his chest which makes him sensitive to the poles, turning him into a human compass.</p> <p>His wife Susanna Cappellaro began documenting Scott's quest right away, primarily on her smartphone, and her film <i>My Husband the Cyborg</i> is the result.  The title might suggest a sci-fi opus, but it’s an intimate and poignant look at love, devotion, and what makes us human. Scott and Susanna see the world differently. As one friend tells her, "Scott is made up almost entirely of straight lines, and you’re made up of messed up lines." Scott calculates, Susanna feels. And what starts out as a bizarre challenge turns into a probing examination of their marriage.</p> <p>Ms. Cappellaro shot footage over three years, charting Scott's changes, listening as he explained how differently he saw the world. They argue—he can't understand why she can't see his acts as normal—, come together, and take on mutual risk. Scott is imposing, shorn and shaved bald, a cross between Buddha and, say, the <em>Watchmen</em>'s Dr. Manhattan. Susanna is French, pretty, and winsome. She's afraid of what they lose in contact, the device blocking the path of a simple embrace. Her husband assures her that eventually "we can recreate physical touch." Susanna goes along because Scott is used to getting what he wants (the most intriguing conflict comes with his dread over telling his parents).</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oBbottVITng?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>Scott is not alone. There are others. Susanna attends a convention of body-modifiers, like-minded to Scott, to show solidarity. Their course grows out of the piercing/tattoo paradigm, contrary to conventional health care. For Susanna and Scott, love talk becomes ultimatums, even as she herself submits to procedures in order to keep them together.</p> <p>Ms. Cappellaro shot a wealth of footage over three years, <i>verité</i> style, from the hip. This is her first film, and her storytelling is kept simple. She and Maya Maffioli, her editor, trim scenes crisply and even with humor: Scott's elaborate explanation of joining his metabolism to the world around him cuts abruptly to a shot of a salad spinner. The film's sections are punctuated by kaleidoscopic AI-generated markers. One brief shot of Scott on a terrace, observing an oncoming electric storm, visually sums him up, symbolic of man's role in nature.</p> <p><i>My Husband the Cyborg</i> is appropriately being released on Valentine's Day. Ms. Cappellaro's documentary is a bright surprise, not a harbinger of oncoming doom. We root for her and for them. At one point, she insists to a frustrated Scott that her documentary about him is proof of love. He replies, "You're making a film about <i>you." </i>And he's half right.</p> <p>_____________________________</p> <p>My Husband the Cyborg. <i>Directed by Susanna Cappellaro. 2025. On digital platforms. 93 minutes.</i></p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4413&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="iQPHYVEBDKoO2NuXia9ocwt4cbFgAqJEtzQu3KFQ_HA"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Wed, 05 Feb 2025 17:53:29 +0000 Chet Kozlowski 4413 at http://culturecatch.com Provoking, Undoing, Starting Over http://culturecatch.com/node/4409 <span>Provoking, Undoing, Starting Over</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7306" lang="" about="/user/7306" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Chet Kozlowski</a></span> <span>January 28, 2025 - 14:49</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/399" hreflang="en">documentary</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><article class="embedded-entity"><img src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2025/2025-01/life_as_a_b_movie.jpeg?itok=UJGoKIG1" width="1200" height="699" alt="Thumbnail" title="life_as_a_b_movie.jpeg" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /></article><p>For sheer cinematic exuberance, you can't do better than<em> Life as a B Movie</em>. From the start, the viewer is bombarded with vintage images of skydivers, gyrating teenagers, and nudes cavorting in a sea of feathers, interspersed between the title credits. A tribute to pulp impresario Piero Vivarelli, this documentary is a "secret history" of how post-war Italy reclaimed its place on the world stage.</p> <p>A paratrooper in WWII, Vivarelli routinely plunged earthward on reconnaissance missions, and that disregard for danger informed his life. As one testifier puts it, "He wanted a taste of everything. He was an extremist. It was always a game. Provoking, undoing, starting over." Vivarelli had his finger on the pulse of the new generation as a music publisher, lyricist, screenwriter, film director, and producer. He hosted intellectuals and trendsetters in what his first wife Enza Minervini calls "the Live It Up Club," a.k.a. their Rome apartment, at all hours of the day and night.</p> <p>He exploited trends. In the rush of foreign cinema—during the 1960s-'70s, Italy produced 350 movies a year—he became known for black and white extravaganzas like <em>Howlers of the Dock</em> (1960), <em>I Kiss You Kiss</em> (1961), and <em>Il dio Serpente</em> (1970). Vivarelli's passions are up there on the screen: speed, rock 'n' roll, the high life, and women. He saw the potential in movie musicals or, more precisely, movies about music and stuffed the burgeoning counterculture with new sensations, churning out no-budget flicks. His closest equivalents in the US were Roger Corman (for economy) and Russ Meyer (for the exaltation of the female form).</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u-WdApmAy54?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>His producers, directors, ex-wives, and paramours add spice to the mix. Most of the talking heads are of his generation (and the worse for wear for their excesses). Vivarelli often brushed with greatness: he cast jazz trumpeter Chet Baker in Juke Box Kids (1959) {"he slept all the time") and was a contemporary of Fellini and Antonioni ("he couldn't have made <em>Zabriskie Point</em> without my movies"). He brought Aretha Franklin and the then-new Led Zeppelin to Italy, wielding suitcases crammed with cash.</p> <p>He flirted with fascism and communism and rubbed elbows with Castro in Cuba. His drama <em>East Zone, West Zone</em> (1962) is set at the construction of the Berlin Wall. He was delighted that the power and diversity of the youth culture "scared the Italian political power" and that he was part of it.</p> <p>At other points in the film, Vivarelli spars with Quentin Tarantino at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. Franco Nero chats about the script development of the Spaghetti Western <em>Django</em> (Vivarelli wrote it, and Sergio Carbucci directed it). His interest in Black culture spawned a particular brand of erotic/exotic exploitation in films like <em>The Black Decameron</em> (1972) and the <em>Emmanuelle</em> series starring Laura Gemser.</p> <p><em>Life as a B Movie</em> is a genre film lover's delight, an avalanche of ideas and memories. This feast of sights and sounds culminates in a ballet of folks flying through the air, contending that Vivarelli's joie de vivre can be traced to his paratrooper roots. "Up there in the sky, totally free. He liked the freedom thing," as one testimonial understates.</p> <p>Piero Vivarelli took a big bite out of life. He died in 2020. In his most autobiographical film, <em>Nella Misura in Cui</em> (1979), Vivarelli's surrogate is asked, "Really, no regrets?"</p> <p>"No, none at all. I just made some bad choices."</p> <p>"At least you have the guts to admit it."</p> <p>"Yeah, but guts are all I have left." ____________________________________________</p> <p>Life as a B Movie: Piero Vivarelli.<em> Directed by Niccolò Vivarelli and Fabrizio Laurenti. 2019. From Film Movement. 90 minutes. On digital platforms.</em></p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4409&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="rkHP37l-cVITuvg0PuNYAZLXBCyvlx35dMo5ArFWMgs"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Tue, 28 Jan 2025 19:49:00 +0000 Chet Kozlowski 4409 at http://culturecatch.com Elie Wiesel Never Forgot Suffering http://culturecatch.com/node/4408 <span>Elie Wiesel Never Forgot Suffering</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7162" lang="" about="/user/7162" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Gary Lucas</a></span> <span>January 25, 2025 - 06:59</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/399" hreflang="en">documentary</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><meta charset="UTF-8" /></p> <article class="embedded-entity"><img src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2025/2025-01/elie_wiesel_national_endowment_for_the_humanities.jpeg?itok=aCodoAF3" width="960" height="1249" alt="Thumbnail" title="elie_wiesel_national_endowment_for_the_humanities.jpeg" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /></article><p>Director Oren Rudavsky has done a masterful job in his new documentary <em>Soul On Fire</em>, which played the 2025 New York Jewish Film Festival in capturing the inner and outer man that was the great Elie Wiesel (1928-2016). The Romanian-American writer, Nobel Prize laureate, and political activist became the living embodiment worldwide of the compassionate Jewish conscience and consciousness—bearing witness in his many books and personal appearances to the heinous atrocities perpetrated on the Jewish people during the Holocaust.</p> <p>This new documentary, which is due to be shown as part of PBS's American Masters series, delves deeply into Wiesel's psyche in many interviews and clips of him speaking, as well as filmed conversations with family, friends, and learned commentators on the Holocaust, and strikingly evocative animated footage of the young Wiesel's childhood and student days in a little town in Romania and ultimate removal at the tender age of 16 into the inferno of Auschwitz.</p> <p>What is fascinating to learn here is that Elie Wiesel, besides being a forceful voice on behalf of Jewish suffering during the Second World War, was also a strong advocate for Human Rights across the board. He stood up repeatedly for victims everywhere, including persecuted Russian and Ethiopian Jews, South Africans under the yoke of apartheid, Muslims in Bosnia under siege, the slaughter of Sudanese, Rwandan, and Armenian people, the victimization of the Kurds, the incredible tragedy of Argentina's "Disappeared," the suffering of the Nicaraguan Miskito people, and on and on. He acknowledged Palestinian suffering in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech and repeatedly tried to foster an open dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian leadership.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qnHI1ahMBpU?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>When I was a boy, I read Elie Wisel's searing autobiography <em>Night</em>, a first-hand account of the shocking and brutal acts he had witnessed in the hellscape of Auschwitz before being transferred to Buchenwald, where the American army ultimately liberated him—and for years I've been haunted by his eloquent evocation of these vivid and haunting experiences. I recommend this book as a standard text to be taught in schools across the USA, where a shocking number of young people either have never heard of the Holocaust or are actively denying its existence.</p> <p><em>Soul On Fire</em> is an important and timely documentary that takes a measured and methodical look into the making of Elie Wiesel. It concentrates on the historical forces that shaped him into the single most eloquent spokesman for Jewish people and victims of oppression everywhere.</p> <p>He doesn't come off in the film as a cardboard saint but rather as a very human and extremely personable man in full, who heard the call and stood up to be counted.</p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4408&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="RmulYLEVN-zI2NGAx7hhxFFcr_bidxdfjfI6HXRc06E"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Sat, 25 Jan 2025 11:59:05 +0000 Gary Lucas 4408 at http://culturecatch.com Buried Treasure: Naomi Levine Out of The Factory & Back In Circulation http://culturecatch.com/node/4407 <span>Buried Treasure: Naomi Levine Out of The Factory &amp; Back In Circulation </span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7162" lang="" about="/user/7162" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Gary Lucas</a></span> <span>January 20, 2025 - 14:24</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/831" hreflang="en">biopic</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><figure role="group" class="embedded-entity"><article><img alt="Thumbnail" class="img-responsive" height="813" src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2025/2025-01/piano_marathon_35_1.jpeg?itok=Bu7MNfE9" title="piano_marathon_35_1.jpeg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="1200" /></article><figcaption>Photo by Eddie Hauser courtesy of The New York Times</figcaption></figure><p>It's been a whirlwind for a couple of days for films in NYC. <em>Midas Man</em>, a British biopic about the late great gay Beatles impresario Brian Epstein, opened the New York Jewish Film Festival mid-week at the Walter Reade Theater (excellent cast with brilliant Jacob Fortune-Loyd in the title role, plus Eddie Marsan and Emily Watson as Epstein's parents); also that night, a preview of Steven Soderbergh's new supernatural thriller <em>Presence</em> at the AMC on 71st and Broadway featuring Lucy Liu and Julia Fox; and on Fri. Jan. 17th 2024, two films considered lost for many years by Andy Warhol associate the artist and filmmaker NAOMI LEVINE at Anthology Film Archives on the Lower East Side.</p> <p>One of the earliest scene makers in the Warhol Factory retinue, and by all accounts a very charismatic presence as well as a cultural catalyst (she introduced her good friend Jonas Mekas to the films of Warhol, who Jonas began regularly championing in his column in the Village Voice), Naomi Levine was a striking actress who can be glimpsed in many early underground films of the early '60s by Jack Smith and Andy Warhol (you could do worse than investigate her appearance in Andy's 1964 <em>Batman/Dracula</em> and his 1963 <em>Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort Of</em>, starring Dennis Hopper, Claes Oldenburg, and Taylor Mead). Naomi Levine eventually fell out with Andy and the Factory scene. The story from one Factory insider is that Naomi Levine claimed Andy's 1964 silk-screened Flower Series was inspired by Naomi's 1963 film <em>Yes</em>. She confronted Andy and demanded a silk-screened Flower print in lieu of acknowledgement or payment, he refused, and she left the Factory for good to concentrate on her own filmmaking.</p> <p>She went on to make about 10 short films, most of which are unfortunately considered lost, and later abandoned filmmaking to concentrate on painting. Too bad, as by all available evidence, she was a very original and distinctive filmmaker. At one time, her films were shown at MOMA, and she was hailed at the Philadelphia Film Festival as "a seminal figure in the now historic movement of the New American film." She died in 2007 in more or less obscurity, so thank God for Anthology for reviving and preserving her work. She apparently, at one time, tried to destroy her own work, but Jonas managed to preserve two 16mm prints, which have recently been transferred and now exist in celluloid safety copies and also digitally.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0piLgzapXaw?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p><em>(Naomi Levine can be glimpsed as the striking brunette near the end of this clip from Andy Warhol and Jack Smith's 1964 </em>Batman/Dracula.<em>)</em></p> <p><meta charset="UTF-8" /></p> <p>The two known extant Naomi Levine films shown last night in their new restorations, 1963's <em>Yes</em> and 1964's <em>Jeremelu</em>, were arresting studies in black and white and featured brief glimpses of many of the NYC avant-garde movers and shakers of the early '60s. <em>Yes</em> boasts stunning black and white shots of forest flowers, which clearly presage Andy's "Flowers" silk-screen series, and <em>Jeremelu</em>, a vibrant black and white montage with discontinuous editing and supra-energy.</p> <p>This particular Naomi Levine program was a first of sorts for Anthology. Because the 16mm Warhol films are currently out of circulation by their distributor (why??), these relatively short dream-like film exercises by Naomi Levine were on a bill topped off with Anthology founder Jonas Mekas's Reel 3 of his 1968 magnum opus Walden.</p> <p>I love Jonas's own films and have only seen fragments of <em>Walden</em> over the years. I have to say that Reel 3 of <em>Walden</em> was stunning in every way—a full-on hypnotic retinal assault of swirling, pixilated super-saturated color and black and white footage of the city of New York and rural environs, which included a soundtrack with uncredited contributions by John Cale (sped up in parts and further fragmented by Jonas), and needle drops from classical music albums and local radio stations.</p> <p>I'd love to see more work by Naomi Levine—for one brief, exciting moment in time, an explosive avant-garde filmmaker—later, a largely forgotten, largely unsung member of Warhol's early Factory entourage.</p> <p>Naomi Levine's work deserves a lot better than that. And this exciting restoration of two of her early films by Anthology Film Archives should hopefully get the ball rolling in the right direction.</p> <p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------</p> <p><em><meta charset="UTF-8" />The photo above shows NAOMI LEVINE in her hey-day sitting in the front row of the Pocket Theatre NYC at 100 3rd Ave. with Warhol associate and poet <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZV5YWan8jj7Bga3mDBKhU4ONkwVptHr-1nYPo8JyA99IWBAt55gQSMBvtDktYOF5u-zbDFakMDm3H0wDyquoIKZo2i5k02eavRVpJlYFsVQ8wLwtenwuRjqImDJ8k-6ZTuXFkHDNGl2Y0aKnFMKU795E9NK97ECGqsrV7Wz_SZw1hcw8qW8ebVHqr9U_PRVaMA0Tv5NW0iZV4eattPGEaSGYhX8e36dnrnPL5DilrQkeC5sFXOpQueaxM8LdbBhqNUd_qQD4241xAPT2nDB9KHKb8PSljjx2IyZumNDcia2Px4F2Mh1L_85vbbogxBsVDLO-IPIr0FHnz65g4C2Lo9y_xHSZtw-7bGSpjv6ttACxfNMaM3fCGXDiHR8927pTU0aXFDU7Yiso941NG9fe5KEhxEEsJ4DldKk2O6hXBf560k24UCXTmVRw8b7-J0ObZ10f-3rohmvlckJbqTUIUcUONs6yM7P13iD7_l7U0FT2xeMrxCiHQbBnmhrFP7QbC-y392Nz4foET9vEHg0LatU5LpHVoCrhYqJyA7SaV0tCJ_ovsUxG77WBDQBwpA9OkEbDnhihXAnmlVx4iQkEaWQQ4rMbgJYedSTKBUrBajEetHX9YnMUKKgfVwQVp6NRcys0aet-nROCrE9OC68lxINIZjBhBGmGihrP5580DWhc8ZLyvVA7F2GvdByxXzW_RPxn6Gd1A6JOQiPeqndCY-sFcbz4OmYt05XEiTOOjW3NNHqMl1mt0vjRTXbGDxp6xw5slN4nMOISRC-gdmwZTaDq6p8wwEtJ_XYXk_lUzZnmDKxEjRBy3zQ0euN5_JHZ_81RPKqlpDKXNpbSH8yGrxoax460wuZJmVyUUxWJkMmdjS-g2OtJfyN5bYCBY6nfn0vwVYHJplpZmOWlUY1jwOV0DH8cuMuM35JiibYHdWPTvbitEDOcD9Ntd4SWVDMMbPCgRYETjP5HmLxiFAR3GljRUZRvqGmL2ULx0uDhpH_ltVaYJScdHnLolniJzMnqD3plXSTEq_V75AZIseakxyVo1cUr8jx0OuCc4tRwjnvw2CR_eh6p8-bW7nLniYUI5Y8FQersF1R0uCBJmKUdoZqSn639cJzYXr5B8ZoAuj9JL5x1rIKnki4BqXVFUSEflOPnUd_Z4_9lUtHYjH8polWTHYUUfIx6ImXd1we4QPGwQ3gjR7LdYBq8_nt0gYvlRZixjZlHl06cSRRg575tOrYUQz__nIQDBowxo1pRspusfAlrMu3YAff5UwblHTfPazOTXEN8P9xuqYGmcVr1bZj1z9S7kG-1oTqeCdvZFsg_abphwRic_KztanVWVMQ8FbugzfYwNVZl7i2HqYJRVFbTXANVp9IS_pTjma_eVBS1iTWmPYAxSKom67qgtVDcRzmHoQ0Hppttao0jkOqLPMCwRrPcFnC9DJX3XefIj36wgC5LfC5l3bSKQvhAjSoWHLhY52J7FvtvwcMf8YyWNkdmB4y1XKAnwKkCZd81W_YBCCRUdoa9mv7vqBfPwsFA1IwHD5gtaLtFnL87UzpHDMUclqZtErhWO2CrmyOyGYTHRA6jYF5-SZHykBIJ4WVhjR8W0GOEOTj25voTCDzX1wMl4C6TjZ79o5wRs0w8lFJ0mI7syLJCgklbVb2_Jglq1jib1S-lQ2qRPYfF0Guh7Uj_oB0SM1DMrpLiQ1gWuiqDoMh15xArhbvabMUY805VKOtsoPX-5XcTNxll1GMXkClSHcqrMfc0DoRwhJ8saXH-keXOvYtJTBtvkjFq7DyFo_exi7Ze5dKrvXwX398vdk4bajZk8G3CRdl6Msd3z62umaz7Igol5YhnjP1QM_8WKc6cNYPaQojPEwasGyDGy3efkkMyOb85nkRCAU-XpGmBWxTapOzzpmaeIjg5dVJvkJB7cUUfwPLqEVTDlVPM_X2yx3kAZQ7j1AOzvOMj6RsH4aFVkjaDvdOFNHy_nH1YLsrWVG5uT8cOdDC2vCJJsSNhtYilP_JUq9Is9POIQwJc9T9RsJaylAiA_8QRgTZOySK9jm0nGolKsoaPu_oIJiyAokEBfh5INsOxidS-vhxXsaSAOeaPI5ro82sdeUKT3olIp5wH1a_1GGIaVTJZbIjpvH0uTay5tHSPKBXkcz6KLvo-cZImROXY8Kf92xNfirTqZB6YUKATN2gafG4VwZGO12eei_V0vPy6baPmoTJA0lj7GN1rg6ZzdCOZ5jSTWLKMXfqDR9vC6LBwCefa-K6hqUHWkw-fUVWflm26fOkLDUln0Uw_vBDufHxnfkqtupXn0Y4uS0eRiw7OTuFe7oCmbP5onkVtGJbpLgcrHFRjexoHGEnRMKANfFGPX6YX4o7J1BVxhwupr3gWO0NLmAmkLMqh1yH-mwJwQGPV3Cam2Vm86dBg4-y-z7gz-WaFTHC4G-nIxp1b9MlOMF0pjZpb91QytKf4C606XymCTB33BUHoGuhVHCMoVSxDkZc7Bc149Xd45AcmleGfjyS9y6KE-FdziJA99B7kFvnU0rKpEy0qFiAFkPh8wGybJdidIA-9f2_loLvrebB5a-w5XA8aEfbhCk8ol5ALZ3z_oe5uAHhd6pNDpGuillHr1Y_7yS1bHJrTk9pZjjkNRn5uABcOZ489mPksTa1l6ma1_Hx6gHNURAY3erAYBw_8aZdtQ_7zoKhjJT9Xa9BQgWg5kskx9X11PCXh7fvpIuDKlNjQ4ubmvOMoe1sO6Kn0oDGd3EWq3bPRUhbfynHpldMXqRCgTyg3H-_kq29soqv7ZcgcybiJzcES_8NvKBgthd93WxRpKOYMqCTvsa7N-BBRgFPLphCf2vyAcyfV2dme5a5TNE9Ngh_i9CkPZRQvAPTv9vFmz24ykD9rIKWvocg1Msn02XaMO1dNWOwhbppmSG9JREdqo7ukgW58O-FRBiz8YoZ-60C-UZdjd0bdv_fXa0smdQK5DO3QWzxxkS5KKJxrFiV88EqnQpV5S0Ykq9ZH48rtFA5KDnzaI4c0Qmu_Orj2XncpDbWir3i2NDabUgO5h3K3xZNjZ9e7uLkbukWpU_Zk6dTZeM1kVesJvv-Yv36rCihcJqitOkpwDC1uYInWfXqc4kbGfhtXGoA6eOhMdj_cCCmm_BzA4-U-3BWnMEEl0lxrUXLH9_JqlPw3jumhEhc63LBQSB5FfGYQv0tmqBUtIeZ3SouyzyM4iUrmCTF89XzRGdU-y51o6UxRDbB4f3FqUxEGC3CSI9LJgeu2ifWRSXpsCCwE7WAeh0XxboUo26oczWkp97sJLJgjPXNZzHHNzMDWXw-K5SjJAs-4mcK79r0GfBhiXKv1QMgPG5uLYGwJ5cs3ML-t9KtFfjP5FDnG_GaDYNF3tRJbmY39mhzoi4tcrQ6ea7k4cgwljQ6QM-WvYdl4hjuBBWo-qPoOY-6UM4mm2lZPleS-cKaNsM81bI4y0DUc1yuV4ti1S1mRG8froYOMx3HYdLQewPQHkKY65qfuZUZxK7o0-UWq4P1KUj8UkyFF0YZtTW0OtoZQ5t6o3IAupRPvbmF_QGP3XeyBNc2AalFr73kAiIqssQwF002UstH1KREaLuQr9kjmyOAqCxXp3_BXTfGghaKAJQ9rPINX4FO17lqEoVLZp9eVDqthb0PlDTXVum8AvOAN6zcjD_uvkm5UENQdnTfL0XFKZZpytkgLlcPvAj6RwhTJwMzYrZTC_miDhXd5NIIjeluwkx-TAlbo-XqCtwjYhywFjBKpmVXxQOw7geobEsdTYf4igxxCeAJ_QoXLzA0v5mvlMSgY1wHi1UFltvHfumAtfKY-5KYBuGGPtm1FfeCH3WOwT-s6_SiS4--KwLCCztEXRQNQkUHwNs51co8_7JAj-EE4Xsipy_60qzV50-tz1vWX9IPmhAPsyeygxNS6rceyIA_3-BFiBAv8zq1VRPuujGvS8unFHyS3QWIqis" href="https://www.facebook.com/GerardMalangaOfficial?__cft__[0]=AZUo_adK9_vkXU2Ll1RaFH3Jb3S-0HCOe83mpPWyo_GTdMoZ4m8wpicsjKBd9bq0jnfbTbQT0VGm_hKjMuZ2ijitXP6S1dSVydmFj5_CY4gDGd8cAZRH3Rbq1tvWshGkhqW5LapeCp8Adahb1QLHjL0W3nAgugkv9CaA3xDilow5d66YCqnMoaocOpHyn-xzksc&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" tabindex="0">Gerard Malanga</a> during a performance of the infamous PIANO MARATHON, which took place on Sept. 9-10th 1963, and consisted of a slew of pianists including <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZV5YWan8jj7Bga3mDBKhU4ONkwVptHr-1nYPo8JyA99IWBAt55gQSMBvtDktYOF5u-zbDFakMDm3H0wDyquoIKZo2i5k02eavRVpJlYFsVQ8wLwtenwuRjqImDJ8k-6ZTuXFkHDNGl2Y0aKnFMKU795E9NK97ECGqsrV7Wz_SZw1hcw8qW8ebVHqr9U_PRVaMA0Tv5NW0iZV4eattPGEaSGYhX8e36dnrnPL5DilrQkeC5sFXOpQueaxM8LdbBhqNUd_qQD4241xAPT2nDB9KHKb8PSljjx2IyZumNDcia2Px4F2Mh1L_85vbbogxBsVDLO-IPIr0FHnz65g4C2Lo9y_xHSZtw-7bGSpjv6ttACxfNMaM3fCGXDiHR8927pTU0aXFDU7Yiso941NG9fe5KEhxEEsJ4DldKk2O6hXBf560k24UCXTmVRw8b7-J0ObZ10f-3rohmvlckJbqTUIUcUONs6yM7P13iD7_l7U0FT2xeMrxCiHQbBnmhrFP7QbC-y392Nz4foET9vEHg0LatU5LpHVoCrhYqJyA7SaV0tCJ_ovsUxG77WBDQBwpA9OkEbDnhihXAnmlVx4iQkEaWQQ4rMbgJYedSTKBUrBajEetHX9YnMUKKgfVwQVp6NRcys0aet-nROCrE9OC68lxINIZjBhBGmGihrP5580DWhc8ZLyvVA7F2GvdByxXzW_RPxn6Gd1A6JOQiPeqndCY-sFcbz4OmYt05XEiTOOjW3NNHqMl1mt0vjRTXbGDxp6xw5slN4nMOISRC-gdmwZTaDq6p8wwEtJ_XYXk_lUzZnmDKxEjRBy3zQ0euN5_JHZ_81RPKqlpDKXNpbSH8yGrxoax460wuZJmVyUUxWJkMmdjS-g2OtJfyN5bYCBY6nfn0vwVYHJplpZmOWlUY1jwOV0DH8cuMuM35JiibYHdWPTvbitEDOcD9Ntd4SWVDMMbPCgRYETjP5HmLxiFAR3GljRUZRvqGmL2ULx0uDhpH_ltVaYJScdHnLolniJzMnqD3plXSTEq_V75AZIseakxyVo1cUr8jx0OuCc4tRwjnvw2CR_eh6p8-bW7nLniYUI5Y8FQersF1R0uCBJmKUdoZqSn639cJzYXr5B8ZoAuj9JL5x1rIKnki4BqXVFUSEflOPnUd_Z4_9lUtHYjH8polWTHYUUfIx6ImXd1we4QPGwQ3gjR7LdYBq8_nt0gYvlRZixjZlHl06cSRRg575tOrYUQz__nIQDBowxo1pRspusfAlrMu3YAff5UwblHTfPazOTXEN8P9xuqYGmcVr1bZj1z9S7kG-1oTqeCdvZFsg_abphwRic_KztanVWVMQ8FbugzfYwNVZl7i2HqYJRVFbTXANVp9IS_pTjma_eVBS1iTWmPYAxSKom67qgtVDcRzmHoQ0Hppttao0jkOqLPMCwRrPcFnC9DJX3XefIj36wgC5LfC5l3bSKQvhAjSoWHLhY52J7FvtvwcMf8YyWNkdmB4y1XKAnwKkCZd81W_YBCCRUdoa9mv7vqBfPwsFA1IwHD5gtaLtFnL87UzpHDMUclqZtErhWO2CrmyOyGYTHRA6jYF5-SZHykBIJ4WVhjR8W0GOEOTj25voTCDzX1wMl4C6TjZ79o5wRs0w8lFJ0mI7syLJCgklbVb2_Jglq1jib1S-lQ2qRPYfF0Guh7Uj_oB0SM1DMrpLiQ1gWuiqDoMh15xArhbvabMUY805VKOtsoPX-5XcTNxll1GMXkClSHcqrMfc0DoRwhJ8saXH-keXOvYtJTBtvkjFq7DyFo_exi7Ze5dKrvXwX398vdk4bajZk8G3CRdl6Msd3z62umaz7Igol5YhnjP1QM_8WKc6cNYPaQojPEwasGyDGy3efkkMyOb85nkRCAU-XpGmBWxTapOzzpmaeIjg5dVJvkJB7cUUfwPLqEVTDlVPM_X2yx3kAZQ7j1AOzvOMj6RsH4aFVkjaDvdOFNHy_nH1YLsrWVG5uT8cOdDC2vCJJsSNhtYilP_JUq9Is9POIQwJc9T9RsJaylAiA_8QRgTZOySK9jm0nGolKsoaPu_oIJiyAokEBfh5INsOxidS-vhxXsaSAOeaPI5ro82sdeUKT3olIp5wH1a_1GGIaVTJZbIjpvH0uTay5tHSPKBXkcz6KLvo-cZImROXY8Kf92xNfirTqZB6YUKATN2gafG4VwZGO12eei_V0vPy6baPmoTJA0lj7GN1rg6ZzdCOZ5jSTWLKMXfqDR9vC6LBwCefa-K6hqUHWkw-fUVWflm26fOkLDUln0Uw_vBDufHxnfkqtupXn0Y4uS0eRiw7OTuFe7oCmbP5onkVtGJbpLgcrHFRjexoHGEnRMKANfFGPX6YX4o7J1BVxhwupr3gWO0NLmAmkLMqh1yH-mwJwQGPV3Cam2Vm86dBg4-y-z7gz-WaFTHC4G-nIxp1b9MlOMF0pjZpb91QytKf4C606XymCTB33BUHoGuhVHCMoVSxDkZc7Bc149Xd45AcmleGfjyS9y6KE-FdziJA99B7kFvnU0rKpEy0qFiAFkPh8wGybJdidIA-9f2_loLvrebB5a-w5XA8aEfbhCk8ol5ALZ3z_oe5uAHhd6pNDpGuillHr1Y_7yS1bHJrTk9pZjjkNRn5uABcOZ489mPksTa1l6ma1_Hx6gHNURAY3erAYBw_8aZdtQ_7zoKhjJT9Xa9BQgWg5kskx9X11PCXh7fvpIuDKlNjQ4ubmvOMoe1sO6Kn0oDGd3EWq3bPRUhbfynHpldMXqRCgTyg3H-_kq29soqv7ZcgcybiJzcES_8NvKBgthd93WxRpKOYMqCTvsa7N-BBRgFPLphCf2vyAcyfV2dme5a5TNE9Ngh_i9CkPZRQvAPTv9vFmz24ykD9rIKWvocg1Msn02XaMO1dNWOwhbppmSG9JREdqo7ukgW58O-FRBiz8YoZ-60C-UZdjd0bdv_fXa0smdQK5DO3QWzxxkS5KKJxrFiV88EqnQpV5S0Ykq9ZH48rtFA5KDnzaI4c0Qmu_Orj2XncpDbWir3i2NDabUgO5h3K3xZNjZ9e7uLkbukWpU_Zk6dTZeM1kVesJvv-Yv36rCihcJqitOkpwDC1uYInWfXqc4kbGfhtXGoA6eOhMdj_cCCmm_BzA4-U-3BWnMEEl0lxrUXLH9_JqlPw3jumhEhc63LBQSB5FfGYQv0tmqBUtIeZ3SouyzyM4iUrmCTF89XzRGdU-y51o6UxRDbB4f3FqUxEGC3CSI9LJgeu2ifWRSXpsCCwE7WAeh0XxboUo26oczWkp97sJLJgjPXNZzHHNzMDWXw-K5SjJAs-4mcK79r0GfBhiXKv1QMgPG5uLYGwJ5cs3ML-t9KtFfjP5FDnG_GaDYNF3tRJbmY39mhzoi4tcrQ6ea7k4cgwljQ6QM-WvYdl4hjuBBWo-qPoOY-6UM4mm2lZPleS-cKaNsM81bI4y0DUc1yuV4ti1S1mRG8froYOMx3HYdLQewPQHkKY65qfuZUZxK7o0-UWq4P1KUj8UkyFF0YZtTW0OtoZQ5t6o3IAupRPvbmF_QGP3XeyBNc2AalFr73kAiIqssQwF002UstH1KREaLuQr9kjmyOAqCxXp3_BXTfGghaKAJQ9rPINX4FO17lqEoVLZp9eVDqthb0PlDTXVum8AvOAN6zcjD_uvkm5UENQdnTfL0XFKZZpytkgLlcPvAj6RwhTJwMzYrZTC_miDhXd5NIIjeluwkx-TAlbo-XqCtwjYhywFjBKpmVXxQOw7geobEsdTYf4igxxCeAJ_QoXLzA0v5mvlMSgY1wHi1UFltvHfumAtfKY-5KYBuGGPtm1FfeCH3WOwT-s6_SiS4--KwLCCztEXRQNQkUHwNs51co8_7JAj-EE4Xsipy_60qzV50-tz1vWX9IPmhAPsyeygxNS6rceyIA_3-BFiBAv8zq1VRPuujGvS8unFHyS3QWIqis" href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJohnCale?__cft__[0]=AZUo_adK9_vkXU2Ll1RaFH3Jb3S-0HCOe83mpPWyo_GTdMoZ4m8wpicsjKBd9bq0jnfbTbQT0VGm_hKjMuZ2ijitXP6S1dSVydmFj5_CY4gDGd8cAZRH3Rbq1tvWshGkhqW5LapeCp8Adahb1QLHjL0W3nAgugkv9CaA3xDilow5d66YCqnMoaocOpHyn-xzksc&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" tabindex="0">John Cale</a> and <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZV5YWan8jj7Bga3mDBKhU4ONkwVptHr-1nYPo8JyA99IWBAt55gQSMBvtDktYOF5u-zbDFakMDm3H0wDyquoIKZo2i5k02eavRVpJlYFsVQ8wLwtenwuRjqImDJ8k-6ZTuXFkHDNGl2Y0aKnFMKU795E9NK97ECGqsrV7Wz_SZw1hcw8qW8ebVHqr9U_PRVaMA0Tv5NW0iZV4eattPGEaSGYhX8e36dnrnPL5DilrQkeC5sFXOpQueaxM8LdbBhqNUd_qQD4241xAPT2nDB9KHKb8PSljjx2IyZumNDcia2Px4F2Mh1L_85vbbogxBsVDLO-IPIr0FHnz65g4C2Lo9y_xHSZtw-7bGSpjv6ttACxfNMaM3fCGXDiHR8927pTU0aXFDU7Yiso941NG9fe5KEhxEEsJ4DldKk2O6hXBf560k24UCXTmVRw8b7-J0ObZ10f-3rohmvlckJbqTUIUcUONs6yM7P13iD7_l7U0FT2xeMrxCiHQbBnmhrFP7QbC-y392Nz4foET9vEHg0LatU5LpHVoCrhYqJyA7SaV0tCJ_ovsUxG77WBDQBwpA9OkEbDnhihXAnmlVx4iQkEaWQQ4rMbgJYedSTKBUrBajEetHX9YnMUKKgfVwQVp6NRcys0aet-nROCrE9OC68lxINIZjBhBGmGihrP5580DWhc8ZLyvVA7F2GvdByxXzW_RPxn6Gd1A6JOQiPeqndCY-sFcbz4OmYt05XEiTOOjW3NNHqMl1mt0vjRTXbGDxp6xw5slN4nMOISRC-gdmwZTaDq6p8wwEtJ_XYXk_lUzZnmDKxEjRBy3zQ0euN5_JHZ_81RPKqlpDKXNpbSH8yGrxoax460wuZJmVyUUxWJkMmdjS-g2OtJfyN5bYCBY6nfn0vwVYHJplpZmOWlUY1jwOV0DH8cuMuM35JiibYHdWPTvbitEDOcD9Ntd4SWVDMMbPCgRYETjP5HmLxiFAR3GljRUZRvqGmL2ULx0uDhpH_ltVaYJScdHnLolniJzMnqD3plXSTEq_V75AZIseakxyVo1cUr8jx0OuCc4tRwjnvw2CR_eh6p8-bW7nLniYUI5Y8FQersF1R0uCBJmKUdoZqSn639cJzYXr5B8ZoAuj9JL5x1rIKnki4BqXVFUSEflOPnUd_Z4_9lUtHYjH8polWTHYUUfIx6ImXd1we4QPGwQ3gjR7LdYBq8_nt0gYvlRZixjZlHl06cSRRg575tOrYUQz__nIQDBowxo1pRspusfAlrMu3YAff5UwblHTfPazOTXEN8P9xuqYGmcVr1bZj1z9S7kG-1oTqeCdvZFsg_abphwRic_KztanVWVMQ8FbugzfYwNVZl7i2HqYJRVFbTXANVp9IS_pTjma_eVBS1iTWmPYAxSKom67qgtVDcRzmHoQ0Hppttao0jkOqLPMCwRrPcFnC9DJX3XefIj36wgC5LfC5l3bSKQvhAjSoWHLhY52J7FvtvwcMf8YyWNkdmB4y1XKAnwKkCZd81W_YBCCRUdoa9mv7vqBfPwsFA1IwHD5gtaLtFnL87UzpHDMUclqZtErhWO2CrmyOyGYTHRA6jYF5-SZHykBIJ4WVhjR8W0GOEOTj25voTCDzX1wMl4C6TjZ79o5wRs0w8lFJ0mI7syLJCgklbVb2_Jglq1jib1S-lQ2qRPYfF0Guh7Uj_oB0SM1DMrpLiQ1gWuiqDoMh15xArhbvabMUY805VKOtsoPX-5XcTNxll1GMXkClSHcqrMfc0DoRwhJ8saXH-keXOvYtJTBtvkjFq7DyFo_exi7Ze5dKrvXwX398vdk4bajZk8G3CRdl6Msd3z62umaz7Igol5YhnjP1QM_8WKc6cNYPaQojPEwasGyDGy3efkkMyOb85nkRCAU-XpGmBWxTapOzzpmaeIjg5dVJvkJB7cUUfwPLqEVTDlVPM_X2yx3kAZQ7j1AOzvOMj6RsH4aFVkjaDvdOFNHy_nH1YLsrWVG5uT8cOdDC2vCJJsSNhtYilP_JUq9Is9POIQwJc9T9RsJaylAiA_8QRgTZOySK9jm0nGolKsoaPu_oIJiyAokEBfh5INsOxidS-vhxXsaSAOeaPI5ro82sdeUKT3olIp5wH1a_1GGIaVTJZbIjpvH0uTay5tHSPKBXkcz6KLvo-cZImROXY8Kf92xNfirTqZB6YUKATN2gafG4VwZGO12eei_V0vPy6baPmoTJA0lj7GN1rg6ZzdCOZ5jSTWLKMXfqDR9vC6LBwCefa-K6hqUHWkw-fUVWflm26fOkLDUln0Uw_vBDufHxnfkqtupXn0Y4uS0eRiw7OTuFe7oCmbP5onkVtGJbpLgcrHFRjexoHGEnRMKANfFGPX6YX4o7J1BVxhwupr3gWO0NLmAmkLMqh1yH-mwJwQGPV3Cam2Vm86dBg4-y-z7gz-WaFTHC4G-nIxp1b9MlOMF0pjZpb91QytKf4C606XymCTB33BUHoGuhVHCMoVSxDkZc7Bc149Xd45AcmleGfjyS9y6KE-FdziJA99B7kFvnU0rKpEy0qFiAFkPh8wGybJdidIA-9f2_loLvrebB5a-w5XA8aEfbhCk8ol5ALZ3z_oe5uAHhd6pNDpGuillHr1Y_7yS1bHJrTk9pZjjkNRn5uABcOZ489mPksTa1l6ma1_Hx6gHNURAY3erAYBw_8aZdtQ_7zoKhjJT9Xa9BQgWg5kskx9X11PCXh7fvpIuDKlNjQ4ubmvOMoe1sO6Kn0oDGd3EWq3bPRUhbfynHpldMXqRCgTyg3H-_kq29soqv7ZcgcybiJzcES_8NvKBgthd93WxRpKOYMqCTvsa7N-BBRgFPLphCf2vyAcyfV2dme5a5TNE9Ngh_i9CkPZRQvAPTv9vFmz24ykD9rIKWvocg1Msn02XaMO1dNWOwhbppmSG9JREdqo7ukgW58O-FRBiz8YoZ-60C-UZdjd0bdv_fXa0smdQK5DO3QWzxxkS5KKJxrFiV88EqnQpV5S0Ykq9ZH48rtFA5KDnzaI4c0Qmu_Orj2XncpDbWir3i2NDabUgO5h3K3xZNjZ9e7uLkbukWpU_Zk6dTZeM1kVesJvv-Yv36rCihcJqitOkpwDC1uYInWfXqc4kbGfhtXGoA6eOhMdj_cCCmm_BzA4-U-3BWnMEEl0lxrUXLH9_JqlPw3jumhEhc63LBQSB5FfGYQv0tmqBUtIeZ3SouyzyM4iUrmCTF89XzRGdU-y51o6UxRDbB4f3FqUxEGC3CSI9LJgeu2ifWRSXpsCCwE7WAeh0XxboUo26oczWkp97sJLJgjPXNZzHHNzMDWXw-K5SjJAs-4mcK79r0GfBhiXKv1QMgPG5uLYGwJ5cs3ML-t9KtFfjP5FDnG_GaDYNF3tRJbmY39mhzoi4tcrQ6ea7k4cgwljQ6QM-WvYdl4hjuBBWo-qPoOY-6UM4mm2lZPleS-cKaNsM81bI4y0DUc1yuV4ti1S1mRG8froYOMx3HYdLQewPQHkKY65qfuZUZxK7o0-UWq4P1KUj8UkyFF0YZtTW0OtoZQ5t6o3IAupRPvbmF_QGP3XeyBNc2AalFr73kAiIqssQwF002UstH1KREaLuQr9kjmyOAqCxXp3_BXTfGghaKAJQ9rPINX4FO17lqEoVLZp9eVDqthb0PlDTXVum8AvOAN6zcjD_uvkm5UENQdnTfL0XFKZZpytkgLlcPvAj6RwhTJwMzYrZTC_miDhXd5NIIjeluwkx-TAlbo-XqCtwjYhywFjBKpmVXxQOw7geobEsdTYf4igxxCeAJ_QoXLzA0v5mvlMSgY1wHi1UFltvHfumAtfKY-5KYBuGGPtm1FfeCH3WOwT-s6_SiS4--KwLCCztEXRQNQkUHwNs51co8_7JAj-EE4Xsipy_60qzV50-tz1vWX9IPmhAPsyeygxNS6rceyIA_3-BFiBAv8zq1VRPuujGvS8unFHyS3QWIqis" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063562927981&amp;__cft__[0]=AZUo_adK9_vkXU2Ll1RaFH3Jb3S-0HCOe83mpPWyo_GTdMoZ4m8wpicsjKBd9bq0jnfbTbQT0VGm_hKjMuZ2ijitXP6S1dSVydmFj5_CY4gDGd8cAZRH3Rbq1tvWshGkhqW5LapeCp8Adahb1QLHjL0W3nAgugkv9CaA3xDilow5d66YCqnMoaocOpHyn-xzksc&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" tabindex="0">John Cage</a> performing <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZV5YWan8jj7Bga3mDBKhU4ONkwVptHr-1nYPo8JyA99IWBAt55gQSMBvtDktYOF5u-zbDFakMDm3H0wDyquoIKZo2i5k02eavRVpJlYFsVQ8wLwtenwuRjqImDJ8k-6ZTuXFkHDNGl2Y0aKnFMKU795E9NK97ECGqsrV7Wz_SZw1hcw8qW8ebVHqr9U_PRVaMA0Tv5NW0iZV4eattPGEaSGYhX8e36dnrnPL5DilrQkeC5sFXOpQueaxM8LdbBhqNUd_qQD4241xAPT2nDB9KHKb8PSljjx2IyZumNDcia2Px4F2Mh1L_85vbbogxBsVDLO-IPIr0FHnz65g4C2Lo9y_xHSZtw-7bGSpjv6ttACxfNMaM3fCGXDiHR8927pTU0aXFDU7Yiso941NG9fe5KEhxEEsJ4DldKk2O6hXBf560k24UCXTmVRw8b7-J0ObZ10f-3rohmvlckJbqTUIUcUONs6yM7P13iD7_l7U0FT2xeMrxCiHQbBnmhrFP7QbC-y392Nz4foET9vEHg0LatU5LpHVoCrhYqJyA7SaV0tCJ_ovsUxG77WBDQBwpA9OkEbDnhihXAnmlVx4iQkEaWQQ4rMbgJYedSTKBUrBajEetHX9YnMUKKgfVwQVp6NRcys0aet-nROCrE9OC68lxINIZjBhBGmGihrP5580DWhc8ZLyvVA7F2GvdByxXzW_RPxn6Gd1A6JOQiPeqndCY-sFcbz4OmYt05XEiTOOjW3NNHqMl1mt0vjRTXbGDxp6xw5slN4nMOISRC-gdmwZTaDq6p8wwEtJ_XYXk_lUzZnmDKxEjRBy3zQ0euN5_JHZ_81RPKqlpDKXNpbSH8yGrxoax460wuZJmVyUUxWJkMmdjS-g2OtJfyN5bYCBY6nfn0vwVYHJplpZmOWlUY1jwOV0DH8cuMuM35JiibYHdWPTvbitEDOcD9Ntd4SWVDMMbPCgRYETjP5HmLxiFAR3GljRUZRvqGmL2ULx0uDhpH_ltVaYJScdHnLolniJzMnqD3plXSTEq_V75AZIseakxyVo1cUr8jx0OuCc4tRwjnvw2CR_eh6p8-bW7nLniYUI5Y8FQersF1R0uCBJmKUdoZqSn639cJzYXr5B8ZoAuj9JL5x1rIKnki4BqXVFUSEflOPnUd_Z4_9lUtHYjH8polWTHYUUfIx6ImXd1we4QPGwQ3gjR7LdYBq8_nt0gYvlRZixjZlHl06cSRRg575tOrYUQz__nIQDBowxo1pRspusfAlrMu3YAff5UwblHTfPazOTXEN8P9xuqYGmcVr1bZj1z9S7kG-1oTqeCdvZFsg_abphwRic_KztanVWVMQ8FbugzfYwNVZl7i2HqYJRVFbTXANVp9IS_pTjma_eVBS1iTWmPYAxSKom67qgtVDcRzmHoQ0Hppttao0jkOqLPMCwRrPcFnC9DJX3XefIj36wgC5LfC5l3bSKQvhAjSoWHLhY52J7FvtvwcMf8YyWNkdmB4y1XKAnwKkCZd81W_YBCCRUdoa9mv7vqBfPwsFA1IwHD5gtaLtFnL87UzpHDMUclqZtErhWO2CrmyOyGYTHRA6jYF5-SZHykBIJ4WVhjR8W0GOEOTj25voTCDzX1wMl4C6TjZ79o5wRs0w8lFJ0mI7syLJCgklbVb2_Jglq1jib1S-lQ2qRPYfF0Guh7Uj_oB0SM1DMrpLiQ1gWuiqDoMh15xArhbvabMUY805VKOtsoPX-5XcTNxll1GMXkClSHcqrMfc0DoRwhJ8saXH-keXOvYtJTBtvkjFq7DyFo_exi7Ze5dKrvXwX398vdk4bajZk8G3CRdl6Msd3z62umaz7Igol5YhnjP1QM_8WKc6cNYPaQojPEwasGyDGy3efkkMyOb85nkRCAU-XpGmBWxTapOzzpmaeIjg5dVJvkJB7cUUfwPLqEVTDlVPM_X2yx3kAZQ7j1AOzvOMj6RsH4aFVkjaDvdOFNHy_nH1YLsrWVG5uT8cOdDC2vCJJsSNhtYilP_JUq9Is9POIQwJc9T9RsJaylAiA_8QRgTZOySK9jm0nGolKsoaPu_oIJiyAokEBfh5INsOxidS-vhxXsaSAOeaPI5ro82sdeUKT3olIp5wH1a_1GGIaVTJZbIjpvH0uTay5tHSPKBXkcz6KLvo-cZImROXY8Kf92xNfirTqZB6YUKATN2gafG4VwZGO12eei_V0vPy6baPmoTJA0lj7GN1rg6ZzdCOZ5jSTWLKMXfqDR9vC6LBwCefa-K6hqUHWkw-fUVWflm26fOkLDUln0Uw_vBDufHxnfkqtupXn0Y4uS0eRiw7OTuFe7oCmbP5onkVtGJbpLgcrHFRjexoHGEnRMKANfFGPX6YX4o7J1BVxhwupr3gWO0NLmAmkLMqh1yH-mwJwQGPV3Cam2Vm86dBg4-y-z7gz-WaFTHC4G-nIxp1b9MlOMF0pjZpb91QytKf4C606XymCTB33BUHoGuhVHCMoVSxDkZc7Bc149Xd45AcmleGfjyS9y6KE-FdziJA99B7kFvnU0rKpEy0qFiAFkPh8wGybJdidIA-9f2_loLvrebB5a-w5XA8aEfbhCk8ol5ALZ3z_oe5uAHhd6pNDpGuillHr1Y_7yS1bHJrTk9pZjjkNRn5uABcOZ489mPksTa1l6ma1_Hx6gHNURAY3erAYBw_8aZdtQ_7zoKhjJT9Xa9BQgWg5kskx9X11PCXh7fvpIuDKlNjQ4ubmvOMoe1sO6Kn0oDGd3EWq3bPRUhbfynHpldMXqRCgTyg3H-_kq29soqv7ZcgcybiJzcES_8NvKBgthd93WxRpKOYMqCTvsa7N-BBRgFPLphCf2vyAcyfV2dme5a5TNE9Ngh_i9CkPZRQvAPTv9vFmz24ykD9rIKWvocg1Msn02XaMO1dNWOwhbppmSG9JREdqo7ukgW58O-FRBiz8YoZ-60C-UZdjd0bdv_fXa0smdQK5DO3QWzxxkS5KKJxrFiV88EqnQpV5S0Ykq9ZH48rtFA5KDnzaI4c0Qmu_Orj2XncpDbWir3i2NDabUgO5h3K3xZNjZ9e7uLkbukWpU_Zk6dTZeM1kVesJvv-Yv36rCihcJqitOkpwDC1uYInWfXqc4kbGfhtXGoA6eOhMdj_cCCmm_BzA4-U-3BWnMEEl0lxrUXLH9_JqlPw3jumhEhc63LBQSB5FfGYQv0tmqBUtIeZ3SouyzyM4iUrmCTF89XzRGdU-y51o6UxRDbB4f3FqUxEGC3CSI9LJgeu2ifWRSXpsCCwE7WAeh0XxboUo26oczWkp97sJLJgjPXNZzHHNzMDWXw-K5SjJAs-4mcK79r0GfBhiXKv1QMgPG5uLYGwJ5cs3ML-t9KtFfjP5FDnG_GaDYNF3tRJbmY39mhzoi4tcrQ6ea7k4cgwljQ6QM-WvYdl4hjuBBWo-qPoOY-6UM4mm2lZPleS-cKaNsM81bI4y0DUc1yuV4ti1S1mRG8froYOMx3HYdLQewPQHkKY65qfuZUZxK7o0-UWq4P1KUj8UkyFF0YZtTW0OtoZQ5t6o3IAupRPvbmF_QGP3XeyBNc2AalFr73kAiIqssQwF002UstH1KREaLuQr9kjmyOAqCxXp3_BXTfGghaKAJQ9rPINX4FO17lqEoVLZp9eVDqthb0PlDTXVum8AvOAN6zcjD_uvkm5UENQdnTfL0XFKZZpytkgLlcPvAj6RwhTJwMzYrZTC_miDhXd5NIIjeluwkx-TAlbo-XqCtwjYhywFjBKpmVXxQOw7geobEsdTYf4igxxCeAJ_QoXLzA0v5mvlMSgY1wHi1UFltvHfumAtfKY-5KYBuGGPtm1FfeCH3WOwT-s6_SiS4--KwLCCztEXRQNQkUHwNs51co8_7JAj-EE4Xsipy_60qzV50-tz1vWX9IPmhAPsyeygxNS6rceyIA_3-BFiBAv8zq1VRPuujGvS8unFHyS3QWIqis" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050635052789&amp;__cft__[0]=AZUo_adK9_vkXU2Ll1RaFH3Jb3S-0HCOe83mpPWyo_GTdMoZ4m8wpicsjKBd9bq0jnfbTbQT0VGm_hKjMuZ2ijitXP6S1dSVydmFj5_CY4gDGd8cAZRH3Rbq1tvWshGkhqW5LapeCp8Adahb1QLHjL0W3nAgugkv9CaA3xDilow5d66YCqnMoaocOpHyn-xzksc&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" tabindex="0">Érik Satie</a>'s short piano piece "Vexations" 840 times over 19 hours without a break. Also in the photo: La Monte Young and Marion Zaeela.</em></p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4407&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="Htz34SwuyxmBUczPtlAkUBpetn-yiCLwgyTAUolWh7Y"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Mon, 20 Jan 2025 19:24:37 +0000 Gary Lucas 4407 at http://culturecatch.com Rebels With a Cause http://culturecatch.com/node/4406 <span>Rebels With a Cause</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7306" lang="" about="/user/7306" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Chet Kozlowski</a></span> <span>January 12, 2025 - 18:53</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/797" hreflang="en">drama</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><article class="embedded-entity"><img src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2025/2025-01/Girls%20Town%20USE%20WHOLE%20IMAGE.jpeg?itok=0G0J8FnB" width="1089" height="800" alt="Thumbnail" title="Girls Town USE WHOLE IMAGE.jpeg" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /></article><p>The 4K restoration of <i>Girls Town </i>is a real treat. Originally released in 1996, the film is a fascinating look at a bygone era as well as a showcase for then-budding talent.</p> <p>The plot: four high school girls roam the halls, hang out, and ponder life at a baseball field dugout. Emma (Anna Grace) is the most thoughtful and the most grounded. Angela (Bruklin Harris) is anxious to leave home and what she sees as the control of her single mother. Patti (Lili Taylor) is scrappy and has a child, whom she asks the others to watch while she goes to class. Nikki (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) is brooding and secretive.</p> <p>When Nikki dies by suicide, the others steal her diary to suss out the reason for her death. In an entry, Nikki has written she was raped. One by one the remaining three consider their own experiences and conclude that they, too, had been casually raped during encounters with boys. The girls don't immediately see it as a crime. Emma considers it the way boys show love; she barely registered it when necking evolved into assault. Angela sees it as the price of dating. Patti got pregnant by a local asshole and has toughened up. They squabble: "We try to talk about it and look what happens. We fight for twenty minutes!" They pledge to avenge Nikki by going gangsta, and exact revenge on the culprits.</p> <p><i>Girls Town</i> takes place nearly 30 years ago: pre-cellphones, pre-social media, pre-piercings and tattoos. Rap hadn't yet become fully corporatized. By today's standards, the girls are hardly vigilantes. They limit their mayhem to vandalism, writing graffiti on the girls' room walls, and lobbing insults that seem lame today ("Go read a comic book!"). The girls delight in their rebellion: Patti exclaims: "We wouldn’t have been doing this shit a week ago!" Still, the film weighs topics as serious as abortion, class ("Patti takes car shop; you've been accepted to Columbia"), the Glass Ceiling, and subverting the patriarchy.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJbDYMipzqw?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p><i>Girls Town</i> sides with the girls and their acts of reckoning. Compared to, say, the Michelle Pfeiffer vehicle <i>Dangerous Minds, </i>which was released a year earlier, they are not tamed at the end. No adults influence the girls, no one tells them to calm down. So they merrily scorch the earth in front of them. Their brushes with authority are amongst the best scenes: Patti bursts into a classroom and preempts a teacher about to announce that Nikki has died; the girls visit Nikki's mother, realizing they are unwelcome, aliens in her pristine living room.</p> <p>The 4K restoration is impeccable; the colors are bright and the images sing with clarity. <i>Girls Town</i> is clean: that’s to say it's set in what the show notes call "urban America" (which looks a lot like Brooklyn). The streets are not very mean and the homes not very ghetto. Director Jim McKay shoots confidently, and with a distinctive style (this was his first feature). Scenes linger on the girls' conversations, the camera often peering through windows, tracking slowly as the girls debate life and their task. The screen’s aspect ratio is a tight box: the images are packed into a frame with rounded corners that resembles an old viewfinder. It makes us voyeurs and adds heft to what we're witnessing. Mr. McKay has gone on to direct episodes of <i>The Wire, Breaking Bad,</i> and <i>Better Call Saul</i>.</p> <p>The actors represent a Who's Who of aspiring New York talent of the time. Lili Taylor has been in <i>I Shot Andy Warhol,</i> HBO's <i>Six Feet Under, </i>and <i>The Conjuring</i>. She's a regular on Amazon Prime's <i>Outer Range.</i> Anna Grace was in <i>Boys Don't Cry</i>, and Bruklin Harris in <i>Dangerous Minds</i>, but both their IMDB credits stop around 2002. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Nikki has had a long run and is currently in <i>Nickel Boys.</i> Look for Michael Imperioli and John Ventimiglia, two <i>Sopranos</i> alumni, in small roles. Guillermo Diaz has a cool turn as Emma's concerned boyfriend Dylan.</p> <p><i>Girls Town</i> is released by Film Movement, a force is the distribution of independent and foreign cinema.</p> <p>_____________________________</p> <p>Girls Town. <i>Directed by Jim McKay. 1996. From Film Movement. In theaters. 90 minutes.</i></p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4406&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="02Xaw2W1gsz5-0aTY3vlu2AFN4Kb6eH1lUFWX93JZmo"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Sun, 12 Jan 2025 23:53:04 +0000 Chet Kozlowski 4406 at http://culturecatch.com Insurrection of a Million Minds http://culturecatch.com/node/4405 <span>Insurrection of a Million Minds</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7162" lang="" about="/user/7162" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Gary Lucas</a></span> <span>January 10, 2025 - 18:17</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/399" hreflang="en">documentary</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><figure role="group" class="embedded-entity"><article><img alt="Thumbnail" class="img-responsive" height="552" src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2025/2025-01/castro-malcom-x.jpg?itok=6NThWwR0" title="castro-malcom-x.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="945" /></article><figcaption>Fidel Castro and Malcom X in the Hotel Theresa in Harlem</figcaption></figure><p><em><strong>Soundtrack To A Coup d'Etat</strong></em></p> <p>Certainly, the best film I've seen in 2025 (so far…I know, I know, we're only a week or so in, but I've seen a bunch of them)—now playing at Film Forum NYC and available to stream for 4 or 5 bucks or so on the usual streaming sites. Sure to be on MUBI one of these days soon.</p> <p>The most cogent, furious, powerfully framed and edited documentary conceivable about the 1960 CIA-backed covert assassination of Patrice Lumumba—the democratically elected president of the Congo—who was murdered in a cynical maneuver to put an end to the burgeoning decolonization movement in Africa. This film has a far-reaching resonance not only in light of the current ongoing mess in the Middle East but in terms of pretty much all human relationships (life as we live it) on Planet Earth. It covers a vast amount of territory in its 2 1/2 hours, which races by in the wink of an eye—it's that sweeping and that good.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_RwLdIiZk_8?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>Written and directed by Belgian multimedia artist and filmmaker Johan Grimonprez (hitherto unknown to me, but he has a few highly regarded films under his belt), the musical soundtrack herein comprises an urgent dialogue with the film's timely subject matter courtesy of jazz icons Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Abbey Lincoln, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Melba Liston, Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, and Ornette Coleman (several of whom—Armstrong, in particular—were used as fig leaf cultural/musical ambassadors to Africa via the State Department back in the day to mask the CIA's hidden agenda and black-op maneuvers in Africa)—and African artists Le Grand Kallé, Rock-a-Mambo, Dr. Nico, Marie Daulne, and Eddy Wally.</p> <p>The film boasts memorable turns by Nikita Kruschev ranting about decolonization (with a straight face) and banging his shoe at the UN; Fidel Castro entertaining guests like Malcom X up in his suite in the Hotel Theresa in Harlem while in NYC to speak at the UN, amidst rumors of obtaining a live chicken and plucking and eating it during his stay; a stricken Adlai Stevenson witnessing Abbey Lincoln and Maya Angelou crash and disrupt the General Assembly of the UN with a posse of "Freedom Now!" activists; plus cameos from Dag Hammarskjöld dissembling before the UN; a "Man who speaks with forked tongue" Dwight Eisenhower; jazz producer and Voice of America host Willis Conover; then UN Representative Conor Cruise O’Brien; John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and various CIA apparatchiks; Col. Joseph Mobutu, who morphed into  dictator Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, once described by Norman Mailer as resembling "a snake on a stick", who went on to host the Ali /Frasier "Rumble in the Jungle" fight—and other heroes and villains.</p> <p>This is a jaw-dropping essential documentary that will leave you shaken and stirred—a witness to history in the making as a series of bold individual initiatives, followed by the usual weak compromises, double crosses, and lots and lots of bad faith.</p> <p>And even if you are only vaguely interested in the subject, you will here be given new eyes to see it all afresh—whatever side of the political divide you might currently find yourself on.</p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4405&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="If0u5IqWDXwtDJOrVLs1ceWNa5hT34_hA2HCa4yYh38"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Fri, 10 Jan 2025 23:17:13 +0000 Gary Lucas 4405 at http://culturecatch.com Babygirl's On Fire http://culturecatch.com/node/4404 <span>Babygirl&#039;s On Fire</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7162" lang="" about="/user/7162" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Gary Lucas</a></span> <span>December 31, 2024 - 16:02</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/797" hreflang="en">drama</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9XXoNB0lVGo?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p><meta charset="UTF-8" /></p> <p><em>Babygirl is r</em>eally, really, REALLY GOOD.</p> <p>Outstanding acting by sexy/brainy girl boss CEO <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NicoleKidmanOfficial?__cft__[0]=AZXCjSqeBCVNxqVHew8NSdtzwL3Sf2EGZR2YTo1lSyfY_X5tUVm0xMzlBHWzZ3k6fqWFpnYMWA3Mppi7S7roMK7id7f0HTEnLgmtSED7IrP4tejHJIKFt7RVbaW-VQ51a1sturYTGptsSRDNECUy901xvqR3hhWiV8goK8rwb5_KGlaiRuLHBUn__t_ECWLtJkw&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" target="_blank">Nicole Kidman</a> (I saw her bare nekkid on Broadway many years ago, s'true. Her "apple-cheeked rear"—to quote Manohla Dargis in the <em>NY Times</em> review of <em>Babygirl</em>—was the actual USP of that Broadway play, whose name is lost to the mists of time. Oh wait, a quick Google search reveals it was David Hare's <em>The Blue Room</em>) and intern-on-the-make <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DickinsonHarrisuk?__cft__[0]=AZXCjSqeBCVNxqVHew8NSdtzwL3Sf2EGZR2YTo1lSyfY_X5tUVm0xMzlBHWzZ3k6fqWFpnYMWA3Mppi7S7roMK7id7f0HTEnLgmtSED7IrP4tejHJIKFt7RVbaW-VQ51a1sturYTGptsSRDNECUy901xvqR3hhWiV8goK8rwb5_KGlaiRuLHBUn__t_ECWLtJkw&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" target="_blank">Harris Dickinson</a>, who is a DICK with a Capital "D" here (and what's in a name?).</p> <p>This A24 film signals a return to a more adult approach to adult subjects in art cinema. It's all about power plays in the boardroom and bedroom. And fer sure, 'twas not a bored room at the Village East Angelika today. Lots and lots of rapt, silent teenage girls worshipping at the shrine of Nicole and taking notes (and a few alte kaker cineaste couples—like us).</p> <p>Whiz kid Dutch director <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZUTG5iSuHqRyXArta3CbBvgXnv_55tdJqpgmWDkGaMTGKjWj1bQm3gYkLFK38QYKnvvS7Fb_Zy4EKFqfztCdQti791VPIQzSvkY9Rww4tCLB_ORg0rMiIERg2VxkR8JwSFKhELS0ZIHYd_ySGzEJ8xhYWD1cqM2YU0-kXqKIFS_a0FuVM0HX-AbXQc7wRQmWbHw16GwNkSP542cQqBQLouuQROFu4wdSM4WxczcW9z88cGPdV1xY2C4jRnmnjVq4mM9ItQHM9yy62aGYuUdlNzxeCkCcAxnhCvnSsRAsWuOYZ2bD9FdONPi7dpKQtgEt5YT9M2FTQ8-mi7jNA4Jnvwm9_WOP0LahT__7RCGN99e92sF63b7fpwcQyLNT7GLg5DHRDmGVG0l6V59r6iDKFtasHbK3MmL2DvRWEKqGrwtkjcx6TFdMqHvwjd6RNxzfUHTeAx1oBGAG7CfKs9fVqP-3CZgaCXTEwq3_zDIwX6WaeQ-KUAmZIrv8fIRhWL4EuWj6dW7F7CvmSwKqyqrWvds7A_uGlScf3EZnAFMiKHVvKO9TJNVg-8ra6ZPZfIJvE9I7VqpxQbuBwa49ip89wgqeEJMcmzd1xk9x4wqIhlO5O4i67E9YZS63FaUv391t8r4KqIyh_bkV_E1le8dtMCkjdSExUHNQa_4uWdl6qYe8zZ1Pq-DD_dlOnkzpzYrrtTkzM56PfVAK_kgtYaJ4gfQl6ze_qf8CHN1mgKSV_e2hkF3kCITDK_43lEESz0UcL3f4BAiKAyKC39ScbnjPBicCZSeMcf7LEfT_MD-NWTQ-T9y6SgyQDQo6tMSeBINandCsZROVQ6SrAOvTFWvmWMaSTOQ-tzl4ZpuE8kBhYvOyI5wnXUiiABrhpoY4SQRFCFSn5TsYuPP_dUnA8lvWDlJasjm0OhIgIdzC9W_sZrLL0BaNzgLJrHCb1IiRgLP2hpHu8ZX4lZDGsn3l1FIc74Yhze4ZKSh4VKC3EZnrsO-vNvoY8uzO0_7XDd86Aw_8CKd_IupAPJMLNDbDsYdE24b6TakHBsYM2t5Ybftp0LtVsf8RGscpM8a-hbEP9cfCW4WYci5plMY99AAhuqjB9DmgonUQ5f8GpcwtzsMrSCpSFV1qE0tzsrxN4oyJ2ikHIMVQNzZxgHpuehTitSENHg79n3gm_aSLILUp0yHG-HfNV9gA3iRD1SIO68NcZ48WKsPZBZqzaioITqtsXwH4_TPgLBHEnpC8wE2CJVVGyOlotUYlrdk18yJuMwZOmoH2kZf8uIo4JKDIQrKcAZe62zr8XC5updl8mcqTV2G1gYzWWg42juhJz-ZnUESVzoyb8dykSa7rO91F8DCzOWjf6mC3ZjIm7KgdQabIdSz5Ub7-5Omx_Lk9iguNICopEjQxO0Fcsj3ONLmAafljjgMK8LhKaE6DmVeZMy1tUBxH87ynUQj3hF3Wz0KepbMMiEXY9nv_hOwPe2vVCFoIaeyLd7sISAz35L9AJqowVA_VhhX4qCTO81kTplJyqkZ-D80o85pI2Z_evvwsg9BgSWFEHdATVxEKuX7o7YtlHCGQZPjWhM41q7rtFROr1S7I9QTRzilt86u2gFQ8-0s_5jC3mOtiJO1m21wRD8mhvLMwvWGoeC7_5ISLNCvp19CsJRBCMnQlaBO_acq7ZcL0jHoEIWU-RpEZ1iz7OTI_pDZs-rPuZ44-CpKwB9_LtyM6E5sKJzEiorKH_LJeEvlaFX5rrJQFcdp2Xg-V1gXlMdsMVRaAHjXuRobPqqPZNrWM5xUyvKZ5qypFXzir_DkRetEgYY5yO1rB9P7fUf7qM4wq5hxvssBOCm-AsaKjQauX84xuTFeTqonuxHRs8talX06okjQe6vSNidHFKXuKKSbigYp_Iq1-ktXojhX4WeTcn1ZToNyTYjfqdZU-THYuKqUXlG7ZpSKZNKfV6P8kVVDXZAAU4cxILlw_C6KLhgXOWBKvIMTTlzGFJUWT3lJqfs5K_Be-hz10GbVhCxE6GMfhUC1oOIMGIXNGoWBn20gC_bfebOioF4Cwjc9VMOsajDW4QJlN4SKlrjXul7C9WP1Dt3GhyecgAHvr0dUPYeKyFwUjPTUNoD_w8zAb4DzFdvCFLBWwEzoPj_h9DHVKG_uc7sp9gVrQwKqCWvxVSvNrZFwdIfXPJp6oGDaiDTSBMPgApf1CI3CvJp4evcU4p1s190aXIjfY55WaKa_S1bxJf_DrwLnZrGMOscC_RLvymPDAkmSjl5ES-1Jmtmee4RG-usdzTyOSxIjh9nW14t4Hf3mXaLX2m7SLr9HG0yEqrKWNiPwjdEibxBNxQDri2cEpVo0xcivRhJC5LrLLXsR2C3feDBV8rDZVsWOtmpY2OoA3b1CgCOD4XWU9PknMjpfleEsTiqe66-5XeQU3pw03WOp_FA8FuOSlV6Wt5ZJudO8BeRIls0nS76bNlxGlj8lgSP1aYaYWDvyt01VLtZO4_myg76_Tg2AJc7ITtUTT4mxb3QDjIC6jMsgU91DuIhgZn0KC6_RUD6f1j-tlI0qzFa9SqJJ-WDekyuWnf6d2mU8TdfZvGjRlKfyG-gdbbGUISN6QWfSNBbieXfZ8MlR3D_kNJuxktO_EoSCGSndK-gcyCgL22nu-0fySSBwVl0cGW55uMpcttE8xByLshGir9MSCFUutSgdR-giGKC7CYdI46H0E-3nY8LYobqFXjf6WUsPzPt0swCWkNcEYRqkK6dpyYMFiY77BXA2MhZgX2Vb65zSODzd5w397BrEbU9TKPW8tg" href="https://www.facebook.com/halina.reijn?__cft__[0]=AZXCjSqeBCVNxqVHew8NSdtzwL3Sf2EGZR2YTo1lSyfY_X5tUVm0xMzlBHWzZ3k6fqWFpnYMWA3Mppi7S7roMK7id7f0HTEnLgmtSED7IrP4tejHJIKFt7RVbaW-VQ51a1sturYTGptsSRDNECUy901xvqR3hhWiV8goK8rwb5_KGlaiRuLHBUn__t_ECWLtJkw&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" tabindex="0">Halina Reijn</a> (educated in Maastricht, my favorite city in the Netherlands, but of course!) grabs the reigns of Hollywood directorial power here in what probably will be the most talked about film of the year (shoots to #1 on my list anyway) once the dust settles on <em>A Complete Unknown</em>.</p> <p>A mash-up of <em>Eyes Wide Shut</em> (Kidman's dream fantasies in that flick are here played out in real-time), <em>Basic</em> <em>Instinct</em>, <em>Fatal Attraction</em>, <em><meta charset="UTF-8" />9½ Weeks</em>, and let's see, what else—I could cite a whole slew of other films (the problem for me as a reviewer of anything is I am cursed with highly developed pattern recognition skills), <em>Babygirl</em> will do for female masturbation on the big commercial screen what has been the stock in trade of underground Paris-based ex-pat erotic photographer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/roy_stuart_official?igsh=b2FmdzVwNXI3YWNq" target="_blank">Roy Stuart</a> for many a year.</p> <article class="embedded-entity"><img src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2024/2024-12/BABYGIRL-A2.jpeg?itok=3IhEOXSK" width="1200" height="676" alt="Thumbnail" title="umbrellas-16.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /></article><p>The whole concept of what goes into the making of a successful marriage/love relationship is anatomized and critiqued in a very seductive and entertaining way, with helpful hints given to cuck <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZUTG5iSuHqRyXArta3CbBvgXnv_55tdJqpgmWDkGaMTGKjWj1bQm3gYkLFK38QYKnvvS7Fb_Zy4EKFqfztCdQti791VPIQzSvkY9Rww4tCLB_ORg0rMiIERg2VxkR8JwSFKhELS0ZIHYd_ySGzEJ8xhYWD1cqM2YU0-kXqKIFS_a0FuVM0HX-AbXQc7wRQmWbHw16GwNkSP542cQqBQLouuQROFu4wdSM4WxczcW9z88cGPdV1xY2C4jRnmnjVq4mM9ItQHM9yy62aGYuUdlNzxeCkCcAxnhCvnSsRAsWuOYZ2bD9FdONPi7dpKQtgEt5YT9M2FTQ8-mi7jNA4Jnvwm9_WOP0LahT__7RCGN99e92sF63b7fpwcQyLNT7GLg5DHRDmGVG0l6V59r6iDKFtasHbK3MmL2DvRWEKqGrwtkjcx6TFdMqHvwjd6RNxzfUHTeAx1oBGAG7CfKs9fVqP-3CZgaCXTEwq3_zDIwX6WaeQ-KUAmZIrv8fIRhWL4EuWj6dW7F7CvmSwKqyqrWvds7A_uGlScf3EZnAFMiKHVvKO9TJNVg-8ra6ZPZfIJvE9I7VqpxQbuBwa49ip89wgqeEJMcmzd1xk9x4wqIhlO5O4i67E9YZS63FaUv391t8r4KqIyh_bkV_E1le8dtMCkjdSExUHNQa_4uWdl6qYe8zZ1Pq-DD_dlOnkzpzYrrtTkzM56PfVAK_kgtYaJ4gfQl6ze_qf8CHN1mgKSV_e2hkF3kCITDK_43lEESz0UcL3f4BAiKAyKC39ScbnjPBicCZSeMcf7LEfT_MD-NWTQ-T9y6SgyQDQo6tMSeBINandCsZROVQ6SrAOvTFWvmWMaSTOQ-tzl4ZpuE8kBhYvOyI5wnXUiiABrhpoY4SQRFCFSn5TsYuPP_dUnA8lvWDlJasjm0OhIgIdzC9W_sZrLL0BaNzgLJrHCb1IiRgLP2hpHu8ZX4lZDGsn3l1FIc74Yhze4ZKSh4VKC3EZnrsO-vNvoY8uzO0_7XDd86Aw_8CKd_IupAPJMLNDbDsYdE24b6TakHBsYM2t5Ybftp0LtVsf8RGscpM8a-hbEP9cfCW4WYci5plMY99AAhuqjB9DmgonUQ5f8GpcwtzsMrSCpSFV1qE0tzsrxN4oyJ2ikHIMVQNzZxgHpuehTitSENHg79n3gm_aSLILUp0yHG-HfNV9gA3iRD1SIO68NcZ48WKsPZBZqzaioITqtsXwH4_TPgLBHEnpC8wE2CJVVGyOlotUYlrdk18yJuMwZOmoH2kZf8uIo4JKDIQrKcAZe62zr8XC5updl8mcqTV2G1gYzWWg42juhJz-ZnUESVzoyb8dykSa7rO91F8DCzOWjf6mC3ZjIm7KgdQabIdSz5Ub7-5Omx_Lk9iguNICopEjQxO0Fcsj3ONLmAafljjgMK8LhKaE6DmVeZMy1tUBxH87ynUQj3hF3Wz0KepbMMiEXY9nv_hOwPe2vVCFoIaeyLd7sISAz35L9AJqowVA_VhhX4qCTO81kTplJyqkZ-D80o85pI2Z_evvwsg9BgSWFEHdATVxEKuX7o7YtlHCGQZPjWhM41q7rtFROr1S7I9QTRzilt86u2gFQ8-0s_5jC3mOtiJO1m21wRD8mhvLMwvWGoeC7_5ISLNCvp19CsJRBCMnQlaBO_acq7ZcL0jHoEIWU-RpEZ1iz7OTI_pDZs-rPuZ44-CpKwB9_LtyM6E5sKJzEiorKH_LJeEvlaFX5rrJQFcdp2Xg-V1gXlMdsMVRaAHjXuRobPqqPZNrWM5xUyvKZ5qypFXzir_DkRetEgYY5yO1rB9P7fUf7qM4wq5hxvssBOCm-AsaKjQauX84xuTFeTqonuxHRs8talX06okjQe6vSNidHFKXuKKSbigYp_Iq1-ktXojhX4WeTcn1ZToNyTYjfqdZU-THYuKqUXlG7ZpSKZNKfV6P8kVVDXZAAU4cxILlw_C6KLhgXOWBKvIMTTlzGFJUWT3lJqfs5K_Be-hz10GbVhCxE6GMfhUC1oOIMGIXNGoWBn20gC_bfebOioF4Cwjc9VMOsajDW4QJlN4SKlrjXul7C9WP1Dt3GhyecgAHvr0dUPYeKyFwUjPTUNoD_w8zAb4DzFdvCFLBWwEzoPj_h9DHVKG_uc7sp9gVrQwKqCWvxVSvNrZFwdIfXPJp6oGDaiDTSBMPgApf1CI3CvJp4evcU4p1s190aXIjfY55WaKa_S1bxJf_DrwLnZrGMOscC_RLvymPDAkmSjl5ES-1Jmtmee4RG-usdzTyOSxIjh9nW14t4Hf3mXaLX2m7SLr9HG0yEqrKWNiPwjdEibxBNxQDri2cEpVo0xcivRhJC5LrLLXsR2C3feDBV8rDZVsWOtmpY2OoA3b1CgCOD4XWU9PknMjpfleEsTiqe66-5XeQU3pw03WOp_FA8FuOSlV6Wt5ZJudO8BeRIls0nS76bNlxGlj8lgSP1aYaYWDvyt01VLtZO4_myg76_Tg2AJc7ITtUTT4mxb3QDjIC6jMsgU91DuIhgZn0KC6_RUD6f1j-tlI0qzFa9SqJJ-WDekyuWnf6d2mU8TdfZvGjRlKfyG-gdbbGUISN6QWfSNBbieXfZ8MlR3D_kNJuxktO_EoSCGSndK-gcyCgL22nu-0fySSBwVl0cGW55uMpcttE8xByLshGir9MSCFUutSgdR-giGKC7CYdI46H0E-3nY8LYobqFXjf6WUsPzPt0swCWkNcEYRqkK6dpyYMFiY77BXA2MhZgX2Vb65zSODzd5w397BrEbU9TKPW8tg" href="https://www.facebook.com/AntonioBanderas?__cft__[0]=AZXCjSqeBCVNxqVHew8NSdtzwL3Sf2EGZR2YTo1lSyfY_X5tUVm0xMzlBHWzZ3k6fqWFpnYMWA3Mppi7S7roMK7id7f0HTEnLgmtSED7IrP4tejHJIKFt7RVbaW-VQ51a1sturYTGptsSRDNECUy901xvqR3hhWiV8goK8rwb5_KGlaiRuLHBUn__t_ECWLtJkw&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" tabindex="0">Antonio Banderas</a> by Dickson in a "hale fellow well met" semi-reconciliation scene near the end.</p> <p>Strutting macho Latino theater director Banderas is herein reduced to tears and a panic attack at the big reveal of his boss wife Kidman's torrid, panting-and-moaning orgasmatronic affair with lowly intern Dickinson, only to have (spoiler alert) the whole sordid mess, which threatens to destroy Kidman's hegemonic control of her personal service robotic corporation—I can't really explain what it is the company actually does—righted eventually by female person of color employee Sophie Wilde, who shames Nicole into doing the right thing and patching things up with hubby so that by the end EVERYTHING IS IN ITS RIGHT PLACE.</p> <p>A middle-brow movie trope I know, I know. But you forgive Reijn anything here as her whole filmic enterprise is so audacious, smart, and shiny.</p> <p>The dirty little secret, of course, is that when in the course of human events, it becomes necessary, nay imperative (just ask Caroline) that neither party have the upper hand ALL OF THE TIME. We take turns—She's the Boss! No, He's the Boss!—in the cut and thrust, the basic power dialectic of all successful, non-boring, non-S&amp;M human relationships.</p> <p>(And then, to further complicate matters, there is always, of course, the concept of "Topping from the Bottom," as John Waters once so elegantly put it at an <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZUTG5iSuHqRyXArta3CbBvgXnv_55tdJqpgmWDkGaMTGKjWj1bQm3gYkLFK38QYKnvvS7Fb_Zy4EKFqfztCdQti791VPIQzSvkY9Rww4tCLB_ORg0rMiIERg2VxkR8JwSFKhELS0ZIHYd_ySGzEJ8xhYWD1cqM2YU0-kXqKIFS_a0FuVM0HX-AbXQc7wRQmWbHw16GwNkSP542cQqBQLouuQROFu4wdSM4WxczcW9z88cGPdV1xY2C4jRnmnjVq4mM9ItQHM9yy62aGYuUdlNzxeCkCcAxnhCvnSsRAsWuOYZ2bD9FdONPi7dpKQtgEt5YT9M2FTQ8-mi7jNA4Jnvwm9_WOP0LahT__7RCGN99e92sF63b7fpwcQyLNT7GLg5DHRDmGVG0l6V59r6iDKFtasHbK3MmL2DvRWEKqGrwtkjcx6TFdMqHvwjd6RNxzfUHTeAx1oBGAG7CfKs9fVqP-3CZgaCXTEwq3_zDIwX6WaeQ-KUAmZIrv8fIRhWL4EuWj6dW7F7CvmSwKqyqrWvds7A_uGlScf3EZnAFMiKHVvKO9TJNVg-8ra6ZPZfIJvE9I7VqpxQbuBwa49ip89wgqeEJMcmzd1xk9x4wqIhlO5O4i67E9YZS63FaUv391t8r4KqIyh_bkV_E1le8dtMCkjdSExUHNQa_4uWdl6qYe8zZ1Pq-DD_dlOnkzpzYrrtTkzM56PfVAK_kgtYaJ4gfQl6ze_qf8CHN1mgKSV_e2hkF3kCITDK_43lEESz0UcL3f4BAiKAyKC39ScbnjPBicCZSeMcf7LEfT_MD-NWTQ-T9y6SgyQDQo6tMSeBINandCsZROVQ6SrAOvTFWvmWMaSTOQ-tzl4ZpuE8kBhYvOyI5wnXUiiABrhpoY4SQRFCFSn5TsYuPP_dUnA8lvWDlJasjm0OhIgIdzC9W_sZrLL0BaNzgLJrHCb1IiRgLP2hpHu8ZX4lZDGsn3l1FIc74Yhze4ZKSh4VKC3EZnrsO-vNvoY8uzO0_7XDd86Aw_8CKd_IupAPJMLNDbDsYdE24b6TakHBsYM2t5Ybftp0LtVsf8RGscpM8a-hbEP9cfCW4WYci5plMY99AAhuqjB9DmgonUQ5f8GpcwtzsMrSCpSFV1qE0tzsrxN4oyJ2ikHIMVQNzZxgHpuehTitSENHg79n3gm_aSLILUp0yHG-HfNV9gA3iRD1SIO68NcZ48WKsPZBZqzaioITqtsXwH4_TPgLBHEnpC8wE2CJVVGyOlotUYlrdk18yJuMwZOmoH2kZf8uIo4JKDIQrKcAZe62zr8XC5updl8mcqTV2G1gYzWWg42juhJz-ZnUESVzoyb8dykSa7rO91F8DCzOWjf6mC3ZjIm7KgdQabIdSz5Ub7-5Omx_Lk9iguNICopEjQxO0Fcsj3ONLmAafljjgMK8LhKaE6DmVeZMy1tUBxH87ynUQj3hF3Wz0KepbMMiEXY9nv_hOwPe2vVCFoIaeyLd7sISAz35L9AJqowVA_VhhX4qCTO81kTplJyqkZ-D80o85pI2Z_evvwsg9BgSWFEHdATVxEKuX7o7YtlHCGQZPjWhM41q7rtFROr1S7I9QTRzilt86u2gFQ8-0s_5jC3mOtiJO1m21wRD8mhvLMwvWGoeC7_5ISLNCvp19CsJRBCMnQlaBO_acq7ZcL0jHoEIWU-RpEZ1iz7OTI_pDZs-rPuZ44-CpKwB9_LtyM6E5sKJzEiorKH_LJeEvlaFX5rrJQFcdp2Xg-V1gXlMdsMVRaAHjXuRobPqqPZNrWM5xUyvKZ5qypFXzir_DkRetEgYY5yO1rB9P7fUf7qM4wq5hxvssBOCm-AsaKjQauX84xuTFeTqonuxHRs8talX06okjQe6vSNidHFKXuKKSbigYp_Iq1-ktXojhX4WeTcn1ZToNyTYjfqdZU-THYuKqUXlG7ZpSKZNKfV6P8kVVDXZAAU4cxILlw_C6KLhgXOWBKvIMTTlzGFJUWT3lJqfs5K_Be-hz10GbVhCxE6GMfhUC1oOIMGIXNGoWBn20gC_bfebOioF4Cwjc9VMOsajDW4QJlN4SKlrjXul7C9WP1Dt3GhyecgAHvr0dUPYeKyFwUjPTUNoD_w8zAb4DzFdvCFLBWwEzoPj_h9DHVKG_uc7sp9gVrQwKqCWvxVSvNrZFwdIfXPJp6oGDaiDTSBMPgApf1CI3CvJp4evcU4p1s190aXIjfY55WaKa_S1bxJf_DrwLnZrGMOscC_RLvymPDAkmSjl5ES-1Jmtmee4RG-usdzTyOSxIjh9nW14t4Hf3mXaLX2m7SLr9HG0yEqrKWNiPwjdEibxBNxQDri2cEpVo0xcivRhJC5LrLLXsR2C3feDBV8rDZVsWOtmpY2OoA3b1CgCOD4XWU9PknMjpfleEsTiqe66-5XeQU3pw03WOp_FA8FuOSlV6Wt5ZJudO8BeRIls0nS76bNlxGlj8lgSP1aYaYWDvyt01VLtZO4_myg76_Tg2AJc7ITtUTT4mxb3QDjIC6jMsgU91DuIhgZn0KC6_RUD6f1j-tlI0qzFa9SqJJ-WDekyuWnf6d2mU8TdfZvGjRlKfyG-gdbbGUISN6QWfSNBbieXfZ8MlR3D_kNJuxktO_EoSCGSndK-gcyCgL22nu-0fySSBwVl0cGW55uMpcttE8xByLshGir9MSCFUutSgdR-giGKC7CYdI46H0E-3nY8LYobqFXjf6WUsPzPt0swCWkNcEYRqkK6dpyYMFiY77BXA2MhZgX2Vb65zSODzd5w397BrEbU9TKPW8tg" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/23455156249/?__cft__[0]=AZXCjSqeBCVNxqVHew8NSdtzwL3Sf2EGZR2YTo1lSyfY_X5tUVm0xMzlBHWzZ3k6fqWFpnYMWA3Mppi7S7roMK7id7f0HTEnLgmtSED7IrP4tejHJIKFt7RVbaW-VQ51a1sturYTGptsSRDNECUy901xvqR3hhWiV8goK8rwb5_KGlaiRuLHBUn__t_ECWLtJkw&amp;__tn__=-UK-R" role="link" tabindex="0">Alliance Francaise </a> screening of <a attributionsrc="/privacy_sandbox/comet/register/source/?xt=AZUTG5iSuHqRyXArta3CbBvgXnv_55tdJqpgmWDkGaMTGKjWj1bQm3gYkLFK38QYKnvvS7Fb_Zy4EKFqfztCdQti791VPIQzSvkY9Rww4tCLB_ORg0rMiIERg2VxkR8JwSFKhELS0ZIHYd_ySGzEJ8xhYWD1cqM2YU0-kXqKIFS_a0FuVM0HX-AbXQc7wRQmWbHw16GwNkSP542cQqBQLouuQROFu4wdSM4WxczcW9z88cGPdV1xY2C4jRnmnjVq4mM9ItQHM9yy62aGYuUdlNzxeCkCcAxnhCvnSsRAsWuOYZ2bD9FdONPi7dpKQtgEt5YT9M2FTQ8-mi7jNA4Jnvwm9_WOP0LahT__7RCGN99e92sF63b7fpwcQyLNT7GLg5DHRDmGVG0l6V59r6iDKFtasHbK3MmL2DvRWEKqGrwtkjcx6TFdMqHvwjd6RNxzfUHTeAx1oBGAG7CfKs9fVqP-3CZgaCXTEwq3_zDIwX6WaeQ-KUAmZIrv8fIRhWL4EuWj6dW7F7CvmSwKqyqrWvds7A_uGlScf3EZnAFMiKHVvKO9TJNVg-8ra6ZPZfIJvE9I7VqpxQbuBwa49ip89wgqeEJMcmzd1xk9x4wqIhlO5O4i67E9YZS63FaUv391t8r4KqIyh_bkV_E1le8dtMCkjdSExUHNQa_4uWdl6qYe8zZ1Pq-DD_dlOnkzpzYrrtTkzM56PfVAK_kgtYaJ4gfQl6ze_qf8CHN1mgKSV_e2hkF3kCITDK_43lEESz0UcL3f4BAiKAyKC39ScbnjPBicCZSeMcf7LEfT_MD-NWTQ-T9y6SgyQDQo6tMSeBINandCsZROVQ6SrAOvTFWvmWMaSTOQ-tzl4ZpuE8kBhYvOyI5wnXUiiABrhpoY4SQRFCFSn5TsYuPP_dUnA8lvWDlJasjm0OhIgIdzC9W_sZrLL0BaNzgLJrHCb1IiRgLP2hpHu8ZX4lZDGsn3l1FIc74Yhze4ZKSh4VKC3EZnrsO-vNvoY8uzO0_7XDd86Aw_8CKd_IupAPJMLNDbDsYdE24b6TakHBsYM2t5Ybftp0LtVsf8RGscpM8a-hbEP9cfCW4WYci5plMY99AAhuqjB9DmgonUQ5f8GpcwtzsMrSCpSFV1qE0tzsrxN4oyJ2ikHIMVQNzZxgHpuehTitSENHg79n3gm_aSLILUp0yHG-HfNV9gA3iRD1SIO68NcZ48WKsPZBZqzaioITqtsXwH4_TPgLBHEnpC8wE2CJVVGyOlotUYlrdk18yJuMwZOmoH2kZf8uIo4JKDIQrKcAZe62zr8XC5updl8mcqTV2G1gYzWWg42juhJz-ZnUESVzoyb8dykSa7rO91F8DCzOWjf6mC3ZjIm7KgdQabIdSz5Ub7-5Omx_Lk9iguNICopEjQxO0Fcsj3ONLmAafljjgMK8LhKaE6DmVeZMy1tUBxH87ynUQj3hF3Wz0KepbMMiEXY9nv_hOwPe2vVCFoIaeyLd7sISAz35L9AJqowVA_VhhX4qCTO81kTplJyqkZ-D80o85pI2Z_evvwsg9BgSWFEHdATVxEKuX7o7YtlHCGQZPjWhM41q7rtFROr1S7I9QTRzilt86u2gFQ8-0s_5jC3mOtiJO1m21wRD8mhvLMwvWGoeC7_5ISLNCvp19CsJRBCMnQlaBO_acq7ZcL0jHoEIWU-RpEZ1iz7OTI_pDZs-rPuZ44-CpKwB9_LtyM6E5sKJzEiorKH_LJeEvlaFX5rrJQFcdp2Xg-V1gXlMdsMVRaAHjXuRobPqqPZNrWM5xUyvKZ5qypFXzir_DkRetEgYY5yO1rB9P7fUf7qM4wq5hxvssBOCm-AsaKjQauX84xuTFeTqonuxHRs8talX06okjQe6vSNidHFKXuKKSbigYp_Iq1-ktXojhX4WeTcn1ZToNyTYjfqdZU-THYuKqUXlG7ZpSKZNKfV6P8kVVDXZAAU4cxILlw_C6KLhgXOWBKvIMTTlzGFJUWT3lJqfs5K_Be-hz10GbVhCxE6GMfhUC1oOIMGIXNGoWBn20gC_bfebOioF4Cwjc9VMOsajDW4QJlN4SKlrjXul7C9WP1Dt3GhyecgAHvr0dUPYeKyFwUjPTUNoD_w8zAb4DzFdvCFLBWwEzoPj_h9DHVKG_uc7sp9gVrQwKqCWvxVSvNrZFwdIfXPJp6oGDaiDTSBMPgApf1CI3CvJp4evcU4p1s190aXIjfY55WaKa_S1bxJf_DrwLnZrGMOscC_RLvymPDAkmSjl5ES-1Jmtmee4RG-usdzTyOSxIjh9nW14t4Hf3mXaLX2m7SLr9HG0yEqrKWNiPwjdEibxBNxQDri2cEpVo0xcivRhJC5LrLLXsR2C3feDBV8rDZVsWOtmpY2OoA3b1CgCOD4XWU9PknMjpfleEsTiqe66-5XeQU3pw03WOp_FA8FuOSlV6Wt5ZJudO8BeRIls0nS76bNlxGlj8lgSP1aYaYWDvyt01VLtZO4_myg76_Tg2AJc7ITtUTT4mxb3QDjIC6jMsgU91DuIhgZn0KC6_RUD6f1j-tlI0qzFa9SqJJ-WDekyuWnf6d2mU8TdfZvGjRlKfyG-gdbbGUISN6QWfSNBbieXfZ8MlR3D_kNJuxktO_EoSCGSndK-gcyCgL22nu-0fySSBwVl0cGW55uMpcttE8xByLshGir9MSCFUutSgdR-giGKC7CYdI46H0E-3nY8LYobqFXjf6WUsPzPt0swCWkNcEYRqkK6dpyYMFiY77BXA2MhZgX2Vb65zSODzd5w397BrEbU9TKPW8tg" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050195272493&amp;__cft__[0]=AZXCjSqeBCVNxqVHew8NSdtzwL3Sf2EGZR2YTo1lSyfY_X5tUVm0xMzlBHWzZ3k6fqWFpnYMWA3Mppi7S7roMK7id7f0HTEnLgmtSED7IrP4tejHJIKFt7RVbaW-VQ51a1sturYTGptsSRDNECUy901xvqR3hhWiV8goK8rwb5_KGlaiRuLHBUn__t_ECWLtJkw&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" tabindex="0">Marguerite Duras</a>'s 1977 film <em>Le Camion</em>).</p> <p><meta charset="UTF-8" /></p> <p>Quite enjoyable, all in all, very well directed, an intriguing score based on what sounds like actual human huffing and puffing by Chilean-born composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer, immaculate cinematography, editing, and sensational acting fireworks by Kidman and Dickinson on display.</p> <p>You've got to LOVE it.</p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4404&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="-yopT66dRYbC5B-NcArs5Ons5-HAh3t3O671wG6tJtA"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Tue, 31 Dec 2024 21:02:46 +0000 Gary Lucas 4404 at http://culturecatch.com Don’t Call It A Comeback http://culturecatch.com/node/4403 <span>Don’t Call It A Comeback</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7306" lang="" about="/user/7306" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Chet Kozlowski</a></span> <span>December 30, 2024 - 14:11</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/797" hreflang="en">drama</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w49dRJ4IVGI?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>Pamela Anderson is a survivor. She bounded into fame in 1992 in the original<i> Baywatch</i> TV series. She wore a red one-piece and made quite a splash. She curated her assets and played peek-a-boo until her husband, Tommy Lee, Motley Crue member and video <i>raconteur, </i>shared honeymoon pictures and blew it all, so to speak. She parlayed that into a (failed) franchise, <i>Barb Wire,</i> and has since done TV guest shots—many making fun of her image—and stalled retreads of <i>Baywatch.</i></p> <p>Now, with the new film <i>The Last Showgirl,</i> Pamela Anderson seeks to take her place, once again, in the public consciousness.</p> <p><i>The Last Showgirl</i> chronicles the closing of a Las Vegas club called Le Razzle Dazzle, an old-style rhinestones-and-feathers revue (described as "dancing nudes, not a nudie show"). Closing the club will put its star dancer, Shelly, played by Ms. Anderson, out of the job she's been doing for over 20 years.</p> <p>Shelly is a goddess in her own mind. She's living the dream, at least her version of it: her credo is "Night after night. Being seen. Being beautiful," even as she goes home to a tiny domicile alone. She listens to opera, practices her moves, and takes her role as a theatrical performer very seriously. At first, she's ambivalent about the club closing—"I'm old, but I’m not<i> that</i> old"—but that gives way to dismay.</p> <p>Pamela Anderson still sets a standard for beauty. Those cheekbones, that smile. In <i>The Last Showgirl,</i> she's scrubbed clean of pretension and eyeliner. As an actor, Ms. Anderson runs the range of emotions with precision and grace. Her Shelly is part idol and part doormat, a shoulder to cry on for the other showgirls. She mostly plays nice until she is dissed during an audition; then, her frustration comes out in a generational clash. Yes, Pamela Anderson can act. She's a pro.</p> <p>Shelly is reminded of mortality by her much younger co-dancers, most notably <i>Mad Man</i>'s Sally, Kiernan Shipka (up for anything to shake off her TV past), Brenda Song, and <i>Star Wars</i> film and <i>American Horror Story</i> alumnus Billie Lourd as her estranged daughter Hannah. More age-adjacent actors complete the mix. Jamie Lee Curtis (also up for anything) plays Annette, the Shelly of Christmas past and a boisterous drunk. Ms. Curtis, fearless as always, tops her recent triumph in FX's <i>The Bear</i> by unabashedly showing off her middle-aged body, most notably in a dance scene set to Bonnie Tyler’s rendition of Jim Steinman's <i>Total Eclipse of the Heart</i>. Dave Bautista is another revelation. I am slowly coming around to Mr. Bautista as an actor when he's not typecast because of how he looks. Here, he plays Eddie, the club's sensitive manager, in a roadie wig that gives a mournful shape to his brutal features.</p> <p><i>The Last Showgirl</i> is directed by Gia Coppola, Francis Ford's granddaughter, whose credits include <i>Palo Alto</i> (2013), <i>Mainstream</i> (2020), and music videos for Halsey and Carley Rae Jepsen. She shoots this one handheld, <i>vérité</i> style, and pads runtime with shaky filler sequences of Ms. Anderson strolling around Vegas. But it really isn't important to be in Vegas when your story is primarily a character study. The essential action takes place inside the dressing room and Shelly's house. Come to think of it, <i>The Last Showgirl</i> could be turned into a minimalist off-Broadway play if Ms. Anderson was up for memorizing lines.</p> <p><i>The Last Showgirl</i> is a qualified success. The story is a showy late-career joint. It isn't perfect. At a critical juncture, Shelly does, after all, catch her extravagant costume in the doorway on the way to the stage.</p> <p>____________________________</p> <p>The Last Showgirl. <i>Directed by Gia Coppola. 2024. From Roadside Attractions. In theaters Jan. 10.</i></p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4403&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="KUJTH2hSOBrCETosDdPMzkqMk1jJoAw4K8q8FdTrskI"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:11:49 +0000 Chet Kozlowski 4403 at http://culturecatch.com LE GRAND MICHEL: Michel Legrand & The Umbrellas of Cherbourg http://culturecatch.com/node/4402 <span>LE GRAND MICHEL: Michel Legrand &amp; The Umbrellas of Cherbourg</span> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/user/7162" lang="" about="/user/7162" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Gary Lucas</a></span> <span>December 28, 2024 - 07:25</span> <div class="field field--name-field-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Topics</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/film" hreflang="en">Film Review</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/889" hreflang="en">Musical</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><article class="embedded-entity"><img src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_1200/public/2024/2024-12/umbrellas-film-still.jpeg?itok=eQjGAJ4y" width="1200" height="744" alt="Thumbnail" title="umbrellas-film-still.jpeg" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /></article><p>Film Forum NYC, one of my favorite places to catch art films here in the West Village, is currently having an extended run with Jacques Demy's eternal <em>The Umbrellas of Cherbourg</em> (1964, starring Catherine Deneuve). It's still vividly effective today with its eye-popping color scheme and operatic jazz-inflected score by the great composer Michel Legrand. This is really good news for all lovers of classic arthouse cinema and the most elegant of film music.</p> <p>I first saw <em>Umbrellas</em> with my best friend, Walter Horn, at the Eckel Theatre in Syracuse when it was re-released in 1967 on an insane double bill paired with Sidney Lumet's <em>The Pawnbroker</em> (1964, starring Rod Steiger, with an excellent score by Quincy Jones). The contrast between the soaring, pastel-colored movie musical of "big emotions" and Lumet's Holocaust-drenched gritty black-and-white mise-en-scene could not have been greater—yet I fell in love with them both back in the day and still revere them.</p> <p>Many years later, in 2008, I saw Michel Legrand, a multiple Grammy and Oscar Award winner, perform here with a trio that included Ron Carter on bass and Lewis Nash on drums at the Birdland Jazz Club off Times Square.</p> <p>Legrand's film music contributions over the years have been staggering—from his noir-ish score for Jean-Luc Godard's 1964 <em>Bande a Part</em> to pop hits like "The Windmills of Your Mind" (from 1968's <em>The Thomas Crowne Affair</em>) and his very popular scores for 1971's <em>Summer of '42,</em> and Barbra Streisand's <em>Yentl</em> (1983).</p> <p>I saw him play at Birdland, and he was phenomenal. At age 76, he was tripping the light fantastic on the piano.</p> <p>I brought with me a DVD copy of one of my favorite films, Joseph Losey's savage<em> Eva</em> (1962, starring Jeanne Moreau and Stanley Baker), which boasts an incredible harpsichord-inflected moody jazz score by Legrand.</p> <p>After the show, I sought out his autograph on the DVD cover.</p> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video form-group"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/29PVxzBdrPo?autoplay=0&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe> </div> <p>I waited patiently while the throng of his fans seeking autographs (mainly what looked like older suburban housewives who had bonded intensely with "The Windmills of Your Mind" and <em>Summer of '42</em>) thinned out.</p> <p>At last, I got my moment:</p> <p>"Monsieur Legrand, I am a huge fan of your music, especially your score for <em>Bande a Part</em>."</p> <p>Legrand kind of winced here, as Godard credits him in the film's title sequence: "pour la dernière fois à l´ecran (?) la musique de Michel Legrand”).</p> <p>“And also for Joseph Losey's <em>Eva</em>."</p> <p>I stepped forward and offered him my DVD copy to sign, which he graciously obliged me. I went on:</p> <p>"I'm a guitarist and songwriter-composer myself. I don't know if you know my work, but I wrote the music for Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' and 'Mojo Pin.'"</p> <p>Legrand lit up (Jeff being huge in France) and thrust his hand out.</p> <p>"Monsieur, please let me shake YOUR hand!”</p> <p>A real, real thrill for me.</p> </div> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=4402&amp;2=comment_node_story&amp;3=comment_node_story" token="_Lv3qMcEJ5ShtsUx5aAuz3uiVQbHaDmViBhgNBh-L78"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> Sat, 28 Dec 2024 12:25:44 +0000 Gary Lucas 4402 at http://culturecatch.com