TV Review: "Sarah Palin's Alaska"

"Sarah Palin's Alaska" (Season 1, episode 2: "Salmon Run," TLC)

   
    Oh what a great country we live in where any celebrity with a mild grasp of politics and high aspirations can get elected to an office and any politician with an equal amount of ambition and a questionable sense of self-respect becomes a reality TV star. The latest politician joining the elite ranks of politician-turned-celebrity (and the butt of many jokes), Rod Blagojevich, is the comparably illustrious Sarah Palin. TLC's eight part series 'event' follows Palin and her family throughout Alaska as they go about their everyday adventurous lives. For an American public who by now expects nothing more than a good laugh from the clueless Palin, the idea of a reality TV show based on her life makes for potentially hilarious entertainment. However, despite delivering a few one-liners and finding herself in some odd situations, Palin's  show gets bogged down by traveling propaganda and by the location itself, after all there is only so much to do in Alaska.
    The theme of this week's episode was mother-daughter bonding. The cameras followed Palin along as she and husband Todd tried to get oldest daughter Bristol "away from the tabloids" by visiting the local shooting range. After noting that this was the place where she had her last baby shower, Palin demonstrated her hunting skills and helped Bristol learn how to hit the 'bird.'  The next day, after emphasizing how fame has made life difficult for Bristol and deciding that she needed a break from the cameras, the whole family went on a camping trip down to Homer, Alaska (Palin of course couldn't resist delivering the Simpson's joke). Once there, as any good politician would do, Palin worked the crowd greeting the common folk and posing for pictures. Later she and Bristol embarked on a commercial fishing trip to catch Halibut. After catching the first fish, Palin did a demonstration on the "most safest and humane way of killing the fish" for Bristol, by beating them with a club until they bleeder to death. Bristol, the quickly learner, did most of the beating afterwards and acknowledged her mom's "work ethic [as her] biggest life lesson." The day ended with a picture perfect shot of them side by side admiring the majestic jumps of a killer whale. The episode was filled with more hunting and digging for clams with the whole family, kayaking and some fish processing line work for Bristol and Palin who where paid in fish. After a day of getting Bristol reacquainted with the "blue collar hard work she's used to" Palin and the family put an end to the adventure with a grand family meal by the RV.
    Although it was a treat to see Palin as the great outdoors queen she is, it was a little disappointing not to see Palin working around the office. It would had been far more interesting and illuminating to see Palin's work ethic handling real business. Instead, the show focuses on representing Palin as a country girl and family woman that prospective 2012 voters can relate to, as well as serving as a publicity campaign for Alaskan tourism, (the show was stuffed with geographical facts).
    Ultimately, there wasn't enough excitement in this week's adventures to overcome the propaganda. After the first fifteen minutes the novelty of watching Palin wears off and you are left with a show about a family fishing trip. Boring. If you want to watch some really exciting fishing, (although how exciting can fishing be?), than you are better off watching reruns of "Deadliest Catch" on Discovery. Turns out Palin and her family really are just  your average American family and average doesn't make for fun and exciting TV.

Visual Arts Review: Rebecca Warren

Rebecca Warren, The Renaissance Society, 5811 S. Ellis ave   
      The Renaissance Society's current exhibition is a survey of the sculpture by the British artist, Rebecca Warren. Serving as the American public's introduction to Warren's work, the show has been rigorously curated to include two seemingly disparate bodies of work, the unfired clay objects and the reductive steel structures. Although at first these works may appear to be in direct contradiction in terms of aesthetic dialectics, it quickly becomes obvious that both forms are trying to address contemporary issues of feminist identity through the employment of historical references to two particular devices; the tradition of figurative sculpture and post-expressionist minimalist structures. Warren's intent is to incite a new discourse about the position of the contemporary woman in the production of art but, unfortunately the sculptures get lost between their own "generic-ness" and ambiguity becoming nothing more than tired references and cliches.

    Upon entering the gallery space the viewer is immediately reminded that he or she is viewing a collection of precious items. All of the sculptures are evenly spaced in the center of the room and do not engage any of the walls. They require the viewer to walk around to take them in from every angle. Almost all of the clay figures are placed on the left-hand side of the room atop pedestals reminiscent of the classical period sculptures in museums. However, while classical sculptures are meant to depict the perfect human form, Warren's figures glorify "womanliness." They are amply over-endowed, with disproportionately large breasts and buttocks that overcompensate for the missing heads and limbs. Arguably, these sculptures have more to do with the figures produced by primitive civilizations, but even then, the apparent roughness in the material manipulation, the haphazard and uneven application of paint, and their unfired state suggest an attempt to reduce the female figure to a more primordial state.

     In contrast, the right side of the gallery is occupied by slabs of oxidized steel or bronze meticulously composed together to highlight the formal qualities of the sculpture and material as well as to maximize their consciously non-objective nature. The planes of metal stand tall cutting across and intersecting each other becoming a study of generic forms more than conceptual notions until, upon closer inspection, the viewer notices a lone pom-pom carefully placed upon every single sculpture. What initially appear to be formal exercises in the style of the male-dominated minimalist sculpture of the 60s, are re-contextualized through the integration of a soft material associated with craft and notions of femininity.

    Right in the center of the gallery space, marking the division between the organic forms and manufactured structures, is a  bronze cube. This form acts as the amalgamation of both aesthetic languages. It takes the most iconic minimalist device, the manufactured static cube, and repositions it as an organically evolving object by presenting it on casters and leaving it in a 'raw' production state. This marrying of methodologies continues in the careful distribution of the sculptures throughout the space. One lone metal structure stands among the unfired clay figures, while one of the womanly sculptures stands encased among the rest of the metal pieces. The employment of contrasting devices succeeds in its attempt to make a feminist statement, however, exactly what that statement is isn't entirely clear. Warren's utilization of cliched referential techniques makes her work feel derivative. The forms and language are generic but nonetheless the works is readable and accessible. At the same time however, Warren's conceptual logic remains ambiguously entrenched in her forms. The sculptures exist in a realm of suggestive discourse but they never seem to fully reach a definitive point of view.

Album Review: Menomena "Mines"

         Menomena, "Mines" (Barsurk, 2010)

    After a seemingly endless three-year wait, Menomena has finally commended fans with a new album that delivers the musical peculiarities and energy of previous records but also expands past the band's lyrical parameters. Although "Mines" sounds less experimental compared to its other albums, by no means is it commercial. The unexpected layering of the rhythmic guitar and energetic drums with a multitude of disparate synth beats and sounds, and the abrupt appearance of the saxophone in every-other song, together with the overall intense and grand moments suddenly cut by juxtaposing instances of bright simplicity continue to be present, but in a much more considerate way.
    This new approach is immediately established by the album's cover art. Two of band's members are visual artists so the album art has always been an integral part of the music. Past albums have employed the cover art as an alternate method to visually translate the playfulness and fantastical element of their songs. Their first album, "I Am the Fun Blame Monster," came complete with a hand-made flip book and the second, "Friend or Foe" includes an intricately designed jacket that changes configurations depending on the position of the CD within the case. "Mines" maintains the element of playfulness but this time taking a more subtle approach. While the cover and the back form a stereogram that's supposed to produce a 3D image,  inside there's only a simple illustrated poster. The face of the CD itself is stark white giving the impression that this was a mindful decision meant to keep the listener from being distracted from the complexities of the music.
    Menomena continues to produce its signature collaging of synth sounds through "Deeler," the software they specifically developed to capture their intricate recording process. Well into their third production, the band proves that their recording methodology goes beyond the novelty of the technology. Here, the band exploits the software to produce complex musical arrangements that harmoniously blend contrasting beats and sounds fitting them together like puzzle pieces. "Killemall," begins with a piano crescendo accompanied by an insistent rhythmic shaker and the characteristically quick, short and intense drum kicks of Danny Seim. The paced buildup is intersected by a few synth beats that intensify the urgency of the song then suddenly, a light piano appears and the song quickly decays, fading into the background for a moment as the vocals begin only to be quickly build up again. The song goes on continuously building up but each time being brought down by a new sound or by pops of the organ. Other songs such as,"Sleeping Beauty" and "Lunchmeat" thrive in a vast sea of bleeps and sounds. The songs are so musically nuanced that every time you give the album a listen you discover a new sound hiding between every nook and cranny.
    The finest song on the album "Lunchmeat" encapsulates the best qualities of a Menomena song. It's technically complex, melodic and lyrically translates the essential exuberance of the band. "Lunchmeat" is an absurd fantasy that echoes the paranoia of confronting a natural disaster through references to mythological creatures: "Sirens sing in monotone/Harmonize in deadly drones/Leave the table, the curtains, the computer's useless/Leave the lunchmeat for the sharks." Others, such as "Queen Black Acid," continue to employ elements of the fantasy, ("I walked right into a rabbit store/And felt right into a rabbit hole/I made myself an open book/I made myself a sitting duck"), but this time to express the feelings of insecurity and uncertainty found throughout the rest of the album. "Oh Pretty Boy, You're Such a Big Boy," candidly voices the universal fear of growing old, "Hold my hands/Feel them shake/I feel, oh I feel, I'm showing my age." Menomena is evolving, but they're not just growing old, they're growing up.

Film Review: "Almost Famous"

"Almost Famous" (Directed by Cameron Crowe, 2000) 

"Almost Famous" is the coming-of-age story of 15 year old William. A kid growing up in suburbia California during the 70's, at a time when rock'n roll was transforming into a product of the industry and Rolling Stone was cementing its place in the world of pop culture manufacturing as the main purveyor of rock music advertising. William, played by  Patrick Fugit, is a fictional representation of Crowe, who was a real life teenage reporter for Rolling Stone. While, the film is based on Crowe's real life experiences in the world of rock 'n roll, the story is by no means faithfully autobiographical. Instead, Crowe takes liberties with the story successfully blending in real life events with fantasy. What results, is a story that captures the vibe of a decade lived through the music, without being bogged down by inconsequential facts.
    Contributing to the success of the film of course, is the cast ensemble. Each actor was expertly cast to embody their character, and in general give such nuanced performances that for brief moments you suspect that they might be playing a hyperrealistic version of themselves. Kate Hudson and Fairuza Balk shine as the infectiously vivacious and carefree "Penny Lane" and the smart, no-non-sense  "Sapphire," respectively. Playing self-righteous groupies, or "Band Aides" as they call themselves, they liven up the screen each time they make an appearance. Phillip Seymour Hoffman also brightens up the film with his rambunctious interpretation of the legendary "Lester Bangs." Hoffman's commitment to stay true to the Lester Bangs persona is most obviously felt in the scene where he's back in the San Francisco radio station. As the host speaks, he wildly paces around looking at the music records and passionately pointing out the good from the bad. Finally, he abruptly takes the spinning record, tosses it and replaces it with some real rock 'n roll, more appropriate for his wild dancing moves. Although he appears sparingly he steals every scene his in, even outshining Fugit. Of course, the less experienced Fugit can't  yet rival Hoffman's expertise but although he falters in scenes that require more emotional stretch, he is still able to hold his own playing a credibly earnest and precocious, but also incredibly naive kid. Although William goes through an extraordinary adventure, and despite living with an eccentric family, he is a very ordinary kid who fantasizes about living the rock star life. Fugit's character injects the necessary dose of reality to the film to keep it from becoming a parody of its self.
    Crowe, for the most part was able to find the right balance of fact and fiction however, it seems that he stumbled with the ending. While he gave the audience what he taught the audience was looking for, a happy ending, this was probably not the most effective way of ending such a fantastic story. Yes, "Penny" realized her dream of going to Morocco, "Stillwater," (the film's fictional rising rock band), made it big without loosing its integrity, and William got his Rolling Stone story published but, this was the expected ending. Wouldn't it have been more satisfying if Crowe kept it real and instead of having a rosy ending "Penny" got tossed and forgotten, "Stillwater" became nothing more than a one-hit wonder, and William's story went unpublished? Or if it went on fantasy overdrive and "Penny" became a rock star wife, "Stillwater" became the new Rolling Stones and William took Jann Wenner's job? It seems that Crowe got stuck and scared so he chose the easy way out. It's a shame, because such an excellent movie deserved an excellent ending.
   

'Hot Tub Time Machine' Trailer

Back to the Future ÷ 1980s x (Hot Tub + Time Machine) = Good Times!

"Hot Tub Time Machine" (Directed by Steve Pink, 2010)
Hollywood, is this a joke? Hot tub + Time Machine!? Ouch. Another, hit to the intellect of movie audiences has been delivered. But, really? How promising can a movie entitled "Hot Tub Time Machine be?" Not very. But that's the idea here, this film is not meant to offer some kind of self-reflexive commentary on adulthood nor does it aim to enlightened us with some cheesy life-lessons. All it promises is a couple of hours of mindless  and ridiculous fun times and it delivers. 
    The plot itself is not very original, it feels like a raunchier version of "Back to the Future," (with an appearance by Crispin Glover as a looser included). Marty McFly is replaced by three loser best friends: Lou (Rob Coddry), Nick (Craig Robison), and Adam (John Cusack); who are  leading dissatisfying adult lives resulting from poor romantic relationships. When Lou, the reckless drunk of the group, has a supposed suicide attempt the friends reunite to cheer him up and reluctantly go on a trip to their old hang out place, the 'Kodiak Ski Valley Resort' to relive some good times taking Adam's nephew, Jacob (Clark Duke), along for the ride. After discovering that the years have turned the resort into a dump and having no option but to stay, the guys decide get into the newly repaired hot tub and enjoy the night. After a crazy night they wake up to go skiing only to find themselves among a sea of neon spandex and an 80s soundtrack. It's 1986 and they must relive that day exactly as they did or they risk causing 'a butterfly effect' altering the space-time continuum and resulting in Jacob, (who's body is flickering!), never being born.
    Of course, the guys realize that the 80s they so fondly remembered really weren't that great either and now they must relive the shitty day that defined their future, and the antics ensue. The movie takes some quick jabs at 80s pop culture but unlike "Back to the Future" it doesn't remain hung up on the setting/time frame for jokes like it comfortably could have. Instead, it relies on the characters' responses to the outrageous situations they find themselves in for comedic effect. Craig Robison and Rob Coddry take credit for carrying most of the comedic scenes. Their timing is spot on and their unassuming performances allow their characters to feel more 'natural' & real and less forceful than the efforts by Cusack. Likewise, Clark Duke's character goes beyond the typical computer age sexed up kid to become the unlikely voice of reason and the sobering agent of the film.
    Needless to say, this movie could not call itself a gross-out guy comedy without the gross-out gags or the misogynistic, homophobic and sex jokes which came at a dime a dozen. Yet, the movie moves so fast that the punches are short and quick, and therefore there isn't enough time for cheap one-liners to linger. Instead the viewer is meant to digest whole situation.
    The bottom line is, the film was not laugh-out-loud funny but it was definitely entertaining. Low expectations leave room for big surprises and this certainly was the case with "Hot Tub Time Machine."  The movie, like its title, was completely ridiculous in the best sense of the word. If its fault is that it is a rip-off "Back to the Future" so, what? There are far inferior and witless comedies that have done the same. This film was at least 101minutes of unpretentious fun.
  

A Studio Visit With Tim Anderson

 Tim Anderson, Studio Visit, 1224 W. Grand

            
                 Upon entering Tim Anderson's studio, one can instantly imagine the process involved in the conception of his paintings. The long wall on the left houses Anderson's old record collection, his collection of brushes, oil paints and other traditional painting materials. The upper area is mostly covered with small drawings & paintings and what appear to be old family photographs and found portraits bought in bulk from the flea market. On the opposite wall, on either side of the couch, are bookcases stocked with books on travel, traditional furniture design and master painters. Indeed, it quickly becomes obvious that Anderson's fascination with portraiture is an extension of his preoccupation with the implications of traditional cultural norms in contemporary painting.
            When asked about what characteristics he looks for in the models for his paintings Anderson  simply responds, " I look for people who are receptive, who take me to another place." His current focus the "Yellow Portraits," undoubtedly embody this sentiment. "AT1194  Santa Gemma," one of a few portraits of Saints in the series, portrays a woman in modest clothes and a demure demeanor against a lemon yellow background. The portrait, done in oil and graphite, conveys a sense of nostalgic wonder. "Saint Gemma's" face, filling much of the canvas demands to be seen directly in the eyes, yet her gaze is neither piercing nor empty but rather, it emanates a sense of wisdom, a knowledge gathered from experiences of a distant past and place that will remain forever unknown to us.
            Despite painting subjects cemented in the past "Saint Gemma," like the rest of the portraits in the series, becomes a formal study of contrasts. Although the portrait is done in the traditional oil and graphite mediums the choice of colors thrusts the painting into a contemporary platform. The simple, gestural, black markings of the portrait contrasts with the acid lemon-yellow background. The artificiality of the yellow pigment reinforces the timelessness of the portraits and paradoxically serves as a method of re-contextualization. It puts into question the place of figurative imagery in today's art world, by alienating the subject and the mark making from a contextual background and placing them in a desolate pool of synthetic yellow paint.
            The most successful work on display however, is Anderson’s small abstract paintings. The roughly twelve to fifteen paintings where grouped together above Anderson’s scooters in a corner of the kitchen that is off view from the main sitting area. They almost seem to be hidden, certainly they are segregated from the figurative work littering the rest of the studio but once the viewer happens to walk upon them it is difficult to resist the allure of the paint lines running across the paper. Anderson’ spoke about several artists that have influenced his work mentioning everyone form the Flemish master painters, to Joseph Beuys, to Chuck Close. In these abstract paintings however, the influence of another artist that he mentioned, Willem De Kooning, becomes markedly apparent. Like De Kooning’s paintings, Anderson’s pieces, (completed as a series of works on paper named “La Comedia Dell’arte”), convey a sense of fluidity and loose gestural movements uninhibited by the restrictions of traditional painting conventions. Even, the paintings that seem to vaguely reference elements of the figure feel light and relaxed. In fact, Anderson’s unrestricted mark making style is what links this abstract work to the portraits. Although, the portraits are traditional formal studies, the unfinished sketch-like quality of the marks prevents the paintings from becoming fully engulfed by tradition.