Just a few drawings

Back in the saddle

Hello everyone, here's a messy list of reviews for you all to enjoy, or hate, or ignore.


In Film:


The summer movie season is well underway, and well underwhelming. Once again I came into the season excited for the onslaught of action romps laid out before me but so far it’s been a drag. Wolverine? What a drag. This move is so poorly written, directed and produced it is hardly worth even reviewing. I had hopes. Well, actually I figured it would suck, but I hoped I was wrong. You might ask why I bothered to go see it if I had no hope…well, thing is I’ll go see anything, hell I saw Crank 2 (2 Molos) in part because the first Crank was such an entertaining surprise- point is that you just never know. And, I hell even mediocre movies can be entertaining for a couple hours. Back to Wolverine. Perhaps the most annoying aspect, other than the presence of Ryan Renolds, what this idea that young wolverine had bones that shot out of his hands instead of metal claws…it’s just so cheesy I can’t even bother explaining it. Every possible interesting character in the film is only given about 3 scenes. The only hope for the film at all is when Xavier shows up at the end, promising a future of better stories and character development. 1.5 Molos


Okay, so that was not much of a review, but you know what, I’m leaving it.


Everyone loves the new Startrek. I was mildly entertained until I had to leave on a work emergency about 2/3 of the way into the film. I stuck around long enough to enjoy the presence of the big 3, with Bones and Spock clearly stealing the show from Kirk. And I greatly appreciated the scene where Kirk is getting it on with the green lady. Remember Eddie Murphy’s joke about Kirk being off “fucking the green bitch?” In any case, okay, it’s entertaining. Decent. I like how they market the film as “a Startrek” for everyone. AS IF the old Startrek movies were not suitable for general audiences? Really? Any who, it’s a hell of a lot better than Wolverine, but at the same time, doesn’t it feel like they could have made it just so much more serious? It aint no Wrath of Khan. Reason? The bad guy has no charisma. A tentative 3 Molos. I still need to see the ending, maybe the good guys don’t pull it off?


What ever happened to cook, scary, and well written bad guy characters in action movies? And another thing, both Wolverine and Startrek are PG or PG 13 (what’s the difference?). Oh how I long for a good big, huge Rated R summer action movie. I guess all my hopes lie in Inglorious Bastards. They certainly don’t lie in Terminator Salvation. Hey remember Terminator 2. And Terminator for that matter? Both rated R.


In music:


I admit it, I’m getting out of touch. I probably don’t listen to KEXP enough anymore. But I can tell you that the new Pink Mountaintops is excellent! It’s my favorite of the Pink Mountaintops records, and I might even enjoy it more than the first full length Black Mountain record (both projects are headed by Vancouver’s Stephen McBean). It’s a good, poppy clean album of love songs, with a few surprises. The stunning Jessie Sykes makes an appearance. Pink Mountaintops Outside Love 3.5 Molos


Jeremy Enigk released a new solo record called OK Bear. Enigk is an artist. He has had a fascinating musical career to date and while I don’t always get behind some of his past ambiguous godly lyrics, they have always been deeply veiled and his voice is the real story, not so much the actual words he is singing. The emotion of the words, not the specifics…he’s a poet really, just listen to Guitar and Video Games from Sunny Day Real Estate…However, especially with OK Bear, it’s the words that come to the forefront. The words and simpler melodies, backed by subtly complex orchestration. It’s a really good album, with some delightful songs. Not as musically adventurous as his first solo record, the seminal Return of the Frog Queen, but the songwriting is more mature and well adult. And aren’t we all getting older? 4 Molos


My monthly whim purchase is an album by King Khan and the Shrines called What is?!. The sticker said something about it being punk soul garage rock and I think that is right on. It’s a good, fun, summer romp. Reminds me of listening to a Black Keys album. If you are in the right mood you will just eat it up. I bet they put on a great live show. 3 Molos


Speaking of live shows, I saw Honeydove play their first live concert in their hometown of Seattle at Chop Suey and they were really good. Very tight, and impressive, especially considering they only have a handful of songs right now. Kate Tucker has a lovely rock voice and I am excited to see how the songwriting goes and what they come up with for an album in a couple months. I think this project has a lot more potential than Kate’s previous band, Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden, which fell too directly into innocuous pop rock. Good luck guys!


In the Arts:


Go see The Puppet Show at the Frye, but don’t touch any of the puppets or I will beat you down. Really, though, the show is great, there are some stellar pieces by a few big names, Kara Walker, William Kentridge, and Denis Oppenheim stand out. There are several interesting videos that I haven’t watched yet, and a number of duds, but the show is fascinating and entertaining. It is NOT for children. The way the space has been transformed is worth the trip, although perhaps I find that more interesting because I spend 40 hours a week in there. 3 Molos.

Open Satellite has work by the artist Seth Kinmont on display right now if you dare venture to the eastside. Seth has created, in his residency at OS, a full size electric carriage. I believe he intends to actually drive this horseless carriage on city streets but I am not certain. It’s quite something, this carriage. I’m not sure that there is a heck of a lot behind it other than, wouldn’t this be a cool thing to build? I didn’t learn that much about the quiet artist, but apparently he makes a lot of electric “art cars”, which, I presume, all have certain connotations designed to get one thinking about alternative transportation. Reminds me of these junk rafts being built of recycled plastic bottles and such and sailed out to the great garbage piles in the sea to raise awareness. Does this electric carriage raise awareness? I think it would if for sure if it I saw it driving down the streets of Bellevue, instead of being locked inside of the wonderful clean, huge space that is Open Satellite. The drawings and construction materials in the space (which were used as he built the thing in that space-OS is a residency program) felt like filler. I do suggest checking out Open Satellite, they have a lot of interesting shows and a gorgeous space-go to a reception and enjoy free Manny’s! Seth K- 2.5 Molos

The Expendables makes me expandable

I know i know, you are thinking...with all the amazing movies coming out this year, what could Hollywood possibly have up it's sleeve for 2010?


Well, how about The Expendables, a movie about a team of, well, expendable mercenaries are hired to overthrow a dictator in South America (who is not modeled after Hugo Chavez I'm sure). Sounds pretty much like every action flick from the 80s, right? Boring as hell, right?

WRONG.

Why you ask? Because check out the cast said to be working on this film: Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Slyvestor Stallone, Arnold Schwarzeneger, Jet Li, Brittney Murphy, Dolph Lungren, Danny Trejo, and even Eric Roberts! Other than Brittney, all certified ass-kickers. If only we can get a cameo from Chuck Norris this will be the

GREATEST ACTION MOVIE CAST EVER!

In moments of adolescent testosterone-filled dreaming I have never come up with such a delightful cast.

2010. Can't wait. I think I'm almost more excited for this than I am for Where the Wild Things Are.

Hollywood's Original Ideas

Caught Fast and Furious last night, and it was just about as good and entertaining as one could hope for. If one is a fan of half-assed racing action movies, which I am. Vin Diesel is still charming but I fear his days may be numbered. Seems like the folds in the back of his neck are getting bigger and bigger, while his Hollywood star starts to fade. May be I'm off base but so it goes. I wish Hollywood had gotten more out of him-given him better action movies to work with, but a las, it was not meant to be. We'll always have Pitch Black. 2.5 Molos

I hope to stay up on good, smaller pictures as they are released in the theaters this year, so that you all, dear readers, may hear here first, if they are any good, but probably I'll just end up going to all the big schlock movies, and save the good movies for DVD. So expect reviews of Crank 2, Star Trek, Wolverine, Terminator, and the like in the coming months...although I promise a glowing review of Where The Wild Things are!

I mean doesn't that just look wonderful?? Spike Jonze is all I had to hear. I'm super excited.

IN MUSIC:

Quick reviews

The new POS album is tight, great indie rap. Very nice. Plus Andy is on the hidden track. probably 4 Molos, but it needs some more listening.

Same goes for the new Doves Record. 4 Molos for certain, but partly that's just cause I LOVE THE DOVES! I need to sit with it more.


My friend Colby turned me on to Chad Vangaalen's Soft Airplane (Sub Pop) which came out last year. I think he described it best when he said it was like Neil Young filtered through indie electronic pop-rock. Plus there is a nice line which references Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that won me over. It's good. Easy good listening. 3.5 Molos

I saw wood in Tacoma

What is the deal with artists going crazy about using wood these days? I went to Tacoma Art Museum last week and caught the Biennial show. Smack I the center of the crowded, poorly hung space, is Scott Trimble’s recycled pallet wood roller coaster piece. It’s a decent work, has a nice quality about it, but damn, I am tired of seeing large installation/sculptural works done in unfinished wood. Sure sometimes it’s fresh wood right out of Home Depot (Maya Lin’s 2” x 4”s) but often it’s just a mix-match of whatever wood the artist seems to come across when poking around dark alleys. How many wood-based installations have you seen recently, in the vein of Trimble, where a large, often organic form, is created from several cut pieces of unfinished wood? If not that large organic form, then a jagged, harsh treatment- in the form of a wall sculpture- seems to be the other choice for this material. It’s getting old fast folks.

I swear its like artists can’t see a bunch of discarded material and not try to use it in some new way. Which is great- recycle, re-use, free, all that crap...it’s just when the material is so essential to your work such a big part of the meaning of the work, shouldn’t more attention be paid to it? I have several friends who work with recycled material that will probably give me a hard time about this…I’m just saying do it with purpose.

Wood aside, the Biennial was an interesting show. There were a few strong works, oddly I was more drawn to small, crafty pieces in this show. Rick Araluce’s little miniature room sculptures are delightful. There is so much narrative wit in these pieces I nearly giggled. Sarah Hood’s jewelry is well done as always. I’m not sure it’s. Michael Brophy’s watercolors (or gouache maybe) have a quiet power about them. I did not care for the hanging of his work though. 2 different series where kind of mix-matched in a square format on the wall, like 25 works hanging 5 x 5, a grid pattern. This felt strange because one series was about the burning studio, and the other were these sweet landscapes…I suppose I kind of get why it was hung together..but I had the thought that perhaps-it was hung this way to save space. Overall the hanging of the show was not good. Awkward and crowded, the large back wall was hung terribly. The lighting was lousy. That gallery’s ceilings are just too high for good lighting in this show. Distracted from the work.

And another thing about the curation-I am on such a rant today, apologies to all-why was Denzil Hurley’s work included for a 2nd straight time? I suppose I don’t really understand much about Biennials, but I was under the impression that it had something to do with getting a sense of what was happening in a particular region, in that particular time. Very contemporary and very local. Denzil Hurley was included twice in a row, and the thing is, for the same series of work. The same 2 series I should say. I don’t know much about the man’s process, but this work looks very 1975 to me. It’s minimal, processed-based and BORING. I can’t say much for Robert Jones either.

However, props to Zhi Lin, Victor Maldonado, and Chang-Ae Song for strong works.

Photography was given a surprising amount of wall space, considering how uninspired much of the work was. Michael Kenna’s work was elegant, but haven’t we see a lot of these dark object (tree, post, fence, power line, etc) in snow shots before? Yes we have. And the interior rooms of…some other photographer, the name escapes me…they are run-of-the-mill. Dark rooms with shafts of light, or with dramatic light sources. Staged. How…blah. The only work that stands out is Isaac Layman’s self portraits. And they aren’t even that good, they just happen to be the only figural work I recall seeing in the entire show.

NW artists seem to be focused on landscape and form these days (like me!)….what happened to all the sad clowns of yesteryear?

TAM Biennial: 2.5 Molos

I watched the Watchmen

The Watchmen. For the record I had only recently read the graphic novel, and I read it because I saw this preview for The Watchmen, back in the fall, and it had all these amazing looking scenes and a great, eerie song playing-looked like a dark, disturbing, mysterious and beautiful film. Plus the director of 300-and one would assume the art direction would be on par as well.

So to it's credit, the movie did get me to read this amazing and seminal graphic novel.

So I did not go into this movie with the fan zeal of thousands of bloggers out there I'm sure. I did go in with my usual critical eye, and with recent knowledge of the source material.

And to put it shortly, I understand perfectly well why Alan Moore has kept his name off this, and all of his graphic novels that have been stripped of all their wit, punch, and smarts in movie-form. Although I'm sure he did write his name on the checks.

It's a real flat film. Too long, too focused on Nite Owl and Silk Spectre (no idea who these characters are? Oh...nevermind), too soft.

The movie alternates from scenes of gruesome violence (very well done, and my action sensibilities were pleased by this) and a sort of a dark, bleak world that is attempting to be gritty but somehow ends up too polished. Much of the story is camp, it all is a play up of the genre of superheros, and the director/writer of the movie version just doesn't have the chops to pull it off.

I read that Darren Aronofsky was attached to this project at one point-now that could have a been a masterpiece.

There were some great scenes, and all the stuff with Rorschrach was pretty well done-esp the prison scenes. There was life in the way that was handled. The rest of the movie fell flat.

3 molos for trying though, it's a tough one to pull off.

March is upon us!

So come on down to The Baby Seal Club and see some art, drink some wine, and eat some Red Vines. 619 Western, 3rd Floor-South Side; Seattle, WA. Work by Kate Protage, Chris Sheridan, and Ryan Molenkamp (that's me!) will be on display.

The first image here, Place Sketch 4, is a piece I reworked and will be hanging at the lovely bar and art installation called The Hideout, up on Pill Hill (at Boren and Madison). Ya'll should come by and check it out-there are works on display from my studio mates as well as a ton of other great Seattle area artists. Plus the bartenders are really cool.

The second is one of my recent small works, 55 Place. On display this Thursday at TBSC.

And the Oscar goes to....

The Oscars. Didn't see them. Have no idea how Wolverine did as host. Don't really care either. I do want to see the new Wolverine movie though. That will be good. Despite not watching the 'scars, I did, just now, tally up my guesses and found that I only picked 12/24 looks like. 50%. That's terrible!

I am very surpized! Granted, about half of my guesses were pure random. I did only see 7 of the films that were nominated in the main catagories-so I guess 50% ain't all that bad. (those 7 include Wanted, In Bruges, Ironman )

I was glad to see Kate Winslett win an Oscar. Half of the time it seems like they just give out these awards almost like "make-up calls" in basketball. Like, we really should have given you an award years ago, for when you were really really good, but we were dumb, so now you can have this for when you were just okay. (see: Martin Scorsese) Winslett was the winner this year in that vein. Perhaps some day Gus Van Sant will have his turn.

Shame that Mickey Rourke didnt' get the nod. I figure that a couple things happened with that. One, he is kind of a scary freak and just a bit too rebellious for those voters. Two, probably a bit of backlash, after his winning the Spirit Award and Golden Globe, and all the allocades...I think that maybe people had just heard enough about Mickey, so they went with the always stellar Penn. Okay, fine. Whatever...

So, here's to the most bland Oscars in recent memory, with the least exciting bunch of movie nominated!

At least I won my bet and now Cristin owes me a buck.

Molo's Oscar Predictions

Best Supporting Actress will be: Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler.

Best Supporting Actor will be: Heath Ledger for Dark Knight. Duh. This isn't even a contest.

Best Actress in a Leading role: Close call between Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. I think Hathaway will come away with this one.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Mickey Rourke has this locked up.

Best Animated Feature: Wall-E. Duh.

Art Direction: who cares? Oh wait, I'm an artist I should care...but this never seems to go the most artful picture, it always seems to be some kind of technical category, like this was the most complex art direction...so let's say it will be...Benji Buttons. After all, with 13 nominations it must win some awards.

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design: I have no idea how they figure this one out. The Duchess, sure, why not.

Directing: Hmmm...sometimes, rarely, they give the directing prize to a film that doesn't win the best pictures. This year is such a year, and I'm going out on a limb and saying that Gus Van Sant will be given this award.

Documentary Feature: Man on Wire

Documentary Short: Who sees these? The Final Inch, based on nothing

Film Editing: Benji Buttons

Foreign Language film: Watlz With Bashir

Make-Up: Buttons

Music (score): Buttons

Music (song): one of the 2 Slumdog songs...."O Saya"

Short Film (animated): This Way Up (random guess)

Short (live): The Pig

Sound Editing: Dark Knight (can you believe "Wanted" got a nomination???)

Sound Mixing: What is the difference between this and Editing? The Dark Knight

Visual Effects: Buttons

Writing (adapted screenplay): Doubt

Writing (original): Milk (I hope it goes to In Bruges though...)


and finally....



Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire