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

artful lighting and light-art

IN FILM:

The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford.

What a mouthful of a title. What kind of idiot marketing squad came up with that one? I mean, yeah, it's probably based on a book or something, but sheesh. On the other hand, it is a good description. It speaks to the idea that...here is a story about Jessie James, one of the most famous, interesting, colorful gunmen from the wild west...and we are going to tell you a story about him getting killed, in cowardly fashion, by some chump named Robert Ford.

Really, in that sense, it's a perfect title.

This movie...though...my god it's quite awful. Really it's quite beautiful for about....40 minutes. If you rent this movie, watch it just after the point of the train robbery, then shut it off and save yourself 2 hours. There are some lovely shots, really quite beautiful, but they are all in the beginning, then the rest of the movie just repeats these same style of shots...it gets old fast. But great use of light and clever lens tricks.

Pitt is passable, his usual self. And yes Casey Affleck is fast becoming the best screen actor of his generation. (have you seen the film his brother directed, Gone Baby Gone? He's great in that movie). Even his stellar performance can't hold this movie for nearly 3 hours.

It's not the material-Jessie James, his enigma, and this wannabe "coward" who idolizes him-there is plenty of good stuff here. But the slow pace, the heavy handed stylized shots, and the lack of action and thin dialog just drag this attempt at an art house western down.

1.5 Molos

IN THE ARTS:

I caught the show at Western Bridge the other day, Light seeking Light/Untitled (a brink if infinity), which essentially is a bunch of work, some of which is rotating, from the collection that is up this winter. I shall not go into great detail here, but I'd say you should got check it out. It's worth it to see the piece by Anthony McCall (Pictured above). McCall's work is not smart, clever, or unique-it reminds me a great deal of going to see laser shows at the Science Center when I was in high school-that smell, of the smoke machine. Such an odd smell, kind of a good smell, but what exactly is that substance? In any case, the work really is just a nicely done laser show. Simple, elegant, and peaceful. Worth a look.

There are several other strong works in the show worth seeing. I wasn't all that interested in the centerpiece of the show: Mary Tempel's faux shadow wall painting. It's a clever trick, and well executed, but the imagery wasn't interesting or visually pleasing enough for me to have more than a simple-hey you fooled me for a second-type of reaction.

3 Molos

IN MUSIC:

I haven't been hearing a lot of new stuff yet this year, but the kids are all way into the new Animal Collective record, and I have given it a listen myself, and I actually like it a lot better than previous efforts of the band. It falls into that kind of multi/eclectic instrumental noise mess indie rock, like say, Broken Social Scene. Done well, though, and with a stronger sense of purpose this time around. It's called Merriweather Post Pavilion. 3.5 Molos

New Vetiver comes out this week, I'm sure that will be a lovely album.

2008 round-up

Yes, my blog has been ignored. Really I think this is because I lost all my pirated internet wifi connections at home, and my promotion does not afford me the same opportunities to play on the web.

But I can still sneak in a little, you know on "lunch".

So 2008, I didn't see nearly as many films as I had in previous years, but I did catch a few. Heard some good music too. So here's my roundup for top 10 so far. I'm sure the film one will change drastically as I finally catch the better movies on DVD.



Top 21 albums released in 2008 that I have been introduced to:


1. The Walkman - You and Me
2. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
3. The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale
4. Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyatly
5. Restiform Bodies - TV loves you back
6. Neon Neon - Stainless Style
7. Sigur Ros - Meo Suo I Eyrum Vio Spilum
8. Astronautalis - Pomegranite
9. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
10. Local H - 12 angry months
11. Grand Archives - Grand Archives
12. Portishead - third
13. Tapes n' Tapes - Walk it off
14. Brian Eno/David Byrne Everything that Happens will Happen Today
15. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
16. MGMT - Ocular Spectacular
17. Fujiya + Miyagi - lightbulbs album
18. School of Seven Bells Alpinisms
19. Nick Cave - Dig Lazarus Dig!
20. Steve Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
21. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Top 10 movie films I saw in 2008:

1. Batman - The Dark Knight
2. The Wrestler
3. Speed Racer (yeah that's right-the visuals in this movie are stunning!)
4. Gran Torino
5. Red Belt
6. Man On Wire
7. Cloverfield
8. Be Kind, Rewind
9. Iron Man
10. Death Race (he he he)

There's a lot of crap on this list, well not crap, but not exactly great either...I missed a lot, like these good/intriguing films that might make the list:

Milk, slumdog millionaire (everyone seems to love it, so it must be good, right?), The Changling, Choke, benji button, RockNRolla, The Reader, Revolutionary Road....etc etc...

fill me in if there are things I should be on the look out for. I heard something about some pretty good animation films this year, but they are slipping my mind.

2009 looks amazing, at least for entertaining movies!

Not exactly Best Western

Appoloosa

I love westerns, no doubt about it. I'll watch just about any western. I feel the same way about any post-apocalyptic sci-fi film as well. So I rented Appoloosa the other day. Sigh. Ed Harris is no Clint Eastwood. He has neither the acting nor directing chops of Eastwood. I only bring up the venerable Eastwood because this movie feels so much like Harris is trying to pick up that mantle.

In any case, the movie film is just not all that interesting. The best it has going for it is Viggo Mortenson, especially Viggo's facial hair. Jeremy Irons is somehow ingorable, Ed Harris is boring, pretty much everything is boring about this movie but the sharp looking western suites that Viggo and Ed sport.

Oh, and to top it all off, there is all this drama around a ghoulish-looking vamp played by Renee Zwelleger. She is simply ugly in this movie. Frankly she was never all that attractive, but here she looks outright scary. And her character is horribly written.

And, there's really not even much in the way of a good shoot out.

Only Viggo makes this picture watchable, he is a strong actor. You have been warned.

2 Molos