Month: July 2016

Leste Chen, “The Great Hypnotist”

Leste Chen, “The Great Hypnotist”

The Great Hypnotist is a 2014 Chinese mystery-thriller film directed by Leste Chen and starring Xu Zheng and Karen Mok. The film was released on April 29, 2014.

The Great Hypnotist seeks to mesmerize its viewers. Concluding the 2014 Beijing International Film Festival  before unspooling across mainland China, the film boasts of excellent production values, sturdy performances and an ambitious plot zipping in between dream and reality, as a buoyant psychotherapist engages in a battle of wits with a mysterious and strangely belligerent patient who claims she sees ghosts.

This is a good film to watch if you enjoyed the “Sixth Sense”. A great thriller with a major plot twist, the film draws you into it. My only reservation is the short part of the movie after the twist in which flashbacks seek to explain the twist. Not really necessary in my opinion. If you have Netflix streaming, the movie is there for you. If not, you will have to really search for it. Worth it.

Halo of Light

Photographer Unknown, (Halo of Light)

“I try to think of things to say but nothing comes, and if something did come I probably couldn’t say it. This is my great obstacle, the biggest of all the boulders littering my path. In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts. But when I open my mouth, it all collapses.”
― Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies

 

David Hockney

David Hockney’s Birthday: July 9

Septuagenarian artist David Hockney is known for a lot of things—his remarkable skills as a painter, photographer, and draughtsman, his contributions to the Pop art movement, and the open exploration in his work of gay love as early as 1961 with such works as “We Two Boys Together Clinging”. Quotes by David Hockney:

“Water in swimming pools changes its look more than in any other form… its colour can be man-made and its dancing rhythms reflect not only the sky but, because of its transparency, the depth of the water as well. If the water surface is almost still and there is a strong sun, then dancing lines with the colours of the spectrum appear everywhere.”

“Bohemia was against the suburbs, and now the suburbs have taken over. I mean, the anti-smoking thing is all anti-Bohemia. Bohemia is gone now. When people say, well wasn’t it amazing saying you were gay in 1960, I point out, well, I lived in Bohemia, and Bohemia is a tolerant place. You can’t have a smoke-free Bohemia. You can’t have a drug-free Bohemia. You can’t have a drink-free Bohemia. Now they’re all worried about their fucking curtains, sniffing curtains for tobacco and stuff like that.”

“Nobody’s taking any notice of the avant-garde any more. They’re finding they’ve lost their authority. They thought they would get authority by damaging the other, earlier establishment. But by doing that you damage all authority.”

“Drawing is rather like playing chess: your mind races ahead of the moves that you eventually make.”

The Shield House

Studio HT Architecture, The Shield House, Denver, Colorado

The Shield House located in Denver, Colorado is an urban infill project designed by Studio H:T. This 3,0000 square foot residence was designed with privacy in mind; a large wall provides shielding from an adjacent three story property. A tall, slender curved metal wall juxtaposes against a rectangular living space. The curve shield is necessary to provide privacy from the decks of the adjacent triplex, but it also acts as sun catcher that brings light down through the house. The intimate courtyard offers a quiet sanctuary to relax both day and night.

Spoon, “Inside Out”

Spoon, “Inside Out”

The band was formed in late 1993 by the lead singer and guitarist Britt Daniel and the drummer Jim Eno, after the two met as members of The Alien Beats. The name Spoon was chosen to honor the 1970s German avant-garde band Can, whose hit song “Spoon” was the theme song to the 1985 movie Das Messer aka Jagged Edge in the United States. Eno describes Spoon’s music as “psychedelic.”

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Perfume Genius, “Fool”

Perfume Genius, “Fool”, Directed by Charlotte Rutherford

Perfume Genius is the stage name for Seattle-based solo artist Mike Hadreas. As of 2016, he has released three albums.

Growing up, Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school, and he received death threats which were not addressed by the administration. He dropped out of high school during his senior year. Two years after dropping out, he was attacked by several young men in his neighborhood. He moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and worked as a doorman for a club in the East Village.

In 2005, Hadreas returned home to Seattle and began recording music. In 2008, Hadreas set up a MySpace page under the name Perfume Genius, and thus began his music career. Hadreas’ music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn’s disease, domestic abuse, and the dangers faced by gay men in contemporary society.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)