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Hidden Treasures. | Gone Girl.

In by Steven BriggsLeave a Comment

“Do you often find the simplest explanation is often the correct one?” “Actually, I’ve never found that to be true.” avid Fincher’s latest film Gone Girl is full of surprise twists and sensational turns as it unravels the mysterious disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) and the investigation that follows. Amy’s husband Nick (Ben Affleck) quickly becomes the prime suspect …

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It Was a Very Good Year… 2013 in Review.

In by Steven BriggsLeave a Comment

With the Oscars now in the rear view mirror, our film enthusiast, Steven Briggs, avoids all Academy Awards punditry and gives us an affection recount of the year 2013 in film. Quaalude overdose and Stoli martinis. Infant stealing nuns and a pill smuggling cowboy. Subway shootings and a fake British accent. From feisty females to the recurring collapse of the American dream, …

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Happily Ever After. | Saving Mr. Banks.

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When Walt Disney met author P.L. Travers to obtain the rights to her book Mary Poppins, something unexpected took place. The new film Saving Mr. Banks by director John Lee Hancock explores the unique relationship between two timeless creative forces. Tom Hanks plays Mr. Disney with a disarmingly gentle touch, boasting and smirking his way through every scene. However, Emma Thompson steals the show, …

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Postmodern Love. | Her.

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The film Her by director Spike Jonze follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonesome writer of other peoples’ personal letters. Theodore soon develops a relationship with his computer Operating System or OS for short, with the name Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Set in Los Angeles in the not-so-distant future, an OS promises to meet the user’s every need. Samantha fills Theodore’s life with …

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Lies We Tell. | American Hustle.

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Lies and scandal converge in American Hustle, the award winning film by director David O. Russell. Con artist Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) team up with power hungry FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) to take down a slew of mob bosses and American politicians including New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) by convincing them to …

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Mother of God. | Philomena.

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Philomena, a new film by director Stephen Frears, follows the true story of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) and her fifty-yearlong journey to reunite with her son. The child was born out of wedlock in an Irish-Catholic covenant and given up for adoption against Philomena’s will. The story was originally told in the nonfiction book by Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), who accompanies Philomena …

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End of the Road. | Nebraska.

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Has anyone seen my teeth? Bruce Dern stars as Woody Grant in the new film Nebraska by Alexander Payne as a near-senile elderly man who believes he has won a million dollars. Woody’s son David (Will Forte) agrees to drive his father to Lincoln, Nebraska in order to claim the winnings. Along with Woody’s acid tongued wife Kate (June Squibb), the Grant family …

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A Room of Her Own.

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Artist Sage Schmett lives and works out of her home in Arlington, Massachusetts. A narrow staircase leads to an open room filled with cut-up magazines and open shoeboxes gathered around a large dollhouse. The work titled Dollhouse #1 is the latest and is by far the most ambitious creation to date from the artist who primarily works using three-dimensional structures. …

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Movie Review | Dyin’ to Live.

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The new film Dallas Buyers Club tells the story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a booze-guzzling womanizing rodeo gambler diagnosed with AIDS and given thirty days to live. As a homophobic man from Texas, Woodroof refuses to come to terms with his own illness until his body takes a turn for the worse. He seeks medical care, but the only …

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Movie Review | A Man is His Own Best Friend.

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There’s nothing left to do, but lie down and die. Several moments in the new film All is Lost by director J.C. Chandor portray death as imminent and inescapable. Robert Redford plays the only character in the film using little to no dialogue. The actor uses his weary face and piercing eyes to tell the story of a man struggling …

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Movie Review | Let Freedom Come.

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Solomon Northup was a free-born African American cello player who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the mid 1800’s. He recorded his story in a book titled, Twelve Years a Slave, and has now been adapted for the screen into a new film by the same name by director Steve McQueen. The film evolves from a tale of survival …

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History Reinvented.

In by Steven Briggs1 Comment

Mary Reid Kelley has made a unique place for herself in the world of independent cinema. Her black and white videos revolve around the lives of women throughout different times in history. She creates a world with elaborate masks and costumes that cover the eyes and replace them with cartoonish features. Caught somewhere between animation and live action, Kelley designs …

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The Void of Survival.

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Gravity, the new film by director Alfonso Cuarón, brings thrilling suspense to the distant realm of outer space. The film mixes terrifying realism with majestic images of Earth and the endless darkness that looms all around. Dr. Ryan Stone, played by Sandra Bullock, serves as the film’s protagonist: a hard working scientist who has limited experience in space. After a …

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Remember That Time.

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Painter Molly Segal works out of a cozy studio in Somerville, Massachusetts. The building looms like an old box factory, tucked away on a quiet residential street. Molly greets us warmly as she invites in. After she introduces us to her work, we sit down for a video interview, which you will find below the article and also on the …

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Photogenetics.

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Artist Ida Applebroog defines the term photogenetics as “a series of images produced through the crossbreeding of photography, sculpture, technology and painting.”  Her latest body of work does just that. Human eyes peer out from behind misshapen bodies and faces that create a new type of image that pools multiple mediums. The figures appear indistinguishable and yet familiar. The eyes …

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Call Me Sexy.

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Artist Steve Locke is known for his portraits of men in all different positions. The figures float in a sea of color with few defining details. His work captures new images of masculinity and personal identity in the modern world. Amateaur shows a nearly naked man in a pair of tighty whities as he holds a camera phone facing out …

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DIY DJ.

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Love Legos? Who doesn’t? Those tiny plastic building blocks can actually be useful. Thanks to Kai Mueller in Germany, you can renovate your DJ system, Lego style! Uploaded on the Style Spy website, Mueller provides DIY step-by-step instructions and pictures to create a completely functional DJ Booth made almost entirely out of Legos. The main ingredients are a block of …

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A Hostage in A Hijacking.

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A Hijacking follows the story of a cargo ship as it travels across the Indian Ocean when a band of pirates takes the crew hostage. The CEO of the shipping company is determined to get them back alive. The film becomes almost unbearable to endure as the situation escalates from bad to worse. Time becomes an enemy. The minutes drag …

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Fully Frontal.

In by Steven Briggs1 Comment

  Analisa Aza does a lot with faces. Her body of work mainly consists of portraits of unusual facial expressions. She likes to keep her subjects front and center with minimal interference. In her series Facial Distortions, Aza draws the same figure three times; each time altering the face in a new way. The first portrait shows two hands pulling …

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Nature On Fire.

In The Menu, Visual Arts by Steven BriggsLeave a Comment

Explosive design and blazing colors illuminate the canvas in artist Lauren Coulson’s new body of work. With furious energy and dazzling form, her work contains imagery from nature and the physical world. From the dirt under our feet to the depths of the cosmos, Lauren Coulson wants us to take a step back and reexamine the natural world. As a …

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The Painting Comes to Life.

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In a new animated film by Jean-Francois Laguionie, Le Tableau (The Painting), a society of people lives in segregation. The fully-drawn characters enjoy a life of wealth and luxury, celebrating their beauty on the steps of a lavish castle. While the half-drawn characters and raw sketches are cast out as less than average citizens in this fantastical world. The reality …

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Frances Ha Ha.

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Have you ever wanted to follow your dreams? Be the best that you can be? It might not be so easy. In Noah Baumbach’s new film Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig plays the title role: a 20-something dancer living in New York City with big expectations. Frances dreams of living larger. She wants to be professional and independent. She wants more …

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An Unfinished Work.

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Smile for the camera. American artist Eric Fischl paints a snapshot of the American dream in his latest series of portraits. Sun-kissed faces and half-naked bodies huddle in the sand like the photo album from a family summer vacation. Every person stares back at the camera with joy and delight as if to create a moment that they want to …

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Naked Selves.

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Painter Amelia Briggs creates a playfully turbulent world of loose limbs and mangled bodies. The bright pastel colors and crude lines resemble illustrations from a child’s storybook. Baby doll faces and naked misshapen figures give the work a familiar feeling of lost innocence. A melting pot of human-like forms suggests chaos and destruction. The artist arranges groups among the figures that create a …