Stating the Obvious: Richard Prince

Richard Prince Exhibition in Guggenheim is between Sept 29 - Jan 9. If you are in NY, you really have to see this guy's paintings/photographs/installations. He is one of the most buzz-worthy (rightfully so) artists right now. One of the most innovative contemporary artists of the U.S. Very Americana, pop culture, witty... Original and free form...

His Cowboy and Nurse projects I think are among the most well known.








The latest Louis Vuitton fashion show was a collaboration between our beloved designer Marc Jacobs and Richard Prince... All models were wearing the Nurse uniform a la Prince's Naughty Nurse Project

His latest project, de Kooning is a mix of kitsch and porn. Very edgy and interesting.

Very comprehensive exhibition at Guggenheim - please go... it would make me jealous but it is ok

Shake Rattle Roll that Syrah

Red Car's 2005 release of Shake Rattle Roll Syrah is absolutely fantastic. Although I must warn you that this may be a pricey endeavour because Red Car makes wines in very limited quantities. This inky purple nectar of goody goodiness bursts with blackberry and plum flavors without the overbearing fruit forward Californian style. It is almost 100% syrah with a splash of Granache just to keep things interesting. It has a bit of earthy-ness and smoky aroma that sets this Californian beauty apart. It is extremely well balanced and so smooth on the palate. Shake Rattle Roll may be a misnomer...

Wine Spectator gave Shake Rattle Roll 93 points and I could not agree more (in case anybody asks whether I agree).

Oh and Red Car is a Santa Barbara winery that you all should get to know. Unfortunately their wine does not travel east very much. But you may want to travel west to get to know their amazing wines. Their bottles are a piece of art... Especially the Fight, one of the most amazing Syrahs ever...

Afflecks' Gone Baby Gone

The Brothers Affleck have done a mighty fine job with Gone Baby Gone as director (Ben Affleck) and the lead actor (Casey).

Gone Baby Gone is about two Boston area detectives (Casey Affleck and in movie girl friend Michelle Monaghan) looking for a kidnapped girl. As the investigation continues, the two characters unveil the emotional and chaotic story behind the kidnapping.

Casey Affleck shines with his performance. And Morgan Freeman does as well. Ben Affleck can really get great performance out of his actors. Emulating the best of Eastwood and Scorsese, Ben Affleck's directorial debut is very strong. The ethical issues at play are weaved into the movie very gently and the suspense of a child kidnap is not drenched in a saucy moral dilemma.

However, I cannot praise Ben Affleck's story telling/ script writing talent as much as his directing. Some cheesy and awkward lines, choppy scene transitions and unexplained story behind main characters make the story harder to relate to. I would have liked to know why Casey Affleck's character became a detective to understand his dedication to the case, his understanding of the neighborhoods and his relationship to his girlfriend. The girlfriend waivered between being a sidekick and a real detective but appeared in all scenes with equal unexplicable importance.

The narrow camera angles are sometimes suffocating and alienating. When Affleck gets broader shots, the results are beautiful. Affleck was able to capture the beauty of Boston extremely poetically.

Definitely a movie worth watching. I am looking forward to seeing Affleck brothers grow. With a better script writer, Affleck can easily become the next Scorsese.

Boston has a new Wine Spot: Albert Weinstein

Such a cool name! It was one of those, why haven't I thought of that moments when I found out about Albert Weinstein wine bar in Hyde Park. Looking at their cool website this place will be worth the drive from the city.
They have a laid back yet very serious attitude about wine which I am extremely impressed with. They absolutely sound like they know what they are talking about but they take the intimidation factor out of tasting with their chill ways...

It looks like I will be going to this place a lot. I will keep you posted once I make it to their tasting. The first one is in mid December. See you there?

Michael Bay's Transformers

On a flight to Los Angeles, I watched Transformers on a 10 inch screen with bad resolution. And apparently, when you take out the special effects, Transformers is the worst movie ever! As in, ever!

The biggest revelation of the movie was that my favorite childhood cartoon characters are actually GMC-made martians. I am baffled by the logic that connected Transformers to Dodge Martians. Do martians go dumpster diving in Earth's car graveyards? The movie also suggests that Transformers are the most evolved beings and humans have a long way to go in the evolution drive way.

The movie starts in Qatar with American special forces doing something secretive. What are they doing and why are they in Qatar completely escape me... Then a bunch of incoherent things happen through which I was snoozing. There was a half ass love story in there somewhere between two primitive characters with no depth. The main guy is supposed to be deep but in Mr. Bay's definition, deep is just nerdy and awkward. And shallow is I put on lip gloss and wear skanky clothes.

Anyways, the movie has a bad scenario, a half baked plot and very cheese lines. I can almost see Michael Bay chuckling to himself and saying "oh boy, that will be funny!" and the entire set looking at him in awe and suspicion.

Michael Bay has a candid fascination towards alien invasions. This movie proves to me that Michael Bay can do variations on one movie: Independence Day. Bay has no shame in rehashing the Martian attacker idea, souping up special effects with money borrowed from Spielberg and creating Transformers.

And did I mention the 90's music effects to create a pseudo suspension? Oh wow.
The ending was especially fascinating but I am not going to spoil it for you...

I just really love Bumblebee though... He was great.

Beirut: Now I am a member of "The Flying Club Cup"

Oh Beirut is one of the most delicious things I listened to since The Decemberists. Zach Condon, a 21 year old child, has created this amazing album named The Flying Club Cup.

The album has the sound of a world traveller. The Balkan and eastern European inspired melodies make the sound extra exquisite. Then you start hearing 1940's-esque French cinema dialogs in the background. And Zach's voice smooths over this exotic musical richness like a velvet curtain which reminds me of his sultry predecessors Jens Lekman and Sufjan Stevens. There is some lo-fi elements to the music, which I think brings out Zach's Brooklyn roots.

Believe me you will not understand how a 21 year old could have such a worldly view? Such a velvety beautiful voice? One of my best discoveries. He has definitely come a long way since his Gulag Orkestar days...