A Thing or Two

Where the Academy's head is at

Each spring when the Academy Award Nominations are announced, it's a reality check on the health of art cinema in the Hollywood crowd. This year's nominations are heavier than ever with blockbuster fare from the multiplexes.

We know from past years that the Academy membership includes fans of cinema from smaller studios, independents, and foreign filmmakers. But some years are like this, with only one or two art films sprinkled among a slew of dollar-driven studio behemoths.

To be fair, the Darkside Cinema should at least be keeping up with the foreign films in release, and know who the heck these nominees are. But only one, THE WHITE RIBBON, is on our schedule (slated for the Darkside on February 26). So, yeah. We are a little bit embarrassed.

But where are the outstanding festival films—aside from PRECIOUS? Why isn't PRODIGAL SONS on the documentary list? (Maybe it will be in consideration for 2011?) Why isn't WALTZ WITH BASHEAR on the animated feature list? Maybe I'm just grumpy; I've only had one cup of coffee this morning.

Here are the nominees we played (or will be playing this month) at the Darkside:

Actor in a Leading Role

• Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”

Actress in a Leading Role

• Carey Mulligan in “An Education”

Actress in a Supporting Role

(none)

Animated Feature Film

(none)

Art Direction

• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
• “The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

• “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
• “The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

• “Bright Star” Janet Patterson
• “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
• “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

• “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow

Documentary (Feature)

• “The Cove” Nominees to be determined
• “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

Documentary (Short Subject)

(none)

Film Editing

• “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Foreign Language Film

• “The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup

• “The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)

• “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

Music (Original Song)

• “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas

Best Picture

• “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
• “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
• “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers (at the Darkside February 12)

Short Film (Animated)

(none)

Short Film (Live Action)

(none)

Sound Editing

• “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson

Sound Mixing

• “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

Visual Effects

(none)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
• “In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
• “The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
• “A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

WarHorse: Puppets like you've never seen

The West End in London is buzzing about the sell-out production from the National Theatre: WarHorse. In a dramatic departure from traditional theater, the horses in the play are giant puppets—each controlled by three puppeteers. The footage reveals the stunning creativity of the puppets' construction and operation, all designed to make the audiences forget about the fact that the horses on stage are not actual, living creatures.

This BBC Channel 4 report provides a glimpse of the horses in action, in addition to comments about the bump in theater receipts due to the success of the show. YouTube has some other videos, if you want to go look.

Rachael Direnna's recycled paper sculptures

See this dancer and other recycled paper sculptures by Rachael Direnna on Flickr. She does amazing things with post-consumer paper.

Marianne's Lavender Lime Designs

I named this business. Marianne's bags are wonderful. Aside from one store in Albany, I think her site is the only place you can buy them.

I believe Marianne takes commission work, so contact her with your good idea for a bag for yourself, or for that special someone.

San Francisco, in Jell-O

Artist Liz Hickok makes scale models of San Francisco, in Jell-O. They are hauntingly beautiful, and the skyline makes me feel a little homesick.

Image: from Liz Hickock's site

Your Fantasy Dinner Party

Let's say you're planning a dinner party. But this time, you can invite anyone, living or dead, real or fictional, to your table for an evening of good food and stimulating conversation.

David Lance Goines, the esteemed artist, knows whom he would invite, and why. See his list on the "Eat" poster page in his site.

And then check out the rest of his site to see more of his art and writing. An hour or two, well spent.

Now, whom would you invite?

(poster by David Lance Goines, reproduced here without permission but plenty of reverence)

Splendor in the Dust

Scott Wade of Austin, TX, uses paint-brushes and his fingers to paint incredibly
detailed art-scenes in the dust that accumulates on the windows of his Mini
Cooper. The Austin American-Statesman has a small gallery of his finest
work.

Link: Photo gallery: Dust art.

Thanks, Mimi!

omo sanza lettere - Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo referred to himself as "omo sanza lettere." Depending on the source, this is translated as:

• man without education


• guy who didn't learn Latin


• craftsman, not scholar

and probably a few other variations ranging from literal to metaphorical.

Whatever the meaning of the phrase, Leonardo clearly was a sponge for learning. He is the seminal "Renaissance Man." His notebooks and works of art, mechanics, architecture, and medical invention testify to a mind continually seeking to understand new topics. What a good dinner party guest he would have made, had he possessed any social skills.

Wired news has a story about the current display of Leonardo's Codex Trivulzianus in Milan. This notebook dates from the late 1400s, and is filled with drawings, mirror writing, and even loads of Latin terms. View some pages here.

Let's hear it for lifelong learning, for exploring on one's own instead of sitting in a classroom.

Disclaimer: I serve on the board of directors of da Vinci Days, an annual three-day community festival celebrating art, science, and technology. Da Vinci Days takes place the third weekend of July in Corvallis, Oregon.

Langorigami.com

You must see Robert Lang's origami art to believe it.

This scientist/artist has made a study of origami for over 30 years. The gallery at the link above is just one small part of the showcase of stunning creations.

Charcoal and Pencil Drawings by J.D. Hillberry

Check out these
finely rendered drawings by Colorado artist J. D. Hillberry.

The Adventures of Art Lad

I love Boing Boing. Today it led me to the blog called The Adventures of Art Lad. You really must check this out. Thomas is ready to share his art right now.

Ugolino and His Sons

There's something haunting about this sculpture, which I first saw in 1998 in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Robert Baron, a consultant for arts information and education, shares the back story about this sculpture and provides a variety of photos that show the suffering family from many angles. Grab a sandwich and read the details!

Stunning trompe l'oeil murals

Eric Grohe paints murals that are so beautifully rendered they change the entire feeling of an outdoor space. Here's one at Niagara Falls' Prime Outlets, a shopping mall. Be sure to check out the "before" picture partway down the page.