The My Blueberry Nights soundtrack
There are three movie directors I absolutely trust whenever they put together their soundtracks: Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, and Wong Kar-Wai. Never heard of the third one? Well, you will from now on. The king of Hong Kong indie films, with a huge following in Asia, Wong Kar-Wai’s long awaited first English film, My Blueberry Nights, opens in New York today, starring Norah Jones, Jude Law and Natalie Portman. Just like Lee or Tarantino, he is not just known for his innovative film style, but also for his selection of music for his soundtracks. This one is no exception. Starting with Norah Jones and Cat Power, then some ever-cool and chilled Ry Cooder, and some classics from Otis Redding and Cassandra Wilson. This album was instantly put on heavy rotation at my studio.
Tagged: New York, soundtracks, Spike Lee
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If you’d like to expand your social network, not in front of your computer but over a delicious meal, then try Colunching. After huge success in New York and Paris, the trend is now expanding to Australia. It’s totally free to join and you can become an organiser, choosing your favourite restaurant or just participate at the lunches, dinners, or brunches already planned. Bon appetit.
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Dear Japan art event in New York
Come out to a gallery in Soho, New York, on Saturday afternoon and purchase art for your home for a good cause. The one evening event Dear Japan has been organized by a group of Japanese artists who live in New York. It features 170 illustrators and fine artists, and all the works are $200 or under. It’s a small portion of what most of the participating artists would normally sell their work for. Of course, I am donating for this good cause, too. Read more
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Three illustrators from vastly different backgrounds — Sam Weber (Canada), Yuko Shimizu (Japan), and Tomer Hanuka (Israel) — are meeting at the crossroads of a distinct American aesthetic to examine their new-found artistic voices through personal mythologies, broken narratives and remixed identities. Each of the illustrators featured as part of BLOW UP (running at New York’s Society of Illustrators until October 16) created new works to be shown for the first time in this exhibition. Read more
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YOU'RE SAYING (2)
John Branch said | 8 April, 2008
Absolutely right. The first Wong Kar-Wai film I saw was 2046, and the music was one of the five or 10 things that ravished me about the film.
HAVE YOUR SAY
My Gran, bless her, ruined my chance of ever knitting. Forced to wear itchy home knitted turtlenecks, I quickly turned my back on the craf, preferring instead hypercolour, acid wash and sweet puff paint. Read more
Remember that snarky kid in class whose sarcastic remarks used to make you laugh so much, your teacher thought you were the snarky one? He’s on Twitter, and he’s tweeting as Sixth Form Poet.
Artist David Shrigley’s animated music video for Blur is so simple, so sweet, so perfect. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched it, yet it still makes me cry every time.
Berlin-based artist Ralf Schmerberg built this igloo out of 322 refrigerators to comment on the energy we waste on a day to day basis.
Remember how the forgotten (and the forbidden) places attracted you as a child? Well, I think I never got past that phase. I haven’t had the courage to do any big scale explorations yet, but while I’m planning for it, Forbidden Places is a good place to see what other people are finding in hidden places around the globe. It’s very eerie and intriguing. Read more
The first album released by the Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, Dimanche a Bamako, bordered on exceptional, if not for its songwriting then for its sheer diversity. You’d be forgiven for approaching cautiously an album that draws its influences from Syria, Cuba, Egypt, India, and Colombia, as well as its own country – much like a restaurant that offers every cuisine on the planet: choose one and do it well, you’d argue. But the album is fantastic: so full of life, so catchy and so accessible. Read more
Shoes, art, shoes, art. Which will win in the ever-stimulating battle of wills in Kobi Levi’s creations. Though, as a Brooklyn resident, this one with gum as the heal is a just little too close to the truth. Read more
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
It’s refreshing to see artists like Joe Kievitt who are contented to explore the beauty in simple forms and asymmetrical patterns. Read more
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Matthew Dear’s Black City album totem
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Using Kyoko Hashimoto’s popular design, these acrylic earrings are made with unique hand formed sterling silver sleepers that make them light enough for everyday wear. Part of Kyoko’s collection, I Blame the Uni, (pronounced ‘oo-nee’, the Japanese name for sea urchin) and inspired by her experiences in the underground club scene of Tokyo. Read more
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Andres Colmenares said | 5 April, 2008
I think Sofia Coppola is another top 5 director for soundtracks.