The Wackness
Set in New York in 1994, when Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was cleaning up the city, it focuses on Luke Shapiro [Joshua Peck], a recently graduated but mostly friendless dope dealer. It]s a coming of age film with a twist, featuring an analytical and enlightened outsider in the tradition of Holden Caulfield. Although all the characters are weighed down by a barrage of faults, refreshingly, no judgment is passed. The textured characters of this moving and frequently hilarious film with textured characters instead showing that life is complicated enough without taking it too seriously. Peck shines with his deadpan humour and the unlikely relationship with a psychiatrist, played by Ben Kingsley, is one of the most memorable pairings in recent memory. For anyone disillusioned with the state of the world, this film might not offer any answers, but it does remind us that there are plenty of us struggling against a normal, regulated life.
RELATED
Dee Lite’s Groove Is In The Heart (retro throwdown)
At the risk of sounding like a broken (vinyl) record, they just don’t make em’ like they used to. Rhiannon, Britney and co, the superstars (for better or for worse, with a strong lean towards the latter) of today, couldn’t hold a torch to the dancing divas of yesteryear, as this funkadelic clip from New York group Dee Lite proves.
I was working in New York in the early seventies, walked into a club, and heard this. It’s been in my head ever since. I knew the song because it had been launched in the UK by The Shadows some ten years earlier, but this blew it away. Africa Bambaataa and Kool Herc and others gave me a new direction.
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.
Also by XAVIER TOBY
Australian movie A Few Best Men
With all the gross out jokes and silliness of the common comedy romp, you’d think making them would be easy. Well, it’s not. It’s actually really difficult. Writing a joke is one of the hardest tasks anyone can undertake. Read more
Melancholia: a film by Lars von Trier
I wish there were a lot more of the types of films made by Lars von Trier. Each is very different but still distinctly von Trier, and each is superb. Melancholia is the follow up to the wonderfully confronting Antichrist. This is all about the end of the world, and told with an honesty and pacing that is probably much closer to the actual end of the world than all the Hollywood crap would have you believe. Read more
We Need To Talk About Kevin: based on Lionel Shriver’s novel
A delightful uncomfortable film, told from the point of view of a broken woman. Kevin’s just not right, and that’s obvious from the outset as mother Eva battles to bring him up in a world where the onus is put squarely back on the mother. The intensity is poured on throughout, as tragedy seems imminent. Read more
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Brooklyn-based illustrator Aya Kakeda has used a wide range of materials for her Yoshitomo Nara-esque images, but there’s something particularly compelling about her embroidered work. The constraints and distortions inherent in the medium suggests a struggle and a roughness not apparent in her other work and fits nicely with some of her folky subject matter and child-like narratives. Read more
So I have this recurring dream. Well, not really a dream as such. More a footnote on the thesis on life; a ‘mental meandering’ where my mind flows to a secret place which only I and Paul McCartney can access. Read more
History is the story of the winners, and western dominated culture recounts few triumphs from the east. Mongol is an effort to correct this balance, and the eastern influence is evident in much more than just the storyline. It is more like a fairy tale or legend handed down through generations, than based on fact, with mythical elements playing a major part, and the character’s motivations remaining simple. Read more
While I’m sure we’ve all considered jumping into a frothy pool of beer, apparently a Beer Spa is actually good for you, with a healthy boost of B-vitamins and minerals in the hops and the giant stein soak could just help your skin. Yup, we agree, trust the Czechs to invent this boozy relaxation! Read more
Our favourite fiction quarterly — the Australian produced Torpedo — is soon to release its second issue, which is jam packed with well-written, independent fiction. Read more
Given the amount of talent he has, it’s a mystery why German producer Pantha Du Prince not received more attention than he has. His minimal tech soundscapes are surprisingly melodic and moody, as reflected on his epic track, Asha, as good a starting point to the music of this German electro whiz as any.
Designed by Australian label Das Monk, this Acid Ice Cream features a digital print on white 100 percent cotton tee. Artwork by Zach Johnsen. Like? Yeah.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Communication prosthesis by Sascha Nordmeyer
This ‘communication prosthesis’ by designer Sascha Nordmeyer is hilarious and awesome. I want to wear one to a job interview.
Nerd-attack! Man, this TARDIS zipper robe is so much cooler than any Star Wars crap people are hawking this days. This is for the true gangsta nerd.
The return of the Brionvega rr226
Italian brand Brionvega has resurrected the classy Radiofonografio piece first created in 1965. The updated version is just like the original turntable/radio unit, but also has a CD/DVD player.
Pencils made from recycled newspaper
The problem with awesome things like these pencils made out of recycled newspaper is that you almost don’t want to use them.
Baltimore Mural by Josh Van Horne
My friend Josh Van Horne, a local Baltimore artist, did this amazing mural in our neighborhood that depicts the history of this warehouse-laden area.
We love the re-Issue of the original Raised by Wolves and Furni digital watch collaboration, which comes with a built-in phone book, stopwatch, countdown timer and multiple alarm features with melody setting. Read more
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