If the word “mind-bending” didn’t carry connotations of Magic Eye paintings and CGI technology and Timothy Leary, it would be the perfect descriptor of Benjamin Degen’s pieces. The Brooklyn-based artist fills his thoughtfully-drafted works on paper with nature, nudes, text, books and, why not, the Financial Times. Alternately folksy and futuristic, the works are rendered in graphite and colored pencil with shading that will give you shivers. Ready, set, explore.
Callous and/or deluded authority figures, insipid peers and a beguiling first love named Sheeni swirl about the bizarre world of Nick Twisp, an awkward yet determined teen terror sharply rendered by Michael Cera in Miguel Arteta’s hilarious new film, Youth in Revolt. Arteta carved out a name out for himself with his audacious low-budget debut Star Maps, before directing some of the decade’s best episodes of television on Freaks and Geeks and Six Feet Under. He also helmed two great films written by Mike White: The Good Girl, and the mind-blowing cult classic Chuck & Buck, one of the most extraordinarily awkward romances of all time.
Whether he’s telling the story of a Hollywood hustler, a frustrated midwestern woman or a pair of star-crossed teen lovers, the consistent throughline in Arteta’s body of work has always been the stellar performances he conjures from his actors. Youth in Revolt is no exception: it’s jam packed with brilliant performances—even in minor roles played to perfection by Steve Buscemi, Mary Kay Place, Zach Galifanakis and many more.
Arteta took time out on Youth In Revolt’s opening weekend to talk with We Love You So about making Michael Cera movies, animating the internal world of C.D. Payne’s beloved source material, and why acting should be like jumping into a swimming pool, chest first.
Robert Crumb is possibly the only person could take a segment of text that has been translated into *literally* every language and somehow make it fresh. His version of the The Book of Genesis takes its text straight from the King James Version of the Bible and presents it, in Crumb’s words, as “a straight illustration job” with no liberties taken. Thus we get Adam and Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah, Cain and Abel and the rest of the stories covered in the first fifty chapters of the Bible, all fleshed out in classic Crumb form. There are brawny babes, hairy dudes, a wild-eyed God and many excellent depictions of lust, fury, temptation and agony.
Two things makes themselves clear upon paging through the book. One: the subject is perfectly matched to Crumb, whose signature has long been a fascination with both the fiery and foolish elements of human behavior. Two: these are stories that everyone should know, not necessarily as elements of a religious instruction but as damn good yarns in their own right. Like gummy vitamins, Crumb’s Book of Genesis is a delicious way to stuff yourself with vital nutrients.
So as we reported a while back Spike has been hard at work on a new short film. It’s called “I’m Here” and it’s basically a robot love story. The details so far are pretty top secret but for those of you lucky enough to be headed to Sundance on January 21st you’ll be able to catch it at the opening night shorts program. More info as we’re able to release it!
Like the concept of infinity or the size of an XL fountain drink purchased at a movie theater, the human body is one of those entities that provokes thoughts of awe and astonishment whenever one stops to dwell upon it. It’s fortunate, then, that a book exists to satisfy our curiosity about the mechanics and mysteries of human anatomy (with lotsa pictures, naturally).
Human Anatomy: From the Renaissance to the Digital Age covers the history of anatomical illustration over five centuries from Leonardo da Vinci to Vesalius to Bernard Siegfried Albinus to Charles Estienne. It even includes illustrations considered too crazeballs for their own time, including Thomas Eakins’ The Gross Clinic (you can google that one; FYI it is gross.)
If the images are occasionally nauseating (many of them owe their fine detail to cadavers dissected for the purpose of drawing), they’re also never less than immaculately prepared. Nice to know that there were 16th century doctors sawing corpses in half so that we could all know exactly what was inside us, no? Thanks, guys.
VBS has the best of VBS 2009 up. Included is an amazing piece by our friend Ben Anderson, Obama’s War. He was with a marine platoon in Afghanistan this last summer. It was Obama’s first mission in the war. The footage he gets is incredible on the ground with the troops footage. He also was there the year before with British troops who were trying to train the newly formed Afghan army who have no interest in fighting and are just there for the money and to radio ahead and tell the Taliban where they are. In the middle of this chaotic fire fight, the Afghan soldiers are smoking opiates stoned out of their head. That piece is Inside Afgahnastan.
Both are definitely worth watching both as a reminder that we are at war and also to feel what its like over there. Ben is heading back there next month for another piece. Be safe Ben.
How did we miss this gem? Phenomenally talented illustrator Michael C. Hsiung designed this awesome t-shirt for Shirt.Woot, forever canonzing the glory and the follies of so many Where the Wild Things Are-inspired partygoers. The limited run of shirts sadly sold out at the beginning of December, but keep an eye out for more rad creations on Hsiung’s site!
Los Angeles based photo-creator and WLYS buddy Alex Prager will be starting off 2010 with a bang. She’s taking to the galleries once more with a bi-coastal one two punch debuting her newest show “Week-End” Jan 14 at the Yancey Richardson Gallery in NYC then bringing it back to the warmer coast for a showing at M + B on the 30th.
If you aren’t a fan of Prager’s work, drive, and overall goodness yet you will be.
I’m going to go with “a picture is worth a thousand words” on this one. Behold the dollar-folding mastery of Won Park.
From the mind and pen of Ron Regé Jr. come images that rival Where’s Waldo in sheer intricacy and detail. Stop Thinking Start Sleeping Stop Sleeping Start Living is issue twelve of the cartoonist/musician’s long-running comic series Yeast Hoist, and it compiles drawings, sketchbook excerpts, and odd scraps produced within a five-year span and bound up nicely in a cherry-red cover. Regé’s subjects range from suburban pastorals to mental breakdowns to messy offices, and all are brought to life with the kind of scrupulous detail born of a lifetime of doodling (and some sharp peepers).
(Not to mention Ron’s sick Wild Things tribute over at Vice!)
Spike Jonze’s feature film rendition of Maurice Sendaks classic story Where The Wild Things Are has hit movie theaters worldwide.
The film represents years of work from hundreds of different artists, writers, photographers, musicians, actors, and creators of all degrees.
This place has been established to help shed some light on many of the small influences that converged to make this massive project a reality.
You are looking at the We Love You So – Where The Wild Things Are – Spike Jonze blog archives for January, 2010.
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