Reflection

Lee Friedlander's self-portraits in reflection and shadow are always so interesting.

Car chase

The car chase in the 1968 film Bullitt  is one of the all-time best. Through the streets of San Francisco, Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt goes head to head with the hit men:  his 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback lays down some serious scratch with the 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440.

Insert coin

Vintage Dutch candy vending machine. Minimalism

meets junk food and trounces it!

Star power

Natalie Wood takes aim

We are the champions

Vintage livestock show signs

Soft geometry

Hand-stitched, dazzling quilts by Meg Callahan, I could live with any of these beauties.

Attaboy, Clarence!

Classical anatomy

Andreas Vesalius was just 28 years old when his revolutionary book on human anatomy, De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body) was published.  The year was 1543, and as significant as the book was a the time of its printing, it remains one of the most influential books in the history of medicine and one of the most important books ever published. The identity of the artist that created the amazing wood engravings is unknown, but the quality of the illustrations has been a rich resource for artists and physicians for centuries.

Fast men

Race car drivers and their rides

Clever decoupage nesting dolls by Hally McGehean

Das ist nett!

 Ferdinand Porsche presents a prototype of the VW Beetle to Adolf Hitler, circa 1935

One of 30 of the first prototypes completed in 1938

Blue berg

Intrigued by its unusual shape, Captain W.F. Wood of the S.S. Etonian took a photograph of a craggy iceberg on December 4, 1912. Wood's photo resembles sketches made of the iceberg that the S.S. Titanic collided with at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, resulting in the tragic loss of 1502 lives. 

(click to enlarge)

On December 16, 2012, Wood's  9.5" x 8" photograph was sold at a New Hampshire 

auction for $21,000. Noted on the photo in Wood's handwriting,

"Titanic struck 14/4/12 and sank in three hours."

Polymath

Artist-writers, painter-musicians, politician-poets, painter-writer-filmmakers...I admire those talents that have broad interests and numerous subjects of proficiency. The nerve of it! The verve of it! I've been following the work of Oliver Jeffers since his first children's book, he just gets better and more interesting with time.

 

Chess

Bob Dylan

Ray Charles

 Charlie Chaplin

David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve

Josef von Sternberg and John Wayne

Marcel Duchamp

Two ways of life

Fashion

Science

(altered photo found on FlickR)

Circa 1965

Newsweek's March 2012 cover was certainly one of the year's best. The whole issue experiences a time warp: the magazine logo and inside stories are set in 1960's fonts, the advertiser's played along by creating their ads with a nod to sixties style.

Too cool for handles

Even without handles, I love these Arne Jacobsen mugs.

10 List: Overlooked in 2012

Ten films overlooked in 2012, most played for one or two weeks at an inconvenient theater. Surprisingly, several of the films feature comedians in subtle, emotional performances unlike their previous work in raunchy box office hit comedies. 

Queen of Versailles directed by Lauren Greenfield

Love, marriage, children, and financial crisis in a 90,000 sq. ft. faux palace.

Jeff Who Lives at Home directed my Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass

Thirty-year old unemployed Jeff (Jason Segel) lives in his Mother's basement and looks for signs from the universe to reveal his life path. His older brother Pat (Ed Helms) is married and employed, but suffering a similar existential crisis.

Bernie directed by Richark Linklater

In Carthage, Texas,  assistant funeral director, Sunday school teacher, and choir member Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) is adored and admired. Will that change if he is also a murderer?

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen directed by Lasse Hallstrom

 Fish expert, Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) and corporate consultant,

Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) are enlisted to assist a sheikh in bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert of Yemen.  Their unlikely pairing, and their impossible quest perfectly balance the sheikh's unshakeable faith.

Ruby Sparks directed by Jonathan Dayton

Writer Calvin (Paul Dano) creates a woman, Ruby Sparks, on paper.  Soon after, he finds her (Zoe Kazan) in the flesh in his apartment. He is happy. He is loved. Is he also unhinged?

The Deep Blue Sea directed by Terence Davies

Unhappily married Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz) has an affair with emotionally erratic Royal Air Force pilot Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston).  Her life and future unravel immediately, but Hester stoically accepts her  fate.

Magic Mike directed by Steven Soderbergh

 Mike (Channing Tatum) has big dreams. He longs to design custom furniture, works tirelessly as a roofer, and hopes to secure a bank loan to upstart his company. At night he also strips at an all-male revue, but it's just to earn extra cash.  Besides the flashy stage performances, potent drama and interesting characters (it's Soderbergh after all) elevate the film from pure voyeuristic fluff.

Robot and Frank directed by Jake Schreier

Frank (Frank Langella) is getting on in years and his two adult children worry he can no longer care for himself. Instead of a nursing home or health care provider, they purchase a robot programmed to assist Frank with care, exercising, and companionship. Frank is a retired cat burglar and has other plans for his helpful new friend.

Celeste and Jessie Forever directed by Lee Toland Krieger

Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) married young when they were cute and in love. Now thirty, still cute, but like affectionate roommates rather than a seasoned, married couple, can they part amicably and remain loving and supportive?

Safety Not Guaranteed directed by Colin Trevorrow

On the hunt for an interesting magazine story, a writer and two interns scope out an eccentric who placed an ad looking for an assistant to accompany him in time travel.  I loved everything about this film: the kooky characters, the smart writing, the creative unexpected arcs. Still, it was in Chicago theaters a mere 2 weeks.

Safety first

  Scary cute.

Public Enemy

Captivating stills from William Wellman's Pre-Code gangster masterpiece,  

The Public Enemy (1931) starring James Cagney.