tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-244159322006-12-09T22:59:04.237-08:00MarikoBlogger15115tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1165444321979694062006-12-06T14:27:00.000-08:002006-12-06T14:51:20.870-08:00

Jesus Camp has been getting a lot of attention and a lot of awards lately, not only because it features a pre-scandal Ted Haggard. Jesus camp is good in that it remains objective while still bringing out a dark side of the organization presented. But I couldn't help wishing that the subject matter wasn't so specific, and tracked evangelism and extreme evangelism as a national phenomenon. 4/5,

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1150219583772624902006-06-13T10:16:00.000-07:002006-12-06T14:47:20.956-08:00

Ever wanted to hear Scarlett Johansson talk? Then check out the trailer for Scoop, the upcoming Woody Allen movie opening on July 28th, 2006.

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1152771749556174212006-07-12T23:19:00.000-07:002006-12-06T13:06:44.043-08:00

7/19 Videoworks - Sadie Benning 7/26 Hiroshima Mon Amour - Alain Resnais They begin at 7PM but apparnetly there are "free refreshments, novelty films and raffle" starting at 6:30 PM. At .. The Irvine Fine Arts Center

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1150224617486222102006-06-13T11:37:00.000-07:002006-06-13T12:13:54.860-07:00

An Inconvenient Truth outlines the science of global warming and tracks the understanding of it in the American consciousness. One of the film's achievements is it's ability to articulate the difference between controversial understandings of global warming and other environmental concerns in the media and the academic scientific consensus on data that isn't controversial at all. Al Gore

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1146974427681738532006-05-06T20:49:00.000-07:002006-06-13T11:56:46.760-07:00

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Last Life in the Universe is a fully nuanced film about lonliness and sadness, supported with existential themes. But the thing most striking about Last Life in the Universe is the respect that the characters recieve from the director and narrative. Ratanaruang obviously cares about them-- they escape movie archetypes without being boring, and their emotions are full ranged

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1149889190618723422006-06-09T14:18:00.000-07:002006-06-09T14:43:33.266-07:00

Sudden cravings for ramen and a visit to Mitsuwa has brought back memories of Tampopo (1985). Juzo Itami's "Noodle Western" is a hilarious and entirely competent take on a plethora of familiar sounding narratives: the quest for the perfect recipie, the unfulfilled patriarchal needs of a woman and her son, reference to the japanese revival of western themes in film, sex and food (quite

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1143142154823293732006-03-23T11:10:00.000-08:002006-05-07T09:31:50.423-07:00

Tony Takitani, the Jun Ichikawa film inspired by Haruki Murakami's short story was released on DVD at the end of last January, 2006. Those of you who weren't able to get to Los Angeles or New York to see it in theaters will be happy to know that it is listed on Amazon.com to buy or on Netflix to rent. Ichikawa's slick, desaturated commercial-aesthetic film, coupled with the sensitive narration

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1145861452629747852006-04-23T23:50:00.000-07:002006-04-23T23:50:52.640-07:00

There's a photo essay on Pixel Press about Chernobyl. But there are even more photos from the same photographer on this Flickr.

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1143003697042888552006-03-21T20:27:00.000-08:002006-04-11T23:45:19.930-07:00

Los Angeles Times Magazine, a Sunday favorite of mine, has been recently replaced by West, with its new design and layout. Not that I thought that it was perfect the way it was, but personally I think the fonts of the new design are terrible, and the insertion of colored bars everywhere to denote different sections are distracting and ugly. I haven't found the editorial content (so far, although

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1144613270481684752006-04-09T12:34:00.000-07:002006-04-09T22:25:35.273-07:00

The Golden Age of Polaroid Advertising is screening at the Museum of Television & Radio in both LA and NY (Apr 7-Jul 9, 2006). I have no idea if it's any good or not, but it looks interesting. For now, I'll have to console myself by watching Charles and Ray Eames' SX-70 Film (download the film in avi format for better viewing resolution), and reading Paul Giambarba's The Branding of POLAROID,

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1142896029100301422006-03-20T15:07:00.000-08:002006-04-09T18:16:33.956-07:00

"We are not trying to solve the world's problems. There can not be a happy ending to the fight between the Raging Gods and mankind. However, even in the midst of hatred and killing, there are things worth living for. A wonderful encounter, or a thing of beauty can still exist." - Miyazaki Hayao

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1142903581043915142006-03-20T17:13:00.000-08:002006-04-09T18:16:17.656-07:00

I've spent the last two days entirely at home, trying to study. Searching around my room I found some old negatives in an envelope stuffed in a book (a combined creative solution to never carrying a binder/folder and never having enough negative protector sheets), so I scanned those and put them on flickr. I am going to try and find a darkroom somwhere. I also found and old exercise book of mine

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1143259710878753752006-03-24T20:02:00.000-08:002006-04-09T18:15:57.693-07:00

Lisa Alisa's "Playground" solo show will have its opening reception tomorrow night at Magpie Gallery & Boutique. For more information, chek out the calendar on Magpie's website. It ends April 26th. Thank You for Smoking opened today at the Edwards University Town Center 6 in Irvine. At just over an hour and a half, Jason Reitman's direction and writing is witty, hilarious, and perfect. I'm

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1144002574903417382006-04-02T11:22:00.000-07:002006-04-09T18:15:25.116-07:00

How did I go for all these years without reading Jeffery Eugenides' Middlesex? Middlesex is some 550 pages of an epic novel. It is as "thrilling" as its book cover makes it out to be. Mrzyk & Moriceau and Félicien Rops's "You Only Live 25 Times" at the LACMA right now (till June 4th) is also worth seeing. As single pieces of art, I wasn't all that interested, but the presentation was fabulous.

Marikotag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24415932.post-1143080630327972462006-03-22T18:21:00.000-08:002006-03-23T09:43:14.243-08:00

I wrote my film essay today, on Kassovitz's La Haine, while listening to DJ Cutkiller's remix of "Nique la Police" (which was in the movie) and other assorted French hip-hop, to channel the spirit of youth France. Check out the soundtrack.

Mariko