I haven't been to a multiplex theater in so
long that immediately upon entering one this weekend I choked back on
the smell of popcorn butter and was made dizzy by the busy carpet
patterns and escalators and almost instantly regretted my decision to
be there. But, I know some films should have the respect of being
seen on a big screen and, unfortunately, a lot of those big screens are
housed inside these horror show venues, melted chemical nacho cheese
& all! The movie I ended up seeing was
Drive. I knew it won something big over at
Cannes and I remember really liking the style of the
other film I had seen by this director so I thought hell, why not?
Drive
is a basic hero thriller story cased inside a super stylized
meta-shell. The main character drives stunt cars and fixes cars and
drives getaway cars and eventually gets caught up in some pretty
intense gangster action in the name of love. The music and production
design were a near
80s aesthetic (think hot pink and synths) and the
film quality itself had this glowing 70s vibe about it that made one
think of
Steve McQueen speeding away on the lonesome California
streets.
The Hollywood story, complete with the cinematic tropes
mentioned above, remind you that the film you are watching is just
that, a film, making me think that this is why
Drive, and the
director in general, have gotten so much interest: they have decided that movie magic is a new medium unto
itself. The serious(ly awesome) blood and gore, the car chases, the
masks, the extended dramatic pauses, the ironic Hollywood qualities all
blended together in search of what it means to be a new cinematic hero
(and, in turn, a new hero identifying cinematic viewer), taking the
audience along for the ride (pun most definitely intended). I hate when
people say "I can't wait to see what he does next" disregarding the
thing they just watched that the director has slaved over, seeing the
potential for improvement but the obvious raw talent, but I left the
theater with this exact thought...so close, but not quiet right...all
the film-making skill but not the most perfect display of ideas? Maybe
next time! (shrugs while holding enormous popcorn tub)
In the near opposite realm of the multiplex fiasco Brent and I headed to another spectacle in the form of a
Triple Canopy (the best online culture magazine out there) new issue release party! Art events in loud bars (in this case a
nice little, loud bar that felt like the living room of a NY
five and dime baron tucked under the
The Woolworth Building in the depths of lower Manhattan- chandelier pictured here) filled with the super stylish aren't really my thing nowadays but I was there to support the magazine more than anything else. I've read
Triple Canopy from
the very beginning mostly because it is constantly at the forefront of
content, ideas and just plain interesting-ness across all disciplines.
I will admit that sometimes things get a little jargony but...an
article about a man who invented a card catalog of the world, another
of a man who foresaw the future of technology predicting tablet life
decades ago and a steady stream of cutting edge online contemporary art
is more than enough to keep me reading! They are so on the cutting edge
my computer no longer supports their reading platform so I can't link
to articles directly... or even read them right now for that matter!
Ha! Time for an upgrade! An upgrade in the name of
Triple Canopy! Huzzah! (raises invisible glass to the air)
In the near opposite realm of the multiplex fiasco Brent and I headed to another spectacle in the form of a Triple Canopy (the best online culture magazine out there) new issue release party! Art events in loud bars (in this case a nice little, loud bar that felt like the living room of a NY five and dime baron tucked under the The Woolworth Building in the depths of lower Manhattan- chandelier pictured here) filled with the super stylish aren't really my thing nowadays but I was there to support the magazine more than anything else. I've read Triple Canopy from
the very beginning mostly because it is constantly at the forefront of
content, ideas and just plain interesting-ness across all disciplines.
I will admit that sometimes things get a little jargony but...an
article about a man who invented a card catalog of the world, another
of a man who foresaw the future of technology predicting tablet life
decades ago and a steady stream of cutting edge online contemporary art
is more than enough to keep me reading! They are so on the cutting edge
my computer no longer supports their reading platform so I can't link
to articles directly... or even read them right now for that matter!
Ha! Time for an upgrade! An upgrade in the name of Triple Canopy! Huzzah! (raises invisible glass to the air)