2001: A Space Odyssey

i was only 6 in Brussels when my Grand-Papa started taking me to the movies once a month or every 2 months.  rarely did he bring me to a new movie; he usually took me to screenings of what were then already classics.  i clearly remember the 1st two, although i can't say for sure which one came first or second.  was it Doctor Zhivago or was it 2001: A Space Odyssey?  

i remember having a lot of historical questions & plot clarifications about Dr. Zhivago.  on the other hand, for 2001: A Space Odyssey, i was so mesmerized it really didn't matter to me what was actually going on.  all i know, is that i wanted to see it again.  Space travel was still such a big thing back then.   just a NASA launch was an exciting event to look forward to...  

all i can say is that 2001: A Space Odyssey remains to this day one of my all-time favourite movies.  i will always be thankful for Grand-Papa for encouraging me early on to be inspired by science and even science fiction...  

with the upcoming digital release of the movie, the British Film Institute released a killer new trailer:

SUMMER FLINGS (playlist)

i haven't shared any of my music since December.  so here's just a few of the tunes that have been playing in my car this summer, usually up & down the Pacific Coast Highway.

click on photo below to access the folder.  if you'd like to play the tracks in order, chose the "view by name" at the top.  you can also download the entire folder in one go - "download" button top left corner of page...  enjoy & share the wealth!

Hands On You

47 year old lyrics by Bob Dylan brought back to life by T-Bone Burnett & Marcus Mumford!  MAD PROPS!!!

GIVE IT UP

digging the first single of KUTIMAN's online music video project  Thru You Too:

Kutiman, an Israeli musician, keeps creating these great tracks using bits & pieces of lots of YouTube videos.  this is true YouTube magic done right!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

...nice Tell No One video for Jessie Ware!

EASY EASY

i love Willough i.e. Willow Smith' cover of King Krule!



here's his video, which i really enjoy too:

DANGEROUS DAYS

Zola Jesus came to us for her latest video.  you know my man, the one & only Timothy Saccenti is mega talented when he can come up with something so good with less than a dime & under a tight ever changing schedule.  it's much easier to make a film when budgets are cushy & calendars are comfortable; it takes a true dedicated artist to deliver a  solid video for a demanding musician i adore but without a real budget, as is too often the case in the music video world.  enjoy & share the wealth:

SUNLIGHT

there was THIS KICK ASS TV SPOT...
now there's a heavily inspired & much cheesier new music vid:

the original is much better, from the casting to the overall look, but posting the quirky watered down rip off anyway, in the name of summertime fun.

Heavy Metal & Reflective

Azealia Banks rules!  i'm digging the biker gang thing... the video is a bit Romain Gavras/M.I.A. ish.  whatever, i'm cool with it:

La crème de la crème

A powerful Generation Z coming of age story from director Kim Chapiron (Sheitan, Dog Pound). SMART ASS (La crème de la crème) is out July 25th at Ciné Lumière.

On the first day of term, the dean of their prestigious business school tells his students: "You are the elite... the crème de la crème. Soon the rules of a market economy will no longer be a mystery to you. Learn, work and apply." Kelly, Dan and Louis take him at his word. Starting from the theory that relationships between the sexes can be regulated by market principles, the three sophomore classmates begin to inflate the popularity of certain students artificially, by hiring beautiful off-campus women as their dates for exclusive and riotous college parties. The perfect business model, their concept takes off like a rocket, surpassing its founders' wildest expectations. Soon they find themselves confronting the problems of rapid growth. And then the system truly takes on its own velocity, quickly escaping their control... After all, they're barely more than kids... and wasn't it all just a game anyway?

speaking of Generation Z, here's a recent article about the SCREENAGERS.

IVORY

Fleur & Manu's video for Movement is everything!

Turn Down for What

FUNNEST VIDEO OF 2014 SO FAR...

...starring Daniel Kwan of The Daniels (directors)

HUNGER (playlist)

greetings from Miami, the capital of Latino America where i've spent all my christmases, birthdays & new year celebrations since my folks left Caracas, Venezuela in 1999...  i have enough downtime right now to post another playlist i made this year.  this is by no means a best of 2013, just a few tunes i like, old & new...  

click on the photo above to access the folder then sort it by name to keep the tracks in order.  in the top right corner of the page, there's an option to download the entire folder to drag it into your itunes... enjoy & share the wealth!

MY GIRLS... YES PLEASE!

Tears For Fears covering Animal Collective is pure bliss...

...more about it here

JA'MAZING!!!

i am so freaking excited about this; can't wait!!!


in case you've been living under a rock, here's more about Ja'mie:

RICK OWENS S/S14 $$$

FUCK YEAH!!!  i absolutely love Rick Owens for his choice of models this season! whether you like his clothes or not, you got to respect him for such a brilliant fashion show! enjoy Diane Pernet's video capture from her front row seat:

...and HERE's the entire show courtesy of Vogue.

COOL SONG № 2

Omar Little is back in MGMT's badass video by Isaiah Seret:

Lose Yourself???

from the get go, Lose Yourself To Dance was my favourite song of Random Access Memories.  what a bummer this new video shows more clapping than actual dancing.  in fact, if Soul Train was an inspiration, why isn't anyone losing their shit with crazy ass dance moves?! considering how much money they've made with this album, doesn't Daft Punk get enough of a budget to go nuts & do something a lot less boring or lazy?  at the very least, a bit different from the previous video?!  then again, this is what happens when you let artists think they can direct their own videos instead of trusting an accomplished filmmaker do the job...  i still love the jackets, but c'mon, they're so last spring already (i.e. Get Lucky).  sighhh!  Doin' It Right quickly became my other fave; still is.  i hope they allow for a far more creative collaboration & get it right if they pick it for their next video! 

NEW BEGINNINGS

New York City Ballet presents NEW BEGINNINGS on September 12, 2013. Filmed at sunrise on the 57th floor of 4WTC in lower Manhattan, this short film captures an extraordinary and moving performance of Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and a tribute to the future of the city that New York City Ballet calls home. #newbeginnings

MUSIC
Spiegel Im Spiegel by Arvo Part
with kind permission of Universal Edition AG Vienna
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

CHOREOGRAPHY
After the Rain by Christopher Wheeldon

DANCERS
Maria Kowroski
Ask la Cour

VIDEO
Directed by Davi Russo
Produced by @radical.media

Executive Produced by Gregg Carlesimo & Maya Brewster

Developed in collaboration with DDB New York
© 2013 New York City Ballet, Inc.

New York City Ballet on September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, the New York City Ballet was on a European tour that had taken the company from Edinburgh, Scotland to Athens, Greece and finally to Parma, Italy, where the company was scheduled to perform as part of the Verdi Festival at the Teatro Reggio that evening. As news of the events unfolding at home in New York began to make its way to the dancers of the New York City Ballet, the sense of fear and loss became more and more overwhelming, and Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins ultimately decided to cancel the evening's performance.

By curtain time, the sold-out audience had arrived at the Teatro Reggio, and stood in silence and mourned with the Company and the rest of the world. Martins addressed the audience from the stage, saying "We came here to dance, it is what we do, but our hearts are breaking and it is simply not possible for us to perform this evening. But we will be back tomorrow, and we will be honored to perform for all of you then."

NYCB did perform at the Teatro Reggio the following evening, September 12th, 2001, and 12 years to the day after, New York City Ballet offers NEW BEGINNINGS, which features an international team of collaborators, including director Davi Russo who was born and raised in New York City, British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, American dancer Maria Kowroski, Danish dancer Ask la Cour, and a ballet set to a score by the Estonian composer Arvo Part, which provides a moving backdrop to a film of profound and powerful beauty.

GRAVITY

THIS has the be the best space film since 2001: A Space Odyssey!

...more about it on this page!