Misha Gordon

April sent me this link to this interesting photographer. (thanks!)
Check it out here

Pretty little things

I got to Danny Gregory through Gothamist. Although I haven't read the book yet, the story seems pretty amazing. Drawing little things and finding beauty in everything as a way of making every day matter to get over his wife accident.
I am going to get a copy to take with me.

last day

Today is the last day at my job. And tomorrow will be my last Wednesday in NYC and the day after tomorrow will be my last "something -else" day.
I am moving again. 9 apartments in the past 4 and a half years. Moving sucks but saying bye sucks even more.

Bobbi

Today we have been part of a pretty cool photographic project. Bobbi, an Australian photographer, is taking a road trip from NYC to LA and photographing on her trip people that live in cities where they weren't born.

Hemos participado en un proyecto fotográfico muy curioso. Una fotógrafa australiana que viajará en coche desde NYC hasta LA fotografiando a gente que vive en una ciudad distinta a la que nació. La intención es entender cual es el lugar ideal para vivir de cada uno y por qué. Lo peor ha sido que las fotos las ha sacado en la calle a una temperatura de -15 grados, asi que desde aqui me solidarizo con todas esas pobres modelos que tienen que posar en bikini en invierno.

Dame la mano

We just went to see the documentary "Dame la mano" (Give me your hand), part of the Walter Reade Cinema Festival "Dance on Camera".

The film is by Heddy Honigmann, The Netherlands, 2003.
"Many Cuban exiles live in New York City and the Latino neighborhoods of New Jersey. Their native culture - steeped in the sensual rhythms of rumba and "clave" with its Afro-Cuban roots - is as much a part of their lives as the air they breathe and the frijoles they eat. The central charcters in this richly textured documentary - Rafaela, a 62-year-old cook who dances over her stove; Pedro, a Belafontyish mover who makes his living as a gigolo; and gorgeous Karim, a cancer survivor, who credits dancing as her savior - all live for their special night at La Esquina Habanera, a club in Union City, New Jersey that serves as an ordinary diner on weekdays but transforms into the soul of Havana on Sunday night. Here, the individual stories culminate in a vibrant and zestful musical marathon. This marks the New York premiere of the final cut of Dame la mano. Ms. Honigmann was honored with a retrospective of her films at the Museum of Modern Art in September 2003."

I loved the intensity and how real all the characters are. And the realization that you don't really need much to do great music.

A free country?

So moveon chose the winner ad, and not only that, they got the 10 million dollars to run that commercial during the SuperBowl, but.. surprise, surprise, CBS denied to run the spot because as Adweek quotes: "CBS said it has a policy not to run advocacy ads, and considers MoveOn.org's charge a tactic to gain free publicity. "Our policy is long-standing and clear," said a CBS representative. "We do not run contentious messages that are clearly devisive."

To see the movie, click here.

Calatrava & NYC

Mientras sigue la controversia sobre el diseño de ground zero, parece que lo que sí han decidido es el diseño de la estación de metro que quedó destruida en el ataque. La misma estación de la que tuvo que salir corriendo el Jimmy y desde la que sacó las fotos más alucinantes.
El arquitecto español Santiago Calatrava ha diseñado la nueva estación.

Más información aquí.

Chuck Close

We went to see "Chuck Close Prints: Process and Colaboration" at the MET, yesterday. It was a really cool exhibit because you got to see the process behind his mind-blowing huge portraits.

"The exhibition demonstrates how the artist—in collaboration with his master printers—has consistently challenged the traditional boundaries of such diverse printing techniques as aquatint, etching, lithography, silkscreen, linoleum cut, and Japanese and European woodcut. Visitors also have an opportunity to visualize the artist's creative processes through the display of progressive and state proofs for a number of his prints, as well as actual woodblocks, etching plates, and other print matrices."

Worth checking out. More info here.

Errol Morris

So to end this Morris trilogy, here is the list of his movies. In case you want to check them out.

1. Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, The (2003)
... aka Fog of War, The (2003) (USA: short title)
2. 74th Annual Academy Awards, The (2002) (TV) (filmed segments)
3. "First Person" (2000) TV Series
4. Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999)... aka Mr. Death (1999) (USA: short title)
5. Stairway to Heaven (1998)
6. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997)
7. Dark Wind, The (1991)
8. Brief History of Time, A (1991)
9. Thin Blue Line, The (1988)
10. Vernon, Florida (1981)
11. Gates of Heaven (1978)

If you want to know more, you can check his personal site , where you can discover interesting stuff. I just found out he is the director of one of my favorite commercials. The "photobooth-opera" one that Fallon did for PBS.

Fog of War

So we continued with the Errol Morris week, and went out to the Angelika in the middle of the snow and the ice, and the cold.. to see "Fog of War".

It hurt. Leaves no much hope for the human race. The people with the power to press the "red button" are not that caring. It's more about power, about strategy, about being extremely rational. And.. we kind of knew that, but seeing it so clearly... it's painful.
It's a great movie. And it's this 85 years-old Robert McNamara last chance to redeem himself from his major mistake: Vietnam and the 58.000 Americans that died from it, and the some other thousands of Vietnamese.
I am not sure if I forgive him or Kennedy, or Johnson, but the intention of this movie is not to get our forgiveness, but to pass along some of his knowledge, so we can all learn from his mistakes and not make them again.
As T.S. Elliot said and he quoted, "go explore, don't stop exploring, and when you come back to the place you left from, you will see it for the first time."

See preview here.

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

Wonderful documentary by Errol Morris (1997). The title is somehow misleading, because the movie is simply a conversation with 4 fascinating human beings: a retired lion tamer, a biologist specialized on mole rats, a gardener that makes plants into animal shapes and a robot maker from MIT.
Surprisingly, they all have in common more than you would think at first.
Amazingly shot, great interviews and a pleasure to wander around those people's minds.

Nadav Kander

Simply one of my favorite photographers of all times.
Check his work here.

And the winner is...

Check it out here.

It's freaking cold!

The apprentice

Hasta ahora he intentado no poner macarradas aquí, pero la verdad es que ayer nos tronchamos con esta. Y como dice el Carles, menos mal que te vas, que sino se te secaría el cerebro.
Es el nuevo reality show de la NBC: The Apprentice (en la foto ya se ve el regustillo horterilla). 16 candidatos han venido a NY "la gran jungla de asfalto"/ " if you make it here, you can make it anywhere", con sueños de grandeza. Por eso el super premio es trabajar con el Sr. Trump siendo presidente de una de sus compañías durante un año, a un sueldo "sustancioso". Para ello cada semana tienen que pasar "complicadas" pruebas que serán evaluadas desde el punto empresarial: beneficios, liderazgo, trabajo en equipo... y al final de cada episodio uno de ellos sera "despedido!"
Es lo peor de lo peor. Poder, dinero, odios y malos rollos... un "Dallas" o "Dinastía" cualquiera pero este en plan "real".
La visión de la ciudad es tan distorsionada y esteriotipada que da risa...
Pero confieso, cutre que es una, que ayer lo vimos.
Más aquí.

Alicia

Check out this young illustrator. She has a bunch of different styles.
She is the sister of a friend of mine and she would love to hear your comments.

Grata sorpresa internáutica. Merece la pena darse una vuelta por aquí. Es la hermana de una amiga mia y hace cosas chulísimas.
Felicitad a Alicia y animadle a que siga dibujando como una loca.

The office

Following Colin's recommendation, we finally got to see "The office", the comedy TV series by the BBC. Hilarious. We watched all six episodes at once. And the second season is not released yet.
In case you don't know what I am talking about you can check it out here.
You can even check Gareth's personal website or the newsletter.
Enjoy!

Comedian

Stand-up comedy is as quintaessential to NY as hotdog vendors and yellow cabs. However, people don't know much about what goes on behind the curtains.
Great documentary about the struggles and the love/hate relationships of comedians and comedy. Anyone in a creative field should be able to identify with that.
Totally recommended, even if you are not a big fun of Seinfeld.

Y tú, que harías por amor?

Ayer fuimos a ver Monster.
Bombazo al espíritu navideño que me quedaba después del atiborramiento de polvorones y turroncillos. Esta película te corroe por dentro y a mi me pilló con las defensas bajas.
Solemos pensar que los monstruos son gente enferma, sin sentimientos y sin compasión. Supongo que porque pensar que podrían ser como nosotros o que quizás nosotros podríamos ser como ellos si estuviéramos en su situación o si no hubiéramos tenido otra elección, duele demasiado. Sea como sea, la dualidad del personaje te hace replantearte muchas cosas y odiar este mundo por ser tan injusto; a la vez que la idea de el llegar a poder entender a un monstruo resulta bastante incómoda.
Pero en el fondo, lo único que nos mueve a todos es el mismo motorcito. Lo cantaban los Beatles con dulzura y te lo ilustra esta película con horror.

Cuéntame un cuento

Daros un paseo por estos 100 años de ilustración de cuentos infantiles española.
Mis preferidos fueron siempre los que se inventaba mi padre sobre la marcha. Y sino, los que tenían un toque de absurdiditis. Y los tuyos?