One of the things about language that fascinates me most is that so much of translation is really just a science of digesting a saying comfortably into another tongue. For instance, the phrase me gusta– delineating one liking a person, place, or thing and often translated to mean I like–actually translates literally to mean gives me pleasure. So when I falter on my attempts at vegetarianism and proclaim “Pero [but] me gusta tacos de al pastor,” what I’m saying isn’t “But I like al pastor tacos.” No, more accurately what I doth protest is really: “Al pastor tacos give me pleasure.”  (My inner foodie is in agreement on this one.) As most things do, this brings me to cinema–I’m a lover of food and film, what can I say? As such, I was recently blessed with the experience that is Broken Embraces or Los Abrazos Rotos by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

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On June 20, 2009, while Tehran was engulfed with the flames of protest and political upheaval following its much contested presidential election, a young woman in her mid twenties got out of her car to observe the demonstrations which she hoped to be a part of.

Without warning this bright young person was shot dead by government agents seeking to quell the near revolution-level dissent that was spreading across the Iranian Republic. That young woman was Neda Agha-Soltan, an aspiring singer/musician who was compelled to join the sea of her countrymen calling for the government mandated “results” of the political contest be overturned. Read the rest of this entry >>

Out in theatres today is director Peter Rodger’s cultural exploration, aptly titled, Oh My God. The film, as one would assume, deals with that little seen but often spoken about deity that sometimes lives in the sky and other times–as one gentleman from the film explains–dwells in the matter that fills the space between our more earthly selves.

Having seemingly drawn much inspiration from the prolific Baraka, Oh My God could easily be experienced in a vacuum–on mute–as its most astonishing quality comes in the form of the stunning visuals portrayed on screen. Its emphasis on collecting the imagery of both the natural and human-produced beauty found in this world of ours is both elegant and revelatory.

With a bit of soundtrack added, we are given the opportunity to explore not just the aesthetic, but also the cultural, philosophical, and at times political foundations from the theistic teachings of peoples the world over.

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This Torah was rescued from a burning synagogue during the oppression of the Jews in Nazi Germany.

Yesterday was a sick day for me–a day of rest, a self-instituted sabbath of sorts. Coincidentally, it was also my birthday, which I share with famed astronomer and guide of the Cosmos Carl Sagan. It was also the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. These three momentous occasions, all on November 9–what a treat, aside from my illness, of course.

That said, November 9 has always carried a somber tone for me. It’s the anniversary of the start of Kristallnacht or the “Night of Shattered Glass”–a three day pogrom which took place in Germany and Austria. Many consider it to be the official start of the Holocaust, which infamously stole the lives of six million innocent Jews amongst teems of other blameless victims. Kristallnacht’s harrowing moniker refers to the broken glass of synagogues, homes and Jewish places of business that were accosted by various Nazi forces. Most significantly, this date also marks the beginning of the roundups which eventually brought millions to their deaths in the concentration and later, death camps. Read the rest of this entry >>

The ultimate action-auteur, John Woo revolutionized the way audiences experienced the excitement of gun fights, fist exchanges, and chases with such classics as the untouchable Hard Boiled and The Killer in the 1980s and early 90s. Woo’s ability to take one of the more palatable genres–not to mention the least critically acclaimed–and turn out films using such an accessible form to tell compelling, and at times poetic, stories with such a concise cinematic hand has lent him a place in the pantheon of film’s great directors. Sadly for us cinephiles, the later part of the last decade found Woo moving to the U.S. to helm such pictures as Face/Off and Broken Arrow–not the most exciting fare for a filmmaker of such stature.

Thankfully 2009 has been graced with a return to form, of sorts, for Woo with his soon to be released Red Cliff.

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ATTENTION, NEW YORK READERS!

Back in August I posted a story about calling your elected officials to get the NY Domestic Worker’s Bill of Rights on the agenda for a vote in the State Senate. Well, things have been moving forward, but an extra push is needed.

To help get the attention of the State Senate, an emergency rally is being organized to take place on the steps of City Hall in NYC. The event is being planned for tomorrow, November 4th at 11am.

The issue of putting together an official code of work place enforcement is desperately needed for the thousands of domestic workers who are employed with little workplace regulation in the state of New York. Domestic workers include nannies, care-takers, house-keepers, and the like. Sadly, these folks are at many times subject to unfair labor practices that would simply not be tolerated in other working environments. Domestic employees are not State mandated to be granted such amenities as over-time after eight hours, a guaranteed single day of rest a week, nor are they protected under New York’s workplace discrimination laws. A copy of the proposed legislation can be found here. Read the rest of this entry >>

ATTENTION LOS ANGELES FOODIES!

Author Jill Richardson (known for her contributions to the Daily Kos and interviewed previously here on TakePart) is doing a signing of her new book, Recipe for America: Why Our Food System is Broken and What You Can Do to Fix It today in Culver City at the New School of Cooking. The event lasts from 7pm til 9pm and will feature refreshments. The book is a call to action, a treatise of sorts on how fostering a sustainable eating lifestyle is crucial to America’s health and economic vitality. The book dissects issues ranging from genetically modified foods and the history of agribusiness to the nutritional content of school lunches and how we can address hunger issues here in the States.

Serving to supplement this exciting new release is the book’s accompanying website, which serves to give the average reader ways that we can individually make a difference in bringing a more sustainable diet to the collective American dinner table.

Space is limited for the event. If you wish to attend, RSVP to Anne Smith.

The sidewalks, bus stops, and billboards (and conversations, for that matter) of Los Angeles are glutted with advertisements for Where the Wild Things Are–the upcoming Spike Jonze directed, David Eggers written, Karen O. scored, and Arcade Fire infused trailer’ed adaptation of the beloved children’s book by Maurice Sendak.

Hype much? Just a little?

True, excitement is justified for one of the most compelling filmmakers of his generation bringing to the silver screen a seminal story that taps into the collective experience of childhood. But does it live up to the hype? Mmm…yes and no. Read the rest of this entry >>

As we’ve made some nice headway into the 21st century, one would think that the concept of sustainability should start taking some real world shape. There has been much talk about proposed urban farms and the simple “greening” of the world’s growing urban centers–particularly as the problems associated with urban growth can be felt the world over. But what have we done to lay the foundation to alleviate some of the issues that plague us?

In an effort to promote a green(er) agenda, NYU (shout out to my alma mater) has created a cutting edge new master’s program that seeks to formally educate those who will be facing these issues head on. The program, under the moniker of Historical and Sustainable Architecture, will be housed at NYU’s London campus and will be serviced under the university’s Department of Art History and Urban Design. The nine-month course will teach students to modernized historical buildings to preserve both the architectural integrity and the sustainability of the regions in which they are found. Program Director Mosette Broderick is quoted in NYU’s school paper as stating that the “program…looks at innovative ways to recycle buildings instead of tearing them down.” Read the rest of this entry >>

This past weekend, I was one of the many audience members who flocked to see the Coen Brothers’ newest outing A Serious Man. The film, in limited release, managed to pull in an impressive $41,918 per screen average. As this second weekend of release comes upon us, so does my chance to get myself out to the cinema and once again see this eye-thumbing look at what is nothing less than an existential American nightmare.

The film follows a middle class Jewish college professor who finds himself at odds with every element of his life: his kids are repulsively irreverent, his job is thankless, his neighbors pay him little respect or attention, and his over-bearing wife gives him gut-checking notice that she is leaving him for one of their family friends. He is the prototypical helpless American male–weighed down by the social constructs that supposedly give a sense of anchoring to our society. Read the rest of this entry >>