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8 years ago
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The story of Theo Padnos, an American journalist captured in 2012 by the Nusra Front (Syrian branch of Al Qaeda), Theo Who Lived is not quite like other hostage accounts, of which there have (sadly) been many. Yes, David Schisgall’s documentary concerns an idealistic do-gooder who puts himself in danger and it includes the familiar details of captors who veer from friendly to cruel, as well as the grim specifics of interrogation and torture, of terrible deprivations and conditions. Theo Who Lived, however, consists almost entirely of Padnos reliving his ordeal by revisiting various locales of his 22-month captivity, as he narrates his story with good humor, even wit.
A genial, often rather naïve-seeming sort, Padnos was a struggling writer from Vermont who thought he’d kick-start his journalism career by writing a story about Syrian refugees for The New Republic. In the film, he acknowledges being a lifelong risk taker, but also questions why he ever put himself in such a dangerous situation. He walks us through Antakya (Antioch), Turkey—a city where journalists, fighters and other interested parties gathered before crossing the border into Syria and shows us the house he shared with several roommates as well as the house where his kidnappers lived (and may still live). In Syria Padnos shows us the very room where he interviewed young men he thought we members of the Free Syrian Army, until they suddenly began beating him, declaring him their prisoner. Remarkably, he is ab[...]
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8 years ago
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We recently caught up with Brooklyn based band Slothrust, who are releasing their long awaited third album, Everyone Else on Dangerbird Records October 28th.
1) Are you native New Yorker's or transplants?
Will and I are from Boston and Kyle is from New Jersey.
2) How would you describe your sound?
Blues / jazz influenced rock music with a lot of dynamics and time signature changes ;)
3) How has the crowd responded to the new music from Everyone Else?
Crowds we have performed to have responded really positively to the new music. We are very excited to tour and share it with more people.
4) Was there a particular story you wanted to tell or message you wanted to send with Everyone Else?
There is not one story in particular that I am trying to tell with this record. Thematically, it deals a lot with water and dreams. I like thinking about different states of consciousness and things infinitely larger than the self.
5) What do you enjoy most about touring and performing live?
I like seeing new cities and the exchange of energy that happens between performers and difference audiences.
6) Tell me about your creative process. Do you work remotely or do you go off to the woods to write together as a group?
It's a combination of a lot of things. Generally songs come to me in pieces and we go about executing them in a variety of ways. In the past there hasn't been a particular formula for us.
7) Where do you find your inspiration[...]
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8 years ago
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On September 24, the National African American Museum opened its doors to public. And while the museum's timed passes are sold out for the rest of the year, it's still a great time to learn about what's currently on exhibit.
And if you are wondering if there's a showcase at the museum that relates to the world of fashion, you're in luck. The museum will be showcasing a selection of Ann Lowe's dresses, and they are a must-see!
Ann Lowe — a highly sought after designer in her day — is the first world-renowned black designer who created dresses for socialites and brides. She created looks for families including the Auchinclosses, DuPonts, Kennedys, Posts, Rockefellers, and Roosevelts. She is also the first black designer to own a boutique on Madison Avenue. And her stunning creations were also sold at Henri Bendel, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus.
Pink satin and organza ball gown, designed by Ann Lowe, 1959, once owned by Patricia Penrose Schieffer, wife of CBS News' Bob Schieffer. Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane. Photo courtesy of NMAAHC
Famously, Lowe designed Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding gown in 1953. Lowe crafted a dress made up of fifty yards of ivory silk taffeta for the Bouvier-Kennedy nuptials, and cost approximately $700 — roughly $13,000 factoring today's inflation, according to Racked's Danielle Kwateng-Clark .
And as Kwateng-Clark deftly sums up, Lowe "did the impossible in the Jim Crow-era by making a name fo[...]
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Brooklyn natives Chayse Schutter (vocals), Justin Flores (guitar), Don Scherr (drums) and Dan Hernandez (bass) make up the borough's newest metalcore punk band Pocketsand. While juggling jobs and touring, the guys have managed to begin recording an EP and drum up a small following despite having only formed earlier this year. Listen to their song "Blinding" below and check out what Chayse and Don have to say about their latest musical endeavor:
1. How'd the band start?
Don: Chayse and Justin were working together at their day jobs, realized they were into the same sorts of heavy bands and decided they wanted to try to start a band in that vein of music for fun.
2. How did you land on the name "Pocketsand"? Any connection to "King of the Hill"?
Don: Chayse was watching an interview where someone said they would use pocketsand as a default defense move in a bar fight, thought it was cool and mentioned it to Justin who knew if from "King of the Hill."
3. How would you define your sound?
Chayse: Like throwing a trashcan full of nails down a set of stairs.
Don: Heavy hitting punk that stabs you and nurses your wounds at the same time
4. If you could expand that sound somehow (eg, add a new instrument or another member) how would you?
Don: We use a lot of homemade samples in our live set that are spacey, sort of eerie soundscapes. We would love to keep that as part of our sound and expand on it for recordings.
5. Is recording more of an isolated period or d[...]
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8 years ago
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A documentary that presents one of the most preposterous true-life scenarios ever connected with the movie business (or any business), Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s The Lovers and The Despot also provides yet more evidence of North Korea's bizarre sociopolitical culture and the oddity that was Kim Jong-il.
In 1978, Kim—then heir apparent to North Korea's leadership and a major film buff—arranged for the kidnap of South Korean director Shin Sang-ok and his ex-wife, actress Choi Eun-hee. Kim was envious of South Korean cinema's originality, unlike the stilted fare that was coming out of his artistically backwards nation, and he wanted the renowned couple to be his personal filmmakers. The Lovers and the Despot uses interviews, footage from Shin’s movies, propaganda film clips, and reenactments, underscored by Nathan Halpern’s dramatically ominous music, to show the couple’s plight and their eventual escape. The resulting documentary unfolds like an artsy international crime thriller, albeit one with a few plot holes. It's a striking and effective approach, though just about any film covering this material would be fascinating for the story alone.
The Lovers and the Despot begins with a press conference given by Shin and Choi after their escape. It then travels back to the beginning of their relationship, as Choi recalls their initial meeting on the set of one of his films. (She provides much of the narrative; Shin died in 2006.) Scenes of the couple's subsequent success [...]
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8 years ago
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New York Fashion Week officially ended today.
If you've been following any news from this week's past events:
*You would know that Hood By Air made weird fashion magic with PornHub
**Kayne West's Yeezy Show was considered a hot mess
***Fashion insider Eva Chen was everywhere you wish you were.
Former editor-in-chief for Lucky Magazine, Chen is Instagram's head of fashion partnerships, as well as CEO of Trend Micro. (She's also my hero)
Over 600,000 fans keep track of the fashion maven via IG. And if you are an Instagram stalker like me, you'd know that she's pregnant with her second child to Tom Bannister, and loves to show off her shoes from the backseat of car services. I especially love her #ootd shots, featuring designer Rosetta Getty and Tanya Taylor.
Chen is also a brilliant digital strategist. In an interview with Business of Fashion, Chen lays out five basic principles for clothing brands big and small.
Paraphrased from Business of Fashion:
Seek real conversational engagement online. "It's not a numbers game," Chen says. "You can have millions of followers, but more important is whether people are commenting and tagging their friends. That means you’ve created something that people are talking about and that’s what makes a good post."
Possess a strong visual identity. "ust as when you pick up a magazine, whether it’s Self Service or Vogue, and you could remove the title from the cover, but you would still know which magazine it was j[...]
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8 years ago
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Demon, Polish director Marcin Wrona’s third feature, is an unlikely but entertaining hybrid between a raucous wedding comedy and a brooding horror film. That he managed to pull it off at all is a testament to his talent and unique artistic sensibility. (Sadly, Wrona died of an apparent suicide at age 42 just before the film was set to premiere in Poland last fall.) Those who like their movie genres rigidly defined may be confused by Demon, which isn’t all that scary (or hilarious, for that matter), but the rest of us can appreciate its gorgeously morose ambience; dark, absurdist humor and strong performances.
Based on Piotr Rowicki’s play Adherence, Demon concerns the laid-back Piotr (Itay Tiran), who has traveled from England to the rural Polish hometown of his fiancée Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska), for their wedding. The couple have only known each other for a few weeks, so the groom is meeting her parents for the first time. Piotr already has an easy rapport with Zaneta’s bro-like brother and initially gets along well enough with her jocular father (Andrzej Grabowski). When he begins renovations on the family’s rundown country house where the couple will live, Piotr unearths a pile of human bones and is immediately spooked, especially when he later glimpses what appears to be a female spirit wandering around outside. Soon his sunny personality gives way to sudden dark moods, and his body begins to react (via nosebleeds) to something or someone who is slowly taking him[...]
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8 years ago
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Hello, September! This fall, get ready for Kate Moss, patent leather, platform boots, Ally McBeal-inspired mini-skirts, and "Pretty Woman" style references!
From Alexander Wang's Fall/Winter 2016 looks to Thierry Mugler's 2017 Resort collection, various nods to the 90s are currently trending. Heck, even leggings are back, with Céline creative director Phoebe Philo styling stretchy pants under the label's latest set of skirts and dresses!
Here's a stunning example from Céline Photo: Monica Feudi / Courtesy of Céline
Gorgeous 90s inspired outerwear to look out for include Isabel Marant's red, Rock n' Roll patent leather trench, and Vivenne Westwood's puffer coat (below).
But in the world of womenswear, expect lots of style references this upcoming season from that memorable decade. Just this week, we saw the return of Kate Moss as the face of Charlotte Tilbury's fragrance "Scent of a Dream" (video at bottom), as well as Kenzo World's send-up to Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" music video, directed by Spike Jonze, featuring actress Margaret Qualley.
Check out this insane video below!
And just when you've thought you've seen enough genuflects to the 90s, there are mini-skirt suits from Alexander Wang à la "Ally McBeal," and cut-out looks from Thierry Mugler, harkening back to the Julia Roberts classic "Pretty Woman." Smells like Teen Sprit? Oh yeah!
A look from Alexander Wang, Fall/Winter 2016.
Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv
Thierry Mugler's 2017 Reso[...]
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8 years ago
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Is That You? and Fatima, both opening on Friday, explore different kinds of love in very different ways. The first film follows a middle-aged man's attempt to rekindle a past relationship; the second is a look at an struggling immigrant's devotion to her children.
“Dear Rachel: Is that you?,” writes Ronnie (a soulful Alon Aboutboul) to an ex-girlfriend he knew 30 years ago. Though they haven’t been in touch since she left their native Israel for the United States, he thinks about her often. So when he’s fired from his projectionist job and is compensated with plane ticket to America, Ronnie’s path is laid out for him.
Is That You?, from Israeli filmmaker Dani Menkin (Dolphin Boy, 39 Pounds of Love), is an off-beat drama that makes up for its somewhat ramshackle quality and quirk overload with genuine warmth and nice performances from its leads. Though its motif about trying to reconnect with the past gets a bit repetitive at times, Is That You? is a poetic, not altogether predictable meditation on the theme, an admirable achievement in itself.
When Ronnie arrives in upstate New York, he stays with his outgoing car salesman brother, Jacob (Rani Bleier). Coincidentally, Jacob has recently run into Rachel (Suzanne Sadler), who asked about Ronnie. With the help of Jacob’s son, they find several women named Rachel Golan on Facebook and narrow down Ronnie's search. The couple once made a pact to be together on her 60th birthday, which happens to be in two days. Jacob g[...]
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8 years ago
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As the Black Rock Desert becomes the palate for artists across the world this coming weekend, most are focused on the massive art installations featured at Burning Man. We'd like to take this opportunity to focus on some of the other creatives who have been inspired by the annual gathering.
We recently interviewed designer Tina Nichole of Moxie & Mojo, a design house creating exciting, custom eye-wear and other fashionable accessories.
Tell us a few things that people should know about you.
I am also a Life & Leadership Coach and it is the most rewarding career I could have ever imagined. I see possibility and potential in everyone and everything and am deeply passionate about working with people on their big “impossible” dreams and turning them into a reality. I don’t believe in impossible.
My creations are part of me and I can’t force them – if I’m not passionate about it, it won’t vibe so I create based on what’s inspiring me in the moment and if I’m stuck, I leave the piece until it calls me back to finish it. I put a tremendous amount of energy into every piece I make. Moxie & Mojo has been wildly successful since we opened our store just over a year ago and we’ve made a name for ourselves because we create quality products that are incredibly unique.
What has been your inspiration for your line Moxie & Mojo?
Moxie & Mojo was inspired by my own search for embellished goggles to wear at a ceremony on The Playa at the 2014 [...]
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8 years ago
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Designers, looking for ways to connect your brand with clients? Master class is in session, y'all! Brand activation is the go-to marketing strategy for spurring direct consumer engagement via an event, campaign, or experience.
"Brand activation is not just about gaining affinity -- it's about inspiring consumers to act," says Amanda Hansen for Ad Age. A brand must present a flawless, harmonious, and fluid union of all available communication vehicles in a creative platform in order to activate consumer interest.
And it would appear that the women's e-commerce website Revolve Clothing are the experts at brand activation, and they have the ad-dollars to prove it!
Even their macaron game is on point.
They work with celebrities, jetsetters, model, style influencers in order to create an overall exciting and enticing image in order to drive consumers to their e-commerce checkout line. And this past month, the brand invested in a 6,636 square foot Hamptons beach rental that costs about a $37,500 a month to rent.
For the stunt, Revolve hosted tastemakers, including pay-for-play bloggers who boast a following of over 1 million on Instagram like Natasha Oakley (1.8 million), Danielle Bernstein (1.5 million), Chiara Ferragni (6.3 million), Eleanor Calder (3 million), Kristina Bazan (2.4 million), Negin Mirsalehi (3.2 million) and Camila Coutinho (1.9 million), according to Fashionista.
Revolve covered all of the bloggers' travel expenses, appearance fees, and[...]
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8 years ago
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With the weather forecast calling for temperatures in the upper 90's on Friday, we did our best to prepare for an all day event in the sweltering NYC summer heat. But upon entering the venue, it was clear that the organizers of the Panorama Festival planned appropriately for our day. With many free water kiosks, tents and air conditioned art & music areas, it was easy to cool down if you were feeling overwhelmed by the oppressive heat.
And although it's not so easy to get to Randall's Island, our timing was very good, and as we walked in Here We Go Magic was just starting to play in the huge tent to the north side of the venue. I was happy to finally here the band live. Some years ago I interviewed Luke Temple, but lost touch with the band's more recent happenings. They had a decent crowd for the early part of the day, and although they apologized for some technical difficulties, we were impressed with their set.
As we made our way over to the main stage, we could hear Algier's set was already in full swing. Algier's set was only 30 minutes, but their powerful, dark soulful sound was evident throughout. While listening we were able to cool down over at the American Express spot. We snapped together some complimentary sunglasses and enjoyed some refreshments for a bit before heading back to the pavilion to hear Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A rather large, enthusiastic crowd was now gathered and grooving to some of the best New Orleans style jazz you can fi[...]
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