Tags archives: Hunky Dory
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8 years ago
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David Bowie was a musician of almost immeasurable influence. His last name echoes amongst the likes of Fitzgerald, Lennon, Presley, Ramone, Nicks and Cobain as one of the people responsible for music today. For almost half a century, he graced genre after genre with his albums, exploring each with an obsessive eye. From folk rock to krautrock-laced funk to art rock and experimental, there seemed to be no undertaking that Bowie couldn’t master. He fathered sub-genres and inspired others to do the same.
He became known not only for his songs, which climbed the charts like English ivy, but also his oddities. His hair, his face paint, his outlandish outfits. During the era of Ziggy Stardust from his station in glam rock, he made being an outsider ‘in’. He challenged gender norms, racism, politics, and a whole manner of preconceived notions of how music was supposed to be. He was an idol, a style icon, a pop star, the star of your favorite childhood movie and in his final effort he was a blackstar.
Bowie’s final album Blackstar was released on January 8th, coinciding with his 69th birthday. The record is a short, emotional, and strange departure from the various forms of pop that Bowie is best known for, but fittingly so. Bowie was never going to be predictable. Two days after the album’s release, the seemingly immortal Bowie died after a long battle with cancer. Blackstar then took on its intended meaning. It was his swan song. With every subsequent listen it seemed increas[...]
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8 years ago
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As the year winds down and we’re suffused with holiday cheer (and perhaps making donations to our favorite causes), it’s a good time for film fans to take a look at some movies that need help getting made, ones we might not necessarily hear about otherwise.
For many a low-budget indie filmmaker, Kickstarter, Indiegogo and other crowdfunding sites have become the way to get it done – or at least try to get it done. (Actually, some not-so-low budget films, including Zack Braff’s Wish I Was Here and Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, were both made with money – $3.1 million and $1.4 million, respectively – raised via Kickstarter, but those are exceptions.) Offering potential backers several donation tiers that pay back perks ranging from a thank-you postcard and link to the finished product to set visits and a night out with the cast and crew, these campaigns are not only a way for films to get made, but for fans to become a part of something cool and exciting.
There are many worthwhile films seeking funds on a variety of crowdsourcing platforms (over 600 film and video projects on Kickstarter alone). Here is just a sampling of interesting-looking projects on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, several of them based right here in New York City, with campaigns that are currently open. The list includes both documentary and narrative films in various stages of production, from pre- to post. They range from fairly sophisticated endeavors with principals who have significant industry[...]
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