I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES

My favorite song from the new Metric album.

This is a stunning acoustic version. From the new 50 minute IFC documentary "The Rawside of Metric", which is on You Tube in 5 parts. I strongly recommend it's viewing.

And on friday I will be seeing them at the Wonder Ballroom here in Portland. So excited.

WANT

A very strongly built boot which is suited for any style. After the construction of each of these boots, they are tied in a ball and soaked in water so that they form a very unique shape and appearance. When it is on your foot, though, the extreme curved shape begins to straighten out and they will sit just as your foot needs them to. Made from a deep smoky-gray-colored leather with slight distressing. Goodyear welted construction. Rubber hand-nailed heel. This popular boot style was made in collaboration with the Vancouver BC shoemakers Dayton. For over sixty years Dayton has been handcrafting footwear using time-consuming classic methods.

http://www.blackbirdballard.com/Wings_+_Horns_Leather_Service_Boot_12835.html

THE 503 - "THE GLORIOUS REUNION"

Episode 7: Another glorious summer in Portland begins with a sun drenched first weekend full of train track explorations, picnics on the river, Hawthorne boutique parties, and an endless consumption of food and drink.

M. BLASH'S LYING

When a long weekend brings four women together in the countryside, each of them is forced to navigate the depths of social interaction as virtual strangers. How well do we really know the friends we make in adulthood? And in an age of lies, what can be made of a person who tells untruths so small they serve no obvious purpose?

Writer/director M. Blash delves into the world of little white lies and those who tell them, those who accept them, and those who forcefully reject them. LYING stars Chloë Sevigny, Jena Malone, Maya Goldsmith, Halley Wegryn Gross and Leelee Sobieski.

Sometimes the best sign of really affecting art is a response of strong opinions. LYING seems to be a deeply rewarding exploration for some, and a polarizing experience for others. I urge people to see this as an attraction and not a deterrent... because what it means is that LYING has somehow bypassed the filter of the "system" that tries to condition films to fit the mold of what studios think the vague, broad audience wants. It is a rare example of creative liberation on the part of the filmmaker. So what you are getting is a film that does not treat you (the viewer) as a child, with easy plot points, melodrama or on the button literal "meanings" to things. On the contrary, M Blash treats us with a great deal of respect for our intelligence, and seems to be confident in us as viewers to cull our own experiences to find poignancy in his characters and images.

LYING is a fantastic mystery film, of the rarest kind. The type that explores the unsolvable mysteries of human behavior, relationships and interactions. The clues are all in the gestures, the tone of voice, the phrasings, in eyes and on the faces of these five women, and it is exciting to watch because of strong and etherial performances from Jena Malone, Chloe Sevigny, Halley Wegryn Gross, Maya Goldsmith and Leelee Sobieski. Not to mention beautiful, hazy cinematography that is imperfect, yes, but rich with texture and a fitting rawness.

Lying is of course, the central theme. The different ways that people lie to each other, particularly in adulthood, that makes us question how well we really know our friends and acquaintances around us. But while LYING does provoke you to contemplate why people lie, it's focus is on HOW people lie. Blash's film does not try to force a moral stance or a definitive statement about lying down your throat. It's up to you to figure out the "why", and decide what levels of falsehood you are willing to live with and what has gone too far.

The search for the singing voice is an amazing scene. It is the centerpiece of LYING, by far the most memorable sequence, and so powerful when we see Sevigny's character sitting back and marveling over the hysterics her lies have created.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UWOLS4/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp

PING IN MIX MAGAZINE

Four partners, from left, Kurt Huffman, Andy Ricker, John Jay and Janet Jay, each bring special talents to the innovative Ping restaurant along with a vision to modernize Portland's Chinatown.

It's an unusual recipe for a restaurant: four partners with one vision to rethink food and culture in a modernized Chinatown. Each of these doers and shakers brings something different to the table at Ping. Southeast Asian street food, global pop culture, Chinese-American history, urban development and sustainable business systems all factor in the mix. The results? Intriguing food and an even more intriguing setting in the old Hung Far Low Building: stylized but soulful, vintage yet contemporary, and tasting of the past -- and the future...


FULL ARTICLE

ROGUES GALLERY F/09

Rugged, Naval inspired aesthetic from Rogues Gallery that makes me want to skip summer clothes and go straight to fall style. Love the processing of the photographs too.








http://cultureshoq.com/rogues-gallery-fall-09/

SCUMROCK

Winner of "Best Feature" Award at both the New York and the Chicago Underground Film Festivals, Scumrock is director Jon Moritsugu's (Mod F*** Explosion, Fame Whore) sixth feature. A sprawling epic shot on analog Hi8 video, Scumrock has screened around the world to critical and popular acclaim.

Full film on YouTube

Jon Moritsugu Interview

NETFLIX PORTLAND

Members in and around Portland, Oregon are currently renting these titles much more than other Netflix members.

Local Favorites
1. Erik the Viking
2. The Amazing Screw-On Head
3. My Own Private Idaho
4. The Real Dirt on Farmer John
5. Drugstore Cowboy
6. The End of Suburbia
7. Paranoid Park
8. Monster Camp
9. Kabluey
10. Old Joy
11. Eddie Izzard: Unrepeatable
12. Eulogy
13. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
14. Tideland
15. This American Life: Season 1
16. The Big White
17. Pushing Daisies: Season 1
18. Eddie Izzard: Circle
19. Trailer Park Boys: Seasons 1 & 2
20. Heavy Metal Parking Lot
21. Project Runway: Season 4
22. Wonderfalls: The Complete Series
23. The Best of the Colbert Report
24. Elephant
25. Twin Peaks: Season 2

I'M BACK IN PORTLAND

and it feels amazing.

That is all.

PING IN GQ

By the way, my parents' new restaurant Ping is mentioned in the new issue of GQ. The one with that kid from the big vampire movie on the cover. It's part of a larger article spotlighting Portland and it's food/restaurant culture. Yeeeeeeah. Go check it out.

NEW SHORT FILMS

Here are four short films I made recently, two of which I've previously posted but the other two are new.

My friends jokingly refer to them a trilogy (except now theres a fourth...) due to their similar styles, but these were all fun to do. One of my issues with filmmaking is that it takes so much planning and time, you rarely get to "play jazz" and be spontaneous, like you can with other art forms.

So these all came together by me calling Cameron, telling him to come over, picking up the camera, and then trying to explore a circumstance, setting or mood in a couple hours of shooting. Basically, it's me trying to play jazz a little bit.

SPOKES & PEDALS


HE IS MISSING

WATER STAINS

THIRTY THREE

Also if you haven't seen yet, Cameron and I started a Vimeo page for our little film collective.

Almost everything we've made from the last 5 years is on there, including entire early features like Twilight. Which is actually tremendously embarrassing and I'm not entirely sure why we uploaded that and some of the other bad early stuff for the world to see, but if it does any good maybe it displays growth.

Wait who am I kidding, no good can come of our early films being posted on the internet lol.

ZABRISKIE POINT CONFUSION

So even though the re-release isn't out yet, I found an old lesser quality copy of Zabriskie Point (along with Red Desert!!!) for rental at Videotheque in South Pasadena and couldn't wait.

Red Desert is incredible, and truly deserves a longer write up on here, but since I just finished Zabriskie Point, it's faults and triumphs are on my mind.

The opening scene at the student revolutionary group meeting is amazing and authentic, with a cameo from real life Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver. The infamous desert orgy scene is kind of interesting, and the last 15 minutes with Daria at her boss' house are amazing too.

But the politics and portrayal of 60's counterculture are too simplistic and self righteous, the acting weak, and most startlingly uncharacteristic of Antonioni - it's boringly shot and uses too much music.

I can't decide whether the film is just straight up bad, or whether there is enough little interesting elements for it to just make the mark. Either way, definitely not Antonioni's finest hour.

MILAN FURNITURE FAIR

Check out this article my dad wrote last week for the New York Times' fashion and design blog The Moment, about the Senseware exhibition at this year's Milan Furniture Fair.

http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/milan-furniture-fair-the-senseware-exhibition/

WENDY AND FUCKING LUCY

Finally on DVD today. Buy it.

CAPES ARE DOPE

Capes are dope.

Like this vintage plaid one worn by Jane Aldridge at Sea of Shoes.





Ladies, wear more capes. They're not just for crime fighters.

SAFETY

My buddy Bryan Schlam directed a music video for local LA band Safety a few months ago, and it's finally complete.

Blink and you'll miss my epic cameo!

Watch it here: http://vimeo.com/4023468

Go to his Vimeo page and check his other music video for the band Fear Before as well, it's awesome:

http://vimeo.com/bryanschlam

YOUR LOVE

My brother sent me a live recording of Bon Iver covering The Outfield's "Your Love" back in January and I haven't stopped listening to it since. These guys can even take a gloriously 80's pop song and make it heartbreaking.

It now reminds me of two things: driving home on the 101 at one in the morning with no one on the road, and standing in line at Disneyland with Carter, Sarah, Cam and Brittany. We were waiting to get on the submarine ride when the cheesy Disney band that was performing busted out into their own hilarious rendition.

Anyhow, I found a video of Bon Iver's cover, so enjoy.