Engineer's Daughter: March 2017

March 29, 2017

agenda 03.29.17

Art

Through April 2 - From Generation to Generation: Inherited Memory and Contemporary Art at the CJM. Co-curated by Pierre-François Galpin and Lily Siegel, this extraordinary group show does not try to be comprehensive by covering every historical trauma ever, mercifully. There are still many heartbreaking moments to be sure (as in Chikako Yamashiro's video about the Battle of Okinawa, pictured above) as the artists respond to "postmemories," events that they did not personally experience that still have resonance for them. But there is a lot of humor and beauty here too.

Theater

Through April 2 - peerless at Marin Theatre Company. In Jiehae Park's jet-black comedy, twins M and L have their hearts set on The College, and they will let no thing and no person stand in their way. This is Macbeth reimagined amongst overachieving high school seniors with a dash of Heathers and Beautiful Creatures thrown in for good measure, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Film

Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love was an instant favorite of mine when it came out in 2002, and I see something new in it every single time I watch it again. Adam Sandler in one of the only roles I can tolerate him in, Emily Watson as luminous as could be, Jon Brion's insane score, those interstitials by Jeremy Blake, and of course the sheer perfection of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Book

For those like me who never wanted Eve's Hollywood to end, NYRB is back with its latest glorious Eve Babitz reissue. Slow Days, Fast Company is another delectable series of Babitz's autobiographical Los Angeles vignettes, but do not be fooled by her breezy party girl exterior. Babitz slices directly to the heart of what it is to live and love in L.A., and of the complexities of being a modern woman.

Music

Artist Gwenaël Rattke gave an inspiring talk at the SF Public Library this weekend to celebrate the publication of his new book/folio San Francisco Reverberation, and while at the event I was thrilled to learn it was he who'd done the cover art for Muscle Up by Patrick Cowley, a favorite recent release of mine on SF's own Dark Entries label. Which then led me to reread this great article on Cowley by Sam Lefebvre and want to share it with you.

Posted at 07:00 PM in Art, Books, Film, Music, Theater | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 26, 2017

March 15, 2017

agenda 03.15.17

Art

Through March 25 - Steuart Pittman: The Twist at Traywick Contemporary. Pittman's gorgeous abstracted forms are inspired by the architecture of Oakland, and in his color choices you can imagine the faded paint of the warehouses on Mandela Parkway. Don't miss the titles of his artworks either; one in particular made me laugh out loud in the gallery.

Theater

Through March 19 - Eclipsed at the Curran. Written by Danai Gurira, who when she's not being a badass on The Walking Dead is also a seriously amazing playwright, Eclipsed takes you deep inside the lives of five women during the recent Liberian civil war. Unforgettable performances from an all-woman cast, extraordinary production design, and history that needs to be better-known outside of Africa -- I cannot recommend this play highly enough.

Film

Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's classic manga comes to splatterrific life in the six Lone Wolf and Cub films, recently released by Criterion and watched in quick succession by me. Tomisaburo Wakayama is perfectly stoic as samurai-for-hire Itto Ogami, while Akihiro Tomikawa as his young son Daigoro glares down any and all opponents -- or stabs them in the stomach with a random weapon from his perambulator. Originally released between 1972 and 1974, the movies have some aspects (ahem gender roles) that have not aged so well, but their over-the-top attitude is hard to deny.

Book

My favorite resistance tool Daily Action just started a book club, and I was beyond psyched they chose David France's How to Survive a Plague as their inaugural selection. Living in the Bay Area the AIDS crisis still feels very close, and this is a true survivor's tale, rich with historical insight, from someone who was on the front lines. Read the book, watch this interview with France. And next up for the Daily Action book club: Matthew Desmond's Evicted!

Music

Last week I was shocked to find out my dead friend Glenn had passed away suddenly, and my entire community has been rocked by the news. I can still barely type it out; it doesn't seem real. Besides being the kindest soul, a sharp wit, and a bon vivant, Glenn was a talented and passionate musician, always popping by my Facebook page to banter with me about music or to make some obscure Blur reference that made me laugh. Many many years ago he organized a group of two dozen geeks into making a 24-hour playlist, and the results are posted for posterity here. He's pogo, I'm nightfall.