Defending the powerful work – Wes Anderson’s films about the precocious progeny of dysfunctional families; David Vann’s novels about men who build their own wilderness cabins where terrible things happen; John Banville’s first-person narratives of articulate and alienated men; even Philip Glass’s perpetually repeated minor thirds – of creators who consistently mine the same material.
Author: Matthew Westphal
‘Too Much Information Is A Kind Of Pornography’: Abbas Kiarostami On Narrative In His Films
“I’ve said before that fortunately or unfortunately, I’m unable to be a real storyteller. I’m sure that we can never be the witness of a story from its beginning to its end … all films start before we get into them and they end after we leave them.”
South African High Court To Hear President Zuma’s Suit Over Portrait
“South African President Jacob Zuma and his African National Congress sought a court order Tuesday to have a painting depicting the president’s genitals removed from an art gallery> A Johannesburg udge said that “the full three-judge bench should hear the case because the national interest and constitutional issues are at stake.”
Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center Cuts Its Presentations Of Touring Artists
Due to its own financial troubles as well as those of its resident companies, the arts center “is shifting away from being a distinct presenting entity, relying more on partnerships with commercial outfits such as AEG and Live Nation” to present popular jazz artists as well as Broadway shows.
L.A.’s Most Important Piece Of Shuttered Architecture
Christopher Hawthorne nominates downtown’s old Los Angeles Herald Examiner Building, the 1914 Mission Revival/Italianate/Moorish-style building out of which the Hearst Corporation operated the HerEx until the news paper folded in 1989.
Screenwriter Sues For Back Royalties On Red Detachment Of Women Ballet
“Last November, actress Liang Danni filed a complaint in Beijing’s Xicheng District Court against the National Ballet of China on behalf of her 87-year-old father, claiming 550,000 yuan ($86,968) in compensation and demanding a public apology. The elder Liang wrote the script for the original, film version of The Red Detachment of Women, from which the iconic Cultural Revolution ballet was adapted.
Vandals Deface Satirical Portrait Of South African President
“One man painted a red cross across [Jacob] Zuma’s face and penis while a younger man spread black paint over the image. The younger man was reportedly assaulted by security guards [in the Johannesburg gallery]. The 1.85-metre-high painting, entitled The Spear, has bitterly divided South Africans,” with Zuma and the ANC party suing to have the painting taken down.
Orange Prize No Longer: Sponsor Withdraws From Award For Fiction By Women
“In one of the biggest upsets in literary prize history, the mobile services company Orange has announced this morning that it will not be renewing its sponsorship of the prize for women’s fiction that has borne its name since the award’s inception 17 years ago.”
Theatre Artists, Don’t Under-Price Yourselves When Applying For Funding
Lyn Gardner: “[The] current belt-tightening climate… means that, when they are applying for money, many companies feel under pressure to prove just how cheaply they can make a piece of work. The risk is that they end up selling themselves and the show short.”
Envisioning Australia As An Arts Utopia
“Arts Minister Simon Crean … [now] has a suite of reviews of the cultural sector that may shape the [National Cultural Policy] … The federal government has yet to respond formally to any of these reports and recommendations; but in the event they are adopted in full, what would this cultural utopia look like?”