Happy Belated National Cinema Day! I am sending this month’s wrap up earlier than usual because Mondays can be rough so I figure- why not suggest some escape forms?
Here are the books, shows, podcasts, movies that have stayed with me from this month.
MOVIES
National Cinema Day included $4 spent on my favorite movie this month- and probably one of my favorites from this whole year (thanks for coming with me Shan!)- Scrapper, a first feature film for director Charlotte Regan whose background is mostly in directing music videos for rappers (which she has done since she was 15!)- a definite influence for the film. The movie, which tells the story of a 12 year old raising herself, who is surprised by a visit from her Ibiza nightclub ticket-selling dad, is hilarious and devastating. Breaking the tropes of British films she mentioned that she wanted to see happier films about the British working class- and that’s exactly what she made, building a candy colored film where adults seem character/child like, and the kids are just managing around them.
Preceding the Scrapper screening I also caught the, seemingly sold out all over Brooklyn, Bottoms movie- which is a light, fun, and slightly unhinged satire of high school politics that reminded me of “Not Another Teen Movie” and “Bring It On”- with a queer feel to it. Shiva Baby’s Director, Emma Seligman, had been toying with the idea since their NYU days with Rachel Senott and Ayo Edebiri and it’s kind of amazing that they made it happen considering both Ayo and Rachel’s schedules (two films by 28?!). The cast was phenomenal- though I did, even as a lesbo, sometimes not believe the omnipresence of lesbians in the high school- but maybe that’s because we literally had none and it would've been so much more fun!
Looking for something… sexy? Ira Sachs’ Passages looks at a messy love triangle and features controversial sex scenes (in their length- nothing else) that have led to a ratings battle for the film, being given an NC17 rating by the Motion Pictures Association- with Mubi releasing it nationwide without any ratings at all. The movie is beautifully shot and nearly everyone in the theater could probably see an ex, or themselves in one of the characters. Some theories are that director Sachs wrote this as a look into what could have happened had his relationship with the woman he co-parents his child with gone wrong, as someone married to someone else (a man). This is definitely a hotter film that might make you feel second hand embarrassment if you were to see it with let's say your coworker/mother-in-law/parents/child.
Equally visually-stunning, as in a feature length dance film, is Benjamin Millepieds’ Carmen with the one and only Paul Mezcal- and one of my personal favorites, Rossy De La Palma- who is like a live painting in every scene. This has the tropes of a dance film, the story itself doesn’t totally make sense- man saves woman etc etc… but the dancing is super fun to watch. Millepieds also seems to have pursued an impossible love- 25 year old climate activist Camille Etienne.
If you have a short attention something and want a movie that will completely suck you in, a psychological thriller in a Gone Girl kind of way- I recommend What Comes Around. The basic premise? Teens falls in love with older guy online, parents aren’t super happy. BUT THE TWIST IS HUGE. And it kills me I can’t tell you.
DOCUMENTARIES/STREAMABLE
Okay so for years I’ve been fascinated by scammy marketing companies- while I worked at WNYC, a lot of my coworkers and I were getting Chinese Robocalls and within that same year I came very close to sharing my credit card because I thought I won a trip- yes I know- so I was ecstatic to learn about the Safdie brothers’ new two part series, Telemarketers. Full of characters and grimy- the brilliance of it is that the project stems from people on the inside, who filmed their operation over the course of 20 years. 20 years of working with previous inmates who couldn’t find another job, and got conned into raising funds for “the police”. Find out about the quotation marks in the doc.
If you love music documentaries, I recommend the one about Biz Markie, All Up In The Biz. I didn’t know much about Biz to be honest but learned to love him after hearing his story told by his friends and loved ones. Many echo sentiments of him being a big kid, and so at times he is embodied by a Sesame Street type puppet- which is at times- a bit weird to be honest- but he is so integral to Hip Hop and has paved the way for so many.
If you are into Sports documentaries- I- never thought I would say this- but the documentary about ex problematic influencer, current boxer, Jake Paul, is kind of a wild ride following his ascension into the YouTube world, and great fall from it and how sports have saved him mentally- and how surprisingly good he is. Though it does make you paranoid that he might want to run for president someday.
Whatever you do- I really wouldn’t waste time watching the Heard/Depp doc.
PERFORMANCE
I didn’t catch much this month because most theaters are dark in August/I wanted to be outside- but Battery Dance Festival, the longest running free public dance festival, which can therefore often fall kind of flat- had a few really interesting pieces this year.
Was so happy to catch Jerron Herman with our friend in common Shannon and his world premiere Lax- “an observation on how getting rest is athletic and energetic through a disabled lens”. Jerron’s performance felt energizing and restful, as he understatedly took the time to make every movement and gesture stand out on transcending music and poetry that he composed. The sun was setting throughout, making it a stunning moment for us all.
Romanian Choreographer, Teodora Velescu also brought it, with a fashion/drag dance shunning capitalism. It really started with a bang, and everyone in the audience seemed to bop their heads at the same time, down with whatever was happening. And slowly dwindled into the expected trick dance. As were the other pieces.
Exhibits
All the shows I loved this month happened to also be..free!
Shelley Niro’s 500 year Itch retrospective at The National Museum of the American Indian brought me embarrassingly to the museum for the first time and brought together her playfulness and performance across her paintings, photographs and collage works that all look at what it means to “act” Native American.
I was also brought to the Queens Museum for the first time catching South African artist Tracey Rose’s work, organized by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Tracey’s work is also incredibly performative, and involves videos of her experimental performances, looking at post-colonial repair and entanglement.
Pearl River Mart’s Gallery on Broadway also has a wonderful exhibit surrounding Arlan Huang’s art collection, that was collected “outside the realms of the art market” and honors the Asian American artist experience, most of them collected through art swaps. The photo below by Corky Lee and in the collection is one of my favorite photos ever.
Unfortunately Behjat Sadr’s show at The Institute of Arab and Islamic Art closed yesterday but her work was revolutionary in a male dominated art world in Iran and her paintings seem to move in different directions depending on where you stand- supposedly she would place her works on the floor to move as she was making.
PODCASTS
This month I just have three stand alone episodes for you.
Freedom Diving- Co-Host of Invisibilia, Kia Miakka Natisse, sets out to find freedom and joy in the pandemic by learning free diving from self-proclaimed Black mermaid, Zandile Ndhlovu.
Short Cuts/Life Partners- An excerpt of this shortcuts episode that looks at the body as the life partner- with the pain it involves to live inside it at times.
On one’s experience of the Fires in Maui The most gripping and tragic telling of a young man’s experience of the fires in Maui. I still can’t believe how collected he is in his storytelling and the humor he finds in it at times.
BOOKS
If you’re looking for a long, laughable, tale with wild characters: I recommended Big Swiss suggested to me by Andi! It’s a hilarious look at a local in Upstate New York’s experience transcribing for a sex therapist, and where her lack of emotional intelligence leads her to.
If you want a dumb romantic comedy: I enjoyed Romantic Comedy lol which is a lovely tale of a pretend SNL-like writer who crushes on the talent on the show.
If you want a book that is a more of a thorough essay: I am about to finish Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma (recommended to me by Sahar!) which looks at what it means to be a critic or a fan in a time that is so preoccupied by biography, and takes the time to separate intricate feelings and cases covering examples ranging from Virginia Woolf to Kanye West.
Looking forward to hearing your recommendations and experiencing something together <3