Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Fashion's Night Out and In and All Over

We couldn't proclaim ourselves art-&-fashion-to-the-people lovers if we didn't remind you to brace yourself for the sale of "Fashion's Night Out: The Show" tickets on Thursday at 10 am. The show, on September 7 at 7:30 pm, along with the "night out" are both aimed to turn Fashion Week inside out. As noted in the Fast Company article on Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's efforts to integrate fashion everywhere, "designer-loving everyday Janes" will be able to partake in the once ultra-exclusive excitement. Fashion's Night Out, going down September 10 from 6-11 pm, will essentially be fashion gone social—a block party extravaganza of late-evening shopping with all the glitz and glamour. We can dig that.

Tickets for "The Show" may be purchased online, by visiting the Alice Tully Hall or Avery Fisher Hall box office (Broadway at 65th), and by calling 212.721.6500.

Monday, August 16, 2010

James Frecheville Tells All to BRM: More on 'Animal Kingdom' Straight from the Star

We had the privilege of speaking with Australian actor James Frecheville, the amazing lead of Sundance favorite 'Animal Kingdom.' Read more on why you should get excited for this highly-anticipated film from the star himself...

BRM: How are you most similar and different to the character of J? What were your greatest challenges in channeling that character, and how did you get past them?
JF: I share virtually no similarities with J, totally opposite upbringing and living situations. The one parallel we did share was being thrust into a new environment as a fledgling, and being forced to adapt to new surroundings. I’d never been on a set before, so it was ‘baptism by fire’ for J and I. I don’t recall any major challenges of channeling the character, as I knew if I put in the work beforehand, then the results would appear when you shoot the scene.
BRM: What was your relationship with David Michôd like, and what did you learn from working under his direction?
JF: It was great. David was really kind and calm, and he was very good at subtly influencing everyone around him. A lot of the things I’ve learnt, I have trouble verbalizing, but I know that I did learn a lot. Conduct, work ethic, acting, directing etc. [The film] had attracted a caliber of people in the film industry that were all there for the same reason, to help make a potentially good film, a good film.

photo courtesy of imdb.com 

BRM: You narrate at the beginning of the film that the brothers were all scared. Their roles, in particular Ben Mendelsohn’s role, are most haunting because of the raw reality of that fear. Did that fear ever apply to Jacki Weaver’s character? She comes off as pure evil, and we can’t think of a moment when she really even seemed insecure.
JF: I think she’s riddled with insecurities, but she’s so adroit at hiding them, we’d never know if they existed. I think Jacki’s character is a product of her environment and lifestyle, that when she needs to make hard choices, she makes the most curt, brutal decision that is necessary. 
BRM: Why should people go see this film?
JF: It’s so multifaceted that you could watch it different times and get different things from it. Either certain aspects of the story, or performances, or even just to make you appreciate what your family is like a little more, and be glad you don’t have this one.
BRM: You have bypassed the buildup to a lead role with an established cast at an early age. Now what! What are your personal goals for the future? What types of roles would you most like to pursue?
JF: I’ve now got representation in LA, so I’m auditioning pretty frequently and some screenwriting. I’d like to pursue any type of role really, although I’m not interested in developing a distinct character that I keep playing over and over. So mostly acting and a bit of screenwriting.

Look out for upcoming work from Mr. Frecheville and don't miss 'Animal Kingdom.'

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

'Animal Kingdom' is One Anxiety-Provoking Experience Worth Having

Australian crime drama 'Animal Kingdom' lead the dramatic category at Sundance 2010 winning the World Cinema Jury Prize. The film is a darker, modern-day variation on the Lion King theme of the food chain without the "Hakuna Matata" interludes. "We might think that because of the circles we run in, we're the strong ones, but you're not. You're young, and you're weak because you're young," Detective Leckie (Guy Pearce) says to lead Joshua "J" Cody (James Frecheville). 'Animal Kingdom' will simultaneously drain you and keep you up late at night. Even the good guys are bad guys, and the Codys make the Corleones look like the Griswolds.

Newcomer Frecheville (pronounced "fresh-ville," virtual thumb's up), who plays the lead role of 17-year-old Joshua, absolutely kills it. His energy beats so graphically that you'll feel it in your own chest at some point during the film.

Currently playing only in Australia, the Sundance favorite will premiere in select U.S. theaters this Friday, August 13.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Miike Snow Makes It Rain

We grappled with posting Miike Snow's unreal video for "The Rabbit" from their latest self-titled album, but it's beyond NSFW. In lieu of the video, which you can and should view here, we're posting up the track, which is equally as amazing on its own. Starting off with a piano riff and a quick tribal vibe chant, the track picks up with mysterious lyrics accompanied by a bangin' tempo. As for the video, well you'll get a dance lesson from a bearded child pimp before he and his troupe of scantily clad demoiselles recreate the 1989 2 Live Crew album cover for As Nasty As They Wanna Be. You'll be further enlightened and confused about what Miike Snow and the world are all about.



"The rabbit jumps back in his hole, / and I forget that I am just like everybody else."

Props to EK.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

CAN'T MISS: What Paul Simon Sing Sings from the Cold-Blooded Returns to NYC, Aug. 14-16

Surely Paul Simon was attracted to and produced an album and musical based on the Capeman murders for the story's chilling, "in-cold-blood" mysteriousness. When two 16-year-old gang members took the lives of two innocent boys in August 1959, the city was gripped by the violence, and Salvador "The Capeman" Agron was the youngest person ever sentenced to death. He was released from prison 20 years later after reforming into an introverted man who read, wrote poetry, and kept quietly to himself.

photo courtesy of homicidesquad.com
For three days only, Simon's 'The Capeman' will run at the Delacorte in Central Park from August 14 to 16, at the charge of Tony-nominated director Diane Paulus.

Assistant to the director Mia Walker tells us of the upcoming show, "A little while ago, Paul Simon was at a gas station and a woman came up to him and said she was a fan of his, and especially loved 'The Capeman.' He remembers her telling him 'and the MOTHER...it's really about the mother.' So, Diane and Paul decided to make this production more about Esmeralda Agron, Salvador's mother," played by Natascia Diaz who Walker calls "incredible — such a powerful singer and actor."

Paul Simon posed a troubling account of the murders in 'Songs from the Capeman,' forcing his audience to ponder, troubled, over the sides of the story. "How could anyone look into your eyes, such pure eyes, / and see a murderer in there? / I see an angel on a hillside / with moonlight in his hair," sings Diaz as Esmeralda.

—This post is in honor of Abelino Mazaniego.—

Monday, August 2, 2010

Allan Gorman Delivers a New Art Medium on a Ramp to Somewhere Special

Tomorrow, the Bowery Gallery will launch the "18th National Juried Exhibition," with the opening reception on Thursday from 5-8pm.

Allan Gorman, a featured artist in the exhibition, discussed with us his iPad paintings, which are of the simple medium "finger on iPad." This type of work, which he calls a “fluke” because it was not his initial intended use for his iPad, typifies the convergence of painting tradition with the cutting edge lifestyle of even the hippest among us.


"Vertigo"
courtesy of allangorman.com
"Ramps to Nowhere Special"
courtesy of allangorman.com
"Trucks in the Gap"
courtesy of allangorman.com
The impulsiveness of these one-off pieces perfectly suits Gorman’s perspective on art. He says, "If you try to figure it out, then it becomes intellectual. And to me, it becomes mechanical when it’s intellectual.”

As an artist who has only been displaying his work for the last 3 years, his success is inspiring. Finally, his parting words on art may transform your way of thinking. You don’t have to like it, but they may just change you:
“The thing about art itself is if it moves you in some way and it becomes meaningful in some way, then I would define it as successful in some way. You don’t have to like it, but if it touches you, then it’s art.”

See the following painting by Gorman at the Bowery Gallery tomorrow through August 24, and also look for Gorman’s most current project, “a series of large paintings that use the truck as a design element” in the future.

"Arlington Bridge Tower" (2009)
courtesy of allangorman.com
Special thanks to Mr. Gorman for sharing his thoughts and insights exclusively with Back Row Mafia.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Aaaaargh!

HAPPY SHARK WEEK! Tune into the Discovery Channel tonight at 9pm est for a razor-sharp good time.

photo courtesy of dsc.discovery.com