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Our fine friends at Flux team up with another of our good friends as director Chris Milk joins Alexandre de Bonrepos and Chris Marrs Piliero to show off their latest and greatest works on film for Flux’s Screening Series at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. Also on tap is a retrospective of works by Swedish filmmaker Jonas Odell (award winning vids for Goldfrapp, Franz Ferdinand) as well as our pal Kyle Ng on the 1’s and 2’s.

Don’t forget to RSVP!

From the Fluxers:

“This Thursday join us in kicking off Summer with the Flux Screening Series at the Hammer Museum.

The program will also feature a mini-retrospective of work by celebrated Swedish filmmaker Jonas Odell, including his award-winning videos for Goldfrapp and Franz Ferdinand and the Los Angeles premiere of Tussilago, which won “Best Animated Short Film” at this year’s San Francisco Film Festival. Plus a few more surprises.

Come celebrate an evening of innovative films followed by a party in the courtyard.”

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Our fine friends at Flux fresh from SXSW, brings Los Angeles yet another exciting (free!) event as their stellar Screening Series at the Hammer continues with their first of 2010. Featuring special guests OK Go and their instant classic Rube Goldberg must see clip for “This Too Shall Pass” as well as shorts and videos from Edouard Salier, Saman Keshavarz and Andy Bruntel, Flux is back with a vengeance.

Seating is limited and available on a first come first served basis. RSVP is a must!

From the Fluxers:

“Join us at the Hammer this coming Tuesday as we kick off the third year of the Flux Screening Series.

Among our special guests for the evening are OK Go and their creative collaborators James Frost and Syyn Labs behind their epic Rube Goldberg Machine video “This Too Shall Pass.” The evening of shorts and videos will also include new works from filmmakers including Edouard Salier (in town from Paris), Saman Keshavarz (winner of Best Music Video at SXSW 2010) and Andy Bruntel.

Spring is here. Come celebrate an evening of innovative films followed by a party in the courtyard.”

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On Tuesday I was fortunate enough to attend Flux’s advance screening of The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, the documentary film directed by buddy Emmett Malloy and colored by our good friend and telecine artist Beau Leon. The film, which intimately chronicled the Stripes first ever tour of Canada, not only was masterfully crafted with some of the strongest performance pieces I’ve ever seen on film but it also provided both a humorous and solemn look into the intricate dynamics between Jack and Meg White.

And since I’m currently editing a film on a legendary musical act myself, I found the film to be nothing short of inspiring. A truly entertaining and poetic film for both White Stripes fans and the casual movie goer alike.

Details and more from Flux here:

“In the summer of 2007, The White Stripes embarked on a cross-country Canadian tour to accomplish their goal of performing in every province and territory across the expansive northern nation. The Emmett Malloy-directed documentary film, Under Great White Northern Lights, captured that incredible journey. On March 15th the Egyptian Theatre will host an exclusive Los Angeles theatrical screening allowing fans a peek into the touring lives of one of the world’s most enigmatic bands.”

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Or maybe “Get Fluxed at the Hammer”? Either way, this holiday season the gift giving folks at Flux give us yet another stellar lineup of music videos and short films for 2009’s final Flux Screening Series at the Hammer. Featuring the world premiere of Mia Doi Todd’s “Open Your Heart” (directed by Michel Gondry and edited by my editing mentor Fernando Villena), as well as breakthrough music videos by Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck (dir. Keith Schofield madman behind Diesel’s “SFW XXX”!), Grizzly Bear (dir. Allison Schulnik), Ramona Falls (dir. Stefan Nadelman creator of Food Fight!), and Yeasayer (dir. Radical Friend) among others.

Filmmakers Michel Gondry, Keith Schofield, Allison Schulnik and Kirby McClure and Julia Grigorian of Radical Friend will be in attendance.

The evening’s festivities conclude with a special musical performance by Mia Doi Todd, Michel Gondry and friends.

From the Fluxers:

“As part of the quarterly Flux Screening Series showcasing innovative film and music, the Hammer will debut the World Premiere of Mia Doi Todd’s new video “Open Your Heart”, directed by Michel Gondry. The evening of shorts and videos will include videos for Grizzly Bear, Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck, Ramona Falls among others. Filmmakers Michel Gondry, Keith Schofield, Allison Schulnik and Stefan Nadelman will be in attendance. The evening will conclude with a reception featuring a very special live performance by Mia Doi Todd herself!

ALL HAMMER PUBLIC PROGRAMS ARE FREE.

Tickets are required, and are available at the Billy Wilder Theater Box Office one hour prior to start time. Limit one ticket per person on a first come, first served basis. Hammer members receive priority seating, subject to availability.

Parking is available under the Museum. There is a $3 flat rate after 6:30 p.m.”

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Time for girls to dress like slutty something-somethings, guys to make minor adjustment to last year’s costumes and for me to edit my ass off on another uncelebrated Halloween (that makes 3 out of the last 5). And since I’ll be working on Saturday I’ll be dressed as an editor. BOO!

• Start your Halloween with some brain…cancer research fundraising. The Zombiethon-A Run For Brains is costumed walk/run fundraiser benefiting brain cancer research to be held at the Silver Lake reservoir.

• Find out what lurks In the Garden of the Mystic as Andrew Brandou unveils new paintings and rare silk-screened wood blocks at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. *Also free Halloween poster print for first 400 attendees at the opening!
  

• The evening gets weirder at The Cinefamily and Dublabs joint Bollyween party, a Bollywood-style Halloween party featuring drinks and dosas (provided by The Dosa Truck), ghoulish giveaways, costume prizes, DJ sets from the dublab “Bloodsucking” Sound System and Dr. Who Witchcraft Coven, more live performances and of course Bollyweird: The Movie — “their very own feature-length video mashup celebrating the most horrifying, fantastic, costume-crazed and outlandish moments of vintage Indian musical madness ever.”

• And of course what Halloween wouldn’t be complete without, uh, Halloween? John Carpenter’s 1978 scarefest gets even scarier as Cinespia screens Halloween at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

• And after all your Halloween night debauchery, how bout some wholesome goodness on Sunday with Hello Kitty’s Birthday Party. Curated by the fine folks of Flux, the continuing Hello Kitty Three Apples celebration takes place at the Royal/T Cafe in Culver City. The day’s events include workshops with artists Gary Baseman and Buff Monster and a live performance by the LA Ladies Choir complete with birthday cake!

From Flux:

You are invited to Hello Kitty’s Birthday Party. Come explore the Three Apples art exhibition and join some of the fun birthday activities planned throughout the day. Hello Kitty’s Birthday Party is hosted by Flux.

10am-12pm - Birthday Breakfast with Hello Kitty and DJ Lady Sinclair

11am-12pm - Figure Drawing Workshop with Three Apples artist Gary Baseman (Limited Capacity, sold out)

12pm-1pm - Toy Workshop with Three Apples artist Buff Monster (Limited Capacity, sold out)

2pm-3pm - Sushi & Bento Workshop with acclaimed chef Sushi Girl (Limited Capacity, sold out)

4pm-5pm - Live singing performance by LA Ladies Choir and Birthday Cake with Hello Kitty

Plus Hello Kitty Birthday Photo Booth

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Royal-T
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232-2326
(310) 559-6300
Three Apples Exhibition: A Celebration of All Things Hello Kitty

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Wow, quite an overdose of art on both coasts awaits this weekend. Los Angeles and New York have got their hands full with some major (and minor) art openings and events going down featuring amazing things to see, hear, touch, create and even eat.

• The boldly inspirational artwork of pop artist, teacher and nun, Sister Mary Corita goes on display at the Zach Feuer Gallery in New York City. Some of her more prominent pieces from the work she created from 1960-1986 will be given an east coast home to inspire people who have yet to discover her art.

• The children of some of today’s most creative artists have been unleashed to form their own group show consisting of an exhibition of Halloween masks in the appropriately titled Chip Off the Old Block at Synchronicity Space on Melrose. Featuring the offspring of Tim Biskup and Seonna Hong, Cleon Peterson, Megan Whitmarsh, Christian Clayton and more.

• Giant Robot celebrates 15 unbelievable years of self publishing art and culture for the masses with the Giant Robot Biennale 2: 15 Years at the Japanese American National Museum in LA’s Little Tokyo. The fully loaded lineup of some of my favorite artists includes David Choe, Jeff Soto, James Jean, Luke Chueh, PCP, Albert Reyes and Deth P. Sun among the 50+ artist group show. Sure to be a massive opening so arrive early!

Check out curator and Giant Robot publisher Eric Nakamura’s blog to see some of the artists in action installing the show.

• Another highly anticipated anniversary celebration this weekend is the Hello Kitty Three Apples exhibition at the Royal/T Cafe in Culver City. The multi-dimensional day of Sanrio’s iconic Kitty includes a group art show of 80 collaborating artists including Ron English, Frank Kozik, Gary Baseman, Buff Monster, Friends With You, Luke Chueh and Natalia Fabia among others. Also in on all the celebrating are our friends at Flux who have curated the full day of Kitty activities.

• New York artist Marilyn Minter spits out new paintings, photographs, and her film Green Pink Caviar at Regen Projects on Santa Monica.

• A double dose of goodness at New York’s Jonathan Levine Gallery as Jim Houser opens his solo show Make Room For The Emptiness and Gary Baseman curates the group exhibition True Self featuring a who’s who of contemporary artists including the Clayton Brothers, Cleon Peterson, Dalek, James Jean, Korin Faught, Luke Chueh, Mark Ryden, Ron English, Ryan Heshka, Shag, Tim Biskup, Travis Lampe and a whole lot more.

• The awesome folk at Family have conjured up a diverse collection of new video art and animation for the group show Main Street at Hollywood’s Space 15 Twenty. The talented bunch of filmmakers include Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Jacob Ciocci, Miranda July, Peter Sutherland, Lucky Dragons, Paper Rad and more. Check Family’s blog for some fantastic looking film stills. Special shout out to my old editing peeps at Sunset Edit for supporting the show!

• And last, but definitely not least, is the premiere of my old pal Rich Newey’s short crime drama Breathe screening as part of the short film lineup for the Hollywood Film Festival screening at the Arclight. Read more on Rich’s cinematic short as well as his filmmaking process in this exclusive interview.

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Tonight the friendly folk of Flux present a unique audio/visual exploration of love as The Decemberists perform their brand of music synchronized with specially created animations and visuals in Here Come The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Read the LA Times write up here and more from Flux here.

From the Fluxers:

“On October 19, The Decemberists will unveil Here Come The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized, a special project that takes their ambitious and acclaimed song cycle to new heights for it’s final American performance at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles. This unique live experience will feature The Decemberists in collaboration with four filmmakers—Guilherme Marcondes, Julia Pott, Peter Sluszka and Santa Maria—each of whom have created animation to accompany a section of the music. Presented in association with Flux, the event will also be a benefit for The GRAMMY Foundation’s Grammy In The Schools music education programs for high school students.”

Here Come The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized Trailer from The Decemberists on Vimeo.

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Usually on Fridays I post art openings, film events, and whatever fun filled activities are happening over the weekend. But today I need to shift focus to more pressing issues and help raise awareness and relief for the people who could really use the support.

Last weekend the Philippines was hit hard by Typhoon Kestana (also known as Typhoon Ondoy) which killed hundreds and left most of Manila under water and the country in a “state of calamity”. Now the islands brace for the arrival of Super Typhoon Parma (Pepeng) as it makes landfall this Saturday. I was happily relieved when I received a facebook message from my cousins in Manila letting me know that they’re alive and well but at the time of the typhoon they thought it was the “end of the world because the rains didn’t stop”. Others may not be as fortunate. Please help a Filipino out by giving aid through relief agencies such as these:

• American Red Cross
• Philippine Red Cross
  
• UNICEF
• Save the Children
• Direct Relief International
• CARE
• World Vision
• HISG
  

And like many other third world countries that encounter natural disasters, clean drinking water has been in great demand. Meg Wells of Flux has sponsored the Clean Water Initiative donating LifeSaver Water Bottles which turn “the muddiest, murkiest, virus-infested water into clean, safe drinking water.” Watch the company’s CEO Michael Pritchard make clean water at a TED talk here:

Click here to sponsor and donate clean water with a Lifesaver bottle.

Thanks for taking some time to help support those in need!

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The father and mother Fluxers known as Jonathan and Meg Wells continue to spread the messages of creative filmmakers as their Flux Screening Series delivers yet another stellar line up tonight at the Hammer. Featuring the Los Angeles premiere of Logorama, a spectacular animated action movie created entirely with corporate logos from renowned French design studio H5, the evenings’ program also includes new work from Spike Jonze, Jonathan Glazer, Chris Cairns, Shynola and much more.

From Juxtapoz:

“They say the average American is exposed to thousands of corporate logos every day. If that’s the case, then the new film Logorama directed by H5 has tons of content, as the animated action movie has been created entirely with corporate logos.

David Fincher does a cameo voice as the Pringles man/logo. The LA premiere will debut tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 15, 2009 from 7-11pm as part of the FLUX Screening Series at the Hammer Museum.

The surreal Spike Jonze short film We Were Once A Fairytale that he made with Kanye West will also be shown as well as Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc. directed by Chris Cairns; Grizzly Bear “While You Wait For The Others” directed by Sean Pecknold; Dead Weather “Treat Me Like Your Mother” directed by Jonathan Glazer; Coldplay “Strawberry Swing” directed by Shynola; and Dix (ten) directed by BIF.”

Visit Flux.net for more information.

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Looks like Saturday is the big winner with many a good thing in this weekend’s stacked schedule of events for your cultural and social pleasures.

• The super producing couple of Meg and Jonathan Wells continue to pump out the goods as one of their most ambitious projects to date opens the Scion installation space in Culver City with the Flux Super 8. Featuring filmmakers, designers and video artists from all over the world including our ultra talented Portland pal Max Erdenberger, as well as The Blackheart Gang (Cape Town, South Africa), Saam Farahmand (London, UK); Sophie Gateau (Paris, France), Miwa Matreyek (Los Angeles, USA), Terri Timely (San Francisco, USA), United Visual Artists (UVA) (London, UK), and YesYesNo (Amsterdam, NL + New York, NY + London, UK), the promising Flux Super 8 show is sure to be the first of many more to come.

• And while you’re in Culver City hop on over to the Corey Helford Gallery and take a trip to India with the moustachioed madman Carlos Ramos as he once again dazzles with his trademark contrasty colors and sublimely shaped stable of animals. (Moustache subject to availability.)

• Giant Robot cleans out their closet with the group show Junk in the Trunk in which over 30 artists including Apak!, David Horvath and Albert Reyes among others, bust out new, old, and random pieces of art that need new homes at GR2 on Sawtelle. Bonus yard sale on Sunday too!

• The second shift Saturday night continues (or starts) in Chinatown at the Sabina Lee Gallery on Chung King Road with the group show Second Shift.

• Reform School, Home Ec, and the Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax join hands to bring you the Los Angeles premiere of the documentary on D.I.Y. culture, Handmade Nation. *Saturday’s 12pm premiere screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, and ticket holders for this show will receive specialized gift bags and surprise giveaways! In-between the two Saturday screenings, during 2-6pm, there will be a mini-craft fair eaturing some of LA’s most talented makers, a “Handmade Nation” book signing with Faythe Levine, and hands-on make-and-takes (craft demos). Admission to the craft fair is free, and open to the general public.

• For my Bay Area brethren, Grind for the Green presents the second annual Battle for the Bang as bay area environmentally conscious youth battle with beats for cash and prizes at the Zeum in San Francisco.

• And finally end your weekend on a high musical note as Stones Throw’s finest continue to rock Amoeba Music on Sunset every Sunday in August. This weekend’s set features one of the Beat Junkies’ founding fathers, J-Rocc.

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