Favorite stuff from 2012.
ART
Ann Hamilton's The event of a thread at Park Avenue Armory
Sheer exhilaration, from the impressive use of scale to the pure fun of swinging, and if you choose, can be parsed ad infinitum.
Picasso: Black & White at the Guggenheim
Deservingly rehabilitates the long, overly-hyped reputation of an innovative artist in a bracing exhibition.
DANCE
Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre, Rian
Why didn't this get more attention? A life-affirming evening of music and dance drawing from, but not limited to, Irish folk traditions.
Performer—Silas Riener
His gut-wrenching performances in Rashaun Mitchell's Nox and Tere O'Connor's Poem miraculously elevated his high-wire reputation after his Bessie Award-winning solo in Merce Cunningham Company's BAM send-off, Split Sides.
Choreographers: Pam Tanowitz, Dusan Tynek, Justin Peck
Three talented choreographers who should get more commissions from larger companies so in need of fresh voices and material. All skilled with the nitty-gritty construction of formal work that requires skilled technique. Peck, a corps member with NYCB, will have another premiere soon, and the others should as well.
BOOKS
This Bright River, Patrick Somerville
A novel that drew me, unexpectedly, through a personal story into a breathtaking thriller.
Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson
I know everybody says to read this book, but it may change your life the way Apple has changed your life. An unsparing depiction of a brilliant and ruthless creative genius.
The Round House, Louise Erdrich
Her writing is simple, funny, and earthy. About a crime on or near an Indian reservation that is light, dark, and slyly observes the complexity of the founding of our nation.
MAGAZINES
New York Magazine
This magazine is what a weekly cultural, general interest magazine should be, reflecting the best of culture and food, with graphics that can transform ideas into visually stunning images, and at heart, excellent writing.
As opposed to the worst: Time Out New York, which now looks like it doesn't have a designer overseeing it, and features hideous fashion, homes, and lame features that read more like advertorials. On its way to irrelevancy.
FILM
Moonlight Kingdom, Wes Anderson
A complete artistic vision, from story to every amazing visual detail.
I know there are more, but these are what spring to mind. Yours?
Happy new year!
Showing posts with label Patrick Somerville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patrick Somerville. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
What to Read?
Have trouble figuring out what books to read, or give as gifts? I'll start listing books of note. Feel free to chime in by commenting, or email if you've read something you want to share.
Here are a handful of new releases that have stuck in my head recently:
This Bright River, Patrick Somerville
A hybrid personal story + thriller that kept me guessing til the end. A complete surprise as I hadn't heard it hyped. Wanted it to go on and on.
State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
Another unexpectedly suspenseful, exotically-set tale that raises big questions about womankind and the natural order of things. And anything Patchett writes is worth a read.
Juliet in August, Diane Warren
Sasketchewan, horses, dust—along the lines of "exotic rural North Americana." Quietly ominous, richly descriptive, very readable.
Buddhaland Brooklyn, Richard Morais
Literally about Buddhism finding a home in Bklyn, paralleling a reverend's search for inner peace. Okay, the premise is based on the cliche of "cultures clash, hilarity ensues," but it's a refreshing take on it. Plus, a slender, quick read.
From a bit earlier:
Monsters of Templeton, Lauren Groff
A lake monster, ancestral mysteries, New York State near Cooperstown. What's not to like?
Open City, Teju Cole
A non-native wanders thru New York City, Brussels, and his native Nigeria visiting friends and relatives. Beautifully written and dreamlike.
Matterhorn, Karl Marlantes
I never thought I could get sucked into a novel about the Vietnam War, but this is totally engrossing and moving in a filmic way. (Remember this when it is eventually made into a film and you think, I wish I'd read the book first.)
Here are a handful of new releases that have stuck in my head recently:
This Bright River, Patrick Somerville
A hybrid personal story + thriller that kept me guessing til the end. A complete surprise as I hadn't heard it hyped. Wanted it to go on and on.
State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
Another unexpectedly suspenseful, exotically-set tale that raises big questions about womankind and the natural order of things. And anything Patchett writes is worth a read.
Juliet in August, Diane Warren
Sasketchewan, horses, dust—along the lines of "exotic rural North Americana." Quietly ominous, richly descriptive, very readable.
Buddhaland Brooklyn, Richard Morais
Literally about Buddhism finding a home in Bklyn, paralleling a reverend's search for inner peace. Okay, the premise is based on the cliche of "cultures clash, hilarity ensues," but it's a refreshing take on it. Plus, a slender, quick read.
From a bit earlier:
A lake monster, ancestral mysteries, New York State near Cooperstown. What's not to like?
Open City, Teju Cole
A non-native wanders thru New York City, Brussels, and his native Nigeria visiting friends and relatives. Beautifully written and dreamlike.
Matterhorn, Karl Marlantes
I never thought I could get sucked into a novel about the Vietnam War, but this is totally engrossing and moving in a filmic way. (Remember this when it is eventually made into a film and you think, I wish I'd read the book first.)
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