A funny thing happened last December--this billboard for the film Jack Reacher appeared out my office window. Our lovely copywriter, Kaiza, pointed out that the the Scientology sign loomed just beyond the headline, "If he's coming for you, you deserve it." It was too serendipitous not to document, so I had our amazing front-end developer (and budding photojournalist) Asim--pronounced AWESOME--work his magic.
Photos by Asim Bharwani.
Full disclosure: there's a bit of Photoshopping going on here for effect, but I mean really! How does this even happen? Only in L.A., kids. Only in L.A.
The billboard stayed up for a few months after the New Year, and one day I looked at it and thought, "What the hell? I'm going to go see Jack Reacher." Two criteria influenced my decision: 1. It was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, and 2. I very much enjoyed Mr. Cruise in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
An avant-garde film director you do not want to f*** with.
Which leads me to two things I want to discuss: the casting of director Werner Herzog as the film's villain...um, ok...WHAT???!!! Who knew that one of the most visionary directors in the last century is also the scariest son-of-a-bitch on-screen. I mean, good GOD. While the movie was standard fare, I'll be seeing this dude in my nightmares for years to come. Incredible.
Which leads me to my next point: the re-emergence of Tom Cruise as the world's most perfect action film star. Like I said, I love MI4, particularly because of Cruise's kick-back performance, which said, "Look, I'm just Tom. By now, I know you know what's up and I don't care. I just want to make my movies and do my own stunts. I'm not going to even bother kissing any girls, because I know you don't buy it, and honestly, it's always made me uncomfortable. So let me just get back to martial arts and hanging off the tallest buildings in the world." Real talk.
Oblivion--maddeningly slow, haunting, unsure if it's an action or an art pic,
and a surprising comment on drone warfare.
Because when I thought about it, Tom stars in a few of my favorite films--Minority Report and Collateral, and yes, I would add MI4--the only film I've seen where the audience broke into applause after an action sequence--to the list. And I wished the bloated and pretentious Magnolia had simply focused on the Cruise storyline, because he was riveting in the role of a type-A, hyper-masculine, misogynistic, self-help guru.
But it begs the question: can you separate a public figure's persona and artistic work from his disturbing personal beliefs? I suppose it depends how disturbed you are by those beliefs. It appears as I'm not alone in welcoming Tom back into my life, as the New York Times featured an editorial, Learning to (Re)Love Tom Cruise this week. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very enlightening take on the Cruise conundrum, dismissing his involvement and support of a dangerous cult with basically, "Oh, leave him alone!" Yes, we're all entitled to worship any religion we please, as the author points out; I'm all for it. But anyone who still thinks that Scientology gives its members full freedom to live and believe as they choose probably has a head full of trillion-year-old thetans.
The article made me all the more excited to read Going Clear, by New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright. Maybe I'll get back to you with a review of it. Maybe I won't.
Moving on. I also come across this photo on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. This is the corner I have worked at for the past eight years: Sunset and Vine. It was interesting to see a perspective on it from 60+ years ago (judging from the cars).
Photo via http://vintagelosangeles.net/
And FYI: here's how it looks today.
Photo by AEH--that's me.
I made a trip to my beloved Stories in Echo Park and was struck by this beautiful cover.
But it was not the reason I popped in (Do I need a reason?). This was:
Buy it at buyolympia.com!
Ian, aka the original Sassiest Boy in America and the lead singers of the bands Nation of Ulysses and The Make-Up, held a séance at Stories last Thursday night. I wasn't able to go because I had to work late, but I was determined to get an autographed copy of his new book, because my little bro just loves him, and it was recently his birthday, and I wanted to surprise him, and...shit.
Ian played in the Make-Up, which gives me fond, 90's-era memories.
Oh well. It's interesting, because I now work with a chap named Treiops Treyfid (maybe his real name, maybe not...), and Treiops was in a band called Pitchblende, which was a part of the late 80's-early 90's D.C hardcore/art rock scene.TT--as we fondly call him--was a contemporary of Ian.
TT, kickin' it D.C. style with Pitchblende.
Treiops is now a well-known fixture on the L.A. art scene. You can see more of his (weird) art and hear more of his (really weird) music at treiops.com.
Multi-media performance artist, Treiops Treyfid, in action.
The pièce de résistance of the weekend was a performance of the little-known "Curlew River," by Benjamin Britten. The opera was presented by Jacaranda Music as part of the Britten Centennial and featured members of the L.A. Gay Men's Chorus.
Photo via latimes.com
I think this was the first opera I've ever seen sung in English. As you can see, the performers all wore grey sweatshirt hoodies and jeans. It reflected the simple, spare notion of the story, which was inspired by 14th century Japanese Noh theater. The tale of a Madwoman who crosses a river in search of her missing son with a Ferryman, a Traveler and a chorus, only to find he is dead and is visited by the boy's spirit, was strange yet moving. The principals were all excellent, and I loved it. I'm really enjoying Jacaranda's dynamic programming--they are a force for modern music in Los Angeles.
The latest in Britten 100/LA: A Celebration.
In other exciting news, I've perfected a new soup recipe! And I've been scarfing it down for dinner every night ever since. The star ingredient is Trader Joes' rice noodles, and it's super easy to make:
• Dice 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 jalapeno, 1/4 onion & a chunk of ginger.
• Sauté and add 2 cans of vegetable broth.
• Bring to a simmer, and add 1/2 bag of TJ's shredded cabbage and a handful of shredded carrots.
• While the veggies soften, add a shake of soy sauce, a few drops of fish sauce, 2 shakes of rice vinegar and the juice of one or two limes.
• Cook the rice noodles according to directions. Place noodles in a bowl, add the soup and garnish with chopped mint, basil and cilantro, plus a dollop of chili garlic sauce.
Success!
This week's photo find: an early pic of the Rolling Stones, who played at the 650-capacity club, Echoplex. I did not go the show. But I know I'm getting old, because I'm starting to dig classic rock again.
Just one more thing: this was outside the Mosaic church on the corner of Hollywood and La Brea.
I'm really intrigued by this place. I always drive by on Sunday morning, and they have a fabulous coffee spread out front, along with lots of hip youngsters mingling and looking happy. And apparently this jazzy graffiti, "Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul" refers to a new book club the church is starting. You can read more about it here.
That's all for now. As always, thank you for reading. I'll be back with more soon. xoL
1 comment
Thanks for thinking of me, sis! Your birthday presents are finally on the way. <3
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