There is a scene towards the end of Letters from Iwo Jima and it spoils nothing to discuss it in which two weary Japanese soldiers discuss how their first encounter with Americans unsettles their preconceived notions. Where they first thought American soldiers were weak-willed, cowardly and lacking in discipline, they discovered that the opposite was true. Its a simple epiphany that occurs amidst a mixture of views among the commanding officers, from outright hatred of the enemy to the nuanced understanding, and even respect, shown by Gen. Kuribayishi (Watanabe) and his fellow cavalry officer, Baron Nishi (Ihara).
Select Culver High Students Master the Art of Winning
In a ceremony last Sunday at the OTIS College of Art and Design, the winners of the Regional Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards competition were recognized for their achievements. Several art students from Culver City High School’s Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA) received awards, and their artwork was displayed at the Bolsky Gallery at OTIS College.
Culver High senior Noel Ekker won a Gold Key award, the highest level award, for his drawing.
Because of this award, Mr. Ekker’s work will now be considered in the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards national competition.
He could also receive a scholarship. Mr. Ekker wasn’t the only winner, though. Both Arthur Wong and Lexi Vilaivongs won Silver Key awards. Ms. Vilaivongs also won an Honorable Mention, as did Shelly Han and Joey Sanchez.
Culver City Artist Carves Out a New Exhibit
[Editor’s Note: See earlier story, “Never a Foggy Day in This London’s Town,” Oct. 11.]
Even in the gleaming, transparent illumination of a bathingly warm mid-day in middle-class Silver Lake, there is a hushed sanctuarial feel to the generously windowed gallery the nature-oriented artist S B London opened last October.
The understated aesthetic undertone forms an ideal backdrop for the finely attuned young woman from Culver City, who is unfurling a promising sculptural exhibit on Saturday evening, with a reception starting at 6 o’clock.
A Word on the Culture Wars from 11,000 Years Ago
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond (W. W. Norton & Company: 1997) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical analysis of why certain cultures have expanded to the detriment of others.
With all the praise it has received, GGS (as the author calls his own work in a 2003-written Afterword) needs no more from us, but we’ll praise it anyway. It’s a magnificent piece of work.
The basic case made in GGS is that a handful of environmental factors, all of which were in place by 11,000 years ago, essentially pre-ordained the events that came to pass in the intervening millennia.
The Messengers Shiny Package, Old Message
Watching “The Messengers” offers an opportunity to consider the mechanics of crafting a supernatural story. We start out with the universal premise that the supernatural disrupts our understanding of cause and effect, which underlies all the tricks and gimmicks that try to spook us.
Doors close by themselves, stains reappear no matter how many times they are cleaned, animals (and children) behave strangely. As variations on a theme, it’s hard to be surprised by any of it, not even by seeing our expectations tweaked to startle us out of our seats.
But the Pang Brothers, fresh from their career with Asian horror films, are consummate professionals. Their direction creates a credible, haunted atmosphere to a desolate country house — an atmosphere helped in no small measure by David Geddes‚ rich, stylish, but not overbearing cinematography. “The Messengers” may be by the numbers, but the technical numbers, at least, add up.
Art of 29 Students Will Go on Display Here on Sunday
The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Culver City High School has 29 art students who participated this year in the First Visit and Beyond program with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). MOCA Art Educators Fabrizio Flores and Ismael deAnda III have been conducting classes that will culminate in the student exhibition, "Morphology."
Elhaam Mesghali, left, and Kristen Cantu
with their ‘Morphology’ project.
The exhibition will take place at the Museum of Design Art and Architecture in Culver City, 8609 E. Washington Blvd. The opening reception is Sunday, from 4:30 to 6:30, at the gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
Countdown to the Oscars: The Queen
There’s something surreal about watching actors portray still-living people in situations from ridiculously recent history. Helen Mirren might as well really be Queen Elizabeth II, and it’s hard to imagine a younger Tony Blair as being anyone other than Michael Sheen. (The supporting cast, including James Cromwell as Prince Phillip, do very nicely, too.) But the feeling of peering into a parallel universe gradually dissipates once the story takes hold and the shock wears off. Then we’re just left with the surreal feeling of engaging the story through protagonist Tony Blair — surreal, given what we know now of a man who started out with a bright-eyed promise of reform and modernization and now hangs on for his dear political life. But for all that, “The Queen” takes us behind the palace doors for a story that remains memorable long after we leave. And if there is any truth, it lies in the fact that screenwriter Peter Morgan reconstructed events portrayed in the film based on accounts by anonymous sources close to the Queen and Prime Minister of England.
Countdown to the Oscars: The Pursuit of Happyness
If anything, “The Pursuit of Happyness” is guilty of laying it on a bit thick, despite Gabriele Muccino’s earthbound direction. Scenes like Christopher (Jaden Smith) telling his father Chris (Will Smith) that he’s a “good papa” reveals a definite and shameless maudlin streak, a willingness to squeeze as many tears as possible from the story. But it’s in the film’s length that it really becomes a bit much. To use an analogy, the story shows a dying horse taking its last breath, then proceeds to kick it a few times just to be sure we understand how bad things are. But we would have gotten it with two-thirds of the film, and the happy climax would have been satisfying in a way that goes beyond simply releasing us from a seemingly endless downward spiral.
Unique Twists to the Frost Film Fest at Culver High
For anyone feeling nostalgic for a drive-in movie, this weekend’s Frost Film Festival will help recapture this now almost extinct all-American experience.
One Club Evil team, from left: Madi Conroy, Timmie Clemmons, Diego Diaz, Evan Pierre,
Christian Rojas, Chris McGovern, Nick Yates, Caroline Plaza, Kenny Sule and Marcos Avila.
Christian Rojas, Chris McGovern, Nick Yates, Caroline Plaza, Kenny Sule and Marcos Avila.
At the same time audiences will have a chance to see some of the finest films created by young film-makers in the Los Angeles area. The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts is hosting the two-night festival at 7 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday at Culver City High School, 4401 Elenda.
Backlot Festival Will Honor Schulberg Tonight
The second spectacular Backlot Film Festival, running through Saturday night, shifts its focus for this evening to the legendary writer/producer Budd Schulberg.
At 8 p.m. at the Vets Auditorium, Mr. Schulberg will receive the coveted Thomas Ince Award. Tickets are priced at $25 and $15. Information is available at backlotfilmfestival.com or 310.204.6920.
For the balance of the week, screenings will be held at the Fine Arts Theatre, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, just west of La Cienega Boulevard. Tickets are $10, with student and senior citizen admissions priced at $8.