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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Mountain Views News Saturday, September 24, 2011
TheWayWeWere:AnHistoricAdventurewithCostumesJoinusforaVictorianTea•Saturday,October15,2011GetgussiedupandcometotheFabulousFallFashionShowandTeasponsoredbytheSierraMadreHistoricalPreservationSociety!
OnSaturday,October15,2011,costumedesignerShonLeBlancofValentino’sCostumeswillpresenttextiles,clothingandaccessoriesSierraMadrestyle.
Havingfurnishedcostumesformanyplays,moviesandtelevisionshows,aswellastheSierraMadreRoseFloatin2008,LeBlancwillnarratetheshow.
Basedonthephotographsfromouraward-winningbook,SouthernCalifornia:SeekingtheBetterLifeinSierraMadre,thishistoricalfashionrevuewillrevealhowSierraMadreansdressedthroughtheages.Tableausofmodelswillbeaccompaniedbyaslideshowofhistoricimagestakenfromthebookandthearchivalfiles.
Tocomplementthisuniqueshow,theSocietywillserveasumptuousteaconsistingoffingersandwiches,heartyappetizers,scones,includingaspecialorangemarmaladecakeasoneofthedesserts.
TheeventisincelebrationoftheSierraMadreHistoricalPreservationSociety’s80thAnniversary.
Foundedin1931,theSocietycontinuestoparticipateincommunityactivities,promotingandpreservingthehistoryofSierraMadre,includingthestewardshipoftheSierraMadreHistoricalArchivesandtheCity’stwomuseums:Lizzie’sTrailInnandtheRichardsonHouse.TheprogramwillbeheldinSierraMadreMethodistChurch,HartzellHall:695W.SierraMadreBlvd.at2:00p.m.TheparkingentranceislocatedoffN.MichillindaAvenue.Ticketsare$40andaretaxdeductible.AllproceedssupporttheworkoftheSociety.
Ticketsare$40andareavailableatArnold’sHardware,SavortheFlavor,
SierraMadreLibrary,Mary’sMarketandPrudentialRealtyFormoreinformationcall626.355.1389orvisitwww.smhps.orgSierraMadreMethodistChurch,HartzellHall,695W.SierraMadreBlvd.,SierraMadrePresentedbySierraMadreHistoricalPreservationSociety501(c)(3)
SEAN’S SHAMELESS
REVIEWS:
DRIVE
Director
Nicolas
Winding Refn
is an aberrant
visual artist.
Drive, his latest
work of art,
combines striking imagery and an essence of cool
that’s been missing in American cinema for quite
sometime. It’s funny how a Danish director is the
one to bring cool back in a way we haven’t seen
in years. I’m not going to lie, Refn (winner of this
year’s Cannes Film Festival for Best Director) was
inspired by earlier films of the genre, but figures
out a way to make this endeavor completely his
own body of work. Essentially, Drive is about a
chivalrous Hollywood stunt driver and loner,
who moonlights as a getaway driver. He quickly
finds himself caught up with the wrong people
in a heist that goes terribly wrong. Yes, we’ve
all seen movies of this conformation before, but
I can promise you that you haven’t seen it like
this. At face value, Drive is minimalistic and
straightforward, but at its core, this uniquely
developed drama/suspense film is ultra sleek,
eloquently violent, beautifully composed and
superbly acted.
The screenplay, adapted by Hossein Amini from
the book by James Sallis is solid, but is light on
dialogue. Drive is elevated by the electrifying
performances of its cast. Ryan Gosling plays the
nameless protagonist known as “The Driver” in
such a subtle, but harrowing way. A man of few
words, Gosling has never been this good. The
mannerisms, the facial expressions, the pain
behind those blue eyes make this character so
memorable and exemplary. From Clint Eastwood
to Steve McQueen to James Dean, Gosling
exemplifies a true yet complex action hero with
this character. Carey Mulligan, the woman
down the hall of the driver’s apartment building,
is affecting and excellent as Irene. She plays a
mother waiting for her husband to be released
from prison. However, she forms a strong affinity
for the Driver and her little boy finds a surrogate
father while his own father is locked up. The Driver
sees a life he has never had and may never have
with Irene and her son. In this light, the Driver
seems vulnerable, sensitive, and compassionate.
Without sappy or lovey-dovey trite dialogue,
The Driver and Irene’s bond blossoms with little
words that are ever spoken. Credit is due to Cliff
Martinez’s romantic, electro-pop, electronica
score. The tone and textures of this resonance
fuels the poignant acting in the scenes shared
on screen by Gosling and Mulligan. Bottom line,
the score is a modern day masterpiece. At the
other end of the spectrum is Albert Brooks. In
an unlikely performance, Brooks plays a former
80s Hollywood producer/mob boss that is scary,
daunting, and ruthless. While his presence is
limited, he is downright engrossing. It’s as almost
as if his lines weren’t even written, but simply
formed by Brooks himself. The movie quickly
shifts into high gears after the Driver is part of an
ill-advised heist gone awry. Gosling’s character
goes from playing defense to offense in a flick
of a switch. At this moment, all bets are off and
the movie comes to life in unimaginable way. So
while Drive deliberately starts off in the slow lane,
it eventually kicks into overdrive at a blazing pace
you can only hope to be equipped for.
Refn’s penchant for violence and gore is
overwhelmingly present here, but the bursts of
brutality is enthralling, if not disturbing. While
not for the faint at heart, the violent behavior
in Drive is artful and vividly produced. These
particular scenes rank among the finest of the
year. On a technical level, Drive is flawless. I love
the way it was shot. Every scene, every shadow
within a scene, and the precise way light is used
matters. Nothing feels wasted or oversaturated.
Always taut and suspenseful, you’re eyes will
never veer off screen. The film easily takes over
all your senses with every single scene telling a
story within itself. It’s simply the coolest film
of the year. With powerhouse performances
and Refn’s skillful directing, Drive is a tightly
and impressively constructed motion picture
worth seeing. Despite an extremely familiar
storyline, a somewhat scattered plot, and earlier
film influences, Drive still takes the viewer
on a ridiculously wild ride. Buckle up because
“it’s going to be a bumpy ride” is clearly an
understatement here.
A Musical Tribute to Jazz VocalistsExperience the elegance ofa bygone musical era asthe theatre is transformedinto a musical time capsulefeaturing performancesby legendary jazz vocalistsDinah Washington,
Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simoneand Carmen McRaeto the backdrop of a live jazz trio.
__________________
Final 2011 PerformanceSunday, October 9th at 3pm(626) 355-4318Media Sponsor Produced by
The Instrumental Women Project (IWP) is an arts agency member of
E.M.E.R.G.E, the nonprofit fiscal sponsorship program of the Pasadena Arts Council.
Admission $30Group discounts six or moreTickets & Info Available at:
sierramadreplayhouse.orgorWritten and performed byvocalist extraordionaireMs. Phyllis BattleMusic Director, Vanessa BurchAnnouncer, James Janisse
The Book Report
by Jeff Brown
JACQUELINE KENNEDY: HISTORIC CONVERSATIONS ON LIFE WITH JOHN F.
KENNEDY by Caroline Kennedy & Michael Beschloss
In 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy recorded seven historic interviews about
her life with John F. Kennedy. Now, for the first time, they can be heard
and read in this deluxe, illustrated book and 8-CD set. Shortly after
JFK’S assassination, with a nation deep in mourning and the world
looking on in stunned disbelief, Jacqueline found the strength to set
aside her own personal grief for the sake of posterity and begin the
task of documenting and preserving her husband's legacy. In 1964, she
and Robert F. Kennedy approved a planned oral history project that
would capture their first hand accounts of the late President as well as
the recollections of those closest to him throughout his political career.
For the rest of her life, the private Jacqueline Kennedy steadfastly
refused to discuss her memories of those years, but beginning that
March, she fulfilled her obligation to future generations of Americans
by sitting down with historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and recording
an astonishingly detailed and unvarnished account of her experiences
and impressions . The tapes of those sessions were then sealed and
later deposited in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library upon its
completion. The resulting 8 1/2 hours of material comprises a unique,
compelling record of a tumultuous era, providing fresh insights on the
significant people and events that shaped JFK's presidency but also
shedding new light on the man behind the momentous decisions. Here are JFK's unscripted opinions
on a host of revealing subjects, including his thoughts and feelings about his brothers Robert and Ted,
and his take on world leaders past and present, giving us perhaps the most informed, genuine, and
immediate portrait of JFK we shall ever have. Mrs. Kennedy's perspective, candor, and her flashes of
wit also give us our clearest glimpse into the active mind of a remarkable First Lady. Introduced and
annotated by presidential historian Michael Beschloss.
ESSENCE REVISITED: SLIPPING PAST THE SHADOWS
OF ILLUSION by Darryl Bailey
Statements such as "there is no self," or "there is only God"
are very simple descriptions of ordinary, everyday existence.
All that's necessary for understanding them is a clear
acknowledgement of your own life experience. Few people
ever admit how life actually presents itself. This book points
to your most basic experience of existence and asks you to
consider what it reveals. Be prepared for surprises. Spontaneously
drawn to meditation at age fourteen, Darryl spent
the next seventeen years exploring awareness and concentration
practices from Eastern and Western traditions. He is the
author of several books including Dismantling the Fantasy.
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com
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