Burn After Reading

"Burn After Reading" is the Coen brothers' latest release.  A refreshing comedy at that; typical of their stories, the tale revolves around a large sum of money and includes a nice amount of talented actors, various acts of murder and rising thematic suspense.

John Malkovich plays an ex-CIA associate who, after being fired, decides to finally write the memoir that he's always wanted to which accidently falls into the hands of an idiotic and nihilistic personal trainer (played by Brad Pitt) in the form of a CD-R when it's found left on the floor in the gym's locker room.  Seeking a reward for his seemingly-priceless discovery, Brad Pitt's character's idea of good samaritinism is actually, in a court-of-law, considered blackmail .
Hilarity insues.

It's a riot; I couldn't stop laughing.  The unfolding situation becomes more absurd with every scene and development of the story's other characters and their motives.
Not as smartly written as "Fargo" but "Burn After Reading" is more comical and socially relevant.
Yeah, it's what I expected and what I wanted in a comedy from those two.
And did anyone see the Saul Bass-inspired design of the poster for the film?  It's pretty great.

Hope

Some classmates and I headed over to the MOCAD last night for the opening of a new show.  We were walking north down Woodward Avenue toward the museum when I brought up my discovery and sorrow for the removal of Martin Creed's sign that lit up the city with kind and hopeful words.

"It's still there," my roommate said, and, to his defense, our friends nodded in agreement, "look" he said, pointing at the neon glow of the sign's distant edge hanging from the building.

I was confused--embarrassed by my mistake.

And, as we passed, we were all shocked to see the new message

NOTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT

I laughed and the conversation exploded.

Lymbyc Systm at the Lager House 9/10

Late Thursday night, I met up with some friends downtown at the Lager House to catch Lymbyc Systm open up for This Will Destroy You.

I had the pleasure of being introduced to Lymbyc Systm when they opened up for The Album Leaf at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor back in the Fall of 2006.  Usually, I'm impatiently anticipating the headliner's performance and am disinterested in the opening bands, but I was stunned by there sound and, when there set was through, I immediately went to the merchandise stand to pick up their album.  I remember plenty of rainy days last July with that record playing.

Lymbyc Systm is a brothers' duo hailing from Arizonia with an instrumental and atmospheric-type sound relying on solid drumwork, keyboards and electronic clicks, beeps, and pops spilling out of the speakers.  You could see the crowd feeling the rhythm, bobbing their heads and tapping their feet.  I smiled when they announced their last song, "Carved by Glaciers"--their most impressive piece on the album of the same name.

Their latest release, Love Your Abuser Remixed, comes in a lovely little hand-crafted sleeve with remixes contributed by such artists as Daedelus, The One AM Radio, This Will Destroy You, and The Album Leaf--all solid work that I look forward to giving a thorough listening.

a few small words

I heard from back home that the "everything is going to be alright", a neon phrase piece by Martin Creed, was removed from the Woodward side of the MOCAD.
This is upsetting news.
I would drive by that wall every time I was feeling blue, only to be wrapped in the comforting, neon arms of promise of better days to come.
I don't know what the reasoning is for the removal--as it was surely an inspiring and honest symbol of hope for the city--but Martin's kind words will surely be missed.







I guess I'm drawing robots again.

The Orphanage

GoodWood2009 was ridiculous.
I got two free beers, got half-naked in the photo booth, and sold my deck.

Does anyone know the truth about the Orphan Works Bill anymore? Honestly, I'm lost in all the contradicting articles and statements posted on blogs found through Google links. Earlier this summer, I thought I had a decent argument against, but now I confuse myself just thinking about it.
I've grown so frustrated with the absurdity of the situation, that this supposed dismal future for Illustration is starting to sound exciting.

Working with such a prestigious company as Converse has been simply awesome.
Being surrounded by such powerful minds, the environment itself stimulates creative thought.
And, honestly, it's actually quite easy to accept the fact that nothing you create inside those four walls belongs to you. You just have to learn to separate yourself into a problem-solver and an artist. That way, when you create, you can differentiate between what is product and what is your personal "art".
Product is something that you can still be proud of--something tangible to showcase your ability and talent as an illustrator/designer--but something that you aren't attached to, like when you create "art".

I got invited to stay with the company working in brand design until the end of August, so I'll no longer be designing shoes, I'll get to make a painting.

The Golden Age of Illustration is definitely over. With this whole Orphan Works charade and the conversations that I've had with professionals, the Illustration world sounds like it's falling apart, and working for this company is sounding much more appealing than freelance illustration.