Don Cheadle's MILES AHEAD

Don Cheadle has delivered a beautiful love letter to Miles Davis, Davis fans and all who cherish good story telling in the form of cinema. I had the immense pleasure of viewing this; the directorial debut of Mr. Cheadle with members of the press and supporting Indie-gogo contributors.  Cheadle; a member of   the fraternity of actors that always give remarkable; flawless performances, shines here in the lead. The work was compelling funny, balanced and of a very high caliber. We see Miles with all his attributes and flaws (which are vividly the spice of every life) in this sophisticated, funny and emotional film. “Miles Ahead” is pure, cinematic joy!  

The Columbia music and recording years of Miles Davis are featured heavily here in remarkable style. Cheadle uses flash backs in scenes that blend seamlessly from the films present into the memory and reminiscing of the main character. The film is placed within a five year period that Miles withdrew from performing and recording. The artistic and varied Davis album covers feature as much as the music as bridges between the many narratives revealed in both the truths and mythologies of Miles.       

                   

Ewan McGregor portrays a Rolling stone reporter that within his attempts to interview Miles becomes a cohort in retrieving stolen come back tapes Davis had recently recorded. They develop a kind of “Butch and Sundance” comradery that drives much of the storyline. Actress Emayatzi Corinealdi; stuns, as Francis Taylor the wife and muse of Davis.  Taylor was pivotal to the life of the man and Corinealdi portrays her as the grand passion she must have been.   Another highlight is the performance of an All-Star band featuring actual former Miles Side Men; Herbie Handcock and Wayne Shorter along with contemporary greats Esperanza Spalding, Gary Clark Jr. and Antonio Sanchez.  

Don Cheadle has created a “crowd pleaser” of a film that has every potential of becoming a legitimate hit.  “Miles Ahead” a visionary homage, completely satisfies and makes me look forward to the next Cheadle project. For all its worth; something for which I am already on board; something certain to be another tremendous, roller-coaster of a ride. “Miles Ahead” is not to be soon be forgotten...Oscars?

Vija Celmins The Drawings & Paintings Of...

Vija Celmins is an artist whose works ask and surely compel the viewer to slow down, breath in and absorb her brilliance and subtlety of technique and style. The photographic feel and look she masters beg to be studied unlike any other artist working today. She is not loud, bold or extravagant but the genuine powers of her pieces are transformative. Look at these works of her hand’s precision, intricacy and exacting measure. She delivers her grace of being for our understanding and joy.

“There aren't really rules for painting, but there’s certain facts and fictions about painting. Part of what I do is document another surface and sort of translate it. They’re like translations, and then part of it is fiction, which is invention.”

                                                                                                            Vija Celmins

The Latvian born Celmins (now living in the United States) has authored several books including The Painting of Modern Life and The Stars; a book about her long term obsession with viewing the cosmos. She likes to think of her paintings as things that she builds rather than paints. Celmins starts with the construction and preparation of her canvas and sees every step as integral to the finished piece. She also paints as many as nine layers of paint; as many as deemed necessary to achieve her desired result.

“Somehow the image begins to have a sort of memory in it, even if you can't see it. It can build up a dense feeling toward the end, and then it makes me happier.”

                                                                                                           Vija Celmins

The spider webs, stars and space configurations, still life’s and ocean surfaces are most often mono-chromes likened to black and white photos.  Vija uses photographs extensively as reference and she also paints familiar objects from her studio and home.  She uses color sparingly as if to not distract the viewer from a mental connection of purpose. Her works displayed in museums, sought by collectors and viewed by the millions are quiet treasures to behold.  

The Drawings of Ray Harryhausen

  “Episode Seven: The Force Awakens” of the Star Wars series has opened to stellar acclaim and mass appeal. The last trilogy of Star Wars films were built largely on special effects, almost exclusively CGI. JJ Abrams the director/producer of this most recent effort decided (in a stroke of brilliance) to return to the original trilogy’s more authentic look of location shots, sound stage and stop motion  style of animation employed in the much beloved original trilogy. The undisputed champion of the stop motion technique was the great auteur Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen’s work influenced all of the contemporary giants of fantasy and sci-fi film makers. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Guillmero Del Toro all list Ray Harryhausen among their biggest if not the biggest influence on their approach to special effects and fantastic film making. Harryhausen being a master and artist supreme across genres.

The films of Ray Harryhausen include Earth vs the Flying Saucers, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and the unparalled telling of the Greek myth Jason and the Argonauts. Every one of these films are marvels, viewed and treasured to this day with a worldwide and respected fandom. Harryhausen’s motion art is phenomenal and his drawings and studies are phenomenal as well.

The drawings; though less known of Ray Harryhausen’s  achievements, are painstaking  gems much in line with nineteenth century text book illustration. His dinosaurs, heroes, fantastic creatures and damsels ring true and make the man’s talent apparent as a supreme artist.  His works are without color and give the illusion of fine art printmaking, harkening to an earlier era where color was more of a rarity. The look of the Harryhausen drawings add to their mysticism and their feel is for a time preceding even his own.

Ray Harryhausen films will stand as long as there are those that appreciate motion pictures, mythology, story-telling and art. The same should be true for his drawings.  His creatures that date back in time immemorial will live equally far into the future. They enliven both our hearts and our imaginations.