STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces [Documentary]

by SarahWavePosted on No Comments

The documentary is in two parts, with the first focussing on his rise as a standup comedian (great career advice – find your audience). The second is about him going from a highly anxious person in his 30s to a really happy person in his 70s. He talks about doing his life in reverse – with huge career success at the start, and not having a family until very late in life. You can just see how much he is cherishing absolutely every single moment with his child. It hit home for me how a very strong awareness of mortality has a way of transforming time with a child from a task to a treasure. Mortality knocked on my door through illness, for Steve Martin it’s parenting in his 70s – both sound like hard yakka with a three year old.

Themes: , , , ,
Category:

(Everything in this library is sorted into a category by what it asks of you, not by genre or quality. Click on a category to find more of what you might like.)

Perfect Days (2023) [Film]

by SarahSkyPosted on No Comments

I came for the meditative Japanese zen cinema vibes, I fell in love with the gorgeous public bathroom architecture in Tokyo! The film sits beautifully with my own reverence for the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and learning to be at peace during the storms of life. In reading a reddit thread by someone who had a completely different take, I was interested by the links others made to film makers such as Ozu.

Themes: , , , ,
Category:

(Everything in this library is sorted into a category by what it asks of you, not by genre or quality. Click on a category to find more of what you might like.)

Not Your Usual Secondhand Book Sale [Article]

by SarahSandPosted on No Comments

This NYT article is a look into the sale of a portion of Robert Gottlieb’s personal library, a man famous for discovering and editing Catch-22, plus working with writers like Toni Morrison and Salman Rushdie. His daughter Lizzie Gottlieb, who made a documentary about her father, finishes the article with this quote “I hope what these young people can take away from my father is that it is joyful to care deeply about your craft and to want to devote yourself to it. It’s not about being precious.”

Themes: , , ,
Category:

(Everything in this library is sorted into a category by what it asks of you, not by genre or quality. Click on a category to find more of what you might like.)

Bite Your Friends – Stories of the Body Militant [Book]

by SarahRockPosted on No Comments

Author: Fernanda Eberstadt

The author’s childhood is like a Truman Capote column about New York, and a wonderful starting point for the many people she then explores as her personal saints for resisting and creating art through their bodies.

I was confronted though, as most of the stories (including body mutilation, prison sentences, and sexual abuse) involved the presence of a child in some aspect, and there is a complete void of compassion about the harm being inflicted on them. I have since found the name for the deeply sick and unsettled feeling I experienced through this book: “deep somatic protest”. My body was protesting hard over stories about the author’s personal saints that were supposedly rallying against institutional power, but was so dismissive of how these ‘heroes’ harmed the most powerless people of all: children. It felt like the author trying to implore me to join in her admiration of what she sees as acts of love by her personal saints, and the whole time my body was screaming back “they are not acting from love!” What an incredible emotional experience from reading a book – even if I am at odds with her views at times, the author is an incredible writer.

If you’re curious about the art world, art history, acts of resistance within institutions, and the fascinating twisting of a young girl’s path from a highly privileged, deeply chaotic childhood in 70s/80s New York, you might like this too…

Themes: , , , ,
Category:

(Everything in this library is sorted into a category by what it asks of you, not by genre or quality. Click on a category to find more of what you might like.)

This is Important [Podcast]

by SarahSandPosted on No Comments

If you don’t know the TV show Workaholics, heads up on the crass factor. I love listening in on men in creative relationships and how they navigate around their masculinity while needing to be deeply attuned to their emotions in order to make anything that connects to an audience. It’s a fascinating high-wire act.

Themes: , , , ,
Category:

(Everything in this library is sorted into a category by what it asks of you, not by genre or quality. Click on a category to find more of what you might like.)

Smithereens (1982) [Film]

by SarahRock, WavePosted on No Comments

A young woman who drifts around the early-80s New York punk scene, desperate to become somebody. She plasters the city with her stickers, chases a self-absorbed punk musician, and uses the people who actually care about her. It’s an unsentimental character study, and Wren isn’t made lovable. The film watches her self-delusion, ambition, and carelessness without softening them and without handing her a redemptive arc.

The story isn’t sweet, but the vibes are immaculate with the grimy East Village streets, club scenes, cheap apartments, and a post-punk soundtrack.

Themes: , , , ,
Category: ,

(Everything in this library is sorted into a category by what it asks of you, not by genre or quality. Click on a category to find more of what you might like.)