Month: December 2015

25 Years In The Making (Butterdome Craft Sale)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

There are some events which can’t really be described properly with words alone. But you know them when you see them. And when you ‘experience’ them.

I cannot believe it’s been this long since this phenomenon known as Ghost first graced our lives back in 1990.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1idoLQYjMI

If you haven’t seen this movie before, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. You need to stop reading my post RIGHT NOW and go out and find a copy of Ghost. I don’t care if you use VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, a digital streaming service or have to read the script to accomplish this. It’s important dammit.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that point out of the way, I’m going to recap for those of you who decided to stick around anyway and give you a quick recap of the story of Ghost.

Sam Wheat and his fiancee Molly Jensen have just moved in together. Sam and his friend Carl Bruner work at a bank where Sam is responsible for many important accounts including their passwords. Molly happens to be a very talented ceramic artist.

On their way home from a movie date, the young couple are attacked by mugger Willie Lopez. There is a struggle and eventually Willie’s gun goes off, however Willie runs away. Sam chases Willie, but he eventually escapes. Once Sam turns around and comes back to Molly, he sees that he has been shot dead is now a ghost.

Later, Willie breaks into Sam and Molly’s home, but is scared off by Sam before Molly even knows what had happened. Because Sam can’t communicate with Molly, he visits a medium by the name of Ona May Brown, who can hear him, but not see him.

Sam asks Ona May to visit Molly, but she has no success convincing his grieving girlfriend. Carl also warns Molly to stay away from Ona May and leaves for Willie’s apartment where Sam learns Willie was supposed to steal the account passwords from Sam’s wallet for Carl, so Carl could carry out a drug money laundering operation.

The movie celebrated it’s 25th anniversary this summer and as I mentioned, if you haven’t seen it before, you are shorting yourself of a really great story. And also a pretty fantastic piece of pottery pop culture which has sparked numerous interpretations over the years!

Some of my favourites follow below:

Simpsons-ghost-sm

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ghostparody

community-pottery-class-ghost-scene

dcab71700721976cb8246203b6c7ee22

But what does this have to do with today’s post? Well, I may have set myself on a fool’s errand with my buildup of today’s Timely Thursday entry, but I still think that I can tie this all together, outline this event for you, and convince you to come check it out.

The title is “25 Years In The Making,” both the movie Ghost and this event involve the art of making or “crafting”, both have existed for 25 years, AND both feature pottery, which happens to be an art form.

So there you go!

Let’s not argue semantics, but you are right – this event hasn’t spent 25 years in development dear readers, that was just a play on words on my part. And given that I’m going to be writing about The Butterdome Craft Sale today, I think it’s only fair that I emphasis that this bi-annual event takes place just ahead of Christmas every year and also in the spring in anticipation of summer fun and parties.

The Butterdome Craft Sale is a landmark for Canadian handmade products, and as I mentioned earlier, it happens to be celebrating a fairly major anniversary this year, just in time for Christmas shopping or holiday shopping if you prefer. An event that spans Thursday – Sunday, and usually on the first weekend of December, The Butterdome Craft Sale features artwork (paintings, sculpture, glasswork, decor, etc.), fashion, jewellery, health and wellness, food, and entertainment. Also Christmas ornaments.

You can find something here for just about everyone, and I usually do most of my shopping during this weekend. I also really enjoy taking the time to talk with the vendors and get to know a bit more about them and their craft.

Now, the dates – It just so happens to be taking place RIGHT NOW. It takes place between December 3-4 (10-10) and 5-6 (10-5), so don’t sit on your laurels. Get out there!

Okay, but you need directions.

The Butterdome building is located on the University of Alberta Campus in south Edmonton. You can get there via the LRT (University and Health Sciences), by bus, or find a parkade on campus. The building is bright yellow, so it’s pretty difficult to miss, but the south corners are 116 st/87 ave and  114 st/89 ave.

I really do hope you check it out, I promise you’ll enjoy it. That’s all I’ve got this week folks. Enjoy your weekend.

Tim!

 

 

What A Creep Show! (DeviantArt)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

What the heck is a deviant? And why does it send a chill down your spine when Grandma calls that guy with a mustache across the street feeding the pigeons one?

I’ve often wondered this myself dear readers, and I’ve read definitions of the term of course, to properly understand what the word means, but do these people really exist? I feel compelled to wonder, and of course they do, because people are slowly coming to terms with the idea that normative behaviour isn’t as far reaching as we’ve been told by experts. but before I go any further, this description should get us all started on the same line of thought.

deviant

(ˈdiːvɪənt)

adj

1. (Sociology) deviating, as from what is considered acceptable behaviour

n

2. (Sociology) a person whose behaviour, esp sexual behaviour, deviates from what is considered to be acceptable

Okay, so if someone differs from a norm or a standard of society, then that makes them a deviant. But why do I have a strong suspicion that grandma is somewhat biased in her outlook?

giphy

Well to be quite blunt and methodical, my rationale for this is that while psychopaths and sociopaths are decently capable of managing their illness from an external viewers perspective, there are several factors to consider.

According to this article which discusses the findings of Dr. James Fallon (a neuroscientist of U of California who accidentally diagnosed himself with psychopathy), people can have the genetic markers of psychopathy but not be dangers to society, but that doesn’t mean they are criminals. And further to that point, it can be difficult to separate “discovery” of traits from “acknowledgement” of traits and realize that doesn’t make the person a threat.

So the assumption from grandma that someone is a threat because they have strange behaviour is problematic, and further to that point, the people who DO exhibit those tendencies or follow criminal behaviour don’t exhibit the behaviour in obvious ways in most cases.

But you knew that discussing sociology and criminal deviancy wasn’t the real intent of today’s Wisdom Wednesday post.

No I want to write about the implications of deviancy and share with you a resource that encourages that behaviour in the realm of the arts. And luckily for us, the name of said source is DeviantArt.

Deviant Art is the self-proclaimed “largest online art gallery and community,” and has been around since the beginning of the 21st century. Which is fairly poetic and appropriate, given the content it churns out.

Of course I am going to over the INs and OUTs of the community with you of course, but I think this tutorial video I’ve included below is a good place to look at before we continue. Mostly because it makes me laugh.

If I’m being perfectly frank, DeviantArt is not as obviously deviant from the typical fare as it sets out to be, but that doesn’t mean it is something to avoid. As you learn to navigate the forums, you will find some really amazing content and in many cases, it will spurn creative ideas.

Where you see the deviation will be in the communication of ideas.

Don’t be alarmed by this. Because it is an unmoderated forum, there will be offensive artwork, but mostly it comes in the form of posts and groups. The questionable content is what makes the website so unique in it’s identity.

This website has millions of images on it which is amazing in and of itself, but it also features videos and written content for artists pursuing those disciplines. It is effectively both a gallery and an art forum, a place for people to submit their artwork and comment on artwork with both text and pictures. Heck, if you want can record yourself making a drawing and submit the entire process to the website for critique.

I find it incredibly fascinating that users have the option to submit their works to be used however they personally deem appropriate. Which means that work could be copyright protected or distributed freely.

You have the option to view work that is trending, artwork that is currently featured in contests, whatever has been submitted in the past “instant”, participate in art challenges, submit work to particular boards, comment on blog posts or create your own virtual gallery. And you would be surprised by all of the different kinds of artwork available from pencil drawing to painting, from child friendly to mature themes, from realism to comic book fan art, there is something on DeviantArt for everyone.

I hope you enjoyed today’s resource folks, please leave some comments and share you experiences with the website or send me an email with a resource you want me to talk about next. I’m out of theories for now, till next time.

Tim!

 

 

A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man From UNCLE review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

The Cold War was an incredibly stressful time in the world following the fallout from WWII. And yet, there have been films set in that time period which make it seem like a time of intrigue, excitement and heat. Top Gun, X-Men: First Class, and Watchmen come to mind for me in particular.

Today’s Theatrical Tuesday entry is set in that time period too. But is the meal hot or stone cold?

 

 

 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Wigram, Elizabeth DeBicki, Hugh Grant
Director: Guy Ritchie
released on blu-ray November 17, 2015
**** 4/10

The-Man-from-Uncle-Poster

IMDB: 7.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%, Audience Score 78%
The Guardian: **/*****

Guy Ritchie is well known for making crime films. He has Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla, both Downey Jr. adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, and now The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to his name.

I really wanted to get into this movie, especially after seeing the trailer. It appears to have all the elements needed for fun, but does it hold up? Let’s review the plot.

 

In 1960s Germany, American Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) heads from East to West Germany, but is followed by Russian Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer). Solo stops at a garage and meets Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander). Gaby’s estranged father is building a bomb for the Nazis. It is Solo’s mission to escort her out of country and get her to her uncle Rudi (Sylvester Groth) so she can meet her dad.

They head to the border, chased by Kuryakin. They narrowly escape him and are able to zip line over the Berlin wall. With Kuryakin behind them, the escape truck backs up, shorting the line and  stranding Illya on the other side of the wall.

We learn from Kuryakin’s briefing that Solo came to Europe during WWII, but stayed to become a thief. Eventually captured, the CIA recruited him to make use of his skills.

Fast forward, CIA specialist Sanders (Jared Harris) meets Solo for a mission. Turns out it’s a set up and Illya Kuryakin appears and gets the drop on Napoleon. The KGB director Oleg (Misha Kuznetsov) then comes in and we learn Solo and Kury are teaming up on this mission.

In Rome, Kury and Gaby will pose as a couple while Solo is an antiquities dealer. The suspicion is that uncle Rudi works for a criminal organization which belongs to Alexanders but is run by his wife Victoria. A man named Waverly (Hugh Grant) checks into the hotel in Rome right before Napoleon does. When Napoleon checks in, he discovers some henchmen but then disappears. While Kury and Gaby are walking Solo shows up and warns Kury he will get mugged, but that he should let it happen to keep his cover. The mugging then happens though Kury loses his fathers watch and Gaby’s engagement ring, he keeps his cool.

We see Solo engage in sex with the desk clerk while Gaby get drunk in the other room in the hopes that Kury will dance with her. He won’t, but they wrestle, and she then passes out. The next day the two agents confront each other about bugs they found in their rooms. Kury then picks Gaby up at the hotel entrance with a brand new engagement ring.

Solo heads to a party that Victoria is throwing. On the way in, he steals an invitation from Waverly by bumping into him. He then fights security so Victoria will notice him. He also steals her necklace and a bracelet from another guest. Victoria introduces herself and Solo says his name is Deveny and that he specializes in filling in gaps in collections. He gives her the bracelet and the necklace.

While at the party, Rudi insults Kury about his ethnicity.  Kury leaves to calm down, but gets into a fight with three men in the washroom. Alexander takes this opportunity to flirt with Gaby, but Kury comes back and they leave the party.

At the hotel, Kury has developed camera film in order to pick up radiation on people at the party. They all go to sleep to ponder the information, but in the next scene we see the two agents separately break in. They decide to work together and get past all obstacles until the safe alarm goes off…

 

And that’s enough plot.

Pros: These are some seriously beautiful locales, sets, people, and the cinematography is top notch. We can thank Guy Ritchie for that, as he always appeals to our sense.

Cons: It’s too generic of a story which doesn’t ever get serious enough, and yet it is nowhere near as much fun or as campy as the TV show on which it was based. It’s no where near as interesting as 007, Bourne, or Ethan Hunt romps.

Runtime: 116 minutes

Points of Interest: Armie Hammer was the only cast member to watch the original show in preparation. When Henry Cavill is in the truck eating and drinking, one station on the radio is playing the original theme music. The movie takes place about a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis, which the show never revealed.

If you like spy movies enough to pay attention to the details, this one isn’t for you. But if you like fun, comedy, and stylization, check it out.

 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, there is something appealing about an era film, maybe it’s the sets, the clothes and the phrases, but I keep thinking it’s because we want to make history come back to life, when sometimes it should stay in the freezer. Till next time dear readers.

Tim!