It’s Complicated: Two Sides to the Story
It’s Complicated… initially a statement describing one’s love life as being in limbo is now a Facebook relationship status and a Nancy Meyers film, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. The film has received added publicity during awards season for Streep’s Best Actress nominations and after watching the film you can see why. She’s the focus of this “I don’t wanna go there” romance and shows off yet another fantastic comedy performance after her role as the flamboyant Julia Childs in Julie & Julia. This is Streep’s film from the get-go and while she’s ably supported by both Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin and just like a good bra, she’s head and shoulders above.
There’s an air of her character from Mamma Mia as she twists out of post-divorce depression into a complicated web of hedonistic relationships… starting with a one night stand with her ex-husband (Baldwin) and bungling into a sweet relationship with her architect (Martin). Naturally there’s plenty of scope for love as marriage, divorce and dating gets their fair share of heart on the butcher’s table.
It’s Complicated, really isn’t… it’s a two-sided affair in many respects. The first half being domineered by comedy and Jane’s lasting anguish from her divorce and the new woman, to falling in “love” with Jake again. The second half is stoked with drama as Jane’s emotional roller coaster ride sees both stags suit up for the affections of Jane. The film functions much like your typical romantic comedy, bristling with laughs and excitement in the first half and tapering off to a more sobering resolution in the second half with Streep providing balance and continuity.
Nancy Meyers brought us Something’s Gotta Give and The Holiday, two well-regarded “romcoms” with a terrific ensemble. It’s Complicated is no different… instead of Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Amanda Peet… it’s Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Lake Bell. The stars are well-balanced, except this time it’s a take on the classic love triangle with smacks of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. If you enjoyed Something’s Gotta Give… chances are you’ll be more than satisfied with It’s Complicated. The love-in-later-life territory, coping with the modern world and trying to find equilibrium are at the centre of this romantic comedy. Meyers knows what gets laughs and her script is crisp with situational comedy.
However, when drugs enter the fray, the film drops a notch… with a 16D age restriction, one could easily be forgiven for thinking it stands for divorce, but it’s actually for drug use. The hedonism reaches a pinnacle at this point, something that Meyers made very obvious, but it doesn’t fit the tone of It’s Complicated and feels a bit forced like they were trying to squeeze out some cheap laughs. The loss of inhibition does act as a catalyst for the story’s development, but cheapens the film and diminishes all the hard work of the first half.
Two hour long “romcoms” are rare by today’s standards and the film would have benefited from a few more nips and tucks. Life is messy, but films don’t have to be and It’s Complicated just feels a little sloppy in wrapping up. They glamorize divorce and drugs in a care-free environment, but these reckless decisions eventually catch up with the characters as It’s Complicated draws to a close. Overall, the cast’s all-round performances and a funny script make this one work as an enjoyable, fun and upbeat romantic comedy.
The bottom line: Fun.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
Design Indaba 2010
Frieda Lühl Jewellery
Design Indaba Expo is happening this weekend at the CTICC in Cape Town and with over 260 exhibitors, it promises to once again be a visual feast.
13 of our listed creatives are exhibiting at Design Indaba 2010 and from what we’ve heard, there will be some stunning and innovative new designs on show.
We’d like to wish Fundi Light & Living, Haldane Martin, The House of Hector, Streetwires Artist Collective, Urbanative Fine Jewels, Firepetals, Nuno Designs, Monkeybiz, Woo-men Plush Toys, Helen Vaughan, Frieda Lühl, Heath Nash and Imiso Ceramics best wishes for the weekend and may you enjoy great success!
Helen Vaughan Ceramics
To everyone else, this is definitely not an event to miss out on.The Design Indaba is South Africa’s number 1 expo for 100% local and original design products and concepts.
Tickets are R50 for adults, R30 for students and pensioners and R20 for scholars in uniform or children under 12 years of age.
Tickets can be purchased at computicket or at the door.
Doors open on Friday 26 February at 10:00. Opening Times each day are from 10:00 to 20:00 except for Sunday which closes at 18:00
Visit Design Indaba’s website for more details: www.designindaba.com/expo
Streetwires Artist Collective
Waters – Vesiä – Amanzi at the AVA
The AVA in partnership with Spier invites you to the opening of WATERS – VESIÄ – AMANZI
Eunice Geustyn, Kristiina Korpela, Leena Mäki-Patola, Witty Nyide, Jaana Partanen and Jill Trappler
To be opened by Jesse Laitinen the program and consular officer for the Finnish embassy in Cape Town.
The opening is at 6pm on Monday, 08 March 2010
Exhibition closes on Wednesday, 31 March 2010 at 1 o clock pm
Jill Trappler
Eunice Geustyn
Waters – Vesiä – Amanzi brings together three Finnish artists living in Kuopio, surrounded by lakes, and three South African artists from Cape Town and Durban, living on the shore of oceans.
Water is the beginning of all life on earth and is a prerequisite for survival. Water separates and connects people. Each artist on the exhibition explores Water in a different way; there is social, environmental, elemental and personal commentary in a range of media from photography to ceramics, painting, paper work, print making, installation and video.
Association for Visual Arts Gallery
35 Church Street, Cape Town, South Africa
Gallery hours: Weekdays 10h00 to 17h00,
Saturdays 10h00 to 13h00
Phone: +27-21 424-7436,
Fax: +27-21 423-2637,
avaart@iafrica.com
www.ava.co.za
LABEL joins Cape Town Creatives
Label specialises in ready-to-wear feminine styles. Since its launch, Label lines have been regularly picked up by numerous stylish boutiques and the impeccably finished garments are a common sight among South Africa’s trendy set.
To view Label’s complete profile on Cape Town Creatives click here
The Lovely Bones Movie Review: Murder Most Surreal
The Lovely Bones is directed by Peter Jackson of King Kong and Lord of the Rings fame. However, this fantasy drama and thriller points to some of his earlier work. It doesn’t have the epic magnitude of his latest ventures, yet nestles itself in the realm of fantasy. The Lovely Bones tells the story of Susie Salmon, a young girl who is murdered, destined to watch over her family and her killer as she decides between the path of vengeance or healing from heaven above.
It’s based on Alice Sebold’s novel of the same title and is adapted by Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and Peter Jackson. The setting is ’70s America… an age romantically thought to have been void of life’s hidden evils. No one had to lock their doors at night and stranger danger was something that happened in the movies. This was a vibrant, warm time for families as they watched their children grow up in the comfort of their white picket fence neighbourhoods… as they rode bikes and made the most of the sunshine years. However, life for the Salmons happened in a “that could never happen to us” space, one that would catapult the underlying feelings into plain sight as their daughter was whisked away by the darkness.
The Lovely Bones is divided into two dimensions… the reality of Susie in the real world, where photographs capture a moment of life and the other side, where a young girl’s imagination determines her heavenly environment. There’s very little focus on the transition as Jackson chooses to allude to Susie’s tragic murder and rape, instead of exploiting the shock value. He’s more concerned with the elemental emotions associated with this eyesore in the family photo album… the missing girl and how she would want her absence to affect those left behind. To this end… it’s reminiscent of Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, echoed by the casting of Rachel Weisz.
The ensemble includes: Saoirse Ronan as Susie, Mark Wahlberg as her father, Rachel Weisz as her mother, Susan Sarandon as her mother’s mother and Stanley Tucci as the killer. It’s a solid cast with noteworthy performances from Wahlberg and Tucci. Weisz fades into the backdrop with her limited screen time, while Sarandon’s “comic relief” character adds an anxious edge to the family’s bittersweet legacy. Wahlberg brings a fatherly warmth to his character, who could have easily been his character from Invincible a decade on. Tucci’s role could have been dealt with more subtlety, yet his eerie, perverted presence is integral to our disgust towards his character.
The film is imaginative, creating a Twin Peaks murder mystery with an equal mix of charm and creepiness. The heavens around Susie are reflective of her thoughts, symbolically suggesting her emotional state of being. At times, these are captured beautifully and then sometimes they just seem fake, allowing the audience to focus on the CGI instead of the story. This divides the realms successfully, but also serves to separate the film with Susie being the only real go-between. What’s more, the rules of these two dimensions is vague as Susie is able to influence situations at one point and appear completely detached at another.
The film’s visual instability forces the audience to find visual anchors in the performances, which are by and large inconsistent. The Lovely Bones has an emotive, original and fascinating perspective, which is what drives the film as it shifts between the drama, fantasy and thriller genres. The Lovely Bones is a film most audiences will desperately try to like in all its energy, emotion and ecstasy. Peter Jackson and his writing team convey the story in a visually stimulating way, yet it feels blurred at the edges and slightly redundant at times. Audiences that felt strangely connected to Laura Palmer’s murder in Twin Peaks, will have a similar rapport with Susie Salmon’s story in The Lovely Bones… despite being a few shades lighter and a few years younger.
The bottom line: Surreal.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
Silver screen magic with the Pink Flamingo
Going to the movies has evolved a lot since the ‘bioscope’ era. It no longer has the ‘night out’ feel. Popcorn queues are long, tickets are often sold out and Tuesday nights are crawling with high-schoolers. However The Pink Flamingo, situated on Long Street, Cape Town is bringing back some of the silver screen magic.
The Pink Flamingo screens movies every Sunday and Thursday at 7.30pm on the roof of the Grand Daddy Hotel. Movies screened are a mix of cult classics and family favourites.
Pink Flamingo II is situated on the 1st floor of the New Space Theater at 44 Long Street and will focus mainly on Art / Cult movies with two screenings a month.
Regular tickets are R50 each and include a welcome drink, a choice of popcorn or ice cream as well as an old-fashioned candy cone.
VIP Tickets are R200 and can seat 2 to 3 people on a comfy leather couch. The price includes a retro cooler box of iced drinks and a choice of popcorn, ice cream or candy floss – as well as an old-fashioned candy cone. There are only 2 VIP couches per show so early booking is essential!
You can arrive early to secure a front row seat and a refreshing drink at the sky bar before settling down to enjoy classics such as Bullit, A fish called Wanda and Boogie Nights.
All tickets must be booked and paid for in advance through webtickets. Tickets will not be available for purchase on the night.
Visit www.pinkflamingo.co.za for more information and to view the current movie line-up
Cape Town is infected to infect
Fiona Gordon: Heads will be turned all over Cape Town’s city centre this week, as strangely dressed characters do even stranger things in and around the city’s public spaces.
In an effort to ‘encourage expression of creative thought’ Spier supports this public arts festival, ‘Infecting the City’, (curated by performance artist extraordinaire, Brett Bailey) as part of their community social investment.
With ‘Human Rites’ as the 2010 theme, and involvement from some of the city’s most prominent and prolific theatre-makers, it seems many of the pieces presented acknowledge aspects of this city’s rich and colourful history, and heritage combinations. This social art encourages different perspectives, and seems to seek to acknowledge the lives and struggles of others, and their impact on our presents, and futures.
I saw two pieces which used open spaces, which in itself from an accessibility and audience development perspective, is a great thing. But I was most grateful for the innovation of the third – a site-specific work that makes use of a monument as a performance space, in a way that some may deem disrespectful, but really to my mind, better fulfils the brief of ‘challenging us to think, reflect and communicate in uniquely powerful ways’.
It’s worth making an effort to attend some of the things on offer. Even if it’s just to watch the passers-by be forced to engage with the space, or happenings in it, in a different way than usual.
“Infection” may have negative connotations, but I certainly left my little sojourn in the city feeling inspired – infected with the positivity that comes from experiencing art.
And even the weather played along providing some of its own drama – threatening to rain out the second performance I saw, while I watched the third, a mere hour later, feeling the rays of the scorching sun. Ah, Cape Town…
Performances and installations happen daily 13-20 February, throughout the CBD, and are almost all free of charge. See www.infectingthecity.com for more details.
Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
www.artslink.co.za
Penelope Stutterheime at Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town
STUTTERHEIME, PENELOPE
‘Sun Shines’, oil on canvas, 70 x 90 cm
The Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town is delighted to invite you to view new works by Penelope Stutterheime.
Please join them at 18:30 on Thursday 18th February at 3 Portswood Road, V&A Waterfront.
In her latest works, Stutterheime makes use of her distinctive impasto application of oil paint, carefully building up layers of vibrant colour to create a series of richly glowing paintings. With their thick and haptic quality, they reveal an exploration of the subconscious using fluid symbols and forms, to which viewers respond emotionally & experientially.
The exhibition concludes on the 4th March.
For more information, please contact: +27 21 418 4527
ctgallery@everard.co.za
www.everard-read-capetown.co.za
Valentine’s Day Movie Review: Slasher or Slusher?
Valentine’s Day brings some of the most bipolar emotions to the surface… yes, love is a complex thing. You can have a Valentine’s slasher like My Bloody Valentine about a bloodthirsty psycho in a mask killing teens for the sheer thrill of it or a Valentine’s slusher like the sickly sweet I Hate Valentine’s Day starring, directed, written and conceived by Hollywood’s favourite Greek (next to Zorba), Nia Vardolos. Either way, there’s bound to be carnage on the battlefield of love, whether a masked killer is trying to sever ties for good or a florist is trying to keep things raunchy without getting serious.
Thankfully for the “romcom” lovers, Valentine’s Day falls on the slusher side of the spectrum, thanks to director, Garry Marshall (Beaches, Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries). Although in retrospect, Ashton Kutcher would make a brilliant psychopath… and an injection of Scream would only make things funnier in my opinion. Anyways… Valentine’s Day (the movie) is basically an American version of the heartwarming British triumph for “romcoms” known as Love, Actually. It certainly makes up for the miserable weather. Valentine’s Day boasts an all-star cast including: Jessica Alba (rrrrawrrr), Kathy Bates (cameo), Jessica Biel (neurotic), Bradley Cooper (unnecessary), Julia Roberts (favour?), Patrick Dempsey (the Dr.), Jamie Foxx (yeah, yeah), Jennifer Garner (typical), Topher Grace (good form), Anne Hathaway (funny), Ashton Kutcher (Mr. Moore), Queen Latifah (oh mama), George Lopez (Georgie), Shirley McClaine (die hard), Emma Roberts (cute), Taylor Lautner (wolfman) and Taylor Swift.
It’s a wonder they managed to fit them all into one film… thankfully most of them are supporting actor material, bar the miscast Julia Roberts, and they’re all used to sharing the load. This may have caused friction in some places, because we all know how difficult it is to portray a character with limited screen time. The main criticism of Valentine’s Day is that it is overly long with one too many love stories going on. There’s not enough time to really get into any of the character’s shoes and their loosely connected lives intertwine in a fairly convenient way with one or two inconsistent surprises… you’ll see.
The film is always entertaining with its vast array of beautiful celebrities and could have probably been expanded into a TV series if it weren’t for its one day of the year plot… these are the day of our lives? You really want to get into each character’s situation, a feat achieved in Love, Actually with a smaller ensemble. Although, it reflects the day for lovers in its glib commercial heartwarming frivolity and doesn’t strike the same chord as Love, Actually falling more in line with He’s Just Not That Into You.
Valentine’s Day is a light-hearted, fun and enjoyable first date material that takes a cross-section of American culture from puppy love all the way to 40 year anniversaries. It tries to represent love for all ages with hints of culture, race and sexuality filling the gaps. The ensemble manage to pull it off, although the Cooper/Roberts chemistry feels a little forced and they could have thrown the scene away if it weren’t for the star power. It’s ultimately a feel good movie… designed much like a Valentine’s card, thoughtful, colourful and fascinating, but easily forgotten until next Valentine’s Day.
The bottom line: Sweet.
Screenplay with Spling
Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
www.spling.co.za
Cape Town Artists, Sculptors and Printmakers
Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most important creative hubs. Cape Town Creatives was started with the vision to centralise information relating to the creative industry in Cape Town. Here is a list of excellent artists, sculptors and printmakers based in Cape Town. Click on the names below to view the full portfolios on the Cape Town Creatives website.
