Unhealed Wound – Page 19

“Year of the Horse” — A New Year Gallops On

Written by diana on January 7, 2014. Posted in Lunar New Year, Unhealed Wound. 6 Comments on “Year of the Horse” — A New Year Gallops On

The Chinese New Year doesn’t start until Jan. 31, 2014. but many people start thinking of the animal sign on the first of the New Year. The spirit of the horse is recognized in the Chinese zodiac as energetic, elegant, warm-hearted, intelligent and able, but also capricious with a skittish and anxious nature as well. The year of the Wooden Horse is supposed to be a temperamental one, so if you feel like horsing around during the upcoming festivities, that may be particularly fitting this year. Just be careful with the fireworks! Since 2014 is meant to be a tempestuous year, prepare...

“American Hustle”:—Everyone Hustles To Survive

Written by diana on December 31, 2013. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 2 Comments on “American Hustle”:—Everyone Hustles To Survive

With its ensemble cast, this film has received almost unanimous accolades for the universally stunning performances, under the direction of David O. Russell. Still at the top of his game (after “I Heart Huckabees”, “The Fighter”, and “Silver Linings Playbook”). All of Russell’s movies, intentionally or not, are the embodiment of a certain malaise, the sense that we have lost our community spirit, and everyone is on his or her own. It is a war of all against all, or at least a cold indifference of all to all. “American Hustle” is about the ultimate con game, of which there have been many in...

The Hunger Games Revisited: Part 2– “Catching Fire”

Written by diana on December 20, 2013. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 1 Comment on The Hunger Games Revisited: Part 2– “Catching Fire”

In what has to be the biggest blockbuster franchise since Twilight and Harry Potter, in this sequel to the first Hunger Games film (see my April 8, 2012 review–“The Hunger Games”–Our “Harry Potter”), the post-apocalyptic Panem is still a hell on earth. Former victors are forced to participate in a Quarter Quell, marking the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games. Survival through fake social relationships which the victors all know will end in death is still the tense spine of the narrative. In “Catching Fire” the means to survival grows darker...

Inuit Art: Fusion of the Arctic and the Pacific

Written by diana on October 14, 2013. Posted in Art, Unhealed Wound. 3 Comments on Inuit Art: Fusion of the Arctic and the Pacific

Inuit art has always had a profound impact on my aesthetics, almost as much as Japanese art. The humor, minimalism, and abstraction in form combine in an original way. On a recent visit to the Musée des Beaux Arts in Montreal, I had the memorable experience of viewing perhaps the best collection of Inuit art in the world. What is not well known is that the Canadian printmaker, James Houston, who had trained in Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printing, brought his technical skills to Cape Dorset in 1957 to encourage local Inuit stone carvers to learn etching, engraving, lithography and silkscreen...

“Mud”– Channeling “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Written by diana on September 18, 2013. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. No Comments on “Mud”– Channeling “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

With its meandering pace, Mud embodies a Southern culture known for doing things slowly, drifting along the bayou languorously like “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” John Nichols, the director and an Arkansas native, grounds his film in authenticity through superb casting (including local teenagers), location, and a script centered on a believable coming-of-age story. From gravel to mud to the swampy river, this feature film reminded me not only of “Beasts of the Southern Wild” but also of the Mark Twain novels, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. And that is probably why...

Japanese Art as Metaphor: “Return to the Sea” and “Hanga Reinvented”

Written by diana on July 3, 2013. Posted in Art, Unhealed Wound. 5 Comments on Japanese Art as Metaphor: “Return to the Sea” and “Hanga Reinvented”

Japanese contemporary art can be a wonder to behold, as evidenced by the current exhibit at the Monterey Museum of Art. These two ongoing exhibits are not to be missed. The first is a 300-pound salt installation that covers 1800 sq. ft. of the gallery floor, now roped off so that the observer doesn’t inadvertently step on the salt. Motoi Yamamoto’s lovingly created artwork is a commemoration of his sister’s death almost twenty years ago. Table salt has been painstakingly drawn with a needle-nosed bottle to create a lacy, macramé-like image of two typhoons, resembling a...