This Week in Art

The photo to the right was taken during July 2009 at Glacier Point, in Yosemite National Park. It has quickly became an internet sensation, spreading through photo sharing sites such as facebook. Its reception within the art community has been varied, marked by controversy almost as often as by admiration.

What is so charming about this piece is that the artist has dared to depart from the norm. He has chosen a subject that is as profoundly unique as it is perplexing and mundane. One can almost picture him, scrambling about shoeless on the rocks, in search of the most appropriate angle from which to capture this fine specimen of footwear.

The results are worthy of the effort. Critics may reduce the portrait to folly (a mere advertisement at best), but others will find more. See how the grays and blues of the shoe blend with the soft tones of the rocky valley. It is almost as if the colors of the shoe are brought alive by the park, in a joyful reminder that man and nature harmoniously coexist. There is, also, a protagonist. The imposing Half Dome peak is fuzzy, yet undeniably ruling the horizon. The mountain is issuing its ever-present challenge: Climb if you dare! With that challenge, it all comes back to the shoe, which likewise dares the viewer to expand his own horizons about what attributes make art truly valuable.

When a person brings a camera to a place like Glacier Point, it is most often put to use for portraits of friends. Those who wish to be photographed here must suppose that the dramatic backdrop of Yosemite's famous vista will be something that they can one day point to, as proof that their lives have been lived well - that they have seen many distant and marvelous sites. Others make an attempt to capture the overwhelming natural beauty of the location. They take careful aim toward the breathtaking cliffs, squinting with determination into the mass-produced view finders of their $200 point-and-shoots (the kind they bought after they saw Ashton Kutcher present it on television). It is as if, for the moment, they are pretending that this landscape has never before been preserved upon canvas. It is up to them, at least in their minds, to bring this view to the eyes of the world less traveled.

Consider, for a moment, how many photos there must be of Glacier Point. Are they not all, hundreds and hundreds of them, these same two sorts of images? If one must cry "folly", then please level your charge towards one amongst these masses, for surely another will immediately rush to take his place, clamoring, as they do, always to the same cliched vantage points.

Do not follow the way of the impudent grizzly bear, who chooses to dine on the lone salmon found swimming with the current (in the opposite direction of all the other salmons). Instead, make a choice to nurture a solitary pumpkin vine, should you be so lucky as to discover one growing in a field of zucchinis.

Lost Dog

What has happened to "Vincent" on LOST? Is there a scientific explanation, tied to recent plot developments, for the disappearance of Walt's furry friend? Or is this just another case of a cast member asking to be written off of the show, ala Mr. Eko? Madison, who plays Vincent on the show (convincing performance by a girl-dog in the role of a boy-dog) turned 63 in dog years during season five, and may just be getting tired.



It could also be the case that Madison has left the show over disappointment with the lack of a prominent role. It is easy to envision a Vincent-centric episode: The audience could learn, via flashback, of a troubled past, in which Vincent is a puppy-mill escapee, and that the puppy-mill was actually run by Charles Widmore, and how anger from experiences at the puppy-mill drove Vincent to become a VERY BAD DOG, and he has never been able to forgive himself to this day.

No such episode has aired, but Madison could, on the other hand, have left the cast over concerns of having too much airtime. With an excessively prominent role on such a memorable program as LOST, Madison runs the risk of getting typecast, and ruining her career. Producers might hesitate to hire a dog like Madison now, believing that audiences will be distracted by the association with LOST, and fail to take scenes with the yellow Labrador seriously.

Movie Review: Roseville Pottery Historical Marker

Let's face it; there are plenty of places where you can go to read a review of the latest movie in theaters. GMLH is meant to be an informative resource to the public, so rather than just adding to the noise with another tired old review of the same movie that everyone else is talking about, today you are treated to a unique review of a film that has been given far less public attention. "Roseville Pottery Historical Marker" is an independently filmed documentary distributed by youtube.



The plot can be tricky to follow, with lots of twists and turns; this is like the LOST of historical-marker documentaries, so let's begin with a review of some key points.

1. The marker commemorates the former site of the Roseville Pottery Company, but the location is in Zanesville, not nearby Roseville, just south on state route 93.
2. Notable attendees include the Mayor of Zanesville (the honorable Howard Zelling), and representatives from the Iowa Art Pottery Association (IAPA), the American Art Pottery Assocaition (AAPA), and the Pottery Lovers (PL). Also notably present, is the very disruptive wind, tire and engine noise from passing traffic.
   
3. Zanesville and Roseville are cities in Ohio, not Iowa. The Iowa Art Pottery Association is just visiting, on some sort of recurring pilgrimage.
4. You're not seeing Roseville, you're not seeing Iowa, and you're not going to get to see any pottery factories. The actual factory here had been razed "a number of years ago", according to IAPA President Ted Priester, who long ago discovered the crumbled remains of the loading dock, which also no longer exist. Priester emphasizes that the Roseville Pottery Works is completely gone; "nothing exists now".

With this background, sit back and thoroughly appreciate the video. Things begin with Ted Priester, who recounts the joyful series of events that led to the discovery of the former site of the pottery works. Ted next graciously introduces the mayor, who issues a rousing pep talk, themed around pottery and Zanesville. "Enjoy Zanesville! We're a town on the move!"

This transition, from Priester to the mayor, has an elegant air of respectful ceremony, but at the same time is contrasted by unrelenting and intensely disruptive road noise from traffic, including an 18 wheeler and a tow truck. The viewer does not know what to make of this: do we celebrate the roadside marker, or mourn the scornful indifference the world shows to it from the very moment of its dedication?

In the next act, the film is infused with an emotional charge, and takes on greater depth. This charge is supplied by Arnie Small, President of the AAPA. "The American Art Pottery Association is just what it is: it's an association of people who just have a passion or a love for art pottery", begins Small.

He goes on to deliver a moving testimonial about what the Roseville Pottery Company means to him and all who call themselves lovers of pottery. He implores pottery enthusiasts to minimize the commercial aspect of pottery; "(I)t's not all about just selling pottery! It's about teaching my son, and the future generation, what the history is of, um, Roseville Pottery".

We are then brought to the final act, in which we hear from the whimsically rural Joe Tunnell. He is president of the Pottery Lovers, who reunite annually in Zanesville. Says Tunnell, with a delivery style reminiscent of Jim Nabors, "For me, and I think I speak for most pottery lovers, I've been coming myself to Zanesville for 18 years. Every year in July, I've been here. You know, I said the first year I came, that I will every single year for the rest of my life, I will be in Zanesville, unless I'm not able to come."

After going from the fist-pounding adrenaline highs of the mayor's speech, to the soul searching and challenging words of Arnie Small, the film brings the viewer softly back to the refreshingly easy subject of the pottery-loving everyman, using a warm touch of comedy. Masterfully done.

Arnie Small sums up this film himself during his memorable speech, by saying "When I heard about this at first, I didn't quite understand the significance of it, and I, um, I think now I understand a little bit more the history of it".

In saying this, Small represents the audience, who come to this film questioning the significance of Roseville Pottery, or the entire genre of art pottery for that matter. The success of this film will be measured by how well it can bring the viewer to think that they understand, a little bit more, pottery and what it means to their own lives.

Puppy Bowl

Puppy Bowl V ran the same day as Super Bowl XLIII. If you aren't familiar with this event (Puppy Bowl), imagine if someone were to dump a couple dozen puppies onto a little model football field, throw in some chew toys, and then film it. Imagine if this program were to run for two hours. Just a bunch of dogs rolling around and bumping into each other, to the accompaniment of "play-by-play", which, because there are no plays to call, ends up being more of a relentless litany of dog/football related puns.

Two hours, and in case you miss anything, all five Puppy Bowls are available for sale on DVD.

There is no game, there are no points, and there almost is no point... except: If it weren't for the Puppy Bowl, there would be no material to inspire a post on George McFly's Left Hook for the first time in quite a while. GMLH is back. Go tell your friends.

Movie Reviews

Today, we here at George McFly's Left Hook are adding an exciting new twist to one of our most popular features: you the readers get to decide what the next "George's Movie Review of the Week" will be! I will present here three (3) soon-to-be released films and then let your vote in the "Comments" section decide which film gets a review. To the first movie:

Live Free or Die Hard

Opens 06/27/07

"On July 4th the choice will be clear: Live Free - or Die Hard". This line from the trailer confused me. Upon further review, I am concluding that key plot developments are portrayed as occurring on July 4th, but the film actually opens in late June. Or maybe you have to watch it, think it over for a week, and then the plot becomes clear afterward, around July 4th. "Oh, now I see where they were going with that! He had to live free... or die hard." Opening date confusion aside, the following sequence of events from the movie's trailer has convinced me to buy a ticket:

1: McClane jumps out of speeding police cruiser. Empty cruiser crashes and hurtles through the air, striking a helicopter and exploding.

2: Young man to McClane: "You just killed a helicopter with a car!"

3: McClane: "I was out of bullets"

So as you can see, this movie is not for the faint of heart. Never before has a helicopter been killed on film, and some may object to such graphic car-on-helicopter violence. This movie will surely be met with strong protests from the helicopter rights activists. On to the next movie.

Transformers

Opens 07/03/07

I predict that Transformers will be the biggest hit of 2007. On the surface, it promises to be everything that a big blockbuster hit needs to be: big budget, slick special effects, famous producer, and a fourth of July-ish release date. This is not just another summer blockbuster however; deeper down it could be something more. Transformers has the potential to use the artistic venue of the cinema to reach into the very soul of viewers in a unique way, appealing to a basic, and very real thing that is found in every human person - an element of ourselves sometimes forgotten, but never lost: the desire to see cars and trucks that turn themselves into robots, and then back to cars and trucks again. Everyone loves robots, and the world right now needs this film. It can't be released soon enough, as far as I'm concerned.

Next movie...

Sicko

Opens 06/29/07

Everyone loves robots, but how about Michael Moore? This time he's going to lend his insight to to the world of healthcare. I can't wait to find out what, exactly, is wrong with healthcare in America and what we need to do about it. I know personally that I had to go to the dentist for some fillings, and they are actually going to bill some of it back it to me even though I've got insurance. Not fair. I mean, I know I agreed to a co-pay arrangement, but still, that just doesn't seem cool. Its bad enough I've got a cavity, and now you're saying I've got to spend my own money? And then the other day I was thinking about it while waiting in line at the Post Office (I had about 15 minutes, it being a weekday morning in May and all - fever pitch time for the USPS I'm sure), and it occured to me how much different things would be if those guys were handling my health care instead of these incompetent clowns at the insurance company. Looks like Mike can really do some good for the world with this movie.

So there you have it. It is now up to you to select the next "George's Movie Review of the Week". You decide.