http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:AliceLitwin&section=today deviantART RSS for by:AliceLitwin en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:17:14 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23813128/ http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23813128/ Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:53:01 PDT
1. Knowing
2. Factory Girl


1. Knowing- a fantasy-action-mystery-thriller-apocalypse-drama with Nicolas Cage as nihilistic astrophysics professor who comes behind a oh-so-scaring secret about the end of the world. The good things about this movie are quickly named: some of the action-catastrophe sequences are nicely done (though the CGI effects are really not state-of-the-art), and the original idea of putting an apocalyptic numerology prophecy in a time capsule is actually pretty cool. Besides that, the movie is really not worth the price of the ticket. Nicolas Cage' comical overacting is already known from "The Wicker man", but here it reaches a new, embarassing climax. The early hints at the armaggedon are so thick and plump that you can stand a fork in it, and when the ending came, I laughed myself nearly to death. 4/10 points for that one.

2. Factory Girl- a biographic drama movie about a Warhol Factory Superstar, Edie Sedgwick. I am reading some intervies with Andy Warhol currently, so it was a nice visual addition to my impressions from another perspective. Many movie recension websites don't take this movie very serious. I wouldn't either.For that, Sienna Miller (Edie), Hayden Christensen ("Bob Dylan") or most of the other characters (other Factory members, f.e.)have not enough charisma or ambivalence in them to take over the public. Still the movie has some kind of a touching atmosphere, beautiful melancholic pictures, a great Guy Pearce who is a magnificent Andy Warhol. 6/10 points-meaning a good movie for one winter evening.

Next time I will talk about the Book "Interviews with Andy Warhol".

]]> ~AliceLitwin http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23787119/ http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23787119/ Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:51:14 PDT

1. The film club- David Gilmour
I think it is what you call a very nice, touching book written by a true movie lover. It is about a father who chooses a different way of education for his teenage son - instead of forcing him going to school he lets him stay at home and do whatever he wants to do, pays his rent, all this under one condition- 3 times a week they watch a movie together and discuss it. Soon, the film club becomes a platform for other important life topics like life aims, girlfriend heartbreaks etc.
There are two things I like about this book. Firstly, the way it is written- the tender, touching way the father describes the growth, the doubts and the difficulties of his beloved son,and the wise, witty advices he uses to give his son instead of forcing the standard "father speech" on him.
And then, there are MOVIES! This book is about passionate love for film art, great directors, talented actors, prodigiously gifted writers and everything about films you can imagine. The father and son watch through Marlon Brando movies, the classics with Eastwood, old Italian movies, documentary must-sees, guilty pleasures, horror sessions and many many more.
At the end of the book you also find a full list of the movies watched by the unusual family.
2. Only for german readers- Mängelexemplar (S. Kuttner)
Der Roman handelt von einer geistreichen, talentierten und jungen Eventmanagerin Karo, die mit 27 Jahren nach einigen Lebenskrisen in eine Depression schlittert und von ihrem mühseligen Weg zurück ins "normale" Leben. Es ist eine Art Bericht, erzählt von Karo selbst, oder wie es manchmal scheint, erzählt von Sarah Kuttner, die sich mal ausnahmsweise Karo nennt.
Ich mochte Sarah Kuttner sehr, als sie noch als Moderatorin bei ihren OneWomanSendungen tätig war. Das Image der Frau, die niemals schweigt und aus der im Sekundentakt manchmal geistreiche, manchmal an Absurdität grenzende Sprüche heraussprudeln, stand ihr gut. In ihrem ersten Roman hat sich an diesem Stil nichts geändert- und da sehe ich einige Schwierigkeiten.
Das Gute an dem Buch ist- die Autorin schreibt sarahkuttnerisch- viele lustige, absurde Vergleiche, Metaphern, Umschreibungen, witzig-spritzige Sprache, eine geistreiche Protagonistin.
Das weniger Gute an dem Buch- die Autorin schreibt sarahkuttnerisch. So wie ich das sehe, packt die Autorin alles an Gefühlen rein, was sie selbst je durchlebt hat, und sprengt damit die Grenzen des Charakters de Protagonistin. Zuweilen hat man das Gefühl, dass es nicht mehr um Karo geht, sondern mehr darum was Sarah Kuttner alles erlebt und gefühlt hat. Das mag unter Umständen auch nicht schlecht sein, aber speziell in diesem Buch erlebte ich das eher als ein Manko als eine Bereicherung.
Die Aspekte der Depression und der Panikanfälle, die bei der Protagonistin auftreten, lesen sich manchmal spannend, manchmal aber auch wie Auszüge aus einem Psychologie-Lehrbuch.
Alles in allem eine one-day-Lektüre, nicht schlecht, aber auch nicht überragend gut, mit viel Potential für ein besseres nächstes Werk.

]]> ~AliceLitwin http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23732293/ http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23732293/ Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:50:19 PDT

1. MILK. I have seen the film in the movie today- I know, pretty late, but anyway, better than never. I am pretty impressed. By the terrific playing of Sean Penn, James Frnaco (who looks pretty much like Heath Ledger, by the way), the authenticity of the rest of the marvellous cast; the camera work with its playful perspectives, the authentic dialogues and the speeches of the gay rights activist Harvey Milk are inspiring, touching and refreshing. Again, one of the main strengths of the movie ist the virtuosity of Sean Penn.

2. Angelique Series from the sixties with the stunning Michele Mercier (a thinner and more elegant Marilyn Monroe ).A very french movie based on a book of Anne and Serge Golon. A passionate lovestory with Louis XIV court intrigues, adventures, beautiful costumes and an extremely sensual Mercier.

]]> ~AliceLitwin http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23715024/ http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23715024/ Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:44:40 PDT Listen to "Dear Heart", "Great White Bear" an dI promise you won't be disappointed.

2. Music Obsession Nr 2: Der Tante Renate from Germany. Crazy, electronica /easy listening "on drugs" for folks, who fancy Bondage Fairies, Juri gagarin or Zombienation.

3. I am going to make a book of my last 7 drawings I have posted here on DevArt (Thunder, Wasteland, Insect.., PlugIn, Too much, Evidence + one more to come)

]]> ~AliceLitwin http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23695442/ http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/23695442/ Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:01:30 PDT Being sick seems to improve my drawing skills or something. During the last 4 days I've drawn more than 5 pictures... I hope it won't stop...
Last Monday I've been discussing with one of my best friends the phenomena of the people you fall in love with or were together with or have a crush on or something. Imagine: nothing has happened yet (the crush thing), or nothing is supposed to happen (the ex-girl/boy thing) or the person (let's call her/him X)has a serious crush on you.Well, X and you are good friends, actually,... because you talk a lot, you have a lot of essential stuff in common like musik, movies, blahblah... But, in fact, you have to face it: this kind of relationship can't be called friendship, because it differs. I am talking confusing pauses between the sentences, trying to look extraordinary good for X, laughing at all of X's stupid jokes, the physical things like touching knees, and so on. Things you wouldn't do with friends.
Finally, my friend agreed that a new name for the phenomena has to be found, just in the moment I was shouting:" You hust cannot pick some blueberrys and call them strawberries, just because they are berries, too..!!!" *giggle* Maybe that's the reason we call these guys "blueberries" for now...

Weekly Music Obsession: Soap and Skin "Lovetune for Vacuum". Extrememy expressive electronica/piano/female vocal music, made by a sad 18 year old girl from Austria.

]]> ~AliceLitwin http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/16860161/ http://AliceLitwin.deviantart.com/journal/16860161/ Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:44:57 PST Tonight, I found out that I am completely in love with OST's for trashy horror and splatter movies.
I adooooooooore Charles Bernstein, the composer of the OST for "A nightmare on Elm Street 1".
I wonder if I would like the Hellraiser OST...

]]> ~AliceLitwin