The Knife Music Videos

SOO COOL: "Marble House" by The Knife (embedding disabled)

SO FREAKY "Silent Shout" by The Knife:



AHHH NIGHTMARE!! I used this song in one of the machinima films I've made. Funny that their music video also has to do with ugliness and beauty because my film showed the absurdity of couture.

SO INTRIGUING "We Share Our Mother's Health" by The Knife:



I've blogged this video before, but I did it again because I just can't get enough of it. And I could probably make it in Flash some day a long time from now!

Basically The Knife/Fever Ray are maintaining a certain art in music video that makes it more music film instead of a marketing ploy for pop artists. The end.

The Wild Bunch

Went to see "The Wild Bunch" tonight in Scope. It's a western film made in 1969 that conveys not only the trend of explicit violence and sex due to the change in MPAA laws, but it also subverts any western ideology and fantasy that makes up "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." With deceptive and dispassionate thieves serving as the protagonists, the film is inherently grim. Drinking constantly, sleeping with prostitutes whenever and having the ability to suspend their morality exacerbates their destitution. In addition, the difference between the "good guy" and "bad guy" is hard to tell--you really have no choice but to side with the Wild Bunch.

What also struck me was how the aesthetics worked for the women, especially. Prostitutes didn't look really like they were from the beginning of the 21st century (the film takes place right at the beginning of WWI); in fact, their straight hair and dark eyebrows were exactly in style for the 1960's/70's. But with that aside, the rest of the characters are extremely gritty and brutal.

There were some great shoot-out scenes, especially because the film takes place a bit later on in history than you typical western (technology plays a key role). In addition, seeing it on the big screen was marvelous because these sweeping shots of Mexican villages and desert juxtaposed isolation and suffocation. I would recommend this film to anybody interested in seeing an engrossing western--it was long, but it was fascinating to become immersed in the film world, especially one so heinously anarchist.

A first for me re: Avatar

They're undeniably good looking, even for Na'vi

Made to appeal to humans? Their facial bone structure is so interesting; particularly their noses; particularly the bridge.

On New Years Eve, I saw Avatar again in theatres with my younger sister and some family friends. It's the first movie I've ever seen twice in theatres, so that's saying something! The second time, I could recognize the flaws more -- overly caricatured characters, repeated/obvious underlying storyline, weak dialogue -- but I also appreciated everything else it is (a visually explosive, wonderful journey into their world) for a second time. And it was fun to watch it again with someone else for their first viewing. I wonder how the 'fanboy' network is receiving this film, because that'll somewhat determine if and how the Pandoran world lives on in ours.

The amount of research gone into creating this film is admirable, down to the linguistically sound Na'vi language created especially for Avatar, as explained in a Vanity Fair article. "Avatar Linguist Wants Na'vi Language to be the Next Klingon," summarizes another article. Now that is probably up to the fanboys and fangirls.

Clearly I was very affected by this movie. Anyone else? It's not just me, right?

The Uniform Project:

1 dress, 365 days

Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for slum children in India.

Is this for reals? As in, do you think she's actually wearing each unique outfit and only that outfit ALL day? What about when she does athletics/works out? She probably changes for that, right? Interesting idea.

Day 53. Mon, June 22 2009
Les plumes
Vintage beret donated by Sandra D. Thanks sand! Edwardian suede pumps from eBay. Miss-KK feather necklace donated by Julia Kung of Moxsie. See more at the Moxsie store.