Manhattan, Kansas

Manhattan, Kansas, originally uploaded by ridavio.

I-70

I-70, originally uploaded by ridavio.

red

red, originally uploaded by ridavio.


After teaching at City Tech this morning.

pink

pink, originally uploaded by ridavio.


On my way to teach at City Tech in Brooklyn this morning. 

panel

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I was invited by one of the producers to see a new short documentary, Marriage Equality, at Harlem Stage. The doc was a compelling piece on the role that Byron Rushing and other African-American activists played in winning marriage equality in Massachusetts, although it felt a bit cut short at 15 minutes. The panel discussion was even more interesting. That is Jonathan Capehart moderating on the far left. The gentlemen directly right of him was in the doc and gave a moving statement. The man next to him is a pentecostal minister and is actually against gay marriage. It's very rare that you have an opposing view like that at this sort of event, he was actually gracious and humorous in his opposition and gave some insight on what it might take to engage the 23 million African-Americans who belong to the black church in American and would probably have similar views to his. The man second from the right is Russell Simons, a hip-hop music mogul. People in the audience were extremely impressed with his presence - the power of celebrity. The next morning I happened to catch a podcast with the director on Talk of the Nation, he had an amazing publicist!

obelisk

obelisk, originally uploaded by ridavio.


A shot that is practically de rigueur in blossom season, in Central Park behind the Metropolitan Museum, on my way home from an errand on the east side.

afternoon flowers

afternoon flowers, originally uploaded by ridavio.


It's been so wet lately - and yet this afternoon the sun did come out.

fleurs du mal

Guilty pleasure, staying up way past bedtime to watch a flick on Tribeca Online Access. C'etais genial! Il faut voire! Hurry up - only through this weekend.

mi ultimo round

Probably the only movie I will catch at the Tribeca Film Festival this year (hint: the rush lines are impossible on the weekend, plan and buy early if possible).  Beautifully shot and well acted in Chile. One of the actors was there for the Q & A, she gave some insight on a particular scene that wasn't working, was improvised and turned out quite well for the final cut.

tulips

tulips, originally uploaded by ridavio.

wet blossoms

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Looks like the field day for camera class will be indoors today thanks to April showers.

negro sunshine

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On a cloudy day

War Horse

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Taken at intermission. The post-show verdict: wonderful puppetry, great sound design, excellent use of backdrop - the total theatrical experience. The writing is perhaps a bit obvious and manipulative, but indeed it moves the audience, someone near me gasped and cried out at the end (but I'm not spoiling that here).

blank city

So first of all, for true New Yorkers who have any sort of nostalgia for NYC in the gritty 70s or 80s, you have to see Blank City. The footage, the music, once in a while, even the interviews. It's a wonderfully, chaotic walk through an incredibly vital period for art that was outside the mainstream in those decades, not just cinema, as the movie demonstrates.
In many ways the direction and editing of this documentary mirrors the chaos of the time period that its content seeks to cover. This may be partly a reflection of the small insular group of people you sit with, it's hard for the outsider to get everything. It's also edited so fast at times that you can barely read a name before the person is gone. For all the money they spent on the wonderful visuals they could have spent a little on the audio mix, or even checking the end credits for typos.
But ignore my quibbling because once you hear these filmmakers talk about the glory days, like Jim Jarmusch telling the story of making his first movie, it makes it all worth it. Playing now at IFC.

bonsai

bonsai, originally uploaded by ridavio.


On a rainy day, not optimal for blossom viewing I recall a visit to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden that houses one one of the largest collections of bonsai plants on display outside Japan.

105

On the first warm, sunny day after a few April showers, it really feels like spring is arriving in the barrio. The view on 105th Street in front of La Perla community garden looking toward the tenement.

night blossoms

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After Filmshop in Billyburg.

strand

A captivating image from Paul Strand that caught my attention at the exhibition on Stieglitz, Steichen and Strand mounted by the Met - I was lucky enough to finally see it on the day it closed and wished I had been able to go back three or four more times. There is something about the immediacy of this shot. It's everything I strive for.

players

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My first time inside the shabby chic of the Players on the occasion of a presentation of the Avant-Garde in American Cinema by Lincoln Center Film Society Program Director Richard Peña.

first blossoms

first blossoms, originally uploaded by ridavio.

A taste of spring documented at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, full album you know where.

Dirt

Issue 4, 1975. Mark Morrisroe @ Artists Space

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