Painted in Mexico, 1700-1790: Pinxit Mexici

Traditionally Mexican art exhibitions have focused on either Pre-Columbian or modern times. Pinxit Mexici, at the Los Angeles Museum of Art (LACMA), is the first major show to reposition the history of 18^th century Mexican paintings.

A vibrant period, the 90 years between 1700 and 1790 has been marked by major stylistic changes as well as a time of artistic invention and compelling new iconographies. The exhibit foregrounds the connections between Mexican painting and trans-atlantic artistic trends while emphasizing Mexican painting's internal developments and remarkable pictorial output.

Thematically and chronologically arranged, the show brings together a collection of over 100 exceptional 18^th century paintings, 50 of which were restored specifically for this exhibit and many are on view for the very first time.

This groundbreaking exhibit offers a shift in perspective of Mexican art and its artistic development into mainstream art history.

The exhibit runs from November 19, 2017 to March 18, 2018, at Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036. For more information call (323) 857-6000 or visit http://www.lacma.org/

Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage

Known for his distinctive style and colorful brushstrokes, one of the predominant artists of the twentieth century, Marc Chagall (1887-1985), was also at the forefront of cutting edge visual stage designs for opera and theater in Russia, Mexico, New York and Paris. 

Noteworthy is the Paris Opera House ceiling, the Moscow based Jewish Chamber Theatre murals considered to be his most original work, as well as the New York City Ballet's production of Firebird, where reproductions of his sets and costumes are still in use today.

The upcoming multidisciplinary exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Chagall: 

Fantasies for the Stage, spotlights music and dance as a source of Chagall's inspiration, featuring four theatrical productions (Aleko, The Firebird, Daphnis and Chloe, and The Magic Flute). 
On view are 145 objects, including 41 vibrant costumes, nearly 100 preparatory sketches, a rare 1942 film footage of the original performance of Aleko, musical

accompaniments for each section, and a selection of iconic paintings depicting musicians and theatrical scenes on loan from museums around the world.

The works on view include Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers (1912) from the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Green Violinist (1923–24) from the Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Violinist (1911–14) from the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, and Violinist on a Bench (1920) from LACMA’s permanent collection.

Augmenting the exhibition are a series of video interviews featuring contemporary artists, costume designers, opera professionals, selected reviews of Chagall’s productions, and a reading room.

Symbolizing Chagall's life experiences, the exhibition illuminates Chagall's nostalgic artistic imagination of rhythm and movement, accentuated by the musicality of color and light.

The exhibit runs from July 31, 2017, through January 7, 2018, at Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036. For more information call (323) 857-6000 or visit http://www.lacma.org/

Pop Aye

Debuting Singapore writer-director Kirsten Tan brings to this atypical roadside feature a distinct visual style, narrative, and humor.

Facing a mid-life crisis, and disillusionment with his career and wife Bo (Penpak Sirikul), the renown architect Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) has a chance encounter with his favorite childhood elephant, Pop Aye (Bong). After buying Pop Aye from his keeper, Thana and Pop Aye travel 300 miles across Thailand from Bangkok to their rural hometown Loei. 

While reminiscing in this journey of self-discovery, the hitchhiking duo encounter Thai locals along the way including, among others, the drifter Dee (Chaiwat Khumdee), transgender Jenni (Yukontorn Sukkijja) and Thana's uncle Peak (Narong Pongpab).

Aided by Chananun Chotrungroj’s beautiful camerawork, Tan structures the narrative through a series of vignettes with interweaved flashbacks while grounding the film with eloquent simplicity, authenticity and candor.

 

Brigsby Bear

In an original take of the arrested development genre, David McCary’s direction, along with co-writers Mooney and Kevin Costello, unravels the comedy-drama with nostalgic elements of the 80's pop culture.

Twenty-five year old James (Kyle Mooney) lives with his loving parents Ted and April (Mark Hamill and Jane Adams), isolated from the world. James grows up watching Brigsby Bear, a live action children's TV show about a galactic life-size Teddy bear.

When his entire
lifestyle comes to an unexpected halt, James' obsession and fascination with Brigsby Bear leads him to self-produce the movie and, through the power of cinema, help him restore his emotional safety.

In his breakout role, the talented Kyle Mooney portrays the quirky James with sincerity and naiveté creating an instantaneously endearing character.

The feature, along with good performances, unfolds with unsurpassing creativity, lightheartedness, and uncondescending humor.

Baby Driver

Within a relatively short time, Edgar Wright's (Shaun of the Dead) infectious filmmaking enthusiasm has amassed a solid core of fans. In his latest feature and first solo writing effort, Wright sets the tone with an amazing high octane opening scene with breathtaking car speeds, stunts and pulsating soundtracks.

Baby (Anson Elgort), the young bank robbery getaway driver for Atlanta crime boss and heist mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey), needs one final heist before he can be free from a life of crime and focus on his love interest, waitress Deborah (Lily James). 

However Baby's menacing and short fused cohorts Buddy (Jon Hamm), his ruthless archenemy Bats (Jamie Foxx) and buddy's girlfriend Darling (Eliza Gonzalez) make the heist much more dangerous than expected.

Besides the unmatched show stopping sequences spiked with comedy and a bit of romance is a fantastic display of sharp editing and swift camerawork as well as exceptional acting, in what may be one of Hamm's and Foxx's best performances.

Despicable Me 3

In a new vibrant, breakneck action, and humor packed feature, the highly anticipated third animated franchise hit reunites reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carell), his adopted daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith
(Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Nev Scharel), and soulmate Lucy (Kristen Wiig), along with a diminished yet hilarious presence of the minions.

Joining the adventure are Gru's newly discovered flamboyant villain twin brother Dru (Carell), and the infamous archenemy Balthazar Bratt (voiced by South Park co-creator Trey Parker), a discontented ex child prodigy actor who still dwells in his 1980's television role and retro fashion style.

With fast cars and family legacy ties, Dru tries to entice Gru to participate in one last heist and steal a stolen diamond from Balthazar.

The feature includes numerous pop-culture references, 1980's soundtracks of Michael Jackson and Madonna and, among others, five new songs by Pharell Williams.

With 90 minutes of fun and laughter for the whole family, Despicable Me 3 is so good yet so bad.

Lost in Paris

A distinctive flare for physical comedy, reminiscent of Chaplin and Tati, is what characterizes the work of Brussel based co-directors, co-writers, and actors Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon. Refreshingly charming and spontaneous is this couple's 4^th feature collaboration. 

The story unfolds in Canada where the librarian Fiona (Fiona Gordon) flies to Paris to help her 88 years old aunt Marthe (recently deceased, Oscar nominated Emmanuelle Riva) whom she has not seen in many years. In a series of hilarious comedy of errors, aunt Marthe evades Fiona at all costs. 

In the meantime, Fiona experiences escalating mishaps while trying to avoid a hopelessly smitten vagrant (Dominique Abel).

Abel and Gordon's original creative path focuses mostly on improvised, movement based emotion and fluidity. Along with the inspiring characters and visually captivating storybook qualities, the feature is often surreal, yet enjoyable to watch.

Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer

In their latest, and 5^th movie collaboration, Academy Award^® nominated writer-director Joseph Cedar and producer David Mandil (Footnote, 2011; Beaufort, 2007), create in Norman an intricate drama about a humble, lonely man whose downfall is driven by the human need to matter.

Norman Oppenheimer (Richard Gere) is a 'fixer', an outsider who tries to make himself valuable by associating with and helping powerful people get favors.


When Norman sets his sights on Micha Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi), an Israeli politician in New York, he unwittingly finds himself in a complex web with a potential of an international catastrophe linking the Israeli Prime Minister to Norman's nephew (Michael Sheen), a rabbi (Steve Buscemi), a mogul (Harris Yulin), his assistant (Dan Stevens), and a treasury official from the Ivory Coast.

Along with strong performances by an all star cast, Richard Gere leads in what may be one of his best performances, a new and different role in which he delivers a vividly compelling representation of Norman.

Through Jun Miyake’s score, clever split screens, and expertly choreographed scenes, Cedar creates an engaging and suspenseful feature.

Moholy-Nagy: Future Present

 The diverse career of the Hungarian-born László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946), painter, photographer, sculpture, designer, filmmaker and prolific writer, is celebrated for the first time in nearly 50 years in the United States, and is currently presented by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in a retrospective organized with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

On display are approximately 300 works including paintings sculptures, drawings, collages, photographs, photograms, photomontages, films as well as examples of graphic exhibition, and theater designs.

Viewing art as a vehicle for social transformation, Moholy incorporated technology into traditional methods and materials, creating pathbreaking artistic innovations.

Ahead of his time, the artist experimented with cameraless photography, the use of industrial materials in paintings and sculpture, research with light, movement and transparency, work at the forefront of abstraction, fluidity in moving between the fine and applied arts, and the conception of creative production as a multimedia endeavor which, radical for his time, are now incorporated into contemporary art practice.

Using his Light Space Modulator, Moholy studied the movement of lights and shadows. His observations helped formulate moving image theories critical in the development of digital imagery mediums and design.

The exhibit is currently on view through June 18, 2017, at Art of the Americas Building, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036. For more information call (323) 857-6000 or visit http://www.lacma.org