PREVIEW: TARANTINO VS COEN BROS. Art Show @ Bold Hype GALLERY [NYC]

March 11, 2011 in art, Movies / Television

I don’t think that it’s been even a year since Hi-Fructose writer/web editor, Ken Harman introduced Spoke Art to the world, but his brainchild instantly began creating some sizable waves.  In fact, the ripples have actually managed to wobble the ship here at Monster Fresh and splash a bit of water onto our metaphorical decks.  Like much of the world, we were first introduced to the “transient art gallery and publishing house” through the exhibit “Bad Dads – a tribute to Wes Anderson”.  Those of you who read our preview of the event and the subsequent offshoot and related posts might be wondering, “What’s with all of the art coverage?  I thought this was a music site!“  The answer to that question is, “Not really.”  It’s true that, over time, the lopsided majority of content has often become music related, but we’ve often posted about the contemporary art world in the past and the original intent has always been for us to tangentially wander like a somnambulistic moth towards anything that we find interesting and “post worthy” (some of our first content even dealt with purchasing nuclear missile silos, for chrissakes!).  Spoke Arts‘ latest undertaking, “Quentin vs. Coen – An art show tribute to the films of Tarantino and the Brothers” more than falls into those categories and, with contributions from over 100 different artists, this first run of preview images [featured below] will, more than likely, only be marking the beginning of our coverage for this project. Read the rest of this entry →

Spoke Art releases Kevin Tong’s Wes Anderson Prints in a Wood Variant

January 28, 2011 in art, Movies / Television

There have been more and more incredible group art exhibits popping up over the last couple of years and they don’t appear to show any signs of slowing down.  The benefits of these shows is obvious; providing variety, by showcasing the skills and perspectives of a number of different artists.  The benefits to the artists, on the other hand, can become a double-edged sword.  Being included among a crowd of established and burgeoning talent can provide a forum to demonstrate one’s abilities that they’ve never had before.  The downside with such a platform is that it can be far too easy to get lost in the mix and have your work drowned out by the rest of all the exceptional pieces on display.  Even if you contribute a piece that is arguably stronger, a more recognizable name can easily divert the attention away from it and steal the spotlight.  The hope is that, if you continue to create quality work and continue to find a format to display it, the work should undoubtedly speak for itself and your talents will eventually become difficult to continue to ignore.  One such artist whose efforts and consistency are managing to prove that theory and push him to the forefront of his profession, is Kevin Tong.

Like a number of artists, the Los Angeles-based designer has found a decent amount of work creating concert posters, but, throughout the last year, he has really made some big moves, raising his stock as an independent artist in the gallery world and an immediate “go to” for contributions to group shows and series.  In the last 4 months alone, he has entered our radar with some impressive creations for organizations/clients that range from All City Media, Mondo Tees/LucasFilm LTD, Gallery 1988, and ChuckPalahniuk.net.  What first brought Kevin‘s work to our attention, however, were his contributions to the Wes Anderson-themed “Bad Dads” exhibit at the Lopo Gallery, which we posted a preview for back in October.  Now, as Gallery 1988‘s “Is This Thing On?” exhibit comes to a close (feat. Tong as one of 100 artists paying tribute to comedy legends), Spoke Art is reissuing Kevin Tong‘s trio of Wes Anderson prints in a variant that we haven’t seen before: wood. Read the rest of this entry →

“BAD DADS” : A Tribute to the Films of Wes Anderson [preview]

October 25, 2010 in art, Movies / Television

Opening: Saturday, October 30th 

8PM – 12AM

 

 

LoPo Gallery

San Francisco, Ca

 

Last month we posted a preview for the “Mr. Bill Murray” exhibit that was held at Los AngelesR&R Gallery.  The group show featured a variety of artists creating Bill Murray-centric pieces, many of which were based around roles that he’s played in the films of, semi-regular collaborator, Wes Anderson.  In that post, I referenced Tim Doyle‘s “Murray Times Six” print from 2009.  I had even wondered, momentarily, as to why the artist wasn’t included in that exhibit.  That curiosity led me to Doyle‘s Flickr page and immediately, to a brand new Bill Murray print that he had just created for an entirely separate exhibit.  Yep, a completely unrelated show that would warrant him revisiting the image of the world’s favorite Ghostbuster, all over again.  This Saturday‘s “BAD DADS” exhibit in San Francisco should finally be enough to quench the, otherwise, insatiable appetites of anyone with a thirst for Wes Anderson and/or Bill Murray tribute paintings (… at least, temporarily). Read the rest of this entry →

BITTERSUITE : Chilly Gonzales video/movie clip (feat. Peaches & Tiga)

September 5, 2010 in Movies / Television, Music, With Video

These days, artists don’t get much more prolific than Paris-based performer JasonChilly GonzalesBeck .  Unfortunately, they don’t get much more criminally overlooked either.  Hopefully you read our review of the musician/producer’s performance with Andrew W.K. last February, as part of his month long “Piano Talk” residency at Joes Pub in NY (other nights included A-Trak, Sia, & Princess Superstar).  This was not their first public encounter, with Gonzales successfully challenging and defeating Andrew in a piano duel at the exact same venue on Sept. 25, 2009.  Earlier that May, the “Entertainist” further established his piano skills in Paris, France by breaking the “world record for the longest solo-artist performance” (27 hours, 3 minutes and 44 seconds).  Further accolades include a Juno award and an Grammy nomination.  Although most U.S. residents do not know Gonzales by name, the majority should be familiar with at least some of the work that he is behind.  You know that new iPad commercial that is accompanied by that infectious little piano jam?  That song is called “Never Stop” and, along with a separate rap version, appears on Chilly‘s upcoming full-length, Ivory Tower.  He is a frequent collaborator with fellow Canadian-born, European superstar transplants, Peaches and Feist.  In fact, Gonzales is responsible for performing on PeachesI Feel Cream (2009) and co-writing half of the songs on the release.  He also co-wrote/produced 2 tracks from Feist‘s The Reminder and played piano, organs, vibraphone, and drums on the album, after offering similar contributions to her 2004 effort Let It Die.  Now that Ivory Tower‘s Sept. 14th U.S. release is quickly approaching, it appears that creating a simple album isn’t enough for the self-proclaimed “President of the Berlin Underground“/”Jewish Supervillain MC“.  Instead, Ivory Tower is also the title of a feature-length film that is co-written/produced/starring Gonzales and features acting performances by Peaches, Feist, and fellow Montreal-native/collaborator, Tiga. Read the rest of this entry →

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE ANIMATION : Adult Swim Airs 4-Minute Prologue

August 13, 2010 in Global Destruction, Movies / Television, With Video

Now that you’ve read our writer Knuckle Supper‘s review of Scott Pilgrim VS the World, you should know a little more about the project.  If nothing else, you should now know that it began as a graphic novel and have a rough idea about the manner in which it was adapted into a full-on motion picture.   It can be a big leap from the pages of a hand drawn comic book to the big screen and, in building that bridge, a few branches had to be cut.  The folks over at ADULT SWIM have decided to make that transition just slightly smoother, by providing an additional 4-minute short titled, “Scott Pilgrim VS The Animation“.  Through it’s  format alone, the cartoon helps to segue from the 2-dimensional black and white pages of Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s now classic, illustrated work to it’s live-action cinematic counterpart, but that isn’t it’s only benefit.  The short also works as a prologue, filling in and setting up a piece of the storyline that never made it into Edgar Wright‘s final movie.  The mini-film focuses on a flashback sequence from VOL. 2 of the book series, which establishes how Scott and Kim Pine originally met and began playing music together.

The network aired their brief animated contribution last night, in preparation of the the film’s release today, but we have it posted here for everyone that may have blinked and missed it.  It was produced by Jason DeMarco, and features voice work by actors Michael Cera, Alison Pill, Mae Whitman, and Jason Schwartzman.

Enjoy Read the rest of this entry →

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE BIG SCREEN

August 13, 2010 in Global Destruction, Movies / Television, Reviews

Something my brother said as we were leaving the movie theater: “Man, I’m glad that they made that into a movie, because when I try to explain Scott Pilgrim to people, it sounds soooo dumb!

I could totally relate to that sentiment and, if you’re already a fan of the graphic novels that were the basis for the new film, I’m sure that you probably could too.  Those who are not may be asking “So, what is it all about?“  Well, Scott Pilgrim is this unemployed, Canadian twenty-something bass player who begins dating Ramona Flowers, an American hipster girl on Roller Blades (how one can remain hip while on Roller Blades is never quite explained, but it manages to work ).  It is soon discovered that for them to continue to see each other, Scott has to fight and defeat Ramona‘s ex-boyfriends.  It sounds sorta dumb, right?  I know, but there are a million reasons why its not and a million reasons as to why it is, in fact, one of my most favorite things ever.  To read through Scott Pilgrim‘s 6 manga-like volumes is to get an honest look at creator Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s tastes and hobbies.  If you have even the slightest bit of a nerd streak in you, you will instantly be able to relate.  You get references to comic books, manga, video games, and indie-rock… and the fighting ex-boyfriends thing?  It sounds silly, but look, its a metaphor.  Scott is trying to stack up against Ramona‘s past relationships.  The series itself is a really great read.

Now there’s always a danger when a beloved comic book gets adapted into a movie.  Hell hath no fury like a scorned comic book geek with a modem.  When Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was first announced, a lot of people began monitoring its development nervously.  With Micheal Cera backlash at its peak, things got even more tense when he was announced as the lead.  Still, there remained faith in director Edgar Wright (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), and O’Malley‘s involvement/endorsement of the project.  The biggest fear, I think, was the potential to lose much of the lovable quirkiness found in the comics.  How much of the video game and comic book tributes would be lost?  These elements are integral to the feel of the series and one of the keys to its success.  A romantic comedy is all the more fun when a “save point” magically appears in the corner of the room! Read the rest of this entry →