What is an (art) film
Why is it that describing a film as an art film means it has to be interminable or incomprehensible? I just saw Double Tide by Sharon Lockhart (99 mins, 2009), at MOMA, which fits in the first category.
It opens in a beautiful, early morning, almost black and white, Maine fog, on an ocean mudflat. We hear the sounds of birds and water and an occasional fog horn. A woman dragging a sled enters, removes a basket and begins digging for clams. The mud sucks her legs up to her calves; she punches her hand almost to the elbow to get her catch. The sucking sounds are amazing.
Well, I didn’t actually watch the whole film. Actually, I left before the first shot was over. 20 minutes. The first shot, locked off on the tripod, lasted more than 20 minutes. In one minute we see how difficult the woman’s job is. In five our backs are hurting in sympathy. 10, 15, 20 minutes, she’s worked without a break. She moves farther and farther away from the camera. Is it a one shot 99 minute film?
Is that what makes it art? Can a film that tells a story in a traditional manner, one that makes us laugh and cry, that moves apace, not be art?
As for incomprehensible, let me just say mostly experimental films seem to turn away from beautiful light or good compositions as if they’re anathema and move towards “if you can’t figure this out it’s art.”
What do you think?
Hasidic protest on Park Avenue
Hundreds of hasidic jews turned out to protest
the construction of a hotel on an ancient jewish cemetery
in Jaffa, Israel (next to Tel Aviv)
please click on 1st photo to enlarge so you can actually see the images,
press arrow to key to advance
A View of Japan
(Please click on photo to enlarge–use arrow key to play through large sized photos)
9-11 Anniversary Remembrance at World Trade Center
Reflecting pool
Name readers' podiums
Honor Guard
Readers Tent
The RESTAURATUER played in NYC
For Immediate Release
The RESTAURATEUR
Limited Theatrical Run
Village East Cinema New York August 29th & 30th
The RESTAURATEUR, A Roger Sherman Film has been chosen to be part of the first annual Double Feature Competition
The RESTAURATEUR will be shown immediately following “Bushwick” which runs 70 minutes and plays at 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 10pm.
The RESTAURATEUR begins at approximately: 2:10, 5:10, 8:10, 11:10
Winners Of the Double Feature Competition Will be announced on September 2nd
Talking corn: The Atlantic.com article and The Brian Lehrer radio show
Corn is my favorite pastime this time of year, so I decided to write about it. See the article on Atlantic.com.
And, it turns out I’m not the only passionate corn eater. The response to the piece was so great, I’ve been invited to talk about corn on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show on Wednesday, the 28th at 11:40AM. Listen, Call in, let’s talk CORN.
The show can be heard on WNYC.org and on the radio at 93.9FM and repeated at 12AM on AM 820.
a few years ago I shot a sequence of corn photographs. My son, Lincoln was kind enough to model.
Album cover
The Shul Band – 10th Anniversary Live – at The Shul of New York Read the rest of this entry »“The RESTAURATEUR” Q&A with Danny Meyer
After the recent screening of The RESTAURATEUR in New York, Danny Meyer sat down with filmmaker Roger Sherman to talk about the film. This was the first time Meyer saw the whole film with an audience.
Sherman’s short introduction includes an explanation about how the project came about.
(Apologies for not having mics on people who ask questions. It’s pretty clear from the answers what the questions were).
01 Introduction of the film by Roger Sherman
“The RESTAURATEUR” NY screening comments
A great screening of The RESTAURATEUR for friends and family at Florence Gould Hall here in New York; btw it’s a fabulous screening room. This was the first time Danny Meyer saw the finished film. A Q&A followed; it was recorded and I hope to post it soon.
Here are some comments from emails, tweets and blogs:
Beg, borrow as needed, but do yourself a favor & see @RogerMSherman‘s Danny Meyer doc The Restaurateur. Sausage making you WANT to see. From @kittenwithawhip on Twitter Read the rest of this entry »
After Dinner (part II in the series)
This is the second set of photographs that I’m posting in my series
that began in Japan in 2007.
I became interested in what was left on the plate after the meal.
A cloud caught by the top of Aspen Highlands—iPhone pictures
On the Loge Peak lift –– top of Steeplechase
A Holiday Secret revealed — in just one minute
One of nature’s most closely-held secrets is finally answered:
“How To Build A Christmas Tree“
http://bit.ly/buildChristmasTree
Happy Holidays!
After Dinner
A few years ago, while traveling in Japan, I became interested in what the table looked like after the meal. Here are a few photographs to begin this ongoing series.
Kyoto, Japan - March 2007
Town & Country “A Taste of Tokyo” –– hot off the press
It’s always a nice surprise when an article that I shot months or in this case over two years earlier comes out. It’s like an old friend coming to visit. “A Taste of Tokyo” just hit the stands – Town & Country, August 2009. Town & Country Travel commissioned the piece on restaurants in Tokyo but when that magazine closed, the article was shifted to Town & Country and published in a much shortened form.
Photos below marked with * are published in the article.