Sayoko, Rent-a-Cat's protagonist, subtly entreats a lonely girl to perform the movie's titular action
Last weekend, my family and I moseyed on down to our local St. Anthony Main–a tiny movie theatre ideal for big premieres (your Twilights and your Harry Potters and what have you) because most nights the joint is anything but jumpin. Imagine my family’s shock when the theatre was ALIVE… legitimate crowds of people queued up for the film festival. We saw Rent-a-Cat, a Japanese film about an eccentric young girl who rents out cats to people identifying as さびしい (translation: lonely… GOD I KNEW THAT 4 YEAR LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT WOULD SOMEDAY PAY OFF). The movie was poignant, hilarious, crisp; I found it even had a pleasantly surprising feminist undertone.. With cute-for-the-sake-of-cute kitty montages alongside characters performing gripping monologues about the tribulations of life, this is a film that simply and eloquently understands the healing power of a feline friend… and thats nothing to shake a fist (read: paw) at. I was at first going to say that you’ve missed the film festival and should check it out next year, but looking at their website there seem to be showings going through this week… Rent-a-Cat seems to be playing Tuesday, according to the schedule. I can’t figure out which theatre the movies are playing at (it doesn’t appear to be St. Anthony) but I encourage you to do some detective work and get to the bottom of it.
The notches of his spine are fragile, his eyes are rimmed with pink; he looks over his left shoulder out of some emotion that mirrors either shame or preparation.
There are some pieces of art that just do that to you. I was so drawn to this figure, I got on my knees to see it from different angles. I wanted to touch him, to become him. The sculpture was placed so that the face of the boy is towards the wall, and his expression can only be seen through the reflection of the mirror, resulting in an alarming and breathtaking reaction.
You might be familiar with Ron Mueck’s Crouching Boy in Mirror (1999-2000), a sculpture currently on display at the Walker in the Lifelike exhibition.
I wanted to get to know a bit more about this man, who seems a bit fleeting; not many interviews and not many comments, just a few pictures of his sculptures here and there on a couple websites.
Ron Mueck was born in Australia and now lives and works in London. Raised by his German-born parents who were toy makers, growing up he made puppets and models; 
his talent then brought him to making props in advertising . . .and now he is an internationally recognized artist. Mueck, a hyperrealist, never makes his figures proportionate, “I never made life-size figures because it never seemed to be interesting. We meet life-size people every day.” , so from 15 ft newborns to 16 and a half foot tall crouching children we get to see the humans he portrays at key stages of the life cycle.
Mueck first gained popularity from his piece titled Dead Dad, which is a two-thirds life size sculpture. With a dead, naked man lying on the ground you’re bound to make some heads turn.
If you’re interested in catching your breath through the fierce and disturbing silhouette that Ron Mueck has created as well as other powerful and startlingly realistic pieces of art, the exhibition Lifelike is up at the Walker Art Center until May 27th.
Work by three students at Perpich Arts High School has been accepted for the 2012 “Do It Your Damn Self!!” National Youth Video and Film Festival in Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 25-28.
Anna Goldman and Ellie Ringer’s public service announcement, “End Verbal Bullying,” and Alex Miernicki’s animation, “Eye Candy,” have both shown at the Walker!
http://www.diyds.org
This event is for grades 7 and up, and will be on Mondays, March 5-May 21 at 4 p.m. at the Minneapolis Central Library. Click here to register for a session or call 612-543-8000.
Get hands-on experience to create your own beats. Learn music mixing techniques using the latest technology in music and video production. Record and produce your own music or video in this exciting workshop led by the library’s Teen Tech Squad. Let your voice be heard!
SPECIAL KICK-OFF EVENT
Tuesday, March 8, 5-7 p.m.
A special night of freestyle musical performance and interactive demonstration of the latest music and multimedia production software and techniques will kick off “MVStudio” on Tuesday, March 8, 5-7 p.m. at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. Teens in grade seven and up will have an opportunity to meet Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop artists such as Brother Ali and Plain Ole Bill and see some of the latest technology and tools used in the music production industry demonstrated by the library’s Teen Tech Squad.
http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/AllEventsAction.cfm?keyword=MVStudio
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The super bowl came and went as it does every year. Everyone has established their own superbowl rituals— for me, it’s being part of the growing hype a few days before the big game, followed by the nail-biting excitement for my two favorite things of the super bowl season: the puppy bowl and the commercials.
Personally, I DVR the game, and while the actual playing is going on I go to HBO and watch chick flicks which usually consist of Will Smith and some very attractive, yet fiercely independent female, who always end up getting it on by the end of the movie. No matter the small details that make each movie unique, the ancient patented love plot will always make me cry.
Then, there are the commercials. Every year at my household you will periodically hear: ” Mom, Mom! The commercials are back on!”
So, how did the commercials during the superbowl become such a big deal?
The game started to take off with Superbowl III when the AFL beat the NFL for the first time; in1970 the leagues merged. This made the superbowl huge and it soon became the most watched even of the year.
More viewers=more money.
These companies pay millions of dollars for a 30-second spot; the commercials are sometimes the best kind of border-line, most are funny, witty and wonderfully “subliminally” sexual.
From what I saw, I was pretty pleased. This year, I have a new all-time favorite—the M&Ms commercial.
It’s so classy that some people might dare call it tacky.
Check it out:
M&Ms “Just my Shell” Commercial
The Walker’s Out There performance series kicked off with a show by writer Young Jean Lee. The entirely nude show had several beautiful, thought-provoking and hilarious moments. The six female performers fearlessly bore all in the almost entirely wordless show. I can’t say I made it through the show without getting uncomfortable but that feeling added to the experience. Even though they were the naked ones, when the houselights came up and they acknowledged the audience, I was the one who felt exposed. This unique performance unfortunately has already gone by but was an exciting beginning to this year’s ongoing Out There series.
Vita.mn is a free weekly newspaper that is available every Thursday all around the city, including the Walker Art Center. Check it out for upcoming events and shows (music, art, theatre, etc.), reviews, and even life, love, and fashion advice.
For the new year, they published their “Best and Worst of 2011″. It’s pretty great!
Grab an issue on the streets of Downtown Minneapolis, or check it out online. Click the photo for a link to the article
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