Galuszka at Gabriella….until March 7
Paintings by Frank Galuszka—from the lake district of Italy to the Davenport coast— at Gabriella Cafe, January through March 2016.
Carol – an excuse to eat popcorn
How could this many members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences be wrong? I wondered as I rummaged around in my purse for some dental floss.
Once found, the floss gave me the excuse I needed to stay in my seat during this turgid, self-absorbed exercise in shots of rain-splashed car windows and 1950s cloche hats.
Let me place my cards on the table: Cate Blanchett let her lipstick do the acting, while poor Rooney Mara was forced to simply stare, bug-eyed like an extra from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
This was a film without a director, without a point, and with precious little more than a centrally-located mink coat and ugly shoes.
At no time did I believe in any of the male actors, or in any of their dialogue. If there was once a well-written novel by Patricia Highsmith behind this exercise in faded Kodachrome, it could no longer be detected in the film.
Could it be that the reason why a few of my woman friends liked it was that it was about lesbian liberation? That it suggested that woman, even in the darkest 1950s, could find solace in each other’s arms? Yes, but it was a lackluster, boring film. Message or no message, it was unbearable.
Blanchett smoking cigarettes was one of the most self-conscious, studied, mannered acts I’ve ever seen in film. Tossing back martinis during the day does not make her a role model of feminist freedom. It wasn’t even believable. I simply failed to find the film in this commercial for tightly-coiffed hair and bourgeois interior decoration. But I did manage to consume a bag of popcorn and then floss afterwards.
Gorgeous Baroque Music
UCSC’s notoriously ambitious Concert Choir—under the direction of Nathaniel Berman—works its way gracefully through some outstanding Baroque oratorios, works from the A-list of the 17th century—Scarlatti, Carissimi, Schütz and Charpentier—on Friday December 4th, 7:30pm at the Music Center Recital Hall.
A feast for the senses, the perfect opening act for all the holiday festivities to come.
Assemble This!
Assembly in downtown Santa Cruz continues to amaze me—great service, seasonally savvy menu and this colossal burger! with fries to drool for.
Gabriella Cafe—exhibit of portrait paintings
Salon: Tuesday, Dec. 8 6-8pm.
My painting exhibit is currently showing at Gabriella Cafe & Gallery, in downtown Santa Cruz.
Come and check out this unexpected and colorful work, including many very recent pieces.
Even better, make plans to join me next Tuesday — December 8 — for dinner at 6, followed by a mesmerizing glimpse inside my painting process and some choice words about my upcoming book.
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.