'Most Boring' Oscar goes to 'Let the Sunshine In'

"Sunshine"? What "sunshine"? The "sunshine" done got let out of this movie, as in, it's always cloudy in these parts.  Or nighttime and dark, dark, dark.

Where did they come up with this misnomer?  I've got a better title: Purposeless Woman Rolls In and Out.  

This is a slow-go, pitiful excuse for a movie with just one single piece of redeeming social value, namely the recording of Etta James' "At Last" sung while the "heroine" (Juliette Binoche) dances solo, soon joined on the dance floor by a nameless buck who looks a lot like Mick Jagger (okay, two pieces of "redeeming social value").


Other than that two-minute splice, this ain't got nuthin' goin' for it. (A double negative which means a positive, but in this case, it's a double negative.)

"Isabelle" rolls in and out of bed with:

1. A married sleezebag who bears a resemblance to Harvey Weinstein. (Come on!)
2. An actor who "has regrets" (sure, bro') since he's breaking up with his wife
3.  I lost count.  I think Mick Jagger was about #7.
4.  Her ex 
5.
6.
7. (Maybe Mick?)
8.
9.
10. zzzzzzzz .....zzzzzzzzzz
ad infinitum

At the end, my pal, Terry, woke up from a two-hour nap just in time to ask: "Where'd the black dude come from?"  Who knows?  I didn't think I fell asleep, too, but maybe I got in some shuteye, because suddenly, on her elbow Isabelle had grown a new beau who wanted to take it "slow."  


Yeah, right. "Slow" like in this excuse for a movie!  This was actually worse than that dreadful cat movie of several years ago, and it has got to be really bad to exceed that one in boringness.

Save your money and your time. This got an 85% critics' rating at Rotten Tomatoes (natch; their rating is why I went!) and the audience gave it a 22%!  The audience always wins which just goes to show you that Rotten Tomatoes has gone rancid on us.

patricialesli@gmail.com

'Sally Mann' has left the building, headed to ...

R. Kim Rushing, b. 1961, Sally with camera, 1998, Collection of Sally Mann

Sally Mann:  A Thousand Crossings is going to Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Paris, and Salem, Massachusetts, after a successful three-month run at the National Gallery of Art. (Please see tour dates below.*)

If you missed the big exhibition in Washington, here are a few photos from the show organized by the National Gallery and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.

The title for the presentation comes from a poem by John Glenday, "Landscape with Flying Man" with this line: "The soul makes a thousand crossings, the heart, just one."**

Sally Mann, b. 1951, Easter Dress, 1986, Patricia and David Schulte

Despite appearances in the scene above, it was not spontaneous but rehearsed numerous times, until Sally Mann could get it just right , according to the label copy. In the picture her daughter, Jessie, wears a white Easter dress worn by Sally Mann and her grandmother, Jessie's namesake.

Sally Mann, b. 1951, Blowing Bubbles, 1987, High Museum of Art, Atlanta

It's a really big show, about 110 photographs taken by Ms. Mann of her beloved South and its complexities, beauty, hauntings, and landscapes which her cult adores and who filled the galleries every time I went to the National Gallery which explains why I was never able to get a seat to see the continuously running film about her at work.  

Sally Mann, b. 1951, Jessie at Nine, 1991, National Gallery of Art, Washington 

Sally Mann, b. 1951, Deep South, Untitled (Valentine Windsor), 1998, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.

This is all (above) that remains of the Windsor Mansion, the largest antebellum Greek Revival house in Mississippi. Built between 1859 and 1861, it had four stories, 25 rooms, 25 fireplaces, and a basement with a school room, dairy, and supply rooms. It is likely that Union troops did not torch it in the Civil War, as they did so many others, because they used it as a hospital. 

After the war, Mark Twain stood in Windsor's observatory and viewed the Mississippi River, observations he used in Life on the Mississippi. Later, when a guest dropped a cigarette in the house on the afternoon of February 3, 1890, the ensuing fire and flames burned it to the ground.  

Windsor Mansion has been the set of several movies, including Raintree County (1957) with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Cliff.  See it today on Highway 552, 12 miles from Port Gibson, Mississippi.

Sally Mann, b. 1951, Battlefields, Cold Harbor (Battle), 2003, National Gallery of Art, Washington

The battle of Cold Harbor (above) was fought in 1864 ten miles from Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy.

The exhibition spanned several galleries and was divided by five themes: Family, The Land, Last Measure, Abide with Me, and What Remains.  I find Mann's photographs neither inspirational nor uplifting and they speak of a languid, bygone era which no longer exists, save the sad landscapes which continue to wither.

A friend in Blacksburg asked me if the show was, she paused before she said "depressing," we both, familiar with Mann's typical subject matter.  Yes, I said, and bleak, like they usually are.  

Or, that's how they strike me.  How do they strike you?  Perhaps, it's the black and whiteness. But for the younger generation, and heavens know, that's the only market (!) for everything, it's what they seem to want, a reflection of their existence.

*Tour dates are:
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, June 30 - Sept. 23, 2018 
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Nov. 20 - Feb. 10, 2019
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Mar. 3 - May 27, 2019
Jeu de Paume, Paris, June 17 - Sept. 22, 2019
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Oct. 19, 2019 - Jan. 12, 2020.

A catalogue with 320 pages and 230 illustrations is on sale for $45 at the National Gallery of Art. 

Audio and video of the show with interviews are available at the National Gallery's website. 

**"Landscape with Flying Man"

I read about him that was given wings.

His father fixed those wings to carry him away.

They carried him halfway home, and then he fell.
And he fell not because he flew

but because he loved it so. You see
it's neither pride, nor gravity but love

that pulls us back down to the world.
Love furnishes the wings, and that same love

will watch over us as we drown.
The soul makes a thousand crossings, the heart, just one.

By John Glenday from Grain (London: Picador, 2009)

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'Women House' closes doors at the Women's Museum

Birgit Jürgenssen, Austrian (1949-2003), Hausfrau.Housewife, 1973, c. Estate of Birgit Jürgenssen, The SAMMLUNG VERBUND Collection, Vienna

Pictured here are a few of the provocative images of the works in Women House, ending its display Monday at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the only venue in the U.S. for the show, organized by La Monnaie de Paris.

Penny Slinger (b. 1947, London),  Ganesh House (Money House), 1977, courtesy of the artist/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Money which Ms. Slinger collected from around the world decorates this house. Ganesh is the Hindu god of fortune and enlightenment. The display illustrates the power of money to make or break you, if you let it.

Rachel Whiteread (b. 1963, London), Modern Chess Set, 2005, courtesy of the artist/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Rachel Whiteread (b. 1963, London), close-up of Modern Chess Set, 2005, courtesy of the artist/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Miriam Schapiro (1923, Toronto-2015, New York), Dollhouse, 1972, Smithsonian American Art Museum/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Dollhouse was an original piece in the 1972 exhibition, Womanhouse, by one of the founders of the landmark show, Miriam Schapiro. The house describes Ms. Schapiro's conflicts as a mother, a wife, and an artist  and contains items Ms. Schapiro collected from women throughout the U.S.

Miriam Schapiro (1923, Toronto-2015, New York), close-up of Dollhouse, 1972, Smithsonian American Art Museum/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the window are men in coats, ties, and hats staring at the viewer as if to say:  What are you doing?

Miriam Schapiro (1923, Toronto-2015, New York), close-up of Dollhouse, 1972, Smithsonian American Art Museum/Photo by Patricia Leslie

You can see the spider, can't you?  And the unfriendly bear in the window?  Do you think they mean her house is dirty? Or that she needs to escape as quickly as possible to save her life?  The latter occurred to me after the "dirty house" thought, and it makes more sense.  Caution: Don't blow up the bear's face as I did or you may have bad dreams.  Or, maybe need to escape.  The contents of the chair are a conglomeration of ...?

Birgit Jürgenssen, Austrian (1949-2003), Bodenschrubben (Scrubbing the Floor), 1975, c. Estate of Birgit Jürgenssen, The SAMMLUNG VERBUND Collection, Vienna

Look at their facial expressions.  I see boredom, anger, complacency, and surprise.  What do you see?  How do you interpret this?

Birgit Jürgenssen, Austrian (1949-2003), Hausfrauenarbeit (Housewives Working), 1975, c. Estate of Birgit Jürgenssen, Courtesy of Galerie Hubert Winter, Vienna

Above the woman irons a male figure right to the ironing board. Is she ironing that man right out of her life?

Birgit Jürgenssen, Austrian (1949-2003), Fensterputzen (Window Cleaning), 1975, c. Estate of Birgit Jürgenssen, Courtesy of Galerie Hubert Winter, Vienna

Erasing haunting memories?

Birgit Jürgenssen, Austrian (1949-2003), Hausfrauen Kuchenschurze (Housewives--Kitchen Apron), 1975-2003, c. Estate of Birgit Jürgenssen, Courtesy of Galerie Hubert Winter, Vienna

These are self portraits which Ms. Jürgenssen made to show how women focus on the needs of others.

Louise Bourgeois (1911, Paris -2010, New York), Femme Maison, 1994, Collection of Louise Bourgeois Trust/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A locked-up, faceless woman confined to the home. What is your interpretation?

In the center is Femme Maison, 2001, by Louise Bourgeois (1911, Paris-2010, New York), Collection of The Easton Foundation/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Nil Yalter (b. 1938, Cairo), Topak Ev, 1973, Vehbi Koc Foundation, Contemporary Art Collection/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The curator for the exhibition is pictured above with a home for a future bride, made to resemble an Anatolian yurt which can be an enclosed world or a safe house.  Visitors are invited to step inside and experience tomb-like oppression.

"Provocative" is too conservative for some of the pieces which depict in video, sculpture, installation, photography, and painting, the states of contemporary, repressed women, their mothers and grandmothers. (I am not sure younger women can relate.) Overall, a sobering, depressing show which illustrates the sorry mental and emotional state of women for thousands of years. For younger women, a pictorial social history of the frustrations and pentup anger their foremothers tolerated and lived, an awakening and appreciation for the groundwork laid.


The exhibition is the second chapter of the 1972 show in Los Angeles, Womanhouse, by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro which represented women's relationship to the home and was the first "female-centered art installation to appear in the Western world," says NMWA.

Thirty-six artists from around the world have pieces in this show, some artists with several, like Birgit Jürgenssen of Vienna, Austria (1949-2003). Her renderings captured my imagination, and I photographed more by her than any other artist in the exhibition, without realizing they were all by the same person, however, the styles are similar.  The subjects and how she drew them are what attracted my attention for longer study than the other works in the show.

A catalogue is available. 

Monnaie de Paris, a government-owned institution,  was founded in 864 and produces France's euro coins.

What: Women House

When: Now through May 28, 2018. The National Museum for Women in the Arts is open Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 12-5 p.m.
 
Where: The National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005
 
Admission: Free on the first Sunday each month. NMWA is a Blue Star Museum with free admission for all active-duty military members and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day, 2018. Otherwise, fees are $10, adults; $8, seniors and students; and free for members and children, 18 and under.

For more information: 202-783-5000
 
Metro station: Metro Center. Exit at 13th Street and walk two blocks north.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Olney deals a powerful 'Invisible Hand'

Thomas Keegan, left, and Maboud Ebrahimzadeh as Nick Bright and Bashir in The Invisible Hand at Olney Theatre Center/Photo by Stan Barouh

Once you see The Invisible Hand now on stage at the Olney Theatre Center, you'll understand why performances are selling out. The acting alone is worth the cost of a ticket. 

For regular theatregoers, it's another must see!

The story is about an American kidnap victim, Nick Bright,  a savvy financier, imprisoned in a dreary, grey cell in Pakistan, a developing country which, Nick's captors claim, has been ravaged by plundering Americans and the "American Way"  (i.e., capitalism).

Nick's going to pay the price, or is he?

Perhaps his sharp financial skills can be put to the test, and serve dual purposes: If he can earn $10 million on shorts, puts, and sell orders trading on the web, he can save his own skin, and the money can be put to good use helping impoverished Pakistanis. 
 
Get Nick a laptop and the internet. Can he do it?  Anything is possible.

From initial confidence, Nick's slow demise is expertly delivered by Thomas Keegan under the skilful tutelage of director Michael Bloom.

From scene to scene in the single set cell (which never becomes tiresome, thanks to Luciana Steconni's design), Nick plummets physically and emotionally as he begs permission to phone home and save his life.   

He cries, he sweats, he implores God and loses self-control. Nick is human. Nick is us as we are swept up in the drama until we become one with him, fighting for life.
 
The cool and collected "Bashir" (Maboud Ebrahimzadeh)      is the heavyweight captor who commands most of the action. He follows the Iman, the religious and community leader, adroitly performed by Mueen Jahan who determines the beneficiaries of Nick's earnings. 

Rounding out the four-member cast is "Dar" (Ahmad Kamal), in the beginning, a sympathetic guard who conveys empathy for Nick and soothes fears. Alas, Dar's mental comforts are shortlived. 

The play takes an unexpected turn when Pakistani colleagues upend loyalties. The actors' conversions quickly convince the audience of new personalities and goals.

Who do you trust? 

Applause to the sound designer, Roc Lee, whose electronic musical additions between frequent scenes usher in the emotions of the moment. Dogs bark, helicopters hover, and drones strike, contributing to the overall effect of the place of last existence.

In this case, it's is an excellently crafted cell with concrete brick walls and an iron grate for a ceiling. Jesse Belsky's eerie lighting from the side window and nighttime effects heighten the mood of cell life.  

That the playwright Ayad Akhtar reads the Wall Street Journal every day will come as no surprise (his dad bribed him with a subscription for years), but a hedge fund manager’s knowledge is not necessary to understand the dialogue. The words are defined for the Pakistani jailers (and the audience), and it's easy to follow the jargon (a tribute to the playwright).
 
The Invisible Hand is a term from economist Adam Smith (1723-1790), the author of the Wealth of Nations, who wrote that the pursuit of self- interests is more beneficial to society that interests pursued to benefit society (?), in other words, self-interest (guided by an “invisible hand”) has a better outcome than interests dictated and regulated by government (free trade v. restricted trade).

The grave of economist Adam Smith at Canongate Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland which reads "Here are deposited the remains of Adam Smith Author of the Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations  He was born 5th June, 1723 and he died 17th July, 1790/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Mr. Akhtar's Disgraced won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and The Invisible Hand is one of seven compositions by Mr. Akhtar about Muslim-Americans. For the 2015-16 season, no other playwright in the U.S. had as many works produced.  
  
Olney's artistic director, Jason Loewith, told me that it had taken him since 2014 to secure rights to The Invisible Hand,  this its D.C. area debut. When you see it, you'll understand why Mr. Loewith worked so hard.

Other creative team members are Zach Campion, dialects coach; Robb Hunter, fight choreographer; Ivania Stack, costumes; and Elisabeth Ribar, stage manager. 

What: The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar

Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832.

When: Now through June 10, 2018, Wednesday through Saturdays at 7:45 p.m., weekend matinees at 1:45 p.m., a 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30, and a sign-interpreted performance on Thursday, June 7, at 7:45 p.m. 
On June 5, a free seminar, Fundamentals of Sustainable and Impact Investment, will be presented in the Mulitz-Guldesky Theatre Lab from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Tickets: Begin at $54 with discounts for groups, seniors, military, and students.

Ages: Recommended for ages 16+ due to violence, mature themes, and adult language. Contains live gunshots and fake blood. The Olney rates it "R."

Duration: 90 minutes and one 15 minute intermission.

Refreshments: Available and may be taken to seats

Parking: Free and plentiful on-site

For more information: 301-924-3400 for the box office or 301-924-4485

patricialesli@gmail.com

**