end of the world is quite homo-centric: how about the end of our galaxy as we know it

our galaxy, the milky way, and andromeda (a small fuzzy object that was first seen by ancient astronomers more than one thousand years ago) have been on a collision course since their birth. it has long been known that the two galaxies have been heading in the general direction of each other, but not until weeks ago did we know that they are converging at something like 250,000 mph. the new hubble telescope data provides detail of when and how a union is likely to unfold.

viewed from earth, the night sky should look fairly spectacular when they collide. that is assuming, of course, that a human species is still around billions of years into the future to look upwards at the fireworks. nasa however has speculated based on the hubble data-feed that jesus will most probably resurface prior to such collision to insure prime seats for the believers.

the two galaxies are being pulled together by their mutual gravity and the scientists expect them to begin to merge in about four billion years’ time (so don’t go selling your shit yet). our sun’s position will be disturbed, but the star and its planets are in little danger of being destroyed, just shuffled around. this will surely effect the real estate market in new york.

dr. van der marel (no data is provided on him but lets trust him since hes a dr.) told reporters “due to the natural evolution of the sun, it will get slightly hotter over time and a few billion years from now it will have got sufficiently hot to make life on earth as we know it impossible… but since we are talking billions of years into the future, i personally do not think that means our civilization will not be there. for example, if we find a smart way to use solar energy and turn it into air conditioning, we may still be able to live on this planet.” now that’s a start! by dd

moonrise kingdom, an ethereal place

perhaps i am biased, but considering the amount of garbage that is forced upon us these days, wes anderson is a persistent and glorious breath of fresh air.  i was fortunate enough to see ‘moonrise kingdom’ this past weekend, and combining the effortless style and wit of all his other movies, i truly think he has perfected his craft with this one.  taking the elements of detail to an entirely new level and juxtaposing them with an unforgettable cast, anderson proves that he is truly a cinephile’s hero.  despite the wondrous performances of big name actors, suzy and sam, the star-crossed lovers and protagonists outshine all others on the screen. played by kara hayward (a pubescent margot tenenbaum) and jared gilman (a hemingway-esque noble young man) you are completely drawn to their love, its genuine intent and post-modernist determinism.  there is the languid air of an orphaned child and parental issues as in all other anderson films, but this is positively delightful.  and if you have a soul, you will want to see it immediately. by sv

She’s Electric by Santiago and Mauricio

the sierra brothers grew up in the ’80’s, can you tell?  drawing inspiration from japanese anime, atari video games and disneyland’s space mountain attraction has combined to create a pretty impressive beauty video featuring looks by makeup artist romy soleimani. this is glossier and more than a smidgen more techno than my taste generally runs, but i can’t help but be drawn by their ability to create velocity out of almost nothing in post. slick. by kl

MUTA

a film for miu miu by lucrecia martel. really cool in a weird way with its beautiful close-ups and location. big budget helps make it great of course, but in the end it’s all about the ideas. by kc

Dior’s Secret Garden at the Versailles: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

as always an amazingly beautiful yet completely nonsensical film by inez and vinoodh, at château de versailles. as with all young directors, there are simply too many shots in the same film, a good portion of which should have stayed in the edit suite drive. also if i may  interject here, having 20 models actually could suck, they should have stuck with daria  strokous throughout the shooting, and saved the budget for an after party. all that said, we love inez & vinoodh and have loved them since day one so please continue, we promise to suffer through the good and enjoy the bad. by dd