#singles players love to have a surprise brother that they play doubles with. andy and jamie. stef and petros. evidently brandon and… bryce

[muirneach]

was anyone going to tell me there is a second nakashima

[citizenscreen]

Contributor Susu is back with an ode to her heritage.

My Hispanic Heritage in Film: The Old, The New, and The Internal Spark

I sit here with you, finally, after weeks of pondering the threads that might tie my next movie list together. Last month was National Hispanic Heritage month and as a daughter of Spanish-speaking parents, I humbly and proudly begin there, on that corner of a gorgeous and intricate tapestry of humanity and culture.

I am woven into the tapestry with thread the color of Cuba, which is where my parents and a long line of ancestors were born. Things B.C. (before Cuba) are still a mystery. My DNA shows no sign of indigenous blood, which means that the threads extend across the Atlantic to Europe and Africa. But that’s another story. For now, and for about 200 years, with the exception of my maternal grandfather, my family tree and its history is firmly rooted in the westernmost province of Pinar del Río, Cuba.

As simple as that should be, as singular a representation of culture it might offer, it is not. I discover that, as I try to choose the handful of movies to share with you here, there are in fact several Cubas that express themselves to me in life and in film.

The first is the mythological Cuba, the one that lives behind the mist of nostalgia that envelopes the pre-Castro-Revolution generation, the Caribbean Camelot set in lush mountainsides, swaying to the sound of town sociedades, and thriving with the hope of a sunlit main street. It is, in my mom’s words, the image of un pueblo alegre.

The second is the new Cuba, the one I visited for the first time 15 years ago, which is decidedly “other.” It’s an “other” so drastic that my mom, having been gone for 40 years, didn’t recognize it as she moved through its haunted streets again. While described by many as being “frozen in time,” the phrase is inaccurate. What’s frozen is still. Preserved. And that’s not the truth of Cuba. What might be the country’s motto is injected into every conversation: No es fácil. It’s not easy.  The island is structurally compromised by lack of resources and culturally limited by the lack of ideological flexibility, yes. But make no mistake, it not frozen. It is living, breathing, moving forward.

In writing this post and examining my movie list, I discover a third, more personal place. An internal spark. My guess is that it lives and breathes in all sons and daughters of immigrants. I don’t think of it, any more than I think of blinking or scratching an itch. But it’s there, at work all the time, activated when I switch from English to Spanish in conversation, or when I hear Salsa and absolutely…must…dance.

All three places, the old, the new, and the internal spark, are my heritage. Here are a few of the movies that shed some light on them:

The Lost City (2005), directed by Andy Garcia, written by Guillermo Cabrera Infante: “Everything I love is in this movie, including my kids.” These are Andy Garcia’s words while promoting the film in interviews. My words would be “epic poem.” The story is set on the island itself in the year leading up to Castro’s revolution in 1959, and is centered on the conflicting ideologies of three brothers. Among the elements I love most are the cast of mostly Cuban actors, and a soundtrack of original, classical music that reduces me to tears.

Before Night Falls (2000), directed by Julian Schnabel, written by Julian Schnabel, Cunningham O’Keefe, and Lazaro Gomez Carriles. Based on Reinaldo Arenas’ memoir of the same name (Antes Que Anochesca), the story visits Arenas’ struggles from destitute childhood to homosexual manhood in an unforgiving culture of fear and repression. To know that Arenas began writing this book after he was diagnosed with HIV, knowing that his life would end and how he would end it is its own tragedy and triumph. Javier Bardem as Arenas is flawless. Keep your eyes open for Johnny Depp and Sean Penn, who looks so much like one of my uncles I had to do a double-take.

Strawberry and Chocolate (Fresa y Chocolate) (1993), directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio, written by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Senel Paz. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve popped this movie into my DVD player. It stars a delicious Jorge Perugorría as gay man and intellectual, and Vladimir Cruz as fiercely heterosexual male and devoted son of the communist revolution. I love every single thing about this movie, beginning with the fact that it was actually filmed in Cuba. I don’t know how the cast was able to film this story. The themes and conversation between these characters is strictly forbidden by the state, prompting the authorities to ban the movie on TV for 20 years after it was released in theaters. It is the only Cuban film ever to have been nominated for an Oscar and oh yeah, it was produced by Robert Redford.

Guantanamera (1995), directed by Tomas Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio, written by Eliseo Alberto, Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio. Peruggoría stars in this film as well, but this time as a truck-driving macho man with a sexual partner at every stop along his route. The story, though, is not just about him, but about Cuba itself. If you want a story of how things “go” in modern-day life and the spirit in which the people on the island approach their struggles, this would be the one to watch. This is another one I’ve countless times for its authenticity, absurdity, and laugh-out-loudness.

Chef (2014), directed and written by Jon Favreau. I admit it. More often than not, I watch a movie from the comfort of my couch. Which means I fall asleep. My commitment to the movies and creativity forces me to watch a film again and again until dammit, I get through the thing. This, however, was not the case with “Chef.” It is a joy, a gem, and a riot. To add to Jon Favreau’s signature style and conversational wit, we have John Leguizamo as his character’s partner, a Cuban sandwich truck as the “dream,” and a few moments of perfection from another favorite, Bobby Cannavale, who delivers the word “lechón” like a philharmonic delivers Mozart. Cannavale is half-Cuban, which explains his perfect pitch.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), directed by Walter Salles, written by Enesto “Che” Guevara, Alberto Granado and Jose Rivera. As most know, Ernesto Guevara is a complex figure, received by some as hero and by others as cold-blooded assassin. In silent deference to my tribe I rejected this particular film for a long time, believing it would depict a romanticized version of a man I didn’t want to know or forgive. In the end, my curiosity and desire to understand took over and years after it was released, I watched it. You don’t need a critique from me to know it’s a wonderful film. I am glad that I watched it and would like to believe that as a young man, Guevara’s intentions were true, and that he was, like many in power, tragically derailed by his ego. Gael García Bernal (as Che) and Rodrigo de la Serna (as Alberto Granado) are magical together.

Spanglish (2004), directed and written by James L. Brooks. To start, I am not an Adam Sandler fan but was happily surprised by his role as quietly desperate father, husband and chef. I choose this movie for this list, though, because of Paz Vega and Shelbie Bruce, who play immigrant mother and American daughter in ways too familiar and plentiful to enumerate. Translating conversations between my mom and non-Spanish-speaking folks is the story of my life, and this movie handles that reality with humor, grace and dignity. Plus, Cloris Leachman. I could not love a woman more.

Dance With Me (1998), directed by Randa Haines, written by Daryl Matthews. This one’s a feel-gooder, a love story with the requisite gorgeous people who don’t get along at first but find each other later. There’s nothing really different about this film’s themes and conflicts, nor is the acting a thing of Oscar-worthy proportions. But there is a scene…in a club…with Albita, a famous Cuban songwriter/singer, performing…where the Salsa just…takes OVER. I‘ve watched that scene a thousand times. It is pure joy. I saw this film in the theater with my mom. In the middle of that same club scene, just as I wondered whether my dad – a fantastic dancer in his youth – had danced like that, my mom pulled me close and said, “Así era en Cuba.” “That’s how it was in Cuba.”

The Mambo Kings (1992), directed by Arne Glimcher, written by Oscar Hijuelos and Cynthia Cidre. The book “The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love” by Oscar Hijuelos was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. And so, imagine my surprise when the movie version was a travesty. I don’t know what would have saved it or made it right, but I believe it begins with casting someone other than Armand Assante, whose rendition of Cuban Male is a constant sucking in of the cheeks and strutting like a peacock. Everything about him was wrong, from his accent to his sense of rhythm, and the movie suffers dearly for it. And yet, here it is on my list because Antonio Banderas does do justice to his role, because my beloved Celia Cruz appears in several scenes, and because of a perfect moment in a club scene in which a man, an amazing dancer, jumps out of his chair and begins a conga line. It is everything.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), directed and written by Woody Allen. I don’t have one heck of a lot of patience for Woody Allen’s characters. There, I’ve said it. And so again, I didn’t run to the theater to watch this when it first came out, even though I would watch Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz read the newspaper. But one day I watched.  And holy cow, when Bardem’s character proposes a trip to Oviedo, I nearly broke a kneecap as I hurled myself closer to the screen. You see, Oviedo, a town in northwest Spain, is where my maternal grandfather is from. I know close to nothing about him. He died when my mom and her siblings were too young to remember him. Oviedo is the one item on my bucket list, my mystery, and a branch in my tree that I hope to learn more about one day.

This post is dedicated to my father, Oscar, who passed away 37 years ago, and who is fully responsible for the part of me that absolutely…must…dance.

  ◊

Susu is getting her movie fix here and I couldn’t be happier about it, but she writes regularly at Sin Zapato, a barefoot blog wherein she shares insights on being. Take a look at it here or via the link on this blog’s home page.

My Hispanic Heritage in Film: The Old, The New, and The Internal Spark Contributor Susu is back with an ode to her heritage. My Hispanic Heritage in Film: The Old, The New, and The Internal Spark…

[thisdaynews]

Andy Murray column: Serena Williams was making me laugh at Wimbledon

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/andy-murray-column-serena-williams-was-making-me-laugh-at-wimbledon/

Andy Murray column: Serena Williams was making me laugh at Wimbledon

In his latest BBC Sport column, Andy Murray discusses his blossoming partnership with Serena Williams in the mixed doubles and not playing against older brother Jamie at Wimbledon.

Playing alongside Serena at Wimbledon has been great fun so far and, as I joked after our first match, we are both younger siblings – so we are very competitive.

We want to have a few more days and matches playing together, hopefully until the final on Sunday.

I wouldn’t say anything has particularly surprised me about Serena as a player or a person, even though I didn’t know her particularly well before we played and we have not spent loads of time together.

But you expect someone who has been as successful as she has to be extremely competitive – and she is.

Even though it is mixed doubles, and her priority is singles, she goes out there and wants to win every point.

Her record speaks for itself and the more matches she plays, her performances and level will only increase.

We played better in our second-round match against 14th seeds Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo than we did in the first round, and I’m sure we will continue to improve as we get more matches under our belts.

We have put pressure on our opponents in all four of the sets we have played and created a lot of break-point chances, and I think as the matches go on we will get better at converting them.

What I think has worked particularly well so far is our returning games. Some of Serena’s returning – especially in our second match – was brilliant.

Martin is a really tall guy and was serving huge, but she put a lot of returns in play on the first serve and then she took big cuts at the returns on the second serve and was making a lot of them.

That is not an easy thing to do and she won’t have been used to returning serves of that size. And if you think how little she has been playing, the way she is picking that up is special. It’s not something everyone can do.

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The best shots from Andy Murray and Serena Williams’ second-round win

‘Wimbledon has been more relaxed this year’

Only playing in the doubles at Wimbledon is obviously different to playing in the singles and it has been a new experience for me. The tournament has been more relaxed.

I’ve enjoyed Wimbledon every time I’ve had the opportunity to play – it is just a little bit more stressful when you’re playing singles. When it is doubles you are sharing that load together, which helps.

One of the things that is tough to get used to on court in mixed doubles is the difference between the man’s serve and the woman’s serve.

Martin’s serve was getting up to 138mph and the ball is bouncing up around your head on the return. But when the woman is serving, it is a 30mph or 35mph difference and the ball is staying probably a metre to a metre and a half lower. That can be more challenging to keep the rhythm there.

However, the format is good fun and the crowd love to watch it.

You only see the mixed at the Slams really, but is a different format and one a lot of social tennis players play at local clubs around the country.

Serena and I shared a few jokes out there on Tuesday night – but we can’t reveal what they were, unfortunately, because some of the language was not repeatable!

I was feeling more relaxed than the first match and that was probably because Serena was making me laugh out there, and hitting some amazing returns.

We are playing again on Wednesday and I’m looking forward to that. The crowds have been brilliant so far and, hopefully, we can put on another good display.

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Wimbledon 2019: The making of MurRena and Umpire goes flying – day eight funnies

No tinge of disappointment that Jamie and I won’t meet

Jamie losing in the mixed doubles earlier on Tuesday means we won’t play against each other here at Wimbledon.

It is a shame he did not do as well in the men’s doubles with Neal Skupski as he would have liked, and it is a shame I didn’t either after losing in the second round with Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

But it is everyone else who talks about us playing each other. It’s not like we are sitting there and texting each other, saying we could play each other in the third round of the men’s, or the final of the mixed.

That is not how sport works. Wimbledon is one of the toughest tennis tournaments in the world and the best players are here, so it’s hard and we both know that.

Just because it is a good story for me to play against my brother it does not mean we are automatically gifted a passage through the draw.

Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Jonathan Jurejko at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC Venue:All England ClubDates:1-14 July Coverage:Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app.Full details

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[caveartfair]

From Keith Haring to Kara Walker, 10 Artists Who Designed Album Covers

At their best, record covers double as artworks. So it should come as no surprise that fine artists have a long history of collaborating with musicians to create eye-catching, controversial, even iconic imagery to accompany their tunes. Drawn partially from Francesco Spampinato’s new book Art Record Covers, here are 10 artist-designed record covers—from Andy Warhol’s endlessly-reproduced banana for The Velvet Underground to Cindy Sherman’s sinister photographs for cult favorites Babes in Toyland.

Andy Warhol

The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

Andy Warhol’s cover for The Velvet Underground and Nico by The Velvet Underground and Nico, 1967. Courtesy of TASCHEN.

Warhol designed numerous covers during his illustrious career, from little-known jazz albums when he was a commercial illustrator to The Rolling Stones’s infamous cover for Sticky Fingers (1971). His most iconic album art, however, is the ripe banana featured on the cover of The Velvet Underground & Nico. The phallic fruit hinted at the album’s sultry themes and unbridled depictions of lust and sensual pleasures. Early editions even featured peelable stickers, which allowed buyers to disrobe the printed banana—encouraged by the titillating textual suggestion to “Peel Slowly and See.”

Takashi Murakami

Kanye West, Graduation (2007)

Takashi Murakami’s cover for Graduation by Kanye West, 2007. Courtesy of TASCHEN.

When West first got in touch with Murakami, asking to see one of his sculptures up close, the Japanese artist didn’t even know who the American rapper was. But Murakami agreed to the meeting anyway—and three months later, West called to suggest a potential collaboration that culminated in the cover design for 2007’s Graduation. Bears had been a continuous presence on West’s previous album art (see The College Dropout and Late Registration), and this one was no different. Murakami noted in an interview that the musician, with the help of studio assistants, created 70 percent of the design. “That is our making process,” the artist explained.

Urs Fischer

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz! (2009)

Urs Fischer’s cover for It’s Blitz! by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 2009. Courtesy of TASCHEN.

It took just a handful of eggs to get this crisp-yet-messy photograph right, according to lead singer Karen O (whose hand is featured). Inspired by Sonic Youth, who have worked with artists from Gerhard Richter to Mike Kelley for their covers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs wanted to collaborate with an artist from New York City for their album art. Fischer—Swiss, but based in New York—fit the bill. “It's exactly what I was looking for,” Karen O told Pitchfork in 2009. The album signaled the band’s turn toward danceable indie pop, and Fischer’s artwork certainly differs from the darker, more saturated covers the band used before (and after) It’s Blitz!

Keith Haring

David Bowie, “Without You” (1983)

Keith Haring’s cover for The Baby Beat Box by Emanon, 2007. Courtesy of TASCHEN.

This disco-flecked single—which appeared on Bowie’s 1983 album Let’s Dance—sports a cover drawn by Haring in his graffiti-infused style. Featuring two figures locked in a radiant embrace, the simple image reflects the song’s message of love and connection. Haring was deeply invested in music, blasting everything from hip hop to classical music in his studio at all hours of the day. When he traveled, he packed mixtapes made by his friends and DJs that he played at openings or while working on one of his many murals. For his part, Bowie was an avid art buyer and even snapped up a few of Haring’s works for his own collection.

Cindy Sherman

Babes in Toyland, Fontanelle (1992) and Painkillers (1993)

When Sherman saw Minneapolis rockers Babes in Toyland play at New York venue CBGB, she was hooked on their grungy punk riffs. After the band paid a visit to her SoHo studio, Sherman ended up collaborating on two album covers and even appearing in one of their music videos. The album art for both Fontanelle and Painkillers drew from drummer Lori Barbero’s lifelong interest in dolls. But it wasn’t an entirely new subject for Sherman—although the majority of her work consists of cinematic self-portraits, some photographs (and videos) feature dolls as well.

Ed Ruscha

Mason Williams, Music (1969)

Ed Ruscha’s cover for Music by Mason Williams, 1969. Courtesy of TASCHEN.

Ruscha and Williams grew up together, leaving their hometown of Oklahoma City for Los Angeles in 1956. One went on to become a celebrated Pop artist, while the other established a successful career as a musician and comedy writer. But the friends continued to collaborate frequently over the years, publishing several art books (including 1967’s Royal Road Test, in which they photographed themselves throwing a typewriter out of a moving car). Williams’s 1969 album Music was another joint project, featuring a simple cover design that exemplified Ruscha’s typographic explorations. Warner Bros executives, however, were less than pleased that the initial album art didn’t feature Williams’s name at all. In a cheeky response to the record label’s frustration, the credit on the back reads: “Sorry. Cover by Edward Ruscha.”

Kara Walker

Arto Lindsay, Salt (2004)

Kara Walker’s cover for Salt by Arto Lindsay, 2004. Courtesy of TASCHEN.

Known for her silhouetted scenes depicting issues of power and agency among black figures, Walker’s work brings a sense of gravity to this experimental album. A sound artist himself, Lindsay has shown his work at a number of exhibitions (including one in London, curated by Laurie Anderson). He’s also featured the work of other contemporary artists, including a sculpture by New York-based artist Matthew Barney, on later album covers.

Raymond Pettibon

Black Flag, Nervous Breakdown (1979)

Raymond Pettibon’s cover for Black Flag by Nervous Breakdown, 1980. Courtesy of TASCHEN.

Now an established artist with a New Museum retrospective under his belt, Pettibon got his start designing punk rock album covers in the 1970s and ’80s. In some ways, it was a family affair—as the brother of Black Flag’s frontman, Greg Ginn, Pettibon created a number of covers for the band, including this early EP. Several of his Black Flag album covers, as well as a whole slew of promotional posters for the group, are now held in the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

Ernie Barnes

Marvin Gaye, I Want You (1976)

Barnes’s 1971 painting TheSugar Shack was already famous when Gaye selected it to serve as the album artwork for his 1976 classic I Want You. Barnes—an American football player turned neo-mannerist painter—had made the artworks for a fictional artist character in the TV comedy Good Times. TheSugar Shack in particular had been featured during the popular show’s closing credits. For the album, however, Barnes adjusted the painting by adding a Marvin Gaye banner to the others scattered among the dancehall rafters. The jiving, elongated figures offer a visual embodiment of the album’s sensual spirit.

William Eggleston

Big Star, Radio City (1974)

Greenwood, Mississippi, 1973. William Eggleston Pace/MacGill Gallery

Eggleston’s saturated, stark photography lends itself well to album covers, his first being Big Star’s 1974 masterpiece Radio City. Since then, he’s shot covers for Joanna Newsom, Primal Scream and Silver Jews, among others. There is no meaning behind this cover, however; Eggleston admitted that he simply offered the image to Big Star’s lead singer Alex Chilton on a whim. The photo was actually taken in Greenwood, Mississippi, the year prior and exemplifies the photographer’s intense focus on color. “I don’t know of any totally red pictures, except in advertising,” Eggleston said of the image. “The photograph is still powerful. It shocks you every time.”

from Artsy News