Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

1) Easter

So Easter isn’t quite as simple as it used to be. Once upon a time you were delivered eggs of chocolate by a rabbit. Then Jesus came onto the picture. Eventually the mix of chocolate and Jesus became confusing. Last but not least the global obesity scare that burst upon the scene and attempted to put a final death knell into the heart of Easter. Hold up. Take Easter back. Grab one delicious chocolate egg and save it for Easter Sunday. There’s little harm in taking in some chocolate one day this week. Enjoy it. If you still feel anything is missing then take a spiritual hit of Tom Waits.

2) Craft 2.0

I haven’t yet attended a Craft 2.0 but they keep on coming so it must be a good thing. This one (like the past few) will take place at The New Dowse in Lower Hutt. There are plenty of amazing crafters in Wellington and this is a great chance to see them all together. I for one will be after a Casablancalovesrodriguez notebook. The only decision – Mills and Boon or Sweet Valley High?

Still not convinced? Cafe Reka is at The New Dowse. They serve the best breakfast I have ever had in Wellington. I recommend the Banana Buckwheat Hotcakes – A May Zing! Cafe Reka & Craft 2.0 it’s worth making the trip Saturday April 11th. 10am – 3pm at The New Dowse.

3) Bat for Lashes Two Suns

April 6th. So soon! Bat for Lashes new album ‘Two Suns’ will be the first of my five things to happen next month. I absolutely adore Fur and Gold and I’ll be nabbing this one from iTunes on release. I’m not one for reviewing music so visit her site and listen for yourself.

4) Steve Coogan Live

Though I wish I could, I can’t quite afford tix to Steve Coogan live. They’re a little steep somewhere around $70. This does mean that there are an extra two tickets floating around for some lucky punters to snap up. Anyone’s who has watched I’m Alan Partridge will know better than to miss an opportunity like this. April 30th.

5) X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Tough month for movies. There’s The Reader, which no one feels compelled to see and Monsters vs Aliens, which I do hope will be some good fun in 3D. On the plus side the month will be beefed up by The Wrestler and The Wackness starting at the end of March. One last thing for April though: Wolverine. ‘Nuff said. From the director of Totsi plus some of it was filmed in Otago. Starts April 29th.

6) Whoops!

After really struggling to find that “fifth thing” I’ve realised that the World Cinema Showcase hits Wellington in April. There’s a Kaufman film, a Coppola film and a Jean Claud Van Dam film!

Too many movies and not enough money. If anyone can suggest something fun and free then comment below and I’ll add it to my events calendar. xx

The Lincoln Memorial. Washington, DC (Dec, 2007).

Another pretty cat picture to sustain / while I’m working on other things.

War Photographer

“If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” – Robert Capa

There are many different types of distance involved in the presentation of a photograph to a viewer. Most obviously there is the distance between the viewer and the photo as well as the distance between the photographer and the scene. A viewer may don binoculars or a photographer may shoot with longer lenses but there is no substitute for the intricacies of simple proximity. War photographer is a documentary that builds on a third distance, that between the viewer and the photographer.

The title, caption or a surrounding article may be the only extra information provided with a published photograph none of which may be the direct effort of the photographer. The story begins and ends with the image itself. Some may argue that this is the natural state of photography as an art form; that the astute photographer should be able to say everything in the click of a shutter. I don’t feel this way personally and the experiences I’ve had listening to Fiona Clark and Peter Perrier in person are enough for me to believe that a little first hand information shouldn’t hurt the nature of the photograph/photography. Marti Friedlander once remarked something to the effect of  “I just took the photo.” Perhaps this is one reason to avoid putting the “click” on a pedestal.

While the work of James Nachtwey does not lack depth, meaning or communication, War Photographer offers more than this and I’m more than willing to accept, greedy as this may be.

Though we are not physically sharing the same space as the photographer, Christian Frei et al. closes this distance by proxy. We are there with Nachtwey as he strolls the war torn streets of Kosovo, as he interacts with an impoverished populace in Indonesia and as machine guns fire in South Africa. Up close to the photographer at work the action of taking a photo becomes salient and adds to our interpretation of the still image. The fourth wall is felled by both the actions and work of the photographer.

There are two major sides to the documentary;  Natchwey on location, and interviews with colleagues and editors. The location scenes are the most impressive and eye-opening of the film. By emplying both technique and technology Christian Frei transports us into the field. War Photographer manages to transcend the extents of both film and photo. The still photo is brought to life as the action unfolds, and the reality of photographing such scenes and people is realised through the documentary of Nachtwey and the existence of the photo as an object. The interviews shed a more general light on war photography, on Nachtwey himself and on the field of photojournalism. Though not as confronting or shocking as the footage from the field these segments are interesting and highlight the perculiarities of war photographers.

I recommend this film to anyone with an interest in photojournalism, world media or documentaries about the eccentric.

Wellington does feel rather quaint at times.