7/25/15 review of The CELL's presentation on Global Threats to US Security

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2015 talk put on by Denver's Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab on Global Threats to US Security.

This conversation was between the Ambassador Christopher Hill and Mary Habeck. It was moderated by Greg Dobbs. The conversation centered around events and diplomacy in the Middle East, with a focus on Iran. My thread discusses some of the themes, as well as my positive opinion of Ambassador Hill.

Here is a link to Denver's Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab.

7/25/15 review of Leon Gallery show East of L.A./West of Tehran

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Leon Gallery's 2015 show East of L.A. / West of Tehran.

This was a group show of work by four Iranian-American artists: Arya Ghavamian, Laleh Mehran, Justin Mashouf, and Amiti Motevalli. The work ranged from photography to video animation to video. My Twitter thread discusses some of the themes of the works. There are some photos -- though not as many as I'd like to have posted.

Leon Gallery is definitely one of the best art galleries in Denver, Colorado.

7/19/15 review of Chad Dawkins talk at the Dikeou Collection

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a Dikeou Collection talk with Chad Dawkins regarding his book The Role of the Artist in Contemporary Art.

Chad Dawkins is an artist and critic. He's also the curator and director of exhibitions at the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio. My Twitter thread discusses how Dawkins has explored the role of different participants in the process and experience of art, such as the subject, the curator, and the artist. It also discusses some of the conclusions Dawkins has drawn over the years by examining these different roles, as well as the possibility of the specifications of roles breaking down.

Here is the link to the Dikeou Collection's website.

Here is the link to the Amazon page for Chad Dawkins's book The Role of the Artist in Contemporary Art.

7/18/15 review of Backstage Coffee Shop group show

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2015 Backstage Coffee Shop group show of work by Cedric Chambers, Dunn the Signtologist, and Thomas Detour Evans.

The Backstage Coffee Shop is a nice and spacious coffee shop located in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Denver. They always have good art on display. My Twitter thread shows photos of work by all three artists. It also discusses their technique, philosophy, etc.

Here is the link to the Backstage Coffee Shop.

Here is the link to Cedric Chambers's website.

Here is the link to Thomas Detour Evans's website.

Here is the link to Dunn the Signtologist's website.

7/18/15 review of MCA Denver exhibition Now? NOW!

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver's 2015 exhibition Now? NOW!

The MCA Denver's show Now? NOW! was part of Denver's Biennial of the Americas program, which showcases, in galleries, museums, and other public spaces around the city, work by artists in North and South America. My thread gives some background on the MCA Denver's show. It also shows pictures of work by Robert Longo, Adam Pendleton, Zach Blas, Aliza Nisenbaum, Chris Coleman, Laleh Mehran, and Sarah Anne Johnson.

Here is the link to the MCA Denver's website. They're a great contemporary art museum in Denver, Colorado.

Also, here is the link for the Biennial of the Americas.

7/18/15 review of Caleb Hahne exhibit Evening Ceremonies at SVPERORDINARY

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2015 exhibition Evening Ceremonies by Caleb Hahne at the Denver art gallery SVPERORDINARY.

Up to this point, a lot of Hahne's work dealt with taking found images of Classical sculpture, digitally manipulating the images, then rendering the imagery, mostly in ballpoint pen, if I remember correctly, then further manipulating the images with media such as nail polish. He would also paint pop-art-style swatches of colorful paint on the images. The SVPERORDINARY show kind of broke free of some of those old styles, and I discuss that in my Twitter thread. The thread also contains a lot of images of Hahne's work.

Unfortunately, SVPERORDINARY is no longer around. It was a neat gallery that had been located in a trendy shopping center. However, they seem to have vacated that space and no longer have a website, as far as I can tell.

7/11/15 review of group art show Nothing Belongs to Us

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the group art exhibition Nothing Belongs to Us, which took place at Denver's RULE Gallery and was guest-curated by Hayley Richardson of the Dikeou Collection.

My Twitter thread review discusses some aspects of the show and gives some pictures of work by Caleb Hahne, Jessica Angel, and Michael Theodore.

In these days, RULE shared a building with the Hinterland gallery, run by Colorado artist Sabin Aell. So I also have some photos from a party that took place at that gallery later in the evening.

This was -- I think -- the first full review I did of a show at RULE. I thought I'd done one other previously. But I can't seem to find it anymore. From April of 2015 to April of 2017, RULE was a pretty big part of my life. I don't speak with anyone from RULE anymore. But they are still a great gallery, in my opinion.

7/11/15 review of Cherry Creek Arts Festival

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2015 Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Colorado.

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is an annual street-fair-style art festival that takes place in Denver, Colorado. Artists from all around the country present their work. In my thread, I show pictures of some work I like, including work by Vic Lee, Anne Cubbage, Kina Crow, Helen Gotlib, Diana Stetson, and Kathrine Allen-Coleman.

Here is the link to the website for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival.

7/11/15 review of Leisure Gallery show Taken from There by Joseph Coniff

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Taken from There, a solo exhibition of work by Joseph Coniff, at Denver's Leisure Gallery.

Joseph Coniff's work often explores the tension between perception and reflection in individual and social life. His show Taken from There did this by blowing up old family slide projector photos and then framing them behind glass which had been blurred with a sandblasting process. My Twitter discusses the work and shows a couple (not enough!) photos from the show.

Joseph Coniff also has a website. But unfortunately it seems to be having some issues right now. I will link to it later, if I get a chance.

7/3/15 review of Dikeou Collection's video dialogue about Chris Johanson

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2015 video dialogue session the Dikeou Collection did on the work of Chris Johanson.

The Dikeou Collection has, over the years, done programs they call video dialogues, which are basically evenings where a number of videos, films, etc., are played that are either by or related to a certain artist, artist's themes, etc. This video dialogue discussed the work of Chris Johanson, one of the key artists in San Francisco's Mission School in the 1980s and 1990s.

Some videos included a clip from the TV series New Wave Theater. Here's a sample of that series.

Another video in the series was Antihero: Fucktards. Here's that video.

Here is a link to the Dikeou Collection's website. The Dikeou is my third-favorite art institution in Colorado.

7/3/15 review of group art exhibition Play Grounds at RedLine Denver

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2015 group art exhibition Play Grounds at RedLine, a contemporary art center in Denver, Colorado.

The show Play Grounds explored concepts like boundary and possession in a lot of different ways, psychological and material, and with art that spanned all kinds of media. In my thread I discuss some of these explorations. I also show a lot of pictures from the show, including work by Dan Tobin Smith, Augustina Woodgate, Anne-Marie Schleiner, Brody Condon, and Mary Flanagan.

Here is the link to RedLine's website. They are my favorite art institution in Colorado.

7/3/15 review of film Disaster Playground by Nelly Ben Hayoun

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Nelly Ben Hayoun film Disaster Playground.

Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun's film Disaster Playground is like a documentary by way of Jean-Luc Godard. In the documentary, Nelly discusses the possibility of Earth getting struck by an asteroid, and visits the people tasked with researching Earth's risk. In my thread, I discuss Nelly's eccentric approach to telling this narrative. I also discuss how the documentary views America, social networks, and the professional versus the amateur.

Disaster Playground is easily one of my favorite films of the decade. It's also, unfortunately, one of the most overlooked. I absolutely recommend checking it out. Here is the trailer.

Also, here is a link to the website for Nelly Ben Hayoun (NBH) Studios. They are doing a lot of exciting stuff right now.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society, a great movie house located in Denver, Colorado.

6/25/15 review of Tiel Lundy lecture on Busby Berkeley's Gold Diggers series

Here is my Twitter thread review of a lecture done on Busby Berkeley's Gold Diggers series of films at the Denver Film Society.

Over the past few years, University of Colorado film professor Tiel Lundy has visited Denver Film Society to give fun lectures on a number of subjects, most often linked to issues about fashion or sexuality, and the changing contexts of fashion and sexuality, in film. This Twitter thread discusses some of those aspects in the Busby Berkeley Gold Diggers series.

Here is the trailer for Gold Diggers of 1933.

Here is the trailer for Gold Diggers of 1935.

Here is the trailer for Gold Diggers of 1937.

As I mentioned, I saw this lecture at Denver Film Society, a great movie house in Denver, Colorado.

5/18/15 review of Denver Roller Derby versus Gotham Girls Roller Derby

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Denver Roller Derby versus Gotham Girls Roller Derby.

My Twitter thread discusses the bout between Denver's team, Bruising Altitude, and Gotham's team, the Wall Street Traitors. I discussed some of my favorite players on each team, how I got to meet and talk with some of the skaters and their families, and some of my favorite plays from the game. The Boulder County Bombers also had a bout against Gotham. I discuss that bout as well.

Here is a link to Denver Roller Derby's website.

Here is a link to the Gotham Girls Roller Derby website.

Here is a link to the Boulder County Bombers roller derby website.

5/9/15 review of Walker Fine Art show The Buoyancy of Nothing, by Sabin Aell

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Sabin Aell show The Buoyancy of Nothing, as well as brief mentions of some concurrent shows.

The Buoyancy of Nothing showed at Walker Fine Art, run by Bobbi Walker. My thread discusses the process Aell uses in creating her resin-and-collage works. I discuss how the colors, imagery, and shapes of the work are evocative of various things. I discuss some of my favorite images. I also discuss work I liked from concurrent Walker Fine Art shows by Bonny Lhotka, Udo Noger, and Angela Beloian.

Here is a link to the Walker Fine Art website.

Here is a link to Sabin Aell's website.

5/9/15 review of the film Touch of Evil, by Orson Welles

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Orson Welles film Touch of Evil.

Touch of Evil is one of the greatest films of all time. It follows a Mexican detective as he works to solve the mystery of a car bombing that happened right on the border of Mexico and the United States. This particular screening occurred in celebration of Orson Welles's birthday.

Here is a trailer for Touch of Evil.

Also, I saw this film at the Denver Film Society, a great movie house in Denver, Colorado.

5/9/15 review of the film The Hand That Feeds, by Rachel Lears & Robin Blotnick

Here is a link to my Twitter thread review of the documentary The Hand That Feeds, by Rachel Lears and Robin Blotnick, and released by Jubilee Films.

In The Hand That Feeds, a group of New York City workers, some undocumented, organize with groups such as the Laundry Workers Center United and Occupy Wall Street in order to fight for better wages and benefits from their employer, Hot & Crusty. In my review, I discuss the dynamics between the labor unions, Occupy Wall Street, and other people who helped the workers. I also discuss how those dynamics relate to labor history.

Here is the trailer for The Hand That Feeds.

Also, I saw this film at the Denver Film Society, a great movie house located in Denver, Colorado.

5/9/15 review of the film The People vs. George Lucas, by Alexandre O. Philippe

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The People vs. George Lucas, by Alexandre O. Philippe.

The People vs. George Lucas is a documentary that explores Lucas's Star Wars movies, fans' reactions, critical and creative, to the films, and the horrible backlash that followed the prequel movies. In my thread, I discuss how it's become a bit too easy for people to use prequel hatred as a theme for their work. I also discuss some of the aspects of Star Wars fan art that I like. I also discuss my favorite Star Wars fan art, the Star Wars Kid.

Here is the trailer for The People vs. George Lucas.

Also, I saw this film at the Denver Film Society, which is a great movie house, if you're ever in Denver, Colorado.

5/9/15 review of Bruno Dumont film P'tit Quinquin

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film P'tit Quinquin by Bruno Dumont.

In my review I discuss the basic plot of P'tit Quinquin, a French TV miniseries that was made into a film. The plot follows two detectives and a group of kids in the Bolonnais region during a series of strange and surreal deaths that might possibly also be murders. I discuss some themes of war, violence, and sexuality, as well as some of my favorite characters and scenes.

Here is the trailer for the film P'tit Quinquin.

Also, I saw this film at the Denver Film Society. If you are in Denver, I recommend visiting them. They're great.

4/26/15 review of Dana Cain Collector Supershow

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2015 Dana Cain Collector Supershow.

The Dana Cain Collector Supershow is basically a toy collector's show in Denver, Colorado. My thread discusses the different types of people who attended the show and the various types of toys I saw at the show. I mention some board games, action figures, and tin lithotype toys. But I really focus on dolls, and Barbie dolls in particular. There are a decent amount of pictures in this thread.

Here's a link to the website for Dana Cain's events.

4/26/15 review of 31 Hours of Myopia at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver's 31 Hours of Myopia event. This was a closing event for the Mark Mothersbaugh show Myopia.

My review is a sort of journal entry. It discusses an open mic night for electronic instruments, Mothersbaugh's voluminous body of postcard art work, some aspects of Mothersbaugh's work that reminds me of ageplay fetishism, a karaoke and dance party, an bedtime story and interview session Mothersbaugh did for us via Skype, some of the interesting people I saw at the event, and some issues I had with people who didn't want me at the event.

Here is a link to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver's website.

Here is a link to Mark Mothersbaugh's website.

4/12/15 review of Bolshoi in Cinema's Romeo & Juliet

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Bolshoi's cinema screening of their performance of the Romeo & Juliet of Prokofiev and Grigorovich.

In my thread I discuss some aspects of the ballet's music. I also discuss the interesting style of dance Grigorovich uses for this ballet, as well as the purpose for which Grigorovich used ballet in general.

Here is a link to a trailer for the Bolshoi's version of Romeo & Juliet by Grigorovich.

The Bolshoi's program of ballets screened is cinemas shows all over the world. It's a great experience. I highly recommend it. Here is a link to the website.

4/12/15 review of film Marfa Girl by Larry Clark

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Marfa Girl by Larry Clark.

In my thread, I discuss the mood, atmosphere, and form of the film, the way the film is open about sexuality yet also a bit stereotypical at times, and the soundtrack of the film.

Here is the trailer for Marfa Girl. This film is easily one of my favorites of the decade. I highly recommend checking it out.

4/5/15 review of The CELL's Violent Extremism & US Response panel

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a panel that had been put on in 2015 by Denver's Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab (The CELL), on Violent Extremism and the US Response.

This event had been a great chance for me to see folks such as Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. The panel dealt a lot with understanding how the Middle East is untangling its complicated past.

Here is a link to The CELL's website.

4/5/15 review of film Bande de Filles by Celine Sciamma

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Bande de filles by Celine Sciamma.

In my review, I compare the film to works by Joyce Carol Oates, Cheryl Strayed, and Osamu Tezuka. I discuss how the film explores individual growth through a commitment to one's life path. I discuss some of the fun moments in the film, as well as some of the nice visuals. I also compare the film to Love Hina, Switchblade Sisters, and The 400 Blows. I'm not totally sure all those comparisons are more than simply capricious.

Here is the trailer for the film Bande de filles.