In the early 1990s, Swiss-American Manhattan-based artist Ernst Aebi, a distinctively New York eccentric, decided to invest a good amount of his fortune, acquired through selling converted lofts in the then-hot downtown housing market on some less-than-prime real estate. Araouane, an ancient oasis city in Mali’s Sahara desert, was being swallowed by the dunes, its centuries of multi-cultural history ... Read More »
Author Archives: Gabriel
Experience “Starry Night” Through Our New “Art + Travel” Guidebook
Just like that wonderful day in high school when the yearbooks arrived, our offices are filled with excitement and the smell of freshly bound pages as our newest title, “Art + Travel: Step Into the Lives of Five Famous Painters” were dropped off this morning. A unique tour through five European culture capitals, “Art + Travel” walks you through ... Read More »
Fullest Cut of Lang’s “Metropolis” in 83 Years to Be Live Streamed This Afternoon
“Star Wars”, “Blade Runner”, “Avatar”, “The Terminator”, “The Matrix”, “2001”—if you had to count down the list of blockbusters and other films both good and bad that were influenced by Fritz Lang’s 1927 black-and-white silent masterpiece, “Metropolis”, you’d be in for a long night. And that’s before you turned your attention to the video games, comic books, novels, musicians, ... Read More »
Endangered Soviet Sites, “Vacation” Reboot, and Getting to Cuba Legally
Twenty years after the fall of the U.S.S.R., Soviet landmarks in Moscow including the Mayakovskaya metro station, Lenin’s tomb, and The Melnikov House (pictured above) are in disrepair and under threat of disappearing forever. (Guardian UK) Like James Bond, Clark Griswold of “National Lampoon’s Vacation” is the latest iconic movie hero to undergo a dark, edgy “reboot”. (Cinematical) ... Read More »
Five Romantic Movie Valentine’s Day Spots in NYC You Might Have Missed
While there are a slew of romantic Big Apple spots from films everyone can agree on, each of us also has their own personal list of favorite locations from movies that get their coals piping. Personally, I have a thing for Fort Tryon Park, but that’s a long story and we only have enough time here to run down ... Read More »
The Prado at 60 Mph, Alternate Carnivals, and Where to Drink at NYFW
Porto da Pedra School of Samba is planning a tribute to fashion for this year’s Carnival in Rio with a collection of appropriately festive costumes. (JC Report) Oh, and here are some alternative Carnival destinations in case you’ve already done everything (and everyone) in Rio. (Matador) High speed arting! Get in and out of the Prado in less ... Read More »
Why L.A.-Based “Logorama” Is Our Oscar Pick for Best Animated Short Film
Fearing a repeat of last year when I came in dead last in my Oscar office pool, I’m paying a little more attention to who is actually nominated this year (how was I to know the Academy would overlook “Hancock”). So, with the Academy Awards only week’s away, we’ve gotten out our ballots and begun handicapping the nominees. First ... Read More »
Celebrate The Year of The Tiger With a Taste of Chinese Cinema
Well wouldn’t you know it, Chinese New Year falls on Valentine’s Day 2010. Even if you’re not normally the kind of goose or gander who would tend to ring in 4707 (or 4646 depending on how you count), you’ve got a built-in theme for this year’s romantic celebrations. More than that, there are two film series here in New ... Read More »