Steve Frenkel’s paintings are neat: edges sharp, colors bold and distinct, lines defined. The objects in the Georgia artist’s paintings, on display at the Steinway Gallery in Chapel Hill, possess a primary- colored, basic-shape simplicity. His background in commercial art and illustration has clearly carried over to his fine art–whether the subject’s a blockish house, […]
Nathan Gelgud
Bio: N.C. State graduate Nathan Gelgud lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and writes about film. He also does film-inspired illustrations.Twitter: http://twitter.com/gelgud
Posted inArt
Bombs Away
Fugitive Days is, if nothing else, honest. A conflicted memoir about a confused young adulthood in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Bill Ayers’ book does not purport to deliver the definitive tale of Vietnam-era radicalism. In fact, it doesn’t even claim to tell the truth. “Is this, then, the truth?” writes Ayers after the […]
Posted inArt
Dictions and Dispositions
In the coming months, the Triangle will host readings from three writers who might be young, but who haven’t yet succumbed to youthful narcissism. As moving as recent books might be by young authors like Thomas Beller (The Sleep-Over Artist) and Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), Wendy Brenner, Aimee Bender and Arthur […]
Posted inNews
Wigging Out
There shouldn’t be a need for a Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, but there is. Gay and lesbian characters are more absent from commercially released films than almost any other group of people, and–at least for now–a festival concerned exclusively with such characters seems to be the only way to offer the public the opportunity […]
Posted inFilm & Television
Sexually Confused
“Playing gay is not an easy role,” a secondary character in The Closet tells the film’s protagonist, Francois. “Most actors who try are way-off, vulgar.” This assertion from Francois’ neighbor is one example of the subtle commentary that takes place in Francis Veber’s The Closet. While a film about someone pretending to be gay immediately […]
Posted inNews
The Gorillaz
This debut by “the world’s first virtual band” has achieved great popularity in area coffee shops, record stores and pizza joints, far more than similar efforts by producer Dan the Automator such as the Handsome Boy Modeling School album (So … How’s Your Girl? with Prince Paul) and Deltron 3030 (a sci-fi concept album with […]
Posted inFilm & Television
Kirsten Does
Make no mistake about it, crazy/beautiful has lofty goals that it could never achieve. It’s about love against the odds, love as character reform, love in the face of the beast that is adolescence. As appealing as it would be to take this film seriously, it demands a good bit of detachment to enjoy. That […]
Posted inFilm & Television
Family Plot
In the first scene of With a Friend Like Harry … , a fairly normal 34-year-old father of three, Michel, has an awkward meeting in a rest stop bathroom with a wet-handed stranger. The stranger lets his hands dangle in front of him, staring at Michel until he looks up from the basin. Initially, it […]
Posted inGuides
The Real Thing?
The slogan emblazoned on the posters of the DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival (DDFF) asks, “How much reality can you handle?” Whether one brands this in-your-face arrogance or merely the embodiment of the spirit of documentary, it does pose an important question about the documentary form. While it is questionable how “real” any documentary is (most […]
Posted inArt
Young Americans
There will be subdued celebration at LUMP this Friday night. It will not be provided by the friendly social event of First Friday or the cheap drinks offered toward the back of the gallery as much as by the art itself. LUMP’s new show, The Young Ones, consists of work by artists in their mid-20s […]