Things to Check Out // LA’s Cult of Beauty
A fantastic new exhibit opened recently at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, Los Angeles. Photographer Lauren Greenfield was commissioned to make a documentary on the theme of beauty in modern society, and this accompanies a wide array of exquisite stills from past and present. Subjects range from fashion models, to child beauty queens, plastic surgery nightmares, and even geriatric glee clubs. Both Greenfield’s film and the photographs around the museum delicately balance the serene with the grotesque, and of course part of the point is that sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. The Annenberg is small but fits so much to see inside. The staff is always a pleasure, and several of the pieces feature interactive smart phone navigation (ie: neat tech stuff) as well. Please visit…oh, and it’s also free!
In cinema news, the much anticipated Norwegian, Blair Witch-esque film The Troll Hunter opens at the Nuart. Also hittin’ the streets is the Conan O’Brien documentary Can’t Stop about his countrywide tour following the NBC/Leno deception. As it happens, the Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre will be hosting a panel on Thursday, June 30th that will consist of several writers from both TBS’s Conan as well as the old Late Night iteration. And if that combo scratches your Conan itch but not your panel/lecture/stand-up one, then come back to the Cinefamily a few days later on July 2nd to see the one-and-only Andrew WK. The “Party Hard” (and maniacally optimistic) singer will no doubt touch on topics such as creativity, love and anything else that catches the fancy of a performer who can only be described as the non-violent ying to Charles Manson’s yang.