An Important Film, 'Waste Land' Is Equal Parts Art and Love

In Rio de Janeiro, there is a landfill that is the largest in the world.  Named Jardim Gramacho, the island of garbage is filled with catadores, Brazilian garbage pickers who troll through the trash in search of recyclables.  Halfway across the world, Vik Muniz makes art in Brooklyn.  He has done well for himself, focusing mainly on the photography of images made from quirky materials like chocolate syrup and sand.  He decides that his next project will be working with the catadores to give back to the region.  This is Waste Land, a startlingly moving film that recently made the Oscar Documentary shortlist.  The movie quietly arrived at the Kendall Square Theater on Friday, but it is the type of film that should really be greeted with the type of attention garnered by the new Harry Potter.  Equal parts about the importance of recycling and the interpersonal connections that can be shared by the creation of art, Waste Land is a stunningly breathtaking movie that explores just how easy it is to bring joy where there previously was despondency. 

'Fantasy' and 'Friday' Are The Best of 2010

The mere mention of Kanye West one year ago would surely elicit a sneer, while Nicki Minaj’s name might bring about a furrowed brow with a “who?”  It’s funny how so much can change in just one year.  Minaj is now the queen of the rap world: her first single “Your Love” peaked at 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and conquered the Rap Charts with a number one position.  Just last month, Minaj became the first artist to have 7 songs on the Hot 100 chart at one time.  Artists like Christina Aguilera, Diddy, and M.I.A have featured her on their songs.  This summer it was almost impossible to turn on a rap radio station without hearing Minaj’s trademark growls.

 

'The Kids Are All Right' Is A Step Above The Rest

            The best kind of Saturday, in my opinion, is one filled with movies.  I decided to take a recovery day from my hell-week and Saturday morning, lazing out of bed at noon, felt an inexplicable urge to crawl right back under the covers with a good movie.  My choices were endless (thanks for the Netflix password, Dad!).  Should I go classic and watch something like Antonioni’s Blow-Up, a film I had just spent the last two weeks discussing in Italian class.  Or should I finally get around to watching The Kids Are All Right, which for some reason I just haven’t worked up the will to watch since it was released to much critical acclaim this summer.

An Independent Frame Of Mind - The Heights - The Scene

Give my column a read if you haven't. This, the most recent one, concerns America's problems with good movies.

An Independent Frame Of Mind - The Heights - The Scene

Scott Pilgrim was widely ignored by audiences

Rihanna's 'Loud' Packs a Peppy, Poppy Punch

Drake serenades Rihanna on the island-flavored "What's My Name"

Anyone who has noticed Rihanna’s demeanor as of late can tell that the singer is back to business as usual.  Traipsing around the globe to promote her hit single “Only Girl in the World,” she seems happier than ever, the likes of which echoes throughout her satisfying new album Loud.  A follow-up to the commercially unsuccessful but artistically bold Rated R, the album is really quite good.  It is hard to call the disc excellent, what with the plentitude of quality music that has been floating around lately.  However, it nestles in a sizable notch above the rest of the Top-40 hits that populate the iTunes charts today.  On Loud, Rihanna returns fully rebooted and ready for a good time.

Queen Rihanna

I've been thinking about doing a post about Rihanna for the last several weeks. What with her appearance on both Saturday Night Live and Britain's X-Factor, the singer has certainly been keeping busy.