arts & entertainment
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, March 4, 2015
5
FILM REVIEWS
Junkyard Historian Discovers Gem for, but also drunks, people living on the streets, and of black people in their neighborhoods during a time when the races were not exact-
By Ande Richards One of this year’s Oscar nominated documentaries is the story of the enigmatic Vivian Maier, known only as a nanny when she was alive. She is now recognized around the world as one of the most talented street photographers of her time. “Finding Vivian Maier” can be viewed now on Netflix, iTunes and Amazon. “Finding Vivian Maier” begins with John Maloof, a 26-year-old realtor and historian at an auction house bidding on a box of vintage negatives he thought may have some value for a book he was writing. The book revolves around his Portage Park, Chicago neighborhood. He spent $400, took a quick look at the images and decided they were of no use so he stowed the box away. A couple of months passed and Maloof was drawn to revisit the box, perhaps because his family tradition of visiting garage sales and curiosity about the past led him to scan some of the negatives. The images had nothing to do with his neighborhood, but he liked them and not knowing what to do he featured them on Flickr and created a stir. People were actually paying for Maier’s negatives. He soon realized he had a hidden gem in his possession and sought out other buyers of boxes containing Maier’s work. He ended up with over 100,000 negatives and a few thousand rolls of undeveloped film. Viewers see Maloof ’s quest to get museums and galleries to recognize this newly discovered creative genius, and all of the parts of the film that feature Maloof are light and quirky. It belies his tenacity and perseverance to bring Maier’s brilliance to the public. This film offers a look at an artist whose life was mysterious and cloaked in secrecy. Vivian Maier was born in New
Photos Courtesy of the Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York: Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection.
Self-Portrait: Vivian Maier stands front and center, holding her twin Rollieflex camera, Oct. 18, 1953, New York City. Maier is bathed in equal parts shadow and light symbolic of her mysterious presence. Inset: In this 1957 photo, an unidentified woman, perhaps waiting for a train, shows off Maier’s ability to immediately get the shot of her subject allowing the viewer to see a bit of soul. York City, but grew up in a small village in France with her mother who was also a photographer; her father left the family when she was four. Not much is known about Maier except that she left France for New York and eventually Chicago were she was in service as a nanny in both cities from the ’50s until the time of her death in 2009. “Finding Vivian Maier” is seen through the eyes of the very children that she helped raise, and we get a sense of a woman who was in character part Mary Poppins and part wicked stepmother. The film offers funny anecdotes,
but also reveals a side of the artist that is a bit dark: like the time one of her charges was hit by a car. Maier’s first impulse was to take a photo. She asks one family to call her Viv, whereas she demands another refer to her as Miss Vivian. She would never talk about herself, had no friends except for the families she interacted with, never married, and it seems never even dated. Her work was unfiltered; using only a twin-lens Rolleiflex camera held inconspicuously at her hip, Maier captured the essence of her subjects with one shot. She was fearless and took photos not only of the children and families she cared
ly hanging out with each other. Yet, Maier’s self portraits bathed in light and shadow, give us a glimpse into the psyche of the artist. Her photos were proxies for relationships. It seems fated that an historian would discover an unknown artist and bring her recognition. Maloof along with Charlie Siskel directs this wonderful film representation of Maier. Executive Producer, Jeff Garlin told this reporter at a screening that, as an amateur photographer making this film was a joy. He took payment in the form of a couple Maier prints. Maier’s work is now among iconic photographers Diane Arbus, Weegee and Henri Cartier-Bresson. What Maier and these photographers have in common is the realization that everyone has a story, and every story is worth telling even that of the storyteller.
American Sniper Misses Target
“A
By Holly San Nicolas
merican Sniper” is like the cold shudder one may experience upon awaking from a nightmare and the shaky relief that follows suit upon realization that it was just that, a nightmare. What people seem to forget, however, is that this nightmare is based on the reality of one very real man, Chris “Legend” Kyle, deceased former United States Navy SEAL and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. With 160 confirmed kills his fame was inevitable, and “American Sniper,” the biographical movie directed by Clint Eastwood shot through select presentation into theaters on Jan. 16, 2015, leaving a smoky trail of critical praise, box office history and multiple controversies. “American Sniper” put actor Bradley Cooper in the figurative combat boots of Kyle as he trekked through the beginning of youth to young adulthood, to his training and ultimately his service in the Navy SEALS program. The film highlighted the struggles and conflict of war and its effect on the folks in the service, specifically the lasting mental scarring soldiers are afflicted with in their civilian lives. Particular scenes included examples of public post-traumatic stress outbursts, marital strife and unforgiving sequences depicting the casualties on both ends. While “American Sniper” was by no means a bad movie - it was one of those rare start-to-finish heart pounders - it was not extraordinary. As an artistic endeavor, Eastwood hit the target. But behind the brilliant cinematography and unsettling manipulation of sound and silence, there was a man. And he was not the tough
but lovable and tortured but sympathetic man Cooper portrayed. Chris Kyle wrote the following about the Iraqi people: “I hate the damn savages ... I couldn’t give a flying f**k about the Iraqis.” One thing to note about the film is that the sympathy is one sided. Whenever an Iraqi died there were maybe a few moments of pained screaming but then there was no more, whereas whenever one of the men fighting for the U.S. died, there was a subconcious lust for revenge instilled in the viewers. The Iraqi citizens were killed just as brutally and the plot moved on without them albeit some scenes to evoke sympathy for Kyle’s loss of comfort and mental stability. As it turns out Kyle, who is depicted in the movie as being a reluctant recipient of the honor and burden of the nickname “Legend,” apparently craved the fame that came with the hero persona. He has been known to fabricate stories of supposed heroism, such as killing two carjackers in Texas and and assaulting former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura for denigrating U.S. soldiers - which cost his family $1.8 million in total damages when Ventura sued for defamation. In spite of Kyle’s moral ambiguity, there is no denying that he was nationalistic, which is not technically a crime. Rather, it is a handicap of sorts. Patriotism to the point of blindly groping in the dark of endless and unfiltered propaganda is to be nationalistic, which is an excessive, and entirely different mindset. The difference? Evidence, education and empathy - one or all of which the radically conservative fans of “American Sniper” seem to lack when they are spewing hateful nonsense whilst attempting to rewrite the Iraqi War.
Do you snore? Have you had a Sleep Study? We are performing a research study at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on 13-21 year olds who are overweight, and who snore or have obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Our study is aimed at finding out why there are different types of breathing problems during sleep and what causes them. The Study is being conducted by Dr. Biswas Joshi and Dr. Sally Ward. If you’re eligible, we’ll then ask you to come to the hospital and USC for special testing of your breathing responses during sleep and imaging of your neck while you sleep. Besides learning more about your health, you will get up to $250 for your participation! To participate please call Research Coordinator: Alejandra Franquez (323)361-7315 CCI 10-00177 Principal Investigator: Dr. Sally Ward