SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
April 20, 2011
A&E
theCorsaironline.com
5
Emeritus college launches new exhibit
Sammy Soliman Corsair Alex Vital and Cass Cassidy complimenting each others photos at the Emeritus college opening reception for the new photo exhibit Between Light and Shadow on Thursday April 7, 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif.
By Juan Lopez Staff Writer Families and administrators attended the opening night of the Santa Monica College student photography exhibit, Between Light and Shadow, on Thursday, April 7, at the Emeritus College Gallery. “Where would you find a plastic bee like that?” asked Lucille D’amico, commenting on the precision with which a bee’s image was taken. The photographer of “Pollen Picking Honeybee,” Alex Vidal, followed the bee from poppy to poppy until it was in just the right position to get the shot he wanted for his photo, which now hangs in the corner of the gallery. Charles Haskell, a retired doctor, has been taking photo classes at Emeritus for five years. One of his displayed works, “Droplet Landscape”, looks like a reflecting water droplet, but is in fact sap. Haskell said, “I was walking in Will Rogers State Park and I saw this little drop of sap on the
lower edge of a tree limb and took out my macro lens.” “That’s what I teach,” said their photography instructor Ken Buckner, “to see the shot.” Haskell’s other photograph on display, “Tennis Spectator,” is of a deer hiding on a hillside that Buckner happened to spot while he was attending a tennis match. Emeritus College has been providing free classes to older adults for 36 years, offering classes in health, business, computers, and the arts. Buckner says, “They’re here because they want to be here, they’re here because they’re learning and they’re having a thrill.” The gallery exhibit showcases work from older adult students who have had varying degrees of photography experience, but have all been learning more about composition and digital imaging. Haskell supports his hobby of photography by learning Photoshop, and began experimentation in the field starting with one camera. He now has four professional
level cameras and has done pro bono work for non-profit organizations such as the YMCA, Westside Shelter & Hunger Coalition, and the Santa Monica Library. Meeting old friends at the exhibit’s opening night, architect and Emeritus College student Doris Power says, “I built these two ladies’ houses.” Power provided the promotional image for the exhibit, of a reflecting pond of pyramids she took while in Mexico City admiring the architecture of Ricardo Legoretta. “I never knew how to do things with a digital camera,” Power said. For the piece entitled “Pyramid Pond,” she used paint daubs because she “liked the sense of it being more opaque.” Aside from mingling, the opening night exhibit also included the handing out of awards, with first place going to Cass Cassidy’s “Girl on a Train;” a sepia portrait of a young girl with wind playing in her hair. Her first reaction was, “I thought if I won, my ‘Egyptian Girl’ would win. I thought it was the best picture I’ve taken in my life.” Cassidy has been taking photos for years,
but started taking classes four years ago when she decided she needed to “fix” her photos up. She took her favorite photo, “Egyptian Girl,” a close up of a young girl, while at a McDonald’s. “I was having a sandwich and this little girl is sitting in front of me, it looked perfect.” “We have a great time playing with photography,” said Buckner. “My seniors give me 110 percent.” Former curator of the Emeritus Gallery, Lynn LaBate, described Emeritus College as a vibrant place with strong connections between the faculty and their students. Other winners of the night included Carol Kleinman, who works with single image reflections printed on canvas, giving the effect of one image being laid on top of the other, and Jim Gerstley, whose “Sognefjord Mountain and Clouds” gives stark contrasts between cliff sides, sun, and clouds. “Between Light and Shadow” is showing at the Emeritus College Gallery located at 1227 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Friday May 13.
Your Highness bows out gracefully
By Kevin Duncan Staff Writer Your Highness, directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), hit the silver screens this past Friday. This delightful yet dirty comedy is filled with obscene language and lewd jokes, as fantasy crosses over with comedy, a mix that usually does not come out successful. Danny McBride, James Franco, and Natalie Portman all do an excellent job in their adapted roles. McBride, who starred in hilarious comedies such as Tropic Thunder, Hot Rod, and Pineapple Express (alongside co-star James Franco), does a great job delivering humor and absurdity in this hysterical movie. With a budget of $5 million, filming for Your Highness took take place in Northern Ireland, which allowed for a truly breathtaking
setting for the movie. Green pastures and mountains dominated the screen at times, and divine waterfalls actually made Portman look more stunning than she already is. Thadeous (McBride) and Fabious (Franco) are the sons of King Tallious (Charles Dance). Both brothers are warriors, however, they are completely opposite of each other. Fabious is the younger, more exuberant, and valiant warrior, whereas Thadeous is the juvenile and lethargic one who has never set foot on a quest. The movie received an R-rating due to the fact that there was nudity and a lot of profanity. However, Your Highness’s use of profanity added more flavor to the scenes making the film hilarious. McBride adds great disdain and mockery throughout the entire movie, with very little seriousness, as is his character.
During the course of the movie McBride is rude and vulgar, an aspect the audience loves to see in a comedian. Franco is extremely likeable in his role and adapts well to comedy, his character in Pineapple Express was nothing short of hilarious and already proved that he gets the job done. Portman is always a pleasure to watch as she plays a tough yet tantalizing lone warrior. It’s a joy to see the Academy Award winner perform in a different type of movie and role from her previous works. Then of course there’s Justin Theroux as the evil wizard Leezar. He does a great job portraying the antagonist, adding humor to a role in which it is not always present. One will enjoy this movie filled with a star-studded cast, only if they like crude and obscene humor, with a fairly predictable, nevertheless well thought out, plot.
Courtesy of Universal
THIS WEEK AT SMC April 19-24 “KCRW Presents: The Merchants of Venice”
April 20
For ticketing information on events at the Broad Stage, visit thebroadstage.com
April 22
April 21
“Earth Week: “Earth Week: “Delivering “Earth Week: Organic Earth Day Disaster Relief in Screening of the Learning Garden Festival & Teach- Haiti: Myths and Garden” Groundbreaking” In” Realities”
The Broad Stage
H.S.S. 165
Main Campus
Main Campus Quad
H.S.S. 165
Time will vary depending on date.
2:15 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
11:00 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
April 24
“Earth Week: Beach Cleanup with Heal the Bay”
“Space Shuttle Swan Song”
“Fine Arts & Music Four”
Center for Environmental & Urban Studies
John Drescher Planetarium
Art Patio
8:00 p.m.
10:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m.