An Academic Journal For Today's World |
21 May 2012 10:56am PST
21 May 2012 10:56am PST
'Op-Eds'
Kill List
Film Review
In viewing Kill List recently I couldn’t help but have high expectations going in. After seeing the snazzy trailer, and being subjected to a bit of the hype machine that is currently surrounding it I thought I was in for a real rare bird – a film that somehow transcended the pitfalls of genre-bending and muddled narrative. But despite what you might hear from many other sources, this one does not live up to the hype. I found fleeting glimpses of quality throughout this murky, slowly paced misfire. →
via Michael Okum, 19 February 2012 12:49pm | 
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| The 27th Santa Barbara Int’l Film Fest
An Insider’s Guide to the SBIFF 2012 Sponsored by UGG Australia)
“The Arlington Theater is one of the most beautiful movie theaters in the entire world”. This statement was uttered, not only from the mouth of one of the guest moderators at the Virtuosos Awards Event, but from audience members and festival volunteers alike. The Arlington Theater is nothing short of breathtaking – quite simply a film lover’s dream come true and the main hub of events for the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
via Michael Okum, 10 February 2012 12:36am | |
| Op-Ed: To Bury Caesar, Not To Praise Him
On August 8th 2011, Ray Anderson, ‘radical industrialist’ and chairman and founder of Interface Inc. passed away without the world noticing. Barely two months later, the death of Steve Jobs became an inescapable subject of discussion. Canonized by the mass media, Jobs is referenced as the doyen of visionary leadership and Apple products as the utmost examples of purity and perfection. In truth, Jobs’ legacy represents everything that’s wrong with design, manufacturing, and the global economy. Like the soap in Fight Club, our ignorance is being sold back to us; reconstituted hyperbole elaborately packaged under the auspices of good design. →
via Leon Fitzpatrick, 1 February 2012 2:51pm | |
| Op-Ed: After Copenhagen, Before the Storm
On December 19th 2009 I received a short e-mail from my brother who was on the ground at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. It was time stamped 2am and read: “Looks like no deal on COP15…at least not the one everyone was aiming for.” He was in Copenhagen filming a forthcoming documentary, already a year in the making. The project had taken him and the production crew from New York to the Congo and everywhere in between, following key players along the road leading to the largest ever conference of its kind. It was here the world would converge to agree that climate change is undeniable – but to disagree about essentially everything else.
via Leon Fitzpatrick, 7 June 2010 8:04pm | 1 |
| Op-Ed: The State of Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is a place that has been left desolate and abandoned. It is a place where the nature of human beings are put fully to the the test, both from those who permit certain people to remain in pain, and for those who are left on the wayside of poverty. This is Los Angeles at it’s worst, and in some strange way, at its best.
Op-Ed: COP 15
Hugo Chavez speaks on climate change
Just before the New Year, the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark where an estimated 15,000 participants and over 192 countries attended. The summit’s “supreme body,” known as 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15), gathered government officials and environmental ministers to discuss climate change, its effects around the globe and develop plans to reduce greenhouse emissions.
via Sarah Wolfson, 22 January 2010 11:15am | 2 |
| Op-Ed: The Curse of Mr. Browne
Thirony of it all.
Thom Browne, leader of the current charge in bespoke tailoring in American menswear, is sure to be fuming, or at least a tad bit amused if he indeed has a sense of humor. Bequeathed the title of “Designer of the Year” from GQ in 2008, Mr. Browne’s signature and now ubiquitous ‘shrunken suit’ has influenced every single high end fashion from Gucci to Comme des Garcons.
Yet of all brands to influence would be the lower more affordable platitudes of retail, the kind of places for everyday college kids and diligent nine to fivers would shop, the fashion mall. Yes you would be surprised wouldn’t you. But the fashion mall has very much become the new hotbed for buying great suits. Where do you say? No, not J.Crew (although I certainly have been impressed with their latest offerings), might I recommend Club Monaco. Yes of all places Club Monaco will deliver you the kind of suit that Mr. Browne has been offering in the last several years at huge discounted rates. Whereas a typical suit from Thom Browne ranges from $3,500 to $5,000, Club Monaco has done a very good job in providing a similar “Browne-ish” cut for under $500.00!
What I find to be utterly fascinating about this entire exchange is that the reason for Club Monaco’s sudden new brand direction and aesthetic touch is the fact that Club Monaco’s newest installment is Creative Director Timothy Farrah, a designer who worked under Thom Browne for his Black Fleece collection for Brooks Brothers. It is undeniable that Mr. Farrah took liberal cues in designing the current Club Monaco suit range; and for this, I am actually excited that this fashion forward silhouette is now available for those who can’t afford a Thom Browne original. What is more interesting is that Mr. Browne himself used to helm the Club Monaco position as its Creative Director several years ago, before he made a name for himself!
Let’s get this straight, so you too can join me in my laughter and open amusement: Thom Browne once works for Club Monaco as its Creative Director, he leaves and launches his own namesake label, years later a designer under his wing goes back to Mr. Browne’s original roost to only create a ‘tributary’ collection inside the very halls of Club Monaco. Now if that isn’t a more perfect and classic example of how the fashion industry works! So where does this leave us for the end-consumer? Well….the economy is tanking and last I checked $5,000 dollars for a grey shrunken designer suit is kind of rad if you’re trying to make that statement, but knocking off a zero and getting the same effect sounds kind of like a deal, no? Mr. Browne, I love your work and I have the utmost respect for your craft, but in some ways I cannot forgo the product and its price, which beckons me…yes, at my local mall.
- Mr. Kim
The irony of it all.
Thom Browne, leader of the current charge in bespoke tailoring in American menswear, is sure to be fuming, or at least a tad bit amused if he indeed has a sense of humor. Bequeathed the title of “Designer of the Year” from GQ in 2008, Mr. Browne’s signature and now ubiquitous ‘shrunken suit’ has influenced every single high end fashion from Gucci to Comme des Garcons. →
Op-Ed: The Millennial Generation’s Emerging Power
For the first time in history, a generation has never confronted the issues of universal healthcare, climate change, pollution, national security and a weak economy all at once. As the Class of 2009 enters the workforce, the unemployment rate continues to rise in record numbers. Broken promises of the past and decisions made by our grandparents and parents have left an unfortunate burden on the country and youth in America. Inheriting a country in decline will be the most challenging role for the Millennial generation. →
