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Review on Spencer Finch's Light, Time, Chemistry at the Rhona Hoffman Gallery.

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Top 5

1. Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited

Some regard Anderson’s fourth feature as a complete flop, and box office records certainly support their argument. I, however, am in total disagreement. The film combines two of my favorite things: familial dysfunction and India. Yes, I could do without the “finding Mom” plot-line, for I’m far more interested in three stranger-brothers’ interaction with the foreign culture; but by disregarding the story as a whole and concentrating on the pure aesthetics of the film, I think we’ve come upon a beautiful masterpiece. Cinematographer, Robert D. Yeoman, uses slow tracking shots to move both inside the meticulously designed train (made just for this film). He even produced a long take in which the camera dollys past each train car, which in turn, transforms into a different world that takes place outside the immediate story. The Darjeeling Limited is about becoming reacquainted with those you’ve lost touch with and about the travelers’ journey to India. Oh. I’m making the same trip this summer. That’s probably another reason why this film makes it on this list.  

2. Bo Bartlett's Heartland

I first saw Bartlett’s painting at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. It haunted me so much that I decided to buy a postcard of the painting at the gift shop, tape the card to my college dorm, and then proceeded to write a play based on the painting. The play included killer clowns and a boy that hid his dead sister beneath the pile of twigs in the wagon. It was a terrible play, but it inspired me nonetheless. Heartland portrays the childhood I never had and yet it included my favorite toy from years past—the wagon. I had the beach. This boy has a wheat field. We both have the wagon. Also, Bartlett’s saturated use of colors vibrantly separate the boy from the landscape. He shouldn’t be there and yet he needs to be there. And finally, the placement of the boy’s hand on his heart combined with his harsh stare leaves me questioning his purpose and whom he represents. Is he, is this, American’s heartland?

3. Kai Fragrance

There is a certain fragrance that brings me back home. It makes me think of my mom. It makes me think of the plumeria trees outside condos a block away from my house. That scent is Kai. It is the smell of cleanliness and smell of simple beauty. It is not a perfume with musk layered on top of vanilla layered on top of cherries. It is not complex top nodes or under nodes or middle nodes or node nodes. Its just oil. Kai is a light scent that spreads miles, and everyone I’ve come across has loved it. And how, you may ask, do I know this? People verbalize their wonder, “What smells so good?” with genuine curiosity. Plus, Oprah loves Kai—and if it’s good enough for Oprah, then it’s good enough for me. 

4. "Hospital Beds" by Cold War Kids

This is the best song to listen to in basements. Alone. Cold War Kids, from my second favorite region of the world, Northern California (my first favorite region being Southern California), know how to jam. They jam with pianos, guitars, drums, basses, and—yes, even maracas and cowbells. I saw them live at Golden Gate Park last summer, and when the piano keys began to play for “Hospital Beds” I immediately felt like I was isolated amongst the giant crowd, yet I still felt totally empowered. The whole song rides on the escalation of the vocals and the instruments, culminating into a final “hurrah” at the end. Just click the link and see what I mean.

5. Boule's Raspberry Rose Macarons 

Now, I’m not the kind of girl who has been to Paris—or who has seen much of the world for that matter, but I have been to LA. And I have tasted a pretty damn excellent tasting cookie. If you make it out of the hell-hole that is The Beverly Center and drive two or three blocks (east?) on La Cienega, you will come across Boule: bakery heaven. Their specialty is the macaron, a sandwich cookie in which the two “breads” are pieces of meringue-shell-with-a-gooey-center and the “meat” can be either chocolate, a jam, or a frosting. The best flavor is Raspberry Rose, hands down. The bright-pink cookie has a rose water flavor and the center is a thin layer or raspberry jam. The combination is as good as play dough and childhood (very good). I’ve had macarons before, but Boule’s inventive use of flavor and size of cookie (bigger than most), makes this bakery stand on its own.

This movie poster would be number 1 on my list of Bottom 5.

It gives me nightmares.