BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE MAGAZINE: LOS ANGELES

BUREAU MOVIES : The Life of PI

Film Review by Joshua A. TRILIEGI

A boy. A tiger. A Boat. Memory, perception, loss and survival swirl
into a story retold through the eyes of time. Looking back on events
that have transformed our experience and shaped our world view is
always a perception game. In " The Life of PI " a new major motion
picture by Ang Lee, we get a primer on a young boys search for the
meaning of god and the symbols that represent it from many sources.
Before being catapulted into the survival story which is a psyche out.

Isolation, starvation, survival and retaining ones sanity under arduous
conditions as a young person does some pretty funny tricks on the mind.
Throughout history, film history that is, we have had quite a few films
which have taken place on the water. The Titanic films of the 1940's,
1950's, as well as 1970's " Posseiden Adventure " and the latest
version.

There was " Lifeboat " , which at the core has much in common with,
" Life of PI " , ethics of the survivalist, cannibalism : who should
live and die ?, etc ... " The Old Man and The Sea " is another that
comes to mind, it's almost a genre. " The Deep " and " Big Blue ".
" Jaws " . These are films where the ocean itself is a character
or an animal plays a key role in the relationship with our characters,
their dilemma and the story being told. " Orca " as well " Moby Dick "
and " The Perfect Storm " are also in this rich history of human versus
sea / animal / weather, etc...

Ang Lee does a wonderful job bringing this story to life with a kind
ofSatyajit Ray - like homage to the main character who is East Indian.
There is a bit of heavy handedness in professing the existence of a god,
a slightly pedantic view that is a bit disheartening considering the
storyitself is so inspiring that to actually have your characters explain
thiswithin the dialogue is unnecessary. Convince us through action not
words.

Once we get into the adventure, all is well, in terms of moviemaking.
Thetiger and our lead character, PI, a young man thrust upon the sea
withseveral animals as well as the tiger, jocky for positions in
leadership, egoand friendship . The digital effects and the Tiger itself
as well asthe manyhallucinatory aspects of the story are glorious in
their visuals as well as theeffect it provides to the story. Is what we
are seeing actually happening ? Our narrator is young, is he fibbing ?
So much time has passed between the actual events and the telling
of the story that we have to imagine what may really have happened
out there on the sea with a boy, a tiger, a hyena , a zebra, an
orangoutang and a few cameos by sharks, tunas, a whale and
a cannibal flower like island of sorts. This is a poem. Not a film per
se.This is a work of art. This is a dream, a nightmare, a survival
story hidden within the mind of a young man, tested by the sea,
his family, his faith andlife.

It's a beautiful film. Ang Lee continues to challenge himself and the
audiencewith diverse stories that cross boundaries, cultures and genres.
He is a master filmmaker in the prime of his career. From the opening
sequence through tothe end , we are entertained, challenged and satisfied.

This film is a sort ofopera, with animals, nature and the existence of
god at its very core.Although by the end of this film we realize that a
whole other story exists that would have been the biggest downer in
the world to experience. A total tragedy of the darkest dissent into
death, destruction and disaster. What really happened out there is up
to interpretation. Our narrator as well as our director and writer
allow us to ponder this interpretation as well as the other more tragic
version(s).

We highly suggest this film. " The Life of PI " now playing nationwide
in Theatres. view The Film Page for links to Theatres and other Reviews...

WHY JIM HARRISON IS NOT DEAD

Tap Image to Read The Article Honoring The "LEGENDS OF THE FALL" Writer and Poet: Jim Harrison came from a family that adored and revered Literature: "My Family were obsessive readers…" The famous story goes, that, at a dinner table discussion, his family were talking about Norman Mailer's first success on the world stage and his book, entitled, " The Naked and The Dead, " young Jim responded to the conversation with the quick and curious question, "Does it have Illustrations ?" Laughter ensued and the beginning of his particularly curious, yet grounded, stoic, although humorous, celebratory whilst at the same time cautionary literary style is born.

THE IRVINE WELSH INTERVIEW

Author of TRAIN-SPOTTING on Writing, Politics + More/ Photo Essay By Walter ROTHWELL: "One of the things that happens with success is that you need to balance being a writer with an author. Writers write, while authors promote and talk about their work. So you learn that you have two jobs, which generally compliment each other, but can often get in each others way. This confusion is compounded by me working in film and TV; you need to think differently on screenplay as you are an architect rather than a builder, and once a work goes into production, you (appropriately) fall quite far down the food chain. So I now wear different hats, which I usually like –life gets boring doing the same thing."

The Nathan Walsh Interview

Tap to Read The New York Based BUREAU Guest Artist discussing his work, technique and the future of Realism in ART with Bureau Editor Joshua TRILIEGI: "I started collecting art related books as a student. This has served as daily form a of inspiration and guidance for my own practice. Looking at significant artists and paintings of the past can often be intimidating but can also suggest ways forward. My inspirations are numerous and varied from Piranesi’s engravings to the decorative tiles of William De Morgan. What connects all of these interests is a strong sense of structure and pattern. Most of the artists and designers I admire had or have a rigorous approach to composition and commitment to process perhaps more than outcome. I often think my own work as “sampling” these inspiring figures, whether it be the palette of Bonnard or the dynamism of a Bernice Abbott photograph. " - NATHAN WALSH

THE MUSIC EDITION

Tap To Read and or Download The FREE Music Edition INTERVIEW Painter CHRISTOPHER STOTT . This New Edition Contains The BUREAU MUSIC ICON Essay: HANK WILLIAMS . PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAYS and ARTICLES BY THE INFAMOUS MR. ART SHAY . MATHEW BARNEY at MOCA LA Plus BUREAU PROFILE : ANDREW HOLDER . The BUREAU PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERVIEW with LAURA STEVENS in PARIS . BUREAU FILM : BLUE VELVET at THIRTY . ART of MILES DAVIS "The SHAMAN" . PRINCE TRIBUTE plus MUSIC INTERVIEW with Singer-Songwriter: JOSHUA TATE . SOUND ARTIST : CÉLESTE BOURSIER - MOUGENOT with CHRISTOPH COX . DESIGN : ITS ABOUT WALLPAPER . COMEDY INTERVIEW with Andre HYLAND . John DOE . Aimee MANN . Chris STAPLETON . BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL : KWAME BRATHWAITE'S New HARLEM RENAISSANCE . DANNY LYON at THE WHITNEY MUSEUM + R. CRUMB at SEATTLE MUSEUM . TUPAC + ICE CUBE PHOTOS Mike MILLER . "LEGENDS OF THE FALL," WRITER : JIM HARRISON .

The ALEX HARRIS Interview

Tap To READ Alex HARRIS : "When I had the idea to photograph the landscape of northern New Mexico through the interiors of the cars of people who lived there, I’d been living in northern New Mexico on and off for almost 15 years and working in color there for about five years with a view camera. I saw myself as making the portrait of this region without including any actual people in the pictures. So I photographed extensively inside homes, whose decoration was primarily the domain of women, and the outsides of homes and in the fields, which was primarily the domain of men. In photographing these spaces, in a sense I was portraying the people who had created or shaped those spaces over the years. I wanted to represent the younger generation, and the spaces they controlled and decorated were the interiors of their cars."

Read The LITERARY 2016 Edition

TAP TO READ The John STEINBECK ICON Essay By J.A. TRILIEGI : "Question : What is it, that makes a good writer ? There are over a million answers to that question, simply ask a million writers. Each have their own rules, codes and exercises. John Updike adhered to writing three pages a day, before lunch. Charles Bukowski enjoyed a nice bottle of wine and the peaceful patter of classical music, deep into the night. According to John Steinbeck, in his Nobel Prize winning speech, there are many things a writer cannot think, be or do, to be considered, one of the gang. 1-You may not be Exclusive. 2-You may not be Separate. 3-You may not lack passion..."

ROBERT FRANK: THE AMERICANS

An APPRECIATION PIECE by Joshua TRILIEGI: "Photographers around the world revere Robert Frank's contributions to the image pool. Museums of the National and International variety create anthologies, catalogues and booklets attempting to put into perspective the precise importance of Mr. Frank's work. Art galleries and private dealers invest tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in reproducing and reselling the Robert Frank catalogue to new collectors at higher and higher prices each year. Robert Frank's photographs have become iconic, the images are American to the core and yet, he was an outsider, a beatnik, an immigrant, a visual poet... " TAP IMAGE TO READ ARTICLE NOW

REDFORD'S QUIZ SHOW at 20

Tap to READ BUREAU FILM : "This is a large film, with a brilliant cast, a flawless tone and leading actors that include John Turturro as the whistle-blowing contestant Herb Stempel and Ralph Fiennes as Charlie Van Doren, a wealthy second generation Columbia University teacher who gets sucked into cheating himself, the public and his families reputation simply by allowing the network's television producers of The Quiz Show entitled, "21" to, "… give him the answers." Which are said to be, "… sealed in a bank vault." Enter investigating lawyer and Harvard graduate at the top of his class, Richard Goodwin, played here brilliantly by Rob Morrow. A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Frankfurter, who is on the legislative subcommittee for oversight..."

ON THE FILM SET : Raging BULL

Tap To READ J. A. TRILIEGI ON THE SET: A Man in a hooded, leopard skin robe walks down a long hallway while a group of men push aside those standing in his path. We hear a crowd of thousands cheer the man on, "Jake Jake Jake …" they begin to chant. He is wearing boxing gloves, this is a championship fight, the crowd is dressed in their finest, the men are wearing suits and hats, the women are wearing jewelry, the place is filled with cigar and cigarette smoke, sailors, businessmen, middle aged characters scream the man's name over and over, the women smile as he passes by, his trainers walk in front of and behind the man as he walks down the pathway toward the ring, the volume of the crowd amplifies as the man gets closer and closer to the large roped off square canvas at the center of the arena. The man in the leopard skin robe enters through the ropes, a nondescript fellow with a microphone introduces the man in the robe, the crowd goes wild with frenzy, people are shouting, clapping, everyone is yelling something and then, suddenly, a quiet gent behind a camera yells, "cut" and the place goes silent, the action ceases, everyone settles and a pensive discussion between the crew behind the camera ensues.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: ICON ESSAY

Tap To READ: Bruce Springsteen tells stories. He knits a good yarn. He knows how to handle the crowd. Like most artists, he was a few steps ahead of the audience. Looking back to his debut album, entitled, "Greetings from Asbury Park," it is now clear that, Bruce Springsteen is not just a great singer, performer and musician, Mr. Springsteen is that rare and individual voice, both on the stage and more importantly: on paper. He is a poet. When the world was still reeling from Vietnam, from the end of The Beatles, from the shadow of Richard Nixon and the slow, but steady death of the once powerful 1960s cultural revolution, this artist released an album that was miles and miles, ahead of his audience.

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE ICON

Tap To READ The BUREAU ICON ESSAY: Georgia O'Keeffe, as a person, was precocious, defiant, intelligent, unwavering and spirited. Throughout her education and early years as a painter, she produced an original abstractionist style that had preceded a group of New York painters of the male variety that has, to this day, remained wholly original, breathtakingly expansive and sexually charged in a way that empowers feminine energy and iconography. O'Keeffe rejected analysis of her works from start to finish, from her early years in New York, to her later years in The West, everyone seemed to get it wrong. So then, let us look again at the paintings and life of Ms. Georgia O'Keeffe and see if we can put this incredible body of work into a new and contemporary context with a fresh eye and revisionist look at this phenomenally bold American.

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BUREAU MOVIES : The Life of PI

Film Review by Joshua A. TRILIEGI