Already Tomorrow: a Hong Kong Rom-Com

If a romantic comedy took place inside a guidebook, it might look a lot like Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. The indie movie revolves around Ruby and Josh, two Americans in Hong Kong, who randomly meet. And then meet again.

It’s the first feature film written and directed by Emily Ting, who has previously directed documentaries and shorts.

Already Tomorrow is set entirely on location with city’s skyscrapers, dive joints, outdoor markets, neon-lit streets, crowded tourist hangouts, and garment district tailor shops as backdrops. Not only is there a running joke about Josh buying Ruby a guidebook, it’s sprinkled with Lonely Planet-esque tips about things like bargaining with street vendors, not expecting to find a cross-harbor taxi late at night, and the fact that the mid-levels escalator is outdoors.

Josh and Ruby’s conversations as they move through Hong Kong comprise the bulk of the film, and they are played by two actors who bring nuance and charm to their respective roles.

Actor (and fashion blogger) Jamie Chung, who co-stars as Ruby, was most recently in Academy-Award winning Big Hero 6 and actually got her start on The Real World. Opposite her, as Josh, is Bryan Greenberg, who grew up acting at summer camp and appeared in Friends with Benefits before doing a slew of indie films. The pair are now real-life married, so, apparently, not all the on-screen chemistry had to be manufactured.

The film starts slow with a lot of initial dialogue that could be reframed as 5-paragraph essay topics. (Think “Explain the difference between an expat and an immigrant.” or “Do you feel people are on their phones too much? Why or why not?”) Those exchanges feel more like talking points than authentic conversation – even awkward, just-met conversation.

That said, the movie picks up after the first 30 minutes or so. Not to say it’s ever action-packed, but the story gets more interesting and the dialogue begins to feel increasingly natural and reflective of the character’s personalities. You start to see the interplay between Josh’s impulsive, in-the-moment nature and Ruby’s more line-towing, long-term-thinking ways.

The soundtrack is a mix of acoustic and pop songs. I really dug the music in the performance by actual (but now retired) Hong Kong band Noughts and Exes.

Overall, Already Tomorrow is pleasant to watch and makes you feel as if you’ve been to Hong Kong. Or, at least, spent some time wandering through the glossy photos of a guidebook.

The film comes out tomorrow (2/12) in select theaters and video on demand and is available for pre-order on iTunes now. It’d go perfectly with takeout and PJs.

—
Images and preview courtesy of Gravitas Ventures.

November 12, 2015November 12, 2015

Art Hidden in the Hills

It’s almost time for the annual Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour (HITH) in Cave Creek!

Last year, I went with Phillip and our friend Ling. I had about 13 studios on my to-visit list, but we really took our time, so we only made it to 5 of them.

The Tour

Over 40 working artists open up their studio spaces (often in their homes) two weekends in November to showcase and sell their work.

Most participating artists invite others to join them at their spaces, so there might be 7 artists at one studio (3 or 4 is more likely) with art for sale and sometimes prints of their work. In fact, I learned about the tour when I was doing graphic design for one of the artists, Robin Ray, and getting her work printed on greeting cards, aprons, calendars, etc.

At the last HITH tour, it seemed like there was a lot more art at different price points than in the past. There are the large statement pieces which – rightfully – cost a good chunk of change, but many artists are also doing smaller works to fit smaller budgets or living spaces.

There was live music at a few of the locations. We heard banjo players at one and a Native American flautist at another.

Many artists do demonstrations or work on pieces during HITH. They may show how they shape ceramics or be daubing oil paint on a canvas when you walk by.

We’ve gone in the past, so we had some favorites to revisit, as well as new artists to check out.

The Art and Artists

It was great chatting with the artists. I worry sometimes when I’m talking to artists that I’ll insult them by not understanding their work the way they intended. The ones we talked to on the tour were really happy to hear what our impressions were, answer questions, and talk about their techniques.

Here are some highlights, along with the studio number where the artist will be exhibiting at this year’s HITH tour.

Robin Ray (studio #9), who first told me about the tour, has more time now that she retired from teaching. In addition to her ceramics and painting, she is now making mixed media works inspired by Mexican shrines. We stopped by her place near the end of the day, and it felt like a party with friends sitting around an outdoor table, laughing, snacking, and pouring wine.

Also exhibiting at her studio was Ken Ryan (#9), who makes sculptures from metal and fabulous gnarly wood, as well as custom rustic furniture.

Nicolette Maguire Bonnstetter (#27) does collage-style paintings of items from her childhood on custom-milled wooden bowls.

Eddie Sparr (not exhibiting at HITH 2015) explores the relationship between mechanic structures and organic ones. You can find him at Big Red Robot Gallery or at Hibachibot, the Korean BBQ food truck he and his wife recently opened. They’ll be serving breakfast burritos 7:30-10a and lunch 11a-3p at Big Red Robot on 11/21, so you can fuel up on the way to the tour.

The atmosphere at BH Bowman Studios felt calm yet vibrant, perhaps reflecting the quiet intensity of Barbara Bowman’s own abstract work in acrylics. There were candles lit, sculpture artists along the front walkway, glass mosaics on the back patio, musicians in the living room, and a mix of media throughout the house.

In a side room with a covered pool table, Julia Patterson (#29) exhibited a wall of pastel landscapes I could look at all day.

Christoph Heede (#30) constructed a kiln that’s big enough to walk in and also does raku ceramics, which he finishes in open flames.

Betsy Halford (#27) uses unusual found objects, like electrical components, to make jewelry and mixed media pieces.

One artist (I think it was Sandy Pendleton at #29) attaches bells from a village in India to her glasswork.

Something I hadn’t seen before was 3D printed sculpture. It was cool to see artists like Kevin Caron (#29) experimenting with new technology.

Judy Bruce (#42) had a series on nerds and a series of mixed media works about her mother, remaining beautiful as she fought cancer.

Really, everyone was great with the exception of one artist (not pictured/named in this post) who was unnecessarily harsh after Ling took a photo and then creepily kept watching us the rest of the time we were at that studio.

No one else the rest of the day had a problem with photos. Of course, if someone doesn’t want photos taken of their work, I’m happy to respect that. I just think they should ask politely.

So….back to people who are awesome.

At Desert Rat Forge (#43), metal artists Paul Diefenderfer (“Dief”) and Gordon Paul Mischke (“Gordy”) work in their outdoor spaces on large metal sculptures. Paul demonstrated how he heats and shapes metal. Gordy, one of our original HITH favorites, updated us on some of his long-term projects.

Several other artists also exhibited work at the site. One was Josh States, who makes really nice knives and other metal and mixed media pieces. He also told us about the Camp Verde Pecan and Wine Festival, which would be fun to check out sometime.

The Grotto

We ate lunch at Grotto Cafe, which has lovely outdoor seating, coffee, panini, salads, and gazpacho.

– More info –

If you’re in the Phoenix area, check out the 2015 Hidden in the Hills tour November 20-22 and 27-29.

Program
Full map – Clicking the numbers will take you to artist info. Clicking below the map allows you to register and create your own personalized tour map with the studios you want to visit.
Our 2014 tour map – In case you need additional suggestions to get started.

Photos:

I couldn’t track down the artist for this piece.
Selfie with Ling. Think she snapped this one – mine were terrible.

The Tour

Robin Ray (studio #9)
Booths and artwork of (l to r) Betsy Halford, Christiane Barbato, Nicolette Maguire Bonnstetter.

The Art and Artists

Artwork of Judy Bruce (#42)
Artwork of Robin Ray (#9)
Artwork of Robin Ray (#9)
Ken Ryan (#9)
Eddie Sparr (Hibachibot)
Julia Patterson (#29) and her artwork
Christoph Heede (#30)
Betsy Halford (#27)
Kevin Caron (#29)
Artwork of Judy Bruce (#42)
Studio of Judy Bruce (#42)
Artwork of Christoph Heede (#30) on his home/studio wall.
Artwork of Paul Diefenderfer (#43)
Desert Rat Forge (#43)
Paul Diefenderfer (#43)
Gordon Paul Mischke (#43)
Artwork of Gordon Paul Mischke (#43)
Artwork of Josh States / Dos Gatos Designs (#43)

The Grotto + More Info

Grotto Cafe
Cave Creek sunset

October 12, 2015October 12, 2015

Colombia Day and Other #ColumbusDayAlternatives

While I like having a 3-day weekend in October, I don’t think Columbus deserves his own holiday. So I was brainstorming Columbus Day alternatives (Columbus, Ohio Day; Bus Day; Cumulonimbus Day…) and decided my favorite was Colombia Day.

There are lots of ways you could celebrate here in Phoenix or elsewhere:

Order a Colombian coffee at your favorite local coffee shop.
Try a Colombian restaurant – a friend recommended La Tiendita Colombiana in Mesa.
Visit Colombian animals, like the Andean bears at the Phoenix Zoo.
Listen to Colombian music. We dig Juanes and old school Shakira (it should be in Spanish and she should have dark hair on the cover).
Dance cumbia or salsa.
Visit a Colombian or Latino cultural center. Although Phoenix’s Arizona Latin@ Arts and Cultural Center is closed Monday, you can check it out Tuesday through Saturday 11a-6p. Celebrando Nuestra Cultura is their current exhibition of 15 Arizona artists exploring Mexican history, which is not Colombian but sounds pretty interesting.

Some cities have nixed Columbus Day in favor of an Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In that spirit, you could visit the Heard Museum or another place in your area to learn about Native American cultures.

However, if you want to celebrate by watching the clouds, taking public transit, or even visiting Ohio, that works too. Those are all things worth celebrating more than Christopher Columbus.

—

July 31, 2015

Our Indy Race (1st Lap)

It was just after 1am, and we were passing Indy cars like they were standing still.

Because they were. Phillip and I, on the other hand, were racing through the Indianapolis International Airport, dodging puzzled, groggy passengers.

When we were still waiting to get off the plane, I had called our hotel’s shuttle dispatch. They let me know we could take the one that was already en route – if we could make it to the stop in time. If not, it wouldn’t wait for us, because they were also picking up a flight crew, and we’d have to wait around for the 2am pickup.

Sitting halfway back on a plane with an aisle clogged with impatient passengers, we had just under 15 minutes, directions I’d already forgotten, and only carryon luggage. We decided to go for it.

So we ended up sprinting through the airport, not towards a flight but away from one, relying on ambiguous signage to guide us. Finally, we spotted the words “ground transportation” with an arrow pointing towards exterior doors.

We burst outside with a few minutes to spare, only to be greeted by air thick with humidy and mosquitoes, an empty curb, and a vague sense that we were not in the right place.

I redialed the shuttle dispatch. The same woman patiently explained again where we were actually supposed to be.

We rushed downstairs, out the door and across the street, and finally found our stop with the aforementioned flight crew sitting on nearby benches, waiting for the shuttle.

While I was trying to nonchalantly catch my breath in the heavy air, I realized this could possibly be the crew from our flight. In other words, they may have just calmly gotten off our plane after us and everyone else, strolled through the terminal, and arrived here sooner. Which would mean we could have done the same without all the panic, confusion, and mosquitoes.

But maybe it wasn’t them. In fact, let’s just say it wasn’t.

I didn’t look too closely.

Either way, we all made it onto the shuttle. The woman from dispatch even called the driver to check on us.

“Yep.” she replied, turning onto the ramp that lead from the airport to the freeway. “Everyone’s here.”

– More info –

Watch for at the Indianapolis Airport:

Classic racing cars on display. There is a rotating lineup on loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
Permanent and temporary art (PDF). I saw TBI Prayers by Stephanie Lewis Robertson, which is on display until August 30.
Free wifi.
Confusing signs! Ask for directions or check a map (PDF).

July 28, 2015June 24, 2020

A Mural for the Missing

A community art project that was too controversial for New York city has found a home in Phoenix’s Grand Avenue arts district.

The mural was nearly finished when I stopped by last week. Half a dozen artists were there painting or standing back to Instagram the process – which, really, is also part of spreading a message. In fact, I only heard about the piece because one of the artists from the Frida Kahlo exhibit, Monique Mata, had shared it there.

The Mission

The inspiration came from the film Who is Dayani Cristal?, a documentary that retraces the steps of the migrant trail in Central America in an effort to identify a body discovered in the Sonoran desert.

This work of helping families find the bodies of missing migrants is exactly what the nonprofit Colibrí Center for Human Rights in Tucson does, as well as providing counseling and advocacy services. Their Missing Migrant Project has the goal of “working to end migrant death and related suffering on the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Mata Ruda, the New York/New Jersey artist who designed the mural, believes awareness and prevention are key to this. If migrants are invisible to society, their deaths will go unnoticed, the problem unsolved.

The mural is one way to tell their story, make them visible.

While taking a popsicle break, he filled me in on the history of the project – that it been approved then later blocked at 5 different sites from a musuem in New York City to a garage in downtown Phoenix, apparently due to its subject matter. Finally, the Colibrí Center connected them with the spot at La Melgrosa art space.

The Mural

The mural is also called “Colibrí,” named for Colibrí Center and for the hummingbird, which migrates throughout the Americas. It was created to bring awareness of the often-overlooked migrant community.

At least 7 artists collaborated on the piece, mostly from Arizona (with one traveling across the state from the Navajo reservation).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stephanie Liebold (@stephanieliebold)

You can see the finished mural outside Creation Station at La Melgosa, 1023 W. Grand Avenue in Phoenix.

Mata Ruda’s hope is that Colibrí remains a permanent piece of public art and that it makes people aware of the migrants who often are invisible to society.

Like the community it represents, the project has been on a long journey to finally be seen.