Curio: Happy Birthday Quentin

Alexa here. Today Quentin Tarantino turns 49; somehow I thought he was older, if only because he has been in our consciousness for so long. It feels like forever ago that we heard Mr. Brown give his thesis on "Like a Virgin." His Madonna connection got some further milage this week with word that Madge wants him to direct the video for her new single "Gang Bang." ("All he has to do is show up with a camera.") Considering that he lent Gaga his Pussy Wagon, it just might happen.  

Here are a few creations celebrating the prince of palaver.

Quentin's bloody ear, by Gregg Gordon of Gigart.Tribute posters by Ibraheem Youssef

Click for more posters including Django Unchained. Plus: Vincent and Jules as mice...

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Curio: Anticipating The Hunger Games

Alexa here. I have skillfully avoided much of the hysteria surrounding The Hunger Games for quite a while. Like Nathaniel, I've been reluctant to jump on the over-marketed, YA-franchise bandwagon. But loving Jennifer Lawrence's performance in Winter's Bone, I took notice when she was cast as Katniss. And when the first full trailer emerged I felt a tingle down my spine. Yet for months I held steady in my resolve to avoid the marketing cacaphony. But something in me broke down this week: I started the book.  Well done, Lionsgate, you conquered me with your buzz-making machine.  In light of my change of heart, here are some pretty swell creations made in advance of the film.

Limited edition prints by Purple Cow Posters.

Poster prints by Entropy Trading Company.Click for more, including jewelry...

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Curio: Library of Congress Archive

Alexa here. One of my favorite places to look at images that give me a real sense of history is the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. The catalog contains not only photographs but posters, prints, and architectural drawings. A search under the subject "motion pictures" yields some interesting results, including loads of architectural drawings of historic movie houses as well as fabulous images of Audrey Hepburn on the set of Sabrina, Monty and Liz entering the Palace Theater,  Dumbo taking a bath, and Alfred Hitchcock and his wife visiting the pyramids.  Prints can be purchased of any of the images from the catalog, and some images can even be downloaded free in high quality, suitable for printing yourself. Here are some downloads I made from the catalog today, showcasing many sides of the moviegoing experience in 20th Century America.

"Design proposal for a motion picture theater interior, possibly in New York City. Interior perspective view." 1935"Man purchasing a movie ticket from a woman in a ticket booth as a couple stands to the side." 1958"Negro going in colored entrance of movie house on Saturday afternoon, Belzoni, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi." 1939"Where the boys spend their money." St. Louis, 1910.

Curio: Oscar Food 2012

Alexa here. When my friend Mike found out that I would be making a pie in honor of this year's Oscars, he made some quick guesses as to the theme: 

• Black and white for The Artist?
• Pineapple coconut for The Descendants?
• Ringling Bros clown cream pie for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close?
• Humble Pie by Alabama for The Help?
• A Trip To The Moon cheesecake for Hugo?
• French Silk pie for Midnight in Paris?
• Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet for Moneyball?
• Pi for The Tree of Life?
• Cowpie for War Horse? 

I quickly wished I had the energy to make nine pies instead of just one. In that spirit, here are some great Oscar-themed goodies I've seen around the web, along with the pie I ended up with. Feel free to share your own menu cleverness in the comments.

Of all the Oscar recipe ideas I've seen, I thought these Oscar-themed dogs were best (but then again I'm from Chicago, where encased meat is king). From the top: The Help Southern fried chicken sausage dog, The Artist old-time Hollywood dog, Midnight in Paris Parisian Pâté dog, The Descendants Hawaii dog with grilled Pineapple and Sriracha, Hugo watch dog, War Horse bruised and bleeding dog, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close NYC dog with mustard and sauerkraut, The Tree of Life dog with spinach, and a simple ballpark dog for Moneyball.

Click for yummy desserts... 

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Curio: Oscar Unsheets, a Final Roundup

Alexa here.  Even though my excitement over the Oscar nominees this year is a bit thin, the films are enlivened for me when I see them through the eyes of other artists. (Another reason the Academy should follow the lead of the BAFTAs and hire some illustrators already). In last week's Curio I posted some of the more interesting unsheets (a creative term for fan poster art) popping up on the web for Best Picture nominees The Help, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Moneyball, and The Descendants.  Without further ado, here are the best unsheets I've spied for the remaining nominees Hugo, War Horse, The Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris, and The Artist. Happy Oscar all!

The Artist by Gideon Slife.

The Artist by Hunter Langston.

The Artist by Ramin Kohanteb.

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