The View from the Met and One Last Thing about Japan...

Photo by myself from the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the Upper East Side.

The view from the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a scenic one.

This is a popular place to take a date. There is a bar and sculpture garden. From here, you can watch the sunset and lights of the city come on.
--I know, I know. Why am I mentioning Japan again?

I didn't think I had more to say after returning from our 12-day trip. But tonight, while very jet-lagged, my fiance Mark switched on a documentary that was highly recommended to him, called Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

The movie is divine. It tells of an 85-year old sushi chef, Jiro Ono, whose restaurant was awarded three Michelin stars, and his relentless, daily devotion to his craft.

Jiro left home at the age of seven. His two sons are also sushi chefs, working alongside their father.

The movie is beautifully shot. Anyone who appreciates color photography will appreciate this film. At the beginning of the movie, Mark said 'Oh, I wish we'd seen this earlier...we could have gone to the restaurant.'

Um...no. The tasting menu costs 30,000 yen per person, or about $375 USD (!!!). The movie was filmed in 2011 and opened in New York in March, 2012.

Here's the trailer:

 

For the Times review of this movie, click here.

Related posts: From the Rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, On Japanese Food and Fish, and Serving Up Sushi, at 15 East 15th.

On the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and Deadlines Every Second

Photo by myself around 24th Street and Eighth Avenue, in Chelsea.

At one Chelsea public school playground, kids can climb the Empire State Building and Chrysler Buildings to their little hearts' delight. I am sure King Kong impersonations run rampant.

As you can tell from the white sky and barren tree, this photo is from the stash. We are recovering from our 12-hour flight home from Japan.

We flew JAL (Japan Airlines), which we highly recommend. We came home to a very happy reunion with our dog, Rupert, who spun himself around like crazy til he dropped on the floor in shock, haha.

Then sometime around 6 pm yesterday, Mark and I felt like those cartoon characters desperately in need of toothpicks to keep our eyelids open. Now we were up at 4 am. It will take several days to re-adjust.

Before collapsing, we so were lucky to catch a documentary on PBS by chance. The hour-long movie is called Deadline Every Second, and contained interviews with 12 Associated Press (AP) photojournalists.

Most of the photographers are men, and I can see why; their job can be very physical. I was particularly inspired by Tara Todras-Whitehill, a female photographer in the Middle East, who literally had to do battle against pushy crowds every day.

Many of the photojournalists are stationed in war areas. (Be warned, some of the footage is graphic). All of the photographers are fantastically gifted and passionate about photography. I was riveted and moved by what they do - make sense and stunning visual art out of sometimes horrific circumstances.

If you are interested in photography, do a search of your public television station schedule. If the movie isn't scheduled, suggest it!

Unfortunately, the full movie is not online, but the dvd is available on Amazon. For more information, see the Deadline Every Second webpage, here.


Related posts: On the Rockefeller Tree and New York in Pictures, Shooting Film, in Tribeca and the Times, and The Look, Outside the Dakota.

On Street Carts and Bill Cunningham New York

Photo by myself on Sixth Avenue around 32nd Street, in Midtown.

There are so many street carts out on the sidewalks right now, one doesn't need to find a restaurant for dinner.

I was shooting a cart vendor who was framed in light. We happened to look up at each other at the same moment, just after a woman passed by.
--I had a long day on Friday. To cheer me up, Mark turned on a movie he thought I'd like. And we watched it. And I loved it.

Bill Cunningham New York is a documentary about Bill Cunningham, a street fashion photographer for the New York Times. His 'On the Street' feature is firmly established in the Style section, showing New Yorkers grouped according to fashion theme. It might be denim or slingback heels or cut-offs, whatever happens to be the fashion zeitgeist on the streets or on the runways.

Cunningham himself is a colorful character. He has almost no belongings, save his photo negatives, which are kept in dozens of file drawers. He often works for free. He wears the same blue jacket all the time. He lived in a tiny, tiny artist studio above Carnegie Hall for years.

The documentary shows him in his 60s through to his 80s (he's 82 this year!). To watch him biking around the city and spryly taking photos of passersby on the sidewalks wearing a big toothy grin is absolutely inspiring. He is obviously in love with looking at what people are wearing and taking photos.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you're interested in fashion and New York and photography, you will enjoy it.

To learn more about the documentary and watch it online, click here.

 

Related posts: Off-Kilter, on 18th Street, Faces in Fashion, in Bryant Park, and Fashionista Not.

Filming Outside Grand Prospect Hall, in Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A movie was being filmed outside Grand Prospect Hall, some time ago.

Grand Prospect Hall is a popular locations for weddings and other venues. I haven't gone inside, but a friend of mine did a photoshoot there and said the interiors were absolutely stunning.

The street was partially blocked off and people milled around the set. Movie production entails a lot of waiting around. Movies such as Prizzi's Honor, Cotton Club and Foxy Brown have been filmed here. 

As you can see, the exterior of this building has some pretty decoration. It is 140,000 square feet large and was completed in 1892. This was actually the first commercial building in Brooklyn to have electricity!

For the Grand Prospect Hall website, including some history and photos, click here.

Related posts: Filming on Location, in Soho, Movie in the Making, in Alphabet City, and Making TV Shows and Rain, on the Upper West Side.