Pittsburgh Art Happenings: 1/30-31/09.

Due to an unusual amount of chaos in my life, I haven't been entirely accurate in my predictions for what I might do during the weekends. I have listed a number of events over the past couple weeks that I may have had the best intentions of attending, only to find myself waylaid by life's surprises. But somehow I feel grounded if I continue to identify potential highlights, so I'm going to forge ahead and mention a few places where I may be found over the next couple of days.

Friday

If you didn't go to the opening reception for "The Big Hang-Up" at the Zombo Gallery, you do get another shot to see the work at the closing (6-11PM). Michael's happy about the nice turn out and some "groovy" sales, so it's an ideal time to drop by and say "hi!". Maybe you'll even run across Jason Woolslare, who I am told has been offered a future solo on the strength of the work he contributed to this show. And if you get bored, Stinky's is across the street.

Fe Gallery has finally moved on from the rigors of planning, organizing, and executing their huge survey of local art. Now the gallery features the work of just one artist- Joshua Space. I don't know what kind of work he does, and I can't find a lot of documentation on the web, so all I can do is alert your attention to the opening on Friday night from 7-9PM. At least you heard about it somewhere...

I haven't been to the Society for Contemporary Craft (2100 Smallman Street) in awhile. That's mostly due to the fact that their last exhibition opened more than six months ago. With that kind of manufactured anticipation, the joint reception (5:30-8:00PM) for Bridge 10 (the three solo exhibitions opening this month) carries an air of heightened importance. Robert Briscoe (clay), Tom Loeser (furniture) and Christina Y. Smith (small metals) are the featured artists.


Friday and Saturday

People that know me well are aware that I don't go to see films in theaters. You can't smoke, there is always someone nearby doing something irritating, and no one will pause the movie if you have to go to the bathroom. Why not stay home and watch something on your own terms? Occasionally there is something so compelling that I have to go out to see it, and it's usually a work that I have little hope of seeing issued on DVD. Such is the case with "Fear(s) of the Dark", a collection of animated shorts focused on presenting the disturbing, the thrilling and the haunting. I don't recognize many of the creators, but Charles Burns is among them. That alone justifies the $7 ticket price at Melwood Filmmakers in Oakland (showtimes 7:30 and 9:30 both nights). As a bonus, Bill Boichel (of Copacetic Comics) will be on hand live on Saturday to introduce the production.


Saturday

In these trying economic times, we can expect to see all sorts of different approaches to selling art in the Pittsburgh region. Joan Barenbregge over at Élan Gallery (427 Broad Street, Sewickley) has decided to forge ahead with a series of monthly art auctions. The first of the series occurs this weekend. Show up Saturday morning between 9-10AM to preview the work, and bid on your favorites from 10AM-3PM.

And finally... Encyclopedia Destructica is releasing their latest book: Make Your Own Truth, which contains work by Jonathan Brodsky, Juliacks, Paus Akid, Alberto Almarza, Josh Atlas, and Rick Gribenas. As a bonus they have included some prints documenting some pretty fancy powerpoint presentations. To celebrate this issuance, they have an event at the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery on the Carnegie-Mellon campus, starting at 5:30PM. Get there on time and you won't miss the presentation of their "Flying Destructucate Award" to the aforementioned Brodsky.

David Fincher, "Zodiac" (2007).

There are some American film lovers that will insist that director David Fincher is an auteur. His hyper-stylized and frenzied movies have captivated the ADHD generation. He has made a handful of successful thrillers, including Se7en (1995), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), and Panic Room (1992). In the process he has amassed a huge and loyal fanbase. His early development prepared him well for the role he now fills in our cultural landscape. He started off working for George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic. He then produced a commercial for the American Cancer Society that featured a fetus smoking a cigarette. This brought him to the attention of the film industry, and gave folks a hint of his developing aesthetic.

Fincher has also directed numerous music videos for Propaganda Films. Notable among his clients were George Michael, Billy Idol, Nine Inch Nails, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, and The Rolling Stones. This work proved that Fincher could display comfort and confidence while at the helm of a very large budget. He was subsequently tagged to make Aliens 3 (1992), a project he would later publicly disavow due to creative differences with 20th Century Fox. After this experience he went on to produce the aforementioned series of films, which propelled him into his current status. He is known to take on challenging stories, and commit to an unflinching depiction of oftentimes sordid material.

I've always viewed Fincher with skepticism. I've felt that he undermines his own promise with melodrama and elaborate special effects. While his films are usually good entertainment, there is always at least one 'groaner moment' which keeps the work from ascending to the level of art. With that perspective, I began watching Zodiac (his latest movie) with reservations. I had read some good reviews from sources I trust, but could not imagine being wholly satisfied with a Fincher picture. My preconceptions seemed to be confirmed in the first half hour of this serial killer flick. While we watch the tense lead-up to the first on-screen murder, we are suddenly subjected to the rising volume of period rock-and-roll. It really does feel as if Fincher has flash backed to his time with MTV.

Even if I did find a hint of crass exploitation in the soundtrack, I resolved to make it through the 157-minute running length of Zodiac. I was familiar with the story, having read Kelleher and Van Nuys' This is the Zodiac Speaking. I wanted to see just how much fealty Fincher would have to the historical source material. It didn't necessarily bode well that all of the killings were portrayed in the first hour of the film. I wondered what the director could have to fill the rest of the time. I was mildly pleased to see the story transform from a series of violent vignettes to a brooding study of growing obsession. The Zodiac case kept much of California on the edge of abject terror for almost half a decade. Fincher's approach seemed refreshing.

By the end of the movie I was ready to give Fincher some long withheld credit. Not only was he able to assemble a great cast of major and minor players (including Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr., Jake Gyllenhall, Chloe Sevigny, Anthony Edwards, Elias Koteas, Adam Goldberg, Clea Duvall, and John Carroll Lynch), but he was able to include roles that gave them something to chew on. It was refreshing to see that Fincher could include characterization in his film-making toolbox. His trademark atmosphere was present without being overwhelming, and there were only a few moments of obvious excess. It makes me feel better about the rumor that he has agreed to adapt Charles Burns' excellent art comics series, Black Hole. That material is too good to see it marred by an immature sensibility.