Babylon

A mish-mosh of a film throughout, Babylon speeds through earliest Hollywood Blvd. like a cocaine fueled, slapstick farce, occasionally slamming the brakes for spurts of sophomoric, overbaked drama which unfortunately comes off as sadly ludicrous. Could have been a seriously good movie- if someone had stuck to the script... any of the half dozen or so to be found within its three hours.

Like To Travel?

   Have some spare time? 

You're In Luck!!!

Start planning your 2023 now!

Happy New Year!

And I ask you, what better way is there to ring in The New Year than with some new pics from this year's SF leather fair(s)? A little bit o' levity to ring out the old year before it starts raining indictments in the new... Be there- will be wild!

All Photos: © S. Banos

All Photos: © S. Banos

Top 3 (Non)Regrets In Life

1) Not getting a motorcycle in my youth- dead of a drunken joy ride within two weeks... guaranteed! Somehow, someway, I actually had just enough self awareness then to realize that fact- still give myself considerable credit for the light speed certainty of acknowledging that most basic reality, no questions asked. Reason for being #1, fairly obvious. 

2) Never enrolling in an Aikido dojo, always thought it the "intellectual martial art;" dug the way cool aesthetics of the B&W gets ups too. In fact, it's little more than a dance class where participants concentrate on practicing well rehearsed, choreographed counter moves, often in slow-mo, meant to subdue and make short work of your opponent- I fell for its subtle, less is more, turn their own power against them approach! Unfortunately, it's more WWE make believe than anything else- but don't take my word for it!   

3) Not getting a digital (pigment inkjet) printer- even if I had the room and money, it would have no doubt hastened the demise of my marriage considerably more efficiently than anything my already inherent failings would eventually unravel. What with: paper profiles, clogged inkjets, jammed paper, and software I would never quite master in a desperately futile attempt to make the print match the ideal screen image- all the while gushing wasted inks (worth more than their weight in gold) in the process... Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth would have rendered anyone within a twenty mile radius senseless!

The Whale

I hate tear jerkers, not because I'm so manly (I hate football too)- but because I don't appreciate the attempt at being so obviously manipulated, emotionally or otherwise. And everyone in The Whale, and I mean everyone, has the reddest, teariest eyes in all Hollywood, all deep within the weight of their own personal suffering. That said, this is one of the best flicks I've seen in a long, long time...

Brendan Fraser plays Charlie, a morbidly obese, failed father struggling for redemption while slowly but proactively committing suicide. We're thrust into his claustrophobic world and never leave it for the entirety of the movie- and we are never bored. The movie does an incredible job of recreating a home dominated by one's chronic illness: the age long grime and creases in the furnishings, the monocolor gloom- you can smell the staleness of the air...

Eventually, it becomes clear why Charlie's devoted nurse and friend (Hong Chau- the stem maitre d' in The Menu) is so forgiving and understanding; he has a face (oh, what a face!) that simply defies animosity, and a personality to match- despite his major fuck up(s), like neglecting his relationship with his daughter (Sadie Sink- a major acting tour de force in her own right).

It's amazing how a whole lifetime of hurt and experience can be encapsulated into one small apartment already bursting at the seams from its one occupant, all in one week's time, but Darren Aronofsky achieves just that. 

"I Didn't Believe It For One Second."

But I'll perpetrate the lie all you want!

East Coast/West Coast- Triple Double

Walk, SF-   Photo: © S. Banos

Walk, NYC-    Photo: © S. Banos

Garage, SF-    Photo: © S. Banos

Garage, NYC-    Photo: © S. Banos

Selfie, NYC-   Photo: © S. Banos

Selfie, SF-  Photo: © S. Banos

HAPPY HOLIDAYS Y'ALL!

THE Calendar For 2023- Year Of The Dog!

At last, something to keep one even keeled and optimistic throughout the year- any year, dog lover or not!

And if I could have made a contribution:

Photo: © S. Banos

Favorite video clip of the year- (37:45):

"Better Than Lincoln, Better Than Washington!"

"I don't know if dinner with me is an amazing prize, but it's what we have."  -DJT 

And a peek at a document for dessert?

PS-   The only thing I wanna know... can ya scale 'em digitally!?!

PPS- Flushing, NY- land of my childhood.

Spray & Pray And...

Ashamedly, I've looked at wasted waaay too much time on "street photography" videos. It's a bad addiction, like obsessively eating food without really enjoying or tasting it. It's gotten to the point where I watch them just to revel in how obviously and uniformly bad they are- actually, the production values are usually quite high, as for the content... Photograph of man crossing the street, photograph of man on phone, photograph of man in front of sign and/or billboard, photograph of bits and pieces of somewhat randomly matching colors hither and yon- all presented as genuinely successful examples of... street photography! 

So I was delightfully surprised coming upon this Nick Turpin video, not only can aspiring photographers learn valuable tips from someone who actually knows what they're doing- it also contained something that was actually revelatory! I've always considered "spray and pray" an affront to anyone trying to achieve consistent, quality results- and yet, right there (start around 7:45) is living proof that it can, in fact, be an occasionally useful tool. Proof positive of a rather wonderful photograph that wouldn't have existed otherwise- it just occurred too damn fast for normal human reaction, make that too fast even for human sight!

Then again, it should be noted that he employed this tactic in a content rich situation where something that good just may occur, it's just amazing (least to me) to witness it happen in real time. And ya can't argue with real time results. Am I now switching my shutter button to "Continuous?" Hardly, but I am going to consider it on certain occasions, more than I have before ...

Windows On The Bay

Thought about doing something on this for a coupla years now, certainly been in the news enough- just couldn't get a handle on how to actually... do it. That is, how to present it in a visually compelling way, since broken car windows are not all that intriguing once you get over the initial shock. Finally realized one had to concentrate on how each individual dealt with the aftermath of their "Smash and Grab" auto break in. And since I started, things have gotten crazier... and crazier... and crazier still- particularly when it comes to photographers!

Of course, some will seek to selectively politicize this and pontificate on how San Francisco (and CA as a whole) is drowning in crime because... it's a Blue Lib state! Somehow they seem to forget that Red states have the most violent crime and highest murder rates- you'd think that all the "good guys with guns" would have things in check there! But I digress...

Yeah, things are off the hook here in SF, it both saddens and angers me- we have to honestly confront and enact (without the now mandatory gaslighting and name calling) effective reforms and parameters that will specifically address and curtail our local problems no matter the color of our politics. Windows On The Bay is literally just a small (broken) window into an ongoing problem endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area, but universal in how such crime(s) affect, demoralize and... hopefully rally citizenry to appropriate problem solving solutions.

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Bon Appetit!

The Menu is one of the more singularly imaginative movies to come down the pike in quite some time- not a cinematic masterpiece by any means, but clever, original, revelatory and for the most part... enjoyable. Billed as a: horror, drama, black comedy, and then some; it savagely satirizes the cult of: celebrity, class and privilege- not to mention the very nuts and bolts of cults themselves. The career induced veneers are gradually exposed and revealed, no one escapes unscathed, and everyone is guilty as charged to one degree or another. Kinda like life... 

And the food looks good, real good, including the cheeseburger!

ADDENDUM: A much more erudite review...

The Outlands, Selected Works- William Eggleston

W. Eggleston from The Outlands

Now, mind ya, this seems to be the second book titled with more or less the same name- the first seems to be some $300 trilogy from Steidl that you can still get at Amazon, the one I saw was the current offering from Zwirner at a third that price. And let's just say, The Outlands is big and beautiful! If you're a fan of Big Bad Bill, as am I, it will certainly not disappoint. The reproductions are just gorgeous- deep, saturated... and while you have a few less than memorable shots, the majority are quite good, many as good as anything he's ever done! And I never quite got his rep for the "snapshot aesthetic," it's his imaginative, well thought out compositions that make his signature style far as I'm concerned. And there's one thing that really struck me while perusing through this book- the absolute joy he had sticking his camera here, there, wherever and seeing what he could come up with. And come up with them he did! 

And if you're lucky enough to be NYC way, don't miss the show... till 12/17.

Sometimes...

Photo: © S. Banos

You just adapt to the camera- actually, you always adapt to the camera. Guess what I'm really trying to say is that sometimes you not only change how you shoot to accommodate yourself to your new camera's quirks and advantages, sometimes you actually change what you're shooting because of it. I've rather unknowingly found myself taking advantage of the Q's FF sensor to shoot images featuring increased expanses of more dimly lit areas. The improved shadow detail is rendered in a richer, more pleasing manner that facilitates more nuanced lighting scenarios that previously went either without consideration or appreciation. 

That said, I was damn lucky to get these- right place, right time, nothing but coincidence. To think I could just walk about residential San Francisco (forgot just how beautiful so many parts of this city still are) and continue to find interesting sites kissed with just the right balance of light and shadow is far from realistic. But, at the very least, this has opened up both a new way and new time of seeing- and that is something to draw on for the remainder,,,

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Just Trying To Make Sense

Back in the day, if you weren't getting laid (assuming you uhhh... wanted to), it wasn't exactly a point of pride. I mean you could joke about it all ya want- hell, ya had to if it was the case... but a point of pride?!? I mean this whole incel thing is truly bizarre, perverted is more the word. So this guy can not only not deal with other races, he can't even deal with the opposite sex, or the same- and then starts pontificating about the virtues of Catholic autocracy, without any irony whatsoever concerning the rather well documented exploits of certain priestly "incels" and their male, childhood victims.

I guess no fellow White Power advocate has ever called Mr. Fuentes a "Spic," that just may have changed his perception while growing up. Just how does he get to be all Aryan like with that surname again?

And speaking of trying to make sense of shit that just don't...

Smile!

Happy Taco Tues... Thanksgiving!            Photo: © S. Banos

Don't know how many times I've said how I absolutely hate photos of people smiling and/or mugging for the camera, but every dog has its day and I just kinda like it for the silly snapshot that it is. It was taken on Halloween, the eve of my three week illness, and I had no idea that the thing that kept flopping on his head from side to side was supposed to be a taco, until I saw it on my monitor. But then, who knew Thanksgiving marked the beginning of the end of the dinosaurs?

That said...

Hope everyone reflects, takes stock and gives thanks in a life that is woefully short and made only shorter by all the things we humans purposely sabotage ourselves with: war, racism, greed... the whole sorry lot of human faults and frailties that plague the very nature of our being. And, not surprisingly, this holiday set aside to do just that has predictably mutated into one of gluttony and spending. Try as we might, the ideal somehow always devolves into the trivial, that realization being both the key for enlightenment, and the very basis for indoctrination, division and subjugation.

Good Riddance 2022!

How I felt early Fri-AM.          Photo: © S. Banos

As good as 2022 has been photographically, I coulda really done without this October and November. First, there was the plague of... bed bugs! Most likely courtesy of my next door neighbor who recently moved out- often were the times I wondered who could possibly survive in her place with the stench of rubbing alcohol seeping out into the hallway that would literally take my breath away in passing. Oh, that was a heaping, helping load full of fun- first the bites, then the denial, then more and more bites trying every which way to get rid of the damn things, and miserably, repeatedly failing. Fearing the very night itself, fearing for my own sanity... until I finally, finally concocted a working solution that mercifully worked and rid me of the little blood suckers (I refused to have everything I owned, including me, doused in pesticide). It's no small wonder that people have accidentally burned down their very homes trying in desperation to rid themselves of the evil little shits.

Then came... the health woes! Two trips to the ER, one in an ambulance, courtesy of a woefully inept health care service. If only life had bequeathed me such equal heights and peaks of absolute pleasure to match the severity of pain that so repeatedly savaged certain parts of my body. Last Friday (TMI Warning!), I was finally relieved of an appendage that was shoved into me with half a dozen thrusts that had me screaming bloody fucking murder each and every time (and that was far from the worst of it). I spent said morning just carelessly walking about practically giddy with joy just being able to do so, pain free and physically unencumbered. I even managed two keepers while doing so- and three the very next day! Not a bad antidote for vengeance and recovery.

And I would have been happy to leave it that... except that a good friend I've known since childhood just had the latest of a long series of his own health setbacks that have made mine look positively light hearted- and I don't say that casually. Hard to feel all upbeat and positive when someone you know has been dealt such harsh, repeated and life altering blows- accepting them without bitterness or complaint. Something I am well not accustomed to. I've just had periodic servings, some get the full course dealt them...

Post euphoric reality...     Photo: © S. Banos

Fool's Paradise...

I mean, seriously- if you ain't already deterred by the blatant illegitimacy of the offer, then you most certainly deserve... "The Fool Set." Back when I was very patiently stalking the best deal possible for a used Q, I would occasionally come across eBay offers such as this, originating in Eastern Europe- woefully underpriced, Mint Cond Q's and Q2's whose shipping exceeded their sell price, peddled by Sellers with 100% Positive Feedback... and one previous sale to their name! Always got an immediate chuckle- although the fact that eBay still allows this to occur (the one on top is but a coupla weeks old) is certainly not a laughing matter!

Best-Laid Plans Of...

Photo: © Stan Banos

I was recently sitting and thinking, had a pretty damn good year photographically, definitely got my share of keepers. Yup, sure did. Then I started contemplating on my long term plan, good plan, solid plan- crank out the work till seventy when my SS gets to $2k, and then- just roll with the punches with the bit I got stashed... Golden! 

Only one small glitch- I can be as good and faithful to plan as can be, but... there's no guarantee in any of it. Only one fool has agreed to the terms- and that be me! Having just turned sixty seven, I've seen one too many friends and acquaintances fold in that five year stretch starting at sixty five. Goddamn Danger Zone Supreme! And it really don't matter how good your health is, how good you've been taking care of yourself- Nature's gonna do what nature's gonna do... and it don't give a flying monkey what you got planned! 

Last two weeks I got pretty damn ill, spent a good portion of it exploring new heights and levels of excruciating pain in areas of my body I had already thought could not possibly be surpassed! Had my health care service (Thrive Baby!) been half what it so proudly touts itself to be, I would have been back on my feet in ten days- Tops! Somewhere between the two trips to the ER (one in an ambulance), I got to seriously thinking on my Grand Master Plan. That little bit o' money ain't gonna do squat for quality of life if I can't get out and enjoy it! I mean, lord knows what's headed down the pike next time I get laid out- maybe the smart deal is to quit while the going's not yet quite gone... 

Blue Pill/Red Pill

Photo: © Stan Banos

Here We Go...

Photo: © Stan Banos   (Click to embiggen).

This Tuesday, America votes; and (as previously stated) many a MAGA extremist, election denier has now been legally ensconced to positions of oversight in the most crucial aspects of the voting process in key swing states throughout our country (and yet more to come with anticipated Republican victories). All this, while America reels from the gaping wound of having 40% of it's populace no longer bound by the common earthly realms of: science, history or any remotely verifiable fact... All the doing of one man, and one man alone- The Greatest Con Man Of The 21st Century! A man who does not have to prove one single thing he says for others to revere as dogma, and who is totally above question or consequence even as he openly denies and defies an ever increasing cavalcade of grievous criminalities. An unhinged, narcissist elite who has single-handedly galvanized a nationwide community of those even more unhinged (and formally recognized as such). He has not faded into the shadows as many had hoped, nor has his followers who he continues to incite- many well armed, and vowing to outdo the other to make an impression.