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Last Updated: June 18, 2008 - 10:12 AM
SFR Picks: May 14-20
By SFR Staff
Published: May 14, 2008
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WEDNESDAY
I Wanna Be Like Mike
It’s fun to play a doctor on TV. Especially one that saves lives during wartime in an exotic location. It’s a lot more fun than real war, that’s for sure. But for Mike Farrell, the role as BJ Hunnicut on M*A*S*H wasn’t just about fame and glory. The beloved comedy was also a little subversive in its take on war in
general and Farrell used his position to travel the world, learning firsthand about the environment, politics and the death penalty. Farrell’s 2007 memoir, Just Call Me Mike, details his life as both an actor and an activist and ignites his audience’s passion for political awareness. Ambassador Joseph Wilson introduces Farrell’s stories about hanging out with Sandinistas at the height of the Nicaraguan conflict, visiting hospitals in the Gaza Strip and meeting firsthand with death row inmates in Oklahoma. Capt. Hunnicut may have saved a lot of lives on TV, but in real life Farrell’s activism has made all the difference. (Patricia Sauthoff)
THURSDAY
Fingerpickin’ good
The fingerpicking of Portland, Ore., natives Scotland Barr and the Slow Drags is impressive enough to ignite a small rumble of hands clapping and feet tapping. With its contemporary take on Americana-infused country and roots
rock, Barr and the rest of the crew draw from a broad range of influences, including Merle Haggard, Warren Zevon, The Beach Boys and The Flaming Lips. The raspiness of Barr’s voice quickly demands attention as it conjures up memories of Paul Simon or early Beatles material. Armed with an arsenal of instruments, the Slow Drags’ combination of pedal steel, acoustic and rhythm guitars, keyboards, saxophone and theremin give the six-piece outfit an authentic roots-rock feel. Lyrically, Barr’s content spans the spectrum with both brooding and uplifting thoughts on love, life and everything in between.
(Kyle Eustice)
FRIDAY
Hung Liu, “Three Fujin of a Prince” |
The Asian Persuasion
The artists that Turner Carroll Gallery discovered for the Asian installment of its Artists to Watch series create simple beauty. Hung Liu’s paintings are intricate updates of traditional imagery and old-timey portraits. They’re huge. Some cover most of a wall. Step even closer to see multiple layers floating above one another—large-format prints of paintings on top of original
paintings, put under glass that is then painted over again. The birds are ready to take flight; the faces are on the verge of a smile. Similarly, Wanxin Zhang’s sculpture is an interesting modernist expression in traditional media. Think harder, though, and the connection to Qin Shi Huang’s ancient 7,000-man Terracotta Army is undeniable. The artists represented in this pan-Asian show are from a continent with a long and detailed history and a varied and fascinating present. Perhaps Zhang’s 2008 AD and Qin’s 246 BC aren’t so far apart. (Charlotte Jusinski)
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
We Are Familia
Paul Rodriguez has been making people bust a gut for decades. He’s probably entertained your entire family. If his stand-up routines or roles in Born in East LA and DC Cab didn’t kill you in the 1980s, surely his voice as Leon (the circus lion) on Dora the Explorer has had the little ones in stitches. Like most
successful comedians, Rodriguez’ shtick is a commentary on universally mundane subjects that are twisted into palatable, and, well, funny observations about family, culture and current events. Where other Latino comedians, such as Cheech Marin, cut their teeth on burned-out one-trick ponies, Rodriguez cast a wide net over a panoramic television and film career. The comedian and fellow performers, Gene Pompa, Shayla Rivera and Manny Maldonado, roll into town for two gigs, which they plan to record and distribute worldwide—thus proving that laughter is the one thing that we all have in common. (Gabe Gomez)
© Copyright 2000-2008 by the Santa Fe Reporter
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