American Idol isn't the only one narrowing the field down. Artadia, The Fund for Art and Dialogue has selected 15 Houston artists as finalists in an annual competition for seven cash awards, ranging from $3,000 to $15,000.
Finalists include David Aylsworth, Natasha Bowdoin, Margarita Cabrera, Jonathan Caouette, Lily Cox-Richard, Bill Davenport, Augusto Di Stefano, Nathaniel Donnett, Francesca Fuchs, J. Hill, Kurt Mueller, Jim Nolan, Jeff Shore & Jon Fisher, Carl Suddath and Nester Topchy. They represent a broad section of Houston's visual arts community, from well established to emerging artists.
Founded in 1997 by investment banker and art collector Christopher E. Vroom, Artadia gives cash awards to artists in cities with active arts communities, such as Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and Houston. Since its inception, $2 million has been given in cash awards.
Panelists Deborah Cullen, director of curatorial programs, at El Museo del Barrio, New York; Toby Kamps, senior curator at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and New York artist Adam Pendleton, winnowed the list from 230 to 15.
Monica Ramirez-Montagut, curator at Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum; Sandra Jackson-Dumont, deputy director for education and public programs at the Seattle Art Museum; and Kamps will visit all 15 artists at their studios before selecting the seven winners. The announcement will be made at the end of April.
Robert Pattinson plays many different versions of the main character in Mickey 17.
Writer/director Bong Joon-Ho struck gold with his 2019 film Parasite, which won four Oscars, including Best Picture. That satire, one of the first in a recent spate of “eat the rich” stories, was the culmination of a career that the South Korean filmmaker has spent commenting on various social issues. He’s back at it again, perhaps a bit more obliquely, with his new film Mickey 17.
Set in 2054, it follows Mickey (Robert Pattinson), who decides to take drastic action after running afoul of a criminal syndicate. He decides to volunteer for a mission, led by failed politician/blowhard/cult leader Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), to colonize a far-flung snow planet called Nilfheim. Not caring what it takes to join, he chooses to become an “expendable,” aka a person who will participate in deadly experiments repeatedly, with clones of himself printed to be killed again.
Mickey fulfills his duties multiple times — 16 to be exact — until Mickey 17 unintentionally fails after seemingly being attacked by huge pill bug-like creatures dubbed “creepers,” by Marshall. Not knowing he wasn’t dead, mission staff create Mickey 18, setting in motion the central conflict. Mickey 17 must deal with the paradox of living with his clone, his now-muddled romance with Nasha (Naomi Ackie), and more.
Based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton, the film has fun with the ethics of cloning, space exploration, megalomaniacal leaders, and more. Your mileage may vary on how well the humor comes across, but it’s clear that Bong is aiming to satirize a lot of different things, as well as examine how humans react in certain extreme situations. The humanity of Mickey himself is called into question, given that the original Mickey is dispatched early in the film.
Bong used the collateral from his Oscar wins to get a much bigger budget than usual for him (reportedly $120 million), but the 140-minute film still maintains a relatively small feel. The specificity of the details of the story make it constantly interesting to watch, from the kowtowing of Marshall’s team of lackeys to the disgusting food Mickey eats throughout the film to the legion of creepers that emerge during the third act.
As the film goes along, though, it’s hard to fight the feeling that an overall point to the story is missing. The arc of Mickey 17 is enjoyable, but the film doesn’t seem to truly reckon with what it means to use clones in such a manner until a too-convenient third act reveal. The comedy and action are serviceable, but because they are supposed to be a means to an end that never fully materializes, their impact is lessened.
Pattinson clearly has a blast playing the multiple roles the film requires, imbuing each clone with little differences. He plays Mickey 17 and 18 off each other well, going between slapstick and melodrama. Ackie is a great complement to him, playing a supportive character who also has her own agenda. Ruffalo and Toni Collette, who plays Marshall’s wife, get to ham it up relentlessly, giving performances that are effective if somewhat grating.
Mickey 17 is right in line with the rest of Bong’s filmography, but after the highs of Parasite, it feels like a disappointment as a whole. Pattinson brings a verve to the film that the wild story needs; unfortunately, it never becomes as memorable as some of Bong’s previous work.
