Innovation Makes Art Matter for All with Jane Alexander, Cleveland Museum of Art
Jane Alexander discusses the value of thoughtfully investing in innovation, sharing the insights and outcomes that have made the Cleveland Museum of Art a leader in the field with over a decade of captivating outward facing experiences that seamlessly blend art and technology.
Jane will discuss the CMA’s methodologies and unique iterative approach to digital projects that celebrate pioneering tech while centering inclusive design, resulting in substantive experiences that transform visitors’ relationship with art.
Practices include prioritizing robust backend systems and developing meaningful partnerships to create outward facing experiences that are successful from concept to sunset, and from server to UI.
'The Ring' – The American take on Japanese horror on Netflix and Paramount+
The original Ringu (Japan, 1998) was a more than a hit; the unnerving horror film was a phenomenon in Japan and all over Asia. Gore Verbinski’s remake The Ring (2002) is faithful to both the story and the style, and the result is one of the most genuinely eerie American horrors in years.
Naomi Watts plays Rachel Keller, a Seattle newspaper reporter and single mother who stumbles onto the urban…
10/10 Stars (I know that's high but I'm biased, I'm sorry)
Does it make me a strange person to list Oscar Best Picture winner Kramer vs. Kramer as one of my favorite films ever? If so, I deeply apologize. It is just one of those movies that never, ever fails to touch me. It's common for people to put on a comedy when they're in a bad mood, but I put on this film. Want to know why? Because I'm a big ol' fan of crying..
It stars Dustin Hoffman (Ted) and Meryl Streep (Joanna), parents to their little boy Justin Henry (Billy). Joanna leaves Ted at the very start of the film, as the couple had grown emotionally distant over time. Joanna couldn't be the housewife Ted wanted her to be. Not only does she leave Ted though, she also leaves her son. Ted is left alone to deal with the wreckage of this. At first, it's made clear that Joanna did most of the parenting. There's a scene where Ted is trying to make Billy french toast, one of the easiest meals ever (I eat it reguarly....), and is failing miserably. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdKnom6qydE
This failure doesn't stay, though. Over the course of the film, we watch Ted get closer and closer to his son. When he's injured, he runs him to the hospital. He leaves the job that he put so much of his passion into, that his wife left him for, just so he could be with his son. And when Joanna comes back to try and get him back, it shows just how much his character grew because of how hard he fought. Something he wouldn't have done previously.
The most touching scene to me is a recreation of the french toast scene I mentioned earlier. He again makes his son breakfast, right before he's to be taken from him. But instead of the frantic, desheveled nature of the previous, Ted is calm and solemn. He makes the toast perfectly without any qualms. It's the perfect representation of who he had become over the course of a few months. To be honest, I cry every single time. It's such a simple scene, but so, so powerful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jXwg8gBuQ0
This movie said a lot about family was traditionally viewed, especially in the 70s. What was considered "standard" was the atomic family; a mom, dad, and two kids. This movie challenged that, stating that a single dad can give a child a good childhood, that the mother isn't always the most fit parent. And it revealed in subtle ways, how the courts bias towards the mother can be harmful towards kids.
I also wanted to touch on the acting in this movie, because. it. is. phenomenal. Dustin Hoffman gives such a heartwrenching performance as Ted. He is one of my personal favorite actors, and this movie is a perfect example of why. He won Best Actor for this role at the Oscars, deservingly. And Meryl Streep! She brings so much heart to a role, that is all her. No script writer can do what she does to the role of Joanna. You can really sympathize with her, even if she's not always an ideal mother. She won Best Supporting Actress for this role. Also, Justin Henry (Billy) is 51 now, which freaks me out a little. I wasn't alive when this movie came out, but it's still hard to wrap my head around that the child is now in his 50s. I can't, I just can't.
All in all, I REALLY suggest giving this a try. For those who aren't into dramas, and a more character-based story, though, this may not be for you.
Testament (1983). The life of a suburban American family is scarred after a nuclear attack.
One of the best apocalypse films I've seen in a long time, I can't believe I'd never heard of it! Haunting in its exploration of grief after disaster, it never shies away from tragedy. Jane Alexander is staggering in the lead role too - her Oscar nom SO deserved (what a stacked year for Lead Actress!) so for that alone it's well worth adding to your list. Really, really good. 8/10.