Highlight Reel: Tom Cruise

In case you missed the hoopla, last night we played host to Tom Cruise. He spoke to T Magazine’s Lynn Hirschberg in front of an audience in The TimesCenter. Many of you tuned in to our live video feed, but for those who couldn’t make it we’ve pulled together the highlights above.

Last Call | Silence is Golden

 

“The Corner” (2008), multichannel DVD installation. (Courtesy of Shannon Plumb and Sara Meltzer Gallery)

A little less conversation, a little more action, please. Some 80 years have passed since the talkies revolutionized cinema, but for the Brooklyn-based artist Shannon Plumb, the best stories continue to be told on the silent screen. Plumb’s charmingly deranged film and video performances weave modern issues of individuality and experience with the time-honored practice of dialogue-free filmed performance.

Plumb’s current video project at Sara Meltzer gallery (on view until Oct. 4), “The Corner,” features a performance of four silent character studies on a three-screen floor-to-ceiling video projection. Each initially appears to be a urban stereotype, until a break in routine yields a more nuanced identity. Plumb’s aim was “to take the characters that you see on the corner, the ones most people think are bad, and show a different side to them. I wanted to show the hip-hop guy as not so cool: [he’s] always getting himself beat up. The man in a hooded sweatshirt with hands in his pockets isn’t really scary; he doesn’t have a gun. He’s blind, and he’s waiting for the ice cream truck.”

Pumped Up | The Rise of Shoetube.tv

Shoetube.tv walks the line between gonzo television and footwear fetishism.

Are you the type who would enjoy a clip of someone trying to decide among seven different pairs of leather boots? Ever contemplate posting an impassioned video tribute to your favorite pair of heels on the Internet? If so, then we’ve got the Web site for you. It’s called Shoetube.tv, and it’s basically a jazzed-up version of Youtube that caters to shoe lovers. The site features various shoe-related forums and blogs, as well interviews with designers and shopkeepers about the latest trends.

Now Screening | Milan Design Week Videos

As the footage comes in from our editors at the Milan Furniture Fair, we’re posting videos that capture the tenor of the high-end Italian design show. This morning we’ve posted two:

“Seeing the Light” — A special exhibition at the Bulgari Hotel curated by T Magazine with architect Ico Migliore. Pictured above.

“Design of the Times” — Photographs from the opening party for “Seeing the Light” exhibition hosted by T Magazine. How many design stars can you spot?

Tune in later for more exclusive videos from the 2008 Milan Furniture Fair.

Now Screening | The Adidas Story

What do Jesse Owens, Mark Gonzales, Ilie Nastase, and Oasis’s Liam and Noel Gallagher have in common? Each is a part of Adidas’s all-star heritage. It’s not often that one can sit through an overview of a multi-billion dollar company’s history without slitting one’s wrists, but thanks to a series of short films, Adidas has managed to make the process surprisingly enjoyable. Click here to view the first installment of the story of Adi Dassler (Adidas’s founder), narrated by the German actor Jürgen Prochnow, scored by the Prague Symphony orchestra and rendered in what appears to be Claymation 2.0.

Click below, then select “Watch the Film”…

Now Screening | Chloë Sevigny

Please silence your cell phone. The latest film showing at The Moment is a rhythm-heavy video collage of the actress Chloë Sevigny’s style set to the Slits’s track “Earthbeat.” See the fashion muse flaunt her Miu Miu, Mickey Mouse and Mormon-inspired wardrobe in T Magazine’s upcoming women’s spring fashion issue.

To view the video, click the image below…

Happy Holidays | Video Greetings From Andy Spade

In celebration of the season, T commissioned several artists to create short films on the theme of “giving.” The final video to arrive is “How Much to Go to the trees?” Story by Andy Spade, the founder of the Jack Spade men’s line; directed by Red Bucket Films.

“How Much to Go to the Trees?”
“Fargo” meets “Miracle on 34th Street” as two city kids go in search of the Real Spirit of Christmas. The film begins with the two boys heading out to find a “real” Christmas tree because their father is a devotee of minimalist design and has no appreciation for the old-school tradition of displaying a furfir tree. The boys’ adventure takes them in a cab upstate.