viewfromaloft

Downtown Vid Pick: Cain's Arcade

Cain's Arcade (2012) Directed by Nirvan Mullick.

ADDED APRIL 25: This update of the Cain Arcade media machine comes from The New Yorker, who covered the first stop of this century's magical mystery tour, San Francisco's interactive science museum "The Exploratorium." The museum sent a seventy-foot semitrailer to fetch the cardboard arcade for a one-day exhibition, 'Open MAKE' "

Also, filmmaker Mullick was commended by hacker collective Anonymous through an email. “It felt as though I had been knighted by the Internet,” Mullick told New Yorker's Andy Isaacson.  

As expected, there are now film and TV offers on the table. And there are still tears.

Next [after the video's first viral week] people began posting videos of themselves crying while watching the film. A seventeen-year veteran of “The Simpsons,” one among legions of recent pilgrims to Caine’s Arcade, broke down weeping at the sight of the real thing. He told Mullick that the moment recalled for him the scene in “Ratatouille” when the cynical food critic eats a bowl of soup, evoking visceral memories of his own mother’s cooking. “That’s what happened to me when Caine crawled into the box for the first time to push tickets out of a hole,” said Mullick. “It brought me back to when I was a kid, and reminded me of why I used to make things, why I wanted to make films, for the pure joy of creativity.”

One note about the location of Smart Parts, home of Cain's Arcade.  In the film, Cain's Dad calls the area East Los Angeles, so it's no surprise East Coast media would go with it. But even if you don't look up the shop on a map, the shot of street signs in the film tells anyone familar with the city the car parts store is just on the other side of the river.

Last add:  Smart Parts is also a fitting name for an arcade made of found items.

The Perfect Moment Goes Perfectly Viral [view]

ADDED APRIL 19: More backstory on Cain at the New York Times.

Dozens of customers have bought his T-shirts, which are made to look just like the one he wears, emblazoned with “staff” on the front. Caine had his shirt made last summer, when his family was on vacation in Palm Springs. At a souvenir stand, he asked the attendant to write “Caine’s Arcade” on the back and then spelled out what he wanted on the front: “S-T-A-F-F.”

He did not know exactly what the word meant, but he had seen it on workers at the mall.  “I knew it made them important,” he said.  Now he charges $15 for a copy of the shirt. When one customer handed him a $20 bill on Tuesday afternoon, he pulled out a wad of bills only after asking, without a hint of sarcasm, “Do you need any change?”

ADDED APRIL 14: "On Saturday, (Aptil 13) the filmmaker, Nirvan Mullick, presented a big cardboard check to Caine for more than $152,000." Money is still coming in and will start a seed fund for "other children like Cain."  [ABC]

ADDED APRIL 12: On April 10, Nirvan Mullick sent a comment to BoingBoing's post about the surprise filming: 

"We started filming with Caine the day before the flashmob. We filmed his normal day routine, and then told him we wanted to get some footage of him at Shakey's Pizza where he won the first toy hoop he used to build his basketball game. As soon as he and his dad left, everyone started to arrive for the big surprise. He knew we were making a little film, but he had no idea about the flashmob surprise. : )

ADDED APRIL 11: Since posting this 24 hours ago, the short film has taken off even more. 1.4M views at Vimeo. Many comment on how Cain's fantasy arcade, the love from a father, the acceptance by strangers, brings them to tears (both men and women). What I also like is seeing this Boyle Heights version of "The Little Rascals" episode about a bunch of contraptions come to life by an endearing kid.

ORIGINAL POST:

This is a fun video to relaunch Downtown Vid Pic.  It's a gem.

Here is a dose of entrepreneur charm from a 9-year-old who built an entire arcade out of cardboard string, tape, and whatever loose items could be found around his Dad’s used auto part store in Boyle Heights. Business was slow for arcade owner / operator Caine Monroy, but that did not keep him from having tickets with purchase plans, wearing a proper outfit reading "Caine's Arcade,"  and having prizes displayed at eye level (for 9-year-olds).

One random auto part customer, filmmaker Nirvan Mullick, loved the arcade and arrange for a Flash Mob to meet at the shop on Mission Blvd, near César E. Chávez Ave. (You can see Hidden L.A. in one shot).

No more spoilers. See it for yourself.

The ten minute film is viral. It was posted April 8. As of end of April 10, it has 659K plays.  (Monroy as business person even got Forbes attention).

Mullick built a website that is taking donations for the boy’s college education.

New Self-Help Graphics not just a neighbor to the Downtown Arts District–they will be roomates with Ball-Nogues Studio.

Photo: Architectural photographer Timothy Hursley's photo of Gaston Nogues (left) and Benjamin Ball (right)  in Ball-Nogues new production space in Boyle Heights.  Self-Help Graphics will be sharing the space with Ball-Nogues.

When Self-Help Graphics announced it was moving in February, it was noted the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District was getting a new neighbor.

As it turns out, Self-Help Graphics will be sharing space with Ball-Nogues Studio, the design practice founded by SCI-Arc alum Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues, according to a February profile in Architect Magazine.

East L.A.'s Annual Christmas Parade cancelled. What Would Santa Say?

 

Rudy Moreno

"What do you mean the parade is cancelled, homes?"

Since 1974, The East Los Angeles Christmas parade has been a Whittier Blvd tradition. This year’s parade is canceled due to The Whittier Boulevard Merchants Assocation unable to cover costs for  L.A. County Sheriffs to oversee the crowd, which has been estimated to each up to 50,000 people.

What would Santa say about this?

One man qualified to speak on behalf of Los Kringle is Lincoln Height’s own Rudy Moreno. If he channeled  his inner “Cholo Claus,” as briefly seen the above clip 43 seconds in, we could only imagine Santa's reaction to the news he lost his gig to be the finale of the parade that showcases East Los Angeles.  Maybe we will be know by Sunday, the day the parade was scheduled to be held.  Moreno will be headlining  at the scrappy Downtown Comedy Club Friday and Saturday night.

BBQ, BURN, THEN SOME BEERS

'GREETINGS FROM EASTSIDE': Over Labor Day Weekend, an secret cell of Eastside bloggers held a BBQ meet-and-greet that included the burning of an effigy. On the grill, next to what appears to be husks of ceremonial corn, a stack of Maphawk's 2008-2009 "map and guide to the eastside" are on fire while eastside operatives offer greetings to the publishers.

The guide redefines the eastside as Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Downtown, Chinatown and West Hollywood. Not included on the map, that list goods and services, are the neighborhoods of Lincoln Heights, Boyle Heights, and East Los Angeles. In fact, the furthest point east is Downtown item 466; a yoga studio that is located on the west side of the Los Angeles River.

ABOVE:  Eastsiders in undisclosed backyard, photographer unknown. BELOW: Eastside Los Angeles map. Eastside Los Angeles Map.

Brief Latina Art Notes

An image of Self Help founder Sister Karen Boccalero sat near the press conference.  It's a piece of Man-One's Metro Gold Line Commission "The Four Pillars" that was installed as a temporary mural at First and Soto in Boyle Heights.

A CHO-LO-SPHERE LOOK AT THE CHO-LA-SPHERE.

PATRON SAINTS: Self Help Graphics & Art held a Friday morning press conference over the July 3rd sale of their building that took the board of directors and County Supervisor Gloria Molina by surprise. Also worth noting is Self Help's new blog, and that the current print exhibit is one of the better ones they have had. Proceeds go to Self Help. For more on the press conference. view LAEastside's  Immaculate Deception.
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STILL ON FIRE:  Underground Gallery opens  "Sandy Rodriguez: La Retrospecivita 1998-2008" with an reception tomorrow, Sunday July 13, from 7 - 10 pm.  A conversation with the artist will be held July 27 at 2pm.  Underground Gallery is at 1612 Waterloo Street, LA CA (213) 413-5913. Previously on VFaL. Also, it's the one year anniversary for the Echo Park adjacent gallery.
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OLD POST, BUT WORTH A LOOK: Ari Moore reviews Chicana  Art: The Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Altarities.
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OUTSIDE L.A.: If you miss Sonia Romero's Saturday afternoon opening reception for her project "The Lion's Share" you have until August 9 to see the her solo show celebrating the summer season. It's at The Folk Tree in Pasadena (217 South Fair Oaks Ave.)
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REBEL YELL: Pharmaka's "Rebel Legacy" takes the Chicano art movement into abstraction and is worth a long visit. The exhibit is curated by Kathy Gallegos, Director of Avenue 50 Gallery and ends July 31. A  panel discussion with the artists,  and book signing will be held Saturday, July 19, at 2pm.  Pharmaka is located at 101 W. 5th Street, at the corner of Main St.

Something Different for Cinco De Mayo

A movement is underway to give a Boyle Heights Chicano Vet a Posthumous Medal Of Valor.

In 1944, 18-year-old Private Guy Gabaldon was able to talk Japanese soldiers and civilians, including families, out of caves on the Japanese occupied island of Saipan by using the Japanese he learned from his childhood in Boyle Heights. By the end of the Gabaldon had rounded up 1,000 to 1,500 Japanese,  including in what may be a legendary version of the story––800 in one day.

The 5-foot, 3-inch tall Gabaldon was dubbed the "Pied Piper of Saipan" and received a Silver Star––that was later upgraded to a Navy Cross. His story was recounted in 1960's  "Hell to Eternity" that had Gabaldon portrayed by a much taller and less Latino Jeffery Hunter.  The story of that summer of 1944 now the subject of a documentary "East L.A. Marine."

AP has been sending out the story:

Now, more than 60 years after Saipan and almost two years after his death, a campaign has been launched to persuade U.S. officials to give Gabaldon the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. The new documentary "East L.A. Marine" is part of that effort, and a Web site urges supporters to sign a pro-medal petition. The film asks whether Gabaldon's Hispanic heritage has prevented him from receiving the medal; others have blamed his tough and outspoken nature.

Even his youthful compassion came from being outspoken. He saw his Boyle Heights friends and neighbors  sent to interment camps, and his first "capture" was in defiance of his commanding officers.  You can also see that outspoke nature in a series of interviews completed before he passed away in August of 2006. From The War Times Journal:

WTJ: Many people are shocked by your recollections of the fighting. After hearing of what you did, they usually expect someone with a more gentle attitude. What would you like those people to keep in mind?
Gabaldon: Many have wondered why I was so calloused to the harshness of battle while only an 18 year-old kid. I believe my childhood in the slums had much to do with my attitude in battle. I think it best to go back to when I was a ten-year-old lad living as a waif in the ghettos of Los Angeles, shining shoes on Skid Row. Fighting in the Pacific tropical jungles and living in the East Los Angeles ghettos had a lot in common - you had to be one step ahead of the enemy or adios mother!

According to NPR, the Pentagon is reviewing the cases of Latino and Jewish-American World War II soldiers to determine whether they should be awarded the Medal of Honor. Gabaldon is among them. 

Best Name for a website: getguythemedal.
Film details Hispanic Marine's acts in WWII [view from AP]
Pacific War Hero Deserved Highest Honor [NPR]
East LA Marine [website]

Under the Bridge

The sides of the 4th Street Bridge at Lorena are draped in blue tarp reinterpreting Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1972-1976 "Running Fence." It's environmental public art through the eyes of the parallel universe known as "the Eastside." 

Pushing the Envelope

L.A. Now applauds Louis Sahagun for not going warm and fuzzy, exploring the bi-cultural behavior of Salazar. However, watching my folks maneuver the 60s and 70s gracefully, with two languages as balance, has me believe a Latino reporter for a major newspaper during the Civil Rights era needed to be a cultural double agent. The results are these columns from Salazar that spoke pure journalism without compromising who he was, nor where he came from. 

Cindy writes: [A Chicana Outlook on Ruben Salazar]
Canceled stamp courtesy of Pamela Rouse; first in line at the Los Angeles Times.

Stamp for a Chicano Icon

The Los Angeles Times and Hoy L.A. will celebrate the commemoration of Ruben Salazar Day in Los Angeles and the April 22nd issuance of the U.S. Postal stamp honoring the slain Chicano journalist.

The Times' Downtown Globe Lobby will be the site of a photography and memorabilia exhibition being unveiled on April 22, and will be open to the public until the 24th.

LOA reports that City Council President Eric Garcetti will carry a motion the morning of April 18th  to declare April 22 Ruben Salazar Day.
 

Lincoln Heights to Boyle Heights

Above: Sal Castro, who taught at Lincoln High School during the 1968 East Los Angeles Walkout, spoke before today's reenactment of the 1.5 march from Lincoln High School to Hazard Park in Boyle Heights. Bottom: Original student activists and local officials, including Council members Jose Huizar and Ed Reyes, joined the 2,000 who marched today. More to come later. 

Thousands honor '68 walkouts by Mexican American students LAT