Vox’s posts tagged film

Movie Byte: SiCKO

nobody@vox.com(K. Noble) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:37:46 +0000

SiCKO will make you cry

At least, it made my wife cry, and I felt upset and powerless after seeing it.

Yes, Michael Moore has come under fire for some of his claims in the film. He does, however, hava a page on his SiCKO website where he backs up many of his claims with direct links to his source material.

Whether you like Mr. Moore or not, this movie will make you question why an inhaler that costs over $200 in the U.S. costs less than 5 cents in Cuba. It will make you wonder why $800 billion of our tax dollars will go to the drug/health insurance industry, and yet there has been no real progress on finding a cure for things like heart disease, cancer, AIDS, etc. It might even provoke to you rage when you learn that doctors employed by HMOs are paid bonuses based on how many claims they can deny.

I feel less human after seeing this movie. The HMOs and drug companies view us like cattle. It's sad how easy it is for them to condemn people to death with one or two keystrokes. For anything to change, health care will need to find its conscience, and I'm not confident that will ever happen.

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Homegrown

nobody@vox.com(Cantara Christopher) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:09:23 +0000

Homegrown Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal

And here's a toke from Stephen's Homegrown (1998) with Ryan Philippe, Billy Bob Thornton and Hank Azaria.

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Bumbershoot is coming

nobody@vox.com(VirtualSound) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:19:51 +0000

Bumbershoot is at the end of the month in Seattle, anybody planning on going?

I'm experimenting with audio blogging, I plan on trying to do some simple stuff from the festival and getting it posted in near real time. Videos and photos will take a little longer.

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Experimental audio blog via Unity Connection

nobody@vox.com(VirtualSound) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:43:47 +0000

Since I'm an employee of Cisco and I'm using and mentioning Cisco products, I should be clear: the views, comments and (hopefully) insights found here are purely mine, not Cisco's. No official or corporate views or policies will be expressed here, only my personal opinions.

Bumbershoot is coming and I want to do something creative or productive. Last year I took a notebook and occasionally scribbled some notes while at the Seattle Center (laying on the ground in Memorial Stadium twice) so it didn't work out all that well. I eventually blogged about it later, but many details were gone by then - I always end up seeing so many bands that by the end of it I forget what they sounded like and what I enjoyed for the majority of them.

Cisco has encouraged us to look at web 2.0 and be creative, so here's what I've come up with. It's mostly nearly web 1.0, at least so far, but I envision eventually linking this to other web 2 apps such as the user editable maps, perhaps get a GPS with path recording, if we can adorn the path with links to the audio blogs, pictures and videos on a map of the center it could get interesting.

I'm experimenting with audio blogging by leaving voice mails on my corporate phone and grabbing the .wav file using Outlook in Windows. It took me some fiddling to figure out the server and password, but it works.

VoiceMessageTest

Pretty slick. I'm using IMAP to connect Outlook into Unity Connection, the voice messaging product from Cisco that I work on. The voice message account just looks like another e-mail account in-box, it's sea-alpha-cuc in this example:

UC Inbox

The inbox shows my voice mail messages with the message attached as a .wav file for each message. I left one using my cell phone sitting at home with my lap-top using VPN over wifi/cable modem with Outlook running and the cuc-install-49 folder selected as shown. The message appeared (and Outlook beeped) in a fraction of a second. Under load it may get slower, but I expect load to be low on Labor Day weekend during Bumbershoot so we should be OK.

The VoiceMessage.wav file can be saved by right clicking on it and selecting Save As. In this example the wav file is 103 KB, just short of 13 seconds of 8 KB/sec audio.

UC Inbox Detail

The sound was better than I had expected, if not spectacular. I added it to this blog as VoiceMessageTest above to the right so you can see - or should I say hear - for yourself.

Uploading it into Vox was mildly trivial. I think from now on I'll use small rather than medium sound icons, but otherwise we're pretty much good to go.

Hmm, sheer genius - I need to go somewhere with live music this weekend to do a dry run, I want to see what a 15 second bit of a song sounds like. Also I want to try talking or perhaps screaming over the music and seeing if we end up with anything intelligible. A job related excuse to hit the bars and drink some beer - I mean listen to some music and audio blog. What'll I think up next!

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KALPVRIKSH (THE WISHING TREE) : YOUR DREAMS .. ARE JUST A TOUCH AWAY - Manika Sharma - Rajeev Jain -

nobody@vox.com(Kalpvriksh) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:44:08 +0000

Kalpvriksh

ENTER

KALPVRIKSH - A FILM BY MANIKA SHARMA

KalpVriksh – THE WISHING TREE is a magical, inspirational and an extremely entertaining story of five children in a hill-station who come together to save their ‘wishing tree’ (KALPVRIKSH) from being cut by vested interests. The film is extremely lively, entertaining, endearing and engrossing so that the underlying message to protect trees and environment is seamlessly driven home.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FILM

KALPVRIKSH has been selected by Kodak to be a part of their “International Emerging Film-makers Programme”.
The film is going to be dubbed in all principal languages of the world as it transcends all barriers of regions, dialects and cultures while addressing the most basic requirement of our human race’s survival, a green earth, in the most magical, captivating and entertaining manner whereby children, the real custodians of our planet, the earth, would be naturally drawn to fall in love with trees and mother earth and nature.
Choreographed by Ashley Lobo, the songs of KALPVRIKSH are treated as those in a musical. They not only take the story forward but are integral to the narrative.
The Earth song is a colorful collage of images to tell the story of the Earth’s evolution. As we travel over snow capped mountain peaks to gushing waterfalls and rivers, pupae turn into butterfly and a giant dragonfly flaps its wings across the sky over a dense tropical forest.
Dhanua’s dhaba song is his fantasy on the other side of life, where his abusive and exploitative owner, Shankar dada transforms into a sorrier version of Dhanua in rags and Dhanua becomes the Don (the underworld King) of the dhaba, flashing a white three piece suit and a red shining car. This song is in theatrical genre.
Nikita’s concert song on stage as a rock-star is complete showbiz. It’s the opening song of the film and resembles a Michael Jackson concert in which the fans are fainting with awe and adrenalin is running high.
The celebration of the tree song is vibrant and has the raw energy of nature. It throbs with life. The tree sways from side to side and dances, shivers and gurgles like a baby with the children. The Wishing tree is happy to come back to life after thousands of years with the love and faith of the children.
KALPVRIKSH is a very visual film. All the scenes in the film are color-coded, they fall within a certain scheme of colors according to the mood and inner journey of the characters. For instance Sean’s room is blue, reflecting his state of mind. He misses his father constantly.
The fantasies (the songs) of the children are shot glamorously and are visually starkly different from their reality within the film. For instance Nikita’s concert song is to be shot in an indoor auditorium like space, with the stage decorated with yellow lights (‘Chicago’ feel) and neon sticks, which the children across the stage (the fans) will hold up as the rock-star's performance progresses with great gusto.
KALPVRIKSH or the Wishing Tree is a specially designed 25-foot tree created in fiberglass and rubber, for this film. It is being created in real as well as on computer graphics to render a fantasy feel for children. It will also be very real. The whole concept of an old man like tree, twisted, which can hug and dance almost like a person is endearing & exciting.
KALPVRIKSH is a visual treat for children and adults of all cultures alike. It's a film which passionately weaves Indian mysticism with the complex life of the modern day Indian kids, in search of something magical.
KALPVRIKSH is a film about faith & hope, which transcends barriers of language, nationality and cultures. It gently nudges people to think about and restore the organic and utterly magical relationship between man and nature.

KALPVRIKSH CAST:
Bollywood’s leading Superstar Mr. Shah Rukh Khan is part of this film in a Special Appearance. Some other members of the cast are:
1.     Shabana Azmi
2.     Saurabh Shukla
3.     Makrand Deshpande
4.     Rajit Kapoor (“Making of the Mahatma”)
5.     Vrajesh Hirjee
6.     Shernaz Patel (‘Black’)
7.     Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal
8.     Bobby Darling
9.     Navniit Nisshan
10. Raj Zutshi
11. Jayaa Bhattacharrya
The Kids:
1.     Harshpreet Kaur
2.     Shivani Joshi
3.     Mark Shaw
4.     Abhas Yadav
5.     Aditya Manghani

Target Audience                5 to 80 years
Duration                             130 minutes
Language                           Hindi (along with dubbed versions)

Format                                Film : 35mm
Shooting Days                    70 (approx. 120 shifts)
Animation/Graphics           15 minutes (excluding titles)
Songs                                  5 (Digital Dolby included)
Locations                            Panchgani, Ladakh, Mumbai

MAIN TECHNICIANS

Sandesh Shandilya, the popular music composer had done the Theme Track of "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" alongwith the mellifluous “Suraj Hua Maddham” from the same film. He has also given music for films like “Agni Varsha” (2002), “Chameli” (2003), “Road” (2002), “Rules” (2003), “Socha Na Tha” (2004), “Uff Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai....!” (2004). He has also composed for the film, “Beatification of Mother Teresa” starring Penelope Cruz. He has also collaborated with Richard Clayderman on his recently released worldwide music album.

RAJEEV JAIN ( ICS, WICA ), Director of Photography, was highly appreciated for his camera work in Army, Badhai Ho Badhai, Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, Kadachit and Mirabai Not Out. He was also the Additional DOP / 2nd Unit DOP for such notable films as Rang De Basanti, Chalte Chalte, Gupt and Trimurti. He has also shot several ad-films and short films.

Director’s Profile
MANIKA SHARMA is a Graduate of the Vancouver Film School. After winning an award for her student film, “Crimes of the Art”, she came back to Mumbai in 2000 to start work on the feature film, “Asoka”. This was internationally acclaimed Santosh Sivan’s magnum opus period film based on the life and times of Emperor Asoka, one of the greatest legends in human history. As Chief Assistant director on ‘ASOKA’, Manika did the visualization for the film (the look and setting of 232 BC) along with conceptualization and art direction of the songs. She has written the English subtitles for the film. Manika has had an opportunity to travel worldwide with ‘ASOKA’ around the festival circuit (Venice, Florence, London, Singapore).
She has shot popular commercials for Pepsi (Men in Blue, World Cup) with the Indian cricket team in Leeds, England. Also Lays Potato chips with Saif Ali Khan (leading Bollywood star) and Mohd. Kaif (Cricketer) in South Africa.
Apart from writing and co-directing a short film for CFSI (Children's Film Society of India) she has directed and produced music video’s for Sony BMG Music and United Nations (UNAIDS).
Her music video, ‘Tod do Deewaren’ became the first ever theme song on World AIDS Day to feature elaborately on National news across the country. It featured sixteen famous singers/ pop artists of the country including classical maestro’s such as Pandit Jasraj. The song in essence celebrated hope and togetherness, the spirit and triumph of people, specially children living with HIV and AIDS. Manika’s most recent work is a music album for Sony BMG, which has aired across UK. The music video, “Mitr pyare nu” was on chart hits in North America.
“KALPVRIKSH” is a film which passionately weaves Indian mysticism with the complex life of the modern day Indian kids, in search of something magical.
It’s a film about faith & hope, which transcends barriers of language, nationality and cultures. It gently nudges people to think about and restore the organic and utterly magical relationship between man and nature.

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Free 35mm and APS developing at Walgreens

nobody@vox.com(Atlanta iPhone Blog) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:50:48 +0000

Walgreens has this printable coupon good for one free film roll developing. Valid today only in the states, or August 11 in Hawaii. Applies to 35mm and APS film rolls.

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all part of the plan

nobody@vox.com(hotrod) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:31:05 +0000

I bet yinz thought I forgot about Batman. Noooo nonononono.... I kill the bus driver. Oh, wait - that's not it.... No, I just didn't want to gloat. Yet. It's unseemly, and I'm a better sport than that. Besides, I wanted to ensure that I was right. I mean, there was a lot riding on this movie. Aside from Warner Brothers' coffers and Heath Ledger's lock on a posthumous Oscar, there is the matter of settling once and for all a longstanding debate over who is the greatest superhero. But now that I officially win, it's gloating time.

....to admit defeat

I've known Dabysan for well over a decade now, and he's had the upper hand for much of that time. The first installment of the shameful Joel Schumacher era of the Caped Crusader hit the theaters the first summer I lived in Virginia. I saw it on opening day. Twice. And it wasn't even that good. (I saw every single movie that came out that summer. That's what happens when one has no friends and works a mere twenty hours a week in a new city.) A couple years later saw the infamous "batsuit with nipples." Yes, I paid to see that travesty in the theater as well - but only that once, and I don't think I've seen it since. I've no idea how or when our debates started, but I had a tenuous edge in that at least somebody had bothered to make movies about Batman.

That all changed in the twenty-first century. Sam Raimi (a lifelong fan) made an awesome movie about Spiderman. It took all of my forensic abilities, but I eventually won the day on the indisputable argument that there were two excellent movies about Batman and only one excellent movie about Spiderman. But that argument was for naught two years later when Raimi achieved the impossible and surpassed his original outing with what was then the greatest superhero movie of all time. I had no choice but to concede - at least for the time being. We could resume the debate the following summer once we saw what the director of Memento might bring to the table in his reboot of the Batman franchise.

Now Daby and I don't agree on much, but one item that was never at issue was that Superman is the hero of choice for retards. He's completely bland and boring (here's a surefire recipe for an uninteresting superhero: make him an alien and give him every superpower that you can think of) and he hasn't been relevant since Truman was President. Oh, sure - there were a couple of overlong movies about him thirty years ago, but certainly there wasn't anyone out there stupid enough to claim that Superman might contend with the heavy hitters. And then we "met" Jodi. Make no mistake, her arguments are specious and she's way, way wrong - but at least her presence spices up the debate. It was getting a little stale with Daby's stupid and tired arguments; a fresh jolt of different stupid has livened up these past few years.

And what, exactly, have those couple of years seen? Well, I'm glad you asked. First, there was the awesomeness of Batman Begins. Then the first Superman movie in twenty years sputtered and flopped. And then Raimi failed to strike gold a third time with a muddled and overlong emo-Spidey. Meanwhile, the creative forces that made Batman Begins all kinds of awesome were hard at work making the best movie of all-time, ever. The Dark Knight, in the mere eighteen days since its release, has grossed over $400 million dollars. It's the fastest movie ever to that lofty plateau, and is poised tomorrow to become the highest-grossing ever superhero movie. There's talk of it passing Titanic. The critics have spoken. The people have spoken. Batman is the best. Ever. Case closed.

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man on wire ... philippe petit

nobody@vox.com(MEK) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:07:33 +0000

Michael Nyman's film score is brilliant and appropriate; its sets the tone for this wondrous documentary of Philippe Petit. A Frenchman extraordinaire. This "marriage" of artists - James Marsh the English director and tightrope & poet Philippe Petit - is magical.

James is not distracted by the inferences of 9/11 and Philippe keeps James focused. Philippe performs on cue - as a lover, a magician, an artist, a dancer and above as a poet, mischievously, ambitiously and beautifully.

It's a beautiful story. Funny, sad and full of suspense.

SUNDANCE '08 - INTERVIEW: MAN ON WIRE

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WALL-E

nobody@vox.com(Nicki) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:53:53 +0000

Walle

What? A post-apocalyptic movie for kids? Wall-E, in its own brilliant way, is just that. I have to wonder what the producers must have said or thought when the idea was first brought to them. Let's see, we want you to give us loads and loads of money to produce a haunting, yet animated, tale of ruin about a solitary junk-compacting robot who is one of the lone survivors after man, through his greed and gluttony, has destroyed the world and then escaped to create a warped society on a spaceship far from earth. Oh yes, and the first half of the movie will be, for the most part, silent; that is, dialog-free. Are you kidding me?

Okay it's Pixar, so I don't honestly believe that's how it all went down. But still, I have to wonder how it was all received at it's conception, before all that brilliance came shining through.

Walleunit2

Wall-E's character is first-rate – so well done. Yes, he is a robot, a machine, a compilation of metal parts and wires. He's a metal box with a luminous personality. It's amazing how they were able to convey such emotion in his posture, his facial expressions, and his body movements. He's almost puppy-like, his emotion so innocent and so genuine.

Wall-E is simultaneously humorous, charming, and thought-provoking. This movie made me think, moved me to tears, and then made me laugh right through them (one of my favorite emotions).

I totally disagree with anyone who says that this movie is too dark for children. There are obviously some dark undertones but let's face it, life IS sometimes dark. But Wall-E's message is far from gloom and doom.

Wall-E reminds us that when darkness falls, look for the stars. Which is exactly what he does from the very start of the film. Day after day, amidst the ugliness of piles and piles of garbage and rubble, Wall-E finds treasure. Wall-E's treasures are not the rare and grandiose things that people of our society tend to value. He finds delight in the simple, in the mundane, in things that others would and have thrown away. With his collection he finds purpose and meaning.

Walle4

Walle5

Later, with the presence of Eve, a robot who has been sent to search for signs of life, Wall-E has an even bigger message. He struggles to connect with Eve who is not accustomed to such interaction. Even after rejection, he is hopeful and persistent. When he does break through and begin to form a bond, he is willing to abandon all that he knows to keep that connection alive and growing. He is even willing to forsake his home and his prized collection of things. Wall-E, the robot, reminds us that above all else, human connectedness reigns supreme. Sometimes we must work hard to attain it, sacrifice to achieve it, and fight to keep it alive, but it's worth it – above all else.

Walle_7

Wall-E is doing all of these things while his human counterparts have all but forgotten what human connection even is. They've evolved into a blubbery version of the Weeble people as they stare at their computer screens, remaining immobile in their hovercrafts, forsaking any kind of individuality, just mindlessly accepting whatever is “fed” to them – literally and figuratively. Basically, they are just wasting away in their dystopia.

I read from one reviewer that he found the gluttonous humans to be insulting – let's see, it wouldn't be insulting if there wasn't a measure of truth in there somewhere, now would it?. Yet, that's NOT the message of the film. I daresay that such viewers are getting snagged on their hang-ups and missing the point. It does not intend to convey that humans are just a blubberous waste of space. Sure, they may have forgotten themselves for a time, abandoning their nature for the sake of comfort and pleasure, but in the end they do what's right, they redeem themselves, they prove their worth.

I have heard others say that the movie is overly moralistic. I say, what's wrong with a movie with a message? We, Buy-N-Large (pun intended) , don't seem to be getting it any other way. No, I see nothing wrong with sending a message, especially when it's so well done.

Wall-E is far from gloom and doom. Wall-E, above all, is about hope and redemption and clinging, not to frivolous things, but to what is really important in life – each other.

Walle8

Writer and Director: Andrew Stanton

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TheWorkOfArt

nobody@vox.com(MisterArteest) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:19:20 +0000

Like the RawkusCrowd was chanting as Mr.JamesArthur“Art”Monk took the Podium, last SaturdayNight, on the Stage in Canton.Ohio, during the 4Minute StandingOvation, (the longest StandingO in the Hall’s history by the way) “It’s-about-time! – It’s-about-time!” It is about time. It’s been 13Years since 1 of the most prolific WideReceivers ever to have suited up & played the game of AmericanFootball retired…From my team, TheWashingtonRedskins. TheNFL has a policy of allowing a mandatory 5Years between the time a Player retires & when He can be eligible for the HallOfFame ballot, so 13Years retired, 5 mandatory years of ballot lockout, 8Years up for Vote by the HallOfFame voting committee, which is comprised of a selection of 44SportsWriters called the Board of Selectors, & 7Years unexplainably voted down by those “Selectors”…& on the 8^th time around the MulberryBush, TheSelectors, I guess motivated by some sudden spontaneous Enlightenment, exercised executive football reasoning, accompanied by sound statistical sense & appreciation, to vote ArtMonk into EliteStatus, into the NFL Hall of Fame…#81, MisterLooseSleeves, the most productive member of the FunBunch, the SilentMaroonStreak that delivered the Goods on time over & over & over again, 15Years of clutch Reliability…& after delivering the Goods over & over, He didn’t go & stick his Mug in front of the camera & microphones afterwards to tell Us all how great He thought He & his Performance was, instead rarely saying anything, simply allowing his Hall of Fame performances Sunday in & Sunday out to act as his PressConference, as his Soapbox, his Bravado & Braggadocio…

ArtMonk is a thick inspirational Thread weaving in & out throughout the Fabric that I call my Life, my Adolescence to be specific…I can’t count how many times I announced to the opposing neighborhood team that they were up against Me, ArtMonk, & if you weren’t careful, I would beat You when You least expected it, with a perfectly run SkinnyPost, rubbing the Defender off with the prickly YardBush that marked the beginning of the EndZone…& so on 4^th&10, down by 7, with my Mom imminently calling Me in for dinner, my 10Year old Imagination would slip into #81’s uniform, it would propel Me to step higher, to run faster & to leap farther, I would yank at my tshirt sleeves at the line of scrimmage to make them more loose, then go in motion, just as He did…HutHutHike!...Exploding off the line with my sleeves flapping against my chopstick arms, running a precise 25Yard PostPattern, waiving my left hand to the Quarterback when I separate from the 8Year old Cornerback, calling for the Ball, calling to win the Game, most of the time Nerf…most of the time not getting the Ball thrown my direction, most of the time not winning the Game…

When He quietly retired in 1995, he left the League as its ALLTIME LEADING RECEIVER in Catches with 940…Today, 2008, He stands #7 on that AllTimeList (notably, #12 in the AllTimeYardage list, too)…So, it came as a jolting shock to realize in 2000, the 1^st year He was eligible to be voted in, that He was in fact passed over, instead handed the Indignity of Rejection, not able to establish the %80 threshold of the 44Person SelectionCommittee of SportsWriters to vote in the affirmative…Then, for the next 6Years, the same scenario unfolded, year after year, I would read in the margins of the WashingtonPost sports section, ArtMonk did not receive the necessary votes to be voted into the Hall of Fame, I couldn’t & still can’t believe the consecutive snubs, to what I thought was a surefire “1stBalloter”…& year after year, as ArtMonk witnessed 42 other NFL players get voted in after He became eligible for admission, ArtMonk remained stoic & silent, never spoke out against the NFL or the SelectionProcess, never leveled accusations against Anyone, never pointed a finger…He behaved consistent with how He had behaved as a Player for 15Years, & probably as He had all his Life; patient, dignified & classy. He waited his turn, & this Year, the Year of the Redskin, it happened, ironically enough with his Friend & Teammate DarrellGreen…

Another DataPoint of Note: I have always maintained that if I were to ever find myself in a position to name the Band I would be playing, I would have & still will call ourselves “TheArtMonks”…Since it is the name of a Band that will probably never be, it will instead be on the shortlist for my next tattoo, “TheArtMonks”, below my right elbow…I can just see it now…

Hey, what does yer arm say? TheArt…Whats?#%?

TheArtMonks…

TheArtMonks?#$?...What does that mean?

Oh, it’s the name of the Band I was never in...

Oh…What?%#?

Nevermind, leave Me alone…

EditorsNote.PostScript: Life has been jumping all over my back the past couple months, that is the general reason for my Inactivity, I have discovered certain Limitations about myself while in the Thick of it, in the Pocket of a Blitz, I discovered the point with which the Issues in my Life begin to paralyze or supersede or usurp other, unrelated parts of Myself, like writing, the past couple months, I rarely even thought about writing, the Blog, blogging…But as I begin to reach resolution on certain key hurdles, my urge to pound the Keyboard begins to rush back, the desire to participate in my own Life, the snatching back of Power…Like the Highlands releasing its Water & Energy down the fast flanks & faces of Itself onto the Plateau’s of thirsty arid Flatlands below…Reviving TheEarth like a WitchShaman…It’s the Return of the GulleyWasher.

“ Life can get all up in yo’ Ass…Baby, You better work it out…”

~ DeLaSoul

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Tre Film's new website is finally open!

nobody@vox.com(tre_company) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:05:11 +0000

Hey folks!

The website is open!

Tre Film Ab

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Realism and the Dark Knight

nobody@vox.com(Paul Mison) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:29:48 +0000

This summer's pop culture cornerstone seems to be, without much doubt, Christopher Nolan's new Batman film, The Dark Knight. Along with the usual (and surprisingly favourable) mainstream reviews, it's shot to the top of IMDB's customer ratings, and has inspired musings on the Joker's grasp of game theory.

So here's my little observation: The Dark Knight is possibly the first superhero sequel that actually gets more realistic, and less bombastic, than its predecessor.

Let's look at the usual trajectory of a superhero series (this may apply to other sequels, in fact, but the only major series I can think of is Pirates of the Carribean, and I valued my time far too much to watch that nonsense). Start with Tim Burton's Batman, which was dark, and had a vague attempt at realism, although the presence of a bat-shaped aircraft (seemingly inserted mainly so that Burton could put it against a full moon, recreating the iconic signal) shows that it's not allowed to trump artistic needs. Follow that up with his still mainly monochrome, but far camper, Batman Returns, which asks the viewer to accept an army of remote-controlled missile-toting penguins and the resurrection of a murder victim by a herd of cats¹.

When Burton lost the reins of the franchise, things got even worse. Batman Forever saw Joel Schumacher turn up the saturation, with Jim Carrey gurning manically as the Riddler. Let's not even mention the horror that was Batman and Robin, although it provides a useful rule of thumb: the sidekick showing up is usually the end of the road.

You can plot a similar curve for the recent Spider-Man films, which go from a man with an exoskeleton (ok, kind of plausible) to an alien parasite bodysuit (er), and, although in a slightly different way, the Superman films of the '70s and '80s, which finally reached a series-ending nadir with our Kryptonian protagonist trying to end the Cold War single-handed. Enough said, I suspect.

So, there's the usual progression. My thesis is that, so far, Nolan's two films have this going in reverse. While Batman Begins (which I rewatched after seeing Dark Knight) tries to live in the real world, there are plenty of moments that it's easy to look at critically, most notably the mcguffin in the climactic scenes (which I'll refrain from describing in case anyone still hasn't seen it, but which certainly scores a bad science prize). On the other hand, it's to be congratulated for elements like Bruce Wayne's slow development of a disguised voice when he's in his Batman guise. (This is something which, in retrospect, it's amazing nobody else bothered with, since Wayne and Batman often end up talking to the same people. I was surprised to see the otherwise interesting New Yorker review² criticising Bale-as-Batman for delivering "all his lines in a hoarse voice, with an unvarying inflection". Well, yes. He kind of has to.)

In The Dark Knight, by contrast, I can only think of a single technical plot element which isn't at least in the realms of possibility (for those who've see the film, two words: "sonar surveillance".) As Jon Barnes writes in the Times,

Nolan has [made] plausibility his watchword. Every aspect of the crime-fighter’s milieu has been granted as believable and realistic an explanation as possible (the hero’s cape becomes a glider, his car an urban tank appropriated from the US military and his arch-enemy the Joker’s horrifically distinctive features the result of scars and make-up, “war-paint” designed to intimidate). The world of the film is necessarily fantastic but it feels closer to ours – uncomfortably, distressingly closer – than any previous version.

I'm certainly happy to see this, especially as it makes the intellectual meat of the film (and yes, there is some) much easier to relate to the real world. As Barnes says in his conclusion, the film holds out the promise of its own sequel (as, to be honest, all works in this genre have to), and if it can maintain the path of even-increasing realism, I'm really looking forward to it.

¹ For all its nonsense, this is probably still my favourite of the '90s Batman films. Go figure, as they say in America.
² I dislike paging in web sites usually, but cleverly the entire Dark Knight review is on that page; the second page is a review of Wall-E, which I saw a couple of days earlier, and which, to be honest, I thought was even better, although it's hard to compare such dissimilar works.

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Providence Bridge Pedal

nobody@vox.com(BridgetownPeddler) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:36:22 +0000

All singed up! Natalie and I are going to do the Bridgepedal this weekend. I have wanted to do it for years but something always got in the way. This year I was saying "hell to the no" nothing is getting in the way I am going to do this.

Really looking forward to it. Providence Bridgepedal

Also saw a very interesting movie the other night. I wrote a big review earlier but lost it in a little IE Browser issue... sigh. In short I will say that I had low expecations and maybe that is why I liked it but it was enjoyable. Natalie thought it was too complex, she hates complex movies where things are not all spelled out for you in the end. I on the other hand love those movies (which you know by know if you have seen the other movies I rated highly).

Trailer for The Nines

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Muppets, Jim Henson works at the Smithsonian

nobody@vox.com(enSue) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:58:43 +0000

This may be old news, but it's important and exciting news nonetheless. I believe viewing Jim Henson's creations and masterpieces in person is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, so my husband and I are taking my sister and father to see this Smithsonian exhibit this September!

For more information about the exhibit and about Jim Henson, please visit:
http://www.sites.si.edu/henson/
http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibits/henson/main.htm
http://www.henson.com/aboutus.php

clipped from www.cnn.com

Muppets head to D.C. for special homecoming

Bert and Ernie are paying a special visit to the city that helped give birth to the "Sesame Street" gang.

in the underground International Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution as part of the exhibit "Jim Henson's Fantastic World."

continues through Oct. 5

It's a homecoming for Muppets such as Kermit, the piano-playing dog Rowlf and others that first achieved stardom on Washington-area television shows and commercials -- long before the success of "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street."

Jim Henson grew up in nearby Maryland

exhibit's themes of visual thinking, storytelling and character development

Through more than 100 original drawings, cartoons and story boards and about 14 famous Muppets, the exhibit traces Henson's career as a puppeteer and filmmaker until his death in 1990.

There will also be programs on puppetry

After the show in Washington, the Muppets will travel to Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida and five other cities through early 2011.

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Lifestyle, Culture, Design = Cyan&Krunk Magazine

nobody@vox.com(∎∎cloverbell∎∎) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:07:43 +0000

C&K Magazine

Cyan & Krunk is alive and kicking! (http://www.cyan-krunk.com/)
1st Digital Issue is set to bounce September/October 2008 (http://issuu.com/cyan-krunk)

Cyan & Krunk is a Design, Arts, Lifestyle & Culture magazine that focuses on promising talent. We stretch across all disciplines and we maintain an edgy, upbeat and eccentric nature.
Cyan & Krunk aims is to unveil rare talent, pick at the brains of creative minds, appreciate awesome people and ignite sudden inspiration.

Cyan & Krunk are on Facebook! and soon.. it'll be on Vox network too!

Cyan & Krunk is Toronto based! So Toronto people, I'd like to hear from you all!

We still need art submissions for our blog and digital magazine, so please send us your art! If you're not sure what to do, just email me, leave a comment and I'll help you out.
We accept (basically everything, guys!):

dj mixtapes (must be created by you)
photography
video/media (film, application, etc)
poetry/prose
2D design (Illustration, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Advertising)
Fine Arts (Sculpture, painting, ceramics, fabric, printmaking)
TOYS!!!!
Fashion (illustration, photography, street fashion, jewelry)
music/composition and all that good stuff~

If you'd like to be a blog contributer you can sign up for free here: http://www.cyan-krunk.com/wp-login.php?action=register

After you do, please tell me what your blog username is while signing up and I'll hook you up!
If you don't, then you can't contribute! I have to diddle around with admin tools to allow you access!

And of course! Endless questions, pass em my way I'll answer them just for yooou~
Thank You!
Peace!

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lovingkindness

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:01:56 +0000

Soothing and uplifting:

Imee Ooi - The Chant Of Metta - English subtitled version

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in war

nobody@vox.com(jamieleto) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:45:42 +0000

ralfff squee

<-- ralfff squee, $5. available in my etsy shop. i know i'm supposed to be away today, but things got mixed up and film camp starts tomorrow instead, so i'm in your life for another day more before i take a six day hiatus ! hooray? not really i guess.

i have a film planned out, and i've had it in my mind for about a week. once i thought of it, it just sort of hit me as something i have to do. it's something personal, and something i can't really ignore, but it doesn't end positively, which bothers me. i guess i'll lay it out here, but all rights are reserved to me ! so don't try to steal it just because i like to think here please ! chances are it might not even be that great anyway, but before i begin, i just want to put all the cards on the table, so to speak. even though this is the most minimal camp the new york film academy offers, it might be my deciding factor for the future. summer is almost over, i'm getting older. i want to apply to colleges with wisdom, pride and assurance in my heart. i don't want to make a mistake and apply somewhere i won't be happy in. if i end up finding that film is still who i am, i most definitely won't stop, but if i find that other roads and avenues are calling me, i just might have to break this, but i want to know. living with a lifelong regret of not pursuing my dream is one of my worst fears, but as of right now, i haven't even figured out what my dream is.

every time i hear a song, read a book, hear someone say something i like, i think of it being to film. my mind is in film mode. things inspire me and i just go right there. it's my outlet, and i suppose that's what it should be.

so my idea is, basically, thank you notes. it's on my goals list and one night, while watching american beauty, i thought of a sort of dismal thought. a sort of, thought that expands and grows on me. a short film, about a girl and her once best friend. it starts out as her writing a light-hearted thank you note, thanking her for the experiences they shared and for always being such a great friend. she'd speak in the past tense like, 'we'd have so much fun together. we'd laugh about everything and make all the big problems seem so little. thank you for being such a great friend to me.' but then the note would take a sour turn, with something along the lines of, 'i thought we'd always be friends, until you left when i needed you the most.' this is personal to me. i think it's personal to anyone. a good friend that leaves, a hard time you can't handle alone, and people who can't take you at your worst, so in the words of marilyn monroe, don't deserve you at your best. throughout the beginning, there would be random flashes, and experimentation with time. sped up sometimes, but with flashes of the times with the friend. so basically, you would see glimpses of them together. but when it takes a turn for the worse, it would turn into aggression, and pretty much all the insanity would open up and then i'd mix in sorts of reds and blacks, a darker tone with a darker turn to the music and the overall film. then she would end off the letter, with a sort of thank you for helping me in shaping me into the stronger, smarter, better person i am today. and then she would take the letter, put it in the envelope and things would return to normalcy. in this moment, she walks out the door, is in front of the mailbox [i imagined it as one of those moderately sized blue ones you find in the city or near the post office. she'd stare at the envelope for a few seconds, open the door of the mailbox, and not go through with it. she would then return to her room and take out a box. she'd stick the letter in that box. the camera would close up to the inside of the box of... envelopes. it would then zoom out to see the girl sitting or laying in shame. she'd written numerous letters, but had not had the strength to send any. i want this to capture the hopelessness and the feelings we can't seem to leave behind. in some ways, it would help me reconcile and release the hopelessness i feel at times. i want to let it go, and maybe this will help me, as well as other people. this is the film i want to make, and i think it would be around three minutes long, because i think that's our maximum, but anyway, if you're willing to read this long thought, leave me some feedback. it'd be most appreciated. idea, copyright jamieleto, all rights reserved. :)

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Dim

nobody@vox.com(Stephen P. Biffy) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:43:45 +0000

Pop any human being into the head of Mike Leigh and what comes out? The same thing. I suggest we break Mike Leigh's long term arrow shot into the future straight away because Mike is gloating. I don't see much love in him.

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