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Tuesday Media Roundup #34

nobody@vox.com(Douglas) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:54:19 -0700

It's been almost three months since the last update and I have 16 movies here so it looks like I average just over one movie a week.

The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave - Â I loved the Super Dave shorts when I was a kid so when this came on I had to watch it. The original cast is all still there and the stunts are rediculous, but the parts that work keep it flowing enough. I'd just like to add that Super Dave has a herd of mimes.

Kung Fu Panda - Â The art style is great, the fu is good. It ends up being similar to Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon and I don't consider that a bad thing.

The Secret of Santa Vittoria - The description was just that a village tries to hide their wine from the Nazis. It has that but it also brings the small Italian town and it's residents to life. Â I suppose I should mention that it's mostly comedicthough there are heavy moments.

Darkon - Â A documentary on LARPers in Maryland. Darkon is the land that all the LARPing nations inhabit and war in. You get to see alliances and conflict and people trying to come out on top in and out of Darkon. It doesn't tend to get too uncomfortable with the level of involvement they have. At least they're being social instead of sitting at home alone.

The Man From Earth - A thought experiment portrayed as a thought experiment in a movie. I don't always understand the reactions of some of the characters in the movie but the story holds up fairly well I think.

Enchanted - Crossovers between the cartoon and real world are usually to the cartoon world or a small managable space. I guess it's not so much a crossover as it is a parallel universe story. Anyway, the end result really came out well from the fish out of water moments to the songs!

Kinky Boots - In a depressed town, a few people decide to take a risk that make people think they are crazy or get looked down upon before the town rallies behind them to success. This fits that English film class and like most of the others it does it well and is very entertaining.

Hancock - This definitely didn't go where I was expecting it to based on trailers or even the first part of the movie. There are hero rehabilitation stories, but not many about super heroes. This manages that well and throws on an interesting and fairly unique back-story.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Â Nice art style in the opening story. This movie is all about enjoying the characters from the first movie. It works as that though I would have shortened one of the fight scenes.

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D - I wanted to see this fow two reasons, Brendan Fraser, and new 3D technology. Brendan Fraser was fun and the 3D was really good! There were some 3D trailers and if you have a chance to see "Fly Me to the Moon" in 3D, skip it. They were forcing the effect enough to hurt your eyes. This uses a new radial polarization technique so you can rotate your head and not lose the effect as you do with traditional polarized lenses. The 3D at times made you feel like you were in the middle of it and at other times looking at something with wonderful depth. It starts with a few things flying at you that every 3D movie has to do to make you flinch. The worst 3D effect was the last one in the movie. All that stuff you just watched and then you wonder how that scene could have made it into the movie. The movie itself is a fun modern tour through Vernes' center of the earth.

The Mummy & The Mummy Returns - Nicole hadn't seen these and since the third one was coming up we deciced to see them. The Mummy holds up well, effects and all. The Mummy Returns doesn;t look as good effects-wise, maybe they were trying too much? Also it's not consistent with the fist movie. They say he won't be as powerful and isn't at full power yet even though he is doing more than he did in the first movie.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - The first third or half of this movie irritated me. I really didn't see Evelyn's character ending up where it was or their son's conflict with them as fitting. Once all the action started it settled into a comfortable groove and hey, there are yetis! I think I have to rank it about even with The Mummy Returns. The high are higher but the lows are lower.

China's First Emperor - Â This was a documentary on tv recently and it was interesting because it it showed me where various stories surrounding that period were based on fact and where liberties were taken for the story. I knew he unified the language. I didn't know he unified currency and weights and measures but that makes sense. I didn't know about his early life or how he ended up. Also seeing the scale of his burial city was very impressing. All those terracotta soldiers only come from a small part of the entire site. There was an indication that they are not going to explore that until preservation can be done. Apparently there are rivers and an ocean made of mercury in the scale-model china inside. Since there is evidence that mercury is leaking out slowly, it is thought that the description of the inside is accurate.

Mongol - This is a look at what led Ghengis Kahn to become what he was. The movie feels like it's missing quite a bit, like it was cut down to be about 2 hours when it really wanted to be 2.5. I hope that extra time is on the DVD version when that comes out, but considering it's a foreign film there's probably not much chance of that. I'll still ok forward to picking it up when it comes out.

Starman - Â An alien comes down to play the fish out of water game and offer insights into humanity. I think this probably played better in the 80s though I think with a few minor changes it would work just as well today were it to be remade. That's not a suggestion that it should be remade. Jeff Bridges plays the star man well, and Karen Allen is good as usual.

Kaw - Â Killer ravens are attacking a small town! Since you probably aren't going to see it I'll just say that it's because they ate some cow that died from mad cow disease and now they're going to take out all the people. Despite being obviously low budget, they actually had a number of trained ravens and decent production value. Worth seeing? Maybe if you're bored or want a background movie.

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Singtel iPhone Pricing Revealed

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:13:55 -0700

All the details...

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Recent food

nobody@vox.com(Douglas) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:12:49 -0700

Buffalo burgers

We tried buffalo burgers recently and I was surprised at the difference between it and beef. The texture in handling it feels sort of clean and loose but it all holds together well. In cooking it seemed to want to brown faster than beef and in spite of it having less fat there is still plenty and it's wasn't dry. Flavor wise it didn't have a gamey flavor but it was different. Smell wise it wasn't too strong to me but I think GRover was about ready to climb down my throat to get some.

Chicken rub

Another day as I was trying to figure out how I wanted to make some chicken, I ended up with the following spice rub:

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1tsp corriander

1/4 tsp cayenne

I flattened out the chicken, applied the rub to both sides and cooked for a few minutes on each side. Mmmm! Next time maybe a little lighter on the cayenne though.

Haagen Dazs chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

I had never had this version and decided it was time to try it. The vanilla ice cream part of it is I think the strongest vanilla I've ever had and I'd be happy with just that. The cookie dough part tasted to me more like real cookie dough than the Ben & Jerry's variety. This is now my new favorite version of this flavor.

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Afternoon Meeting

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:29:26 -0700

Meeting Time

Testing out my new camera with the only subjects at hand in my office this afternoon. Clearly there is some sort of important issue being discussed here. Perhaps we are witnessing the formation of a labor union!

Feeling the excitement and dread of learning a new operating system for each new gadget or appliance that enters my life. Plus, my first camera that shoots RAW!

That said, so far I'm liking my new Lumix LX3 and feel like I've got the perfect combination of pocketability and versatility. I have a stupid amount of manual control if I want it, but can go auto when needed...plus I can shoot 24p HD video with the thing in 10 minute chunks! I'm loving the wide 24mm lens, too. I need to sit down and start experimenting with exposure and aperture (and Aperture).

I think some family outings to the zoo, and bird park and orchid garden are in order for this weekend! Stay tuned for renewed Flickr activity!

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My Cheatin' Heart

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:13:49 -0700

Post-It

My harmless flirting is about to become full-fledged cheating...

...after about a month, I am around 200 pages into Quicksilver. And I love it.

But...like a drive across Texas, for all my traveling, I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. I prepared really well for the trip, too! I got a nice, compact British edition. I finished off all the other books I was reading to dedicate my full attention to Mr. Stephenson's beautiful prose. I have even recently re-watched The Day the Universe Changed which actually inspired me to finally start reading The Baroque Cycle. I was ready! Full tank of gas, snacks from Trader Joe's, an awesome mix tape...

But after making nary a dent in the first of three giant tomes, my gaze began to wander. The rationale was easy at first: reading a comic is hardly cheating. It's just a comic...

...Scott Pilgrim Volume 3 is just a comic. Invincible Books 5 & 6 are just comics. Buffy Season 8 Books 1 & 2 are just comics. What started as flirting, became heavy petting. I did go back to Quicksilver after each, but felt guilty and kinda dirty each time.

So, I'm coming clean. I am asking Quicksilver for a trial separation. It doesn't mean I love Quicksilver any less, it's just that I need things that it just won't, or can't do for me. Tonight, I'm seeing an old love that I haven't seen for a while, and frankly, probably wasn't ready for the last time I did. Tonight, I go to bed with Stranger in a Strange Land.

I will be back, Quicksilver, and I know you will wait for me. The way that Cryptonomicon waited for me...

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No SIGGRAPH Trip This Year

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:11:44 -0700

So, I won't be going to L.A. for SIGGRAPH next week. It's the first year for a long time that I haven't gone. There's too much going on at the studio right now for me to get away for a week of SIGGRAPH and the week at the Lucas Homeworld that would help make the 16 hour flight from Singapore worth it.

Between working at ILM and teaching, my connections to the world animation, visual effects and video game development increase exponentially every year. Last year, SIGGRAPH was almost comical as I walked around the San Diego Convention Center and stopped every ten feet to chat with a former coworker from ILM or Academy of Art, a former (or current student), or a professor from another school. I joked with some friends that next time I woud just bring a card table and set up in the lobby and chat with folks as they walked by.

It will be wierd not to have my annual high-density friend catch-up opportunity.

Of course, if everyone comes to the first annual SIGGRAPH Asia in Singapore this December they can see me all over the place. No, seriously, you should all come!

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"Here we go round the prickly pear,"

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:37:59 -0700

So, we're getting our television from a wider variety of sources than ever nowadays. DVDs, iTunes, streaming video, and IPTV have all invaded our livingroom (and iPhones and Macs). Not much of it originates from the American networks or cable channels, especially during the Summer.

A recent discovery is one of ABC's new shows. That's the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, by the way, not to be confused with the American Bradcasting Corporation or ABC, Martin Fry's pop band from the '80s. You see, unlike the American Broadcasting Corporation, the Austrailian Broadcasting Corporation makes their program streams availaible internationally (in Singapore at any rate).

Fail.

That new show is called The Hollowmen, not to be confused with T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" or the short-lived sketch comedy show The Hollow Men from Comedy Central.

The Hollowmen is a sort of a combination of The West Wing, The Office and Flight of the Conchords with a dash of Mad Men and a nod to Office Space. It's not as overtly preachy as The West Wing, not as cringey as The Office, not as surreal as Conchords, and not as stylish as Mad Men, but has some of the better qualities of each.

The show is about the folks who make the Austrailian PM and his policies look good and polish them for public consumption. As an American, much of it feels familiar, but foreign at the same time...more so than English shows and less so than Canadian. The production value, acting and writing are excellent and is making me curious what other gems of Austrailan TV I've missed.

Anyhow, each week's episode is up on ABC's website and they are only half an hour long. Try one and see what you think. They make for nice Summer viewing...er, I mean Winter viewing.

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Pecha Kucha

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:07:58 -0700

Time has run out for Tad...

Last night I had my first non-work-related public appearance in Singapore at Pecha Kucha Singapore #2.

The concept of Pecha Kucha Night is based on an exercise devised by designers in Japan to facilitate sharing ideas efficiently. Pecha Kucha Nights are made up of creative folks delivering Powerpoint/Keynote presentations with the following restriction: exactly 20 slides for 20 seconds each. My new friend Graham Perkins explained the Pecha Kucha introduced me to the idea and asked if I'd be interested in participating in an upcoming event (and acting as the official American on the bill, in honor of 4th of July). It sounded like a fun challenge, so I signed up.

Delivering presentations is not a problem for me, I've been doing it professionally for years now. But I'm used to blathering about a subject for three hours at a pop. But, doing so for 6 minutes 40 seconds is hard. Every slide the same length is hard.

I chose to present the challenge that filmakers face (unlike painters, for instance) in having only three basic aspect ration to choose from when creating their images. Ask my students, my normal aspect ratio lecture is 2-3 hours long. I liked the idea of dicussing one of the limiting factors of shot design in a format that is itself limiting. I *heart* meta communication.

Here are your choices...

I didn't have as much time to prepare my Keynote stack as I would have liked, but all things considered it went well. I did feel like I was on a quiz show, however, complete with giant digital clock counting down next to me on the stage. Not having control of my own slides was kinda weird, but liberating too.

The other presenters were all interesting and most stuck to the original intent of the format by presenting their own artwork. Beca and I agreed that our favorite presenter of the evening was ZXEROKOOL. His designs were really great and his delivery and presence were fantastic.

I'm already thinking about the next one in three months as well as ways to get more folks involved. Check out the links below and see if your city has Pecha Kucha nights coming up! I saw events this month in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Honolulu...

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Groundhog Day Tidbit

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:51:46 -0700

Yet another 100 Best Films list from AFI. The genres they chose are kinda odd, but there is a great interview clip with Harold Ramis in which he explains the duration of Phil's existential stay in Punxsutawney in Danny Rubin's original script. He also explains Phil's ingenious mechanism for keeping track of how many Groundhog Days he's lived through.

Harold Ramis talks about how much “real” time passes for Phil Conners.

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The Comic Gods are Smiling on Me

nobody@vox.com(Tad Leckman) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:58:19 -0700

Awesomeness!

I got a cryptic e-mail last week from Lo asking of I'd read Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005. She also made me swear not to attempt to find it or research it at all. Um...OK.

I got a call from Beca today telling me that a package from Lori arrived with a comic book shaped parcel inside...plus Trader Joe's 73% dark chocolate!

When I got home and opened it up, there indeed was Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005. Lori had also mailed me with instructions to skip the first story. I flipped open to look at the contents and see which page to start on, and my eyes landed on this double-stuff credit:
          Pg. 27 IF A MAN BE CLAY!
          Steve Purcell: Script
          Mike Mignola: Pencils

"Oh my god! Look at this!" I exclaimed holding out the book to Beca. I had the pleasure of working with Steve on the ill-fated Frankenstein feature at ILM, and was a fan of Salmon Max and Gumby's Winter Fun Special before that. And Mike Mignola - well hell, you know who he is...

What can I say? Pure awesomeness! Complete "day the mail-away Boba Fett action figure arrived" awesomeness!

Best. Batman. Story...Evar.

But wait, there's more!

Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

Bryan Lee O'Malley

I finally found Scott Pilgrim, a comic I've been looking for for months after seeing a review on TRS which reminded me that Scott McCloud featured it in is epic lecture tour and told everyone to read it immediately. After finishing my Batman comic, I dove into the Canadian-style manga, and was blown away! More pure awesomeness!

I got the same feeling reading these comics tonight that I got watching Spaced the first time:

"Hey, someone went to the trouble of making this just for me. Kind of a small audience, but...thanks!"

I'll be reading Volume 2 of Scott Pilgrim later tonight and I'll be trying desperately to find Volumes 3 and 4 in Singapore this weekend!

Yay! Awesome stuff from awesome friends written by still other aweome friends and Torontonian manga masters! And now I've shared them with you...go get all this stuff right now. Go! I mean it. Admit it, your life could use some extra awesomeness right about now.

Gee whiz, I haven't even had the chocolate yet!

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