Friday, September 24, 2010

Colbert In Congress



He speaks the truth, he captures the zeitgeist, he gets it. Who is in charge? Why? Is there a solution to everything that he hits on in such a short time? If he can package it, explain it, grok it so quickly, back it up with facts, why are we sending in the drones?

I pulled the code out of a Politico article that was bought and paid by someone trying to discredit him.

Bravo Mr Colbert!

Tyler Feeney, I hope you are listening...

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

TV 3Fer - Virtuality, Global Frequency, Rubicon!

One of these shows never got to pilot, one was never picked up, and the other is rockin' my world every Sunday night...

"Global Frequency" began as a comic written by Warren Ellis. He is the comic writer/personality responsible for Planetary, The Authority, Gravel, FreakAngels, Red and a very entertaining novel, "Crooked Little Vein". According to Wikipedia, the Global Frequency pilot was leaked in 2005. The leak irritated the producer who said, "No more." Most torrents die quick, this one is still live, and kicking. 


Global Frequency is a crowdsourced agency defending the world from itself across national borders and continents. My favorite Bajoran Ensign Ro, aka Commander Cain of the Pegasus aka Michelle Forbes is the head of this far reaching organization, linked by a dedicated cell phone network.

I am pretty sure that within a few episodes the bumps and quirks in the non-pilot would have been ironed out and this show would have been another excuse to keep the cable...seek it out!

"Virtuality" is a 2 hour pilot that never got picked up, packaged as a movie. It is very much Philip K Dick meets "Reality TV" via an episode of the Outer Limits and a brief dash of JG Ballard. The pilot, of course, does not resolve at all, but nonetheless stands on its own. It is TV, and the commercial break rhythms are in place, but are upstaged by the Solipsism and Holo-Deck sims.

I am a big fan of long space voyage novels and films, check out my "Pandorum" review (or just rent it), and Virtuality did a nice job honing Ronald Moore's vision of "Caprica". When are you back on the air, "Caprica?" Until then, rent the Dvd "Virtuality" for some good TV.

Rubicon is an AMC show, currently on its eighth episode, who's title, "Caught in the Suck" is so good why even give you a snapshot? Remember "3 Days of the Condor" which had Robert Redford reading for the CIA? Well, Rubicon is about a group of analysts reading and analyzing data in real time for the US Government caught in an apparent conspiracy, revealed in codes.

The Wire, one of my favorite shows, was on fire, plot development wise, compared to Rubicon. You will remember this reviewer loved "Crank" and "Gamer", so I am no cerebral "War and Peace" reader, but I do love a great cast mixed with current events and espionage, and I prefer a slow build to a dozen red herrings and filler episodes.

Sunday Nights are crowded, but I'm pretty sure that is why they make Tivo, right? Since Rubicon is the only one of the three shows mentioned actually airing, I politely request you set the Dvr to "Record".
Recommended

SnapIt Screen Capture Utility

I have been blogging for a number of years, and considered monetizing once, during the ValisCafe days. I went so far as to sign up for Adsense and check the layout, but ultimately I couldn't bring myself to do it. Blogging is a creative outlet, not a revenue inlet.
My slim readership and odd topic choices have insulated me from click frenzy lures and the weird ads that fill the right side of my gmail folder. Then I reviewed "9" and was offered embed code for the trailer. Well, everyone wins then, instead of a movie poster image I had the trailer.."click".

SnapIt wrote me asking for a review of their software. (wow), in exchange for the software, which is shareware that will cost you $17.99 to purchase. I went ahead and downloaded it. Longtime readers know I don't do negative reviews, there are too many good things happening that I attend/buy to waste time hurting someone else, so, on with the review!

What is wrong with right click save image you ask? Why not just hit print screen and paste? Well, those have worked for me for years, but in these days of flash and Chrome things are not so easy. Snapit allows me to crop a full print screen to whatever rectangle I desire, very handy.

The install was very straightforward, starting with a clean website download page and instructions that are clear and concise. It took me about five minutes of trial and error to get the hang of how the software works. I am nearly over my fear of cluttered taskbars, and with the little SnapIt camera sitting there I know it is one click and a drag to size to save whatever I want from the screen.
(image captured with SnapIt)
There is customization available as far as "hotkey" and naming conventions, as well as file format for the capture. Part of me believes a browser writer should buy up this functionality and build it in to right click options, but until that happens SnapIt "works for me".

Here is a link for you to try it for yourself!
Once you have tried it Digeus software is giving it away in exchange for a review in a blog, Facebook or Twitter. Once you have written the review simply contact julia.taylor@digeus.com for a reg code!
Recommended

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Air Doll

As I approach the second anniversary of my 3rd marriage I posit this: I have learned nothing!
I take this position as axiomatic, but what is an axiom without proof you say? Well, herein lies my proof:
"Hey honey, I picked out a great drama for us tonight, it is about a Japanese love doll,  whadd'ya think?"
Nothing. I have learned nothing. Read on...

The spouse was skeptical from the start, as we watched the lonely Japanese guy riding home on public transportation. "Wow, a seat on Japanese public transportation."

This wasn't going to go well.

By the end of this movie we were both in tears...

This is a well shot film. The costuming is spot on, the story supposedly Japanese but apparently universal. There are a lot of people that are empty inside. Ride the metaphor into modern urban life. Take it to the movies, or at least the movie store.

The soundtrack was so perfect I sought out, and found, a few discs by "World's End Girlfriend" and find it strangely moving, like this film. The spouse has seen "Lars and the Real Girl" and said that "Lars" was about Lars, and that "Air Doll" was about the doll..

The film worked for me on more than a cinematic level, it commented on modern life in so many small ways, the meeting with Gepetto, played by the Japanese son in "Plastic City", seemed like an "of course" moment.
That meeting is one of many moments in this film, each of them bathed in history and pathos and not without humor, though occasionally grim, to truly dark.

The Air Doll Nozomi is asked once, point blank, if having a heart had turned out positive...

Where is your plug?
Recommended

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Avatar Special Edition


This is the tale of my 10 hour journey to see Avatar in Imax 3D...
Before we begin, let me cut to the chase: seeing this film, with that technology, was worth everything you are about to read. Trying to get my mind around the thousands of details involved, from the initial starship scene to the updated mech-suit control surface, makes me wince when I read the reviews deriding the minute count of added content. There are no home theaters available that can present this anywhere close to what I saw in Escazu. To not see it when possible, would be a darn shame.

We bought tickets online 3 days early, lured by a red herring 25% discount for using our Visa card. Without having seen the inside of the theater we were allowed to pick seats. Yep, assigned seats for a movie! Matinee price, $10.00 a ticket included the glasses.(no, there was no discount, as we do not have a Visa Infinity card)

"Avatar Eve" the rain started in earnest here in Panica. We set both phones to wake us at 4:00am. We needed the rain to stop so the bridge wouldn't wash out again. We use our phones for alarm clocks as no one would take the odds on us not losing power that night.

Spencer picked us up promptly at 5am, and we headed to the ferry, all 3 of us silently hoping the bridge was not under too much water. The TLC is good for about 2.5 feet...We made it to the Ferry 5 minutes before the boat left, the rain had stopped and it was a steamy-dreamy jungle dawn in the harbor.

One cafe and one Campari doble later we got out of the boat in Puntarenas, and onto the bus. Stopped in town, bought 3 Jamon Queso pastries and walked 3 blocks to the "Direct Bus" to San Jose. We arrived in San Jose 2 hours later, hopped on the wrong bus and headed vaguely towards the hotel.

The bus ride ended abruptly not much closer than we would have ended up had we taken the direct bus the whole distance. Our bags were light so we walked to the hotel. Our plan was simple: connect the computers to the internet, take a hot shower, change into nicer clothes, head to the theater for the 2:40 show. Piece of cake!

The room wasn't ready, wouldn't be until 2pm. It was only 11am. 3 hours is too long for me to sit and drink in the hotel bar...so we went out for a light lunch and a beverage. We went looking for a non-gringo place to relax, but not quite the seedy Cacique and beer joints filled with old men that San Jose seemed full of, at least at this end of town. Then the rain started.

Umbrellas keep the top of your head dry, only. We decided to bus to Escazu and eat there. We took the wrong bus. We did not want to drink at TGIF or Tony Roma's. We decided that we would treat ourselves to a good scotch at the French place near the theater. We were told: walk straight down this street for a long way and you will come to the fence at the back of the theater. Just walk the fence until you find the front.

We were already soaked. We walked, and walked, letting the new neighborhoods help us forget the kilometers involved. When we got to the fence our target was in sight. No entrance. To get to the entrance we  ascended and then descended a muddy slope, in the rain. Mud oozed into my sandals. I helped the spouse down with muddy hands, leaving inappropriate prints on her white top.

After 20 minutes drying her socks in the restroom we made our way to the restaurant, tickets in hand, just an hour left to kill. Glenfiddich all around and a gorgeous cheese plate...

The Nova Repretel Theater is brand new. "Product C", who was to be the HowlerCafe Seafood vendor, has a new restaurant going in off of the food court. Brand spanking new Imax! Apparently I did not explode waiting, probably being soaked helped.

Our seats were perfect. The audio was spot on, deep loud bass, crystal clear. I was confident they would shut off the stair lights when the movie started (they lit the bottom 1/3rd of the screen) and was only off by about 15 minutes in that estimation.

By the time the cryosleep pod thrust out of the wall into my lap the fact that we had stumbled into the Spanish Dubbed showing of Avatar was apparent...Thankfully this was my  3rd viewing, and I am thinking I preferred dubbing into a foreign language better than 3D subtitles anyway...

Did I mention the AC was blasting the place down into the 60s and we were soaked to the bone? It only mattered when the Spouse had leg cramps...The guy behind mine was only on the phone for about 3 minutes, and as mentioned, they killed the lights within 15 minutes of the movie starting.

Avatar 3D Imax is one hell of a technical marvel, the extra minutes add depth and nuance, and I would go every day it was showing if I had the time, just to remind myself of what can be done, in spite of all the roadblocks, the war, and all other manners of lunacy that keep the good stuff from us!
Recommended

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Splice


I'll admit it: Cronenberg's "The Fly" brought tears to my eyes. Here is what you can garner from that: I can suspend disbelief, I'm a touch old and something of a softie. Brody and Polley are a fine update to the Goldblum and Davis pair...and Splice is a worthy update to "The Fly", with several twists and changes that reflect the director's (Natali) sensibilities and the changing role of science in our lives.

Cautionary tales are cautionary tales, and Splice blows up the bio-engineering fear that grips the food and medical press reporters and then takes it ...somewhere else. What looks like a creature feature really cuts deeper into the psyche of the scientists.

It used to take a lot of sheep to make a single vial of Insulin. Science changed that, via bio-engineering. The "trans-genic" organism as "drug factory" is not an entirely preposterous jumping off point. Just add hubris and stir...

Natali, the director of "Cube" keeps the story moving even as he builds tension. The creature effects start early, and never stop. While we move from "Robocop" view slugs to Dren we also dig deeper into our pair of scientists. They unravel even as "Dren" reaches new levels of complexity.

The cinematography, music and fx never crowd out the human story at work in this "sci-fi horror" film, and I did not miss the crew of attractive teenagers that are normally slaughtered in the service of scaring us...I think the director wanted us to leave the theater thinking rather than frightened. Just a guess.

Recommended

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Nefes


2404 has not turned into the War Channel, Discovery has already claimed that prize!
I was tempted to drop in the review of 9th Company and change the names and nationality, but that would do a disservice to both films. "Nefes" is another terrific variation on the "from training to combat" story.

I am not sure whether this is based on an actual battle like the 9th Company was, but that is neither here nor there to appreciate the film. The film is Turkish, and follows a small group of soldiers to a remote outpost in the mountains.

A standout performance by the commander is highlighted early in the film during a passionate 5 minute speech to his men standing in formation in the snow. I don't speak a lick of Turkish, but his delivery was so powerful I was glued to the screen. As this type of film goes, the entire ensemble of men we meet grab and hold us, making us care about their fate (which, of course, we already know).

The camera is excellent, to contrast with 9th Company again, where that camera felt organic this camera felt sharp and technical, a dispassionate eye that captured sniper fire and reaction. The music, poetry and song that infect this film and our team are as moving as the deadly combat.

This is the third film about war from another culture's perspective that has gained my attention and held it for days. The first was a Korean film, the second the Russian, and now this Turkish movie. I have, of course, seen the "home" versions, and one thing rings true: war is a plague that has little to do with civilian everyday life and yet infects entire nations with bitter and ugly pain.

That being said, if someone rolled a tank down my street to liberate me I would take up arms too.
Recommended

Friday, September 03, 2010

9th Company


"Charlie Wilson's War", from the opposing side. CIA armed terrorists stop a superpower cold in Afghanistan (which begs the question, who is stopping the hyperpower today?). One cannot take the eye off of the machines, or the machinations of war.

Comparisons to "Full Metal Jacket" are apt, if misguided. 9th Company is a based on a true story, and this film apparently captivated the Russian -- no longer Soviet -- public when it hit the screens there, 5 years ago. Who loves US Film Distribution more than me? Everyone! Can I get an Ong Bak in da house? /digression


The Hind gunship is very photogenic, particularly when flying in formation. The Soviet troops, in their striped tanks n' tees, chanting "pull the pin, throw the grenade" as they jog even more so, it is just a matter of scale. 9th Company  has a lot of hardware on display, and even more bared souls.

Our war films are so close to us now. The bitter taste and high cost of Iraq and now Afghanistan(as if Afghanistan was a new front for us) have borne several small, tight and great films that have failed to keep people in the theaters, precisely because of their concision, and the lack of distance.

Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Platoon, and the 9th Company are all exploding history, not current events. 9th Company is now current events for the United States. All of these films have one thing at their center, and Conrad said it best, "the horror, the horror."

9th Company is filmed organic. The vistas and machines and men glow with warmth. Heart and soul and the can-do make it work ethic in the face of adversity rule the day. Vodka, pot, dreams of Olya and home inked tatts fill the spaces in between. The score is as dead on as the action and actors are riveting.

Tears will flow before you pull the Blu-Ray disc from your PS3, subtitles or not.

Somewhere in the film it is stated, "no one has ever beaten Afghanistan in all of history." God forbid we learn a lesson from that.
Recommended

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Youth Without Youth

A second dip into the surreal in as many days. Coppola confounds critics (mostly) and spikes debates in the dreaded comment sections respectively.We have already talked about "Mr Nobody" being compared improperly to "Benjamin Buttons", well here is perhaps the 3rd go at reverse aging, but I'll refrain from the "Buttons" comparison save to note that both films star exquisite beauties as the "unobtainium" that drives the eye inward.

I wish I had scene this on the big screen. The absolute only advantage to the Blu-Ray I own is the Director's Commentary. Mr Coppola is as interesting to listen to as his films are a delight to watch. Sure, I do not understand all the references, and have only vague memories of having read about the origin and branching of languages, but a film can sometimes be enough as a feast for the eyes and ears.

I enjoyed another film called "Stop Making Sense" a long time ago. I've enjoyed puzzling the logic out of David Lynch's clues, found "2046" lush and moving even if the train went nowhere. "Youth Without Youth" has its own rhythms, logic and paths that are as Escher as anything in the jaw dropping "Inception's" architecture of dreams.

To dismiss "Youth" as too cerebral is flat out wrong. To dismiss the film because it has no discernible plot would be a shame. Every film should be judged, perhaps, by the rules the director is playing by. Yes, I'm a fan of Lars Von Trier too.

"Youth Without Youth" might not be your cup of tea. I don't care for "torture porn" but made it through "Unthinkable" in spite(after all that, Mamet made the same point in "The Unit", before that, "The Battle for Algiers", but terrific modern nuance made it worth the disruption to my household). Coppola has put his mind and heart on the screen, and his years. He does so with easily discernible skill. His cast has faith in him, and performs for all of us as well as I have ever seen Roth act, which is to say, bravo!

Do pick up the Blu-Ray, worth the dime for the resolution and the audio and that commentary track.

Recommended