March 2005 Archives (23 posts)

Guero on iTunes

I’ve been reading all of the reviews of Beck’s latest CD and they’re all good. I’ve been looking forward to getting his latest disc for a while now but wait! There are two.

The regular CD costs $12.99 and then there is a deluxe DVD version that has a second bonus disc of remixes, Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, videos , a book and on and on. Do I reall want to spend $31.99 for an audio CD?

I never listen to audio only CDs in my home theatre. I spend most of my time listening to music at my computer or on my iPod. It would be nice to have the jewel case with liner notes but I have hundreds of CDs crowding my house and office.

iTunes. I can download Guero for $9.99. I could download 3 albums or 3 songs for the cost of one deluxe Beck DVD.

I downloaded Guero, saved a bunch of money and have listened to the album about 3 times today.

Posted in Music at 5:17 PM | Comments (2)

DVD Deals at FutureShop

There are some pretty good deals at FutureShop on DVDs right now. They have a lot of discs marked $9.99, buy 2 get another $9.99 for free.

I picked up the special editions of Fargo, Blue Velvet and The Princess Bride for $19.98 plus tax. Not a bad deal.

Posted in Observations at 5:08 PM | Comments (0)

PUBLICity

Spacing and the Toronto Free Gallery have a photo exhibit of Toronto’s urban landscape and public spaces. PUBLICity is on now until April 23 at Toronto Free Gallery (660 Queen Street East).

This is about 5 minutes from office and wil be a great place to take a couple of coffee breaks over the next couple of weeks.

Posted in Photography at 4:57 PM | Comments (0)

Living in Oblivion (1995)

I finally had a chance to watch Living in Oblivion, written and directed by Tom DiCillo. It’s a quirky little film about filmmaking that will make you laugh and wonder how much of this film is based on real events.

Steve Buscemi stars as a troubled director of a film with no budget, fragile stars (Catherine Keener) and sensitive director of photography (Dermot Mulroney) who wears an eye patch. If you’re at all interested in the filmmaking process then you have to see this cult film.

As an added bonus, “the angry little dwarf” (Peter Dinklage) from the movie Elf has a funny role in this film. Your best bet for renting this will be Zip.ca or Netflix.

Posted in DVD Reviews at 4:06 PM | Comments (0)

I’ve got the shutterbug

Lissa and I took our Canon SLR to Paris and took some photos. I’m hoping that there are some interesting shots that I can post next week. I would love to get a digital camera and be able to experiment more and possibly create a photoblog on Bombippy.

In the meantime, I’ve been researching digital cameras, visiting way too many photoblogs and taking more pictures than usual. I woke up at 5:30 AM this morning so that I could watch the sun rise over Lake Ontario from the Scarborough Bluffs and take some photos.

The light is incredible at this time of day and makes everything look interesting, including the guy that was driving his Hummer like a maniac across the public beach at Bluffers Park. He was a little startled when he saw me with my camera and took off.

It’s funny how you start to look at the world differently when you have a shutterbug. I’m constantly looking for something that would make an interesting photo—landscapes, light, clouds, buildings. Everything starts to look interesting and if it doesn’t I try to look at it in a way that I haven’t before.

I’ve been inspired by the photos at Fearfully Human and A Walk Through Durham Township. Hopefully in the next little while I will find the time to continue taking pictures and share the decent ones with the rest of you.

Posted in Photography at 4:36 PM | Comments (1)

Au revoir Paris

Today is our last day in Paris and the last travel entry that you’ll have to read for a while. Promise.

On Sunday morning we went to Montmarte in the north end of the city (where most of the movie Amelie takes place if you live your life through film). We walked up the Rue de Martyrs to Sacré-Coeur—the large white dome church at the top of a very steep hill. It was Palm Sunday and there was a service on but the tourists have to be herded through to gawk at the architecture. I felt terrible for invading a church service. Tourists were standing in front of people trying to worship and take part in the service. Dumb. Beautiful church but we didn’t stay very long.

The Musée Montmarte, just north of the church was a complete rip. There was supposed to be some Modigliani paintings. There weren’t. There were some really boring German belt buckles that were over a hundred years old.

After that we went to a crowded flea market—the biggest in Paris. I can’t tell you how much fun that was.

Yesterday we went to the Opéra district and visted the Opéra. This has been the surprise of the trip for me. I was completely blown away by the incredible architecture and history here.

This building is absolutely decadent. I’ve never seen so much red velvet in one place. When you take into account that Handel, Beethoven and other great composers performed here, it makes the place feel magical.

Today it finally rained so we decided to head indoors and the Panthéon in the Latin Quarter. The Panthéon is another incredible church because of its architecture (Roman influence). Below the church is a massive crypt where many famous French people are buried (Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Emile Zola and likely where Johnny Halliday will be buried. Okay, maybe not).

Once the rain cleard up we went for a walk in Luxembourg Gardens where magnolia trees are starting to bloom. Leaves are starting to pop open on all the trees. Spring has arrived early in Paris.

Tonight we’re going out for a nice meal in the 17th district courtesy of Lissa’s brother. We’re both really looking forward to this and it is a perfect way to celebrate our last night in Paris.

I won’t get into my experience tryign to see A Life Aquatic, the Marais district or walking around our neighbourhood with Lissa’s laptop looking for free Wi-Fi (special thank you to the Dumon family for not protecting their router).

It’s been a great trip. We’ve been fortunate for the awesome weather. Neither one of us was hit by any vehicles which is amazing! I’ve seen more of Paris than I expected and probably would have lost 10 pounds from all of the walking if I didn’t eat so much cheese.

Posted in Travel at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)

Dead People and Churches

We spent part of the morning in Montparnasse Cemetary where a lot famous people are buried—Camille Saints-Sain, Jean-Paul Sarte, Samuel Beckett and Susan Sontag (that was a surpise). A lot of the headstones are quite interesting and should make for some interesting photos.

I had to visit Saint Sulpice church because I’ve never been there and it is significant in The Da Vinci Code. Oddly enough there was a Davinci Code tour taking place when we arrived. The British tour guide was quite amusing and pointed out a lot of “factual errors” in the novel. Apparently the church hasn’t been too happy with people wandering around the church, tapping away at the floor, attempting to find hidden messages.

We wandered through the Lating Quarter which is full of interesting narrow streets. The disappointing thing is that these streets are filled with tourist traps and lousy restaurants. The most interesting stop here was the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I forgot that part of “Before Sunset” was filmed here last year.

Next was Notre Dame cathedral followed by some shopping on Isle St. Louis. We went to a French Provincial store and picked up a few things. Lissa was so impressed until she realized that there are two of these stores in Toronto and one in Vancouver. C’est la vie.

More walking along the Seine, watching the boats go by, enjoying the weather and thinking about where to go next.

I found another Starbuck near our hotel and decided to get a cappucino. This time it was perfect. It costs the same as going to a café but takes half the time. Getting the bill in a restaurant or café takes a lot of patience here. Nobody really seems to be in a rush. I guess I have to learn to relax a little more.

Posted in Travel at 4:04 PM | Comments (0)

The Louvre and MO

The weather continues to be unseasonably warm here and we’re loving it! We just found an Internet café that is around the corner from our hotel (4 Euro/hour). We’ve decided against lugging the laptop around looking for a McDonalds.

So, day 2. We spent most of the day in the Louvre. Overall we were both impressed. I was glad that I read The Da Vinci code ahead of time because it added another dimension to the whole experience. Some of the Italian paintings were closed which means I missed Veronese’s “Wedding at Cana”—the painting I wanted to see the most.

We decided to walk along Champs Elysées and ended up at the Arch de Triumphe by the end of the day. After 5+ klometres of walking we were toast. A nice meal around the corner and we were happy.

Today we did the MO (Musée d’Orsay) and had a great time. We both found it to be better than The Louvre in that we enjoyed the collection of paintings here a lot more.

By around 3 PM we headed over to Rue Rivoli in search of Colette—a store with a design theme, gadgets, beauty products and cool DVDs. It’s basically a bricks and mortar Bombippy.com.

A few more kilometres of walking took us back to the Seine. Listened to a really bad band for a little while. Crossed Pont Neuf over to Odéon and had the worst Starbucks Coffee to date. Lesson learned. Stick the cafés.

At this point my legs are completely numb. I’m sitting in this café trying to figure who messed up the layout on this keyboard and trying to breathe as the cigarette smoke continues to suffocate me (Lissa took the computer by the open door).

Tomorrow we’ll check out Notre Dame and the cemetary in Montparnasse where which is very close to our hotel (we’re on Rue Pasteur across the street from the Pasteur metro). To most of you this information will be meaningless.

Okay time for a cigar. Did I mention how unbelivably cheap cigarellos are?

Posted in Travel at 3:35 PM | Comments (1)

Day 1 in Paris

First the bad news. Air Canada lost one of our bags.

The good news is that the weather here is about 70 degrees F at the moment and we’re walking around in t-shirts. Life is good. Oh, and my missing bag magically appeared later in the day.

The French are crazy drivers. We witnessed a couple of accidents on the way to our hotel (one happened right behind us as we were walking on the sidewalk). We had a couple of close calls on our bus ride from the airport too. I think this is why people love to sit around at the outdoor cafes—to watch the car wrecks.

Did I mention that everyone smells really great? It’s a rule here. You have wear nice perfume.

We walked over to the Eiffel Tower from our hotel (about 2 km). I walked up to the second level and took in some great views of the city (Lissa got a little freaked out and had to return to less windy ground—she found a somellier from the south of France to talk to).

We’ll probably head over to the Louvre today as it looks a little overcast. Hopefully we can find some decent Wi-Fi service. I’m on our hotel computer (Euro for 60 minutes). The mouse doesn’t work very well and the keyboard has a different layout from what I’m used to. This will explain all of the typos.

7:34 AM. We’re going to grab some breakfast and start viewing some of the world’s finest art.

Last thing. Our hotel room window faces the Eiffel Tower. So what if we can only see the the top quarter of it. We’re happy.

Posted in Travel at 1:21 AM | Comments (1)

Bon Voyage

I’m off to Paris for a week of sightseeing, relaxation and fun. It’s about 10 degrees C over there which will be a welcome change from snow and cold weather in Toronto.

I’ve been watching a few movies to gear up for the trip. Subway (1985), directed by Luc Besson is set in Paris. I thought this was a complete waste of time and the worst Besson film I’ve seen. Awful.

Next up was Forget Paris (1995). I forgot how bad this movie was. No wonder I haven’t seen Bill Crystal or Debra Winger in anything lately. Amost every exterior scene in Paris has a shot of the Eiffel Tower—typical Hollywood film that assumes the audience is plain stupid.

Amelie was by far the best film to put me in the mood. A lot of it is set in Montmarte which I can’t wait to visit. The train stations, the cafés, it’s all coming back to me now.

We leave tonight and arrive in Paris on Wednesday morning. I will probably post a few updates when Lissa isn’t isn’t crafting her next 3 page entry for stuffandjunk.com.

Posted in Travel at 12:16 PM | Comments (1)

Thieves Highway (1949)

I watched Thieves Highway, directed by Jules Dassin on the weekend. This another recent release from the Criterion Collection.

Of the three Dassin films that I’ve seen to date, Rififi is by far the best. Thieves Highway was one of the last pictures that Dassin directed in the US before he was exiled to France. It has some nice moments—the scene where the transport truck veers off the road and crashes. Dassin describes this scene as being one of his favourites in an interview, included on the DVD.

The sad thing about Thieves Highway is that studio head, Daryl Zanuck changed the ending of the film without Dassin knowing. And Terry Gilliam thought he had it rough when Universal Pictures changed the ending to his film Brazil.

Posted in DVD Reviews at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

Eating in Paris

My father noticed an article in the New York Times yesterday which ended up in my inbox this morning—Does the Affordable Paris Bistro Still Exist? Oui.. Aside from visiting some famous landmarks and viewing some incredible art, I’m looking forward to eating some amazing food.

After I find some of the bistros mentioned in the Times article, you can bet that I’ll be sipping some Beaujolais and getting slapped around by some of the world’s rudest waiters. I can’t wait. To sample some French cuisine of course. I could do without the waiters and attempting to speak French.

Posted in Travel at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)

The Da Vinci Code

When a friend of mine heard that I was going to Paris for a week he said I have to read The Da Vinci Code. He said I would regret going to the Louvre without reading this novel.

Okay, so I started reading Dan Brown’s controversial novel last Sunday. I couldn’t put it down and finished it before the end of the week. It’s an exciting read with a great mystery.

The theology and history in the novel are outrageous at times. My curiosity led me to delve a little deeper into things like the Priory of Sion, Les Dossier Secrets, Opus Dei and corporal mortification.

For me, one of the best things about reading The Da Vinci Code, is that I can’t wait to get to the Louvre and experience some of the incredible art that is there. I won’t be lining up to see the Mona Lisa or take any Da Vinci Code tours—too cheesy and a waste of time. There is just too much to see.

If you’ve read The Da Vinci Code you may want to check out the FAQs on Dan Brown’s website. You can also look forward to The Da Vinci Code (2006) to be directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks (Langdon), Jean Reno (Fache) and Audrey Tautou (Sophie).

Posted in Books at 9:07 PM | Comments (3)

Mount St. Helens Burps

Mount St. Helens is showing signs of activity for the second time since last October. I visited Mount St. Helens last July and was amazed. You can still see the path of the previous blast from the early 80s by looking at the landscape of fallen tress. Eerie.

Yahoo News has some photos here. More photos can be seen on Flickr.

Posted in News at 1:34 PM | Comments (0)

Bay3000 website makes CSS Beauty

A website I redesigned last spring was selected as an entry into CSS Beauty—a CSS design showcase. I redesigned the Bay3000 Corporate Education website using XHTML and CSS instead of the “old way” of using HTML tables for the layout.

It’s nice to be recognized for design work, even if I don’t recognize it until 6 months later! By the way, I take no credit for the Bay3000 Corporate Education logo.

Posted in JAK MEDIA at 10:30 AM | Comments (1)

Free screening of Millions

You can sign up for a free screening of Danny Boyle’s latest film, Millions. I signed up for Thursday March 10 at the Varsity Cinema in Toronto. Anyone interested?

Posted in Movies at 3:17 PM | Comments (1)

Sunday in Paris

Apparently most of Paris shuts down on Sunday. This is the day we’ve chosen to go to the Louvre because we thought it was free. It’s only free on the first Sunday of every month. On Sunday March, 20th it will cost 13 euros. Oh well.

So with everyone at the Louvre or Marais on a Sunday, what else is there to do?

The New York Times suggests says, “In Paris, the Rue des Martyrs Is a Slice of Village Life”. So maybe we’ll head down to Rue des Martyrs where Saint Denis was beheaded for preaching the Christian gospel in the 5th century.

Link to the Times article via megnut.com.

Posted in Travel at 2:31 PM | Comments (3)

allcity

allcity is a London-based design firm that creates some amazing movie posters for the UK and international markets. Their website is full of examples and design notes.

allcity also designs DVD covers and creates animated menus. Check out their showreel for more.

Link via Newstoday®—a great resource of links to interactive design, motion graphics, design books and more.

Posted in Design and Movies at 9:49 PM | Comments (0)

Hello, we have HDTV.

The step-daughter is watching The O.C. on FOX. It’s one of the few television shows that is broadcast in HDTV and she’s watching the regular broadcast. I’m in shock and ask her why she’d want to watch the “crappy” version of the show—the version that isn’t in widescreen with Dolby Digital sound.

I received a simple shrug and a brief explanation that it’s too much work to go all the way up to channel 800 (where the HDTV programming is). Hmm, is it just me or is anyone else suprised that some people don’t use the number buttons on television remotes?

Posted in Television at 8:46 PM | Comments (2)

Night and the City (1950)

Thank you Zip.ca for sending me this brand new release from The Criterion Collection. Night and the City, is the third film released by The Criterion Collection, that is directed by Jules Dassin.

This is the second Dassin film that I’ve watched and continue to be impressed. If you enjoy film noir then this is required viewing. Shot entirely in London, Dassin shows us the gritty underworld of desperate hustlers and grifters. The lead character, Harry Fabian reminds me of Harry Lime in The Third Man—always running and hiding from someone.

The Criterion DVD has some great special features. I was most impressed with a 20-minute feature that compares the musical scores of the American and British versions of the film. Not only is the music entirely different but the film editing varies between the two versions as well. This provides a fascinating glimpse into the creative process of filmmaking. This is a film I could easily watch again and will consider adding to my collection.

Posted in DVD Reviews at 1:47 PM | Comments (0)

Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

Last night I watched Che Guevara road trip movie on DVD—The Motorcycle Diaries.

The visuals are stunning and make up for the moments where the film tends to drag. I didn’t know much about Guevara going into this film. By the end credits I still didn’t really know very much about him but I was entertained. Don’t expect much in terms of character development or biography. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

The anamorphic widescreen presentation made me feel like I was in South America. The scene at Machu Picchu is my favourite—damp, mystical, mysterious. It’s hard to believe that Universal also released this film in a fullscreen version. I pity the fool that rents/purchases a copy.

The soundtrack is also excellent and really adds some punch to the beautiful visuals. The song “Al Otro Lado Del Río” won the Oscar for best original song and sounds fabulous in Dolby Digital.

Posted in DVD Reviews at 2:00 PM | Comments (0)

Tsunami Photos Recovered

CNN.com has some incredible photos of the Tsunami. They were taken with a digital camera by a couple from Vancouver, BC and recovered by searchers in Thailand.

Posted in News at 2:10 PM | Comments (0)

Cellular (2004)

The premise behind Cellular (2004) seems like an interesting concept—a young man receives a phone call from a woman who is kidnapped and must stay on the line with her until she is safe. The problem is that the screenplay, the acting, and the movie just blows.

The movie should have been called Cliché because it borrows heavily from every police thriller in the last 20 years. I broke out laughing near the end of the film when William H. Macy’s character does a slow motion dive and shoots bad guy Jason Statham to save the day. Oh sorry, I just gave away the ending.

So to sum up, terrible dialogue, over-acting and good action sequences add up to Cellular—a movie for the 13-year-old crowd at the cineplex. On a positive note the video transfer for this disc looks great and the audio is impressive. My advice, resist the urge to watch this film just because it is a new release.

Posted in DVD Reviews at 1:21 PM | Comments (0)