August 2005 Archives (20 posts)
TIFF Picks
The Toronto International Film Festival is just around the corner. I’ll be seeing ten films this year. Below is a short list of films that I’d like to see.
- Bubble — directed by Steven Soderbergh
- Tideland — directed by Terry Gilliam
- The Well — documentary film directed by Kristian Petri
- Why We Fight — documentary film directed by Eugene Jarecki
- Capote — directed by Bennett Miller
- Dave Chapelle’s Block Party — directed by Michel Gondry
- Mary — Abel Ferrara
- Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story — Micahel Winterbottom
- Wah-Wah — Richard E. Grant
- A Conversation with Basquiat — directed by Tamra Davis
Posted in Movies at 12:06 PM | Comments (1)
GFS Marketplace 400 Photos
Jeremy Mayfield won the race (first win of the season). Jeff Gordon had a terrible day, much to the delight of the fans at MIS. Paul Tracy didn’t compete but will likely enter a future race and make the switch from Cart to Nascar next year.
Posted in Photography at 3:23 PM | Comments (0)
Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
Okay, it took me six years to see this excellent documentary but I just wasn’t ready for it at the turn of the century. What did I care about forgotten Cuban musicians or Ry Cooder for that matter.
I watched this Wim Wenders film last night on DVD and was blown away. It sounds great in Dolby Digital and the visuals are fabulous. You’ll want to go to Cuba, listen to Cuban music and smoke cigars.
Live performances are mixed seamlessly with recording sessions and incredible visuals of the streets of Havana. Although the musicians are old (some are in their 80s) their playing ability and singing are exceptional.
Rubén González impressed me the most with his piano playing. He’s described as the best piano player to come out of Cuba. He died a couple of years ago and was 80 years old when the documentary was made.
Ibrahim Ferrer was a great singer with a lot of style. Getting to know him over the course of the documentary was almost as interesting as his music. Sadly, he died just a few weeks ago.
One of the funniest moments in the film is seeing these great musicians on the streets of New York for the first time and being amazed. One of them looks into a shop window at a figurine of president Kennedy and says something like “that guy looks familiar”.
It was weird to see some of the musicians looking at the World Trade Center buildings from the Empire State Building.
If you’re looking for a great documentary film then Buena Vista Social Club is a must see.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 3:16 PM | Comments (1)
Upgrades
It’s been a while since I’ve upgraded some of my software. New versions are out for:
- Acquisition (v121.6)
- BBEdit (v8.2.3)
- Cocktail (v3.6.4)
- ecto (v2.3.8)
- Mac OS X Update (10.4.2)
- Movable Type (v3.2)
Brand new OS X widgets:
- EasyEnvelopes (from Ambrosia Software)
- SeeSS (great CSS reference)
Posted in OS X Software at 2:40 PM | Comments (0)
Chu It Up… Spit It Out!
Somehow I forgot to mention that a friend of mine has a new blog. Jason Chu has some great DVD and film reviews at Chu It Up… Spit It Out! I’ve seen a lot of films but Jason always surprises me with a great recommendation by some director I’ve never heard of.
Filling up your ZipList or heading out to Blockbuster? Check out Chu It Up… Spit It Out! for something new.
Posted in Movies and Web at 1:54 PM | Comments (0)
Not at all motivated
I’m not at all motivated to do anything right now. I feel like Brian Wilson did. I’d be happy just sitting in bed for the next two weeks.
Going into the office has become painful in the last couple of weeks. I still have two websites to design, another print project to complete, and there is always something to do for a handful of clients that provide me with ongoing work. And the phone won’t stop ringing. Voicemail and call display is a wonderful thing to a procrastinator.
I can’t believe that I’m complaining about having too much work but I am. The worst thing about having a lot of work is that you have to invoice to get paid. Accounting is the last thing I want to do right now.
As I type this I’ve been asked if I would like to redesign another website. I need a break. Something longer that a three-day weekend and less than a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to Christmas.
The unfortunate thing about working for yourself is that you usually don’t have anyone to cover for you. You hate to say no to clients or put them off for a couple of weeks. Things might slow down. The work might dry up. This hasn’t happened for a few years but it’s always in the back of your mind.
And you thought being self-employed was getting out of bed at 10 AM, hanging out at Starbucks, reading design magazines, watching movies in the middle of the afternoon, sipping beer on a patio and afternoon naps. Note to self, take a day off and do all of the things in the last sentence before you grow old and die.
Posted in Personal at 3:50 PM | Comments (1)
GFS Marketplace 400
I’m heading down to Michigan International Speedway for a Nascar race on Sunday—GFS Marketplace 400 (1:30 PM EST on TNT). Once a year, four of us head down to Livonia, MI on Saturday morning. On Saturday night we eat dinner at the BoneYard Bar-B-Q & Grille and then head over to Kickers (owned by former Miami Dolphin kicker, Pete Stoyanovich). Sunday is the big race.
This year should be interesting because CART driver Paul Tracy (from Toronto) is attempting to qualify and start in his first Nascar race. It’s also the last time we’ll see Rust Wallace race. He’s retiring this year. After the race we tailgate and wait for 200,000 race fans to make their way home.
On Monday morning we head back to Toronto. Aside from a great race there is always a story or two waiting to happen. Should be a great weekend.
Posted in Travel at 4:44 PM | Comments (1)
A Very Long Engagement (2004)
I watched Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) last weekend. Twice. It’s that good.
It a WW I film that stars Audrey Tautou and is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who has a great photo on IMDB.com). He directed Tautou in Amelie (another favourite of mine).
Paris of the 1920s is beautifully recreated. The art direction is top-notch. The cinematography is interesting—love the scene where a grenade is thrown up in the air and explodes just in time to take down a German plane. The camera work during this sequence is great. The various panning shots around trains throughout the film are also interesting.
There are some interesting supplemental features on the second disc that explain how some of the scenes were filmed. For example, the Museé D’Orsay is digitally transformed to its former self—a train station. If you’ve ever been to Paris you won’t want to miss this one.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 5:28 PM | Comments (0)
March of the Penguins (2005)
I saw La Marche de l’empereur (2005) last weekend and it wasn’t bad. I found it a little slow at times but the penguins will amaze you. The footage is great and it helps that Morgan Freeman is doing the voiceover narration.
I don’t know how the editors and producers resisted the urge to use some hip hop music while the penguins marched and bobbed their heads. Now that would have been cool. Instead the filmmakers played it safe and gave us a traditional film score.
I think the reason that this film is doing so well at the box office is because there isn’t anything else worth seeing in the theatre. Dukes of Hazzard anyone?
Posted in Movie Reviews at 5:18 PM | Comments (1)
CSS Layout-o-matic
I’m not sure how old this link is but it looks pretty useful if you’re doing CSS layout and design. It’s making the rounds on digg which is a great site of popular links to other blogs, RSS feeds, etc.
Posted in Web Development at 3:29 PM | Comments (0)
The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film
I just finished reading The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje (author of The English Patient). If you’re at all interested in film or video editing then this is a fabulous read.
As some of you will know, Walter Murch is a legendary film editor (three time Oscar winner) and sound editor. His conversations with Ondaatje reveal a lot about his creative process and provide great insight into modern filmmaking.
What surprised me the most about Murch is that he likes to isolate himself from outside influences when editing. He says this about his creative process:
Some filmmakers, when they’re at home, love to have many television monitors going, showing films all the time, so their home is peopled by classic films, part of the atmosphere, to foment the creative activity. To me, that’s an impossible way of living—by my own lights, it’s ultimately destructive of the creative process. Things become too self-refential—look at what’s happened to modern painting or modern music in the twentieth century. All new compositions refer to previous compositions in arcane ways. You build an incredible sand castle, a house of cards with references within references within references. You can see it happening now with films, and I don’t know if it’s such a good thing. It’s fun occasionally, but not as a steady diet.
Murch’s creative process is the complete opposite of director Steven Soderbergh who says in one film commentary:
Godard is a constant source of inspiration. Before I do anything, I go back and look at as many of his films as I can, as a reminder of what’s possible.
I’d have to agree with Murch in that popular culture has become incredibly self-referential, formulaic and quite often, dull.
Posted in Books at 3:05 PM | Comments (1)
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time. The Wedding Crashers (2005) was great. Vince Vaughan, Owen Wilson and Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour and Will Ferrell have some great moments in this film.
Vince Vaughan steals a lot of scenes like he did in Swingers. If you need some laughsthen go see this film. You’ll probably want to see it again so you can remember some of the funny quotes and moments throughout the film.
Posted in Movie Reviews at 4:42 PM | Comments (1)
McEwan’s Scotch Ale Grumblings
Wow! It looks like struck a nerve with my McEwan’s Scotch Ale post back in June. There have been a steady stream of comments from people that love this beer.
I’ve tried a lot of beers from around the world and have enjoyed at least, 90% of them. But I’m afraid that, even with my Scottish heritage, I still have no desire to drink another McEwan’s Scotch Ale.
A buddy of mine has a friend from the UK that likes to put Scotch in his beer. Apparently this is a pretty common thing to do. I’ve also heard of people putting Canada Dry Ginger Ale in their beer or lemonade and calling it a Shandy. I don’t get it.
I like my beer without coffee, scotch, sherry or lemonade in it.
Posted in Food at 10:10 AM | Comments (1)
First views of Windows Vista
News.com has some screenshots of Vista—Microsoft’s new operating system which used to be code-named “Longhorn”. This is great. Microsoft has copied Apple’s OS X aqua design right down to the search icon.
If I was Bill Gates I would be embarrassed. With his billions of dollars, his interface design experts have been unable to create an OS interface that is innovative and unique.
Apple should be flattered that Microsoft has ripped off copied their interface design. Again.
Posted in Apple at 5:21 PM | Comments (3)
Criminal (2004)
This is a remake of Nueve reinas (2000) that was produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. Soderbergh also wrote part of the screenplay under the name Sam Lowry (which is the name of the lead character in Terry Gilliam’s Brazil).
Criminal (2004) is directed by Gregory Jacobs. It’s weird because at times I felt like I was watching Out of Sight or Traffic. I wasn’t surprised when I learned that Jacobs has been the first assistant director on every film directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Criminal is a pretty good film. It stars John C. Reilly who is great in his role as a con artist. The whole story had me fooled several times, right up until the end. Worth a rental.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 10:59 AM | Comments (3)
200 POUNDS
Oh man, I knew this day was going to come soon. I tipped the scales at 200 lbs. I’ve been eating a lot of junk lately and not excercising enough.
Playing hockey once a week isn’t nearly enough exercise. I’m going to have to diet and hit the gym again if I want to get back down to 185 lbs. Getting old sucks.
Posted in Personal at 10:06 AM | Comments (1)
Apple’s Tiger vs. Windows Vista
eWEEK has an interesting story called Apple’s Tiger vs. Windows Vista: Who Comes Out Ahead?. It sounds like Microsoft is being a little more blatant this time about ripping off the visual elements of OS X.
The story reports that Apple is working on Leopard, its next major release of the operating system. System 11 or Leopard will also run on Intel machines.
Posted in OS X Software at 9:31 PM | Comments (0)
Constantine (2005)
I watched Constantine (2005) last weekend. For an action movie that looks like the Matrix at times and stars Keanu Reeves, it rocks!
Forget about the theology in this film—chain-smoking angels, the Spear of Destiny (you know, the one that killed Christ and has incredible power) and half-angels that can supposedly earn their way into heaven by performing exorcisms.
There are some pretty spectacular and creepy moments in the film supported by some top-notch special effects. Don’t expect a film of the Exorcist’s quality and you’ll enjoy this one.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 5:20 PM | Comments (0)
Mighty Mouse
Apple recently introduced the Mighty Mouse for Macintosh users. It features a new approach to the scroll wheel on other mice. It also features a touch-sensitive technology that gets rid of the two-button mouse. Very cool.
Posted in Apple at 5:13 PM | Comments (0)
Team America: World Police (2004)
A couple of friends (Dave and Andy) saw Team America: World Police (2004) and told me that it was “brutal” because of how far Trey Parker and Matt Stone push the envelope in this one. A guy on my hockey team raved and said it was hilarious.
Did I mention that Dave and Andy in particular also enjoy Rob Schneider films like Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) and The Hot Chick (2002)? My step-daughter walked by then sat down when she realized that I was watching Team America: World Police. She’s already seen it a few times and said it “awesome”.
For some people this would have been plenty of warning that I was watching one of the worst movies of the year. I got as far as the 2 minute vomit scene when I had enough. I hit eject on the DVD player after enduring 23 minutes of this garbage.
How did Team America: World Police ever get made? What a pile of crap! I must be getting old. Maybe if I was sixteen years old I could waste a couple of hours watching watching marionettes blow each other up, defecate on each other and vomit endlessly.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 5:12 PM | Comments (3)
