March 2009 Archives (18 posts)
What Happened To The Recession?
Can somebody tell my clients that we’re in the middle of a recession?
I’m in the middle of four projects and trying to keep my head above water. Another five projects are circling my time like vultures. I’m grateful for the work but the stress is building.
How do you say no to work when GM is collapsing and the government is handing out money like treats on Hallowe’en?
Posted in JAK MEDIA at 5:07 PM | Comments (0)
On One Take Baby
I’m still blown away by the Lebron James interview on 60 Minutes tonight. Halfway through the interview, James underhands the ball across more than half the court to sink a shot.
Steve Kroft asks him how many times in a row he can make shot like that and James says, “on one take baby, on one take.” It was a lucky shot but it made the interview.
Posted in Television at 11:28 PM | Comments (2)
Blogroll Shout-outs
I am a bad friend. I have neglected to read, comment on, or mention Lisa’s blog in Vancouver. I’ve subscribed to her RSS feed, added her site to my blogroll, and commented on her site. Something tells me it’s too little too late.
My step-daughter Vanessa has run away to England because:
- she doesn’t want to go to college
- doesn’t know what to take in college
- she can be an au pair and travel around Europe in her spare time
- she is only twenty and has her whole life in front of her
- because she can.
I am so jealous and you can read all about her adventures on her blog.
I’d better set aside a moment for myself and read some stuff and junk or my wife will complain that I don’t read her blog.
Last week she was sitting 3 feet from me and sent me an email. What happened to dating? What happened to going for long walks on the beach and talking about her feelings for hours on end? This Internet thing is getting way out of control. The Google is taking over. Beware.
Posted in Blogs at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
Hot Docs 2009 Press Conference
Chris McDonald, Executive Director of Hot Docs. (Photo: Jay Kerr)
Hot Docs held a press conference this morning to kick off the 16th edition of its documentary film festival. Sean Farnel, Director of Programming said that the selection of films this year is the best yet. They received 1,948 entries and will be showing 171 films in various programs. No wonder Farnel is excited.
Director, Jennifer Baichwal’s film Act of God will kick off this year’s festival. The film is described as “an elegant and absorbing meditation on the metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning”.
Baichwal’s last two films, Manufactured Landscapes and The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams’ Appalachia were fabulous. You won’t want to miss Act Of God if you’re planning to attend the festival this year.
Jennifer Baichwal, director of Act Of God. (Photo: Jay Kerr)
Some of the films that I plan to see (and review) are:
- Prom Night in Mississippi Morgan Freeman’s hometown finally has its first racially integrated senior prom, in 2008!
- Objectified. Gary Hustwit’s follow up to the popular Helvetica.
- Tyson. The life of Mike. Never boring.
- Carmen Meets Borat. What happens when Borat comes to town?
- The Cove. Won the Audience Award at Sundance.
A full list of films and schedules is available on the Hot Docs website.
I’ll be covering the festival again with James at Toronto Screen Shots and cross-posting my reviews here at Bombippy. I don’t think I’ll be getting a lot of sleep in April.
171 films, 36 world premieres, North America’s largest documentary festival. If you live in Toronto, you are truly spoiled. Don’t wait until it is too late. Order your tickets today and see some amazing films.
Posted in Hot Docs at 4:36 PM | Comments (6)
Benjamin Button DVD
Looks like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is going to get a Criterion DVD release in partnership with Warner. A commentary from David Fincher and some special effects featurettes will make this a Blu-ray must by for my collection. The release date is set for May 5th.
Posted in Movies at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)
The Ruins Of Detroit
Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre Photography has an interesting portfolio of work called The Ruins Of Detroit. It features some incredible photos of places in the city that are vacant and have been for some time.
I drive through Detroit a couple of times each year and have always thought that it would be great to shoot some of the vacant spaces in the city. I wonder how safe that would be? I’m thinking I should organize a weekend trip to the motor city with some big guys like Tim, Neal, and Paul.
Posted in Photography at 11:26 AM | Comments (2)
iTunes Movie Trailers on Twitter
Now you can follow itunestrailers on Twitter to get the latest updates on the iTunes Movie Trailers. I love that Apple keeps tweaking the page with Ajax goodness and minor improvements to the user interface.
Posted in Apple and Movies at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
Natasha Richardson dies in N.Y.
Natasha Richardson suffered a head injury while skiing in Mont Tremblant, Quebec on Monday. She was hospitalized in Montreal, then flown to a hospital in New York. She died earlier today of brain damage at the age of 45.
She was the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and married to Liam Neeson.
Posted in Movies at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
Broken DVDs From Zip.ca
I usually pop the DVD back into its envelope and quietly drop it in a nearby mailbox. I’ve never had a warning or complaint from Zip.ca but then again I didn’t break the disc. It arrived in my mailbox that way.
It’s a real drag when the broken disc turns out to be a film I really want to watch. Worse still, is when I receive the DVD in the mail and leave it on my desk for a week until I have time to watch it. I’ll make some popcorn, grab a drink, pull the disc out of the envelope and groan, “not again!”
I’ve been a member for 4 years, rented 277 movies and received only 3 broken DVDs. Not bad. A lot of Zip.ca customers have complained bitterly about the service but it has improved with time.
Some Netflix users have also been unlucky with broken DVDs arriving in the mail. Mike Adams at Natural News has a theory about broken DVDs from Netflix:
I personally suspect the mail people go postal on the DVDs and use them as drink coasters and frisbees for a day and a half, then they deliver the ones they don’t want to keep for themselves.
Overall I think Zip.ca is a good service and their catalog is second to none in Canada. Are there any Zip.ca or Netflix members that have received an increase in broken DVDs of late?
Posted in Movies at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
Confessions of a Superhero
Confessions of a Superhero (2007). Directed by Matthew Ogens.
You’ll find them on a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard by the Chinese Theatre - Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and The Hulk. They are in full costume and and if you want your picture taken with them, they remind you that they “work for tips.”
Confessions of a Superhero is a quirky documentary about an odd group of people that eke out a living as super heroes. Are they panhandlers or heroes? Each of them has an interesting story to tell that you won’t want to miss.
Christopher Lloyd Dennis (Superman) is a super hero purist. He believes that there are rules and responsibilities. For example, never smoke in public while wearing your costume. He’s also a fanatic collector of all things Superman. Oh, and he had a drug problem but that’s behind him now.
Maxwell “Batman” Allen looks a bit like George Clooney and he has a really bad temper but he’s working on that with his psychiatrist. He prefers to see his shrink in full costume and confesses to doing some really bad things in his past.
Jennifer Gehrt (Wonder Woman) was prom queen and homecoming queen but her acting career is slow to take off and her marriage is crumbling. Then there is Joe McQueen (The Hulk) from North Carolina. When he arrived in Hollywood he was homeless for 4 years.
This film is anything but low budget. It is beautifully filmed and director Matthew Ogens does a wonderful job of revealing the true identity of these heroes with honesty and sincerity. And if that isn’t enough there is the requisite Stan Lee cameo!
Confessions of a Superhero - Official site.
½
Films are rated from 1 to 4 stars.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 11:18 PM | Comments (4)
Follow Me
I’ve been using Twitter for a few months on my computer and decided to try it out on my iPhone. The free version of Twitterific isn’t bad but it’s missing a bunch of features that you can only get in Twitterific Premium ($9.99).
For $2.99 you can send out your tweets with Tweetie - the best Twitter app for the iPhone. It’s fast, simple and has plenty of features. The Chat Bubbles theme for the interface is awful looking but you can use the Simple theme which is much nicer looking. The GPS feature that lets you find other Twitter users in your vicinity is pretty slick. Great app.
Posted in Bombippy at 1:38 AM | Comments (0)
Popular Posts On Bombippy
I added a section in the sidebar called Popular Posts which features some of the most popular entries on this site since it began in 2002:
- Kodiak Smokeless Tobacco And Projectile Vomiting
- Rogers Cable To Limit Bandwidth
- Leopard Is Slow On My Power Mac G5
- Wicked Awesome Band Names
- HDMI vs Component Video
If you want to read some of the funniest comments on the site then I suggest you take a look at Rogers Cable To Limit Bandwidth where I get called “doutch bag” by a guy named Juan who says I lack “serious proffecionalism”.
Posted in Bombippy at 12:36 AM | Comments (2)
Tideland
Tideland (2005). Directed by Terry Gilliam.
On the Tideland DVD, Terry Gilliam introduces his film:
Hello. I’m Terry Gilliam and I have a confession to make. Many of you are not going to like this film. Many of you, luckily, are going to love it. And then, there are many of you who aren’t going to know what to think when the film finishes, but hopefully, you’ll be thinking.
You can view the full Tideland Intro on YouTube.
Terry, I didn’t like your film.
By the end of Tideland I was still thinking. I was thinking how disappointed I was after waiting so long to finally see it. The last Terry Gilliam I saw was The Brothers Grimm (2005), another disappointing film. Where is the genius that we saw in Brazil, The Fisher King, and Twelve Monkeys?
Jeff Bridges has an interesting role as a drugged-out psychotic version of Jeffrey Lebowski and the cinematography is first rate. I found it to be similar to The Fisher King in many ways but the fantasy world of Jeliza-Rose, the young girl at the centre of the film, just didn’t appeal to me.
I am dying to see what Gilliam did with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) which is Heath Ledger’s last film. It also stars Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law and Christopher Plummer!
Posted in DVD Reviews at 10:43 PM | Comments (1)
More Watchmen
The recent release of the film Watchmen has led to an endless supply of online articles related to the film. Here are a few that I found worth looking at:
- Watchmen’s Old School Macintosh SE/30
- 15 Amazing Opening Title Sequences
- Watchmen Review: Is Ozymandias Steve Jobs?
Posted in Movies at 7:15 PM | Comments (0)
Watchmen
Watchmen (2009). Directed by Zack Snyder.
Last week I didn’t know what to expect from Watchmen. I read a few of the favourable reviews this week and became really interested in this film. This afternoon I was completely blown away from the first scene to the last. Watchmen is The Dark Knight of 2009.
The opening credits are amazing and left me wanting to watch them again to see what I might have missed (I noticed younger versions of David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Truman Capote and Andy Warhol). This film is packed with pop culture references to the 1980s and easter eggs — 3.5” floppy disks, Apple’s famous 1984 commercial, 80s colours, typography and music.
Any film that prominently features The McLaughlin Group is a winner in my book. This political roundtable show was a staple in my parent’s house on Saturday nights. Early in the film, this show helps to set the tone and transport you back to the the mid-80s.
The violence in this film is incredible. If you thought 300 was gory then this film will make you wince with its bone-crushing slow motion and blood spattering scenes. Just when I thought I was numb to Hollywood’s violence, Zack Snyder comes along and slaps me in the face with some scenes that had me gasping out loud.
Watchmen is a film that is rich in detail and heavy on style. There are beautiful camera moves that pass through walls, creative slow motion, incredible lighting and amazing artistic direction.
My favourite scene is where Rorschach kills a prison inmate in a bathroom. The murder takes place off-screen but a swinging door reveals the terror on the face of inmate with each pass as the camera pushes in. I probably sound like a bloodthirsty neanderthal for singling out that scene but trust me, this film is a visual masterpiece on so many levels.
What about the plot? Why haven’t I mentioned it? Too many spoilers. Just go an see the movie or read one of the many reviews on Metacritic if you must.
Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach is by far my favourite Watchmen character. His performance is outstanding and validates his comeback which began with Little Children (2006).
The less you know about this film the better. I’m going to read the graphic novel before I watch it again in IMAX. When this film arrives on Blu-ray it is going to be a fanboy favourite and movie lover’s dream - amazing visuals, fantastic audio, desperately in need of audio commentaries and special features.
Films are rated from 1 to 4 stars.
Posted in Movie Reviews at 7:30 PM | Comments (3)
The Lost Theory of Time Travel
My wife and I spend way too much time reading about and discussing the television show Lost. The production company she works at has Thursday morning meetings to discuss the episode from the previous night.
You can spend hours on Lostpedia trying to figure out what is really happening on the show but I think that’s a waste of time. The best explanation or theory about what is really happening on the island is the Theory of Time Travel.
Is this time loop theory correct? Only the writers and producers of the show know for sure. The rest of us will have to speculate and keep watching.
Posted in Television at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
Life On Mars
For weeks I’ve been watching season 5 of ABC’s Lost. During the commercial breaks I would watch the promos for Life on Mars and say, “that looks like an interesting show with a great cast.” How can you go wrong with Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol and guest stars from The Sopranos or The Wire showing up every week?
No. I told myself that I can’t start watching yet another TV show when I have a stack of movies to go through. Then it happened. I found myself drawn in by the 70s soundtrack and the weird premise of the show. I was hooked.
As I’ve done with Californication, Mad Men and The Wire, I started downloading previous episodes of Life on Mars to catch up. Some of the episodes are weak but for the most part this is a strong show with solid acting and one large hook — how did Sam Tyler (Jason O’Mara) end up in 1973 from 2008?
I was telling a friend about the show yesterday and he told me that ABC just cancelled the show a couple of days ago. Ugh!
Apparently ABC is going to complete 17 episodes and wrap things up with a series finale. The British version of Life On Mars ran for two season, 16 episodes in total. I just hope that ABC allows the writers to tie up all of the loose ends and explain how Sam ended up in 1973.
Posted in Television at 9:10 AM | Comments (0)
Designing a Home Theater on a Budget
Every movie enthusiasts dream is to one day have an incredible home theater in their own home. As the picture and sound quality continues to improve in the realm of digital home media, there is little reason to take a trip to the local cinema anymore. Why compete with crowds and crying children when you could enjoy the movie going experience without ever having to leave your home? The only issue is, home theaters aren’t exactly cheap and in this economy investing in a home theater may seem like much more of a luxury than a necessity. That may be true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build your own home theater on a budget. Here are a few simple steps you can take to build a great theater in your own home without breaking the bank.
For starters, don’t hire a professional to design and install your home theater. If money is a factor, you could quickly burn through your budget on design plans alone. The key is simplicity. Sure a fancy wall mounted projector screen, surround sound speakers, and authentic movie theater seating would be nice, but none of these things are needed to build a great home theater. With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can design a quality theater at a fraction of the cost.
The most important part of any home theater is the screen. Whether you are using a projector screen or a plasma TV, you’re going to need a place to store it. A projector screen would help you enjoy a more traditional home theater experience. Depending on the size of your room, you may want to purchase either a wall mounted screen or a portable screen. Mounting a projector screen on the wall is simple, and it will help give your theater a more professional look, while a portable screen can be easily rolled up for space saving storage. A portable screen can also be used in other rooms, if you suspect you’ll be using it in rooms other than your theater. Investing in an HD projector and screen can be rather pricey however, in most cases a pre-existing plasma TV may be a better route.
Plasma TV’s are a very popular choice, as high definition TV’s have made some tremendous strides in picture clarity over the past few years. In terms of presenting your TV, you can choose to either set it on top of a modern plasma TV stand or you can have it mounted on the wall. Wall mounted plasma TV’s are the ultimate in modern entertainment and while it may look difficult, mounting a TV is a simple job. No need to hire an installer, all you need is a screw driver and a few sets of hands to help your hold the TV in place.
In terms of stereo sound, if you have an amplifier and a set of speakers, it is easy to set up your own surround sound system. Speaker mounts are inexpensive and can be easily mounted to your wall. If you have the money, consider picking up some wireless speakers to help avoid bothersome wires. By positioning your speakers behind your theater seating, you will experience the greatness of surround sound, without paying a fortune for the latest sound system. You’d be surprised at the quality sound that some inexpensive speakers can offer.
Posted in Home Theatre at 5:02 PM | Comments (2)
