Category Archives: Film

Avatar

James Cameron’s Avatar, much like Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, takes computer generated graphics and human to digital gesture drama and expands the possibilities of filmic space. Films are learning what computer-based games have knows for years: that you can use the tools to envision creatures, characters, and worlds that simply cannot be done [...]

District 9

My daughter and I hit District 9. We were a few minutes late and missed some of the background but not much. It’s documentary approach was immediately riveting. Wikus van der Merwe, played by Charlto Copley, was fantastic and the grittiness of the Johannesburg slums, the weaponry, and characterizations of the aliens [...]

Bear Encounter

Here’s today’s bear encounter:

And my son’s encounter:

Battlestar Galactica and Narrative

Mark Bernstein provides this link to a Tribune Entertainment weblog, a discussion between Maureen Ryan and Ronald Moore on Battlestar Galactica, which sheds some light on the thinking behind the program. Twitter has lots of commentary on BSG and its conclusive episodes.
The final episode, indeed the last few years, of BSG have been fun, [...]

Hamilton on Indieflix

My friend Patrice Hamilton has a write up by Susan Dunne in the Hartford Courant today. The focus is on Patrice’s film Exposure. Dunne writes:
But the real star is the woman behind the camera, who is working on two new screenplays and, if she gets financing, would love to shoot them in the [...]

Jesse Abbot on Gaius Baltar

Here’s the context: Jesse Abbot of English and Philosophy stepped into the office and introduced the idea that Gaius Baltar of Battlestar was one of the most interesting bad guys to come along in a while. So he agreed to a recording and I ran for the Edirol.

 
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Silent Comedy

I’d love to see what this silent comedy is all about. From Deemer:
Actors are sitting on ready for the summer silent comedy. What a great
group. We’ll be doing this one a little differently, far more rehearsal
and concern for style and look.

Deadwood

Deadwood is amazing. But for the background. Dan Dority, for example, played by W. Earl Brown, is totally realized. On screen, his manner, style of speech, habits and shape fit into Deadwood’s world without seam.
Last week we saw Dan streetfight with Captain Turner (Allan Graf). Dan is getting it pretty good. He reaches [...]

Video Tests

Two of the same animations about eight megabits each.

 
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Patrice Hamilton’s Exposure

Congratulations to Patrice Hamilton and crew for entry into the New FilmMakers festival for her full-length Exposure.
Exposure, edited by John Timmons, is a wonderful work and I’ll cover more of it here in the next couple of days.
Yipee.

Back to Film Criteria

Josh comments on this rather old post on movie criteria, which reminds me that archives are good for mining. Anyway, he wants to know the “So bad it was good” part of Equilibrium.
I honestly don’t remember, but I do remember that I thought it a Matrix/Minority Report/Gattaca ripoff and found its pistol dancing smarmy. Other [...]

Four Eyed Monsters

Watching Four Eyed Monsters now.
Thanks, John.

Forbidden Planet

Now watching one of my favorite films, Forbidden Planet.
“And just how do you account for your immunity, Dr. Morbius?”
“And yet in all these 19 years . . . ”
Thanks, John.

What to do Saturday Night

Watch Jaws.
“Yeah, he’s a smart big fish.”

On Yards and Good Weather

First Video is up and running.