Spin Me A Yarn

Today, I'm trying for something slightly different.  The story itself, may need some tweaking at some point, but check it out and maybe I'll expound upon it...

A Tisket A Tasket

Today, the magician of all magicians, Ajax Hossletassle relieves the duty of all magical affairs from Starbury Isselfossil.  for years the black hat swami had eyed Isselfossil's job like it was the last slice of strawberry cheesecake under glass.  One could almost hear the daggers being thrown from the Hossletassle eye towards the silken purple cape of the High Magician every April during his quarterly address to the Company of Prestidigitators.  It was finally his moment, and he would have nothing less.

"Hand me my wand, Chatter." Ajax quietly turned around to his familiar, a large, brown toad with ruby eyes.  "I'm ready for my induction."

"Of course."  Chatter glanced over to the acorn box which held an old Hossletassle heirloom: a slightly crooked wisp of twisted willow around ancient metal.  Archaic as it was, it had remained in the new High Magician's family for centuries, with nary an incantation going awry when sent from its sullen direction.  More reputable than the Hossletassle name itself, it had several... questionable properties.

Hopping on his hindquarters, Chatter first smoothed his webbed hands over the dark, burled sheen of the boxtop.  Grasping at the full ring of keys - brass, silver, aluminum, and finally wood - he moved to unlatch the blackened, aged contraption.  Tumblers click, the key turns, and Chatter gently creaked open the blue velvet-lined jewelry box to reveal the Hossletassle legacy.  

"Here. Hand it to me. Quickly."  Calmly turning towards the white door, Ajax's eyes darted across the scant window.  "When will they come?"

"Soon.  Very soon."  Chatter's voice slightly quivered.  "Normal protocol dictates the High Magician does not set his own schedule until after induction.  He lives to serve the COP."

Wringing his hands, Ajax tucked the wand into a wristband. "I see.  My family name has long graced the ivory columns in the COP aisles, it's time for it to return to its proper place beneath the iron throne."  

"Precisely.  You should be proud of yourself."  Chatter mumbled.  "I hear them coming."

Peering through the glass slit, Ajax spied the COP technicians sent to fetch him for the ceremony.  White coats past the waist and stern, determined looks on their faces, these men knew they had a serious agenda.  Approaching, it became clear it wasn't something they relished, perhaps something they performed as duty, but not a reward.  Hand on wand, the last in a line of great Hossletassles steeled himself for destiny.

Television, Under the Radar

Last week, I mentioned some shows that were cancelled very early on in their short-lived tenures.  I thought I'd like to also go over some shows that may be under the radar for most viewers.  They may not be for everyone (since they're not exactly blowing up the ratings) but I enjoy them for what they are.  

With the merger of UPN and the WB, it's quite possible that many shows will get pitched to the wayside to make way for the CW Network.  One show I hope will not get tossed aside is Veronica Mars.  Kristen Bell stars in the leading role as the daughter of a prominent ex-sheriff/private investigator who tends to get mixed up in a mystery or two of her own.  On the surface, it's a teenage drama befit with mysteries aplenty, but beneath that there is whip-smart dialogue, compelling suppositions, and always a twist or two you never see coming.  The characters are rich and three-dimensional and motivations are never what they seem.  If there was one show on UPN that you should ever watch, it would be this one.  Disheartening is the news they will be moving it to Tuesdays after Gilmore Girls against both House and the awesomeness that is SCRUBS.  I need that third TiVo .

While there are very few successful science-fiction television shows both with the audience an with critics, there is one that manages to achieve it to such a degree as Battlestar Galactica.  Although the show itself tends towards melodrama, there are several reasons it has been lauded as one of the best shows on television many aren't watching.  Updated from the 70's version, the basic premise of humanity on the run from a vengeful sentient robotic population known as Cylons remains the same.  Character names are the same, but what is most striking is the treatment of the technology.  Barracks are cold and military, lasers are replaced with live ammunition, and instead of slick camera angles on CGI, you're treated to a documentary style view of space.  What this does is ground the show so well, you almost feel in the middle of the action.  Textured plot lines and characterization make for some very complex situations which in turn makes for great television.  If you don't get the SciFi network, here is a reason to catch it if you can.  Maybe NBC will actually run the miniseries sometime soon again?

Forensic dramas are really the flavor of the year.  I guess we all have CSI to blame for this, but what I do have to thank them for is Fox's entry into the fray, Bones.  With Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz in the leads, this show serves up not only a good look into the minds of forensic scientists and their methods but also a good helping of interpersonal drama.  The mysteries are always creative, the solutions may sometimes end up convoluted, but the trip there is what's fun.  The chemistry amongst the cast, however, is what sets it apart from the CSI's we are all familiar with and perhaps elevates it from copycat status into a show deserving of more viewers.  Knowing that it's been guaranteed a second season is a good thing, and wherever it travels I'll be sure to watch.

If anyone else has shows they've been watching, pass them my way.  There might not be enough room on the TiVo for all of them, but something new is always a good thing.  Check out these ones and I hope you won't be disappointed.

Inside Job

Would you believe we had time to catch a movie while in Mammoth?  If I told you what the condo situation was like, you may understand our need to vacate the premesis for an evening at the cinema, but I think part of the reason was the compelling cast of the new mystery-thriller Inside Man.  Being tops of the box-office really justifies the glittery marquee, but being directed by none other than Spike Lee will also promote the film from Hollywood fluff, to something perhaps a little more meaningful.

Let's comment first on the cast.  Headed up by a dialed-in Denzel Washington and supported strongly by the likes of Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, every actor from lead to extra does a commendable job making Mr. Lee's New York a living and breathing community filled with racial and societal tensions as well as communal identification.  The three leads, however, do a bang-up job in portraying just what they are.  Mr. Washington's motivated and ambitious detective is properly direct and passionate about his job, Ms. Foster's "Ms. Fix-it" is to -the-point and disarmingly charming, and Mr. Owen's criminal is chillingly calculated.  There's not a performance in here unnoticed and although no one may win an Oscar for this film, it's a great way to start out the year.

The overall thematics of the film tend to jump all over the place.  While on the surface you have your by-the-numbers heist film, there are aspects that Mr. Lee touches upon from time to time you may or may not notice.  The jabs at intolerance and an over-the-top video game may be less than subtle, but it's the situations he frames these statements in that makes them all the more interesting.  While you become wrapped up in the overall mystery of why the criminals commit their heist, you also become enveloped in the world this movie is set in and the people involved.  You begin to understand their motivations and also, perhaps, their fears.  It's a much more subtle hand than Mr. Lee has presented in the past, and it's a welcome change.

What we have in the end is one of the better movies so far this year.  I found it to be quite entertaining and possibly one to be found in many collections.  If I were to compare it to any recent film, it would go hand in hand with Michael Mann's Collateral as a modern thought-induced crime drama.  While some of these films (take Heat for example) tend to be bloated and "important," Inside Man doesn't pretend to be anything but the heist film it is on the surface.

Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Blue Square Heaven

And we're back!  

Never has there been so much snow on the mountain.  At least for us, never has there been so much snowing while being on the mountain.  Winds whipped up to blizzard-like levels on Saturday, but the powder was plentiful and the runs were amazing.

The full run-down is more like this.  We got up to the Mammoth Thursday night a little tired, but eager to get out to the mountain the next day.  Being closer to Eagle Lodge than any of the other lodges, we started out there the next morning only to find that the runs on that side of the mountain were ungroomed and a bit icy.  We ditched it for the larger Canyon Lodge area and hit the blue runs until the afternoon.  The later half of the day was spent at the Main Lodge trying to carve down the steeper passages and of course taking in the view from the summit.  All 11,000 feet of it.  It makes me a little nervous every time we're up there, but the view is gorgeous.

Saturday was amazing.  Even if the weather didn't cooperate, there was plenty of room to move and plenty of snow.  Eagle Lodge improved so well that we spent the greater part of our day blasting down a few of the more intermediate runs.  Although it was terribly fun, we were pooped out before we hit Canyon again.  Once we got there, we saw that half the chairs were shut down due to the weather.  By then, the day was pretty much over.  Tired, and satisfied, we plopped down into the lodge before making our way over to the Village for some tourist-type walking around.  

If we had it in us, we may have stayed for a half day on what turned out to be a beautiful Sunday morning.  The Saturday storm dumped over 14 inches of fresh powder all over the mountain and the weather was pristine.  Sore, battered, and ready for our own beds (and perhaps some privacy and quiet) we shot out early, stopped by Erick Schat's and Value Sports (where I acquired some new bindings) and headed down that big highway to home.  

Mammoth's always great.  Now, all I need is that snowboard to call my own and this season will be complete.  One more time to the mountain, who's with me?

Wild and Wooly

Off to the mountain this weekend, so normal posting will resume Monday.

Pray for snow.

Some Shows Gone Too Soon...

Now that the television season is over halfway over, and February sweeps are a distant memory, I thought I'd go over a few of the shows I felt were prematurely cancelled before they had time to show what they were all about.

Kitchen Confidential, which was on Fox (which also happens to be the "hatchet" channel), based loosely on the book of the same title by celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain, was given too few episodes to hit its stride.  Crippled by a horrid schedule in which it was pre-empted several times for the MLB playoffs and World Series, I don't believe it ever got the chance to shine.  The strong acting of its lead, Alias' Bradley Cooper, and very good 3-dimensional supporting characters, including notable performances by John Cho and Frank Langella, weren't enough to save it from the Fox chopping block.  

Perhaps the most challenged show on the Fox network, Arrested Development, was given 3 seasons to ripen before being plucked from the branch.  Strong fan support saved it a couple of times, but the disrespect that the network showed in airing the final four episodes unannounced and with no marketing really shows how much faith they had in its continuance.  This show marked the revival of Jason Bateman's career and perhaps one of the most despicable characters seen on screen in Will Arnett's portrayal of a man named Gob (pronounced like "Jobe").  Witty wordplay, another strong cast of characters, and completely unbelievable situations were the strong point of this show that failed to find any real audience.  There's rumors of this show coming to Showtime, so let's pray for premium cable.

Next up is Nic Harcourt's baby, Love Monkey .  With television's everyman, Tom Cavanagh, in the leading role of an A & R man at a fledgling record label, it lasted maybe three episodes before falling to the CBS axe.  A unique concept, great music, and even cameos by some stars of the music scene while sounding cheesy, really worked.  Another fine cast of supporting actors including Jason Priestley and Larenz Tate attempted to push the envelope as a contemporary group of young professionals just getting into the prime of their careers, but that's never enough.  It's too bad it's gone now.  Lot of potential behind this one.

Lastly, and probably the least well-known, is another CBS drama titled Threshold.  Combining an X-files type conspiracy with the popular flavor of the day, neurotic forensic scientists, it may have come off trying too hard to be quirky.  Even with Carla Gugino in the lead, it was doomed.  A show that probably made people say, "Who?" when seeing the opening credits, these underlooked actors ( Brent Spiner, Robert Patrick Benedict, and Peter Dinklage) were well-suited to their parts, but not well-known enough to attract an audience.

New shows will be coming up in the next couple of months to replace these suckers, and although a few of them might be winners, I still think it's a shame these four are gone.  Maybe it's for the better if all these actors and creators find strong productions. 

The Cheese Stands Alone

In a strange rash of random thought, I started thinking about all those childhood games we play and the even more devious songs that we sing.  Do you remember "The Farmer in the Dell?"  How about playing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose?  What do these two seemingly innocuous memories have in common?  How about the fact that there's always one person singled out.

Think about it, you have yourselves a mushpot when someone is called "Goose," and in the case of "Dell" whoever is the "Cheese" stands alone.  What in the world does this teach kids today, that being cheese isn't good enough?  There's no kid in his right mind today who readily wants to be in the mushpot. Then again, it's inevitable in childhood hierarchy for someone to be the outcast.

There are plenty of other games out there that single out this behavior.  A simple game of "Tag" for instance always leaves the slower child running from one end of the field to the other, practically heaving for air when trying to catch up with the others.  Is there nothing worse in life than to be "it" when you're 9 years old?  Even when it comes to sports in general, there's always the one who's picked last.  Is this prevalent across all childhoods?

Maybe it's a type of social Darwinism, not in the sense of natural selection, but more in the sense of survival of the fittest.  A symbolic game of Dodgeball, where the champion is always the last one standing.  The single kid on one side versus a pack of wolves with red, rubber balls on the other stands no chance, but to be stung with a hundred welts.  

This isn't really the be-all end-all of any childhood though, but why does it ring up bad memories for some.  Think about it, there's no one who's really lionized in his class for being the best in math.  Does that drive children to achieve?  I suppose it's part of anyone's experience really.

I'm not saying it's my own, but it's a matter of thought to consider...

Music from the Isles

Since I finally got Rhapsody working for me. how about a run-down of new music?  Why, of course!  It looks like it's going to be an all British session this time around, so bear with me. By the way, two of these three bands will be at Coachella.  Still up for debate whether I'll be going this year, but these records make it seem more likely.

Starting off with The Subways album, "Young for Eternity", we find ourselves knee deep in what is the "now" sound of most independent or modern rock bands, the retro-rocket pastiche of punk and classic buzz rock of recent history.  The sound really serves them well in this case, since they don't linger too much on how fashionable they are.  What sets them apart, aside from the male and female vocals, are the smooth melodies, carefully constructed around clean guitar lines and a solid rhythm.  Although some might criticize them for the well-trodden path of typical British-rock, I find them to be unique with their vocals to be interesting.  Although it's not my favorite of recent purchases, I give them a thumbs up.

Next up is the ridiculously hyped debut of the Arctic Monkeys.  Maintaining a superfluous amount of Internet word of mouth, their LP "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" delivers on the promise of a rip-roaring smash-mouth record of the year thus far.  From track 1 to 14, they've compiled a record to remember.  The lyrics are very British in their sensibility and the music itself while very much in the vein of the popular sound explores different territory.  While there's a definite need to be clever, the Arctic Monkeys achieve irony without winking.  While there's an itch for most bands to appear tough, this album makes no attempt to display a black eye.  While one may compare them with an earlier version of The Libertines, it's safe for me to say that the Arctic Monkeys are a much better version of the coked-up creation of Pete Doherty.

Finally, there's a band some may have heard on the radio lately, Hard-Fi and their new release, "Stars of CCTV."  Subtle indications of underground success in the title really belies the expressiveness of the songs. Off the bat, you may be expecting more of the same guitar thrashing and microphone drenching of the previous two bands, but instead you end up with something akin to the Police, Duran Duran and other pre-eminent British bands of the '80s.  There is a lot less glam, but the same dedication to melody really shines on this record.  Neck and neck one of my favorites of the new year, they're going to be a band to catch at Coachella and I look forward to hearing more.  

Still up on deck, Mylo, DJ Shadow, We Are Scientists, and the Air-ishness that is M83.

Remember, Remember...

There's always something about adapted screenplays, especially ones that come from the graphic medium.  For the most popular novels, you tend to find less liberties taken.  With ones people may be unfamiliar with, perhaps liberties are more rampant than one would really desire.  At this point, it's a safe bet to just let all preconceived notions go and treat the film as a separate entity from the source material.  While some most faithful adapted works achieve their goals ( Sin City), there are those that while extremely faithful their success is alleviated by an overly-devoted method (the first two Harry Potter films).  Even worse is the case where the book and film diverge so greatly as to be virtually different stories (The Count of Monte Cristo).  This is why V for Vendetta really serves as a difficult review for me since it falls into the latter category.

Having just read the novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, the original story is fresh in my mind and barely digested.  Right off the bat, the film diverges in such a way that I can't rightly hold the idea of Mr. Moore and Mr. Lloyd's work in tune with what the Wachowski Brothers have tried to accomplish with the film version.  A few important sequences exist, but perhaps there's too much of the Wachowskis' own agenda to truly make it as much of a subversive work of fiction as V's original pulp cousin.  The only way I can really describe it outside of the obvious is that the source is much more psychologically stirring and subtle in its execution than the movie ever tries to be.  Whereas Mr. Moore draws out the plot with a deliberate scalpel, the Wachowskis have executed it with a detonator.

I thought the movie excelled at several emotional points, especially most scenes involving the interaction between Natalie Portman and the character known as "V," played by Hugo Weaving.  While many of V's monologues got me thinking of a certain trilogy, the ability of Mr. Weaving to create an identifiable character from behind his Guy Fawkes mask is a sight.  While Ms. Portman provides perhaps one of the most striking emotional portrayals in her young career, it's yet another successful foray for Mr. Weaving at playing an iconic villain.  Acting-wise, the movie was splendid, when it comes to plot, I'm perhaps a bit more mixed.

Much has changed in the plot.  Tightened down to provide more punch for a movie audience and modernized to alleviated the dated references, it's really a different sort of story.  There are a few instances that remain intact.  While these are in fact, very important to the anarchic theme, perhaps the film would have been better served had it been more faithful.  The power of the Graphic Novel, in my opinion, was the central conceit of anarchism vs. fascism.  This film however, places anarchy somewhere around chaos, which is quite clearly outlined by Mr. Moore as being asymmetrical.  The conclusion, as is typical in many films of this type, is also different enough to be jarring.  But this is why the film should stand alone.  

Vendetta itself, is one of the first movies this year expected to be a success.  The film really does a good job of establishing its own look and message with plenty of style, but the substance is mixed.  As a film, the focus is tight and never strays away from some more difficult spots, but there are moments where it falters.  I enjoyed the film for its own bluster, but  there were a few incidents, once omitted, that really effected the tonality and impact of the story.  Characters motivations, demeanor, and background also shifted considerably to the point of complete divergence.  While the novel made the future a much more paranoid place, perhaps the film's future was more familiar.  In that sense it succeeds in its unsettling hypothesis, however, the overall theory of the book holds more impact.

I can be happy with Vendetta on its own, separated from its source.  Its stylish, with strong acting, and a more dense plot than most comic book adaptations can boast.  In comparison to the original material, it falls short.  That shouldn't handicap the film at all, since Mr. Moore really wants nothing to do with it, but anyone who sees it in theaters should really do themselves a service and read the book afterwards.  Maybe you'll be in for a shock or two.

Overall Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Flight of the Navigator (Part 1)

Negotiations Gone Awry
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Tuesday, I know this is kind of late, but Tuesday, Dollar Bill and I headed out to 1988 for gawkinkg at works by this artist whose work you see here, Joe Ledbetter and another artist, who's works you can see below, Greg "Craola" Simkins. The exhbit itself, titled "Flight of the Navigator," was an appropriately themed look at flight through each creators set of eyes. While you can rest assured the pieces were stunning, what is always stunning is seeing the diverse takes on a central idea in any art show.

Mr. Ledbetter himself displays a very bold line on any canvas. Digital, wood blocks, and even toys, his work is so distinct that it's no wonder he's becoming quite popular amongst the local art scene and even the urban vinyl scene itself. The characters he has created, while seemingly innocent, lend themselves quite well to unsettling circumstances. I'd almost describe his work as "cartoon engraving," but that almost lessens the impact of what he may be trying to accomplish.

Flight of the Navigator (Part 2)

Briefcase Painting
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Craola on the other hand, an accomplished graffiti artist of a different stripe, is a sight to behold. His style is reminiscent of another contemporary, Mark Ryden, in its surreal quality, but where Mr. Ryden tends towards images of disturbing innocents, Mr. Simkins displays impending corruption.

There are a few pop references in Mr. Simkins work as well, which adds a subversive touch common with his early scrawls. If you were to compare what you see here to an emotion, it would most likely be congruous with guilt-riddled insecurity.

The show itself, a resounding success, really cemented the concept of artistry in my own mind. If there was any reason to be inspired for completing any task, this is it. I plan to be able to take in more shows soon enough, I'll be sure to keep those interested posted as I know more.

Additional pictures of the show can be seen here.

Erin Go Bragh

Hot on the heels of yesterday's mild social networking rant comes a nice little post about that most lubricated of holidays, St. Patrick's Day.  Green beer, Shamrock Shakes, and most importantly, Guinness abounds this entire week and most definitely from sunup to sundown this Friday.  It doesn't matter if one is not Irish, anyone can celebrate for the mere fact that they live and breathe.  Would it really be a celebration without a Limerick or two (or three)?  I think not.

I've given a limerick thought,
And spurned on the page what I've wrought.
Its lines never the best.
Their rhymes i detest.
For often the poem just stinks.

Down yonder Brit isle lads from Pool-Liver,
Sent young ladies hearts all a'quiver.
Loud music they played.
Their wallets, gold-inlaid.
But one women sent all that up-river.

Mid-March turns all smiles to grin-iss
From right ear to left on our chin-iss.
Full pubs greet the eyes,
Which fall on the prize,
Full pints and fine pitchers o' Guinness.

By the by, there is still some contention about the origin of the limerick, but there exists still a city in the Emerald Isle of the same name.  Why not?

Pick Me! Pick Me!

Remember when Friendster was a burgeoning fad?  Bringing thousands of people together easily within months, this website started the hugely popular trend amongst the mostly teenage generation of online social networking.  What did we end up afterwards with but several copycat sites, parody sites, and even sites that ended up being more successful.  

Friendster, in the beginning, seemed like harmless fun.  Something we were able to personalize and connect with our old friends, but as Demetri Martin said, then it became a little lame.  What as it about the site that killed it?  Perhaps it was the advent of the vacuous might of MySpace.  Well, no doubt we can all blame MySpace for both good things and bad, social networking has really changed the face of the Internet in the last few years.  Let us count the ways.

What started with Friendster and evolved into Myspace maybe has its roots in the beginnings of Livejournal and it's lesser cousin, Xanga.  Make your own page, write your own thoughts, and create your own online persona.  But wait, now you can add your friends and even subscribe to their own thoughts.  XML and RSS, two main tools for online syndication have lubricated the process so well that practically every website that matters carries a feed built for subscription.  Even this blog itself has built-in XML for any random stranger to tack on their reader.  How does this figure into the social networking scale?  

Well...

MySpace actually started their own blog system a long while back, letting the emo-riddled masses type up their thoughts in purely AnArchIcAl typography is a no-brainer.  How many have seem the goth equivalent to Livejournal, Deadjournal?  How many have seen the even more vacant concoction that is Melodramatic?

Right...

So the propensity for heavy blogging and sharing how tortured one's thoughts are is only the beginning.  Now, we even have the onset of Last.FM.  We can call this social Radio networking if you will.  The concept itself is brilliant, the site scrubs your own personal media player (iTunes, WMP, Rhapsody, et al) and syndicates it for all or none to see.  "Oh look, so-and-so listens to Coldplay, but also listens to Britney Spears." is not an uncommon statement, but when does it become, "My playlist is cooler than yours?"  

Perhaps this is the dark side of social networking.  Those Friendster-whores and MySpace-gluttons with thousands of friends, how many of them really can say they know absolutely everyone on their list personally?  How many people out there actually "know" and "love" Tom?  What's worse is the obvious cyber-stalking factor of any social network.  As a guy, I really have no fear of random strangers happening upon my terribly generic profiles, but any girl with a picture up on their profile can be subject to any creep out there with a T1.  I won't even get into the most awful of crimes committed via these websites, but let it be said that policing networks has to be a difficult task enough to make any grown man cry.

While there are dark aspects to it, there are always benefits.  Flickr itself is a great way to waste time reaming through millions of fascinating photographs.  Last.FM itself looks like a great way to discover new music and share it all with your friends.  Friendster and MySpace have both connected many I know with lost friends and acquaintances with whom they've lost touch.  Although I've maligned aspects of the sites themselves in ways, there is no doubt they're successful for good reason.

What's been said before about all of these sites is published everywhere on the web.  Paranoia and praise alike, no single site is protected from various scrutiny.  Just think about it, how generic and protected are our profiles?  How unsearchable and anonymous are we?  I suppose it's a good thing to be ungoogleable, but do we really know it to be fact?  

Spooky.

I'm Walking Alone Again...

There's a song that came across on my Zen the other day by a somewhat lesser-known band by the name of Kinky.  This song, titled "The Headphonist" really got me to thinking about our so-called iPod culture and what it means for our future.  I guess the song itself needs some explanation rather than just divulging into pseudo-analysis right off the bat.

With vocals by Cake's lead singer, John Mcrea, the song is a walkabout from the POV of the title persona.  In this case, we're listening to the deep thoughts of any person walking around a city, sitting on a bus, or just anywhere with their ears blinded by headphones.  The crux of the song being that although there is music filling the ears of the persona, the world around them is silent.  Although it's a prime motivator, meditation appears to be a secondary factor to mute all there is about town.  

Right off the bat, it got me thinking about how one really does interact with the world around you when you're rapt by your own music.  When the Zen is in full groove, I really can't hear anything at all.  It's a prime concern for a few audio-centric scientists out there.  The music sounds too good, one is encouraged to crank it to 11, and what comes next but a blown ear drum or two.  Not a new theory since it was a warning with the onset of the walkman it's still even more of a concern now.  Who denies that iPods and the like sound similar to a cassette tape?  It's a sure bet that it will always sound better.

Besides the curse of impending (and probably never occurring) deafness, one really is blind to the world when you take away your own hearing knowingly.  There's several times where I don't know someone's trying to talk to me when those headphones are on.  Now it's either because the music is too loud or the headphones are too good, but it's probably a similar case for most people when those buds are plugged in.  How often does one see a person mouthing words in his/her direction with no idea of what that person could be saying?  Maybe it's often enough and in the right places not to matter, but is this isolation really a good thing?  How much less of the world are we willing to experience?

Supposedly, we're entering a new era where rudeness is more commonplace than courtesy.  Some blame the cell phone for this hypothesis, but can the same conclusion be drawn to the Digital Audio Player?  When one is on their phone, it can seem like there are only two people in any room, but what happens when it seems like there's only one person?  How about all those people that ride the subway with those white cords sticking out of jackets and bags?  It can be a welcome escape, but can you count on everyone to be polite when all that matters is themselves and their music?

Maybe I'm being too harsh about this in the first place.  There are plenty of people who are just as courteous with headphones as they are sans headphones, but I know there has to be people out there with no clue of how to act in the world around them when all they experience is themselves.   The cell phone correlation can also be misconstrued because it's the discourtesy of using the cell phone in very public places that many take issue with.  In the same sense, however, how often do you see headphones in strange places?  Probably the worst I've seen is in a restaurant on children, but this is a case that's very few and far between.  

I suppose it's when and where you isolate yourself and possibly meditate all the world away that makes the difference.  It's not a big problem to begin with, but one can never tell where things may snowball.  Can anyone else ever see this happening?  I really can't...

Disappointment in a Lost Season

That's what the Stanford Men's Basketball team went through this year.  I'm mystified, really.  A team that starts out ranked No. 11 in the nation in most polls ends up as a middling Pac-10 player, a definite NIT invitee, and with some terrible losses versus some Division-II schools.  What happened?  Where did the fire go?  When did they go from Pac-10 champion to being steamrolled by the eventual Pac-10 champion?

As I sit here and type, the team has just lost in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament to a struggling Arizona team.  An Arizona team going through the same season of turmoil with suspensions, bad losses, and a middling record as well.  An Arizona team without its leading scorer and an Arizona team with its own hopes at an NCAA bid up for grabs.  An Arizona team on the ropes and ready to be beaten.

It's the story of the season, really.  Having gone through a previous season of upsets, heartbreak, and mediocrity, I'm just disappointed that it's come to this.  There's no post-season hopes for an NCAA, no way to redeem themselves from their losses to schools they should have easily trounced, and truly, I see no hope that the future will be any brighter.  That's probably just pessimism, but who's to say I'm wrong?

Is it the fact there is no more Mike Montgomery?  Is it the fact that Josh Childress is suiting up in Atlanta?  Is it the fact that the Pac-10 hierarchy has shifted again?  In the grand scheme of things, I shouldn't really care.  When you've been ingrained to breathe and sleep basketball though, it's hard not have lingering questions.

Goodbye to the seniors who've thrilled us in the last four years.  They fought hard, but it wasn't their year to compete.  Even if this season goes down in the books as a bitter disappointment, I still look forward to seeing what the team can pull off in the years to come.

Test Time

No Surveys, just this simple test.  Let's see how everyone does...

Did anyone manage to see this study conducted by Washington University?  Apparently, they have discovered that taking tests is more likely to help students retain their information much better than repeated cramming sessions.  How many people out there actually self-test when studying?  I can see how this would be much more taxing and rewarding than poring over reading materials, but it also begs the question, how are we taught to study?

I remember in junior high, one of my teachers attempted to ingrain in our brains the concept of how one should study.  Highlighters, multiple notes, flash cards, the whole bit.  Was it useful?  Yes.  Did I maintain those rigorous study habits?  No.  Maybe this was a failing, but I can see how putting into practice what you've learned is intuitively more helpful than just continually learning.

Tests never frightened me at all that much.  It's you, a blue book or maybe a scantron, your pencils, maybe your notes, and no one else for a couple of hours.  I used to sit in that lecture hall with my headphones on, isolated from those around me and jotting away at that test booklet like mad.  Hands tired, fingers cramped, and maybe a little stressed out at the end, that blue book would either be full of drivel or genius.  Depending on the class, of course.  It was something to conquer, something to experience, and in some cases, something to enjoy.  Am I mad for thinking this?

Most likely.

Anyhow, it seems more fun these days to take personality tests, brain teasers, and even the occasional pop culture quiz.  School, all that studying, all that testing, 20 units a quarter, all of that can really burn a person out.  In a way that's why I'm more willing to go back and study something completely different than what I'm practicing, but in a way, all of that intensity is fulfilling in the very end. That sense of accomplishment still exists, but on a much greater level.  Taking that first step though, putting that pencil down for your first answer or even just enrolling, that's the part that is most difficult.  Then again, it all depends on the personality to begin with.

I'll run through some more interesting things later this week.  Post your scores in the comments from the above test if you can!

Pageant of the "Masters"

Finally, finally, G and I made it to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art for the most hyped exhibit of the year, " Masters of American Comics."  I'd heard about it as early as January and of course had it hyped up by many of my friends who'd already seen it, but hearing about it never compares to seeing the actual exhibit itself.  Spanning through those artists considered to be the greatest and most influential of their time, that time being the 20th century,  the show attempts to explain how comic books have elevated themselves from pure pulp to something indelible in our pop culture.  Informative and entertaining, one unfamiliar with the work may be shocked and perhaps enthralled by the sheer amount of labor and in some cases, the mature content of the curated pieces.  Myself, I was terribly inspired.

Having only seen the more contemporary half of "Masters" in the downtown location, the pieces themselves were limited to the actual bound pieces of pulp literature.  Featured artists included Robert Crumb, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman , Gary Panter, Art Spiegelman, and Chris Ware.  IF anyone were to start off properly, they'd start with Eisner and Kirby.  Considered two of the most powerful draftsman of the Silver Age, Mr. Eisner and Mr. Kirby are two of the most inspected, idolized, and imitated artists of their time.  What's astounding is how different their storytelling method is, yet how effectively they achieve their goal.  Slathered with liberal amounts of ink, Eisner can be described as noir on page, while Kirby's art almost jumps off the page in its epic scale.  Both utilize their skills to powerful effect and there is no better way to understand the more unique aspects of graphic storytelling than by seeing each panel carefully laid out before you.

Chronologically, Mr. Kurtzman is a contemporary of both Eisner and Kirby, but oftentimes an overlooked contributor to his era.  Partly because the comics he created were not as iconic, but more because of the dismemberment of his parent company, Kurtzman is most well-known for his contribution to the very first rendition of Mad Magazine than for his actual artistry.  Seeing his actual inked illustrations framed and behind glass, it truly is a shame he is not more appreciated.  From horror to war stories, is almost grotesque approach is shocking in its glamor.  Nowhere else will you see an infantryman ripped to shreds placed next to Little Annie Fanny. 

The modern masters themselves, Mr. Spiegelman, Mr. Crumb, Mr. Panter, and Mr. Ware are relegated on the outskirts of the opening rooms which include Eisner, Kirby, and Kurtzman.  Almost like branches extruded from the same source, with Ware's stump being Eisner and Crumb's being Kurtzman, these artists own a large part of creating new literature through the graphic medium.  Spiegelman and Panter both have much to owe to Kirby and Kurtzman themselves having been drawn from the same inkwell emotionally and artistically.  Each of the more contemporary works are striking in their originality, with Spiegelman's biographical emotive impact, Panter's surreal landscapes, Crumb's madcap subversiveness, and Ware's meticulous inventions.  Describing each in full detail would drive this column into new territory, so I'll refrain for now and rather will remark that their work is not seen as much as it is experienced. 

If there is time, we're going to try and catch Round Two of the exhibit currently taking place at the Hammer Museum.  This time, the focus is on the grandfathers of the modern era, those who dabbled in newspaper strips of a bygone age.  Imagine, when was the last time you read a comic strip?  Then again, when was the last time most people read a comic book in the first place?  Catch it this week while it's still here, "Masters" is gone by March 12.

Who Took Home Oscar, 2006

Another side by side rendition of picks and predictions versus the actual winners, this time with the Academy Award winners.  I didn't do half as bad as the Globes, but my picks are still not substantial enough to qualify me as an expert...  How'd everyone else do?  Refer to the original post if you must, here we go:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Pick - Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"
Winner - Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"
Now, having said that, I am really in need of watching this movie.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Pick - George Clooney, "Syriana"
Winner - George Clooney, "Syriana"
It is Clooney's year after all.  Luckiest man on the planet takes home another trophy, the granddaddy of them all.  He gave a classy speech, by the way.

BEST ACTRESS
Pick - Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line"  
Winner - Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line"
They anointed yet another starlet on Oscar night.  I'm just hoping that she doesn't fall prey to the same fate as Marisa Tomei.

BEST ACTOR
Pick - Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"
Winner - Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"
The more flamboyant of performances takes it.  Anyone want to bet he received the award almost as a celebration of his body of work thus far?

BEST DIRECTOR
Pick - Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"
Winner - Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"
An earlier review of the movie noted how any other director may have turned this movie into a lesser film.  Ang Lee's tender direction elevated it to something really special.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Pick - Woody Allen, "Match Point"
Winner - Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, "Crash"
Should've gone with the safe bet.  Crash was a little over the top, but I imagine the message was what saved this film.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Pick - Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, "Brokeback Mountain"
Winner - Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, "Brokeback Mountain"
Larry McMurtry thanked all booksellers in his acceptance speech.  Who wants to bet sales of this book spike?

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Pick - "Paradise Now", Palestine
Winner - "Tsotsi", South Africa
The second winner from South Africa.  The winner gave an emotional acceptance speech marked by the recognition of his two young stars.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Pick - "Howl's Moving Castle," Hayao Miyazaki  
Winner - "Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit", Nick Park and Steve Box
I still contend that Miyazaki is king for his sheer imagination.  I imagine loveability really does play a part in this category.  How many of the voters do you think really saw all three movies?  Gotta love the bow-ties though.

BEST PICTURE
Pick - None
Winner - "Crash"
Many may have a bone to pick with the Academy, but I can see how they may be trying to pick what they consider an innovative film as winner.  Not sure what to think of this yet.

BEST ART DIRECTION
Pick - "Memoirs of a Geisha," Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau.
Winner - "Memoirs of a Geisha," Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau.
Good call.  Truly, a pretty film with nice touches all around.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Pick - "Memoirs of a Geisha," Dion Beebe
Winner - "Memoirs of a Geisha," Dion Beebe
Once again, the prettiest of films takes the prize.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Pick - "Memoirs of a Geisha," Colleen Atwood
Winner - "Memoirs of a Geisha," Colleen Atwood.
Now a two-time winner, the costume designer really gave the modern feel I'm sure the studio was looking for a classic twirl.  It's a shame none of the leading ladies were nominated since it was a strong year for actresses.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Pick - "March of the Penguins," Luc Jacquet and Yves Darondeau
Winner - "March of the Penguins," Luc Jacquet and Yves Darondeau
They thanked all the children of the world who saw the film.  Touching.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT -
Pick - "God Sleeps in Rwanda," Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman
"A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin," Corinne Marrinan and Eric Simonson
I'd like to see the compilation DVD of all short subjects each Academy voter gets to see.  Maybe that would be more fair next time.

BEST FILM EDITING
Pick - "The Constant Gardener," Claire Simpson
Winner - "Crash," Hughes Winborne
After seeing the film, I should have changed my answer.  The many storylines really lent itself to the art of snip snip snip.

BEST MAKEUP
Pick - "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," Howard Berger and Tami Lane
Winner - "The Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," Howard Berger and Tami Lane
Put it in the queue, I must see this.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Pick - "Memoirs of a Geisha," John Williams
Winner - "Brokeback Mountain," Gustavo Santaolalla
In an upset, Brokeback takes it home.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Pick - None
Winner - "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow," Music and Lyrics by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard
A revolutionary pick as winner, I don't know if we'll be seeing any more hip-hop winners in the near future.  They were indeed the most enthusiastic winners of the night.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Pick - "9," Shane Acker
Winner - "The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation," John Canemaker and Peggy Stern
Remember that compilation of short documentaries?  Same goes for this category.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Pick - None
Winner - "Six Shooter," Martin McDonagh
It would do the Academy well to release all of these to the public prior to the ceremony, but I'm sure there's too many licensing/distribution issues at hand.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Pick - "King Kong," Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
Winner - "King Kong," Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
Kong swept all the technical awards.  For good reason too.

BEST SOUND MIXING
Pick - "King Kong," Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek
Winner - "King Kong," Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek
Another technical award for the technical juggernaut.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Pick - "King Kong," Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers and Richard Taylor
Winner - "King Kong," Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers and Richard Taylor
3 for 3.  What a surprise!

Overall, I notched up a 14/24 for a 58% score.  Not bad at all, but still needs work.

The ceremony itself was nothing to shake a stick at.  I was actually disappointed in John Stewart's performance at host, but I didn't dislike it.  I think nervousness really played a part in the end.  There were way too many montages and not enough levity, in my opinion.  But really, who am I to tell them how to run the show.  We actually timed the TiVo viewing quite well if it had ended on time. Unfortunately, with the show running about a half hour or so overtime, the last bit was in real-time.  Now all I can really say is that this next year hopefully will excel even further past the previous and turn out more original films of high quality.  Less remakes and sequels and the Academy will reward you.

Addiction, Much?

My Little Green Friend
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

The latest in the line of Star Wars Kubricks had these two puppies in them for acquisition. Clearly, the most popular has to be the Yoda model, but the Skywalker one is pretty slick. Although I mostly get the more well-known Kubricks, it's the obscure ones that are the most charming. What's depressing is the fact that I wasn't able to purchase another incredibly rare set when I grabbed Yoda. Despite this, I'll see if I can upload another "Family Picture" in the near future.

En Español Por Favor

I'm trying something different today, A Limerick in a different language!  It's very crude in legibility and my Spanish is all wrong, but I like how it sounds when spoken.  Perhaps that's all I can ask right now as my writing skills definitely need some polish.  What do you all think?

Si puedes tener buen suerte
Tenías la sangre más fuerte.
Si piensas amor,
No tengas sabor,
Porque no quisieres la muerte.

25 Frames Per Second

If you haven't seen it already, please click on over to the full trailer for Richard Linklater's new flick, A Scanner Darkly .  If you've already seen it, click again and take another look .  This adaptation of Philip K. Dick's early science fiction novel looks amazing in its final stages of animation, but according to Wired , the road traveled was not a cake walk.  Then again, what foray into the realm of two-dimensional animated features really is.

The first of Mr. Linklater's rotoshopped features, Waking Life, tended towards surrealism; and while Scanner does carry the same look, there's less surreality than unreality when it comes to the look of the film.  The article notes how the structure of the film's production fell apart soon after it started due to the lack of visual cohesion.  The individual look of characters changed from scene to scene and after a great deal of debate, the axe fell and most of the original team was let go.  What I find interesting to note, and what seems to be a no- brainer to some, is the adoption soon thereafter of the Disney model of animated features.  Small teams dedicated to individual characters rather than scenes perform the duties in an efficient and workmanlike manner.  Although the central vision of the supervising animator may have been lost, the director was able to maintain his own vision more efficiently.

Let's delve a bit further now, shall we?  I consider this classic style of animation a proven model of the business and it's no wonder its used so liberally throughout all two-dimensional animation houses.  From Warner Brothers to Dreamworks, the Disney Model works wonders.  In the realms of computer generated imagery, however, things are somewhat different.  Take the leading company at the moment, Pixar, for example.  While there are supervising animators for all the characters, they aren't necessarily the animators of the character in every scene.  Instead, they are the lead designers/modelers of a wire frame beast set loose in the offices to be plugged into a scene.  This scene is then under the direction of another animator, who's then under the gun to execute yet another brilliant piece of character-driven theater.  This lends easily again to that uniform look all animation strives for, but also is executed in a manner in which the characters can interact with each other more naturally than if they were animated alone.

Now if we then take into account the Japanese method of animation versus the Western method, things get even more interesting.  The animation style itself is obvious, with more adult themes and more technical wizardry, but what isn't obvious is how the end result is achieved.  The main difference I'm talking about happens to be in the voice acting.  Whereas Western animation houses will record the voices and then animate to the actors performances, Japanese traditional style dictates that the animation is completed first, with the voices then being recorded in post.  One might argue that the Western style is superior, as the characters are more like the actors themselves and therefore are more organic and believable.  Yet it can also be argued that once again, the singular artistic vision is more cohesive when the animation is fully realized before voices are put to character.  

I suppose what is really key to all these scenarios is yet again, that dedication to fully-realized and three-dimensional characters the viewer can believe in.  The Pixar films, early Disney films, and the most popular of Anime all have it.  Perhaps I wax too philosophical about this subject, but it's something that can be applied incorrectly if not coupled with a compelling storyline.  Think of all your favorite movies, favorite books, and even your favorite video games if you have any.  What it does take outside of these qualities, is always one person to make it all happen.

I'll have more to say about this movie, once it's released and watched.  Stay tuned?