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March 6 at 12:01 AM (tonight) I am going to be one with my fellow early goer Watchmen brethren. I have been really psyched about this for few years when I heard that they were working on the film. I purchased the graphic novel several years ago, but I never finished the book. Sadly Its sitting in a box collecting cobwebs. I have general knowledge of what the movie is about, but sometimes I think its a good thing not to be a biased overjoyed or disgruntled fan. I have stayed far far away from articles and trailers so when I post my entry later tomorrow it will be from a fresh perspective. Stay tuned…
Early this morning I saw the 191 minute film Watchmen.
Its a graphic novel: Graphic Novel Culture is a lot like Hip Hop Culture. They are both written for a specific cynical mind set. The characters are dynamic, surreal and boastful. Most importantly both use wildly shocking imagery and red button language to convey a message or a story. In both cases the art form is misunderstood by the popular mass and moralists who are not able to siphon out relevant components of the story that the in crowd culture is comfortable in doing.
The violence level: is somewhere between the Dark Knight and Sin City. The physical fighting abilities are typical Hollywood choreography a little on the rigid side for my taste unlike the fluid blurring sequences done in the Bourne series. The bone cracking effects and the styled slow motion depth movements like the film “300″ are excellent. For fan boys who appreciate the “don’t hold back” nature of comic books, this will satisfy your appetite.
The pacing: It moves at a smart pace between two main subject plots mixed with multiple character developments and a handful of sub plots. There are a bunch of gaps, but you have to use your imagination and intelligence in filling them in. It does a good job in tying everything all together.
The storyline: Its cynical, its hostile, its not a feel good Superhero film. It has an edge of queasiness that touches on some taboo topics that may make some feel uncomfortable, I’m definitely not one of those people. One of the good things about comic books and graphic novels is that they bring the cynical elements of everyday life into view without seeming over protective.
Visually: As a video editor and artist, I was very appreciative of the details and striking visuals from the film. Its fun and daring though its nothing specifically new about its artistic nature, it does captive your attention.
Whats a Superhero: When we think of Hollywood Superhero films like Batman, Superman or Spiderman we see the conflicted hero and how they enact a fair brand of justice. Well some of the Superhero’s from Watchmen are nothing like that and in some cases they appear to be anti Superhero’s. Which is what made me think, what is the real definition of a Superhero vs the Hollywood media branded version. I think its fair to say that these Superhero’s brand of violence and justice are rooted in the real world indecency and selective morality.
Showbiz focuses on iTunes music reviews and IMDb movie and film reviews. This is part of the Beneath the Beat Showbiz and Entertainment Reviews Podcast.
When I listened to “Earth Intruders” It hit me like a scene straight out of a Spiderman Trailer – visually its appetizing like those SILENT 360º panoramic in-your-face CG moments aurally suspending your senses in amniotic verbal textures. This track has a rabble-rouser edge like “Army of Me” and evokes atmospheres and wails found in songs like “Human Behavior” and “Cvalda.” Her voice is persuasive like a siren rippling her aquatic thoughts through your headphones convincing you to loop the track. I lust it because it features her signature operetta echoey vocals weaving in and out of unrelenting tribal drums over an 80s hip-pop electronic melody. My iTunes player suggests that I’ve played it 18 times since I first downloaded it. The moment “Volta” goes on sale and after a few listens I’ll be sure to podcast and blog about it.
Portable Pixels reviews the portability of digital media in gadgets, software and related resources. We celebrate cutting edge technology but we mostly focus on practical applications & functionality.
Those of you that read my blog know that I am a media and gadget geek. I am in Hong Kong right now and on the eve of purchasing my first PSP on my long flight back to the USA. There are some reliable rumors surfacing that there will be PSP 3000 released soon. Most PSP owners are not sold on upgrading but seeing this will be my first PSP should I wait or just go for it?
With regard to the iPhone, I don’t really focus on the phone features. I am personally interested in its media capabilities as it applies to my research. The same goes for the PSP, the gaming experience is cool and interfacing is always important, but whats most important to me is the video, RSS, and media sharing capabilities. I do enjoy gaming particularly games like Soul Caliber, and Street Fighter, when I have time for such things. I think an 8 GB or 4 GB along with battery pack will be my top accessory priorities. For once I am looking for feedback before my purchase. Should I wait for this PSP 3000 or do I get the PSP slim? If anyone has any suggestions or comments please post them here or email me at codedsignal@gmail.com
Showbiz focuses on iTunes music reviews and IMDb movie and film reviews.
The Batman comic books are a monumental staple in the world of sci-fi and fiction, the two Batman animated TV series were brilliant, and the Batman Begins film was a true masterpiece. The Batman TV show staring Adam West was entertaining to some degree, but when I watch it now I cringe. Outside of that every Batman movie that I have seen over the years has fallen short of delivering what it promises. With the exception of maybe the Joker’s character (staring Jack Nickelson) in the very first Batman every single character has been a a bit of a bore.
In The Dark Knight the dialog is not as intelligent and the story is way over the top to be believable, even in this fantasy breaking-the-rules reality. The action sequences and the gadgets were blah but there are a few interesting concepts used in the film that make for interesting conversation afterwards. The movie is called The Dark Knight but what we see is a once strong Batman character (Christian Bale) having to dummy down his role. Maggie Gyllenhaals character was totally useless, Michal Kane and Morgan Freeman are both always fun to watch. I must admit, I really enjoyed some of the dark sentiments and personality moments by the Joker (Heath Ledger). He surprised me because he played an excellent Joker but I feel he was truly held back by the PG-13 rating. He could have easily been a more memorable and menacing cad. I feel that all the characters are solid but were all flawed by the poor script writing.
One of the biggest let downs in the film are the fight sequences. They seem to have reverted back to the robotic choreography Hollywood fight scenes. It was like “hey I’m going to telegraph my punch now… now you duck”. I hate the way Batman blocks punches, the way he attacks, he just looks like an untrained novice. This is Batman he is tactical, agile and a master combatant. I thought it was perfect before how they used camera shakyness and trickery to disorient the viewer. I am fond of the incoherent blurring sequences from the last Batman and from the Borne series. Not that its only about the fight … but in a way it is … and its about showing this human with heightened super abilities.
I know I really shouldn’t compare them, but this is the same director and the same characters. This movie pales in every way imaginable to Batman Begins. But I hold all directors, writers and their production crews to a high standard. I expect top notch professional storytelling and execution because they have millions of dollars, they got $15 USD from me and employed hundreds of people to put this together. I demand more of them and it should be better or as good as the last film. I mean it wasn’t the worst film of the summer and it certainly was entertaining to a point, but its the possibilities of what could have been is what saddens me.
There was a real hope with Batman Begins, but just like with every Hollywood blockbuster the big wigs always find a way to screw things up. People will go see a film if the story is solid, especially if its a franchise movie or with super cool effects. But somehow storytelling is not one of Hollywoods vested interests because they continue to feed the public mediocre incomplete works. At any rate enough of my ranting, because the crowds that enjoyed movies like Wanted and Hancok will probably dig this movie. People will definitely go see it and it will get lots of buzz and recommendations. This Batman movie is a cut above the competition at the moment but its the same bland entertainment value. If you are a Bat fan like me and enjoy a good story you probably will be disappointed.
Portable Pixels reviews the portability of digital media in gadgets, software and related resources. We celebrate cutting edge technology but we mostly focus on practical applications & functionality.
purchased an iPod-Touch (iTouch) last Friday on September 21, 2007. I boasted that it would be ‘the’ ultimate portable media experience. I thought it would be the ‘end all device’ of all devices, but boy was I sooooooooo wrong. I posted a blog a few days ago titled “The iPod-Touch my 17 year quest.” Basically its my personal 17 year journey exploring different ways to minimize my physical carrying load. The post started out talking about how I used to carry two book-bags and a portfolio case. It moved on to discuss about how I wanted to maximize my mobility by optimizing all my media and organizational data into a pocket sized device. I really thought the iTouch was my answer, but within 24 hours I capitulated and upgraded to an iPhone.
Let me backtrack for a bit… before we get into the iPhone, I want to talk about the differences between the iTouch and the iPod Classic. In a nutshell the iTouch is a touch screen mini computer. Its an entirely new kind of device experience. I guess the only thing you can equate it to is a pocket sized Tablet PC. Hmmm did I hear someone say Tablet Mac???
All iPods to date have a 320×240 viewable screen, but this new iTouch has a 480×240 viewable area. You can surf the web off of any available WIFI network, which in my city New York, thats pretty much any block. The iTouch has innovative tactile navigation feature’s, a lot of double tapping, pinch resizing, and scroll pushing with your fingers. It also offers a single physical ‘home’ button that gets you back to your main setup. This is truly something yet to be experienced in the mass computing market. Its so refreshing, that even the non techies seem to be geeking out over its futuristic qualities.
The iTouch has everything I need, video, audio, internet and easy to access data. As a portable media strategist these are the key features I need to test, access and showcase my content. The iTouch is truly a remarkable device and will please a bunch of people, but for my personal tastes, I feel its a dud.
First of all there is a $389 price tag with Apple Care and It has an 8 GIG media capacity, far below what most people have come to expect for that cost. Other tidbits: no email client, no bluetooth, no ability to take photos, no SMS, no ability to type notes, and no application hacks. On top of all of that, its 3 months behind the iPhone with consumer and expert testing. Other things Ive discovered, the video playback is not as crisp or clear as the iPhone and an active iTouch will need to be charged more frequently than an equally active iPhone. The iTouch has been striped of numerous features unnecessarily, to accommodate a slimmer and a slightly lighter feel, as a result there were no external protective iTouch cases on the market at the time of this writing (in other words its too small for an iPhone case). I have been waiting for Apple to create this all in one phoneless PDA internet device for about seven years now. Though I am terribly disappointed, I do think that if you want to see a proper upgrade of this product wait till the annual Mac World Expo in January 2008.
As I was saying earlier in this post, I took back my iTouch the next day and purchased an iPhone (btw It was a $30 restocking fee). Actually I’ve mentioned many aspects of the iPhone in this post, if you want a more comprehensive breakdown of the device check out this iPhone website link. One thing that I forgot to mention is that there are some external extras on the iPhone, that the iTouch lacks. There is a volume control in the upper left side, a silent/vibrator switch and on the back in the upper right corner there is a camera.
I have tons of geeky pals that also have iPhones. I have seen some of them use no protective case and it looks practically new. Others like me have hard core cases. I personally have a Crystal Jacket Set that comes with a film protector for the touch screen area. I have also read articles about how you should maximize the battery’s life span. For the past 3 days I have been putting my iPhone to the test and I must say that I am so overwhelmed with geek lust that I feel the need to retract a statement I made referring to the iPhone, back on June 29th, 2007
Being a tech and mac geek I tend to have a first round adopter mentality but a second round adopter practicality. I think I am going to have to sit this one out.
I really really really tried hard to fight the iPhone craze, but I can’t deny that Its a shockingly functional device and I’m excited to say that I actually do need it for my work. As prices come down and other mobile carriers come on board, people will swarm over to iPhones just as they have with iPods. People want an all in one user friendly lifestyle device to help entertain, capture and manage parts of their lives. Oh lets not forget that they also want to connect and communicate with others.
Apple has already shook up the entire music industry and the major media networks. Now they are taking on the cell phone market. The telecoms should be nervous because they will no longer be able to push off half assed inferior technology and services. Apple has raised the bar and now the the manufactures will feel the pressure to meet or exceed the Apple standard. The fact is Apple is preparing to double their iPhone shipment for the fourth quarter. Already there have been numerous reports of over 1 million iPhones sold in less than 3 months. I believe that this device will take a HUGE chunk out of the cell phone market in the next 3-5 years. But hey what do I know… all I know is that I no longer have to carry 2 bookbags and a portfolio case and thats plenty to celebrate about.
Portable Pixels reviews the portability of digital media in gadgets, software and related resources. We celebrate cutting edge technology but we mostly focus on practical applications & functionality.
Because I blog and podcast about technology I always get on the mailing lists of these up and coming products that are just hitting the market. Yesterday I received an email from the SheieldZone Corp. Last year I did a review of their product, the Invisible Shield.
The Invisible Shield is a thin protective covering that you carefully stick on your iPod, cell phone or other techie device. They claimed that with this protective covering that the device would not get scratched. I naturally was skeptical. They took an iPod with the shield on it… and dropped it in a box full of nails and bolts and shook it up really hard… I shook it up really hard. Not a scratch, actually the only parts that were scratched were the areas that they intentionally left open to show the effectiveness of the product. Lets just say I was astonished at how well it worked and purchased one on spot. I currently have an invisible shield on a standby iPod that I take on the road, it gets handled a lot and its held up beautifully.
Now that you know the story … back to the email:
“Recently, we changed our name to ZAGG. Today, we change the way you listen to music. To all of our loyal invisibleSHIELD customers we’re proud to introduce the RockStic. The RockStic is a powerful iPod speaker system. It is compact, versatile, functional and is compatible with other MP3 players. Despite its small size, its speakers pack a punch, making it ideal for parties and travel. The RockStic charges your iPod too! The RockStic is available in black, silver, and vibrant pink. Order yours today and save $20 with our introductory price.”
That was the email and here is a link to the Zagg website. It looks pretty slick and cool. I am creating a new category for Products in my del.icio.us bookmarks.
Showbiz focuses on iTunes music reviews and IMDb movie and film reviews.
Since 1995 Pixar has dazzled us with groundbreaking award winning animation. But its not just the animation that captivates us, these films have a soul. Ratatouille follows in the Pixar tradition by delivering impressive atmosphere layered under a tabooed yet endearing story.
Lets face it, American animation films are overwhelmingly bland and mind numbingly half-assed. Here’s the typical plot: several big name actors do voice over work, for several key characters from the film. There’s lots of obnoxious potty humor and tons of cliche references from mainstream entertainment. What’s worse is that the movie trailers show just about every comedic punch-line and action sequence from the movie, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Which brings me back to Ratatouille, I saw a 30 second trailer about a year ago. I was scratching my head thinking… Another kid movie about a talking animal? A RAT at that! How distasteful can that be? Pixar has this strange formula that only seems to work for them. A year before a film is released they present a seemingly unfinished concept trailer. It would appear to be counter productive, but somehow it works! The original trailers for Toy Story (I & II), The Incredibles, Cars, Monster’s Inc., and Finding Nemo all used this tactic and each time I wrote them off as failures even before the project was complete. As it got closer to Ratatouille’s release , I saw a clip of the same rat telling the same story about his desire to be a chef. This time I was intrigued, because they really had refined the concept. This trailer was intelligent and it captured the true essence of an exquisite cliffhanger narrative.
When the movie came out, I was totally feeling optimistic about it, so a group of us went to catch an evening showing, which was packed with parents and their kids. Oh boy! {rolls eyes} Not only was the movie smart, it was absolutely hilarious, even more surprising was that the kids sat there silent and engrossed.
I was enchanted. Ratatouille captured the atmosphere and vibe of Paris. I mean it truly is a spectacle not to be missed on the big screen. The animators obviously payed special attention to the keen details that are generally overlooked by most animation studios today. The film also touched on subjects like trust, family obligation and following your dreams.
Hey! Its still Hollywood, but somehow it manages to deliver the story in such a way that even puts traditional “real people” films to task. For most of the movie you suspend the disbelief of a rodent preparing food. Its a masterful rewiring of our prejudices… maneuvering an embracing sentiment towards our accepting rodents in the kitchen. I must warn you that there are a few unsettling scenes that transport you back to reality.
I give this movie 4 3/4 stars out of 5, for the sheer fact that the film is based in France yet all the rats and the main character Alfredo Linguini spoke good ol’ American English. That was the only real weakness of the movie and to be honest its not really a distraction, its just me being nit-picky. The characters: Remy (the little chef) and Alfredo Linquini (the garbage boy) have a wonderful chemistry as chef and marionette puppet. Gusteau (the deceased master chef) is a jovial ghostly head that pops up in Remy’s mind from time to time as the voice of reason and his inspiration. The exchanges between Remy and Gusteau provides much of the comedy relief throughout the film. Colette Tatou (the tough female chef) seemingly a hardcore feminist, plays mentor and good friend to the inept garbage boy. I really dug her character she was tough man and had a spiky yet alluring spirit. Anton Ego (the harsh food critic) was an striking depiction of snobbery to the highest order; I mean you really want to hate this guy. I’m not going to spoil it, but I’ll just say that he is featured in one of the most memorable scenes in all movie history, towards the end.
Almost all Hollywood films both animated and traditional, taste like Burger King or Mc Donald’s; but, Pixar films taste more like Iron Chef gourmet meals. Ratatouille doesn’t spoon feed you, it makes you think, it entertains you, and doesn’t talk down to any generation or group. It represents the essence of a ‘true’ family movie experience because the parents can actually feel stimulated and their kids can become enriched by this dynamic moving story that interweaves artful storytelling at its best.
Showbiz focuses on iTunes music reviews and IMDb movie and film reviews. This is part of the Beneath the Beat Showbiz and Entertainment Reviews Podcast.
If you wish to skip the adventures leading up to my review, I suggest jumping to the bottom of the page.
Thursday 7:00PM I’m geeked up and ready to trek over to the IMAX Theater in Manhattan on 68th and Broadway. I walked to the store got my “yum yums” and proceeded to walk up the block … I thought “ooh damn I just missed the bus.” I don’t want to wait 25 minutes for the next cross town bus… “its a beautiful day let me just walk.”
7:45PM Midway through Central Park Its dark, “all of these hills, valleys and discontinuous paths are confusing me, where the heck am I.” Its taking me 30 minutes longer than I expected. “DAGNABBIT!!!” I thought “i forgot my allergy medication,” as I’m sneezeN, wheezeN and gaspN the entire way. Oh did I mention the weight of my mono-pod and camera equipment inside… I was set to podcast the pre and post movie goer responses… I have been planning this for about 3 months now.
8:30PM I arrive at the theater great no lines no people downstairs … I go get my fandango ticket out of the machine… I go upstairs … “WOW the line is already forming and its about 30 to 40 people deep… not bad not bad” I just get a spot.
8:45PM I assembled my video camera and went to various people in line and asked them questions like “what their expectations were for the film” and “what time they got there” I got about 8 people on camera. then go to the front of the line… two cuties are sitting in front. I ask them how long they were there …”since 7PM.” Asked them if they wouldn’t mind going on camera saying that … they declined.
9:00PM The manager of the Theater comes out and says “Please leave the building… No cameras in the building.” I said “I’ll just put it away…” He says “NO Please leave the building…” I’m like “but I paid for this ticket 2 weeks ago I won’t have time to go home and drop the camera off and come back and I’m here early in line…” Basically I had to take my camera somewhere other than the theater because he said that they could not hold it and could not be held responsible for it. I went to pack my camera up and left… lets just say I worked something out and came back upstairs to get back in line.
9:20PM One of the group of guys in the front of the line that I was interviewing, invited me to cut the line and hang out with them. I thought it beat the alternative of having to go to the back of the line, which was now 100+ people deep. They were cool kats we had jokes and fun and I was hangN tough with them like we were old time buddies
10:00PM They let us in the theater to sit down. The group I was with was able to secure about 15 seats in the back row, the best seats in the house. All but 2 seats were taken in our row. People kept coming around asking if they were taken and my guys were just shooing them away.
10:30PM Because the IMAX theater is so huge the movie attendant makes an announcement via megaphone… “anyone in the theater holding seats needed to release them and move closer to the middle.” Some people moved but my boys continued to hold their seats. Some {{Knuckle-Head}} actually forced his way into one of the seats and insisted he was entitled to the seat. The guys who made me part of their crew were like “YO my boyz are getting popcorn…” after much grumbling the {{Knuckle-Head}} got up and left.
By 11:00PM It was a crazy scene, some people were literally getting booed by some of the seated ticket holders, all because they pleaded and begged various people to move over JUST ONE seat when they found an unoccupied seat. I have never heard of people getting booed by a theater crowd before. Though funny the first time it got old after the 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th time(s)…
11:30PM In between all the booing and cheering at random crowd activity there was another announcement that movie attendants would be coming through the rows to identify IMAX ticket holders… they said “if you didn’t have an IMAX ticket you would be asked to leave.” I thought this was highly irregular. In all my movie going years I have never had anyone come to verify tickets once I occupied a seat in the theater. As they were going through the rows… “MY boyz” the same ones that held down 14 seats … just up and ran out… it was a total scandal. I couldn’t believe they got in in the first place and had the nerve to hold down all those seats LOL.
11:55PM All these people jump in the newly vacated seats and the {{Knuckle-Head}} from before comes back and practically pushed this girl out of the way and jumped in the last two seats… The girl was absolutely pissed – not because he jumped in front of her but because the {{Knuckle-Head}} avoided having someone check his ticket. This fool was orbiting the seating area from above when the attendant was coming through… and when she left and the seats opened up he took his chance to jump right in just a few seats away from me. Anyway the girl brings a movie attendant and her boyfriend back with her … the {{Knuckle-Head}} and his friend protest and get up because NEITHER of them have a ticket. The {{Knuckle-Head}} insults the girl – the boyfriend gets pissed – fight almost breaks out… The boyfriend was huge too and madd as hell and the {{Knuckle-Head}} was a scrawny kat and the friend was a lil on the slobby side. I”m not one for drama and certainly not so close to me. People are shouting … ITS ONLY A MOVIE… luckily the fight didn’t break out. By this point
12:05AM everyone is seated and watching the movie …
2:30AM I was the third person to escape the theater. It was a shame because I had planned many months ago to get the post Spidy reviews and podcast them, but by that time the whole Pre-Spidy 3 experience and all the excitement and thrill of the opening had left me quite agitated. As my allergies continued to flare up.
THE SPIDERMAN 3 REVIEW
Let me first warn the Spidy Comic Book fans and those who dug the first two movies… if you want to really enjoy the movie please lower your expectations. It’s not the greatest movie of all time like many of us expect. As far as “American Cinema” goes: in my opinion the original Matrix is the best action hero movie of all time – Spidy 2 is distant second. OH yeah… go see this at the IMAX Theater.
Not as good as Spidy 2 but on par with Spidy 1. I fault the studios for taking short cuts and trying to get as much bang for their merchandising buck. All in all I feel the actors all gave solid performances considering it was a typical Hollywood script. Warning some of the scenes are so hokey and so overtly dramatic it comes off as comedic sloppiness instead of its intended sentiment. The dynamic between Peter Parker and Mary Jane are off target from the last two films. Aunt Mae is a cross between a seasoned Catherine Hepburn and Yoda. Jay Joanna Jameson is wickedly funny as always. There are way too many high caliber bad guys for Spidy to be handling in one movie. The story feels very rushed and lacking character development in many parts.
That Said… Although rushed I will say that it is easy to follow and a few scenes had me geekN out. Without giving away too much; I will say that I absolutely dug the back-story of Sandman and how they established the character. I also really liked the evolution of Harry Osborn as the second Goblin. I personally think he was much more interesting than the first Goblin in Spidy 1. The black costume on Spidy really should have been the black costume from the comics. The execution of the costume was not as developed as it should have been… should have been a second movie. The CGI is evident in many places, but ‘WHO THE HELL CARES!!!!” Some scenes are truly monumental and memorable in their own right. Overall a fun and entertaining piece, some of the action is just mouthwatering, for that alone its worth a viewing. I am going to take another trip to the IMAX to see it again.
Beneath the Beat makes its presence known on iTunes. We are doing Beneath the Beat music reviews on the artists and entertainers that we appreciate featured in iTunes. Please come by and check out what we have to say. Our most recent reviews: Bjork’s “Earth Intruders” 2007 Single, Mos Def’s “The New Danger,” Bjork’s “Debut” 1993 Album.
Diary | bendrix | 
March 5, 2009 7:24 pm | 
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