It started so well.
There were wonderous effects. Okay, they weren't as good as Lord of the Rings, and they served a simple plot, but the makers of the Harry Potter series had a fully realized notion of what the world of Hogwarts should be like. The early movies were fresh and exciting and morphed over time into fare like "The Prisioner of Azkaban" where discrimination and childhood fears became themes that drove the fantasy.
That is now over with.
The latest Harry Potter installment is a vapid, slowly paced bore where our characters discover teenage love, and then proceed to begin caring more about who is going with whom to the Christmas party than the pesky little matter of the Dark Lord who is trying to kill them all. For two and a half hours, not much happens. Then a little happens, and then credits roll.
This is it? This is the training that Harry Potter has received from Hogwarts over the last six years? For this we sat through Order of the Phoenix, where it appeared as if Harry was actually about to, you know, do something about his situation? Instead we are treated to such thrilling scenes as Harry deciding who gets to be on this year's Quidditch team.
At this point we should be past the simple patterns of high school life: people have died, and Hermione has turned back time for crying out loud. But this installment has our players back to the mewling magical infants of the first movie. There is nothing wondrously magical here--only poor timing, cheap gags, and characters who have moved two steps backwards.
The set design and effects are better than ever, but only a shell of the former greatness remains for this series.
2 out of 5 stars.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Into the wild green yonder
Futurama has always included parodies of the classic sci-fi Gen X grew up on (Exhibit A: Zapp Brannigan.) But I think it was at its best when it took those classic themes and made them the heart of the story.
That is what I thought that "Into the Wild Green Yonder", the last of the four Futurama straight-to-DVD movies, accomplished. It took the tried and true plot line of hero with special power needs to fight dark power and wrote a story around it that bounced between humor and action. Despite the name, it was not the wildest Futurama, but it had earnest characters trying to do right in their screwed up universe, and that is something that everyone can relate to.
I am glad to see that Comedy Central has ordered up another season of the show--Futurama is a unique gem written by people that love science fiction but who are not afraid to play around with its conventions. For the record, my rankings of the movies are:
1) Bender's Big Score
2) Into the Wild Green Yonder
3) The Beast with a Billion Backs
4) Bender's Game.
It breaks my heart to put Bender's Game last, given that D&D and fantasy gaming in general has always been near and dear to my heart, but the script did not rise to the same level as the others.
That is what I thought that "Into the Wild Green Yonder", the last of the four Futurama straight-to-DVD movies, accomplished. It took the tried and true plot line of hero with special power needs to fight dark power and wrote a story around it that bounced between humor and action. Despite the name, it was not the wildest Futurama, but it had earnest characters trying to do right in their screwed up universe, and that is something that everyone can relate to.
I am glad to see that Comedy Central has ordered up another season of the show--Futurama is a unique gem written by people that love science fiction but who are not afraid to play around with its conventions. For the record, my rankings of the movies are:
1) Bender's Big Score
2) Into the Wild Green Yonder
3) The Beast with a Billion Backs
4) Bender's Game.
It breaks my heart to put Bender's Game last, given that D&D and fantasy gaming in general has always been near and dear to my heart, but the script did not rise to the same level as the others.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Festival for the Eno
This year I decided I would head out to the Festival for the Eno for the full three days as a last blast of Durhamness before I embraced fully the need to pack. And I was not disappointed! There were lots of great acts this year, and some favorites of mine.
First, though, I feel I owe a plug for Ellis. Her music and lyrics paint pictures of the kind of soul that I want to be, and that is a wonderful thing. If that were all, she would be one of my favorite performers--but she also manages to deftly weave funny poignant stories in between her songs. It wasn't until Saturday that I realized that many of them were made up right on the spot.
And that brings me to why I owe Ellis a plug.
On Friday I had gone to her concert and bought her new DVD set. While wandering the craft booths looking for a present for someone, I realized the perfect gift would be an Ellis CD. Besides, she's always friendly to chat with and signs her CD's, so that would be perfect. So I went back and bought another CD. Which is probably why she recognized me the next day.
On Saturday I went to her show at the Meadow stage at the Eno, which is notable for having a large area in front of the stage that is in the sun. On a day like Saturday with 91 plus weather, no one sits in the sun unless they have to.
So in order to get a picture, you have to get pretty darn close to the stage, and you will be the only one standing in the sun in full view. Okay, so I accept that, and I know that the performers all see you.
But I didn't think I'd be distracting, until I saw through the viewfinder that Ellis had taken a step back from the mike and turned to look at me. She smiled, so I didn't think anything of it, until she finished the song and started chatting with the audience again.
"I'm sorry I forgot the lyrics there for a moment. You see, the gentleman taking pictures down there was here the day before and we had a sweet interaction. And so when I saw him, suddenly all I could think of was...yesterday."
Everyone laughed, and it was the perfect segue into her next song, a lighthearted number about forgetting where her car was parked. The point is, obviously she couldn't have prepared the thought she had, she just used what happened naturally to make a joke and make a great show even better. It's a skill I'm constantly trying to perfect while giving lectures, and it is always great to watch a master at work. Thanks, Ellis!
Fiddlefoxx is now a trio, and remains a unique sound combining (unsurprisingly) the fiddle and Steve Foxx's beatbox skills. The Midtown Dickens throw everything they have at all their songs, and often are holding an instrument in each hand and running around to get more during their sets.
Finally, the big draw of the show this year was Albanach, a Scottish drum and pipes band in the US for the Highland Games in Linville next week. They are very high energy, and since so many in North Carolina are of Scottish descent, was a fan favorite. They did four sets, and all were very highly attended.
First, though, I feel I owe a plug for Ellis. Her music and lyrics paint pictures of the kind of soul that I want to be, and that is a wonderful thing. If that were all, she would be one of my favorite performers--but she also manages to deftly weave funny poignant stories in between her songs. It wasn't until Saturday that I realized that many of them were made up right on the spot.
And that brings me to why I owe Ellis a plug.
On Friday I had gone to her concert and bought her new DVD set. While wandering the craft booths looking for a present for someone, I realized the perfect gift would be an Ellis CD. Besides, she's always friendly to chat with and signs her CD's, so that would be perfect. So I went back and bought another CD. Which is probably why she recognized me the next day.
On Saturday I went to her show at the Meadow stage at the Eno, which is notable for having a large area in front of the stage that is in the sun. On a day like Saturday with 91 plus weather, no one sits in the sun unless they have to.
So in order to get a picture, you have to get pretty darn close to the stage, and you will be the only one standing in the sun in full view. Okay, so I accept that, and I know that the performers all see you.
But I didn't think I'd be distracting, until I saw through the viewfinder that Ellis had taken a step back from the mike and turned to look at me. She smiled, so I didn't think anything of it, until she finished the song and started chatting with the audience again.
"I'm sorry I forgot the lyrics there for a moment. You see, the gentleman taking pictures down there was here the day before and we had a sweet interaction. And so when I saw him, suddenly all I could think of was...yesterday."
Everyone laughed, and it was the perfect segue into her next song, a lighthearted number about forgetting where her car was parked. The point is, obviously she couldn't have prepared the thought she had, she just used what happened naturally to make a joke and make a great show even better. It's a skill I'm constantly trying to perfect while giving lectures, and it is always great to watch a master at work. Thanks, Ellis!
Fiddlefoxx is now a trio, and remains a unique sound combining (unsurprisingly) the fiddle and Steve Foxx's beatbox skills. The Midtown Dickens throw everything they have at all their songs, and often are holding an instrument in each hand and running around to get more during their sets.
Finally, the big draw of the show this year was Albanach, a Scottish drum and pipes band in the US for the Highland Games in Linville next week. They are very high energy, and since so many in North Carolina are of Scottish descent, was a fan favorite. They did four sets, and all were very highly attended.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Happy birthday, dear blog....
So my blog is exactly one year old today! Hurrah!
Anyway, on to today's news. Since Michael Jackson died last Thursday, I can tell that the data mining software at Amazon has been completely overwhelmed.
For example, today I was searching for some music by a Danish composer to put behind the videos I took in Denmark. I settled on The Champagne Galop by Hans Christian Lumbye. I traveled to Amazon to hear a sample, and as usual, they suggested several related best sellers in music that I might like to purchase.
Unfortunately, "Bad", "Off the Wall", and "Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller" albums are not even tangentially related to either Danish music in general of Hans Christian Lumbye in particular. I have a hunch the searches Amazon is getting right now is simply crushing its normal algorithms operations underfoot and sending out all Michael all the time to its customers.
Anyway, on to today's news. Since Michael Jackson died last Thursday, I can tell that the data mining software at Amazon has been completely overwhelmed.
For example, today I was searching for some music by a Danish composer to put behind the videos I took in Denmark. I settled on The Champagne Galop by Hans Christian Lumbye. I traveled to Amazon to hear a sample, and as usual, they suggested several related best sellers in music that I might like to purchase.
Unfortunately, "Bad", "Off the Wall", and "Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller" albums are not even tangentially related to either Danish music in general of Hans Christian Lumbye in particular. I have a hunch the searches Amazon is getting right now is simply crushing its normal algorithms operations underfoot and sending out all Michael all the time to its customers.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
U-Haul's marketing genius
So I bought several boxes from Home Depot the other day. They sell basic 1.5 ft^3 boxes for 97 cents apiece. A good deal, to be sure.
But it turns out 1.5 cubit feet of books is not such a good thing. So I went back to U-Haul, who sells 1 ft^3 boxes (as their "book box" size) for $1.43 apiece. They have an interesting marketing scheme.
It goes like this: buy as many boxes as you want, and if you keep your receipt, you can bring back the extras. Personally, I believe this is pure genius. I have never, I repeat never, had leftover boxes during a move. Everyone has more stuff than they want/expect/can fit into the boxes they bought, so there's always usually some emergency "throwing out" or "garbage bag suitcases" involved near the end of a move. U-Haul is basically removing the element of risk from buying boxes, and so getting people to buy the amount of boxes they really need, and so which they won't be returning. Like I said, genius.
But it turns out 1.5 cubit feet of books is not such a good thing. So I went back to U-Haul, who sells 1 ft^3 boxes (as their "book box" size) for $1.43 apiece. They have an interesting marketing scheme.
It goes like this: buy as many boxes as you want, and if you keep your receipt, you can bring back the extras. Personally, I believe this is pure genius. I have never, I repeat never, had leftover boxes during a move. Everyone has more stuff than they want/expect/can fit into the boxes they bought, so there's always usually some emergency "throwing out" or "garbage bag suitcases" involved near the end of a move. U-Haul is basically removing the element of risk from buying boxes, and so getting people to buy the amount of boxes they really need, and so which they won't be returning. Like I said, genius.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Milestone
So one year today I broke down and bought my first cell phone. I know this because I have a "pay-as-you-go" phone, and my minutes would have expired today had I not leapt to the rescue by adding additional minutes. In my plan, I am charged $1 for every day that I use the phone at all, plus an extra 10 cents per minute thereafter. Close study of my friends showed me that most of their calls nowadays are of the short and sweet variety--for long distance or international I might as well use Skype anyway, the quality is as good as a cell phone.
So I like to think of my plan as an $8 a month plan where I get 6 days of use and 20 minutes of talk time. Several months I used more, but several I used less. Of course, I'm a single guy, not an uber-parent attempting to coordinate with a clan. I'd place it's usefulness above most of the gadgets I own (sorry infrared thermometer) but still below that most important accessory of modern life, the microwave.
So I like to think of my plan as an $8 a month plan where I get 6 days of use and 20 minutes of talk time. Several months I used more, but several I used less. Of course, I'm a single guy, not an uber-parent attempting to coordinate with a clan. I'd place it's usefulness above most of the gadgets I own (sorry infrared thermometer) but still below that most important accessory of modern life, the microwave.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Digging into the past
So I've started getting ready for the big move, and as usual this involves a lot of archaeology, trying to determine what of the detritus from the past should be kept and what should be thrown away or donated. "Rosetta stone paperweight", goodbye!
Probably the most fun is when I stumble across some bit I wrote for high school or earlier. I don't know if this is true of most people, but my personality and beliefs were pretty much set by the time I'd reached high school, and available video, photographic, and written relics of my high school years tend to back that statement up. I like to think that this is because I was exposed to such a wide range of thinkers by that time, and not a sign that I became a curmudgeon at age 16.
In any case, by high school, I had already realized how important the access to knowledge was to what I believed and thought. It is always daunting to realize that if I was raised in a different environment, or didn't have access to public libraries in a country that values free speech so highly, that my very psychology would be different. Submitted as evidence that I have always believed this: an English assignment from high school where various phrases were to be examined. For each phrase, I was supposed to write whether or not I agreed or disagreed, standard stuff. The teacher wrote after my essay: "Neat idea--Everyone else who wrote on this, disagrees with you."
The phrase was: "There are no walls, there are no bolts, no locks that anyone can put on your mind."
My response was as follows: "I strongly disagree with that statement. We build ideas on 20,000 years of the past knowledge of the human race. If you are deprived of this knowledge, you have to "start over" with learning. No one can possibly do this. So that is the most effective lock that you can put on someone's mind."
What do you think?
Probably the most fun is when I stumble across some bit I wrote for high school or earlier. I don't know if this is true of most people, but my personality and beliefs were pretty much set by the time I'd reached high school, and available video, photographic, and written relics of my high school years tend to back that statement up. I like to think that this is because I was exposed to such a wide range of thinkers by that time, and not a sign that I became a curmudgeon at age 16.
In any case, by high school, I had already realized how important the access to knowledge was to what I believed and thought. It is always daunting to realize that if I was raised in a different environment, or didn't have access to public libraries in a country that values free speech so highly, that my very psychology would be different. Submitted as evidence that I have always believed this: an English assignment from high school where various phrases were to be examined. For each phrase, I was supposed to write whether or not I agreed or disagreed, standard stuff. The teacher wrote after my essay: "Neat idea--Everyone else who wrote on this, disagrees with you."
The phrase was: "There are no walls, there are no bolts, no locks that anyone can put on your mind."
My response was as follows: "I strongly disagree with that statement. We build ideas on 20,000 years of the past knowledge of the human race. If you are deprived of this knowledge, you have to "start over" with learning. No one can possibly do this. So that is the most effective lock that you can put on someone's mind."
What do you think?
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