3D provides depth to the bottom line, for now
Originally posted on the Berkeley DMEC blog page.
Diversions [Artful Procrastination]
Finals are next week, along with a series of papers and the >play conference. It through it all, I still seem to find some time to browse the Internets.
The Cat Piano from PRA on Vimeo.
Independent v. Indie [Film]
Strong Bad, has a funny video differentiating the key traits of Independent vs. Indie films.
HT: MiracleMax
Online Marketplace for Directors [Online Film Festivals]
While living in DC, I was lucky to be part of a film festival. What continually amazes me is the depth and quality of amateur work out there. Given the high cost of making mass consumptive media (like movies and commercials), its no wonder that companies rarely bet on an unknown director.
Film festivals, especially the strappy small ones, seek to showcase emerging talent and their unique stories. For example, a Paris-based production company Mr. Hyde has launched The Hyde Tube, which provides an online venue for directors to have their work juried.
There are two things I like about the project:
- Creation of a Marketplace: Mr. Hyde, hopes that the Hyde Tube will becoming a marketplace where clients can find source new talent (and probably for a cheaper cost). In effect, Mr. Hyde is trying to remove the middlemen in the process--for a nice price"Clients will contact The Hyde Tube in order to pass on a project to a specific director, who is then free to decide whether or not to accept it. If accepted, the director will write a treatment or make an animated test within 3 to 5 days. For this work you will receive approximately 500€.
If the client is happy with the treatment and decides that the director will make the film, The Hyde Tube will connect the director with the client, and Mr Hyde or one of its affiliate studios will oversee the production until the film delivery."
- Visualization of Content: With a reported 100 directors, I was deeply curious on how they were going to help clients scroll through all the content. The use of screenshots allow the clients to scan multiple aesthetics efficiently.
A Third Toy Story [Pixar]
I remember when Toy Story came out on VHS. I watched it relentlessly for an entire summer. I had never seen digital animation as detailed before and it simply blew my mind.
Since then, I've becoming a loyal pixar fan; hungrily consuming each masterpiece. Well, it looks like June 18, 2010 will mark a third and most awesome Toy Story 3. Enjoy the preview.
Biggie Smalls [IMAX FAIL]
There are a couple trends in this year's summer blockbuster movies. It's going to be in 3D and it's going in IMAX. Most of us think of IMAX in its traditional 60x80 foot screens. However, in a move that will invariably cause some blowback, IMAX is allowing its name on 25x58 feet screens. It's no small difference:
With 72 of the 138 "IMAX" screens are in the smaller size, there is going to be a good number of angry moviewatchers. Talk about brand dilution.
Actor/Writer Aziz Ansari, of Parks and Recreation, recently posted an angry, profanity-laden post about the bait and switch.
What is surprising is that the response from the CEO:
“The overwhelming majority of comments on that guy’s blog this morning, more than 90% of them, are vehemently disagreeing with him. And consumers are confirming this with their continued purchases of tickets.”
Read Aziz's response here.
Airplane Films [Movie Reviews]
I've been flying around a lot and consequently have been force fed a series of films. Unfortunately, I'm sad to say that none of them were terribly inspiring. I did, however, get to see Milk in the Castro last week. To watch a film and then spill into the street where it all took place was both emotional and inspirational.
Here are a couple reviews:
Milk
Harvey Milk's journey
film story crescendoes, arcs
Sean and Josh connect
[4/5]
Burn after Reading
Cohens take DC
web of intrigue, spooks, ego
Ridiculous quirk
[2.5/5]
Sixty Six
Boy vies for a nod
Bar Mitzvah on World Cup Day
Bit Cheesy, Stirring
[2.2/5]
Flash of Genius
Ford steals invention
Author draws line, fights machine
standard biopic
[2.1/5]
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Is man destructive?
Keanu decides man's fate
So predictable
[2.0/5]
The Long Shot
Cube coaches football
Girl inspires team as QB
Too many cliches
[1/5]
lady slumdog vengeance? [movie rumors]
In an interview with Empire, Danny Boyle (director of the recent Slumdog Millionaire) has recently been offered the opportunity to remake Chan-Wook Park's Lady Vengeance.
Lady Vengeance is the third and final part of Chan-Wook Park's vengeance trilogy. If you haven't seen them, you should Chan-Wook explores three different takes on vengeance.
[Movie Reviews]
Movie Reviews:
Son of Rambow: [4 of 5]
- boys watch rambo film
make believe epic movie
boys find family
Planet B-Boy: [3.5 of 5]
- break dancing indie
kinetic, motion, street art
doc, great story arc
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: [3 of 5]
- old Indy, back again
same bits, even a son!
but somehow, bit stale
I was really looking forward to this film. Having grown up with the films in this franchise, I expected the action from my younger days. To be fair, I think it's a straight-line production of the traditional Indie series. But in the modern context, it lacks the kinetic energy as the series did before. I gave it a rating for ole time's sake.
A Slum O’Kay Rags to Raj-ah Tale [Slumdog Millionaire Review]
There's been a lot of buzz about the film. However, this is no typically bollywood film. Slumdog is a heart-warming crossover directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and the underrated Sunshine).
Typical bollywood films have the following characteristics and themes:
- Love and betrayal (on a scale of 1 to 10 in melodrama, they're typically as high as south korean soaps
- Exploration of family dynamics
- And always always always... a dance sequence
To be honest, I liked the film, but didn't love the film. You can see Danny's hand through the entire film. Maybe I walked in with expectations too high, but I found the film a little predictable.
However, maybe the best films are predictable. K loves watching Love Actually around this time of year. There is something clever about how the film is constructed and warm about how the main character's (Jamal) journey to be with his destined that will make this a repeat film watched on a movie night between a couple.
[3 of 5]
I want to try something new, i wrote a haiku for the movie:
- boyle in bollywood
boy seeks girl melodrama
rags to raj-ah tale