- Any news headline that features ‘Russian Arms Deal’ sounds like it’s either from the Cold War era or a bad spy film. Nevertheless, I opened my browser this morning to BBC News and there it was staring me down like a blast from the past: Iraq Cancels $4.2 Billion Russian Arms Deal Over ‘Corruption’. The new Iraqi Prime Minister apparently believes there is corruption within his own team (most likely there is), and Russia is suggesting the United States has pressured him to reject the deal (which also could have some truth to it). Whatever the case is, billion dollar arms deals from whoever to whoever frighten me. Mass quantities of technology to kill people always do.
- Everyone is mentioning the most obvious, and worst, ideas for directors when it comes to who should do Episode VII. I’ve heard Christopher Nolan, which is of course just dumb. No. Sorry, but no. Let Nolan go back to making psychological thrillers, please. Leave the guy alone… these big action movies he’s doing now are when he’s at his worst. I’ve heard Spielberg which… oh God, if Indiana Jones and the Flying Saucer was any indication, let’s keep Spielberg to historical character films please… not action movies. I’ve even heard Tarentino. What are you, nuts?? Can’t have Mr. Fuckin Reservoir Dogs directing Han and Leia’s kids! Two people that came to my mind, that I believe (of course “you believe” you’re writing it you jackass) are capable, unknown enough but have the experience and chops: Duncan Jones and Rian Johnson. But hey, what do I know?
Within a few years of Fear and Desire’s release, Stanley Kubrick would begin the process of becoming Stanley Kubrick. In 1958, when Kubrick was fresh off his first hit, Paths of Glory, he cut a familiar figure in the New York Times Magazine, which described him as a “lank-haired, slightly elusive, seemingly diffident young man who talks little, wears dark suits in the bright sunshine on Canon Drive, and makes astonishing movies.” He reportedly burned the negative of Fear and Desire shortly after it came and went at the box office, though he could never completely write the film out of his personal history.
- Holy shit this is an awesome Gus from Breaking Bad poster:
Several months later I received a postcard in the mail, a slightly tattered 4×6 of Dodger Stadium, with Los Angeles smeared across the top in imposing red capitals and a smoggy scattered skyline in the background. By this time I had all but forgotten my letter. I didn’t know anyone in LA, but figured a friend was traveling and decided to drop a line, so I lowered my eyes past the rows of neatly lined and evenly spaced blue ink print to the signature, which was illegible, next to an adumbrated smiley face.
- So Disney bought Star Wars. If you don’t know. Which is… meh. I mean, I’m not like a huge Star Wars fanboy or anything so I don’t have to strong of feelings either way. I do, like 80% of humans, love the old Star Wars movies; and I do, like 85% of humans, hate the new ones. From what I’m reading from people who know a lot about this stuff, there are novels that act as the official “post-Original Trilogy” story. Something to do with Han and Leia’s kids, Luke running a new Jedi order, and the resurgence of the Empire and the Sith. This could be decent I suppose. The problem with the new ones — and I’m sure this has been written about extensively — is the fear of treading new ground. This notion that they had to fall back on the old ones to be good. You can see that in everything from the bizarre and wacky coincidences written into the story, the way the ships are designed, even the way Palatine was scarred to look like a shitty Halloween costume of himself in Jedi. As long as they don’t do any of that, and focus on a new story, new characters, new designs, they should be alright I hope.
[But hey, I'm one of like 3 million assholes writing my opinions on the Internet about this so what the fuck do I know?]
- William Gibson’s seminal novel Neuromancer is being turned into a film as we speak. Little is known about the project. The IMDB page is empty, to say the least. Liam Neeson’s name is on the cast, which may or may not be true, but sounds awesome. If you don’t know about the novel it’s one of the best science fiction novels of all-time. It started the genre we call “cyberpunk”. It also featured characters “jacking into” the Internet which was obviously directly lifted for The Matrix movies. Anyways, here’s a new poster (the first):
I have the impression that this is the opinion the government wants to impose on people, their way of opposing the situation. I think that when a person goes somewhere, she reflects, she thinks about where she is going and why, because she is using her time and energy. It’s a conscious choice. I don’t go to a demonstration because it’s cool. It isn’t at all cool to go to demonstrations today. The forces of order are nearby. They can beat you up. The demonstration on May 6th proved that. Nowadays, many people find themselves behind bars solely because they went to a public demonstration.
If I mentally transpose the words “entertaining” and “sport,” Dylan’s sentiment gets close to what I’m trying to express (and what I want to feel, but can’t). There was a time when I watched football in order to not think about my day-to-day life, but fantasy sports slowly changed that — in fact, my affinity for fantasy only makes it worse. I turn the players I draft into tiny parts of my life, which stops me from remembering that they have no relationship whatsoever to who I am. It makes me unconsciously think of them as extensions of myself. And I wonder if this is more problematic than I want to accept. Do I have any right to get angry at Chris Johnson? Does anyone?
- The Trouble With The Mask. Great op-Ed on the inherent problems with the new Joker in Batman and featuring a brilliant Bukowski quote.
- Francsesco Francavilla has been doing minimalist Breaking Bad posters for each episode throughout July. I’m hoping he’ll eventually do the entire series. Here’s an example:
- Economist Dambiso Moyo explains how to close the resources gap with China, and how they’re quietly and very successfully buying up land all over the world to extract exotic minerals and other natural resources:
“Even if all nations were to engage in multilateral discussions about resources, the world would still face the core problem–too little supply for too much demand. Aggressive government meddling in commodity markets (such as banning commodity speculators) has, on balance, tended to do more harm than good. Policies aiming to curb demand, such as higher taxes on consumption, are possible but remain politically unpalatable in a world dedicated to possessing ever-more material goods and a higher standard of living. A few supply-side policies show more promise. These include eliminating inefficient food subsidies and discouraging food waste, encouraging the recycling of metals, and investing in research and development for alternatives or solutions to resource scarcity.”
- ARTIST OF THE DAY: Roxie Vizcarra. That will take you to her official site, she also has a blog (though she hasn’t updated since April; probably because she’s incredibly busy for being a BOSS artist). Roxie’s art is mildly surrealistic, but her figures always seem to be anatomically spot-on. Just check out some of her NSFW pieces. Her use of color is great, it hearkens back to pop art a little, though her designs and compositions are much more sophisticated than that would lead on. One word I would use for her stuff is energy. All her art has this wicked sense of energy flowing through it. Here’s one from her site called “Adulthood”:
- New poster for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master”:
- The story about the comments sections getting closed on Rotten Tomatoes “Dark Knight Rises” page has more to it than it seems. Initially I had read that ardent fans of Nolan’s Bat-films had been so disgustingly brutal — some going so far as to offer death threats — to ANYONE who didn’t like the film, that the Admins shut down commenting. That is true. But there was/is a twist: film critic Eric Snider (who’s had his share of controversy before), put up a review saying this…
“The Dark Knight Rises is easily the most disappointing Batman film so far – and I’m including Schumacher’s Batman & Robin in that statement.”
Not a big deal, right? Snider, with the power he had been granted by RT, uploaded this mini-review and when clicked, it would bring viewers directly to his site. To up his traffic count. Also — what’s worse — he hadn’t even seen the film yet when he posted that. He was trolling. For hits on his site. Ugh.
Why does everyone get so fucking weird about these movies? I don’t get it. I wrote extensively about the hubub surrounding The Dark Knight upon release back in July of 2008, I may have to do that again soonish. There are lots of cultural ticks at play with things like this. If you’re a fan, why the hell do you care if people don’t like the movie? I would love it if everyone didn’t like this movie… the theaters would be way less crowded. And annoying.
- To cope with the genocide and war and terror of the Congo, some citizens are turning to art. Specifically, making socially conscious hip-hop music. It makes sense, it requires the least money to manufacture. It has always been a voice and/or outlet for the oppressed.
“Rap music provided escape and inspiration. The young men listened to it on the local radio and when the Institute’s internet connection was working, they watched videos on YouTube of American and French rap groups. Many of the youth she met were in rap groups themselves. They had organized a concert with cash prizes for winners, around $100; a large sum in a country where the average monthly salary for a teacher is around $50. The two-day event took place at the Kaoze Community Center in the village of Rutshuru, Nord Kivu.
The shows, which took place during the day due to security concerns, were full of the euphoria of youth anywhere. Using pre-recorded tracks, they sang and danced until sunset, when the Community Center was cleared.”
- There’s a new Blockhead mix floating around the web right now by a guy named DJ Pizzo. Blockhead makes really great music to have on in your house while you’re painting/writing, or doing laundry, or sitting on your porch/deck. He’s a beautiful sampler, loves his horns, and nothing is ever too overbearing. He’s a pretty big influence on me, I hope one way I can manufacture a song the way he can so well. Probably not. Here’s the 80-minute mix:
- Morning Breath Inc. is an incredible design company. They have done album art for Slayer, TV On The Radio, Maximum Balloon, Placebo, and many more. But they do other stuff too. T-shirts, posters, snowboard/skateboard deck art, promotional art. Here’s a cool test printing they did for a future silk-screening poster:
- Tree Of Life was pretty cool. It certainly lacked story, but I don’t think the object of the movie is to tell the audience an engrossing story. Now that does not mean you don’t go on some sort-of journey with it, you do. It just means that what we’ve come to expect out of the movies we sit down to watch is something very specific: it must be around 2 hours (maybe a little less), it must have moments of action or tension every 10 to 15 minutes, not only must it tell a definite and clear story, it must complete that story with an ending devoid of ambiguity (we allow this to be broken on trilogy-type properties; we’re so shallow), etc. Movies can be visual art and visual art alone, just like paintings can. Some paintings tell a story (Washington Crossing the Delaware), but do not (Mark Rothko)… at least not to the trained eye and brain. Can film not be the same way? Could a movie not just be a series of images and shots for beauty’s sake? And this movie isn’t even that far on the spectrum. There certainly is a narrative… perhaps not as clear-cut as what we’re used to, but there is dialogue and character arcs and rising action and falling action. I’m reminded of A Propos de Nice, one of the more powerful movies I’ve ever watched and there’s essentially no narrative at all.
- I’m missing record store day tomorrow because I’m working all day… such a bummer. Please go out and support your local music shops, cause they’re the only ones who will stock the good stuff. There’s also this thing amongst music heads to buy directly from the artist (Bandcamp, official sites, etc.) because then your favorite bands make a bit more money. That is probably true, but I still like to get out to the record store because I can’t imagine a world where the only place to get new music is on the Internet, from the artist’s website. There’s also something very relaxing about wandering the racks of a good record store, among people like yourself doing the same thing.
- I had this thought today that I would watch a movie while writing and doing other things on my computer… then I picked The Tree of Life and now I can’t look away. It almost reminds me more of an Iñárritu movie than a Terence Malick one. The imagery, the narrative nature, even the loud/quiet/loud sound dynamics. It’s beautiful to look at, if anything. And this isn’t a review, cause I’m in the middle of the damn thing. The shots of the Universe and volcanoes erupting and cellular structure are really fucking cool; reminds me a bit of 2001. Also, some of the most realistic portrayals of dinosaurs ever on film.
- Did George Lucas honestly say that Empire Strikes Back is the worst Star Wars flick?? Wow. Now, the context might point in the direction of a joke. So it should be taken with a grain of salt. Or it could be one of those things where somebody makes a joke to cover up the fact that it’s actually a sore subject. Either way, it’s far and away the best Star Wars movie and Lucas didn’t direct it. Thought this was a cool Hitchcockian type poster for Empire, found it on DeviantArt:
- Cody Walker at Sequart.org has some brilliant comics articles (as do other writers at the site). A lot of them are particularly of interest for me, being a massive fan of Grant Morrison’s years-spanning Batman epic. Walker has three part articles on the passive aggressive (eventually turning plain old aggressive) feud between Joker and Dr. Hurt. That series is very interesting to read because he delves into the history of Morrison’s writing of the Joker, including the deconstruction of his personality way back in 1989′s Arkham Asylum (Dave Mckean’s art still messes with my brain every time I open that book). He also writes extensively about the transformation of Bruce Wayne’s son Damien, from his initial appearance in “Batman & Son” to his heroic turn in GM’s Batman & Robin. His character arc was plotted wonderfully: Morrison deliberately wanted him to be hated when he first appeared, the wrote him more and more likeable as the issues and years passed by.
- List of foreign films to see according to Martin Scorsese, a pretty solid authority on films to see I’d say. A few surprises, many expected. I’ve seen a number of these but would like to see more.
The first film is Metropolis, one of the best science fiction movies of all-time. If you haven’t seen it, I’d suggest getting a copy shipped to you courtesy of a rental service. It’s amazing, especially for 1927. A remake is in the works. Anyways, here’s a cool re-imagining of the original movie poster from Deviant Art (original link):
- And speaking of awesome science fiction flicks, Ridley Scott will apparently be doing a sequel/prequel to Blade Runner, which I saw bits and pieces of yesterday at work. I’m certainly all for exploring the dystopian Los Angeles depicted in the first film. The city is somehow ugly and scary and beautiful and appealing all at the same time.
- Samsung Can Continue Selling Galaxy Tabs In Germany.Apple has lost another lawsuit, this time in a German Appeals Court in Duesseldorf. The ruling marks the third attempt and loss by Apple taking legal action against competitors citing infringement of patent rights.
“Furthermore, “following the design changes undertaken by Samsung, the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1N does not contravene competition law. Apple’s iPad computers and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1N are rival products of equal value,” the court said in a statement. Earlier this month, two other courts in Germany — in Munich and Mannheim — also quashed Apple’s request to impose a preliminary ban on sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1N and Nexus smartphone.
The two technology giants are engaged in a legal battle involving dozens of cases worldwide as they struggle for leadership in the hugely lucrative smartphone and tablet computer market.
Apple launched legal action in April last year, accusing Samsung of “slavishly” copying its iPhone and iPad designs. Samsung has focused its own lawsuits on technology patents rather than design. The South Korean giant received two legal boosts in December. A court in San Jose, California, denied Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have banned the sale of three Samsung smartphones and a tablet computer. Australia’s High Court cleared the way for Samsung to sell its Galaxy 10.1 tablet in the country in time for Christmas, dismissing Apple’s bid to have a ban extended.”
The iPad 3 will come out in March I guess. It will purportedly have faster processing power and a better graphics engine.
- Why did everyone hate on Iron Man 2so much? Yes, there is little action but if you want 2 hours of almost non-stop robot on robot brawling I’d recommend any of the Transformers movies. The fights are quick; much quicker than the end of the first movie, which went on way too long. The story of Tony Stark’s self-made artificial heart slowly poisoning his bloodstream (and subsequently synthesizing a new, man-made element) is a good one, and would be a fascinating run in the pages Invincible Iron Man; but I always need to remind myself, “how many people who like the Iron Man movies have read an Iron Man comic?”
It’s too bad that Favreau isn’t doing the third movie, because he’s been slowly building towards the man behind the curtain, pulling the strings, since the beginning: The Mandarin. Who, as the first movie insinuates, has been funding extremists. “The Cave of the Ten Rings”. And I’m pretty sure Shane Black is on record as saying he isn’t going to use him because he sees the character as a racist stereotype.
- I have just sent high(er) quality MP3s to the boss over at Black Lantern Music. Still hoping I can find someone to do physicals with it. The album is done. It’s called “The Parallel”, for several reasons. You know, for being knee deep in the Great Depression in the 1930′s, we certainly accomplished quite a bit. Here’s a short list of things we invented in the 30s: scotch tape, the frozen food process, the jet engine, the electron microscope, the drive-in movie, the tape recorder, radar, canned beer, the helicopter. What else? We built the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building. New forms of artistic expression emerged like Expressionism, Surrealism, and Realism. Now, the idea was that tough times actually result in massive increases of creativity. Ask any CEO of a company, they’ll tell you the same thing. So “The Parallel” not only refers to the idea that we’re going through the same things as we did in the 30s (so why can’t we go out and invent new things, build new buildings, express ourselves with new artforms?), it also refers to my creative process stemming out of tougher times. Plus, when I was researching the 1930s for this project I read through a lot of Dos Passos, particularly The 42nd Parallel. I sat with that book for hours upon hours. So the title is also a reference to that 30s novel. Suffice it to say I’m very excited about the whole thing. I’ve also written a flash-fiction companion piece which embeds the song titles into the “story”. More on that to come.
- Holy shit 2012 sounds straight outta some science fiction. It doesn’t feel right, does it? The great Paul Sizer created quite the rallying cry for humanity with this poster he made for the New Year:
“2012: SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED”
- There were several albums I thought were going to come out in 2011, so here’s to a better year in music than the last! I suppose I should, like every other blogger on the planet, release my “2011 yearinmusicaaaaaggggh” list. And I probably will, at some point soon. Lots of critics are saying how boring of a year it was because nothing really dominated “Best” lists, I find that to be a lot more interesting than the other way round. And what’s up with everyone and their brother putting that Bon Iver record in their top 5 or 3?? It was okay I guess, but then I saw Justin Vernon and his band on The Colbert Report and good God I would never pay money to see that. I mean, I know it’s hard to sing that falsetto in key without multiple takes, but still.
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Glass Half Empty.
In Sonny's Journal on July 19, 2012 at 8:01 am- ARTIST OF THE DAY: Roxie Vizcarra. That will take you to her official site, she also has a blog (though she hasn’t updated since April; probably because she’s incredibly busy for being a BOSS artist). Roxie’s art is mildly surrealistic, but her figures always seem to be anatomically spot-on. Just check out some of her NSFW pieces. Her use of color is great, it hearkens back to pop art a little, though her designs and compositions are much more sophisticated than that would lead on. One word I would use for her stuff is energy. All her art has this wicked sense of energy flowing through it. Here’s one from her site called “Adulthood”:
- New poster for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master”:
- The story about the comments sections getting closed on Rotten Tomatoes “Dark Knight Rises” page has more to it than it seems. Initially I had read that ardent fans of Nolan’s Bat-films had been so disgustingly brutal — some going so far as to offer death threats — to ANYONE who didn’t like the film, that the Admins shut down commenting. That is true. But there was/is a twist: film critic Eric Snider (who’s had his share of controversy before), put up a review saying this…
Not a big deal, right? Snider, with the power he had been granted by RT, uploaded this mini-review and when clicked, it would bring viewers directly to his site. To up his traffic count. Also — what’s worse — he hadn’t even seen the film yet when he posted that. He was trolling. For hits on his site. Ugh.
Why does everyone get so fucking weird about these movies? I don’t get it. I wrote extensively about the hubub surrounding The Dark Knight upon release back in July of 2008, I may have to do that again soonish. There are lots of cultural ticks at play with things like this. If you’re a fan, why the hell do you care if people don’t like the movie? I would love it if everyone didn’t like this movie… the theaters would be way less crowded. And annoying.
- To cope with the genocide and war and terror of the Congo, some citizens are turning to art. Specifically, making socially conscious hip-hop music. It makes sense, it requires the least money to manufacture. It has always been a voice and/or outlet for the oppressed.
-Sonny