- Holy shit, a week off? A week?? Well I hope get that job I was interviewed for… hope it was worth it. Let’s get at this.
- It’s nice to read direct quotes from Mark Hamill this morning, rather than speculation derived from an article that’s mostly speculating. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he has some really, really wonderful things to say in terms of the direction he hopes the movies take, including a more balanced approach between practical and CGI effects, not such a heavy-handed tone, and that he and all the old actors/characters would not be the focal point. I’m still disappointed that neither of my picks got the directing job (Rian Johnson and Duncan Jones), but damn Ben Affleck I bet would make a really cool hanger shootout with laser guns… just imagine that last shootout scene at Fenway in The Town, but with smugglers and new government agents…
- Sadistik’s new album is good. Perhaps not his magnum opus, but it’s good. And I mean that in a good way, I think eventually he can do something even better than this. And with the rise of Macklemore, it’s nice to hear a Seattle rapper who actually reflects the city. Not that “Flowers For My Father” is all depressing. The song (and a handful of other tracks) that details the first-hand account of Sadistik and Kristoff Krane knocking on the late Eyedea’s door and no one answering is actually very positive. In defense of the rest of the tones though, what do you expect from a guy who saw that amount of death firsthand since the release of his last proper album? I actually find it hard to believe that the production on this was handled by multiple people, there’s a consistency to it throughout (both in quality and feel).
Also, hearing a new Cage verse make me want new Cage album. And RIP Eyedea.
- Yesterday marked the 3rd anniversary of someone very close to me. Something I never thought I would say at the age I’m at now. But when I think back to that day, and being in that room with those other people I shared that moment with, I remember it as being a really beautiful thing. I couldn’t stop shaking after it happened, and I was probably in some form of shock, but that wasn’t fear or terror or horror doing that; it was the sheer power of what I — we — had seen before our very eyes. Something rare and otherworldly and unexplainable. Something breathtaking and beyond all of us. I’ll never forget it, it feels like it was yesterday.
“Chips based on the ARM architecture run a majority of the world’s smartphones, including the iPhone and most Google Android phones, and now, a wide range of hardware makers are building ARM chips for the computer servers that drive web services and the sweeping software applications used inside big businesses. The idea is to significantly reduce the power and money needed to operate a computer data center, and clearly some big-name buyers are interested.”
- So I’m a regular reader of comics. At any given time I’ve got anywhere from 5-10 books on my pull list at the shop. But for some reason I have never read any Avengers stuff (I don’t read too much superhero stuff besides some classics and/or products of great writers). I was simultaneously trepidations and excited to jump into the deep end when I heard Jonathan Hickman (a writer who’s creator-owned work I follow) would be writing not one, but two, Avengers books. And though I firmly stand on the side of the “New Avengers/Illuminati”, I did catch up on the regular “Avengers” title last night. I read a lot of slightly negative things about the 2nd and 3rd issues of the book, which I don’t really understand because the quality is almost exactly the same as the first. But a lot of readers of comics — and your fanboys who don’t read comics — don’t have the best taste. Anyways I’m hoping these “Creators”, these spectacularly complex and borderline sympathetic villains, are revisited later on during Hickman’s run… perhaps reigniting the evolution of Mars and thus far surpassing Earth?
- An article on Wired is garnering quite a bit of views: Inside The Battle of Hoth. It basically takes a satirically serious look at the strategies employed by both the Empire and the Rebellion during the big first set-piece of Empire. But after reading this article, you’ll realize how inept and incoherent a military strategy the Empire employed in their best chance at wiping out 90% of the Rebellion with one stroke.
- Alright so the news that JJ Abrams is directing the new Star Wars movie has lit up the Internet. I know it’s redundant, but I’ll be quick about it (I hope). Here’s my take:
JJ Abrams, from a visual standpoint, is a hack. There’s just no two ways around it. He’s the directorial equivalent of a girl (or a guy I suppose) who tries way, way too hard. And any little amount of attractiveness that might exist under all that makeup (lens flares) and spray tan (odd angles w/ no context) and accessories (shaky cam cause shit’s just too intense), ceases to be. I watched his Star Trek once; I couldn’t get through it. It’s honestly that off putting to me what he does with the camera. Which is unfortunate because I’m sure he’s a very capable writer. He has a pretty good knack for high-concepts that end up being as simple or as complex as the viewer wants them to be. But, like that chick at the bar, all that gets buried under these kitschy gimmicks. All that being said, I think he can and probably will make a damn entertaining Star Wars flick. The trick will end up being getting out of his own way. Let things speak for themselves, there’s no need to cover up what’s happening on screen with all that makeup and spray tan. Especially not when it comes to such a legendary property. If the guy can find some way to be a subtle version of himself — I know that’s a bit of an oxymoron — I think Ep. 7 could be really cool. And really, hard not to do better than the prequels.
“People kept saying that the knife fight of the 2016 campaign in America was “unprecedented” but it really wasn’t. They said Rand Paul would never get a second term, but George W Bush did. People called me cynical for saying that Paul would take the second election regardless of the six women who were shot dead while trying to cross to Canada for abortions – before Canada put their own limits on abortion provision. Canada’s the only country Rand Paul ever travels to! He took all the drones out of Southeast Asia and floated every one of them along the US-Mexico border! (Going against his own “policy” of 2012 – what a bloody shock.)
How were people surprised? The only thing Rand Paul ever did that surprised me was using a thermobaric bomb on Islamabad instead of a tactical nuclear device. In some ways, the Paul Doctrine worked: a reunited India, the Afghan Spring, all that. President Paul claimed to have “solved foreign policy by ending foreign policy”.”
- 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:
- 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.
- Check out this Photostream on Flickr; guy calls himself/herself OM2 Urbx. Specializes in urban photography for the 21st Century. This one is called “Clane Crimber” (and no, I believe that is not a typo):
- These Verve Remixed albums are brilliant. Damn. The idea is to take old songs from the history of the label, and have modern Electronic and/or Hip-Hop produces remix them. So they’re both for fans of the history of the label and the artists associated, AND modern music fans to serve as an introduction to said artists. Awesome idea, and something more labels with 25+ years of history should do. And big ups to The Current for playing something I wasn’t familiar with and piqued my interest more than “oh, this is pretty decent indie rock”.
BitTorrent has a new plan for getting money into the hands of content producers — and it’s putting its method to the test with a handful of new tracks from turntable maestro DJ Shadow.
The file-sharing hub released a “bundle” of three tracks on 24 July from Shadow’s upcoming Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From the MPC Era, 1992-1996. The torrent, which also includes photos and archival footage from Shadow’s early years, will come with free software from BitTorrent’s advertising partners — like, for example, RealPlayer. If downloaders install the software, the DJ will get a share of the revenue.
The DJ Shadow bundle is the first of many new content experiments BitTorrent has in the works, the company said. Finding ways for artists to make money from file sharing could be a significant shift in the perception of the practice among artists and music labels. It seems to have brought around Shadow (aka Josh Davis), who in an interview with Wired last year lamented that peer-to-peer file sharing had “removed music sales from the equation.”
- Paul Pope did a drawing of Luke at the gate’s of Jabba’s Palace for shits and giggles:
The facility was large enough for one Star Destroyer analog or several smaller capitalships. The station had the capacity to host many crew and technicians, but only 50 were permanently stationed there. When more were required, they were shuttled up from the surface of the planet, where many smaller repair jobs were also carried out.[1]
Doesn’t the Empire take a huge economic loss from the lost productivity of an entire planet? They were presumably paying taxes and providing resources to the rest of the Empire. Presumably the loss of that planet’s output would have to be made up by increased output from other planets that were either slacking in productivity due to rebellion or threatening to rebel and withdraw from the Empire altogether. It doesn’t seem to make good economic sense.
- 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.
- Kurt Cobain would have turned 45 today. Probably still living in Washington, hopefully still making music. I’m confident that is the case. It’s amazing how different the industry would likely be now if he were around. And especially throughout the late 90′s/early 2000′s. If you listen to “You Know You’re Right”, you will find quite a different shade to Nirvana under the surface. Upon first listen it sounds like an above average Nirvana song, but bubbling under the surface lies noises running on a loop, fairly progressive drumming, and a surprisingly cleaner gain. I love that song; and it bums me out to no end because I’m certain that’s the direction they were heading. Granted, if Kurt were around it’s highly unlikely Nirvana would still be making music. There’s just no way that could last after they’d been received the way they were. But that doesn’t mean each member could not still be pursuing music. Perhaps Kurt would be making solo albums the way Mike Doughty does. Perhaps he’d be collaborating with any number of people (Danger Mouse?). Who knows. But I’m sure it would be something. Such a waste. Happy birthday Kurt.
- Also missing someone I lost 2 years ago today. Her favorite color was blue… I found this:
“With High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) imagery, the research team examined boulders along a fault system known as Cerberus Fossae, which cuts across a very young (few million years old) lava surface on Mars. By analyzing boulders that toppled from a martian cliff, some of which left trails in the coarse-grained soils, and comparing the patterns of dislodged rocks to such patterns caused by quakes on Earth, the scientists determined the rocks fell because of seismic activity. The martian patterns were not consistent with how boulders would scatter if they were deposited as ice melted, another means by which rocks are dispersed on Mars.”
- My monthly list of awesome things from the “Around The Net” Whitechapel thread:
- Lots of good things going on in the “AROUND THE NET” thread over at Whitechapel. Including this little nugget of Chewbacca facing off against a number of Nazis (oh, and he’s also riding a gigantic squirrel):
- I know it’s far and away the least popular professional sport (of the “big four”; but I wouldn’t be surprised if poker gets better television ratings), but I’m very excited for a fresh NHL season. But hey, I’m from Minnesota so ya know…
- I went and saw CULTSThursday night here at the Triple Rock. For seeming like more of a studio band — two people, lots of loops, slick studio tricks, etc — they have put together quite the live show for their first national tour. Great sound, good chemistry, and it seems like they’re having a blast.
[Side Note: If I were going to roll through an old film in black on white via projection behind me during my live show, I'd use the 1966 Bergman flick "Persona". Which has got to be in his top 3 for me. And if you don't know Ingmar Bergman, I'm sure you've seen a tribute to the infamous scene in his "The Seventh Seal" where a knight plays a game of chess with Death.]
- As far as the “Occupy Wall Street” protest. This quote from “Oddcult” on Whitechapel works well in my eyes:
Sometimes it’s okay to point out that something’s pretty fucked up, without actually having a solution to it or offering an alternative. That can be enough to get other people who do have solutions and alternatives involved and as many people as possible thinking about it.
