Month: July 2013

Separating art from artist

There is an ethical conundrum I’ve been curious about for a while. The problem is this: If I don’t agree with the politics of an artist or businessman, can I still buy their art or patronize their establishment? How do you draw the line?

For me, this first came up with Carl’s Jr, a fast food burger joint primarily in the west and southwest of America (in the east,  Hardees stores are basically the same). Carl’s Jr. was started and, until he died in 2008, owned by Carl Karcher, who was a well-known conservative and supporter of anti-gay legislation – something to which I am violently opposed.

Continue reading “Separating art from artist” →

The History of Typography, in Stop-Motion Animation – Ivan Kander – The Atlantic

The History of Typography, in Stop-Motion Animation – Ivan Kander – The Atlantic.

I’m a font geek, I admit it. Back in my design days, I was certainly guilty of over doing it and I’m sure, even now, my computer (and certainly my back up drive) is full of fonts I’ll never use but that just look cool!

This video is a must see for anyone who loves fonts, history, books, printing, design… whatever. It’s less than 6 minutes. You can thank me later.

Review: Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Why did it take me so long to read this? Probably because since I was a teen, everyone who recommended it to me was a girl and I figured it was some sort of Chick-lit book about relationships and, being a guy, I wanted action and adventure. And so, from my earliest thinkings of Austen, it never quite appealed to me. Continue reading “Review: Pride and Prejudice” →

Review: This is the End

There’s a moment, about a third of the way through this film, where things are going bad but not as bad as they’ll soon get. Los Angeles is being destroyed by flames and earthquakes, many people have died (others were taken up into the sky by a blue light) and our intrepid heroes, all actors playing (what I can only hope are) parody versions of themselves, are holed up at James Franco’s house, waiting to be rescued. While this is happening, they get stoned and decide to make a sequel to Pineapple Express, a film several of the actors here had been in. It’s a bad idea, this film they come up with. And yet, it feels like this is exactly what happened when Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg came up with the premise for This is the End. This was a joke that went too far. And no one in the crew had the balls to say “Guys, maybe this isn’t as funny as we think it is.”

It’s not. It’s not even a little bit funny. Maybe if you like other Seth Rogan comedies, full of obvious dick and drug jokes and set-ups which go on longer than an SNL skit, you might enjoy this, but for me, it was like watching 107 minutes of awkward award show dialogue. For people who are paid a great deal of money to act, no one (with the possible exception of Michael Cera) actually delivered a performance.

It’s too bad, too. Because I like James Franco and Jay Baruchel. And in the hands of someone who was even a little bit clever, this had the potential of being quite funny. Instead, it’s immature and lazy. When you’re a writer, one of the first things your told is you should never take your first idea. That’s the obvious one. This is a film filled with first ideas.

Happy Lithuanian Statehood Day

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There are advantages and disadvantages to being a relatively new country with a very long history. This is Lithuania. The records go back nearly 1000 years and even the castle in my backyard was first recorded in 1361, but for all intents and purposes, the country came into being in the modern age 22 years ago, when the Russians were finally driven out and Lithuanians could, at long last, rule themselves again.

So how do you celebrate your new/old independence? You have a holiday! Or several holidays. But today is a pretty cool one. July 6th is the supposed coronation day of Mindaugas, the one and only king of Lithuania! It was 760 years ago today that he was crowned and so today, since 1992, has been Lithuanian Statehood Day, a federal holiday!

Review: Now You See Me

This is the second time I’ve seen this film and interestingly, the same problems I had with it the first time, I still have in the same way. So at least it’s consistent.

There’s an interesting thing about seeing a caper film a second time. Well, any film with a “twist” or two in it, I suppose, but caper films are known for being heavily reliant on specific plot details not being revealed until late in the game, Particularly this one, which involves magic tricks. See, watching it for the first time (and yes, I went my second time with a friend who hadn’t seen it before) you’re not expecting the surprise ending and when it comes, it hits you full in the gut. But that second (and subsequent) viewings, when you’re ready for the punch, you can usually see it coming a mile away and sometimes, that telegraphy can completely ruin the film. The Sixth Sense is like that. In recent days, due to his involvement with the Will/Jaden Smith vehicle After Earth, director M. Night Shyamalan has come to be revealed for the charlatan he is and Sixth Sense proves it. Watching that film once you know the ending is an exercise in tedium. The only reason it garnered the praise it did at the time was people weren’t expecting that hit and when it came, it sent them reeling.  Continue reading “Review: Now You See Me” →

Review: The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When you “spell” a word correctly, you are in effect casting a spell, charging these abstract, arbitrary symbols with meaning and power.

Christopher Vogler’s book is, in effect, a “Hero’s Journey” for dummies, with a screenwriting angle thrown in for good measure. He makes no bones about the fact he’s basing his research on Joseph Campbell’s work, with a touch of Jungian philosophy,, all set against a Hollywood background. This makes sense, though. As any good teacher, Vogler uses a more modern language (film) in order to teach a concept which is thousands of years old. Continue reading “Review: The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers” →

Not Just a Princess – Goldie Blox

The world is such an amazing place. At the same time we have this crap going on in places like Ohio, we have people like Debbie Sterling at Goldie Blox trying to do the right thing for the whole race.

Sure, Pink is a great color. I love it. Even very big masculine guys like Penn Jillette love it . So it’s not just for girls. The same way blue isn’t just for boys. This is a globe filled with all sorts of people, wouldn’t it be great if we could let them all do whatever it was they wanted to.

And here, just for fun – Ten Historic Female Scientists you should know.

Review: Monster

Monster
Monster by A. Lee Martinez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my third A. Lee Martinez book and I must say, I’m liking his stuff. This one is a little more serious than the other two I’ve read,, but all of his works have a certain… humanity… to them – regardless of the fact the characters aren’t always, or even often, human. In this one, at least two of the main characters are, nominally, human so that’s okay. And another is a paper gnome from another dimension (a really great creation, by the by). Continue reading “Review: Monster” →