Multi Media Discussion

They say Andy Serkis is brilliant.

Really, Mokers? The previews looked so... meh. Sure you didn't just like the comely human co-star? She was quite charming on Daily Show.

What did people think of Xmen First Class? Possibly the most facepalming racial reaction shots for a minute there, and they were a bit off on the period design (which I think was the whole point of the movie). And the title credits were nowhere near as cool as http://vimeo.com/21905044

The Science of Sleep was amazingly charming.

ddt

The previews are terrible. The actual story is pretty good. It is a summer action film so you have your cliches and James Franco does sort of mail in his performance, but it is much better than the mark walberg version from a while back. Plenty of subtle hints for fans of the Heston era movies and pretty good direction. Lots of nice shots of san Francisco as well, although they are a little confused where San Bruno is. The comely co-star is a hottie of the first order.

X-men first class was good, but as a comic book fan I always pick the incongruities in the films out a bit too much. You know, things like "well, this is how it happened in new x-men, but the story is a little different than uncanny x-men, which...." and then I notice the person backing away slowly.

I am not sure if I mentioned the documentary wasteland to anybody, but that is really good as well.

I finished the latest book in the Song of Ice and Fire series (I was saving it for plane rides). It finished as strongly as it could for a mid-series book. Man, it's going to be hard to wait for the next one.

Let's not forget that in the original Planet of the Apes movie chronicling the "rise", humans going into underground shelters (presaging their melted-face kingdom) was shot in Century City.

I remember reading Pierre Boule's original novel, which was quite different, and interesting.

ddt

Just read the New Yorker's account of the bin Laden raid. Good stuff, but the most enlightening part to me:

Quote

In the months after the raid, the media have frequently suggested that the Abbottabad operation was as challenging as Operation Eagle Claw and the “Black Hawk Down” incident, but the senior Defense Department official told me that “this was not one of three missions. This was one of almost two thousand missions that have been conducted over the last couple of years, night after night.” He likened the routine of evening raids to “mowing the lawn.” On the night of May 1st alone, special-operations forces based in Afghanistan conducted twelve other missions; according to the official, those operations captured or killed between fifteen and twenty targets.

I got the kindle version of the first 4 books of Game of Thrones. It's riddled with spelling mistakes and typos. I remember spotting a couple in the first book which was a paperback but there's a lot more in the kindle edition. Probably one every 5 or 6 pages - enough to be annoying.

From the pattern of the mistakes it's because they've scanned a printed manuscript using OCR (for example "stories" instead becomes "stones" and so on) rather than converting an electronic copy to kindle format.

I'm less than impressed and I certainly hope that's not standard practice for kindle ebooks...

Huh. I read all of them on Kindle, and didn't notice that. I wonder if the Australian versions are different. I have noticed what you describe with other books, though, usually older ones. I think that new ones are prepared in electronic format for the presses, and gain the benefits of corrections for their eBook versions. Older books do not exist in electronic form and are scanned... and not proofed with the same rigor.

There is an Australian version of the 4-book bundle that I was redirected to after trying to purchase the US version.

I'm going to give some feedback on the amazon website...

The HBO series is beautiful, that's for sure. Worth watching while I read … 

Okay, go get the torrent of "Craig Tours the Eiffel Tower" (I'm betting this is legal, or maybe even available on Hulu, but maybe not). It's the most amazing thing. And I nearly camped out one night at the bookstore they shoot in front of.

ddt



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2011 07:18AM by ddt.

at least some is on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8GatAlKOI4

Costanza is coming...

Winter is coming, Hobbes.

That's awesome. Only thing missing from the scene is one with electric blue eyes...

Had a really comic-book-y day the other day. Read through some of the Gotham Central series (_highly_ recommended: it's like Homicide: LotS in, well, Gotham) and saw the Captain America movie. Meh, but really, really liked the graphics over the closing credits. Revamps of wartime propaganda art done with just a little 3d.

ddt

DPBD: If you're not watching "Louie", make an effort to see the episode "Ducklings". I won't spoil any of it, but during the rare moments where the fictional nature of it popped up too much, I consciously pushed that aside to experience it not as fiction.

I may have to splurge on the DVDs for the commentary tracks.

ddt

Just got back from SENNA.
Good documentary. It astounds me how much the cameras must always be on around these things/people just to be able to make this movie.

http://www.sennamovie.co.uk/

I've hear good things about that documentary. No interest, myself, but I like the documentary genre to do well.

Our idiot brother. Fun movie