Not Homer, Not Marge August 16, 2009
Posted by admin in : Art, Cartoon, History, TV , add a commentYou’ll have to take my word for it, but I drew these cartoon characters before I ever saw the Simpsons.
Not Homer, Not Marge
The Simpsons first appeared on the Tracy Ullman Show in 1987, which I definitely did see. But I drew and conceived of these characters in college prior to that, more like 84/85/86. Can’t prove it, but it’s true.
Idea for Travel Food Show May 16, 2009
Posted by admin in : Outdoors/Travel, TV , add a commentThe best Margarita in Alberta?
The best sushi in Florence?
The best Mexican food in Shanghai?
The best bacon burger in Calcutta?
Best canolli in Rio?
Best falafel in Bangkok?
Take that concept, add one obnoxious anti-social snob and you’ve got yourself a show!
Film Peeve March 14, 2009
Posted by admin in : Film, TV , 1 comment so farHere’s a new one:
Character is in a situation that triggers a memory. Now we go with that character into the memory for a while, a minute, two 30 seconds, whatever, but it’s long enough to shift context and follow a sub-narrative. Then we return to the original context, the present, with character’s face absorbed in the memory. Another character then has to jog the first character’s attention. “Joe? Joe” Where were you?” And the first character then has to come back, pretend it’s nothing and resume the first nbarrative thread.
That whole jogging of the first character’s attention is completely unnecessary. It’s stupid to pretend that just because we in the audience experienced a time shift with the second thread that the characters in the first context also experienced it. The whole thing could have taken place in a split second for them. I don’t mind the actual context shift itself, I just hate the way they transition back. It’s so rote, total cliche, and they do it in the finest of dramas and films. Just skip it completely.
Cinema Annoyances April 25, 2008
Posted by admin in : Film, TV , 3commentsTwo for the “Cinema” category of “Pet Peeves”:
1) you know the thing where they show you a thing for a second, then fade to back real fast, then show you a thing, then fade to black real soon, over and over? Often times its a really interesting visual — you really want to see it, but they fade to black almost as soon as they show it to you. You know that effect? I hate that effect. Please make them stop doing that. If they think it makes you more curious, it doesn’t. It mainly makes me pissed off. It suggests to me that far from having anything interesting to show, they have nothing interesting to show, so they make uninteresting things seem important by taking them away from you. Sort of creating a scarcity of image, creating a demand by leaving you wanting more. I see it as cliched, uninspired, a trick to deceive you into believing there’s more where that came from, a tease. The more they do it, the more pissed off I become.
2) Really, really dark scenes. Perhaps it’s night time. Perhaps we’re in a dark room. Perhaps its some sort of dreamland or outerspace, but the filmmaker decides what’s really required is a really dimly lit scene. Newsflash: a dimly lit scene does not evoke darkness. It does not create or sustain an illusion of darkness. It diminishes any illusion at all — what I see in a dimly lit scene is my own living room, which is very far from being ominous or suspenseful. I see my own shape on the sofa, my own bowl of potato chips. I see a reminder to do some situps. I don’t care if you are David Lynch or Andrei Tarkovsky or Ingmar Bergman or the Coen brothers: dimly lit, dark scenes absolutely do not achieve the apparently desired effect.
Path Since 9-11 September 13, 2006
Posted by admin in : Irrelevant, TV , add a commentHow about a slick, 24-like filmumentary called “Path Since 9-11″? Instead of reminding people how they felt “that day”, this film would remind them why they feel the way they do now.
Sopranos March 13, 2006
Posted by admin in : TV , add a commentAnyone see the season 6 opener?
It was highly gratifying and the opening w/ the William Borroughs voiceover was really hypnotic.