ericellenberg

Visions of Light

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:08:59 -0400

Visions of Light (★★★★★): Fantastic interviews with legendary cinematographers about classic and contemporary cameramen and films. {Apparently unavailable to purchase, but you can watch it on Netflix.}

Mystery Train

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:43:21 -0400

Mystery Train (★★★★★): A film about a place of dreams called Memphis. Beautifully shot, beautifully paced. Just beautiful. {Buy the Blu-ray on Amazon and never regret it.}

On the literary horizon is an extraordinary book entitled...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:09:47 -0400

On the literary horizon is an extraordinary book entitled “Waits/Corbijn – Photographs 1977-2010” featuring an array of beautiful artistic images of Tom Waits taken by the renowned photographer Anton Corbijn. Tom Waits and Anton Corbijn are a perfect artist – artist match. Their 30-year collaboration now yields this book of portraits by Corbijn plus more than 50 pages filled up with images/writing by Waits himself.

- Waits/Corbijn – Photographs 1977-2010

Yeah. I went there. Read a novel based in the Halo universe. On...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:20:00 -0400

Yeah. I went there. Read a novel based in the Halo universe. On my iPhone.

It’s what you’d expect of a hastily written book based on a video game. That didn’t make it unentertaining. It was quite entertaining actually, owing to the merits of Halo’s rich universe. But it is unfulfilling.

Synopsis: battle, training, battle, training, battle, battle, brief ruminations, battle, battle… and so on. More an explanation than an exploration of the origins of Master Chief and the Halo universe, The Fall of Reach builds a framework but doesn’t go much further.

★★★ - I liked it, but hey, I’m a Halo fan. Bias applicable here.

All About the PlayStation 1’s Design: That explains how...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:19:04 -0400

All About the PlayStation 1’s Design:

That explains how the controller got its look, but not how the buttons got their rather unique names. “That was also pretty tough,” Goto revealed. “Other game companies at the time assigned alphabet letters or colors to the buttons. We wanted something simple to remember, which is why we went with icons or symbols, and I came up with the triangle-circle-X-square combination immediately afterward. I gave each symbol a meaning and a color. The triangle refers to viewpoint; I had it represent one’s head or direction and made it green. Square refers to a piece of paper; I had it represent menus or documents and made it pink. The circle and X represent ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision-making and I made them red and blue respectively. People thought those colors were mixed up, and I had to reinforce to management that that’s what I wanted.”

Hardware design is one area where Sony has always been the one to take a stand and make something iconic. The Playstation is a prime example.

sidkan: My roomate just might have a heart...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:17:02 -0400

sidkan:

My roomate just might have a heart attack.

michaelgluzman:

NES Hard Drive Super Mario BrosDuck Hunt 1TB by 8BitMemory

YES.

WANT.

Rebecca (1940)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:29:00 -0400

Rebecca (1940): (★★★★★): Dazzling and troubled, much like Joan Fontaine’s character in the film, Rebecca is filled with beauty and nightmares. {Not linking to the DVD on Amazon this time because it’s not the Criterion Collection version—I’m a Criterion loyalist. Didn’t know if you could tell.}

Man in the Iron Mask

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:27:00 -0400

Man in the Iron Mask (★★★): Caught it on TV a while back, and much as I tried to watch something else, I had to stay with it to the end. A great cast, a charming film. {Buy the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on Amazon}

grain edit · Filmkonst Magazine

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:29:12 -0400

grain edit · Filmkonst Magazine

Stanley Kubrick - Deserving of Worship: 2001: A Space Odyssey...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:57:39 -0400

Stanley Kubrick - Deserving of Worship: 2001: A Space Odyssey Promotional Photos - High Resolution

If ever there were a case for the importance of good urban...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:12:42 -0400

If ever there were a case for the importance of good urban planning that includes mass transit, this is it: a 62-mile traffic standstill on a road leading to Beijing is now in its ninth day, with individual drivers caught in it for as long as three days.

via Chinese Traffic Jam Extends 60 Miles and Nine Days | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:39:00 -0400

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (★★): A handful of good moments in an otherwise completely terrible movie. Were it not for the strength of the Wolverine character and Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of him, this would be a one-star affair.

The Wolfman

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:59:00 -0400

The Wolfman (★★★): A fun, jump-scare ride. Predictable, but not entirely generic, The Wolfman is a solid werewolf movie. {Buy the unrated Director’s Cut on Blu-ray on Amazon}

See the Statue of Liberty being built… « How to be a...

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:18:00 -0400

See the Statue of Liberty being built… « How to be a Retronaut

Monsters, Inc.

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:35:00 -0400

Monsters, Inc. (★★★★★): The enterprise of scares will never be as profitable as the enterprise of laughter. This film is a testament to that. {Buy the 4-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on Amazon}

25th Hour

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:55:00 -0400

25th Hour (★★★★): A powerful exposition of the downfall of man. Vulnerable and honest, but never wimpy or frank, a film that loves its characters, for all their goodness and for all their flaws. {Buy the DVD on Amazon}

Iron Man 2

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:47:00 -0400

Iron Man 2 (★★★): Entertaining shock and awe, but not enough substance to make for a great movie. An enjoyable follow-up. {Buy the 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo on Amazon}

(via moistpantaloons)

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:11:07 -0400

(via moistpantaloons)

Can I just say I can’t wait for Seven Samurai to release...

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:58:00 -0400

Can I just say I can’t wait for Seven Samurai to release on Blu-ray on October 19? Because I can’t help myself anymore.

Update 8/21: Here’s a link to pre-order on Amazon.

Dumb and Dumber

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:19:00 -0400

Dumb and Dumber (★★★★★): This one’s a no-brainer. Brilliantly idiotic. {Buy the Blu-ray on Amazon}