Reality is becoming dystopian

We simply must do something to address the “life and death” threat of climate change.  I’m a big fan of Charlie Pierce (he wrote “Idiot America”) who wrote a sobering  column on the subject today.  It should be required reading for everyone, especially the Neanderthal doubters.  Check it out here.

Very scary, right?

Roger Deakins deserves an Oscar

Hi everybody.  I haven’t posted for a while just because I got busy with the Thanksgiving holiday, and really had nothing to say.

Yesterday we got around to seeing “Skyfall,” the new James Bond movie.  I loved it.  There are many reasons why, all of which have been thoroughly discussed in other reviews:  terrific acting given full reign, a script that was actually easy to follow yet full of suspense and surprises, awesome action set pieces, a fine opening “Bond song” written and performed by Adele, a delicious villain, and sure handed direction by Sam Mendes.  But what I want to single out is the gorgeous, artful cinematography provided by Roger Deakins. 

Before seeing the film read a lot of reviews, many of which praised Deakins’ work in “Skyfall.”  Also the guys on “Film Junk,” the weekly pod cast I listen to, raved about the cinematography and noted that while Deakins has been nominated for the Oscar many times, he has yet to win it.  They are hoping that he will win this year for “Skyfall.”  You can read about Deakins here, including his extensive work with the Coen brothers and Sam Mendes.  Suffice it to say that his filmography is impressive.

So,  as I watched the film yesterday, I made it a point to pay specific attention to the cinematography, which I can’t ever recall doing on a first-watch of a film.  The cinematography is  indeed a masterful effort by Deakins, running the gamut from large scale overhead city shots (day and night), to perfectly composed interior shots, amazing action set pieces, and best of all, gorgeous landscape vista compositions. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be rooting for Roger to win the Oscar next year.  And, I am going to pay close attention to his work, past and future.

~ Tom

The power of music

Recently I fell upon a tune named “Run” by Snow Patrol.  For some reason, it really knocked me out and kept running around in my head off and on for days.  That prompted me to want to learn the guitar chords and sing it myself.  You can listen to the entire song as performed by Snow Patrol here.  Please listen to it before you play the video below so that you will be familiar with the song beforehand.
The following video really demonstrates the power of music and sort blew my mind while increasing my faith that the world is not as bad as it sometimes seems.  I’ve been to many, many live concerts and seen a ton of concert footage, but I have never seen a crowd this large sing along (often just by themselves) in perfect tune.  Amazing and moving.  Dig it.

Snow Patrol is cool and belongs on Birth of the Cool!

Mick on Abe

As you know, Mick LaSalle is just about my favorite film critic.  Check out his review of “Lincoln”  from today’s S.F. Chronicle.  Here is a terrific paragraph from the review:

Let's just say it: The experience of watching Daniel Day-Lewis in this role is nothing less than thrilling. This is Lincoln. No need for a time machine, there he is. There are entire stretches in "Lincoln," especially in the Cabinet scenes, as you hear the complexity of his legal and strategic thinking, that you might very well forget you're seeing acting - even forget you're in a movie theater - and instead believe that you're sitting in a room with the 16th president. To be on the receiving end of that is more than entertainment. It feels like a gift.

I don’t know about you, but I am really looking forward to seeing this flick.

~ Tom

Movie madness

Here is something that I stumbled across that turns out to be fascinating and loads of fun.  Click to enlarge.   Enjoy.