I messed with a photoshop plugin trial called Plaid Lite and created seamless plaids out of this picture of us and this picture of Tia when she was a kid. Here they are.
I think I want them to rotate randomly as a border-background here. This orange and brown site design is.. oppressive. Orange says “Warning, Caution”.. yeah.
I bought the game CIVILIZATION IV. I played it some, got a new video card to support it, and have mostly shelved it. WAY TOO EPIC. And the justification of buying the card to enjoy it with others is null. I’ll get back to the game when I have an interent connection fast enough to actually enjoy playing it with others. More, more, more, the drum of modernity. Anyway, in this game you discover technologies and ideas and so forth to advance your conquest, and Leanord Nimoy always informs you: “You have discovered thus-and-such”. When I play the game with others who haven’t heard the joke, I type in the game chat:
You have discovered pants.
This gets a good laugh.
As for myself, I really have discovered pants.
As I’ve noted here, Richard Dutcher recommended the ZEN AND THE ART OF SCREENWRITING books to me.
I devoured the first book when it arrived (via Barnes and Noble order) and it’s been back on my bookshelf for some time now. Unfortunately I forgot some of its particulars of advice (which I’ll show), but the general advice I remember. I may skim back through it and post more detailed notes later.
The book interviews many very successful screenwriters, interspersed with short chapters of advice from the author, William (Bill) Froug, who founded and headed a reorganization of the screenwriting program at UCLA. It goes through the art and craft, and the business, and also morality, which encouraged me the most, and I’ll address it first.
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[Whoops! I told someone I saw this at the Provo Town Center Mall. Memory lapse; it was at the Dollar Theater northeast of the University Mall.]
[Another update: okay, way flipping with the vitriol from me again. I liked the beginning and end of this film. I was at times moved. And apparently this is a film that goes either way: either a person loves (or likes) the middle and hates the beginning and end or hates the middle and likes the beginning and end. I’m in the latter group.]
My wife and I went to see KING KONG at the dollar theater last night, long after reading this scathing review and hearing my coworkers in contrast rave about the film. Everything else in theaters right now is unenticing, except for perhaps WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN and FIREWALL - and maybe 16 BLOCKS. I recently peeked in on VENDETTA and CHURCH BALL. Snore, snore.
KING KONG was unmitigated senselessness.
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Here are some fake MORMONADS from divinecomedy.net that made me laugh. MORMONADS are promotional posters from the LDS Church’s New Era magazine promoting morals. That’s a good idea, but the posters are often weird, which these farces really get at.
The one with the tiger is my favorite. Boxing gloves and missing heart are second and third. But these are all very on target.
Here’s a collection of fake movie posters from somethingawful.com that made me laugh. The site is sometimes crass so I recommend it with caution.
The Bourne Identity mockup is my favorite. Braveheart and ~Arabia are second and third.
Here are three images and an audio concept sketch I made. The concept sketch is a mock Book of Mormon cartoon mixing G.I. Joe and the Book of Mormon. It’s irreverent (all of this is). Here it is.
Two of these images were inspired by a conversation about censorhip in a forum. The third explains itself.
[Update: I dunno.. I think I’m just too dang cantankerous. Ditto for so much of this blog.]
So, I’m really obsessed with the film States of Grace. Here are my responses to three (aging) BYU Newsnet/Daily Universe printings that relate. Unfortunately, thier articles contain spoilers and treat the film as if it is gratuitious (which it isn’t). If you read only one of these, please read the third (jump ahead).
Here’s the first. My response: this writer totally misses it - everything, meaning, life. When you get closer to the Atonement things are “..grittier, heavier, darker..” - and that’s all!? What about the amazing bright light on the other side of that!? He totally pulls focus from that. He completely misses the point. And attending other people’s churches to understand thier religion is connected with being more “pessimistic”!? How about connecting that with being a neighbor to your neighbors, like our President Hinkley keeps asking us to do?
Here’s the second. This guy gives a review of Mormon Cinema apparently in its present State, without any mention of States of Grace, or of New York Doll (which is also excellent). How about States of Ignorance? Hello, Columbus! Have you even set sail?
(I borrowed that Columbus injunction. I think it’s funny. Also, States of Grace is still at the Provo Wynnsong theater at this writing.)
These are your future newspaper columnists and pundits, people - the BYU newsnet and Daily Universe writers. Talk back.
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If like me you didn’t watch the Oscars, this will be news. But first some questions - if Actresses are now called Actors, why aren’t both nominee categories called Best Actor? In fact, why do they give two awards? Sexist pigs. The future of progress is about unisex awards, and there should be one and only one award. You can wait till they make it to the stage to figure out whether they are a Man or Womyn. If in the near future this matter is still visually distinguishable.
And all the overinflated acceptance speeches.. who can bear that anymore? And who of the American public watched the short films in all the major American venues they aren’t showing them in to know anything about the nominees? Six Shooter won for short film. Alrightie. Guns are important.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN didn’t win Best Film. Now that blogger who predicted Best Film for it isn’t justified in being oh so cynical of Hollywood. Well.. maybe a bit more. It won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. If these facts are conclusive proof of EVIL.
CRASH won Best Film and Original Screenplay. Philip Seymour Hoffman (CAPOTE) won Best Actor, and Rachel Weisz (THE CONSTANT GARDENER) won Best Actress.
Here is someoene else’s amusing understatements about the awards and a film major’s excuses* for not watching the awards (the latter page linked to the former).
Just admit it, people. You’ve become too ashamed of Hollywood to care anymore.
*Just kidding! Disneyland with your kids is like way cooler than the Oscars!
