Technology & MSG

On August 9th, WTOP announced a casting call for extras to take part in the shooting of Transformers 3. There was special interest in those with cars and precision driving experience. Nifty.
On August 10th, it was announced that quite a bit of the planned D.C. shoots were denied by the National Park Service. Not horribly [...]

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I predict that Inception will do rather well this weekend.
For once, the previews didn’t give away the best parts. Nor will I.
Christopher Nolan has done it again, combining perception and dreams and reality and demons in a twisted multi-layered plot. There are aspects of it reminiscent of The Matrix combined with Eternal Sunshine of the [...]

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I have been uninspired this week, despite having lots of free time. I’ve been trying to catch up with this year’s Oscar winners.
I enjoyed Up so much that I’ll be getting a copy of it. Up In the Air too, though I don’t need my own copy. Both had some emotional moments and the later [...]

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After staying up entirely too last on a school night, I have a few thoughts about the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. I have to ignore the sets for the most part, since I’d be drooling all over the keys for the duration.

NPH. Is there anything he can’t do?
What an entrance by Steve Martin and Alec [...]

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Differentiating movies from films is difficult. It isn’t as simple as the quality or content of what’s on the screen. I think it’s more of what you’re getting out of it. If the goal is sheer entertainment, it’s a movie. If I want more out of it, it’s a film. I’ll rave to friends about [...]

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So The Men Who Stare at Goats has its moments, but not enough. Sadly, it is a case where the trailer holds most of the good stuff.
Clooney is a face actor. One of those guys who can bring intensity and disbelief at the same time. Like a lot his past movies — Burn After Reading, [...]

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It just occurred to me that I’ve seen a lot of movies lately.
I really enjoyed Zombieland. Funny, violent, and quirky, with a spectacular cameo. It was just as someone described it to me: “It’s definitely a zombie movie, but different than anything I could have expected.” I almost went to see it again this past [...]

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There’s this song called All Things, by The Cinematic Orchestra. It’s driving me nuts.
A sample is available from Pandora. The full track on Last.fm, and according to a comment there, “at the beginning: samples from John Barry’s work on the soundtrack of Petulia (1968).”
I haven’t seen the movie. This song (and every other track on [...]

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An unexpected gem, as seen on TV.
The opening credits of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang grabbed me right away, drawing me in knowing absolutely nothing about it. Really well done. As are the main character’s monologues directed towards the audience. As are the titles interspersed throughout the film.
I found it a quirky and clever whodunit with [...]

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The Kite Runner glossed over the immigration issues and the bulk of the extrication issues, themes that were prevalent in the book. It also glossed over the suicide attempt, which I thought was important to the story.
If I had to guess, I’d say were chopped for time. I would hate to be an editor with [...]

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Wolf Trap is an amazing venue, specifically the Filene Center. I usually avoid 66 at all costs, but this venue is worth the drive.
First, the venue itself is beautiful. A wooden open-air structure, not unlike Nissan Pavilion but small and more classy. The interior is lit by reflection off the white girders. Wood paneling and [...]

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I experienced feelings of déjà vu while watching Rendition for what I thought was the first time. I get these feelings periodically and though they always feel a little eerie, this was much worse. Considering the subject matter, it was absolutely creepy. Now it is possible and even likely that I saw bits and pieces [...]

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I saw Public Enemies last night. Opening night, apparently. You could have fooled me, the mall was vacant. Sign of a Wednesday night? or one of the times?
I remember seeing the trailers in the theater and saying “damn, I’ll surely be seeing that.” With Johnny Depp and Christian Bale facing off, how could you go [...]

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I’ve been borrowing a lot of movies lately. One of them has shiny things, old-school computers, horrendously trendy but period synthesized music, Paul Reubens, a 21-year old Sarah Jessica Parker, and a child lead who hasn’t been seen in years. The dubbing is fair, but it’s a classic. Flight of the Navigator embodies a kind [...]

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Having just finished watching Donnie Darko for the first time (several years late), my initial reaction is simple.
Wow.
This is one of those films that just levels you. I like to think I have an imagination and a head full of ideas, but I just don’t know how someone could sit down and write something like [...]

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