Archives for category: praxis
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Movie Goodness

Jul 31, 2001 //

One of my many guilty pleasures is movies. I love ’em in just about every variety from art house fare to good bad movies (Armies of Darkness for example). Thankfully where I live makes it very easy to feed that urge. Rochester has two great theatre for lovers of non-mainstream movies (and a bunch of great mainstream theatres too): The Little Theatre and The Dryden Theatre at the Eastman House. The Little is our local art house theatre. If you’re interested in seeing indy films here in town, it’s the place to go. And that’s cool…

But for the best selection of films, good and bad, new and old, you’ve got to go to the Dryden. The George Eastman House is both a museum and film preservation institute. They are responsible for salvaging, restoring and storing massive amounts of film. When the Wizard of Oz was re-released into theatres a few years back, they were showing a print that was restored at the Eastman House. Almost every night of the week you can go to the Dryden and catch a different film, with an introductory lecture, for about 7 bucks.

So where is this blog going you ask? Well August is a kick bootie month at the Dryden for Fan Boy’s like me. You can check the calendar yourself, but here are a couple highlights:

  • 8/2 Godzilla (1954) – the original Japanese print, subtitles, no Raymond Burr
  • 8/3 Oceans 11 (1960) – see the brat pack movie before the star studded remake is release this December
  • 8/7 The Valiant Ones (1975) – Old School good Kung Fu cinema
  • 8/8 Annie Hall (1977) – Arguably Woody Allen’s most mainstream film and one of his best
  • 8/9 Destroy All Monsters (1968) – More rubber suit goodness than you can handle. 11 Monsters and Godzilla throwing a drop kick. What more could you want in a film
  • 8/10 La Femme Nikita (1991) – forget the crappy American Remake or the bad TV series, this is the good stuff
  • 8/12 Touch of Evil (1958) – Only Orson Wells could figure out a way for Charlton Heston to play a convincing Mexican
  • 8/14 Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) – Before Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon there was The Bride with White Hair. And before the Bride there was Zu. This was one of Hong Kong first big Kung Fu/Fantasy/Wire Work/Sword Play films and still one of the best (thanks to the presence of talent like Yuen Bao and Summo Hung). Also a lot funnier too
  • fingers are getting tired… to many good movies… one last
  • 8/21 Swordsman II (1991) – Before Jet Li came to the US he made his name in period Kung Fu films. This is regarded as one of his best.

Fact is, just about every movie in August is a good one. Check the calendar for yourself And if you’re in the area and want to take in a flick, drop me a note.

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Categories martial arts, praxis

hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to camp I go

Jul 20, 2001 //

We had the work group picnic yesterday and everything went off without a hitch! Jenny, Abby, Tina, Jo, Sarah, and I were in charge. We had it at a Rochester Redwings game. Check out thier site and the cheezy flash animation that kicks it off. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I didn’t see very much of the game cause I was to busy playing with some of the kids there.

And with this I’m off to Super Summers. I managed to throw together a quick website for the school. Check it out here. It’s just brochure-ware now, but pretty soon I’ll get some pictures and more up there. Blog to you on Monday….

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Categories martial arts, personal, praxis

Spins a web…

Jul 17, 2001 //

Ok… I’m a fan boy. I admit it (that’s the first step right?). I watch cartoons. I read fantasy & sci-fi. I defend the validity of sequential art (i.e. comics) as a literary form. I can quote Monty Python. *Sigh* But I also have taste (I swear). So take all of that into consideration when I say: I really don’t like the Spiderman the movie trailer. As many folks may know Spiderman is being turned into a movie. And that’s cool. Especially because Sam Raimi is directing it. So like any fan boy I was excited at the prospect of seeing the trailer when it was released along with Final Fantasy. (This is a good opportunity to take a moment and check out the actual trailer)The trailer begins with a daring bank heist and a get away via copter. The crooks are eventually caught, snared in a giant web between the twin towers. Ok, this is a comic book movie, so suspending disbelief isn’t a problem. After you take that in Spidey pops up into the frame and then swings off to a techno beat with the usual coming soon interstitials. All good, right? So why was I disappoint when I finally saw it?

Well, let me break it down to a single point: it wasn’t fun. There are dark brooding superheroes and then there is Spiderman. He is a fun character. That doesn’t mean he’s lightweight. In fact this guy has been through tons of pain & guilt (considering that he is indirectly responsible for the death of his surrogate father and his first girlfriend). But his greatest strength is to meet all of it with a good attitude and an often-flip demeanor. And most importantly he’s a talker… no check that, he’s a wise-ass. It’s an endearing part of the character. It’s a core part of the character. Batman will slowly approach you and intimidate with silence. Spidey on the other hand will talk your ear off. He wields his wit like a weapon. There is no way that he wouldn’t throw off a on-liner, even a bad one, after that type of catch (i.e. “Thanks for dropping in”). It seems like a little thing, however it’s the small characterizations and details that really add reality to an artificial world. And it could have been pulled off without additional rendering. I only hope that this isn’t a sign of what is to come from the movie.

Also why techno? What is the obsession with Techno? It has a serious tone. We’ve just seen a helicopter trapped in a giant web and a man in pajamas swinging around New York City. The juxtaposition just doesn’t work for me. I understand that the creators want a certain amount of grit to their world. A great alternative would have been to use the Ramone’s cut of the famed Spiderman Saturday Morning Cartoon theme. It has edge but it maintains the level of fun at the same time.

In any case, in the tradition of The Phantom Edit, someone has recut the trailer. While I don’t care for the addition of the comic book beginning, the changes in music and new end editing makes the overall product much more enjoyable. Check it out HERE!

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Categories personal, praxis

“the times they are a changin'” – Bob Dylan

Nov 15, 2000 //

Wow the last few days have been quite a whirl wind! On Sunday I was lucky enough to get to a Bela Fleck and the Flecktones show. And it was sooo good. I was also lucky enough to spend time after the show talking with Victor and Roy (FutureMan) about their different projects and interests. More to come on this…

On Monday I accepted a new job at the Big Yellow Box. I’ll be handling the project management on our new online community efforts. I also have decided to move! It’s not a big one, I’m just moving to the upstairs apartment, but I’m really looking forward to it!

I’ve found that I like it when my life is in flux!

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Categories martial arts, personal, praxis

“Cause you’ve got a friend in New York City…”

Nov 11, 2000 //

Went to a They Might be Giants concert last night at the “U of R” last night… and they rocked the house as usual. TMBG always holds a special place in my heart. I’ve meet great friends at concerts; Flood was the first alternative album I bought; and New York City off of Factory Show Room is one of my favorite songs of all time. Plus it was the first live show I’d been to in a while. The set list included:

  • James K. Polk
  • You’re not the boss of me now (the theme from Malcolm in the Middle)
  • Edith Head
  • Spider
  • Fingertips
  • The Guitar
  • Why does the sun shine
  • Robot Parade
  • She’s actual size
  • Birdhouse in my Soul
  • Dr Worm
  • Anna Ng
  • Partical Man
  • Istambul
  • and of course New York City

All and all absolutely brilliant. There were a few others that I missed. My friends Aaron and Maria were up for the happy goodness. A lot of bouncing up and down was had by all.

Actually this is the weekend of concerts. Tomorrow I head for Geneva, NY to take in Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. I’ve had the chance to meet a few of the members of the band, Victor and FutureMan. Not only are they great musicians, but they’re great people as well. In fact we just had Vic on Kodak.com for a chat about his bass and Nature Camp. Photographer Greg Kessler did an amazing photo essay of the camp. They were both on-line to share photos and tell stories from the camp and the road. This was the first of these events that I produced end to end. Which was a learning experience and a half.

One of the things I want to do with this site is use it both as a testing and sounding ground for some of the communal idea’s that I’ve been working on. Hopefully there will be more to say about that in the days and weeks to come…

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Categories martial arts, praxis
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