Saturday, July 26, 2008
Variations on Coldplay: Globes
I don't really have good photos from this section of the show, but the concept is way cool.
Viva La Coldplay
OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. The absolute best concert that I have ever been to. Beautifully and seamlessly organized with tens of thousands of screaming and swaying fans. A single heartbeat... A la Coldplay.
This is the first act before Coldplay. I'm convinced that they were chosen because they sound just like a less charismatic, watered down version of the real thing.
This is the first act before Coldplay. I'm convinced that they were chosen because they sound just like a less charismatic, watered down version of the real thing.
Some creative license here. Or just wobbly hands.
The second act before Coldplay. And I have no idea whatsoever why they happened to be picked. I'm not sure if there was a third act. I took a breather in the middle of this one.
And finally, what we've all been waiting for:
Drumroll, please.
Drumroll, please.
Unarguably the best shot of the night. Rock on, Chris!
And he does, without fail.
Damn, you are both just so fine.
I learned something today. I can shriek like a rabid groupie.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
seeing green
Today, I took half a day off from my busy schedule of not doing much to watch The Incredible Hulk with a friend from high school. First, we went to a diner for lunch, where we were the only patrons under 50 and our combined ages were about 20 years less than the mean. You've gotta love small towns. Actually, it freaks the hell out of me because so many people live their entire lives here in this 10 square mile space and never leave. Just thinking about it makes me claustrophobic.
After lunch, we headed to a very small theater in a newly developed area. I think that the complex has been around for three years. Over the rare summer or winter break when I'm feeling less antisocial than usual, I meet my high school friends at this amazing coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings a few feet away from the theater. It absolutely has the best chocolate and coffee drinks with real whipped cream. The light, non-sweet kind with a hint of richness.
Actually, I wanted to watch Wanted, and google told me that it would be showing today. However, disaster struck when we arrived and the fifteen year old boy selling tickets told me that it wouldn't be out until tomorrow. Now that the summer blockbuster season is over saturated with superhero movies, I've lost a lot of my enthusiasm. It's hard to explain, but I hold some sort of a grudge against superheroes, especially ones with genetic mutations. X-Men is the only exception. After Iron Man, I knew that The Incredible Hulk would be a letdown.
Ed Norton is one of my favorite actors, so I wasn't exactly averse to watching him lumber around as a big green thing for two hours. However, this movie just reminded me of why I don't enjoy superhero movies in the first place. The problem is not that the characters are fantastically unreal. The real issue is that we have green people fifteen feet tall barreling across a college campus and people swinging on buildings in downtown Manhattan via silk strings. I just can't reconcile the idea of the paranormal inhabiting the normal. It would be all right if they were on Mars or another galaxy, but this is just insane. I know that the entire point of superheroes is to inhabit our world and inhabit it well, but it drives me crazy.
There are many issues with this movie, but its main problem was the lack of consistency. It starts off dark and cerebral, then disintegrates into a gratuitous action movie and not a very good one at that. Pick one angle and stick with it. Unlike Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Ed Norton was a poor choice for the Hulk. The monster is so divorced from the man that we never quite believe that feeble Bruce Banner is one and the same with the mountain of green slime. I also don't think that superheroes are terribly angsty, or they at least should not be so introspective on the big screen. Iron Man was always a man, and Robert Downey Jr. brought a mix of levity and gravitas to the role. Ed Norton seemed so doleful in his role that I couldn't figure out where the energy came from when he transformed into the Hulk.
The script is nowhere near as clever as that of Iron man, and Betty Ross is not nearly as appealing as Pepper Potts (Imagine having either name!). The story was also choppy and didn't coalesce as well. The acting was passable, though not noteworthy by any means. Although there wasn't anything noteworthy about The Hulk, I can't say that it was bad either. At least it's much better than Fantastic Four, which has some of the most hilarious acting I've ever seen and a terrible script. Surprisingly, The Hulk wasn't visually appealing. With their vast experience in producing these types of movies, you'd think that the Hollywood people would have gotten the graphics down by now. The entire movie was entirely forgettable. Given that my favorite scene is where Tony Stark makes a cameo appearance, it's obvious that this movie fell far short of my expectations.
After lunch, we headed to a very small theater in a newly developed area. I think that the complex has been around for three years. Over the rare summer or winter break when I'm feeling less antisocial than usual, I meet my high school friends at this amazing coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings a few feet away from the theater. It absolutely has the best chocolate and coffee drinks with real whipped cream. The light, non-sweet kind with a hint of richness.
Actually, I wanted to watch Wanted, and google told me that it would be showing today. However, disaster struck when we arrived and the fifteen year old boy selling tickets told me that it wouldn't be out until tomorrow. Now that the summer blockbuster season is over saturated with superhero movies, I've lost a lot of my enthusiasm. It's hard to explain, but I hold some sort of a grudge against superheroes, especially ones with genetic mutations. X-Men is the only exception. After Iron Man, I knew that The Incredible Hulk would be a letdown.
Ed Norton is one of my favorite actors, so I wasn't exactly averse to watching him lumber around as a big green thing for two hours. However, this movie just reminded me of why I don't enjoy superhero movies in the first place. The problem is not that the characters are fantastically unreal. The real issue is that we have green people fifteen feet tall barreling across a college campus and people swinging on buildings in downtown Manhattan via silk strings. I just can't reconcile the idea of the paranormal inhabiting the normal. It would be all right if they were on Mars or another galaxy, but this is just insane. I know that the entire point of superheroes is to inhabit our world and inhabit it well, but it drives me crazy.
There are many issues with this movie, but its main problem was the lack of consistency. It starts off dark and cerebral, then disintegrates into a gratuitous action movie and not a very good one at that. Pick one angle and stick with it. Unlike Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Ed Norton was a poor choice for the Hulk. The monster is so divorced from the man that we never quite believe that feeble Bruce Banner is one and the same with the mountain of green slime. I also don't think that superheroes are terribly angsty, or they at least should not be so introspective on the big screen. Iron Man was always a man, and Robert Downey Jr. brought a mix of levity and gravitas to the role. Ed Norton seemed so doleful in his role that I couldn't figure out where the energy came from when he transformed into the Hulk.
The script is nowhere near as clever as that of Iron man, and Betty Ross is not nearly as appealing as Pepper Potts (Imagine having either name!). The story was also choppy and didn't coalesce as well. The acting was passable, though not noteworthy by any means. Although there wasn't anything noteworthy about The Hulk, I can't say that it was bad either. At least it's much better than Fantastic Four, which has some of the most hilarious acting I've ever seen and a terrible script. Surprisingly, The Hulk wasn't visually appealing. With their vast experience in producing these types of movies, you'd think that the Hollywood people would have gotten the graphics down by now. The entire movie was entirely forgettable. Given that my favorite scene is where Tony Stark makes a cameo appearance, it's obvious that this movie fell far short of my expectations.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Iron Man
As someone with a preference for action movies but a slight aversion towards superheroes, Iron Man turned out to be much better than I thought it would be. Most of the credit goes to the relative 'realism' and grittiness depicted in the movie. Also, the fact that Iron Man didn't have any special powers of his own (with the exception of an extremely fine-tuned mind) was a huge plus. In other words, Iron Man was a superhero movie disguised as an action movie.
Previously, I only knew Robert Downey Jr. as a powder sniffing celebrity. Imagine my surprise when he turned out a good performance in Iron Man. He's very believable on screen, with an energy that propels him forward. As a player, Tony Stark exudes both rakishness and substance padded with supreme confidence. As an ex-player and figurehead for Greenpeace, the Red Cross, etc., he's still believable and as confident as ever. Actors who portray characters that I've never seen before and don't know how to categorize are extremely intriguing, and Robert Downey Jr. has just made it onto my list. His character seems realistic. I feel that I can walk on the street and meet a less brilliant and slightly more toned down version of Tony Stark.
While Bob did a pretty good job as Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow was also not too bad. Despite the fact that her part was totally unnecessary, she was peppy and quite sharp in her well-tailored suits. I still can't get over her name: Pepper Pots. Her parents have one skewed sense of humor, and probably disowned her when she started composing emails and stealing chips for Tony Stark.
One of the coolest things about Iron Man has to be the gadgets. I'm envious of Tony Stark's dozens of sweet computer monitors and snarky robot helper. His Audi R8 is also way cool (and only 100K! Maybe 200K with deluxe features). The movie actually makes technology look sexy. While I wasn't a fan of the suit itself (the red and yellow chrome is rather off-putting), it was done well.
Despite being an action movie, the script was surprisingly tight and even slightly witty. The plot devices were for the most part original. Iron Man succeeded in that it knew exactly what type of movie it was and didn't try to overstep the bounds. As a packaged superhero movie, it was surprisingly enjoyable and funny.
Previously, I only knew Robert Downey Jr. as a powder sniffing celebrity. Imagine my surprise when he turned out a good performance in Iron Man. He's very believable on screen, with an energy that propels him forward. As a player, Tony Stark exudes both rakishness and substance padded with supreme confidence. As an ex-player and figurehead for Greenpeace, the Red Cross, etc., he's still believable and as confident as ever. Actors who portray characters that I've never seen before and don't know how to categorize are extremely intriguing, and Robert Downey Jr. has just made it onto my list. His character seems realistic. I feel that I can walk on the street and meet a less brilliant and slightly more toned down version of Tony Stark.
While Bob did a pretty good job as Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow was also not too bad. Despite the fact that her part was totally unnecessary, she was peppy and quite sharp in her well-tailored suits. I still can't get over her name: Pepper Pots. Her parents have one skewed sense of humor, and probably disowned her when she started composing emails and stealing chips for Tony Stark.
One of the coolest things about Iron Man has to be the gadgets. I'm envious of Tony Stark's dozens of sweet computer monitors and snarky robot helper. His Audi R8 is also way cool (and only 100K! Maybe 200K with deluxe features). The movie actually makes technology look sexy. While I wasn't a fan of the suit itself (the red and yellow chrome is rather off-putting), it was done well.
Despite being an action movie, the script was surprisingly tight and even slightly witty. The plot devices were for the most part original. Iron Man succeeded in that it knew exactly what type of movie it was and didn't try to overstep the bounds. As a packaged superhero movie, it was surprisingly enjoyable and funny.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
leonard cohen
The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it’s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it’s real,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the Masterpiece.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep:
You ditch it all to stay alive,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it’s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it’s real,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the Masterpiece.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep:
You ditch it all to stay alive,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
concealed by a veil
I've been meaning to write something about The Painted Veil for several weeks now, but never got around to it. It's an extremely beautiful and well-crafted period piece, but moves periodically with a sullen slowness. Clocking in at two hours, it's not a movie that you should watch if you're exhausted. Overall, it's a very good adaptation of the book, and shot with a beautiful, overarching simplicity.
The acting was very good on all fronts. In addition to the superb job done by the two leads, the Chinese peasants seemed real. Naomi Watts is an extremely beautiful and versatile actress. This love story is really about her and how she transforms from a simple and shallow person into a noble and admirable woman. Ed Norton is also commendable in his role, although you get the feeling that he's better off playing parts where his character can express an overabundance of emotion rather than turning it all inwards, as he does here.
As a movie, it gets Asian culture right (Edward Norton did major in Asian History at Yale). Nature is as crucial to this story as any of the main characters. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the lush greenery and mist covered mountain tops took up too much screen time. The movie clearly tries to capture the Eastern way of thought that humans should blend and be at peace with nature.
The movie is adapted from Somerset Maugham's tight and dry book with a heavy psychological bent. To me, there are three scenes that are virtuoso in their scope. The first is Walter bringing his wife to a cholera infested town with the intention of killing them both painfully as revenge for her philandering ways. The second is the husband and wife purposely eating uncooked salad in the disease-stricken town in an effort to prove their indifference to each other and proving who has more balls. The last is the good doctor purposely committing suicide (via self-injection with the cholera virus) so that his pregnant wife would leave and go back to Shanghai. It's pure genius and so twisted because these people are normal, but they are capable of doing such monstrous things to each other.
The Painted Veil refers to how little we know one another and ourselves because we're forced to don a veil that society thrusts upon us. Some people survive very well in this environment (they're assholes), but most people live sad and broken lives, never understanding each other. It's only when the weight of society is lifted from Walter and Kitty do they realize their true selves (mostly Kitty) and each other. The story is bleak indictment on society but uplifting about the true nature of people if only they can see themselves clearly. Kitty's transformation is so wonderful because we see society Kitty completely broken down, then the new Kitty being built from nothing at all. It's quite impressive.
The book itself was much more stark and complicated. There were no romantic scenes in a boat or anything of the sort. In fact, reform is much harder for Kitty in the book. She's still not completely free from society after she returns to civilization post Walter's death. Kitty falls a bit into a limbo between her old frivolous and inane life and the new, more purposeful life that she has created. In the end, she has to escape from society again in order not to lose the self that she so painstakingly created.
The acting was very good on all fronts. In addition to the superb job done by the two leads, the Chinese peasants seemed real. Naomi Watts is an extremely beautiful and versatile actress. This love story is really about her and how she transforms from a simple and shallow person into a noble and admirable woman. Ed Norton is also commendable in his role, although you get the feeling that he's better off playing parts where his character can express an overabundance of emotion rather than turning it all inwards, as he does here.
As a movie, it gets Asian culture right (Edward Norton did major in Asian History at Yale). Nature is as crucial to this story as any of the main characters. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the lush greenery and mist covered mountain tops took up too much screen time. The movie clearly tries to capture the Eastern way of thought that humans should blend and be at peace with nature.
The movie is adapted from Somerset Maugham's tight and dry book with a heavy psychological bent. To me, there are three scenes that are virtuoso in their scope. The first is Walter bringing his wife to a cholera infested town with the intention of killing them both painfully as revenge for her philandering ways. The second is the husband and wife purposely eating uncooked salad in the disease-stricken town in an effort to prove their indifference to each other and proving who has more balls. The last is the good doctor purposely committing suicide (via self-injection with the cholera virus) so that his pregnant wife would leave and go back to Shanghai. It's pure genius and so twisted because these people are normal, but they are capable of doing such monstrous things to each other.
The Painted Veil refers to how little we know one another and ourselves because we're forced to don a veil that society thrusts upon us. Some people survive very well in this environment (they're assholes), but most people live sad and broken lives, never understanding each other. It's only when the weight of society is lifted from Walter and Kitty do they realize their true selves (mostly Kitty) and each other. The story is bleak indictment on society but uplifting about the true nature of people if only they can see themselves clearly. Kitty's transformation is so wonderful because we see society Kitty completely broken down, then the new Kitty being built from nothing at all. It's quite impressive.
The book itself was much more stark and complicated. There were no romantic scenes in a boat or anything of the sort. In fact, reform is much harder for Kitty in the book. She's still not completely free from society after she returns to civilization post Walter's death. Kitty falls a bit into a limbo between her old frivolous and inane life and the new, more purposeful life that she has created. In the end, she has to escape from society again in order not to lose the self that she so painstakingly created.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
turkish food
I'm a huge fan of well-prepared breakfasts. Although I love the American style breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast or pancakes, orange juice, etc, etc., it has none of the balance and airiness of the Turkish breakfast. This morning, I went to a brunch, and it was absolutely amazing. Rich omlettes with cheese and dill, sliced tomatoes, sourdough bread, bagels, jam, honey, butter, two types of cheese, sliced strawberries, apples, and pears, tea, grapefruit juice, orange juice, Turkish coffee, Turkish delight, and small dishes of dried apricots and walnuts (the last two might have been for decoration).
In Turkey, breakfasts consisted of pastries, toast, butter, olives, tomatoes, string cheese, fresh feta cheese, jams, and tea (of course!). It was just the perfect combination. I can't describe the taste of tomatoes, olives, and fresh cheese all at once. Quite delectable. I loved the fresh feta cheese. It's unsalted and lacks the strong, pungent taste of crumbly feta here in the US. One of my life goals is to serve a Turkish breakfast at least once. Being a typical American, I think it's too intricate to serve to myself or even two more people, but it's really dining at its best: healthy and delicious.
I do think that Turkish food is one of the top three cuisines in the world. It's prepared extraordinarily well and dazzles in its subtlety. It doesn't overly rely on spice or strange parts of strange animals to create a well-balanced and wholesome taste. The food is subtle. The one weed that I'm not too fond of is dill, which is used liberally in Turkish food. For me, the taste is very pungent and too earthy.
Kofte, or seasoned lamb meatballs, are quite amazing. The taste is richer than doner, or meat sliced from the turning spit. In general, the stuffed peppers and stuffed eggplant are quite sensational, although the fish is merely ordinary (I supposed I'm used to Chinese-style prepared fish). I was surprised to find Manti, or the equivalent (99% equivalent) of Chinese dumplings in Turkey, although it is eaten with yogurt.
Besides breakfast, my favorite Turkish food is dessert. We'll skip past the baklava (which is excellent but is generally not bad in the US) and get to the Turkish delight. I don't know what's in these little squares, but they're amazing. The taste is quite unlike anything else I've tasted. Next up is a concoction of slices of bread dripped in a honey mixture. It's so sweet and soft and pure heaven when eaten with fresh clotted cream. Also, stuffed and baked quince is delightful with ice cream. The cookies are generally excellent, as are dried cubes of almond powder that fall into pieces at the slightest touch (similar to a Chinese candy). There's so much more I can say about Turkish food, but this is a good stopping point...unless I want to start gnawing on my arm.
In Turkey, breakfasts consisted of pastries, toast, butter, olives, tomatoes, string cheese, fresh feta cheese, jams, and tea (of course!). It was just the perfect combination. I can't describe the taste of tomatoes, olives, and fresh cheese all at once. Quite delectable. I loved the fresh feta cheese. It's unsalted and lacks the strong, pungent taste of crumbly feta here in the US. One of my life goals is to serve a Turkish breakfast at least once. Being a typical American, I think it's too intricate to serve to myself or even two more people, but it's really dining at its best: healthy and delicious.
I do think that Turkish food is one of the top three cuisines in the world. It's prepared extraordinarily well and dazzles in its subtlety. It doesn't overly rely on spice or strange parts of strange animals to create a well-balanced and wholesome taste. The food is subtle. The one weed that I'm not too fond of is dill, which is used liberally in Turkish food. For me, the taste is very pungent and too earthy.
Kofte, or seasoned lamb meatballs, are quite amazing. The taste is richer than doner, or meat sliced from the turning spit. In general, the stuffed peppers and stuffed eggplant are quite sensational, although the fish is merely ordinary (I supposed I'm used to Chinese-style prepared fish). I was surprised to find Manti, or the equivalent (99% equivalent) of Chinese dumplings in Turkey, although it is eaten with yogurt.
Besides breakfast, my favorite Turkish food is dessert. We'll skip past the baklava (which is excellent but is generally not bad in the US) and get to the Turkish delight. I don't know what's in these little squares, but they're amazing. The taste is quite unlike anything else I've tasted. Next up is a concoction of slices of bread dripped in a honey mixture. It's so sweet and soft and pure heaven when eaten with fresh clotted cream. Also, stuffed and baked quince is delightful with ice cream. The cookies are generally excellent, as are dried cubes of almond powder that fall into pieces at the slightest touch (similar to a Chinese candy). There's so much more I can say about Turkish food, but this is a good stopping point...unless I want to start gnawing on my arm.
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