Wii Number

Mario Kart has come out, and despite the fact that I preordered via Amazon.com in March, my copy still hasn't arrived.

Weak.

The game has an online multiplayer function; as Nintendo uses the "Wii Number" system to add contacts and friends, I assume I'll be needing to exchange Wii Numbers with the friends I haven't yet.

So let's make this simple: my Wii Number is 4217-6827-2856-6615. Drop yours in a comment if you want to, or shoot me an e-mail, and we'll get ourselves registered up.

To The Rescue... Here He Comes...

It is accomplished; I have purchased my tickets to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crustal Skull. Opening night, at the Hollywood Arclight.

Hell yes.

To date, I have still managed to avoid seeing any video advertisements, though print ones have managed to seep in... not the final one-sheet (which apparently has a lot of mild spoilers), but the myriad billboards (some just showing the teaser poster image, some with just words, and some featuring a few plot-ish points) here in L.A. are hard to miss. Plus, my subway stop looks like this:

I still consider my self amazingly unspoiled, and that's pretty exciting.

To keep the mood, here are the trailers for Raiders, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade. If you want the newest trailer, I encourage you not to – look at how much the original trailers spoil! – but if you must, you're on your own.

Salvage on the High Seas

I read a couple of amazing stories this past week, but none was so preposterously cinematic as the true story of the team of specialists called in to save a capsized freighter in the north Pacific. High Tech Cowboys of the Deep Seas: The Race to Save the Cougar Ace, a Wired article by Joshua Davis, follows the group from Titan Salvage on their real-life adventure:

Right now, it doesn't really matter how it happened. What matters is that the Cougar Ace has become a multimillion-dollar ghost ship drifting toward the rocky shoals of the Aleutian Islands. What's worse, according to the crew, the ship is taking on water. The Coast Guard alone doesn't have the capability or expertise to handle this kind of emergency, and officials fear that the ship will sink or break up on shore. Either way, the cars would be lost, and the 176,366 gallons of fuel in the ship's tanks would threaten the area's wildlife and fishing grounds. Mazda, Mitsui, and their insurers would take a massive hit.

The article is long, but gripping, and will obviously be made into a movie. It reads like a pitch for a film – not in the cheesy, "wouldn't-this-be-a-cool-movie-Hollywood-wink-wink-nudge-nudge" Tom Clancy way, but in the "this-happens-in-real-life-OMFG" way. Corporations, the environment, and individual lives could all be destroyed if they fail. There's a finite amount of time to accomplish their goals. The conflict and setting are high concept and exciting. And the guys who make up the team are the stuff of Jerry Bruckheimer's wet dreams:

They're a motley mix: American, British, Swedish, Panamanian. Each has a specialty — deep-sea diving, computer modeling, underwater welding, big-engine repair. And then there's Habib, the guy who regularly helicopters onto the deck of a sinking ship, greets whatever crew is left, and takes command of the stricken vessel.

And did I mention that the team leader, Senior Salvage Master Rich Habib, not only has an unlimited master's license, but he looks like an adventure hero, an "Indiana Jones" of the water. He reminds me of Jammer from The Abyss.

All of my talk regarding this story-as-film is to show what an incredible read it is. We forget, sometimes, just how extreme real-life adventures can be. The stakes are high, lives are lost, technology can be mixed with elbow grease and physical feats of wonder. And occasionally, reality has down-beat and mildly ironic triumphs.

Check it out.

[c/o kottke]

The Apple Store: Moving North

Looks like Apple is finally opening up a retail store in Maine:

The maker of the MacBook laptop, the iPod and the iPhone has quietly made moves to open an Apple Store at the Maine Mall, according to job listings on Apple.com.

As the article points out, the closest shop has been in Salem, New Hampshire. Not good enough.

For contrast (and an unfair comparison), I can think of seven Apple Store within a 20 mile radius of my apartment in West Hollywood. And yes, that matters, when you want to test-drive a product before buying it – something I recommend on all over-$1000 purchases.

But now, at last, I can move back home...

The Bright Side?

The only good thing about leaving work at 1 a.m. is that it only takes about 10 minutes to make the drive.

And it's not worth it, not by a long shot.

Looking like another busy one here, folks, so please try to bear with me. Or bare with me; whichever sounds like the most fun to you.

Long Week

Taxes done, Universal and HBO projects (partially) delivered, switch to PC Avid systems (mostly) complete, bay painting finished, online schedule planned, bills paid, Galactica watched, kitchen cleaned.

Phew!

Time to take a little break and head to Vegas for the weekend, play some cards, see Kevin and Sarah (again!!), go out with Will, Tracy, and the afore-mentioned two, and do things with friends I don't often have a chance to.

It may not be my scene, but it's time to get out of town for a few days.

Plus, when we get back, Bear McCreary does the music of Battlestar at the Roxy...

Enjoy your weekends everyone!

Charlton Heston, RIP [Updated]

Tonight, Charlton Heston died at age 84.

Despite extreme-right-wing political views that make me cringe, Heston starred in a lot of treasured movies from my childhood – Planet of the apes (obviously), Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, The Omega Man, The Three (and Four) Musketeers, True Lies... and later in life, I discovered Touch of Evil and Soylent Green (which, despite the now-comedic ending, is actually a funky little film).

In the coming days, keep your eyes peeled for too many jokes about Heston's famous "from my cold, dead hands" line (regarding gun laws in the US).

I choose to respectfully decline that gag, and instead call attention to his credits from 1997 - 1998, where he was credited in six different films as "Narrator" ("Actor" entries #11 - 15, and "self" entry #45). Well done.

He may have been crazy, but he leaves behind a collection of performances I'll be watching the rest of my life. In a lot of ways, he was my first view of "Old Hollywood," an era even farther away now that he's passed.

Bon voyage.





[Update]

I found this great tribute Richard Dreyfuss wrote back in August of 2002, when Heston announced that he had Alzheimer's disease. A wonderful piece, and sadly relevant today.

That's The Head Of My Department

Jeanine Basinger, the head of the Wesleyan University film program, just got profiled in Variety (again):

According to filmmaker-thesp Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, "Jeanine teaches with positive reinforcement while putting the fear of God into you." Her policies are legendary, draconian -- and inarguably effective: No missed classes. No extensions. No exceptions. (She even holds her senior seminar on Sunday!) "Jeanine would say your only excuse for tardiness was death," remembers "Cold Case" producer Liz Garcia.

But once students get past those warnings, their reward is a class more fulfilling, engaging and stimulating than any they're likely to encounter in any discipline. Basinger's quick wit and deadpan sense of humor are as legendary as her intellect. On the recent crop of magic-themed films, ("The Prestige," "The Illusionist"), Basinger quipped to former student Marc Longenecker, "Magic in cinema is a bit like ventriloquism on the radio."

That humor is an integral part of Basinger's teaching style, which is peppered with personal anecdotes and highly original notions. Her three rules for mastering film: Watch two movies every day (to absorb history), take drum lessons (to learn rhythm) and study physics (to understand space and time).

While I never took drum lessons, I bag my hands around constantly, and like to think I've got a well developed sense of rhythm. The other two I do pretty well on, so much as working life allows.

I could pull quotes from just about every part of this article, as it all resonates – which should be no surprise, since this is the exact program I went through. I will call attention to one last bit, though:

...Basinger's teaching is founded on the premise that film's form and content are inextricable. Unlike most other film schools, where production and critical studies are separate, Wesleyan's undergraduate program, "was conceived as a wedding between history, theory and production," Basinger explains. She is intimately involved, as are all the faculty, in the editing and writing process of students' senior film projects. "Jeanine's classes bridge the gap between film appreciation, film criticism and filmmaking," concurs [Paul] Weitz ("About a Boy")... She assigns no books – though she's written 10 herself – because she insists that students study films by watching them. Writer Jeremy Arnold recalls the moment when a Basinger neophyte asked what he should focus on while viewing that day's movie: "Everything," she replied.

Amen.

Great piece, and worth a read. Especially if you want a glimpse on how I think about movies, as her department was truly formative in that regard.

[c/o Leanne]

More on "The Ruins"

A while back I posted about Bowdoinham-boy Carter Smith and his new film The Ruins; the movie opens today and is getting solid reviews.

Massawyrm from Ain't It Cool News says:

Newcomer director Carter Smith really does his job here. He manages to choose all the right angles to keep the same characters in the confines of the same 30 or so feet interesting at all times. He tempers just the right amount of blood and sound work with off screen injuries and death to keep it both brutal but never over the top. And he never gets gratuitous with anything. Everything is in just the right amount to feel natural.

Capone, from the same website, has this to say:

First-time feature director Carter Smith does not spare us the blood and guts, but he doesn't go overboard with it either, especially when the young med student is forced to perform emergency surgery a couple of times in the group's time atop the temple... The Ruins is great, freak-out-worthy material that will have you questioning every little bump under your skin and itch you can't quite reach. Oh, I need to see this again very soon.

Even Ain't It Cool News' founder, Harry Knowles, seems to love it, in his rambling, horribly-written way.

In addition to the billboards I see everywhere, I checked my e-mail to find the marketing for this film is going full force: Amazon.com had sent me the following notice:

I can't say this is my kind of movie – intense gore-fest horror films aren't at the top of my list. But I'll be out there showing my support, and if any of you want to join me, let me know.

Dreamworks is going full-steam on this one; if the reviews were bad, I'd say they were trying to bum-rush the opening weekend, but with the solid reviews everyone seems to be giving, it looks to me like the studio believes in this one.

Not bad for a kid from Bowdoinham!

iTunes For The Win

Big news; Ars Technica is reporting that Apple is the number one music retailer in the United States:

The news was announced in an e-mail sent this afternoon to some Apple employees, a copy of which was seen by Ars Technica. It includes a screenshot of an Excel file showing the top ten music retailers in the US for January 2008, and Apple is at the top of the list. The iTunes Store leads the pack with 19 percent, Wal-Mart (which includes the brick-and-mortar stores as well as its online properties) is second with 15 percent, and Best Buy is third with 13 percent. Amazon is a distant fourth at 6 percent, trailed by the likes of Borders, Circuit City, and Barnes & Noble. Rhapsody is in the tenth slot with 1 percent.

Wow. Take a look at those numbers – for every five songs sold nationally, one is bought on iTunes. Not bad for a store that didn't exist five years ago.

To my mind, this just goes to show how the old media business models are in upheaval; this is a lead Apple may not be able to keep up in the long term, but the days of the RIAA's hegemony are over. Hollywood faces the same challenges, and the next decade will feature a lot of similar rises and falls before the market figures out a new structure it can support.

Either way, NBC-Universal had better get back on iTunes!

Apple backs the news it up with a press release of their own.

Recaps

On the eve of Batlestar Galactica's Season 4 premiere, it may be a good time for a recap.

Salon put up a comprehensive article yesterday, which ends with a series of "unanswered" questions, some featuring non-show research.

But, as far as I'm concerned, the only way to catch up is to watch this video.

Brilliantly cut and put together, a group of people spent a lot of time on this. Pulling together that much info isn't easy, and deadpan delivery that perfect takes practice.

Apparently, they make a habit out of promoting top-rated serialized televison dramas: they did a similar recap for Lost.

Tracy, Morgan, Will and I just finished watching the two-part Season 3 finale of Battlestar. We are primed, we are pumped, and we are ready for some fresh frakkin' action – for the first time in over a year!

Boss Fight: The Return

Remember "Boss Fight," Jamie's Video-Game-Score Opus?

A friend of his did a remix, and it's totally worth checking out.

I still prefer the original, in all of its 8-bit glory, but this cracked me up.

Good For A Laugh: April 3, 2008

Fuckingrad over at Muxtape.

Because having "The Final Countdown" unexpectedly pop on while you're getting dressed in the next room is hilarious.

Special shout-out for the simple CSS and excellent use of Helvetica.

My Uncle John Is Awesome, Too

I promise not to start posting about my awesome family every two days – I am not Michael Bay – but my dad's older brother John sent me this yesterday:

I couldn't agree more with the title of your post on your dad's comment on Dick Cheney. Your dad is awesome and I've known him for a long time. I also couldn't agree more with his assessment of Dick Cheney. However, I couldn't help but notice that the date of your pronouncement of your dad's awesomeness was April 1!

I assure you, Uncle John, I meant no jest in my post; it can't be helped by dad chose Stupid Internet Joke Day to be so funny.

But I'm proud to be in the same awesome family as the both of you.

Magnum McC?!

Breaking news: Matthew McConaughey may be the next "Magnum, P.I."!

I don't quite know how to react: is this a perfect piece of casting, or a fiasco in the making? I just can't say!

I assume that, this time around, Magnum will be an Iraq War veteran, as opposed to the Selleck's Vietnam War vet, but will it be Iraq I or II?

Only time will tell.

Don't get too excited too fast, though; the part has only been offered to the golden-locked thespian, and nothing is set in stone.

Yet.


[c/o Will]

Re: Coins

From E.B. via iChat:

coins am stupid. Why sombody would need coines if they were a smart. dumb coin is for dumb londons.

check out these coins http://tinyurl.com/2lrx46

That's right, he Rickrolled me.

Lesson of the day: beware the TinyURL!

Coins From Across The Pond

It's been all over the interwebs today, but the United Kingdom just debuted their new coins today, and they are gorgeous.

This is what good design – of any kind – is all about. Beautiful, unified execution that satisfies both form and function. I ordered a set from the Royal Mint; this is the kind of art I want in my workspace, for a quick glance anytime I need inspiration or refreshment. This design has earned a place next to my Creative Power Bar (thanks Lucian and Marie!) and paintings of Bowdoinham and Monhegan. Hell, if the Apple logo can make you more creative, then why not some cold hard British cash?

One a personal note, I've been playing with some branding design of my own for the last few months (really a continuation of a project dating back to college), and had gravitated towards both heraldic styles and fragmented presentation. That's not to say that my ideas looked like this, but my head has been in some damn similar places. Which is makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Not April Fools

Kevin sent me another gem today; the first paragraph is a shining example of comedy writing:

A New Zealand man who claimed he was raped by a wombat and that the experience left him speaking with an Australian accent has been found guilty of wasting police time.

As Josh put it, "I don't even know where to start with that."

The date on the byline is March 29.

Jamie Returns

Jamie took a break from his blog for a while but now he's back and, as usual, perceptive in a way I wish I could (consistently) match:

[on Packrat and World of Warcraft]

Both of these games are insanely popular because they have the balance of monotony and reward down to a science. They pray masterfully on my obsessive tendencies. They deserve to be studied for their resounding success at drawing me and the multitudes like me, hour after hour, deeper down the rabbit hole.

But at their hearts, both games are glorified slot machines. Worse, they're slot machines with the last psychological barrier, the stream of quarters lost one by one, removed. There is no money being wasted, only time, and it's much easier to ignore the minutes falling away because I have, ostensibly, so MANY of them to my name.

Welcome back, friend. We missed you.

My Dad Is Awesome

From a recent email:

Your disgust with Dick Cheney is widely shared. The other day he was quoted, when asked for a response to recent polls showing that a majority of Americans want our military out of Iraq now, as replying, "So?". Makes me more cynical that ever. Apparently I've been wrong all along--for some humans there IS no redeeming merit.