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{ Category Archives } Movies

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggerman, Thief…

“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” was intense! Gary Oldman never fails to deliver, and neither does Benedict Cumberbatch nor Mark Strong. Excellent casting all around, especially of John Hurt. You have to like a mystery, for there is almost no sex and almost no action; but it is a very suspenseful thriller with stunning acting all [...]

Egads, more than a month since my last post…

Clearly I have been a little overwhelmed by life lately, and that has been both good and bad… Trivial little updates and one liners are so easy on that mixed blessing/curse of Facebook that I am afraid I have neglected more thoughtful writing here. I will try to catch up a little for those who [...]

UltraViolet Launches

We’ve launched… uvvu.com This is what has been taking up a lot of my spare time for a long time.

Netflix Price Hike, Analysis

Finally some real analysis of why Netflix has announced rate hikes. I am solidly in the long-tail camp, as all the “top-500″ stuff is easy to get a variety of other ways; but Netflix is pretty much the only game in town for really old, really small budget, or really esoteric films. The Netflix Price [...]

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Roku vs AppleTV advice

I am getting a lot of people asking me what my thoughts are on Roku vs AppleTV… which is interesting for a few reasons. Why does my opinion matter? Why now, as I am just beginning to analyze the options myself… coincidence? Anyway… the sad news is neither appears to be worth it right now. [...]

Can’t Stop the Serenity 2010, Arlington

This is for all you Firefly and Serenity fans out there. Erci and I are definitely going to this year’s Can’t Stop the Serenity, probably only one of the two days. Location: Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse (South Arlington – 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington VA) Friday night the 25th or Saturday the 26th… Friday Jun 25 [...]

Sad but True

Does it seem right to you that honest consumers who buy or legally rent DVDs are forced to wait for several minutes while clicking next through crappy advertisements and annoying FBI warnings before they can actually watch a movie they paid for while pirates simply get to watch the movie? Perhaps one should pirate all [...]

Why are 3D films so jarring?

I normally do not try to see movies in 3D format because they have typically been jarring, annoying, and tacky. Given the opportunity to have the appearance of things jumping out of the screen at you, most directors seem to feel like they have to use that gimmick even when it is not needed. In [...]

How integrated is the greater Washington area?

One of the things I like best about the greater Washington area is how integrated we are… For years I have been comparing our local stomping grounds favorably to places like Chicago (a lovely city) where the blocks are clearly black or white and even those blocks are clearly one ethnic group or another. Perhaps [...]

Impressive film for $300 budget!

Ataque de Pánico! (Panic Attack!) 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dadPWhEhVk Fede Alvarez tells a little about how he made the short film: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=154&t=822329&highlight=big+robots They look like Mechforce Marauders to me… but perhaps I played a little too much of Ralph Reed’s excellent Amiga game in the early 1990s…