Groovin The Moo 2016
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Category Archives: Misc
It’s time to stop
Dear me,
Stop going to midnight screenings of expanded cinematic universe comic book movies at their midnight screenings, especially after already juggling your Wednesday night double feature cinematic fatigue. It’s not good for your health, your conscience, or your wallet; or your brain, to which the tedious and repetitive narratives of Marvel’s superhero-loaded platter of for-TV looking cinema series eat away at every time you give in to another coffee-fueled film frenzy. You’re always going to be disappointed. It’s just about learning how and when to tolerate that disappointment. You’ll thank me later.
With love, me.
Gang of Youths @ 170 Russell
THE BOYS. THEY KILLED IT. If they’re not the best current Australian band then I don’t know who is. Their future is bright.
The case for Aldi Mobile
Thinking of continuing your regular monthly $80 Optus bill? Think again. The future of mobile plans is here, and has been here, right under your nose, for a while now. Aldi Mobile.
Aldi, being the store that it is, is readily dismissed by people in the thousands and in the early days I will admit I had my doubts, but in this constantly changing, media-ridden world we are living in, having mobile data 24/7 is a growing necessity. I have no affiliation with Aldi and I am not secretly (and sadly) being paid to write this, this is a recommendation from the heart. Make the switch. Not only have they consistently won various Service Provider of the Year awards (trust the critics on this one) but they continue to up-the-ante of their plans, all the while keeping their prices constant; every couple of months they send out a nice little email detailing their nice little upgrades: this month it was the upgrade from a set amount of included minutes and SMSs to unlimited. What used to be solely for Aldi-to-Aldi users has expanded (and for the better for those on the Aldi side); look at the possibilities now. Alongside that, 4G (admittedly a little slow but hey, for $35 a month I’m not complaining) is rolling out in the next few weeks. You can’t go wrong.
Included in the fairly standard $35 XL package (of which I subscribe to) you are entitled to: unlimited calls and texts nationwide, 200 international minutes, 5GB of data and the added ability to add 1GB of data for only $10. They even use Telstra towers, so you know you’ll always be connected. Give it a go. All of my sensible friends are on it. I dare you. Trust Aldi, even if it is just this once. Some say it’s the greatest mobile plan of all time.
PB3: Progress update, y’all
Alas, here I am nearing the conclusion of my PB3 process. After missing (passing up on/being lazy to the point of frustration and quitting on/chickening out on) the opportunity to record my footage last week, I train’d it home (like I seem to have to do every weekend), launched myself into the latest season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (known to calm my anxiety in other situations), talked myself into the recording process (after previously talking myself out) and went for it. My nerves settled quite readily and I was able too conduct myself in a fairly professional and confident manner. Considering the fact that’s my interviewee (Graeme) is my girlfriend’s grandfather the affair was comfortably casual and he was willing to work his way through the designated questions with relative ease. The entire interview process clocked in at just over an hour (my eyes kept flicking over to the ZOOM mic to ensure that it hadn’t stopped recording or blow up in the minutes between), concluded on friendly terms, and gave me a little confidence boost on my ability to conduct quasi-‘professional’ media practice. Although I spoke little and left the answering up to Graeme (based on my self-conscious assertion that editing out external sounds is a pain in the ass; which it is) the process was enlightening, both in terms of honing my media skills and understanding the life of the man himself; and what a life it is.
I find editing quite soothing, not as stressful as others in this course seem to aggressively note. Again, my perfectionist nature (which I am slowly beginning to overcome, whether it be from sheer laziness or other things) ensures that no rookie mistakes are made (brief flashes of black screens, etc–although in saying this I bet I fuck up at least 3 different parts) and that I obsessively deliberate over what may be the finished product, deciding whether to leave it as is, or add/remove something else. I try to avoid the latter because I can’t make decisions. Premiere and Audition, at least at their most basic, are easy enough to traverse and pose no real problems for me (or my precious HP laptop which, unlike previous (school) laptops I’ve been forced to use). I spent 8+ hours editing yesterday and it was one of the best days of my life. I like editing.
No thanks, Samsung, I force myself to do enough blogging at home as is.
The supercut the world needs
Christopher Walken Dance Now from Smash TV on Vimeo.
Christopher Walken may be famous for his incredible acting talent, mesmerisingly unique voice and archetypal role as a New York mobster, but the man has a talent not known to all in the mainstream audience: dance.
Noticing: in cinema
An excerpt from Film Art: An Introduction:
“In both narrative and nonnarrative films, our eye also enjoys the formal play presented by unusual angles on familiar objects. “By reproducing the object from an unusual and striking angle,” writes Rudolf Arnheim, “the artist forces the spectator to take a keener interest, which goes beyond mere noticing or acceptance. The object thus photographed sometimes gains in reality, and the impression it makes is livelier and more arresting.””
Bordwell, D. and Thompson, K. (2016). Film Art: An Introduction. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Documentary: The best of the best (that I’ve seen, and I’ve seen like two)
Seeing as documentary made up the basis for today’s lectorial, here is a selection of my favourites: (everything is a blog-post from now on)
Searching for Sugar Man (2012) dir. Malik Bendjelloul
The best thing the media program at my highschool ever did was get us into a screening of this at our local independent cinema (Star Cinema, synonymous with the words ‘old people’; also renowned for the fact that it used couches instead of seats). I haven’t seen it since then, but whenever someone utters the word ‘documentary’ this is the first thing that comes to mind, followed by an instant recommendation. An essential for audiophiles and cinephiles alike. The most banging original soundtrack to come out of the 2010s.
Man on Wire (2008) dir. James Marsh
A truly breathtaking experience even at second-hand, the spectacle that is Philippe Petit’s high-wire routine is dissected and the cogs that make the man on wire himself tick are brought to the fore. The most banging original soundtrack of the 00s.
The Imposter (2012) dir. Bart Layton
As if Soderbergh’s Side Effects (2013) was documentary, with every minute detail giving clues to the wildest twists and turns you’ve ever seen. Speaks volumes about confirmation bias, and our own subjective viewpoint of the world; we see the world as we want to see it.
The zoom: when and why? Part Three
The one and only Brian De Palma, voyeuristic connoisseur and cinematic mastermind, authority on the split-screen and di-opter shots, and self-proclaimed Hitchcock devotee and frequent referencer, also falls into the category of filmmakers who define the zoom (in my eyes, at least).
Take (again) the beginning of this scene from The Untouchables (1987). The zoom heightens the tension to an almost unbelievable/boiling point level, allowing Ness’s cocking of the shotgun up through the bottom of the frame to build off of this drama—making the surprise even sweeter. Emotional investment is key to nailing the zoom. Unprofessional shmunprofessional.