(This may be a passing fancy.) The Raid is a well made action movie made on a low budget in Jakarta, Indonesia. It features an Indonesian cast and was directed by Gareth Evans, an Englishman. I am not going to say that The Raid is a great film, but if you are a fan of martial arts films it is well worth a look. Why did I see this film? Well, this trailer just blew me away. It is a kinetic explosion of energy, 2 minutes of unrelenting fight scenes set to an awesome piece of music by Mike Shinoda, who did the soundtrack for the film. Shinoda is a member of the rock group Linkin Park. BETTER SKIP THIS IF YOU ARE TURNED OFF BY BALLETIC CINEMATIC VIOLENCE!
Monthly Archives: July 2012
The Earth Is Born
Formation of the Earth’s Continents, 1952. Bonestell LLC.
Christmas 1955: my older brother receives a gift of this incredible book The World We Live In from my Grandparents. It is filled with all these incredible photographs and even more incredible paintings by various artists, basically depicting the story of our planet. I spent a lot of time looking at the pictures, especially the paintings in this book with a 5 year old’s sense of wonder (I have my own copy today, which still gives me a dose of nostalgia from time to time). These two paintings by Chesley Bonestell are from the first chapter of the book: The Earth Is Born. Thank you, Mister Bonestell!
Evolution of the Earth, 1952. Bonestell LLC.
The Giant Claw (trailer)
This 1957 film is about a gigantic bird that can fly at supersonic speed, and the devastation it leaves in its path. The actual “Giant Claw” is not shown until later in the film, as scientists and military people are trying to figure out what the hell it is. So when the creature is finally shown, the effect is stunningly hilarious. Even an 8 year kid can marvel at the special effects which supposedly were done on the cheap in Mexico. The preview trailer is gutsy, in that they actually show all the big goofy effects, daring you to pay money and watch the film.
1940s Royal Crown Cola picture with Bela Lugosi
This is a treasured gift given to me by an old film school buddy, Ric Stafford. In the 1940s Lugosi did pose for several advertising pictures including Kool Cigarettes, Remington Razors and, apparently, Royal Crown Cola. Later, in the 1950s, he helped promote “Spooky Foods” for a California company. Learn something new every day.
Scenic view of Golden Gate Bridge
I check out the Golden Gate Bridge as viewed from near Fort Point. This scene (and many others) are included in The San Francisco Variations, a growing collection of time-lapse scenes filmed in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Lang Lang tackles Prokofiev’s 3rd
This is an excerpt from a film Music From The Inside Out with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Close up footage of an irrepressible Lang Lang rehearsing the final movement of Prokofiev’s much loved 3rd Piano Concerto.
Square Loop (sample)
This is a sample loop from Square Loops (on Vimeo). I did these variations using After Effects, sort of stumbling around, trying to get a grasp on working in 3D space (real & faked).
Lapsed Time Images 