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FEBRUARY
18, 2008 |
BEYOND
THE FORMAT WARS I've been running this blue ray hd dvd war over in my head for about six months. I'd formed an opinion on the subject last may, and tonight I had my theory supported by a stranger without me having given him my dissertation. My theory is this: the blue ray vs. hddvd war is not the same as what we witnessed with VHS vs. Beta. Technology moves much faster than it did back then. In the digital age, mainstream media in HD will not be stuck on a single platform. Youtube, myspace, google, the MP3, and the invention of the Iphone all force media to peruse a variety of different formats at high resolutions and bit rates. Pay attention to the writers strike. The writers are fighting because they know that television, and the internet will merge very soon. They want their royalty contracts before this happens. Already we see Netflix, blockbuster, Itunes, and several others offering their movies and TV shows through streaming media. The invention of the apple TV allows one to catch any video format from the web and wirelessly shoot it to your HD television. Why is this important? It's important because HD video will become streaming video very soon. When this happens, it won't matter what kind of HD optical media you're buying, because you can get stream it with a touch of a button over the internet, store it on a hard drive, etc. I spoke to a tech guy at a gamestop store today, and asked him about buying a game console. I asked him about whether he preferred Sony's PS3 or Microsoft's XBOX 360. He preferred the 360. I immediately asked about HD DVD or BLUE ray support. Now the PS3 has blue ray support, and the xbox only has HD DVD support if you buy a special unit to attach (extra money). The question is why would the xbox not be engineered to naturally accept one of these formats out of the box. The guy in the store told me that his opinion from watching the tech media news was that Microsoft wasn't so much interested in the HD disk format as it was in its online internet support and connectivity. Now I'm not sure but this might be where it has a one up on the ps3. Once HD media becomes streaming over the internet (and its going to happen soon: my prediction is less than 18 months), this guys' theory was that xbox would catch HD movies from streaming sources and pump them directly on to your tv. Whether or not this guy is correct or full of crap doesn't really matter. What is interesting is that he and many other people have come to accept what I also believe about this sony vs Toshiba format war. By the time the war is over, Microsoft and apple (the secret armies offstage of the Sony/Toshiba war) will be ahead in providing dozens of hardware and software devices to catch and store streaming HD video. Blue ray and HD DVD won't matter. Take music as an example. Sure you can still go buy a CD from the store if you want music, but more than likely you're going to turn it into an MP3 anyway in order to listen to it at your convenience. That's why you can get it from dozens of internet websites in the MP3 format already. You don't have to go the store and you don't have to have a physical disk to use the music. HD video will follow a similar route. The disk won't matter once the internet and TV merge. Just wait it out before buying a player. When the HD streaming happens, regardless of which optical disk format remains, one thing is certain. Prices on those players and on the disks will drop dramatically when there is competition from direct online downloading and streaming. |
AUGUST
6, 2007 |
HOW
MEN REASON THINGS OUT Ahem! Why does my *$%&* grass have to grow so fast? I believe that there are two periodic opportunities in a man's normal routine of life that provide him with the chances to do his most influential and philosophical thinking. The first opportunity is when he's taking a dump, and the second is when he's mowing grass. He doesn't particularly enjoy doing either, but both force his mind to wander toward more productive important matters such as solving the Middle East crisis, fixing the health care system, or determining UK's best plan for a successful football season (that last one always requires an extra roll of Charmin). Having said that, I truly believe that Albert Einstein probably mowed more lawns than Ted Kennedy drank beers. And who knows, maybe it was really a brown "apple" dropping on the ground that focused Isaac Newton's thoughts toward his "Law of Gravity." So ladies, give us a little credit. You never know ... that $4000 bill for the expensive riding mower, or the hemoroid-ectomy, just might turn into an investment for the Nobel Prize. **For More Please Visit DW's MySpace Page [CLICK HERE] |
JULY
16, 2007 |
THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVING & EXISTING I have a very comfortable work environment for my day job. I like my co-workers. My supervisor is great. I earn a decent living, blah, blah, blah. Not to sound unappreciative, but I've given that line a dozen times to people when they ask me if I like my job. I think that's the wrong question, though. For me, it's not, "Do you enjoy your job?" But rather the better question is, "Do you enjoy life?" Who makes the decision that it is supposed to be every American's dream and pursuit to have a large house with 2 new cars in the driveway, a motorcycle, 2.5 kids, a 9 to five job, picket fences, home landscaping, regular dinner parties with Jon and Jane Doe, etc? Is there some secret directive programmed into most people that forces them to want those things? All of those things are an encumbrance to me. - - "I can plan for tomorrow, but is it really so wrong to just want to live for today?" Too many men and women are fighting in dying every day to preserve our freedom. If we take that freedom and trade it for the slavery of credit card debt, extraneous obligations, and longer work hours, are we even remotely understanding the concept of being free? The goal of life should not be to overwhelm yourself with everything that the TV ads say you have to purchase. Life shouldn't be about trying to constantly work more hours to buy crap we don't need (props to **Tyler Durden)! When I'm lying on my deathbed, I'm not going to look back at my life and say, "I'm glad I bought that expensive new car (when my old was perfectly fine and paid for)." I won't say, "I'm glad we bought that huge house and worked so hard to manage to afford it. When my heart is about to beat its last, I won't look back at my life's accomplishments and say, "I'm glad I worked hard enough to get the employee achievement award." When my maker comes for me, I want to look back at my life and know that I lived it. I want to remember what it was like to stand on the Great wall of China. I want to remember white water rafting, and seeing the Grand Canyon. I want to remember drinking Ale 8-1 and the smell of a campfire in the spring. I want to remember road trips with my best friends. I want to remember the first time I kissed the woman I married. I want to remember walking near the base of El Capitan. I want to remember surfing. I want to remember backpacking through remote parts of the world, and hundreds of sunsets on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. I want to remember two dollar cover charges and cheap beer. I want to remember seeing Eric Clapton play. I want to remember having cold pizza for breakfast. I want to remember when being broke with my friends yielded more laughter, more memories, and more adventure than I could've ever purchased from an amusement park, cruise ship, or an all inclusive vacation package. I want to remember that my convictions and integrity meant more to me than the image society wanted me to have. I want to believe that going against the grain, or swimming upstream, in contradiction to the majority, doesn't make me the bad guy. I simply don't want to wake up tomorrow and be too old, too tired, or too overworked because I spent my whole life focusing on the things that just don't matter. - - - We shouldn't be satisfied with merely existing. We should live! |
MAY
7, 2007 |
THE
MACH FIVE FILM REVIEW: SPIDERMAN 3 [Spoiler Free Review] * Stars [Out of 4] I’ll write no review of SPIDERMAN 3, other than this… “Wait for Video, because it Sucks!” This was a Bonehead Maneuver far worse than XMEN 3. I tell you I don’t believe Sam Raimi directed this, it looked more like Joel Schumacher [BATMAN & ROBIN]. If Raimi did in fact direct it, I’m surprised he didn’t use the name "Alan Smithee" on the credits. **Note - "Alan Smithee" is a standardized name Directors use in the Final Film Credits when they are dissatisfied with a Movie Project's end results. Of course not wishing to have their "real" name associated with the Film or their work acknowledged. Just to attempt balance on SPIDERMAN 3 we heard from Kyle Maggard who made a special trip to Lexington, Ky to see the movie early. His phone report is nearly identical to DW's - "Don't Waste your time, this was a real disappointment". "The only reason to see this movie is for the Special Effects". |
JULY
3rd, 2006 |
THE
MACH FIVE FILM REVIEW: SUPERMAN RETURNS [Spoiler Free Review] **** Stars [Out of 4] Christopher Reeve once made us believe that a man could fly. Since 1978 Superhero movies remain the genre difficult for Hollywood to successfully tackle thereby creating films possessing a great story, appeal to all ages and a cinematic vision that leave an audience moved as well as entertained. In the last few years less than a handful of these films have been able to do both. Bryan Singer has achieved this and more in SUPERMAN RETURNS. After the announcement that Astronomers had discovered the distant remains of the planet Krypton, Superman (Brandon Routh) disappeared in search of his homeworld and had been missing for the last five years when our story begins. Upon returning from his distant voyage Clark Kent (aka Superman) discovered a different Earth than the one he left. His long-time love interest (Lois Lane) has moved on and started her own family with Richard White (James Marsden). Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), the nemesis of Superman, has been released from prison and has secretly acquired Kryptonian Technology from Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Between Luthor's plans to rise to power and dominate the Western Hemisphere and Lois Lane's rejection of Superman the drama plays out wonderfully. Aside from a good story premise, there are many cumulative factors that contribute to the strength of SUPERMAN RETURNS. The length of this article is insufficient to discuss all the interesting character points found in the movie. However, it's vital to point out a few. Superman, who has powers and responsibilities far beyond any mortal person, still suffers from lack of the same human needs that all people can relate with. Superman has no personal relationships outside his mother. The woman he loves doesn't want him to be part of her life. Superman must struggle with his loneliness and sacrifice his own desires in order to help others. Because of this, no matter how powerful Superman is, we feel as much pity for him as we do envy. It's this concept that allows people of all ages and genders to empathize with a God-like alien enough so that we can see past those qualities and make him human enough that we might see ourselves in him. Singer illustrates this beautifully. An important character introduced is Lois Lane's fiancé Richard. Our first impression is that Richard is the obstacle between the relationship of Superman and Lois Lane that must be removed in order for the story to progress. Richard proves to be devoted to Lois and her son Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). Loving, Slow to jealousy and extremely self-sacrificing. Richard is the mortal parallel to Superman and therefore it is easy for us to understand why Lois has fallen in love with him in Superman's absence. Richard is such a positive character that we dread seeing anything bad happen to him. Thus we are torn between who we want Lois to choose by the end of the movie. This is the great conflicted drama and Singer really delivers in the outcome. Another token to notice is the tribute made toward Richard Donner's vision of the original 1978 version of SUPERMAN. From the Opening Title and End Credits, the musical theme from John Williams, references to events from the original, and deliberate recreations of some original scenes, Bryan Singer shows much respect to Donner's vision and Reeve's character. Of course a Summer Blockbuster movie would not be the same without Special Effects. With production costs running close to $300 million the effects are far from disappointing. Explosions, buildings torn apart, continents erupting from the sea and 747 Airplane crashes fill the screen throughout this movie. If this doesn't do it for you then know that Superman's flying scenes are so captivating that you might never doubt that a man can fly. Further I must mention that the acting performances by the entire cast are fantastic. The dialogue is well scripted and every aspect of the film cohesively fits together creating what may very well be one of the best films this year. I rate SUPERMAN RETURNS 4 Stars (out of 4 Stars). Ladies and Gentlemen, SUPERMAN RETURNS is the reason we go to the movies. |
MAY
29th, 2006 |
THE
MACH FIVE FILM REVIEW: X-MEN 3 **1/2 Stars [Out of 4] Most of us who’ve anticipated this movie already know the plot. If you don’t know it, then read Roger Ebert’s column (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com), because I won’t go into that. The plot aside, let me point out my thoughts on the film. Within the first ten minutes, I could already tell that the Brian Singer touch was missing. So many new characters emerge, that there is no real personal storyline for any of them like we’ve seen in the other films. Some of the better characters from the other movies disappear from this one. Nightcrawler, for instance, is not even seen or mentioned in X3. Why? Cyclops and Professor X are absent from over 80% of the movie. The ethical struggle, between Xavier and Magneto, on how to handle society’s anti mutant prejudice, vanishes. We have to rely on having seen the last two films to understand the relationship between Magneto and Xavier, because it doesn’t continue to develop the way it did in the previous films. I don’t know where this new version of Wolverine came from, but it’s not the same persona we’ve been accustomed to, played by Jackman. Granted, he still cuts up a bunch of bad guys with his claws, but there is absolutely no inner struggle about Wolverine’s identity, or adapting his lone-wolf behavior into an X-MEN team leader. There is no real animosity or fighting between Wolverine and Cyclops. There is no further development of the relationship issues between Rogue and Iceman. Their lack of physical intimacy forces Rogue to want to be cured of mutation, but this decision making struggle isn’t developed. We simply watch it happen in quick stages, because Ratner has way too many characters to throw into this movie, and doesn’t have time to develop these storylines. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t feel any empathy toward this problem like I did in the other films. Now, if you possess super powers, rigorously train to use your superpowers, then you should be kicking butt like someone who has super powers. In the last film, we see the resourceful talents of Mystique who waltzes into a fortified military complex full of heavily armed soldiers, and then begins to kick everyone’s butt, bare handed. In X3, she can hardly get out of a pair of handcuffs. In X2, we see Magneto fight with extreme ingenuity by ripping the iron out of a man’s body, or stripping away all of the grenade pins attached to a platoon of soldiers. In X3, this resourcefulness is completely cast aside and replaced with big visual effects. For example, instead of placing his army on the tops of cars or platforms and then levitating them from the golden gate bridge over to Alcatraz (Alcatraz island is the stage for the final fight between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants), Magneto thinks its much easier, and strategically advantageous, to move the entire golden gate bridge, so that it now stretches from the land across the water to Alcatraz island. This isn’t a strategic advantage for his army. In fact, this now allows US Forces easy access to attack the rear of Magneto’s army (which ends up happening). However, this feat is visually cool for us in the audience to witness, and I’m sure that’s why Ratner made it happen that way. Iceman, possibly the most kick-ass character of the X-MEN team, can’t seem to use his powers to do anything other than make a few ice walls and throw some snow balls. This is the third X-MEN movie! By now, I think its time to see Iceman sliding on the ice track, or freezing the blood inside people’s bodies until their tissues rupture (gruesome, isn’t it). But no, Iceman is the equivalent to a suped up, bi-ped, fire extinguisher. We watch Colossus, Juggernaut, Angel, Multiple Man, Pyro, and series of others show a few skills, but not enough for me to appreciate seeing them on the screen. Of course, the twelve-year-olds sitting in front of me were eating it up. For me, though, if you can’t show Colossus getting medieval on bunch of bad guys, then don’t show him in the movie! Don’t get my hopes up. Instead, almost everything is predictable. Two saving points I will mention: Beast and Storm. Storm finally gets the credit she deserves. She can fly, for one thing, and shows more of her extreme agility and combat skills, than in any of the other movies. Beast is more of an asset to the movie than I originally thought. At first, I was skeptical about Kelsey Grammer’s role as the Beast. But I’ve changed my mind. Beast’s fight scenes in the movie are extremely cool, and well choreographed, even if they are brief (nothing compares to the opening Nightcrawler sequence in X2 however). Also, good storytelling involves the use of good dialogue. Good dialogue in a superhero movie is difficult to achieve for an adult audience. I have yet to see a superhero film with dialogue as well written as Batman Begins. However the X-men and Spider-man movies have yielded good results in this area in the past. In this aspect, I’m disappointed in X3. Every time I heard Wolverine or Kitty Pride toss out a cheesy one-liner, I cringed. However those kids in front of me were eating it up with laughter and excitement. Thus, while my disappointment grew, the praise exhibited by the kids in front of me left me outnumbered. That probably means dollar signs for Ratner. Speaking of dollar signs, the last twenty minutes of the movie contain a lot of extensive special effects (an attempt at redemption). To this extent, although predictable, X3 is very entertaining. Overall, being a huge comic book fan myself, my opinion is this. I give X-MEN III a rating of two and half stars (out of four). It just can’t compete with the previous two films. If you’re a comic book fan, go see it in the theater for the sole purpose of experiencing the big budget effects and recognizing your favorite characters on screen. Otherwise save your eight dollars, put it on your Netflix list, and wait for the release on DVD. Either way, I think you’ll at least find it entertaining, and visually cool. C |
