Keeping It Reel

We've been on a roll this past week in terms of good movies. I recommend all of these:

The Dark Knight Rises was great... I did not even notice the long running time-- was completely engaged all the way through. Actually, I think Christopher Nolan's Batman may be the best movie trilogy I have seen. He kept this big budget series real with his indie sensibilities... I think I said it before, that these are the most "realistic" comic book movies that have been made. There is also something a little haunted about them, and I guess that fits the background of the character. Of course, it's hard not think about the tragedy that occurred in Colorado over the summer... but the movie does end on a high note that makes you hopeful for real heroes. I was pleasantly surprised with Ann Hathaway as Catwoman, and totally called the "Robin" character early on... Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a great job, and I'm all for seeing a Nightwing movie in the near future... but this was a wonderful way to seal Nolan's series. It's been a rare, dignified Hollywood blockbuster.

From realistic comic books to animated realism:

The music lover in me was really charmed by the Spanish film Chico & Rita. Latin jazz in 1940s Cuba/New York City... the story tells about the life story of Chico and Rita, two musicians who also fall in love. The couple struggles through misunderstanding, career, and music, and this animated film really draws you into this world. The story is loosely based on the life of Bebo Valdés, a Cuban pianist/composer, who provides much of energetic soundtrack. Artist Javier Mariscal's designs are charming, and really follow the rhythm of the music.

And speaking of a movie with a great look:

We went old-school ourselves last weekend, and caught Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom at the drive-in... on a moonlit night. The film tells the story of a couple young pre-teen outsiders who run away from home and camp--sort of an us against them tale, which I think perfectly captures the feelings of that age. I always like Anderson's films, but I think a reviewer put it best when they said that this one feels more from his heart than head. His films are always quirky, well-designed, sort of ironic, tongue-in-cheek... and this one is no different. It is set in the mid-1960s, and it has a great vibe. The actors are all great, including Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, and Edward Norton, who plays sort of the ultimate Norman Rockwell Boy Scout type... serious and dedicated in his efforts to play by the scout rules. But the real stars of this show are Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, who play the kids (Sam the misunderstood scout and Kara the dark, pre-goth girl) beautifully. I didn't know what to expect from this film, but I really enjoyed it, and think it's worth catching again to take in all the details... visual, storytelling, and performance... in fact, all of these films we saw last week succeeded in this respect. It gives you hope for the state of movie-making. 

Related Links:

The Dark Knight Rises

Chico & Rita

Moonrise Kingdom

Month of Heroics!

July is going to be some month. A wedding, honeymoon, birthday, and two superhero movies... Ok, the movies are the least of my concerns, but they do look promising:








My best man played an extra in the Batman film, shot partially in Pittsburgh's Heinz Field--a life-long dream for him, I think... at one point I think he thought he was Batman! Also, the director of this Batman series, Chris Nolan, brings an indie film sensibility to the films. As I blogged before, Nolan's movies would work as cohesive stories, even without the fancy spandex. I don't know a lot about the Bane character though... I was always more of a Marvel guy. And Anne Hathaway as Catwoman... eh...


Spider-Man... well, he was always my favorite character. I always related to that "get knocked down, get up again" character. When I heard they had a new movie coming out already with a new Spidey... I thought it seemed a little unnecessary. But having watched a couple of these trailers, it looks interesting. I like they way he is moving around in his suit, which makes me think that they are relying on less CGI (or it just looks better). The actor playing Spidey... hmm... verdict is still out, but the Gwen Stacey thing is interesting, and Lizard is a nearly forgotten old-school villain that just might look cool on the big screen... Sarah regularly shows reptiles and snakes at her science museum, so I'll have to ask her for accuracy...



Speaking of which, I better sign off. Tomorrow is her bridal shower, and she has to get up rather early. I feel somewhat guilty when I am doing creative work or blogging when she is around... hmm... we'll have to work on that one. With great power comes great responsibility... 


Related Links:


www.theamazingspiderman.com


www.thedarkknightrises.com

P.S.- Both movies have really great poster designs! I am impressed with the creativity on both counts (courtesy + © official websites).

Source: Uploaded by user via The Amazing on Pinterest

Day Planners

Sarah and I haven't hired a wedding planner, but I can see why many couples go that route... planning for the big day can be a lot of work.

No, it's mainly been me and her (especially her) taking care of preparations, with some generous financial assistance from our parents. It has been both fun and, at times, a little overwhelming, but I guess such is life... this is actually a good practice run for decisions we'll need to make as a married couple (with hopefully less envelopes). 

Our wedsite: ©JC+SK. All rights reserved.

We created our invitations, and they have been sent (which is a relief!). I was proud of our collaborative approach to the design-- we seem to have similar tastes, so that's a good sign. We also put together a "wedsite," which mirrors some of the visual elements featured on the invitations (my graphic design teacher would be proud). I'm going to keep working on the site over the next few months to add more visual, written and interactive appeal for our guests... I may even throw in some video clips (somewhere I have old footage of us returning, one year later, to where we first met). It has been fun putting the site together... I have been wanting to create a proper website for my creative endeavors, so this gives me a chance to play around with some of the architecture and ideas that would be involved.


Finally, we placed an order for our rings today! It's all coming together, even if it has taken us longer than expected in some cases. But they say you should cherish this time... it's fun trying to plan such a big party, and I appreciate this extra opportunity to be creative.

party planning

Back to Macy's tonight for something called the "Sip and Scan," sort of a mash-up of party and wedding registry. They even had a DJ spinning, which made shopping all that more enjoyable (I was caught doing the booty slap by one of the sales clerks... LOL). Anyway, I think we got most of it done, and it was entertaining... even if the drinks turned out to be "mocktails."

Olive Branch Salt & Petter, designed by Michael Aram.
All rights reserved.

It is comforting to realize that in many ways Sarah and I have the same style—definitely drawn to the organic shapes and particular patterns. We really liked some of the items that designer Michael Aram had on display. This little salt and pepper shaker was nice, but I'm not sure we can justify the pricing.

Anyway, another interesting night on the road to the big day. We are starting to get our RSVPs back, which is fun... especially when there are little notes from our friends and family included. 

www.michaelaram.com

House Cleaning

Ok, I'm on a tear this afternoon, using some of my old shelving and storage units to help organize our cohabitation. It's not even spring, but things are feeling good! I could keep going like this all day, but I probably should stop and get some of my other work in order.

Speaking of work, my buddy/poet Darian Dauchan will be performing his new piece Obamatry this afternoon at 1 p.m., at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. The performance is what he calls a "spoken word remix," collecting many of the poems he has created, that document Obama's presidency. Adding to that mix, he will be using several of the "chiefly commanding" visuals I have created over the years for the Spoken Word Almanac Project, where I serve as multimedia designer. The afternoon event is free, but donations are being accepted for a Kickstarter campaign for Dauchan's hip hop poetry musical Death Boogie, which he is attempting to share with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. If you can't make today's performance, you should be able to stream it live at www.bowerypoetrylive.com

On a political note, I was watching Meet The Press this morning, and I swear it's a miracle that anything gets done in Washington. Some of the bantering is so petty, and this latest controversy over the funding of contraception by insurance companies is infuriating. I think Al Franken was spot on when he declared: "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot." Go ahead and have a public discourse, but keep your sexist comments out of it. Oh, I better get the visuals ready... I'm sure one of the SWAP poets has already started working on this one...

Weddings by Design

I spent part of the day in Saratoga Springs yesterday, riding a trolley decorated with flowers and blasting "Going to the Chapel." Yeah... I broke down and went to the bridal show (you owe me, SK). Actually, it wasn't that bad-- I had a chance to look at different wedding invitation styles, photographers, and videographers-- the latter was interesting, because I am usually the one filming other peoples' events.


The new HD cameras look great, and it was interesting to see each videographer's style. It ranged from the personal to more "corporate" feel (eh, not sure a camera crane will be necessary). The ones I liked best tried to emphasize telling the couple's story-- interviews with the bride and groom, their families and close friends. You could tell the cameramen who "got it"-- even when the subjects weren't speaking, you could get an idea about their personalities or emotions just by watching the visuals.

Early 60s Porsche-- now where's that registry gun?

Part of this bridal event was being staged at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, which was helpful when I started to glaze over at some of the sillier aspects of the day... at least I had some sweet vintage cars to look at. It's true: they sure don't make them like they used to, and I did not realize the number of automobiles designed right here in New York State during the early 20th century-- some 100 different automobile manufacturers, with names like the Pierce Arrow and The Cooley. Apparently even Rochester and Buffalo got in on the action.

The day was interesting for me in terms of judging design: be it vintage autos, wedding dresses, rings, invitations or desserts-- each trying their hardest to impress you.


On that note, I haven't quite figured out where I'm heading with this blog-- personal, professional or self-interest? Who am I trying to impress? Is it working?!?