THE WEEKENDER-VIDEO MAGIC

A CLOSER LOOK

     Thanks to those who either posted or emailed comments about Lana's first place award in the Cambria Allied Arts juried show.  For those who said they'd like a better look-here tis-

Lone Palm Trail

16 X 20 Oil

You can see more of Lana's art at her

blog by linking here.

REEL NOTES

SKY FALL

     50 years into the franchise, and the James Bond thrillers

are not only still entertaining, but perhaps better than ever.

     Gone are the campy innuendo lines, gratuitous Bond and gorgeous woman falling into bed scenes and the over the top special effects and weapons.  In it's place is a cleaner story line, real character development, cleverness and an aging Bond in a cyber security world.  Daniel Craig continues his chiseling of a life like Ian Flemming created MI 6 agent.  Where Sean Connery had charm, Craig has melancholy. Dame Judy Dench as M is wonderful and Javier Bardam as bad guy Silva is again deviously twisted and masterful.  Albert Finney and Ralph Fiennes both turn in great supporting character roles.

      This is the 23rd Bond film and director Sam Mendes provides you a thrill ride and taut drama.  Thomas Newman's music is brilliant, especially his ability to reprise classic Bond themes at appropriate moments of historical vignettes.  If you like big budget, big films that are pure entertainment, this is a great popcorn film.

HOW DID THEY DO THIS?

The Weekender Remaps time

    Here is a video mind boggler, that demonstrates a special effect edit technique called time remapping.  Thanks to Beverly for sending it along.

     Have a great weekend.  See you down the trail.

THE AMERICAN DRAGON

CLOSE TO THE BOOK

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Millions have read Larson's book, I heard somewhere it sold 65 million copies.  Millions have also seen the original Swedish series, so the David Fincher directed version is a big deal.  It is a big film by comparison to the original.

Big name talent, big scope and vision and still works as a tense, dramatic intrigue where ultimately a girl gets her sense of justice and then gets rocked by her own heart.

Mara Rooney as Lisbeth is superb. Christoper Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard as the good and bad Vangers are both
perfect.  Daniel Craig is a convincing Blomkvist. 
Portions of the book made me cringe, even after decades in journalism. The film does the same thing and certainly is not for everyone.  After all is said and done,
Lana and I thought the book was better than either film.
I understand how directors make choices and by necessity need to leave pages out of a script.  Fincher was mostly true to the book, but the nuance, texture and sidebar story material of the book, make that telling better than the movie, as big and well done as it is.
The opening credit sequence though, to my sense
was needless, pointless and out of sync with the cinema that followed.
Another late post today, but the new computer is up and 
I'm in learning mode.  This computer will do things I haven't even thought of, so as I say, I'm learning.
See you down the trail.