asterisk8

The Tree of Life on Blu-Ray is the best I've ever heard. You've got a world tour of great symphonic pieces and orchestras, and well-crafted ambient soundscapes that will work out your rear speakers and subs. There's even a note before the movie starts that says, "For optimal sound reproduction, the producers of this Blu-Ray recommend you play it loud."

asterisk8 said:

I'm reading:

It's three novels in one book, I think it's fantasy although I don't know much about it. I only started a couple nights ago. I picked it up used, and I liked the first couple pages so I bought it.

Still reading this. :/

I put it down for several months, only recently picked it back up. I'm enjoying it alright, Peake was an incredible wordsmith, he really made language sing. But it hasn't totally grabbed me to the point where I have to read it every day. Even 133 pages into the first book, it still feels like the introduction.

Bingowings said:

Took it's time getting there though didn't it?

People complained about the lack of likable characters in Caprica but I never got bored witless by them and they were much less annoying than that incredible bunch.

I totally agree. Glenn is the only character in the original group who I actually like.

As for the mid-season finale, I liked it, but had real problems with Sophia's reveal. They never bothered to get us to care about her. That last scene could've been so much more if they'd spent any time actually developing characters and giving us reasons to like/hate/care about anyone. Imagine if we'd grown to know and love Sophia before she disappeared. The last moments of the finale would've been gut-wrenching. Instead, it was just shocking.

none said:

via: reddit.com

Ziggy Stardust said:

Aw man! I wish I could see some Banksy stuff around where I live!

By MBW being a Banksy creation, what do you mean?

Many, including myself, believe that Exit Through the Gift Shop is a Kaufmanesque performance piece/inside joke in addition to being a documentary. I think Mister Brainwash is a character created by banksy and Thierry Guetta meant to satirize how movies, music, fashion, and advertising copy street art and street culture to make money, all the while pretending that they're the real innovators.

timdiggerm said:

Additionally, I'd be concerned about only having 5 strings for any long period of time. The tension in strings on the guitar do help hold the neck in its proper position. One less string is a little less force.

Not only this, but open tunings decrease the tension along the neck even more. Eventually, you are going to throw your guitar out of whack leaving it with 5 strings in open tuning. Y

As someone who taught himself to play guitar 10 years ago, I would never, ever recommend someone learn the way you want to, thejediknighthusezn. It'd be like learning to paint while wearing blue-tinted glasses or something.

No offense, but stop trying to reinvent the wheel and just learn the standard tuning. It is called "standard" for a reason.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 8/10 filthy hands

Definitely the best Apes movie since the original, and thanks to Andy Serkis and some excellent writing, the most emotional. I really felt, unexpectedly, for the plight of the primates. The last scene with Caesar sent a chill down my spine.

Ziggy Stardust said:

Exit Through the Gift Shop

I love this documentary/mockumentary/performance art piece. It's rather brilliant in its meta-ness.

As for the difference between street art and graffiti, the boundaries are blurry. Graffiti is typically intended in some way to deface, whether as a political or social statement or just as good old fashioned anarchy. Street art can be graffiti, and the best, like banksy's work is definitely street art AND graffiti, but when it's a commissioned mural, it's street art, but not graffiti.

Then there's tagging, which there is a lot of in Chicago. I do not consider that street art, except in a few rare cases where it's done by someone with serious skill and an intuition for form and composition. I would say only about 1% of tags can be considered genuine street art. Personally, my favorite street art is the small, inconspicuous kind that you might not even notice if you're not looking for it. Here's an example I found crossing the street in Chicago this summer. It's made with the same material used to paint the white lines. (I had to take the picture fast or get struck by a car!)

I always thought of the Vader-Tarkin relationship as being similar to when the CEO of a company makes his son the administrative assistant of the President. Tarkin is technically Vader's boss, but Vader is the Emperor's favorite pet, so the "leash" is long and very loosely held.

My totally serious suggestion: invest in systematic desensitization therapy for your wife. It works. It will have a positive impact on her health and well-being, and your free time.

DominicCobb said:

Days of Heaven 9/10

A great, beautiful film. Though, whenever I watch a Terrence Malick film, I find myself wondering "What was the point of that?"

I'm not sure what you mean. What's the point of most films? To witness some moments in the lives of interesting characters. To feel transported to another time or place.

At the risk of sounding overly poetic, the point is to see a romance blossom and come to ruin, and to follow a young girl as she experiences and comments on what it is to be an itinerant laborer during the Great Depression. What more of a point should there be than that?

Chicago, Illinois

doubleofive said:

puppets

Blasphemer!

I wear CAUTION: Keep Watching His Mouth.

CAUTION: keep watching his mouth.

"Atlas Productions has setup a web page for consumers of the DVD to request a replacement title sheet free of charge." Free of charge? What kind of socialist nonsense is that??

Good one!

By pop metal I mean a heavy metal song with pop music sensibilities, by "greatest" I mean a phenomenal display of song structure, lyrical content, instrumental and vocal prowess, a song that transcends its genre and era.

The KISS song is a great contender. It definitely transcends its time and genre, and definitely belongs on any Top 10 list, but I don't think it's all that brilliantly composed. Lyrically and structurally it's awfully simplistic, like a nursery rhyme. The solo is pretty uninspired too. But its iconic status is beyond dispute, probably because you can sing along halfway through the first time hearing it.

twister111 said:

Not Youtube but, I reblogged some woman's video about sponges on my blog.

When it started bubbling, I thought, "It would be insane if a monster head grew out of that thing" and then a monster head grew out of that thing.

That is genuinely one of the craziest things I've ever seen on the internet.

My vote goes to Photograph by Def Leppard.

I agree Oldfan. There are some AMAZING fan preservations out there that have been mentioned 1,000 times in this thread, but they are all admittedly compromises in one form or another. Lucasfilm has the means to deliver a beautiful, clean transfer of the OT with the original 70mm soundtrack. Then they can do whatever the heck they want with the special editions and never hear another peep of complaint out of anyone.

I agree, SilverWook. I think the whole "True Motion" interpolation technology is an abomination, and I think it's quite literally damaging both to content subjected to it, and to the public's perception of what true 60fps film is like.

thejediknighthusezni said:

   The Seven Samurai- MAGNIFICENT!!

My favorite movie of all time!

I just finished the 6-part BBC miniseries The Edge of Darkness. Really, really great political/tech thriller. 8/10 black flowers.

SilverWook said:

Older movies shot at a lower frame rate do look like they were shot on video when those sports/game modes are engaged though. Some people may think it's cool, but it's not what most movies are supposed to look like.

Many HD sets have the thing on by default out of the box, and the off switch is usually buried deep in a sub menu. Check out most home theater setups at stores like Best Buy and the "soap opera" effect will be noticeable.

That's not at all what I'm talking about. That's interpolation, which generates new frames and I agree looks awful. It's exactly this kind of confusion that makes people say "you don't want 60fps because it will look like a soap opera."

pat man said:

remember the Blu-ray still has crushed blacks.

I think adywan can't help but remember with every frame he corrects. ;-)