Awesome Video Saturday XXXXVIII

Whether your message gets across is determined by the presentation. An example:

Da Da Da Daa! Da Da Daa!

So a movie that I've been expecting for 18 years finally arrives, and I feel like it was worth the wait. There are a few ways to judge the film:

1. What if there had never been any previous Indiana Jones films. Would this be an enjoyable movie?

Yes. Definitely. Not a perfect movie, but I laughed out loud, clapped with joy/astonishment/horror. As a film experience it was a really good one.

2. How does this movie fit in with the rest of the series?

Very well. It does homage and adds to the legacy. It takes a few minutes to feel "in the swing" but after that it feels like an Indy movie.

I'm not a film critic, but I think I have a pretty good sense for what makes a good film. This is a crowd-pleaser, prompted the right amount of nostalgia, and brought fire back to one of my all-time favorite actors.

If you never liked Indiana Jones, or found a movie like National Treasure unenjoyable, you should probably skip it. If you have a soul, you'll probably like it. Pretty straightforward that way.

Counting Down

We're just a few days from the premiere of Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. Much of the buzz has been positive. Tuesday I will finish my Indiana Jones Film Festival with The Last Crusade.

From the perspective of a dispassionate film critic the movie may not be perfect. I won't be looking at it that way. Spielberg and Lucas have given me back part of my childhood. That makes it worth the $9 and 2 hours of my day.

Go Joe!

There are a lot of cool pictures of characters from the upcoming GI Joe film. Dennis Quaid is playing General Hawk:

Also May 22

I've already got my tickets for the 7:15 show:

I'll be there July 18

SPOTD #139

This is a long edition. I had some time to do some music reviews and other things that I wanted to share. As always I encourage you to visit the blog. I've been focusing on Latin American issues to a greater degree, which has been relatively easy considering the amount of attention being given to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

I also posted a video from the set of Twilight, a movie that I know some of you are eagerly aniticipating.

Today's phrase:
From Plato:

Actual:
La música es para el alma lo que es la gimnasia para el cuerpo.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Lah moo-see-kah ess pah-rah ell ahl-mah low kay ess lah heem-nah-syah pah-rah ell cware-poe.

Translation:
Music is for the soul what gymnastics is for the body.

Música
I've purchased some new music lately that I wanted to share. Some of these were actually bought several months ago, so I'm playing catch-up.
-Wyclef Jean's new CD has some good numbers. Nothing will compare to The Carnival for me. That was one of my most frequently listened-to CD's during my freshman year in college, as the guys who knew me then can attest. To some extent, I think the inclusion of guest performers on almost every song has actually weakened the quality of the music, which I thought was best served by Wyclef's own abilities. Then again, I'm not a millionaire singer/songwriter/producer. I can't vouch for the disc as family-friendly, as I haven't listened to the whole thing. One nice track to download would be Any Other Day with Norah Jones.
-Gnarls Barkley released a new CD, and with little fanfare considering the success of their first album. The new one is also pretty great. Cee-lo has such a distinctive voice.
-Paolo Nutini showed up as a recommendation on iTunes. I downloaded one of his songs, New Shoes, and really liked it so I decided to buy the rest. New Shoes is the peppiest song on the album, but I like the whole thing. It's a good set to have on in the background and just listen to while you're hanging out, driving, whatever.
-Bossa N Roses is one of the best finds I've made lately. It is a cover album consisting of electro-bossa nova versions of Guns N Roses' most well-known songs. My favorite is definitely Patience, but Sweet Child of Mine is pretty good as well. It helps you appreciate the excellent melodies of GNR's songs, and is another album that can be in the background without overpowering your ears or freaking out the kids. Can't necessarily say the same of the originals. I'm not saying these are better, but they're enjoyable like the Easy All Stars.
-Radiohead released their latest, In Rainbows, quite a while ago. I was late to the show on this one, which is silly because I've enjoyed everything that they've done, even if it took a little work to "get." I think it's a strong effort, a nice mix of electronic and more traditional instruments.

Travel Notes
-I ate at a restaurant that I'd never tried before, J Alexander. I met my friend, the recently engaged Lisa Chau, and her fiance. The portions are enormous and quite good. Even better than that, J Alexander surprised me in another impressive way. I have long felt that the best restaurants are those that have the Sports section affixed to bulletin boards over the urinals. You guys will understand. J Alexander has small LCD televisions over each station! Fantastic!
-Atlanta Hartsfield International airport has never been a favorite of mine. 90% of the flights that I have taken since moving to Gainesville in 1989 have gone through Atlanta. I had one of the longest nights of my life there in 2001, spending 8 hours in a plane that never left the ground due to bad weather. Well, this last trip that I took was the first where Atlanta was actually my final destination. Knowing Atlanta's reputation as one of the busiest airports in the U.S. I was prepared for the worst. I was wrong. Painless bag retrieval. Painless transport from the airport. Painless check in and very fast security lines.

Nostalgia Corner
-I saw a huge Indiana Jones poster at the Atlanta airport. Less than one month. This movie will be outstanding, I can feel it. When is the last time that Spielberg made a "fun" movie? The last one I can think of is probably The Lost World, although that film was not his best effort. Harrison Ford has always been a favorite actor of mine, so I'll be there opening night, the 7:15 showing.
-Transformers was one of the most enjoyable movies of last summer for me. It wasn't the best movie, not by a longshot, but I enjoyed every moment. This trip I borrowed my brother's DVD to watch it again. The film's flaws became more apparent, but I enjoyed it just as much.
-GI Joe is currently in production. This WAS my favorite cartoon as a child, with Transformers being second and He-Man third. I'm sure I'll post more info in the future.

Wow
David Blaine held his breath for 17 minutes. Have you ever seen some of the stuff this guy can do? I think he has a deal with the devil.

Link of the Day
I admire elite-level athletes, but this story is one of the special ones.

We killin' some people

This one's for the ladies (and guys) who like the Twilight series.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Summer Season

I am very excited about several movies this summer, most notably Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Dark Knight. I already have my tickets for Indy for opening night, but will have to bide my time for the latter, seeing some more pictures of Batman.

Here they are.

Awesome Video Saturday XXXXI

These are two funny videos. The first one is a nice commentary on the silly way that many people get up-in-arms about book-to-film (or comic-to-film) adaptations.



I almost didn't post this one because it may cross the line into poor taste. Still, I laughed, so here goes.

Wow

SPOTD #138

Howdy folks. I hope all is well.

Today's phrase:
Whatever we're going through, chances are we've been there before. From Lord Byron.

Actual:
El mejor profeta del futuro es el pasado.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Ell may-hore pro-fay-tah dale foo-too-row ess ell pah-sah-doh.

Translation:
The best prophet of the future is the past.

Perfection
Only 4 more months until the college football begins. This is a very positive article about the BYU Cougars and the resurgence of the program as led by Coach Bronco Mendenhall. It's been fun.

Music
This is a very interesting transcript from a short segment on NPR.

Bruta
This is a great review of the Porsche GT2. It is blazing fast. It never ceases to amaze me what Porsche can do with a 6 cylinder engine.

Eric's Bad Movies
Eric Snider is my favorite movie critic. A few weeks ago he began a feature where he reviews bad movies. This one is for Superman IV, a movie I enjoyed a great deal as a kid but now find mostly unwatchable. It's a good review.

Infrastructure
Popular Mechanics has pointed out several aspects of US Infrastructure that need attention. Soon.

Dad's No Dummy
Advertisements portraying fathers as stupid are neither effective nor creative.

Link of the Day
Speed Racer looks crazy, and I think it will be awesome. Here's a little clip.

SPOTD #137

It has been a long while since the last SPOTD, although I have posted here at the blog (http://blog.spotd.net) regularly. The blog is less dependent on my laptop, which was un poco enfermo until last week. It is a short one, but I hope you enjoy.

Today's phrase:
We were invited to the house of some friends for dinner last Sunday. They made a fantastic meal of authentic mexican food- rice, refried beans, and best of all- tamales. Real, homemade tamales. These take hours to make. It was a treat, and gives rise to this thought:

Actual:
Panza llena, corazón contento

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Pawn-zah yay-nah core-ah-sewn cone-tain-toe.

Translation:
Full stomach, happy heart.

Películas
I enjoyed this Spanish-language film Ladrón que roba a ladrón (Thiefs steals from thief). It is an Oceans 11 style film about some thieves who plan a major heist using immigrants. It's short, humorous, and clever. It should be available at your local Blockbuster. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it was entertaining.
We took Joseph to see Horton Hears a Who and it was surprisingly (to me) enjoyable. I recommend it.

Golf
I haven't played golf in months, and have little time to do so as it is, but this article makes me want to keep at it. It's a nice story about that beautiful game.

Moses
I was saddened by the passing of Charlton Heston. This is a nice interview with him done by Entertainment Weekly in 1999.

Arthur Clarke
I'm a lifelong fan of Science Fiction, and Arthur Clarke was one of the pioneers of that genre. What is so interesting about writers like him is the tremendous impact that they've had on actual science and technological development. Get a sense for his life here.

Link of the Day
I thought this was a pretty great advertisement for BMW. I found it through Instapundit, who provides some interesting technical background into how they shot it.

RIP Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston has died. From a young age he impressed me with his presence as an actor. I appreciated his politics as well.

Entertainment Weekly has a brief look at some of his notable roles. The man had some good times.

Awesome Video Saturday XXXVI

From the Mouths of Babes, Star Wars Episode 4. Pretty awesome.

SPOTD #136

It has been far too long since the last SPOTD, so I bring you this short edition to get me back on track.

Today's phrase:
This will be a short edition. I have been busy on the SPOTD blog and In Rare Form. Be sure to check them out.
This is from Shakespeare:

Actual:
Brevedad es el alma de la agudeza

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Bray-vay-dahd ess ell al-mah day lah ah-goo-day-zah

Translation:
Brevity is the soul of wit.

Lamenting your Lambo
This is an interesting piece on the drawbacks of supercar ownership.

Obeying the Law
I really enjoyed this interview from the Tygrrrr Express with Dr. Walter Williams. Dr. Williams is a prominent conservative economist. His views on the role of government and strict adherence to the constitution are very interesing.

Into Africa
President Bush is quite popular in several African countries. The policies that have made him so popular are in opposition to the conservative principles espoused by Dr. Williams above, but I'm not going to fault the Pres for them right now, and neither does Live Aid honcho Bob Geldof.

Link of the Day
If you were old enough to watch movies in the 1980's, you will not regret following this link.

You're a teacher?

Just try and tell me this isn't going to gross $400 million.



Fantastic!

Awesome Video Saturday XXXI

This is a very poor video recording, but it is the teaser trailer for the new Star Trek movie, due in theaters next Christmas. You can see the super-high quality version here. Enjoy

I've got a good feeling about this

This is a great photograph, from an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair magazine. On the left is George Lucas, then Harrison Ford, and on the right is Stephen Spielberg. That is the ultimate entertainment triumvirate of my youth. From the three come Star Wars, E.T., The Fugitive, and of course, Indiana Jones.

The photograph accompanies an article about the 4th Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It is a good article, and it traces the relationship between these men, the creation of the character, and why Indiana Jones is such an enduring cinematic figure.

I love these stories. There is as much enjoyment in the memories that surround them as in the films themselves. I will be right there on May 22nd.

SPOTD #134

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I've had this half-completed for almost a month. Finally I have time to get it out.

As the first matter of business I would direct you to this post from the SPOTD blog, some great videos of the kids being kids. In the first one Joseph decides to feed Millie her dinner. In the second Millie doesn't know what to decide. It is amazing to watch these kids grow. I also have written some interesting things on the blog and at In Rare Form.

Today's phrase:
I've used this one before, but if it fits, it fits:

Actual:
¡Felíz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
¡Fay-lease nah-vee-dahd ee prose-pear-oh ahn-yo nway-voe.

Translation:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Stem Cells
This is a fantastic article about how one man decided to find an alternative to embryonic stem cells for research. He appears to have succeeded.

Buy, buy, buy
There is an interesting new retailer that wants your business:
http://www.buynlarge.com/
Actually, this is a site set up to promote Pixar's new film, Wall-E. I linked to the new trailer in last Saturday's AweVidSat.

Football & Loyalty
This is the time of year for the college and NFL coaching carousel to enter full swing. Bobby Petrino's exit from Atlanta is a key example of when this is handlef poorly.

Beedle
A very rare book was sold bY Sotheby's, with the proceeds going to charity. Read more about it here.

Polar Bears
Are they really that bad off due to climate change?

Trip Quiz
This website promises to provide, based on the results of a quiz, the perfect destination for your next trip.
http://www.besttripchoices.com/
Where will you be going?

Featuritis
What happens when bad features happen to good concepts? An epidemic.

Serving
This is a great article about the serving Miss Utah. She is a combat veteran and serving member of the Utah National Guard. This is a nice article about what kind of person she is.

Link of the Day
This is the link for the 2 minute preview to the next season of Lost. Shortened or not, I'll be watching when it comes back on the area in a few weeks.