Films and books
As I mentioned earlier we jumped on the Netflix bandwagon about a month ago now. We settled for the unlimited one movie at a time deal. Considering the proximity of their distribution center, Salem, it adds up to two movies per week. Not bad for $10 a month. Before I give you a list with commentary of the recently watched and read, I want to briefly discuss the movie industry because they drive me nuts.
It is pretty obvious that their efforts to stem illegal online downloading are not working. I think there are two reasons for that; price and convenience. I am hardly the only one to think that multiplexes are not delivering on their promises; otherwise their business would be brisker. I find their fare to be both bland and over priced. It is not so much that I am too highbrow minded for action flicks. I have watched the latest James Bond and Pirates of the Caribbean’s. But I waited until they were played at the $3 theatre pub. I don’t think either was worth a twenty to go with my fiancée.
How could studios increase their sales? I think that a business model based on the iTunes store might be a good idea. (I find that 99 cents per song is a rip off because it adds up to the cost of a regular CD with the inferior quality of mpeg.) Being able to download movies and burn a copy for a reasonable price. It could be a flat fee per gigabytes or per movie. I believe that people won’t break the law if a convenient alternative is available. The point the studios miss is that a lot of those downloaders are collector types who want to amass even if they don’t watch right away, hence the necessity for a business based on volume.
I don’t know what the price point should be for the industry but for me it was those 10 bucks. I have to admit that since we bought into Netflix the thought of downloading over the Internet has not even crossed my mind. I have a mediocre connection that comes with rent and I am unwilling to spend more for truly high-speed Internet.
Princess Mononoke: Japanese Anime movie. It has a great story line; credible multi-dimensional characters and the drawings are well done. I would recommend it to people who don’t like anime as a first venture into the genre. It was my second time watching it and I enjoyed as much as the first.
The Confederate States of America: it's a mock documentary about the history of the U.S. after the South won the Civil War. It’s hilarious but in a very dark, wry kind of way. It’s interesting because it forces you to realize the extent of the influence of slavery well after the Civil War ended. The filmmaker points out that even though the North won the war and slavery ended, many Southern behaviors moved to Union states in the form of segregation. Any bona fide history buff must watch this movie.
March of the Penguins: we watched the U.S. version with commentary by Morgan Freeman. The photography is absolutely marvelous. I would like to watch the French version from the point of view of the penguins. I highly recommend it as well.
The Simpsons Season 1: ok maybe not a classic but they are consistently funny and interesting. The drawings are a little sketchier than current episodes but the humor is intact.
Now that I am driving buses again and am out of college I have been knocking a few titles off my reading list as well. My “waiting to be read” shelves are actually diminishing for the first time in years.
The art of war (Sun Tzu). A military classic if there ever was. Having read it I now wonder why I waited so long. It is very nicely translated in English, has tons of footnotes and extensive appendices. Even for those of you who are not interested in military matters it should be on your reading list because it’s a classic of Chinese thought, and the rules in it are applicable to any kind of endeavor that forces someone to show leadership. (Business, raising kids, sports,…)
Les dimanches d’un bourgeois de Paris (Maupassant). The Sundays of a Paris’ bourgeois are Maupassant’s often funny take on Parisian society of the mid 1800s through the portrait of a lackluster civil servant. The critic is often acidic and the reader has many good laughs. It’s a fairly short read.
L’éducation d’une fée (Didier van Cauwelaert). The education of a fairy. If you have ever read van Cauwelaert you will readily recognize his style and humor in this slim volume. He aboards the same themes than in Cheyenne: love between adults, loss of innocence, etc. It unfortunately isn’t translated in English. Powells has it in English. I would recommend One Way (Un aller simple) for those of you who are unfamiliar with him. I obviously don’t know how good either translation is but I would hope the charm of the original French is kept.
And currently I am reading Justine ou les malheurs de la vertu and What color is your parachute?
It is pretty obvious that their efforts to stem illegal online downloading are not working. I think there are two reasons for that; price and convenience. I am hardly the only one to think that multiplexes are not delivering on their promises; otherwise their business would be brisker. I find their fare to be both bland and over priced. It is not so much that I am too highbrow minded for action flicks. I have watched the latest James Bond and Pirates of the Caribbean’s. But I waited until they were played at the $3 theatre pub. I don’t think either was worth a twenty to go with my fiancée.
How could studios increase their sales? I think that a business model based on the iTunes store might be a good idea. (I find that 99 cents per song is a rip off because it adds up to the cost of a regular CD with the inferior quality of mpeg.) Being able to download movies and burn a copy for a reasonable price. It could be a flat fee per gigabytes or per movie. I believe that people won’t break the law if a convenient alternative is available. The point the studios miss is that a lot of those downloaders are collector types who want to amass even if they don’t watch right away, hence the necessity for a business based on volume.
I don’t know what the price point should be for the industry but for me it was those 10 bucks. I have to admit that since we bought into Netflix the thought of downloading over the Internet has not even crossed my mind. I have a mediocre connection that comes with rent and I am unwilling to spend more for truly high-speed Internet.
Princess Mononoke: Japanese Anime movie. It has a great story line; credible multi-dimensional characters and the drawings are well done. I would recommend it to people who don’t like anime as a first venture into the genre. It was my second time watching it and I enjoyed as much as the first.
The Confederate States of America: it's a mock documentary about the history of the U.S. after the South won the Civil War. It’s hilarious but in a very dark, wry kind of way. It’s interesting because it forces you to realize the extent of the influence of slavery well after the Civil War ended. The filmmaker points out that even though the North won the war and slavery ended, many Southern behaviors moved to Union states in the form of segregation. Any bona fide history buff must watch this movie.
March of the Penguins: we watched the U.S. version with commentary by Morgan Freeman. The photography is absolutely marvelous. I would like to watch the French version from the point of view of the penguins. I highly recommend it as well.
The Simpsons Season 1: ok maybe not a classic but they are consistently funny and interesting. The drawings are a little sketchier than current episodes but the humor is intact.
Now that I am driving buses again and am out of college I have been knocking a few titles off my reading list as well. My “waiting to be read” shelves are actually diminishing for the first time in years.
The art of war (Sun Tzu). A military classic if there ever was. Having read it I now wonder why I waited so long. It is very nicely translated in English, has tons of footnotes and extensive appendices. Even for those of you who are not interested in military matters it should be on your reading list because it’s a classic of Chinese thought, and the rules in it are applicable to any kind of endeavor that forces someone to show leadership. (Business, raising kids, sports,…)
Les dimanches d’un bourgeois de Paris (Maupassant). The Sundays of a Paris’ bourgeois are Maupassant’s often funny take on Parisian society of the mid 1800s through the portrait of a lackluster civil servant. The critic is often acidic and the reader has many good laughs. It’s a fairly short read.
L’éducation d’une fée (Didier van Cauwelaert). The education of a fairy. If you have ever read van Cauwelaert you will readily recognize his style and humor in this slim volume. He aboards the same themes than in Cheyenne: love between adults, loss of innocence, etc. It unfortunately isn’t translated in English. Powells has it in English. I would recommend One Way (Un aller simple) for those of you who are unfamiliar with him. I obviously don’t know how good either translation is but I would hope the charm of the original French is kept.
And currently I am reading Justine ou les malheurs de la vertu and What color is your parachute?
Labels: CSA, March of the Penguins, Maupassant, Netflix, Princess Mononoke, Sun Tzu, van Cauwelaert
posted by Sgt. B. at 12:14 PM
4 Comments:
I'd go to the movies a lot more if they showed things I'd like to watch. Alas.
Bond was worth a big screen though. Movies with guns and exploding things always are.
My thoughts on the current state of paying for downloads is:
- Mostly I'd rather buy physical, anyway. Different reasons for different things, but mainly I like having physical backups of things.
- Besides, like you note with iTunes, it's not like I'm saving any money, here. If I'm paying you the same price as a CD, give me a _CD_, guys. I find this especially onerous for certain books, where it's $30 for either a PDF or a printed book, which as far as I can tell is just them jacking the PDF price up to screw me.
I can probably recommend you a whole ton of anime well worth seeing. Starting with Ghost In the Shell. Plenty of others, too.
Ok, I will add it to my Netflix queue.
As a matter of fact I think that I have part or most of it. The story line seems familiar
To be clear, there's a GITS movie (2 actually), plus two TV shows (Stand Alone Complex and SAC: 2nd GiG). The first movie is merely ok, but it's become something of a seminal SF moment, so. OTOH, Stand Alone Complex is utter genius and should be seen.
Also of note:
1. Cowboy Bebop - Bounty hunters in space. Very quirky and stylish, and the soundtrack is pretty amazing. Also in movie and TV versions. Watch the show, come back for the movie.
2. Samurai Champloo - Edo-period samurai drama ala Kurosawa, with a hip-hop soundtrack. Trust me, it works.
3. I don't think I ever made you guys watch the Shogun miniseries, though Tali's read the book (did I make you?). Also worth watching. Not anime.
4. Also of general "seminal work for SF" interest is Neon Genesis Evangelion, although if you watch the show, also get the End of Evangelion movie and just skip the last 2 eps. You'll love yourself more.
5. Trigun's another space western. About half comedy, half drama, forms into excellent whole.
6. Full Metal Panic! will make you laugh, because hey, mecha combat with high school comedy. If it doesn't, Fumoffu will. OTOH, I think you get an otaku membership card with every rental.
...yes, I've more or less been watching anime for the last couple of years. Why do you ask?
Post a Comment
<< Home