Cormac McCarthy: The Road

I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road and I am disappointed. The book is being hailed as one of the best pieces of literature in the last 25 years but I just don't see it. From a book being called that, I expect it to grip me, to twist me, to reveal to me some secret about human emotion and teach me something about myself or humanity. A book that shakes me awake, holds me tight and alters my view of the world or ar least gives me a new perspective. Something that explores who we are and gives me rigid truth about ourselves. Instead I got a shallow book about a man and his son wandering about in a grey landscape, every once in a while, repetitively, being fed a simple and detached emotion simulating loneliness, hopelessness and the basis of human being when there is nothing left to live for. And the accomplishment to point out over 307 pages that there is nothing left, to me, is none. Too shallow. No questions answered, no interpretation wanted. Story lost.

Get your tissues ready: Porn on planes! Oh my!

I watched NBC Nighlty News tonight. And was dumbfounded by what they reported on. Or basically what they made up to report on:

http://www.nbc5i.com/travelgetaways/17435300/detail.html

Basically what that "newsstory" says is that internetporn is invading new internet capable planes and there have been complaints about it. Funny that in the "newssegment" on TV there was no interview with anyone that actually had seen that. But of course it must be true. I can just see it in front of me: Guys, whipping out their wieners left and right in front all the other passengers, while they are watching a midget, wearing a cowboy outfit, being shoved up a womans... well you get the idea.

NBC. Seriously?! I mean, come ooon! What a load of crap!

Porn has been around longer than the internet. And at every American airport you can buy hardcore uncensored porn mags like Hustler or any of the others that suit your taste. Never once in my lifetime of flying (and believe me, I have flown quite a lot) have I seen anyone whip out a pornmag. Not once. Why? Because it is freaking embarrassing! It is like having your pants pulled down in front of a large crowd while see you parents doing the nasty. It is just wrong and awkward!

But of course, porn mags being sold at an airport are no issue and nobody really cared about that, but all of a sudden that the internet has arrived in planes, everybody has lost their inhibitions and porn is acceptable in front of strangers. What nonsense...

I $&*#$@!* hate video editing software

I can't sleep. Not because I am not tired but because editing a movie is driving me crazy. OK, so here is the deal. I am trying to make a little clip. I have a camera (Sony HDR-SR11) which records in AVCHD and also MPEG for normal non high-def Movies. Of course I want to edit the movie and put it on a DVD with as little quality loss as possible.

Problem number 1: When I import the MPEGs into Final Cut Express, there is no audio track. Also I sort have found a workaround for that.

Problem number 2: On fast camera movements the picture of the edited movie sometime skips. It is just not smooth which it should be.

Problem number 3: Also on fast movements the, the pic seems out of sync. Someone told me it has to do with interlaced and progressive. Why is it there in the first place alhtough I don't see this when I look at the footage on my camera? And how do I change it? Again, with best quality possible.

Problem number 4: What file should I export the edited movie to? What are the best settings for the best quality? Is it possible to export the movie without any quality loss at all?

Seriously, these things have been driving me nuts the last couple of days. It cannot be that editing material, shot with a regular camcorder is impossible to edit in a good quality. If anyone can help me or knows anyone that can, please tell me in the comments.

The new Coen, the next Lebowski? Burn After Reading. A review.

I love the Coen Brothers. They are like Stanley Kubrick or Wes Anderson: Their movies have a unique style that you will always be able to pick out. Rather than special FX, they rely on a good story, strong characters and dialogue. Burn After Reading is very Coen.

The Coens have done quite a bunch of comedies by now. Raising Arizona is a classic, while films like O Brother and Ladykillers dissapointed me. The Big Lebowski is in my opinion one of the best not only in the genre, but also one of the best films of all time. The love of detail in that movie is extraordinary. Yet, Lebowski had too many interwoven plots which was confusing for many people. Also Lebowski was a follow-up to an Oscar winning, more serious, film so expectations ran very high. This is also something that can be said of Burn After Reading.

I fear a lot of critics will have the same problems with Burn After Reading.

Where the film really differs from the Lebowski is, that it doesn't really have a central character. Or at least one that is that obvious. Which actually fits perfectly with the whole spy/agent theme of the film. So here is the plot in a nutshell:

Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) works for the CIA but gets the boot from his current assigment. Because of that he quits his job altogether. Unfortunately his wife Katie (Tilda Swinton), is not too happy with the situation because she is having an affair with womanizer Harry (George Clooney) and ultimatly wants a divorce. She secretly recovers all data from her husbands computer, which also contains his memoirs about working at the CIA, to give to her divorce lawyer. All this data however, ends up in the hands of fitness trainer Chad (Brad Pitt) and his co-worker Linda, played by Francis McDormand, who needs money to get some plastic surgery done. So they put a plan in motion to blackmail Osborne. And of course, that's where all the trouble starts.

As I mentioned earlier, the biggest problem of the film is, that there is no obvious central character that takes you by the hand throughout the movie. But that really remains the films only problem, if you will call it that. Other than that, I have to say this is definitely one of the best Coen movies so far. And that says a lot. Every single person you see in this film, and I really mean that, is so perfectly cast and detailled. The dialogue is incredibly funny and smart. Seriously, if you like Coen films, you will laugh your ass off at some of the things being said on screen. This movie also showcases the formidable acting of all the participants. The performances drew me in and didn't let me go.

Burn is a gem. Many people will not get it, just like the Lebowski, because the humor happens on many different levels and doesn't hit you blunt in the face. And while being funny, in that Coen kind of way, it also has dark and brutal moments, also in that Coen kind of way, that remind me of Fargo. Once again, the Coens prove that they are the masters of showing the human tragedy. Burn After Reading is not as heavy as No Country but you can definitely watch it more often. I know I will. This is a Coen Classic.

Back to the Future: He-Man

Aaah yeeeaah... Time to sit down in the ol' rockin' chair and get my memory on of days long gone. Who doesn't fondly remember the time, when work was something that consisted of sitting in a sandbox all day and playing with some sort of action figure. Well, my weapon of choice at the age of 4, besides the Star Wars toys, was

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

I loved to play with those dol... action figures I mean! And not only were the toys great but especially the audio tapes rocked!!!! In my childhood I posessed all of them until I gave them away to the neighbors kids because I wanted to be more grown up. Here is advice to all you 4 year olds reading my blog: Stay young and don't grow up. You hear me? DON'T... GROW... UP...!!!!! And don't give away your toys. Ever.

So I have been listening to the stories for a while now every night before I go to sleep. Of course they basically are a commercial for the toys but some of the stories are really pretty good and somewhat deep. Like when you find out that Beast-Man actually was a smart scientist before Skeletor screwed him over. In some of the stories there are not only just good and evil characters but some in between. You got some great voice actors in there too and can basically hear the high production value. Good stuff that I will never forget and always cherish.

I even liked the (crappy) real action movie that came out with Dolph Lundgren. Unfortunately all things have to end sooner or later as is also the case with He-Man. Mattel relaunched the Masters of the Universe with The New Adventures of He-Man line, which failed big time. It was actually the worst thing they could have done. Oh well. There even was a comic where He-Man battled Superman. Unfortunately, I have never seen it. I really would have liked to read it.


So, what I am trying to tell you - well, and mostly myself - it is Ok for a grown man to listen to stories for 4 year olds. I just don't know whether it is OK for a grown man to dress up like this:

Celebrity Sightings Part 2

Three celebrities in three days. Not bad I would say. So who did I see? And where? Well, I actually saw two of them in one and the same spot. I was enjoying a lunch at a restaurant called Coffeeshop on Union Square (regular hangout for actors and models) when I noticed this dude sitting at a table not too far away from mine:



Can you guess who that is? Well, he is in one of my favorite movies of all time: Stand by me. Furtherore he will star in the upcoming show Do Not Disturb.



But on top of that, after a while this guy came in and sat down at another table:



That's right, Joshua Jackson who will be in Lost creator J. J. Abrams' next show called Fringe which is a bit like X-Files. Fortuntely, I have already seen the first episode and was not that impressed. Partly also due to the fact that Jackson really doesn't fit into the role he is playing. Abrams should have cast someone else.

Last but not least I saw one of my childhood idols at a restaurant called Pastis in the meatpacking district of Manhatten. Back in the day the butchers processed meat in that area but all that has changed. Now it has a lot restaurants, bars and clubs that attract a more yuppie crowd. But enough NYC history, I saw no other than:


Boris Becker. He was enjoying lunch with his kids. No woman at his side though. Oh man, I will never forget his great matches at Wimbledon. After all he is the best tennis player that ever came out of Germany.