@NeowinFeed: Adobe to discontinue Flash for Android and PlayBook #adobe #flash http://t.co/hBq0pFqf #neowin
Quick Thought November 08, 2011 at 07:06PM
Apple banishes expert who exposed software flaw http://t.co/yoKfg4fR via @reuters
Quick Thought November 04, 2011 at 03:19PM
Why PCs trump iPads for innovation http://t.co/eZaZzYr7
Quick Thought November 03, 2011 at 12:07PM
LomoKino Super 35 Movie Maker lets you channel your inner Charlie Chaplin for $80 http://t.co/ryBwQN3L via @engadget
Too Big to Fail (2011)
2008 was a rough year. And that’s to put it mildly. HBO’s movie “Too Big To Fail” deals with the complicated situation of the financial meltdown of 2008. Names of companies and people who were all in the front page headlines of that year are all represented in this film. The drama that unfolds as the crisis gets worse is portrayed by an all-star cast.
The movie is typical of HBO movies and series, that is to say, it’s well done. The production is high quality as is the cast and direction. While discussing banking and financial matters can be, to say the least, boring, this movie does an excellent job translating that to the layman. I did not find myself overwhelmed when they talked about ideas such as “Credit Default Swaps” or “capitalization” because the writers did a good job of explaining just what those things were and how they played into the situation. Also, for such a large cast of characters, all who interacted in much of the film, they did a good job of labeling people with a subtitle and mentioning people by their names so that you weren’t confused. That might sound silly but when you see the large cast of characters that were involved, it becomes necessary just to keep things straight.
The Hustler (1961)
Who’s the better hustler is the name of the game in The Hustler. The 1961 film is the tale of the up and coming pool hustler, Fast Eddie Felson, played by Paul Newman and his desire to challenge the legendary pool hustler, Minnesota Fats played by Jackie Gleason. Fast Eddie is the young, cool and confident pool hustler from California. He and his partner, Charlie, have been working their way across America to challenge the master, the cool and confident, established Minnesota Fats. Along the way, Fast Eddie meets Sarah, played by Piper Laurie, who’s a hustler in her own right. She comes across as the “damsel in distress” which sucks Felson in. When Eddie has a falling out with his partner, he falls under the wing of notorious gambler, Burt Gordon played by George C. Scott who is also a hustler (as most gamblers are).
At the core of the movie is the clash between generations. Fast Eddie wants to be the best. He wants to overtake Minnesota Fats who is the establishment. Eddie feels that he has what it takes to beat Fats but he’s schooled that it takes more than just talent to be the best.
Trinity and Beyond (1995)
Atomic explosions and Shatner? How can you not watch? Released in 1995, Trinity and Beyond has been billed as “the Atomic Bomb Movie” which would be a bit inaccurate since it deals with more than just the Atomic bomb. It deals with the Hydrogen bomb as well.
The concept behind the documentary, nuclear explosions as art, may seem almost demented to some but in execution, the film is visually appealing and dare I say artistic. The original footage has been dutifully restored to a condition that is probably better than the original. Add to this, a dramatic music score that plays up the drama of the visuals in the film and you have something that will grab your interest. And the movie isn’t just a bunch of explosions. You learn the history of atomic testing and even get to see an interview with the father of the Hydrogen bomb, Edward Teller.
East of Eden (1955)
James Dean didn’t have a long film career but the 3 films he starred in were all big films. East of Eden was the first of those three. Based in 1917, right before the start of the First World War, it’s the story of sibling rivalry between two brothers. One brother, Aron, is the “good” brother while Cal, played by Dean, is the “bad” brother. It was meant to be a retelling of the story of Cain and Abel except with a different outcome.
The movie itself is a 50′s Big Screen American movie. It starts with an Overture. The outdoor scenes are large, vast views of the world. The film used 20th Century Fox’s CinemaScope anamorphic lens to get this look.
The film is also typical Elia Kazan (which by it’s nature, means it’s a classic). Kazan works to have you cheering for the underdog. He uses his actors to put together an emotional story that sucks you in. He deals with subjects that have controversy such as a father who is religious and a mother who’s a madam. He has you on the side of a German immigrant who’s facing anti-German sentiment in the face of a war with Germany. You can swap out the controversies and the underdogs in just about any Kazan film and get similar results. That’s his formula and it works.
The Cranes are Flying (1957)
The Cranes are Flying
There’s not a lot I could say about the Cranes are Flying that hasn’t been said already. The film is considered a classic, shot unlike any movie before it and very few since. The film starts as a love story between a young man (Boris) and a young woman (Veronica) that is abruptly interrupted by the start of World War II. As things tend to be during war, neither knows of what happens to the other after they are separated early in the film. Boris is sent to the front where he has to deal with the realities of war. Veronica stays in Moscow where she deals with the realities of life in the war torn Soviet Union.
Veronica is played by the stunning Tatyana Samoilova. She is on the screen most of the film and her performance is nothing less than spectacular. Boris is played by Alexei Batalov who puts in a good performance himself. I have to say, the other movie I had seen with Batalov before was “Moscow does not believe in tears” and his performance there was better so it skewed my thoughts of his job in “The Cranes are Flying.” That’s not to say that he was bad because he was not. The young actors handle the heavy subject of war, loss and despair very well and help bring this story to life.
Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
Ballad of a Soldier is a Soviet film from the post-Stalinistic era. The film covers the wartime activity of Alexei (referred to as Alyosha in the movie – Alyosha is the diminutive or familiar version of Alexei). Alexei, as a reward for his heroic actions on the front, is given a 6 day pass (2 days to travel to home, 2 days for home and 2 days to return). The plan for his leave goes wrong quick though in the war ravaged Soviet Union but as when all plans go bad, there’s an interesting story
Alexei is the model Red Army soldier. He doesn’t abandon his post. He does not brag of his actions. He does his best to bring the best out of people. He is strong in the face of corruption. He loves his mother. He loves his Rodina (motherland). In that aspect, this movie is a propaganda film. Alyosha dies (that’s not a spoiler, you learn that within the first minute of the film) but the film doesn’t dwell on his death. Instead it talks of his life and what he was able to do with it. For that reason, the movie doesn’t leave you sad.
