Category Archives: arts

has self-parody always been a thing?

Posted on Thursday, 2013 September 19 by Anton

The movie Taras Bulba (1962) opens with a narration. I thought: Have I heard that narrator before? Have I heard a parody of that narrator? Yes and yes. It was Paul Frees, who also narrated Dudley Do-Right.

Posted in cinema | 1 Comment

pass the time by tracing rays

Posted on Sunday, 2013 June 23 by Anton

I had assumed that Pixar did not use ray-tracing because it could not provide certain desired lighting effects. Now Dad tells me that Monsters University is Pixar’s first ray-traced feature, which implies that the speed wasn’t available until now.

Posted in cinema, neep-neep | 1 Comment

To your rearranged bodies go

Posted on Saturday, 2013 June 15 by Anton

I’m re-reading To Your Scattered Bodies Go and, of course, pondering the arrangements. The premise is that all humans who ever died (for some convenient definitions of ‘human’ and ‘ever’) are simultaneously resurrected (for purposes unknown to them) on an … Continue reading →

Posted in prose | 7 Comments

what didn’t happen in Juneau didn’t stay in Juneau

Posted on Friday, 2013 March 29 by Anton

In “It Happened in Juneau”, near the end of the third season of Northern Exposure (one of very few TV series of which I’ve seen every episode twice), Maggie flies Joel to Juneau for a conference; they both get lonely, … Continue reading →

Posted in cinema, ethics, psychology | Leave a comment

Leviathan’s appetite

Posted on Sunday, 2013 February 03 by Anton

Fred Astaire was 42 years old when his character was drafted in You’ll Never Get Rich, released some months before Pearl Harbor. What?!

Posted in cinema | 1 Comment

back

Posted on Sunday, 2013 January 13 by Anton

I return to Cascadia after a 39-day visit with Dad in the high desert. He forgives me for not fully sharing his admiration for dry scenery. We watched a slew of movies together: Wreck-It Ralph; Midnight in Paris; Dr Horrible’s … Continue reading →

Posted in cinema, me!me!me! | Leave a comment

still watching movies

Posted on Thursday, 2011 December 29 by Anton

Le Dîner des Cons (The Dinner Game) is delightful. The Lion King is better than I expected, though I don’t quite get how the rightful king prevents drought. Only one of the songs is abominable. The Matrix (again). At 111 … Continue reading →

Posted in cinema | 1 Comment