Category Archives: cinema

pass the time by tracing rays

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.

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

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

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Leviathan’s appetite

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

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back

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

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still watching movies

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

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losses in translation

Whenever I watch a recent French movie, I miss just enough wordplay to wish it had French subtitles.

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Sukyandaru

Kurosawa’s Scandal has his two favorite actors, Mifune and Shimura. When the latter appeared, I thought “ah, it’s Shimura — or is it?” His speech and mannerisms were curiously unlike those of his other characters.

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