The Jeremiad

Brand Loyalty...

2010-07-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

I buy stuff. I buy a lot of stuff sometimes. But I am not frivolous and rarely do I make impulse buying decisions. I do my research and I am more than happy to wait and let a product mature before I jump in. Case in point, I waited til the fourth generation before I purchased an iPhone. In fairness I did buy the very first Android phone but I've discussed how that turned out. For me the research threshold and therefore the time from interest to purchase increases with each $100 increment. Up to $100 I'm probably not going to do more than check the Amazon reviews and then find the lowest price. This is how I cam to own an $88 Aiptek digital camera/ camcorder a few years ago. It was perfectly serviceable and my expectations were low because of the sub $100 price.
Point being because of my diligence at being an informed consumer, I get asked to make purchasing recommendations a lot. To wit I have compiled a list of brands who's products I have bought for years and to whom I am very loyal because of the performance of those products.

ELECTRONICS

Computers:Apple, Inc.
This will come as a shock to no one who knows me. I have always been an Apple user and unless they switch their business model to all iPhones all the time I plan on always being an Apple user. I have only ever bought two non Apple computers. Both were cheap ($300 or less) netbooks and one of them I bought exclusively to install Mac OS X on. Apple makes the best hardware out there. They select the best components and use the highest quality materials and because they design the computers as well as the operating system the user gets a completely seamless experience that no PC manufacturer can claim.
No matter how good Windows gets you'll still have to run it on an ugly clunky Dell and hope that your system's specs will be enough for future upgrades. I would rather pay more up front for a beautiful machine that will be consistently upgraded by the manufacturer and therefore last me longer.

Music Player: Apple, Inc.
Yep it's a twofer for the folks from Cupertino. Honestly if you're not going to buy an iPod what are you going to buy? Sure the iPod was not the first Mp3 player but it was and is the best. In addition to the player you also have iTunes which revolutionized the way all of us listen to, store and eventually purchased music. Apple created a market for digital downloads and showed you could make money doing it. It's no coincidence that they control 70% of that market. No the iPod won't play a bunch of bizarre audio and video codecs or DivX but if you have a lot of those files you probably downloaded that content illegally any way and you can go to hell.

Peripherals: Logitech
As much as I love Apple's computer hardware I hate their peripherals (mice and keyboards). Every mouse Apple comes out with seems to have been designed by some shadowy pro Carpal Tunnel Syndrome cabal. My current iMac came with one of their Godawful Mighty Mouse mice and I've never even taken it out of the box. Same with the keyboard. I don't care for Apple's new ultra thin aluminum boards. I still like big chunky plastic keys. I had used the same Logitech mouse for years until I recently switched to a Kensington Expert Mouse (love it) but I carry a Logitech VX Nano in my bag for working away from home and when the Swine Flu was at it's worst I even brought my own Logitech keyboard into client's suites. Logitech is one of the Mac friendliest companies out there as well which goes a heck of a long way with me. In addition to mice and keyboards Logitech makes one hell of an universal remote which I highly recommend.

External Hard Drives: Lacie
While I have dabbled with other peripheral manufacturers (Macally, Kensington, etc) I have only and will only buy Lacie external hard drives. Specifically their d2 Quadra line which I have been buying for years. When you're an editor on the go like myself you find that having the ability to bring storage with you or having a place to store a client's finished project off your system drive is critical. Right now I have one 1.5TB d2 on my desk and three older models stored away in my closet. I also have a 500GB Rugged that I take with me on location. I have never had a problem with a drive manufactured by Lacie (knocks on wood) which to me makes them worth the money.

Cameras (still): Canon
This represents a change of heart for me. Back when I had my one and only retail job selling cameras I was a Nikon man all the way. This was in the 35mm film days and I think few could argue that point by point Nikon was the dominant manufacturer. The best 35mm camera money could buy back then was the Nikon F5. That camera still gives me chills. But up and down the product line Canon didn't have anything that could compete. Canon was busy getting Andre Agassi to endorse the then new Rebel line:

But what a difference a decade and a half makes. Partisans can argue all they want but for my money Canon is the digital camera manufacturer to patronize. I have been exceedingly happy with my G10 so much so that I have put off purchasing a planned DSLR since I bought it. When I do buy a DSLR though you can bet it will be a Canon and probably a Rebel T2i. Why? Because Canon has been at the forefront of pushing the envelope of what digital cameras can be. Consistently they have beat Nikon to market with new features and new products. Nikon has even admitted that they have nothing in their product line that competes with the Canon G series. Nikon still makes great DSLRs and still has great optics but my experience with Canon has won me over. While you're at it, a Manfrotto tripod will never let you down.

Cameras (Video): Panasonic
Honestly the only video camera that I own is my Kodak Zi8 (love it). When I shoot it's mostly for professional purposes and as such I rent the gear because it's too expensive and innovations happen way too fast to justify buying gear. But I do have folks who ask me for professional recommendations so here it is, get a Panasonic. I have been shooting on Panasonic cameras for over five years now and I have consistently been impressed with their ease of use, build quality, image quality and wealth of features. My favorites are the VariCam which I have used two iterations of now (tape and P2), the AG-HPX500 and the little workhorse I use most often the AG-HVX200.

I also have an Epson photo scanner I've been happy with, a Fujitsu document scanner that's given me mixed results and a HP printer that's worked fine for the extremely rare print job. I'm still on my first HDTV which I haven't even had for a year yet so I don't really have any particular loyalty but it is a Panasonic so I have stuck with that brand's HD products.

APPAREL

No one asks me for fashion advice and I am OK with that. In fact I wouldn't have it any other way but I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of brands who's products I use almost every day.

Jeans: Levis

I'm pissed they don't really make them in America any more but I still think they're tough to beat. I wear jeans probably 300 out of 365 days a year and nine times out of ten those jeans are Levis. They last forever and I think they look good. Plus they're an icon and I dig that.

Eyewear: Ray-Ban

I've worn Ray-Ban sunglasses for years and when I recently had to start wearing eyeglasses I stuck with them. Well made, fashionable and again, iconic. Well worth the money.

Footwear (Casual): Adidas

Specifically classic Sambas. They look cool, they last forever and they're a bargain to boot.

Footwear (Sport): New Balance

NB makes a high quality shoe with a great fit that will last the mileage. I like Nike also but the toe box is often too narrow for my feet. New Balance comes in a variety of widths. I have been buying their 400 series for years now and I have always been happy with them.

The balance of my apparel is made up of white tees (2xist lately) and then some form of shirt often supplied by Banana Republic. Then depending on what I'm doing (camping, hiking, working out, etc) or the time of year I round things out with Patagonia (outerwear, layers, tees), The North Face (outerwear, layers, gear) and Nike dri Fit.

BAGS

I tease my wife on occasion for her handbag obsession but I'd be a liar if I didn't own up to my own bag problem. As a production and post-production freelancer I have to be prepared for almost anything and as a result I have to have a variety of things with me. I've long since stopped bringing an editing laptop with me as I have a desktop at home and all of my clients have suites for me to use that are well equipped. So I sold the laptop bag with the laptop three years ago. But I still carry my G10, my Zi8 (which has come in handy professionally a few times now), my OS X netbook, a paper calendar/ planner, my wallet, my bus pass, my iPhone, water bottle, coffee cup, a book/ magazine and hopefully my lunch. The necessity for some of those items is brought on by being a mass transit using urbanite. As this leads to a lot of downtime to fill. But the bulk of it is stuff I use for work. So whenever I venture out of the house to go earn a living I have to have some way to lug this stuff around. And if I'm biking to work I have to add in a change of clothes, shoes, toiletries, plus bike gear. So over the years I have accumulated a collection of bags to help me out.

REI Whitney Backpack (discontinued): This was my first attempt at the perfect every day bag. A great backpack but too bulky for the bus and terrible to bike with.

Jack Spade Field Bag: I've had this bag for years. It can't carry everything I've listed but if I'm going on a directing or producing gig or meeting new clients, this is the bag I take. I think it's handsome and unlike most my other stuff it doesn't look like a piece of technical gear. It holds my netbook, planner, and phone with aplomb and some room to spare.

Patagonia Critical Mass Messenger Bag: This is my no screwing around bike commuting bag. It holds EVERYTHING and then some. Plus once you engage the t-strap and cinch it all down it's actually pretty comfortable to ride with.

The North Face Day Hiker: This guy is my utility infielder. It carries all my every day stuff but is small enough to not be too bulky. Empty it out and it functions great as a camera bag you can shoot from. Pull out the waist straps and it's great for light hiking or as a video production bag. If I'm going out of town this is my default carry on bag as well. It's not the most fashionable thing in the world but it works.

CARS

I've mostly owned German cars (Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Audi) and two Volvos. The fact that I now drive a Nissan should tell you something. It's no coincidence that the Japanese have succeeded while other countries have struggled or failed. Toyota's wildly overblown recent problems aside, the Japanese manufacturers simply build better day to day cars than everyone else. Hell they even build specialty cars that are as good or better than the competition. This is one category where I am often asked for advice and then completely disregarded so buy what you want but you will not be left stranded by a Japanese car.

MISC

A genuine Swiss Army Knife will never let you down. Likewise a Sharpie. I'm a fan of Moleskine products despite their hipness. They last for at least as long as it will take you to fill them and their paper quality is superb. A Seiko watch may not be a Rolex or a Tag but you won't feel bad if you drop it anywhere near as often as I seem to drop mine. Plus it performs the same operation (timekeeping) for a fraction of the cost.

Have your own opinions? Let me know in the comments.

1980's Film Festival: Day 4

2010-07-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

OK so I've put down my new iPhone, I've gotten my 4th of July camping out of my system and I am now ready to bring you the grand finale of our little festival. Hopefully you all haven't been waiting around impatiently as again this is meant to be something you're doing when the weather isn't absolutely awesome. Of course for my Mid-Atlantic friends it's hot death outside right now so by all means stay inside and enjoy.
So for our final film I'm going to break from our convention and actually go back a generation. To sum up everything we've covered in our three previous selections it's important to analyze the generation of Americans that were on the fore of the ideological shift that was taking place in the country at the dawn of the 1980's. The move from the left leaning community focused culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's to the individually focused materialism of the 1980's.

4) "The Big Chill"

Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 dramedy is about seven thirtysomething friends who reunite after the suicide of their friend Alex. Like the characters in our previous selections, especially day two's "St. Elmo's Fire", the members of this group have met the challenges of adult life in the 1980's with varying degrees of success. As I alluded to in the introduction this film's placement represents a purposeful shift from the direction we have been taking. Rather than follow our 80's archetypes through the tribulations of their thirties (which after all would have to be a 1990's movie) I am opting instead to end with an examination of characters old enough to be Andie, Blane and Duckie's youngish aunts and uncles.
These seven people represent that storied generation of Americans that while not the "Greatest Generation" were no less influential on our culture. This is the generation of sit-ins and uprisings. Of marches and riots. This is the generation that made love and not war. This generation buried John and Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcom X. This is the generation that wanted to change the world and ultimately failed in their attempt.
The battles for Civil Rights and Women's Rights were largely fought by the generation prior to their own. The true battle of the Hippies was not one of politics but of culture and while the culture would be forever influenced by them, the pendulum swing of the 1980's would mark their demise. This is what our selection today is about. How did that generation come to terms with their failures culturally even in the face of their own personal success? And is it wrong to pursue personal financial success even at the expense of personal ideology?
Despite this story being about people ten years their seniors, "The Big Chill" still serves as an extension of "St. Elmo's Fire". The seven friends are dealing with the pitfalls of adult life with Harold (Kevin Kline) and Sarah (Glenn Close) being the only stable members of the group and therefore the anchor keeping the group together. You could view Harold and Sarah as the Alec and Leslie of the film if Alec and Leslie were able to keep it together. Michael (Jeff Goldblum) is a journalist and the film's Kevin because aside from sharing a vocation both are unlucky in love and generally dripping with ennui. Nick (William Hurt) is a Vietnam Veteran who suffers from erectile dysfunction and drug addiction as a result of his experiences in war. Like SEF's Billy, Nick is unsure about where he fits in in this new culture. Nick is very much a stranger in a strange land. Sam (Tom Berenger) is a famous TV actor, Meg (Mary Kay Place) is an unhappy corporate lawyer with a ticking biological clock, and Karen is a bored housewife married to a straitlaced stiff. Chloe (Meg Tilly) rounds out the cast as the much younger girlfriend of the recently deceased Alex.
Ironically even with this dynamite cast delivering great performances, the most interesting character is the dead guy. The film is in some ways a mystery story as all of the friends convene over a long weekend and come to grips with why Alex took his own life. In the end Alex is all of our characters from all of the previous selections. He represents the disappointment that surely must have accompanied the death of 1960's idealism and the rise of 1980's capitalism. Alex, we learn, was smart and gifted in many ways. Alex is the misspent potential. Alex is the unfulfilled promise. Facing Alex's grim decision forces all of the friends to examine themselves and where they are in their own lives. All of them in one way or another feel just as lost if not as desperate. They all understand that their friendships with one another are all that remains to tie them to their idealistic pasts.
On a side note, the soundtrack to this film is UNBELIEVABLE. Don't look for The Rolling Stones' 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' on it however because the Stones are dicks when it comes to licensing their music even if they did allow the song to be in the movie.

There you have it four films (plus three additional selections) to enjoy over four days that will hopefully provide you with an understanding of where we were as a people and as a culture. It's fair to say that I have probably painted a pretty grim picture of that decade. I accept that. I think looking back on it we have to admit that culturally speaking things were at an historic low. It's easy to remember the crazy clothes, the New Wave music, your favorite TV show or pop culture trend and think fondly of the 1980's but it's also dishonest.
It was a decade that saw the Berlin Wall come down but also the outbreak of AIDS and a government that did little to control or even address it. Despite Nancy telling us to "Just say no!" the ghettos of America were reeling from the dawn of the crack era. We saw the divisions between rich and poor grow ever wider while the middle class drowned in credit card debt trying to stay above the one and catch up to the other. The decade gave rise to the Made in America label while at the same time we were losing our industrial and manufacturing jobs to other countries in the name of higher profit margins. Despite all of the Care Bears and Rainbow Brite dolls the 1980's were in actuality a pretty mean spirited decade.

1980's Film Festival Day 4 is coming...

2010-06-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

The weekend got away from me. I will have our final selection posted tonight.
Apologies.

- Jeremy

1980's Film Festival: Day 3

2010-06-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Our two selections so far have both in one way or another centered around friendships. "Pretty in Pink" had Andie and Duckie and showed the conflicts that arise with cultural shifts. Yesterday's film, "St. Elmo's Fire" had seven friends who were all drifting apart as a result of 80's culture. Today we will examine a film whos main character sacrifices friendship, love and even family just to succeed in the Reagan era. Today's film is our penultimate Official Selection. As such I find it fitting to present what may be the greatest cinematic evaluation of 1980's America's culture of greed and ambition.

3) "Wall Street"

Really that trailer says it all and I'm not going to add a lot more as it's hard to discuss "Wallstreet" without spoilers. Our male archetype Blane has morphed from Alec of "St. Elmo's Fire" to Bud (Charlie Sheen). Bud is an Alec without Leslie or a Blane without Andie. Bud is an uber Yuppie with what was perhaps the ultimate 80's Yuppie job, stockbroker. Bud is an honest guy from an honest blue collar background. His father Carl (Martin Sheen) in an airplane mechanic for a small airline from whom Bud is constantly borrowing money because despite his comfortable income Bud is still not making enough to maintain the lifestyle his culture demands of him. Like Jules from yesterday's selection Bud is under a mountain of consumer debt.
What Bud wants is what every person wanted in the 80's, to get ahead. For Bud the fast track to the top goes through wealthy corporate raider Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). Gekko is the 80's made flesh. He is pure greed and ambition. Gekko's only concern is the accumulation of more wealth through any means necessary. To wit:

Bud gets caught in Gekko's magnetism and soon finds himself betraying not just his morals and ideals but also his relationships.
"Wall Street" is the quintessential 80's story. An entire culture convinced of the rightness of "Greed is... good" and swept away by money and materialism. At the end of the decade when the Reagan and Bush bumper stickers had begun to fade and we had all reaped the whirlwind of market crashes, recessions and the end of American industry we would look back and wonder what had happened to the idealism we as a nation once possessed. In the end some would go to rehab, some would go to jail and many would start over. Mostly though despite the promises of unfettered wealth and prosperity people finished the decade pretty much where they were when it started.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:
If "St. Elmo's Fire" was all together too upbeat for you and you're fixing for a downer before popping in "Wall Street" then I recommend the 1987 Andrew McCarthy (yep him again) Robert Downey Jr. vehicle "Less Than Zero". Based (loosely) on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name, "Less Than Zero" deals with the 1980's drug culture and it's abuse by affluent members of society. Though the story is centered around McCarthy's Clay it's Downey Jr.'s portrayal of young junkie Julian that make this otherwise mediocre film worth watching. Again it's a story about greed and excess and their natural consequences. If you are going to add "Less Than Zero" to your own festival I would place it after "St. Elmo's Fire" and before "Wall Street". Even though the characters are college freshmen aged, the content continues many of the themes that SEF touches on but doesn't fully explore.
Also be sure to watch this The Bangles music video for 'Hazy Shade of Winter' from the film's soundtrack:

Come back tomorrow for the comedown as we wrap up the festival's official selections.

1980's Film Fest: Day 2

2010-06-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we kicked things off with Jon Hughes' 1986 film "Pretty in Pink". A story of star crossed lovers set against a backdrop of Reagan era culture shifts. Today we fast forward four years in the lives of our 80's American archetypes. Now in their early 20's they face a whole host of new problems navigating the emerging world they live in.

I have long had a theory about what formula makes for a really great 80's power ballad. First you must have at least one thematic shift in the song. As an example I cite Night Ranger's "Sister Christian".

Now I can't honestly tell you what any of this song is about (incomprehensible lyrics are yet another hallmark of what makes a great 80's power ballad) but I can tell you that there are at least two stories being told here. Simultaneously. You have the story of the titular Sister Christian who's time has come and who is apparently growing up so fast. Then you have the rocking tale of someone who I think is trying to buy an airline ticket and is also motoring.
Next you really need at least one change in musical tone and/or style. For this I cite Styx's classic "Come Sail Away".

The beginning is a lovely piano ballad about the sea and memories and the impermanence of life (I think). But that back half is six kinds of rocking wackiness. Suddenly there's a starship and aliens and alien abductions. Awesome.
So take at least two parts of different storylines (in a 1:1 ratio), combine that with at least two parts of changes in style, and sprinkle in a liberal dose of incomprehensible lyrics. Now bake for at least one hour in a cocaine addicted brain and you have the perfect 1980's power ballad. The best example of this is John Parr's 1985 hit "St. Elmos Fire (Man In Motion)".

Oddly director Joel Schumacher used the same recipe to craft his film of the same name.

2) "St. Elmo's Fire"

"St. Elmo's Fire" follows a group of seven friends who have recently graduated from Georgetown University. As a side note, the reason I did not include a film actually set in college in the number two position is simple. There aren't any. Well actually there are dozens upon dozens of 80's college movies but none of them was right for selection in this festival. If anyone can recommend a film from the 1980's, set in an American college or university that does not involve either losing you virginity, scoring the most, showing the most breasts, drinking the most alcohol or throwing the most outrageous party please let me know and I will consider it for inclusion. As it stands every 80's college movie that I could think of was far too campy or insane and completely devoid of social awareness or commentary to be included.
As I said, this film follows seven longtime friends as they deal with the challenges faced by having to live in a world free of the protections of institutional learning. Our archetypes from "Pretty in Pink" have made the leap forward with us in different guises. Andie and Blane have each morphed into one of two possibilities depending upon how you feel they would have done coming of age in the early to mid 80's.
For Andie we have the options of Leslie (Ally Sheedy) or Jules (Demi Moore). Leslie is an Andie who was able to stay with Blane and find a compromise between her counter-cultural ideals and the rising Yuppie tide. Leslie is an independent woman of the 1980's and an aspiring architect. She struggles to maintain her independence after moving in with her college boyfriend Alec (Judd Nelson). More on Alec in a minute. Leslie is unabashedly a Yuppie but she also wants to follow her dreams even if it means struggling for a little while. This patience puts her at odds with the desires of Alec and casts her as an anti Jules.
Jules is Andie having gone whole hog for the 80's greed and consumer culture. Like Leslie, Jules is also an independent woman of the 1980's but there is no waiting to earn the brass ring here. She was recruited into the world of international finance right out of college and for all the world seems successful and happy. She has a great, well furnished apartment. She has a cool car, and she's very fashionable for the time. However like many Americans Jules finds herself buried under a mountain of consumer credit debt. The 1980's were a time when money was very cheap and credit was exceptionally easy to get. Does anyone else remember fully functioning credit cards just arriving in the mail completely unsolicited? On top of all of this Jules also has an ever escalating cocaine habit. It bears mentioning that before cocaine became the cliche 80's drug that it is today it did enjoy a very strong following amongst the upwardly mobile segments of American society. Cocaine was and is a drug that allowed one to keep working without fading for an extended period of time. In a culture obsessed with getting ahead this was seen as a distinct advantage. Because Jules' is facing actual problems, she is actually the most sympathetic of the three female leads. Her dysfunction can be viewed as an inner resistance to the culture and her drug habit is a literal manifestation of the toxic environment she lives in.
Our hero Blane has had his own choices to make since we saw him last. If he was able to compromise the ideals that kept he and Andie together with his natural Yuppie leanings then he will have morphed into the aforementioned Alec. Alec is a Poli-sci grad working for a Democratic Congressman whom he seems to believe in. Alec has recently moved in with his girlfriend Leslie to whom he frequently proposes marriage. Alec wants to get married for several reasons; firstly he genuinely seems to love Leslie, secondly he needs a polished and poised wife to aid him in his burgeoning political career, and thirdly he feels guilty for cheating on Leslie. Often. Yes despite his reportedly high ideals Alec it seems is buying more and more into the culture of greed. It is revealed early on that he is considering getting a job with a Republican Senator because doing so will pay more and that will allow him to buy a larger couch. Oh and marry Leslie. Alec is also sexually greedy. He blames his frequent transgressions on Leslie's refusal to marry him, "I'll say no when she says yes." Despite all this he is the most levelheaded and successful male lead.
Alec's opposite and Blane's other optional future is Billy (Rob Lowe). Billy is full tilt counter-culture. Billy is an alcoholic former frat boy current party boy deadbeat dad who can't adjust to life outside of college. Alec gets him jobs which Billy almost immediately loses or quits and despite having married the woman he impregnated in college, he still sleeps with any woman that his good looks can reel in. Like Jules Billy is struggling with fitting into the 80's lifestyle but while Jules jumped in with both feet and is paying the consequences, Billy opted not to jump at all. To put a fine point on it Billy wears his college letter jacket throughout most of the movie. Like "Pretty in Pink's" Steff, Alec wants to mold Billy in his own image and get him to conform to the way of the world.
Even Duckie has made the leap with us but for him things haven't changed much. The Duckie of "St. Elmo's Fire" is Kevin (Andrew McCarthy ironically). Kevin is a dissatisfied junior newspaper writer working the obituary beat. He is desperately in love with someone he cannot tell and otherwise kind of a sad sack. He longs to write about the literal meaning of life but can't get it published. Kevin represents the cultural ennui that ultimately would come to characterize the 80's in America. A promise of greatness left unfulfilled and golden opportunities missed.
The final two characters that round out the group are Kirby (Emilio Estevez) and Wendy (Mare Winningham). Kirby exists entirely to fuel a subplot wherein he falls madly in love with a Dale (Andie MacDowell) and sets forth to stalk her. Don't take my word for it. You watch the film and tell me what you'd call it.
Wendy has a larger role to play but really isn't any more necessary to the plot than Kirby. Wendy is deeply in love with Billy. She gives him money, she forgives him for crashing her car while driving drunk and she always builds him up despite him frequently tearing her down. Wendy is also the repressed and sheltered girl of the group. She comes from a wealthy and overbearing family but has decided to become a social worker. She wants to break away from her family. She wants to make a positive difference in the world. Most of all she wants to change Billy into someone he can never be. Wendy could have been a far more important character but poor writing and miscasting a very good but also pregnant at the time actress hampered her development. Wendy is given such slight regard by the writers that she's not even in the penultimate scene. Kirby the stalker is in that scene but not Wendy.
"St. Elmo's Fire" is by no means a perfect film. In fact I don't even think it's a particularly good film but it does deal with many of the societal issues that faced young adults in the 1980's. The overriding theme of this film is uncertainty. Ultimately none of the characters know where they're going. Some have clung to the past, some have been singed by the present, others are grabbing whatever will get them ahead but all of them hope for the future.

BONUS:
There is no optional addition for this selection. Though tomorrow's selection will include an option that could go immediately after this film.

I said in yesterday's post that I would discuss what is and what isn't a Brat Pack movie. When it comes to the Brat Pack I throw my lot in with the purists. To be considered a member of The Pack you must have appeared in either "The Breakfast Club" or "St. Elmo's Fire" with an appearance in both being preferable. You also must have appeared in at least one additional film in the 80's with another Pack member. To be considered a Brat Pack movie, the film must star at least two Pack members. For example let's take yesterdays selection, "Pretty in Pink". PiP stars Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy and Jon Cryer. Ringwald was in TBC and McCarthy was in SEF and they are both in PiP so they are officially Brat Pack members and PiP is officially a Brat Pack movie. Cryer on the other hand is not a member because he was not in either of the ensemble films.
As a further example Mare Winningham is also not a member despite being in SEF based on her never having worked with another member. She is the only lead from SEF who is not a member of The Pack. The film I passed on yesterday, "Sixteen Candles" is a Brat Pack movie because it stars Ringwald alongside Anthony Michael Hall both of whom were in TBC. The masterpiece that is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is not a Brat Pack movie as it stars none of The Pack's members.
By this rule the Brat Pack contains just eight members and has an oeuvre that encompasses some eleven films made between 1983 ("The Outsiders", Estevez and Lowe) and 1988 ("Fresh Horses", Ringwald and McCarthy). So just because it's a John Hughes movie ("Weird Science") or stars Molly Ringwald ("The Pick-up Artist") that doesn't make it a Brat Pack movie.

Come back tomorrow when one of our archetypes will learn the consequences of greed.

1980's Film Fest: Day 1

2010-06-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

So I promise that I will be getting to what my experience without internet was like but I thought I'd do something more fun for my first post back.
I recently re-watched "St. Elmo's Fire" which of course led to reading the film's Wikipedia page. This got me thinking about 80's movies and what I think are the best 80's movies. Now let's clear something up to start; by "80's movie" I don't mean the best movie from the 80's or what we consider an 80's movie in the modern zeitgeist (as parodied in "Hot Tub Time Machine"). I am not talking about movies that were pastiches of the 80's and the pop culture and trends of that time but rather I'm thinking about films that represented what it was really like to live in 80's America. As a result this list will not include "Weird Science", "Teen Wolf", "Red Dawn" or even the masterpiece that is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".
This list is presented in a recommended viewing order but also in a roughly chronological order. Not chronological based on when they were made but rather based on where the characters are in life. There are a couple of instances where I think you could justly jostle a couple of the selections around and there are a few films that I think would make fine additions but those will be explained as we go along.
So sit back, fire up Netflix and stock these gems away for a wet Autumn weekend.

1) "Pretty in Pink"

This may be my most controversial pick. I'm sure that "Sixteen Candles" partisans will be picketing my window for days to come but I have my reasons for choosing to start our cinematic journey through the 80's with this John Hughes ode to teenage angst and romance. "Sixteen Candles" is perfectly serviceable and it can be said remarkably similar to "Pretty in Pink" but the wedding subplot, the goofy grandparents and the oddly named foreign exchange student just make it far too campy for inclusion in this festival.
"Pretty in Pink" is the story of Andie (Molly Ringwald) who is a not so popular high school girl from the proverbial wrong side of the tracks. Her best friend is an equally awkward New Waver called Duckie (Jon Cryer) who is desperately in love with her and cannot express it. Andie works for and is mentored by Iona (Annie Potts) who runs a New Wave record shop where Andie works after school. Together these three represent the free spirit bohemian culture of the 1980's. Something born out of the late 60's early 70's Hippie movement and the angrier Punk culture of the late 70's. They represent those that felt alienated by the emerging Yuppies and the Reagan era pre-occupation with the accumulation of wealth and material status that would come to be called the "Me Generation".
This cultural schism is represented by the conflicts that Andie and Duckie have with the "richie" kids Steff (James Spader) and Benny (Kate Vernon). The root of these conflicts are in the socioeconomic differences between the two groups as well as the refusal of Andie and Duckie to conform to the new status quo. This conflict was at the core of US culture in the 1980's. From the Federal Government's theory of "trickle-down" economics to Reagan's "welfare queen" fairy tale, it was clear that the 80's were going to be very hostile towards those at or near the bottom of the economic ladder. Even the wildly unsuccessful "War on Drugs" and it's mandatory sentencing for Marijuana possession could be seen as an attack against counter-culture. The clearest manifestation of these hostilities toward the poor can be seen in Steff's sexual advances toward Andie. He wished to posses her and conquer her despite seeming to despise her. Andie's resistance to Steff can be seen as a rejection of the direction US society was headed.
Now enters Blane (Andrew McCarthy). Blane is a "richie" kid and he is also friends with Steff but he is enticed by Andie's free spirit when he meets her at Iona's record shop. They of course fall in love and this love, of course, causes conflicts within each of their social groups. Blane is at the crossroads that so many people felt they were at during this period. Did you reject the liberal movements of the 60's and 70's and embrace unrestrained free market capitalism? Or did you stand firm and resist what Reaganomics had to offer because you felt the social price was too high?

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:
At this point there are two films you could add to the festival. The first is 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". Writer Cameron Crowe famously posed as a high school student to research the book that would become this film. Like our official selection, "Fast Times..." is about being a teenager in 80's America and though it's broader, campier humor keeps it from being in the festival it does deal with enough real world teenage problems (sex, pregnancy, drugs, employment) to warrant mention. If you were to add "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" to your own festival I would recommend placing it before "Pretty in Pink" so as not to disrupt the thread I'm hoping to weave throughout the official selections.
Finally I come to another film who's partisans will no doubt be raging against my machine. I am of course speaking of "The Breakfast Club". Sorry to burst the bubble of anyone who thought this was going to be my next selection for the festival but this John Hughes ode to teenage angst and romance does not make the cut. Why? Mostly because this film has never wrung true with me. I've never bought into the idea that high school was this segregated and stratified. The characters represent the cliched stock high school figures too well. You have the prim and proper and popular rich girl who really wants to be a bad girl, Claire (Molly Ringwald). The staight-laced popular jock who really wants to be a bad boy, Andrew (Emilio Estevez). The actual bad boy but with a heart of gold, John (Judd Nelson). The nerd who's not that nerdy, Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and the weirdo who's not really that weird, Allison (Ally Sheedy). And yes I realize that the point of the film is that all of these stock characters come to find out that they're not so different after all but I still think the premise is phony. I went to high school just ten years later than this film's setting at a school in Minnesota in what could charitably be called a suburb but was more like a small town and I witnessed very little of the cultural segregation shown therein. Your mileage may have varied. Aside from my own objections to the plot and characterizations, the over the top antics of the students and overall lack of greater societal reflection keeps "The Breakfast Club" from making the official cut. However it is not devoid of merit and as such if you wanted to add it to your own festival I would place it after "Pretty in Pink".

Come back tomorrow when our 80's teens go off to college and stumble deeper into the cultural morass of the time and I discuss what is and what isn't a Brat Pack movie.

Internet decompression...

2010-05-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

Starting tonight (May 23, 2010) at midnight (CST) I will be disconnecting the internet in my home for one month. At thirty years old I may very well be a member of the last generation to have lived in a world before ubiquitous and constant internet access. I didn't have internet access until I was in High School. We didn't have internet access in the house I grew up in till after I graduated from High School and it was dial up. There was no Google, no YouTube, no Amazon & no ebay. AOL was the name in both internet access and search. Kids who were Freshmen when I was a Senior had a markedly different online experience.

I have since become one of the most connected people I know. Right now I am typing on one of two laptops in my living room. I am watching Netflix content streaming to my PS3. My connected smartphone (my third) is sitting on the coffee table in front of me. I have an iMac in my office with a wired connection to the world. In total my wife and I have twelve internet connectable devices in our 1900 square foot home. I've started to think that I may be too connected. Maybe all of this connectivity is impairing my quality of life instead of enhancing it. Have I in some small way become a slave to my connectivity?
What I want to know is: can I go back to a life before I was constantly online? What benefits will it have on my life? Will there be any negative side-effects? Is there a downside to choosing to forgo something we now take for granted?
My hope is that I will spend more time reading, more time pursuing creative projects and more time outside. If I can't get bogged down in researching an interest, I hope I will be more likely to just pursue it.
The Rules:
1: Some concessions will have to be made mostly in the name of my career. If I need to download music for a project I'm working on, I will. If I need to upload a draft of something I'm working on for review, I will.
2: I cannot professionally do without email so that stays. I will use my phone to get my email and I'll be on the honor system vis-a-vis my phone's mobile browser.
3: I will maintain my presence on Twitter. I will use it as a journal of sorts but I will limit my daily updates to just four. My rationale for making an exception for Twitter is that you do not have to be online to update the service. You can update via text message.
4: I am allowing myself Netflix streaming on my PS3. I love movies and TV so I will be wiring our internet service directly into the PS3 rather than using our wireless netowork which I will be shutting down for the month. Yes the PS3 has a browser but it is a nightmare to use so worry not. Like my phone's browser, the inconvenience alone should prove enough of a deterrent.
5: No Facebook.
6: No link clicking.
7: No mobile apps that are front ends for web services.
8: No going somewhere else just to browse the internet. I'll even go so far as to send my netbook off to work with my wife for the month.
9: My wife will be online at work because being online is part of her job. She may also need to be online when at home sometimes because of a class she is taking.

The Game Plan:
This part is actually pretty simple. Since most of our twelve or so internet capable devices utilize our Wi-Fi network, I will just disconnect the router. Then I'll move the cable modem from my office to the living room which will mean disconnecting my desktop. With my netbook sequestered at my wife's office, my only options for web browsing will be T-Mobile's 3G network on my phone or the less than stellar experience of the PS3's browser. Neither appeal to me on any level. If my wife needs to get online I will run an ethernet cable from the modem to her computer as needed.

The Challenges:
1: My wife's "needing" to be online for a class may speak to one of the challenges I could encounter. Is internet access and connectivity so assumed in our culture that it may actually be a requirement?
2: Apple's is unveiling the new iPhone in June. I will not be able to follow along with the gadget blogs or check Apple's site after the event. This might drive me mad.
3: I'm not sure I remember how to look stuff up without the internet and calling information (if it even exists any more) will get expensive.
4: I'll compensate for not being connected to the internet's constant stream of information by bingeing on CNN. My dislike of Wolf Blitzer and Larry King may counter this though.

So that's it. I'll see you all in a month.

Videos from my recent trip to New York City...

2010-04-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is an embed of my NYC 2010 YouTube Playlist. If you click the button to the right of the play/pause button you can scroll through the rest. Or just check them out on YouTube.

Really great slow motion video of dogs...

2010-03-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

The agency behind this spot is TBWA\Toronto & the spot was shot using Phantom high speed cameras shooting at 1,000 feet per second.

I've lived with Android for over a year & I hate it! Here's why...

2010-02-17T08:37:00.000-08:00

Back in October of 2008 I fell for a brand new smartphone operating system & the first handheld that used it. Why did I opt for the T-Mobile G1 over the iPhone?

Well firstly my wife & I are longtime T-Mobile customers. We have had a 'Family Plan' with the company for a few years now & have found their customer support to be adequate & their rates more than so. Also my wife & I are bigger data users than we are talkers & T-Mobile has perhaps the fairest prices you will find for data plans, even if their coverage is anemic at best.

Secondly I wasn't completely sold on the iPhone.

I am a Macintosh die-hard. I honestly don't even know how to use a Windows OS & I am exceedingly proud of that point. To me it means that I have never had to take a 9- 5 office job or punch a clock in a corporate gig. I am a creative person who does creative work & to me that can only be done on a Mac. Full stop.

However, I hadn't drunk enough of the Kool-Aid to believe that the "Jesus" phone was the be all & end all it was made out to be. As a pro user (Final Cut, Aperture, After Effects, etc) I had already seen Apple's focus shift with the iPod & feared, as I do now, that they would abandon the pro user space for more profitable pastures. I did not want to reward this business model by purchasing what I thought to be an overpriced peripheral.

Lastly I wanted to support Google's Open Handset Alliance & an open mobile platform. I saw, & still do to a degree, Apple's tightfisted control over the iPhone's development & their app approval process as a frightening precedent to set. None of us would put up with such controls on our PCs. So why give up freedom of choice on the mobile front? Android, I thought, was the future. Android was going to do it right & show Apple how it should be done.

Ladies & gentlemen I was wrong.

Living with Android & the G1 day in & day out for well over a year I have come not to love this platform but instead to love Apple's. I still believe that there are benefits to Android but the iPhone's advantages have become all the more glaring. To better understand this I had to shift my thinking about the emerging handheld space. The shift that has to occur in everyone’s thinking is that these devices are phones. They are not. They are micro computers. They have sophisticated, muli-threading operating systems, they have application development, they have computer grade processors & RAM, & yes they have the ability to make phone calls but that ability is just one more app installed on the device.

Now what is it that I want from my PC more than anything? For me dependability, consistency, speed & ease of use are my priorities. In short I want a Mac. Android is terribly undependable & inconsistent. From one app to the next. From one device to the next. Hell from one day to the next. My G1 will randomly ask me to force quit the phone app when I'm trying to make a call. Once a week or so I have to yank out the battery to reboot it. Speed is another issue where Android is lacking. I'll have to stab or swipe at the screen over & over to get it to launch an app or switch screens. Overall the experience can best be described as "laggy" or less charitably, lacking. Ease of use is hampered by all of these other problems. None of my iPhone owning friends & co-workers (which is most of them) report similar problems.

Now yes I am using the very first Android phone & yes to a degree this is what I get for buying a first gen product but first gen iPhones were & still are better. Yes the Droid & the Nexus One probably don't suffer these problems but they are both running a version of the Android OS that my G1 never will & they are built on better, faster platforms & therein lies Androids Achilles Heel.

Google formed the OHA & developed Android with the intention that it would & could be all things to all people. Phone OS? Of course. Netbook OS? Why not? OS for media players & ereaders? I guess. The problem with this, at least from a handheld perspective, is that Google had to specify a lowest common denominator for Android hardware. This has lead to the problem of brand new phones being sold today but built on 2008 hardware & running 2009's OS with almost no chance of them being upgraded.

Let's go back to the PC analogy, if I sold you a computer last year for any operating system (Mac, Windows, etc) you would correctly assume that that computer would stay relevant for at least a few years. Barring any major switches in technology (i.e. Apple switching to intel processors) you would expect that you could upgrade the OS and install all but perhaps the most advanced/ specialized applications. Now what if you bought a handheld yesterday & just found out it won't run an app you discovered this afternoon?

My point is this, sometimes closed environments are better. Apple can guarantee a consistent user experience across the whole iPhone ecosystem. They control the hardware & they control the software & that is better. I know it flies in the face of everything we geeks & our ilk hold most dear but for a device you carry in your pocket every day & may depend on in an emergency, closed is better. I don't want to have to reboot my phone after being in an accident or have to yank out the battery while someone is having a heart attack. I want everything to just work & I want it to work all of the time. Apple can guarantee that & Google, at this point, cannot.

Right now in the handheld space Google is akin to MicroSoft in the PC space. Both have developed an OS & both just want their OS on the most machines possible regardless of manufacturer or quality. Come to think of it that's MS' mobile strategy as well. But things are changing over at Google HQ. They seem to be trying to push the genie back into the bottle now. The Nexus One is the clearest example of this. It is a Google branded Android flagship. You cannot but believe that the Nexus One is the "real" Android phone.

Google was willing to run out some line for awhile while Android developed steam but now they see how they can turn a profit on it & now they are going to reel it in even at the expense of their OHA partners. The future of Android is much more closely aligned with Apple's strategy. Google will exert ever increasing control over their creation until at some point they'll be the only game in town & you'll buy your next Android phone directly from them.

Maybe then it will be a handheld OS worth sticking with but too late for me. I can buy out my T-Mobile contract on the cheap in April & I expect new iPhones by June.

My Macro photography on Flickr...

2009-08-30T15:23:00.001-07:00

IMG_1835.jpg
Originally uploaded by jeremyryancarr

I've added some photos from B and I's walk today to my Macro photography set on Flickr. Stop and check them out. Hint, the new ones are the ones with Bees in them.

Motorhead in concert at First Ave in Minneapolis, Minnesota \m/ \m/

2009-08-29T21:11:00.001-07:00

IMG_1804.jpg
Originally uploaded by jeremyryancarr

B got me tickets to Motorhead as a special birthday surprise. It was a really great show. Probably the most rocking show that I have ever been to. It's great that I turn 30 in 3 days and I'll be able to say that yes I have seen Motorhead live. If they are coming to your town do yourself a favor and check them out. Check out the pics on Flickr.

Lightning striking over Minneapolis...

2009-08-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

Beth and I had just finished eating dinner at Nick & Eddie when we walked outside we saw this in the distance:

Some pictures of Harrison from my adventure in babysitting...

2009-08-06T10:18:00.001-07:00

IMG_1652.jpg
Originally uploaded by jeremyryancarr

I got to watch Harrison today...

2009-08-05T20:17:00.001-07:00

He crawled a little.

And he ate a lot.

'If' by Rudyard Kipling...

2009-08-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite poem. It is one of the first I learned. My grandfather had me read it to him out of an old dog eared poetry book that I now have. I think that Kipling's message is an important one for all of us. He is laying out a code to live by and an ethos by which to measure yourself. Not since Polonius dropped "neither a borrower nor a lender be" on Laertes has such sound advice been given.
But more than that there is the message of perseverance;
"If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;"
That is how I want to live my life. Risk it all and if you succeed you're a success. If you fail you are not a failure. You have learned and you start again with knowledge gained. A life with out compromise.
Also there's this...

Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

2009-08-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival.

Just absolutely brilliant and amazing.

Cedar Lake Shoreline Preserve

2009-08-01T13:19:00.001-07:00

IMG_1637.jpg
Originally uploaded by jeremyryancarr

This place is just around the block from my house and I am honestly shocked at it's photo potential. Diverse subjects, beautiful light, and usually complete solitude. Chloe and I love it.

Minneapolis Aquatennial fireworks, 2009

2009-07-27T17:13:00.001-07:00

IMG_1539.JPG
Originally uploaded by jeremyryancarr

I got to try out the fireworks preset on my Canon G10 this past weekend. My vantage point wasn't awesome but the camera did very well as usual. I've blogged about it before but the Canon G10 really is a truly excellent camera.

Walk through the Cedar Lake Shoreline Preserve/ Bird Sanctuary

2009-07-26T16:46:00.001-07:00

Dell Mini 9 Hackintosh...

2009-07-26T09:06:00.001-07:00

I had been a dedicated laptop owner for years. My first was a Mac Powerbook G3 "Wallstreet". That thing took me through film school and my first TV job. Then I had a Mac Ti-Book G4 which got me through my first serious editing gigs. Finally there was my beloved Mac Powerbook 17" G4. I cut my first two features with that beast. But after a couple of years I'd settled into editing at my client's shops and also Apple had moved onto Intel Processors. I just didn't need a laptop any more. Or more accurately I didn't need one as my primary machine. So I bought a fully loaded iMac and called it day.
That brings us to netbooks. I have been a netbook fan since they started debuting a couple of years ago. They are all that I need a laptop to be. Internet on the go and as small as possible. Larger and more capable than my G1 but not a burden to move around with every day. At first I really wanted an Asus EEE PC but I waited for the promised Intel Atom processors. Last summer I bought an Acer Aspire One. It is an awesome little notebook. It comes with Linux (I upgraded to Ubuntu 9.0.4), has two card readers built in, and is very capable relative to netbooks. But alas I am a Mac die-hard. And according to Boing-Boing Gadget's wonderful Mac OS X Netbook Compatability Chart, my little Acer would be too much of a compromise to hackintosh (explained here). However according the aforementioned chart the Dell Mini 9 was the perfect candidate.
So last week I sold my Acer to my future sister-in-law and tracked down a Dell Mini 9 with the required 16GB SSD (Dell stopped making them, fuckers). I googled around and found refurbs at awesome prices on recoupIT. Then I just had to follow Gizmodo's directions. It really is almost as easy as installing OS X on an official Mac. After living with it for a few days I have to say that it is wonderful. Surprisingly fast, very stable (knocks on wood), and devoid of compromises. I have already hacked the Mac OS DVD player app to work with my Samsung USB DVD drive (which worked flawlessly for the install btw) but cooler still is that I can mount discs from my iMac on my netbook over my network and install apps that way. Just like a MacBook Air!
Would I ever make this my primary machine? No of course not. You can't edit video on it obviously and it struggles with RAW images from my G10 (that's probably a RAM issue). But as a secondary computer and travel companion you can do no better in my opinion. If this is something you've been curious to try, I say go for it. You will not be disappointed. Especially if you are a Mac fan like me.

Tron Legacy trailer

2009-07-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

I LOVED Tron when I was a wee lad. I think most men of my generation would say the same thing. I have seen that movie probably a dozen times in my life but I must admit that with age and maturity my enjoyment of Tron began to decrease. The last time I watched it was maybe five years ago and I came to the sad realization that I just should have left it behind in my childhood where it would be awesome forever.

But now we have Tron 2 or Tron Legacy and I must say that this looks like the old magic is back.

I am again enthralled. I again want my own light cycle and neon disc. God help me I want to be that fat guy in the Tron costume. OK maybe not. But I will see Tron Legacy and I will see it in 3D by God.

B & I had engagement photos taken...

2009-07-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

and they are on the web at our wonderful and wonderfully talented photographer's site.
I cannot recommend Ms. Melissa Oholendt highly enough. She really is great to work with.

40th anniversary of the moon landing...

2009-07-20T06:27:00.001-07:00

IMG_0188.JPG
Originally uploaded by jeremyryancarr

We landed on the fucking moon! USA! USA!

Vintage decals from a garage sale...

2009-07-19T09:53:00.001-07:00

Niagra_Falls.jpg
Originally uploaded by jeremyryancarr

Those of you who follow me on Twitter might have seen my recent posts about some stuff I got for free at a garage sale. I posted these decals there en masse and promised to scan them all for posting here. Promise fulfilled.

Auto Tune The News...

2009-07-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

So very, very awesome.

Chloe at the Minnehaha dog park today...

2009-07-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

I too have now ordered from Draplin Design Co.

2009-06-29T17:09:00.001-07:00

Those of you that read my good pal and best man Derek's blog, are aware of his love for graphic design company Draplin Design of Portland, Oregon. They are partly responsible for the aforementioned best man's favorite line of notebooks.
Well after his last DDC based post my curiosity was piqued so I swung by DDC's site and took a look at their merchandise. What struck me about and convinced me to buy was that a lot of the stuff was the sort of things that my Grandpa used to hand out as promos at his meat locker in Tripoli, Iowa.
So I ordered up 3 items:
The DDC-006 "Spare Change Containment Apparatus"
The DDC-023 "Toothpick Canister"
The DDC-007 "Build Something Carpenter Pencil"
But as Derek would tell you they always include extras in the packages; stickers, pens, etc...
So I took this as an opportunity to do an unboxing video of sorts that I shot with my cell phone's new video camera capabilities.
Enjoy:

Here you can see that I am now known as Jeremy "Hard Tack" Carr.

Here are the three items I ordered.

And here is all of the bonus stuff. Wow. It was like a whole second order for free. Thanks DDC.
It also should be pointed out that Aaron Draplin is one hell of a designer with a long and very well regarded career already. Take a look at his list of clients and awards.

RIP King of Pop. Michael Jackson, 1958- 2009

2009-06-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Dustin

2009-06-05T09:05:00.001-07:00

Lilacs

2009-05-28T07:15:00.001-07:00

Harrison @ Six Months

2009-05-24T18:17:00.001-07:00

This is Derek and Amanda's son Harrison. They asked me to take his sixth month birthday pictures. I was honored to do so. I am not a portrait photographer let alone a children's photographer but I think they turned out well.
The full set can be seen here: Harrison 6 Month Old Pictures

Backyard Inchworm on Lilac leaf

2009-05-23T17:45:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

My backyard in macro

2009-05-19T13:44:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

SNL finale performance of Goodnight Saigon

2009-05-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is where B and I will be wed in Sept.

2009-05-02T18:34:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Derek and I went to a ball game and it was awesome...

2009-05-02T17:35:00.001-07:00

It was everything I love about baseball including a stellar come from behind victory for the Twins.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

don pepino spaghetti sauce

2009-04-26T13:11:00.001-07:00

great colors and logo

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Fire.

2009-04-12T09:20:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, Match 2009

2009-03-24T21:58:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Julia Child's Kitchen, Washington DC, March 2009

2009-03-24T21:45:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC, March 2009

2009-03-24T21:38:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Washington DC, March 2009 pt. 2

2009-03-24T21:10:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington DC, March 2009

2009-03-24T20:37:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, March 2009

2009-03-24T16:56:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

The National Zoo, Washington DC, March 2009

2009-03-23T03:59:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Washington DC, March 2009 pt. 1

2009-03-22T16:51:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Cherry Blossoms Blooming at The National Zoo, March 2009

2009-03-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

National Zoo March 2009, Elephant Training

2009-03-22T10:20:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

National Zoo March 2009, Elephant Through the Bars

2009-03-21T16:08:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

National Zoo March 2009, Pandas

2009-03-21T15:56:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Dowtown Minneapolis across Lake of The Isles at the end of winter

2009-03-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Chloe goes to the dog park...

2009-03-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

Chloe does fetch...

Chloe does tug...

Chloe stands still...

This little girl was trying to steal my glove...

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Todd & The Chimp

2009-03-10T15:30:00.001-07:00

Todd is a colleague. The Chimp is a client.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

"Poseidon look at me!"

2009-02-14T16:37:00.001-08:00

Chloe and I went snowshoeing on Cedar Lake today....

2009-02-05T15:02:00.001-08:00

Our trail

The lady of the hour

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Chloe is also sweepy

2009-02-05T10:10:00.001-08:00

Buddy is sweepy

Posted via Pixelpipe.

view from the couch

2009-02-04T10:50:00.001-08:00

screenplay to follow

Buddy on my lap
Buddy is a lap dog fyi

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Chloe loves her rhino

2009-02-04T06:33:00.001-08:00

the mastiff and the rhino can be friends

Posted via Pixelpipe.

GOBAMA!

2009-01-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And this is Chloe...

2009-01-19T15:32:00.001-08:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Peter's Grill

2009-01-09T15:39:00.001-08:00

this guy makes sandwiches

Peter's Grill

interior view from my lunch counter seat

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Let's make CONNNTAAACT!

2009-01-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

B made the most delicous roasted chicken.

2009-01-03T19:42:00.001-08:00

Best meal all week. And remember I had a 5 course meal @ The Dakota on New Years.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

This is a Chinook Puppy...

2009-01-03T18:46:00.001-08:00

This is what I want. If you know a reputable breeder (there are very few as this is a very rare dog) please let me know in the comments, email, or hit me up on Twitter. Thank you.
Also if you want to learn about this breed just click here.

Land O' Lakes Dog Show

2009-01-03T17:20:00.001-08:00

Bull Terriers @ Land O' Lakes Dog Show

Very good looking Bullies.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier @ Land O' Lakes Dog Show

He was a very sweet boy. For those that don't know, he is NOT a pitbull. Staffies are a British breed and are very gentle and docile.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Shelter Dogs II

2008-12-29T19:11:00.001-08:00

Davie

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Rock, flag, and eagle indeed sir.

2008-12-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

I watched "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" on and off a couple of years ago. I thought it was funny but I didn't watch it often enough to get into its groove. At B's prompting, we sat and watched the first three seasons on DVD over the course of a couple of weeks and now I am addicted. In an online interview Glenn Howerton (Dennis) says that the show was almost called "The Assholes". Yeah, that's about right. There are a lot of Sociopaths on TV these days (Dexter, House, Bill O'Reilly) but these five completely amoral individuals are the most enjoyable. And I love Dexter.
If you haven't been exposed yet, hit it up on Netflix. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Buddy met Santa Claus

2008-12-26T16:09:00.001-08:00

It was to support the U of M school of Vet Med.

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Buddy got a hoodie from the Cunninghams for Christmas

2008-12-25T14:27:00.001-08:00

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"Alternative Fuels", Client: Miller High Life, Director: Errol Morris

2008-12-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

Because it is so damn cold today.

Shelter Dogs I

2008-12-10T11:44:00.001-08:00

Eddie

Adam

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Charlie Chaplin's "Look Up Hannah" speech from The Great Dictator

2008-12-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

In honor of Sarah Palin some evangelical jokes...

2008-09-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

What does an evangelical do when he's not molesting his daughter?
Molests his son.

What does an evangelical do when he's not engaging in anonymous gay sex in airport bathrooms and highway rest stops?
Molests his son.

The republican national convention was just like comicon. Only instead of getting together to play Magic The Gathering or D&D back at the hotel, the delegates would swap kiddie porn and post m4m ads to the Craigslist Casual Encounters board.

No but seriously folks I hate John McCain and Sarah Palin with every ounce of my being. To paraphrase a recent interview with Gore Vidal, I want to kick the shit out of both of them.
I'll just have to let Obama/ Biden do it electorally.

"But watch the one falling in the street..."

2008-04-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

"See him gesture to his neighbors, See him trampled beneath their feet, All outward motion connects to nothing, For each is concerned with their immediate need."

BTO - Takin' Care of Business

2008-04-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

So I think that this should be my official theme song. Excepting the bit about being a musician of course. I wish I could come up with a clever rhyming couplet for "filmmaker" or even "editor" that could replace the brilliance of: "Its as easy as fishin', you could be a musician". Unfortunately I cannot but I believe that the spirit of this anthem to self employment expresses all I believe regarding working and labor.

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment for 3/12/2008

2008-03-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Good work Wisconsin!

2008-02-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

I am very proud of my Midwest brothers and sisters. Look at the map of the states Obama has won. We have set the trend in this nation. We are the dominant region of the country.

George Harrison Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction...

2008-02-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

OK I am a HUGE fan of Prince and The Traveling Wilburys and of course George Harrison. And yet I somehow completely missed this four years ago. I saw pictures from it, I read about it, but I did not see it. Learn from my mistake.

Thank you YouTube. A thousand times thank you...

2008-02-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

This is a tribute to Joe Strummer from the 2003 Grammy Awards. It is awesome and I have been looking for it since it first aired. YouTube for the win!

Obama '08

2008-02-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

Obama '08
Please vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday February 5th, 2008.

A special Christmas message from The Pogues...

2007-12-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

Fairytale Of New York, The Pogues: If I Should Fall From Grace With God

In case you missed it: Keith Olbermann's Special Comment 12/06/2007

2007-12-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

Let the consumerism begin...

2007-11-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

I have launched an online store at CafePress. You can purchase t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, etc... featuring some of my photos that I have edited especially for the purpose. There isn't a whole lot of variety right now but more will be added in the coming days. If you have any requests please let me know in the comments.

Photo Blogging...

2007-11-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

I recently acquired a slide and negative scanner and have started bringing my celluloid based photography portfolio into the digital age. These are a few pictures that I have taken over the last ten years or so.

When I was 17 I was on the set of the film Drop Dead Gorgeous. These are some shots of an explosion scene we did.

This is one of my favorite photos that I have ever taken.

The St. Paul, MN Courthouse.

The Landmark Center in Downtown St. Paul, MN.

Few, if any, of you may know that I once had a pet crow named Puck.

Mr. M a gentleman and a scholar.

My favorite self portrait.

Costello Redux...

2007-10-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

The iTunes Store has a dedication page and several new playlist devoted to The World of Elvis Costello. The written piece at the top of the page says everything that I was trying to say with my earlier post on the subject. Even if you're not an Elvis fan, take a look at the various playlists as they have music by other musicians that either influenced or were influenced by Costello.

P.S.
That link will open iTunes and direct you to the page in the store. If you don't have iTunes... Stop your whining and go get it. I mean really. At this point what the hell are you using any way? That question is completely rhetorical. I couldn't care less about your "iTunes Alternative".

"Oily marks appear on walls, where pleasure moments hung before the takeover"

2007-10-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hide and Seek, Imogen Heap: Speak for Yourself

Right on...

2007-10-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

What Barry Says, directed by Simon Robson with animation by Andrew Morgan.

P.S.
The Project For The New American Century

"It is too late now, because you have not been paying attention"

2007-10-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

2+2=5 (The Lukewarm), Radiohead: Hail To The Thief

"Men go crazy in congregations, but they only get better one by one"

2007-10-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

All This Time, Sting: The Soul Cages

MoveOn.org was correct...

2007-09-26T18:55:00.001-07:00

And the United States Congress had no right to pass even a non-binding amendment that says otherwise. This is how they sneak limits to our free press and speech in through the back door. I say shame to all senators who voted for such a monstrous injustice and publicly and officially chastised a political group who were exercising their rights under our constitution. If you disagree with what they said fine. Say so to anyone who will listen but do not abuse the powers of the offices that WE gave you to try and shame anyone for doing what they are free to do. Everyone of these senators has violated our trust and our rights. If we become comfortable and complacent with these so called "non-binding" laws, how will we react when they start to bind us with them? The congress has no right to intimidate nor chastise any individual's or organization's right to express themselves, their ideas, their opinions, and their outrages. Instead we should all celebrate such actions as they are the very fabric of our republic. They are, in short, what we have supposedly fought for in our past and are fighting for now.
If you want to download the above ad, and post it on your own blog follow this link.
Read more about this issue on the LA Times' website. You can get a login and password for this and other sites here (the first one works).
Also there is an interesting piece on MediaMatters.org about the hypocrisy of republicans who voted for this proposal but voted down Barbara Boxer's similar proposal that would have also condemned the so called swift boating of John Kerry in the last presidential election; and the discrepancies in the LA Times' coverage of both stories.

P.S.
MoveOn.org has a petition up that tells the government that they will not be intimidated. They are asking for people to sign it and express how they feel about the issue to their representatives. MoveOn will forward your message to your representatives and add your name to those that feel what congress did was wrong.

Elvis Costello...

2007-09-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Despite my admiration for and devotion to the two men mentioned in my previous post, I must admit that Mr. Costello is my favorite musician. He is also quite possibly my favorite punk (my favorite punks are The Clash and The Ramones). Melodic? Yes. Boundary breaking? Yes. Experimenter? Oh definitely. Punk, post punk, new wave, rocker, jazz singer, on and on. Costello has written and performed some of the greatest music of the past thirty years. Songs that entertain, songs that challenge, songs that rebel, songs that demand attention.
B often teases me because I am completely unaware of who is who in new music. I had no idea who Rihanna was and I have only just recently been able to name Lily Allen on sight. It's not that I don't listen to new music, I do, I just listen to new music from old performers. And let's be honest, outside of a few breakout artists every few years new performers are by and large interchangeable and terrible. So why bother? If someone is any good either De-Wreck or B will fill me in and if I don't like what I'm hearing, well Costello is always just a click or two away.
But feel free to leave suggestions below. However be warned. I am aware of Ms. Winehouse and I think that she is singularly awful. That cracked out skeleton is a mess that I just don't have time for. Also I have suspicions vis a vie her origins.

Tom Waits & Bob Dylan

2007-09-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

I love Tom Waits. I truly do. Especially this song and especially on a rainy day like this. A great voice? No. But it is his voice and it is as honest as his lyrics.
A friend of mine and I have had disagreements about Tom Waits and Bob Dylan's voices. My friend once remarked that he was glad when other people covered Dylan's songs because he hates Dylan's voice but loves his words. With a few notable exceptions, I could not disagree more. These two men write their songs in their voices. If you listen to someone else covering either Dylan or Waits you are only getting half of the message. With the exceptions a few songs that both men have written for others, they write these songs for themselves to sing. Their voices are nuanced, gritty, eccentric, and complex and so are their songs.
We have a problem with things like this in America. We consume our culture so quickly that we haven't time for nuance and grit. Not unless its manufactured nuance with an application of that faux grit that's all the rage in Milan this season. We want everything to be slick, beautiful, prepackaged, bite sized, and when possible pre-chewed for easier consumption. To stop and think about something, a song, a film, a news story, is to waste time. Nothing made yesterday can ever be as great as anything made today. Right?
Well I'm no technophobic luddite and I am just as guilty as anyone else but that doesn't mean that I like it. I have made changes in the last couple years to who I am. I have thought about things and considered other opinions and other options. I have spent more time weighing my beliefs and what I think is important. I have done things that I always talked about and never did. Am I better for it? I feel better and to me that's what matters.

P.S.
Apropos.

Ooh, ooh also this...

2007-09-12T21:49:00.001-07:00

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

I saw this in the New York Times today and I couldn't stop laughing. I am completely against invasive species don't get me wrong. I worked for the US Forest Service for a spell and I understand the gravity of the situation but come on... This idea or "solution" is so completely loopy that I am fairly certain it was cribbed from a Warner Brothers cartoon from the 40's. The NYT writer even cites Wile E. Coyote in the article.
Also I cannot help but feel a small amount of pride because you see dear readers the Northern Pike, though not our state fish, is none the less synonymous with Minnesota. Honestly I don't understand how North Dakota was able to claim it. I defy any of you to name one lake in No. Dakota (to add challenge I shall not link to the wiki). The Wikipedia article doesn't even cite No. Dakota as a place of geographical distribution for the dang thing.
That is not to take anything away from the Walleye. God knows their cheeks are delicious.

P.S.
The townspeople burned an effigy. Of a fish. Yup, nothing burns like an effigy.

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

For my 28th birthday...

2007-09-12T20:23:00.001-07:00

B's parents made me a Scottish Lord!

But I promise not to let the power and prestige go to my head. I have ordered a merely resplendent ermine cloak, as opposed to a truly decadent robe. My scepter, though bejeweled, is of mere moissanite (no arms lopped off for that) and not diamond. And my grandest coach is pulled by but three pure white Arabian horses instead of the de rigueur six. Courtier and courtesan space is limited (my land is just one square foot after all) so please get your applications and C.V.'s in soon.
"But Jeremy aren't you Irish!?!", I hear you shouting. The answer dear friends is no. I am not. In the past year I have done quite a bit of genealogical research and I have managed to trace my family back to Clan Kerr of Scotland. You should click that link because what I am saying is that I am directly descended from those people. Go on, I'll wait....
Pretty interesting stuff right? Did you look at our castle?
So up until last year I had always believed that I was descended from famine Irish who had come over through Canada on a coffin ship. I believed this because my father believed it as did my grandfather. And we were really Irish. St. Pat's celebrations, "Up the rebels!", and "Fuck the Queen!" Irish. But it was all a lie. A lie propagated, more than likely, by my great-grandfather Lloyd Raymond Carr. My best guess, and I will probably never know the truth, is that he converted to Catholicism (maybe) and said he was Irish to impress my great-grandmother Margaret Quinlan. She was supposedly very proud of her Irish heritage.
For the past year I have been in contact with relatives that I didn't even know I had and to a man they are aware that we are Scottish. So obviously the deception must have started with Lloyd. Whatever the truth and whatever the reason, I have righted the ship. Now with the help of B's parent's gift as a jumping off point, I am prepared to return to my ancestral home and lay my claims before our clan chief.
So polish up your claymores, iron your kilts, and place your tams at a rakish angle. We ride for Ferniehirst Castle at dawn!

Update: Photo Post...

2007-09-11T13:44:00.002-07:00

Theses are some pictures I took today while out on the bike:

My trusty Trek

My bike with Minneapolis' skyline in the background

Downtown Minneapolis across the Mississippi

The aforementioned lighthouse

The famous Grain Belt Beer sign and Hennepin Ave bridge

The lighthouse from the other side of the river

Your humble author soaking in the Autumn sun

Ya know what...

2007-09-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

I'm just not feeling it. I had every intention of sitting down and cranking out one of my infamous rage fueled, misanthropic rants... but I can't summon the heat and the darkness within just now. Its not for lack of fuel either (btw my rage is carbon neutral).
I think that it has more to do with it being Autumn here in Minneapolis. I love Autumn. I delight and revel in this "in between" season. All I want to do is don my favorite fleece, mount my aged Trek, and blast off into the city. My city. Yes, a nice exploratory bike ride. Perhaps I'll jaunt down to Nicollet Island and hang out at the lighthouse for a spell. Maybe I'll stow away a flask of this quite superior Scotch B gave me for my recent 28th.
I would like to toss the kayak in the water but the wind is... well windy today. Fine conditions if one must get somewhere by kayak but not ideal for lolling about on the lake. No it is the bike for me today.
This time of year puts me in a mood for splitting wood and cooking outdoors over a fire. I long for a cabin on a wooded lot where I can stack my labors in intricate walls. Aged and ready for the coming Winter. But I am a city mouse. So I do city mouse things. I grab adventure where and when I can. But the North Shore of Superior calls and it is a call I wish to answer soon. Maybe one more Boundary Waters trip before the ice bears down on it.
Get outside my friends. Enjoy this fleeting time of year while you can. And those of you in warmer climes for whom one season flows unmarked into the next, I pity you. Oh you have it over me come Winter, there is no denying that. But Fall and Spring and all of their glories belong to me.
Tomorrow may bring the promised loathing but tomorrow may also bring another lovely Autumn day.

P.S.
Beethoven's Symphony No.3 In E Flat Major is perhaps the best Autumn exploration song.

Today was B's birthday...

2007-09-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

But I am working on several dire predictions for tomorrow. Suffice to say that many things in our world pissed me off today (PETRAEUS!!). Join me tomorrow and the bile shall flow.

P.S.
Seriously its like the White House has become "BIG Dubya's Douche Bag Outlet".

One down, God knows how many more to go...

2007-09-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

So here it is. My first entry on my new blog. My last attempt to crack the blogosphere was moderately to not at all successful. But I have high hopes for this attempt. Firstly, you should know that there is an additional blog that I contribute to here on blogger.
It is called TenWords. My friends and I review things there. Things that we see, read, hear, consume, or avoid at all costs. Enjoy it while you can. It was started by a gentleman who is infamous for losing interest in things and it is maintained by a cadre of procrastinators and dilatory sluggards. But who knows.
Secondly, and probably lastly for today, I have a website independent of this blog. It can be found here. It will soon be revamped and updated to serve more of a professional purpose. It will continue to host samples of my film and video work, my photographs, and very soon my filmography, resume, and reel. For now, and forever probably, you can view a filmography of my major works on IMDb. Where it appears that my STARmeter is up 15% over last week. Yay?
So now you know a little bit about me. There isn't really a direction that I want to take this. My hope is that a point, if there must be one, will emerge organically.

Thank you for reading.

-JRC

P.S.
A Jeremiad explained.

The Jeremiad

Brand Loyalty...

1980's Film Festival: Day 4

1980's Film Festival Day 4 is coming...

1980's Film Festival: Day 3

1980's Film Fest: Day 2

1980's Film Fest: Day 1

Internet decompression...

Videos from my recent trip to New York City...

Really great slow motion video of dogs...

I've lived with Android for over a year & I hate it! Here's why...

My Macro photography on Flickr...

Motorhead in concert at First Ave in Minneapolis, Minnesota \m/ \m/

Lightning striking over Minneapolis...

Some pictures of Harrison from my adventure in babysitting...

I got to watch Harrison today...

'If' by Rudyard Kipling...

Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

Cedar Lake Shoreline Preserve

Minneapolis Aquatennial fireworks, 2009

Walk through the Cedar Lake Shoreline Preserve/ Bird Sanctuary

Dell Mini 9 Hackintosh...

Tron Legacy trailer

B & I had engagement photos taken...

40th anniversary of the moon landing...

Vintage decals from a garage sale...

Auto Tune The News...

Chloe at the Minnehaha dog park today...

More phone video: Hennepin Ave. & 5th St traffic tonight

I too have now ordered from Draplin Design Co.

RIP King of Pop. Michael Jackson, 1958- 2009

Happy Birthday Dustin

Lilacs

Harrison @ Six Months

Backyard Inchworm on Lilac leaf

Posted via Pixelpipe.

My backyard in macro

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SNL finale performance of Goodnight Saigon

This is where B and I will be wed in Sept.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Derek and I went to a ball game and it was awesome...

It was everything I love about baseball including a stellar come from behind victory for the Twins.

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don pepino spaghetti sauce

great colors and logo

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Fire.

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Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, Match 2009

Julia Child's Kitchen, Washington DC, March 2009

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National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC, March 2009

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Washington DC, March 2009 pt. 2

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Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington DC, March 2009