Category Archives: Film & TV
HBO Intro (1983)
Lots of folks reading this weren’t born in 1972 when HBO launched. Hard to explain why it was such a big deal. If you wanted to watch a movie on TV back then, you waited for one of the networks’ “Movie of the Week” or something from a local affiliate. A cable channel that just showed movies (in those days) was a big deal. Met with a lot of skepticism (“Why would you pay for movies when you can get them for free?!”)
In 1983 HBO introduced a new logo that was revolutionary for the time. I share it because one of the people who worked on it (David Bruce) was from my little town. He did the Stargate effect which would be no big deal when computer generated graphics came along but was very cool in 1983.
Turn Off the News and Build a Garden
Work
Workers on Chrysler Building (1929-1930)
“New York’s Chrysler Building, one of the city’s most iconic skyscrapers, was built in a remarkably short time–foundation work began in November 1928, and the building officially opened in May 1930. Even more remarkably, the steelwork went up in just six months in the summer of 1929 at an average rate of four floors a week.
Fox Movietone’s sound cameras visited the construction site several times in 1929 and 1930, staging a number of shots to maximize viewers’ sense of the spectacular heights.”
Mississippi Burning: Gene Hackman grabs KKK man’s testicles
I love the scene in Mississippi Burning where Gene Hackman grabs KKK man Michael Rooker’s testicles.
It came to mind while watching Get Shorty in which John Travolta’s character grabs James James Gandolfini’s character by the balls and tosses him down a flight of steps. I should compile a list of such scenes, right?
Country Music | A Film by Ken Burns
After watching the first two episodes (4 hours) of Ken Burns’ new documentary, I’m a little surprised at how much country music history there was before 1948. Many of the photos were reminiscent of the groups that performed at KBOA.
Burning Man Art Tour 2019
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True Detective (Season One): Philosophy of Rust Cohle
I was not a fan of what I think of as the early Matthew McConaughey but his later stuff really speaks to me. Mud (2012) and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). Top of my list is his portrayal of Rust Cohle in the first season (2014) of the HBO series True Detective. In the scene above (with Woody Harrelson) Rust shares his view of the cosmos.
True Detective (Season One) on iPhone with AirPods
My Apple AirPods continue to open up new worlds of sound. I watched (and liked) the first season of the HBO series True Detective (Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson) on a TV. Last night I started watching the series again but this time on my iPhone with AirPods. As with Deadwood, it was a completely different experience. The music was far more powerful and evocative. The texture of the actors voices was richer. (You could almost hear the smoke when McConaughey exhaled) Not sure I can go back to listening to sound coming from across the room.