Star Wars Quote of the Week

"And I did it looking good."

-Lando Calrissian

Video of the Week: Bruckner Symphony No. 8 Clip

The Shuffle Experiment

I recommend that you try a music listening technique that I've tried:
The Shuffle Expirement

Here's how it works:
Listen to the entirety of the the music library on your iPod or computer using shuffle.  Yes - all of it.  No skipping songs allowed.  And yes, depending on the size of your library and how often you use your device, this could take some time.

Why would someone do this?
I started this about 3 years ago on my iPod on a whim, but quickly discovered that I was listening to interesting and enjoyable music that I had never listened to, despite owning it.  Most people love a band with those 3 songs that can never be played enough, or maybe have a favorite piece by a certain composer.  Then, there's the CD you got from a friend that you really didn't listen to.  Perhaps there are some tunes in a compilation album that you bought for a specific song.  Then there is that recording of Beethoven's 7th Symphony that you re-discovered after only listening to to a version by a different orchestra for 4 years.

I found that even in my carefully built music library (I am a musician, after all), there were a great many things that I hadn't paid attention to and some music that I could discover.  As with many people, there are tracks in my music library that have hardly been played while some have been played many, many, many, times.  Despite my overall preference of using vinyl for music listening, the computer becomes a convenient music player and can be used for something more interesting than simply playing songs.

So, put your music library on shuffle and hold on to your seat: you might be getting ready to discover some music!

About that Supergirl "First Look" Video...

1. Way.  Too.  Long.  I was ready for it to be over at 3 minutes.
2. Most companies pull out the stops for trailers/teasers, but there are some VFX shots that, in my opinion, are lacking.
3. Slow motion shots of people walking away from explosions are overused.  In fact, they're so overused  that The Lonely Island made a short video mocking the numerous times characters walk away from explosions.  I shouldn't be laughing at Supergirl walking away from an explosion.
4. Gives away too much plot - I feel that I already know what's going to happen.  Frankly, they could recut it and have a near completed Season 1 recap video.
5. Speaking of plot, I didn't feel like I was watching a preview for a Supergirl show.  It felt more like a cookie-cutter hero plot that was superimposed onto Supergirl.

Overall, it  doesn't say "DC Comics" to me.  If I don't feel like I'm watching something DC comics-ish, than it won't work for me.  The most successful DC comics interpretations have been the ones that remind the audience, at least in some way, of the DC comic look and/or feel.  For example, the success of the first Tim Burton Batman (Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson) is because of his attention to the accuracy of the story and feel of the sets, costumes, and characters.  Any single frame of Tim Burton's Batman could seamlessly be converted into a cell in a comic book.  In the case of Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, their success can largely be attributed to the attentive writing from Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, etc… not to mention the nearly flawless animation.

On the flip side, the challenge with Zach Snyder's Man of Steel is that the dark, quasi-monochrome palette simply isn't how Superman looks.  Color correction ruined an absolutely beautiful movie. As the Video Lab guys say, "what works for Batman doesn't necessarily work for Superman."  Similarly, the wild fantastic visuals of Joel Schumacher's Batman films really don't work as well for Batman.  While Batman Forever is worthy of a pass in my mind (due to the talents of Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey, as well as a story/script that was fair), Batman & Robin became the punchline of many jokes with a deficient script, mediocre acting, and way too many camera angles of latex rubber Batsuits.  Those films did not capture the essence of the characters and settings that they were reaching for.

So far, I don't get the right look and feel from this Supergirl adaptation.  For full disclosure, I generally don't like superhero/comic book adaptations on television for this reason.  I'm not sure if its the TV execs, an overarching belief about story methods on television, or something else, but I generally find that the genre is never adapted effectively.  It either comes across as corny or the writing is just never the quality and/or style that people expect.

But, as always, trailers can be misleading and what has happened in the past does not command the future.  We'll see what happens when the show starts airing.  To paraphrase a certain Chris Nolan film:

I hope this is the Supergirl we need, AND the Supergirl we deserve.

Star Wars Quote of the Week

"You doubt the power of the Force, Grand Admiral Thrawn?"

"Not at all.  I merely present the problems you and the Force will have to solve if you continue with this course of action."

-Exchange between Joruus C'baoth and Grand Admiral Thrawn

Star Wars Quote of the Week

"Anyone can make an error, Ensign.  But that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."

-Grand Admiral Thrawn