So It Begins...
Posted by: j_john
Took some preliminary footage for the Crane-Off this afternoon...check out these photos of contestant Jonathan Bechtolt.
Jona shows off some of his craning techniques.......He's about to get all "Rocky" style.
True Story
Posted by: j_john
Just got back from a productive lunch meeting at Hot Lips Pizza with K.M.M. wherein we discussed two video projects, one of which is the very "present" Crane-Off. Inspired a bit by the Growin A Beard and 72 ounce steak documentaries, this "Crane-Off" will show two highly-skilled competitors (Cabel and Jona) doing battle in the cut-throat world of crane-operated games. More on this project as it develops.
Great initial progress was also made in developing the adidas project, since I am now going to make it into (what else?) a documentary. It might end up being just about myself and my love for adidas, so I can show off my apparel and what it means to me...a simple, yet effective way for me to convey the message of "Every adidas Has a Story". Oh, and I can mock myself which will be VERY FUNNY.
Whole Lotta Evil
Posted by: j_john
In other gaming/film news, I recently completed the fun Resident Evil prequel, RE Zero, and it prompted me to find out some info on the upcoming sequel to the 2002 big-screen adaptation. After a bit of searching I came across the trailer for the new film, Apocalypse.
I like the Umbrella-related preview, although finding out it contains the beloved Jill Valentine is a bit surprising. I'd assumed they would stay away from trying to introduce the same characters as in the games, since title character Alice (Milla Jovovich) was new to the scene. A look at the imdb page for the film shows quite a few favorite names from the games, but at least it looks like Michelle Rodriguez won't be back (you'd think I'd remember if she died in the first one, I dunno). I know I'll end up seeing it regardless, since I'm the sucker who checked out Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and anything else I've quickly forgotten.
On Assignment
Posted by: j_john
Mike sent me an intresting business-related link regarding Nintendo's latest hardware design, the Nintendo DS . Sure, I'm one of the die-hard Nintendo fans who owns (or did own) every system (excluding the Virtual Boy, which may prove to be particulary prescient considering this new device's similar early impressions), but I understand the general skepticism surrounding this new announcement--especially when it looks like it might make me nauseous.
Anyone familiar with the portable gaming industry knows that Nintendo has enjoyed a unique, unprecidented ride at the top. While Lynxes, GameGears, and Nomads all attempted to gain a foothold in the arena, they all fell to the mighty GameBoy and it's initial incredibly limited black and white screen. After finally releasing a worthy update with the GameBoy Advance a few years ago, Nintendo seemed to possibly be threated by Nokia's now infamous N-Gage. Anyone who has seen sidetalkin.com can tell you how well their marketing strategy turned out. People didn't want a handheld gaming, music, phone device that sold for $300 and looked incredibly ugly. Ok, maybe people didn't care so much about the design as they did the price and the awkwardness of exchanges game cartridges, but I'd like to think that ugly dimpled colour scheme had something to do with the continuing poor sales.
Getting back to the "DS", it appears that Nintendo is trying to steal some of the thunder from videogame industry leader Sony and their somewhat recent announcemnt of their own portable gaming device, the PSP. While Nintendo maintains their line as a company devoted solely to the gaming industry (in contrast to the multi-functional DVD-playing XBOX and PS2, and of course the multi-whatever N-Gage), they are exploring interesting ways to link their GBAs and GameCubes (main hardware). Although the DS seems to be an extension of their creative energy, I can't help but feel it is misguided. Even though I appreciate the example they use of playing a soccer match and being able to see the whole pitch on one screen and your specific player on another, I find myself agreeing with the guy who says it seems like it will create a bunch of cross-eyed gamers and the mockups of GBA SPs with two screens don't help matters much. Oh well, I reserve final judgment for the finished product...
New Beats
Posted by: j_john
Picked up some new musics this week after feeling like I was in a rut. First is Mark Robinson's Origami and Urbanism which gets my early vote for record title of the new year, but it's hard not to feel like he is banging on the same drum. I had certain strange expectations upon hearing this one was produced by Calvin Johnson, but then it just ends up sounding like another Flin Flon record covering the same sonic ground as "Canada's Green Highways." Sooner or later I'm going to have to overlook the quality of the album titles and think about spending my moneys elsewhere.
Also on the personal listening station this week is him's all in high places are not well I picked this one due to the connection with Adam Pierce (bubblecore records, drummer for Múm) and Múm leading lady Kristin Anna Voltysdottir sings on one of the tracks. I'm getting into this one a bit more than the MR release, but once again it's a bit too similiar-sounding, this time to something better on the bubblecore records catalogue--Mr. Pierce's own Mice Parade. Oh well, at least this group has a great legal story to tell. They just settled a dispute with the Finnish goth metal group of the same name, supposedly realizing that none of their fans would ever confuse the two.
Beard-off
Posted by: j_john
Mike loaned me this interesting documentary Growin' A Beard. It chronicles a beard growing contest in the small town of Shamrock, Texas, wherein a handful of guys start growing beards on New Year's Day and are judged on St. Patrick's Day on the their "Donegals." I recently sent a copy to John "Illadelphia" Anderson who has been know to grow a mean beard (or bearg) and watch a good film. I could see him looking like this guy in 50 years.
Besides the main feature on the DVD it also contained a short of a steak-eating contest. That part was interesting and wisely kept short. I was a bit dissapointed to see the guy eat the whole 72 ounce pile of beef and then watch him bring it back up in the bathroom afterwards. I keep my doughnuts down!
Crash Landing
Posted by: j_john
Haven't updated for awhile due to a combination of a down InterWeb connection and not too much going on. Saturday was a bust after planning the day around watching my T-Wolves on national television--only to see them score a franchise low 26 points IN THE FIRST HALF. They were only playing the Houston Rockets too, and had just beaten New Orleans and arch-rivals San Antonio on the road...guess they were tired and wanted to get back to the frigid confines of the Target Center. I'm beginning to suspect I may curse them, having lost 2 of 3 when I tune in...if they stay in first place I'll stay out of their face.
Grizzlie-Burgers
Posted by: j_john
The StarTribune has another article of interest, this one about the Memphis Grizzlies being stuck in Portland. First it compliments the city and then it pokes fun at the inability to handle the winter storm. My favorite section:
"Several meals were taken at a nearby Burger King, with players trudging along unshoveled sidewalks. Some hooked up video consoles, others flipped channels."
I wonder if they're talking about the BK on Burnside and Broadway, 'cause I really want to know which one the stars endorse. I bet Bonzi wasn't able to hit his favorite joints while he was back in town.
Sleepy Ball
Posted by: j_john
I guess I wasn't the only one who missed the Blazers game against the T-Wolves last night. Center Dale Davis couldn't get out of his fancy West Hills residence and didn't make the trip to Minneapolis...not that it would have mattered much as the Wolves ran all over the tired Portlanders. The MPLS Star-Tribune lets 'em have it: "It was snowing when the Blazers left Oregon, raining on them early in Thursday's game." Boom!
Big-Screen Football
Posted by: j_john
Last night I subjected my friends to this somewhat decent, 
predictable film about playing football and trying to escape a WWII POW camp, Victory. Even though it had big names like Stallone, Michael Caine, and Max Von Sydow, the main attraction for me was the appearance of real football (soccer) stars like Bobby Moore and the great Pelé. I'm still not sure if his lines were dubbed, but Pelé got to act the part of "Luis from Trinidad" and even used his classic bicycle kick to score the tying goal in the climatic scene. It didn't hold up to the memories I'd had of watching it as a child, but it was still pretty fun for me. Victory inspired me to conduct a bit of research, and here's what I came up with:
Director John Huston
won acclaim back in 1941 with the classic film noir "The Maltese Falcon."
Pele previously appeared in some Brasilian films, but accoring to IMDB his last big-screen role was in the 1987 epic Hotshot.
An earlier draft of the film had the players executed after the match. I wanna see that version!
Fan Contest
Posted by: j_john
There is a new fan contest linked to at björk.com where you can send in a photo of your own recreation of her recent DVD covers. Even though I could probably come up with something good, I think I'll abstain from entering this one. Something about online Björk geeks annoys me and makes me wonder if I'm perceived the same way.
Snow Day
Posted by: j_john
The Hott Denn is a glorious place to be right now--warm and toasty, with a good view of the action...which as far as I can tell, is a mix of snow, sleet and wind. I recently found out the theatre is closed tonight, so I'm trying to make use of the new-found free-time to finish some old projects. CD's are burned, videogames are played, movies (and commentary) are watched, and the Tetris Video even had some more edits made to it. Thank you Mother Earth for making me more productive.
