So I'm sitting there thinking: "What Mac laptop has a black logo!?" Then I realized, that's not a Mac laptop at all. Northern Exposure's Rob Morrow is using an iPad with, I'm assuming, a wireless keyboard.

Those little gizmos are really catching on.

Tags: Apple, ipad

I've always been a big fan of the Booty Babe statues and have several myself, but the more recent models seems to be a bit less ample where the curves are concerned. Just a little more restrained on the voluptuous tip. But not this new one: Santa Fe Señorita Booty Babe. This one harkens back to the original Booty Babe statues that made you go "DAMN!"

Tags: Booty Babe

I recently saw "Medicine for Melancholy" on DVD and was highly impressed. It tells the story of Micah and JoAnn, two twentysomething African Americans who are part of the indie scene in San Francisco. It starts with them leaving a house party the morning after a one-night-stand. For reasons that are never made entirely clear in the movie, JoAnn appears to regret her decision to have slept with Micah and wants nothing to do with him. The first 15 minutes of the movie - the most difficult part to get through - deal with Micah trying to win over the bitterly distanced JoAnn.

But once Micah and JoAnn connect, the movie is sublime, both visually and in terms of content. In many ways "Medicine" is groundbreaking in telling the story of African Americans in love. As the director notes, how many times do we see young black people onscreen who ride bikes around the city, or build aquariums, or listen to indie music? To some extent, the movie itself is an allegory of its characters: white leaning/mumblecore sensibilities on the surface (from the soundtrack to the way it's shot), but undeniably black at its core. The central conflict of the two characters revolves around an age-old question in the African American community, which is what does it mean to be black, and does/should ones blackness eclipse ones class. For JoAnn, class and lifestyle prevail over her blackness. She refuses to limit her world view and her experiences to being black. She lives with and dates a white curator who is away in London and pays a mortgage on a very expensive house in San Francisco. Micah, on the hand, builds custom aquariums and stays in a decidedly less upscale and more gritty side of town. Although the film hints that Micah got his heart broken in an interracial relationship with a white woman before he met JoAnn, in the present tense he clearly sees himself as a black man with a dating preference for staying in race. He is concerned about gentrification and the lower classes marginalization in San Francisco. Everything about Micah crackles with his awareness of being black. For JoAnn, it's a footnote.

I won't give it all away, but I will just say that this film doesn't offer any easy answers to these issues.

I've seen dozens of slice-off-life love stories similar to this film about white characters, and enjoyed them, but I really can't describe what I felt finally seeing black characters get to tell a story like this. Pic is highly evocative and writer/director Barry Jenkins' carefully studied approach to the material paid off in spades. As just one example, the scene with Micah and JoAnn dancing together to "Lightbulbs" as the night winds down was very moving to me. (By the way, the film has a great soundtrack.) "Medicine" reminded me of Ted Witcher's "Love Jones" in the sense that it is breaking free of many black stereotypes and deals with the black bohemian crowd, but I definitely enjoyed this movie a lot more.

Interestingly, finding this DVD in the allegedly liberal city of Los Angeles was far from easy. Neither Cinefile nor Laser Blazer - two stores renowned for carrying offbeat, independent movies like this - had purchased this IFC-distributed DVD so that their customers could rent or buy it. It says a lot about the way audiences are prepared to perceive black people. Somehow I think if this had been some cheapie hood flick about gang members and big booty girlies, both stores would have had it in stock.

Anyway, do yourself a favor and go out and rent this or buy it a Pay Per View. It is without a doubt a modern classic.

Tags: Medicine for Melancholy

I know you guys are like "Wait a second - didn't he make a post about this already!?" It's true. But this is a different angle.

Check eBay and you may notice that while there are plenty of the variant of Spider-Man issue #601, the very first in the Red Headed Stranger series about Mary Jane's return to Peter Parker's life, there are few of the original cover. You'll also notice your local comic book store won't have them. That's right kiddies, this one is on its way to becoming a collectible. I just picked mine up today at Comics Ink in Culver City (see below - last copy, don't bother going there, lol).

As a note, I really enjoyed this particular story line. The issue with Chameleon is the best in terms of art, story, etc.

Tags: Spider-man, Red Headed Stranger

I just picked up "Wilson" today and I think it's safe to say -- without even having finished it -- it's one of my favorite Dan Clowes books to date. Maybe he's better suited to the anecdotal than linear storytelling, but it sure is a delight. Page after page of good laughs. If you've never read Clowes, I can't think of a better introduction.

Tags: Wilson, Dan Clowes

I really enjoyed this story. Drayonis nicely captured some of the unique elements of the Black strip club experience. Check out the entire issue here.

Tags: The Dog Years

DC's animated features have been steadily improving since their debut, although even the early outings such as Wonder Woman and Green Lantern: First Flight were exceptionally well done. But this new one, Crisis on Two Earths, is just sublime. The musical score is great and voice characterizations, and especially James Woods as a stoically cool Owl Man, are top notch. Marvel needs to step their game up in respect to their animated features. Hulk v. Wolverine was pretty good, but it couldn't hold a candle to this.

Tags: Justice League

This album retains Massive Attack's fundamental unique sound and won't disappoint fans in that regard. It is uneven, but "Paradise Circus" alone is worth the price of admission. "Girl I Love You" would be next in line for me, and is classic Massive Attack. "Pray For Rain" is very unique and should wind up on the soundtrack of the next Transporter Sequel or some suitably dark but cool movie from the UK. All in all, well worth the purchase.

Tags: Massive Attack

Adrian Tomine is one of my favorite comic book writers. He just has a knack for capturing the nuances of human interaction, like that nice scene from Optic Nerve #6, "Hawaiian Getaway," where Hilary Chan is waiting in line at the coffee house and the perky blond barista is all nice to guy in front of her, but then when she gets to the counter she suddenly becomes shy. Or the way the cute grocer's kindness in "Supermarket" (Optic Nerve #3) turns into uneasiness at the excessive touchiness of the blind Mr. Lewis, who she senses might be grabbing onto her for more than direction. Honestly, who writes this type of subtle stuff anymore?! I'd recommend the entire Optic Nerve series, and if you can find them, the individual issues because the letters are great.

Tags: Adrian Tomine

This somewhat dark, goth song reminds me a lot of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill." What a dreamy landscape Bat for Lashes has created. My little nephews, at 11 and 7, even like this song! Check it out on iTunes.

Tags: Bat for Lashes

Man, I've been into Phoenix since I heard the song "If I Ever Feel Better" nearly five years ago at the Virgin Megastore here in Los Angeles. When I heard "Listomania" in the finale to "Entourage" I knew they were starting to blow up. Wolfgang Amadeus is probably my favorite album this year.

It's also nice to see Vibe Magazine covering groups like this in their comeback issue.

Tags: Vibe Magazine, Phoenix

I saw this movie this week. As with most Wes Anderson films, and most notably Rushmore, this film does not disappoint. It has a very warm color palette and the settings are pastoral and visually appealing and engender a sense of coziness. A sense of being ensconced in the (largely) underground and make believe world of Mr. Fox and his unusual collection of pals. But I had the same feeling of wanting to rewind and more closely review many scenes for details that I did with Coraline, although that film ultimately has more heart and was more polished and technically amazing than Fox. Coraline was a classic; Fox is just a really good stop motion animation movie.

Rat is played by Willem Dafoe and that is probably the funniest role in the movie. Just listen to that slow, southern drawl when he tells Mr. Fox "It's my jaw-ob (job)"

The part of the movie I wasn't so crazy about was the second half, when the farmers really become focused on trying to capture and kill Mr. Fox. While never overtly violent, the tension and sense of imminent danger is in stark contrast to the cozy, relaxed feeling in the beginning of the film.

All in all, a very enjoyable movie going experience, like most Wes Anderson movies.

Tags: George Clooney, Wes Anderson

Well...... It finally happened. Sade has announced the date for her album, Solider Of Love. It has been dated to release February 8th, 2010. You can pre-order the album from Amazon. I haven't seen an iTunes pre-order link yet. (Thanks to ECJ from ASR for this.)

Tags: Sade

I don’t think anyone even looks at this section, lol, but I’ll keep posting stuff on the off chance that someone does. Nobody draws curvy women quite like Jamie Hernandez of the Hernandez Bros. One need only look at Maggie or one his other female creations in the Love and Rocket series to know what I mean. These drawings inform a lot of my creative decisions in terms of posing, color choices, ideas, etc. All the stuff you see in this section coalesces to inform the photos I take of models, even if mainly on a subconscious level. What is informing your photographic choices? It’s something to consider.

Tags: Jamie Hernandez

The new Melrose Place on the CW is chocked full of eye candy, including the undeniably hot Jessica Lucas, but the creme de la creme of the show is Katie Cassidy, who plays Ella Simms - the new Amanda. Katie hardly has the curves Jessica is working with, but in terms of giving good face and stealing scenes you might as well call this the Katie Cassidy show. Whatever happens with Melrose Place (it’s not quite as good as the 90s juggernaut), Katie will come out of this unscathed.

From a photography perspective, not that they are shooting at golden hour with the sun backlighting Cassidy, creating a halo like outline. Also notice the ample use of green in the background to play into Cassidy’s eyes (click to enlarge pics). Noticing details like this is why photographers often go on to be cinematographers.

Tags: Katie Cassidy

Remember this name: Jocelin Donahue. She gives a fantastic performance in this subtle and masterfully executed retro horror film. I really wound up liking this movie. It's definitely not for everyone and it's certainly not a feel good movie by any stretch. But the way the parts leading up the mayhem happened could almost be described as beautiful. It wasn't just 80s redux, it was that improved.

As an example, the scene where Jocelin’s Samantha is bobbing around to the Fix's "One Thing Leads To Another" but then the music abruptly stops (for the audience) when she opens the door to that dark basement - just really nicely done.

Tags: House of the Devil

Produced by Bryan "The Usual Suspects" Singer, this is a series of vignettes. None of them are bad, but the last one, about a crazy old man who gets a spooky visit from a "kid" with stuffed satchel bag for a head and button eyes is one of the best horror episodics I've seen since Creepshow's "The Crate" or Twilight Zone's "The Living Doll".

The last one is worth the price of admission alone. Trust.

As an added bonus, Rochelle Aytes is looking real good in this.

Tags: Rochelle Aytes

This movie is not nearly as bad as the critics would have you believe. It’s just not as good as it could be. Maybe the bar was set too high given Diablo Cody’s involvement. What’s the deal with Ms. Cody anyway? Did she lose a boyfriend to an Asian American girl at some point in her life? She seems to be dead set on casting Asian American actresses in the most vapid roles. First it was the Christianity loving, pro-life chanting fanatic in Juno; now it’s the Soft Shoulder fan who believes their lies despite obvious credibility issues. There’s a Tarantino-esque strain of subdued prejudice in Cody’s movies so far that’s a little annoying.

Anyway, Megan Fox looks great in this movie and Adrian Brody is projecting “I’m ready for the A-list”. The movie is not scary in the slightest. Well, except for one shot at the very end, as the credits are rolling. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but it involves Amanda Seyfried in badass mode.

Tags: Megan Fox

Actually, it's more about 500 Days of Summer. There's a really interesting quote in Filmstar’s story about that movie. As good as it was, there was an element of preciousness about 500 Days. It's almost too stylish and cool for its own good. It undermines the gritty realism of the "love hurts" story they're trying to tell. But after reading this article I found out that, at least with respect to Zooey's character, that slickness was somewhat intentional.

Summer is also figurative of a certain type of indie movie character. As Webb explains, "There's this term - Manic Pixie Dream Girl - which is this idealised super-attractive quirky girl. Typically this character is sort of consumed by the male, changes his life and it's happily ever after. But we wanted to use that idea and extract some sort of consequence from it - she doesn't solve your problems, she doesn't make you happy. One of the underlying themes of the movie is that happiness lies within, not in the big blue eyes of the girl in the cubicle down the hall. That was a little bit tricky, but Zooey...she has great sense of style, she has this credibility, which is really fantastic, and it's hard not to like her, to be attracted to her. She lives in that idealised box that we have - but there's a consequence to that, there's a consequence to these people not being real, and that's what the end of the movie is trying to embrace."

I got a sense from the article that there was bit of a struggle between Zooey’s interpretation of the story and Summer’s character and the one the screenwriter had. She says “I just tried to play the scenes as truthfully as possible and keep her grounded in my reality of her, which was different from the reality of the film. My job was to protect her integrity, as a character. I’m like the lawyer for Summer.”

Tags: Zooey Deschanel

This is a bittersweet little movie. It got a 90% at Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty good. I don’t know that I’d quite put it at that level, but it’s definitely enjoyable and not your typical romantic comedy. Zooey Deschanel is always interesting and her line delivery is superb. She's perfected the cute quirky chick role. Check it out. You won’t waste your money.

Tags: Zooey Deschanel

This is one of the most unique, cool movies I've seen in a while. It's going to be dropping soon on DVD, so check it out.

Tags: Coraline

EDIT: I saw this tonight, opening night. Here's my review. WARNING: contains spoilers.

The first 30 minutes or so of this movie are pretty damn intense. A couple walked out of the showing I was at. If they could have kept that energy up the whole film, it would've been really scary.

As it stands, it was extremely solid. Good does not prevail over evil, and I always like movies like that. The lead character does everything possible for redemption, but it just isn't enough.

This movie is not truly scary in the get-under-your-skin sense like "The Exorcist" or the original "Ringhu" (Japanese version). It could have been, but Sam Raimi seems to prefer camp to mean-spirited, rattle-you-to-the-bones horror. Still, the movie a nice blend of frights with some humor.

The lead actress is very interesting to watch. Kinda sexy, kinda innocent, and a little bit bad girl... Trying to escape her country bumpkin past, you almost feel sorry for her.

Overall I'd recommend it. I'll probably check it out again at some point.

Tags: Horror Movies

The first trailer for the upcoming flick with Esther Baxter in it, "Speed Dating," has dropped. Check it out here.

This movie isn't all that scary, but it certainly has its fair share of gloom and doom. From the first scene when we see a man's throat slit as he hangs upside down from a tree while a dog watches until the carnage at the swimming pool at the end, the movie has a foreboding sense of dread to it. The director made a lot of smart choices in this very well done story about a 12-year-old (not really) vampire (Eli) and the socially inept younger boy (Oskar) she falls for.

You can't help but wonder what awaits Oskar once Eli tires of him and/or he gets old, but it looks like they've got a good thing until that day comes.

I have been using a TiBook 867Mhz for the last four years, but I had gone thru at least two batteries, a screen, and most recently one of the hinges finally broke. My local college was selling the Spring '08 (not the most recent ones) MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz model for $1399, which is a steal, so I decided to step off into the abyss and purchase it, after much debate. (Not an easy decision to make in a recession, but you can always make money with a computer)

Anyway, for those G4 Powerbook users contemplating the upgrade, let me offer these few choice observations on the upgrade:

--Heat/fan issues: The Macbook Pro is rumored to get VERY hot. So hot that some users say they have to put a magazine between the computer and their lap to keep from getting burned. I haven't seen this. I've run several apps at a time and at most the heat is moderate. The TiBook, on the other hand, was a furnace and the fans came on almost constantly, esp. in the last year or so. I don't remember it always being so fan-happy, but at some point it seemed like that fan would kick on after just 5 minutes of use, esp. with the adapter plugged in.

Winner: Macbook

--Keyboard: The auto light keyboard on the Macbook Pro, which senses when it's dark and kicks in with an eerie X-Files glow, is damn cool. And the keys have a nice springiness, but the overall feel is more precious and delicate than with the TiBook. I can easily see that silver rubbing off with the Macbook keys if I don't get an iSkin cover. The black plastic keyboard of the TiBook felt more utilitarian, even though the white letters eventually started to wear away. It's really too soon to call, but for now...

Winner: TiBook

--Speed: This doesn't even merit a discussion. The MacBook Pro, with its dual Intel processors, 3MB of level 2 cache and 4 MB of RAM easily dusts the TiBook's crops. But to be fair, it's got a 4-5 year technological advantage, which is HUGE in the world of computers.

Winner: MacBook Pro

--Spinning Beach Ball of Death: Toward the end with the TiBook, just about anything would cause the spinning wheel to come up. Even if I so much as scrolled down the page with a YouTube movie embedded, the wheel would appear. God forbid I run more than two RAM heavy apps at a time and try to rapidly switch between them. I haven't seen much of the spinning ball of death on the Macbook yet, but I'm sure it's time will come

Winner: MacBook Pro

--Internet Experience: Another category that is pretty obvious. There is no website that can't be conquered with Safari 3.1 in Leopard. Pop up blocking is sublime. The TiBook was choking on sites as commonplace as CNN. Even Photobucket was becoming iffy.

Winner: MacBook Pro

Design Build: --> Winner: MacBook Pro, lol.

Conclusion: So was it worth it? I'm sure it was, but right now the MacBook is just pleasant in a low key kind of way. It hasn't blown my socks off or anything. I was acutely aware when watching "Entourage" in high def that I couldn't have done that on the TiBook, but that isn't exactly mandatory computing either.

I could probably have held off another week of so, but I'm glad I didn't.

Tags: MacBook Pro

The urban modeling industy could stand to take a page or two out of Maxim's playbook on this one. This is some of cleanest and nicest photography I've seen since Cindy Crawford's classic 1990 Calendar shot by Marco Glaviano, which used to sell for $100+ on eBay.

Tags: Maxim, Claudia Jordan, Anya Monzikova

As a big fan of the Ghost World movie, comic books, and pretty much all things Dan Clowes, I couldn't have been happier to find this new hard bound edition of Ghost World in the book store a week ago. I knew it was coming out, but had lost track of when. Nothing against Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly, but their dates are not exactly hard and fast.



Anyway, this new iteration of Ghost World includes both the serialized comic and the screenplay, in addition to a lot of really cool extras. Just about every bit of trivia surrounding Enid and Rebecca is included in this book. And short of a sequel, this is about as good as it gets for now. As usual, Clowes leaves us wanting more, but it's still a nice little surprise.



BTW, there's a funny jab at the movie Juno in this book, which was in many ways a refashioning (read= ripoff) of Ghost World. At any rate, pick this one up when you have a chance. It's a keeper.

Tags: Ghost World

I read this over the weekend. This Robert Goodin story is not bad at all. It's got a whimsical feeling to it, almost like the protaganist dreams everything that happens to him.

I've always been interested in books, movies, TV shows, etc. that are about men obsessed with women's anatomy, because it's a very difficult topic to pull off without seeming highly exploitative. I've wanted to do something for years about three guys who destroy their lives due to their preoccupation with women's backsides. Each one loses something major in his life - his job, his fortune, his wife. But I never thought a publisher would be interested in that type of story. I guess "The Man Who Loved Breasts" disproves my theory. (Another sleeper where it comes to this subject is Dan Clowes "David Boring" - note Boring's obsession with big backsides and the trouble that gets him into)

Tags: Robert Goodin, The Man Who Loved Breasts, Dan Clowes, David Boring

Not a bad little horror flick. The lead actor, played by Trevor Matthews, was cool without trying to be. We'll see more of him for sure.

The actress who plays his girlfriend, Rachel Skarsten, is cute and kinda curvy.



The problem is that the movie is slow and not scary. All of the action is crammed into the last 15 minutes and, while decent, it takes too long to get there.