About a year ago I wrote about my favorite movie of the year so far. That movie was I Love You Man and it ended up being my favorite movie of the entire year. I think I will be so bold to say that this year I will say that How to Train Your Dragon is probably going to take the same place for this year for me. I will go ahead and set the time frame back even to Avatar and Sherlock Holmes that were technically last year.
Avatar was a really good show. I have to openly admit that it was and is a really great movie. It is to me kind of like the iPhone. That is to say that it is a very good product but it really missed the mark in so many ways.
I saw both Dragon and Avatar in 3D. I have been avoiding any 3D movies for quite some time because I mostly think the whole idea is silly. I think Orson Scott Card put it best on his own blog as to why 3D is just not necessary. However, I felt that since Avatar was allegedly filmed with 3D in mind from the outset I thought I would give it a try. I mean from what I've heard James Cameron actually invented a new camera just to film this movie.
In the end I was kind of surprised at how good looking the 3D was. The truth is that the movie was really beautiful. But the 3D was actually more distracting than it was helpful to the movie for me at least. I found there were a lot of times where I wanted to look at something other than the main actors face but because the focus removed all the other objects behind him I was not allowed to. This was mostly done towards the beginning of the film. The second half seemed to be less focused on the fact that they were showing you a 3D film and so they started to let you look at what you wanted to. That's really the fun of seeing a show in 3D, looking around at things. By the end I had a lot of eye strain and a slight headache starting. Nothing too bad but noticeable enough for a couple ibuprofen.
The first thought I had after stepping out of Avatar was simply, I would like to see that again on a regular screen. I have yet to see it a second time. It's okay you and your friends have probably seen it a few extra times for me. If you have not seen it my recommendation is that you try to see a Blu-Ray copy. The imagery is worth the extra resolution you get from Blu-Ray over DVD. However, if you are waiting to see that soon to come 3D version then I say don't bother. There is nothing added to it in that format.
I thought that Avatar was as good as the new 3D could do. I was surprised at how wrong I was once I saw Dragon. In the first 5 minutes I was shocked at just how good 3D could be. I heard in an advertisement that Dragon's action scenes rivaled Avatar in 3D. I think the truth is that the whoever wrote that sound bite was trying to not offend the millions (thousands?) of Avatar fans. Dragon does better 3D in every scene than Avatar does in its best scenes.
Now let me move past the 3D. One other way that Dragon bests Avatar is in, well, everything except scenery.
The story of Dragon is, while predictable, original. It is a rather cute story about a viking teen who is roped into dragon school where he is to learn about surviving the ceaseless attacks of the dragon hoards. I'll leave it at that because you no doubt can figure much of the rest of the story out beyond that from the advertisements. I'll just say that while the story is kind of predictable it is very entertaining. It will appeal to adults and the kids will be watching the DVD endlessly.
In comparison Avatar's story is more or less a rip of a short story called Call Me Joe. I read this story in college in my science fiction class. It is more or less almost exactly the story of Avatar. The six legged animal idea I believe was probably extrapolated from the avatars in Call Me Joe. On film two legged humanoids tend to have more appeal and help audiences connect better. Don't get me wrong, I think the story is pretty cool. When I saw the first ad for Avatar I was excited someone decided to make a movie from Call Me Joe. It is a really good science fiction story and James Cameron did a really great job bringing it to the main stream. But in the end it is not an original story.
One more area I would like to compare is animation. I would just like to say that Dragon is at least on par with Avatar in the department of animation as well. Though in some sense I realize it is like comparing apples to oranges. Avatar is designed for realism and Dragon is an animated family movie. I think in 2 areas we can make some simple comparisons. First, the creatures and second, the textures.
The creatures of Avatar are typically 6 legged animals. There are also the pterodactyl like flying creatures. Dragon has only dragons. The 6 legged creatures were perhaps to me the most difficult thing to buy into. The problem I have with them is a little silly perhaps but it is just that there is no reason for those animals to have 6 legs. The extra set of legs would not assist with their ability to survive. This is the very reason scientists believe that most of the six legged creatures on Earth are lower life forms. The believe that higher life forms use 2 or more common 4 legs because it is a more efficient configuration. The extra limbs need calories to exist but do not add a significant advantage to hunting or foraging. It's a small gripe but there you have it. I think they animated too many legs on the creatures.
In Dragon the creatures are as beautiful as any in Avatar. My argument is that the way they moved both on the ground and in the air seemed to be more natural to my eyes.
Though all the creatures in both shows are faked up for our entertainment I found that at the end of Dragon I couldn't help but really wish I had my own dragon. I didn't think much about riding any of the creatures from Avatar. Perhaps it is because in Avatar only a select few could ride the animals which created an elite that I was in no way a part of and which even in my imagination I didn't ever really think about becoming an alien. But I always want to be a viking!
Finally textures. I think the textures of Avatar were as real as anything fake could probably be. Dragon matched this in every way possible for a cartoon. I think the main dragon's skin was probably the thing that impressed me most. I still think about it from time to time. It looked like something that you would want to touch. It was beautiful.
Now, what makes me think How to Train Your Dragon is going to be my favorite movie of the year? None of the things I have said. Because more or less all I've done so far is to tell you why I think it is better than Avatar. Let me set that aside now.
Dragon is a very fun movie. It has everything from humor to friendship (which were two of my favorite things about I Love You Man). There is action and adventure and a sense of wonder from early on. I even enjoyed how they described all of the dragon types early on. It was reminiscent of Zombieland and the rules of survival (double tap). It set the stage quickly and at the same time helps the audience become familiar with the main character very quickly.
All in all I would just like to say that if you plan on seeing a movie any time soon I recommend How to Train Your Dragon. In 3D it was easy on the eyes. It has all the qualities of a good time for the whole family, something that last year's pick didn't have.
April 16, 2010
February 12, 2010
Ladders
It's strange how some lessons in life stay with you for years. Some of which you continue to adapt new information and new lessons to over time. I learned a lot about ladders from my older brother Brent a long time ago.
In 1997 or 1998 I was working for Brent. Well the way this went down was actually slightly different than that. I worked for him many times in my life. I started around the age of 14 and continued until I was about 25. Brent was a painter. Perhaps he will be again someday, though I thinks he has hopes that it is now behind him. Still, once you learn a trade it is kind of a part of you no matter where you go or what you do.
So, round about 1998 I was talking to my friend Jamie. He and I thought it would be a pretty cool idea if I were to move out to Vallejo, CA and live with him for a while. I had a lot of independence in my late teenage years. We decided that it was going to happen. All I needed was some cash to get there. My mom called Brent and asked if he had something I could work on to earn some quick gas money. A day later I was in Orem, UT dressed to paint houses.
Up until this point in my life Brent had really only ever allowed me to do prep work for him. You know, sanding and caulking and the like. It's rigorous work and there is no fun in it. However this time was different. I showed up and Brent handed me 3 things: a ladder, a bucket and a brush. He pointed out some windows sills and told me to get up the ladder and get painting. Then he got in his truck and left.
For the next 6 hours I was more or less all alone. I thought the work in front of me was daunting. I was to paint trim around 4 or 5 windows in an almost peanut butter color. All of the windows were on the second story. There were only 2 that forced me to stand on the ladder to paint. The others were gables and so I could sit on the roof nearby and paint them. I remember starting with the harder ones.
First I had to get the ladder up to the windows. It was an extension ladder and as I recall was rather heavy. Setting it up was one of the hardest things I had to do that day. I almost put it through a window. Luckily it bounced off. Once I got it up on the left side of the first window I only needed to climb it and start painting.
So, I got my bucket and brush and started climbing the ladder. The first time up an extension ladder is kind of a defining moment in my opinion. Basically from that point on one of two things can happen. Either you will never climb one again or you will force yourself to be okay with it and never care about it again. I suppose we could have a nice conversation about that alone. Another time perhaps.
I climbed that ladder with bucket in hand. I realized as I took each step that I was going to have to decide if this was frightening. Once I got to the top I realized that I could see above and over the houses in the neighborhood. My decision was easy. I wasn't afraid. I should note that since that day I have fallen off a ladder twice with no injury yet, just to pat myself on the back a little.
The rest of the day I spent a lot of time going up and down the ladder. I had to move it a lot to reach different areas of the windows. I had to refill the pain bucket. After a while the thought of fear left and I started feeling like the ladder was a chore more than anything else. It was really hard to move and really hard to climb up and down with a bucket of paint.
Some hours passed and Brent returned. He was appalled at how little I had finished. He took me aside and asked me what I thought at the time to be a stupid question. He asked, "Do you know what takes the most time out of your day when you are painting?" My instant answer was, "climbing up and down the ladder." He paused only momentarily thinking I was giving him a smart-alec response. However, I was serious. From my limited view of painting the ladder climbing was what took me the most time. However, Brent had a larger perspective and was trying to share that with me. He continued and said, "No, the thing that takes the most time painting is dipping the brush. If you do it wrong you can lose up to 40% of your work time just dipping the brush." He then taught me how to dip my brush fast and effective.
About a year later I realized that he was completely right. I realized that much of painting is done without a ladder or with a step stool that is easy to ascend and descend. But when it is time to put paint on the wall you have to be quick about it. I realized that the technique he taught me that day was actually a vital tool for painting, not just for painting that one day. Brent saw the big picture when he taught me that lesson. He was standing on top of a different ladder that day and was calling down to me below with advice.
As it turns out I have learned a lot of lessons based on this simple one. I learned the value of efficiency. Over the years efficiency has proven to be a valuable tool in all my employment. I was able to directly use that lesson for many years as I painted homes, mostly for Brent and some short time with Dennis. I adapted that as a lab technician and taught myself how to accomplish all of the mundane tasks that lab workers do as quickly and efficiently as possible. This left me open in the past for taking part in some extra projects with talented engineers where I learned many more valuable lessons.
The idea of a ladder is prevalent in the business world. Many people talk about climbing the corporate ladder. I think for a while I got caught up in that myself. I wanted to become someone important. I worked very hard to be considered for positions of great responsibility. Ultimately I did receive some of those coveted positions. I realized much later that climbing that ladder, though it did have its advantages, made me into a strange kind of person. A lot of people didn't like that version of me. Looking back there are some things that I don't like about that version of me.
I think that is why, as I now see people heedlessly trying to climb their business ladders, I desire to stop them from their silly games. I want to show people that their ego wants power but their social well being doesn't. I realize this is something I could never have known let alone taught had I not reached what is essentially the top of one of these ladders, from which I now look down and say try climbing a different ladder, one that is more rewarding.
In 1997 or 1998 I was working for Brent. Well the way this went down was actually slightly different than that. I worked for him many times in my life. I started around the age of 14 and continued until I was about 25. Brent was a painter. Perhaps he will be again someday, though I thinks he has hopes that it is now behind him. Still, once you learn a trade it is kind of a part of you no matter where you go or what you do.
So, round about 1998 I was talking to my friend Jamie. He and I thought it would be a pretty cool idea if I were to move out to Vallejo, CA and live with him for a while. I had a lot of independence in my late teenage years. We decided that it was going to happen. All I needed was some cash to get there. My mom called Brent and asked if he had something I could work on to earn some quick gas money. A day later I was in Orem, UT dressed to paint houses.
Up until this point in my life Brent had really only ever allowed me to do prep work for him. You know, sanding and caulking and the like. It's rigorous work and there is no fun in it. However this time was different. I showed up and Brent handed me 3 things: a ladder, a bucket and a brush. He pointed out some windows sills and told me to get up the ladder and get painting. Then he got in his truck and left.
For the next 6 hours I was more or less all alone. I thought the work in front of me was daunting. I was to paint trim around 4 or 5 windows in an almost peanut butter color. All of the windows were on the second story. There were only 2 that forced me to stand on the ladder to paint. The others were gables and so I could sit on the roof nearby and paint them. I remember starting with the harder ones.
First I had to get the ladder up to the windows. It was an extension ladder and as I recall was rather heavy. Setting it up was one of the hardest things I had to do that day. I almost put it through a window. Luckily it bounced off. Once I got it up on the left side of the first window I only needed to climb it and start painting.
So, I got my bucket and brush and started climbing the ladder. The first time up an extension ladder is kind of a defining moment in my opinion. Basically from that point on one of two things can happen. Either you will never climb one again or you will force yourself to be okay with it and never care about it again. I suppose we could have a nice conversation about that alone. Another time perhaps.
I climbed that ladder with bucket in hand. I realized as I took each step that I was going to have to decide if this was frightening. Once I got to the top I realized that I could see above and over the houses in the neighborhood. My decision was easy. I wasn't afraid. I should note that since that day I have fallen off a ladder twice with no injury yet, just to pat myself on the back a little.
The rest of the day I spent a lot of time going up and down the ladder. I had to move it a lot to reach different areas of the windows. I had to refill the pain bucket. After a while the thought of fear left and I started feeling like the ladder was a chore more than anything else. It was really hard to move and really hard to climb up and down with a bucket of paint.
Some hours passed and Brent returned. He was appalled at how little I had finished. He took me aside and asked me what I thought at the time to be a stupid question. He asked, "Do you know what takes the most time out of your day when you are painting?" My instant answer was, "climbing up and down the ladder." He paused only momentarily thinking I was giving him a smart-alec response. However, I was serious. From my limited view of painting the ladder climbing was what took me the most time. However, Brent had a larger perspective and was trying to share that with me. He continued and said, "No, the thing that takes the most time painting is dipping the brush. If you do it wrong you can lose up to 40% of your work time just dipping the brush." He then taught me how to dip my brush fast and effective.
About a year later I realized that he was completely right. I realized that much of painting is done without a ladder or with a step stool that is easy to ascend and descend. But when it is time to put paint on the wall you have to be quick about it. I realized that the technique he taught me that day was actually a vital tool for painting, not just for painting that one day. Brent saw the big picture when he taught me that lesson. He was standing on top of a different ladder that day and was calling down to me below with advice.
As it turns out I have learned a lot of lessons based on this simple one. I learned the value of efficiency. Over the years efficiency has proven to be a valuable tool in all my employment. I was able to directly use that lesson for many years as I painted homes, mostly for Brent and some short time with Dennis. I adapted that as a lab technician and taught myself how to accomplish all of the mundane tasks that lab workers do as quickly and efficiently as possible. This left me open in the past for taking part in some extra projects with talented engineers where I learned many more valuable lessons.
The idea of a ladder is prevalent in the business world. Many people talk about climbing the corporate ladder. I think for a while I got caught up in that myself. I wanted to become someone important. I worked very hard to be considered for positions of great responsibility. Ultimately I did receive some of those coveted positions. I realized much later that climbing that ladder, though it did have its advantages, made me into a strange kind of person. A lot of people didn't like that version of me. Looking back there are some things that I don't like about that version of me.
I think that is why, as I now see people heedlessly trying to climb their business ladders, I desire to stop them from their silly games. I want to show people that their ego wants power but their social well being doesn't. I realize this is something I could never have known let alone taught had I not reached what is essentially the top of one of these ladders, from which I now look down and say try climbing a different ladder, one that is more rewarding.
November 11, 2009
The New Job
I started a new job about 2 weeks ago. So far so good. That is to say I like the job and the people I work with.
I realize this is kind of a change from the normal posting for me. I normally wouldn't post anything that seems like a journal entry. However, I consider this news for people who may like news.
One of the main things that I have noticed in the last 2 weeks is that now that I have a job I feel like writing. For the last year it has been my goal to write stories. However, I found out that one of my shortcomings in the area of writing is that I have a hard time separating my real world issues from it. Basically what I mean is that once I was able to see we were heading down a path of financial suffering I began to stress about money far too much. It kind of consumed my thoughts and I was almost unable to write anything at all. I did continue to write but the progress was slow.
Right now I have 2 stories that have been started and I would now like to finish one of them and get it ready for submission to a science fiction magazine. Finding the time is a little bit difficult though. I have limited time at home and it is often very busy so when it isn't busy I want to play or just rest. So, finishing anything is going to be a challenge.
I am encouraged by the fact that my mind, which is now clear of the previous financial stresses, is gearing up to write stories. I will just have to find a way to balance my time so that I may.
I realize this is kind of a change from the normal posting for me. I normally wouldn't post anything that seems like a journal entry. However, I consider this news for people who may like news.
One of the main things that I have noticed in the last 2 weeks is that now that I have a job I feel like writing. For the last year it has been my goal to write stories. However, I found out that one of my shortcomings in the area of writing is that I have a hard time separating my real world issues from it. Basically what I mean is that once I was able to see we were heading down a path of financial suffering I began to stress about money far too much. It kind of consumed my thoughts and I was almost unable to write anything at all. I did continue to write but the progress was slow.
Right now I have 2 stories that have been started and I would now like to finish one of them and get it ready for submission to a science fiction magazine. Finding the time is a little bit difficult though. I have limited time at home and it is often very busy so when it isn't busy I want to play or just rest. So, finishing anything is going to be a challenge.
I am encouraged by the fact that my mind, which is now clear of the previous financial stresses, is gearing up to write stories. I will just have to find a way to balance my time so that I may.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)