Marty is:

a) driving to work
b) listening to Howard Stern
c) stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
d) all of the above



A new day is dawning on a new school year! (Feel free to play your favorite driving music as you enjoy my ride to work.)


-Marty

Summer Project Clearance!! Post #1

As the summer continues to wind down, way beyond last weekend's Labor Day celebrations, I have much to finish in the way of "project-based" work. Of course, all hopes were to get a lot more of this work done than I actually did. Oh well, there's always next summer! But for now, here's Summer Project Clearance Post #1:

The collage of crumpled Rolling Stone covers (above) is inspired by the work my Media Arts students did last year while investigating the artistry of Stephen J. Shanabrook's series entitled Paper Surgery. Wild stuff, sure, but really, really great examples of mixing up the message in today's media saturated world. Or maybe it's just a lot of fun to wrinkle up Keith Richard's face more than it already is! And for that matter DiCaprio...and Perry, and Gaga, and Jay-Z and more to come! You can check out the untouched versions of the covers here.

-Marty

104 Days of Summer Vacation...

I am not quite sure how Phineas & Ferb tally up their days off during summer break, needless to say whatever the final count...all good things must come to an end! Boo hoo, the summer's over and the school year's just begun. Anna has her first day of Kindergarten today and I, along with other Hun School teachers, will continue to participate in the "soft opening" to the school year, which really-o and truly-o begins next week. So, in honor of a great summer...here's the "title sequence" to Anna's favorite Disney Channel cartoon (and, I might add, one of the BEST written shows on TV (and that includes Mad Men!!)), "Phineas & Ferb":



p.s. I will still add an entry or two on the blog since the official end of summer doesn't come till September 21st!

-Marty


Video Addendum:

Since the following event, covered in this latest video post, happened during Labor Day Weekend I must upload it on this page! So sue me!! I'm only three days behind in my video uploads! Enjoy the car ride vidage:

Check That One Off...

...the summer to-do list [mine] AND the bucket list [my dad's]!!



A month ago my father, age 83 and a Philadelphian all his life, told me when we made plans to see the newly restored "The Gross Clinic" by Thomas Eakins that he has never been to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. INCREDIBLE, I thought. So, not only would we take in the highly revered work of Philadelphia's famous 19th century artist, but we would also make an attempt to knock out a few exhibitions in the venerable old building up the steps that Rocky made so famous.

The following video excerpts were shot [mostly] with the permission of the museum staff. Thank you to anyone who had to put up with my dad for any exchange that took longer than him saying, "You know this is my first visit to the museum and I've lived here all my life!"

A New School Year, A New Hope

After a full afternoon of back-to-school meetings this past Thursday, the School held it's annual "kick off" picnic for staff and family...always a wonderful social event. Afterwards Ang, Anna and I stayed overnight in New Hope at Porches Bed & Breakfast. One more visit (in four years maybe) will make it a tradition!!

Before heading home, we headed down the Delaware River to visit the Yardley Zoo (aka Jim & Kay's home) complete with old friend, Lizardo...




...and new friend Willie (pictured below with Jim & Anna). The pup is appropriately named after one of Mr. Willie Nelson's songs.

WELCOME BACK, HUN SCHOOL TEACHERS!!

All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy.

-Marty

KK's 5K--The Fifth Annual, August 24 2010

Caleigh Hoban, 8, kicking back before
the 5th Annual KK's 5K Race

Here's a story of an early encounter I had with my niece, Caleigh Hoban:

A few years ago, perhaps 8 or so, I paid a visit to my brother Jim, his wife Colleen and their two daughters--Maddie who was two at the time and six-month old Caleigh or "KK"--as her new phonetically lettered nickname would be pronounced. The reason for the visit escapes me now, but I stayed for dinner that evening. While the parents prepared the food in the kitchen, I took my place at the dining room table with the girls. Maddie in her chair. Me in mine. And Caleigh (all 15 lbs of her) snug in her car seat and plunked smack dab in the middle of the table. No finer centerpiece in the great state of Delaware could goo-goo and gaa-gaa like that kid could!

Anyway, as we three waited, Maddie and I clinked glasses with whatever fashionable drinks we sipped away at, when--without warning--an amazing (and I mean AMAZING!) geyser of frothy liquid arced across the dining room table. I tell you that stream took the most perfect parabolic path in midair. It would appear that the baby's tummy didn't quite take to the most recent feeding and so it decided to anoint the head of the table's place setting with gak! Splash, crash and dash. In that order, the sounds of liquid discharge, a chair hitting the floor and me scrambling around for anything to "plug up the hole''!

My brother and sister-in-law emerged from the kitchen, wondering what all the fuss was about. Maddie laughed, Caleigh dripped and I stood in a less panicky cold sweat. A moment later and the mess was cleaned and dinner commenced.

--

Though this was a funny scene then, unfortunately for Caleigh and her parents, many more similar events played out to the point where Jim and Colleen knew that something was wrong with their daughter. They would learn, after many hospital visits and test after test after test, that Caleigh suffers from a rare disease known as eosinophilic esophagiti or EE. In essence, Caleigh is allergic to food. Not certain types of food. Food. Period. She cannot eat any and all foods that we take for granted. If Caleigh were to do so she would experience intense belly pain and white blood cells would buiild up in her esophagus, and evenutally close her esophagus.

With the help of their doctors and a growing network of similarly affected individuals, Jim and Colleen were able to get the diagnosis that Caleigh's affliction is indeed EE. Since that time valiant attempts at treating the disease began and continue to this day. Currently there is no successful all out cure. Caleigh subsists on a regimented diet of special amino acid shakes and the occasional Dum Dum lollipop. Aside from short trial periods of eating certain fruits, this is all that Caleigh has been able to injest for the past nine years. Can you imagine? Never a Thanksgiving dinner. Nor a hotdog with all the fixings. Nor a single cookie. (Just one?) No. Not permitted. Can you imagine what it would be like to blow out the candles on your own birthday cake and know that you're the only one not allowed to have a piece?

I can't. But it always breaks my heart to think of her in that situation.

--

But then there are the many good times we share with Caleigh and her mom and dad and her brother and sister. One such annual event is the 5K run that Jim and Colleen organize every year in Wilmington, DE. The charity run raises dollars and awareness to the little known disease from which Caleigh and other children suffer.

Last week marked the 5th Anniversary of "KK's 5K Run", a race that loops around the Wilmington waterfront along the Christiana River. A great turn out of over 130 runners and walkers raised money by hitting the asphalt. I decided to "sit out" this year's run to document the event (and, you know, to allow some other competitive type to take one of the top five spots! (yeah right!))

It was a terrific night for a worthy cause. Here's to the winners in all the categories! Here's to Jim and Colleen and all the family and friends who support their cause. And here's to Caleigh: a great niece and a wonderful cousin to Anna. Keep at it, kid! I'll have a few Dum Dums for you the next time we meet!!


Here is a video compilation of scenes from the 5th Annual KK's 5K Run:

Scott Pilgrim Vs My Review

Sitting here separating socks from a load of whites, I am thinking of another load of whites (with a few Asians thrown in for good measure): crazy Canadian 20 somethings doing their crazy Canadian 20 something thing in the new Edgar Wright film "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World".

I took in a solo late night screening this past Wednesday at the local plex, Fandango ticket print out and wife's permission slip in tow. Since I know nothing of the graphic novel on which the film is based, I looked forward to experiencing this new (to me) pop culture phenomenon through the very delicious visual wizardry that Mr. Wright brings to all his films. [For those not familiar with Edgar Wright's previous work, he is the force behind the cult hits: "Shawn of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", two very recent additions in my top 100 films of all time.] The Wright stuff is a combination of "fish out of water" character driven plots, fast & tight story driven edits and oh so witty dialogue that make for a reel to final reel rollercoaster ride of a cinematic experience. The Facebook buzz from former students was positive. I was psyched to see it.

Too bad I did see it. [Cue "The Price is Right" Losing Horns musical sting.]

That may be a bit unfair. However, of the three Wright films mentioned, "Scott Pilgrim" is the least right. The biggest wrong, with many more venial cinematic sins committed, in this story is precisely that--the story. So unoriginal and so one-dimensional. "Dear Mr Wright, give us something with at least as many dimensions as the primary comic source, puh-leeeze!" Truthfully? It was "an unepic of unepic unepicness". For those not in the know you can read my slanted encapsulation of the story or scroll down and view the trailer, your choice:

Scott Pilgrim, bass player 'ordinaire' in a Toronto-based grunge(?) band, falls for a goth-esque, bore me type beauty he spots at club appearances. All's fair in love and video war games except that poor Scott, in order to successfully win the barely beating heart of said vamp princess, must face her seven Exes...not ex-boyfriends...Exes in a fight to the death. (It would seem that dopey Scott (played by Michael Cera of Michael Cera fame) is the only one who doesn't know what she's referring to when she continues to correct him by saying "Exes"...wink wink!) The conflicts, whether they be between bands, between the real and the 'sort-of-like' unreal or simply between boy and girl are the center of this cinematic summer romp. The battle between Scott and the Exes--the defining and rising action in the movie--escalate in the usual Hollywood movie fight sequence style, complete with thematically appropriate comic book stylings and video game flair. In the end, bad guys die (Ca-CHING!), young love reigns supreme (Oooh la la) and kids buy the Playstation version of the movie game at local retail stores (more Ca-CHING!).




The problem with all of this is plain and simple: boredom, with a capital 'S' for 'Snoozer Alert'. We've been there and we've done all that. Unfortunately I've seen this movie before, albeit as individual scenes appearing in previous movie releases. Claims of this movie's landscape as being "unfamiliar", as A.O. Scott describes in his review of the movie are sadly ill-informed. Comic book genre movies are all over the place. Stylistic groundbreakers range from "Tank Girl" (ho hum) to Ang Lee's "The Hulk" (moderate) to "American Splendor" (so good). Here's the trailer for this movie inspired by the life and work of the recently deceased Harvey Pekar:




And then there are the art forms on the "lesser" media distribution method. Many television series, "Heroes" comes to mind, push (perhaps too far) the comic book visual genre into something that wishes it was more interactive, more user-driven in nature.

And this brings us to the genre of video game styled movies. Mr. Scott continued in this New York Times movie review that "Scott Pilgrim Vs The World" could be the best video game movie to date. To this I say, "So what!!" Don't get me wrong. I'm all about style, but forgive me mama Gertrude for butchering one of your most famous aphorisms when I plead aloud, "More movies that matter with less computer generated art!!" Since when did style in movies truly supercede good storytelling? That's all this movie was: form over function. Style informs story, not the other way around. That is why, in my humble opinion, "Scott Pilgrim" is an exceptionally well stylized movie...with no story to write home about. There are many, many great moments in the movie, but you know what they say about the sum of the parts...

And love I did, the many little parts that Mr. Wright and his team brought to the screen. Starting with the Universal Studios theme song ala Nintendo 64 bit sound quality at the start of the movie. This was followed up with a rousing (can I use that word to describe the beginning of a movie?) title sequence that employed the techniques of scratch animation--a pseudo-psychadelic feel where animators color/draw directly on the 35mm film leader. This hand drawn animation was accompanied by a high tempo, indy rock style song ala The White Stripes (but credited to the fictional band portrayed in the film). A perfect audio-visual duet...reminiscent of the title sequence of the late '90s Tom Tykwer offering: "Run Lola Run". Here's the trailer for "Lola":



Many other great moments like the "Seinfeld" spoof, complete with scene change baseline riff and accompanying laugh track are fun and mildly amazing, but hardly unfamiliar turf for the movies. Case in point: Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" presents a disturbing domestic scene in the guise of a sitcom, probably patterned after the Fox hit series at the time, "Married With Children". Find it on your own...Warning: Viewer Discretion Is Advised!!

---

I could go on and on...and I believe I already have. (Oh if bloggers only had editors!) But let me drop this review, right here right now. Drop it right off the proverbial high school research paper cliff (that is...end it with a thud) and say: "Scott Pilgrim Vs The World" not worth the $11.00 US in theatres. Wait for the DVD. Better yet, borrow the DVD!

BUT!! I truly look forward to future work by Edgar Wright. This young auteur's oeuvre is maturing into a body of work that is something the world of modern cinema desperately needs. So what if he stumbles here and there along the way. Hell, Hitchcock had his "The Trouble With Harry".

To wrap, here's an interview of Edgar Wright on NPR's Fresh Air describing the making of his recent effort. Enjoy and thanks for reading:



(Oh and speaking of wrapping...I just finished separating the whites. I'm missing one sock. Dammit...I'm always missing one sock!!)


-Marty

It's Great To Be Back...

...in West Chester, Pennsylvania!! [cue the crowd roar!]

I can't write/type much...my brain is fried. Ang, Anna and I have returned, but I have the worst face of the day: Road Face...from kickin' it out of Canada, across New York State and back into the Commonwealth. Four hundred plus miles in under 8.5 hours. And that includes three stops: for gas, for lunch and for popping in on Cousin Nick in Scranton, PA. (Cousin to Anna, nephew and godson to me!!) Here are the pics to prove it. ADDED BONUS!!>>>Anna meets the newest member of the Hoban clan: ten week old Athena!! (The jury is still out on who's the cutest. (My vote's on Nick!!))










--This is all for now. I bid you...goodnight!

-Marty

Up, Up And Away!

During our second evening in lovely Southampton, Ontario, a few essentials were packed up for some late day beach fun: a wagon, two kids and a kite!

Galen and Anna ready for the ramble down the gravel path
to the shores of Lake Huron.

Galen chose to stick close to the ground and perfect his sand sculpting skills:

A future Frank Gehry

While Anna took to the skies:




with her 'pirate' kite:




Determined to get it higher...




...and dare the mighty gales blowing about this Great Lake.

Copyright Infringement, Schmopyright Infringement (that's what I say)

Here's a little mutli-media experience that'll get you, the "Such Summer Stuff" blog reader, to fully interact with today's blog submission. And the bonus feature: Together we will work around any copyright infringement claims when non-licensed music is included in video creations by today's online media producers. By simply embedding two videos on the blog and playing them simultaneously, you will enrich (in this specific example) your viewing pleasure of Anna's experience in her first ever CAR WASH! So, here's what you should do: first click on Video 1 "Car Wash Song": a sweet sampling of the musical stylings of the classic (to some!) song by Rose Royce--Car Wash. THEN at roughly 30 seconds into that glam jam disco nonsense, hit play on Video #2: "At the Car Wash (yeah!)" featuring Anna. I know, I know...the timing ain't ever going to be as synced as "Dark Side of the Rainbow", but at least this particular coupling of music and video makes more sense!! Your media elements are below. Begin your experience....NOW:




AND






NOTE: the savvy blog reader/mix master will adjust the volumes of the videos accordingly to gain the full effect of the "Car Wash" screening event!!


-Marty

8-9-10

Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the death of one Jerome John Garcia, or more affectionately and widely remembered as Jerry Garcia, the undeniable leader of the once Grateful Dead. It was a sad day that summer for the legions of Deadheads as well as the multitudes of music lovers the world over. Mere days after the Dead's Summer of '95 tour ended (and just a few weeks before I was to receive my first west coast mail order tickets for the upcoming Fall Tour), Jerry's heart gave out in the early morning hours on Wednesday, August 9th. Reports at the time stated that Garcia, a frequent drug abuser, had admitted himself to a treatment clinic in Marin County, California to get cleaned up. Perhaps it was one of those "too little, too late" tragic moments...but a tragedy nonetheless.

For me it was both a shock and a surreal moment when I learned of Jerry's death. I was on the west coast, L.A. to be specific, at the annual Siggraph conference. My exact location was a phone booth (remember them?!) on Venice Beach. I called home to check in and immediately my sister on the other end of the line asked how I was handling the news. I asked, "What news?" And she proceeded to tell me what most of the country had learned from radio and television reports. Stunned and saddened I pretty much moped through the rest of the conference. Jerry Garcia is dead. Damn. Being relatively close to the Dead's hometown, a friend and I took to the rails and headed up to San Francisco, crashing mere blocks from the corner of Haight and Ashbury Streets.

Pardon the cliche, but...what a trip! It was the right place to be for the very worst of reasons, however I look back on that sad weekend of street corner tributes and candlelight vigils and think how lucky I was to be out there with so many others who felt this same tremendous and sudden loss. The lasting memory of my time in the city by the bay is of Garcia's Memorial Service (and impromptu concert of sorts) held that weekend in Golden Gate Park. I guess, in the end, I did get to go to my first (and only) west coast show after all!

The Grateful Dead's music means so much to me. What it meant back during my touring days was getting together with friends, doing a little shakin', rattlin' and rollin', taking in "the scene" and most importantly being wisked sky high by Garcia's guitar virtuosity. To me, such summer stuff meant goosebumps during a Scarlet Begonia solo:



or "calling" Estimated Prophet before the telltale "waa waa" guitar sounds played:



or experiencing the legendary happenings before and after the show on "Shakedown Street":



Amazing, amazing music. And what a wonderful way to spend the summer days and nights! I look back at the three - four dozen Grateful Dead shows I saw (a mere pittance compared with the hundreds of shows the most loyal of followers took in) and wish that the experience could have lasted forever. How silly is that? Well, at least we have the memories...and those tapes/cds...oh those tapes/cds/mp3s/whatever comes next!!

Continue to rest in peace, Jerry. And God bless the Grateful Dead!

-Marty

Jerry Garcia
Born: August 1, 1942
Died: August 9, 1995

Copyright, Al Hirshfeld

All August...All Anna...All The Time...AAAAAAGHHH!!

Yes, as you may have guessed from the title of this post (and the conspicuous lack of blog entries in over ten days!!), I am now officially with child. That is to say, I have Anna for the entire month of August. No school...no daycare...NO EXIT!! (Where's Jean-Paul Sartre when you need him, huh?)

Of course I kid, I kid. It's great to be in the presence of a five year old...morning, noon and night. We're doing quite a bit together. Many places and people we have visited thus far. So much so, it's been hard to write about our fun on the blog, even though it's only been a little over a week!

However here I am with a report of our doings from this past Friday. All week Anna was excited to go to the West Goshen Carnival, an annual event up the road from us. All week, while out doing errands, we watched the amusements and rides being constructed on the field next to the West Goshen Firehouse. Once images of merry-go-rounds and petting zoos enter this little one's head, it's hard to get them out (and to keep her excitement in check!) In the future we'll ride in the opposite direction when doing errands and then spring the carnival on her on the last night. Better yet, maybe we won't even tell her it's in town!! (Again, I kid, I kid!!)

BUT...before this First Friday Fun Night, we had a whole day to get through. And with temperatures dropping, as well as the humidity, it was a perfect day to visit one of Philly's famous playgrounds: Smith Park. Now Anna was at Smith once before (two years back) but she doesn't recall the visit. Not a problem...she knew exactly what to do the minute we hopped out of the car in Fairmount Park. Check out the fun. (And for you locals who grew up in Philadelphia, you may recall the giant slide!):




Smith Park is a great place for kids in the summer. We'll be going back again before the season's up.

Later that day, after a nice nap (for both of us!) and a little dinner we headed out to the carnival where Anna met some of her old classmates from Pre-K! Wonderful time for the youngins! Check out the fun:




Well, those are two video highlights from the end of Week One. Week Two is already underway. Angela will be home from her biz trip to Orlando in two days, and then off we three go to the Great White North to visit friends along the beaches of Lake Huron. Oh Canada, LOOK OUT!!

-Marty

This Just In!

The Chief Coast2Coast longboarding gang made it to Venice Beach yesterday. YEAH!! Here's the video of their arrival. Alex's proud mom, Claire Hoban, is dressed in the oversized Kermit outfit (why, I don't know!):

You can't tell from this photo of the view outside our hotel room...but it was 98 degrees in Manhattan this past weekend. Sizzler!!

So Much Going On...

...so little time to write. (I guess that's a good thing!)

Today's the day, I believe, when my nephew Alex Squadrito--a member of the Chief Coast2Coast crew--makes it to the group's west coast destination: Venice Beach, CA. Well over a month ago four "kids" straight out of college embarked on a cross country skateboarding adventure in an effort to raise awareness and money for wounded special ops soldiers overseas. The 3200+ mile long venture is a tribute to the father of Shayne Carlson (the leader of the Coast2Coast crew), William "Chief" Carlson, who has killed in Afghanistan in 2003.

Starting off in their college town of Wilmington, North Carolina on June 17th, Shayne, my nephew Alex, Erin Rhodes and Kris Wahl hit the interstates in an attempt to board/skate/[fill in appropriate verb here!] a minimum of 40 - 50 miles a day. Their goal: reach the beach by July 25th. So they're two days off...who's countin' anyways?! Shayne was interviewed last week on ESPN's First Take. Here is a video of his appearance:



An interesting related article on the growing phenomenon of longboarding appeared in The Times last week.

My sister Claire, mother of Alex, flew out to California this morning and plans to meet them as they roll to the finish. Congratulations one and all! Nice going! Now take a much needed dip in the Pacific!!!

***

In order to catch up, I may post another topic very soon. (Then again, maybe I won't! We'll see.)


-Marty

SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM!! (Sing It Like The Pythons Would!!!)

Every so often The Hun School's email server gets slathered with spam emails. Looks like I've done quite a bit of online shopping this summer!!!


And for those of you who remain clueless to the reference in the title of today's post, here's a little ditty brought to you by those funny men from England:

...spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore.

Friday through Sunday found the Hobans of W.C. in sunny Sea Isle City, having a wonderful time at Tom & Geri's new home in Townsends Inlet. (You can still see the water tower, though the view is a couple stories higher!)

The vidage below features Anna and cousin MJ from Delaware. WARNING: the footage you're about to view falls TOTALLY under the "home movie" category that only parents and grandparents would enjoy! Nevertheless...enjoy it one and all!! (Thank you Tom and Geri for a great weekend!!!

-Marty, Angela and Anna

Late Night Screening

One of the pleasures of summer vacation (my heartfelt apologies go to all you 9 to 5ers still toiling day to day!) is staying up WAAAAAY past my usual bedtime to kick back and see what late night TV gems catch my eye. Flicking through the mostly brain numbing garbage that basic cable has to offer, I got lucky last night when I landed on a commercial-free screening on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) of the 1958 western "The Big Country". I'm not a fan of the western genre, but with this movie's top notch cast, including Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston and Burl Ives, and direction by the great William Wyler, I thought this choice for nighttime viewing would be a pretty solid source of entertainment. And indeed it was. Check out the trailer, if you'd like.

Now, this blog is not a movie review site. In fact, I'm not so sure what the purpose of this blog is anyway except to document a few things I do over the course of the summer. So I'm not going to get into too much film analysis (that is what my day job is...when I have a day job!), however a few comments do need to be made with regard to "The Big Country":

Firstly, if you haven't seen it before, do so. There's a reason it consistently gets four stars on any number of movie review sites. As I mentioned, I'm no fan of westerns and what I characterize as the genre's use of historic American emblems turned cliche: horses, horizons, hoosegows and hold ups, just to name a few, gets real tiresome, real fast. In my experience this is a dangerous, sleep-inducing combination that makes my head nod, my lids flutter and my sleep apnea gurgle aloud--an a cappella groan that drowns out any cowboy themed music playing over the end credits.

However, with these visual tropes aside, the story of "The Big Country" stands above many other westerns due to the complex relationships between the multi-dimensional characters who inhabit the tale. There are no straight down the middle good guys and bad guys in this film. Each character is a study in human complexity. The dynamic interplay between each character's strengths and weaknesses builds as the players stumble through their celluloid existences...much like we do in our own lives, with, unfortunately, less cinematic flare! Peck's acting is a study in "less is more". Heston is at his all-time best. And Burl Ives eats up any scene he's in. The granddaddy of all "party crashers" character won Ives the Best Supporting Actor Award that year. (And here I thought he just played a '70s animated snowman!!) Check out Ives's performance as Rufus Hannassey (fast forward up to minute 7:00).

Watching this movie reminded me of a more recent western favorite--Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven", a film many in the industry have said is the last of the great western films. My favorite scene (and the favorite of many others on the web) is the "Helluva Thing" scene--the prototypical western scene (remember: horses, horizons, etc.). But it is so simply acted, so powerfully written and so beautifully paced. It's one of the reasons the film would lasso four Oscars in 1992 including Eastwood's own "share of the loot"--two statues for Best Director and Best Film. Sorry to take it out of context, but I found the clip on Youtube, so here 'tis:



A helluva scene and a helluva movie. I recommend "Unforgiven", as well, for your own late night viewing!!

And there you have it! Perhaps my only movie review for the summer. (But certainly not my only movie!!!)

-Marty

Click to Enlarge

WOW! Dinosaurs in 3D...Without the Glasses!!

Yesterday 'the fam' took a short trip up the PA turnpike to Reading to take in the final performance of "Walking With Dinosaurs" at the Sovereign Center. After watching a PBS series on the behind the scenes magic that brings dinosaurs back from the Jurassic period (sans the Dino DNA engineering), I checked the web to find any upcoming area performances. Plenty of shows at the Wachovia Center, but a few seats at the Reading appearances were up for the taking as well.

To my utter delight (after being turned off by the exorbitant ticket prices for the Philadelphia shows, as well as dealing with Ticketmaster online) I snagged tickets for yesterday's 5 pm show by calling the Sovereign Center directly. Though they normally only do group sales over the phone, for some reason this very helpful woman on the other end of the line sold me three tickets, no extra service fees, etc for less than half of what it would have cost for the exact same show in Philadelphia. On top of that great deal, the venue was perfect!! Plenty of parking around the Center (again, at half the price of what you'll be charged down in South Philly) and a smaller venue that gets you up close and personal with T Rex and pals! Great family fun. Check out the highlight video below before the lawyers snag it off my site!!! (That reminds me...who wins in this match up: Dino vs. lawyer? Let's go to the tape!)

Walking with the Dinosaurs from Marty Hoban on Vimeo.

BTW: This video was also shot using the Flip UltraHD camera. Not too shabby.

Flip This!

Today I put to good use--or at least performed a good demo/experiment--a new digital video camera (one of fifteen purchased for my video production class at Hun): the Flip Ultra HD. This handy little cam is not new, however it is the next generation in "necessary" technology for the video class I teach. These cameras, if they meet my [high] standards and perform well, will be the first tapeless cameras to be used in the introductory video classes.

One of the continuing themes of the video production class, as time marches on, is the ever changing nature of technology in our world. No better example exists for the aphorism "smaller, faster, cheaper" than this $150 camera, the size of a cell phone, that can shoot two hours of high definition, full frame video. Try that fifteen, or ten or even five years ago my little homebody hobbyist or high school video amateur!!


Let the Experiment Be Made!!
Below, is a sequence shot at the Allen Lane Train Station in the Mount Airy Section of Philadelphia. The tressle/pedestrian overpass has been under construction since the fall of 2009 and should be completed by this coming fall. This $7+ million dollar undertaking is well documented on the Philadelphia Neighborhoods blog. Check it out to learn more about this ongoing neighborhood revitalization project.

I chose the bridge as my first "test subject" because its design seemed to call out for high def shooting. (Plus there are many fond memories I have of this station stop along the R8 Line from my youth as a Mount Airyite...particularly ones of me getting the hell outta that neighborhood and into Center City ;)!! Here's a very brief glimpse of the construction project:



I was really happy with the ease of use and the image quality from this camera. There isn't much that can go wrong in the [hopefully steady!] hands of a high schooler with a point and shoot video product of this caliber. For early-in-the-school-year projects, this is a perfect device!! Simple operation. Easy interface to transfer footage directly to a computer. Quicktime format imports directly into Final Cut editing program. Can't wait to get this camera into the hands of the kids and see how much easier the technical end of production will be for them during the first few weeks of the course.

Later in the day I shot some footage of my daughter at another "old haunt of mine" using the same Flip Utra HD camera. Here she is, feeding the ducks and geese at Valley Green. Great color, wonderful resolution, perhaps a bit 'sketchy' on the frame rate (but what do you want for a camera with no manual controls for shutter speed, focus, exposure.) A keeper, at least in my book!




-Marty

Happy 234th, U.S.A!!!

This is a partially completed shutter project. The other side is still in the making. I'll post a picture of that when it is completed. (Hint: The British are coming!!) Happy 4th of July!!

-Marty

"Gotta Get...Back To The Garden"

Outside on this bright and comparatively cool summer day in the garden. Sorry for no posts for two or so weeks. I have been busy with a few projects, and procrastinating on even more.

As I continue with a decorative plantation shutter project in the backyard, I paused to watch a bumblebee doing its thing on a flower...mere inches from my eyes. It reminded me of a video I made a few years back for my wife, Angela. She was away on business and a bit sad that she wasn't home with her 18 month old baby, her garden (and me!) So I shot and edited this little ditty one morning and posted it on the web.

Some summer video memories from four years ago:
(though it looks like it could have been shot yesterday!)

Happy Bloomsday, One & All!

My first post of the summer. And unlike Joyce's epic tome Ulysses, I'll keep this very brief.

This seasonal blog will chronicle, for what it's worth, a number of projects I intend to work on this summer for a variety of purposes. Some of the work will be for my media arts and video production classes. Some of projects will be for further learning on my part. And still others will be just for the fun of it...like photoshopping my mug (above)! Actually, this before and after sequence is an activity under development for next year's media arts class. Students will learn basic Photoshop techniques as part of a marking period length study of portraiture creation. And no, the students won't be subjected to working with my face as inspiration for their art. They will have fun "re-imagining" their own likenesses (though I'm sure some would love to get a crack at digitally manipulating my countenance!)

That's all I got for now. Hey it's summer, remember?! I was going to head downtown to my first ever Bloomsday reading of Ulysses outside the Rosenbach Museum today, but the event is now moved inside at a nearby church. Not the same experience as hanging outside on Delancey Place in Center City. Oh well...next year perhaps.

-Marty