Movie review: The Great Escape

Installment 3 of the “Classic” movie night.

We watched the digitally re-coloured version which added depth and dimension to this classic. A sad story, more so being based on fact but crafted in a fashion that put forth the example of British “proper” gentleman and no nonsense American men getting to the job of escaping and raising hell with their erstwhile German captors. A fine tribute to the strength and ingenuity of the human spirit.

Movie review: Aliens – Director’s Cut

Viewed as part installment 4 of our “classic” movie nights.

This was the directors cut, which had additional sequences which rounded off the story significantly. Still in my mind, genre defining for the sheer machismo bought to bear on the screen with the “Hooyah!” attitude of the marines intertwined with the sheer menace of H.R. Giger’s inspired Alien spawn species.

Visually stunning, with camera angles and the use of supporting limited screens in the hand held motion detectors and the hall way monitoring cameras’ letting the imagine fill in the gaps of what is just beyond your vision. Counter balancing this visual feast is the underlying plot – simple – aliens invading, go send in peeps with lots of guns and exterminate.

Mixing it up is Burkes tangent on representing the ubiquitous “Company” in the pursuit of getting one of the pesky little guys back to study. Terrifyingly plausible.

Movie Review: The King of Kong – A fistful of Quarters

As far as documentaries go, this is close to the pinnacle – a geek movie through and through, the stars are evenly divided into the “good” -the new comer in Steve Wiebe – and the “bad” – the reigning Donkey Kong champion in Billy Mitchell. In between there is a host of characters who range from sycophants and the jaded across to the true believers in both camps.

The universe of Kong is presided over by the Twin Galaxies staffers, headed up by Walter Day, who whilst volunteers, take their self appointed jobs so seriously as the reference standard in gaming referees, that you can’t help but be swept up in their enthusiasm and their dedication to do “what is right”.

All the elements of a good movie are here – plausible yet slightly “out there” plot, great characters, drama, humor, angst and at the heart – the battle of an “Average Joe” out to prove a point.

By the end of the movie you are literally cheering for the hero – Steve Wiebe – and booing at the flawed adonis in Billy Mitchell. Riveting stuff – makes me want to dust off my handheld Donkey Kong and see if I can clock it again….

Design Meltdown

“Design Elements, Trends and Problems in Web Design” is the strapline for this Blog maintained by Patrick McNeil, a self confessed “graphic designer, web programmer, and all around good guy!”

The observations, structure and commentary offered on all things web, with the basic tenets of good design, communications and information presentation and layout all hit the hallmarks of Usability and a refined and cohesive User Centred approach.

Mandatory reading, because in the end, its all common sense, which really (and sadly) ain’t that common.

http://www.designmeltdown.com/

Carbonmade

Sometimes, you just want to show off your portfolio, products or services in a no nonsense, easy to access and nicely polished/presented way. You might be a fashion designer or a fledgling print artist, not interested in learning the machinations and complexities of CSS, HTML or wrestling with browser configurations.

Enter Carbonmade. With 63,000+ “portfolios” online, it’s a surefire, fast, easy to use way to get your very own brand – YOU – onto the WWW.

http://www.carbonmade.com/