Fri, Mar 06, 2009

: Watchmen

I split the audience for this film into three groups: fanantics, fans, and virgins. I’m in the middle camp as I’ve read the graphic novel a couple times, but I’m not a comic book geek and don’t worship the book. It is an excellent and amazing book, but a large part of that is the way it breaks the mold of traditional superhero novels. It makes sense that true comic books who are familiar with everything else out there would naturally think Watchmen is the greatest ever, and those people may or may not like this film. It’s an amazingly tough job making a comic book into a film, as you not only have all the normal limitations of filming a novel (abridgement, pacing, etc.) but you also have to get the look and style correct to match the existing visual work. As a fan of the graphic novel, I thought they did a fantastic job. I can’t speak for the fantatic or for someone who has never read the novel, but I thought this film was excellent. The look is awesome, the casting superb (I’d had some doubts going in but it worked), it struck me as amazingly faithful to the source material, and I was thoroughly entertained. I’d even go so far as to say that in some ways I liked it better than the book. The book is dense and complex, and while I love that, there isn’t always time to absorb so much material. Also, the way the book is written, almost like episodes of Lost, where time is flexible and we jump between the past and present and future, it’s so much to fit together that even though I’ve read the book a couple times, I have trouble remembering everything. I loved that the movie quickly brought back so many wonderful memories. Throughout the film I kept being surprised at scenes thinking, “I don’t remember… oh wait, yeah, I do — this part is awesome!” I love that now there’s a version of Watchmen I can enjoy in a three-hour period. Granted, film is different from the graphic novel, and they each provide a unique experience, but for people who don’t have the many hours needed to read the novel, the movie’s a great way to get a taste of novel.

While I’m sure some fanatics will bemoan a missing scene or two, I was impressed at how much made it into the film, and at how clearly the story was told. The flashbacks weren’t confusing but came at a logical time and gave you quick insights into each of the main characters without delving too much on unimportant details. The conclusion is terrific, with one of the most morally ambiguous conclusions ever, and I was relieved they didn’t try to clean it up for the film by giving it a Hollywood ending. Hopefully it will provoke many to discuss things.

It’s hard to say now how the film will live up in time. I think it will weaken in some ways — there’s so much dense backstory and setup in this epic work that it’s tough to have a story that keeps moving ahead — but I honestly can’t think how they could have done this better.

Topic: [/music]

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Tue, Nov 20, 2001

: Sara Groves at the Top!

Christianity Today has released their “best of 2001” and Sara Groves’ album Conversations is number two!

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Thu, Nov 15, 2001

: Michael Card/Sara Groves Concert

The concert was excellent — almost 3 hours long (I guess that made the $22 entry fee worth it). Michael Card started, then Sara began accompanying him, then she sang “The Word,” and after the huge applause, Michael said, “I’ve been trying to come up with a better way to introduce Sara Groves, but I haven’t come up with anything better than that.” Then Sara sang several and told some stories (including one or two I hadn’t heard). Then Michael came back and did the bulk of the show, and finally Sara came back and they finished together with a few duets.

I really liked Michael Card. I’d never heard him before. I bought a bunch of his CDs and a book he wrote. He has a similar style to Sara. He plays guitar or piano and tells stories like Sara. He reminds me of Keith Green (my favorite Christian artist).

Afterward, I went backstage and saw Sara and she dragged me to the RV to see Kirby (her son). He’s huge! Almost a toddler. I told her, “I guess that’s what happens when you only see a baby once a year.” He kept watching me with these giant blue eyes. Sounds like touring is a real strain and stress, but its also got its joys. They seem to be doing well. They saw my mom at the Visallia (?) concert on Tuesday.

Sara will be back in this area on Sunday, Dec. 9. This one is without Michael Card. I don’t know the time or anything, but there’s a number for the church on Sara’s website. It’s in Menlo Park.

Topic: [/music]

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Sat, Oct 06, 2001

: Joyfest at Great America

In the afternoon and evening I went to Joyfest, a Christian concert held at Great America. Bands included Audio Adrenaline, Newsboys, and Jars of Clay. Sounds quality wasn’t great (I’m not a huge concert fan anyway) and Newsboys were the only group I was familiar with, but the atmosphere was fun. Prior to the concerts I got to go on some Great America rides, which were fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that. There were lots of families and young people there, and that in itself was interesting and one tended to absorb some of their youthful enthusiasm. (I just had a birthday, so perhaps I’m feeling elderly. ;-) Overall, this was a long day of standing in lines for 30 second thrills. Not something I’d want to do regularly, but fun on occasion.

Topic: [/music]

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Sun, Nov 12, 2000

: Sara Groves Concert#2

A year later, Sara Groves is back on her California tour, promoting her new album (Conversations) and her new baby, 11-week-old Kirby. As usual, she was excellent, blending entertaining and meaningful stories in between her excellent, moving songs. For example, she had the place rolling with her embarrassing stories of birds pooping on her (which happened four times in her life, once during a first date)! The story brought the audience close to her, however, and then she quickly turned the humor into seriousness by relating how embarrassing moments tend to happen when you’re trying to please other people, not God. That led into her song about “You face God alone,” reminding us that we aren’t validated by the people we try to impress, but by our relationship with God. Excellent. Download one of her songs from her website and give it a listen!

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Sun, Feb 27, 2000

: Concert: Weird Al Yankovic, “Touring with Scissors”

What a terrific concert! Weird Al is so often dismissed as nothing more than a parasitic comedian, living off the art of others, but he is really an incredibly talented musician and consummate entertainer. He pulled out all the stops in his live show, incorporating a light show, smoke, bubble, and snow effects, costumes, and video clips. The video stuff was hilarious, including clips from “Al TV,” mock celebrity interviews, music videos, parody commercials (my favorite was an ad for a nature-horror film called “60 Percent Chance of Rain”), and twisted 1950-style public service films educating us on things like personal hygiene (with practical advice like “Wash your hands every five minutes” and “Visit your dentist every day”). Between the one or two minute video segments Al would change costumes, wearing the same outfits used in his classic videos (i.e. dressed in hospital scrubs for “Like a Surgeon,” in black with a beard for “Amish Paradise,” and in his fat suit for “I’m Fat”). He did a ton of songs (over two hours worth), including recent stuff from Running With Scissors and classics like Dare to Be Stupid. There were classic moments, like when Al’s piano player interrupted his monologue to go off on a wild impromptu (and very cool) keyboard solo, and Al, waiting until the man finished, calmly pulls out a gun and shoots the man! The audience was having a blast: most knew all the lyrics, even little children. I don’t any performer than spans generations like Al: there were toddlers to grandparents! (It’s also a clean show the whole family can safely enjoy.) Al goes across all music genres, from rap to country, and he not only mimics singing styles to perfection, he mimics dance moves, costumes, and gestures. Absolutely amazing. He’s a genius. (Who else do you know who can sing and dance with one foot behind their head?)

Topic: [/music]

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Wed, Dec 15, 1999

: Mannheim Steamroller: The Christmas Angel (Music Special)

Author: Noah Zachary

Director: Andy Picheta

What a neat DVD! In Dolby surround sound, the music is incredible. I love Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas music, and what’s better than their classic tunes set to motion on ice? Here we’ve got a simple children’s story, narrated by Olivia Newton-John, and the story acted by world-famous ice skaters like Dorothy Hamill, Elvis Stojko, and others. It’s great. Children and adults will both love it. (I got mine at Costco, but Amazon doesn’t appear to sell it yet.)

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Sun, Nov 14, 1999

: Sara Groves Concert

Sara is my second cousin. I hadn’t seen her since we were both children so I was excited when I heard her tour was coming to a local church. A whole bunch of us relatives showed up. It was amazing to see how she’s grown up! She was even better live than on her album. It was an informal gathering, which suits her style precisely, and the "concert" was more like VH-1’s Storytellers. Sara sat at the piano and told wonderful stories introducing each song, revealing what inspired her to write it. The stories were funny and touching, and taught important life lessons. Her style is similar to Suzanne Vega — almost talking through music. She’s a great writer and a gifted musician. Her lyrics are simple and deceptively plain. I loved one phrase: "He didn’t recycle for our gain," (speaking of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross). What a neat way to put that! One other interesting occurrence: two or three times during the concert I’d been mentally comparing Sara with one of my favorite singers, Keith Green. At first this seemed like a strange comparision since she doesn’t sound anything like him, but she does have a similar intimate style; friendly, yet with a serious point behind her smile. At the end the pastor of the church got up to say a few closing words. I nearly fell out of my chair when he compared Sara with… Keith Green! Sara’s new album comes out soon — I can’t wait to get a copy!

Topic: [/music]

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