movies

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John Cleese: Create a Tortoise Enclosure for Your Mind

"I want to be as well-informed as I can possibly be before I die" -John Cleese, in a speech on creativity, sleeping on problems, rewrites, and creating "tortoise enclosures" for your mind by creating boundaries of space and time. This is a brilliant little ten-minute talk for anyone who's interested in writing or any other creative pursuit. I wish it went on longer, as this man really does have a lot to say about his subject. Here's a sample quote: "When I suddenly discovered that I could sit... READ ON

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Monty Python: Hilarious & Touching Clips from Graham Chapman's Funeral

On October 4, 1989, founding Monty Python member Graham Chapman, star of both Holy Grail and Life of Brian, died from cancer. At his memorial service, the remaining Pythons eulogized Chapman in truly appropriate style -- by cursing, joking around, but in the end, expressing love for their lost peer. In this clip, watch John Cleese deliver a beautiful eulogy (including some rather tasteful swearing -- "anything for [Graham] but mindless good taste"), then Eric Idle leading the whole crew in the song... READ ON

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Star Wars: How the Death Star Computer Graphics Sequence Was Made

Way back in 1977, the original Star Wars movie was released, and so began our battle against the Empire. Among many other amazing things, the film featured a computer-animated graphics sequence -- in which a 3D model of the Death Star is shown to pilots who are about to attack it. I remember as a kid seeing that computer graphics sequence and thinking, "Wow, computers in the future can do 3D!!!" Although it looks dated now, it was state-of-the-art at the time, and quite frankly it's better than some... READ ON

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7 Historic Hollywood Landmarks

Whether it's Grauman's Chinese Theater or that iconic nine letter sign, Hollywood is rife with historical landmarks. Here are seven that had a small part in making Hollywood the movie capital of the world. 1. Knickerbocker... READ ON

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Put This On: Denim

Today I bring you a new "web series about dressing like a grownup" presented by Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America (a public radio show that's generally awesome) and Adam Lisagor of the hilarious podcast You Look Nice Today (A Journal of Emotional Hygiene). Anyway, Put This On is all about clothing -- what to buy, how to care for clothes, how to combine clothes, how to do grownup things (like wear ties, match your belt to your shoes, dress properly for an occasion, and so on) that you may not have... READ ON

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Mind-Blowing Accordion Performance - Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" Performed Solo

This bit of musical virtuosity blew my mind, and I urge you to spend two minutes watching and listening. In the video below, 26-year-old Ukrainian Aleksandr Hrustevich plays a Bayan "Jupiter-Lux," a sort of mega-accordion with the capacity (in the right hands) to stand in for an entire orchestra (in this case, he's playing parts written for violin, string orchestra, and basso continuo). In this clip, Hrustevich is playing a portion of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" (Concerto in G Minor), I believe it's from... READ ON

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What a Blockbuster Movie Can Do to a Small Town

What if a story about your little hometown became extremely popular and brought visitors from all over the world seeking a piece of it? When a book or movie puts a quiet little town on the map, you have to expect people will want to come and see it. Whether that's a benefit or curse may depend on the movie. Forks,... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Full Length Animated Films

Today is International Animation Day, and YouTube is featuring some great animated films available on their site. My favorite is "Sita Sings the Blues," which is excellent, and has an amazing story behind it -- basically, the movie includes some old songs which ran into copyright troubles getting clearance for the songs (and the songs were critical to the movie), so the creator decided to give the movie away for free under a Creative Commons license. The movie is funny, sweet, and also informative. Note... READ ON

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"The Botany of Desire" Documentary, TONIGHT at 8pm on PBS

Update: the entire documentary is now available online for free! A new PBS* documentary, The Botany of Desire, premieres Wednesday night (tonight!) at 8pm on PBS stations throughout the US. It's based on the popular Michael Pollan book of the same name, and I urge you to carve out two hours (in most markets between 8pm - 10pm) on Wednesday night to watch it. The program is packed with science, history, and beautiful photography. I've seen the film in advance, and I highly recommend it,... READ ON

Article

Stop-Motion Art Project in an Abandoned Space

So it's Tuesday afternoon, you're wondering what to watch in your cubicle as you slowly recover from a stupendous food coma caused by terrible decisions at lunch. Well, I've got a fix for you. In the video below, artists Blu and David Ellis create a stop-motion animation in an abandoned building in Italy by painting and modifying the building, while photographing each step. It's frankly a bit mind-blowing how much work goes into this, as you watch them paint animation all over the building and... READ ON