Friday Ephemera
Interactive mirror. // Flea circus contraptions. // If Photoshop were real. // Bacon apple pie. (h/t, Maggie’s Farm) // The healing power of bacon. (h/t, Franklin) // Bioluminescent shrimp spit. // Must wash hands. // Sleeveface. (h/t, Peter Risdon) // Your very own levitation wand. // Sarugaku, Tokyo’s micro shopping mall. // Amusement parks of North Korea: “The Wheel of Death is notorious for ejecting riders.” (h/t, Coudal) // Michael Portillo on Ayn Rand. // Theodore Dalrymple on social pathology. 2, 3, 4, 5. // Google Earth: Ancient Rome. // Early Star Wars storyboards. // Zoom into distant galaxies. // Tales to Astonish. Monsters, heroes, strange goings-on. // Second Watchmen trailer*. // Handsome spiders. // Alan King: Survived by his Wife. (1987) (h/t, Cookslaw) // And, via The Thin Man, it’s Mr Elvis Aaron Presley.
*Update:
Re Watchmen, looks like Synder’s changed the ending. No more squid!
http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/111008-watchmen-movie-zack-snyder-ending-changed.php
“No more squid!”
Yes, the purists are unhappy. But the “squid” was always going to be a sticking point. It’s outlandish even by the comic’s own standards and could very easily look silly on film. (It’s kind of silly in the comic and, I think, the weakest part of the story.) I don’t know how well the revised ending will work and a lot of other details will have had to be changed to make it fit; but I can see why Snyder shied away from mixing horrific tragedy with interdimensional calamari.
The music sounds like a Philip Glass/Queen mash-up. Still looks good though, squid or no squid.
Philip Glass and Queen -together at last!
Much as I love the idea of a Philip Glass / Queen collaboration (and who wouldn’t?), I’m told the beat combo in question is Muse.
This one’s clearly more of a ‘appeal to the masses who haven’t read the book’ trailer.
It must be a tough film to sell. The trailers make it look like it’s full of action and explosions, which it won’t be if it’s anything like the book.
No squid? Noooooo!!!
Like the “real” Photoshop, btw.
Ayn Rand? (Michael Portillo?!)
rv,
I’m not smitten by Rand, if that’s what you’re asking. But Portillo provides a serviceable introduction to an interesting figure, which she is, regardless of what one makes of her politics or writing.
The costumed heroes (“masks”) never referred to themselves as “the Watchmen” in the book, that was a bit of graffiti. Rorschach never went on about vengeance either AFAIR.
I’m going to have to develop a “forget the book” mindset before going to see this I think. Sad, I would’ve liked a loyal adaptation, even with the Squid. With modern F/X, that could’ve looked like a Lovecraftian Horror and been fairly plausible (at least given the existence of such things as Dr. Manhattan).
Jason,
“…that was a bit of graffiti.”
If you listen carefully, it sounds like the dialogue is edited for the trailer. It’s possible that “watchmen” is being used as a generic term for costumed heroes, and not necessarily as the name of the actual group of protagonists. If so, I suppose someone still felt it necessary to link the title to something literal in the film, rather than have it hanging about as an allusion.
“I would’ve liked a loyal adaptation, even with the Squid.”
A Lovecraftian approach might have been fun, though I still have my doubts about giant psychic calamari, which always seemed a tad outré even given Dr Manhattan and smiley craters on Mars.
“I’m going to have to develop a ‘forget the book’ mindset before going to see this I think.”
Probably for the best. It is, after all, a film and should first work (or not) on its own, filmic, terms. It’s a bit like hoping for a faithful adaptation of Solaris. If you stick meticulously to Lem’s book, you’ll get a pretty terrible film.
David: I’ve noticed a recent concentration on bacon – do you have a obsession/fetish with the stuff?
(btw: can’t wait for Watchmen!)
Can’t a guy note the uses of salted meats without being viewed as… suspicious? 🙂
No.
It’s when you aren’t obsessed about bacon that you’re acting abnormal. All right-thinking people are bacon-obsessed. Except the Shakespeare’s-plays kind of Bacon obsessives.
David, unless I’ve missed something you’ve been remiss and not informed your audience about the wonders of bacon salt. Imagine the joys of flavoring your food with salt flavored by a meat which is flavored with salt. The good people at J&D’s are even promising Baconnaise™ soon. This is the type of innovation that illustrates why the Russkies could never catch us.
http://www.jdfoods.net/ourstory.php
http://www.baconsalt.com/
Wayne,
I do try to keep abreast of all bacon-related innovation.
https://thompsonblog.co.uk/2008/06/world-of-pig.html
Well, probably everybody has seen this already.
Anyway, if you will, a couple of numbers from “Gold Diggers of 1933.” I am inclined to think it’s worth taking a look at right now.
“Remember My Forgotten Man:”
http://www.youtube.com/user/lodrochoying
“We’re in the Money:”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xTTWHMCXdg
There’s a lot of stuff in there Dave, and maybe you’ve heard something interesting. One small thing – what is with the foreign language section in clip the second? Boasting to the Soviets? Code for locations of U.S. Army bases?
///Perhaps I am a lazy scalliwag. Google exists, I could look it up for myself, but, I got a job and a kid. My car is making a funny noise. My mortgage payment is big. Big, I tells you.
I tell my wife (Ph.D. Chemist, originally from mainland China), “Remember your forgotten man.” She yells, “What the hell are you talking about!” After that, we watch “Jeopardy.” Our kid is fine. Thanks for asking.
Anna,
“The music sounds like a Philip Glass/Queen mash-up.”
It’s Muse: ‘Take A Bow.’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ghqoYxmaUE
The Alan King clip is very funny David.