Great cinematography is all about the capturing of light. In addition to showcasing a really masterful “technical” example of light capturing, however, today’s short — Guy Pooles’ and Jih-E Peng’ “The Light and the Little Girl” — features the capturing and preservation of light in a much more literal sense: A young girl finds herself entranced by a beam of light moving through her home and tries to capture it in a jar, only to realize that there are things she loves that she... Read more
HUBERT HAWKINS: After months of pleading for just this kind of action, what makes you think that anybody – anybody could make me reveal the identity of my confederate? JEAN: Because they’d put you on the rack, crack your every bone, scald you with hot oil, and remove the nails off your fingers with flaming hot pincers. HUBERT HAWKINS: I’d… like to withdraw the question. This week’s recommendation is actually my kids’ fault. They were watching it recently, and I was reminded... Read more
From my wife, shortly after 8:30PM last night: For unto us a child is born; unto us a … …wait. What? Yep, that’s right. Something fundamentally new and different has happened. Happily (if tiredly), I introduce the newest member of the Susanka family, Phoebe Lenor. Notice that I say her presence is different, not that it’s surprising. Not exactly, anyway. The miracles of modern science being what they are, we had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. In... Read more
Wing Commander Henry “Ken” Rees passed away on Saturday at the age of 93. He was an inspiration and a legend, even though few of us would know him by name, and his passing marks the end of an era. Via The Telegraph (UK): Wing Commander Ken Rees, who has died aged 93, was the last surviving member of the digging team that constructed the tunnel used during the “Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. … When Hollywood filmed the... Read more
You know those times when you find yourself watching something really unusual and fascinating, and when it’s done, all you can do is wish that it had been longer? Well, that’s exactly how I reacted to this mini-doc, which probably would have felt too short at three (or 20) times the length: Having visited Christchurch a year after the devastating 2011 Earthquake, I was astounded by the destruction I found. Even 12 month’s later, New Zealand’s second largest city was still struggling... Read more
I’m not recommending a film this week, I’m recommending a TV show. Actually, to be honest, I’m not recommending a show. I’m recommending a performance. A character: Lieutenant Colombo, whose eponymous series is currently streaming on NETFLIX INSTANT. With his rumpled raincoat, ever-present cigar, bumbling demeanour and Sherlock Holmesian powers of deduction, disarmingly polite homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo took on some of the most cunning murderers in Los Angeles, most of whom made one fatal, irrevocable mistake: underestimating his investigative... Read more
Life feels like it’s going about a thousand miles an hour right how, so I’m just tryin’ to hang’ on. And you, dear readers, are bearing the brunt of my survivalist tendencies, because I struggle to come up with compelling content in the best of circumstances. So, here. An amazing image that both sort-of-captures what my day feels like at the moment and encourages and inspires me to rise above it. My immediate response was to have no idea what I’d... Read more
This should do the trick. I’m not a huge solo violin guy, myself. But I make a notable exception for Bach. Especially Perlman-performed Bach. And I picked this particular version because I love watching him perform. The sound quality might not be ideal, but the sheer joy on his face as he plays more than makes up for that. Read more
A long-time friend (and classically-trained architect) spent a few days with us this past week, adding his trio of boys to the Already-Intimidating Susanka Pack. With the exception of the now-infamous Stomach Bug Incident, a good time was had by all, and I was sorry to see him go. In other (and doubtless unrelated) news, this impressive building miraculously appeared in Séan (Second Son’s) Minecraft world last week: Not to be outdone, the fantasy-lovin’, book-wormin’ Séan threw up a quick structure of his own across the... Read more
Today’s Avery homage, Technological Threat, might sting a little, especially for you office folks. Just rub some dirt on it and keeping going. Productivity is paramount! An office clerk, fearing replacement by a robot, fights back. Attribution(s): All artwork, publicity images, and stills are the property of their respective creators and/or distributors. Interestingly, this particular YouTube version comes from a friend of Brian M. Jennings. Brian, a key part of the short’s creative team, makes an appearance in the comments over there, which is... Read more
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