TIFF Trailer for Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises”

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Joseph Susanka

For some time now, I’ve been eagerly awaiting an English-subtitled trailer for the great Hayao Miyazaki’s upcoming (and somewhat controversial) The Wind Rises. Today (thanks to the Toronto International Film Festival and /Film) is finally the day. After a bit of adjusting to the Japanese characters that keep appearing vertically on-screen (and the bewildering pop song that seems to be a staple of these sorts of trailer), I can confirm something that was already 100% guaranteed to be true: it looks... Read more

Seeing Isn’t Always Believing

Last updated on: January 26, 2015 at 4:46 pm By Joseph Susanka

I’ll be honest; even after repeated viewings and reviewings (and an entire night to let it all sink in), I’m still not entirely convinced this play is even possible. In debates concerning the game’s greatest defensive shortstops, I’ve always been an earnest Omar Vizquel supporter — partially because the bulk of his career occurred during my formative baseball years, and partially because he was so incredibly smooth. Yet even he (in my profoundly unscientific opinion) was no Wizard in terms of those... Read more

My Brush with Hollywood Immortality

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Joseph Susanka

Over the weekend, I stumbled across this fun piece from The National Catholic Register’s Jim Graves entitled “California Churches Make Hollywood Cameos:” California is home to many beautiful Catholic churches as well as home to Hollywood. Consequently, the state’s churches have frequently caught the eye of filmmakers and appeared in well-known movies and television shows. The following is a sampling of some Catholic churches that have made movie cameos that moviegoers will recognize. Graves mentions seven churches in particular —... Read more

The Musical Soul of Pixar’s “Blue Umbrella”

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Joseph Susanka

I wasn’t as impressed with Monsters University as I was hoping. It was a pleasant (and thanks to my son, a memorable) theatrical experience, but the backstory of Mike and Sully’s friendship lacked the emotional teeth I’ve come to (perhaps unfairly) expect from Pixar. I was impressed by The Blue Umbrella, though. It was wonderfully made, ridiculously charming, and far more likely to stick with me than the feature it preceded. Its visual artistry was impressive, and a major source of... Read more

Dances with Lions

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Joseph Susanka

The following is a test of your Courage Sticking Place system. Step 1: Go here. Step 2: Click on “Look.” Step 3: Find out what you’re really made of. Amazing, no? It’s an interactive mini-site called “The Serengeti Lion,” and it was released in conjunction with this month’s National Geographic article, “The Short Happy Life of a Serengeti Lion.” The editorial doesn’t feel particularly ground-breaking, but the immersive sights and sounds sure do. And the technological explanation behind them (from the mini-site’s... Read more

The Unassuming Genius of Franz Schubert

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Joseph Susanka

A few nights ago, a quick (but rewarding) YouTube session — instigated by a friend’s casual remark on the “Mozarty-ness” of Franz Schubert’s 5th Symphony at the live concert he was attending — reminded me of something I have forgotten with demoralizing regularity: Franz Schubert was a genius. The fact that I routinely forget the truth of the above statement seems somehow fitting. Schubert’s life was shockingly short — few epitaphs are as accurate as the Grillparzer phrase found on his... Read more

Brock Davis, Vine Master

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Joseph Susanka

It’s taken me a while to warm up to Vine. I’d like to be able to say that there was a principled reason for my initial dislike. Something grandiose and a shade Ludditetastic, like “I don’t think you can show enough in 6 seconds to make it a valuable form of communication,” or some such oversimplification. But that’s sort of what I said about Twitter years ago, and people keep demolishing that idea by having interesting conversations in 140-character bursts. So... Read more

The Most Exciting Play in Baseball

Last updated on: January 26, 2015 at 2:59 pm By Joseph Susanka

Hank Aaron once said that “the triple is the most exciting play in baseball.” He was wrong. That breathless anticipation and excitement as a runner makes the turn at second and heads for third is one of the sport’s greatest pleasures — a pleasure amplified, I suspect, by its rarity in today’s game. So I certainly understand where Hammerin’ Hank’s coming from when he extols the virtues of the three-bagger. But for me, this will always be the most exciting play in baseball:... Read more

The Evolution of Greenscreen

Last updated on: March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Joseph Susanka

Greenscreen is one of those things I’ve always heard described as an ubiquitous presence in Hollywood. Yet I’m still shocked when I realize just how frequently (and seamlessly) it’s being used. OK, you’re right. It’s not always seamless. And yes, it can discombobulate some perfectly respectable actors into some horrendously wooden performances. But it’s more than just ubiquitous on major movie sets; it’s ubiquitous everywhere! (Seriously, Stargate Studios? You people are nuts!) The process of “greenscreening” — which I must continuously remind myself... Read more

Comforting Quote of the Day

Last updated on: January 21, 2015 at 3:38 pm By Joseph Susanka

My, my. The Catholic Internet is certainly abuzz today, brimming over with Sturm und Drang and all manner of hand-wringing, name-calling, and wolf-crying. Of course, none of these things are particularly new when it comes to the online world, but I’m feeling it particularly keenly today, for some reason — mostly, I think, because I can’t escape the feeling that all this controversy and opposition and despair are being drummed up after the fact, and out of events and positions that are... Read more