Archive for April, 2009

One Big Thing before 40

By etrigan - Last updated: Thursday, April 30, 2009

This is the big announcement. One Big Thing has technically become Two Big Things that sort of go together. (1) Next year on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 I will produce and host a live show in Austin to support a local non-profit (to be determined). In the style of This American Life, it will feature […]

Give TV a (Second) Chance

By etrigan - Last updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2009

As we stand at that brink of season finales and mid-season “replacements” that are mere weeks old I would like to talk a little about the state of television. It seems not as long as 75 days ago that Joss Whedon laid another golden egg on our squawk box, and “Dollhouse” is universally loved — […]

“La Mer”, Charles Trenet

By etrigan - Last updated: Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sometimes West Whim doesn’t quite get it right and the french do.   var s1 = new SWFObject(’/backporchbeer/player.swf’,‘ply’,‘470’,‘20’,‘9’,’#ffffff’); s1.addParam(‘allowfullscreen’,‘false’); s1.addParam(‘allowscriptaccess’,‘always’); s1.addParam(‘wmode’,‘opaque’); s1.addParam(‘flashvars’,‘file=http://www.rollerfeet.com/backporchbeer/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lamer.m4a&duration=181’); s1.write(‘mediaspace’);

DVD New Releases – 4/28/2009

By etrigan - Last updated: Monday, April 27, 2009

Every week I make a list of notable discs being released so I can figure out what I “need” to buy. ;) JCVD – One of my top three movies from last year, and I can’t push it on you enough. Thank goodness it got a Blu Ray release since it looks gorgeous. The Reader […]

New “9″ Clip

By etrigan - Last updated: Thursday, April 23, 2009

9, the feature film (based on the short film “9”,) has a new clip out. This is a movie that has me rocking in anticipation like a 10 year old after a Super Big Gulp Slushee.   var s1 = new SWFObject(’/backporchbeer/simpleviewer/player.swf’,‘mpl’,‘320’,‘268’,‘9’); s1.addParam(‘allowfullscreen’,‘true’); s1.addParam(‘allowscriptaccess’,‘always’); s1.addParam(‘wmode’,‘opaque’); s1.addParam(‘flashvars’,’&duration=126&image=http://www.rollerfeet.com/backporchbeer/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nineclip200904.jpg&controlbar=over&file=http://www.rollerfeet.com/backporchbeer/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nineclip200904l.flv&plugins=hd-1&hd.file=http://www.rollerfeet.com/backporchbeer/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nineclip200904s.flv&stretching=fill’); s1.write(‘preview’);

Recycle Your Old Computer(s) For Earth Day + a Contest!

By etrigan - Last updated: Wednesday, April 22, 2009

I dropped off three old systems at my company’s recycling spot this morning. To be honest, I did it to appease my wife and make her think I was getting rid of junk. Hopefully she doesn’t realize this donation represents about 5% of all the computer gear I’ve squirreled away in our house. You should […]

NSFW: One Eyed Monster – official trailer with Amber Benson

By etrigan - Last updated: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

I have crushes on every female that had any connection to BtVS. (No, I am not twitter-stalking Felicia Day!) Amber Benson even makes my top 3 BtVS loves, and now she’s doing a movie based on Ron Jeremy’s…ahem…member getting loose and going on a crime spree — think Idle Hands (where Seth Green and Jessica […]

DVD New Releases – 4/21/2009

By etrigan - Last updated: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Every week I make a list of notable discs being released so I can figure out what I “need” to buy. ;) Frost/Nixon – Five Oscar noms including Best Picture, starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, this tells the based-on-the-truth story of the post-Watergate interview by David Frost of Richard Nixon. Hellraiser – The classic […]

Merchant Ivory Does Vampires?

By etrigan - Last updated: Friday, April 17, 2009

William Hurt costars in a movie starring and directed by Julie Delpy that was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival. It isn’t exactly Merchant Ivory but a costume drama with blood sucking restorative power is intriguing. (Fantastic Fest programmers should take note. :)

Why no Point and Click 80′s for the iPhone?

By etrigan - Last updated: Thursday, April 16, 2009

If you were a nerd in the late-80s/early-90s there are a series of games that cemented your love of computers. I spent more time questing for the king, space, or the police than I have playing any XBox 360 game (although I think Rock Band may be competing to take that badge.) After those games […]

Korean Is The New Chinese?

By etrigan - Last updated: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

In retrospect, I note the rise of Korean Cinema by Chan Wook Park’s Oldboy which slipped through Austin in late 2003 (at BNAT 5) and was the first “hit” (relative to foreign film popularity), but this article marks the beginning of the shift with Chunhyang (from Im Kwont’aek) at the 2000 Cannes Festival. Whenever it […]

Google To Sell Out YouTube?

By etrigan - Last updated: Tuesday, April 14, 2009

If you are only watching YouTube to replace your AFV addiction then it’s time to stop being a luddite. There is a wealth of user-generated content that represents either the future of entertainment, or the future generation of entertainers … depending on how YouTube evolves. With the recent announcement that YouTube will change its homepage […]

Instructables: The Business Card Catapult

By etrigan - Last updated: Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I’ll have to stop by Office Depot to update my office supplies so I can make this. Cardapult the Business Card Catapult – More DIY How To Projects

Five Movies You’re Not Supposed To See (in the U.S.A.)

By etrigan - Last updated: Monday, April 13, 2009

Due to the mechanations of corporate studios and distributors there are movies that get released in foreign countries, but not in the US. Here’s a list of five movies that are worth seeing, but are illegal to watch in the US, and what you would have to do just to watch them is often technically […]

The Burrowers

By etrigan - Last updated: Saturday, April 11, 2009

I missed this movie at Fantastic Fest last year, and I sort of regret it since it received pretty good ratings (3.7 out of 5) on B-side.com. It comes out on DVD April 21st.