December 2010 - MOVIES

CLASSIC MOVIES

THE MISSION

In the collection, it was time to revisit this 1986 classic.  Stars Robert Deniro, Jeremy Irons, and very young Aiden Quinn & Liam Neeson.  On the fictitious "10 Best Films of all time" list.

What a film.   I am continually reminded of so many scenes and the power of this film in everyday life, especially DeNiro and the waterfall.   Add the incredible location footage in Argentina and Columbia and a blow-you-away emotional soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennio_Morricone.  I cannot get the Marcello Oboe Concerto out of my head.  Utterly beautiful.   Look up "Gabriel's Oboe" on iTunes.  Rated PG.

Nominally, the film chronicals true story of the arm wrestling between Spain and Portugal in carving up South America in the 1750's. A quote from Wikipedia: "However, in Spain and Portugal, the Treaty of Madrid is signed, which reapportions the land in South America. The land on which the Jesuit missions were located was now transferred to the Portugese, and Portugese law allowed slavery. The Portuguese colonials seek to enslave the natives, and as the independent Jesuit missions might impede this, Papal emissary Cardinal Altamirano, a former Jesuit priest himself, is sent from the Vatican to survey the missions and decide which, if any, should be allowed to remain." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mission_%281986_film%29


NEW RELEASE


SEX & THE CITY 2
From the Sublime to the Ridiculous.  Just released on Netflix.  No, this is NOT the Mission or ANYTHING close.  But it is comic relief.  The girls are up to their usual selves.  Straight guys will like this for the same reasons we like watching woman's tennis.   There is a gay wedding that dominates the first half (featuring Liza Minelli of course), and a trip to Abu Dhabi that wraps up the film.  


If you liked the series, you will like the film.  Unlike many comedies now, I thought it was funny.  There is nothing cerebral in the film and Marty, I don't remember any explosions.  It is R rated given the title.  See it when you need silly.  The New York Times hated it so consider your sources.

APRIL 10, 2010

FUN STUFF 

April 10, 2010: "There is no accounting for taste."

MUSIC
Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back - New CD.  

Genesis was recently inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Gabriel couldn't make it since he was rehearsing for a tour with an orchestra.  It's about this CD touring. 

Peter Gabriel, a founding member of Genesis, has always been the oddest of ducks although Roseanna Arquette didn't think so for a while.  His falsetto competes with Neil Young and Steve Winwood.  So his voice is frequently compared to fingernails on the blackboard.  However, for the genere of Prog Rock, I think he is perfectly suited.  

This CD is surely a departure for him. He uses an orchestra.  Think Phillip Glass, or Steve Reich (Music for 18 Musicians).  His concept is to make a CD of Cover Songs.  Nothing new here.  However, he enlisted the artists HE likes and asked THEM to do versions of HIS SONGS to be released soon as well.  Gets more interesting now.  Even more interesting since they wound up banning Guitars and Drums.  HERESY!  The liner notes are really fascinating.

This CD does tunes like David Bowies HEROES and renders them UNRECOGNIZABLE.  Using not his ROCK VOICE, but his whispery almost madman, introspective pleading voice, he turns out a "work."   I really thought it was #1, likable and #2, inventive.  I'll give this 4 out of 5 stars.  5 out of 5 in the Inventive category.  

Gabriel fans may not reflexively like this one, but it continues to grow on me.  Caution, many around you will ask that you use headphones.  "There is no Accounting for Taste."   www.petergabriel.com

DVDs

Yanni Voices DVD In Concert-  This is the Full Concert of the Set mentioned in the last installment of Fun Stuff.   Amazing.  With Latino special guests.  This is a Yanni / Wake version of American Idol.  Nathan Pacheco is without a doubt, my favorite Male Opera voice of the 21st Century.  RIP Pavoriti.   I am not a student of the art but I know greatness when I hear it.  Opera / Pop and versatile vocals.  5 out of 5 hands down.  "There is no Accounting for Taste."
 

Speaking of Peter Gabriel, I now needed to revisit the DVD Peter Gabriel  - Secret World Live.  This is a DVD remastering a 1994 concert that is a must for dyed-in-the-wool Gabriel fans.  Come Talk to Me, Steam, San Jacinto, Solsbury Hill, Sledgehammer, Don't Give Up and In Your Eyes are among the favorites. Bassist / ChapmanStickMan Tony Levin is featured.  I can't wait for the new tour.

TRIPS
MANATEES - North of Tampa, Florida
Florida is the home of the America's Self-Inflicted Lobotomy, that Entertainment Shrine to Passivity, Disney World.  

Aside from that, Florida still has a lot to recommend, including the Everglades, the Keys, Sarasota and the MANATEES of Crystal River.  We just got back from the Sunshine State and visited a few hundred of the Endangered Species in Crystal River, 90 minutes north of Tampa.  

Anyone who can pull on a wet suit can do this.  Go when it is cold in the Winter.  6 year olds to 100+years.  This is a snorkeling only trip. Go with www.Bird's Underwater.com

I wrote an article on this in www.DivePhotoGuide.com.  

See my BLOG for details and photos at: 

http://johnaresphotographic.blogspot.com/2010/04/manatee-article-published-in.html

FOOD
 Star scale borrowing from: NY TIMES 4 Star max to 0 Stars

Firebird NYC  Russian$100 per head plus tip.  Manhattan average is $75 per head.

Honey Vodka made on siteZakuska appetizer  with Blini
Tea Smoked duck
Venison with berry saucce
Good wine list
Vodkas over 150 wow.

Food: Three Star Russian with French influence.  Zakuska is a Russian Sampler of appetizers.  This one had Lox, Smoked duck, Sturgeon, pickled veg, blinis, and for sauces: eggplant, mushroom/parmesan, beet/walnut, sour creme.  You mix and match.

Service: Two star.  Two Very visible Captains were for show, and did nothing.  We caught one texting.  Absurd.  Thank God the Subway motorman rejects found their way here.  They overlooked wine service, overlooked when courses were done. Wait staff good, not overly attentive or exceptional but are polite. We poured the wine, above typical service for Staten Island, just not especially attentive.  Staten Island service is typically aloof, among the worst in the country: untrained and uncaring.



Periyali

Great Greek  

Still without a doubt, this is one of the best Greek Restaurants in the world.  From the moment you enter, the artwork reflects the best of their islands: Santorini.  Their Grilled Octopus is better than what we had in Greece.  No average taverna, the salmon in Phyllo and spinach was terrific.  Asking for Greek yogurt with Honey for desert was produced instantly without it being on the menu.  "They know."  Food and Service Three Star.  Service is three star if you ask about the Santorini art.  35 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-3709, (212) 463-7890   After 20 years, reservations are still a good idea.

The Lobster Place 
- Fish Market in Chelsea Market

NYC has a lot of World Class food.  Staten Island has disturbingly little to spillover here.  But we are close enough to take advantage of this bonanza.  NYCs Best Seafood market is in Chelsea Market in the meatpacking district.  Whole Foods has a great fish market but Chelsea Market has better.  Whole Hamachi (sushi grade Yellow Fin Tuna).  Six kinds of Shrimp. Pastrami Style Lox like Garden oF Eden.  Mostly aware of declining species, there ARE exceptions like offerings of Chilean Sea Bass and Mako Shark. 

Got some LARGE prawns (10 count) recently that were not the absolute freshest. Some were and some not were mixed in.  Gotcha.  No fish market is perfect, but this one is really good. 212-255-5672

TUBE 
Big Love  HBO  Music score. New Philip Glass like soundtrack.  This is really new stuff and well done new intros by the "Engineers."  Download from iTunes the opening cut called "Home."

MOVIES

The Doors - 1991?  A film by Oliver Stone, Starring Val Kilmer.  Not normally a fan of Oliver Stone movies, this was good and Val Kilmer made you think you were watching Jim Morrison.  Meg Ryan is in a terrific supporting role.  Really creepy film but good. Since there is a new flick out about the Doors, this one was in revival on HBO.  Excavated with the help of Netflix.

FILM
Ingmar Bergman - The Seventh Seal  - late 1950's?

Speaking of the Doors, Morrison in the film above quotes scenes from this movie, so it appeared at the top of the Netflix queue.  This is not Buzz Aldrin Dancing with the Stars.  The Devil plays chess with a returning Crusader for his life.  A bit strange, in B&W, and with subtitles, you won't find this in the supermarket vending machine.  My introduction to Ingmar Bergman.  Patience.  Better to see this than not, but not necessary for the Bucket List however.  "There is no accounting for taste."

Feb 4, 2010 Movies/Music/Books/Browser/Beverages

"There is no accounting for taste."

MOVIES

Avatar - See it in 3D. Lots of explosions, great soundtrack by James Horner (Titanic too). Plot is a thinly veiled swipe at Corporations that fuel much of the economy and tries to paint the Military with Vietnam era stigma trying to bulldoze righteous occupants of the rainforest. James Cameron should know better, but no one will see this for the politics. This semi-animated tale of an indigenous people being oppressed with epic battles and explosions is an amazing fantasy brought to life. Seems right that Sigourney Weaver (Alien) stars as well.

One from the Heart - 1982. A real sleeper, and total box office disaster, this was a revisit. Bankrupted Zoetrope Studios. Great love story. Cast: Frederic Forrest, Terri Garr (Young Frankenstein), Nastaskia Kinski (Tess, Cat People), Raul Julia(Kiss of the Spider Woman), Lanie Kazan, Harry Dean Stanton (HBOs Big Love). This is "Moulin Rouge" before there was Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman. Quirky, musical and surreal, with elements of "Streetcar Named Desire" and Brando. I almost expected Frederic Forrest to scream a Brando-esque STELLA! a few times during the film. MUSIC by genius Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Rated R: artsy, erotic, not for the kids, and sorry Marty, no explosions, much blood or violence. Did a second view with GREAT DIRECTOR COMMENTARY AS A SPECIAL BY COPPOLA. This film is a MUST for Garr, Kinski, Raul Julia and Tom Waits fans. CAUTION: If you liked the Godfather by Coppola, you are not guaranteed to like this one because he directed it. Most of American brainwashed Disney culture didn't see it. Available on Netflix.

Charlie Wilson's War 2007 HBO

Congressman CIA, true story Soviets covert Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts Music James Newton Howard, Mike Nichols film

WIKIPEDIA: Charlie Wilson's War (2007) is a biographical drama film recounting the true story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson (Dem., TX) who partnered with "bare knuckle attitude" CIA operative Gust Avrakotos to launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen in their resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The film is adapted from George Crile's 2003 book Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History.^[2] It is directed by Mike Nichols, written by Aaron Sorkin, and stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Om Puri, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty and Emily Blunt. It was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, including "Best Motion Picture", but did not win in any category. Philip Seymour Hoffman was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor".

GOOGLE CHROME BROWSER - Mac Beta
ALTERNATIVE BROWSERS are always a good thing. Especially for MAC. Google Chrome is available in Beta and seems to outperform Firefox for me. Firefox is slow and crashes from time to time, but nowhere as frequently as Internet Explorer did. Firefox can't handle too many open tabs and won't tell you that you have 35 open tabs. Speed is the thing and it hasn't crashed on my yet in two months of use on different machines. PS Opera still disappoints me as it confuses fonts and can't download files to the proper folder on the Mac platform. Safari still works but it can't remember things like id's and passwords.



Books
Buzz Aldrin, Magnificent Desolation, the long return home from the moon. Rocket Hero. a great story by someone who is not a wimp. What do you do for the rest of your life after going to Moon? Interesting story of one of my childhood heroes. Went from Apollo 11 to selling Cadillacs and back to the forefront of promoting Space Flight after recovering from alcoholism and depression.

Wesley the Owl - Romance novel, for the naturalist. True story a woman's 19 year relationship with an adopted, injured Barn Owl. Great for nature fans, biologists and folks who love "critters." I loved it and couldn't put it down. Quick read, it is not SHOGUN.

Yanni In Words. Copyright 2002. Very interesting biography of a perfectionist. Whether you like the music or not (I do), creatives will gravitate toward his story of succeeding agains tremendous odds and roadblocks. Throw in some paragraphs by Linda Evans and stories of his early rock career and it makes for an "R" rated story. I like his view of the creative process as I can relate it to photography.

Music

Yanni Voices After reading the book, I investigated what he had done lately and found an album cover of a clean shaven guy with short hair. I did not recognize him at first. The album is phenomenal IF you like Opera and/or Pop Vocals. Yanni fans will like it no matter what. He teamed up with Producer Ric Wake (Celine Dion, JayLo, etc.) to promote four up and coming vocalists, Nathan Pacheco, Chloe, Ender Thomas, and Leslie Mills. Yanni only composes instrumental music. However, on this project, Ric Wake found four new talents that wrote lyrics for (mostly) existing Yanni music and sang it. While they are all VERY GOOD, to my ears, the standout is Nathan Pacheco who just knocks his songs out of the park. Personally, I put him #2 to Luciano Pavorati. But there is no accounting for taste. http://www.yanni.com/

Al Dimeola in concert with the new World Symphonia ensemble. Saw him at the Count Basie theater last week. Amazing, played for almost three hours. He is going back in the studio and they will have a new CD later in the year. Opened with a new pianist he appears to be mentoring:Taylor Eigsti Gumbi Ortiz is his perennial conga player, and rounds out with Accordion, another guitar, drums and bass. For more info on the Tour and cities: http://www.aldimeola.com/new-site/tour.php

Forgotten Cold night beverages

Hot Buttered rum: Shot of Rum in a coffee cup of hot water. Sugar to taste, float a small pat of butter. Cinnamon stick, nutmeg, allspice optional to taste.

Tea with Port: Coffee mug with 50% water and regular tea 50% Taylor Port or other Non-Vintage port. Sugar to taste.

"Whiskey mac" Any whisky, (best with Generic Scotch): 1:1 with Stones Ginger wine. Serve neat in a Brandy snifter

WSJ-ZumoDrive and the Cloud

Interesting article from the WSJ on Cloud Computing. I have been frustrated by Apple's MobilMe which works for some people but not others, as Walt Mossberg has previously described. Apple admits glitches too. These "Cloud" services simply mean you data is "safely secured" outside your computer and not on your premises. The data is out in Cyberland or the "Cloud." As such, I don't post anything that I would consider confidential. Common sense should dictate what you risk exposing.

I have been using Google docs to have documents in development available for collaboration with only me. I use three computers routinely in various locations and having a Google doc offsite lets me have access to the same version from all three locations. So for today, ZumoDrive and no, I have not tried it.

JA

PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY

DECEMBER 3, 2009

ZumoDrive Service Is a Silver Lining In 'Cloud' Storage

By WALTER S. MOSSBERG

As people acquire multiple digital devices, including tiny netbooks and super-smart phones, it becomes harder to coordinate all their documents, music and photos so they have access to them from whichever device they're using at the moment.

People resort to all sorts of time-consuming methods for doing this. Some email the items to themselves. Others copy them to USB thumb drives and manually transfer them to each machine. Still others use Internet-based, or "cloud," storage, uploading all their photos to a service like Flickr or Facebook, or using Web-based productivity programs like Google Docs. And some use Web-based backup, storage or synchronization services.

Each of these methods, even the cloud-based ones, has limitations and frustrations. Some are complicated, or work only with certain kinds of files. Others work only when you have a Web connection, or don't replicate your preferred folder structure. Still, others work OK with standard files and folders, but have trouble with specially arranged content, such as music that is organized in a jukebox program.

I've been testing a cloud-based service that attempts to solve these problems. It is called ZumoDrive, and it comes from a small company called Zecter Inc. A new version is due out this week that aims to add some capability and make the task simpler.

ZumoDrive mimics a standard physical hard disk, which can contain numerous folders and files. It works on Windows, Macintosh or Linux computers, and also comes in a more limited version for the Apple iPhone. It presents itself as a standard hard-disk icon on all your computers. But it's actually a single, identical virtual hard disk that lives on the company's servers, not on the computers themselves. The files it contains are rapidly streamed down to your machines when you need them.

I tested the service on a desktop Windows PC, a netbook, two Mac laptops and an iPhone. I generally liked ZumoDrive and found it easy to use, and pretty fast. But I ran into a few glitches, and it can be pricey. The new version will offer 2 gigabytes of storage free, but will cost a monthly or annual fee for more storage, ranging from $30 a year for 10 gigabytes to $800 a year for 500 gigabytes.

Also, like all cloud-based storage, ZumoDrive isn't fully accessible when you're offline. It caches, or automatically downloads, some recently used files, making them available offline. But you may want to open a document or play a song that is available only when you are online.

There have been online storage services for years, including some that could appear as desktop icons. In particular, ZumoDrive competes with somewhat similar services such as SugarSync and DropBox. But it's different.

Unlike DropBox, it doesn't require you to remember to place files in a single, special folder. You can link your existing folders to the ZumoDrive. And, unlike SugarSync, it doesn't copy all your shared files to the hard disks of all your computers. It keeps the files in the cloud.

Compared with SugarSync, which I also like, ZumoDrive uses much less of your hard disk space, and does a better job with iTunes libraries. But SugarSync doesn't require you to be online to use the files it synchronizes, though it also keeps a backup copy that you can access from the Web.

You don't need to learn any special techniques to use ZumoDrive. Your computer sees the ZumoDrive as if it were a physical hard disk, so you can add and delete files to it in the normal ways. A program like Microsoft Word also sees it as a normal disk, and can open files from, or save them to, a ZumoDrive without a second thought.

And, because a ZumoDrive can be large without taking up much space on your local drive, it is especially nice for netbooks, which may offer relatively little storage. It also allows you to share folders with others, and encrypts the data you store on it, for security.

To use ZumoDrive, you first upload all your key stuff from your main computer. Then, once you install the small ZumoDrive program on your other devices, all those file names show up on your screen and can be fetched from the cloud when you like. You can add files and folders from the other computers as well. And you can also access your files via a Web site or an iPhone.

You can link folders on your computers to identical folders on your ZumoDrive, and they will stay in sync, so you can keep using the folder structure you're used to, and it will be up-to-date on the ZumoDrive.

ZumoDrive understands how to handle and centralize your iTunes music library. In my tests, I uploaded an iTunes library of about 900 songs from a Mac at my home, and was able to play the songs on a Windows XP netbook that had no music stored locally.

I ran into some glitches and limitations, all of which the company says it is fixing. For instance, at first my netbook didn't fetch all the iTunes songs.

But, all in all, ZumoDrive is a harbinger of the new world of cloud computing, and it is worth a look.

—Find all of Walt Mossberg's columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital Web site, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page B11

Al Dimeola / Subway Busker Violinist / SI Italian

"THERE IS NO ACCOUNTING FOR TASTE"

MUSIC
Al DiMeola is on Tour. Jazz / Fusion Guitarist, he is coming to the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ on January 29, 2010, 8PM with the World Symphonia band. This is his Acoustic, Argentinian influenced group. I am planning on going, good seats are still available in the orchestra. Lemme know if you want to go ASAP. Inexpensive by current standards, only $49.50 for orchestra.

NYC Subway
Photographed Micheal Shulman: Neo-Classical Shred Violinst. Sounds incongruous, but he is a very good crossover artist. I bought his CD. Dream Theater meets Paganini. www.blackviolin.com.
Photos at: http://www.photoshelter.com/c/johnares/gallery/MUSICIANS/G00006DdYu5qiNSY/P00003mdKQrJsx9c


FOOD
Staten Island: Enoteca Maria near the St George Theater is a find. With the Island being 35% Italian, you would think we would have better Italian restaurants. Mostly it is great Pizza.

Enter Enoteca Maria. It is really good and unique. It rotates chefs, "Italian Grandmothers" from different regions of the peninsula. So depending on what day you go, you might get Naples as opposed to Sicily. A great concept, in the heart of the city part of Staten Island. Reservations a must, specific seating times, parking on the street nearby, a short walk from the SI Ferry from Manhattan.

www.enotecamaria.com
27 Hyatt St
Staten Island, NY 10301-1801
(718) 447-2777


PHOTOGRAPHY
My blog has taken off for a general audience. Articles for all levels: Beginner, Enthusiast and Pro. News, fun photos, how-to's, tips and resources. Enjoy at: http://www.johnaresphotographic.blogspot.com/

JA PHOTOBLOG LAUNCH

I hate the term relaunch. Implies what was there before didn't work. Updates are good. Folks, I have returned to my roots as a photographer after Wall Street "freed up my future" last year. I started taking pictures at age 7 and never stopped, so this is nothing new to me. I have never been busier.

This is an update. Friends tell me "I don't know what he does." Here is my current Website along with 1000+ photos to view for fun and purchase on-line. www.JohnAres.com

The last 16 months have been a labor of love assembling the archive behind the scenes (always, from now into infinity), finding a capable e-commerce site, figuring that I want a T-shirt site (least developed), plus the archive and a password protected place for photos of family, friends and fiends.

Along the way, a Photo Tip page popped up for Beginners and Intermediates. Some time after that, a more Advanced Series of peer reviewed White Pages has materialized for pros. This will be the basis for a Workshop being presented at the Meadowlands Convention Center in NJ in 2010.

The latest addition is the John Ares Photographic BLOG. I have the vision of this being a resource for improving your photography. Tell me what you would like to see here. How do you want to improve your photos? So far it is mostly collection of articles I wrote, that have been published in DivePhotoGuide.com (DPG). DPG is perhaps the webs largest resource for Underwater Photographers.

" If you want PICTURES, shoot Film. If you want WORK, shoot Digital."
JA

www.JohnAres.com

There is no accounting for taste.
JA

MOVIES
FINALLY! After many years of holding back, CLEOPATRA, the early 1960's version with Liz Taylor, Burton and Rex Harrison has been released. This was particularly good timing coming on the heels of reviewing the two seasons of the HBO series ROME.

ROME has better production values and perhaps the same 80% attempt at historical accuracy, but to see 45 years difference in filming the same subject matter is fascinating. Burton and Taylor were an item that cannot be duplicated on or off screen so just see it for that reason alone. Available on Netflix. Neither Rome nor Cleopatra for the kids despite the good history lessons.


MUSIC
Last installment had the lilting Classical / Popera voice of Haley Wistenra, and the Electronic Classical treatments by Tomita, with the Pandora.com internet radio source. This time exposes my truly schizophrenic musical taste. I confess. None of the following are ever likely to be played on an American Radio Station. Maybe except Johnny Mathis. iTunes is the way I found most of them.

Classic Jazz
Jane Monheit has a new one out "The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me." Check out "I'm Glad there is You." While I like Dianna Krall, Jane I think has a better voice. OK shoot me.

Classic 60's Vocal
I admit it, I finally downloaded Johnny Mathis version of Misty. Probably one of the best songs of all time.

Progressive Rock / Alternative / Metal
Listening to the Internet station MORROW.com on iTunes has produced many additions to my collection inexpensively. So much great new music in the genera that the Beatles spawned: Progressive Rock.

MORROW.com is the French Progressive / Metal / Alternative station that will not be to everyone's taste. Narrowcasting in English, I have found the following bands that deserve exploration on iTunes by Progressive Rock devotees:

VOTEM
Start with the Acoustic Guitar & Piano intro that leads into The Hunt is On. Starting off quietly, it will grow to remind you of the best of Symphony X or Queensreich.

SIEGES EVEN
Start with Eyes Wide Open. These guys remind me of Staind.

FROST
Start with the title cut to the Experiments in Mass Appeal collection.

MASTODON
Start with Oblivion. A great, typically despondent, Metal title. More Pure Metal for your inner headbanger that knows Progressive. Put on your late night, highway "Keep me awake" playlist.

M83
Start with "Kim & Jessie" (Actually found in the NY Times music review section, not Morrow. Not the WSJ ether. M83 is truly a mixed genera band of Electronic / Rock / Alternative and Dance. Interesting stuff with a long history given popular music. Being hard to classify, they make for lot of "oh-need to hear that again."