Cameras & #23: The Movie. Also, cheaters they be
Computers
& Digital Cameras, oh my!
It would seem that in large part, my decision to buy a new computer (or rather, which one) kinda sorta hinges on what I do in the realm of photography. If I keep at the pace I am, I need power, so I’d probably get either a new, powerful iMac, or wait a few for the MacBook Pro 17” to jump the specs of the iMacs. Yeah it’s pricier, but it’s also a laptop – which is cool and useful!
Should however, I decide not to continue down the “I really want to be a good/semi-pro/pro photographer” path, I may consider – gasp – a regular ol’ MacBook. Because quite honestly, if I’m not huffing through hella-large photo files on occasion, the new MacBooks are quite a bit more powerful than my current 3 year-old rig is anyway, so I’d really just be losing some screen real estate, but I’d gain extra portability & a lower cost. Sheesh, I could probably sell mine and get the MacBook for about a straight exchange.
But as The Girl pointed out recently, I didn’t delve into the DSLR world because I thought I could make money or something, I did it because my desire to take better photographs was not being met by the Point-and-Shoot tier of cameras – I wanted more control. It just happened that I had a decent eye and people said I should sell my photography – that is, until they were asked if they wanted to buy!
So I’m weighing my options. Can a P-S camera get me what I want? Any more, it seems that I am just sharing online, and a P-S camera can do that with room to spare. But they can’t offer the fine control I crave, what with me being a control freak. So once I figure that out, I’ve answered the computer question, I guess.
Movie Review: The Number 23
OK, the good news first: The story’s pretty interesting. It’s more a mystery than I anticipated it would be, and with only a few holes to fill, it could’ve been a really good story. Maybe a more ominous beginning, and just fix a few small timeline issues (like, how’d the wife know the whole book when she had it in her possession for like 10 minutes before her husband showed up and she gave it to him for his birthday? SHE HASN’T READ IT YET, SHE SHOULDN’T KNOW WHAT’S IN THE NEXT CHAPTER), and they’d have a really good script for the ages. It can be weak in parts, and there’s a major hiccup in the whole big picture that needed fixing that no one caught (not even I until the second day – and I’m not sharing). There’s also some explaining and characters that are introduced that are not fleshed out or explained as they should be. It’s not perfect is what I’m saying, but it has a strong premise for a semi-scary thriller mystery movie.
Now the bad news: Jim Carrey couldn’t sell food to the starving. He couldn’t give it away, actually. Look, I ‘m glad for him that he came so far in his life (from nothing stand-up comic to rich movie star), but as I see it, he’s always Ace Ventura playing some random character, and there seems to be zero believability in his portrayals. I keep expecting a fart joke or something, even though it’s a serious flick. Look, if it’s a slap-stick physical comedy you’re shooting, give the guy a call. If it’s anything other than that, then get someone else. Shit, you could cast a cardboard cutout of Jim Carrey and it’d be a better fit for about any project.
So, the verdict: If you can look past bad acting and still enjoy a decent story, it’s worth seeing. If (like me) you can’t see the forest through the trees with regards to movies, acting, and stories, then skip it. Grade: C
And in other News….
Patriots of New England are Cheaters.
Some people I know of vaguely (through the internet) were reacting as though it’s no big deal, anyone can see the calls, like the other 70,000 people in attendance. And yeah, that’s true, but…
They don’t have cameras. So they can’t record it either, for later analysis, to be able to make cheat sheets on what the other team is calling during the game (a later game, of course). I’m pretty sure that video cameras are all but outlawed at the event, right? Right? Maybe wrong, but even so.
There should be no focus on the other team whatsoever; the winner should be who prepared their team the best, not who prepared to pre-empt the other team’s play calls the best. Use your guile and knowledge of the other guy to beat him, not secret codes you stole.
That’s cheating. You cheating cheaters.
Peace.