25 December 2009

Entertainment These Days....



Just got home from seeing Avatar (playing in a theater near you). This was a visually stunning and generally fun movie; escapism at it's best. However because it was escapist, it failed to strike any kind of resonance. Which in my opinion is the problem with movies these days.
Instead of aiming high and telling a story for the ages the industry settles for something that will draw a crowd. I am not saying that there aren't new and original stories out there. There are plenty of great, interesting writers. But those movies are usually attached to a low budget and carry the word "independent" in the trailer. The art of true storytelling is not often coupled with the money that is thrown at blockbusters.
I believe that good stories only become blockbusters when a big industry name backs it (see Schindler's List, Cast Away, Dark Knight) or someone is truly committed a la Lord of the Rings or Titanic. But too many movies these days pander to the masses and fail to be great or even good. Deep down we want to be inspired, too come away from a movie thinking or wanting too be more.
Escapist movies are like popcorn. Sure it tastes good but it doesn't fill you up.

Stay tuned for a much longer diatribe on how the Hollywoods has destroyed sci-fi.

21 December 2009

The Enemy of Good Enough

I love the quote "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough." Because while there is nothing wrong with striving to be perfect, too often it becomes a road block. I like this post on Get Rich Slowly, in it J.D. relates this principle to financial planning.
The same applies in life. When we beat ourselves up for not being perfect we fail to see that we are good enough.
And good enough is a heck of a lot better than nothing at all.

In B flat

This is one cool webpage. As the website says
"In Bb 2.0 is a collaborative music and spoken word project conceived by Darren Solomon from Science for Girls, and developed with contributions from users.
The videos can be played simultaneously -- the soundtracks will work together, and the mix can be adjusted with the individual volume sliders."

If you are interested in music I suggest you click on over.
I really had fun.