Posted by ws1 on: March 07 2010
"Welcomes All Authorized Bowlers". says the sign. I'm going to have
to find out what it takes to become authorized one of these days.
Posted by ws1 on: February 27 2010
Curious about the possibility of earning myself a fresh Darwin award, I went down to the Santa Barbara harbor in hopes of seeing whatever mild tsunami side effects I could. I wasn't too worried about being swept away because there was only a gentle 'tsunami advisory' warning, which means (apparently) that it's best to stay clear of beaches and oceanfront zones, but that no major event was expected (Stearns Wharf remained open all day).
After arriving at the Wharf, I waited around for a while. First I noticed that the tide was especially low - which I wasn't really ready to attribute it to the tsunami (though a common precursor to giant waves is of course, water levels dropping rapidly). But the more I looked at the very familiar harbor waters, the more it was clear to me that whatever was happening wasn't normal.
When I got to the top of the wharf, the muddy brown water was gently moving out to sea. Nothing shocking.. but it was definitely moving south, out the mouth of the harbor. I've seen this kind of thing happen in other tidal zones, and even here in SB to a small extent (Carp salt marsh), but this was more pronounced and a little nerve-wracking considering the context. Still, I was willing to give credit to the bizarre weather.
After a cup of chowder, I walked again to face (west) the jetty. This time it was obvious something was up - that was not due to the stormy conditions.
The water inside the channel for the harbor was suddenly turbulent, choppy and swirling - in a pattern that I've never seen before. The dredge was almost totally exposed, and the tide had dropped (even) further. The 'Conception', which was headed into the harbor, had to stop in it's tracks half-way in, and do a full-reverse for several hundred feet to get back into the open ocean. Several other boats also aborted their plans to enter, as the harbor channel rapidly turned into a shallow muddy river.
The (native) couple I was standing with (who have lived here for 50 years, and were self-described 'thrill seekers') had never seen anything like it. My instinct (from every random tsunami film or article I've ever seen) was to head for the hills. So I did (after grabbing a piece of chocolate from the Wharf candy store). As I left, I noticed that the water level was starting to gently rise again, which was reassuring. Though I have to admit that I kept a paranoid eye towards the horizon for a while.
I am now sitting a few blocks away from the beach and monitoring Twitter for tsunami news (seems that it failed to become a wave and only hit Hawaii and California in the form of a small tidal surge..).
On twitter '@ihuntmidgets' summed it up it best: " I am totally disappointed that there have been zero Patrick Swayze sightings during this Tsunami"
On a serious note, I am glad to see that no one has been hurt this far north. And of course, our thoughts are with the people Chile during such a horrible time. At magnitude 8.8.. the tectonic plates aren't messing around. And we know all too well that here in coastal california, we're not immune to much nastier days.
This doesn't really do it justice. My poor camera-phone can't zoom.
Boats (that had been waiting off the end of the wharf) finally to re-entering the harbor.
Posted by ws1 on: February 24 2010
Complete with nerf football, camping pillow, penny loafer & Viking hat.
Posted by ws1 on: February 14 2010
Just photos for now. More to come on the Cinema Vanguard Awards soon.
Attending: Christoph Waltz, Gabourey Sidibe, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stanley Tucci, Peter Sarsgaard, Vera Farmiga.
How it probably feels.
Posted by ws1 on: February 11 2010
With Chris Malloy (Director), Keith Malloy (Featured), Danny Moder (Cinematographer), Jeff Johnson (Featured), Yvon Chouinard (Featured), Tim Lynch (Producer) and Rick Ridgeway (Executive Producer).
Posted by ws1 on: February 10 2010
Note: There is little in the next few paragraphs that isn't hinted at in the official trailer. BUT, I urge you to go see this one blind. Don't watch the trailer. Don't read my review (yet). Just go see it (it's good). It's playing Friday at the IV Theatre at 6pm.
If you live in Santa Barbara, then you've probably driven by Oak Park a t some point seen a small group of young and not-so-young adults running around in medieval costumes hitting each other with padded swords. Like me, you probably thought something snarky to yourself, like, "I knew a few kids in high school who were into that stuff..but..really?". To be honest, ever since my friend Dieter monologued for an hour in a futile attempt to to explain D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) to me back in middle school, I've been a little curious what role-playing games were all about.
So I was excited when I heard about The Wild Hunt. Having only briefly scanned the one sentence synopsis in the festival brochure, my motivation to go was based almost exclusively on a single sentence that I overheard while waiting in line to buy milk at Ralph's. The guy in front of me said, "yeah, I think I'm going to check out The Wild Hunt tonight - I guess it's like...a D&D Viking thriller or something".
Awesome. Because Vikings are almost as cool as Ninjas or Pirates (and maybe even Dinosaurs), I needed no more convincing. The films unusual elements sounded odd enough to be worthwhile.
Despite knowing that there was a D&D/LARP (live action role-playing) element in the film, the opening sequence (an 'epic battle' Vikings and Celts) still caught me off-guard. In diminishing believability, an almost authentic looking Viking battle scene morphed quickly into something very B-movie-ish, complete with less-than-convincing fight choreography, bad wigs, and uncomfortably clichéd dialogue (think 'The Seeker' but worse).
My friend Steve and I momentarily wondered if we had picked the wrong film, until a fight scene (between a cranky 'King Argyle' and a loud and feisty Viking berzerker) reached it's climax, and ended with a burp ( Argyle yelling 'Whoa whoa whoa! The fight's fuckin over OK? I hit you like ten times! Ref!?" ). There was an audible sigh of relief from the audience (who must have been as concerned as we were that we'd all stumbled into the worst film ever).
Happy, realizing we we'd been playfully duped, we scooched deeper into our seats knowing that the film we were watching was (a) not necessarily horrible, and (b) charming because it was off to a good start poking light fun at.. uh.. the type of people who take LARPing a little seriously - withou t making them seem like idiots.
TWH quietly lulls you into thinking you're watching an indie-romantic-comedy-drama-type- film (something like "Away We Go") as it sets up it's sympathetic and frustrated protagonist Erik (Ricky Maybe), who lives with (and takes care of) his mentally disabled father. His flaky older brother Bjorn (an emotionally arrested Norse-God-Obsessed 30 something, played by Mark Antony Krupa) has more-or-less abandoned Erik and his father to frolic indefinitely in a role-playing camp in the Canadian back-country. Unfortunately for Erik, his aloof and emotionally distant girlfriend ( Kaniehtiio Horn) has a sort-of simultaneous relationship with one of the LARPers ('Shaman Murtagh', played by Trevor Hayes) at said camp. By the time she tells Erik that she's leaving for some 'air' to go role-playing with some other dudes in the mountains, the little voice in the back of my mind telling me that the film is supposed to be a thriller had all but faded - and the bleakness and quiet dysfunction of their 'relationship' had taken center stage.
Director a nd Co-writer Alex Franchi's genius is in allowing us to invest ourselves emo tionally into Erik's character, and his charming and slightly pathetic 'love quest' to go talk some sense into his cheating girlfriend, which he can only do by (reluctantly) playing along with his brothers geeky friends who constantly insist on him staying in 'decorum' so as not to ruin the game. We trust the films smart and witty storytelling until we learn the hard way that it's not out to make us feel warm and fuzzy.
Of course, eventually, everything goes horribly, horribly wrong (it really goes terribly wrong). The film pivots instantly from an increasingly tense romantic tug-of-war, into very real-feeling panic and disorienting violence. Brilliantly, the quirky and harmless emotional momentum of the film (which by this point has flirted with danger and returned to safety many times) extends slightly past the point of no return - leaving the audience (or at least me) flinching.
It's hard to miss the director tipping his hat to William Golding. But unlike Lord of the Flies or Apocalypse Now, Franchi places mans capacity for acts of horror much closer to everyday life. He makes us watch as his carefully-crafted, charming and emotionally familiar narrative get's convincingly ( and unapologetically) torn limb from limb.
And just in case you were wondering, though I'll cry in a theater at the drop of a hat, (or more likely when a dog is hurt or dies) I'm the kind of guy who is almost never bothered by 'scary' movies. Of course I've jumped once or twice - but never too far. I thought the Saw was campy and a little stupid (duh). Silence of the Lambs was excellent, but more intriguing than scary. And the Blair Witch Project was what it was - but I never lost sleep.
The Wild Hunt terrified me.
During the last 15 minutes of the film, I felt my heart race uncontrollably. I squirmed, cringed & flinched until my whole torso and neck actually tingled with adrenaline (which is usually reserved for getting stalked by hungry bears in the dark on a camping trip in Yosemite).
In the brief calm that follows the films climax, it manages to blend together the banal and the mythological. It articulates a fascinating connection between role-playing games with the horrific realities they romanticize, and somehow erases the gap between typical contemporary real-life breakup drama and Shakespearian tragedy.
The film is a brilliant, emotionally complex and believable piece of storytelling, with compelling acting (especially by Ricky Maybe, Nicholas Write & Mark Anthony Krupa).
Driving by Oak Park will never be the same.
9 out of 10 stars (aka 'go see it').
Posted by ws1 on: February 09 2010
This, only seconds after a full-on hailstorm. (click to enlarge).
I love this town.
Posted by ws1 on: February 08 2010
Here are some photos from the Virtuosos Award red carpet. In attendance were Carey Mulligan (An Education), Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria), Saiorse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man).
If you want some fun interviews, check out the SBMS Teen Press's Q&A with some of the stars :)
Saiorse Ronan (the lovely bones)
Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love, The Young Victoria, Sunshine Cleaning)
Michael Stuhlbarg and partner.
Carey Mulligan ( An Education )
Haaz Sleiman (Nurse Jackie, The Visitor )
Tovah Feldsuch (Ten Stories Tall)
Saiorse Ronan (the lovely bones)
Emily Blunt.
Saiorse Ronan (the lovely bones)
Clifton Collins Jr. and unknown beautiful woman who I should probably know but I don't.
Emily Blunt
Posted by ws1 on: February 07 2010
If you've been following (or even enjoying) my ramblings on the press-line ritual, and the spectacle that is the SBIFF red carpet, you'll be pleased to know that there was more of the same last night. James Cameron was there to receive the Lucky Brand Modern Masters Award. Here's the scoop from the Indy.
The crowd was a little thinner than some of us expected. And the Governator didn't do the red carpet stroll (which we assumed was the case upon arrival, after noticing that the security was minimal). Still, another interesting night of overhearing interviews and watching the paparazzi shuffle.
Here are some photos:
Posted by ws1 on: February 06 2010
It's Night Two of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Sandra Bullock vs. Forest Whitaker (aka Forest graciously presents Sandra with the American Riviera Award because she is awesome ).
Since we know that both artists are immensely talented, humble, and that the ceremony inside the arlington will go predictably... I'm not going to get into it.
What does always strike me as interesting is the ritual that occurs on the red carpet. We (the press) arrive and check-in, and then stake out our 6 inches of space, exchange light conversation about camera lenses (Nikon vs. Canon) and consider if anyone near us might need a some gum. Then we wait.
The stars eventually arrive, and in typical 'gracious star' fashion, greet their fans with varying levels of authenticity. Sandra made a big effort to go say hi, shake a few hands, give a few quick interviews and chat.
Eventually, the stars handlers and festival organizers help them make their way (separately, never overlapping) and up the carpet and through the gauntlet of yelping and jostling journalists. There's a different emotional vibe with the press than with the fans. Most photographers yell the stars names or shout compliments at them that are mostly designed to elicit a momentary response (preferably a genuine looking smile).
The stars play along with the ritual. They smile, and then pause for longer-than-realistic periods of time so that everyone can get a good shot (probably thinking to themselves "you know, I never really get used to this.."). They occasionally joke back at us, but it's always slightly awkward because everybody knows the game, and everyone is a little anxious to get their awards, or review their photos. As a former Anthropology major, I can't help wonder how this ritual might look to outsiders.
I'll freely admit that despite my weird comments about the press line, it is fun to be surrounded by so much energy and enthusiasm. I do my best to ignore the few cranky and jaded journalists who seem to complain a lot about; people in their way, dead camera batteries, bloggers and lost press-passes. In my mind, I offer them a breath mint.
At the end, I always leave these red carpet events with a bigger smile on my face than I expected. Despite all the strange fanfare and commotion, being so close to famous people does humanize them a little bit - which is comforting.
I think Sandra wins in the screaming chanting salivating fans department. But Forest might actually have the upper hand in the charming smile category. Make your thoughts known below.
Posted by ws1 on: January 22 2010
Well, El Nino's personality has gone from relatively boring (sun, clouds, sun), to crazy-as-an-astronaut-diaper this week. One minute, it'll be sunny, and the next; dumping rain. Then sunny again, then windy, then drizzly...and then... a freaking waterspout.
A mysterious wind event took some trees down on Haley, and some tiles from a few rooftops downtown. We've also had a weird indecisive cold spell, rivers for creeks, and giant hepatitis filled chocolate waves (see some of my fellow amazingly intelligent surfer brethren below).
Here are a few photos I took during the last day or two, complete with big waves and Mission Creek nastiness letting out into the Pacific. If the storm continues, maybe I'll grow some cojones and get a pic of a waterspout and some lighting. Or maybe I'll just run the other direction.
Mission Creek Letting out into the Pacific.
Snow in the Mountains over Santa Barbara.
There are about 2 or 3 boats washed ashore in the distance. I was amazed how much sports equipment was floating in the shallows.
This one really gets at the color of the stuff coming out of Mission Creek.
And of course Sandspit was cranking. The surfers are getting their stoke on before realizing they have Hepatitis AND sinus staph infections.
Keep in mind those little specks at the base of the wave are surfers..
Pretty. Wait. Did I just see a syringe?
More Sandspit Backwash.
Looking past the Santa Barbara Zoo to the mountains above Montecito and Carp.
Posted by ws1 on: January 20 2010
While driving up Chapala, I noticed a crew of totally drenched Santa Barbara Stagehands braving the El Nino wind and rain. There's a good article here (at the Indy's site) with a decent explanation.
I wonder if there will be any significant progress made before SBIFF? From the few words we exchanged before I ran for cover in my car, it sounds like nobody's talking with them yet. But they seem cheerful (and resolute).
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