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Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:51:36 GMT

Flame War

by Steve Dollar



This year"s SXSW Film Festival had not even officially begun before it delivered one of those experiences that justifies the entire trip to Austin, TX-where the effort to see the most amazing movies no one"s ever heard of runs headlong into what amounts to spring break for the independent film (and music and interactive) industry. It was near the end of a pre-fest preview screening of a movie called Bellflower. Terrible things, whose inevitable arrival in the story"s arc had been suggested in its opening moments, were coming to pass. Once empathetic characters were turning into monsters. The edge of bat-shit crazy that had felt so exciting had tipped into psychosis. A heavy-set dude sitting next to me at the world-famous Alamo Drafthouse seemed to have been enjoying himself until now. Then he began muttering under his breath: "Fuck .... what the fuck .... fuck it!" And, boom: He was outta there, reiterating his commentary at louder volume en route through the exit.  

I"d heard Bellflower, which premiered at Sundance in January, was polarizing-always a bonus, especially in a festival film. But the angry departure begged a question: If you sat through everything else that happened in the last hour, why waltz in the final 15 minutes? Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:04:28 GMT

Anderson Cooper got punched in his face!

We haven"t been covering the revolution in Egypt on the site because .... well, we"re a gossip site people. We don"t actually really cover real news. We just make funny jokes about drug addicts and whores. That being said, Anderson Cooper does sort of count as a celebrity, and he just so happens to be pretty and in all likelihood gay (of course Anderson is, he just hasn"t made it "official" yet), which means by gossip blogging code I can write about how he got punched in the face in Egypt. The news anchor, 43, and his team were besieged by an angry mob of pro-government forces -- supporters of Egypt"s controversial President Mubarak -- near the ancient city"s Tahrir Square. "My team were set upon by the crowd," Cooper said on CNN this morning via telephone (as reported by Gawker). "There was no rhyme or reason to it--it was just people looking for a fight, looking to make a point, and punching us." SOURCE Oh yes, I"m sure this is how you win points for your side: Beat up beloved reporters, get your entire country to hate you, and ensure that your massive corruption is the target of the world media. Of course, he"s a dictator so as we all know things like laws and human rights don"t really apply to him. Three cheers for running your country into the ground for the sake of political power! Posted by: Popbytes      Read more     Source

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 17:17:13 GMT

SKII Facial Treatment Essence

Like many beauty bloggers and beauty editors, I"ve long heard the legend of SKII, and about the devotees to the line, in particular the SKII Facial Treatment Essence product.

At the end of last year, I was lucky enough to attend a wonderful SKII event in which we learned about the origins of the SKII miracle ingredient - Pitera, (made from fermented yeast), as well as hearing directly from Actress Cate Blanchett"s (who is the face of the brand) personal makeup artist about how much she loves the products and uses them faithfully. The result, said the makeup artist, is Cate has radiant, beautiful skin at all times that looks much younger than her chronological age.

So I set about testing the product, which is a very thin liquid skin treatment meant to smooth skin, improve skin tone, hydrate skin (but it is not specifically, a moisturizer) and provide a glow.

I was very impressed with the SKII Facial Treatment Essence, enough so that I have continued to use the product daily as part of my skin care routine after the test period. It"s a luxury purchase to be sure, but this is one of the best products that can really make a significant difference in your skin, and so worth every penny.

Here"s what you need to know:

The product does appear out of the bottle as a thin, "water-like" liquid. The best way to apply it is to add one or two pours (about a teaspoon is all that"s needed) from the frosted glass bottle into the palm of your hand. Then, cup your hands together quickly to spread over both and apply in a pressing motion to your face. The formula will immediately evaporate into the skin, so you don"t have to worry about it running down your face. Note: since it is made from yeast, the smell when you first apply it is a very earthy, almost "mushroom" -like scent- but is does fade fairly quickly.

I applied the treatment each morning and evening after cleansing my skin and before moisturizer/primer and then makeup. Within just a few days I could see that my skin was much more supple and smooth - particularly in the t-zone. After about two weeks, I loved the beautiful glow my skin had - even without makeup.

It has a very cool, refreshing effect - it"s also great after working out, and didn"t clog my pores or cause any breakouts. Another plus for those of you with oily/very oily skin is that this can be used as your treatment and your moisturizer in one because of the thin, liquid texture. It"s also great for very warm weather environments.

I"ve been converted! - RLB Posted by: Palacinka Beauty      Read more     Source

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:59:41 GMT

Solar LED Pavers bring a touch of clas

For anyone who enjoys looking out their back (or front) windows and enjoying the evening, Solar LED Pavers by Solar Cynergy are a must.

These colorful in-ground lights – available in round or square lights – combine solar efficiency and accent lighting with top quality LED’s to achieve elegant architectural and landscape home lighting. With their scratch-resistant polycarbonate resin surface and easy installation, these solar pavers are excellent accent lighting for walkways, gardens, patios, decks, pools and custom landscapes. They’re also weather resilient, capable of being driven over, can easily handle the elements and are protected by a 10 year manufacturer’s warranty.

A great combination of beauty, style and function, these solar lights will definitely add a nice ambience to any outdoor landscaping.

Share and Enjoy:

Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:44:43 GMT

Motorola R331 Remote Control Finder

What happens when you�ve been watching you�re favorite show amidst walking around the house gathering snacks and such, and you lose the remote? Most of the time you have zero chances of finding it because you don�t have a call button for a remote. Well, Motorola knows of our woes as couch potatoes and has made us this spiffy charging station that has a big ole button that will make your item that�s lost in the abyss, findable again.

When pressed, your remote will light up and have an audible tone. This works through radio frequency �find� functionality. It can be charged via wall sockets or USB, that way you won�t have to worry about using a zillion batteries over time. There�s also a clock on the front end of the charger, which makes this a multi-functional piece of awesome. Share and Enjoy:

Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 03:19:41 GMT

Alexander McQueen Brass Flower Ring

I don"t know why I"m always attracted to cocktail rings that can double as a weapon. Maybe because in my single days, I was a total freak magnet. You know that guy at the club or bar that everyone is making fun of and staring at? The odds of him coming over to hit on me is good enough to money on. I no longer have this problem but I still feel more confident and secure with a giant ring on, preferably one with sharp prongs. But instead of looking like a ninja, this flower ring is really beautiful and delicate. It is also reasonable for such a statement piece, at Net-a-Porter for $225. Posted by: Ms. Jewel Snob      Read more     Source

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:38:29 GMT

Angela Lansbury's Stroke Book

I....I don"t....but....I can"t....I....just watch.

Posted by: Kevin      Read more     Source

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 04:13:37 GMT

Match And Flame In Extreme Close Up

Watch a match burn in extreme close up shot at 2000 frames per second.



YouTube link Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:36:59 GMT

Cypripedium acaule

Of my many enjoyable botanical experiences of 2010, I would rank highly the afternoon I spent with Brian Carson of the Ottawa area in early June. Brian is an avid Trillium enthusiast, and especially keen on finding double-flowered individuals in the wild. Given the rareness of double-flowered trilliums, this necessitates a lot of exploration -- and that experience in seeking out wildflowers in forests made Brian an excellent guide (I don"t often get taken to see plants, instead either leading others or exploring on my own). Among other things, Brian took me to see a very densely growing population of hundreds of Cypripedium acaule, or moccasin"s flower, growing with little else in the pine needle duff of (what I vaguely recall to be) a Pinus resinosa plantation.

If you"re a long-time reader of BPotD and have a sense of plant biodiversity, you"ll know that terrestrial orchids of North America are hugely overrepresented on Botany Photo of the Day in proportion to any other grouping of plant species. To me, though, they are some of the first species I recognized as such -- it helped growing up near two ecological reserves in Manitoba set aside specifically for preserving orchid species (Libau Bog and Brokenhead Wetland). However, despite all the orchids nearby, I only remember observing a few plants of Cypripedium acaule in a single location in the Mars Hill Wildlife Management Area during my time there (MHWMA was even nearer to my home). It was a special treat to see hundreds of plants, even though the species itself is widespread in eastern North America and extending into boreal western Canada. In some jurisdictions, it is rare or endangered (e.g., Illinois).

The Manitoba and Quebec locales where I"ve seen Cypripedium acaule both had the well-draining (sandy) and acidic soils with partial shade typically preferred by the species. I saw two other plants in bloom during that early June trip in Ontario at the Mer Bleue Conservation Area near Ottawa, but these were growing in sphagnum and with more exposure to the sun.

The epithet acaule means "stemless", so named because the flower is borne on a scape: a leafless axis that arises directly from a caudex or rhizome at or near the surface of the ground.

Flora of North America has a scientific description of Cypripedium acaule, while the Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants has many more images: Cypripedium acaule. Posted by: Daniel Mosquin      Read more     Source

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:03:44 GMT

Notes on a Legacy

by Vadim Rizov

I saw Tron: Legacy as God intended: in the earth-shaking confines of the IMAX Theater at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum ("The Best IMAX Theater in the World"). Opened in 1999 at a cost of $80 million, the Museum stands tribute to the late veteran politician, an eminently practical good-ol"-boy who, as Wikipedia notes, "had a total of five marriages, although some of them were repeats. He stopped drinking in 1981 and remained active with Alcoholics Anonymous for the remainder of his life." Bullock was actually a well-regarded politician even by liberals-he enacted water conservation and equal employment laws-but definitely a "character" who could only survive in Texas politics. His "colorful stories" include yelling "Show some leadership, you black motherfucker" at a senator, showing a reporter a gun to demonstrate precisely how much he disliked him, et al. Three posters hang from the building"s side, summing up "The Story of Texas" (which has shown all day daily since opening) in three surprisingly honest words: land, opportunity, identity.

Surely few of the advocates for memorializing Bullock could have imagined how profitable that 400-seat IMAX theater could be; with many, many more IMAX 3D blockbusters to come, as a profitable attraction the IMAX theater may yet supplant the "Story of Texas" presentation that the theater really lives to show (everyday, non-stop). The screening was technically immaculate, free of children screening and patrolled by the law enforcement authorities of the state (who own the museum, natch), marred only by a seemingly endless, cutesy introduction from a staffer running his voice through a filter to sound like a computer ("Greetings programs," etc.) and ending directions about proceeding to the exits (overriding, temporarily, Daft Punk), the screening was calmly managed, quietly attended by a sell-out crowd and a total blast. Seeing the sky-high film in all its deafening glory was surely the only way to go about it (as a staggering 24% of people who paid to see it in the US this past weekend decided). Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:12:05 GMT

Rakta Charitra 2 is ready to hit box office

Brutality has a new name and it"s called Rakta Charitra. The first part was gruesome. The second part, well, is not as violent, but is a bloodbath nonetheless. I don"t think Hindi cinema has ever witnessed such gruesome murders, such manslaughter and such scenes of carnage ever. But beneath the blood and gore, slaughter and assassination lies the shocking story of enmity between two families.

Rakta Charitra undertakes to enlighten the story of vengeance in two parts. Rakta Charitra 1 depicted the rise of Pratap and how he became a demigod for the poor and the exploited. The Part 2 unfolds a new story, although it"s linked with Part 1. The challenge lies in making it more attention-grabbing than its precursor.

Brutality, gore and violent behaviour are indispensable attributes of Rakta Charitra 2. The story in itself is nothing more than a customary vendetta drama, but what makes you connect compellingly with the narrative is the fact that Ramgopal Varma [RGV] has treated it like he was recounting a first-hand version of what really transpired between the adversaries.

RGV is a veteran when it comes to making films on gangland or aggression and he proved his credentials in Rakta Charitra 1. Frankly, Rakta Charitra 1 wasn"t a masterpiece, although it held your attention like RGV"s accomplished works, mainly Satya, Company and Sarkar. However, you cannot refute the fact that RGV is a proficient storyteller. The characters in his films are passionately built and emotions are meticulously captured and there is the trademark agitation in an RGV film. Rakta Charitra 2 has it as well.

The storyline of Rakta Charitra 2 can be elucidated in a few words, but RGV takes a strong grip of each sequence and absorbs the spectator into the goings-on. The screenplay techniques and shot compositions make him poles apart from the rest of his ilk and the flashes of brilliance can be observed at several points in Rakta Charitra 2. Also, the film has a speedy pace and doesn"t give you time to contemplate over the proceedings.

Final word? Much more engrossing and gripping than Rakta Charitra 1.

Surya enacts the role of Surya, who is determined to settle scores with Pratap [Vivek Oberoi]. Surya"s decision to eliminate Pratap raises several questions. What was his [Surya] background, what forced him to take this extreme step, what was the driving force behind his act, was it really justified? The Part 2 is based around the conspiracy theories enveloping the elimination of Pratap.

The first part of Rakta Charitra ended up creating enthusiasm for Rakta Charitra 2. One discovered, in the final moments of Rakta Charitra 1, that vengeance had a new face and his name was Surya. The story of Rakta Charitra 2, therefore, is crucial since those unaware of what actually transpired between the two warring factions would get their answers in this part. In fact, Rakta Charitra 2 begins with a recap of the crucial moments of the first part and only after the lengthy summary concludes does the story of Rakta Charitra 2 unfold.

I genuinely feel that Rakta Charitra 2 is amongst RGV"s most significant works, not only because of how well he has implemented it, but also because of the subject material. The enmity and hatred between Pratap and Surya is justified. The turning points in the tale - Surya"s wife Bhawani contesting the elections and the subsequent assassination of Pratap - take the drama to a new high. The screenplay writing [Prashant Pandey] is spellbinding; it completely sucks you into the proceedings. Conversely, there are times when you feel that certain scenes are too extensive and prolonged and should"ve been trimmed for a stronger impact.

RGV"s visual language is stimulating. His frames speak the unspoken. RGV"s penchant for unusual camera angles have also come in for sharp criticism, but it makes his films stand out from the others. In fact, the cinematography in Rakta Charitra 2 [Amol Rathod] also comprises of extreme close-up shots, unusual angles, erratic movements and complete 360 degree turn. But it works wonderfully well. I"ve repeatedly heard people condemning RGV for going over the top or getting loud in various departments, especially when it comes to the background score. In fact, I strongly believe that the riotous background score [Dharam-Sandeep] works very well in a film of this variety.

Javed-Aejaz"s action sequences are realistically gruesome with blood essentially written all over them. Splitting the throat open, stabbing the stomach and what not, everything seems so natural and so well choreographed. Being a vengeance saga, the dialogue need to stab both your mind and heart and the lines in Rakta Charitra 2 are completely in sync with the theme and temperament of the film.

Performances are unvaryingly of a high quality. Vivek Oberoi does complete justice to his character. He delivers an equally powerful performance in the second installment. But the focus is on South superstar Surya in Rakta Charitra 2. He delivers, without doubt, one of the most aggressive and forceful performances Hindi cinema has witnessed this year. I am sure, Surya will woo not just his Tamil fans with his tremendous performance, but also find a new audience base with Rakta Charitra 2: The Hindi movie-going audience. Southern superstar Surya is a welcome addition to the ranks of A-list heroes in the Hindi film industry.

Shatrughan Sinha doesn"t really get much screen time in Rakta Charitra 2. Sudeep, who didn"t have much to do in Rakta Charitra 1, is in top form now. Priyamani [as Bhawani, Surya"s wife] is first-rate, while Radhika Apte is superb in the sequence when she confronts Vivek. Zarina Wahab gets limited scope in this part. Anupam Shyam is satisfactory.

On the whole, Rakta Charitra 2 highlights the emotion called vengeance most convincingly. It is chilling, raw, revolting, crass and ghastly, the kind that is meant to repulse you. But let"s face it: It"s a true depiction of human emotions. It"s a film which is easy to devour if you can absorb brutality. It is for those who don"t wince easy. But I"d say, watch it for its audacity and valour. Watch it to experience the work of a rebellious film-maker who never takes a break from telling an innovative story in film after film. Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source