Sunday, August 28, 2005

/pickme

I'm still here! Well, mostly. I've just had a very active week, I guess. The weekend was a great time to let my hair down, although I did end up working on Sunday morning. But I didn't mind, the hours weren't long and the weather today was amazingly perfect. Other than work and the occasional party, not a great deal has been going on. I have found, however, that I've become addicted to The Sopranos. That is probably nothing new to most of you, but even when the show was on TV here, I never had an interest in it really. It wasn't until my sister began watching the DVDs at home (borrowed from a friend) that I became interested. I watched all of season three first...and then I went back and watched the first two. I finished season four today. I've yet to see five. I'm not entirely sure what it is about this show that's so addictive. Really, the story is nothing amazing or new. And sometimes there are aspects of the plot that somewhat annoy me - for example, Tony's psychiatrist makes some highly inane observations at times. Even so, I think what really draws me to the series is the characters themselves. I mostly find the supporting cast to be appealing - Carmela, Paulie, Silvio (I'm not sure how you spell his name), etc... I like the fact that there's a meshing of serious subjects - even very grotesque things - with comedy and some very inane/everyday things. One thing that disappointed me as the series went on, though, is that Paulie seems to lose a lot of his humor. That really sucks. For the most part, he seemed to be the main character to make me laugh - his funny little observations about things were always thrown in at the right time. It's funny how some of the characters can simultaneously annoy me and yet be so endearing. Carmela can be incredibly air-headed and ridiculously old-fashioned at times, to the point of seeming a little pointless. And yet, her character and the issues that she faces are very entertaining and they provide a good counterbalance to Tony. Although I could criticize her character for so many things, I still find that I ultimately care about the character. And surely that really counts. It's funny how I can look at the series objectively and think that there's nothing particularly remarkable about it, while I'm simultaneously addicted, lol. I suppose it proves that strong acting and likeable characters can go a long way in terms of making up for any shortcomings in other areas. That's about all I have to say for now. I will no doubt have something more interesting to discuss next time. But right now I'm very, very tired. Apologies if the post isn't terribly clear or anything. SugarCone: Yeah, random gifts can be very nice. I haven't yet seen Zatoichi. The trailer really did not interest me very much at all. But I'll probably see it at some stage. Sammy: Nothing like a J-UP, right? ~_^ Sesshomarufan: Cool, yeah, if I were more aware of the actual source material I'd probably appreciate the film a lot more. I think it's important to recognize that when looking at films of this nature. Annie-kun: Ah yes, we've both been a bit scarce lately. I have to drop into Guild Wars again soon, too. John: They have mushrooms, which are probably going to do a lot more for Mario than alcohol. Afterall, when he eats a mushroom he doubles in size. Or he thinks he does. Something very odd going on there.

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Thursday, August 25, 2005

Roam

What a busy week! Apart from taking on some extra paid work recently, I've had a lot of random nights of going out. It's sometimes a bit much to go out late in the evening after work, when I'm feeling exhausted, but it's generally been pretty good. I saw Sin City last night, which was enjoyable. Movies of that nature (film noir) tend to give me a very specific feeling, which I was talking to Alan about earlier on. It's hard to describe. It's a kind of cozy nostalgic feeling, I suppose. Anyway, the movie was good, with strong visuals...but it didn't blow me away. The action was mostly pretty average (save for a few particularly strong moments) and the story/dialogue was reasonable. I suppose those aspects were "good", but nothing terribly amazing. I'm eager to see it a second time though, if only because the whole atmosphere is very engrossing - the various visual effects and camera shots were often quite surprising and effective. It was worth seeing for that aspect alone, I think. SugarCone: Ahh, gotta love those types of gifts - mess up/apology gifts. ~_^ John: See Baron's comment. Shin: Excellent! Sammy: I love Luigi. I'm glad that he has more of his own identity these days, rather than just being a green Mario. When I was having coffee with Mr. Martinet, he randomly yelled out in Luigi's voice "Waaaahhh!!" It was so surprising that I nearly fell off my chair. I think my face was literally like this: o_O ShadowFaint: I do and I shall never give it up! I wonder if it will be worth anything in the distant future. Sara: *blushes* ~_^ Baronness: Ah yes, the Mario avatar. If you look at my current signature on OB, you'll see a little Mario tribute of sorts. I was thinking about doing different versions of that now and then. Little animations are good fun to make/watch. Sesshomarufan: Will do! Baronness Again: Yes, I recommend that everyone visit the link! The TV commercials on there are great. I wish Nintendo Australia would use some of those. Happy! Mario 20th

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Sunday, August 21, 2005

Happy birthday, Mario!

I just have to stop and pay tribute to my all-time favourite character. Recently, you see, Mario turned 20. Isn't that cool? Mario has been my favourite character for a long time - for me, he surpasses any character that I've come across in movies or novels. This isn't because he's objectively better or anything, but he has always been a very big part of my life. My earliest experience with video games was at my cousin's house, when I was very young. I don't remember what the system was - perhaps a Commodore 64 or something like that. I don't think it was an Atari machine. Anyway, I enjoyed it and saw it as a novelty...but that was about it. None of the games really interested me, although I did think that the thing was a technological marvel at the time. And I definitely wanted one, though I knew there was no chance that I'd ever own one. I did own video games - specifically, a couple of Game & Watch titles (including Squish!, which I still have now). Game & Watch was very popular in Australia during the 80's and I remember that a great many kids had these things on the school bus whenever we'd go on trips. Even then, I saw Game & Watch as a novelty, more or less. Yes, it was fun. But it also seemed so limited, with the way that the characters had specified positions on screen. It did, however, keep me occupied on many bus trips. But outside that, I really never touched the games. However, only months later, I had a totally new experience with games, at a friend's birthday party. It was a Nintendo Entertainment System and it felt like nothing I'd ever come across. Not only were the controls totally different to my cousin's system (different and better), but the graphics were mindblowing. Here I was, playing as a character clad in bright red overalls, exploring a world that was seemingly endless. Everything about the game captivated me. The music, the way his little legs propelled him forward, the sound he made when he stomped on turtles' heads (and the amazing fact that you could kick the shells afterwards). I'd never experienced anything like it - and I knew there and then that I wanted Mario. When I got home, I stood in front of the fire place and related my experience to my parents, who had absolutely no idea who Mario was or why he was kicking turtles. I must have made an impression though, because on my birthday that year, I received a NES with Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. Looking back on that situation, it's funny, because I realize that I must never have cleared World 1 at my friend's party. I woke up one morning and played Mario, only to come across something called "World 2-1". But I wasn't standing on bricks anymore. I was standing in front of giant trees, which I could apparently leap across. Wow. I was so excited - thinking I'd discovered something truly remarkable - that I told my parents all about it that morning. The rest is history, really. My dad was never particularly close to me - we are both very different people. But Mario always brought us together. He became as addicted to Mario as I was and we spent a great deal of time trying to beat the game at all hours of the night. My father worked very long hours during those days, so he was often not around (leaving me to be a kind of second parent for my siblings, quite often). When my dad wasn't there, Mario was. And he never left my side. Whenever I felt sick or needed cheering up, Mario was always there, enthusiastic as ever. Within seconds he'd take me away to his magical world, where any troubles I was having would disappear. During my childhood, I greeted new Mario releases with the kind or rabid enthusiasm that is probably rarely seen - except, perhaps, by the most socially inept Star Wars fans. It was really the one thing in my life that generated enormous excitement in me, both due to the connection I had with the character and his world, but also due to the fact that the games were always brilliant. And in 2002, I was actually able to meet Charles Martinet, who does Mario's voice (as well as the voices of various other Nintendo characters). Apart from having his own signature, he also knows Mario's signature and as a result, I have Mario's own signature on my GameCube. It just says "Mario" with a little moustache smiley face next to it. He signs it the same way everywhere, so it is indeed Mario's signature. It's still kind of amazing to think that I have it, considering the incredibly strong connection I've always had to Mario and his universe. Of course, I love many different games and I have a similarly nostaligic memory of Zelda (the story of how I first discovered Zelda is something I may share another time). But Mario...he was the first big hit for me and he's always been the character I've been most excited about. His influence in my life is almost impossible to comprehend. So here we are, Mario...you're twenty years old. Happy birthday.

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Sunday, August 14, 2005

Don't be surprised when we destroy all of it.

Thanks to those of you who commented on my last post. I really appreciate the kind words. I feel a lot better, in terms of the subject of that post. Sometimes (often), I don't give myself nearly enough credit. I think I just realized that I'm a lot better off this way. I'm not exactly happy about it, but I feel as though I've really lost nothing, which is good. Anyway, I've been thinking about the domain thing a little more and I think I may just go with Anabiosis.com. I think the meaning of the word really works, in its various applications and it's something that really speaks to me personally. This means that I may arrange sub-domains for various hosted sites. For example, the QKT site might be something like "qkt.anabiosis.com". I have considered giving QKT its own domain, but we'll see. It would be cool, but I doubt the site will be very large, so it may not be worthwhile. At the very least, having a place on the web that isn't Geocities or something is probably a good thing. And if that domain were to be used, it'd be short and sweet. I know that a lot of people are creating domains and putting blogs on there, for their primary site. I think that I will continue to maintain a blog here, mostly because I am keen to continue to show people what can be done with myOtaku (especially the minimalized and more flexible V3 format). I doubt that I will have a second blog or anything like that, but I may have a news system or something similar, which relates to current and future projects. The aim of the site would primarily be as a portfolio, I guess. But it would be useful because I could use that single location to host various smaller sites (particularly QKT at the moment). There are a few other little things that I'm interested in working on in the future and it would definitely be good to put them under an umbrella of some sort. The big question, of course, is how to design a site like that. I mean, if it's your portfolio site, I guess you really want it to reflect you in every sense. Although my work probably tends to have a general feel about it, there's actually been a lot of variety over the years. So, it would be very hard for me to come up with some single design that represents me. Right now that's probably my biggest dilemma. I have worked on a lot of stuff that I still have here on my computer, but none of it has seen the light of day. In one way or another, the designs on here seem to reflect one thing or another...they aren't generally representative of my overall self. I'm not sure if others have had this problem with their sites, but I find that it makes me jump back and forth between ideas, with an inability to settle on one thing. Oh well. I'm sure I'll get there eventually. Now most of my work on myOtaku is complete. At least, the big things are. I'll be going in and adding more graphics and touching up things as we go along, but I'm a little more free now to start thinking about my own new site. Putting it together should be fun, despite my indecision. Also, Justin and I are going to be doing work together through the Velegant label (freelance site design stuff). So, I will also have to find the time to actually build a Velegant design web site. I expect that it will be a hub through which we'll sell our work, but both of us will have our own individual sites. I think Justin is keen on the idea of having his own portfolio site and it's possible that I'll be helping him build that. So even when myOtaku is totally knocked over, there's a lot more to do! More additions/changes at OB and some nifty changes to theOtaku.com, as well.

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Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Loud, angry music.

More relationship troubles. Well, sort of. You see, after months of really paying no attention to such things, I'd recently come across someone who really struck me. But to my surprise, I discovered yesterday that they've already found someone - my ex. That little bombshell really struck me down yesterday, especially considering that the odds of such a thing happening are pretty astronomical. But it happened and it happened to me. Yuck. Normally I don't really get into the whole relationship politics thing. I wouldn't normally mention something like that, but it had a major impact on me yesterday. And there are so many reasons why - not just the odds of it happening, but the fact that for months I'd made no attempt to even bother with relationships. I felt like I'd had enough and needed a break. So, the one time when I actually do feel like there's some potential, it turns out that way. Of all the ways it could have happened, you know? I don't know how I come across, but in my life so far, I've been in two actual relationships. And both of them lasted for a reasonably long time. So, I am not only a person who takes commitment seriously, but I also feel that it's important to be loyal and to not give up when minor problems arise. Really, I've been lucky. Neither of those two relationships actually ended in a bad way, except that the latter ended as a result of a partner who probably would have cheated on me if we'd stayed together (which is why I was glad to let things end sooner rather than later). That was disappointing, but you know, the actual relationship was great. I really felt that everything worked very well. This really has no relevance with anything, but I guess this is what's on my mind at the moment. Today I just feel sort of dull - I have a slight ache in the pit of my stomach, which has been there since yesterday. It will go away. And it will probably go away pretty soon - I'm far stronger and more resilient than I tend to give myself credit for. But right now, I can't help but wonder how much bad luck I can have in a short space of time. I should probably counter that by saying that I have really good friends and that is often the best medicine to deal with things like this. Anyway, on with other subjects. The changes over at OtakuBoards are still ongoing, as most people are probably aware. There have been a lot of staff changes recently and that'll continue over the coming weeks. I'm in a strange situation right now, where I'm really having to hire quite a lot of people in a short space of time. However, because the general quality of the membership seems to be better than before, it appears that I have a lot more choices. That definitely makes my job easier and I'm looking forward to bringing more people on board. You may also be aware (or may not be aware) that Desbreko has been made a Site Administrator. Cool, no? I feel he deserves it and he was certainly one of the people who was at the top of the list when I was looking for someone a while ago. Having two Site Admins should help, especially as things start to become a little more organized. I am hoping that I will be able to become a little more hands-off after all of these changes, so that I can focus my time on other things. I'm also still having difficulty choosing a domain name for myself, but Anabiosis.com keeps hovering around my head. Sara: I aim to please, my dear Sara. ~_^ Oh, and thanks for the AIM chat a few days ago. That was our fourth or fifth chat? Soon we'll have broken the half-dozen mark! John: Oh yes, I did see that on your page. Good luck finding something that suits you. ^_^ ShadowFaint: Agreed! AJeh: Oh I'm sure. Just like OtakuBot became an instant classic the moment he was conceived (the fact that he was never used adds to his mysteriousness and therefore, he becomes even more legendary). Tonykins: I feel the same way about The Matrix! The few bad ingredients don't spoil the meal, or something along those lines. But yes, I would agree with you. Besides, anyone who picks apart movies to that degree is probably setting the bar a little too high anyway. I mean, they're setting themselves up for disappointment. And where's the fun in that? By the way...I am conflicted over what I should sign-up as in the current OB event. Should I challenge myself and go for something completely crazy? Any recommendations?

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Saturday, August 6, 2005

Dig up his bones.

I think this will just be a response to your responses post. I promised to respond to comments from my last two posts, so here we go. Oldest first. Er, there might be some repeats as a result. Neil: Oh I don't think they're silly little plays...I mean, in the grand context of things they probably don't mean much, but at the time they're pretty important. And they can help you decide what you want to do when you grow up, which is not a small thing. As for the programs, I'd agree with you for the most part. I'm comfortable with PSP though, so it doesn't matter. Solo: Oh, these experiences were not painful - I look back on them and smile. But when you're a child, of course, these little things matter a whole lot. Tonykins: (In response to your older comment), I basically agree with you, except to say that the new Wonka's darkness is more obvious. The older version's darkness is really left to your imagination a little more. I'm reminded of a few things, like when the new Wonka conveniently finds the right key just as Veruca's done for. And then he gets that nasty grin on his face, as though he was deliberately stalling. It's just more obvious and less random/general craziness. Anyway, in regard to your newer comment, I really don't know what Mr. Iwata will say at the German show. Iwata is scheduled to speak at that show and at TGS, so I guess either could be a candidate for some big new announcements. I must admit though, I always love Iwata's speeches, so I'll be looking forward to them regardless. Shinmaru: Oh I bet you'd have made a great caboose. Annie: Yeah, my interpretation of Wonka now would probably be a little different. ...and thank you. ~_^;; Tohru: You have trouble with what? John: Hah! Yes, that's a key problem isn't it? Learning an instrument requires patience and dedication. Unfortunately it's hard to have that when there are so many other things going on in your life. ShadowFaint: An African American playing Wonka? I don't see why not. I mean, Wonka was caucasian in the novel (I don't remember if he was British or American though), but there's no reason why these things can't be interpreted differently or changed. I'm all for experimentation, as my Wonka RPG probably suggests. Sen: Haha, nice suggestion there. ~_^ I don't know if I will want to pay for Xbox Live. We'll see I guess. But I think there's probably a slim chance. Still, apparently the Silver version will allow you to play online once in a blue moon, so I may have to live with that. Zidargh: Well, the truth is, the guy who was put in my place was tall and blonde. He was probably better as Wonka in that sense, but...then again, in the novel, Wonka is referred to as a marvellous little man or something like that. So I guess it really doesn't matter. I can tell you, though, the kid who replaced me had far less personality. >_>; Bio: Yeah, you have a point. I've never thought of it that way actually. Baronness: There's no way in hell I'm ever recording myself as her. But yes, I can speak like her...and quite well. lol But even on the Internet that would be too embarassing, and believe me, I'm often willing to embarass myself more than the average person. Shireishou: Oh. Really? You said that so matter-of-factly that it took a moment for me to realize what you were saying. I'm sorry. Baronness: I was very impressed, yup. It was very me. snow fox: Ahh, you grace me with your presence once again. ^_^ Anyway, yes, bingo! I agree with you 100%. hEvN: Big Fish is fantastic, yes. I quite enjoyed it (for some reason I enjoyed it moreso the second time 'round). Either way, it grew on me. The ending is beautiful. You will definitely like Charlie, I think. Tonykins: I remember reading the Ebert review and wondering if he and I were watching the same film. He suggested that the entire film was great "despite Johnny Depp", as if Depp was holding the film back. As far as I'm concerned, he was one of the reasons to watch it in the first place, lol. He didn't disappoint me at all. Anyway, in general, I feel that the film has had a lot of bad press (not unlike other films that I hold dear). Whether people are calling it a rip-off of the first film without seeing it, or whether they think it's too freaky and won't go near it...it's all basically rubbish. And it's a shame too. People are denying themselves a lot of fun as a result. Wow, sorry for the totally disjointed nature of my responses to you in the post. Bleh. Asuki: Cool. Glad you enjoyed it. Fiance, wow...it's still amazing to read that! molletta: Yeah, I agree for the most part. I preferred the new Charlie and in general I preferred the overall mixture of the new film (art, sound, actors, plot). But yes, it's quite hard to compare some aspects because of the differences (ie: Wonka). Alexus: Yeah, and you know what really surprised me? It still seems weird (please nobody read on if you don't want a spoiler)... ...when Wonka imitated Mr. Salt. "Mr. Wonka is being totally unreasonable." That put a big grin on my face, mostly because it was just so randomly odd. And Johnny Depp's face when he did it...he mimmicked Mr. Salt's expression pretty well. ~_^ ShadowFaint: The thing is, I regard the "classic" as the novel. You know? That's why I say "first movie" or "second movie". Sometimes old things can be beat - the good old days weren't always good. ~_^ But yeah, I do know what you mean. I'm partly joking there - I still adore the first film. But the novel is the true "original". Aaryanna: I hope you do see it! I'd love to read your impressions. The Nightmare Before Christmas is amazing and people who don't like it aren't human. (I had to have one slightly crazy statement to end this thing, afterall).

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Friday, August 5, 2005

You're really weird.

Well, I've finally seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So I'll tell you what I thought - bear in mind though, this post will contain spoilers. I should probably start by saying that I had very high expectations for this film. As I have said before, my favourite childhood author is Roald Dahl. In addition to owning just about all of his novels, I have probably worn down my VHS copy of The Witches quite a lot. That was a particularly good Dahl adaptation, I thought. There have been others of varying quality (though Matilda was reasonably good). Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is still one of my favourite films and it was a movie that I'd watched quite often as a child. In primary school we actually did a play based on the novel and in preparation, we had watched the film a couple of times. So even from a young age, I've been very aware of the movie. Moreover, Gene Wilder never really puts a foot wrong - his portrayal of Wonka was brilliant. However, the 1971 film's biggest problem was primarily the fact that Dahl's original screenplay had been significantly altered. Although I loved - and still love - Wilder's Wonka, the fact remains that a great many lines were put into his mouth that didn't belong. This doesn't mean that I enjoy the movie any less, but it does mean that the film is less representative of the novel than it should have been. So, the idea of a Tim Burton version of this story excited me for a few reasons. The primary reason is simply that I enjoy Burton's work and I generally trust his creative decisions - he's very like Dahl, even in his own original work. When I think of all of the film makers out there, I can think of few who's general creative outlook would so reflect Dahl's own. Both Dahl and Burton understand how children think; they are aware that children love dark and grotesque fairy tales and they realize that children can find humor and fun in the darker aspects of life. The fact that The Nightmare Before Christmas made light of fairly serious issues (such as death) is a demonstration of this philosophy in action. Those who are offended by such material simply don't get it - it goes over their heads (or under their radar, perhaps). Either way, I think it really requires one to get into a particular mindset to enjoy - the mindset of a child. The second thing that excited me about the prospect of this film was that Burton didn't want to remake the 1971 film. Instead, he wanted to go back to the novel and adapt it in his own way. That pleased me, not because I felt that there were major deficiencies in the original movie (the movie as a standalone piece was fantastic), but because the original film missed some great opportunities to show us significant elements of the novel that were omitted. This includes not only aspects of Wonka's character, but also specific events and instances that people who aren't familiar with the novel may not be aware of. I really should say that my expectations for this movie were pretty much fulfilled. It remained true to the novel where I'd hoped it would and it deviated where I'd expected it to. The first thing that I noticed was probably the most obvious - the art design. Not only is it some of Burton's best, but it melds with this film on every level. From the art deco design of the factory to Charlie's funny little contorted home, everything has its place. I also really have no complaints about the interior of the factory itself - it's as in-keeping with the novel's descriptions as you could hope for, while simultaneously being very Burton. Again, I think Burton's own art style melds very well with the concepts and designs described in the novel. In terms of raw plot, I was happy to see a little more backstory this time. Not only did we get a great deal more on Wonka's history (from his first store to his competitors), but we also saw a great deal more about his past in other respects (the Indian palace and Loompa Land, for example). I had no complaints with any of these sequences and they reminded me partly why the book has fascinated me so much. That Grandpa Joe is narrating is even better - his character was fantastic and I really had no issues with any of the casting choices in general. Speaking of casting, I loved the grandparents and their individual personalities. I felt slightly iffy about Grandpa Joe from the trailers, but he couldn't have been more appropriate in the film. There were plenty of heartwarming moments before the factory visit, which only strengthened Charlie's character and those of his family. I generally enjoyed all of the other children as well - I think they played their parts as well as could be expected. Their characters were about as close to the novel as I could have wanted, so again, I really have no complaints about that. Were they better than the kids in the first movie? For the most part, I'd say yes. Mike Teavee in particular was significantly different from his 1971 counterpart - this is one of the differences that works to this film's benefit. Mike and the other kids have an ongoing tension with Willy Wonka from beginning to end, which helps to keep things a little more defined (and which serves to make their sticky-ends even more well-deserved). Also, Willy Wonka seems to develop a subtle affinity for Charlie from the very beginning, which is another positive change in this film. Charlie was not simply "one of the kids", he was noteably different from the outset. And I felt that's how it really should be. And then there's Willy Wonka himself. Upon watching this movie, a thought was confirmed to me: quite often, adults look at things in a very cynical and unfortunate light. I had heard that Depp's Wonka was incredibly weird and creepy and that there was some kind of Michael Jackson-like undertone. Huh? In all honesty, I never interpreted him that way. lol First and foremost, I think that a lot of adults cannot accept the idea of a child-like adult without inejecting some kind of sexual component to it. Why this is necessary, I don't know. But I can confidently say that I never noticed anything even remotely sexual or inappropriate during the entire movie. Yes, there was a kind of darkness about the way the children were punished, but Wonka himself didn't come across as some kind of pedophile. I think that's an incredibly warped reading of the character. Nor did I feel that Wonka came across as a Michael Jackson clone. Since when does a child-like adult need to somehow be an MJ clone? It's not as though Michael Jackson invented this concept. lol I didn't feel that Wonka's comments or demeanour were at all similar. In fact, Wonka's behavior reminded me of the kind of hosts you see on children's television shows. And this, says Depp, is where his influence came from. I can believe that. I didn't find Willy Wonka to be obnoxious or annoying and I didn't find him to be especially disturbing or particularly creepy. I thought he was endearing in a comical, innocent way. Even his back-and-forth with the children didn't irk me or annoy me - I thought all of that had an innocent charm to it, which again reflected the feeling I had with the novel. Was this movie darker than the original? Yes, I'd say so. But it depends how you interpret "darker", I think. For example, the new Willy Wonka's "darkness" is simply more obvious. This is also evident in the fact that his character is also more abrasive than the earlier version of Wonka. The earlier version of Wonka is a more fatherly character, I'd say. He does have a sense of darkness about him, but it's generally a kind of craziness without necessarily being directed at the children. In the boat ride sequence from the original film, Wonka went on a kind of crazy monologue that sort of came from nowhere. Whereas the new Wonka's darker side tends to be more specifically directed at the children and the adults. But Wonka isn't the principal change in tone, I don't think. The principal change in tone comes from the children, the art design and the Oompa Loompa songs. The children in this version are pretty obviously nastier than they were in the first (with the possible exception of Veruca Salt). The art design is also generally a good deal more odd, which is largely just a biproduct of Tim Burton's own inherent art style. And the Oompa Loompa lyrics are quite dramatically darker and nastier than they were in the first film. So I'd say that it's generally a darker film, for a multitude of reasons. But it's not so dark that children shouldn't see it - it is, in fact, a film that children will appreciate more than adults in many ways. And that's the point. Parents who don't take their children because "it's not a kids' movie" are missing the point, which is a shame. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention...the flashbacks. This seems to have been a slight point of controversy, as it's the only aspect of the film that really isn't like the novel. I was feeling a bit worried about what I'd heard, but I must say, I enjoyed the flashbacks. They did flesh out Wonka's character ever so slightly, but they also provided a relevant subplot that contributed to the film's ending. In a funny way, I felt like this was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory combined with Big Fish. But really, I had no problem with that, because nothing was being taken away from the core story - the core story was being added to. It can be a sensitive area, especially for avid fans of the novel, but I was quite happy with it. I enjoyed Christopher Lee (as I usually do) and I enjoyed the way everything came together at the end. It actually reinforced the idea that Willy Wonka isn't some kind of deviant or a man with questionable intentions, which makes such claims from viewers even more ridiculous. So, at the end of the day, I enjoyed the film and I would say that it's easily up there with any of Burton's other films that I've personally enjoyed. Do I prefer it to the original? It's really hard to say. I suppose I do prefer it, but that's only because it simply has more elements that suit me (and because it includes some aspects of the book that I consider important). However, I still love the original just as much and I still adore Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka as much as I did before. So that hasn't changed one bit. As a matter of fact, this entire experience has just reminded me that I need to buy Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on DVD and pre-order Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as soon as I can. Owning both is the way to go, I'd say. ~_^ Erm, I will respond to your comments from my last post next time, along with any I get on this post. I've done enough typing for now. I'm tired and it's late, so I hope everything was coherent.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Tales of the Little Red Caboose.

Just yesterday I was discussing an interesting subject with someone on AIM: acting. I was asked if I had ever thought of becoming an actor. At that moment, my life flashed before my eyes, as I recalled the acting experiences I'd had as a child. I'm not sure if it's the same for schools in all states here, but my primary (elementary) school held a yearly concert each September. In the early years of primary school, each year level would choose a different theme and they would create a performance based on that. No matter what the theme, music was always involved. And it was always up to the teachers within that year level to determine what the theme would be. Not only did each year level perform a couple of acts, but the teachers themselves performed their own act at the very end. School concerts were always exciting, especially for a little boy (and for quite some time, I was much shorter than anyone else in my year level, so this label applied to me very well). We would spend a few hours in each week rehearsing and we'd usually create our own costumes in special classes. When the big night finally arrived, the school would usually book a large hall, complete with its own balconies. To a little boy, it was like being in another world; the rows of seats stretched as far as the eye could see (which, due to my height, wasn't very far at all). In my first year, at age five, we performed "The Little Red Caboose". I was the caboose. Afterall, I was by far the smallest carriage on the train. But at the same time, I was unique, because I got to wear a special red costume made almost entirely of cardboard. And better yet, I didn't really have to do anything; I just had to follow the rest of the train around on stage. One of the other memorable performances was in grade four, when we performed Madonna's "Material Girl". Trust my incredibly cool grade four teachers to let us perform a Madonna number! Anyway, from memory, I was dressed in a fake leather jacket and I had my hair slicked back. Oh, and I had a pair of sunglasses that were many times too big for my face (it was difficult to keep them perched on my nose). But hey, I felt cool. And I'm sure the girls thought so too (or perhaps they were just smiling because the glasses made me look like an insect). Throughout primary school, I never really had a starring role in anything. But I think this was mostly due to shyness. I was probably more well-spoken than most of my peers and I was also very good at altering my voice and accent - but I never really made use of it. There was only one occasion where I attempted to take on a starring role, but it wasn't for a school concert. Instead, it was for an in-school play (this was also in grade four and come to think of it, we did a lot of amazingly fun stuff in that year). The play was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Despite my height challenge, I auditioned to play Willy Wonka. And, to my surprise, I got the role. For a couple of weeks, I remember practicing my lines religiously. My grandparents used to help me, which was very beneficial. But unfortunately, disaster struck - a few days before the performance, I became sick and couldn't go to school. As a result, the teachers gave the role of Wonka to another boy. I was shattered. I'd had the chance to play my all-time favourite literary character and it had been taken away so suddenly! But the horror didn't end there. When I returned to school, with only days left before the show, I was given an alternative role. Can you guess what I ended up playing? That's right, I was an Oompa Loompa! I was able to sing along with the others, but I had no lines and had to "look like a busy Oompa Loompa" in the background. So you see, on that evening, my acting career had come full circle. I'd begun as the Red Caboose and I'd finished as an Oompa Loompa. Maybe God was trying to tell me something? ~_^ In high school, we never had yearly concerts...at least, not in the same vein as what we'd done in primary school. In primary school, the concerts were compulsory. In high school, we had large yearly plays, but these were optional and it was necessary to audition for them. Maybe due to my experience in primary school, I never made any attempt to participate in high school plays. And as a result, I never did any kind of performing again. Funnily enough, though, I was forced right into center stage when I began tertiary study. We'd do maybe four or five projects every couple of months and most of them had to be presented to several classes at once. Of course, this is very different to acting on a stage as a bizarre character, but I realized that it is actually more difficult in some ways. I never had anyone to back me up (except for the rare occasion where it was a group presentation). So I always had to rely on my own communication skill and for the most part, I did very well. In fact, it was the one thing I was most happy about when I was studying graphic design. I have always had some interest in acting, but not so much acting in front of a camera, though. I've always wanted to do radio or voice over especially. I have always been very good with changing my voice and accent (I can speak like many different people, including Donald Duck and even Rose Porteus - but if you ask me to speak like either of them, I may have to kill you). Still, it's always provided some laughs among people who know me. One thing I've thought about doing over recent years (mostly since finishing high school), was starting a band. Although I haven't learned an instrument since high school, I actually do know quite a few people who could fill in the gaps; I do know people who are skilled with various instruments. A few friends of mine even started a band a couple of years ago and went on tour, which was interesting. I still have their first CD, which is surprisingly good. And I have actually spent a lot of time in the past toying around with digital editing myself. In fact, I produced a few purely electronic tracks a few years ago, on my own. And I did some digital music creation last year in school, as part of a multimedia component. I have no idea if I will ever do any of these things, as I guess I regard them more as hobbies than any kind of job path. But I suppose it's interesting to think about them, nonetheless. Aaryanna: Thank you much. I think I may stick with chocolate for now, thank you for your advice. ^_^ Annsie: Cool. ShadowFaint Zero: Will do. And no worries. ~_^ DW: Thank you! Neil: I liked Wilder's Wonka too. Correction, I loved Wilder's Wonka. Brilliant performance. Without him, that film would have been pretty worthless. But I don't regard him as sinister or dark - just a little odd. Thanks for reading the article, too. I'm glad you enjoyed it! As far as paying goes, I totally understand. The cost will be a non-issue for most. Instead, payment method will be the main barrier. Juu: Is getting stoned ever truly out of the question? Doc G: Thank you. Tips/tweaks, eh? Well, the main thing is, save your work as often as you can. PSP is a buggy program. PSP9 is worse (for some unknown reason), but PSP8 still has its issues. Save frequently and you will be okay - that's my main advice to you. DDG: Ah well, enjoy the book for now I guess. I will have to wait longer than I thought - this movie comes out September 1, not August 1. Talk about disappointment! Tonykins: I would have used Flash, but I really didn't have the time. To achieve the results I wanted I'd pretty much have to get re-acquainted with it, so for my purposes, GIF was okay. But yes, it can be quite cumbersome (and needlessly so). The soundtrack is brilliant, yes. Some tracks seem very Elfman (most noteably the main titles sequence, which at the start reminds me of Batman Returns). But I do agree, much of it is quite a departure. It seems to be a good mix, which I'm very happy about. From what I can tell, the new film is definitely more dark. See Alex's examples for more clarification on that. I think it's largely due to a more accurate depiction of the children being little devils, rather than entirely being about making Wonka weirder. But I would still say that the new Wonka is not only more accurate, but more obviously disturbed (and in a slightly more twisted way). I think Gene Wilder's Wonka was not particularly dark - he was a bit odd but mostly a pretty warm character. Shinmaru-kun: See my comments above (and Alex's, too) for a response to that specific issue. As for the novel, well...I am obviously a fan of the novel first and foremost. The novel is the most important thing to me. But you know how it is, most people will tell you that the film is never as good as the novel - I think this is true. The novel is always the genuine experience. But yes, I do think these films can be compared (and they probably should be compared, too). It's just important to realize why the differences exist and what the relationship with the novel is. In reality, I think both versions can exist in concert, because both are quite different. It's almost like how you have two versions of Batman...a camp version and a darker version. Such a strong contrast does not exist with the Wonka films (so that is perhaps an extreme example), but I think you get the gist of what I'm saying. Alexus: Yeah, bingo. Even at this stage, I suspect that my suspicions will be confirmed when I see the entire thing. Sara: Thank you. I kind of had you in mind when I made this theme, actually. You always appreciate my slightly nuttier/fruitier attempts. ^_^

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Monday, July 25, 2005

Doot doot...

Well, as you can see, I've re-worked my page just a bit. I'm going to have to wait a couple of weeks to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, because I'm wanting to see it with the entire family. And they won't all be available until then. So until then I'm going to have to satisfy myself with the soundtrack and various other things. A big thanks to Annie for sending most of it to me last night - it's gorgeous. I love it! A couple of days ago I also finally finished an Electroplankton article that I'd been working on for N-Sider. If you go over there, you'll notice it immediately. Surprisingly, that animated icon took a while to get right - I wanted to save it with maximum detail, but in a GIF that's tough to do while simultaneously having lots of frames. I think it came out okay though. The actual article was a lot of fun to write and I'm hoping that people will enjoy it. The myOtaku backroom is coming along nicely too. I recently showed an updated version to Adam and he seemed to be happy with it, so I'm confident about that. All of that work should wrap up pretty soon, as I don't have much left to go. Soon it'll be full-on construction and I'll be fixing little bits and pieces here and there. By the way, do you think this background should be chocolate brown or black? I couldn't decide. I like the chocolatey look, but I really couldn't choose a final colour. Annie-kun: I'm glad you like it! But don't worry, customizing your page won't affect much, as my design only relates to backend stuff. The front end will remain largely the same, but with a few key differences. Shinmaru: I know exactly what you mean; it's amazing how different your voice can sound when you hear what others hear. It's kind of scary. Baronness: Nothing like a bit of a leak now and then. ~_^ Chab: Don't worry, my dear. You'll find that the way she is used on the final design is quite tasteful. Although don't forget, I've exploited both men and women on my page before, so I'm an equal-opportunity exploiter. As for connection speed, do not worry. The site will be more image-heavy but I doubt that it will be any slower in general. SPX: Where was the red in my last layout? ~_^ But yeah, thank you! Neil: I think you may be surprised at how cheap Premium will be. I'm not sure if I can say anything about price at this moment, but I do know that it'll cost you less than a movie rental. ~_^ I use Paint Shop Pro 8. I had 9, but for some ungodly reason, the ninth version has a very weird anti-aliasing system that is horrible. Yuck. As for a date, I don't have one. All I can say is "soon". Bio: As I mentioned to Neil, it won't be at all expensive. I do feel that people will generally be very pleased with the cost, especially considering all the stuff we'll be throwing in now and further down the line. And don't worry, we are working at a good pace but I'm very against rushing things. I want to hit the mark the first time. snow fox: Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it. I am glad that people do enjoy my little design quirks here and there. ~_^ ShadowFaint Zero: Do you mean you don't see the pros for us? Or for you? The pros for us are pretty obvious I guess - for all our hard work, we'd finally be able to earn some kind of wage from this venture of ours. But more than that, the extra money could be directly invested back into the site. This means that we could dramatically improve network-wide services for all visitors. Right now we outsource some things to companies, but with more money we will be able to more frequently have experts come in and fix things or add things for us. Should be good for everyone. elfy: Aw, if only he knew you were using that nickname for him. ~_^ Doc G: Haha, thank you. Again, I appreciate the kind words. It will be worth the wait!

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Saturday, July 16, 2005

Damaged and Dangerous

Work on the new myO backroom continues. Just recently I have completed the main piece of artwork that sits within the new backroom, which was very relieving. If you've seen the little teaser I provided (or if you've seen the full mockup of the front page - and some of you have), you'll know that the new main page contains a piece of artwork that we'll be linking to our new Premium service. The new backroom also contains a similar piece of artwork, though the dimensions are quite different. Just as the main page contains a male character, the backroom contains a female. The idea is to represent anonymous myOtaku users, by using these characters. Sometimes people ask me why these characters often contain no eyes, or why they are positioned slightly higher in the frame (ie: so that only their nose, or everything below their nose is visible). There are actually a couple of specific reasons for that. First of all, I believe that the eyes are often the most expressive part of a human being. In a lot of my work - not all of it, but a lot - I'm using human figures as graphic symbols, largely for their shape. In the case of the new myOtaku, my intention isn't to show specific, identifiable people. Rather, my intention is to keep these people anonymous. By only showing parts of them (sans eyes), I'm able to show that they are people, but I'm able to incorporate them as a graphic element without making them the direct focus. I suppose you could say that it dulls their impact a little. But at the same time, it is a little unsual to crop human figures in such a way, so perhaps they draw more attention than I think. If you look at my wallpapers you'll see a bunch of them that are the same, but with different flavours. These were produced to reflect the art style of the new myOtaku (which we had been calling "myOtaku: Redefined", to coincide with theOtaku.com's current version). To a large extent, the imagery on those wallpapers is redundant now. The large icon/logo and the text portion aren't to be used at all. The female figure, will be incorporated into the new design, but in a slightly different way. Like the male figure I'm using, she will be somewhat anonymous (ie: you won't see her eyes or most of her body). Originally, my intention was to update myOtaku.com to bring it up to "Redefined-spec". That is, I wanted to bring it in-line with theOtaku.com's current version in a visual sense. This did not involve any major structural changes, though it did involve a noteably different design from the current version. Perhaps I will show you that design after we launch the new myOtaku, to give you a frame of reference. You will see that it is vastly different to what we're actually producing and hopefully you'll prefer the "real" version. When it came time to develop this site, it occurred to me that with this new myOtaku, we are challenging ourselves in a whole new way. By including a Premium service that involves the selling of a service, we are taking a large step forward. I therefore felt it was necessary to actually start from scratch, in terms of design. Rather than take theOtaku.com and heavily edit it for a new site, I wanted to begin with a fresh canvas and try something entirely different. The end result will certainly be something that does not resemble the current network in any sense. It will not look at all familiar, except to say that it will bear some of my design trademarks, which you may be familiar with. If you have followed my page here for a while, you will have seen many different layouts and designs and vector drawings. If you think back to those shapes and combinations, you will have an idea about the genesis of the new myOtaku site. Rather than work within existing restrictions, I wanted to create a completely new framework that is really me. In doing so, I am creating something less conservative and more polarizing (at least potentially). However, I have confidence in my own ability, especially based on reactions I've had to my page here over the last year or two. When things are complete I'll probably be in a better position to talk about my experience working on the site. At the moment it's a little difficult; although I am learning more each day and although more things keep being locked down and completed, I would hate to talk about features in any great detail - it's difficult to know what will make the final cut. So right now, all I can do is tell you about design. In that spirit, I thought I'd drop another very small sample: This is just a cropped sample of a piece of the front page (the front page being the area that you visit when you are not a member or not logged in). As you can see, this is basically just an example of the login form. What can't be shown in this static image is the login button animation. Right now that's something I'm trying to perfect (site-wide button animation). If I can't get things looking right there, I will probably just stick with a basic rollover image. Either way, everything will have a more cohesive and "embedded" feel. Something I'm very determined to do is to ensure that everything feels very deliberate. By that I mean, you won't simply see a very comprehensive backroom design, only to have extremely raw-looking comment boxes and such. My intention is to design comment boxes as I would design a site - to give them their own fleshed-out feeling. Hopefully I'll be successful with that. Anyway, on to the comments. Mimmi-chan: Thank you for the compliment. *blush* Momo, eh? Cool, I will take a looksee. Aaryanna: I guess my head is as sensitive as anyone else's, but I really love getting my hair cut. Nothin' like having someone else wash your hair. Mmm, relaxing. ~_^ Alanness: Yeah, it's not something I indulge in...ever. This is my first time. I think it was worthwhile though. Crucifix: Oh yes, you must chat with Annie by mic. She has a very cool giggle. And thanks for the compliment - glad you like the green! Sara: Actually, the same is true for me lately. I've been neglecting the hairdresser for months now, lol. Doc G: Voice chats are a great way of finding out about people. I mean, it makes people seem more "real". JJ: I'm glad you liked my blooping and my magic shoes. ~_^ Annie-kun: I think you mentioned that you got 1984 recently. I'd love to hear your thoughts when you finish it. My sister is reading it at the moment, actually. I hope she enjoys it. Shinmaru: I know what you mean - I hate the sound of my own voice. I remember accidentally hearing my phone message once...ugh. Shock, horror! Chabi: If it wasn't for Iraq, it'd be for something else...like Osama stubbing his toe. Yeah, very disgusting. Demos: Wow, nice to see you 'round here. ~_^ I agree with you about being desensitized, at least to a degree. It's true that these things still do upset me when I first learn about them. I think it would take a lot for me to lose any sensitivity to real-world violence. But having said that, there was definitely an air of inevitability about the whole thing, which is very disappointing in and of itself. When I say "a lot of money", I mean around $100AUD (so about $60-$70USD) or so. I think your description of my voice is reasonably accurate, but it's hard to judge one's own voice, I guess.

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