Movies

JWise Moments

This evening, Caroline and I went to the Harkins Camelview Theatre to see the Korean film Oldboy.

We both enjoyed the movie, getting dragged into its twisted plot and creepiness. This was a movie you won’t see coming from America, and most Americans should probably avoid it as it would conflict with the majority of viewers’ sensibilities. Four out of five stars.

Last weekend, we were in Tempe to see the Bollywood movie Kaal, which was an absolute dud. Too bad as it was produced by Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar and starred Ajay Devgan, a favorite of ours, but the writing, the dialogue, and the acting were all third-rate. Boring.

Two weeks ago we went for Kung Fu Hustle from Stephen Chow. Stephen Chow is the Director/Actor who is definitely high on our list of favorites. From what we have seen from his previous efforts, such as Shaolin Soccer, God of Cookery, A Chinese Odyssey, and King of Beggars, it was a given that we would go see his newest release. Very interesting film, a sort of rock and roll spaghetti western opera of Shaolin Kung Fu meets Gangs of New York. I will probably watch it again when it is released on DVD.

Finally, a week before seeing Kung Fu Hustle, we watched Sin City. A gritty yet beautiful rendition of Frank Miller’s comic stories pulled together by Director Robert Rodrigues, whose films From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado, and El Mariachi were great breeding grounds for his work on this film. Not a great movie, probably won’t watch it again, but it was well worth the cost of entry for a good night of entertainment.

Shock

JWise Photo of the Day

My mother's car after she rolled it in Phoenix, Arizona

“Your mother has been in a rollover accident and has been airlifted to the hospital.” This was the message I received at 11:00 this morning. Unbelievably, my mom was relatively unscathed, as was her dog Guido. No broken bones, no concussion, just some scraped-up hands from the broken glass. Looking at the car above, the puncture in the roof from the tree she rolled on, or the scene of the accident and how close she was to hitting a metal pole or going into a drainage ditch, my mom, sisters, great aunt, grandfather, and everyone else who loves my mom is lucky to have her around today.

Autostitch

JWise Photo of the Day

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In Burger Shop on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona

Today, I read about a piece of software called Autostitch and promptly downloaded it. Autostitch automatically and without user intervention pulls together panorama photos.

The above photo is comprised of five individual images taken in portrait mode. On our way to a camping trip on the Colorado River north of Peach Springs in January of 2002, we stopped for a bite to eat at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In Burger Shop on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona. This photo is the inside of the shop. Sadly, tonight, we learned that the founder, Mr. Juan Delgadillo, passed away this past year. His sons are carrying on the business so be sure to get off the I-40 when you are in northern Arizona and head on down old Route 66 to Seligman and check out this great slice of roadside Americana.

The Autostitch software doesn’t always work perfectly, but for the price and ease of use, everyone should give it a try!

Click Here – to view a panorama of Lake Powell, Arizona, made with Autostitch.

Bell Road & 19th Avenue

JWise Photo of the Day

A bicycle seat rotting in the sun on Bell Road and 19th Avenue in a rundown part of Phoenix, Arizona

This photo was the safest to take in a neighborhood, giving way to squalor, without me intruding on someone’s temporary roadside home. I had walked down the block while getting a flat tire replaced, to a branch of my bank to make a deposit, to the only branch I have been to that has bulletproof glass between the tellers and customers. The teller helping me laughed at my apprehension of the people sleeping next door around an abandoned building and told me I should see the Friday night drive-through hookers if I wanted to see a sight – nice.