The View From the Phlipside

The View From the Phlipside - Oscar Movies, the Dark Side of George and Tweet Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:18:00 +0000

(Starting this week I am combining my three scripts into a single blog post. The task of creating multiple posts to be published on different days and then trying to remember to link them on my Facebook page is just more than I want to deal with any more. I've inserted breaks so you can scan quickly for each topic)

"The View From the Phlipside" is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY. It can be heard Tuesday through Friday just after 8 AM and 5 PM. The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program. Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moments notice. WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed. You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com

Oscar Movies

Sadly over the last couple years I have not been able to see as many of the Oscar nominated movies as I’d like. In fact prior to last week I hadn’t seen ANY of this years nominees. Then in the span of about 6 days I saw two of them. I was struck by them both, their similarities and their very profound differences.

The two that I saw were Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” and the black and white mostly silent film “The Artist”. There was no plan to seeing these two virtually back to back but it created an interesting comparison.

Both movies are homages to the art of movie making. And both are brilliantly executed. At that point however the two movies take off in radically different directions.

The Tree of Life is obscure, symbol filled, visually stunning and did I mention obscure? This is more of contemplation of opposing forces in life than a traditional movie. The movie that keeps springing to mind for me as a comparison is Kubrick’s “2001 - A Space Odyssey”. Except that 2001 actually has a story that you can mostly follow. After 2 plus hours of watching the movie you’ll have an experience at the movies you’ll never forget. And quite possibly never understand.

On the other hand “The Artist” pays tribute to the early days of the movies, the days before sound when actors had completely different challenges in bringing their stories to the big screen. It is the story of a silent movie star faced with the arrival of talkies and his star being eclipsed by an actor that he had discovered and launched. Plenty of people will hear “black and white” and “silent” and decide not to see the movie. That would be a shame. The cast is exceptional and they bring the story very much alive on the screen. There are in fact two very short sections with audio other than the traditional music score. If you love the movies especially the early days of the industry you should make this a must see. If you know nothing about those days you should see it to better understand and love the movies of today. Some folks are amazed this one got a nod for Best Movie but it’s nice to see a movie that takes a risk to tell the story.

Will either one claim the Oscar? Hard to say. Tree of Life probably has the better chance because it can be seen as intellectual rather than popular choice. But Oscar ends up in some peculiar hands some years so we’ll have to wait and see. Still time for me to see a few more nominees too.

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The Dark Side of George Lucas
Well the day long expected has arrived and now all good people must make their decision and choose their sides. Will you remain on the side of good, virtue and righteousness or will you descend to the Dark Side? There can be no middle ground when it comes to the latest money grab by George Lucas in the Star Wars franchise. Where do you stand on the new 3-D version of Episode 1?

Not surprisingly this is a hot button topic among the faithful of the Jedi cult. But it’s not simply the question of 3-D or even the question of whether or not George Lucas has completely slipped a gear with a never ending refurbishment of his signature series. It never is with the Star Wars faithful.

Let’s begin with the return of the argument around Jar Jar Binks. Episode 1 returns the almost universally despised alien character. Jar Jar is accused of being a racist stereotype, profoundly annoying and just unforgivably stupid. Then you add in the controversy of whether Han Solo shot first in the bar scene where he kills the character Greedo. Yes, I know that’s in a completely different movie but you need to understand that any time a new version is released ALL the theological arguments immediately are revived. Lucas maintains that Han didn’t shoot first. Which is just patently ridiculous. And I can’t believe we are still having this conversation. But that’s George’s fault as well.

For me the choice is clear. I will not be seeing the newest version of these movies. The second trilogy is decidedly the weaker anyway so it’s a somewhat simpler decision. I’ll even grant the Episode 1 contains scenes that might be elevated by 3-D (the racing scenes spring instantly to mind). The problem is that if we keep showing up and shelling out our Galactic Credits to watch his latest demented meddlings he’ll just keep on doing it. And we must do everything we can to make him stop.

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Tweet Reviews

Caught this story on NPR the other day and the more I thought about the more I struggled with it. Spin Magazine, one of the premier music magazines of the day, has announced that they intend to review around 15 hundred new music releases in 2012 in the form of a Tweet. This apparently will include traditional album releases, EPs and even Hip Hop mix tapes. The idea is that the old music review has outlived its usefulness and needs to be upgraded. Given some of the truly awful offerings I’ve read over the last 4 decades I probably can’t argue that. Music reviews can be arbitrary and didactic. Maybe that comes from too many years in radio but I’ve had my fill of poly-syllabic polemics extolling the extended artistic values of some band who made noises that one person in a thousand might want to listen to for more than a minute. I always preferred reviews that were more descriptive than those that tried to pass judgement on the artistic merits.

But can we really get any kind of value from a review that is constrained to just 140 characters? Remember it’s 140 CHARACTERS not words. So spaces between words count right along with letters. To be honest Spin editor Christopher Weingarten sounded awfully smug as he described doing about 240 extended reviews this year compared to 6 times that many Tweet reviews. Pretty clearly he has decided that this is what’s cool whether it’s useful or not. Of course Weingarten apparently also happily proclaims himself a troll. A troll is generally regarded as the lowest form of online virtual life.

It all smacks of hipster posing to me. I will be the first to acknowledge that a huge percentage of musical releases each year are trash. Yet out of that musical mosh pit emerges some great bands each year as they grow in their art. My question is will they get the hearing they may need to succeed if we are reduced review as blurb. In the end most of us make our minds up on music based on what we hear rather than what we read. But once upon a time a very long time ago music criticism was an art form and some of its practitioners were musically knowledgeable AND wonderful writers. The folks at Spin claim that this new review format will make them the go to source for music information. I think it’s far more likely that by offering less information they might just write themselves completely out of this story.

Book Review - Gods and Fathers

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Got a chance to read another great book from the folks at The Story Plant. My travels have kept me from following up with a review. So getting caught up now.

Gods and Fathers - James Lepore A District Attorney is faced with a chillinig challenge - proving that his estranged son didn't kill the boy's girlfriend. The path he will follow will require him to put his entire life on the line and take him places that he can't even imagine.

Lepore is a solid writer and shows his chops in this story. The plot is carefully crafted and will take you deep into the psyches of the characters. The story will surprise you, puzzle you, challenge you and simply refuse to let you go. This isn't just another easy thriller. Main character Matt DeMarco must deal with his divorce, his ex-wife's re-marriage, his non-existent relationship with his son, his own internal defeat and the fact that two good friends are the police officers investigating the allegations against his son. Along the way Lepore gives us a very human hero fighting himself and powers that he didn't believe really existed. The answers he finds aren't easy and that's what makes this such a compelling story.

It just hit the shelf last week. Well worth grabbing a copy.

Rating - **** Recommended Read.

The Movie List - January

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:01:00 +0000

The Man Who Knew Too Much - (1956) - I have a short list of actors I will watch in anything. James Stewart is on that list (other names Henry Fonda, Denzel Washington. There might be a couple more but none spring instantly to mind). Add in Alfred Hitchcock directing and I just can't stay away. And the movie lives up to expectations. Actually it goes beyond expectations because Doris Day is quite good here. I forget sometimes that she could be an excellent actress. Her bout of hysteria when told her character's son was kidnapped was uncomfortable in its sincerity. Stewart and Day play tourists who get caught up along the edges of political assasination. It has all the hallmarks of one of Hitchcock's masterpieces. Tension that is burst by the drop in bit of whimsey followed by the tension rising again. I'm always torn watching his movies between being drawn into the story and watching his craftsmanship.
A movie worth seeing.

Hereafter - (2010) Matt Damon stars as a man who can talk with the spirits of the dead. But he's come to the realization that it's not a gift but a curse. His life will intersect with a French reporter (Cécile De France) and a young English boy (Frankie/George McLaren) and all of their lives will be changed forever. I was doing fine right up to the end. I really enjoyed the movie till the final scene. Which was stupid. Just pointless and a let down and...well, stupid. It was really a dsiappointment at the end of an otherwise Ok movie.

Cinema Paradiso - (1988) A Italian film (with sub-titles) about one man's love for the movies and the small town where he grew up. The movie has a wonderful lush feel to it. The characters are wonderful as well. If there's a problem it's long enough to be two movies. It clocks in at just shy of 3 hours. It's worth the time but good Lord. I really enjoyed this movie. So if you have a long afternoon free it's definitely worth watching.

Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows - (2011) Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law are back as Holmes and Watson. Did you like the first one? You'll probably like this. Are you a Holmes purist? You'll probably hate this as well. So here's my thoughts. I love the original stories and these aren't those. But they are a helluva lot of fun. I wish they didn't spend quite so much time having Holmes (referred to as "Sherly" by his brothe Mycroft) punch his way out of trouble. It gets annoying and seems to be on the upswing from movie #1 to #2 which is sad. But Downey and Law have so much fun with these roles I have to admit that I enjoy the movies. So think of them as an alternate universe kind of steam punk interpretation of the stories and enjoy. Good fun.

Casino Royale -(1967) This is late '60s parody version of the James Bond book. Apparently it was something of a disaster from the beginning. It went over budget. Two of the stars, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles, loathed each other and Sellers refused to be on set at the same time as Welles.
Incoherent is probably a very good description of this movie. Given that there are something like a dozen people given credit (public or otherwise) for the screenplay and close to a half dozen for directing that may not be surprising. The cast is a spot the stars spectacular but the movie is disappointing overall. Too often it falls into the worst habit of parodies when they are self conciously trying to be clever. Several pointless dance segments and what is essentially the single joke of the script drag it down quite badly. David Niven stars as the "original" James Bond 007. He's cool, intellectual and chaste. He has no use for those who have come after him who bear his name and number. It's all quite silly and pointless. Fortunately I've only wasted a cold and snowy afternoon on this one. The only thing worse is the 1950's TV version that's included on the disc. Ideally I'd give it a 2.5 star rating.

The Graduate (1967) Here's a classic movie that pretty much everyone figures they know. I know I've seen it before but was surprised by what I had forgotten. Sure there's the classic lines ("You're trying to seduce me Mrs. Robinson" and "Plastics"), and the characters and the wedding scene at the end of the movie. What I'd forgotten was what a manipulative and vindictive woman Mrs. Robinson is. I'd forgotten just how indecisive and feckless Ben Braddock is. The movie is a wonderful look at the shallow world of upper middle class America in the '60s. A classic movie and worth the look.

The Books List

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:12:00 +0000

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of Christian fiction. Too much is just not up to contemporary standards. And I've noticed that more of them seem to be written for church book groups rather than just written the way other novels are. Otherwise how do you explain that they all seem to come with discussion questions at the end? May be unfair but it makes me take them less seriously. Having said that I'verecently read two. One reinforced my opinion and the other was the exception that proved the rule.

The Book of Days - James L. Rubart - The concept sounded intriguing. The search for a book actually written by God (not inspired by or even placed into the minds of men. An actual book written by God's own hand) which shows all the days of every person's life - past, present and future. A young man is told about it by his father and wife just before each of them die. And it may save him from losing his mind. Interesting concept even if I have certain theological concerns. Hey, I'm broadminded. The problems are many. The writing feels like that of a talented high school student. The characters are cardboard cutouts and the really interesting issues raised by the story never really get explored. Important story points never get explained. I'll admit I read the book through to the end because I kept hoping that the story would resolve in an interesting fashion. It didn't.
Rating - ** (Not Impressed)

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow - Joyce Magnin - This is a bit of Jan Karon's Mitford and Garrison Keillor's Lake Woebegone. It's the story of a morbidly obese woman, Agnes Sparrow, who retreats to her home and prays for anyone and everyone. When her prayers begin to make a difference in people's lives Agne's life suddenly gets complicated. Filled with quirky but real characters Magnin shows a wonderful deft touch with dialogue and characterization. There's faith woven through the whole thing but it's not intended to brow beat you. The first book in a series about the folks in the little town of Bright's Pond PA. This book was simply a delight to read. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected and have recommended it to friends already.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

In other reading -

Napoleon's Pyramids - William Dietrich - Here's a really fine piece of historical fiction from a former news reporter who has move successfully into both fiction and non-fiction. Part of a series about his recurring character Ethan Gage. Gage is an American caught up in the intrigues of Napolean Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt. Is he one of Bonaparte's savants, an English spy or just a young man in over his head? Dietrich does a wonderful job of bringing together the exploration/invasion of Egypt where Napolean did indeed bring along over a hundred wise men to help him understand this ancient civilization. Along the way Gage gets involved in some high intrigue and repeated physcial danger. All while not really understanding why he's there or what anyone wants from him. This is the kind of book that kept me up at night reading long past my bed time.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

The Limit - Michael Cannell - This is the story of the events leading up to the 1961 Formula 1 racing championship, the first ever won by an American. The central characters are Enzo Ferrari, founder, visionary and undisputed boss of the auto maker that bears his name, Baron Wolfgang von Trips, only son of a minor German noble family with the desire to live fast and drive fast and Phil Hill, California boy who loved cars and racing and became the first great American international driver. By the time the end of the '61 racing season ended they would see many of their friends and drivers die in pursuit of the ultimate racing title. It's a well told story of the greatest racing series in the world.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

Relentless - Robin Parrish - Sigh. I'm torn on this book. For the vast majority of this book I REALLY liked it. Liked the writing, liked the concept, liked the characters, liked the plot. It's the story of a man who suddenly in the middle of his morning discovers himself in another man's body and watches himself walking away down the street. Suddenly he has a new identity and some frightening new skills. It brings with it the aspects of science fiction and techno thriller that is guaranteed to lure me in. And it did. But two things take away from the book for me. There is a strange 5-10 page writing blip about 125 pages in where the quality of writing plummets. It recovers and the rest of the book is fine but those few pages just glare. Then about two thirds of the way into the book the plot swerves into a fantasy/supernatural vein that I don't think was properly set up. So at the end of book I felt let down by the author. He led one way then changed directions without a good reason or explanation. The book is the first in a trilogy but you don't even get the whole set up in this first book.So that kicks this down one rating. The author also has this bizarre habit of suddenly jumping from scene to scene in a chapter without any indication. Really annoying.
Rating - *** (Good Read)

The Inside Ring - Mike Lawson - An attempt on the life of the President of the United States narrowly misses, killing instead an old friend of the Chief Executive. When a note surfaces that claims that the President's security team has been compromised the Speaker of the House of Representatives sends his trouble shooter Joe DeMarco to figure out what the the truth is. This is Lawson's first novel and he shows a fabulous grip on what makes a thriller. The book can be shocking at times with some gritty realism. Lawson keeps a solid grip on it and drives the story home. I was deeply impressed by the book. Well with one minor exception. There's a little plot twist at the very end that strikes me as artificial and silly. But it's such a small thing, even in the context of the story, that I can't deduct too many points from the book.
Ratting - **** Recommended Read

Amos Walker - The Complete Story Collection - Loren D Estleman - I'd never heard of the author or his signature private detective character Amos Walker. By the end of the book it was clear I'd comitted a major oversight. Walker comes from the tradition of the hard boiled detective. He's terse and gritty and fascinating to follow. These are short stories and well worth the read. If you love detectives and want some quick involving reading then you want to grab this collection right now.
Rating - **** Recommended Read

Clues to Christie - The Definitive Guide to Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy & Tuppence and All of Agatha Christie's Mysteries - This is a short introduction (77 pages) to all of the First Lady of Mystery's works. It also includes three lesser known stories of three of her best known characters. It was a very interesting read that filled in some details that I never knew about Christie. She wrote more widely than I'd ever realized. Christie fans should read this. Mystery fans should read this as well.
Rating - ****

Chili con Corpses - J.B. Stanley - This is a fun little mystery that centers on a group of friends who gather to share food and friendship. Along the way they solve a mystery or two. In this one they are trying to solve a few damaged love lives and learn to cook classic Mexican foods as well. The author gets your mouth watering for the dishes described and offers recipes for them as well. Several of the mysteries I've read recently have been heavy, serious stories. Stanley creates a much lighter and light hearted story. It was a fun read.
Rating - ***

View From the Phlipside Radio - Shark Week

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:35:00 +0000

I’m gonna fess up right up front. I don’t get the whole Shark Week thing, I’ve never gotten the whole Shark Week thing and I’m not sure I’m ever going to get the whole Shark Week thing. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about Shark Week is a week long series of specials on Discovery Channel about, you guessed it, sharks. The underlying rationale is that the specials help the regular person have more respect for sharks. Sharks. Big teeth, think of me as lunch. What more do I need to know?

Now that attitude kind of leaves me out of the “cool kids” group, again, because Shark Week has become a blockbuster TV event. Last year’s audience set a record with over 30 million unique viewers. On the air since 1987 it’s now the longest running cable TV event of all time. And it’s seen in 72 countries.

Color me - puzzled.

But the folks who bring the world Shark Week are not puzzled in any way shape or form. They know a winner when they see it and in true TV fashion they are leaping on the bandwagon. Even if it’s their own bandwagon. Discovery Channel’s sister network Animal Planet has announced that this spring they will be offering... MONSTER WEEK! And even better than that it will actually run for more than a week!

This show will stay true to the basic concepts of Shark Week. The monsters are water born and most of them would view their fans as tasty morsels. Jeremy Wade will host the week. He should feel right at home since his regular gig on Animal Planet is a show called River Monsters.

I really do begin to wonder about the TV viewing public after a while. I mean look at what some of our favorite TV viewing is. There’s all the CSI and police procedurals that feature our fellow man dieing in as many hideous ways as possible. On top of that we have things like Criminal Minds and Dexter which features human beings at their most twisted and depraved. Now we want more, more, more of scary beasts that want to eat us.

Now THAT’S entertainment.

But a woman’s nipple exposed for less than a second during the Super Bowl is the end of the world as we know it.

Nope I just don’t get it at all.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.

View From the Phlipside Radio - Cars and Media

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:30:00 +0000

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, radio, the movies and more. I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View from the Phlipside.

By now I’m guessing you’ve caught on to the fact that I am seriously into the media. Maybe even beyond the point that a grown man of advancing years should acknowledge but there it is. What you may not know is that I am also something of a car guy. I come by that honestly because my dad was a big time car guy. His first job out of college was in the design department at Ford, on their honeymoon he took my mother to the Detroit Auto Show and before I was allowed to drive his cars I had to be able to explain how an internal combustion engine worked, identify the major systems of a car and be able to change a tire and the oil. I grew up in a serious car household.

So imagine my unfettered joy when two of my great passions come together in a single story. In the last week or two the folks at Ford and the the folks at National Public Radio have announced a partnership that will put a special app in new Fords that will give you direct access to programming from NPR. That story in and of itself is no big deal even if you’re an NPR fan as I am.

What got me about the story is the ever increasing amount of media that is now available in cars. And it begins to worry me. The worst idea, putting a video screen in the middle of the steering wheel, seems to have died off. Which is wonderful from my point of view. Even so you’re seeing more and more screens in cars. The Tesla electric sports car boasts a 17 inch screen that basically takes over all the functions of the dashboard. At the other end of the cost scale the brand new Dodge Dart has a screen for dashboard functions plus a second one for things like climate control and sound system.

But what really worries me is the advent of voice control for media in cars. All of this MIGHT be a distraction if you let it but what happens when people from anywhere in the car can start affecting distraction inspiring stuff inside the car? In my lifetime car radios were options. Now we have music, phone, video, web access, and most of them can be fired up by a three year old in the back seat.

Somewhere along the line we need to remember that we are in a vehicle that weighs around a ton or more at speeds that can be well in excess of a mile a minute. We drive them in situations that require great concentration.

Forgetting that, even for a second, can get you in a lot of trouble. Something else my father taught me.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Sofia Vergara

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:27:00 +0000

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, radio, the movies and more. I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View from the Phlipside.

I’ve always been amused by the disinclination of many top American actors to do commercials in the United States market. The idea has always been that you don’t want to get “over-exposed” because then the audience might get tired of you. As a general rule many of these same stars have absolutely no problem what so ever about doing commercials overseas. The money is generally great, advertising shoots are short and then you’re back home. I’ve never really bought that argument. It seems more likely that in the quick turn around world of advertising the stars don’t to play star the way some of them would like.

There used to be an argument against doing commercials that involved the dread concept of “selling out”. Now this is more of a ‘60’s generation thing because stars prior to that did advertising all the time. Even as a child of the ‘60’s myself (meaning that I was in fact a CHILD in the ‘60’s) I’ve found this one to be pretentious nonsense as well. Selling out is advertising a product or service you actively don’t believe in just for the money. For most actors it’s mostly advertising products they don’t care one way or the other about. It’s a job, and I have no problem with that.

But I have to admit I really respect what actress Sofia Vergara is doing. Vergara is the drop dead gorgeous Columbian actress who currently stars in ABC’s “Modern Family”. She’s moved her career from hosting shows on Univision to multiple Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Emmy nominations. She’s reached the point where she probably doesn’t NEED to be doing commercials any more.

And she’s doing a new Pepsi ad anyway. In fact flying in the face of the old school thinking she’s doing the Pepsi ad in part as recognition of the place Pepsi has had in her career. Early in her career she did a spot for Pepsi that Vergara gives a great deal of credit for launching her. So she’s remembering who helped get her here and is staying loyal to them.

That’s selling out in the best possible way, selling out to loyalty. I don’t think we should ever get tired of seeing that.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.

View From the Phlipside Radio - The Dumbest Story of 2011 (and 2012)!

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:43:00 +0000

End of the year and I like to take a look back at the topics that we’ve talked about here. This year I thought I’d do a best, worst and dumbest ideas of the year. These are topics that bubbled to the surface this year that will carry forward into 2012. This time let’s take a look at my dumbest topic nominee.

This one could have gone for the worst idea but I think it falls just short. It’s just a dumb idea that some folks just won’t let go on. It’s 3-D. Every couple decades we have another resurgence of the attempt to create a three dimensional visual image for the big screen. This time it’s also lapped over onto the small screen. I need to acknowledge that I came to this latest attempt at 3-D with a negative attitude. I’ve seen too many attempts in the past that never tried to get beyond the gimmick aspect of it. What one friend of mine has described as the “jumpy outty parts”. Beyond that you still have to deal with those dumb glasses which are an even bigger problem for those of us who wear presription glasses.

When Avatar came out in 3-D I thought we’d finally gotten over the hump. Avatar gave us a reason for 3-D, it made the story better. It was visually stunning. The problem is that NONE of the movies I’ve seen since in 3-D meet the standard. Even without jumpy-outty parts the 3-D adds nothing. It’s still just a gimmick.

And then we talk about TV. What a complete and utter non-starter of an idea. Television is too deeply set in the American way of life. So making it more complicated is just a bad idea. Add in the dumb glasses some of which apparently need batteries and I just end up shaking my head. When they start talking about putting major sporting events in 3-D then I’m totally confused. So I’m either supposed to have enough TV glasses for everyone at my Super Bowl party or do I only invite folks who own them? Just dumb. And headed for the dustbin is my bet.

Here’s to the New Year. Which will be just fine in 2D thank you.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - The Worst Story of 2011 (and 2012)!

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:41:00 +0000

I have to admit that I bounced back and forth between my candidates for worst topic and dumbest topic. I could argue for either one in either category. In the end I chose the one that I think is the more serious issue to be name worst topic. And it’s one that for many of us only bubbled up in the last couple months. That’s the Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA, a piece of legislation that will be considered by our Congress in January of this coming year.

In my initial piece of SOPA I noted that I have no particular problem with the underlying concept. Online piracy is a real problem. Creators of content whether it’s music or writing or video or any of the other items that are being pirated have a right to control what they control. And to choose to try and make a profit from it if they want. The idea that the consumer should be able to get whatever they want for free is childish and a great way to insure that fewer creators will spend the time to make the really good stuff.

But even a casual reading of the SOPA legislation shows that it’s just badly constructed. For example if I put a link to some copywritten content. Not the actual content, just a link. Under SOPA I can be charged with a felony. A felony. I haven’t taken anything or given it away. It could just be a link to a photograph or video that I didn’t even realize was being illegally copied. Doesn’t matter. The Phlipside is looking at being shut down online and charged with a felony.

Too many of the old media want Congress to hand them a legal hammer to allow them censorship rights far beyond what they need to protect their legitimate rights. And that’s not just a bad idea. I think it’s the worst idea of 2011 that’s headed into 2012.

Here’s to the New Year. Let’s do it without SOPA.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - The Top Story of 2011 (and 2012)!

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Of all the topics I looked at this year the one that I think will have the biggest impact in 2012 will be mobile computing. This is something that got a lot of discussion throughout the media world this past year. Smartphones have been coming on for several years but the number of people who were doing significant percentages of their online computing through devices like them really began to sky rocket this year. But I think that smartphone mobile computing is only the surface of the changes that are coming our way.

The iPad made a huge impact when it was introduced just two years ago. The long sought tablet computer finally had a successful well designed version out there. But I think the iPad won’t remain the core of this market or the mobile computing movement. And the reason is simple. The iPad is simply too much. Too much when it comes to capability and too much in the price tag. There has been a huge movement towards simpler and significantly less expensive tablet computers. I know that even my own Nook Color which isn’t really a tablet at all meets my primary needs for quick internet contact. When you look at devices like the Kindle Fire, the Nook Tablet which offer all the primary functions most people need at well under $300 then even the lower cost iPad competitor tablet computers become less imperative for purchase. And if the movement toward sub $100 tablet computers takes off then iPad and the other high end tablets become much more in the line of speciality items.

Small computers that are easier to carry, that give us the versatility of smartphone apps and all at prices that the vast majority of the market can easily afford will be a game changer. Just the way the personal computer was 20-30 years ago. And that would be a very good idea for 2012.

Here’s to the New Year.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

Last movies of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:22:00 +0000

Shanghai Knights - (2003) Sigh. I tried. Knowing full well that one must NEVER over think any movie where Owen Wilson stars I figured I'd sit back and enjoy some light hearted silliness. My real hope was that Jackie Chan, an actor I really enjoy, would make up for Wilson. It wasn't to be. Just mindless and stupid and pointless with no particularly appealing characters. Wilson character is completely anachronistic in dialogue and the soundtrack makes no sense whatsoever. As the approach Buckingham Palace they're playing "Winchester Cathedral". Seriously?
Rating - unless you're capable of completely shutting down you higher brain functions - Forget it.

Leatherheads (2008) - George Clooney takes a shot at a screwball comedy and comes up just short. Not sure I buy the chemistry between he and Renee Zellweger and the dialogue doesn't quite crackle the way it should. Not a great movie about the earliest days of pro football. Movie was a box office bomb but I'd say it was worth a look on a lazy afternoon with nothing better to do.

The Bucket List - (2007) -Take Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as your stars with Rob Reiner behind the camera and you're fairly assured of getting something fun to watch. The two veteran actors play men dying of cancer who decide to live it up during their last months. Freeman's character has the dreams and Nicholson's has the cash. It's a strange and slightly silly buddy picture. In the end it's the chemistry between the actors that pulls it off. Definitely see.

American Beauty -(1999) - What's the song from Sesame Street? One of these things is not like the others, one of these things is not the same. This is the story of a middle aged man whose mid-life crisis is a sexual obsession with a teen age friend of his daughter. Kevin Spacey takes you to someplace that is especially uncomfortable for those of us who work with youth. His obsession will tqke him right to the edge of an unforgivable decision. Meanwhile the rest of the world is collapsing around him. I'm a huge Spacey fan. At the same time I can't say I "enjoyed" the movie. It's very good. Call it worth a look but be forewarned.

I Spy - (2002) - Stopped watching this box office stinker 45 minutes in. Owen Wilson as a secret agent? I knew in the first five minutes this movie had no chance. They open the action in Uzbekistan, except that it's obvious all the scenes with Wilson in it are done in studio. And I mean OBVIOUS. Awful. Don't waste your time unless you're a drooling Wilson fanboy/girl.

Clearly I need to clean out my Netflix queue and get a better crop of movies lined up for the new year. Top of the list now is Cinema Paradiso, Hereafter and The Man Who Knew Too Much. Gotta be better than some of what I've been watching. No more Owen Wilson vehicles certainly.

Books - Two winners and a legend

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Some longer books so the list isn't quite as long this week.

The Best of John W. Campbell - If you're a student of the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction then you've come across the name of John Campbell. Campbell was a popular writer in his own right at the beginning of his career. But it was when he moved on the become the editor and visionary for Astounding magazine that his real influence on the genre began. Campbell was an active supporter of what he viewed as the best young writers. Names like Asimov, Heinlein, Van Vogt, Sturgeon and many, many others from the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Later in life Campbell became an ever more divisive character. But his influence during the acme of Astounding can not be diminished. I have to admit that about half these stories leave me completely cold. The writing style of the '20's I find very hard to get into as a reader. As you move along however they get better and better. At the very end you get "Who Goes There" which is the basis for the classic movie "The Thing From Another Planet" (commonly referred to simply as The Thing which is what several re-makes have been titled). The story is enthralling and nearly makes up for the earlier, dated material.
Rating - *** (Worth a Read)

Voices of the Dead - Peter Leonard (The Story Plant) - The author is the son of mystery icon Elmore Leonard and this apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. That probably tells you everything you really need to know about this book. It's good. Damn good. Set in 1971 a Holocaust survivor is told that his beloved daughter was killed in a car crash. What he discovers drags him back to Germany during the war and brings him face to face with the man who devastated his life twice. It's a story that won't let you go from a writer that has truly found his stride. Father Leonard writes the introduction to this book which is set to hit the shelves in mid-January. Put it on your "To Be Read" List for 2011
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

Trigger Point by Matthew Glass (Grove/Atlantic) - Imagine that the last several year's worth of financial headlines crashed headlong into the Cuban Missile Crisis and you have Trigger Point. This book will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck because it is all so possible. In fact it begins to feel all too likely after a while. A minor military manuever combines with some clever stock manipulations to bring the entire world to edge of financial ruin and the United States and China to the brink of World War III. This is the kind of book that will keep you up into the wee hours of the morning because you can't put it down. Due out in early March.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

Concert Review - Mannheim Steamroller

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:45:00 +0000

I've been a fan on Mannheim Steamroller (MS) for something close to two decades now. Their Christmas music is always part of our family Christmas season. So I was really excited when tickets fell into our laps to see them at Shea's in Buffalo a week ago.

The first thing we knew we had to do was be fair and not compare them to our other favorite Christmas music show, Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO). TSO does an arena show with massive production values while MS does a smaller theater show. Different shows and different expectations.

So let me say first the music was awesome. As always. Sadly there were several items that detracted from our enjoyment:

A general lack of showmanship. It was a lot like watching a really great studio band working in the studio. The music was great but that was about it. We never got a feel for the performers, there was virtually no interaction with the audience and what there was stiff and felt scripted. Plus there were smaller weird things (their "connection" with New York- let alone WNY- was that the bass player allegedly went to Woodstock. Which is no where near here. And a lame line). Just a show with zero personality. (EDIT - someone who was also at the show that day reminds me that they also talked about having been to Chautauqua and studying at Eastman in Rochester. Absolutely true. My memory says they kind of rushed through these too. Quick obligatory nod rather than an attempt to connect with the audience to me)

They made extensive use of videos to go along with the music. Great idea. Be even better if the videos weren't so obviously 10-20 years old. I seem to remember several of them from the old MS VHS tapes we got as promo materials at the radio station. And I haven't worked there in over a decade so these are old. Maybe the old line fans are "comfortable" with them but the whole shown was just a little too comfortable I thought. Did not impress the 24 year old with us. A big yawn from her on the videos too.
They closed with a silly and self congratulatory video that was basically reading their own reviews in video form. The shows they've been on, the parades they've been in. The effect was rather sad and pathetic. Want to say thank you to your fans maybe? Stop talking about yourself. Left me with a really bad taste in my mouth.

So here's the bottom line - when we leave a TSO show you can't wait till they come back next year. After Mannheim Steamroller it was more "Been there, done that, won't be going back". And that's too bad. Chip Davis needs to take a look at his pet project and decide if he's OK with it sliding slowly into performance senescence or if he really wants to keep being the #1 Christmas tour.

Movie reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Best Worst Movie (2009) - I don't know if I saw this movie in the proper order. Should I have actually seen Trolls 2, the current front runner in the "Worst Movie of All Time" derby and the subject of this documentary, or should I see this first and THEN watch Troll 2? I'll never know because you have to go one way or the other and I went this way. The documentary is done by Michael Stephenson who played the son in the 1989 film. The movie is "Plan 9 From Outer Space" bad and still to this day the actors don't quite know what to do with the experience. It's fascinating to watch them get their moment in the spotlight as the movie suddenly becomes a cult favorite. At the same time it struck me as a terribly sad movie. The documentary focuses on Dr. George Hardy, an Alabama dentist who becomes the Capt. Kirk figure in this cult. He and several other cast members get to hear the screaming fans but also experience the ignominy of sitting at a fan convention where you are utterly ignored. The stories of several of the rest of the cast are equally sad. The actress who played the mom now trapped in her own home and pretty clearly her own neuroses. One actor who was actually on a day leave from a psychiatric hospital during filming. Another who lives utterly alone in retirement apparently without friend or family at the end of his life. And finally the director of the original movie Italian movie maker Claudio Fragasso, a man trapped by his belief that Troll 2 is in fact an important and well made movie. (Even the title is a fraud. There WAS a Troll but it has NOTHING to do with Troll 2 which basically just stole the title for marketing purposes. There aren't even any trolls in the movie!). The actors seem like nice people to whom something strange and slightly disturbing has happened. It's a fascinating story. And I have Troll 2 up next in my movie queue.

Trolls 2 - (1990) - Wow. I mean...wow. That's a bad movie. It's the story of a family who takes a vacation in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The little town of Nilbog looks nice enough in a kind of creepy Stepford kind of way (except without women. There appear to be a total of three women in the whole town). What they discover is that Nilbog is the home of goblins (what's nilbog spelled backwards? Yeah that's the level of sophistication of the script). Ugly evil little monsters who turn humans into vegetables so they can eat them. They're vegetarians don't you know. Add in a creepy ghost of Grandpa (who sounds a lot like Burl Ives which makes him all the creepier) and a goblin queen who is just freaky and you're off and running. Oh and don't forget the corn porn scene. Can't do it justice you have to see it to believe it. So is this the "Worst Movie Ever"? Sorry can't go there. It's a BAD movie. It's an AWFUL movie without a doubt. The script is horrible and the acting is worse. It's filled with so wretched they're hysterical bits of dialogue and illogical just about everything. Badly directed, written and acted. So why isn't it the worst of all time? Because the photography shows burst of both professionalism and creativity. This is more a "trying for the campiness of Rocky Horror and failed" than the supreme low budget awfulness of the defending champion of all that is bad "Plan 9 From Outer Space". It lacks those moments of inspired badness like the chase through the graveyard in Plan 9 where the clearly cardboard head stones wave in the breeze of a passing actor. The closest Trolls 2 comes is when Creepy Grandpa Seth says "We only have 10 minutes. When that clock strikes 6 I'll gone for good this time". Cut to the clock which clearly reads 5:55. Plan 9 is filled with those massively bad moments. Trolls 2 just comes up short. But it is certainly in the top 3 I'd say.

Note: I'd actually recommend watching the movies in the order I did. You'll have a much better appreciation of what you're watching.

Rounders - (1998) This is a really good movie that gives you a little look into the mind of the serious card player. For these folks it's not "gambling" it's their job and a way of life. The cast for this one is an absolute stunner - Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich, Gretchen Mol, and Martin Landau. The script is tight and the characters are good. If you have no interest in No Limits Texas Hold 'em Poker you might not be interested. I'd say give it a shot, the characters and the interplay especially between Damon and Norton make the card playing just a background. A background against which an amazing story is played. Highly recommended.

Despicable Me - (2010) Had a couple spare minutes and this looked like it would be fun. Turns out I was right. Let's be honest, the real stars of this movie are the three little girls and the Minions. Gru, Vector and Dr. Nefario are all fun but strictly straight men for the stars. Fun movie, some quotable lines. What more do you really need for this kind of movie? Recommended.

Two movies that I will admit I have only seen parts of:

Dinner For Schmucks - (2010) I was absolutely prepared to hate this movie. It looked to be a classic "moron humor" movie for which I bear no affection at all. I must admit that I went back to try and catch the parts I had missed (I've seen about 50% of the movie at this point) because it turned out to be more engaging than I thought. This movie, MUCH to my surprise, actually has a heart. And it's rather endearing and funny. Took me totally by surprise. Not saying it's a great movie. But certainly worth a look. Recommended.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World - (2010) I decided to give this movie a shot. Not because I had any real hope that I'd like it but because I really liked Michael Cera in "Juno". This movie isn't Juno, not by a long shot. The movie is based on a graphic novel series and to be honest should have stayed there. It's basically a one joke movie and it gets old fast. The sudden lurches between a realistic world and the comic book world are disconcerting away from the print medium. I figured I was just "too old to get it" until I looked at the box office. Pretty much every one other than diehard fans stayed away from this one. Good call. Don't waste your time.

View From the Phlipside Radio - Media Failures

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:04:00 +0000

When I got started in the media about 30 years ago if you were a public figure you only had to deal with three media, print, radio and TV. And in form they were actually all pretty similar. Radio reporting had been formed by print reporters and TV reporting had been based on the radio standards. So it was pretty simple really. Plans for dealing with the media were pretty straight forward.

That stopped being the case back in the Watergate days. Since then public figures and politicians have had to rely ever more on media specialists. With the explosion of new media in the last decade it’s become even more important. Which why two recent media meltdowns just leave me shaking my head.

Start with Kansas governor Sam Brownback. He made an appearance in front of a high school group and one 18 year old girl wasn’t impressed. She tweeted her thoughts, uncomplimentary thoughts, about the Govenor. To her 65 followers. At which point Brownback’s media team turned an insignificant issue into a medium sized disaster. In the end the Governor ended up apologizing to the young lady. All because the “media experts” lost any sense of proportion.

At the other end you have former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. Cain’s suspension of his campaign has much less to do with whether or not his ideas were good than they do with the fact that the Cain campaign handled the media about as badly as it’s possible to do. Bizarre campaign videos and videos of a chronically under prepared candidate left the campaign with a huge added hurdle to overcome. Even in the speech announcing leaving the race Cain chose to rather bizarrely quote music from a Pokemon movie. If you’re 66 years old and trying to be taken seriously for the most powerful job in the world you need to avoid quoting children’s cartoons.

Good media teams should be there to help out. Then of course you also have to listen to them. Plenty of blame to pass around these days.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - TV Commercial Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:55:00 +0000

I suppose it was inevitable. In a day and age where folks are constantly looking for a new niche, just that little edge that will give them the jump on the competition you’re always looking for what the audience likes. So a music station dedicated to the music that you hear in TV commercials probably shouldn’t come as a great surprise.

And yet my bet is that your first reaction was similar to mine. Which was “Come on, really?”. Then I thought about it. Music has always played an important part of advertising on both radio and TV. I’m sure that you like me can finish dozens of jingles that we grew up listening to. Now add in that over the last, what, two decades more and more TV advertising has used actual songs from both popular and unknown groups. Hey, CBS’s franchise CSI has made a whole thing out of using the music of The Who as their theme music. How many times have you been listening to a TV ad and thought “Who is that” with the music? How about the Kia hamster ads with the Black Sheep saying “You can deal this or you can do with that?”

So there IS a market for the concept. And now there’s is an outlet for the concept as well. Slacker Radio which is an online customizable music service in the vein of Pandora or Spotify now offers TV Commercials Radio. Currently the playlist is 175 songs which puts it at about the same number as a classic Top 40 station (there’s a reason why it seems the same song is always airing at those stations). As more music gets put into TV ads the library will continue to expand. The hottest times for usage of the station is, not surprisingly, the holidays and the Super Bowl. As a former radio music director I thought the rationale behind the station was interesting. Slacker officials say that commercial music supervisors are a more reliable ear for great music than most traditional sources like radio play. My initial reaction was a bit of professional pique. Then I thought about the times we’d take a flyer on a borderline tune. Something that no one investing millions of dollars on an ad campaign would ever think of doing. Hard to argue with the logic.

So maybe I’ll tune into to Slacker and see how many of the tunes I can connect with their ads. A whole new way to waste time. Cool.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

On anonymous opinions

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:42:00 +0000

In the latest issue of the local alternative newspaper "The Chautauqua Region Word" (online edition HERE) there is an opinion piece (known as The Say. Top of page 3) where the writer uses a pseudonym. Given that the opinions expressed about the state of the local funding bodies for the arts are aggressive and confrontational it is not really surprising that the writer would have reservations about using his/her own name. This is acknowledged in the author information at the end where it's stated:

This piece is anonymous because it is guaranteed there would be retaliation and, in fact,
anonymity probably won’t stop a witch hunt

Some people have taken exception to this anonymity as an unacceptable act. Of course there is a long tradition of doing this when uncomfortable things need to be said or if there was real danger to the person placing those ideas in the public arena. Kudos to the author here for showing a knowledge of history in choosing the name Publius. It is drawn from the Roman Consul Publius Valerius Publicola. The last part of the consul's name translates as "Friend of the People". This Publius was one of the leaders who helped to found the Roman Republic. It was in honor of that history that Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay chose it as their pseudonym as the authors of "The Federalist" (more commonly known as The Federalist Papers). While the choice is an appropriate historical nod I think our local Publius perhaps over reaches him/herself in comparing their situation with the historical predecessors.

Publius (Jamestown's, and the one I will be referring to henceforth) claims to have an extensive background in the non-profit sector and the arts. I will stipulate their experience and note that I have nothing to compare in those spheres. Yet I would bet that most of the readers of the original piece fall far closer to my level of experience than his/hers. So let me examine the arguments from my own point of experience. Right off the bat I see a problem that will recur later in the piece. Publius makes claims about the local foundations but never offers a foundation for those claims. We must simply take his/her word that there is a sweeping movement of "micromanagement and outright blackmail" or that there is:

"... a cabal of two or three people, networking behind ritzy doors, decides what is or isn’t worthwhile. "

For me there is a flavor of flinging things against the wall to see what sticks about this approach. Granted that in the length of an opinion piece offering examples for everything isn't reasonable but certainly we might expect at least one.

Moving on we discover that Publius dislikes the concept of "consolidation" that has been put forward by some of the foundations. Curiously Publius later in the piece acknowledges that the program managers of the arts programs appreciate expert advice. Might it not be that the Executive Directors may simply be offering exactly that? (Publius falls into the trap of using insider jargon at this point when he/she refers to EDs rather than Executive Directors. At least it is to be assumed that is what is being referred to here and not the scourge of middle aged men.) The foundations should be taking a larger view of the local scene it seems to me. In that larger view they may see overlap and repetition in programs. There are only so many dollars available so decisions must be made. Two small programs may not offer the most effective approach to the intended goals and audiences where one larger one might. In such a case consolidation would be the advisable course, would it not?

Collusion is the next charge. Publius notes that he/she is on slightly difficult terrain with this argument. In a small community it is not only likely but needful that the local Executive Directors spend some time consulting with one another. Publius seems to leap to the conclusion that since they (apparently) are not behaving in the manner that he/she would have them behave "consultation" has become "collusion". Again an argument without support.

It is at this point that Publius takes the most unfortunate line in the presentation. Suddenly the people who serve on the boards of these foundations or who donate to them find themselves dismissed as "Country Club" members and "...rich white people..." with no understanding of art unless it is the art of the past. Publius offers a brief account of a personal experience of such people. I will allow Publius to speak for him/herself here:

"A while ago I was at an event that was a big fundraiser for a local art group. One of the wealthy people invited launched the wondrous bon mot, to a cocktail party-sized room, commenting on “poor people.” There was a genteel laughter to it all, layered with
elitism and privilege."

The problem here is this - what precisely was said about "poor people"? Does Publius not believe that poor people exist? Or that they should simply not be referred to in that manner? If the person went on to make some asinine comment about poor people (sadly a common enough event in some circles) then what was it? Publius chooses rather to allow the reader to fill in the blanks themselves. Curiously if Publius disdains people who make sweeping generalizations about groups of people why does he/she choose to do exactly that about those in the moneyed class? The person in the story may have gone on to make some profoundly stupid and ill advised comment for which they should be censured. Based on the evidence given they might just as easily spoken about how the programs were making a profound positive change in the lives of "poor people". The choice of phrase might not be the best but surely it's nothing to be sneered at by us. To expand that to a sweeping condemnation of all the donors to our local foundations is rhetoric of the lowest kind.

Beyond that Publius fails at an historical hurdle with the implication that somehow the idea that some donors like old artistic styles and types more than new is something novel. Any student of Art will tell you that this is an ongoing and persistent problem. That doesn't mean it's not annoying and difficult and even wrong. All of us have an image of art including Publius. We are comfortable with what is within that image and increasingly uncomfortable the farther we move away from it. Part of the historic dance between donor and artist is education and enlightenment. It's an awkward, tedious dance all too often but every generation before has done it. Why should we expect to be spared?

What we are left with is a diatribe against a certain class of people that is made without any attempt at foundation or support. It seems Publius would like the foundations to fork over the money and then go away. In fact the one firm recommendation Publius makes is that local arts programs should simply go their own way without foundation funding. Under those circumstances they would be able to do as they please. Which seems to lie at the root of this piece.

I would be willing to bet that there are instances of micro-management by local sponsor organizations. I would also bet that there have been times when local arts organizations have not made the best use of the funds available. I would also wager that neither case happens as often as Publius would have us believe. I base that on the swift reaction from some in the arts community to the original piece.

In the end I'm not clear what Publius hoped to achieve with this approach in the historic lineage we noted at the beginning . Certainly those who have given money to the arts in the past will have something to consider the next time they are asked for their support. Artists will have yet another hurdle to overcome in the already difficult process of funding their work.

Finally allow me to note that I care not a whit who Publius is. My thoughts here are not intended as a witch hunt (defined as a frantic persecution of perceived enemies). Publius is not my enemy. I have little use for poor logic and badly presented rhetoric however. And less use for people who make the life of local artists and arts programs harder.

One group demeaned by sweeping generalization. The other facing more difficulties rather than fewer. My question for Publius is this - How then are you the "Friend of the People"?

Peace,
Jay Phillippi

View From the Phlipside Radio - RIP Ken Russell

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:54:00 +0000

It’s become something of a tradition on this program to note the passing of interesting folks in the media. I’m not sure we’ve ever mourned the passing of anyone more, well, interesting than movie director Ken Russell.

Russell was born in Southhampton in England to a shoe shop owner and his mentally ill wife. Russell quickly found escape from his father’s anger and his mother’s illness at the movies. By the end of the ‘50s he had earned himself a slot making TV programs for the BBC. Russell had a fascination with musical composers and produced critically acclaimed programs about Strauss, Elgar and Debussy plus many others including one about dancer Isadora Duncan. But he was also showing the flair for the outrageous that would mark his later movie career. His movie about Strauss so outraged the composer’s family they withdrew all copyright support for any music in the film which essentially assures it will never be seen again until 2019 when the copyrights begin to expire.

And outrage was Russell’s stock in trade when he made the move into movies. Starting with his signature movie, an adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s “Women in Love” Russell went where no one else. The movie includes a ground breaking nude wrestling scene between two male actors. With no attempt to be coy about the nudity. His movie vision of The Who’s “Tommy” rock musical is a perfect example of Russell’s over the top style. Remember Ann-Margaret covered in baked beans? That’s Ken Russell. The movies varied widely in their reception by both critics and audiences. Some where huge hits, some were virtually ignored. Then you had Lisztomania which was a huge success in Russell’s native England and a huge bomb here in the States.

His later life was a series of outrageous movies (like the short “A Kitten for Hitler” where Russell’s goal was to make a movie that had to be banned) and equally outrageous behavior like appearing on Celebrity Big Brother which he left after only a week after getting into a fight with another cast member who was more than 50 years younger than him.

Life was never boring.

Ken Russell was 84.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

Books List

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:09:00 +0000

Reading some longer stuff this week so didn't get as much in. All worth a look.

Promissory Payback by Laurel Dewey is a solid if unremarkable mystery in the continuing saga of Denver Police detective Jane Perry. Dewey shows herself to be a solid enough writer after an opening to the book that struck me as awkward and uneven. She uses a quote from Ayn Rand (whom I dislike intensely) that is appropriate for the story and has great potential but never really gets a full exploration. Even in novelette form she has the room to really give this story a little more depth. It might have taken it from solid to exemplary.
The story itself in timely enough (a small time Ponzi scheme) and the characters are clear enough. There's not a lot of "whodunit", my bet is you'll see the answer pretty quickly. I'll give her this - there is a little bit of a twist in the ending so it wasn't completely obvious.
In Jane Perry I think Dewey has a solid character that can carry readers from story to story. There's something in Perry's past that drives her forward that isn't explained in this story but sounds like a story her readers will look forward to exploring. Dewey has the skill to make the experience an enjoyable one.
If you've never read anything by Laurel Dewey (and her writing credits include the Jane Perry stories, at least one Western and a couple books on plant medicine plus a boatload of other stuff) this will probably decide to keep you eyes open for her in the future.
Rating - ***

Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming - Roger Zelazny & Robert Sheckley Nothing like bringing two of the best writers in the world of Science Fiction in the second half of the 20th century together and then giving them a really fun story to play with. In this case it's re-telling of the Prince Charming story. Except that the Prince and his beloved (not Sleeping Beauty this time, just the Napping Princess) are basically Frankenstein's monster types created by a demon named Azzie who is trying to win a contest at the turn of the first Millennium. The Prince has to overcome his coward's heart and to be honest the Princess is a little on the whiny side. And yes, it is great fun. Sheckley was one of the great comic short story sci-fi writers and Zelazny was an incredible creative talent. If you're looking for some fun, light reading this is a great choice.
Rating: ****

Haunted Destiny - Ellie James - Have to admit that this book surprised me. I will sometimes take a risk on a book just based on the blurb. Looking at the title I figured it was either romance based or Young Adult (YA). The description said it was a mystery though and I took a shot. Turns out the author has a solid pedigree as a romance novelist and this was her first YA foray. Haunted Destiny is the first of a series called Midnight Dragonfly. If this is any indication of what's to come it will be well worth you time to read. This makes 3 books that I've read recently set in New Orleans. I was there just a couple years ago and when James describes a certain part of Jackson Square she put me right back there again. Solid characters, good writing, great story telling. I really enjoyed this.
Rating: ****

View From the Phlipside Radio - Small Business Media

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:43:00 +0000

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, in the midst of all the Black Friday shopping madness, I came across something that I had never heard of before. It was “Small Business Saturday”, a promotion to remind people to shop with their local smaller retailers during the hottest shopping days of the year. I have to admit it was great to hear a campaign about shopping locally because the smaller retailers remain an important part of all our local economies. Even better the campaign was aimed at a reasonable goal. All they were asking you to do was make one of your purchases on that weekend with a local small business. Pretty cool.

When I did a little research I discovered that the campaign is actually underwritten by the folks at American Express. Which is both kind of cool and perhaps the tiniest bit ironic all at the same time.

Then I started to think about the changes in our economy brought on by changes in technology and the media. It used to be that our local business people only had to worry about their competition down the road. Today they are competing in a worldwide market. And that means that small business people probably need to start thinking on a bigger scale. The sound you just heard was small business people throughout our area sighing heavily thinking about one more problem on their plates and the inevitable extra costs they’ll have to cover. Even if they know it’s true it’s not the kind of news they really want to hear. So the challenge will be to think outside the box. That may mean new challenges and roles for business associations like the Chamber of Commerce. Or it may mean finding new ways to attract business like Domino Pizza’s app that turns pizza making into a game and then offers you the chance to actually order the pizza you make. There are some real challenges for local businesses as they make their way through the maze of Twitter, Facebook and all the other media of the new age. It will also be a great opportunity for local media specialists to help with those challenges.

Only one thing is certain. A one day ad campaign, even one funded by a major corporation, isn’t going to be enough all by itself to help small businesses in the next couple of decades.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - The Most Media Time of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:39:00 +0000

I was enjoying the company of family last week when it dawned on me. This isn’t just the holiday season, this is the media season. The time of year when we are more deeply involved with our media than any other time of the year.

Think about it. It starts first thing on Thanksgiving morning. What has been a tradition for an awful lot of us for decades? The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. What I grew up calling the Macy’s Day parade. Over the last 10 years a lot of folks have tuned in the National Dog Show. Don’t believe me, just look at the ratings. I can’t say I understand it, dog shows bore the pants off me, but it’s clear that a lot of folks do watch. Then we get serious. Thanksgiving Day football, now up to three games after years of two.

After that you get the usual batch of college and pro football but that’s just a side dish. Because as soon as Thanksgiving is past we jump into the great Christmas music debate. Now I know that lots of stores and some families have been playing Christmas music for weeks before Turkey Day. But after that people start demanding Christmas music. I regularly played the grinch when I was the music director in local radio because I wouldn’t do it till we hit December.

Beyond the music then we hit Christmas movies and TV specials. How many of you are like me and have shows you just have to see for it really to be the holidays? There might be one, maybe two such programs any other time of the year. But this time of year there are a dozen or more. You have almost that many choices JUST with Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. In the last couple years we’ve seen internet videos of computerized lights and music on people’s houses going viral. Then the New Year rolls around and we have college football bowl games.

Music, movies, parades, TV, football, some great stories get told this time of year as well. Let’s face it, it’s the most media of the year. Let’s just sit back and enjoy.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Annoying Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:36:00 +0000

I swear there are days when I’m positive that Facebook must have tucked away in its corporate structure somewhere a “Department of Annoying Our Users”. Even as I have been critical of Facebook users who want to complain about everything that the world’s leading social network does it must be said that it’s not as if Facebook doesn’t give people plenty of reason to complain.

For example just recently Facebook announced that they were discontinuing the process that allows users to link content directly from non-Facebook locations. Now original content created by Facebook users is called “organic” content in the language of the social network. So if I wanted to link my blog to my Facebook page I used to be able to do it. Which was great when I posted things like the scripts for these programs. It was a very efficient and convenient. And apparently that’s not what Facebook wants. To be fair I have to note that the function didn’t always work real well. But it brought original content to the network. I can still do it but it’s less efficient and decidedly less convenient.

Add to that that they have also announced the addition of sponsored stories on the annoying news ticker function over on the right hand side of your page. Sponsored stories. You know. Advertising. I’m not sure how this is going to work. To be honest I no longer even notice the ticker. It’s filled with useless stuff that I don’t care about so I ignore it. So the reality is that Facebook added as silly, pointless function to our online world, that no one seems to really want. And now they are “improving” it by adding advertising. Which nobody wants. While at the same time they’ve decided to make the process more complicated and less efficient for creators of original content who foolishly are not interested in doing everything originally on Facebook itself.

Now if that isn’t sure evidence of a “Department of Annoying Our Users” I don’t know what is.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

The Reading List

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:27:00 +0000

The Valley of Fear by A.C. Doyle - When I was searching for books I came across this one and thought "A.C. Doyle? Like Arthur Conan Doyle?" Why yes, exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle. Then I saw the cover attached to the file. Which you can see on the left.

So my next thought was "What kind of Arthur Conan Doyle book is THIS?". Well it's a Sherlock Holmes story. The name didn't ring any bells (and yes, I have read ALL the Holmes stories). This must have been some '50's pulp re-print with this ridiculous cover. The story is not typical Holmes but quite satisfying.
Rating - *** (The Complete Sherlock Holmes earns a *****)

Hal Spacejock by Simon Haynes - I had no idea what to expect. Simon Haynes is an author and software developer from Australia. Beyond the Spacejock books he created a program for writers called yWriter5 which is actually an amazingly good piece of software. Even better it's free. In fact all the software at his website is free. So check it out. Now about the book.

Think Keith Laumer's Retief series with a bit of Indiana Jones thrown. Then make him their slightly incompetent cousin. That's Hal Spacejock. And the book was great fun. With a beat up out dated robot and a long suffering navigation computer (both of whom are brighter than he is) Hal rocks his way through some adventures that will keep you reading right through to the end. Even better it's the first book in a series. Looking for some fun and funny science fiction? Check out Hal Spacejock.
Rating - ****

The Game Players of Titan - Philip K. Dick - Here's a book by one of the classic writers that is cherished mostly by the cognoscenti. For most people it's the "Oh, he's the guy who wrote the story they made BladeRunner out of, right?" Right. And if that's all you know about him you should grab this book and start reading. The story takes place on an Earth whose population has been devastated by a weapon that hinders humans ability to breed. Add in a war with the denizens of Titan (which we lost) and a new culture that surrounds a game called "Bluff". It's a fascinatingly different situation and Dick gets the most out of it.
Rating - ***

Solis - A.A. Attanasio - Got this is as a monthly free book from the folks over at Baen. The story follows one of the few folks from our century who chose cryogenic suspension (freezing your body or in this case just the brain till the world can restore you to life). Mr Charlie ends up being the pawn in a high stakes game in a distant future. Will he get the opportunity to return to life as he expected or will his brain be chopped up into "wetware" to operate machinery? I'll admit that I started this book once, bailed on it and then tried again. The beginning is a little odd (it reminds me of some of the experimental sci-fi stuff of the late '60s and early '70s that I always disliked). The rest of the book isn't like that at all and it will all make sense. Worth the read without a doubt.
Rating - ****

The Deputy by Victor Gischler - Toby Sawyer may just be the dumbest part time deputy in Oklahoma. He may also be the luckiest. But the story is interesting and you do honestly come to care for Toby. I'm really torn on this book. The situations that Toby escapes from are simply ludicrous. He manages it by killing pretty much everyone in sight. He makes every bad decision possible. Here's a spoiler - any time Toby has to make a decision you can safely assume he'll make the wrong one. Every. Single. Time. And the ending might barely be possible but it's so unlikely that it stretches credulity. The writing is not bad so I'll let it just barely sneak to it's rating.
Rating - **

Star Surgeon by Alan Edward Nourse - This is the kind of book that a lot of people dismiss because it's part of the "juvenile" sub-genre. While I won't say I like all of that group there is a lot that is quite enjoyable. And this story of the future of medicine, planet Earth and confederation of races is a fun read. Nourse is one of those authors that most people don't know. He was a medical doctor and produced a fair sized career of writing. The movie Bladerunner took its subject from Philip K. Dick but took its title from a Nourse novel. If you're a Heinlein fan check the dedication in Farnham's Freedhold, it's to Nourse. So a fun read from an interesting author. Good stuff.
Rating - ***

My Rating System

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:49:00 +0000

OK maybe I'm kidding myself and getting too serious about my book reviews but when has that ever stopped me?

I love books. A few years ago I came to the realization that there are more books out there than I can possibly read. Which is depressing. So it became obvious to me that I could not waste my time on books that simply weren't worth my time. My ratings are based on that concept.

You probably won't see a lot of the top rating (***** - 5 stars) or the bottom (* - 1 star). I certainly HOPE I won't have lot of * ratings. That would mean I'm wasting a lot of my time. So let's examine those first.

* - Forget It. A book so bad that I stopped reading it. Usually it's bad writing that makes me quit. My rule is if I find myself yelling at the author about their writing while I'm reading it I put the book down. Authors should be invisible behind the story and the characters. Simply a bad book in my opinion and not worth anyone's time to read it.

***** - Put It In Your Library - There's no higher compliment than wanting to put a copy of a book in my library. A keeper. A book that I know I will read again and again and again. What kind of books are in my library? To Kill A Mockingbird, Winesburg Ohio, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, All the Nero Wolfe novels, James Herriot's All Creatures books, Lamb by Chrisopher Moore and anything by Lewis Grizzard. That's only a sampling. You never know when you're going to come across a book in this class.

So what's left?

** - Not Impressed - Book that I probably finished but had serious problems with in the plot, the character or the overall writing. If you treasure your reading time you won't want to read this book. There was something that kept me going but the bad outweighs the good.

*** - Good Read - A book to enjoy, a book that carries you through the story with characters you care about. Book probably has a few small problems, the writing is solid but not spectacular. I would probably read more by this author but might not go looking for any more.

**** - Recommended Read - These are the books that take that next step. Top quality writing that includes compelling characters and well crafted story lines. These are authors that I will certainly go looking for more of their work. You get to the end and wish there was more.

So that's if you just want the short hand recommendation on what I'm reading look for the ratings.

Peace

The Books I Read

noreply@blogger.com (Phlipside) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:11:00 +0000

Some good, some not so...

New rating system - * - Forget it, ** - Not Impressed, *** - Solid Read, **** - Recommended Read, ***** - Add it to your Library

Code Blue by Richard Mabry MD - Grabbed this because it looked like a medical thriller. I was a little put off when I discovered that it was an "inspirational" novel. I don't read Christian or inspirational stuff. Of the small sample I've read most is either bad writing or bad theology. The rest is both. Well meet the exception that proves the rule. The writing is quite good, the characters draw you in, the story is interesting and the faith stuff is handled with a wonderful light touch. In fact if more churches handled themselves the way the folks in the book do they'd have more butts in the pews. If I have to have a quibble the who done it answer at the end of the book was a little weak I thought. I don't know that I'd go looking for the books of this series but I'd certainly read them if they came my way.
Rating - ***

Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues by Randall Peffer - This is a very interesting book that chronicles a murder in the middle of the drag queen culture in Provincetown MA. The story sprawls from the Cape to Thailand and Viet Nam. Sadly I think the story would have been much better served by a more sophisticated author. The story lurches from now to flashbacks. The problem is that sometimes you can't quite tells whose flashback it is. The male lead might be the dumbest lawyer character I've ever come across. He has 30 days to set up his defense for murder and arson charges against his client Tuki. The key evidence is a security video that allegedly shows Tuki stealing the murder weapon. When does our lawyer hero get around to looking at the video for the first time? On day 27. A great idea for a novel that suffers from the execution. Too bad really.
Rating - **

Dead Saint by Marilyn Brown Oden - Another murder mystery that centers in New Orleans. The main character is a female bishop whom I automatically assumed was an Episcopalian. By the end of the book I wasn't so sure. The book itself is quite good. Not top of the line quality but second tier good quality stuff. It begins with the murder of the kicker of the New Orleans Saints and takes off running from there.
Rating - ***

Blood Ties by Lori Armstrong - Another mystery but starring a female lead character that has little to make her very likable. I think the author was looking to create a tougher version of Stephanie Plum. What she ended up with was all of Stephanie's bad traits and none of her endearing. The story isn't bad and the writing is OK. But I'm not sure I'm interested enough to follow this character along.
Rating - **

If the books above were just OK or less what follows were VERY pleasant surprises -

Until Again and Blue by Lou Aronica -
Lou Aronica is a man with a serious pedigree when it comes to science fiction. Author, editor, publisher he has worked with Avon and Bantam. When I saw the description of these books I knew I had to have them. The story revolves around a father and daughter and the world they created as part their going to bed routine when the daughter was small. And then the daughter discovers a link that allows her to travel between those worlds. Not only is it a GREAT idea for a book (Blue is the novel, Until Again is the prequel novella) but Aronica nails the writing. Don't get hung up on the science fiction/fantasy aspects of the description. Like most great stories this is about the characters. As a youth minister there were times when I wanted to shake the dad character and tell him to stop doing EXACTLY the wrong thing with his daughter over and over. But I also know how real some of those decisions are. Can not recommend these books too much. Best recommendation I can give? I was sorry when I hit "The End"
Rating - (both books) ****

Lou Aronica also is doing some very interesting things in supporting new authors and aspiring authors with a project called The Fiction Studio. Just really impressive.

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan - Now speaking of books that surprised me I must confess that I pre-judged this book. And did it from a very foolish point of view. This is historical fiction of which I don't read a lot and, this is so embarrassing, it was an Oprah Winfrey Book Club selection. And I discounted it because of that. So let's just put out there - I was wrong. This is a wonderful book. The characters sucked me in, the story was something completely different than anything I've read before and the author has a wonderful story telling ability.
Rating - ****