Across the Universe

"I want you... I want you so bad." ~ Uncle Sam

From the movie/musical "Across the Universe", directed by Julie Taymor (previously credited for her direction on "Frida" with Salma Hayek). We are taken on a journey of a boy named Jude(Jim Sturgess) who looks for his father in the 1960's. He meets his friend Max(Joe Anderson), whose sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) falls in love with Jude. Along the way, Max is drafted into the Vietnam War, as seen from the above clip.

Using Beatles Songs to tell the story, Jude and Lucy get involved in protesting the war, Lucy using her voice and Jude his art. From the fight for keeping freedom of free speech and human civil rights, the story is told through songs such as "Hey Jude" to "I am the Walrus" and my personal favorite, Lennon and McCartney's "Girl".

This movie is an artistic risk that will probably cause a bunch of whiners who like the Beatles to say "but that's not how the song was sung, boo hoo. I only like the originals." Let me say, the passionate singing voices coming from these stars is extraordinary and should be taken with in with open arms.

Limited release on the 18th and though was said to be nationwide release on the 21st, this movie will be released NATIONWIDE for real on the 28th. Don't miss it.

I smell a future Broadway show...

The photographs of Yosuke Yamahata are a true testament of someone's passion to show the truth over the well-being of his own life. In essence, the radiation and complications causes from the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki eventually cost him his life. To quote him:

"Human memory has a tendency to slip, and critical judgement to fade, with the years and with changes in life-style and circumstance. But the Camera, just as it seized the grim realities of time, brings the stark facts... before our eyes without the need for the slightest embellishment"

Please check out this link for more.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/mainn.html

Children of Men

It's the year 2027 and the world has been without a child born for 18 years. An unlikely hero attempts to save the human race when he tries to escort an unexpected pregnant lady of 8 months, a fugee, out of the country. Every other woman is infertile and the world does not know why. Hope is found in the form of a child's cry and laugh.

Framestore CFC did some amazing work on a particular scene that required many visual effects and some very realistic moments.

This movie's synopsis is only overshadowed by the respectable and innovative efforts of the director, Alfonso Cuaron, known for his work on Harry Potter 3. Emmanuel Lubezki, the Director of Photography for Children of Men, came up with this brilliant rig that can be explained much more clearly in this youtube video. His innovation to take the seemingly impossible and make it child's play is something I haven't seen since the days of Citizen Kane. The great choreography and timing of this film allowed for it's very long takes and less cuts during action-filled moments.