Wait. How can you call it a year in review when only three weeks have passed? Well, technically almost four. This year in review is actually going to be more of a talk about what's coming up this year.
First off, there's going to be a lot of holidays. One every month, really, except for August. Dang August, no wonder no one likes you. I'm sure there will be plenty of birthdays, also. Lots of people will have birthdays this year. Hmmm.....what else will happen?
Well, just this past week I started two classes online. Two classes? Whatever for? I've decided that it is time to waste some money on a useless Master's degree. Just kidding. I'm not wasting money nor is this degree useless. For almost twenty years I have been involved in Educational Technology in some form or other. Most of that was spent in San Diego though, coincidentally, when we moved from San Diego to Rancho Cucmaonga, I managed to stay in the education realm, continuing to support technology.
I knew that a degree in Educational Technology was something that I wanted for a long time, however, with various bills to pay and money to save, I wasn't able to fulfill that dream. That has changed thanks to my job at Loma Linda. The administration there are very supportive and would constantly ask me if I wanted to further my education. After being asked several times, I mentioned that I did but was not ready financially. They casually reminded me that as an employee I receive a benefit of tuition reimbursement every year. Yes, I have to pay up front but am then reimbursed at the end of each fiscal year. That was definitely good to know.
With that in mind, I simply had to find a program. After a lot of research, emails and phone calls, I discovered the Master's in Educational Technology at Boise State University. The program is entirely online and I never have to go there unless I want to walk at graduation. I think the program is going to really help me with my own job and provide me with information and resources that will be effective for years to come.
Don't be surprised, then, if there happens to be a blog about my classes or if I link to some of my work. Also, watch my Twitter feed as there could be updates for my classes as well (just warning you in case you happen to look and don't understand something that gets posted).
But that's not all this year will hold. As you know, I am still trying to become a published author. I still have my one novel that is being read by a couple of other people and I have hope that another story of mine will begin to mature and finish sometime this year.
There are also plenty of movies coming out this year that are on my list to see. However, since I have a child, it might be hard to see them in any appropriate time and I might just have to rent them eventually to see them, but I will see them. Look for reviews as I'm able to write them. I think that March might mark another month of 31 posts in 31 days but don't hold me to that just yet. Plus other random blog posts about the most mundane (to most people) topics and book reviews on books that I choose to review.
The year may have just begun but I'm already behind on Christmas shopping and Christmas cards. I think I'll make it easy this year and just make a blog post when the time comes. Who knows what the rest of the year might hold but it's going to be fun.
Until next time.
Friday, January 25, 2013
The Force Is Strong With This One
It has finally happened. Disney and Lucasfilm have officially hired a director for Star Wars VII. Yes, everyone on the Internet knew last night. I even Tweeted about it (go look). However, it became official official just a little while ago.
While some people will complain that there will be too much lens flare blocking anyone from actually flying a ship or talking to someone else on screen . . . or that a random smoke monster manages to kill people for no reason . . . or that there happens to be time travel in a universe where it has not existed . . . tough.
In my opinion, JJ Abrams is the correct choice to direct the new Star Wars film and have a role in any sequels that come after it. If you look at the official statement (linked above), there are comments from three MAJOR contributors to the Star Wars films. Two of them were there at the beginning of Star Wars who have also worked with JJ and one has worked on the prequels (films that shall not be named) and the Clone Wars television show and has worked with JJ. All three praise JJ for his love of the original films and his willingness to keep saga alive.
As much as other people would have preferred a different director, someone along the lines of Joss Whedon or Matthew Vaughn or even Bryan Singer, all three are busy with their own projects. Then you might say, what about Star Trek? JJ has to finish post production on the sequel to that movie that comes out in May. For that matter, so does ILM. In fact, there are a lot of projects that JJ has on his plate at the moment for Paramount (I really read way too much about the entertainment business) and has no desire to let them fall either. But Star Wars is special and JJ is going to treat it with the care that it deserves.
JJ will take the script that is delivered (more than likely already has been) by Michael Arndt and make a few tweaks here and there and then start talking to George and some of the other people behind the scenes. It's going to have to be a quick process and I have a feeling they are going to want to start shooting by the end of the year since Disney is hoping for a summer 2015 release. ILM would need to have almost a year or more to complete the effects that you know this film is going to have.
This is exciting news and I cannot wait to see what JJ will bring to the Star Wars universe. Whatever comes of this decision, I know that Disney / Lucasfilm / JJ all made the right choice. May the Force be with them all.
Until next time.
While some people will complain that there will be too much lens flare blocking anyone from actually flying a ship or talking to someone else on screen . . . or that a random smoke monster manages to kill people for no reason . . . or that there happens to be time travel in a universe where it has not existed . . . tough.
In my opinion, JJ Abrams is the correct choice to direct the new Star Wars film and have a role in any sequels that come after it. If you look at the official statement (linked above), there are comments from three MAJOR contributors to the Star Wars films. Two of them were there at the beginning of Star Wars who have also worked with JJ and one has worked on the prequels (films that shall not be named) and the Clone Wars television show and has worked with JJ. All three praise JJ for his love of the original films and his willingness to keep saga alive.
As much as other people would have preferred a different director, someone along the lines of Joss Whedon or Matthew Vaughn or even Bryan Singer, all three are busy with their own projects. Then you might say, what about Star Trek? JJ has to finish post production on the sequel to that movie that comes out in May. For that matter, so does ILM. In fact, there are a lot of projects that JJ has on his plate at the moment for Paramount (I really read way too much about the entertainment business) and has no desire to let them fall either. But Star Wars is special and JJ is going to treat it with the care that it deserves.
JJ will take the script that is delivered (more than likely already has been) by Michael Arndt and make a few tweaks here and there and then start talking to George and some of the other people behind the scenes. It's going to have to be a quick process and I have a feeling they are going to want to start shooting by the end of the year since Disney is hoping for a summer 2015 release. ILM would need to have almost a year or more to complete the effects that you know this film is going to have.
This is exciting news and I cannot wait to see what JJ will bring to the Star Wars universe. Whatever comes of this decision, I know that Disney / Lucasfilm / JJ all made the right choice. May the Force be with them all.
Until next time.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Greatest Adventure
Over the weekend I watched The Hobbit. Here's a preview:
Actually, what I saw was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, however, before I talk about that movie, I'm going to talk about the video above. It is a compilation of scenes from a 1977 cartoon version of The Hobbit. That video is what led me like Tolkien and the world of Middle Earth. Of course, when it came out I was three and was too busy learning how to enjoy television and reading let alone trying to read The Hobbit. However, years later when I did finally see it, I did enjoy it immensely. I even have the actual VHS tape that might get a viewing in the near future so Abby could get an early education in Tolkien.
Just as with any adaptation from a novel to television or movie, things get left out or changed. It happened with the current iteration of The Hobbit and it even happened in 1977. When I first heard that Peter Jackson was turning The Hobbit into three films, I had the same reaction as everyone else - why? It's a very short book. It's not even as long as the shortest of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy books. The Two Towers sits at 352 pages versus 320 for The Hobbit. So why would Peter Jackson want to stretch one book into three movies? Money.
But not really.
The producers (and Jackson) state that there was a lot of information that they wanted to add from the various indices of the books as well as expand on information barely glimpsed in The Hobbit. Without seeing the other two films and what they have decided to do, I cannot give a fair review. However, I can review The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Let me start that this movie only serves as yet another example of why I need to travel to New Zealand. Standing in tundra with very, very tall mountains covered with snow in the distance. That just doesn't happen in North America. It's either tundra or snow covered mountains. Not both. Plus lush forests with creeks and rivers and waterfalls. Yes, I know that some of it is CG but I know that the country is vastly beautiful beyond any place that I know.
Secondly, I can agree with a lot of the critics of this movie that it is slow. It takes a good forty to forty-five minutes before Bilbo gets up off his duff and sets off on adventure. However, during the first forty minutes (fifteen or so used for a prologue), you get an idea of the quest of the dwarves. You find out what they are after and why. You see them playful and serious in just a matter of minutes. The song, That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates was not only in this film and the 1977 version, but is in the actual book. Yes, it was adapted but the lyrics still hold the general sense from the book and give characterization to Bilbo as a stuffy hobbit that likes order while the dwarves are the complete opposite.
Once the adventure begins, the movie really starts. There is action, emotion and humor. The humor is properly placed and the group of moviegoers I was with laughed at the appropriate times instead of letting the joke fall flat.
The movie does not have a proper ending, just as The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers did not properly end. I didn't mind that at all, though, as most critics would wonder, why didn't the eagles just take them to The Lonely Mountain in the first place. That's something you can ask Tolkien when you see him. Where it ended felt like a good starting point for the next movie with a general sense of what adventures might lie ahead.
I chose not to see the film in the 48 frame per second version as I was unsure about what it could do to me. I don't get motion sick very often but every now and then I can be affected and I didn't want it to ruin my movie going experience.
I would suggest that anyone that liked the Lord of the Rings trilogy to see this movie and its eventual sequels. It was well done and while it seems slow at the beginning, once Bilbo leaves his home, everyone gets to join in the adventure. As the song would suggest, the greatest adventure is now to begin but we'll have to wait a few years to see how it ends.
Until next time.
Actually, what I saw was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, however, before I talk about that movie, I'm going to talk about the video above. It is a compilation of scenes from a 1977 cartoon version of The Hobbit. That video is what led me like Tolkien and the world of Middle Earth. Of course, when it came out I was three and was too busy learning how to enjoy television and reading let alone trying to read The Hobbit. However, years later when I did finally see it, I did enjoy it immensely. I even have the actual VHS tape that might get a viewing in the near future so Abby could get an early education in Tolkien.
Just as with any adaptation from a novel to television or movie, things get left out or changed. It happened with the current iteration of The Hobbit and it even happened in 1977. When I first heard that Peter Jackson was turning The Hobbit into three films, I had the same reaction as everyone else - why? It's a very short book. It's not even as long as the shortest of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy books. The Two Towers sits at 352 pages versus 320 for The Hobbit. So why would Peter Jackson want to stretch one book into three movies? Money.
But not really.
The producers (and Jackson) state that there was a lot of information that they wanted to add from the various indices of the books as well as expand on information barely glimpsed in The Hobbit. Without seeing the other two films and what they have decided to do, I cannot give a fair review. However, I can review The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Let me start that this movie only serves as yet another example of why I need to travel to New Zealand. Standing in tundra with very, very tall mountains covered with snow in the distance. That just doesn't happen in North America. It's either tundra or snow covered mountains. Not both. Plus lush forests with creeks and rivers and waterfalls. Yes, I know that some of it is CG but I know that the country is vastly beautiful beyond any place that I know.
Secondly, I can agree with a lot of the critics of this movie that it is slow. It takes a good forty to forty-five minutes before Bilbo gets up off his duff and sets off on adventure. However, during the first forty minutes (fifteen or so used for a prologue), you get an idea of the quest of the dwarves. You find out what they are after and why. You see them playful and serious in just a matter of minutes. The song, That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates was not only in this film and the 1977 version, but is in the actual book. Yes, it was adapted but the lyrics still hold the general sense from the book and give characterization to Bilbo as a stuffy hobbit that likes order while the dwarves are the complete opposite.
Once the adventure begins, the movie really starts. There is action, emotion and humor. The humor is properly placed and the group of moviegoers I was with laughed at the appropriate times instead of letting the joke fall flat.
The movie does not have a proper ending, just as The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers did not properly end. I didn't mind that at all, though, as most critics would wonder, why didn't the eagles just take them to The Lonely Mountain in the first place. That's something you can ask Tolkien when you see him. Where it ended felt like a good starting point for the next movie with a general sense of what adventures might lie ahead.
I chose not to see the film in the 48 frame per second version as I was unsure about what it could do to me. I don't get motion sick very often but every now and then I can be affected and I didn't want it to ruin my movie going experience.
I would suggest that anyone that liked the Lord of the Rings trilogy to see this movie and its eventual sequels. It was well done and while it seems slow at the beginning, once Bilbo leaves his home, everyone gets to join in the adventure. As the song would suggest, the greatest adventure is now to begin but we'll have to wait a few years to see how it ends.
Until next time.
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