Janaki Cedanna - "Entertainmentographer"

On Air Talent . . . Me?

I just want to make a quick announcement about my involvement in a brand new Arizona TV show called AZ E 360. This show covers the Arizona entertainment industry and is slated to air locally on AZ TV (channel 13) every Thursday at 10:30 pm (tentatively) after "Cheers" and "Frasier" and before "Entertainment Tonight". It debuts February 1st.

I will be the "Entertainmentographer" and will be talking on air in a weekly segment about the newest advancements in cutting edge filmmaking technology. I filmed my first segment at Best Buy talking about what High Definition video is and why you should care. Pretty cool, huh?

The goal is to get the ASU Film program involved in this show and to showcase our talent.

Here is the first trailer for this show. More news to follow. Enjoy!

Children Of Men "A+"

What’s Left To Hope For?

I have a very good friend that insists that every child born is a miracle. I always respond that the very definition of a miracle is something that happens once and not repeatedly. “Children of Men” directed by Alfonso Cuaron not only makes both of those opinions eerily true but really puts them into perspective.

This film is a stunning insight into a society that has lost all hope. The year is 2027 and mysteriously, women the world over are no longer able to have children and as a result society has spiraled down into a chaotic, totalitarian and very depressing so-called existence. Everyone on Earth knows that there are no legacies to leave and nothing whatsoever to look forward to. Can you imagine what that must be like? The film starts off with the death of the youngest person in the world, which is the major news story on the planet. Everyone is glued to the TV and as they watch in almost a coma-like stare, the reporters says; “The world was stunned today by the death of Diego Ricardo, the youngest person on the planet, the youngest person on earth was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days, 16 hours, and 8 minutes old.” I got chills down my spine as I heard that.

Clive Owen plays Theo Faron, a one-time activist who has totally lost his will to fight for any cause after the death of his son many years ago. Owen delivers another in a long line of stand-out performances. He already looks disheveled at the start of the film but he then gets beat up, attacked, shot at, and chased. And you think you have bad days? My body hurt just watching him! Julianne Moore basically has a cameo playing his ex-wife who continued to fight for the causes they both believed in. She contacts him to ask for his help in smuggling the only pregnant person in the world to a neutral scientific program whose only goal is to find out why women cannot become pregnant. Aha! This is where the miracle occurs. A "low class" woman has miraculously become pregnant. But how? One of the best lines in the film comes at this time, but you will just have to hear it for yourself. Anyway,the pregnant woman is played with surprising humor by newcomer Claire-Hope Ashitey. She not only imbibes her character with just the right amount of gravitas (by knowing she is man-kinds only hope) she also makes room to display tenderness, and fear. The rest of the cast led by Michael Caine (who plays a character that you think is much like himself) and Chiwetal Ejiofor (who has quickly become an acting tour-de-force) fully inhabit their roles. Wow, what a remarkable, phenomenal film.
Not only did this film put a new twist on futuristic societies it accomplished this with a totally believable and virtually flawless realism. This film had me totally mesmerized from start to finish. I mean, at times I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it was such a revelation. Simply put this is an absolute epic piece of filmmaking. The decay of modern society was so well done that all I could think of was that this can really be happening, I was so sucked into the story. This is a film that will need numerous viewings to pick out all of it’s subtleties. Production designers, Jim Clay and Geoffrey Kirkland did such an incredible job with attention to detail that it borders on obsessive compulsive. They better be nominated for an Oscar for their efforts.
Technically, this film was one of the most hyper-realistic films I have ever seen. Let me explain. I know there were CGI shots in this but I gotta say that I couldn’t tell what or even where they were. Everything and I mean everything looked so real that is was supremely frightening. I bought all the events hook, line, and sinker. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki captures a look that is cold and dangerous and he does it without resorting to gimmicks or shaky cameras. He will get an Oscar nom for this or it would be a crime. To me this an absolute flawless, virtuoso piece of filmmaking. And even though we have seen violence and shoot outs many times before, to me it was a refreshing take on what could have quickly disintegrated into ultra-violence for it’s own sake. My only caveat if you could call it that, would be that Cuaron does borrow a bit from Spielberg’s serious films, but only as far as the shooting style, which of course is a compliment.

So, my final thoughts? Do I have to say that this is one of the best films of the year or any year? Do I have to say that it should be nominated for an Oscar for best pic? Isn’t it obvious? The fact that this film was overlooked for Golden Globe nominations was to say the least surprising.

I would recommend this film to anyone, any day of the week. Everyone should experience this film in the theater.

So is childbirth a miracle? In the world of “Children of Men” it absolutely is, in our world? No, it isn’t.

The Deification of Celebrity

The True Meaning of Heaven and Hell.

Since the unveiling of this artwork on December 28th, I have heard many things said about it. Sacrilegious. Offensive. Pop Art. Liberal-minded trash. Brilliant.

To me most of these comments are symptomatic of our easily offended and way too uptight society. This painting speaks volumes of where we are as a society. A society based on rampant consumerism and 10 second sound bites. Anyway, on with this painting.

“Blessed Art Thou” was painted by North Carolina artist Kate Kretz. It’s a mural size painting measuring 88' x 60", and it’s canvas is oil & acrylic on linen. The painting will be on display at the Chelsea Galleria booth at the Art Miami Fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center, January 5-8th and is on sale for $50,000.
You can check out her other work here.

In her blog, Ms. Kretz states; “This painting addresses the celebrity worship cycle. The title, “Blessed Art Thou”, is taken from a line in the Catholic prayer “Hail Mary”: “…blessed art thou among women”. Our culture is deifying celebrities, but in the bible, it is the meek who are blessed, so the title presents a question for the viewer to ponder.”It’s no secret that we live in a celebrity obsessed society where Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and yes, Angelina Jolie’s every move is painstakingly reported. Someone once said that the reason we deify our celebrities is because we don’t have any royalty, like England. Celebs are our royalty. I don’t know how true that is since the British tabloids are ruthlessly efficient in getting the “celebrity” story.

Ms. Kretz further says; “I chose a setting where the cycle begins: psychologically oppressive environments like this one are one of the feeding sources for the consumer, hungry for “information” about the celebrity's private life. I am interested in the psychological ramifications of celebrity worship, particularly as they relate to class”

It’s more than fitting that Wal-Mart is depicted as the “psychologically oppressive environments” or in layman’s terms, hell on earth. The true axis of evil of consumerism is Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Microsoft.Finally, Ms. Kretz explains why she chose Angelina Jolie as the “Virgin Mary” like deity; “Angelina Jolie was chosen as the subject because of her unavoidable presence in the media, the world-wide anticipation of her child, her "unattainable" beauty and the good that she is doing in the world through her example, which adds another layer to the already complicated questions surrounding her status.”

Probably has something to do with her having three children as well. I can accept Angelina in this much more than Britney.

Final thoughts?
If you take away any religious implications, first and foremost you have to give Ms. Kretz kudos for her imagination, style, attention to detail, fearlessness, humor and above all, her sense of irony. I think this painting will be appreciated and talked about for years to come. I wish I had the money to buy this as I think it’s a brilliant statement of our obsessive and superficial culture. We are fascinated with celebrities lives because most people are like sheep, with lives that are unfulfilled and meaningless. To see someone looking perfect and jet setting all over the world doing untold fascinating things is what most people strive for. The grass is ALWAYS greener isn’t it?

But one question still remains.

Does this mean Brad Pitt is Jesus Christ?

United 93 "A"

We Have To Do Something . . .

I like many other Americans didn’t really want to see “United 93”. No, it wasn’t because it was too soon. Or because it would be Hollywood exploitation. Or even that it would be a flag waving exercise. I think it was because of the anger I still feel that the events of 9/11 happened and that five years later we still haven’t caught the person responsible. But I digress.

After seeing this film get named as one of the years best on several lists I decided it was time to see it. Where should I start? First off, Writer/Director Paul Greengrass has made an absolute marvelous film. Nowhere do you see flag waving or even political overtones in this expertly crafted piece of filmmaking.

Before I go further, let me remind you that we all know what happens in the end. But yet the story expertly chronicles the disbelief, turned mayhem of that day. The decision to use mostly unknowns in the roles was genius as it really drove home the point that these people were ordinary everyday people that we see a million times on airplanes that were somehow put into an extraordinary situation. And it really begs the question, what would you do?

The story not only takes place on the airplane but at various air traffic control centers and military bases. We get to see how it was first recognized that we were being attacked and let me tell you it was pretty chilling. The fact that most of the roles of the air traffic controllers and the military personnel were played by the actual people themselves and not by actors lent an amazing realism to the events.

But the airplane sequences are the most potent. The hand held style of the camera was just right as there wasn’t tons of frantic movement. The camera angles effectively puts the viewer right at the same level with the passengers and that really drives the emotions home. The way the passengers realize that this is not an ordinary high-jacking (are they ever ordinary?) and turn their attention on doing something to stop them shows the resolve of the human spirit at it’s finest. The last 15 minutes of this movie is some of the most harrowing and bone chilling footage ever put on film. Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. I was hoping that somehow, someway they would gain control of the plane and that it wouldn’t crash.

The high-jackers were not portrayed as stereotypes but as conflicted human beings. It can be very easy to vilify these terrorists as fundamentalist wackos (which they were) but the one thing that all westerners must remember is that these people are totally convinced they are right and just. They have a different belief system and even though we don’t believe, understand or recognize it, they still have it. I believe that schools should show this movie and that every kid should see it and ask questions. I also think that it should be moderated so that these kids don’t come out with a one dimensional hatred of all Muslims. they should understand that there are fundamentalist radicals in EVERY single religion on Earth and that they should not blame or hate an entire race because of the actions of some of them.

Every American should see this movie and get their heads out of the sand. Ask many questions. Become informed. It’s never soon enough.

Miami Vice "B"

They’ve Got Eyes On Us!

I love Michael Mann films. But I didn’t really have any desire to see “Miami Vice”, so I waited. But as a filmmaker I needed to see this film.

I heard about the production delays in 2005 especially when Hurricane Katrina hit. I had also heard about the unfriendly locations (gunfire anyone?). Hell, I had even heard of the 80’s TV show (actually I hated that show) which Michael Mann created and produced. But somehow I always equated that Michael Mann with a different Michael Mann, if you get my drift.

For those of you that liked the TV show you will find the only similarities are the title, the names of the detectives and that it’s in Miami. That’s it. That’s a pretty good deal for me. A bloated Colin Farrell plays Sonny Crockett and Jamie Foxx plays Rico Tubbs (way to parlay that Oscar) as speedboat racing, Ferrari driving detectives in Miami (still don’t get that). But you know what? The story is weak and Colin Farrell’s love interest Gong Li is absolutely unbelievable and terrible, so I will stop there.

The only reason I gave this film a “B” is because of the technical prowess in filmmaking that is on display here. Not only does this film look extraordinarily beautiful but the editing and sound are pitch perfect as well. Michael Mann’s use of HD cameras along with film has really set his visual style apart from most filmmakers working today. Cinematographer Dion Beebe (Oscar winner for “Memoirs of a Geisha”) has captured the ocean at it’s most breathtaking. I don’t think I have ever seen the ocean look so vast and lush before. He makes it look surreal and almost candy like.

Nobody stages a shoot out better than Michael Mann. His claim to fame is the massive shoot out in “Heat” and he doesn’t disappoint here. The sound is so real that you actually think you are there getting shot at. I don’t know why other filmmakers don’t pick up on his technique. Oh, well.

So if you want to see a gorgeous example of filmmaking technique then see this film. If you can get past a so-so story and a preening Colin Farrell then see this film. If you can’t then see it anyway.

A Blu-ray and HD DVD Shotgun Wedding?

Soon, It Might Not Matter.

Originally, this was going to be a simple article about the High-definition DVD formats but after yesterdays announcements . . . well, my task gets that much easier!

***** Before we continue, please note that since this technology is always evolving, this article will continue to evolve. I will post a revision date at the end of this article. - Janaki *****

By now all of you have heard about the two HD DVD formats fighting each other for your almighty consumer dollar. Both promise stunning quality with gads of features like interactivity, huge storage space, etc. So, which one is better? I guess the more appropriate question is, which one will win the war? It doesn’t really matter which one is better, the best one doesn’t always win. In fact, one of the main players, Sony had waged a format war before. Back in the 70’s Sony came out with a very cool technology that promised to bring movies into every home. It was very compact (about the size of an 8-Track), and had great resolution. It was called “Betamax” but the problem was that Sony didn’t like to license their proprietary technology to anyone else. Sony's arrogance in its ability to dictate an industry standard backfired and even though they had a superior product they lost the war. Their stubbornness in the HD arena is reminiscent of the Betamax war and only time will tell if they win this war. Needless to say, the competing factions of Blu-ray and HD DVD have all the makings for the first big technology war of the century.

The Blu-ray Disc is Sony’s HD format, and is backed by Apple, Philips, HP, Samsung, Sharp, Dell, Hitachi, Panasonic, LG, TDK, and Pioneer. Studios such as Disney, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures (of course) and Paramount have already pledged support for Blu-ray Discs. A single layer Blu-ray disc can hold 25 GB, while a dual layer disc can hold 50 GB, or over 9 hours of HD content (23 hours of SD content). By adding additional layers, Sony says it can hold up to 200 GB. But making Blu-ray discs requires an expensive new manufacturing process, driving costs up.

The other format is the HD DVD lead by Toshiba whose backers include Intel, Microsoft, Sanyo, NEC, and RCA. Studios include HBO, New Line Cinema and Universal Pictures. HD DVD shares supporters with Blu-ray Discs such as Warner Brothers, Paramount and HP. One huge benefit of HD DVD is the ability to make HD DVD’s using a simpler manufacturing process, very similar to making current DVD’s, keeping the costs down. Another plus is that HD DVD’s use the new MPEG-4 compression which allows high quality HD video to be written to the discs (in smaller files). One drawback is that HD DVD capacity is less than Blu-ray. A single layer HD DVD can hold 15 GB, a dual layer disc can hold 30 GB, and the theoretical maximum capacity is 90 GB. But a single HD DVD disc can also contain a movie in the current DVD format as well as in the new high-def format, which is definitely a plus in this format war.

Both Blu-ray and HD DVD players are backwards compatible and will play current DVD’s. They are both capable of outputting 1080p, the current maximum HDTV resolution, as well as offering multi-channel Dolby Digital TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio sound. In addition both have interactive features and support game play. Sony already put a Blu-ray drive in the PS3 and the XBOX 360 has an HD DVD drive.

Despite Sony announcing their format first, Toshiba has really stepped up to the plate and delivered the first HD DVD players. In fact, not only does Toshiba make them, but so does RCA, Sanyo and NEC with prices as low as $200 dollars. But wouldn’t ya know that Sony was up to their old tricks again by barely being able to release Blu-ray players for Christmas. After many production issues, Pioneer came out with the first Blu-ray player followed by Samsung, Panasonic, and then Sony itself. The price? The average price is hovering around $1,000 bucks and can go as high as $1,500 dollars! To be fair, Samsung’s model retails for $800. Ouch!!! Did Sony learn their lesson or are they doomed to make the same mistakes all over again?? Also, Sony is being heavily criticized for including a first generation Blu-ray drive in their PS3’s as there has already been reported issues with playback and interactivity. Hell, my PS2 still works great!

This week brought some interesting news that will more than likely prolong this turf war into 2008 and possibly beyond. LG Electronics announced that they will be making a Blu-ray and HD DVD combo player to be released in March and if that wasn’t enough they are also releasing a dual format drive for PC’s called “Super Multi Blue” that will playback Blu-ray Discs, DVD’s, CD’s, and HD DVD media, it will also record up to 50 GB of data to a dual-layer Blu-ray disc. Samsung is expected to follow suit early this year as well. So, what’s up with these Korean companies? They are really taking the lead on emerging technology and by the way who even heard of LG Electronics 5 years ago, heck even 2 years ago? But now I have an amazing cell phone and microwave oven that are both made by LG. Cool huh?

There was another very important announcement made yesterday regarding this ongoing format war.

Warner Brothers announced that it has developed a technology they are calling the “Total HD Disc” that will hold not only a Blu-ray and HD DVD version of movies but also the regular DVD standard definition version we now use that can be played in any kind of DVD player. Three versions on the same disc is quite a compromise, but to me it’s still kinda weird that a movie studio would develop something like that, I mean there isn’t exactly Warner Brothers DVD players or TV’s.

While both camps have not said much about these latest developments, the feeling in the industry is that while combo players might be a good idea for the interim, multi format discs bring up all kinds of issues such as royalties and (already) heavy investments made in either format. I for one think that this is only going to prolong this turf war unnecessarily and piss everybody off and can only turn out bad. A lingering format war would also likely create more headaches than normal for consumers. Computer companies are starting to bundle the drives with computers and, predictably, many are taking sides. As a result, some consumers may not want to buy a particular brand of PC (buy an Apple instead) because the manufacturer supports Blu-ray and the consumer owns an HD DVD player, or vice versa. Returns and customer service calls would become inevitable. Glad I’m not in customer service!

So what’s my recommendation on all of this HD player excitement? Just wait baby. If you heed my advice on the HDTV’s then please wait and see who comes out the winner or at least wait until Christmas 2007. If you had to pick something today? The HD DVD format despite it’s storage capacity is the wisest choice because of it’s future proofing (somewhat) technology. Great job Toshiba!

A final word to Sony, stop being a bully and play nice with others don’t you remember the MiniDisc and the UMD format???

Disclaimer: The above mentioned comments were designed to help inform the confused public about Blu-ray and HD DVD and should not be taken as gospel. I reserve the right to be totally wrong about this (but I'm not) and this is by no means a fully detailed and exhaustive explanation on the beautiful technology. Use info at your own peril and fully do research before you buy anything you will be stuck with for a very long time.