Peter Srinivasan - Reviews

FLEFF is starting again…

2009-12-01T23:08:00.002-05:00

… and I’m involved. Again. We’re moving viral this year, with user generated content, multiple blogs, and almost nothing on campus.

Anyone reading this blog (I need to increase my numbers here) should participate! It’s all about Open Spaces. Boundaries. And breaking them.

http://www.ithaca.edu/fleff/

Look for updates here… but I’ll start teaching how to navigate the festival, which can be pretty intimidating at first… and 20th glance.

Rumors

2009-03-21T22:38:00.004-04:00

The play was called Rumors. Don't tell...

Rumors was brilliant. And the awkward pause in the beginning, during which the cast had no idea that director Dave Grossman (whom I had the privilege of sitting next to) had already introduced them, was perfect for the farcical piece. As Grossman himself said, “John Cages 4'33.”

On the acting front, the first act (out of two, with a 15 min. intermission) was a tad weaker, with a few delayed lines. However, the slips rarely if ever diminished the hilarity that is Rumors, nor did it squelch the humor that each member of the cast brought to their characters.

Overall, the acting was... adorable. And insane. And fast. And right. I never stopped smiling. Not even when Grossman's cell phone went off during a quiet moment in the play. Fortunately for him, it was quiet, but there it was, the director's phone rang during the show. I suppose everyone's human.

Oh, yeah. And the moment when Geoff Pictor (playing Ken Gorman) opened the “bathroom” door and the prop picture fell off, and Geoff yelled “FUCK.” And the uproar of the crowd was deafening. And Joe Roksandic (playing Ernie Cusack) tried opening the back door with paper towels all over his hand, asked for help from a member of the audience. Also an uproar. And, when Alex Zenn (playing Cassie Cooper [All the women were exceptionally radiant and I like nested parentheses]), said “You're not [New York] Times man of the year yet!” Grossman gave a thumbs up. Was she having a problem with that line during rehearsal? Who can tell?

Overall, if this show comes anywhere near you, see it. Just do.

FLEFF LAB '09: Syncopation

2009-03-21T19:30:00.003-04:00

First meeting of the FLEFF LAB syncopation group was a giant success. We had a 10 person turnout, though nearly all of us were Cinema & Photography film students from IC.

In this session, we were asked to think about sound in new ways: what (or who) defines music? The human voice? The purpose of a child's toy? Who decides that "good sound" is a luxury only the rich can afford to produce? The session was about democratizing the creation of meaningful sound.

Did you know that an awesome little walking stomping robot can be turned into a strange "musical" instrument, or sound producing tool? A large part of the discussion revolved around "reappropriation," the process of taking an object, concept, etc, and using it for unintuitive purposes, but purposes that are (arguably) inately a part of the object, concept. "Cuircuit bending" (or playing around with the electrical connections) a toy to make new and cool sounds, or placing a speaker in a stuffed bear that instead of playing something cute, plays an air-raid siren when it's furry little hand is pushed.

Expect intriguing things from the lab, to meet again April 3rd or 4th for their final installment: the participants will have workd together to create one or more projects in the vein of sound art, and at this meeting, we invite all people to come and hear and listen and discuss and think.

Watchmen

2009-03-06T23:12:00.004-05:00

Watchmen. One of us died tonight. It was me. In fact, I was simply blown away last night. Big explosions kinda blown. If you're in the mood for an incredibly morally ambiguous action film, watch Watchmen. If you're in the mood for a funny action flick, watch Watchmen. If you're in the mood for a lot of blood, watch Watchmen.

One difficulty: if you haven't read the novel, it may take some time to figure out the world. Let me help: the world of Watchmen is a hybrid of fantasy and reality, in the time of Nixon and the Cold War, but several major historical events are skewed to be results of costumed heroes.

I never read the graphic novel, so I can't judge the film based on its book. Just what I saw. The acting wasn't that great on some parts. In fact, there were certain moments that were down right terrible from an acting standpoint. From what I've heard, the ending was altered from the novels end. Wakas and Yakas described it to me, and in my opinion, the film ending is superior... motivated.

Quiet Here

2009-03-05T21:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's so quiet here, all. It's midterms. But never fear... I'm watching WATCHMEN tonight.

Smiffenpoofs meet Voice Stream

2009-02-28T22:53:00.006-05:00

Today, I saw the Smiffenpoofs (A Capella group from all-women's Smith College) and the IC Voice Stream (from yes, Ithaca College) perform for 2ish hours in front of a shiny backdrop.

The Smiffs

The Smiffs were SMOOTH, if there was one word to describe them. Turns out, the Smiffs are the first official collegiate A Capella group to grace the US stage. Their ensemble sounded as if there was one big, multi-timbred vocalist on each part, if that makes any sense. They shone when it was just the full chorus singing; each part mixed into the other, with rising and falling pitches that made a quite, soothing symphony.

They had excellent beatboxers, with a rock solid internal group tempo and synergy. However, during solos, the entire group seemed to lose it's edge. Perhaps due to the sound system, or perhaps because of something else, soloists in this ensemble never stood out. Their rap wasn't fantastic either; most of the laughs came from the extreme sense of irony... but hey! They got us to laugh. And clap during songs, and whoop and holler. So, they engaged their audience... BUT...

Voice Stream

Not as much as ICVS. Partly due to the energized Ithaca College crowd present, and partly due to a more upbeat selection of repertoire, ICVS made a visceral impact on the audience.

Soloists, although mixed too low, were intense and open, giving themselves up to the crowds scrutiny. The group is fairly large, and builds to climaxes brilliantly; it's sense of rhythm is impeccable. Tight hits and holds and pauses and harmonies.

Even with all this praise about the ensemble's synthesis, individual voices did not blend very well. It seemed like everyone was in chest voice, which is where voices are usually most distinct. There was rarely a perfect blend, where it was a single chorus of voice.

Direction

The show's lighting was nice. Simple, effective, pretty. The sound could have been AWESOME, particularly since they had three choir mics and some trusted SM-58s. But the mix was poorly done. There was little separation between the solos and ensemble, perhaps resulting in the low solo performances mentioned above. The choral mix could have used a bit of stereo separation as well, since the room proved itself to be stereo by having random loss of sound on the left channel occasionally. And the mic stands should have been gaff taped to the ground, so one didn't have to fall on the Smiffs!

Lessons

Don't play with your cell phone during a show; even if you have a dark theme, it's distracting.
Don't get up during a performance. Even when the group was really engaging, a single person standing up or walking around in the audience caught my eyes.
Gaff tape everything in life.
If you're blogging on a performance, find out where to buy merch and post that with the blog, instead of ignoring it :(

Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock (4.16)

2009-02-28T22:37:00.003-05:00

Watched this ep. while drawing a possible systems model of filmmaking from a director's limited perspective. Limited in this sense is not derogatory, simply a definition of scope.

First the rant: For some unknown, stupid reason, Sci-Fi decided to post BSG eps. 8 days after air on Hulu. Eight? What is that? Think of it. For the first few we've been watching, they posted the things the day after. Now it's a week and a day. If I usually watched on TV, then missing ONE showing of it would stop me from watching it on TV at all! Because the previous ep. (the one I missed) wouldn't even be available until after the next aired on TV. Boo Sci-Fi!

So, about BSG. Good ep, a bit slow, but brought in some strange moments. Apparently, Cylons can't make babies unless they truly love each other, says Ellen. Nah. That's silly. She's just infertile. Clearly.

Furthermore, an admiral is clearly willing to give big guns to female religious fanatics and a man who destroyed all but 50,000 of the human race so that they can protect their food. I'll keep those profiles in mind next time I have to procure weapons.

As you can tell by the post, I didn't hugely enjoy this ep, but I like BSG as a whole, so I get to make fun of it's quirks :) I win.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [Some Must Watch, While Some Must Sleep 2.16]

2009-02-27T21:28:00.003-05:00

Last time I talked about the show being introspective. This is because I had not yet seen this episode... which was LITERALLY introspective... inside Sarah's brain. The ep. was very compelling, with a well-written surprise ending.

Also, thank God, there are no aliens in the show. This was a concern with me for a while... but nothing.

Should've taken notes on the show. I had a lot of thoughts, and they're all gone. It's an issue, really, my forgetfulness.

Creature Feature: How to Serve Man Music Video

2009-02-27T17:24:00.004-05:00

Pretty creepy. The best shot: the camera does a quick, sort of jerky pan from the pan to the singer's face... I think he's holding the spoon, too.

This is a strong piece, with a nice speed, though clearly low-budget. Of course, considering it was on the Yaka's and Waka's page, I was disappointed that no one from the comic appeared... unless the socks were stick-mans...

24: 7.10

2009-02-24T12:37:00.006-05:00

Oh reveals where the corrupt government agents suddenly show their true colors and blood abounds. Also, keeping insurance papers buried away... in your stomach. This and more, from Twenty-Four.

It was a decent ep. It certainly wasn't a filler ep. I hate those. We had motion, e-motion, no emotion. Technobable, street talk, and drama.

2009-02-23T23:31:00.004-05:00

Cold Wars, Vol 3.5 ep. 4 was quite fun. We got to watch some of the nicest characters find the depth of their rage, only to be interrupted by hilarious petty childlike squabbling. We got to see answer and questions. And, of course, Peter has begun his move to the dark side :) By that I mean he shot a dude in the arm.

All in all, it was an exciting episode, and I'm looking forward to the next.

Anyway, Noah is a bit confusing, as he should be. Here's some moral gray area! (put into hypotheticals to avoid spoilers)... This man joins a team of people whose soul purpose is to control political rabble-rousers. The people in charge want to kill these people, but he does joins to change the operation to simply capture, so they don't die. Yay! Now their rights are stripped of them and they are thrown in holding cells. But he saved their lives. What to do?

Oh, and if you could read people's minds, but it made their body bleed out, would you?

10 Steps to your own Sweatshop

2009-02-23T20:02:00.003-05:00

Ulises Mejias sent this to me as part of my research into developing a SeriousARG about gold farming for FLEFF. The idea that one can literally build an entire virtual economy seemed foreign and scary. The risk is dramatically lower, and by extension, the accountability.

It's intriguing, however... in a globalizing economy, we really can mass produce products virtually, which is at least an improvement in the production process: there's less risk for the manager, but also less risk for the employee. Perhaps a regulated, ethical, virtual economy would be a good thing. Then again, there is always a way to pervert good intentions.

Oscars '09

2009-02-23T00:32:00.006-05:00

Really? I'm pretty bummed. List of insanities...

Sound Editing: Dark Knight
Sound Mix: WALL-E
Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire

For those who don't know, Sound Editing is specifically the process of selecting and building sounds, placing and merging dialog, etc. This does not usually include the final mix, hence the Sound Mix category.

Sound Editing belonged to WALL-E. Think of the cockroach. Who else has made a cockroach have so much life? Who else made a robot's voice sound so emotional? Who else could make a trash compactor sound so sad? None but Ben Burtt. This is Sound Edit material.

Sound Mix belonged to the Dark Knight. The movement in the sound mix was enthralling: the complete lack of sound in the beginning, dropping music in unexpected places to allow other elements a spotlight? Where is justice?

Score to WALL-E. The pure mechanical magic presented in the score is unmatched. I grant, the music in Slumdog is fantastic, but WALL-E's sweeping fun, sad, glinting score is incredibly robust.

Fortunately, the Academy's opinions are just that: their opinions. The loss of some groups vote does not in any way diminish the grandeur that is WALL-E, The Dark Knight, and Slumdog. Also, every critique I have is related to sound, which is one of my fortes.

Last year I was infuriated when Borne took both Mix and Edit to Transformers - the clear superior. If you listen to Bourne, it is just a million pieces of glass shattering. Transformers is brilliant - every machine, alive or not, has its own voice, hinting at the possibility that ANY machine could be alive... the All Spark.

Dollhouse 1.2

2009-02-21T16:09:00.005-05:00

Dollhouse pilot was fairly slow, but this ep. pushed things forward a bit. With Echo's trace memories interspersed through the piece, she begins to develop a character, something we hoped for but never saw in the pilot.

And to make it better, there's a bad guy. This is exciting, since it seemed the premise wouldn't allow one.

Still, I don't know whether it's good yet. I haven't decided, but I'll continue watching it. Let's hope Joss doesn't get the boot before I can make a decision...the reviews I've heard are not predominantly positive for the show.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [Desert Cantos 2.15]

2009-02-20T22:10:00.005-05:00

FOX is doing a decent job on this one. Surprised yet?

T:TSCC has always felt a little introspective as opposed to its big brothers, T1, and T2... I don't count T3 or T4 since they aren't part of the T:TSCC canon. It's not a bad thing, though. On the contrary, a show like this could have been made pure action, but this has thoughts. Perhaps they take it a bit far with Sarah's voice-overs sometimes, but for the most part, the show is subtly human.

This ep. took TV acts to the extreme by giving inter-titles before each act begins. Similarly, the episode as a whole felt a bit broken, confused. And chilling. The basement (for those of you who have seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about) and the town of followers - quite freaky.

The story moved forward, we learned things with alongside the characters, and of course, there was a sweet romantic moment... like those ever last.

Escape From City 17 - Part One

2009-02-20T01:29:00.005-05:00

I'll admit to being completely unfamiliar with Half Life, but this piece was sent to me by a friend and I figured why not?

Nice production values, I like the half-animated feel that brings us back into the gaming world. The sound is highly directional, with audio extending to the extreme edges of the stereo image. The story as far as I can tell: Zombies have taken over City 17, un-zombified people have to escape, and no one can aim with guns. Also, Mordor is next to the city...

I do find this kind of feedback to games interesting. I mean, by posting this, I, a non-gamer, am promoting Half Life!

Someone more familiar with Half Life please interject.

FLEFF: Ulises Mejias

2009-02-19T22:47:00.005-05:00

Check out his blog

Ulises came and spoke with the 100ish interns of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival yesterday.

He discussed his main field of study: digital "social networks" and their effects on the current definition of "social." His main thesis: the exclusivity of Facebook, MySpace, etc. are not necessarily breaking down borders, just reinventing them. For instance, a person who refuses to join MySpace can not necessarily enter into dialog with people in MySpace. Paranodes cannot communicate with nodes of a given network, and thus a social border is defined by virtual belonging, instead of physical belonging.

This is an intriguing theory, but I would like to read his dissertation before I pass any specific judgement. Anyway, it's interesting, so I'm passing it on.

Infinite SMS

2009-02-19T18:01:00.004-05:00

Content was here, but was removed as per request of readers, noting that it was inappropriate for the purpose of this blog.

Systems Thinking and the Emerging World View

2009-02-19T11:48:00.003-05:00

A synthesis of several articles, exerpts, and media on the subject of systems thinking.

EWV-TWV.pdf

frivolous motion: How To Make An Awesome Tag Cloud!

2009-02-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

frivolous motion: How To Make An Awesome Tag Cloud!

Lincoln vs. Ripper

2009-02-17T21:19:00.006-05:00

An idea developed from comments on Heroes 28 (NOT... it's 26 :< )... Lincoln vs. Ripper, a Film by Nathan Morse.

24: 7.9

2009-02-17T18:47:00.007-05:00

24 was a good idea... seven seasons ago. Now, everything is the same: the same trope every 'sode. "We need to put this innocent person at risk to save the USA." "No, we can't Jack." "We don't have a choice!"

So why continue to watch it? I'm not sure, perhaps it is my guilty pleasure, which I really should weed out, perhaps it's my way of realizing what not to make. TV is repetitive, but this series is the epitome. Yet you'll see me here next week.

Heroes: Building 28 (NOT... it's 26 :< )

2009-02-16T22:28:00.005-05:00

Heroes Vol. 4 Ep. 3 was fairly predictable, though still enjoyable. Another questions-answered episode, like BSG. Of course, I won't give any spoilers, but the fact is I left satisfied, and asking myself why I was rooting for Nathan's treachery to succeed.

My answer: I want the series to continue. But it goes deeper. We route for villains often in films. Is this bad? Does this make us more sympathetic to villainy? And more interesting: is it even bad to be sympathetic to villains, or is it HUMANE?

Battlestar Galactica: No Exit

2009-02-16T16:25:00.005-05:00

"No Exit" (4.17) was a smooth episode. Sure I was sending out emails about schedules to everyone while I watched, but still. Finally, more questions are ANSWERED rather than ASKED, which, for a BSG ep. is quite a big deal lately. And it wasn't hugely depressing.

A question I've been dealing with through the series: what IS the difference between the humans and the Cylons? I mean, there are surface differences, but underneath they're made of the same stuff: love, hate, passion, loyalty, disloyalty. Even the Centurians.

The Vagina Monologues

2009-02-15T23:59:00.002-05:00

IC annually puts on Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," a show about, well, vaginas. It is separated into several different interpretations of interviews Ensler conducted with women of all ethnicities, age, and status. First performed in 96, Ensler was the only actor. She was the voice of every woman written into her Obie winning script.

IC (as well as many who perform this piece) gives each woman a separate face, with a cast numbering maybe 25. I feel this is more appropriate than a one woman approach: the play is, after all, the stories of many different people.

The content is, of course, incredibly poignant, ranging from the hysterical "My vagina is a tulip" session to a young girl being raped by soldiers for 2 weeks straight in the Congo.

As I sat there laughing, and sometimes tearing a bit from the words spoken on stage, I got to consider this: many people, men and women alike, find the vagina a frightening thing. People react differently to that fear... some ignore, some worship, some hurt. But the penis? Nah.

Well, looks like I'm a feminist :)

FLEFF: Waltz with Bashir

2009-02-15T23:13:00.003-05:00

FLEFF (Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival) secured a sneak preview screening of Waltz with Bashir before the Oscars! And I was there to see it.

It was packed. Sold out, in fact. Well, almost. Two people came for the wrong film, and during the trailers they decided to go see Slumdog Millionaire. Lucky for me I was right next to them... I had enough room to write in my little booklet.

Thanks to 7th Art, Lynn and Rich, FLEFF, FLEFF interns, Patti Zimmerman, Tom Shevory, Luke Fenchel, Deborah Star, Rebecca Lesses, Beth Harris for making this night possible!

My ruminations: Illusionimation. The use of animation allows for a greater sense of disparity between the REAL and the UNREAL, a topic breached constantly in WwB. In fact, through the entire film you never know if any of the specific events actually happens, because memories are flawed (as the psychologist in the piece mentioned). How many times have you forgotten your wallet (or fill in the blank). The end solidifies at least part of the prior narrative into reality, but never claims that the film is "true", or "objective". Objectivity (I believe) does not exist anywhere. This film flaunts that peculiarity.