Wednesday, October 9

I Am Found

Computer back in working order. Big sigh of relief.

Chill in the Air

Tonight may be the night I cave and turn on the heat. The weather is distinctly fall like--I've got to do some winter clothing shopping really soon. I'm feeling woefully unprepared for this. As I type, my fingers are numbing up. But the first time I turn on the heat always feels like such a defeat.

The Year of the Blog

I just realized that I've been keeping this blog for a year now. I didn't think I'd actually keep up with it, but there you go, I surprise myself. This is definitely a fun way to keep in touch with folks all over, but at the same time, it's a little eerie. I talk to friends, and I mention something and they'll say, "Oh, yeah, I read that in your Web log." This thing is a conversation killer for me.

What's New Is New

When DVDs first came out, there was somewhat of a mad rush to transfer video to disc, which created some poor quality movies. Gradually, folks, especially companies like Home Vision (with their Criterion Collection) got what DVD is all about. They made crisp transfers from new masters, pumped up the sound, and loaded on the extras. Now, mind you, some extras are bogus (I hate photo stills on the DVD and the other filler they put on), but the commentary makes DVD completely worthwhile. When Dave and the Claire Bear were here, we watched the Maysle Brother's Grey Gardens. The movie itself is a fascinating documentary about a mother and daughter--relatives of Jackie O.--living in this deteroriating house, going rather insane. But what really made the film come alive for me was the commentary track. Granted, I didn't watch the entire thing (it was late, I was tired, Adam had already fallen asleep in his chair an hour before), but it was captivating to here the "behind-the-scenes." In a sense, commentary tracks are the ultimate form of gossip, an acceptable form of gossip. A lot of DVDs are coming out pumped up, and owning movies starts to make more sense than renting them, because it takes so long to watch a DVD now. First the movie, then the commentary, then all the featurettes. A lot of other companies have jumped on the bandwagon making premium movie series (such as Warner's Infinifilm). (And of course, you get studios out just to make the maximum buck, as they did with Lord of the Rings, in which they rushed out a theatrical version and then started creating the special edition, so that some poor suckers got the bad version when all along the studio knew there would be a better version coming out.) But the point I was originally going to make is that many of the DVDs with the incredible features leave you scratching your head wondering, "Why that one?" Of course, some of it has to do with who studios can get to provide commentary and what kind of featurettes are available. And now, television shows are coming out at record speed on DVD. Granted, I fall prey to that one, as Adam and I eagerly finished season three of The Sopranos last night. Yet, upcoming releases include Malcolm in the Middle, Mad About You, 24, and The Shield, of which only one season is out! (By the way, did I mention I interviewed Michael Chiklis for work? He's a BU alum, you know.) I don't know why I find this immediate exportation to DVD disturbing, but I do. Vent of the morning.

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