Trailers
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 13.04.09Rian Johnson’s first full length film, Brick, made waves. It was a dark, brutal film noir based on, and filmed in, his old highschool – it also contained no foul language. Rian’s next film stars Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, and Rinko Kikuchi, in The Brothers Bloom. The trailers released so far hint at a similarly incredible mix; old-world characters, style, and panache, in a completely modern-world setting. I cannot recommend it enough, check out the latest international trailer on Apple.com!
Two foreign films have released trailers recently; The Lemon Tree is about a Palestinian widow and the Israeli official next door; the story, and performances, have won international accolades already. In Departures, a musician accidentally discovers (and grows to appreciate) the Japanese traditions of funeral preparation, in what is called an “astonishingly beautiful” and “sometimes comical” look at sacred Japanese heritage.
How could I not mention the long string of teasers and trailers for the upcoming Star Trek? While I’m still unsure of how it will all come together, there are some great actors involved (Zachary Quinto of the TV show Heroes and Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead,), and it promises to be a fantastic adventure ride.
On the animation front, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Astro Boy have both released trailers. Neither look likely to deliver the depth or richness of a Pixar film, and the latter seems to be milking the colours salmon-pink and cornflower-blue for more than they’re worth. I suppose I’m not the target audience here, but all the same, I’d rather kids see something of cinematic value (I probably shouldn’t be that harsh; Astro Boy has a chance at being good, and has had the decency to hop on the retro bandwagon).
Lastly, for fans of Office Space; director Mike Judge is tackling the workplace yet again, with the upcoming film Extract (fair warning; there’s a bit of language and even drug use in the trailer). Is it just me, or does Jason Bateman actually remind you of Ron Livingston in the former film?
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Children's Heart
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 11.04.09Years ago in Indiana, I had the immense pleasure of learning from and working with the talented director Arthur Rasco. In 2005 his short film No Greater Love won awards across the country, including the International Family Film Festival: Best Dramatic Short and San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival: Best of Festival (visit Ideal Images Entertainment for more on the film). He has a gift and passion for understanding a culture, even speaking the language, while working on productions like this. The past few years he’s been working with Samaritan’s Purse, travelling all over the world.
Well, he’s at it again; a new television series about the Children’s Heart Project! Started in 1997 to save two children in Bosnia with heart defects, the medical efforts of CHP quickly expanded to include Uganda, Nigeria, Mongolia, Honduras, and Kosovo; bringing children to the US for treatment, and providing state-of-the-art training and equipment overseas. Find out more and get the episode schedule on ChildrensHeart.tv
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Religion vs. Spirituality
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 29.03.09More mature, insightful, and easily better read than myself, Sarah Wilson has posted an article this week titled The Deeper Side. Very interesting notes on the relationship between religion and religious rituals (which I’ve certainly seen as dead and lifeless!), and real, active faith. Essentially, the practice of discipline. Something I am sorely lacking, as any visitors to my apartment can probably tell you. Down to the most basic of life expectations, cleaning the bedroom, I fail. 
Discipline, like getting up in the morning (and the two are sadly linked), is exceedingly hard for me. Maybe someday I’ll grow up.
Today’s sermon, in continuation of the themes the past few weeks, was on… failure. Ever wonder why 120 people, after Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, would agree to wait patiently for an unknown event? Sure, they believed the promise that He would send something special, but it was because they knew they needed something special. They’d all failed. And knew it. It’s easy to pick on Peter (having so publicly denied Christ), but they’d all stumbled, fallen, and failed. Of course, the story ends (well, begins!) with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus keeps His promises, and it’s not because we’re good people… it’s because He loves us. Like in addiction counselling, recognising our failings, and truly desiring change, is the first step.
In my life, it’s easy to look back and see failure… lots of it. But it’s also easy to think it’s not that bad, and presume upon God’s grace. This will, I can only assume, be the topic of next weeks sermon!
In the meantime, I highly recommend reading When We Have Failed, What Next? by K. P. Yohannan. Truly someone I respect as a spiritual leader, having persevered through countless trials, and yet openly talks about his failings – weeping at the chances he passed up to minister to the untouchables of his home in India, and urging those around him to seek a deeper relationship with Christ. The book is markedly human, and rather comforting because of it.
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Pruning
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 29.03.09There are some Bible passages that challenge me every time I read them, and then there are some that just plain scare me…
As a kid, talk of “cutting out the eye that causes you to stumble” always sent shudders of horror down my spine. While discussions on what true dedication means in practical living still come up from time to time, it’s generally accepted that cutting out your eye just means you’re flipping nuts.
While the last thing I want to try is some complicated exegetical analysis, from time to time I do post a little about my spiritual journey…
I’ve been technically jobless (with, thankfully, some hourly work) for a month or two now, and it’s required a lot more reliance on God, and His provision. Be it finding unexpected cash in the back seat of my car while searching for a check (which is a whole different story on the importance of tithing!), or the generosity of friends and family (thank you to all who have contacted studios, drummed up mograph projects, and so much more). It’s certainly made things a day-to-day discovery. I can’t just say I trust God, I have to mean it.
With that, come changes, challenges… two weeks ago, the sermon at my church was on Romans 6; always a formidable passage for me. If we’re baptised into a new life, saved from death itself, how can we live in the past? Well, I’ll tell you, it’s pretty darn easy. I tend to be a perfectionist, and even by human standards, I fail on a more than regular basis. I suppose it just goes to show how important God’s grace really is, but it’s also convicting – do I really let God work in my life? Change, mould, and build me into someone more like Christ? While the passage should really be brilliantly encouraging (freedom from what enslaves and drags us down!), it always seems more sobering for me.
After a week of wrestling with this, and what it all meant for me, the sermon this past Sunday was more than apropos; John 15. A vinedresser actually gave the sermon, discussing details of the job, and how trimming is required if the branches are to flourish and grow. Well, yeah, that explains the past week… my life is undergoing pruning!
And it’s been kinda rough. It’s not necessarily “bad” stuff, just things that distract me, take my time and energy, while offering so little in return. Pruning isn’t exactly fun, and while I should look to the growth that will come, instead I focus on the present. With such inner conflict, what am I left with? How exactly do I live in Christ, obey? Reading just a bit further in the passage, the answer is shamefully obvious:
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12
Love is the centre! It’s interesting, especially in light of my typically obsessive nature and neuroticism. Several months ago I started reading Victory Through Surrender, by E. Stanley Jones. A superb look at global religions, man’s relation with himself, and the unique solution God has provided through Christ. While I haven’t finished it yet (and can’t seem to find the book), there’s a quote from the warden of a mental institution I found especially revealing; when laughingly asked if the patients he cared for were “out of their minds,” he responded “Not at all!” The patients were very much in their minds, completely aware of themselves and so fully obsessed that they could see nothing else, trapped in their own self-centredness. The book goes on to discuss how people try to reconcile themselves with their selfish nature – either we embrace it, and decay (dying through our own self destructive natures), or attempt to live in denial (asceticism and the like), and fail. But through surrender to Christ, His love, we’re freed from our enslavement to self. It’s a thought provoking book, and as soon as I find it, hopefully I’ll also find the time to finish it.
Thankfully, this whole living thing appears to be a process. I’m just about the least mature 25 year old I’ve ever met, but no one magically becomes perfect overnight (perfection being a whole other discourse), but I trust that God will keep on working in my life. I’m human, and I’ll keep on failing… but He’ll pick me back up, dust me off, and set me right, yet again. As He always has. Not that it’s an excuse (and we’re right back to Romans 6!), but a reliance on His grace.
I hope I’ll remember the pruning lesson when I face difficulties this week. It’s encouraging to know that these “light and momentary struggles” are for our good. Keeping you in prayer!I am surprised at this common thread of “perfectionism” in many young people I know. It is causing difficulties and sadness in life. I’m not at all saying we shouldn’t strive to “be perfect even as our Heavenly Father is perfect.” Perfectionism is something totally different. It is a mindset tied to happiness. I rejoiced when my daughter wrote this recently, “There comes a day when you start realizing why things consistently go the same way. You start seeing a pattern and start wondering how that pattern’s come about. The explanation comes by recognizing the assumptions you have: the consistently inadequate amount of time you’ve spent on something, or the unreachable standard that you’ve set for yourself. Perfectionism is the ultimate negative thinking: the cup ain’t full until it’s perfectly full. No wonder perfectionists never feel satisfied with themselves! To be completely satisfied with ourselves we’d have to be perfect, and none of us are!” Amen
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Trailers
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 20.03.09There have been a couple interesting trailers posted recently, so here we are again – another episode of trailer reviews!
It’s rather impressive when an actor from the UK can so completely convince me they’re American, I never once question their accent. It was only just recently that I discovered Charlie Crews, of the TV show Life, is most certainly played by a Brit. Canadian actors, while holding absolutely nothing against them (how could I?), often seem to let slip their origins. It’s also possible (nay, likely!) my own dialect is just odd and random enough, I can’t hear how fake a british-american accent is, while still delusionally believing I can tell when a person grew up in Alberta.
But I digress, this is actually leading up to a trailer for The Escapist. Some top notch actors, and the promise of great action and drama. The irony, of course, is that Damien Lewis plays an inmate both in this film, and an ex-inmate in his series Life. Even more interesting, however, is that this will be Rupert Wyatt’s first feature length film.
Away We Go has a unique mix of characters. Maya Rudolph, of SNL fame, is easily recognizable, but I had to start watching it again before finally placing that distinctive voice with a name: John Krasinski. Goodness, that beard changes him… add in director Sam Mendes, and you have what I can only call an unlikely collection. The formula feels a little “done,” like an adult-and-married version of Juno, but who can resist an acoustic guitar and a mellow song?
I would be remiss if I were not to mention the slew of trailers and clips coming out for Pixar’s next film, Up. It matters not what the subject is, films by Pixar transcend technique (though easily the best 3D animation studio in the world); they tell stories that capture the hearts of viewers everywhere. Sadly, it does seem Pixar trailers rarely do justice to the movies they advertise (I questioned that Cars could have ever been a good idea, till I saw the film and loved it). On a positive note, Up already looks like fun, and given the track record, the film is going to be stupendous!
Other trailers to watch this week include Merry Gentleman, a dark romance with hints of comedy, and FAQ About Time Travel, which indeed stars a guy from the wickedly funny series IT Crowd.
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Safari 4
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 7.03.09I finally took the plunge and updated my laptop with the Safari 4 beta. There are a couple things to be aware of going into this; be it updating your extensions (Glims, SafariStand, AdBlock, 1Password, or others), or turning off Growl announcements in Mail (updates made to security protocols in the HTML rendering engine, WebKit, can crash mail when Growl tries to access message content). Yes, there are some pretty severe pauses in internet connectivity (presumably when features such history flow are updating), and crashes as well (it is, after all, a beta). Overall, however, it’s an enjoyable experience… and a good move forward for Safari.
Once you’re up and running, Safari 4 Buddy, mySafari, and other apps, can help customise the experience a bit. While many of Safari 4’s additions are pretty cool (top sites, history flow, javascript engine), other changes will take time to get use to, or just get in the way (sure, tabs at the top are confusing at first, but they can also make window management much more difficult). With these apps, you can mix and match some of the best new features, while reverting to some of the older UI standards.
While we’re discussing cool new features, MacRumors has posted links to a few technology demos (including some truly impressive 3D). But perhaps what I find most interesting is the Safari 4 intro animation. Like new OS X installations, there’s a quick little greeting when you first open Safari 4 (and yes, you have to be using Safari 4 to watch it). Some simple motion graphics and music; all pretty typical for Flash animation, I suppose. But check the page source, and you’ll find it’s done entirely in Javascript, CSS, and the latest rich-media HTML.
Even better, the iPhone already has support for 3D transforms via CSS, as part of WebKit (though for desktop implementations in Safari and Mail, it’s turned off by default). While Microsoft tries to vie for attention with Silverlight, posing as an Adobe Flash replacement and web development platform, Apple may very well be positioning WebKit as a new solution; web standards, and all based in HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
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Searching system files
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 3.03.09I’ve always been frustrated that OS X 10.5 (Leopard) stopped searching system files. While there are a few articles out there detailing the steps to add the option, I’m a bit slow, and never got it to work. This video explains it perfectly!
Guess it’s obvious; I’m a visual learner.
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Lightwave Core
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 3.02.09As I write this, there is a countdown to an announcement on Febuary 4th at 4pm (EST). For the past two weeks, Newtek has been building a steady furore over the upcoming Lightwave Core reveal. Amid wild speculation as to what might entail (in just one of the threads on the Newtek forums, we’ve amassed over 6000 posts), official announcements themselves are promising something entirely new…
And to capitalize on the anticipation, there have been puzzles, cryptic images, clues hidden within an asteroid belt (no joke), comments within website source code, hints from secretive forum members, security passwords encoded with the birth name of Genghis Khan (It’s Temüjin, if you ever need to know) and several appearances by Thor, Norse god of thunder.
But beyond the viral marketing, it’s the people that surround Lightwave, the users, that make it special. It’s people from Kosova, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Norway, Texas… to solve clues, people work in shifts; going to bed in the wee morning light, as people on the other side are waking up to start anew. Freelancers, studios, retired hobbyists. People posting from their desk at work, people staying up all night, and I believe at least one protester in South America, who reeking of tear gas and bloodied resistance, got online to check out the latest clues.
Join in the global excitement… visit Ustream.tv for live coverage. I’ll be there.
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Hello, January
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 1.02.09Some months nothing seems to happen. Others? Well…
With the release of mediaboxAdvanced 0.9.5, 0.9.7, and now 0.9.8 in quick succession, I’m making a little progress with my javascript projects. Still rudimentary at best, but I enjoy the challenge, and it seems there are a few users that appreciate the work! As of January 31st, Iaian7.com has had over 7,500 unique visitors in one month, and most of the traffic is for mediaboxAdvanced; the script I use on this site and others to display images, media, and more in a modal overlay.
I’ve also been trying to work on some visual effects in the evenings. So far it’s been rough; my computer system is old enough it can’t handle 1080p production (even loading the geometry is difficult), old enough that ram upgrades cost 2-4 times as much, and there’s not much more I can do. Frustrating, to say the least, but moreso because…
My time with Vectorform has come to a close. The good news is that they didn’t want to let me go, which I find strangely comforting. The downside is that the economy is bad enough, finding gainful employment is not an easy task. If you know of any openings for a visual effects or general CG artist, let me know!
Maybe I’ll even post here occasionally; it’s unfortunate how much I’ve neglected my blog, and hope I can catch up a bit. Then again, don’t hold your breath. Lord willing, I’ll be busy again soon.
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10 Apps to be Thankful For
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 28.11.08There are the obvious things to give thanks for, like friends, family, Jesus… but then there are the smaller things that make life just a little bit nicer.
Even better is when they’re free! The following are some of my favourite applications for Mac OS X.
Entertainment
Perian – A veritable swiss army knife for Quicktime, it adds support for formats such as AVI, DIVX, FLV, MKV, and VP6, and scores of video codecs.
SimplifyMedia – Lets you expand iTunes library sharing to any computer (or iPhone) connected to the net! Supports all three major operating systems, and lets you add up to 30 friends.
Productivity
Evernote – Store notes of any type, from anywhere (and any platform, including the iPhone), online, forever. While I haven’t used Evernote much myself, it’s a pretty cool setup. It even recognises handwriting in photos to automatically tag them.
TextWrangler – If you deal with any sort of code, this is the best free editor I’ve found. Syntax highlighting, FTP server support, and file comparisons, among many other features.
Management
Dropbox – Seamlessly syncs a folder on your computer with 2gb free online storage. It’s dead simple, and works great. Even if you don’t have multiple computers, you still get an off-site backup, and online access to your files.
TinkerTool – Gives you backstage access to all sorts of little settings hidden away in OS X, including the developer tools in Safari.
Glims – Adds all sorts of functionality to Safari, from custom search engines, to saving tabs on quitting (or crashing!). While we’re discussing Safari extensions, AdBlock is also especially helpful.
DoubleCommand and KeyRemap4MacBook – Both allow you to remap keys. On a macbook, it lets you set up the enter to act like a function key (perfect for one-handed opperation).
Multiple macs
Teleport – Lets you use multiple macs like they were just multiple monitors. The network based keyboard/mouse sharing is easy to setup, clipboards are automatically synchronised, and it even lets you transfer files by dragging them seamlessly from one computer desktop to another.
Fruux – Syncs your Address Book, iCal calendars, and Safari bookmarks across multiple computers. Works. Very well.
Well, that’s the end of my list. There’s more, but I’ll save it for the next Mac centric post. Enjoy!
The divx format is probally suitable for DVD in Entertainment. But the divx sometimes do not execute and stuck while playing video.
mediaboxAdvanced
I was very impressed with the program. I do feel it would be a good program to continue. Good Luck and God Bless you, this program, and your marriage as the two of begin your lives together as one in God’s will.