Saturday, June 30, 2007
I went and saw the new Pixar/Disney animated film Ratatouille on its opening day in a very nice THX enhanced sound theater. I wanted to see the film because all of the advanced footage I’d seen seemed to have a high quality of artistic vision. It seemed likely that I would be disappointed by the film itself but I wanted to see it for the aforementioned reason.
It turns out that I was not disappointed. This film can be easily compared to such classic Disney films as Lady and the Tramp, which was the first to come to mind due to its also having Paris as a major theme and backdrop. Ratatouille is very rich visually, has a lot of reflections on the value of life, and in a bizarre way makes a commentary on the nature of prejudice. There is also a lot of visual symbolism that is sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle. I don’t want to give anything away but if you see the film look for the scene in Anton Ego’s Study where the point of view is from the ceiling looking down on the room from above. Ask yourself what the shape of the room reminds you of.
One unexpected aspect of the film was that it really had something to say about “cooking”, not just “making dinner” but actually cooking in a creative way. The importance of the way in which good cooking can evoke fond memories, far off places, and even people you have not seen in some time is a major theme of the film. It actually made me want to go home and try my hand at some gourmet cooking.
If you get a chance to see the film it is much worth the cost of a ticket for both adults and children alike.
Here are a few links to online resources about the film:
Official Disney Site: Ratatouille
Pixar Theater: Ratatouille
Apple Movie Trailers: Ratatouille
Internet Movie Database: Ratatouille
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©2007 Robert K. Foster
Posted on Sat, Jun 30, 2007 at 5:54 PM ( Updated Jul 03, 2007 )
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The June issue of NEFARIOUS - Tales Of Mystery is now available on the NEFARIOUS website. Below is a listing of this month's stories.
Vol 04 Num 06 June 07
- The Grieving Husband by BJ Bourg
- Speed Trap by Brian Haycock
- Punishment by Len Maxwell
- The Case by g emil reutter
- Dolphin by SA
- The Reunion by Sara Lynn Ryan
- The Package by gregstephens
- Familiar Face by James Mathis
Complete NEFARIOUS - Tales Of Mystery Issue History >>
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• Our webzine NEFARIOUS - Tales Of Mystery has been updated »
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©2007 Robert K. Foster
Posted on Sat, Jun 30, 2007 at 5:16 PM ( Updated Oct 21, 2007 )
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Friday, June 22, 2007
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Three deer and a cardinal in a mild January.
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This photo is from January but I realized I haven’t added it to the Journal yet and I wanted to include this moment of frozen anticipation. At one point I even had the red cardinal on the bird feeder looking at me, along with the three deer, all seeming to say “What’s your business here? Do we stay or do we go?“. I didn’t manage to capture all four of them that way on film the way I would like though.
The Cardinal decided it was time to just keep eating and the deer went back to grazing as well. This was a fairly mild Winter day with only a little snow on the ground.
On the date of this Journal entry we also had a rather cool day here in Michigan, less than 70 degrees fahrenheit, so it got me thinking about cooler seasons and climes. This photo was taken with my trusty pocket camera, the Canon PowerShot. For such a small and convenient camera it takes some good photos. And you can always have it with you.
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©2007 Robert K. Foster
Posted on Fri, Jun 22, 2007 at 9:49 PM ( Updated Jun 23, 2007 )
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
I’ve been spending the last few days setting up a new blog for Windjammer Company LLC that will include all of the content on the company website. I also plan to have other types of entries in the blog unrelated to just those things about the company.
The name, Windwright’s Narrative, may seem strange or bizzare but I explain it all in a document I’ve put together which you can find from the “About this blog” link on the main blog web page.
The complete web address for the blog is:
http://www.thewindjammer.com/blog/
but it is easily accessible from the main company web site.
If you have any ideas for topics to be covered in the blog then don’t hesitate to contact me. I think you’ll find that the blog is a convenient way to access content at Windjammer Company LLC.
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©2007 Robert K. Foster
Posted on Wed, Jun 20, 2007 at 7:26 PM ( Updated Feb 23, 2011 )
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Monday, June 18, 2007
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Closeup of a flowering white dogwood in early May.
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At the time of this writing the flowering dogwood in my area seems to be mostly shedding its flowers. However, this was taken in early May when the whole tree was covered with a riotous explosion of flowers. It’s hard to get some house plants to bloom this much. Flowering trees add that little bit of extra visual interest to the landscape.
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©2007 Robert K. Foster
Posted on Mon, Jun 18, 2007 at 11:27 AM ( Updated Jun 18, 2007 )
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Sunday, June 17, 2007
On Saturday, June 16, 2007 I attended a concert of sorts showcasing the singing and playing abilities of Pasang Dolma and another musician from Japan, Toshi Kuga. For those not familiar with Tibetan and Japanese names, Pasang is female and Kuga is male.
From the Event listing at Schuler Books:
A Performance by Traditional Tibetan Singer Passang Dolma
Saturday, June 16th at 8:00p.m
Passang Dolma is an award-winning vocalist from Dharamshala who specializes in classical Tibetan songs. She won the first ever Tibetan musical award for Best Female Singer and has performed for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join us by the fireplace for a special performance at Schuler on June 16th.
The reason I say that it was “a concert of sorts” is that I felt that it wasn’t really the best venue for a performance of this type. A small theater in the round like they have on campus at Michigan State University would have been better suited but I certainly like to support Schuler Books. And otherwise I would not have seen the performance at all.
One other area of concern with the performance was the unavoidable language barrier between the audience and the performers. Don’t get me wrong, the Japanese musician Toshi Kuga and a very fluent translator both made every effort to explain in full the song meanings, style, and origins. The problem I am referring to is that I myself don’t understand Tibetan, and I’m sure most of the other people attending didn’t either.
It is like the old debate over Classical Opera performed in the language of the composer which is usually Italian or German or some other language than English. In both these situations one who does not understand the language can not get the full meaning from the music. When you are listening to a very foreign musical style like traditional Tibetan music I think it is often hard for the general public to get engaged in the music for this reason.
At any rate, Pasang Dolma showed a high degree of technical skill in both singing and playing the traditional stringed instruments of Tibet. Even without knowing Tibetan it was also clear that she had a high level of emotional depth to her singing. Perhaps it was because I was sitting so close but she had a very powerful voice and had no need for a microphone. Toshi Kuga also showed great skill with playing in accompaniment. For me it was a great introduction to the traditional music of Tibet.
You can find more information about Pasang Dolma on the web through Google. Here are some links:
A 2006 tour of Japan
http://musictibet.com/news/2006/20061107-pasang_dolma_tours_japan.html
The Tibetan Music Awards in 2003
http://musictibet.com/awards/2003/
Tibet Link
http://www.tibetlink.com/
Pasang Dolma on Tibet Link
http://www.tibetlink.com/index.php?option=com_artistavenue&task=singleArtist&id=31&Itemid=81
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©2007 Robert K. Foster
Posted on Sun, Jun 17, 2007 at 7:20 PM ( Updated Jan 24, 2009 )
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