Big Star Documentary:Journey to a Place You Probably Won't Understand

Netflix streaming service is a funny place. There are a ton of things to watch, but at the same time, it's kind of like watching last year's cable TV -- lots of channels really equates to a ton of things that you don't want to watch; but they are playing all of the episodes of that WB show that you never considered watching when it was on.

Having just finished binge-watching whatever show it was, I was browsing through the Netflix muck looking for something to watch when I happened upon this documentary about the band Big Star.

For me, it was one of those awesome trips down memory lane. It's loaded with interviews with key figures in the Memphis music scene -- not the Sam Phillips / Sun Records / Elvis scene, more the It Came From Memphis scene. Without specifically saying it, this movie connects to the difference between what rock and roll was and what it has become. You can learn a lot about music in between the lines in this movie.

Are We Finally Done With 3D Movies?

And I thought I was the only one who thinks that the 3D format sucks! Here's a story I came across this morning that gives me hope...

A DYING FORMAT? PERCENTAGE OF GROSS FROM 3D REACHES NEW LOW.

Motivations In The Workplace Animation

A friend sent over a link to this earlier this week, tucking into an NPR planet money post. In discussing, the presentation has been around for a while, but the animation is really what helps make this interesting.



There are more video presentations that have been animated using this whiteboard style of animation posted on YouTube, so check them out if you get a chance.

Light Side Topic Thread: Movie Reviews and Critique - Slumdog Millionaire

I was working on a couple of marketing related posts and I thought I might take a break from thinking about business. The other day I found myself caught up in that sort of creative analytical thinking that happens when you watch a good movie, so I thought I might share some of that here. If you find it amusing -- or you have your own analysis -- please feel free to share either in the comments or send me an email.

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Slumdog Millionaire
I watched Slumdog Millionaire on DVD the other night (Netflix rental, fyi). First, I have to say, I really liked the movie, it's definitely worth watching and I recommend it if you haven't seen it. I wasn't sure what to expect from the film, but in the days preceding the DVD release I happened to hear an interview with the director on Fresh Air on NPR. One of the things that I found most interesting in the interview was about that was the idea of capturing the city of Mumbai over the course of time. While it's an interesting perspective, in watching the film, that wasn't something that really grabbed me.

Rather than doing a detailed review or summary, what I really want to focus on was something that struck me about two days after watching the movie -- the end of the film. While I wasn't particularly moved by the ending -- I found it rather predictable in a way -- I was struck by the similarities between Slumdog Millionaire and Scarface with Al Pacino. In that way, in the end your left with an interesting perspective on the idea of the millionaire -- but here's what I found cool. Think about how Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead brings an alternative perspective to the telling of Hamlet. Now consider the classic movie like Scarface, the story of a guy that grows into a successful mobster/drug dealer, etc. Now consider Slumdog Millionaire from the perspective of a story about that same character, told from a different perspective. Nice.

It's nice to see a movie come along that isn't "yet another Hollywood widget".