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Archive for February, 2009

Book Review: After Effects Expressions

27 Feb

After Effects Expressions by Marcus Geduld

Let me start off by explaining where my skill levels are at. I consider myself a very decent Adobe After Effects user and a beginner/intermediate Adobe Flash user. The next step for me in Flash is earning my black belt in Flash’s programming language Action Script 3.0. Action Script 3.0 is based heavily on JavaScript… which turns out to be the exact language Adobe After Effect uses! Oohhh how I can feel that black belt already!

I’ve attempted not once but TWICE to wrap my primate brain around Action Script 3.0. I had zero experience with JavaScript and had never attempted that language. After Effects Expressions is literally the first time that I felt that ‘AH-HA!’ moment. The examples and analogies Marcus Geduld are fantastic. I honestly hope that he puts out a sequel to this book! After Effects Expressions, part 2 The Expert Manual… or something. By the way Marcus if you use that title I am way cool with it, just make sure you toss http://www.MonkeyButlerNinja.com a shout out!

Pros:

This book will hold your hand as you take those first scary steps into JavaScript.

It is a fast read and well written. You most likely will get through this book quickly (partially because of the illustrations, see below) while retain a lot of knowledge.

Cons:

While this book assumes you know nothing about JavaScript it also makes the assumption you know nothing about math. This is defiantly not a con if you indeed are horrible at math.

The source material is all online (no CD or DVD) and the organization online isn’t the best. I hit a hiccup on the chapter 2 files but was able to recreate the material that I needed.

There are WAY too many pictures. To illustrate motion the book sometimes has 6 half page pictures in a row!! Now, I am not going to penalize the book too harshly for this, after all, the problem with books on coding is that they are books on coding. Giving our eyes a break from constant formulas keeps you fresh. Overdone, but I see a purpose.


Conclusion:

This book has a specific topic of a specific software, and I absolutely love that. When I grab a book, 9 times out of 10 I could skip the first 150 pages because of all the basics of tool selection, what the move tool does, how to install the program… BLAH… this book skips that and goes right to the good stuff. If you use Adobe After Effects and never have used expressions or have used basic ones that you got off the web somewhere… GET THIS BOOK!

I rate it: 4 wiggling Ninja Stars.

 
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Posted in Review: Books

 

Helvetica : Movie Review

27 Feb

Ok, time to switch pace and retreat from Oscar nominated movies.

Today I review the documentary movie Helvetica. This film is literally about a single typeface, a specific font family, Helvetica. Sound boring? You bet it is! This is of course assuming you are not a graphic designer of any kind. Assuming you have never flipped through 100 fonts trying to figure out which one gets your message across.

On the flipside, if you deal with graphics in any way, if you ever did a layout for a poster, if you value the appearance of what you produce. Then this movie is worth 80 minutes of your time.

Make no mistake about it; there are people who care passionately about typography. The interviewees are uber geeks that are certainly the offspring of mutant nerds and influential graphic designers. Throughout the film approximately a dozen typographers and designers speak on camera. This is not a job to these people; it literally is their life’s fascination.

Helvetica takes you on an interesting path. In the first act, the history is presented and quickly followed with huge praises. Helvetica was viewed, and still is by many, as the perfect font. To these experts Helvetica cannot be improved. The film takes a sharp turn in what would be act two and presents the opposing sides view. This group of elite designers has an intense hatred the font family Helvetica. Describing it as dull, boring and most of all, overused. Personally, I wish other documentaries were as decent in presenting two sides of an argument, albeit font is a little less sensitive than the war in Iraq (which the war is blamed on Helvetica in this movie, seriously).

The editing and production of Helvetica is pretty darn good. Use of B-roll, pacing, and overall presentation held my interest. I am a graphic artist and know one of my weaknesses is typography, after watching this film… I feel much more informed.

Monkey Butler Ninja gives Helvetica three ninja stars and if you are a graphic artist, put in couple chocolate covered bananas!

 
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Posted in Review: Movies

 

Slumdog Millionaire : Movie Review

20 Feb

My wife and I are on our Valentine’s Day date, and we decide to go see a movie. It’s nearing Oscar time and honestly, a lot of films are nominated that we have not seen. Originally targeting The Wrestler (reviewed here) we had to make an adjustment as we were not willing to wait for the next screening.

An alternative choice was Slumdog Millionaire. I do not recall seeing a single preview for this movie but had heard TONS of buzz circulating around it in the Golden Globes (won: Best Director / Best Motion Picture / Best Original Score / Best Screenplay) and the Screen Actors Guild awards (Outstanding Peformance by a Cast in a Motion Picture).

Roll the dice, and every now and again, they come up 7.

What a pleasant surprise! Besides the entire buzz, my perception of this film’s storyline was about a boy that goes on a TV show to get a girl to fall in love with him, or a heavy documentary style/political movie. WRONG.

The story takes us on a three part journey in the protagonist’s life; childhood, adolescence, and the early stages of adulthood. Our protagonist is Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel is a person who has had everything constantly stripped away from him in life. During this film, I found myself constantly thinking, how a human could endure such an impossible life. Passion push Jamal and his brother through life… fame, money, power, and love.

What would happen if you let some of those things control your life?

Through wonderful editing, this story keeps an excellent pace and gives you information as you need it. I would not be surprised in the least if this film took the Oscar.

For cinematography, this film absolutely deserves the nominations. Instantly, I was teleported into the slums of India. This feeling was maintained throughout the film, through the character’s aging and changes in location, I never left. However, my prediction is The Dark Knight taking best Cinematography

Congratulations to Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan for putting together a stellar film. The performances were able to extract from the entire cast is worth the nomination alone. It will give the other films a run for their money!

I highly recommend this film. I rate Slumdog Millionaire 4.5 out of 5 ninja stars!

 
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Posted in Review: Movies

 

The Wrestler : Movie Review

19 Feb

The Wrestler, staring Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke

This movie is a drama based on Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a wrestler that is well past his prime and having to face that fact.

The Wrestler creates a world that I had not imagined. What happens to a ‘pro’ wrestler after the lights have cooled, after the crowds have gone home… after the adrenalin fades? When you chose a profession or a passion that abandons your family, destroys your body, and engulfs you with pain… your life will be hard… and short.

Looking back at the movie… it is about a retired wrestler that is in love with a stripper, wants to reconnect with his abandoned daughter, and struggling to find life outside of the ring. Boring. Cliché in the strongest definition of the word.

Marisa Tomei plays the stripper and does a decent job… Oscar nomination worthy? No. Dynamite body? YES! Congrats on keeping in such great shape Mrs. Tomei!

Mickey Rourke playing Randy “the Ram” does derive an Oscar nomination however. I’ve never been a huge fan but respect his work in this film. Honestly, his performance is the only reason to RENT this movie.

Character’s relationships to each other were sub par at best. The development with his daughter seemed choppy and extremely unrealistic. Mickey made me believe his character was in love with Marisa’s character, but other than that, nothing worth mentioning.

If you are a fan of wrestling, maybe it’s for you… if you are thinking about becoming one… this movie is for you. However if you don’t fit either of those descriptions you can skip this movie.

I rate The Wrestler 1.5 out of 5 ninja stars!

 
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Posted in Review: Movies