Cate’s Musings

After almost a month with no posts, I’ve realized that I clearly don’t have enough to say to post at least once a week. So while I certainly don’t intend on retiring the blog, the pace will be slower, at least in the mean time. With the daily grind that my job and life are right now, I simply don’t have much that’s worth blogging.

I do like to take pictures though - maybe I’ll start posting more pictures. Here’s one I took a while back at the Griffith Observatory. I quite like it:

And I do enjoy sharing links to fun stuff I stumble across, so here are a few for you to enjoy on this Friday afternoon:

How are your typing skills? On your mark, get set, GO!

There is, no joke, a gated community in China called Orange County. With Hummers in the driveways of McMansions. I really don’t even know how to process this information. Really, I don’t.

A friend sent me a someecard for my birthday. I now frequent the website. What better way to insult the people you love??

The superdelegates are, as of today, starting to flood to Obama. Keep track of the numbers here. Needless to say, I am exceedingly happy about the outcome of the primary election.

I’ve started to put my toe into the housing market. I’m thinking I’ll get serious about it next year. In the mean time I’ve started reading Curbed LA, a blog that bills itself as “The Los Angeles Neighborhood and Real Estate Blog”. It’s an entertaining, and educational, read.

And that’s it for today - have a nice weekend!

My goodness, it has been far too long, hasn’t it? Please forgive my lack of posts, I really don’t have much of an excuse.

BUT! Here I am, back in Los Angeles after 3 months on location with “The Day the Earth Stood Still” in Vancouver. All in all, Vancouver is a great town that I recommend anyone visit. Being away from home was a bit lonely, but I couldn’t have picked a nicer place to do it in.

I was especially excited to kick off my return to LA with a Dodger game at the Colliseum. As you can see in the photo above, there were more than a couple of people there. 115,000, to be exact. It was an exposition game celebrating the Dodgers 50th year in LA and they were playing my beloved Red Sox (who won) so I was happy.

Other than enjoying the beginning of baseball season, I’ve just been trying to get back into the groove of LA, especially the oh so delightful traffic. We’re cutting the movie on the Fox lot, so I’ve got one hell of a commute to deal with. But our offices aren’t half bad, and there’s sushi in the commissary on Thursdays. Yum.

A few links and so forth until I have a real reason to post:

•The Story of Stuff is worth watching, all 20 minutes of it. Nothing that I didn’t already know, but a fun and engaging way of talking about consumption.

•I’ve become a Scrabulous nut on Facebook. If you’re on there, friend request me and lets play!

•I haven’t made a Muxtape yet, but there’s a good chance it’ll happen in my not so distant future.  *Update*: okay, now I have.  Here’s my spot on Muxtape.

•I’m still obsessively following the election. I’m anxious for the primary to be over soon and for Obama to finally be able to buckle down and work on winning this whole thing. I’m getting my political fix in different places these days:

1. I never thought the day would come that I would agree with the majority of what Andrew Sullivan has to say, but apparently that day came and went a few months back. His blog is well worth reading.
2. I’m also found trolling the Huffington Post quite often.
3. Lastly, I’m glad to be back home so I can Tivo the Daily Show and see Jon Stewart’s take on things. The show runs in Vancouver, but I didn’t have Tivo so I never caught it. I’ve learned first hand what I always suspected: once you have a DVR, there’s no going back.

And that makes me sad. It won’t start up, so it’s in the shop getting fixed (what exactly IS a logic board?); hopefully I’ll have it back in a day or two. I’m writing this on the sly on my work computer.

Since my last post I’ve had two sets of visitors here in Vancouver. You can expect some pictures once my laptop is back up and running. My time here is winding down - only about 2 weeks left before I’m back in LA. And while I’ve enjoyed my time up here, I’m really looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone again.

More soon!

The sad mac graphic comes from this guy’s blog - it was the first hit on a google image search for “sad mac”.

Not so much with the posting these days; just haven’t had much to say. And I don’t have much to say now either, so I’ll just post a few links I’ve recently enjoyed.

Garfield without Garfield. Awesome.

Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle. Now go waste time.

And check me out, I’m totally famous. Okay not really, but I don’t post much about my day to day work habits, so this will give you a vague insight. Avid is the software we use to edit on and this might be the only time I ever get quoted in any sort of article. Do I really talk like that?

How great was the Swell Season win at the Oscars? Soooo great, that’s how great. I thought I could post a YouTube clip, but it turns out that the powers that be have removed it. Boo.

And apropos of nothing, the one big note I have about Vancouver is this: the radio sucks. I mean really sucks. Like nothing ever, *ever* to listen to sucks. I’m wearing out the few CDs I thought to bring with me; send mixes.

Today is my blog’s 1st birthday. Here’s how it breaks down:

3913 hits.

77 posts.

86 comments.

237 spam comments.

Here’s to another great year, and oh yeah: OBAMA’08!

I’ve been getting a lot of traffic these days from people looking for information on Charlie Bartlett, the movie I worked on last year. It’s being released in theaters on Feb. 22nd after being postponed several months. And while a postponed movie sometimes means there were problems in editorial, that’s not the case with Charlie. There haven’t been any re-cuts; it’s exactly the same movie that was to hit theaters on August 3rd. In fact the prints were struck in time for the August release so it’s those very same prints that you’ll be seeing. The movie was postponed for one reason only: timing. SKE and MGM decided that the movie was going to get trounced at the box office if it was released in the summer. And considering that the latest Bourne movie came out on August 3rd and proceeded to made a cajillion dollars, it was a good call.

So go see Charlie Bartlett. It’s a great movie; funny, thoughtful and touching. Robert Downey Jr. and Hope Davis are both fantastic, and Anton Yelchin gives a performance that shows him to be a star in the making. I certainly hope you’ll all run out and see it opening weekend. It’s frustrating that opening weekend box office is so important these days, especially for movies like this that word of mouth will help, but it’s the reality of the situation. I’m sorry to not be in LA for the release - it would have been fun to get a whole group together to go. Ah well! Be sure to stick around and see my name in the credits - first assistant editor is what you’re looking for.

As anyone with any sort of consciousness in the U.S. knows, we’re two days away from Super Tuesday. And it stresses me out. Watching the returns for single state primaries is enough to get me worked up, so I know Tuesday evening is going to be an emotional one for me.

This morning a new poll was released showing Obama a mere two points behind Clinton in California. It also says 18% (!) of Democrats in the same state are still undecided. So, if you’re one of those 18%, or a swayable Clinton supporter, I am now talking to you.

Lets just start by saying that I don’t hate Hillary, and I don’t think I need to consider gender when voting. I’m excited that either candidate will make history if they make it to the White House. But honestly, I’m not from the the generation of feminists who think it’s a betrayal to vote for a man when a woman is on the ticket. I don’t think women of my generation understand that sort of thinking, and maybe it’s because we didn’t have to fight the good fight and grew up in an atmosphere of equality (or at least the expectation of equality), but I just don’t care that she’s a woman and so am I. I’m voting for who I think is the best candidate.

Okay, so lets get down to it.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s policies are quite similar on many issues, this we all know. She claims he’s not for universal health care (something I support very strongly) but I think he’s just got a different approach to making it happen. Immigration, education, the economy etc…, their policies are all about the same.

On the war and other military issues, there are however some important differences. As we all know, Obama was against the war from day one. And Clinton can’t answer the question about her vote for the war in a way that satisfies me even remotely. She won’t rule out the use of nuclear weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan, something that I find rather, um, crazy. Perhaps her reasoning is to not look ‘weak’, but I don’t go for that. I respect Obama for not trying to ‘out bomb’ his opponents, even if they’re all just rhetorical bombs. I also agree with Obama when he says he’ll talk to our enemies which she says is irresponsible. Not sure how that gets us anywhere. And I realize Anne Coulter is crazy and mean, but when she calls Clinton more of a hawk than McCain, that just plain old scares me.

Now there’s also the question of electability. And it’s a big concern because more than anything I just don’t want another Republican in the White House. Hillary’s baggage is huge, and she polls with what they call ‘very high negatives’. Meaning lots and lots of people frickin’ hate her. No big news flash there. So can she get elected? I think Obama’s chances are better. And as importantly, once in the White House, can she effectively get things done? I think Obama’s chances are better.

Lastly, I’ve also never had the opportunity to vote for someone who inspires me. I’ve voted for people who’s policy I agreed with but were pretty much sticks in the mud. And Obama ain’t no stick in the mud! If you haven’t seen his speech in Iowa or in South Carolina, watch them. They’ll get you fired up and teary eyed. And I reject the notion that Obama’s inspirational speeches are all style and no substance. He inspires people to action, and action is what matters in the end.

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The posters up top are from Shepard Fairey, of Obey Giant fame. He’s supporting Obama too and his posters and artwork are pretty damned cool.

There are endless criticisms that can be thrown at U2 but I’ll start this post out by saying that none of those criticisms will come from me. I’m as die hard as die hard gets when it comes to U2. I’ve seen them live a whole bunch of times, maybe 15 to 20 times, and I’ve called them my favorite band since I was about 11, so for roughly 20 years now. One of the advantages of having a brother who’s 10 years older than you is that he points you in the right direction musically at a young age. And he helps make you the coolest kid in your class by getting you a t-shirt from the Joshua Tree tour. (A t-shirt that I still have and can’t seem to part with.)

At any rate it’s pretty basic: I frickin’ love U2.

So obviously I knew going in I’d be biased about U2-3D, the 3D concert film that was released on IMAX screens this past Tuesday. But after having seen the movie I don’t really think you have to be as big a fan as I am to enjoy it. It comes down to this: whatever you think of the band, you can’t deny their ability to put on one of the best damned live shows around. And after seeing this movie you can’t deny that seeing that show in 3D is RAD. The combination made for one of the best concert films I’ve seen.

First, lets talk about the 3D element. I’m not some sort of movie-techno-dork, so I don’t know what they did to fix it, but 3D doesn’t give you a headache anymore. It’s easy and pleasant to watch and within minutes you get used to it and almost forget that it’s unusual. And aside from the usual “point at the camera” sorts of gags, there’s all sorts of stuff the filmmakers did that hadn’t even occurred to me, the best being the use of depth within dissolves and superimpositions. Lets say you’re gonna do a super long dissolve from one image of The Edge to another image of The Edge. Well, the second shot can come in IN FRONT of the first shot, if that makes any sense. It was really well done and I admire the new level (or dimension, as it were) the editor had to think about; a whole new way of layering shots on one another. It also was a really bizarre sensation to feel as though Bono and the boys were standing 2 feet in front of me. I feel like I got a better look at them than I ever have, even in person. And while I might now be more acquainted with Bono’s hairline than I might have liked, I also was proven correct in my assessment (at age 14) that The Edge is and has always been the most attractive member of this band. I loves me some Edge! His guitar, keyboards and back-up singing are the core of the U2 sound, if you ask me.

The movie was shot during 4 performances: 3 different shows in South America and one performance with no audience to get close ups. It was then stitched seamlessly into what plays as one concert. The whole set was kick ass. U2 is a tremendously tight band and they’re always fantastic but it really never stops amazing me that they can still play songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday with the same heart they did 20 years ago. They’re a rather political band, as everyone knows, and the passion shows on stage.

I have no qualms with Bono’s activism; I think we’d be in a better world if more people who had the ability to make a real difference tried in the way he does. I do however recognize that he’s somewhat of a melodramatic dork and that was emphasized in 3D. I was particularly thankful to see that the torture re-enactment didn’t make the cut. That’s embarrassing even when you’re totally hopped up on the adrenaline of seeing them live. And I would say the lack of that adrenaline in the other movie goers was the one negative part of my viewing experience. I was seeing it with a decidedly Canadian crowd so there wasn’t the toe tapping I had hoped for. At times I felt like I was the only one who wanted to cheer and shout and sing along. Hopefully if you see it (because I know you will) it’ll be with a large and enthusiastic crowd. I’d say Friday or Saturday night showings are what you wanna hit.

Here’s the set list for those who are interested:

First encore
“The Fly”
“With or Without You”

Second encore/End credits
“Yahweh”

This past weekend was a good one - my father came to visit so there was a lot of incentive to get out and sight see. I saw enough of Vancouver that I feel like I got a real handle on the layout of the city and how to get from point A to point B. We even had a sunny day so he got to see the mountains that are such a vital part of the landscape.

Friday night we had dinner at a place called Aurora Bistro and it was absolutely wonderful. There’s a 2 week thing going on right now called Dine Out Vancouver where you can get a fixed price meal at a whole slew of different restaurants around town. Our meal was nothing short of fantastic and I’ll be sure to go back to Aurora before I leave town.

Saturday during the day we put in a solid, if rainy, day of sight seeing. We drove around Stanley Park then went over to the Main St. area where the restaurant from the night before was and went to the used book store my father had been eying. If there’s anything my father is good at, it’s finding the used bookstores wherever he goes. The clerk told us what he thought was the best used bookstore in town so we proceeded to head over to a place called MacLeod’s Books and spent a good 45 minutes browsing. My father bought a few things and then we went to the neighborhood of Kitsilano which has a whole slew of boutiquey type shops and restaurants. We had lunch there. Crepes, yum!

Saturday night was the highlight of the weekend. We went to see a gentleman named James Ehnes perform 2 of Mozart’s Violin Concertos with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He was doing all 5 of them over the course of 2 nights and we caught the 2nd night. He started the night off by playing Mozart’s Rondo in C Major to make the night a bit longer for those of us who were only hearing 2 of the 5 concertos. Now, I don’t see much classical music (okay, I don’t see ANY classical music) but after this concert I am now a fan of live classical music and am tempted to buy some sort of season ticket thing for the LA Phil. This guy was amazing. Not only was he the soloist but he also conducted the orchestra. And by some strange fluke we were sitting front row center. My father bought the tickets and was completely unaware as to where we were sitting until we got there. I could hear the guy breathing we were so close. I immediately developed a fan crush on the guy - he’s my age and just so damned accomplished. And he was wearing black tie and tails. And all the photos of him in the program have him in a black turtleneck. I’m a sucker for artists in black turtlenecks. Exhibit A:

At any rate, it was a fantastic show, the guy is a babe, and there’s nothing more to say about that.

Sunday the sun was shining! It was great to be able to get out and leave the umbrella at home. We drove up to North Vancouver and wandered around and enjoyed the view at Lonsdale Quay where we also had some lunch. On the way back into downtown we stopped off in Stanley Park again to see the view from Prospect Point while the sun was out and the mountains were visible. Then we walked around downtown and took in some more of the sights like Canada Place, Gastown, and the Vancouver Public Library.

I’m putting pictures up on my Flickr page pretty frequently so check it when you have a chance.

All in all a great weekend, and it feels nice to have a lay of the land so I can get around without being too afraid of getting lost. So who’s coming to visit next?

I’ve gathered up a few links and other tidbits and thought I’d share:

The Library of Congress has started putting its photographs up on Flickr. What fun! You can spend hours perusing. The photos aren’t tagged, so tag away and help out your fellow man while you browse.

Charlie Bartlett, the movie I worked on last year, is finally coming out. The release date is February 22nd, and I expect every last one of you to go see it opening weekend.

I’m a fan of the band Mates of State, a great band made up a married couple. They’re blogging about being married and having kids while on the road. The blog is called Band on the Diaper Run and it’s fun. They just had baby #2, another girl.

Speaking of kids, within the last 6 weeks 4 couples I know have welcomed a total of 5 babies into the world. That’s a whole lotta baby! Perhaps they could all do with the coolest baby shirt in the world.