Macgirl's Media pick of the Week - U2 360!

The stage, pre-showThis week I'm giving a shout-out to a concert.  The current U2 stadium tour, U2 360, is a fantastic spectacle and a great example of using technology for art.  First, the obvious-the music was good.  If you are even remotely interested in U2, you will enjoy the playlist.  The amplification in the area we visited (the soon-to-be defunct Giants Stadium) was great; they sounded wonderful, and the instruments were highlighted without being over-blown.

The stage was a huge spidery-looking structure at the far end of the stadium.  It is supported on 4 legs, and open all around.  I was surprised that it was not in the center of the stadium, being the 360 tour, but it was still fairly accessible for everyone in the stadium.  The technicians and directors did an amazing job, effectively creating a high-quality concert video on the fly, using another part of the set- a huge circular/conical screen hovering above the band.  Some of the best moments of the show were captured on this huge screen.  The production of the show seen on the screen was fast-paced and entertaining.  The constant switching and careful coordination was really impressive; I was envious of the talented video crew in the production booth.  They also incorporated color and lights throughout the show, on par with some of the most dazzling Disney shows I've seen. 

mid-show, taken with iPhone

If you go, be sure to take note of the massive coordinated effort behind the scenes to make it all work.  It will make you appreciate the show all the more.

If you can't make it, re-live some of their greatest hits on iTunes: U2 The Best of 1980-1990

I had a chance to make a panorama before the show, using an iPhone 3GS with the app "Pano".  It worked very well, considering the size of the venue and the camera quality of the phone:

Wednesday Website of the Week - RiffTrax

So I'm a sci-fi nerd, and I can't get enough of the old sci-fi movies...even the bad ones.  Enter my 20 year devotion to all things Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K to those in the know).  The focus of the show (which included skits and a cute intro and outro) had funny people talking over cheesy "B" movies, and much hilarity ensued.

So some of the gang from that great show have a different venture now, called RiffTrax.  My favorite comedian of the MST3K days, Mike Nelson, teamed up with Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy and others, to make bad movies funny again.  Its pretty easy to use RiffTrax- you rent or Netflix a DVD they have a RiffTrax for, and simply play them in sync.  Or, you can download full movies with the tracks layered over.  They sell DVDs as well. 

If you are nostalgic for some good old-fashioned MST3K, this is a close runner up to the original, and it may even be better.

Macgirl's Media Pick of the Week: Teen Angst via 1984

Ahh, 1984 (the actual year that is, not the book...)

With the passing this week of John Hughes, I wanted to give homage to one of his best- and my personal favorite- movie.  His first big release, Sixteen Candles, truly captured the emotions and behaviors of teens in high school.  The geeky guys were honest and realisticly portrayed, the popular kids were shown with the right mix of obnoxious, and just being kids.  It was with this movie that my lifelong crushes on both Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall began. (well not so much the later, beefed up Hall...)

Anyone who could turn to a boy at a dance and dub him Farmer Ted would have been a friend of mine.

In honor of Hughes and his portrails of adolescence, pull out your old VHS of The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles, or even Pretty in Pink.  And if you've long since lost it in a split with an ex, buy it on iTunes, and get ready to rock to the Psychedelic Furs.

Macgirl Media Pick of the Week: Ministry

This week we re-visit my youth...back to the teen-angst filled, moody days of highschool...and one of my (still) favorite bands.   It's a great industrial band to whet your whistle:  Ministry.  I'm choosing to highlight the 1988 classic Land of Rape and Honey.  We could talk about the album Twitch, (also a fav of mine), produced before Rape and Honey, but that album had more of a dance/snyth feel.  The Land of Rape and Honey LP is just more intense and powerful...and long overdue for a new listening with my non-teen, less angsty (is that a word?) and just as moody (sorry BF) ears.  Of course, you can download a copy for yourself on iTunes:  Ministry's Land of Rape and Honey.

Macgirl's Media pick of the week 3/28/09

This week I'm completely obsessed with the newly released trailer for the Spike Jonze film Where the Wild Things Are...and c'mon, you have to be pretty cold and heartless not to see the charm in this film already. Check it out, then meet me back here:

Total magic, right? I'm hoping the entire film lives up to the hype. Honestly, I don't see how I could be disappointed. The book, wonderful as it is (and worth picking up a copy to enjoy, even now as an adult), is only 48 pages in hardcover, and mostly illustrations at that. (oh what wonderful illustrations). Carefully written and a powerful children's book, I can't wait to see it on film.

In the meantime, here's a link to my favorite Spike Jonze film, in iTunes: Being John Malkovich. Hopefully it can help tide me over until October...