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Glorious Pam learns how to shred that pink mammoth box!

I drew this at work today while stuff was being slow.

It’s admidst work notes. It did not take 2 hours. If it had taken 2 hours I would have shot myself.

Well, I would have wanted to. I don’t keep guns at work.

I don’t have a gun.

by Andrew Bowcock

Richard Kelly is partially responsible for my obsession with film, as his 2001 cult phenomenon, Donnie Darko, altered my expectations of what films can do.  Ever since I first saw Darko in 2002 I’ve had a difficult time watching films the same way, as I’ve almost always been under the impression that there’s more going on than we simply see on the screen or have told by the characters.  It seemed like a long dry spell before Kelly came out with his follow up film, Southland Tales, an ambitious film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and was met with almost universally poor reception.  Since I was such a big Darko fan, I had a hard time believing the same guy could release something else that wasn’t anything less than brilliant and crafted with incredible precision…but even I initially didn’t know what to make of Southland Tales. After now seeing it several times and having read the preceding graphic novel that Kelly created to accompany the film’s plot, I’ve grown in fondness for the whacked-out, absurd, colorful and entertaining satirical version of the Book of Revelation (though it still has nothing on his first effort).

When I heard that Richard Kelly was going to adapt a short story by the mighty Richard Matheson, I was very intrigued.  When I heard that Cameron Diaz was one of the stars, I was a bit less excited…but figured it still might be not be a disaster when considering that somehow Kelly made the ridiculously bizarre, spotty cast of Southland Tales work to fit its own eccentric mood.

The tale of The Box (based on Matheson’s Button, Button) is about a young married couple in the 1970’s struggling to make ends meet during some personal and financial struggles.  The husband, Arthur Lewis (James Marsden) is a scientist that works for NASA, one who has aspirations to be an astronaut but somehow fails the psychological exam, while his wife, Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) is a schoolteacher who has been informed that she’ll soon be laid off.  One fateful day a mysterious box arrives on their porch – its contents are simply a small black box with a big red button.  The next day a well-dressed man with formidable and prominent facial scars, Mr. Steward (Frank Langella) appears at their front door explaining the box’s purpose – if the red button is pressed, the couple will receive one million dollars…but the catch is a killer (literally): the pressing of the button will also result in the death of some person somewhere in the world whom they do not know.  They have one day to decide before the box will be picked up by this “Mr. Steward,” reprogrammed, and sent to somebody else who they do not know.

After squabbling over whether or not this whole thing could be real and thinning the list of options, the couple decides to push the button…if anything, out of curiosity.  Mr. Steward returns as he promised, reinforcing what he said before and giving them the money.  However from this point forward Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are met with some bizarre challenges as they try to uncover the truth about Mr. Steward and the purpose of his provisions.  Also, each decision they make seems to be accompanied with counterproductive results, making the pushing of the red button easily one of the worst decisions they’ve ever made.

Just like Kelly’s Southland Tales, The Box has been receiving mixed to poor reviews from critics and it’s understandable why.  Though this film has a somewhat intriguing premise, it feels a bit undercooked by the end.  The mood is a bit reminiscent of Donnie Darko as it has elements of atmospheric horror threaded in with the film’s philosophical quips and sci-fi flavored suspense, but unfortunately the true struggle in The Box doesn’t lie in the choice of whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Lewis will push the button, but whether or not Richard Kelly is actually making a generic film.  The first 20 minutes or so of this film feel pretty lazy…just like they were directed to appeal to as general of a public as you can get.  However, once the film’s plot starts to move, it feels a bit messy…kind of like the rest of the film wanted to stay put whereas the director is trying to pull it in a direction it doesn’t want to go.

There are some minor twists as the film progresses and there are a couple of sequences that I might even deem as “great,” but by the end it almost feels like a good deal of fuss for very little.  However, before I try to beat this film with a criticism stick like most reviewers seem to be doing, I’m actually going to go out on a limb and say that I actually enjoyed this movie…flaws and all.  Maybe it’s partially because I’m a Richard Kelly enthusiast, but I prefer to weigh it in context, so let’s do that:

For me, Donnie Darko was pretty close to being a perfectly constructed film.  It truly just works in just about every aspect whether or not you have a full grasp of what’s going on, so I would call Kelly a great director based just on that one film.  When doing Southland Tales he took on the ambitious feat of creating a film that tried to do everything Darko did but on a much larger scale…and thus (many would argue) he got into trouble trying to make broad strokes while retaining a multi-faceted plot.  With The Box it feels like Kelly’s trying to pull back the reigns a bit, but unfortunately his ambitions for constructing a complex mystery seem a bit misplaced when plugged into this little story.  Though I like some of the things he did with this film visually and conceptually (a key scene set in a library near the last third of the film, in my opinion, was especially amazing, and one sequence near the end stabbed my emotions rather effectively). I feel like his style and imagination are just more fitting when they work by themselves and not in accordance with another story.  When watching The Box it kind of felt like two films – one was Matheson’s story bleeding through while the other was Richard Kelly trying to tell his version of what was going on.  If you appreciate Kelly enough as an artist and philosopher, you might find it enjoyable…if not, it will most likely prod or annoy you.

Is it one of the best films of the year?  Is it Kelly’s best work?  A big no on both accounts, but there is enough for a viewer to enjoy if they’re looking for a simple science-fiction-mystery that’s attempting to be something more, whether or not it succeeds on all cylinders.  I’ll tell you one thing, it’s much more enjoyable than the horribly conceived version The Twilight Zone did of Matheson’s story in the 1980’s.

___________________________________________________________________________

photo sources:

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/
http://alexhluch.files.wordpress.com/
http://justpressplay.today.com/

other resources:

http://www.imdb.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://metacritic.com/

TRISTAR sent over an early Thanksgiving present yesterday and supplied me with a blaster of their new 2009 Prospects + product.  You can find these at many retail outlets such as Wal-Mart and Target.  For full hobby boxes be sure to check your local card shop or favorite online dealer.

Design:

TRISTAR has really improved the design of this year’s Prospects +.  Last year’s base cards seemed a little over done with the chrome like finish and what looked from a distance like a die cut design.  ’09 Prospects + returns to a simpler design that contains color in the background versus just plain white which has been done before.

Price:

You should be able to find these blasters for between $10.00 and $20.00 at places like Wal-Mart and Target.  That seems about right for the average blaster box.

Hit Quality:

You can’t expect to get a ton of hits, if any, from a blaster box.  Have blasters been known to yield big hits in the past?  Sure.  Is it possible to pull autographs and relics from blasters?  Absolutely.  But it is much harder than your standard hobby box, especially a decent hit.  Hobby boxes of ‘09 Prospects + yield 9 hits on average.  Blasters on the other hand don’t guarantee anything.  You get one pack with 20 cards.  I didn’t pull any autographs or relics but thats what you expect from a blaster.  I like the Stephen Strasburg Crystal Ballers which are retail exclusive and can be found in 5 different color variations.  I pulled the green version from my blaster.  For some reason they remind me of an insert that could have been pulled from the 90’s.  They also have that sketch card look to them.  Be sure to look for Obak update cards within this product too.  Obak was probably my favorite retro product this year.

Overall:

Overall, I give this product 3 baseballs out of 5 (1=poor & 5=perfect).  Prospects + will always be a great contender against other prospect based products like Bowman.  If your looking for guaranteed hits, I would suggest spending the extra money for a hobby box.  These blasters are great for that prospect collector who is looking for that quick fix.

All of the contents of the box have been stained or water-damaged (I hope) at some point.  This vial is still readable as “Ectoplasm specimen #3 – 1931.”

I can only surmise that there may be other boxes in other locations as the first two specimens are not present in the box.  That weirds me out quite a bit considering other pandorian surprises await out there.

This vial seal appears to be intact, but I’m still wary.  This “ectoplasm” appears to be pretty substantial and gooey after all these years.  I have no idea how or where great-granddad got a sample of it.

Pretty gross.

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ArtCases. Pasión por la perfección en cases para equipos de alto valor

ArtCases es la empresa más vanguardista en construcción de Cases para equipos de alto valor en Venezuela. Su desempeño combina conocimientos profundos de ingeniería, ergonomía, carpintería, diseño industrial y estética en orden de crear cases exclusivos para equipos, instrumentos, luces y cónsolas entre muchos otros. Tenemos el grado de anunciarles que pronto su website, diseñado por nuestra compañía, se encontrará en Internet para deleite de todos los participantes del mundo del espectáculo. Les dejo la dirección:

www.artcases.com.ve

Boxed Angels

I do not question that love was the strength
that kept us together and will, in ways,
keep us together ever – and then some.
 
We reached heights I had never imagined;
lows I only feared in nightmarish dream
when the past wrestled with our present life.
 
No fingerprints can be found on the point
when poison took control of heart and mind,
pushed irrationality in between.
 
I collected angels for a long time,
perhaps hoping for peace and renewal,
a place away from where we found ourselves.
 
They’re all packed in boxes now, and like them,
we wait to be lifted to life again.
 
 
Siobhan
11-24-09

On November 21^st,  Brooklynite Gallery celebrated the opening of “Go Get Your Shinebox”. This group show features over 100 works from artists all looking to answer the question of how to survive in these economic times by creating their own interpretation of a  “Survival Box.”  Brooklynite Gallery has commissioned some of their favorite established and emerging artist to take on this challenge and the responses are breathtaking. Artists such as Dain, Miss Bugs, PaperMonster, Anthony Lister, Ben Eine, Jace, Thundercut, Skewville, Ben Frost, Jon Burgerman, Specter, Know Hope, Kosbe, Gaia, Hush, and many more have all created a one of a kind box, each taking the concept of the show one step further. You can view the entire lists of artists participating and more information by visiting Brooklynite Gallery’s Site. The show runs until December 19th. Go check it out!

“GO GET YOUR SHINEBOX”
Featuring Over 100 Artists
Trying to Survive in This Economy

November 21 – December 19
OPENING RECEPTION: NOV. 21, 7-10 PM (NY)

334 MALCOLM X BLVD.
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11233
A or C Subway to UTICA AVE.

artwork by Papermonster.

…aus Papier!

Ein kleiner Vogel wird wohl nicht drin Platz finden… aber gaaanz viel und gut duftendes Potpourri!

2009 is drawing to a close, and 2010 is waiting in the wings… Our dynamic team at Badec Bros Deco will be taking a well-deserved break from 18 December 2009, until 6 January 2010. You have until Thursday, 26 November 2009 to place your orders for delivery in 2009! From next week on, we will be taking the orders for 2010.

Therefore, should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, pergola, arch, sculpture or trellis, you can contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

2009 is drawing to a close, and 2010 with all of its opportunities and challenges is peeping around the corner …

Our dynamic team at Badec Bros Deco will be taking a well-deserved break from 18 December 2009, until 6 January 2010. We thank you for your valued support and wish you a blessed Christmas and joyous festive season. We look forward to collaborating with you in the new year.

Remember, should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, pergola, arch, sculpture or trellis, you can contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it! Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

We have had quite a few requests to provide décor ideas to hide unsightly air conditioning units in gardens. Badec Bros Deco specializes in feature walls, such as gabion feature walls. These designer walls are ideal to hide air conditioning units, unsightly views, or ugly old walls, without having to remove the existing wall.

We manufacture our gabion walls from 30mm x 3mm angle iron, which is welded together to ensure a strong frame. Then we weld strong, steel mesh onto the frame to create the shape of the wall. Once the hollow wall structure has been manufactured, we install it on site and fill it with pebbles, slate stone or chunky quartzite gravel.

Alternatively, we can also construct mild steel feature walls and add intricate detail to the surface of the steel to decorate it. There are three finishes to choose from. We can powder coat the feature wall in any colour imaginable, or we can apply mild steel finish or a rusted finish. Our powder coating is SABS approved.

Badec Bros Deco can also manufacture mild steel screens. These screens can be used to create privacy or to hang Cubedec hanging pots or hanging sculptures onto. We can customize our mild steel screens to any size and shape and with a wide range of finishes, such as powder coating in any colour, mild steel finish or a rust effect or even wooden cladding.

Should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec feature wall, steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, pergola, arch, sculpture or trellis, please feel free to contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

The time had come for Fred to confront Bud about his overeating.

wach owt! he gonna eet u!!

Picture by: Dana Caption by: Gia via Loldog Builder

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Dos misterios orbitan alrededor de The Box. Uno es sobre la película misma y otro sobre su director, el joven prodigio Richard Kelly. Convertido en estrella gracias al éxito inesperado de Donnie Darko, naufragó en Cannes con Southland Tales. La primera es una película independiente (atendiendo a todas sus características: situada en una pequeña población norteamericana, actores comerciales en papeles secundarios, retrato costumbrista-crítico de una comunidad) que se ve invadida por la presencia de toques fantásticos hasta convertirse en una experiencia cercana al cine de David Lynch o David Cronenberg. Su segundo trabajo parte de una premisa bien distinta: una distopía que apela a un futuro multirreferencial, invadido por la cultura pop, donde cualquier sentimiento e ideología han perdido su significado. Su humor estúpido y su desfase estético fueron motivo de condena para muchos, pese a que se podría entender sin ningún problema como continuación directa de Donnie Darko.

En las dos primeras películas de Kelly nos encontramos ante unos personajes que intentan escapar de un mundo que determina su existencia, pero donde aparece una persona que es capaz de subvertir ese orden de las cosas. En Donnie Darko, el orden espacio-temporal del universo golpeado por aquello que todavía desconocemos. En Southland Tales parecen moverse muchos más niveles en una relación compleja: desde la guerra de Iraq (con un solemne y emocionante “remember Fallujah”) hasta nuevamente las leyes del universo: espacios que se comprimen y tiempos que se superponen.  Southland Tales es una película mucho más quebrada y dispersa que Donnie Darko. Es un universo en descomposición, un mundo que camina inevitablemente hacia su destrucción y en el que la ideología (el neomarxismo) olvida su valor primigenio.

Tras ver The Box, se podría aplicar todo lo dicho anteriormente. El principio es excelente. Lo mejor de Richard Kelly es su habilidad para proponer argumentos. Un matrimonio ante un dilema moral (supongo que a estas alturas todo el mundo conoce su argumento, en caso contrario que utilice alguna base de datos de las recomendadas). Aunque la pareja es también el dilema en sí mismo. Él es un científico de la NASA y ella una profesora de filosofía. Al igual que en Donnie Darko, el pensamiento científico se mueve en unos márgenes poco definidos que lo acercan al pensamiento mágico. En este sentido, lo más sorprendente de la película es que Kelly filma las escenas en la NASA de forma muy misteriosa y, sin embargo, las apariciones fantásticas se muestran con muchísima naturalidad.

Para comentar esto último con mayor extensión, sería interesante tratar otra constante habitual del cineasta norteamericano: su gusto por contextualizar sus películas. En Donnie Darko, los años 80, la era Reagan y el auge de la Mayoría Moral. En Southland Tales, un futuro asediado por el cambio climático, por la dictadura de los mass-media, la guerra y la degeneración del conflicto ideológico. Para The Box, Kelly se traslada a 1976, tiempo en el que el país norteamericano vio el fin de la guerra de Vietnam, pero también el del movimiento contracultural. Perdió la esperanza en el cambio político, en la figura del presidente, tras el escándalo Watergate. Tanto en Donnie Darko como en The Box, la política se mantiene en off, pero el comportamiento de los personajes parece determinado por el devenir histórico del momento. En estos dos casos, las familias aparentemente felices se quiebran ante la aparición de lo paranormal y lo inexplicable, a la manera de David Lynch. Para directores como Lynch o Kelly (por citar dos entre muchos), lo fantástico es una forma de “hacer ver” la realidad. Lo real se halla tan contaminado (por la política, por los medios de comunicación) que la única forma de romper esa barrera es ir en busca de todo lo contrario.

Pero para The Box, es difícil saber si es más inexplicable toda la serie de circunstancias surrealistas que le acontecen a la pareja protagonista (desde dilemas kafkianos hasta una aparición de un siniestro Santa Claus) o todos los acontecimientos políticos del país: el caso Watergate, la llegada a la luna o la carrera nuclear auspiciada por la guerra fría. De ahí que los planos de las grandes estructuras de la NASA que filma el director parezcan algo ajeno a nuestra concepción de la realidad, tanto como la intriga fantástica que se desarrolla (con poca fortuna). En la película se cita a Sartre (el dilema moral), pero al final termina acercándose (de nuevo citando) a Arthur C. Clarke y su ciencia ficción de vertiente científica. Se trata pues, de un cineasta que parece moverse más cómodo en la ficción que en la propia realidad, aunque en última instancia su cine parece una reflexión acerca de esa gran ficción llamada América.

For my first blog entry I thought I should introduce you to something I love, jewelery and cakes which Meow Box bring together perfectly.

Handmade charms and jewelery in the form of cute cakes and treats. The web site also imports certain brands from Japan. The jewellery is brilliant quality and suprisingly light, I own a cupcake necklace which is beautiful if delicate.

MEOW BOX