Concerning Movies (2011)

This post is brought to you by Material Movie, Riaad Moosa’s new flick releasing nationwide on the 17 Feb. Riaad has been encouraging me to write more, and also break into the comedy scene. Riaad, Zain Bhikha and Hashim Amla are my three role models. I will do a post on Material Movie this week.

I have decided to use the same format as my last four year end awards (and apart from a few revisions, the text is almost identical to last years - MJ is lazy!) Don’t forget to check out Waseems list. I would have linked it but his blog is blocked on my work server.

As with all my posts/notes - its subjective. So if you disagree - by all means correct me.

Best animated movie
Rio

Worst Animated Movie
Gnomeo and Juliet

Biggest Laugh out loud moment
The aftermath of the Brazilian food – Bridesmaids

Best Comic Book Movie
X-Men first class

Best Bollywood Movie
I haven’t watched any in 2011

Best Adaptation
Sherlock Holmes 2

Best movie most people will overlook
30 Minutes or Less. (I’l watch Attack the Block tonight mirfaan)

Biggest movie thats not in my list except here just to point out that it didnt win anything
The Kings Speech

Best Sequel
Fast Five

Most surprisingly awesome
Fast Five

Worst movie Waseem picked
Sucker Punch

Best Comedy
Just Go With It

Biggest disappointment
Rango / Immortals

Worst Adaptation
Green Lantern


Worst Movie
How do you Know

Movie of the Year
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The Nicholas Cage award for crap acting
I actually didn’t watch anything with Nicholas Cage in 2011. Good Year.


MJ
(p.s - I might change my mind if I remember something)

Its Too Late for Dholl and Rice

This is a Parody of OneRepublic's and Timbalands 'Too Late to Apologize'. This is the second Timbaland song that I've parodied. the first being

http://www.mjkhan.co.za/2009/02/way-i-are-mj-style.html

Like all my parodies, it helps if you have the song playing in the background

I'm scrubbing with the soap
Picking shampoo off the ground
And I'm hearing what you say
Though the shower drowns the sound
You tell me that I’m lazy
That I’m missing my salaah
But wait...
You tell me that its half one
Didn't think I'd turn around and say..

That it's too late for dholl* and rice, it's too late
I said it's too late for dholl and rice, it's too late

I'd take another route, take a bus, catch the second jamaat
And I need it because its free
(But that's just me showing my jaat)
Yeah yeah

I love it with the paapar, and the carrot pickle too
And I say
Spread it on a trestle, paper plates and jugs of juice
But I'm afraid

It's too late for dholl and rice, it's too late
I said it's too late for dholl and rice, it's too late
Woahooo woah


Let me know what you think

MJ

*Dholl can be replaced with Dhall depending on your geocultural leanings

Concerning Rage

“No, I am not going for a shoe sale”

As I responded to the tenth BBM contact that asked me what I was going to do at Rage this weekend, I realised that the premier gaming event still needs time to embed itself in the public consciousness. This is not so much a slight on the event itself but rather a sobering observation of the industry.

Video Games are an entertainment juggernaut, far outpacing cinema, yet the stereotype of gamers being these awkward, geeky, pimply faced teens is still prevalent in mainstream media.

I attended Rage (my first one) hoping to dispel this notion, and hook up with like minded folks who can discuss objectivist philosophy in bioshock, while being able to pull off a clean headshot.

The first thing that hit me was the amount of cars at the Dome. It took me 20 minutes to find parking. I’ve been to the Dome for a few events (Cirque Du Soleil and its less elegant sister, WWE wrestling) but ‘ive never seen the place so packed. This set the mood, as I like my events to have a buzz (unlike graveyards)

The queues were frustratingly long (well, frustrating for my wife as I had a media pass) but it wasn’t like standing at home affairs. Everyone was excited for previewing new games, grabbing some gamer swag or just hoping to get a glimpse of Lara Croft.

A friend told me that Rage was just Ster Kinekor and EA showing off some games on a small monitor, and the rest of the stalls would be computer retailers, so I was glad he was completely wrong. Xbox, Ubisoft, Nintendo among others had a huge presence, but so did anime vendors and science fiction bobble-head makers. Various Retail stores were touting their goods, with Look and Listen, Cats Digital and Top CD claiming the best spots.

I spent some time interviewing Rocksteady’s Paul Crocker (interview will be uploaded in a few days) as well as Nintendo’s Matthew Grose, to get their thoughts on Batman Arkham city as well as the 3DS respectively.

The main stage was crammed with activities from demos to the obligatory dancing girls. I stuck around for freebies, but I was too far to catch any (note to self – borrow father in laws pool cleaning net for next year)

I popped in at the Lan to do an informal survey, but most of the guys had already moulded into large amorphous gaming beasts, plugged into a vast matrix of red bull and call of duty. On the plus side – Not that many pimples. Take that mainstream media!

The comparisons to E3 and the Tokyo Game Show etc will be made, but at the end of the day, I want to remember Rage for what is was – A celebration of gaming in Africa.

Mj

One Roti to Rule them All

Last year I set the record for the largest roti in South Africa

Yesterday I found the video clip I took while Akash (big guy next to me) made the roti.

Enjoy.

Concerning Plasticine

When I was young, there was no playstation or xbox. But I’m not that old so I did have a Nintendo with Super Mario Brothers. When I was not stomping on goombas or saving attention seeking princesses I used to play with plasticine. Multi coloured strips of modelling clay that unfortunately all tasted the same. Luckily, they weren’t for consumption (experiential learning) and I spent hours creating war time scenes between Noddy and the inhabitants of the Faraway Tree (I was messed up – I guess you can blame the plasticine).

The history of plasticine, or play-doh as its called in America is quite inspirational. Back in the early twentieth century, coal powered furnaces were the preferred choice for heaters. The sooty residue would cling onto the wallpaper and the only way to remove it was to use a clay based cleaner. Kutol Products were one of the companies that manufactured this cleaner. After World War 2 these furnaces were replaced by conversion furnaces (powered by oil or gas) This along with new wallpapers made from vinyl which could be cleaned with soapy water meant that Kutol’s wall cleaner was fast becoming a video cassette in a dvd world.

Luckily, they discovered that kids loved playing with the stuff. So they replaced the solvent smell with an almond scent, added some colouring and re-packaged it as ‘Play-Doh’. Thus saving the company, and making a fortune.

James L. Brooks touched on this story in his crappy Romcom ‘How Do You Know’ (2010) when one of the characters used the story as an analogy to drive home a great quote (in an otherwise forgettable movie)

“We are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work.”

Lego isn’t the same as plasticine. I could build a mean lego house. But that’s about it. Plasticine doesn’t hurt your foot when you step on it. I miss moulding the world in my hands. I miss making dinosaurs and burgers. I miss plasticine.

MJ

References:

Walsh, T (2005) Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Andrews McMeel Publishing. (Pages 115 -119)

How Do You Know (2010) Film. James L. Brooks. United States of America. Gracie Films. Columbia Pictures.

Random Ramblings on the 21st Century Educator

I am currently completing a teaching degree, in the form of three annual short learning programmes, and my first assignment is on the 21st century Educator - as opposed to the 20th Century Educator or as we used to call him at Orient, Hanif.

There is a quote from Lethal Weapon 4 ( 1998 ) that has helped me understand 21st Century educators. It might seem like an unlikely reference

Capt. Ed Murphy: We're dinosaurs headed for extinction.

Martin Riggs: Speak for yourself...

Capt. Ed Murphy: Gotta make way for the NEW-IMPROVED police department; guys with guns and psychology degrees, like Butters, out there.


Similarly, our roles have been redefined and are constantly changing- the hierarchy or authority as it were, is changing due to technological determinism. The educator is no more seen as being the infallible authority, but rather a sometimes hesitant navigator.

The Visionary (one who sees the potential in new technologies and web developments) is perhaps the most difficult to apply in our context. Creativity versus Practicality - To what extent do we draw on First World tools and empower students with skills that they will not use, for markets that do not exist here. So while its cool that everything is digital and that South Korea is replacing text books with ipads (web 1) - can we implement something like this in South Africa?

I think a visionary in our context should be creative, but within practical limits like NQF outcomes or student levels of comprehension. It isn’t fair to impose and assume that the students will see the bigger picture, when for many of us - it only clicked at postgrad. I know this sounds presumptuous, and I don’t want to dismiss student ability, but I do not want a situation where I use a term like visionary just to feed my own ego.

There is a piece of technology that every student brings to the class-room. Cell-phones. Traditionally, cellphones were something that was frowned upon. Distractions that did not belong in the teaching environment. But how can you be an effective journalist without twitter? Or an Aspiring Account manager without a facebook presence?

Social Media has not only redefined organisational culture, but also the culture of work. We are moving from a monochromatic understanding of time to working with deadlines in mind. One of the students whose B Tech I'm supervising is currently doing research on how twitter has supplanted radio when it comes to breaking news. The world is changing, its up to the classroom to catch up.

MJ