SISEPUEDE
Made a couple of Barack Obama background images for my own personal use. Thought I’d put them up. If you like them, yay. If you don’t, boo.
SISEPUEDE
gimme some Tags: america, background, barack obama, election 2008, obama, obama logo, politics, sisepuede, usa, wallpaper, yes we can
Friday, August 8, 2008 | musings
Updates!
gimme some Tags: changes, klondike contest, new design, new films, new work, q manning portfolio, q manning resume, recent, resume, update, what would you do for a klondike bar
Fixed the WordPress update problem. It’ll rear its head again, next time there’s an update, unless I figure out a new solution for file structure. I think I’ve got one though, so hopefully that won’t happen again.
So I’ve updated my resumes. As they were deleted previously, rather than just upload what I had, I did a retooling.
There are lots of things I’m qualified for. I’ve spent most of my life learning new skills, because I seemingly have an insatiable desire to know how to do everything. And if there’s a goal I need accomplished, and no one’s around to do it, then I take on those duties and figure it out myself.
Some would say good at lots of things, great at none. I wouldn’t agree necessarily, but hey, it’s self-effacing, so why not mention it :p
Either way, both my Film Resume and Design Resume have been updated with some new information and a swanky new design that I likes a lot 
Simple, elegant, and honestly, a little feminine.
I <3 Pink!
At the top, you’ll also see a link to the Portfolio section. This isn’t really a selection, but a way that visitors can access my work without having to weed through discussions or topics that the other categories may contain as well as the actual work I’ve done. So if you’re primarily interested in seeing my work (what small amount of the huge whole that i’ve had the chance to upload to this site) then that’s the link you’ll click.
Oh, and you can now come back to this page by going to makeprettythings.com rather than needing to use the full path through bleutuna.com as was the case previously.
Stuff’s happening with the Klondike contest. Note, I didn’t say good stuff. Just unknown stuff. Either I’ll be making an announcement that we’re a semifinalist soon or I’ll host the high-res version of the movie here on the site. In Quicktime, of course.
Giant Klondike Bullies Girl! News at 11!
gimme some Tags: angela maldonado, chocolate, cinematography, color correction, color grading, dancing, directing, director, ice cream, jennifer blair, john gholson, klondike, klondike bar, klondike commercial, klondike contest, klondike video contest commercial, lesley sullivan, lighting, lots of televisions, motion design, motion graphics, paul gandersman, peter yoder, polar bear, prop building, puppy, q manning, sculpting, set decoration, smiling, what would you do for a klondike bar, writer
So, there’s this contest, you see, where people create ‘commercials’ on the subject of ‘What Would You Do For a Klondike Bar?’
My group and I did a couple of commercials, and one of them I’m wanting to share here, and hopefully, garner some more votes. So let’s get that out of the way first:
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO! YAY!
What did I do on this video? Well, I wrote, directed, shot, edited, color graded, sound designed and did the motion graphics work. Oh, I also sculpted/built the big, huge, stinkin Klondike bar, with the help of Lesley Sullivan and Angela Maldonado.
John Gholson does the amazing voice for the Klondike, and he initially had the concept of a ‘giant klondike bar.’ Jennifer Blair plays the lovely lady who is doing all the deeds, and Paul Gandersman plays the dumped fiance.
Lesley Sullivan and Peter Yoder produced this, which means they busted their ass making sure everything went well. Lesley made the ’skirt’ for the klondike, which looks so much like foil it blows my mind.
Angela oversaw the ADR session, giving me the CLEANEST audio I’ve ever gotten. It was amazing.
Alright. Go watch the video. And vote! OH, and if you want to see a higher quality version, just ask me. I’ve got one, I’m just keeping it on the downlow until the voting period is over 
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO! YAY!
The 5 Worst Things about The Dark Knight
gimme some Tags: Aaron Eckhart, bale's batman voice, batman, Batman Begins, batmobile, batpod, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, grappling hook, heath ledger, hong kong, IMAX, list, maggie gyllenhaal, money, the dark knight, Tim Burton, what's wrong, Worst things
Since the film’s been out for a week now, and I’ve seen it twice, I finally feel able to talk about what I didn’t like about the film. Couple of things…
First, I LOVE The Dark Knight. This is the best super hero film ever. Without a doubt. Surpassing even Unbreakable for me. Ledger’s amazing. Eckhart’s impressive. Bale’s Bruce Wayne is heartbreaking. Oldman’s Gordon is true, and right and perfection.
Second, this list will have SPOILERS. I can’t talk about the things I think are crappy without stating what makes them crappy. Plus, a lot of the things that drive me nuts happen in parts un-initiated audiences have no clue about. So, with that being said, you’ve been warned. There are spoilers ahead.
Oh, and third…you don’t have to agree with me. You can think I’m full of crap. That’s fine. Tell me why I’m wrong, I implore you. These are just the opinions of a burgeoning, LESSER filmmaker than Chris Nolan analyzing a property he holds near and dear to his heart. So, without any other fodder…
A Reply to Chris Nolan
I
love Nolan. I love Batman. I want money to make movies. I’m excited for this film.
But is he crazy? Movies cost more than ever. And it’s not spectacle that makes it work, it’s not using great, super-high resolution 70mm(65mm) film.
It’s finding a character and discovering the “why” of who they are, and then watching that motivate their actions. When you care about who’s on screen, what they’re doing, and what the ultimate stakes will be. That doesn’t cost a lot of money. And as Nolan will prove with Batman (as all the reviews have continued to pour in) that you can do it with a lot of money as well.
Batman (and Iron Man and Wall*E) demonstrates that big movies can make big money *IF* the story, the actors, and the spirit of the characters is present. Maybe Nolan’s just so good at it, he doesn’t realize how hard it is for some filmmakers to capture so perfectly.
As long as we can believe what’s happening on the screen, and have sympathy, we’ll pay and return time and again. Lucky for all of us, Nolan’s a master at it himself.
Hancock Review (7.5 out of 10)
gimme some Tags: batman, charlize theron, crime fighter, eagles, hancock, hancock review, hellboy II, iron man, jason bateman, john hancock, meteor man, peter berg, superhero, the hulk, unbreakable, vince gilligan, vincent ngo, whisky, will smith
7.5 out of 10
When Hollywood tries to make their own superhero movies, they tend to fail. Whether it’s something silly like Meteor Man or amazing like Unbreakable, comic hero style movies that don’t have a comic to fall back on tend to underperform.
So when Sony Pictures decides to bring out Hancock in what has critically and domestically been *the* greatest summer for superhero films, you’ve gotta’ wonder what they’re thinking.
There are no long-time readers of Hancock like their are for Hulk, Iron Man, Batman or even Hellboy. So no naturally built-in audience, save the one that loves to go see Will Smith movies. Frankly, I’m on that list. I love Will Smith. Six Degrees of Seperation showed us all that he had serious acting chops, I’ve been a supporter. So I can forgive things like Wild Wild West or Men in Black II.
If Hancock is to succeed in the best superhero movie summer ever, it damn well better deliver something unforseen. The good news is…it does. Hancock, above all other things, is interesting.
YES WE CAN…not be Obama Apologists!
gimme some Tags: backtrack, barack, benedict arnold, Bill Clinton, centrist, corporate benefits, coward, Democrat, fisa, flip flop, iraq war, john mccain, left, liar, NAFTA, obama, Republican, taxes, turncoat, universal healthcare
UGH.
This sums up my feelings so damn well. I feel like I walked in on my wife cheating on me with another man, and she just looked at me, shrugged her shoulders and went back to what she was doing. Like Little Bill in Boogie Nights, the person I have so much affection for is going somewhere else and leaving me and my ideals in the dust.
Barack Obama is flip-flopping. Not a little bit. Not on one issue, but one by one, he’s changing and softening his stance on the issues that got him where he’s at in the first place.
I understand the concept that “In the primaries you move to your base, and in the General Election you move to the center.” This makes sense, to a degree. But this is worse than that, because Obama is one of the lucky ones that has no reason to do this.
This is with all the “leftist” rhetoric, with all his crazy thoughts, with Rush Limbaugh and every right-wing blow-hard aiming all their vitriol at him and letting go with Bill Clinton-era abandon.
Why? Because his message resonated with the American public!
When gas prices are through the rough, when food costs are sky-rocketing, when the housing market is in turmoil, when corporations continue to make huge profits while the middle-class is burdened with high taxes, Obama’s populist message had done what it’s supposed to - reach the populace!
Monday, June 23, 2008 | politics
(866) 675-2008
gimme some Tags: 866 675 2008, backtrack, barack, filibuster, fisa, immunity, liar, moveon.org, obama, pledgebank, telecom
Barack Obama is beginning to backtrack on his willingness to hold telecommunications companies accountable for participating in domestic spying on individuals.
We all know that the Bush administration has done everything in its power to give the Executive branch of the government unfettered access to phone and data lines so that they can ‘watch for terrorism.’
Obviously, this is a big, huge, freakin’ slam against our civil liberties. It’s ridiculous, and everyone who is responsible should be held accountable. Especially the telecommunications company’s that make it possible.
With the new FISA bill about to be passed, Obama has been grumbling that he will support the compromise that isn’t a compromise at all. The compromise that lets telecom companies retain their immunity, no matter how complacent they are.
DON’T LET HIM DO IT!
Obama’s entire campaign is built upon the foundation of those who believe in him, believe in his ability to do what’s right for this country. It’s the generation of internet users out there, those of us who have pushed, read, and passed along all information we could to help build support for the most unlikely of candidates during this long political battle.
MoveOn.org has started a campaign to hold Obama to his promise to filibuster and vote against telecom immunity. Call Obama’s presidential headquarters at (866) 675-2008. If you don’t get through, keep calling until you talk to a human being and tell them how strongly you feel about Obama keeping his word.
Now is the time to show our candidate that he is there for us, not for himself. That if he’s going to switch and flip-flop, he better had a damn good reason why, and if he doesn’t, then he’s just as bad as anyone else that’s ran for office, and he can stick his “Hope for Change” where the sun doesn’t shine.
Also, if you want to go a step further, which I implore you to do, visit DivestObama and let him know you won’t be donating any further monies to his campaign unless he remains true blue on this issue.
Wall-E Review
gimme some Tags: andrew stanton, animation, apple, brad bird, bug's life, cars, corporations, design, earth, finding nemo, fred willard, jonathan ive, pixar, pollution, review, space ship, the incredibles, toy story, trash, Wal-Mart, Wall e, Wall*e, watchmen
9.5 out of 10
I waited a bit to do this review, mainly because I’d heard it through the grapevine that we were all supposed to keep our keyboards closed after the screening I attended.
The Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar here in Austin played host to the first public screening of Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E, with a big thanks to Harry Knowles for continuing to bring us fantastic opportunities like this.
But, enough time has passed, and I’ve just gotta’ say it: Wall-E is magnificent.
Everything you could imagine wanting from this film, you’re going to get, and so much more that you probably never saw coming.
Speculation Devastation
gimme some Tags: barack obama, bonds, deficit, economy, fascism, free-market, gas, george bush, oil, speculation, stock market, stocks, taxation, taxes, wheat
I’m not going to propose to be an expert on the stock market. Or anything financial, really. My forte in life has never been finances, as I’m not some genius when it comes to my own checkbook.
I’m not someone who feels that rich/wealthy/affluent people are to cause for the woes of the poor. Just because someone’s successful doesn’t mean they’ve gotten there by stepping on the backs of others.
With that being said…
One thing keeps sticking out to me about our current economy. Speculation. Basically people investing in something that has a proven track record. When they invest, it becomes more valuable, so the price goes up. And people keep investing, because the price is going up, and everyone wants a piece of it.
See a pattern? And that’s why housing prices went up a few years ago. That’s why gas prices are through the roof. That’s why the price of wheat, grains, corns and other food necessities keep moving northward.
Because since people need something, they’ll shell out whatever money thy have to. Or get it however they can.
OH Wait! Gimme More!
