Friday, December 20, 2013
Must Have - Vespa 946
Everybody that knows me, knows that I ride a scooter, it's my only way of transportation, and my favorite one. It saves you from traffic, the dreadfulness of never finding a parking space, and escape the awful network of public transportation. But one thing is to ride a scooter, another is to ride the new Vespa 946. I'm in love! Check it out!!!
The 2013 Vespa 946 scooter (no it’s not powered by a 946 cc engine) takes its design inspirations from the original World War II era MP6 prototype with modern-day technology. The Vespa 946’s monocoque is made out of steel but makes use of aluminum on the fenders, side plates, seat unit, and handlebars to reduce weight and achieve a better ride and fuel economy. The 946 is equipped with LED headlight and taillight.
The Vespa 946 scooter is powered by an air-cooled 1-cylinder 125cc four-stroke engine that produces 11.4 horsepower (bhp) and 7.9 pound-feet of torque; these are small numbers but the Vespa 946 is about fuel economy and ease of riding. The new Vespa gets 129 miles per gallon and produces 30% less emissions than the model it replaces.
Merry Christmas from Alex and Sierra - Winners of the 2013 X Factor USA - Congratulations!
Since the day they have sang Toxic, in thei audition, I fell in love with them. So happy they have won! Congrats.
Here is one of the Finale performances : "All I want for Christmas is you"
Artist of the week - Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956), known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was well known for his unique style of drip painting.
During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety, a major artist of his generation. Regarded as reclusive, he had a volatile personality, and struggled with alcoholism for most of his life. In 1945, he married the artist Lee Krasner, who became an important influence on his career and on his legacy.
Pollock died at the age of 44 in an alcohol-related, single-car accident; he was driving. In December 1956, several months after his death, Pollock was given a memorial retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. A larger, more comprehensive exhibition of his work was held there in 1967. In 1998 and 1999, his work was honored with large-scale retrospective exhibitions at MoMA and at The Tate in London.
" Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn't have any beginning or any end. He didn't mean it as a compliment, but it was."
- Jackson Pollock
See some of my favourite works from Pollock after the jump...
Thursday, December 19, 2013
My Top 10 Tv Shows of 2013
Here is the list of my favorite top 10 tv shows of 2013:
See the complete list after the jump...
See the complete list after the jump...
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
HOBBIT: THE "DISILLUSION" OF SMAUG by Sara Lucena
Penso que andamos todos bastante entusiasmados com a nova estreia do Hobbit. Os posters, imagens e trailers pareciam revelar um filme muito mais cativante do que o primeiro. Repleto de fabulosas cenas de acção que Peter Jackson tão bem nos habituou na trilogia de Lord of The Rings (LOTR). Contudo, depois de o ver, apercebi-me que mais uma vez P.J. falhou em deslumbrar-me com este segundo filme de Hobbit. Custa-me dize-lo, mas Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug é uma valente desilusão...
O filme sabe a pouco. As cenas parecem feitas a correr e sente-se bastante a falta do perfeccionismo e trabalho na realização de P.J., que fica muito longe da executada no LOTR. Existem algumas cenas que não parecem feitas pela mesma equipa, que primava na perfeição da caracterização, tanto de cenários como das personagens. Primeiro e a mais evidente no filme, é a má caracterização dos anões, onde se vê claramente e escandalosamente as luvas de borracha que têm, no lugar das mãos. Para mim revela apenas uma enorme preguiça da parte da equipa de maquilhagem e de caracterização, onde os anões parecem saídos de um programa para crianças. Outra falha, é na criação dos famosos pés de Hobbit. No LOTR, os actores comentavam que lhes custava imenso estarem duas ou três horas só para a caracterização dos pés, para aparecerem em duas ou três cenas, mas Peter Jackson era assim... queria que tudo fosse perfeito e realista. Onde está esse trabalho neste Bilbo, onde parece que se limitaram a calçar-lhe uns pantufos de pés de Hobbit, bastante exagerados e falsos?
Embora tudo isto acabe por tirar mérito ao filme, aquilo que mais me surpreendeu foi a péssima (talvez uma palavra um pouco forte) realização de P.J.. Já não temos o mesmo tipo de movimentos de câmara, aquelas viagens por dentro dos cenários, deslumbrando-nos a cada momento. A cena onde se nota a falta de perfeccionismo de P.J., é quando os anões vão a descer o rio dentro dos barris (imagem muito conhecida, mesmo para quem ainda não viu o filme), onde poderia ter conseguido movimentos perfeitos, acompanhamento dos personagens de modo único e interessante, mas o realizador opta por nos dar imagens que parecem tiradas de um video caseiro do youtube. Existe ainda uma outra cena que me deixou ligeiramente chocada, a luta estranha entre Gandalf e Sauron. Para além de ser uma cena que não aparece no livro do Hobbit, levou-me imediatamente para a batalha final de Hogwarts, no filme de Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A sombra de Sauron a tentar penetrar na bola luminosa de Gandalf, recorda, em muito, as sombras de Voldemort e dos Death Eaters e apesar de gostar bastante de Harry Potter, sei que os dois mundos não se ligam e estão a milhas de distancia um do outro. O mundo de Tolkien no cinema, não deveria, nunca, ter indícios do mundo de HP.
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| A única imagem geral da Cidade do reino de Thranduil |
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| Lake Town |
As restante cenas, nas diversas cidades e zonas por onde as personagens passam , apesar de não estarem mal desenhadas e projectadas, dão constantemente a sensação de tudo se passar dentro de um estúdio, onde apenas existem os lugares onde eles estão, não havendo imagens gerais e ligação entre os espaços, principalmente na cidade dos elfos, onde não se acompanha o percurso dos anões, das celas à adega e onde se tem apenas uma imagem geral do espaço, não percebendo a ligação entre os diferentes lugares (Ex. contrário - trabalho exímio nas cenas em Minas Tirith - LOTR,). Ao contrario desta, a Cidade do Lago já nos é revelada de modo diferente. Temos o aspecto e o aperto das ruas com o acompanhamento dos anões com Bard e as diversas perseguições, onde percebemos a relação das casas com a água e os caminhos sobre ela criados e temos algum acompanhamento superior com os Orcs, revelando outro olhar sobre o espaço, embora não sejam suficientes, na minha opinião.
Não querendo ser demasiado critica (apesar de não parecer, com este texto), o filme torna-se bastante bom na sua última meia hora. A partir do momento em que os anões, acompanhados de Bilbo, chegam à montanha onde está Smaug parece que estamos noutro filme. Os cenários tornam-se deslumbrantes, tal como eram em LOTR, Smaug está simplesmente fabuloso, parecendo que puseram todo o esforço e trabalho, apenas nas cenas com o dragão. Embora o filme melhore, para quem leu o livro (agora em termos de história e não da caracterização ou aspectos técnicos do filme), a conversa entre Bilbo e o Dragão também fica muito aquém das espectativas. Bilbo, no mundo de Tolkien, é bastante audacioso e manhoso na conversa que mantém com Smaug e usa o poder do anel para se manter escondido e para poder suscitar a curiosidade e interesse por parte do dragão, que nunca o consegue ver, enquanto que no filme é apenas medroso e adulador, revelando-se de imediato. É engraçado como as falas do livro, quando descontextualizadas, mudam por completo as características de uma personagem.
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| Bilbo Baggins |
Por fim, penso que será um filme que irá agradar a muitos, principalmente para quem nunca leu o livro, mas para os verdadeiros admiradores da obra de Tolkien e, acima de tudo, para os verdadeiros admiradores de LOTR, haverá sempre algo a desiludir.
Esperemos que o terceiro e último filme consiga, pelo menos, trazer um final digno de um HOBBIT.
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| Erebor |
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| Bilbo Baggins |
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| Imagem do filme que engana quem não o viu, pois a mão de Thorin não é assim, no filme. |
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| Para quem viu o filme, esta imagem compara-se com a luta estranha entre Gandalf e Sauron. |
ENGLISH VERSION
I believe that we were all very excited about the premier of the new Hobbit movie. The posters, images and trailers seemed to reveal a much more captivating movie than the first one, filled with the amazing action scenes that Peter Jackson gave us in Lord of The Rings (LORT). However, after watching it, I realized that once again (remembering the first Hobbit) P.J. failed to dazzle me. It's hard for me to say it but, Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug it's a tremendous disappointment.
All the scenes in the movie seem to be rushed and we can feel, in the most of them, the lack of P.J.'s perfectionism, that makes this movie far, far way from the dazzling LOTR. There are a lot of situations that makes us feel that the movie was not made by the same group of people, that used to strive for perfection in the characterization of sets and characters. First and foremost, the biggest evidence of this lack of perfection is in the characterization of the dwarfs, where we can clearly see the "rubber gloves" they have in the place of their hands. For me, it's only a symbol of laziness from the makeup and characterization team, where the dwarfs seem to be removed from a children's event. Another seriously flaw is in the characterization of the famous Hobbit's feet. In LOTR, the actors used to say that it was a very hard thing, to be from two to three hours in make up to have their feet done (as Hobbits), only for them to appear in one or two scenes, but for Peter Jackson... everything had to be perfect and realistic. Where is that kind of work and ambition in this Bilbo, when it seems that he has just put some "Hobbit like slippers", really exaggerated and unrealistic?
Although all of this seems to contribute to the lack of merit in this film, the thing that most surprised me (in a bad way), was the wretched performance of P.J. as a director. In this movie, we no longer have the same kind of camera movements, those "trips" inside every set, dazzling us all the way. (ex. in LOTR, the scenes inside and out of Saruman's tower). An example of this lazy direction is the water scene, when the dwarfs go down the river inside the barrels. This is a scene where he could have achieved some perfect "camera moves", side by side with the characters in an unique and interesting plan, but the director chose to give us some images that seemed to be taken from a homemade youtube movie.
Another thing that left me quite shocked, was that strange and uncomfortable fight between Gandalf and Sauron. This scene, immediately took me to the final battle in Hogwarts in the movie Harry Potter: And The Deathly Hallows. The shadow of Sauron that tries to penetrate the glowing sphere of Gandalf, reminds me a lot of Voldemort and the Death Eaters shadows and though I'm a very big fan of Harry Potter, I know that this two worlds cannot be connected, and can't be references of one in the other. The world of Tolkien, in cinema, shouldn't have evidence of the HP world.
In this Hobbit, although the scenes filmed in the different cities and places are not that bad in general, they give the strange sensation of a set, and not of a world. There is no sense of connection between the spaces and there's no attendance in the characters route (the elves city for example), and no general images of the space that could give us an idea how the place works in terms of space distribution (a very good example that P.J could do this, is the Minas Tirith scene in LOTR). In other case, the scenes filmed in the Lake Town give us a different look. We have the tightness and appearance of the streets when we walk side by side with Bard and the Dwarfs and in the different chases of Legolas and the orcs. With this we can understand a little bit of that city, its connection with the water and how, the paths created over it, work and a final and general superior view over the rooftops with the look of the orcs. It could have more, in my opinion.
Despite all that, it gets really good in the last half hour of the movie. From the moment that the dwarfs get to Smaug's mountain, it seems we're watching a different movie. The sets are spectacular, just as they were in LOTR and Smaug is absolutely tremendous. (It appears that they only put their work in the dragon scenes).
Although the movie grows and gets better, for those who read the book (now in terms of the story it self and not about the technical issues of the film), the conversation between Bilbo and the dragon it's also a little bit of a dissepointment. In the world of Tolkien, Bilbo is very audacious, daring and tricky in his conversation, using the power of the ring to stay hidden all of the time with the focus of amusing and intriguing Smaug, that can never see him. In the movie, he is just frightened and flatterer, revealing himself right away. It's funny how the sentences and speeches of the book, when out of context, completely change the characteristics of a character.
To end, I think the movie will please many, mainly those who haven't read the book, but to the true admires of the Tolkein work and the true admires of the world created in the LOTR in cinema (TEN years ago), there will be always a disappointing thing.
by Sara Coutinho de Lucena from Cinema and Stuff
by Sara Coutinho de Lucena from Cinema and Stuff
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Lego Rivendell Is 'LOTR' Fantasy Land Made From 200K Brick
Omg!! Alice Finch and David Frank decided to create their own version of LOTR's Rivendell! Made from 200K bricks, their piece of art is simply amazing. Look at all the details. If it was for sale, I would buy it on the spot!
See all the pics after the jump...
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Brian Griffin is ALIVE!!!!!!
If you thought Family Guy permanently killed off Brian, the Griffin family's quick-witted dog, you were wrong.
In a holiday miracle, the show brought Brian back from the dead in this weekend's "Christmas Guy" episode thanks to wunderkind Stewie Griffin. Despite a broken time machine, Stewie manages to travel back and prevent Brian's demise.
Watch the clip here:
Watch the Official Music Video for Eminem’s “The Monster” featuring Rihanna
Eminem presents the official music video for his platinum-selling single “The Monster” featuring Rihanna, from his previously released album The Marshall Mathers LP2.
Watch the Official Trailer for ‘Interstellar’
Here is the first trailer for the much-anticipated next Christopher Nolan-directed movie Interstellar. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hatheway, Casey Affleck, and Brit Michael Caine star in it and the sci-fi drama is inspired by the work of theoretical physicist Kip Thorne. The storyline is about a group of scientist explorers who use newly discovered wormholes to travel through different dimensions and bring food back to their dying planet. With the movie only coming to theaters November 2014, not too much is given away yet in this first trailer.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl - The most fashionable couple ever
Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl are the most cute, fashionable and power couple ever. I'm obsessed with their style. Always flawless.
See more pictures after the jump.
Norman Reedus Appears in the January Issue of GQ Japan
The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus appears in GQ Japan’s January issue. Captured on the streets of New York, Reedus is styled by Jacky Tam, cleaning up in dapper and sporty styles from the likes of Calvin Klein Collection.
Fashion direction by Grant Pearce.
See the rest after the jump...
Sunday, December 15, 2013
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