New multimedia experience

18 months ago or so when I was still living at my grandmother's house, I helped my little 8 year old cousin write a song and record it digitally. He didn't play any instruments exactly, but he did, through the use of humming, communicate what the music should be, and then wrote the lyrics and the tune and sang it. I quickly mixed it together and added some highly unnecessary twidling over the top and we finished it all before dinner time. Now, it's been a while since I was eight, but I was surprised at his reaction. He found it so embarrassing to listen to that he refuses to this day to even acknowledge its existence. So take a listen and tell me,is it really that bad? How would you respond to it, if you were the eight year old composer?

I saw my first film fest movie this year, and already, it's going to be an improvement over the horrors of last years' movies. It was the new production of "The Merchant of Venice" with Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, and some hot english chick. Everybody but Pacino made an appearance at the theatre. I have to say that I wasn't expecting much. I'm not a huge fan of shakespeare on screen, as it really has to justify its existence, and tends to be burdened with all sorts of Shakespearanisms and the hoity english (and wannabe english) actors who perpetuate them. Plus, Merchant of Venice is...well, you know. But it was really well done overall and very powerful stuff. The problem that the film had was that it achieved superbly a sympathetic protrayal of Shylock. It also had this romantic comedy thing that worked very well, with Joseph Fiennes re-playing his Shakespeare in Love role, that hot English Chick, and a marvelous Jeremy Irons playing Antonio as Joe's unrequited lover. So there's this Shylock guy you're rooting for, and this romantic coupling (love triangle here) you're rooting for, and then someone's got to get their pound of flesh. It's an awful, awful-quesy in the pit of your stomach-scene where you want everyone to get along, to understand each other. And they just don't . The stopping of Shylock is fine and happy, but then they keep twisting the knife and twisting it again. It's terrible, and then everyone goes off all happy back to romantic comedy land-to their palaces, their servants and their witty quips. I'm not sure if it works, but it's a feeling that is very unusual, especially from a hollywood type film.

I have hopes the rest of the festival will continue as strong. Next up, is "5X2" from the director of swimming pool and 8 women; then the new movie from the "my wife is an actress" couple; and "Millions" from Danny Boyle.