Tad Leckman's blog

Things I Want to See on my iPad Some Day

Having a bigger screen to cart around the house to watch movies and TV shows on is reason enough for me to want an iPad, but I've been daydreaming about some other things I'd love to use it for. And yes, I loved my Newton and I'm glad it's back.

Diablo 3 - How perfect is a touch screen for Diablo? I can imagine sitting on the couch with Beca tapping and killing together like we used to on iBooks.
Words With Friends - An iPhone app that wants to be on a bigger screen.
OmniGraffle -The iPad will have to do until Apple makes a whiteboard-sized iBoard.
Keynote - I use Keynote every day and would love to have a platform to use it in small group meetings of 3-6 people around a table without a projector.
Homeworld 2 - Gesture-based starship control and navigation! Moving around using the mouse was always the hardest part of this game.
Starwalk - Astonomy guides on a big screen that everyone on your camping trip can see at the same time!
Remote for the AppleTV - Giant icons!
The Ultimate D&D Accessory - Hinge three together to make a DM screen!
Full Throttle - An even better platform for classic LucasArts adventure games! "I'm not puttin' my mouth on that."
Broderbund Living Books - I remember when my friend and neighbor (hey RC!) was animating these using Macromind Director in Santa Cruz in the 1990s. They would be perfect for the iPad!

Mar 2, 2010 4:48:26 AM

Wookiee Wednesday

Wookiee Doodle

For the devoted fans of my Lucasfilm meeting doodles, I offer a follow up to "Yub Nub" in honor of Wookiee Wednesday.

I am secretly hoping that Mon Calamari Monday is next (hint hint, Bonnie!).

Feb 10, 2010 4:02:46 AM

Flecks/Community Crossover

Kick Puncher!

I am one of the proud founding members of ILM's in-house, MST3K-style, real-time movie commentary group. Called Flecks (for reasons that need not be detailed here), the gang meets monthly to watch and mock bad films (preferably with a colleague in the room who actually worked on it).

This week's episode of Community featured a sub-plot about watching bad movies with your friend and making fun of them. I edited together a clip of those scenes for your enjoyment.

What's that you say? You're not watching Community. Then you are missing out on the best TV comedy out there right now.

What's that? You don't watch bad movies and mock them with your friends? I suggest you start with Star Worms II (available on VHS only). Also check out the three pillars of movie mockery for inspiration:

Mystery Science Theater 3000
Rifftrax
Cinematic Titanic

Bonus items in this clip: A Wilhelm and a purposely bad split screen comp.

Feb 6, 2010 10:10:19 PM

Managing Expectations

Watching TV on the Discovery

I'm trying not to get swept up in the hype machine for this week's Apple announcement...but...I just want to be able to buy one of these things from 2001. In fact, this is the most convincing "artist's rendition" of what Apple might be announcing that I've seen so far. It's very Apple (approaching B&O).

Plus, as a lifestyle ad, the message of this image is fantastic: don't you want to be like these guys? Hanging out on their spaceship, watching the news while eating space food. Yeah, you do.

I also like the idea of HAL acting as a media server streaming content to their pads.

Again, not asking much...just what we were promised.

Jan 26, 2010 2:41:22 AM

Steve Speaks Singlish

When we had our studio screening of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Beca and I were pleasantly surprised by how funny the writing was. However, the biggest laugh for me would not have been as big if we didn't live in Singapore.

Jan 24, 2010 5:35:15 AM

Testing the Artistic Value of Stereo Cinema

"The Future of Cinema" is Calling...

Predictably, Avatar has re-opened all the debates about the usefulness of stereo cinematography as a storytelling device. It is interesting to look at arguments against 3D and insert the words "sound" or "color" or "Cinemascope"" "digital sound" for "3D" to see if the arguments hold up. OK, now do the same with the words "Emergo" or "Cinerama" or "Percepto" or "Sensurround" or "interactive cinema." It's a fine line between gimmick and game changer.

I still haven't made up my own mind about the storytelling value of stereo cinema. I've heard several proponents of 3D say that at some point, a really great, respected director will make a small-scale dramatic film with A-list actors and everyone will see the potential of this technique.

For crying out loud, people! We have a freakin' stereo Alfred Hitchcock thriller! Starring Grace Kelly, no less! What I want is for Warner Brothers to spring for the relatively small investment to convert Dial M for Murder for digital theatrical presentation. Hitchcock took up the challenge of using 3D as a storytelling tool at the height of his career (his next film was Rear Window for goodness sake!). Yes, the camera rigs used to shoot Dial M were primitive by today's standards, but we have film negatives from two separate left and right eye cameras that could be scanned, cleaned and lovingly adjusted and optimized for stereo digital projection.

Just let us see it in stereo better than Hitchcock ever imagined! Let the stereo cinema nerds at ILM or Pixar or Weta have a crack at it, let them gingerly tweak each shot, correcting for camera alignment issues and tuning the convergence points.

Some of us see the irony that we've already been down the "3D will change cinema" road fifty years ago but why does everyone forget that we actually got beyond Bwana Devil and House of Wax the first time down that road. Like Avatar, Dial M for Murder works in 2D. Let's see if it benefits from 3D and maybe learn something about stereo cinema's potential in the process.

The bottom line is that right now, at the height of 3D movie mania, Warner Brothers is sitting on a 3D movie directed by freakin' Alfred Hitchcock!

Jan 21, 2010 5:31:33 AM

Mexican Halloween

Mexican Halloween on Community

Another example of Community at its best. I keep making salacious comments about "Mexican Halloween" and no one aside from Beca gets it and she just rolls her eyes at me.

A couple of weeks ago someone mentioned going for "Mexican breakfast" and I almost lost it.

Having Mexican Halloween in my head also didn't help when my mother-in-law kept repeatedly asking Beca to toss the salad at Thanksgiving. I was not the only one in the cabin who was disturbed by that one...and she kept saying it!

My siblings-in-law have a running gag with us about innocuous-sounding names for depraved sex acts, so Kate and Nick, this Mexican Halloween clip is for you.

Dec 7, 2009 10:48:55 AM

Gleep Glop and the Floopdie Doos

"Gleep glop and the floopdie doos..."

For almost a week, this line from Role Models has been stuck in my head, my wife's head and the heads of my poor siblings in-law. I quoted it a bit wrong ("gleep glorp" rather than the actual "gleep-glop"), but it stuck none the less. Here it is so that when it gets stuck in your head, it's at least accurate.

If you have not seen this highly under-appreciated movie I suggest you do so. I got a copy at Target this weekend for $3.99!

This clip contains some coarse language and one reference to "Middle Earth" which may be offensive to individuals who know "Middle Earth" as a sexual position.

Nov 30, 2009 8:57:25 AM

8 km (5 mile) Walk Today

Walk

So, I up and went for a long walk today. Been feeling especially out of shape lately, so I set out to walk toward Orchard Road with the intention of catching the MRT back from Newton if I got too hot and tired.

But I kept going, all the way to Takashimaya. It took about 50 minutes to get there and I listened to Ira Glass Interview Joss Whedon on the way. A quick buzz through Kinokuniya (didn't buy anything!) and then downstairs to grab some fake bacon at Cold Storage, and then home.

I am absolutely a destination-focused walker. Treadmills do not do it for me at all. Singapore is big on treadmills (in air conditioned glass rooms).

I hesitated for just a moment at the Orchard MRT station, and ended up walking past it and all the way home!

I was super-sweaty and exhausted when I got home, but I feel great! I can tell, however, that my legs will be really achy tomorrow.

Now, the hard part is figuring out how to keep it up during the week. I may start by getting off at the Orchard or Newton MRT stations on the way home rather than at Novina. Of course, that would require leaving work at a reasonable hour...which I should be doing anyway. Maybe a swim in the morning before work and a walk from Newton in the evening.

Oct 25, 2009 3:17:13 AM