Over the next few weeks, I’m going to give Six Apart’s new product, Vox, a try.  You’ll find me blogging here.

Stop by and let me know you think.  If you want to explore it yourself, I have a limited number of invitations available.

The Reeler's post about the use of 9/11-related imagery in the soon-to-be-released remake of "The Omen", as well as the continuing discussions of "United 93" and "World Trade Center", have prompted me to muse about pop culture's processing of tragic events.

• Movies about 9/11, more than written works, are probably regarded as controversial and threatening because watching a theatrical release is a communal experience. Individuals leave their private homes to join publicly with members of their community in viewing and reacting to frightening material. They make a conscious decision to risk exposing their tastes, fantasies and emotions to strangers. One viewer might cry at different points in U93, for example, while another might grip his or her armrest in fury. There are no norms by which the members of the audience know how to react or behave.
• I don't believe organizations or the government should dictate the "right" time for pop culture to address sensitive topics. An individual who worked in or around the towers or lost someone dear may find it difficult to view certain images for years to come. A young child halfway across the world, in contrast, might see the planes and firebursts and falling debris as simply a scene in some sort of action movie. He will need someone to educate him about the significance of what he's seen. I think the members of a free society and free market will vote with their feet and wallets and determine whether an artist has produced a work that is appropriate in a particular time and place. I don't think they need an intermediary to intervene on their behalf.

Technorati tags: The Omen, World Trade Center, United 93, 9-11

I feel very proud that Gothamist decided to feature

in its summary of last week's events.  I grabbed the shot just as a storm gathered over Manhattan's Lower West Side and, other than cropping, it required little enhancement.

I'm glad that I've been able to maintain my interest in photography by using a digital camera and a resource like flickr. Having this shot recognized reminds me of the pride I felt when my entries received honors at Jewish Center Youth competitions and in the Scholastic Art Awards.

Prompted by LiveLarge's post, I just watched the trailer for Oliver Stone's World Trade Center for the first time.  My gut reaction is that the film–in Stone's typical fashion—is much more of a big-budget, stylish, sweeping "Hollywood" production than is United 93.  Nic Cage's presence alone marks it as a mainstream, mass-marketed effort.  While virtually none of the actors in U93 is immediately recognizable, the well-known Cage appears in the early scenes of the trailer as the "working class everyman hero" (a somewhat typical role for him).  I'll be interested to see both the public's and the critics' reaction to Stone's effort.

Separately, I noticed that the trailer continues a tradition of employing two images that now seem to define 9/11:

• the dawn of a clear, bright, warm and peaceful autumnal day
• employees following their everyday routines, streaming from their homes to their offices, oblivious to the gathering threat within the country's borders and the tragedy about to unfold

That's how that day was for me…I boarded a train in Lancaster, thought how especially beautiful the morning was as I waved goodbye to my mother and, 45 minutes later, stood confused on the concourse of the Philadelphia station, wondering why so many people were gaping at a TV in the corner of a commuter bar….

Technorati tags: Oliver Stone, United 93, 9-11

I'm intrigued by J.J. Abrams's use of various communication channels to transform Lost from a standard weekly TV series into an evolving experience for its viewers.  Recent initiatives include

• Oceanic Airlines's online ticketing service.
• the Hanso Foundation's corporate site.
• the Foundation's TV commercial.
• an acknowledgement of the Foundation's contribution to M:i:3 in that film's end credits.

I think Abrams clearly recognizes the Web's role in the lives of his target audience.  Like the owners and managers of various social networking sites, he also understands that he can build repeat traffic and brand loyalty by making viewers feel that they are members of an inside group and are somehow contributing to the effort.

Technorati tags: J.J. Abrams, Lost, Hanso Foundation, marketing

• What will fill the hole in my Sunday nights?
• Part of me wanted a stirring conclusion, filled with flashbacks and neat conclusions to the various characters' storylines.  In many ways, though, the emphasis on the orderly transfer of power and the conduct of business as usual was entirely appropriate.  It was more realistic to simply portray the characters moving on with their lives….
• Nice touches:
  • The subtle handling of Toby's pardon…a letter left for last, the smile in CJ's eyes upon reading the President's decision.  The writers' decision to leave it to the viewer to imagine the impact of the decision on Toby's life.
  • Mrs. Bartlet to the President: "You made it."…an acknowledgement of all that they had been through together, how close to the brink he had been, in many senses.
  • The quiet repetition of the show's theme music during scenes portraying the transition.
  • The gathering of staffers around President-elect Santos…the sense of continuity provided by Josh's and Sam's presence, the image of a new generation taking charge.
• Now I'd like to watch the season's opening episode again, the one showing the staffers meeting a few years in the future….

Technorati tags: television, TV, The West Wing

I feel sad that this coming Sunday's episode ends the series.

The show stands out, I believe, because it

• features an outstanding cast.
• is peopled with well-developed characters.
• integrates contemporary issues into its plotlines.
• emphasizes the role of values in decision-making.
• highlights the frequent need for compromise.
• informs and educates its viewers.

An hour with Bartlet and his team inspires me to be a better person, to stretch myself and hope that my country will fulfill its ideals.  That can't be said about most of pop culture.

Addendum: Newsvine features this affectionate tribute to the show by AP Television Writer Frazier Moore.

Technorati tags: television, TV, The West Wing

• It feels almost impossible and, perhaps, inappropriate to approach the film from a distance, analytically.
• I feel pummelled, beaten, sore…as if I've smashed headlong into the ground.
• The film effectively conveys the tedious, wearing confusion that evidently reigned that day as different units of the government tried to understand what was happening.
• I was reminded of a good friend's faith, and the comfort the passengers' religion provided them, as I watched them recite the Lord's Prayer in the face of the inevitable.
• This scene became even more powerful as it expanded to include the terrorists whispering their own prayers.
• Other memorable images:
  • Exterior shots of the plane at take-off and the image of cabin door being locked down: feeling trapped, set on a course with only one end.
  • Older, greying passenger immediately reminded me of my mother.
  • In the midst of the confusion and anger, at least a small handful of the passengers decided to take action, to do something.
  • The disbelief on the traffic controllers' faces as their eyes shift from the blip on their monitors to the plane in the distance, angling directly into the second tower.
• The director was smart to cast the film with generally unknown character actors…this prevents the audience from distancing itself from the material and focusing on a "star's" performance.  It also facilitates identification with one or more of the characters and situations presented.

Addendum: Sneakeasy's Joint offers somewhat similar reflections on U93 and provides a useful link to George Will's column arguing why everyone should see the film.

Technorati tags: films, movies, United 93

…to see United 93 last night.  I can't remember any other film that's prompted my heart to race with anxiety and fear minutes after the opening credits rolled. Was this going to feel like browsing a tabloid's pictures of crime scenes or riffling through the pages of "Hollywood Babylon"? 

It was much more…a wrenching experience.  More to follow.

Technorati tags: films, movies, United 93

I'm trying, more and more, to avoid reading feature articles about and reviews of movies before seeing them. I want my interest in a film to be sparked by its promotional campaign–trailers in the theatre or ads on the Web–rather than others' opinions. I then want to test my ultimate reaction against those first impressions. In Hard Candy's case, I was drawn in by ads on Nerve and Gothamist, I think, a brief tour of its Web site, and a screening of its trailer. I could easily dismiss the movie as another in a recent series of stylish indie thrillers and horror films (Saw and One Hour Photo come to mind). It has a clean, hard-edged look, vivid colors (I noted a "digital colorist" in the credits) and features several cringe-inducing set pieces and surprising plot twists. The film lingers in my mind, though, and prompts these reflections two days later (I'm intentionally trying to avoid posting spoilers):

• director David Slade leaves a great deal to your imagination. You fill in certain blanks based on your own experience and fantasies. This makes the film, I feel, a sort of Rorschach test of your reaction to provocative material. This approach contrasts with that taken by Takashi Miike, who forces you to take in every exruciating, bloody detail in the similarly revenge-themed Odishon.
• the film is distinguished by the performances of its leads. Ellen Page is disconcerting in her ability to shift quickly from being a tremulous, doe-eyed schoolgirl to a woman dominating a situation (Hard Candy continues the tradition of associating women in tank tops with strength…think Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor and Michelle Rodriguez's Ana-Lucia Cortez). Patrick Wilson, whose characters often seem so "smooth", powerfully conveys raw, unrestrained desperation when facing retribution here.
• the release of the film is tied to a public service campaign promoting safe Web surfing. This seems disingenuous, though, as the movie celebrates a vigilante (I'm reminded of Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey).

I wonder how your reactions to the film differ from mine, based on your age and gender…. Technorati tags: movies, films, Hard Candy