What makes a man?
I had a chance to interview Morgan Spurlock for On Tap magazine. The director of Super Size Me discusses his new documentary Mansome, which explores male vanity in modern America.
From beard contests to the epidemic of manscaping, being a dude has become a lot more complicated.
Is Greenland melting? Has the ice cap suddenly disappeared from this frosty island?
That’s the conclusion I drew after skimming DCist this morning, which had the headline:
Nearly All of Greenland Melted in Span of Four Days, NASA Finds
And then below was this alarming graphic:
And here’s the lede:
This is kind of scary. According to a NASA analysis of recent satellite readings, it took just four days for nearly all of Greenland’s surface ice to melt amid an oppressive heat wave a couple weeks ago.
Reading this, I thought, “The ice cap has disappeared from Greenland.” All of Greenland’s surface ice has melted away over four days.
But the reporter got it wrong. If you read the comments from the smart readers of DCist, you discovered the truth. The chart above only indicates what’s melting on Greenland. Everything right now is melting on Greenland but it’s still covered in plenty of ice and snow. It’s like an ice cube that’s sweating but is still plenty big.
How could this information be communicated better? Should reporters receive more training in interpreting scientific information? Is this graphic from NASA confusing and easy to misinterpret? Should public affairs officers “dumb things down” even more?
In this iPhone photo, morning commuters ride the escalator down into the Dupont Circle Metro. I used Slow Shutter for the long exposure and then modified it in Instagram.
This photo is available as a canvas print from Instacanvas.
I was a Game of Thrones skeptic. When I heard George R.R. Martin described as an “American Tolkien”, I scoffed. This struck me as heresy. Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books of all time. How could some contemporary American author match the artistry of the Oxford-educated Tolkien, a master of linguistics, a scarred veteran of World War I and a brilliant stylist?
And the HBO series didn’t help. While I still haven’t seen it (I don’t have the cable channel), the swords and sorcery epic seemed more about sexposition than anything else.
Seeing all the Game of Thrones books in the book store, so many of them and with tiny print on cheap pages, made me recoil. The books looked too long and too pulpy.
What changed my mind? Reading the first book – A Game of Thrones.
While I don’t think he’s an American Tolkien, he’s a good storyteller, capable of propelling a plot over thousands of pages. So many characters – it really changed my mind about how much readers can absorb and remember. The first fantasy novel I’ve picked up in a couple of decades, A Game of Thrones is good, dirty fun, filled with sex and violence of all kinds.
What makes his authorial vision unique:
Amorality – There’s no divinity guiding the characters, no Valar or Gandalf pushing the world toward good. No selfless men like Aragorn. The characters in Game of Thrones are just like us, with our desires for sex and violence. People who are too noble end up being killed while the most intriguing characters (Tyrion) are a mix of good and bad.
Plotting – Martin should write a book on plot. The action starts immediately, from the first page. Characters are placed in real peril and forced to make life and death decisions. There are consequences to what they do – nothing can be undone. Rarely do white knights arrive to rescue people and, if they do, it usually leads to greater peril. Martin cleverly alternates perspectives, challenging readers to keep pace with his breakneck story.
Game of Thrones is a tale for our times, for the readers of today. I wouldn’t call George R. R. Martin an American Tolkien. I’d call him a modern one.
This Dupont Circle to Georgetown photo walk is ideal for a late Sunday afternoon. Along the way, you’ll see historic architecture, cute Georgetown homes and find plenty of spots perfect for that classy DC portrait.
Where: Dupont Circle/Georgetown
What to See: Secret gardens, homes out of Architectural Digest and the best little bridge in Washington.
When to Go: 2-3 hours before sunset, preferably on a Sunday.
Time to Complete: 60 minutes.
How to Enjoy: Slow down! Take your time and really look around. Notice interesting door knobs and wrought iron fences. Take in the textures of the city – brick, stone, wood, glass, steel. Be in the moment.
Dupont Circle Metro – Start here, at the Q Street exit of the Dupont Circle Metro. Be sure to get photos of the Whitman inscriptions on the Metro entrance. And if you’re into street photography, this is a great spot to get photos of interesting city folks.
The storm blew up out of nowhere. One moment, the night was calm. The next, it looked like a hurricane. Waiting until lightning illuminated the scene, I took this iPhone photo out my window. After being Instagrammed, it’s got an Impressionist feel to it.
If you like this photo, buy it on Instacanvas.
Check out my article on Beasts of the Southern Wild for On Tap. It’s one of the most visually stunning movies I’ve seen all year. Set among a crew of misfits in the Louisiana swamps, it’s a harrowing look at environmental calamity, with the type of real-life danger that you rarely see in films these days.
Matthew Modine: Keep Your Mouth Shut
Interview by Joe Flood
On Tap, July 2012
Mathew Modine wants to retain the mystery at the heart of The Dark Knight Rises. In this interview with OnTap, the veteran actor discusses what attracted him to the Batman franchise, as well as the experience of working with some of film’s greatest directors.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the character you play in The Dark Knight Rises – what can you tell us about him? What attracted you to playing this role?
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the role because there isn’t anything I can tell you about the character. This should be a lesson taught in schools. Keep your mouth shut. My father used to say, “It’s better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Christopher Nolan and his team clearly understand the power of keeping your mouth shut.
What attracted me to Dark Knight Rises was the team. Starting with the director, writers, producers and the extraordinary team of actors assembled. To be a part of that team, of their caliber is its own reward.
What was it like working with Christopher Nolan? What was the set like? Did you get a lot of direction from him?
Nolan is an old-school director. He is cut from the cloth of the best. A film set is very much like a ship at sea and a film director is like the Captain of that ship. A successful Captain understands, deeply, his dependence on his officers and crew and its necessary for the officers and crew to be led and take orders from their Captain, who must assert confidence in his wishes and commands, be decisive in his decisions and in complete control of his ship. That’s Nolan – from the time he gets out of the car to start the days work until he gets back in the car to go home.
You’ve worked with many of the most highly regarded directors in the film industry including Oliver Stone, Stanley Kubrick and Robert Altman. How do you adjust to each director’s style? Do you adapt to them or do they adapt to you?
The best directors are great casting directors. They cast their films well. Musical conductors aren’t coaching their musicians on how to play. You don’t get into the orchestra if you’re still trying to master your instrument. They show up, knowing their notes, how to interpret the piece of music, and the conductor then, simply with a gesture of the hand, a look, encourages the musician to play a little softer, a little faster or slower. This is what the best directors do. WIth subtle gestures and simple suggestions they encourage their performers. A great director is a master of manipulation, and so good at it, that it never feels like manipulation.
Were you a fan of the Batman comics as a kid? How is today’s Batman different from the one you grew up with?
Well, I grew up with the TV series. Which I loved. Even as “camp” as it was, there was something weirdly mysterious and dark about it. Never cared much for Robin. But Bruce Wayne, as played by Adam West, was so odd and cool. West’s slow, stuttered speaking, his contemplation about problems and how to solve them made him very compelling. Nolan’s darker, more realistic telling of the story, is for me, the most compelling from all the films made by the various other film makers. It strikes the perfect balance of myth, drama, opera, humor, and compelling cinematic storytelling.
What’s it like to get your own unofficial Dark Knight Rises poster? What do you think about fans creating art and other types of content around movies?
When I saw the poster, which was sent to my @matthewmodineTwitter account, I was flattered to the point of awkwardness. Whomever it was that decided they’d sit down and spend the day creating a poster of my character, is a person has, first, wonderful talent – the poster is just awesome – and second, they’re just crazy to have been so generous!
According to IMDB, Liam Neesen is teaching you to fly-fish. How intense of an experience is that?
You gotta love IMDB for random facts that get randomly posted and never vetted for truth or relevance. Liam is a dear friend. We did go fly fishing, a few times. But this posting on IMDB presents a scenario that expands with each viewing and telling. Imagine Liam, my fly fishing teacher and me, his wide-eyed student standing in rubber waders in a gently flowing river… Liam coaching me work the tied-fly to gently, lightly tickle the surface of the water… the whole picture just makes me giggle. Brokeback River.
Do you have any connections to Washington, DC? What do you like to do when visiting here?
No. I don’t. I love our Nations capital though. The monuments. The precious ideals of our democracy and that the “great experiment” that must constantly be examined and polished and lived up to. Our government is unique in that it is not stagnant. We are a progressive nation. Like that word or not. We are a liberal nation, like that word or not. We have amendments to back it up. The 13th amendment which ended slavery. The 15th amendment which gave African-Americans the right to vote. The 19th, which gave woman the right to vote. The next necessary amendment, which cannot come soon enough if we are to survive as a nation of citizens – and not a country controlled by banks and corporations, is an amendment for campaign reform. Campaign contributions may be one of the greatest threats to domestic liberty and our first amendment rights.
Can you talk about the Steve Jobs movie or your nonprofit Bicycle For A Day?
Bicycle for a Day is a not for profit designed to get young children and adults back on bicycles. Obesity and early onset diabetes affect more than half our nation. Choosing to ride a bicycle for short trips, to school, to friends homes, to the mall, can help create lifestyle changes. Not only do you become more active and engaged with the outdoors, but you are making a measurable, immediate, positive impact on the environment by not using a gas powered motor vehicle which contributes to climate change.
I leave for Los Angeles to start filming on jOBS the third week of June. I haven’t met with any of the other cast members but I am looking forward to it and getting started. I will have the opportunity to meet with John Sculley, the man who fired Steve Jobs from Apple, and whom I am portraying before I leave. I am really looking forward to this meeting and hearing the story from his perspective.
On Tap Magazine
July 2012
Opening July 6th, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a mad fever dream of a movie, filled with evocative images that will remain in your consciousness long after the film has ended.
This eco-drama was a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the top award for dramatic (fiction) film and for cinematography. Beasts of the Southern Wild has also been honored by the Cannes Film Festival.
“This is a simple movie about fighting for your home,” says director Benh Zeitlin.
The movie follows Hushpuppy, a six-year-old girl who lives with her father in a swamp community of rebels and misfits. Played by Quvenzhané Wallis, she is fierce heroine who struggles to keep her father alive and survive environmental catastrophe. Playing amid broken glass, rooting pigs and wandering drunkards, she is braver and stronger than any first-grader you have ever met.
Casting non-actors like Wallis is one of many risky decisions made by Zeitlin. For his first feature film, he violated the unwritten rule that directors should avoid working on water or with child actors.
Beasts of the Southern Wild embodies the can-do spirit of the Louisiana bayou, where it was filmed. Everyone involved in the film pitched in, providing boats and suggesting locations, in a community still struggling from the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
“We invited chaos in intentionally,” Zeitlin said, describing the makeshift filmmaking process.
Beasts of the Southern Wild was a labor of love for Zeitlin, a project that he spent two years editing. Over time, the story focused more and more on Wallis – she literally carries the film on her tiny shoulders. There is already Oscar talk around her striking performance.
A coming of age story and a tale of a community’s survival, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a crazed American jalopy of a movie. Packed with stunning imagery of the Louisiana bayous, Beasts of the Southern Wild is the harrowing saga of a little girl trying to survive in a world where the ground is literally disappearing beneath her feet.
Matthew Modine is at the heart of the mystery that surrounds The Dark Knight Rises.
In this email interview I conducted with him for On Tap, the veteran actor discusses joining the iconic movie franchise, as well as his experiences working with some of film’s greatest directors.
