Sidedown.org

Late Screening: Inglorious Basterds

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:04:25 CDT

This is a strange movie.

Late Screening: The Men Who Stare At Goats

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:06:22 CDT

Honestly? Not as much goat-staring as I thought there would be.

Late Screening: Extract

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:30:52 CDT

I thought this one was just okay, but that doesn't surprise me a bit. I always wish for more from Mike Judge and am left merely nodding my head.

VUA v. Broken Bells

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:45:31 CDT

So, There's a video that recently came out for Broken Bells track "The Ghost Inside", that stars Christina Hendricks as a humanoid that travels through space and ends up on a desolate, craggy planet.

Did they... happen to see my illustration for the cover of the 2007 Very Us Artists release Opus Cipher: The Prototype?

Reading

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:09:03 CDT

Emily got me a nook for my birthday, and I have to say, I'm a fan. I'd gotten to play with one a few months back and it was enough to convince me that in certain instances eBooks are really nice.

I'm still a real book fan, but there's a very specific reason that the nook will actually make me read more...

Rogue Layering

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:14:08 CDT

I'm working on a handful of music projects right now, and one of the writers needed a more "dance music" style photo. At least, I felt that way, so I snagged a Facebook photo and... tweaked it a bit.

Palin: Inadvertent Wordsmith

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:08:18 CDT

Subjective Comment

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:26:18 CDT

My Morning Racket

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:25:59 CDT

The cool temperature for the week has inspired me to challenge myself: This week, instead of waking up and moaning about how hot it is, I will try to post a new review to degenre in hopes of getting back into the swing of listening to music as well as writing about it.

Observation (Internal)

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:16:02 CDT

Late Screening: Trancers

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:10:40 CDT

Trancers is part Blade Runner, part Terminator, with a little seed of 12 Monkeys planted in there... only low budget and pretty stupid.

But I can't stop thinking about it.

Query (Internal)

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:34:31 CDT

Someone Hilarious You Might Not Know About

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:21:25 CDT

Richard Ayoade. aka Dean Learner. I first saw him on Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and just now found out he's on The IT Crowd. And a million other things.

He's funny. You should watch things that he's involved in.

Avatar Thoughts

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:06:51 CDT

Last night I finished watching the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series, and I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the whole thing. I can now see why it's something of a big deal.

I had thought there would be four seasons of the show, but there were only three. It could definitely have used another 20 episodes, but as it is, the closing is climactic and rewarding.

Ugh

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:12:29 CDT

Lord, do I hate namedroppers.

Let's All Not Know

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:45:36 CDT

I re-watched Signs last night, and despite the obvious holes involving naked water-averse aliens wasting their time trying to kidnap a few people on a small farm situated on a planet with a water-soaked atmosphere, I actually think it's a good movie with interesting ideas and a good dose of humor.

Before I watched it I was wondering if all of this "Mel Gibson is a monstrous psychopath" talk of the last few weeks would have a negative effect on the experience. The answer did surprise me a bit.

Mr. Hutchinson

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:05:55 CDT

Last night Emily and I did something we try our best not to ever do: Go out on Friday night. But this had to be done, as stand-up style comedian Paul F. Tompkins was in town, and I had facebook-promised I would go.

And go I did. And have an awesome time I did. Other people (especially Friday Night Other People) are still complete idiots, but it was a fantastic show and well worth suffering the fools that flanked me.

RodRod

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:09:07 CDT

In 2007 I wrote this song, reflecting on the relationship between governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago. Considering said governor is awaiting his verdict as I type, I figured it would be appropriate to play it again:

MAG

Okay, One More

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:09:29 CDT

Material Storytelling

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:55:52 CDT

Something in an Origami Documentary

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:54:48 CDT

World Building

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:00:22 CDT

Every now and then I have happened upon an episode of Avatar: The Last Air Bender on TV. Recently, thanks to Netflix for Wii, I've started watching the series from start to finish. Until the live action movie was being promoted, I had not known how "big a deal" this show was.

Seeing it now, I can understand the draw for kids. And honestly, as far as fantasy/adventure shows go, I actually like this one. Some of the world building is a bit simplistic, but overall the series has a lot of engaging ideas that I imagine do much to fuel kids' imaginations.

Amalgamated

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:58:51 CDT

This Guy Rules

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:49:48 CDT

So, I saw this picture and though, yeah, it needs some help. Despite the overall oddness of this fellow, we can put him in a more stately light.

Three Things

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:51:18 CDT

Internet Music

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:53:09 CDT

Via Soundcloud, Hype Machine, and some downloadable singles, here are a few tracks I've been enjoying over the last few days.

Late Screening: Surrogates

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:10:18 CDT

I like Bruce Willis, I like science fiction, I like dystopias disguised as utopias. This one was okay, and suffered from the same problems that I, Robot did. Mainly, it was just too small in scope.

Late Screening: Being There

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:01:26 CDT

I really knew very little about this movie until recently. Watching it, I realized that no one will ever make a film like this ever again: dark, quiet, and demanding.

Late Screening: Julie & Julia

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:00:00 CDT

Yes, I watched this. Damn this Netflix on the Wii is addicting.

What might have been an interesting biopic was marred by an extremely unlikeable modern tale of spoiled white brats whining about their horrible lives in New York City. This is the second such movie that I've seen that stars Meryl Streep, and in both she is the only saving grace.

Late Screening: Plan 9 From Outer Space

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:06:30 CDT

Wow. I mean, I knew this was a notoriously bad film. I thought that maybe it wasn't as bad as all the hype, that maybe it was just normal bad.

But seriously, as enjoyable as camp can be, this is an almost unwatchable movie.

Taking form

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:24:41 CDT

I thought I'd bring your attention to Foreshadows: The Ghosts of Zero, a new project that's starting to move into a tangible form.

Aro

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:20:02 CDT

Contrast

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:29:02 CDT

The thing about Photoshop is that there are very simple moves you can do that make a world of difference in a photo.

Zigzag

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:01:34 CDT

I'm having one of those days... a project overload day. There are so many creative, interesting things to work on that my brain refuses to focus on them. Instead it's wandering off into new things that I really don't have time for.

A Few New Things

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:10:34 CDT

This week marks the launch (at long last) of the new issue of HEY Quarterly, as well as a new and long overdue episode of Downcast.

Day 10

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:07:57 CDT

Day 3

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:31:01 CDT

The bridge is installed and works quite well. I think I need to add some grooves in it now to keep the strings from sliding.

Quick Time

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:57:58 CDT

Last week we had a client that needed a logo in a hurry. It's been a while since I've done some charrette style design work; the project turned out to be a lot of fun, and the final design is something I'm quite happy with.

Why Do You Read?

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:07:23 CDT

I have a very hard time reading non-fiction books, especially when they are about ideas as opposed to the life of a specific person. I often see or hear about books that pique my interest, but I rarely seek them out.

I know several people who read non-fiction exclusively. Some are voracious about it, others read at random, but the thought of made-up tales don't interest them.

Day 2

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:06:45 CDT

I'm creating a bridge for one of my guitars, to make it more bow-friendly. More on the completed version tonight.

You Can't Trust Any Of Them

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:57:15 CDT

Last week the weather monkeys were reporting that we'd see mid 90 degree temperatures over the weekend. This was not to be. They said it would rain at night. We were hit with massive early afternoon thunderstorms.

I've long maintained that the role of televised meteorologist is held by the greatest of charlatans, but it is still irksome to hear such rampant lies so often. And you'd think a site like weather.com would be a bit better, but it's actually always 100% wrong.

I've found a decent alternative.

Ramen Music

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:15:31 CDT

Something that I've been lucky to have advanced information on is starting to show signs of public life. If you're a musician or interested in real, independent music, I suggest you keep an eye on Ramen Music.

Day 1

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:58:37 CDT

I'm going to try to post a picture a day as the work on Look Back/Look Forward begins. It's just a little bit of insight into what's going on for those who won't be getting the Kickstarter updates.

Adjustments

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:59:14 CDT

If you happen to be checking out the site over the next day or so, you may want to refresh your browser, as our style sheet has been edited.

Adaptation At No One's Behest

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:55:09 CDT

It's time for another action packed photo edit! Word Cup style!

Spotted

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:29:15 CDT

What's this? I'll tell you more next week.

Late Screening: OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:04:28 CDT

This incredible send-up of James Bond has quite a history... a history that predates 007 himself.

Revsisions Not Requested

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:46:37 CDT

Time for a quick image enhancement. This one was found with an image search for "flying high."

Clean-up

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:22:02 CDT

I spent my afternoon off cleaning up my absolute mess of a studio.

Winchester Session #36: Relay & Reply

joshua@sidedown.com (Joshua Wentz) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:12:19 CDT

I've had a violin bow for a long time. A few months ago, I realized you need rosin to use it. How was I supposed to know that?

Two weeks ago I got some rosin. Today was the first chance I had to put it all together. So, I decided to bow some electric bass guitar: