May 12, 2013
Do you like beautiful photos? Then you must like Flickr. So many wonderful photos, so little time to see all the best ones. So, onomeister is here to share the best photos! Like this one by NatashaP who took this eye-poppingly beautiful shot of Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms during a sunset on April 17, 2013 in Yamanashi, Japan. Oh, and there seems to be a river of strawberry milk…
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photo credit: NatashaP (‘shopped color saturation)
May 8, 2013
Everyone knows about photo blog websites like Flickr. So many amazing photos, and not enough time to sift through hundreds of pages of photos. So, onomeister is here to share the best of the best! Like this one by bbw1150 who took this incredible shot at the Osaka International Airport on May 5, 2013, which is a national holiday in Japan (no, not Cinco de Mayo, but Children’s Day). Also, this holiday falls during Golden Week, the busiest time of the year for the Japanese, as many take their vacations (like Christmas in western countries). Flights, hotels, trains, even restaurants are fully booked around this time of year, and prices are all increased to the highest peak season rates. Tourists, avoid visiting during Golden Week at all costs!
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photo credit: bbw1150 (‘shopped color saturation, contrast/brightness)
April 28, 2013
Toronto Blue Jays’ slugger Edwin Encarnacion hits a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles on April 24, 2013, in a game that was very hard fought and probably will be remembered as one of the best games the Jays played this year. It was highlighted by a game-saving throw ‘em out by Rajai Davis that is worthy of being one of the best plays of the year by the Blue Jays (click HERE to see the amazing play – the throw, not the hit).
Original photo credit: Patrick Semansky/AP (‘Shopped color saturation, layering + Gaussian blur)
April 28, 2013
Roger Ebert, one of the greatest movie critics of all time, passed away from cancer at age 70 a few weeks ago. He updated his blog one last time last year with his list of his greatest movies of all time. If you are a movie fan, you should try to see these films once in your lifetime. Keep in mind, this is one man’s opinion, and also the fact that he had to consider thousands of the best movies of all time (not just this current generation). Think of how difficult a task this would be? So let’s take a look, for you movie lovers (displayed in no particular order):
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972): One of Oscar-nominated director Werner Herzog’s best films of his career, this is worth watching for its beautiful cinematography, but requires you to pay attention to its story due to the disquieting slow pacing. The film is about Spanish soldiers in the 16th century on an doomed expedition searching for the fabled El Dorado treasure, whose leader spirals into madness. Reason to watch: Kinski’s portrayal of angry Aguirre (click HERE to watch trailer).
Apocalypse Now (1979): Nominated for eight Oscar Awards, director Francis Ford Coppola’s movie is about a secret mission during the Vietnam war to assassinate a rogue colonel who has gone insane. The casual movie fan will have difficulty understanding the film’s deep meaning: how war can affect the human psyche in horrible ways. Reason to watch: The napalm explosion shot, and the outrageous line: “You smell that? I love the smell of napalm in the morning” (click HERE to watch 8 clips from the movie – approx 30 mins total).
Citizen Kane (1941): Director Orson Welles got nine Oscar nominations for this movie about the media circus that follows the death of a millionaire newspaper tycoon. The pacing of the storytelling is very different from today’s movies, yet by watching the end of this film, you will appreciate why Citizen Kane has been called one of the greatest of all time. Reason to watch: American Film Institute polled 1,500 filmmakers, critics, and historians, who ranked this as #1 on the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time (click HERE to watch entire movie).
La Dolce Vita (1960): Frederico Fellini nominated for Best Director in this Italian film about the high class elite in Rome in the 1950s. The production values and cinematography is at its best in this scathing satire of “the sweet life”, and the writing also nominated for an Oscar. Reason to watch: The famous fountain scene with the lead character Sylvia, who is a former Miss Sweden in real life (watch director Martin Scorcese’s commentary about Fellini and La Dolce Vita HERE).
The General (1926): If you haven’t seen a silent movie in your life, then this might be the one to see. Buster Keaton’s epic film, which has been voted as one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time”, is also full of thrilling action. The story is about spies stealing a train during the US Civil War. Reason to watch: After watching this epic, be amazed and wonder how this could have bombed in the box office? (click HERE to watch entire movie)
Raging Bull (1980): Of course, you know of Martin Scorsese’s award-winning Hugo, and The Departed, but have you seen Raging Bull? Robert DeNiro won an Oscar for Best Actor, and it has been praised as one of the best performances of all time. Based on the real-life boxer Jake LaMotta, we see the rise and humongous fall to ruin that he takes all due to his uncontrollable anger. Be ready for a very violent film and plenty of foul language, this film is not for the faint of heart. Reason to watch: The beautiful black & white cinematography (click HERE to watch entire movie)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Nominated for four Oscars, Stanley Kubrick’s epic masterpiece will boggle and blow your mind. This is not your normal movie, one of those “loved it” or “hated it” movies – it wants to confuse you and will make you think, “What the heck just happened?” The story is about two crewman on a manned flight to Jupiter, the theme being man versus machine. Reason to watch: Interesting fact – there are a total of 88 dialogue-free minutes in the movie (click HERE to watch entire movie).
Tokyo Story (1953): Yasujiro Ozu’s movie makes you instantly sympathize with the older generation, who have traditional values, while the younger generation is shown as selfish, and too busy to spend time with their parents – an example of the old “cat’s in the cradle“. This powerfully emotional movie is a definite must-see. Reason to watch: The realism – and be ready to weep a little (click HERE to watch entire movie).
The Tree of Life (2011): Director Terrence Malick was nominated for three Oscars for this film about the origin and meaning of life. Another “loved it” or “hated it” movie, this one is not for the casual movie fan looking for a typical ‘Hollywood’ movie, no real storyline at all – but it will make you think about your life and your loved ones. Reason to watch: the visual imagery and cinematography (click HERE for trailer)
Vertigo (1958): Legendary Alfred Hitchcock should be on this list, but why this film? Why not Psycho, Birds, or North by Northwest? Perhaps it’s because it’s been called the most personal, emotional, and complex of them all. This psychological detective mystery is one of those movies that makes you want to watch several times. Reason to watch: See the million dollar makeover that Universal Studios put on the digitally remastered version (click HERE to watch a total of 30 mins of clips).“Every great film should seem new every time you see it.” - Roger Ebert
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/04/the_greatest_films_of_all_time.html
April 21, 2013
Did you know that onomeister is a hardcore Toronto Blue Jay fan? So many games in a year to watch, so little time to watch them all. This game against the arch-rivals New York Yankees was a good one. Jays were down by 2 and had a breakout 6th inning rally started by Canadian sensation Brett Lawrie to score 4 runs , which in the end decided the game. Jays are finally showing some explosive offensive effort after going 8W-11L so far.
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Original photo credit: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images (Shopped color saturation, brightness/contrast, cropped)
March 31, 2013
I have told you that Flickr is photorific, haven’t I? Look at this stunning photo of a sunset and icicles by Ken Scott photography! I would love to take photos like this, but these kind of opportunities are not easy to find… Thank you Flickr for sharing!
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photo credit: Ken Scott photography (‘shopped color saturation, contrast/brightness)
March 17, 2013
Flickr is fantastic! So many cute and creative photos, like this one! Has anyone heard of the internet meme, Danbo? I didn’t realize it was so popular till I googled more about it. It first appeared in 2006 in a Japanese manga called Yotsuba&! (my kids read this manga – they say it’s pretty funny!). Then came the toys in 2007. In 2009, the boom started when fans started taking photos of Danbo in cute everyday situations. There’s a huge 4000 member Danbo community on Flickr, and now these photos are popping up everywhere on image searches! Thanks to Rich Byham for sharing this with us! Hmm… I might order a Danbo figurine and take some funny photos myself…
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photo credit: Rich Byham (‘shopped color saturation, contrast/brightness)
