Many people follow the latest Brad and Angelina news and if you could
yourself as one of them: you are part of a very large crowd. Our society simply
loves celebrity gossip. We love to know the innermost details of celebrities'
lives. What they do in their personal time, what they wear, what they eat and
even quotes they say about very everyday things become real news
items.Celebrities become a real part of our lives. When you follow a favorite
television star or movie actor: you wind up watching their shows or films. It
often seems as if they are part of your daily life. Therefore, it would be very
natural to think that
what they do would be of great interest to you. Human
beings by nature are very curious and often wonder what makes other people
"tick" and act the way they do.
Now that we understand what link popularity is and how it works, we need to
look specifically at how Google measures it. They use a number of variables in
their algorithm to calculate your overall link score. The higher your score, the
higher you will be ranked in the search listings.One factor that Google uses in
their algorithm, obviously, is the total number of sites linking to you. The
more links you have, the higher your score will be. However, their algorithm is
a little more complicated than that, and it is possible for a website with fewer
links to be ranked higher than a website that has more links.The reason for this
is because Google also measures the quality of your links. If your website is
about vitamins, and the site linking to you is a video game site, then that is
not considered a quality link.
The biggest thing you can do to help with these costs Celine bags sale is
to NOT rent a place at first work out of your own home. Also, do not offer to
pay anyone to help you when you are first starting out. These two things alone
will save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every month. Down the road
when you are an established, larger company you can go ahead and rent a place
for business and hire staff to help you. Now we need to talk about the wholesale
handbags distributors that you are going to be buying your products from. They
too have to have low overhead costs. If they have high overhead they are going
to increase the prices on the products that they sell to you, which will in turn
cut into your profits. Also, they should buy the merchandise directly from the
manufacturer, and they can do this in several different ways.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Intro to European Cinema - The Very Best Films
European Cinema has always been interesting, and has never
stopped surprising us. The countries although close to each other are
very different. They all have something that makes them special, and
therefore with this article I want to introduce you to the five very
best films of the five most important film industries of Europe. Let us
start of with the birthplace of film: France.
France's best Film: The Fabulous Life of Amelie (2001) [IMDb User Rating: 8.5]
A great French film that everyone has at least heard of. Most people will also have seen it. It is the great romantic movie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet about the naive girl Amelie. She one day decides that she wants to help people and does this in the most original ways. A truly heart warming film that has won an impressive 5 Oscars.
Italy's best Film: Cinema Paradiso (1988) [IMDb User Rating: 8.5]
This touching film is not only Europeanmovies.org best Italian film it also is its best European Film. Also according to many critics the best Art house films of all time. It tells the story of an Italian Filmmaker looking back on his childhood hood in which he spend his time in the local movie theater.
Spain's best Film: Pan's Labyrinth (2006) [IMDB user Rating: 8.4.]
Or El Laberinto del Fauno is one of the great films of Guillermo del Toro. A true international success with 3 Oscars. It is about a young girl who is the daughter of a Italian camp officer. The girl escapes from the reality she lives in by going into the world of her imagination.
Sweden's best Film: Fanny och Alexander (1982) [IMDb user Rating 8.2]
A Swedish all-time classic by legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. It is one of his later movies, and certainly one of his best. It has received for oscars. Among them one being an Oscar for best director. And completely deserved it was.
Germany's best Film: Das Leben der Anderen (2004) [IMDb User Rating: 8.5]
A Great German feeling dealing with the story of a lonely agent of the Secret Police of Eastern Germany. He gets the task to lead to observe of a German playwriter and novelist. The movie impressively portrays the impact the communist system had on society. It is the winner of a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. And also not unimportant: an oscar.
More great films from other countries are of course also available.
France's best Film: The Fabulous Life of Amelie (2001) [IMDb User Rating: 8.5]
A great French film that everyone has at least heard of. Most people will also have seen it. It is the great romantic movie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet about the naive girl Amelie. She one day decides that she wants to help people and does this in the most original ways. A truly heart warming film that has won an impressive 5 Oscars.
Italy's best Film: Cinema Paradiso (1988) [IMDb User Rating: 8.5]
This touching film is not only Europeanmovies.org best Italian film it also is its best European Film. Also according to many critics the best Art house films of all time. It tells the story of an Italian Filmmaker looking back on his childhood hood in which he spend his time in the local movie theater.
Spain's best Film: Pan's Labyrinth (2006) [IMDB user Rating: 8.4.]
Or El Laberinto del Fauno is one of the great films of Guillermo del Toro. A true international success with 3 Oscars. It is about a young girl who is the daughter of a Italian camp officer. The girl escapes from the reality she lives in by going into the world of her imagination.
Sweden's best Film: Fanny och Alexander (1982) [IMDb user Rating 8.2]
A Swedish all-time classic by legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. It is one of his later movies, and certainly one of his best. It has received for oscars. Among them one being an Oscar for best director. And completely deserved it was.
Germany's best Film: Das Leben der Anderen (2004) [IMDb User Rating: 8.5]
A Great German feeling dealing with the story of a lonely agent of the Secret Police of Eastern Germany. He gets the task to lead to observe of a German playwriter and novelist. The movie impressively portrays the impact the communist system had on society. It is the winner of a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. And also not unimportant: an oscar.
More great films from other countries are of course also available.
Monday, August 27, 2012
How Subtitling Services Help Break Down the Cultural Divide
The immense benefit of professional subtitling services and their
positive contribution to the on-going diffusion of cultures around the
world can be understood more through this personal anecdote. In the old
days, it was easy to dismiss, say, a movie whose language was unknown to
you. Back in the early 1990s, when I first came across a VHS copy of
Giuseppe Tornatore's award-winning film Cinema Paradiso, the audio was
in Italian-a language I barely understand even now-and so my ignorance
made it easy for me to toss the said copy in the back bin. Instead, I
would often watch movies that were already in the language I
knew-English-such as the usual Hollywood fares, action and science
fiction and fantasy films.
Many years later, finding a DVD copy of Cinema Paradiso and eventually being able to watch it, I realized the huge importance of the work that I almost failed to see. The said movie, after all, earned several rewards from a number of film festivals and award-giving bodies, foremost of which were the Academy Awards, the BAFTA, and Cannes.
It is important to note that professional subtitling services played a very important role in my personal experience-without English subtitles, for instance, I would not have access to the incredible emotional depths of the movie. I would not have understood Alfredo's role in the life and love of Salvatore. I would not have been able to plumb the depths of Salvatore's sense of loss-and the eventual peace that enfolds him by the end of the movie, as he watches the spliced reels of all the kissing scenes in films Alfredo had gathered many years ago.
This little anecdote could also have been the story of so many countless people whose lives have been "enriched" by having access to great works from countries of a different language. One cannot discount the important contribution to global culture of so many nameless professionals who labour at language translation services only to bring us accurate subtitling services.
Along with newly emerging forms of media (the emergence and gradual popularity of new media formats such as Blu-ray, for instance), subtitling services will only become much more in demand in the foreseeable future. And of course, it is not simply limited to a small number of languages-a typical DVD or Blu-Ray disc, for instance, of a fairly popular movie can have as many as 10 language choices in its "Subtitles" section, whereas the audio option is usually limited to up to three languages. Obviously, subtitling services play a crucial role in the dissemination of cultural products around the globe.
Many years later, finding a DVD copy of Cinema Paradiso and eventually being able to watch it, I realized the huge importance of the work that I almost failed to see. The said movie, after all, earned several rewards from a number of film festivals and award-giving bodies, foremost of which were the Academy Awards, the BAFTA, and Cannes.
It is important to note that professional subtitling services played a very important role in my personal experience-without English subtitles, for instance, I would not have access to the incredible emotional depths of the movie. I would not have understood Alfredo's role in the life and love of Salvatore. I would not have been able to plumb the depths of Salvatore's sense of loss-and the eventual peace that enfolds him by the end of the movie, as he watches the spliced reels of all the kissing scenes in films Alfredo had gathered many years ago.
This little anecdote could also have been the story of so many countless people whose lives have been "enriched" by having access to great works from countries of a different language. One cannot discount the important contribution to global culture of so many nameless professionals who labour at language translation services only to bring us accurate subtitling services.
Along with newly emerging forms of media (the emergence and gradual popularity of new media formats such as Blu-ray, for instance), subtitling services will only become much more in demand in the foreseeable future. And of course, it is not simply limited to a small number of languages-a typical DVD or Blu-Ray disc, for instance, of a fairly popular movie can have as many as 10 language choices in its "Subtitles" section, whereas the audio option is usually limited to up to three languages. Obviously, subtitling services play a crucial role in the dissemination of cultural products around the globe.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Why the PS3 Can Save You Money - 3 Tips for Putting Cash Back in Your Pocket
I don't know about you, but when you're as obsessed with gaming (and
in particular PS3) as I am, you quickly start to learn that it's not the
cheapest hobby in the world. That coupled with my movie obsession had
me almost broke.
I was always buying games I'm sure I'd like, only to find out that I didn't really enjoy them. I'd also spend tons on DVD rental a month - it all added up.
In fact I can't remember how much I've spent on purchasing games and DVDs over the years - a small fortune, probably. That's why I've come up with 3 money-saving tips I'd like to share, which I learned about the hard way.
Rent games instead of buying them - It took me a good while to discover that this was even possible. I wished I'd found out about this earlier than I did. There are a variety of services out there on the net where you can rent games, often with a free trial period. This is a great way for auditioning games before you buy. I have a plethora of abandoned games which I've either had to sell on or are just gathering dust on my shelf. Renting games means you know which games tickle your fancy before you buy.
Use Your PS3 as a Blu-ray player - instead of going out and buying an expensive stand-alone Blu-ray player to play your Blu-ray discs you can use your trusty PS3. This could possibly save you at least £400
Save on DVD, Blu-ray Purchases and even Cinema Tickets - Usually if you want to watch a film you have to buy the DVD or Blu-ray or stream the movie to your computer on a small screen. But you can now stream movies to PS3 and enjoy the full cinematic experience on your own full-sized television screen. No need to buy an expensive TV with movie streaming facilities or visit the cinema to see your latest flick either.
There are plenty of online services out there on the web for renting games and movies, but many aren't necessarily geared towards the PS3 user or make full use of the PS3 movie streaming facilities. Some of the services out there presently are Blockbuster, Netfix, Cinema Paradiso, and of course good old iTunes. Not all of which cater to the whims of us PS3 users. One service that I have recently found that ticked all the right boxes for me as a PS3 obsessive is Lovefilm.
I was always buying games I'm sure I'd like, only to find out that I didn't really enjoy them. I'd also spend tons on DVD rental a month - it all added up.
In fact I can't remember how much I've spent on purchasing games and DVDs over the years - a small fortune, probably. That's why I've come up with 3 money-saving tips I'd like to share, which I learned about the hard way.
Rent games instead of buying them - It took me a good while to discover that this was even possible. I wished I'd found out about this earlier than I did. There are a variety of services out there on the net where you can rent games, often with a free trial period. This is a great way for auditioning games before you buy. I have a plethora of abandoned games which I've either had to sell on or are just gathering dust on my shelf. Renting games means you know which games tickle your fancy before you buy.
Use Your PS3 as a Blu-ray player - instead of going out and buying an expensive stand-alone Blu-ray player to play your Blu-ray discs you can use your trusty PS3. This could possibly save you at least £400
Save on DVD, Blu-ray Purchases and even Cinema Tickets - Usually if you want to watch a film you have to buy the DVD or Blu-ray or stream the movie to your computer on a small screen. But you can now stream movies to PS3 and enjoy the full cinematic experience on your own full-sized television screen. No need to buy an expensive TV with movie streaming facilities or visit the cinema to see your latest flick either.
There are plenty of online services out there on the web for renting games and movies, but many aren't necessarily geared towards the PS3 user or make full use of the PS3 movie streaming facilities. Some of the services out there presently are Blockbuster, Netfix, Cinema Paradiso, and of course good old iTunes. Not all of which cater to the whims of us PS3 users. One service that I have recently found that ticked all the right boxes for me as a PS3 obsessive is Lovefilm.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Director Giuseppe Tornatore Wins Best Foreign Film Oscar For "Cinema Paradiso"
Cinema Paradiso (Paradise Cinema in English) - 4 Stars (Excellent)
In my search for films that are not well known but tell a great story with an excellent presentation, I discovered "Cinema Paradiso" by Italian Director Giuseppe Tornatore.
Tornatore intended the film to be an
obituary for traditional movie theaters (like Paradise Cinema) and the
movie industry in general, but after the film's critical acclaim and
box-office success, he changed his mind and apparently never publicly
mentioned the demise of films again.
Many critics credit Cinema Paradiso with reviving Italy's movie industry, which would later produce "Mediterraneo" and "Life is Beautiful". Tornatore deserves even more credit than his directing effort; he also wrote the story and screenplay with some collaboration from Vanna Paoli.
Giuseppe Tornatore joins a very select group of writer/directors who have been able to create great films in a dual role. Most writer/directors fail miserably in their effort. I would elevate Tornatore to the same level as Tim McCanlies in "Secondhand Lions" and Kirk Jones in "Waking Ned Devine", both excellent pictures. It takes a lot more than gumption to create an excellent film, it also takes enormous talent, heart, sensitivity and maturity.
So just how successful was Cinema Paradiso? Among its 19 wins and 12 nominations for excellence was the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, and Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cinema Paradiso will capture your heart when you see 6-year-old Salvatore "Toto" Di Vita (played by Salvatore Cascio) become captivated by the local cinema in his small, native Sicilian Village. He misses his father, who becomes a World War II victim, and through guile and a high interest level, convinces the cinema projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) to mentor him.
There are three "Totos" in the film-the younger (Salvatore Cascio), the teenager (Marco Leonardi) and the adult (Jacques Perrin). Perrin is a real-life film producer. Cascio steals every scene he is in with his incredible facial expressions, inquisitive mind and indomitable determination to learn how to be a projectionist.
Along the way, he gets into a lot of trouble. He loses his mother's trust by spending money he is given to buy bread for the family on an admission fee to see a film at the theater. He cons Alfredo the projectionist into giving him some film that causes a fire in his home and threatens his sister's life. He causes Alfredo to break his promise to Toto's mother that he will no longer let Toto into the projectionist's booth.
Ultimately, the flammable film also causes a fire and destroys the Cinema Paradiso and, in a harrowing act, Toto saves Alfredo's life but Alfredo loses his sight in the disaster. After the Paradiso is rebuilt as the Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (New Paradise Cinema), Toto, who has learned to be a projectionist, is hired as a child to do so because he is the only one in the village who knows how.
The bond between Alfredo as a surrogate father to Toto will only grow deeper when Toto enters his teenage years. He will seek out Alfredo for advice on life when he falls in love with the beautiful Elena (Agnese Nano), who comes from a rich family and enters into a forbidden relationship with Toto.
Alfredo will encourage Toto to leave his village for Rome and never return if he is serious about a career in the movie industry. Toto will eventually grow up to become a famous movie producer in Rome.
Cinema Paradiso starts when Toto learns that his beloved Alfredo has died. Toto has not been back to his village and to visit his mother and sister in 30 years. The question is: Will he return for the funeral? After reliving his life in flashbacks during a sleepless night, he boards a plane home to find himself again. The total story is too good to reveal much more here.
Cinema Paradiso is all about relationships. The relationship of a mother to her son, of a surrogate father to a son, of a boy to a girl, of a young romance, of a village's citizens to its theater, and of intergenerational gatherings among the villagers.
The release of Cinema Paradiso in 1988 proves the adage that if success was easy every film would achieve critical acclaim and would be a box-office smash. The original version released in Italy was 155 minutes (2 hours, 35 minutes) and had a poor response. After shortening the film to 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes), it became an instant success.
I saw the 123-minute version that was released in the United States and was disappointed that there was no indication of what ultimately happened in Toto's relationship with Elena. I have since learned that Director Giuseppe Tornatore released a 173-minute version (2 hours, 53 minutes) in 2002 that contains exactly what I wanted to see. Find and watch the longer version if you can, it just adds to an already excellent film.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
In my search for films that are not well known but tell a great story with an excellent presentation, I discovered "Cinema Paradiso" by Italian Director Giuseppe Tornatore.
Tornatore intended the film to be an
obituary for traditional movie theaters (like Paradise Cinema) and the
movie industry in general, but after the film's critical acclaim and
box-office success, he changed his mind and apparently never publicly
mentioned the demise of films again.Many critics credit Cinema Paradiso with reviving Italy's movie industry, which would later produce "Mediterraneo" and "Life is Beautiful". Tornatore deserves even more credit than his directing effort; he also wrote the story and screenplay with some collaboration from Vanna Paoli.
Giuseppe Tornatore joins a very select group of writer/directors who have been able to create great films in a dual role. Most writer/directors fail miserably in their effort. I would elevate Tornatore to the same level as Tim McCanlies in "Secondhand Lions" and Kirk Jones in "Waking Ned Devine", both excellent pictures. It takes a lot more than gumption to create an excellent film, it also takes enormous talent, heart, sensitivity and maturity.
So just how successful was Cinema Paradiso? Among its 19 wins and 12 nominations for excellence was the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, and Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cinema Paradiso will capture your heart when you see 6-year-old Salvatore "Toto" Di Vita (played by Salvatore Cascio) become captivated by the local cinema in his small, native Sicilian Village. He misses his father, who becomes a World War II victim, and through guile and a high interest level, convinces the cinema projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) to mentor him.
There are three "Totos" in the film-the younger (Salvatore Cascio), the teenager (Marco Leonardi) and the adult (Jacques Perrin). Perrin is a real-life film producer. Cascio steals every scene he is in with his incredible facial expressions, inquisitive mind and indomitable determination to learn how to be a projectionist.
Along the way, he gets into a lot of trouble. He loses his mother's trust by spending money he is given to buy bread for the family on an admission fee to see a film at the theater. He cons Alfredo the projectionist into giving him some film that causes a fire in his home and threatens his sister's life. He causes Alfredo to break his promise to Toto's mother that he will no longer let Toto into the projectionist's booth.
Ultimately, the flammable film also causes a fire and destroys the Cinema Paradiso and, in a harrowing act, Toto saves Alfredo's life but Alfredo loses his sight in the disaster. After the Paradiso is rebuilt as the Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (New Paradise Cinema), Toto, who has learned to be a projectionist, is hired as a child to do so because he is the only one in the village who knows how.
The bond between Alfredo as a surrogate father to Toto will only grow deeper when Toto enters his teenage years. He will seek out Alfredo for advice on life when he falls in love with the beautiful Elena (Agnese Nano), who comes from a rich family and enters into a forbidden relationship with Toto.
Alfredo will encourage Toto to leave his village for Rome and never return if he is serious about a career in the movie industry. Toto will eventually grow up to become a famous movie producer in Rome.
Cinema Paradiso starts when Toto learns that his beloved Alfredo has died. Toto has not been back to his village and to visit his mother and sister in 30 years. The question is: Will he return for the funeral? After reliving his life in flashbacks during a sleepless night, he boards a plane home to find himself again. The total story is too good to reveal much more here.
Cinema Paradiso is all about relationships. The relationship of a mother to her son, of a surrogate father to a son, of a boy to a girl, of a young romance, of a village's citizens to its theater, and of intergenerational gatherings among the villagers.
The release of Cinema Paradiso in 1988 proves the adage that if success was easy every film would achieve critical acclaim and would be a box-office smash. The original version released in Italy was 155 minutes (2 hours, 35 minutes) and had a poor response. After shortening the film to 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes), it became an instant success.
I saw the 123-minute version that was released in the United States and was disappointed that there was no indication of what ultimately happened in Toto's relationship with Elena. I have since learned that Director Giuseppe Tornatore released a 173-minute version (2 hours, 53 minutes) in 2002 that contains exactly what I wanted to see. Find and watch the longer version if you can, it just adds to an already excellent film.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
Read more of my movie reviews on relationships and families, including:
"A Christmas Story"
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
"Secondhand Lions"
"The Chorus (Les Choristes in French)"
"Waking Ned Devine"
These are all excellent films that can make you smile, laugh, cry and feel better for the experience. Don't just live life, experience life at its best.
"A Christmas Story"
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
"Secondhand Lions"
"The Chorus (Les Choristes in French)"
"Waking Ned Devine"
These are all excellent films that can make you smile, laugh, cry and feel better for the experience. Don't just live life, experience life at its best.
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