Early adoption is fun. Sure, there are plenty of negatives and risks that come with being an early adopter, chiefly long lines, terrible hours, and generally products at their most expensive. But you get a fancy new gadget before everyone else has one. When it is a big deal to have one. When the future of that product is yet to be written, and the critics haven’t had a chance to destroy your fanboyner. Is it worth spending a night, or possibly longer, camped in front of your favorite store? No, probably not. And yet every time a new Harry Potter, Call of Duty or Apple product comes out, people still line up.

And now I’ve done it three times. Only one time really counts, when I bought my Wii – after spending my birthday camped outside the Redmond Target with my friends. My first time was also for a Nintendo product, the GameBoy Advance SP. I was really excited about a Nintendo handheld finally having a backlit screen, and I got my dad and brothers excited enough to head over to Circuit City before it opened and get in line with like one other person. My experience with the iPhone 4 was similar to the SP, in that I showed up shortly before the AT&T store opened, at around 6:30. The phone came out a week earlier, but Tuesday was the first day AT&T was selling them. I didn’t want to spend the night in line, but I felt it couldn’t hurt to show up and press my luck. It paid off: I missed the first shipment of phones but scooped up a voucher for the second shipment, which was due to come in that day at noon. So after battling falling back asleep for a few hours, I returned and claimed my prize: a 32GB iPhone 4.

And what a prize it is. When the first iPhone came out, I thought it was a neat device, but wasn’t quite sold (very much like the current iPad). Then the iPhone 3G came out, supporting some noteworthy improvements that pushed me over the edge in mid-2008. 2009’s iPhone 3GS never seemed like much of an upgrade, adding only one letter to the device’s name (and a compass app!) – I prefer they add at least two letters when I buy the new versions (ie Advance SP, DS Lite). Well Apple dropped two letters this time, but added a beautiful new screen, sleek design, and terrific camera and significant increases to the processing power of its flagship device.

The design of the iPhone 4 is the first thing that stands out when you see it. Gone are Apple’s trademark smooth curves, replaced with shocking hard lines. The volume bevel is gone, replaced by two circular buttons. Aside from that, the elements of the iPhone remain the same, its just prettier. It looks so sleek that I immediately ordered a new case for it, I don’t think I could live with myself if I damaged it. The downside of the new look is the antenna, that metallic strip running along the side of the phone can lose its signal if you hold it just right. Hopefully this will be fixed down the road and for now I’m fine holding it differently. I think you can argue against many aspects of the iPhone 4, but the one thing I can come up with no defense against is the beauty of its shell: this is simply the prettiest mass-produced handheld device I’ve ever seen. And of course Apple paired these gorgeous aesthetics with some incredible hardware.

The iPhone 4 screen is called the Retina Display, because Apple claims the phone is so dense with pixels the human eye cannot distinguish between them. Basically, they’re saying looking at the Retina Display is comparable to looking at print. In practice, I have a hard time disproving them. I can definitely read small text that would have been significantly less legible on my iPhone 3G. When I hold the phone close to my face, all I accomplish is hurting my eyes. So I’m pretty happy with the screen. The speakers also sound a lot better than the 3G’s, although I hear they’re comparable to the 3GS’s. And behind the scenes is a processor that is close to as powerful as the iPad’s, and twice the RAM of the 3GS. The speed increase is very noticeable coming off the 3G, especially being able to quickly launch apps that would crash my old phone. The battery seems pretty great too, I used my phone for over 12 hours; listening to music via BlueTooth, making calls, wireless N and 3G web browsing and playing games, and only drained the battery to around 60%.

Today, the smart phone has to do a lot more that make calls. Like its predecessors, the iPhone 4 can run a ton of great apps, play music and video and make good calls (as long as AT7T will allow you). But the kiddies need it to be a camera too. And I’m finally willing to admit I wouldn’t begrudge someone who used their iPhone 4 as a camera. Sporting a 5MP lens and flash, the iPhone 4 does a good job shooting even in low-light situations. It can record video in 720p as well, and you can even edit video on your phone, using iMovie. There’s a lesser front-facing lens that you can use to take pictures of yourself, like a scrub, or, much more interestingly, use to make video calls using Face Time. However, Face Time requires two iPhone 4s and a WiFi connection, so I probably won’t ever use it.

Is the iPhone 4 worth it? That depends on you. I’ve just barely gotten the device, but I’ve been very impressed by it. For me, someone who is already locked into the Apple world, this felt like a substantial upgrade that hopefully will keep me satisfied for another two years like my 3G did. For a 3GS user, you’d be mainly getting a better screen and camera, if that’s worth it, then by all means. For those poor souls without an iPhone, this is a pretty good place to jump on in. Your missing out on a whole world of portable fart sound effects.

I’d been planning a Dennis Hopper “Best of” film memoriam ever since I heard he was sick but unfortunately this post is happening much later then I would of liked. This list being my personal picks of Dennis Hopper’s best roles. Naturally I can only see so much in so little time but I think I hit on most of the ones worth mentioning. Something I want to establish is that this order is based off of his best performances not best movies.

10. Land of the Dead (2005)
as Paul Kaufman
It came down to this and Red Rock West for the ten spot but I had to go with Land of the Dead just for the little quirks that make up Hopper’s performance as the tyrannous Paul Kaufman. Playing the snooty mayor of an upscale city during a zombie apocalypse, Hopper chews the scenery as an uptight douche that you love to hate. What’s really great about Hopper’s performance is the subtle mannerisms, like one particular scene where he’s picking his nose. It’s as if they’re letting him do whatever he wants and in Hopper’s case that only can mean a more entertaining performance.

9. Apocalypse Now (1979)
as The Photojournalist
Hopper is just one of many in this epic but it’s a crucial role nonetheless. Inspired by the disappearance of Vietnam photographer Sean Flynn (son of actor Errol Flynn) Hopper’s character is sort of a “what could of happened to Sean Flynn.” Which in this case means he’s a crazed photojournalist living in the jungle and worshipping the god like Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). It’s an exhilarating part of the film and Hopper brings a fair share of energy and intensity to the role.

8. Speed (1994)
as Howard Payne
Speed is by no means a great movie. It’s a typical action flick with some great stunts and most importantly “explosions” but what sets this apart from most action flicks (aside from the explosions) is that it actually has a good villain. A lone nut bomber with a fiery temper played to a tee by everyone’s favorite rebel. There’s something about Hopper that stays burned in your mind, it’s a certain intensity and there isn’t a slow moment when he’s onscreen.

7. Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
as Daniel Morgan
Known by few was a little sub genre in the 70s known as “Ozploitation” which basically translates to “really violent Australian movies”. This Aussie western tells the true story (though I’m sure much has been changed) of Daniel Morgan an Irish outlaw who went on a violent spree in the Australian outback in the 1860s. It’s a manic performance from Hopper that lands this role a spot on this list. Going in and out of a strange supposedly Irish accent, Hopper grabs your attention with a character that perfectly suits the real life eccentricities of the man. You’ll be hard pressed to find a decent copy but it’s an intriguing curiosity.

6. The American Friend (1977)
as Tom Ripley
Hopper plays a displaced cowboy named Ripley in this German neo-noir film directed by Wim Wenders. Befriending a German frame maker with a terminal blood disease named Jonathan (Bruno Ganz), Ripley turns him on to becoming a hit man to try and make some money to support his family. It’s another shady character for Hopper, who’s part doesn’t really expand until the last half, but it’s as the film goes on that we see there’s more to him. That he really does want to help his friend and from then on it becomes sort of a buddy picture. It’s a solid performance and really interesting film worth checking out.

5. Out of the Blue (1980)
as Don Barnes
A quiet and surprisingly dark indie film, Out of the Blue was Hopper’s return to directing after the ill-fated film The Last Movie nine years earlier. An underrated drama, Hopper plays the ex-convict father of a rebellious punk/Elvis loving teen named Cebe. A coming of age story, Hopper plays a character that although loves his daughter can’t even begin to contain his own personal demons. It may sound just like another Dennis Hopper “loose cannon” role but it’s more subdued than you’d expect and surprisingly emotional.

4. True Romance (1993)
as Clifford Worley
Fairly high considering the few scenes Hopper has, but they’re easily the best scenes in the movie. Hopper plays Clifford Worley an ex-cop of the film’s protagonist who just wants the best for his son. It’s probably one of the few good natured character’s Hopper has played and he easily steals the show. His scene between a drug lord (Christopher Walken) on the topic of “the origin of Sicilians” is hilarious and thrilling at the same time and it’s one of Hopper’s best scenes… Ever.

3. Easy Rider (1969)
as Billy
There’s few movies you can say “defined a generation” but this was one of those few. A film that embodied the free spirit, rebellious mentality of the time and Dennis was a big part of that. Taking on dual roles as director/co-writer/co-star to Peter Fonda Easy Rider would help pave the way for the up and coming filmmakers of “New Hollywood”. Here Hopper plays the more or less carefree Billy a rebellious biker and companion to Wyatt (Peter Fonda). Really it’s a buddy picture with seemingly simple characters but they do have a kind of depth under the surface and are nothing short of iconic characters.

2. Hoosiers (1986)
as Shooter
So many of these roles seem to be tied together by the same characteristics. Words like “eccentric” and “manic” and “pissed” but it’s in Hopper’s only Oscar nominated role that he shows he’s more than just a badass. Easily his most sensitive and sympathetic role is that of alcoholic father Shooter. It’s one of those roles that just breaks your heart and is just one of the many reasons why I consider Hoosiers perhaps the best (or at least my favorite) movie about sports. Check it out if you want to see a side of Hopper you may not of known existed.

1. Blue Velvet (1986)
as Frank Booth
WIth his two biggest roles released in the same year, there was much debate that Hopper’s nomination for “Best Supporting Actor” was really for Blue Velvet but that it was two controversial of a role. Anyhow Blue Velvet is a Neo-Noir classic with much to praise, including one of the greatest film villains of the 80s. Frank Booth is one sadistic s.o.b. sucking down Nitrous Oxide and taking part in various acts of sadomasochism. He’s dark and disturbed character that can easily thrill any viewer. It’s easily the best developed character Dennis Hopper ever played and should live on as his most impressive role.

So there you have it a long career filled with plenty of hit or miss roles but most importantly it’s what he contributed to film as an energetic performer and a skilled director.

Honorable Mention
River’s Edge (1986)
Red Rock West (1993)
Rumble Fish (1983)

In the earliest days, when people thought of computers they thought of massive room-filling machines capable of some fundamental logic-based computation. As time went on, that image shrank down to the classic screen and keyboard setup. Apple revolutionized that by designing the world’s first Graphical User Interface (GUI) and creating a companion for the keyboard: the mouse. Since then computers have gotten considerably more powerful and compact. We have the Internet now, which has totally changed the way we use computers. Technology is rapidly evolving, CPU keep getting faster, graphic cards more powerful, memory more vast. And yet we remain stagnantly attached to the mouse and keyboard.

Don’t get me wrong, the mouse and keyboard are a pretty good set up. We are so familiar with this set up that many of us can type quickly without looking at the screen and orchestrate complex works of art with the mouse. And the idea of change is scary. When I just tried to use a different keyboard layout (Dvorak) I found it so frustratingly slow I gave up after just a couple days. Change is too hard, I thought. But now I’m not so sure that is the case. Maybe what I really found out was that keyboards and mice are not an intuitive way of interacting with computers, but we just accept them anyway. Maybe it’s time we move away to a new form of input. Which is why the work that some people are doing right now is so exciting.

Personally, 10/GUI is the most exciting new UI currently in development because it seems so practical. Since the iPhone, we have all fallen in love with multi-touch. Which we should have, it’s great technology. But I refuse to believe that people actually want to spend all their time dragging their fingers all over their nice monitor at home. That’s tiring and people don’t like seeing all the finger prints when the screen turns off. 10/GUI makes a strong case for itself, logically allowing users to utilize all the power of multi-touch while keeping them comfortable and even leaving the keyboard for text editing.

But what about going farther into the future? To modern minds something like 10/GUI seems plausible, but what about a UI that is a little more science fiction? Something a little more Minority Report? Well, funny story. That fancy computer interface you saw in Minority Report was designed by the folks over at MIT to resemble what they thought computers could be like in 2050 or whenever that movie was set. And even though it’s only 2010, MIT is closer to producing a similar UI than you might expect.

As you can see, gesture-based computing is approaching reality. But, besides being really cool, what is the appeal of this? After all, standing up and making sweeping gestures is a lot more exhausting than the borderline nothing computer users do today. You won’t want to jerk it in fancy gloves with cameras watching you. And it seems that text editing would take a hit, since you would be forced to use a slower on screen keyboard or actually dictate everything you want written. And yet this is definitely the direction technology is going in.

The Wii kind of got movement back in the picture a few years back. Later this year, movement will be pushed into further prominence when Microsoft comes out with Kinect (formerly Project Natal) and Sony comes out with PlayStation Move. Both use cameras to track the player in a 3D space. Move uses a Wiimote-esque controller with a magical ball on the top of it that lights up that the camera can very accurately track. Kinect thinks even that is too much, so it just straight up tracks your body. Neither of these technologies are available to the public yet, but it will be exciting to see what they do for the future of gaming. But the future of UI has to be bigger than just gaming consoles. Hell, it has to be bigger than computers as we know them.

Sixth Sense is amazing if it actually works. Being able to enjoy the best aspects of a computer wherever you go is something everyone can enjoy. Obviously there are problems with projector strength and battery life, but that Sixth Sense technology is about as exciting an approach to computing I’ve seen in the real world.

But does it replace the keyboard? I’m not convinced. Despite all the new, exciting UI technology that is currently in development, I don’t see any better method of alpha numeric input than the keyboard. And sometimes you just want to sit back and relax when you play a game or browse the Internet. I think gestures are a bit too much for that all the time. But the wonderful thing about our powerful modern machines is that you don’t need to choose one or the other. You can have both. It’s all about making the experience better for us. And that’s what is most exciting of all.

The final chapter of our Seattle Film Festival shenanigans ends with the chinese buddy picture known as Little Big Soldier starring Jackie Chan. The only foreign language film we saw, which we were obviously drawn to because of the Chan man. Known as the Buster Keaton of Kung Fu cinema, Jackie completely delivers with plenty of charm and style in this humorous and even thrilling period piece.

Before I jump in let me paint a picture of our exploit, as I often do. So we (Sean, Colin and I) saw this one at some Regal theater in Seattle. It was one of those fancy shmancy two story theaters that seemed like a surprising venue for a SIFF film. Going in it was the same old SIFF routine. An organizer talks about voting for your favorite film before the film starts and yadda yadda, whatever. I guess none of this important but I’m trying to follow the format of the other SIFF reviews, so just bare with me.

So yeah the film, “Little Big Soldier” either a nod to the film Little Big Man or a fragmented translation? I don’t know but it seems to sum up the film quite well. Jackie plays a Liang soldier during the Chinese warring states period. A simple farmer with little interest in fighting, he’ll often fake being dead to avoid conflict. Though shit gets real when encountering a Wei General (played by Wang Lee-Horn whom Wikipedia describes as “An American-Singer Songwriter”) in a moment of weakness. One thing leads to another and the General then becomes the farmer’s hostage. Planning to turn him into Liang forces for a reward hilarity and action ensue on their journey. Really that’s just a brief summarization of the premise as there’s so much going on here and it truly is a beautifully acted film with some excellent stunt work.

As a matter of fact it’s definitely one of the best films I’ve seen of 2010 thus far and it’s a must see for Chan fans. Anyhow I’ve lost the will to write so I’ll wrap it up here. “SIFF 2010” an intriguing experience that I’d like to follow again sometime. It’s tough finding the right films to see but I’d say it’s a venture worth taking, so that’s my two cents see ya around the blog-o-sphere.

For today we have a play-by-play breakdown of day two of Da Morgue’s Seattle Film Festival Exploits. On our plate this fine afternoon was Tim Blake Nelson’s dark comedy Leaves of Grass starring Edward Norton. One of the few films I’d heard of before the festival this was one I was so excited about I bought tickets in advance. I’d liked the trailer and what I’d read beforehand but what really sweetened the deal was the promise of an Edward Norton appearance afterwards. Wow Edward Norton! Maybe I could ask him what the first rule of FIght Club is? I bet no one ever asks him about Fight Club but we’ll get to that later.

We headed out at about noonish with Sean behind the wheel. As usual him and Colin argued over GPS gobbledygook as Paul and I talked about the worst questions we could ask Edward Norton if we got the chance. We arrived about an hour before showtime and waited in a long but casual line outside the Egyptian theatre in Seattle’s Capitol Hill District. We killed time as Sean once again regaled us with his idea for a graphic novel called Choice: The World of Shadows about people with shadow powers defending themselves from these guys sent from god. Naturally it would be made into a movie starring Jesse Eisenberg as the hero and Will Arnett as the villain. Seemed like a good project to pitch to Edward Norton, maybe he’d be interested in providing some financial backing?

By the time we got inside most of the good seats had been taken. Sean and Colin found decent seats further back but Paul and I wanted to be close for Edward Norton’s appearance. We sat in the front row right next to the steps leading to the stage. So the film began and turned out to be an easily enjoyable experience for all, at least I hope. A dark comedy where Edward Norton played twin brothers, one a renowned philosophy professor, the other a drug dealing hick. Of course Norton played both continuing his fascination with duality. Writer/director Tim Blake Nelson co-starred as the hick brother’s blue collar best friend and what followed was a few hours of off-the-wall dark humor, violence and sweet Edward Norton x2 action.

The audience appeared to eat it up, I mean the lady next to me laughed so loud I practically went deaf. I definitely enjoyed it, not like it was amazing or anything but it was different and humorous. Though it would of been a lot better if I could hear more of the dialogue covered in rowdy audience laughter.

As the film came to a close the big moment was soon to come… And midway through the ending credits they called him up, “Ladies and gentleman, Edward Norton.” He came out and literally walked right in front of me to get on stage. As a matter of fact I had to scoot back my feet to clear a path. To think I could of tripped a two time Oscar nominee if I had it in me… That could of been on the news. It was a typical Q & A and really no one had any really great questions. They went something like this and I’m serious, these are the questions verbatim.

– “Edward Norton, why are you so awesome?”
– “What’s been your most challenging role?”
– “What advice do you have for aspiring actors?”
– “In the movie which brother did you enjoy playing more? And can I have your autograph?”

Those are what I can remember and he answered them with pretty modest answers, except that one chick didn’t get an autograph. For the most part he just seemed like a normal guy but it was still a surreal experience. It couldn’t of lasted more than ten minutes before he thanked everyone and made his exit through an outside door. Afterwards we went to Dick’s and the rest is history, overall a good film, a good day and an unfortunate missed chance to trip a celebrity.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to check out the Seattle International Film Festival. I mean every year from late May to early June there are literally hundreds of independent film’s playing just a few minutes away. So finally Colin and I took in our first SIFF film yesterday and plan to see all that we can in the remaining week of the festival.

Step one is finding a movie you’re actually interested in. A documentary about the holocaust? A hard hitting drama about Bulgarian refugees? What to do? So we played it safe on our first outing picking an english language film with a familiar star and director. The film was Ondine about a struggling Irish fisherman named Syracuse (Colin Farrell) who one day discovers a beautiful woman Ondine (Alicja Bachleda) in the water, who his ill daughter believes to be a selkie (a mythological sea creature.) It’s a fairly light drama from writer/director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire) but before I go on let me tell you about this whole indie film going experience.

Being that the film was playing at the Kirkland Performance Center (and we are Kirkland residents) travel was a breeze. We cruised down at about six (an hour before showtime) and tickets for students were dirt cheap at 6 bucks, so if you like going to cheap movies maybe that’s a good incentive to stay in college for as long as you can, like Van Wilder. Concessions were also cheap and offered a few items I was surprised to see at a theater. This included wine, sparkling ciders and brewskis. Colin bought a three dollar pale ale (I just had Dr. Pepper) but had to wait for about ten minutes for popcorn. They ended up bringing it in to him into the theater.

The place wasn’t really built for movies but I didn’t really mind considering it was so cheap. As the film began it looked almost like it was a dvd copy of some film print, I mean it actually started with some weird menu. There were a few audio problems, most notably a few seconds where there was none but aside from that it worked well enough.

What did I think of the movie? Well it was fine just fine. I had some trouble understanding Colin Farrell’s thick Irish accent but I don’t think I missed out on much dialogue. The film was shot in some amazingly picturesque settings which was definitely a highlight. The story was nothing to rave about but it worked out well enough and wrapped up in a satisfying fashion. I’m always a fan of indie Colin Farrell so he was probably my favorite part of the film.

So it was a good film, somewhere around 3 or 3 1/2 stars out of five. I enjoyed the cheap tickets and concessions but don’t feel too desperate to rush back there for more movies (though it might be the easiest way to see SIFF films.) Anyhow check back soon for part II detailing Sean, Colin, my brother Paul and I’s experience checking out the film Leaves of Grass.