reviews
Pinhole HD
So I read a tweet that Pinhole HD was free for some time today. Unfortunately, when I checked the AppStore, it was back to $0.99. But being intrigued, I decided to download the app, despite the cost.
In terms of interface, the app is quite interesting. It is laid out in a format of an actual home-made pinhole camera, with rough cut physical features and uneven adhesive. [see below]
Pinhole HD offers the image quality of toy pinhole cameras — washed out images and heavy vignetting. But with the digital options, you can now choose from 3 different types of film (Color, Ex.Color and Black & White), single or double-exposure, a black, white or brownish tape frame, and edge distortion — pre or post camera snap. Personally, I was kind of hoping for a bit more.
The UI also gets a bit confusing at times, when saving to the camera roll or deleting images from the gallery.
All in all, I would say that the app really isn’t that great. Unless the developer, Martin Kosdy comes up with a more robust set of features in the future updates, you will soon tire of the results you get from your photos. A lot of other apps offer more features and effects. Having said that, though, the app isn’t a total loss. Right now, I would give it a 3 out of 5.
Here are a few samples:
SuperPopCam
It took a while, but I have come to realize that most of the apps I download for my iPhone are photography related. And my latest DL is no exception.
From Art & Mobile — the makers of Tilt-Shift Generator, QuadCamera, Random Pose, Old Camera and Toy Camera comes the new SuperPopCam — a live effect preview, funky iphone camera app.
If that description threw you off, let me put it in simple terms. You point the iphone camera at your subject and swipe the screen to select the effect you want to use, while seeing the finished product real-time. See image below.
So if you love lo-fi photography, but want to see what the end product is gonna look like, this may just be the app for you, with 9 different effects to choose from (Lemonade, Violet Fizz, Cherry Pie, Dreamy, Cross Process, Hollywood, Cyanotone, Sepia and Monochrome). The application also gives you 5 border types to choose from, 5 vignetting styles, quick post to Twitter and Facebook, and the option to save your images at 640X480 or 960X720.
SuperPopCam is available on the iTunes store for $0.99. At this price, it’s a steal.
Here are my initial samples:
Hipstamatic
iPhone owners and Toy Camera fans, here’s a new reason to celebrate: Synthetic Corp’s new Hipstamatic application. Bringing back the look, feel, fun and unpredictability of the old school fantastic plastic machines, Hipstamatic merges the digital world of photography with the analogous realm of capturing images. And to make things more fun, with the swipe of a finger, you can even change your lenses, add gel filters for your flash and experiment with your film of choice… and get instant results.
Here are a few samples I took today.
[Lens: Kaimal Mark II | Film: Ina's 1969 | Flash: Berry Pop]
[Lens: Roboto Glitter | Film: Kodot Verichrome | Flash: Off]
[Lens: Lucifer VI | Film: BlacKeys B+W | Flash: RedEye Gel]
[Lens: Roboto Glitter | Film: Kodot Verichrome | Flash: RedEye Gel]
For $1.99, this application is a steal. You get a starter pack of the John S Lens, the Jimmy Lens, the Standard Flash, Ina’s 1969 Film, and Kodot Verichrome Film. And for an additional $0.99, you can purchase some of the booster packs which contain more lenses, flashes and film.
All in all, you spend less than $5.00 for a kick-ass camera application with an old-school feel in this digital age. I would definitely recommend this app for photography fans.
Find out more from the creators
More photos on my Flickr set
Quantum of Solace: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
I have always been a James Bond fan, ever since I was a kid. It started out with the cool gadgets, fast cars and eventually moved on to the hot Bond girls and the suave personality of 007.
I had a chance to catch a premiere of the latest installment of the James Bond series: Quantum of Solace and decided to write a short review.
The Good
- The theme song: Jack White (of the White Stripes) and Alicia Keys team up to create ‘Another Way to Die’, the intro song to the movie. It’s a typical Jack White tune — rough, yet catchy chords with his haunting vocals complemented with Alicia Keys’s soulful R&B backing.
- The action sequences: What is a James Bond flick without the action? This movie is packed with fast and furious chases — over land, air and sea. In fact, the movie opens with a great sequence.
- Daniel Craig: Pierce Brosnan was the “perfect” James Bond, so it came as quite a shock that Daniel Craig took over the role. Brosnan was the epitome of James Bond. Dashing. Debonair. Suave. And Daniel Craig did not seem to exude that same aura. He is rough, unpolished and lacks the overall Bond qualities. But, as these two movies (Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale) are supposed to be the history of how Bond came to 00 status, DC plays the role quite well, actually.
The Bad
- The Conflict: This movie is a continuation of Casino Royale… only it took a few years to make, thus leaving a bit of a disconnect. However, my main beef lies with the basic fact that there is no major conflict in the story. As you will read in “The Ugly” part of my qualms, the main dilemma in the story comes from Bond’s desire for revenge. Instead of the usual save the world and get the girl, Bond is on a personal vendetta. Yes, it gives a human dimension to Bond (and probably explains his detached persona), it does take away from the 007 aura.
The Ugly
- The villain: For some reason, this installment in the never ending Bond series had a wimp for a bad guy. No evil plan to take over the world. No ruthlessness behind every action. No typical villain characteristics. In fact, his very presence was kind of comedic. He looked like a nerd and acted like a coward. It is kind of difficult to picture Bond actually breaking a sweat, trying to bring down the baddie. Even M would have probably offered a bigger threat in a fistfight. There was, however, the backing of a mysterious international group of other bad guys.
All in all, the new James Bond flick is still a pretty good film for the franchise, if we don’t hold this 007 to the standards of all the previous roles. Daniel Craig offers a more personal and human Bond (no pun intended) which is one of the interesting notes to this installment. My guess is his future roles will see him in the more typical Bond swagger. But for just under 2 hours of celluloid, this is one movie you may want to check out.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Disney has found a great formula, bottled it up and churned out the probable last installment of its franchise in High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
Starring the tween / young adult favorites Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, the ensemble of cast members pull off one of the biggest productions put up by Disney in recent years.
Last night, I had the chance to catch the premiere of the phenomenon known as High School Musical, with four kids in tow… and the movie blew us away. Perhaps we enjoyed the flick for different reasons, but this just showed the universal appeal of the movie.
The set design and whole production was grand — with my personal fave, a song number by Ryan and Sharpay entitled “I Want it All”. And in true Evans fashion, the number was done in luxurious and ostentatious fashion, with several changes in sets that could rival even (a juvenile) Baz Lhurmann (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge) production.
Of course, the music was great, too. After all, this has become the signature of the whole series. It is just a little bit sad that the franchise has reached its end. But who knows. As Anshel, one of the kids I was with pointed out “Next year, College Musical na.”
Bitch for Change
Known for their constant complaints and rocking performances, independent band Reklamo have taken their bitching and stamped their unique brand of music into one solid album, Bitch for Change.
With their eclectic sound ranging from classic rock to a bit of funk to some dabbling in island rhythms to good old rock and roll, the aural pleasures reminiscent of bands like Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jimi Hendrix come to mind. Of course, it would be a bit unfair to liken the trio to some rock and roll royalty… Besides the band does add their own brand of bitchin’ styles to the mix.
Their first two tracks, I Hate Everybody and I Am My Own Bestfriend, are funky bass slapping tunes that make you bob your head, uncontrollably. And for some reason, despite the seeming negativity of the tunes, you tend to agree with what the band is driving at. Listen closely to the lyrics, and you’ll get what I’m saying.
My two favorite tracks from the album, though, are 3 for 100 — a very catchy tune, reminiscent of the old school, classic rock simplistic approach: uncomplicated, no hidden meanings behind the lyrics with rockin guitar riffs and a superfluous guitar solo and Lahat Bawal — a funked out, motorists lament on the sorry state of the traffic scheme here in the Philippines.
If I had to complain (no pun intended) on one thing on the album, it would probably have to be the fact that I had to run to five different music stores to find the CD. But after listening (and relistening) to the music, I find pleasure in the fact that there are still [local] bands out there willing to record independently just to get THEIR music out there. Sure, it may come at a cost, but the music is untainted by bigger music labels, and the artists get to do their own thing.
Reklamo may not be able to change the way things work in the Philippines, but with their debut album, Bitch for Change, they may just see a some movement in the music industry.
Reklamo are:
LC de Leon – vocals, guitar, and banjo
Mig Dayanghirang – bass, back up vocals
Ciro de Leon – drums, whistle, back up vocals
damn them Japanese
I have always experimented, when buying DVDs and CDs. Some turn out to be disastrous misses, while others have turned out to be undiscovered gems. My latest find, Noboru Iguchi’s comedy / thriller / drama / hack-em-up feature, The Machine Girl, is of the latter variety.
Starring Minase Yashiro (in her film debut), the ultra violent flick is extremely violent, as it is quirky and comedic. And as is evident in Japanese pop culture, the movie takes on a life of its own.
The movie starts out with the typical school storyline of a boy being bullied by a bunch of high school thugs… but before things escalate, our heroine comes to the rescue. And once the action starts, the fun begins.
Admittedly, the dialogue and the “special” effects in this movie are sub-par. However, this is where the viewing pleasure is enhanced. The low budget prosthetics and cheesy dialogue, as well as contrite plot add to the humor of the film, so don’t expect Academy Award material when you pop this flick into your DVD player. Instead, just enjoy the ride and watch out for the creative and unpredicatble minds of the filmmakers.
While most pundits will label The Machine Girl as a B-Movie, I would still give it a A rating for sheer entertainment value. After all, how often do you get to see “Tempura Hands,” “Finger Sushi” and a “Drill Bra” in a movie. Plus, I couldn’t stop laughing and getting grossed out at the same time. When was the last time a movie made you feel that way? Probably never.
If I haven’t convinced you enough, maybe this trailer will entice you to check the flick out:
the dark knight returns
I have never really been a big fan of Batman. In fact, I have always been more of a Spidey fan. But Christopher Nolan’s takes on the Caped Crusader have lured me to the “dark side,” so to speak. And with his newest installment of the Batman in “The Dark Knight”, I have truly come to appreciate the mystery behind Gotham’s (in)famous superhero.
Of course, I don’t want to give any spoilers, especially for the true fans that are going to hit the cinemas in anticipation, but I have to give my fave points on the flick:
- Heath Ledger’s swan song performance is awesome. Instead of a loony Joker, Ledger breathes new life into a sadistic, cold blooded killer in the guise of the primary villain.
- I love the fact that the movie stays true to the Frank Miller-esque treatment of Batman… not the Adam West portrayal. So the “Dark Knight” monicker is really given justice.
- True to most Batman flicks, there are a lot of gadgets and gizmos. However, I appreciated the fact that it was not overdone.
- Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman. Again, another great portrayal of Commissioner Gordon.
- The casting of Aaron Eckhart was perfect. i couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Harvey Dent / Two-Face.
- The prosthetics in the movie are amazing. Just wait til you get a first glimpse of Two-Face.
All in all, I believe this movie will appeal to the die-hard Batman fanatics as well as the casual movie-goer that has no pre-conceived notion of the Bat, except from the previous (and crappy) versions [Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney].
