Tron: Legacy

I convinced my brother in-law that we should go see "Tron: Legacy" while he was in town recently and we choose to lay out the big bucks and go see it at the newly opened IMAX. Oh, and it was in 3D. The only 3D movie I'd seen before this was "Avatar" and while it was nice, I wasn't convinced that it was worth the extra three or four dollars. This opinion was reinforced by commentary I had read around the web that "Avatar" had the best implementation of 3D as it was actually filmed with two cameras while most of the other 3D movies had been made so in post-production.

I didn't have high expectations of "Tron: Legacy" and was just hoping for an entertaining show: lots of cool looking things on screen with the thinnest of plots to hold the excitement together. Seeing it in 3D IMAX was a novelty, I reasoned, something new to try out. My preconceptions were more or less accurate but were understatements of the reality. "Tron: Legacy" in 3D IMAX an experience more than a movie. I can't say that the plot was superb or the extremely well-written but nearly every other aspect of the film is excellent. The use of 3D is very well done and adds much to the movie, much more than I remember in "Avatar". The visuals are stunning, integrate well with and strongly develop the style of the movie, and are exceedingly enjoyable. Costumes and sets were similarly unique and impressive.

The surprise to me, though, was the the music and sound. This was more than good use of orchestral scoring; it was an embrace of synthesized, manipulated, stretched and compressed alteration of traditional music into a unique sound that, again, adds so much in defining the style and feel of the whole film. I don't feel that the audio overshadowed the visuals just that they were not neglected in light of all the effort of making a visually stunning movie. I'm tempted to buy the score of the film because it was so unique and powerful.

I don't think "Tron: Legacy" would have struck with me so deeply if I hadn't seen it first in IMAX 3D. If you have the option of seeing it that way I would recommend it; its probably the only way I would recommend this movie. In this way the movie is a work of art; the experience of seeing it will not be replicated well onto a more conventional screen and even less so into a home setting. It will be like the difference between an original oil and a picture of the same work in an art textbook.

Its hard to compare this movie to others because it is so much more of an experience than simply a movie. There are much better films out there that don't derive their value from special effects or visual spectacle. But its hard to say that "Tron: Legacy" is better or worse than any of these because its value is so much in the presentation. Pick your favorite movie and even if you were able to see it again on the big screen right now, it would be a completely different experience than "Tron: Legacy".

Maybe that's the best way to think about it. "Tron: Legacy" has brought back something special to the movies. You will either see it in its fullest form or you won't but there won't be any second chances. Once it leaves the theater, there really won't be any way to get the full meal deal. Its like performance art in that way; a one-time experience that can't be replicated. If you can afford the $12 to $15 per ticket I strongly recommend that make an effort to go see this. You won't walk away with inner contemplations about the plot or characters but you can't help to be entertained.

It is the best movie of little consequence I have ever seen.

100% Official

As of yesterday, I have completed all the requirements for my Master's degree. I took my final test of the semester (Statistics) and received confirmation from the graduate school that all my paperwork was in order and that my thesis had been officially accepted.

The graduation ceremony was this past Sunday and I attended but had chosen not to walk, mainly because I'm staying on for my PhD making the ceremony very anti-climactic. I attended the ceremony to see a good friend of mine get his PhD and while waiting for the ceremony to start, I was thumbing through the program. There I was, listed as completed my Master's along with my thesis title. Even for me, a person who doesn't care much for ceremony, this was a little weird. I felt like I should run up on stage and get in line will all the other Master's students. I was literally just a few hundred feet away from being able to participate in the ceremony.

For me now, school will just continue for a while. Classes start up again in mid-January and I'll be attending the normal three lecture classes, just like I have for the past five semesters. Looking at my estimated schedule for the next few years, it doesn't look like things start to change much until spring 2011 when I begin taking my dissertation hours. Each semester from that point on I spend more and more time on my official schedule working on my dissertation until I complete it in the spring of 2013. At least that's how thing stand now; all of this is subject to change and probably this spring I'll be submitting more paperwork to get this schedule of mine officially approved as worthy of PhD work.

There is a hiccup that I already know of in my schedule. The Engineering and Education departments recently got together to form a program specifically geared towards graduate students in engineering who plan on a career in academia, like me. By taking four specific graduate level education classes, I will be able to earn a Certificate in Engineering Education. The problem: the engineering graduate department may not recognize any of those education courses as "counting" towards earning a PhD. This means that if any engineering student wants to earn this certificate, he or she will have to take these four courses on top of the normal course load for a PhD. Nothing is completely decided yet but it seems counter-productive to me to working across departments like this to get the program in place and then to construct additional barriers to prevent students from actually participating in the program. Methinks the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

You Balance the Budget

In terms of posts to this blog, I've written a lot about the Federal deficit and balancing the budget. This is one more item on that list.

The New York Times has an interactive feature on their website that allows everyday normal people like us to take a stab at balancing the budget and getting our national debt under control. The interface is simple: there are a list of options that each make a dent in the budget problem and you go through and check the ones that get you to a balanced budget. Its easy to use and gives you a very tangible handle on what it will take to make our federal government fiscally responsible.

Go ahead and give it a try. Spread the word. Start thinking seriously about what it will take for our government to start acting like grown-ups when it comes to money.

Cranberry Sauce

Do you make your own cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving (or any other holiday meal) or do you buy it in a can? If you don't make your own cranberry sauce you really should. Its just too easy and too fun to pass up. You can buy a bag of cranberries for a few dollars, add some sugar and water and heat it all up until the berry begin to burst. That's right, I said burst; its like making popcorn with fruit! (There are plenty of more detailed recipes out there if you feel you need more detailed instructions but really, its that simple and hard to get wrong.)

Sure, its cheaper, easier, and faster to buy the sauce in a can but the two don't really even compare. Unless you're really strapped for cash and/or time, spend the extra two bucks and fifteen minutes to make the sauce yourself. Or better yet, get some quality kitchen time with a family member or friend and recruit them to do it.

Fresh cranberries will be readily available in the US for several more weeks so don't wait. I'm betting once you try it, you'll never go back. I haven't.