Netflix has some great non-mainstream cinema to offer, but it can hard to find in the thousands of ever-shifting titles. Google “best films on Netflix”, and you’ll get dozens of returns. Like so much Internet junk, many just use algorithms of the most popular titles, counting stars, likes, etc.– not very helpful. Others are click…
Author: rgmaier
Author of Low Budget Hell: Making Underground Movies with John Waters.
Filmmaker of LOVE LETTER TO EDIE.
Video producer, writer, educator in cinema.
Negatives of the Share Culture – Pt. 1: Ride Share, Welcome to Amateur Night
San Francisco has the greatest share culture I’ve seen. Everyone uses Uber, Lyft, scooters, bikes, and Air bnb. Here are some thoughts. On arrival at the airport, everyone said ride shares, not taxis were the way to go. Problem was we didn’t know where the ride share pickup points were, and we had read critiques…
The Beauty of Analog Audio
I teach an on-line Introduction to Broadcasting course, and my teenage-20s students discussed vinyl vs. digital recordings in an assignment. I was surprised how many loved vinyl, because it created an emotional response in them that the music alone did not. The sight and sound of the visible mechanics were more important and heart-felt than…
Advice to High School Graduates
I read an article this morning about how unpaid internships may be the collapse of modern civilization. I get this, but on the other hand, sometimes an unpaid internship is a good route to a career. People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at universities that may not result a paid gig in the field…
Humvees FAIL
Soldiers spend a lot of time taking vehicles to the motor pool for repair. The streets are rough, and Humvees are surprisingly susceptible to problems. Power steering hoses pop, and you lose control—not good. The engine’s moving parts are connected by one long serpentine belt. If it breaks—which is common, they’re completely out of commission. It must be a…
Young Afghan Journalists and Continual Death Threats Against Them
Amin Wahidi, 25 year old journalist, filmmaker, and free-speech advocate was recently granted refugee status in Italy after attending the Venice International Film Festival and participating in a Summer School on Cinema and Human Rights at the European Inter-university Center for Human Rights and Democratization. He is currently living in a refugee shelter in Milan,…
Blowing Up Doors
In In Kuwait, there is a training site where soldiers learn how to open doors. Since much of their work involves acting on tips from locals regarding buildings where militants may be hiding weapons caches, bomb factories, or themselves, the soldiers need to learn this. They use various methods to open doors. Sometimes a simple…
The Lap of Luxury? No thanks.
I stayed at a 4 Diamond hotel for a few days last week, and it was nice, but excessive to the point of discomfort. My travels have led me to a number of similar big name luxury spots, mostly at Hotwire.com rates where $300/night rooms were discounted to $60– not much more than the smelly…
Merry Christmas to American Soldiers from an Exiled Afghan Journalist
A message received from our friend Amin Wahidi, a writer an educational TV producer from Afghanistan, who now lives in a refugee shelter in Italy, waiting for a judgment on his request for political asylum there. Amin fled Afghanistan last fall after receiving death threats from the Taliban, because he produced programs on English instruction,…
Kamels in Kuwait
There are numerous training facilities in Kuwait, the initial staging area for many American troops who spend some time there acclimating themselves to the desert environment. The soldiers regularly train to keep in shape and maybe learn some helpful tips. In one exercise, the unit was bussed to an artillery range deep in the desert….