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Category: movies

November 10, 2024

How to Frame a Live Photo for Hogwarts or your Muggle Home

If you extend the wizardry of an iPhone’s Live Photo mode and add your imagery to a digital photo frame, you can transform your photography. It’s not so futuristic. Here’s how to bring more motion to reframe your photos today.

I’ve always been on the fence regarding the value of Live Photo mode on an iPhone. This feature appears to magically turn a still photo into one with three seconds of motion. Of course, the reality is these ‘magical’ photos are just little movie files (1.5 seconds before and after you snap).

Sure, creating a Live Photo is useful so you can later pick out a better ‘key photo’ frame. That’s especially helpful in a group shot if someone’s eyes are mid blink. But if you really want to capture a micro movie, I recommend just shooting in video mode for a few seconds.

But I think Apple is onto something that isn’t yet mainstream. And it connects with how you would want to display a Live Photo. I would offer that these moving photos are ideal in a digital photo frame.

The Perfect Moment can Take Longer than 3 Seconds
If you think about the Harry Potter films and all those ‘living’ paintings often seen in the background, the paintings are effectively digital photo frames magically displaying live portraits. Of course, the motion in each painting is specially curated to display a longer moment or a complete action from the character in the frame. If you went back and clocked them, they’re probably double the length of an iPhone’s Live Photo.

Often, a ‘moment’ in time that’s visually meaningful takes more than 3 seconds to complete. But as photographers (and aren’t we all?), we’re trained find that singular frame that captures it all.

But you can also just let the ‘live’ unfold. Sometimes, that’s so much easier. And Apple would say that’s exactly what a Live Photo offers.

Extended Live Photos are Better
However, I don’t think a Live Photo is entirely optimized for this task. It’s just too short, and you can’t be sure you’ll capture the complete end of the moment in front of you. Apple’s automation of its Live Photo process creates an imperfect crop of time versus how long the moment requires.

I feel you’ve really got to be running your iPhone in video mode for at least a few more seconds to ensure for that.

And in doing so, you’ll create what I’ll call an ‘extended live photo.’

Yes, it’s simply a seven to ten second video clip. But now your mindset should shift to still see it as one extended moment… with motion. (Do you feel your brain vibrating with this aha moment?)

Photographic Magic
Okay. So now, you’re creating something entirely new. Congratulations. You’re a wizard.

But what are you supposed to do with these extended live photos? Well, as I mentioned up top, they’d look great on a digital photo frame. All of your longer visual moments would still be short, but entirely complete without being abruptly cut off.

So, you’ve just got to bring a new mindset to your photography with the goal of finding and capturing these extended moments and then showing off your short videos on your digital photo frames. Soon your home will start to resemble the hallways at Hogwarts.

If you want to give it a shot, here are some ideas on where to spot perfect visual moments for this.

Opportunities for Extended Live Photos
First off, any moment for a still photo can also make for a great extended live photo.

  • People hugging
  • Blowing out birthday candles
  • Vacations
  • School reunions
  • Outdoor activities
  • Your pet simply staring at the camera

Find the Highlight from a Longer Video
If you’re already planning on taking a longer video, later selecting a five to ten second highlight will probably make for a great extended live photo.

Create a Living Group Portrait
We’ve been trained to think of a group shot as a still moment where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.

I would offer that’s only part of the picture. The energy and motion that surrounds that one perfect frame is often as interesting, if not more so. In a group, the interpersonal dynamics are usually on full display (people talking and laughing together).

  • I’ve seen the New York Times use this visual strategy online when presenting people features. (It’s quite compelling.)

Enjoy Nature’s Beauty
If you’re a nature photographer, why not simply capture 10 seconds of that beautiful scene?

Adding in the ‘live’ will totally bring the still moment to life.

It’s a similar strategy as creating a live portrait, but much easier as nature is always strutting its stuff.

What About the Audio Track?
Technically, you don’t need the audio if you’re displaying your extended live photo on a digital frame. Sure, some of these frames can play sound, but I don’t expect you’ll use that functionality. (Photo frames are meant to be seen and not heard.)

But your extended live photos should still be optimized for the sound to heard. That’s because the clip may later be used with its audio track for a future use. So be mindful to trim these short video clips accordingly.

Keep it Moving
Digital photo frames are hardly new. I wouldn’t even call the product line that exciting anymore. But if you feed them with your own ‘extended’ live photos, that can be a real game changer.

And sometimes, you might naturally just shoot a video for only 10 seconds. Later, you’ll ask yourself how you might use it. Well, now you know!

I’m just a mere Muggle, but using this photographic trick for your digital photo frames will always look like magic.

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September 8, 2024

20 PG-13 Movies to Stream with your Family

If you’re looking for a good movie to stream with your family, here are some choices I strongly recommend with your popcorn.

Every Friday, I spend at least 30 minutes scouring through the streaming apps I pay for to see if there are any new movies for my family to watch that night. It’s become an increasingly frustrating experience, as there just aren’t that many new films moving through the pipeline these days.

Yes… I know. There are thousands of hours of available content and nothing to watch. That’s how I feel.

But to be fair, I’m still limiting my search to PG-13 movies. I think one day soon, we’ll cross into ‘R-rated’ territory. Still, finding a movie that successfully threads the needle to meet the interests of my entire family is not easy.

The Usual Suspects
Fun and action-packed is a good combination. “Star Wars,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and MCU movies of course fit the bill, but we’ve seen them all… multiple times. And it doesn’t help that the only MCU flick this year was “Deadpool and Wolverine.” No, we’re not at all ready for that one yet. (I did enjoy it in the theater with a couple other dads, even though there were a few sloppy timeline and multiversal inconsistencies.)

Look Backwards
So, I think the answer is not to wait for the drip/drip of the next movie to show up on your app, but to look back to see what you might have missed. There are strong options that aren’t on the apps’ top 10 lists.

I’ve been maintaining my own list of movie choices for years. It’s a good reference for my family’s weekly conversation of which film we might stream next.

Here are 10 flicks for your consideration that my family has enjoyed watching together.

10 Older Movies to Watch

  • “Free Guy” (2021)
  • “Red Notice” (2021)
  • “The Adam Project” (2022)
    (Yes, they’re all PG-13 Ryan Reynolds movies that hit the sweet spot for my family.)
  • “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017)
  • “Jumanji: The Next Level” (2019)
    (These are rare movies that are totally funny and border on silly. But silly still works for my 14-year-old son as long as it’s done right. Note: Dwyane Johnson movies are usually appealing.)
  • “The Other Guys” (2010)
    (Entirely goofy misfit cops with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell)
  • “Ready Player One” (2018)
    (Imaginative virtual reality and directed by Steven Spielberg)
  • “Passengers” (2016)
    (Space travel with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence)
  • “Knives Out” (2019)
  • “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (2022)
    (Daniel Criag stars in these clever, funny and offbeat murder mysteries.)

3 Tom Cruise Action Movies

Over the years, Tom Cruise effectively created his own genre of action movies that are suitable for the whole family. So, his films usually show up on my list. Here are just three.

  • “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” (2023)
  • “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022)
    (Arguably better than the first)
  • “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014)
    (Our son really liked the “Groundhog Day” plot device for this intense alien invasion flick.)

2 Holiday Movies for the Family

There’s that time in December when someone says, “Let’s watch a holiday movie!” Well, here are two for you.

  • “Spirited” (2022)
    (Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell make magic together. It’s a riff on “A Christmas Carol” that’s nice and just slightly naughty. Plus, it’s a Broadway-quality musical with tons of laughs. Move over “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This is the new standard.)
  • “8-Bit Christmas” (2021)
    (It took me two years to convince my family to watch this. Its trailer doesn’t capture the true warmth of this very silly and satisfying look back at the 80’s. It’s another instant classic to keep on your list of flicks to watch over the holidays.)

5 Movies I’ve Yet to Convince my Family to Watch

Every potential movie goes through a Lester pre-screening process. That always involves watching the trailer. Sometimes the trailers for older movies are unappealingly dated. Other times, the trailer is surprisingly missing on the app. Instead, there’s just a scene included from the movie. That doesn’t cut it at all. And that omission usually spells doom for that flick.

Here are a few of those that we have yet to watch:

  • “Twister” (The original from 1996)
  • “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017)
    (Certainly not as good as “The Fifth Element” from 1997, but still worth watching)
  • “Hellboy” (2004)
  • “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008)
    (Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Need I say more?)
  • “John Carter” (2012)
    (A failed Disney tentpole, but I think still worth checking out. I also must admit that this is a running joke with me and my son, as he’s declined the ongoing option to watch this movie for almost half his life!)

Prepare for your Next Family Movie Night
You can’t expect everyone in a family unit to have the same interests in movies. So, if you’re a curator of options to stream, it helps to have a healthy list of choices to offer. You’ll have a better chance to find consensus on at least one.

And don’t forget to look backwards during your research. Older movies are just as good. And sometimes much better!

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March 3, 2024

Stream these Funny PG-13 Action Movies with your Family

If you’re looking to expand your movie choices beyond the MCU, here are some fun options with punch to consider streaming.

For years, I’ve been curating a list of movies for my family to stream. And let me tell you, it’s not been easy to find consensus on what we all want to watch. Most every weekend, I scrub through the movie options available on our various streaming services and look for a new title or two that might appeal to everyone.

I enjoy mind-bending science fiction, but my wife and I are both mindful to serve up appropriate content for our thirteen-year-old son, who gravitates today towards the fun/action recipe of MCU-style filmmaking.

Four-Letter Words
Of course, we need to follow obvious guardrails when choosing appropriate content for our eighth grader. Even though he’s close to graduating to more mature content, PG-13 has been an uncrossable line for years. (The only exception so far has been the first “Matrix” movie.)

I’m sure you know there’s no way to avoid bad language in the PG-13 universe. It spans across the multiverse. I’ve stopped worrying. Plus, he hears it every day in school. That’s life.

It’s been at least a year since I stopped counting four-letter words in movies.

Slim Pickings
Everyone talks about the avalanche of streaming content available today. But I’ve still found it especially difficult to find fresh movie options. (Last year’s writers’ strike didn’t help.)

I also think my challenge is partially due to the reality that not many films are perfect for the early teen audience.

Sure, there are plenty of movies for kids… and loads of adult movies. But this in-between segment is relatively narrow.

What did They Say?!
Another limiting factor is many classic flicks haven’t aged well. Either the pacing is too slow (in comparison to today’s fast-cutting storytelling norms) or the characters feel like caricatures from a by-gone era of inappropriateness.

I like to think of myself as a movie buff, and there are still plenty of older movies out there that hold up just fine. But just the idea of a classic movie that may look a bit dated can often be a non-starter in my household.

Still, I am undeterred by these challenges. I want our son to have an appreciation for rich cinematic storytelling. So, I will continue looking for great movies for Cinema Lester on the weekends.

The MCU is the Gold Standard
All this said, I also need to meet the need today. And like it or not, Marvel movies hit that sweet spot.

I’ve enjoyed most of the MCU movies. And there certainly are a lot of them. But we’ve seen them all… some many times. So, I’ve had to look elsewhere to build up my list.

And it’s been hard to find other choices that follow the successful MCU formula of humor, decent character development and pounding action with great special effects.

I know Marvel has had trouble lately with their movies, but that doesn’t take away from the reality that their MCU-storytelling formula entirely cracked the code.

Fortunately, we’ve found other films that follow a similar storytelling style.

Two Tough Guys who are Fun
Action with jokes. Tough, but not too serious. Fast paced but grounded in a good story. PG-13.

Two actors today have successfully integrated that formula into some of their movies- Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson.

Movies with Ryan Reynolds

  • “The Adam Project” (2022)
    This time-travel flick has surprising heart. Also stars Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana.
  • “Free Guy” (2021)
    Between all the action, it still takes the time to focus on the power of friendship.
  • “Spirited” (2022)
    It’s a musical, but the Reynolds’ factor still carried it for my son. Also stars the great Will Ferrell.
  • “R.I.P.D.” (2013)
    This one’s a failed “Men in Black” copycat. But’s it’s fun to stream. Also stars Jeff Bridges.

Reynolds’ edgy Deadpool is a real question for me, as I feel “Deadpool and Wolverine” will land a little early for our son. But who knows how Disney and Reynolds will handle the obvious challenge of introducing the highly inappropriate Deadpool to a broader audience. We’ll see later this summer.

Movies with Dwyane Johnson

  • “Jungle Cruise” (2021)
    Also stars Emily Blunt.
  • “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017)
    Also stars Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan.
  • “Jumanji: The Next Level” (2019)
    This sequel is even better.
  • “Central Intelligence” (2016)
    Also stars Kevin Hart.

Movies with both Reynolds and Johnson

  • “Red Notice” (2021)
    Two for the price of one. Also stars Gal Gadot.
  • “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (2019)
    This over-the-top flick wasn’t a successful spinoff from the long running “Fast and the Furious” franchise, but we liked it anyway. Also stars Jason Statham and Idris Elba.

Movies with Mark Wahlberg
A few Mark Wahlberg movies are well suited for the early teen segment.

  • “The Family Plan” (2023)
    Silly but satisfying.
  • “Uncharted” (2022)
    Also stars Tom Holland.
  • “The Other Guys” (2010)
    Also stars Dwyane Johnson and Will Ferrell.

Yesterday’s Winners
Here are some older movies that fit into this action/fun niche (and still hold up to today’s current movie-making standards).

  • “Men in Black” movies (1997, 2002, 2012, 2019)
  • “The Fifth Element” (1997)
  • “The Pirates of the Caribbean” movies (2003, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2017)
  • “Ready Player One” (2018)

Movies that Should Make the List
The films below don’t make my official list. But that’s not because I don’t like them. They simply didn’t pass muster in my focus group of one. (They didn’t appeal to our son after he watched the trailer or part of the movie.)

  • “Ghosted” (2023)
    Sure, it’s got Chris Evans, but the trailer didn’t do it for our son.
  • “Green Lantern” with Ryan Reynolds (2011)
    Even Reynolds makes fun of this failure. Still, I liked it.
  • “Hellboy” (2004)
    I loved this movie. Directed by the great Guillermo del Toro.
  • “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008)
    The sequel is visually stunning.
  • “Shazam!” (2019)
    Our son lost interest halfway through.

This Movie is Not on Anyone Else’s List

  • “The Flash” (2023)
    Starring Ezra Miller, this DC multiverse film entirely bombed at the box office. Plus, it tried to marry humor with the debilitating darkness that most every DC movie has been saddled with. (One can begin to understand why an entire DCU reboot is underway.) “The Flash” doesn’t work on many levels. But it is funny. And it has a lot of heart too. Plus, it uses the multiverse to bring back the great Michael Keaton as Batman. My son and I really enjoyed it.

The Force, Impossible Missions and Bad Feelings
Of course, we also enjoy pure action/sci-fi movies without the comedy. Obvious examples are the “Star Wars,” “Mission Impossible” and “Indiana Jones” ecosystems. (Sure, there are some light moments, but comedy is not central.)

So, I won’t include these movies, as they don’t fit into the narrow focus of today’s exercise to find more easy-breezy content that still has enough rough and tumble.

Limited List
As you can see, my list is not terribly long. And that’s why I’m always hunting for new choices for Lester Movie Night.

I’m sure I’ve missed some good options. Do you have any movies to recommend?

Danger
Thank goodness that in a pinch, we can always default to an episode or two of Netflix’s “Lost in Space” series (2018-2021.) That cinematic show remains absolutely perfect for our whole family to rewatch.

Fun. Exhilarating. Danger. Sometimes scary (but not too scary). Heartwarming. Clever. Family-focused. It’s everything you could possibly want.

Dear Hollywood: More of this please.

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