bits and pieces

So I am going through stuff on my computer and posting some random images but if you scroll down and look at the previous posts it will all start to make sense.

Another sketch, an example of the earliest stages of design. I usually start with a ten minute sketch like this and then move onto a full illustration and then flats and finally a pattern. 

The best pictures of me are out of focus, this one is no exception. 

The very first Ryan Bruce designed tattoo to be applied to human skin. The lucky arm belongs to the multi-talented Tim Aumiller (see previous NYC related posts). I did everything but the circular one on his shoulder. 

Kickin' it at the Granada with The Shins. I love The Shins (and so should you) and I love this picture of Jenny and The Shins (well 3 out of 4). They refused to be photographed with me because I was too tall. 

What exactly is it that you do?

So I am posting some of the work that I have done at school in an attempt to shed some light on what exactly it is that I spend time working on in school. When I am not acting and pretending to be a drama geek, I usually find myself either drawing clothes or making clothes. I posted some of the stuff I happened to have on my hard drive but I might scan some of the other stuff later and post it. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of me wearing some of the clothes I've made because those would be far too bland (although if I did have a picture of me wearing the skirt I made that would be pretty amusing). This fall I am getting into some hardcore dressmaking so hopefully I will be able to post some of those efforts and before anyone asks, no I am not designing the dresses for me so put your hopes/fears to bed you misguided miscreants.

and today's quote is one of my favorites, read and absorb...

"It is those that we live with and love and should know that elude us."

A one page layout I did in one day after hastily deciding to redo an assignment in one twelve hour caffeine fueled session the day before it was due.

Part 1 of a two page layout, the main figure had to be drawn using Adobe Illustrator and I still to this day hate it. 

Part 2 of a two page layout 

From my sketchbook 

The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.

In an attempt to combat speculation that I am in fact no longer living, I am returning with another post. It should be noted that this post is fueled by guilt, guilt over my inability to offer up regular posts. My shortcomings have been brought into sharp focus by my cunning adversary: Christian Thom (well not actually an adversary more like a close, close friend/top notch graphic designer but I just liked the way "cunning adversary" sounded) and his new blog juggernaut known as Citizen Thom (check it out at: http://citizenthom.blogspot.com/). With three solid, informative and introspective posts in one week, Christian has left me feeling a little lacking. While I won't be bold enough to promise regular posts, I will allow Christian to shame me into posting more often.

Now you might be wondering what has kept me too busy to update my blog, but lets get this out in the open: this blog is not here to put to bed your absent wonderings, so I am just going to type and see what comes out and if that results in a blooming bouquet of sentences that provide clarification into the machinations of my daily life then so be it, but if it doesn't, don't come complaining to me, because as I have stated before I am not here to appease my audience but to educate, even if it hurts. (a moment of silence for that convoluted run-on sentence I just typed... ok, back to the post)

One thing remaining constant is my penchant for movie going, so I am going to try and catch up with some reviews of all the new movies I have taken in during the last month.


Cinderella Man: I went into this movie expecting a solid drama with a feel good ending and this is exactly what I got. Looking back, this is probably the best movie I have seen all summer but despite its many qualities I still don't see it as a lock for a best picture Oscar nomination. The movie is fueled by Russell Crowes understated but consistently moving performance. Has this guy ever given a bad performance? (Christian stay quiet with those "Virtuosity" comments right now) While the rest of the cast does some good work, there is nothing really surprising about their performances. Paul Giamatti is damn good but at this point that is to be expected and the reality is that he has been much better in other movies. Ron Howards direction is nothing revolutionary but in the end the guy knows how to make a good movie and does just enough to bring all the components together. In the end I think this film was hurt by the fact that I just felt like I had seen this story before and this kept it from achieving true greatness.


Mr. and Mrs. Smith: This movie has gotten some very mixed reviews from people I've talked to but I just want to say to people "What were you expecting?" I was expecting an action movie with some occasional laughs driven by two very, very watchable leads. Jolie and Pitt are not the finest of actors sometimes but even them at their worst is still much better than what we are used to in this genre and in the end their talents keep this from being a worthless collection of explosions. It is an enjoyable Summer movie that is easily forgotten but when I left the theater I didn't feel at all cheated and that has got to be worth something.


Batman Begins: After Star Wars, this was easily the most anticipated movie of the Summer for me and thankfully it did not disappoint. This is a serious comic book movie and that is exactly what Batman needs, someone to take the whole project seriously. The director Christopher Nolan does so many things right that I hate to criticize but I can't help but point out some of his shortcomings. Some of the action sequences are very murky and confusing and I think they show Nolans inexperience with that type of directing. Outside of that there is very little to be sad about (i still have issues with the costume, but don' get me started) but although I loved it the movie failed to shrug off the comic book shackles and become a great movie. (something that Spiderman 2 managed to do)


Ok, I am starting to get caught up but unfortunately I don't have the time cover War of the Worlds, Wedding Crashers and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I will in the next few days.

I also promise to post some more random photos, because people love photos.

So I shall end this post with a random list (affectionately titled "In the Mix") of the various music, books and movies that have appeared on my radar lately.


In the Mix

Books: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, Underworld by Don Delillo, Oleanna by David Mamet and Sanford Meisner On Acting by Sanford Meisner.

Music: Anything by Jay Farrar, Coldplay Live at Glastonbury 6/24/05 (which reminds me, I hope you people out there got to see Coldplay play backing band to Richard Ashcroft for the Live8 performance of "Bittersweet Symphony", great stuff), The Cure Live at Wembly 1991, Damien Rice's "Unplayed Piano" and "The Blower's Daughter Pt. 2", Jay Z and Danger Mouse: The Grey Album, The Decemberists' "Engine Driver", both new Bright Eyes albums, anything by Kathleen Edwards and the new Idlewild album (still).

Movies: Black Hawk Down, Pulp Fiction, Million Dollar Baby, Big Fish, Love and Death and Before Sunset.


So that's it... I shall leave you with quote from Proust, the man who provided the title for this blog, and like most Proust quotes its not very uplifting. (I think it's about time I had a quote from Proust)

"There is not a woman in the world the possession of whom is as precious as that of the truths which she reveals to us by causing us to suffer."

with that I bid you adieu...

Another post so soon?

In an attempt to silence whispers that I would not hold to my claim of more "regular" updates, I am back with more words and wit than many are prepared to consume. Before I go any further I must warn readers around the globe that there will be no pictures this time around, all apologies but please do me a favor and read on anyway. The purpose of this post is to spread my well informed views on the recent crop of Summer movie releases, so without further ado (I love the word 'ado') it's on to the reviews.

Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith--- This movie was without a doubt the most highly anticipated flick on my list of anticipated Summer flicks. Because of this fact it also represented the best chance for me to be devastatingly let down. Despite the potential pitfalls I walked out of the theater thoroughly satisfied. The movie actually exceeded my expectations and for that I give George Lucas a decent amount of respect. The dialogue was painful in parts but thankfully the despotic Lucas suppressed his tendency to overwhelm his actors with poorly timed, poorly written dialogue and therefore just let them act from time to time. What resulted were quiet scenes where he allowed the actors facial expressions to help build the tension and allow the viewer to embrace the drama that was unfolding. Lucas had already constructed the foundations of a dramatic story long ago, now he just had to get out of the way and let it unfold. Thankfully he did and from time to time he actually trusted the actors to tell his story and he wisely chose to use Natalie Portman's talent for Oscar-caliber crying (see Closer and Garden State for further examples) to add actual emotional weight to the conclusion. Lucas was aiming for a classic tragedy and he just about pulled it off. My only real complaint was way in which Lucas chose to explain Portman's character's fate at the end of the movie, if you have seen it you know what I mean. In the end, it was definitely worth seeing and I ended up going back for seconds.


Kingdom of Heaven--- I am going to try my best to avoid comparisons to Gladiator, Ridley Scott's previous foray into the world of costume epics, when discussing his new underwhelming flick about the Crusades. The best way to describe this movie is with the word flat. The movie was decent in so many aspects but from the perspective of someone who was looking for the rising and falling action of a dramatic story arc, I couldn't help but be let down. Unfortunately I have to lay the blame at the feet of the adorable Orlando Bloom. He doesn't give a bad performance but he does fail to generate the necessary passion that is needed for the leading man in a movie of this nature. It appears that he let the given circumstances of his character at the beginning of the movie color his mood throughout the entire film. I understand he is depressed but he fails throughout the film to let his character grow and that left the whole movie feeling flat. Even when confronted with the affections of dynamic, up and coming French actress Eva Green he still fails to deliver the requisite passion to elevate the story. In the end, the movie wasn't bad (the costumes were spectacular) but it could have been so much better.


Crash--- I love a good drama and Crash is a damn good drama. Brilliantly acted and thoroughly engrossing, the film was a welcome addition to my diet of overblown Summer blockbusters. The only reasons not to see this film are: one, you don't like when a movie has a clearly identifiable message and that message is reinforced with every scene and two, you don't like movies with a preponderance of unlikely coincidences. If you don't mind those things that by all means see this movie. The ensemble cast delivers in every scene and I was constantly interested. I have to single out the always amazing Don Cheadle, the solid Matt Dillon and the surprisingly good Ryan Phillipe for their performances but just about everyone in this movie is committed and talented and it shows. Go see this movie and if you don't like it you can blame me and I will take steps to have the price of admission refunded to you in a timely manner.



Unfortunately this is all the time I have right now but tune in next time as I reveal my thorough dissecting of Cinderella Man. For now here is the short review: I liked it, I liked it a lot, Russell Crowe continues to amaze. In the meantime keep in mind the following quote: (especially when talking me)


"Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

I'm back... with a vengeance

So it has taken me far too long to update my lonely blog. I must apologize to all and pray that the few people who have taken the time to view my picture filled blog are still willing to check back for updates. The end of the semester proved to be an action packed and stressful time and by the time my semester came to a close and my free time started to appear then my internet connection became a little hazy. So I have weathered the storm and can finally say that I am back to stay. The summer is proving to be rife with spare time so expect updates with surprising regularity.

This entry is going to be a little short on the words because fatigue is robbing me of any worthwhile thoughts but I have taken the time to include some more photos because I know people like pictures. Most of them are bonus pics from my NYC adventures but several of them are from earlier in the semester. Next time I will post photos from the play that I was in in February for those who didn't make it to the show (and for those who did it will be a thrilling opportunity to relive all the excitement). Look for those sometime later this week along with some class-solicited artwork that I have promised to post (although not without some mild trepidation). Take care and please keep checking back, my next post promises to include some of my infamous movie reviews, always insightful, always unnecessarily verbose.

I leave you with today's quote:


"You can't make your heart behave, you love who you love, don't ever apologize for that.

Jenny, Tim and I during our very first intoxicating evening together, January 2005. 

At one of the numerous "Shape of Things" parties the three NYC bound friends pose with Tim's boyfriend John. 

I try unsuccessfully to look cool by wearing sunglasses at night. 

I try to teach Tim how to effectively stare at women. 

Jenny demonstrates how to fake uncontrollable happiness while onlookers document her efforts through the magic of digital cameras. 

Jenny and I have a staring contest. Three and a half hours later I am declared the winner by an unbiased panel of judges. 

I am still not sure what Jenny is doing in this picture. If anyone knows please leave the answer in the comments section. 

Jenny poses next to her curiously arranged pile of belongings. 

Bret demonstrates his superhuman Ms. Pacman skills to dozens of Laguardia Airport patrons. As the picture shows, they have been advised to keep their distance. 

Bret and I spot an unwanted photographer sneaking up behind us. 

Jenny's first glimpses of New York, from the backseat of a Taxi. 

We rendezvous with the dashing Price Messick at a splendid Italian joint whose name, Fagiolini, I believe translates into "little fag", but I could be wrong, because quite frankly I don't speak Italian. 

Bret "reaches" for the Moon. 

I inadvertantly find myself stuck behind the door of the worlds most bizarre Indian resturant. 

Bret laments his decision to be the creamy white center of a dancing gay Oreo. 

A spur of the moment "reach" in the middle of a busy NYC street amuses onlookers. 

Bret and I grapple to decide who gets to play apartment DJ