Life – dimitris kalamaras

Great Movies: District 9

On October 19, 2016

District 9 is one of these movies that tell you a lot of real-world stories using exotic, if not superficially irrelevant, metaphors. In this case, the metaphor is simple: aliens have come to our planet, but without a clear purpose (peaceful or not). Rather, an alien mother-ship appeared over a South African city one day in 1982 and stayed there until the humans decided to enter and investigate what’s in there. What they found was thousands of alien insect-like beings without a leader, without food, without something to do or go. They looked… stranded thus the human government decided to confine them initially in a camp, called District 9, just outside the city…

Magnified reality

By Dimitris Kalamaras

On July 18, 2014

In Life, Science

Here’s a series of 31 images taken with a Dino-Lite digital microscope. I won’t go in details about the original source of the images, since most of them are pretty obvious (i guess).
Some of them are of poor quality, due to trembling hand or low resolution of Kamoso (KDE’s picture retriever). Anyway, have fun…

The Ghost of Tom Joad

By Dimitris Kalamaras

On February 12, 2014

In Life, Music

A great song, an astonishing live performance (on par with, say, Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”), something you ought to experience live. Just watch these guys playing, hear Morello’s guitar solo. Read through the lyrics, too. Or better read John Steinbeck novel, “The Grapes Of Wrath”.

Great movies: Children of Men

By Dimitris Kalamaras

On January 8, 2014

In Life, Movies

“Children of Men” is a 2006 sci-fi drama by Alfonso Cuarón, with Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Caine. It depicts a dystopian and racist England in 2027, where the whole mankind is about to extinct because women have suddenly and without any reason become infertile. Chaos rules outside UK. The borders are closed and illegal immigrants are being persecuted and exterminated. “Ordinary and legal ” people live inside a police state in a don’t ask, don’t tell basis. We watch one of these “ordinary” people, a cynical, former activist who agrees to help some “terrorists” to transport a miraculously pregnant black woman to a ship called “Tomorrow”… I enjoyed this movie for three reasons:
1) the astonishing scenario and superb cinematography. For instance, the art archive scene is brilliant. Cuarón has even added a flying pig balloon as a clear homage to Pink Floyd’s Animals.
2) the acting of Michael Caine as a retired hippie and
3) the “world gone astray” and depressing in many places scenes the movies depicts. Dystopian yes, but aren’t we gradually getting there ?

Watch the trailer and grab the DVD. IMHO, one of the best movies ever.

Parkour σε ταράτσες – Βίντεο σε πρώτο πρόσωπο

By Dimitris Kalamaras

On October 16, 2013

In Life

Το βίντεο αυτό δεν ενδείκνυεται για όσους έχουν υψοφοβία 🙂
Από ότι φαίνεται είναι αληθινό και έχει γυριστεί από τον James Kingston στο Southampton:

Rain Room: Ενα δωμάτιο όπου βρέχει αλλά δεν βρέχεσαι

By Dimitris Kalamaras

On May 16, 2013

In Life

Βίντεο από την εγκατάσταση Rain Room, στο Museum of Modern Art. Ο επισκέπτης μπαίνει μέσα στο δωμάτιο όπου πέφτει βροχή παντού, χωρίς να βρέχεται ποτέ. Ουρές και αναμονή 3 ωρών έξω απο το μουσείο, λέει…