Posts by Carl Sullivan6
10 posts shown.
Hello,
Can anyone tell me how far off these results are from the normal range?
This is for a 41-year-old male.
It’s been three weeks since he dealt with a long, nasty virus. He just had a full physical, and out of a very extensive set of blood and urine tests, these are the values that came back abnormal (everything else was perfectly fine):
MCHC 361
platelets 144
TIBC 44
alkaline phosphatase 53
By the way, his kidney function isn't quite where it should be (even though his hormones look okay), and as for other issues: stress (fatigue, occasional insomnia...).
Thanks in advance!
Amanda Nguyen5 said:Honestly, massive props to the organizers for the sheer effort involved. I know firsthand just how much gear is missing out there in the sticks. But, I'll be real—there's some truth to the idea that the festival has turned into more of a giant rager than a serious film event.
That's definitely true if you're looking at it from the perspective of someone just there to party. My point was more about the quality control. The organizers treat every single film with such respect and screen them properly, even though they could easily just play some old VHS tapes at 2:30 in the morning when everyone's half-asleep and nobody would even notice. 🙂
Regarding the organizers behind the programs at Central Park: thinking any of them actually care about this forum, or even what the audience thinks of their lineups, is pure delusion. They ran six German avant-garde programs straight from a DVD, plus some local stuff, and pocketed something like $4,000 for it. That’s just throwing money into a black hole. If I cut the budget for every single screening by a few thousand dollars, I'd still have plenty left over... for what? For Fellini? Buñuel? (I watched the whole thing on my own DVD). For a series of domestic films? Or something from the Film Archive? FOR WHAT? What is all this money actually paying for, besides their outdated operation where two people do all the heavy lifting while everyone else collects checks, stroll through fashion shows, and send three local films off to some international festival... and don't even get me started on the summer series. It feels like we, the viewers, have become the least important factor lately. The funding from the Department or city agencies mostly flows in because they act so concerned about us during the planning stages: "Oh, where will our poor students and cinephiles watch these gems if we don't host them?" If we, the audience, don't decide enough is enough, clearly nobody else will. All of this ties back to the Human Rights Film Festival mentioned in the title: I don't know what it offered me that I couldn't find myself with minimal effort—high-speed internet or a couple of good friends 🙂. And then someone smugly and pseudo-intellectually tells me that a place like a party town isn't meant for watching movies... that is the real test for any festival organizer: bringing everything you might need up to a hill (where there is usually nothing), along with the film reels and projectionists as a requirement. Whatever I've ever thought about any festival (or film institution, or theater), I've always given extra credit for the effort involved, and the Human Rights Film Festival and Central Park are at the very bottom of my list. Not to mention the MoMA center; that’s probably the most nauseating example of cheating and deceiving the audience. You have a program organizer (Lawrence) giving this long, overly clever introduction to the lineup, only to have him pop out of the booth ten minutes later to say: "Sorry, we can't show the movie today, our DVD died 🙂
ruggedmarlin15;12716092 said: It’s almost like the Human Rights Film Festival could have been put together for way, way less than $10... Clearly, we’re missing some basic facts here.
My take on what I saw? It could have been organized more efficiently. If they did spend that much, then the money was essentially thrown away because there's zero visible result. I'm not just talking to hear myself talk—if I organize a festival, it’s not like I don't handle other similar events. I know exactly what things cost in Chicago. Just ask.
Then again, we shouldn't be surprised when journalists start running uneducated nonsense through the media outlets.
I agree regarding the journalists. Though, honestly, it's mostly down to laziness and bad editors who think scandals sell papers better than actual information.
Now, I’m just speaking from my own personal perspective. If I were actually writing an article, of course I would reach out to all sides—I'd check in with the Human Rights Film Festival and request comments from other interested parties (like other festival organizers who might have attended the Human Rights Film Festival and know roughly what things cost) or perhaps the volunteers. You can never overlook the volunteers—they work every festival, and they’re definitely the best people to get the real story.
no, I'm not a journalist, so I'll just leave my opinions here on the forum. 🙂
crimsonmarlin14 - that's my point; it’s just not right compared to other festivals (not that I want to list them all) or theaters (like those under the ZFF umbrella) that play everything they can or work directly with distributors so they can reinvest every cent back into the programming. Instead, others blow their budgets on salaries or dump money into side projects while at a festival or a theater (Central Park, occasionally), they're basically playing torrents. It happens because a) "it's impossible" to get the film (supposedly too complicated); b) it doesn't exist in the archives anymore (but hey, we'll show it anyway because it would be a shame to deny the local audience); or c) it's just way too expensive to ship all the way to Chicago.
well, that's a question for the festival police; the people handing out the money should be acting like "secret shoppers," walking through these festivals to see what's actually going on—it's incredibly easy to spot the math: a few DVDs and DivX files + a free venue + a 6-page catalog + zero international guests + volunteers = nothing much. On the flip side, you have 6 film prints + organizer fees + 2 or 3 professional stipends. It isn't hard to do the math and conclude that the Human Rights Film Festival, in my estimation, could be pulled off for maybe $4,500 max—and that's being generous; otherwise, it would cost much, much less.
And who is giving money to whom and why? Mostly out of habit, then because of lobbying, then because of the fear of being accused of stifling alternative culture in Chicago, and finally because there's nobody actually checking the receipts and budget sheets. Those are easily fudged since no one ever audits them...
Anyway, the Human Rights Film Festival won't be seeing me again until they fix the presentation of every single film, so that I, as a viewer, don't feel like an idiot for giving attention to something that doesn't deserve it. In my opinion, of course, I don't think anyone should "boycott" things just because they see a DVD being used in a theater; everyone organizes their own life how they want—so everyone should watch whatever they want...
Linda Parker2 - No need to worry about Lawrence. From my outsider's perspective, she’s working hard and using her head. I’m more concerned about the others—the old guard and the newcomers alike. Take Central Park, for example; they’ll burn a DVD from a MiniDV tape just to run an Indian film retrospective or a Buñuel cycle. Or when I see how much funding they pull from the city of Los Angeles (saw it today) for projects that never even materialize. I track it every year—what they get versus what they actually deliver. Same goes for the rest of the crew: The Roxy and their mom getting paid for film nights... then they just hit the torrent sites instead.
ruggedmarlin15 - Maybe, maybe. Regardless, it bothers me. I want to go to the theater to see a film, or at least the best possible professional copy on video. Any festival that shamelessly screens something from a DivX or a DVD is an immediate "no" for me. Do you have any idea what could be achieved with the money they received for organization? Miracles... not some improvised little program that everyone feels obligated to praise just because it's their first year. This isn't a rookie show; it's their fifth. Even if they landed Orlando or Vert from NBC or wherever, it doesn't convince me things are okay. I've sat through screenings where they played DVDs with artifacts in the corner and girls in uniforms providing unbearable audio because the DivX was poorly encoded. That's why I don't support it. Personally, of course—I'm not trying to force anyone to agree with me, I'm just stating my view. I believe there is genuine effort behind the festival, but for me, it simply isn't enough. I can't stand sloppy work. If I can't allow half-baked results at my own job, why should someone—rewarded by public cultural funds from the city of Los Angeles—be allowed to?
Why is everyone acting surprised that they went with DVD now? It’s not a shock since we already established that was the standard. I did some work at CBS a few years back, and honestly, the odds of getting a decent film—let alone one with subtitles—from them are basically zero. I don't know, maybe everything changed and they suddenly became generous. And this talk about copyright infringement and breaking the law... it's like people forget where we live. Who’s actually going to bother fighting for some festival, a club, or any organization when things are just the way they are? Except for AMPTP, they jump on every opportunity. I'm not sure if that's the ultimate fix for these situations, but having actual regulation would definitely be a plus. I’m truly tired of going to theaters from Beverly Hills onwards, only to find movies being screened like I'm watching them in my own living room. If I can just stay home, why bother? I have no interest in cinema that doesn't make an effort to present the work properly—especially when they're charging admission! Honestly, they should just pay me to organize a festival; I’ve got quite a solid collection at home. Look, if the Human Rights Film Festival released Věra Chytilová with permission from CBS, then fine, but I highly doubt it.
Which movie was it that aired with those HRT edits and translations? And honestly, is that even allowed—showing a film in theaters using subtitling from a public broadcaster? I can't believe it. So far, the only place I've seen something that low-quality was at a swamp show. It’s clearly the exact same crew behind all of it.
rustyseal40 said:Now, this has truly incensed me. 👎 It isn't merely a matter of any movie buff being able to stage an event using a home collection of DVDs—and frankly, during one screening this past Saturday, I noticed the HBO logo flickering in the corner of the screen, and today’s feature was clearly just something pulled straight from PBS—no, the issue is that any enthusiast could organize a "festival" for $10 the negligible cost of a stack of blank discs, especially since these organizers haven't even bothered to secure original DVD copies. Truly impressive work!
And it isn't just that. It’s unfair to the other festivals actually licensing films. I doubt Sundance or SXSW would ever settle for playing DVDs instead of legitimate prints. Plus, it's like they don't even provide previews for the movies.
dustyseal21 said:Look, Timothy Wells6, I am right there with you. Running a screening off some random DVD in a theater? That’s just amateur hour—totally unacceptable. I don't even know what kind of excuses they could possibly dig up to make this okay.
I agree, it’s just not right. At this rate, any cinephile in town could host their own festival—just grab your DVD collection, head down to the local independent cinema, and ask if you can book a slot in March to run your own programming.