Defenseload

My 15 Top Obsessions of 2012

You know me...I get obsessed with things rather easily. Like seriously, I have obsessive issues that sometimes need to be dialled back before people think Im crazy (case in point: I get asked to put Christmas decorations up. The first thing I think of is to put up tinsel Batmans in honour of The Dark Knight Rises which came out four weeks before Christmas). However, heres some which I havent been able to control over the year. The fact that Ive made a list of 15 and still missed out a whole lot of them is rather disturbing.


15. Independent cinema
Ive always loved independent cinema, but moreso this year, because it has become increasingly easier to get my hands on. Luckily, a lot of the stuff is going through Madman (a supplier here in NZ), meaning I get to catch up on them a bit earlier on the preview discs. While I may not have seen bigger films like Argo or The Hobbit just yet (nor will I until they come out on DVD), I have seen wonderful films like Your Sisters Sister and Bernie already thanks to that wonderful preview drawer. Just keep em coming, Madman.


14. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Ive always loved JGL, too, but the guy has been really flying this year. Sure, there was Premium Rush, which must have been quite a big flop since it has been delayed until March next year here (meaning it will go straight-to-DVD), but he was also in Steven Spielbergs Lincoln, and in The Dark Knight Rises - in a performance which I thought had its own wonderfulness about it. By far the best thing of his year, though, was Looper, which was a freakin awesome film itself, but JGL, weird eyebrows and nose and all, was so badass it almost hurt. I also saw 50/50 for the first time this year, where I completely fell for him. Hes also doing awesome stuff with his HitRecord project and hes just finished shooting his writing/directorial feature debut. Do the wonders ever cease? It would appear not - he also did some Magic Mike moves on SNL. Lawd.


13. The Great Gatsby
I finally read this whole book this year and it is safe to say, it is probably my favourite book of all time. F. Scott Fitzgerald really had a way with words. Also falling under this umbrella is Baz Luhrmanns forthcoming adaptation, which was my most anticipated movie for the year after The Dark Knight Rises. Why? Because a) haters gon hate but I love Baz Luhrmanns films, b) the trailers were just effing divine and they literally inspired a 1920s phase I had going on for a little while, c) Leonardo DiCaprio looks fiiiiiiiiiiine and d) that poster with Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker also looks fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. Im honestly so excited for this film I combust everytime I think about it.


12. Michael Fassbender
I loved him last year but seeing Shame and Prometheus this year just reaffirmed my love. Shame was by far the best performance Ive seen all year, and one of my favourites ever. And even though David had a few issues in Prometheus, I couldnt believe I was watching my darling Fassy up there. Seriously, he is one of the best actors out there right now.




11. Daniel Craig
When I was 11, I had a huge crush on Daniel Craig. With Skyfall and last years The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo being released this year, that crush came right on back. He was brilliant in both of those films, but heres why I love him:





10. Princess Merida
I loved Brave more than most it would seem, and theres one huge reason for that: Princess Merida. With her curly red hair (who definitely made me appreciate my ringlet curls a lot more), cute Scottish accent and badass archery skills, it is hard not to love Disneys latest heroine. Which is also why I dressed up as her for the Christmas parade.


9. Tom Hiddleston
Easily my favourite part of The Avengers. Also, he seems like the nicest person on Earth apart from someone else on this list. And his tweets are incredibly sweet, especially around Oscar time when he got almost as excited as I did when Rooney Mara got nominated for Best Actress. I imagine he and Loki couldnt be more different.


8. Shame
This film floored me in a way that no film has ever done before. It was just so wonderfully put together that it is just about flawless. Plus, Steve McQueens style has left me in a daze that I still cant click out of. That guy knows how to set up a camera.


7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
While The Great Gatsby is my favourite book ever, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky pretty much changed my life. I definitely wasnt expecting it to be that affecting, but by the end, I was bawling my eyes out. I dont need to remind anyone of how excited I am to see the movie, and how high the expectations that I have for it. Which Im sure will be more than met.


6. Lana Del Rey
I rarely branch outside of movie music (terrible, I know), but in September, I decided to give Lana Del Rey a go. Then I bought her album Born to Die, and I pretty much havent listened to much else ever since. I got the Paradise edition for Christmas, so guess what will be accompanying me while I clean shelves? Seriously, I love her style, her voice, and her rather different music. Shes the best.


5. Ezra Miller
Ever since I saw We Need to Talk About Kevin on that earthquakey night of July the 3rd, I have been in love with Ezra Miller. I tried to deny it for a long time because that was just weird as he played a killer in that movie, but after seeing the trailer a few too many times, Ezra Miller became my husband. Hes just so worldly, even though he is so young, and so different. And then theres his cheekbones. Sigh.


4. Matthew McConaughey
This may come as a surprise, but I must say, nothing has brought me joy quite like Matthew McConaughey turning his career around. He used to be one of my least favourite actors, but I saw The Lincoln Lawyer last year which just hinted at what hes capable of. But when I saw the wonderfully crazy Killer Joe last month, I was completely stunned by his work. And then there was Magic Mike and Bernie to back up his roll into becoming a sought after actor. I cant wait to see what he does in The Dallas Buyers Club next year - his dedication to that role is kind of scary.


3. The Dark Knight Rises
I know, you probably all thought that this would be number one. Alas, while I loved going to see this and Ive been pretty much obsessed with it all year, there a couple of others that beat it. However, I would love to go back in time and see it that first time again. Even on my fourth watch earlier this week, I still cried like a baby and had my eyes glued to the screen the entire time. Nolan, you beast.


2. Downton Abbey
Before the end of the Christmas holidays earlier this year, I decided I would finally watch Downton Abbey to see what all the fuss was about. I was finished those first two seasons a lot faster than I thought I would be. I just love this show so much - it is well written, performed, put together. It has everything. And no, Im not to be deemed as an old lady for loving it so much. Most of my friends are really into it now. But I still cant forgive it for that terribly awful thing that happened in season three (I cried so much for a whole hour after seeing it - and it wasnt just tears, it was full on crying), and now I hear the Christmas special for this year was quite sad. I honestly dont know why I keep watching it when all it does is break my heart.


1. Jessica Chastain
The most wonderfully perfect human being on this Earth. Words cant even describe how much I love her so Im not going to try.

What do you think? Got any favourites here? Or any obsessions of your own for this year?

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Momenta v Amphastar A Divided Federal Circuit Panel Addresses Scope of Hatch Waxman Safe Harbor for Post Approval Activities

Biosimilar legislation enacted as part of healthcare reform provides an abbreviated approval process for manufacturer’s of biosimilar biologic drugs. It provides even more benefits for a producer of an interchangeable biologic, including a period of market exclusivity for the first interchangeable brought to market. However, the chemical complexity of biologic drugs compared to traditional small molecule results in significant technical challenges for would-be providers of biosimilar or interchangeable products to demonstrate the chemical similarity required for FDA approval.

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My New Favorite People Make Cheese Out of Human Body Odor Producing Bacteria

If there are three things I love in this world, it is cheese, science, and unprofitable-but-fascinating projects. Microbiologist Christina Agapakis and artist Sissel Tolaas decided to mush my interests together in a project called Selfmade. The pair created individual "portraits" of participants (the likes of whom included food writer Michael Pollan and installation artist Olafur Eliasson) by swabbing them and making cheese from their bodys bacteria.

Formerly Michael Pollans Bellybutton Source: http://agapakis.com/selfmade.html

Generally, the first step in cheese production involves curdling the milk, separating it into solid curds and liquid whey. Bacteria from the Lactococcus genus, the Lactobacillus genus, and the Streptococcus genus are the most common starter bacteria for this process. These bacteria convert the sugars in the milk into lactic acid. When casein micelles, the bundled up globs of protein suspended in your milk, hit acid, the positive hydrogen atoms in the acid neutralize the negative casein proteins. Then, since nothing is repelling them from each other, they clump together, forming curds. Rennet, an enzyme complex produced by mammalian stomachs, is also usually used to help curdle the future-cheese. (Swiss cheese and other hole-filled cheeses also get an extra dose of Propionibacterium freudenreichii, which produces buttloads of carbon dioxide, giving Swiss its distinctive hole-y-ness.) For some cheeses (e.g. a fresh, soft goat cheese), thats all the needs to happen. Boom. Packaging time. Most, though, require further processing. Harder cheeses are heated to force out more of the soggy whey. Cheeses like mozzarella are stretched in hot water to help develop their melty, stringy quality. Cheddar goes through a process called, creatively enough, cheddaring. Lower-acid cheeses, like Gouda, are washed. Additionally, salt is added... because it is delicious. Many (most) cheeses are then ripened, turning from bland to complex as the casein proteins break down into amino acids, fatty acids, and amines. For some cheese, additional bacteria and molds will be added at this stage. For example, Brevibacterium linens, found on cheeses like Munster and Limburger, adds a uniquely orange hue. Blue cheeses are formed from exposure to fungi like Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum. 

Many of these microorganisms are ubiquitous on human skin. If youre not a biology nerd, but some of these genus and species names sound familiar, you might be remembering them from my deodorant post in September, where I talked about what bacteria are responsible for your stinkiness. (You can find it by clicking here.)

Lactococcus has been isolated on human skin in small quantities and there is evidence that it may serve an antimicrobial (well, anti-other-microbial) function. Youre pretty much coated in Lactobacillus-- you can find it hanging out not only in small quantities on your skin, but in your gastrointestinal tract, in your tooth decay, and inside your vagina. (You can also thank Lactobacillus for yogurt and pickles.) Streptococcus is similarly abundant on your body. In addition to your skin, it can be found in your mouth, intestines, and respiratory system. Brevibacterium linens is one of the bacteria responsible for foot odor.

As cheese microbiologist Benjamin Wolfe says, "Theres been really great recent work on the microbiome of peoples feet, looking at both the bacteria and the fungi... and if you look at that data and you put our cheese data right next to it, they look pretty much the same."

In total, Agapakis and Tolaas made 11 cheeses, taking swabs from everything from mouths to belly buttons to feet. This formed the bacterial basis for their cheeses. Agapakis told NPR, "The idea was to recognize, how do we get grossed out? Then to think about it and move beyond that initial idea of disgust. Why are we more uncomfortable with bacteria on the body than we are with bacteria in cheese?"

Interviews suggest that no one has actually tasted the cheese, which is a disappointment. But, like... you first. 

The project is currently on display at the Science Gallery in Dublin.

Aching for more information? Check out Christina Agapakiss website here and here...

...this short video:


...or this Science Gallery promotional video:

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My Favorite Part of Neverland

I know I have a problem. Okay, an obsession.

But when I was recently asked to create a new piece for a Disney Fine Art event a few weeks ago, the mermaid lagoon scene from Peter Pan was all I could think about. I thought it would probably be best to go ahead and get it out of my system before things got out of hand.



I have been keeping busy working on several projects and getting ready for CTN-X next week! If you happen to be going to the show, you can find me at Table 56 right next to my good friend and fellow mermaid enthusiast, Liana Hee! I should have more updates before the show, but until then have a lovely week!

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More in My Series of Elements

Here are just a few more pieces I did with the idea of a Vocabulary of Elements.  These are all 12"x12":

I was enjoying a more spare approach.

Again, I like the space around this cluster of elements.

This one reminds me of Fog Rolling In.  So, I guess I will title it "Fog Rolling In".

I am doing a big series of studies like this in black and white on 9"x12" cheap drawing paper, but decided to try it on 12"x12" good paper.  Going this spare, in terms of both space and color, is really new for me, and Im excited to explore it further.

I did try out this approach - creating a vocabulary of elements - at Big Fat Art Weekend, but Im waiting for more photos to be sent by students (I get so engrossed in the art and teaching that I forget to take pix).  Here are a couple of photos of some of the work:



More pix and video of Big Fat Art coming soon. 

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My Unofficial 5 Worst and 10 Best Films of 2012

Oh hey, so since the year is ending and Ive seen less than five 2012 movies (okay, thats a lie, but seriously, I havent even seen Argo), I thought I may as well still do list the films I loved and loathed from the small selection Ive seen. As I explained last night, these are films that had their American release date (or in the case of one of them, will probably not have an American release date so it is the NZ release date) this year, because Ive already cleaned up 2011. First, lets look at the five worst films Ive seen this year.


5. Rock of Ages
I really liked Adam Shankmans last musical, Hairspray. All I wanted was a nice, groovy musical with toe-tapping, feel good, sing-along songs. I got auto-tune piled upon more auto-tune. Gee thanks, Glee.
Tom Cruise was at least okay and really seemed to be in his element as filthy rocker Stacee Jaxx, but the rest were just people singing and dancing like theyd been boosted up on energy drinks. In other words, nothing was very good at all.


4. Battleship
Forgive me when I say that I didnt have very high expectations for this film, based on the board game. And those expectations were met: there were a lot of explosions for two hours, accompanied by a lot of slow-mo, and not much else. Oh Liam Neeson, what were you thinking when you decided to be in this movie for five minutes? You too, Alexander Skarsgard. I practically watched it just to see you being hot and you got killed off so I had to spend the remaining five hours with Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna. Yay.




3. Iron Sky
The fact that some great indie films like, I dont know, Margaret, struggle to get made and then we get a movie about Nazis coming back to Earth from the moon straight away. Theres probably a place for this movie but Im not entirely sure of where that is.


2. Project X
Aside from Magic Mike and Ted, this movie has been the most popular one to hit Dannevirke teendom this year. Im fairly sure everyone has seen it, which is a little depressing because as much as I love films and all, this movie is literally a piece of dog poo wrapped up in even more poo. Just poo poo poo is what Im saying. I mean, wipdeedoo, youre a group of dumb teenagers who think the only way to be popular is to throw a huge party which destroys literally everything. Id probably like this movie a little more if I was at all into drinking (which Im not, unlike everyone else my age). But as it stands, I am greatly offended that this is what people think of teenagers as.


1. Thats My Boy
Just the most offensive, unfunny and over-the-top thing that Adam Sandler has ever graced us with. It is so terrible that I want to gouge my eyes out every time I see the cover of it.

Now we have all of that negativity out of the way, here are my unofficial ten best...


10. The Most Fun You Can Have Dying
I honestly cant believe how well-made this NZ film was. It was just so different to what Im used to seeing for this country - a film that is in touch with just about everything, and is so beautifully shot, ringing back to the days of the French New Wave movement. Heralded by a great central performance by Matt Whelan and an interesting supporting performance from Roxane Mesquida, The Most Fun You Can Have Dying will likely only get an audience from NZ (and Australia, as it showed at one of their film festivals), but it deserves so much more than that.


9. 21 Jump Street
Honestly, I just love this movie because it is so damn funny. I dont even like either Jonah Hill or Channing Tatum all that much but theyre just so damn funny. And Brie Larson is so adorable. I dont really have much else to say other than I laughed and laughed and laughed at this movie, and even on my fourth watch I still had plenty to laugh at.


8. Bernie
Richard Linklater is a much better filmmaker than I think people give him credit for. He has one of the most strangely intricate filmographies out there - he doesnt have a distinctive style or genre, but is films are consistently good. Bernie is no exception. It tells the bizarre true story of Bernie Tiede, a do-gooder who kills his partner, an elderly widow, after hes had enough of her manipulative ways. Filmed in a documentary style way, even featuring interviews with some of the people who knew Tiede and his story, Bernie is a rather interesting project that was certainly a lot more different than I had expected. Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey are all so great in their roles, too.


7. The Raid: Redemption
A film where the actions speak louder than words, and it is all so awesome to watch. People just beat the crap out of each other and somehow, this makes for some of the most visceral, entertaining scenes of the year. It is just endlessly fantastic.


6. Your Sisters Sister
I didnt have a clue of what this film was about when I started watching it, but that didnt matter - the less you know about it, the more surprised youll be by it. This film is driven by conversation and a couple of acts which end up meaning a lot more than you thought they would, and this is all driven home by stunning performances from Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass and Rosemarie DeWitt.


5. The Avengers
I can honestly say that I havent had a better time at the movies than I did with The Avengers. It was just so fun and entertaining, with plenty of stellar comedic punches and great action sequences to match. I cant really say that it is the best superhero movie ever, but I had a damn good time watching it, which is all I could really ask for.


4. Brave
This film has stayed with me since I first saw it in June, mainly because I find it to have one of the best messages for the younger generation to surface in quite some time. It is a simple film, and it gets its message across simply - and we have to remember that thats what kids movies are supposed to be like. This isnt a Pixar failure. Sure, Toy Story 3 is a masterpiece, but Im fairly sure that worked better for an older audience. Brave hits all the right notes, particularly because of the unique heroine, Princess Merida.


3. Looper
What is so amazing about Looper is that it has all of the blockbuster trimmings, but it is made like a true indie. It sometimes feels as if it is in a league of its own, being both glossy and rustic at the same time. It is a stunning vision of the future, without delving into the dream-like fantasies that most people use when trying to imagine the future. Plus, it features one of Bruce Willis best performances in years.


2. Killer Joe
I dont even know where to begin with this film. It is so batshit insane that I had to watch most of it through my fingers, but still, it is strangely comic and terrifying and...just everything. The film needs to be praised first for Matthew McConaughey, then by the work of its brilliant cast, and then by the fact that it is so brave and it doesnt shy away from ANYTHING. The only thing Im worried about is the fact that one day, Matty Ms kids (apparently his wife had another child today, congrats!) will see this film, and then hell have a lot of explaining to do. Im not even related to him and I honestly cant handle how amazing he was in this film.


1. The Dark Knight Rises
Im kinda over explaining why I love this film so much, but I will say that this time last year I knew that this would top my list, and I wasnt disappointed. Everything about this film, apart from maybe Marion Cotillard before her reveal and her death scene, is just so magnificent. That is all.

What do you think of my selections? What are your favourite and least favourite films of 2012?

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