What Country Do You Live In? Berkeley!

We've been trying to teach Elliot some rudimentary geography. That includes the name of our street, our town, our state and our country.

I guess it's a lot to absorb for a 3-year-old because sometimes when I ask what country he lives in, he'll say, "Berkeley."

At first I would correct him, but now I wonder if he's just absorbing the local sentiment.

"Socialist Democratic Republic of Berkeley" — sign on truck selling rustic birdhouses.

Most people in Berkeley do live in their own country.

BuboBlog Reviews 'Chronicle'

The "found-footage" genre  has become a popular form of cinema, with about 60 feature films using the technique so far. Thirteen years after "The Blair Witch Project," you could argue that stitching a movie together out of snippets of amateur video is getting pretty tired — and yet, there's a reason it works.

For one, it's a great way to blunt cliches. If a character gains super powers and leaps into the air, that's a pretty tired premise. But if he's shown flying away in an unsteady homemade video, it adds a bit of freshness and verisimilitude.

"Chronicle" makes the most of the found-footage approach, and stakes a claim beside "Cloverfield" and "District 9" as a standard bearer for the genre. I didn't find it quite as poignant as either of those films, but "Chronicle" explored enough new ground to show why these sorts of movies are still worth making.

The film features a trio of teens who gain the power of telekinesis after discovering a mysterious cavern. (Yes, this sounds preposterous, but when you see it in fuzzy video clips, you buy it.) The scenario gives the characters the ability to levitate the camera, so they don't have to hold it while they film everything. This makes it seem slightly less ludicrous that they're able to record all their actions — compared with, say, "Cloverfield."

Most of the film depicts the teens coming to grips with their new-found power. After a period of fun and games, one of the youths turns to darker activities, setting the stage for a mayhem-filled finale. The New Yorker's David Denby took issue with the film's third act, saying it was too conventional and grim in its approach. But it's hard to imagine how else "Chronicle" could have proceeded. It's been said that every movie has the same theme — "careful what you wish for" — and not delving into that territory would have made the picture much less satisfying.

In fact, when the character does go bad, the movie has earned it. His descent seems inevitable, based on his troubled home life and the exhilaration of his seemingly limitless powers.

"Chronicle" should be commended for creating a super villain that is entirely plausible and sympathetic. How many movies accomplish that, regardless of their video quality?

BuboBlog Rating: 3 asterisks (out of 4)

'Poop! (There It Is)'

Folks, what can I say? I've let you down.

I pride this blog on being a top-quality source of information on both baby trends and 1990s hip-hop. And yet, it's taken me a year to get wind of the Luvs "Poop There It Is" commercial? (In 2011, it was named the worst commercial of the year.) I blame my slowness on the fact that we only watch Netflix and Hulu these days.

In case you've missed it too, the ad features three cartoon babies competing to fill their diapers with feces. "American Idol"-style judges then rate the performances.



All the while, we hear "Poop! (There It Is)" — a playful twist on "Whoomp! (There It Is)," the 1993 hit from Tag Team. Question: Is this better or worse than "Baby Got Backpack"?

You'll recall there was a song called "Whoot, There It Is" from 95 South that also charted in 1993. Having two nearly identical songs become popular at the same time was an odd turn of events that only seems odder in retrospect.

But perhaps if Luvs wants to use the 95 South track in a follow-up ad, it can be called "Toot, There It Is."

As always, I provide my consulting services free of charge.

'STOP Driving Shrooms'?

As I've documented extensively, our neighborhood in Berkeley appears to have one of the highest rates of stop-sign defacement in the United States (if not the world).

Here's one where it doesn't seem like a lot of care/thought went into it. Someone took a "STOP Driving" sign and scrawled "shrooms" beneath it.

You can barely make out the word "shrooms," and it's hard to figure out what that has to do with driving.

It's almost as if the person were mentally incapacitated when they wrote this.

Is 'Downton Abbey' a Good Source of Baby Names?

People who study baby names frequently cite the "100-year rule" — the notion that names become popular in century-long cycles.

That makes me wonder if "Downton Abbey" isn't a good source for would-be parents. After all, the show is set in 1912 (at the outset of the two-season series). So it should be chockfull of naming goodness.

Now, it's not a perfect source of 100-year monikers. The older characters would have names that were popular much earlier.

And you're relying on the show's writers to have picked true names from that era (given the anachronisms in dialogue, that's no sure thing).

But I find many of the names very appealing. I'm really hoping there's a spate of Lavinias born this year. C'mon, people, make that happen.

Here's a list of the names, along with when they peaked in popularity (in America, not Britain).

THE NAMES OF DOWNTON
Anna (1800s)
Anthony (2007-2008)
Charles/Charlie (1800s)
Cora (1800s)
Daisy (1800s)
Edith (1800s)
Ethel (1890s)
Evelyn (1910-1920s)
Frederick/Freddie (1800s)
George (1800s)
Gwen (1950s)
Henry (1800s)
Isobel/Isabel (2003)
Jane (1940s)
John (1800s-1910s)
Joseph (1910s)
Lavinia (1800s)
Mary (1800s-1950s)
Matthew (1980s-1990s)
Richard (1930s-1940s)
Robert (1920s-1930s)
Rosamund/Rosa (1800s)
Sarah (1980s-1990s)
Sybil (1920s)
Thomas (1940s-1950s)
Vera (1910s)
Violet (1910s)
William (1800s-1910s)

As you can see, only a few of these are true 100-year names. The ones that peaked either before or during the 1910s are: Anna, Charlie, Cora, Daisy, Edith, Ethel, Evelyn, Freddie, George, Henry, John, Joseph, Lavinia, Rosamund, Vera, Violet and William.

Good choices, all.

Movie Posters Grouped by Theme

I recently came across a clever French blog (no, not Le BuboBlog, which has no affiliation with this one). It's a site that groups together movie posters by theme; say, ones that feature a park bench or people wearing sunglasses.

You often hear talk about how formulaic movie trailers are (epitomized by this generic film preview). This French guy's site really demonstrates how formulaic posters are as well.

So what appeals to filmgoers?

Apparently they like to see movies about people with text over their blindfolds...

...or dark figures with their backs to the audience...

...or close-ups of eyeballs...

...or women in red dresses.

You can see many more examples here. (And thanks for the tip, BuboBlog Portola Valley correspondent Jon.)

Another Cautionary Tale About Child Labor

I've written before about the pitfalls of relying on child labor.

Well, this weekend Elliot had to make almost 20 valentines — enough for everyone in his preschool class.

He lost interest after a few of them and began squeezing glue into the crayon box.

So I had to make most of the valentines myself.

Fortunately, I have the arts-and-crafts skills of a 3-year-old, so no one will notice the difference.