Category Archives: Film

signs, signs, everywhere signs

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

An animation built from road signs is a whirlwind study of flash communication Warning: this film features rapidly flashing images that can be distressing to photosensitive viewers. “The UK filmmaker Daniel McKee is known for videos in which he arranges … Continue reading →

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Stand Your Ground

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

A few years back, I was taking a short hike around a glacial lake below the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska and nearly walked up on a bear. Fortunately after seeing the fresh bear tracks, I reversed my course and found … Continue reading →

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No fierljeppen for me

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was lucky enough to spent quite a bit of time in the Netherlands and I constantly marveled at how they managed to engineer a nation with so much of the country below sea level. Many of their farmers needed a … Continue reading →

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Even a bad day of hiking is a day you’ll remember

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Exactly forty years ago on this day I was tent camping in the Swiss alps. It’s one of those indelible travel memories that tends to stick out among all of the many trips. Filmmaker Reinis Kaspars spent two weeks hiking alone … Continue reading →

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The Mark on the Wall

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

  “The Mark On The Wall” is based on Virginia Woolf’s short story of the same name, which opens with the mysterious line—”Perhaps it was the middle of January in the present year that I first looked up and saw the mark … Continue reading →

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On The Beach

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was surprised to stumble on the complete version of the Stanley Kramer film On The Beach posted on YouTube. The 1959 American post-apocalyptic science fiction drama had an enormous impact on me when I first saw the movie on television when … Continue reading →

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in Vienna

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Now in Vienna there’s ten pretty women There’s a shoulder where death comes to cry There’s a lobby with nine hundred windows There’s a tree where the doves go to die There’s a piece that was torn from the morning … Continue reading →

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Oldest Map in the World

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

If you stop by TBTP on a regular basis, you are likely aware that I am a bit of a map geek. It all began with a small globe on my childhood nightstand. I don’t discriminate when it comes to … Continue reading →

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“other peoples’ joy can be annoying”

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I stumbled upon the moody short film below and can’t quite articulate why it resonated so much with me. So, as usual I thought that I’d share it here to see if it hit home with any of you. Daniel … Continue reading →

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Ma maison à Paris

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Whenever I am in Paris for more than a few days, I prefer to rent an apartment in my favorite district of the city. It may not be the in the hippest arrondissement, but I have always loved the vibe … Continue reading →

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