Quantum of Solace review

Quantum of Solace = B-
I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't like this Bond movie very much. And definitely not as much as the the previous Bond.
Roger Ebert made some good points, but I disagree with him on some others. James Berardinelli echoes Ebert's thoughts too. I agree with Berardinelli on this.
Sadly, there's something a little hollow about the proceedings. There's no real catharsis. In fact, the whole thing doesn't feel like a complete movie, or at least not a complete Bond movie.
Saw this movie last week in Sunrise, Florida when I was there to see a Red Wings game.

Economy hits U2 hard

The Irish rock band U2 had planned an eco-friendly sky rise in Dublin. Given the current econmic situation it's been scuttled.
Economic Woes Wipe U2 From Dublin's Skyline

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Count U2 among the list of global economic casualties.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority in the band's native Ireland has suspended construction on the U2 Tower, a $250 million skyscraper boasting an egg-shaped recording studio at its peak.
"The objective is to see this landmark project completed," the DDDA said in a statement Friday. "However, given the current unfavorable economic environment, more time is needed at this juncture."
Somehow we feel that, despite the inevitable civic disappointment, people in recession-ravaged Ireland will understand.
The proposed tower, an ecofriendly structure designed by British architect Norman Foster, was to measure nearly 400 feet, making it Dublin's tallest building, and include million-dollar luxury apartments, a viewing platform for the public, solar paneling, wind turbines and a tunnel to allow riverside traffic to drive through the base of the building.

Silverlight competes with Flash

The video players, Adobe's Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight, are in a heated competition according to USAToday.

If you watch video online — on YouTube, MySpace, CNN, Hulu or elsewhere — you're viewing in Adobe's Flash, a software plug-in that's on 98% of computers.
But Microsoft hopes to change that with a new version of its Silverlight plug-in and software, designed for higher-quality online video and snazzier graphics on websites. The software giant has signed up some big partners to help show off Silverlight, including online movie rental service Netflix and rival Blockbuster.

I've learned my lesson - to distrust anything touted by Microsoft. I will stick with Flash, and there's no way I will download Silverlight.

OpenOffice.org downloaded 10 million times

The free office suite program had 10 million downloads of its latest release.
Hopefully it's not just one person.
OpenOffice.org Achieves Ten Million Downloads at the End of its Beijing Conference

Rachel Getting Married review

Rachel Getting Married = A-
Awesome movie. I loved the story, acting and music. Although I typically like Jonathan Demme directed movies, my biggest complaint was that there was too many hand-held shots. To the point it was distracting to movie. Some I understood, but there was just too much for me.
Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli really liked it, and I pretty much agree with their reviews.
Attended the movie Tuesday at Keystone.

What Just Happened? review

What Just Happened? = C-
There were some funny parts, but not enough to elevate it past the grade I gave it. The acting was decent too, still very disappointing.
James Berardinelli didn't seem to think much of it either. Couldn't find a Roger Ebert review.
Attended the movie at Keystone Tuesday.

OS X running on a netbook

Wired, which seems pro-PC to me, wrote a story titled "Apple has 'Interesting Ideas' for netbooks" and then shows OS X running on a PC netbook.

"We'll wait and see how that nascent category evolves, and we've got some pretty interesting ideas if it does," Jobs said.He added that to the company's knowledge, netbooks aren't selling all that well. However, recent reports strongly disagree.

In my opinion the MacBook Air is a high-powered netbook, granted it's priced significantly higher, but the screen is significantly larger too and it's a more robust computer than netbooks.

AT&T offers free Wi-Fi to iPhone users

The full story is here.
I've been wanting an iPhone since I first heard about them. With Verizon, it's all about the network, and it's top notch. Add to that the high quality customer service. I won't be switching anytime soon, but this news makes it more tempting. Yet some places already offer free Wi-Fi, why not visit those places instead?

Zack and Miri Make a Porno review

Zack and Miri Make a Porno = A
It's hard not to like a movie that features hockey, sex and lots of laughs.
Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli gave it favorable reviews, but not as many stars as I thought they would.

Crossover Office

Crossover Office is software that allows Linux and Mac users the ability to use Windows based Microsoft Office applications to run on their computers. The company, CodeWeavers, that produces it is offering it for free right now.
The whole story can be found here.

Body of Lies review

Body of Lies = A
Ridley Scott, Leonardo DiCapro and Russell Crowe are true artists. Very good thriller, and the direction and acting were top notch.
I especially liked Crowe's opening quote, which concerned whether the United States should be in Iraq or not. His quote said something like one shouldn't question whether the U.S. should be in Iraq or not, it's already there. The question should be what should U.S. citizens do about it now.
The quote rang true, and it's the right thinking now. To judge whether the U.S. should be there or not has passed.
This movie brought me back to thinking about Three Kings and the idea of Western Betrayal.

Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn review

Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn = A+
Wow! I love this song. Travelling up to Detroit recently I was listening to several Detroit-based artists. One was the White Stripes and their CD Icky Thump. I got to song six, and got cold chills. The beat and Meg's drumming really moves me on this track. Jack's delivery of the lyrics reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot's on The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Prickly Thorn is a Scottish influeced tune complete with bagpipes, which for many seems to be either love or hate. In this tune they don't bother me. Frankly I can understand why people don't like them.
Anyway, I'm in love with this song. About a minute in Meg adds another drum, and that's when I got cold chills.

All Together Now reveiw

All Together Now = A
Very good documentary about the making of the Cirque du Soleil - Beatles show Love.
My only complaint is that I wanted to see and know more. Specifically I wanted to know more about the making, or more appropriately the mixing of music from Love.

The Duchess review

The Duchess = B
Interesting story, great acting, but it felt like a period piece soap opera.
Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli had opposing views of it.
This time I agreed more with Ebert.

W. review

W. = D
I haven't seen all Oliver Stone movies, but W. is easily the worst I've seen of his.
Boring, extremely boring.
The actors portrayals of their characters saved it from an F.
James Berardinelli didn't think much of it either. He's pretty much spot on, but he thought the actors were just mimicking their characters. Roger Ebert gave it a glowing review.

Choke review

Choke = C+
Funny at parts, but I'd have a hard time recommending it to people.
Definitely some eye candy for the guys though. Some girls have told me Sam Rockwell is pretty hot. Maybe, but he's a good actor in my opinion. He was great in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli gave it mixed reviews.

I Just Called to Say I Love You review

Stevie Wonder's I Just Called to Say I Love You is a song that I didn't much care for when it was first released in 1984. When I bought his Number 1's CD I was surprised to see it on there, because I didn't think it had reached number one. In any case, listening to it today I was touched. It moved me, finally. I don't really know why, but it did.

Here's what sombody wrote about it on Wikipedia.
The midtempo ballad expresses how simply calling someone to tell them you love them can make even the most unremarkable day of your life magical. It is one of Wonder's most simplistic, jingly and sentimental songs, and, with its quintessentially mid-80s synthesizers and drum machines, is a far cry from his more organic and experimental 1970s material. For those reasons it was savaged by critics upon its release. However, the public were seduced by its simple charms, making it one of Wonder's most successful singles to date.
Fair enough. I like many of his other songs better, but it is damn catchy.
I think what I like more than anything is how he lyrically weaves all the months and seasons together.

Economy hurts, turn to open source software

Read an interesting article today about the bad economy and computer software prices.
When the Stock Market Gives you Lemons, You Make Lemonade
Facing tough times? Now might be a good time to turn to Open Source.
Jason Perlow, who wrote the article, made some good points.
So if your Windows XP system is getting clunky with age – like my wife’s old PC was — why not forget purchasing some new Core 2 Quad 4GB Vista PCs for a year, and look into refurbishing your 2 or 3-year old systems with a free, feature rich, and less resource-intensive Linux distribution such as Ubuntu or OpenSUSE? Instead of Microsoft Office, why not run OpenOffice? Set up a file, web or database server with CentOS or Debian. Do you need a virtualization solution? Check out VMWare ESX 3i or investigate KVM and OpenVZ, with a solution like ProxMox.
Sure, we all want the economy to return to a stable and growing state, and we want to be able to improve our business and personal computing infrastructure. But in the meantime, we can all breathe easy that in terms of software, Open Source and Linux has us covered.
My friend at work was going through the same problems with his XP machine. He made the switch to Ubuntu and hasn't looked back.

Four Seasons review

Four Seasons = B
Saw this one on HBO in widescreen format, which is always a plus in my opinion.
Good movie, but I'd have a hard time saying it was exceptional. One thing I really liked about it was the dialogue. It seems anything Alan Alda writes is at least worth seeing. This movie is no different.
The movie is probably too old for Ebert and Berardinelli to have reviewed, but this one at Reel.com is worth reading.
The couples aren't young and beautiful (except for Armstrong); the women are attractive, but not stunning, as are the men. And, most unusual of all, the movie celebrates the wisdom of life experience.
Alda's first hat-trick film—he wrote, directed, and stars in it—remains heartwarming and inspirational without being cheesy.

Infamous review

Infamous = A

To me it was just as good Capote. It was basically the same story - about Truman Capote writing In Cold Blood.

James Berardinelli wrote a positive review. I pretty much agree with him except about the actor, Toby Jones, who played Capote. I thought he did just as good if not better job than Phillip Seymour Hoffman did in Capote.

Religulous review

Religulous = A+
Biting, provacative, entertaining and informative view about religions of the world.
Great movie. It's a must-see movie for everybody.
The only thing I don't get is Bill Maher, the movie's writer, says he doesn't know. He knows.
Ebert reviewed it positively, giving it 3.5 stars.
In the documentary “Religulous,” Bill Maher offers his opinionated take on the world’s religions, and it’s not going to please true believers of any stripe.
Saw the movie last night at Keystone Art Cinema. It was nearly sold-out.

Frozen River reveiw

Frozen River = A
This was a great movie in my opinion. Loved the story even though it was somewhat sad. The portrayals by all the actors seemed real and genuine too.
Watching the credits, I said to myself Michael O'Keefe ... that's a familiar name. Only now in writing this reveiw did it dawn on me where I've seen him before, The Great Santini and Caddyshack. He did a remarkable job in The Great Santini and Caddyshack is a comedy classic. Anyway it's good to see him again even though I didn't recognize him.
Rober Ebert gave the movie four stars, which I believe is the highest he gives.
It doesn't look as if James Berardinelli has reviewed it.

The Last Mistress reveiw

The Last Mistress = B
A good movie, but it didn't really captivate me.
Reading Ebert's reveiw, he'd probably grade it higher than I did

Tropic Thunder review

Tropic Thunder = B
Not a great movie by any means, but it's still pretty funny.
The best part was watching Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise in their respective roles. Both were outstanding and if it were a decent movie of any caliber then I'd imagine both would receive Oscar nominations. As it is, a wacky, off-beat, comedy, their performances will go unnoticed by the Academy.
I was surprised to read Ebert's and Berardinelli's reviews, which were positive, of the movie.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss review

In Search of a Midnight Kiss = A
This movie seemed honest and real to me. I really enjoyed it. It was well-written, well-acted, and beautifully shot in black and white.
Berardinelli and Ebert were spot on.
Berardinelli ....
He (Alex Holdridge, director and writer) is also clearly a keen observer of human nature because the heart of In Search of a Midnight Kiss is how men and women behave toward one another. When it comes to movies, romance is one of the great equalizers: it can form the basis of the most lavish Hollywood productions and the most inexpensive home-made efforts. In Search of a Midnight Kiss may not have cost much to make, but its payoff is huge and the rewards reaped by the viewer are more than worth the price of admission.
Ebert ...
Black and white is the correct medium for this material. Holdridge finds locations that, paradoxically, look just like Los Angeles, but like no part of the city you're ever seen before. A decaying business district is no place to begin a date, but Wilson, who has warmed up, even finds romance in a sign painted on an old building: "Los Angeles Sanitary District 1927."
Saw the movie last night at Keystone Art Cinema. It's one of the best and more memorable movies I've seen this year.

My Best Friend's Girl review

My Best Friend's Girl = B-
Decent movie, but basically just a popcorn, entertaining movie.
Berardenelli hit the nail right on the head.
For a while, My Best Friend's Girl seems to be going in the direction of a full-on black comedy where the words "ever after" are spoken only in reference to the phrase "praying for the end of time" (with apologies to Meat Loaf). Alas, around the halfway point, the film takes a 180-degree turn and tries to follow the formula, reforming the selfish protagonist and proving that true love conquers all. The problem? We still hate the characters and the happy ending feels as much like a cheat as any I have seen all year.
Apparently Ebert didn't review it, and I saw it yesterday at Glendale Mall theater.

Nothing but love hate for Microsoft

This is brought to you by this thread.

"The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he who, by peddling second-rate technology, led them into it in the first place." - Douglas Adams

"The court confirmed that consumers were suffering at the hands of Microsoft." - Neelie Kroes

rage:
But come on now!! Every one knows that Mac is just as or damn near as venerable to hacking as PC, it just hasn't been shown it's ugly face yet.
I think like 80% of internet users use PC computers to MAYBE (really more like 15%) use Mac. And you wonder why there is a huge ratio of attacks (malware.spyware.virus) on PC compared to MAC??? In part, it's a numbers game.
The bad guys are starting to hit Macs now too. Now, of course nobody wants this. But it is how the World works(kill the King), not just the World of Tech.
Mac has started having some updates just like PC always does. Mac never used to have to worry about this, but thanks to more people using Macs, I believe it has caused more intrest in the hacking community as reguards to Macs.
More users on Mac = More money More Problems. Welcome to the World of Tech Mac!!
It's all numbers. Hackers love numbers it seems.

Me:
All false and all myths.
Roughly Drafted Magazine - The Unavoidable Malware Myth: Why Apple Won’t Inherit Microsoft’s Malware Crown
April 1st, 2008
The Malware Market Share Myth.
Does malware development require some threshold of market share before it can exist? Is the malware ecosystem “irreducibly complex” in a way that prevents small pockets of malware from spontaneously developing to exploit smaller markets? If so, this would explain why Apple now has 20% or more of certain markets, but does not have even 1% of the malware market.
Alas, this theory is easy to crush. There have been many examples of thriving malware “serving” minor markets. Back when all computers used floppy disks, and floppies were easy to infect with boot sector viruses, Macintoshes of the Classic Mac OS era carried and transmitted viruses on floppies despite never having more than 8 to 11% of the market. Viruses were around because of a weakness, not because of the Mac reaching a certain market share threshold in popularity.
Even platform targets that are tiny to the point of insignificant are attacked by malware. Specific versions of small minority of Symbian phones were attacked by a Bluetooth virus, not because those models made up 95% of the phone market, but because there was an open flaw in their software that left them vulnerable to attack.
The idea that Apple will inherit Microsoft’s problems is based in the ignorance that Windows’ security problems are rooted in its popularity, rather than its poor architectural design. That is not true, as countless examples of viruses attacking minor platforms attest. Malware targets weakness, not popularity. Windows is plagued with malware, not because it is ubiquitous, but because it is riddled with weaknesses.

Emphasis mine.

vangvace:
Mac=overpriced PC with a presumably better OS. Though since you can't get OS X on anything but a mac without serious hacks, it's a hindrance to truly being better imo.

I then posted Harry McCracken's blog series asking are Macs really more expensive, which he found they aren't

Mid-range laptops
http://technologizer.com/2008/08/14/are-macs-more-expensive-lets-do-the-math-once-and-for-all/3/
MacBook: $1299 (white case)
Dell XPS M1330: $1287 (including an “instant rebate” of $100)
HP dv4t: $1218.99 (including an “instant rebate” of $100)
Sony VGN-SR190: $1608.99

Cheapest
http://technologizer.com/2008/08/16/are-macs-more-expensive-round-two-survival-of-the-cheapest/3/
The MacBook at $1049, gets blown away by the cheapest PC, $599

All-in-one
http://technologizer.com/2008/08/17/are-macs-more-expensive-all-in-one/3/
iMac: $1399 final price ($1474 at MacConnection, plus a $75 rebate; Apple’s list is $1499)
Dell XPS One: $1349 (from Dell.com, after $300 of those mysterious “instant savings”)
Gateway One: $1359.99 (at Tiger Direct; Gateway’s list is $1499.99)
Sony VGC-LT32E: $1299 (at SonyStyle.com; “original price” was $1399)

?
http://technologizer.com/2008/08/25/are-macs-more-expensive-round-four-the-skinny-on-the-mini/3/
Mac Mini: $699
Dell Studio Hybrid: $678
HP Pavilion Slimline s3500z: $588.99 (after $50 in “instant savings”)
Shuttle XPC X200H: $980

vangvace then responds that one gets less ess hardware for your money with a Mac, and that OS X is flawed, showing cracks now.

That post was so absurd, that I responded in kind.

I was going to point by point refute everything you just posted, but I've come to a realization. Just right now .... You're right. I can't believe I've been wrong about this whole Mac vs. PC argument the whole time. Holy fucking christ, you've really opened my eyes. I think I'll sell my Mac tomorrow even though it's never had one virus, never slowed down, never had a BSOD, does everything I need it too, starts fast, shuts down fast, hasn't overheated, hasn't had one hardware problem, yes the OS has been updated several times, but quite frankly that's been a pain in the ass even though they've been free, and I was so looking forward to something not to work right when I installed an update that things went so smoothy that I was pissed off and took it out on Microsoft and Bill Gates. Thanks vangvace! For all you Apple fanboi's out there check eBay soon I'll be selling my near perfect three-year-old, 12", PowerBook G4. I've only dropped it twice, and it still works perfectly.

vangvace calls me a crybaby.

vangvace ... I agree with you! PC hardware is infinitely better. I remember using PC laptops in Bosnia that constantly crashed, but I'm sure it was just the dirt and mud. Using XP I had several BSODs in an office environment in Baghdad, probably just the sand there. Used several Gateways that crashed all the time, but I'm sure it was because I worked in a basement then.

eva unit zero said he works with both and finds the Macs constantly fail. And that his wife's iBook logic board needed replacing twice in the first year.

Never had a problem with the logic board and I guess I new will because I'll be selling my PowerBook as soon a buy my new PC and get all my files transferred over.
Yep. I can't wait to buy a $599 PC with Vista.
I'm a PC now! Just like Eva Longoria, Deepak Chopra and Tony Parker.

Tattoo itchiness

Well my tattoo took about 16 days too stop itching. It was either Tuesday or Wednesday, yesterday, that it really stopped. It seemed longer to be sure. Other than the initial procedure and taking care of it for so long, it hasn't been that bad. In any case I was beginning to think that maybe I was allergic to the ink, or it'd always be itchy.
http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-New-Tattoo

Tell No One review

Tell No One = A
Very good French mystery about a doctor whose wife is murdered, yet returns eight year later.
Story was hard for me to follow, but I still enjoyed it very much.
Subtitles. Saw the movie at Keystone Art Cinema.
Ebert really liked it, and I agree with just about everything he wrote.
"Tell No One" will play as a terrific thriller for you, if you meet it halfway. You have to be willing to believe. There will be times you think it's too perplexing, when you're sure you're witnessing loose ends. It has been devised that way, and the director knows what he's doing. Even when it's baffling, it's never boring. I've heard of airtight plots. This one is not merely airtight, but hermetically sealed.
The movie is based on novel, Tell No One. Now I have a book I need to read.

The Dark Knight IMAX review

The Dark Knight IMAX = A
It wasn't any better than the non-IMAX version in my opinion. A handful of sequences were shot in IMAX, so to me it wasn't really worth it. I doubt I'll see another IMAX version of a movie unless the whole movie is shot in that format. I really didn't notice a quality difference either. What I did notice is that it was appreciably louder. Some scenes I thought ear plugs might be handy.

Burn After Reading review

Burn After Reading = B
It's a good movie, but not a good Coen brothers movie. I really enjoyed J.K. Simmons' scenes. Brad Pitt's were equally funny. To a slightly lesser degree so was George Clooney's.
Ebert and Berardinelli gave it similar reviews, yet Berardinelli's is pretty much in align with my thinking.

Elegy review

Elegy = A+
Wow, what a fantastic movie. It was well acted, and I really dug the story.
Peter Sarsgaard sounds a lot like John Malkovich to me.
All the acting performances were exceptional. My only criticism is the hand-held camera scenes. They didn't add anything. In fact they were a distraction in my opinion.
Berardinelli liked the movie better than Ebert. I liked it better than both.

More movies to maybe see, which I saw posters of tonight.
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Rachel Getting Married
Choke
The Duchess
Happy Go Lucky
The Last Mistress
Towelhead
Religulous

Wide walls

It doesn't bother me she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she'll die.
Nobody is feeling the love. It's weird. I expected more; I should learn to expect less.
Two-foot wide walls. Waves can't penetrate.

London following Beijing

Watching the closing ceremonies last I was thinking how in the heck will London top these 2008 Beijing Games. I don't think they'll be able to. Certainly London's piece in the closing ceremonies was lame.
Here's what a London mayor Boris Johnson said in a Business Week article.
"We've been dazzled, impressed, and blown away by these Beijing Games," he says, adding, "but we've not been intimidated."
That's good to read.
One thing I did notice was the lack of full venues in the Beijing Games, and the article mentioned that too.
For instance, although Beijing's operations worked with clockwork precision, many events were surprisingly short on spectators (BusinessWeek.com, 8/15/08). London has already said it aims to avoid that by making more seats available to Londoners at discount prices.
Later ...
Formerly imperial Britain—now more laid-back than ambitious, upwardly mobile China—will be hosting its third Olympics and has less to prove to the world. As long as security is effective but not heavy-handed, London should manage to provide Olympians and guests a great time.

Hamlet 2 review

Hamlet 2 = C
Bad first half, but a stronger second. Either the jokes got better, or I just got use to the bad jokes. It's another movie I wanted to like, but was disappointed.
Roger Ebert seemed to like it better than James Berardinelli, who I agree with more regarding this movie.
Despite the richness of the premise for comic invention, however, Hamlet 2 remains a rather mediocre experience, offering sporadic laughs but never achieving the level of consistent humor necessary to make this memorable.
That pretty much wraps it up, though the number "Rock me sexy Jesus" is memorable, and the tune is very catchy.
The two best comedic turns belong to Amy Poehler and Catherine Keener, both of whom find the right groove for their characters and have the best lines. The most underused actress is Elisabeth Shue, playing a caricature of herself as a washed-up actress who, disillusioned with the business, has become a nurse. Shue gamely participates in an act of self-deprecation, but hilarious possibilities with this character aren't realized.
Steve Coogan and those three ladies are the main reason I wanted to see the movie, and Berardinelli is right on in the above quote.
Saw at Keystone Art Cinema Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Two new upcoming movies maybe worth seeing ...
Towelhead
Religulous, a Bill Maher documentary.

I'm so done with

On Fox Sports Radio the Czabe, aka Steve Czaben, has a segment called "I'm So Done With."
Well I don't have time to phone or text the show. So instead I'll post what I'm done with here.
I'm so done with, already, all the NFL coverage. The way the media fawns over the league is sickening.

Sports bar criticism

One of the things I don't like about sports bars is the blaring music. It's my opinion I should be hearing a game or some other sporting event, instead of music. Most of the time when at a proclaimed sports bar, I can never hear the game. A perfect sports bar would be one where I can hear a game.
Damons had a system where there was a speaker on the table and patrons could hear a TV feed by turning the station on the speaker.
At ESPNZone some seats feature speakers in them and those can be adjusted to a TV feed.
Another idea is to have dedicated rooms, where that room is just a one feed.

Indiana Lincoln licence plates

In honor of Abraham Lincoln's 200th anniversary of his birth Indiana released a new free licence plate this year.

It's the one I chose. I don't like the standard one, and there's absolutely no way I'd chose the In God We Trust one.

American Teen review

American Teen = A-
Pretty good movie in my opinion.
Roger Ebert's and James Berardinelli's reviews are pretty close to the way I feel about it. Berardellini's criticisms were right but harsher than mine. I think more than anything I liked it because it was shot in Warsaw, Ind.
Saw at Keystone Art Cinema on Friday, Aug. 22, 2008.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona review

Vicky Cristina Barcelona = B
Not nearly as good as I wanted to be, fairly disappointing. It's not one I could readily recommend to fellow movie fans, but I definitely could to Woody Allen fans. The dialogue, as in most Allen movies, is superb. That's easily the best part of it. Well that and Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Penelope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson, who I fell in love with in Miracle. She's a great actress.
James Beradinelli was a bit harsh in his review, 2.5 stars. I agree more with Roger Ebert's review. He gave it three stars. I think both of their rating systems top out at four stars.
Saw it Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008.

Other movies to see:
Hamlet 2
Burn After Reading
Elegy
What Just Happened?

Bottle Shock review

Bottle Shock = A
What a great movie. It's funny, poignant and informative.
Definitely worth seeing, especially if one is a wine connoisseur.
Roger Ebert gave it 3.5 stars, and I generally agree with his critique of it. I would rate it higher though.
Rachael Taylor and Eliza Dushku are easy on the eyes as well, so that helps.
It was fun seeing the movie at Keystone Art Cinema while drinking a Mondavi Cabernet, and eating chocolate covered raisins. A surprisingly good combination.
Saw it Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008.

Delirium review

Delirium = A
It's hard to go wrong with a Cirque du Soleil production. According to the Wikipedia entry it's a remix and an amalgamation of previous Cirque productions.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars review

Star Wars: The Clone Wars = B-
If this wasn't a Star Wars movie it probably wouldn't be rated that high. The new female character is annoying, but not near as annoying as Jar Jar. In any case this rates higher than Episodes I and II, but it's still disappointing.
As a fan I still want to see Darth Vader kick ass. That's what I've wanted to see since 1983. I wanted to see how Anakin Skywalker became Vader, then destroy the Jedi. It still hasn't been shown. I read a book, but it was convoluted too.
The first two Episodes easily could've been condensed into one movie. The series would've been better for it. Keep Revenge of the Sith intact as Episode II. Then have Episode III as what I stated above. That's a better plan than what fans got.
Oh well.
Ebert and Berardinelli were merciless in their reviews of this movie. Good for them.

Movie posters I saw tonight:
The Women, yes the remake of the 1939 George Cukor moive.
Federal Prison
My Best Friend's Girl, starring Kate Hudson.

Savage Grace review

Savage Grace = B-
Well acted, but depressing and somewhat pointless. Now I think I should've just stayed home and watched the Olympics. However Julianne Moore, Elena Anaya and Mapi Galán were the eye candy in the movie. So they were nice.

Other movies to see maybe:
American Teen
Vicki Cristina Barcelona, saw Thursday, Aug. 12, 2008
My Last Mistress
Burn After Reading
Hamlet 2
Bottle Shock, saw saw Thursday, Aug. 12, 2008
Tell No One
Choke
The previews of each all look pretty good to me.

Olympic coverage on ESPN

So Monday night I'm at my favorite bar, and all three TVs were on an ESPN channel. So much for my latest boycott of the four-letter network. One show I was watching, not listening theTVs were muted, posed the question,  "Will you watch the Olympics?"

I highly doubt if the Olympics were on a Disney-owned network a question a question like this would be asked. This is a network on that chooses to hype its own talking heads or its supported sports than offer an objective view.

Microsoft-free desktops

Microsoft-free desktops is a good concept to me, and that's what ITWire is reporting.

IBM, three major Linux distributors and their hardware partners are teaming up to deliver "Microsoft-free" desktop PCs to the one billion unit worldwide market. The cost could be as little as half that of systems using Microsoft equivalents.
The move puts even more pressure on Microsoft, already under siege from competitors such as Apple, Google and Mozilla, which continue to erode its market share in strategic areas.

Less Microsoft in my life = good. I've said and written that before, but it bears repeating.

In 2006 I got a friend of mine to switch to Ubuntu. He's loved it ever since then. About a month ago a co-worker was complaining about his computer and how he'd need to re-install Windows. I told him about Ubuntu too. He installed it on his home desktop and has loved it too. He also installed Ubuntu on his grandmother's computer. She loves it too. What's that line about old dogs?

I turned other people on to Apple computers. A buddy of mine who's back in Iraq, still loves his MacBook, which he bought when we came home in 2006. I also influenced my sister's ex-boyfriend to buy a MacBook. My cousin has a MacBook Pro, and he loves that. Especially since I set up his Mighty Mouse to right click.
At work I still am forced to use Windows-based PCs, but that might be changing from what I'm hearing.

Also about a year ago was a report the U.S. Army would be adopting Macs to combat the inherent security flaws of Windows-based PCs - U.S. Army seeks to integrate Macs.

Following Internet attacks on the likes of the Pentagon -- and other members of the military-industrial complex, such as Boeing, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman -- the Army has been working to increase its defenses against hackers, and Macs are forming a portion of this because there are said to be far fewer exploits for Mac OS X than there are for Windows. Of the Army's approximately 700,000 desktops and servers, 20,000 are made by Apple.

I haven't seen more of that, but I hope it's true. It's hard for a big organization to change its course. So that might be another reason.

It's also hard for people to get out of the rut they're in. Generally people fear change.
There are many viable and better alternatives to a Windows-based machines - Just Say No to Microsoft. Or if readers prefer books over web sites.

Wackness review

Wackness = B
Saw it last night at Landmark. It's a good movie, well done, but it didn't really captivate me. The acting was good as was the story, even laughed out loud at times. It also depressed me at times, but that wouldn't have lowered my grade of the movie. When Luke's relationship starts to sour and then finally ends depressed me. Might have hit a bit too close to home.
Oliva Thirlby, a definite hottie, played his girlfriend Stephanie. She was also in Juno, which I must get around to seeing sometime.
Roger Ebert's and James Berardinelli's reviews.

Brideshead Revisited review

Brideshead Revisited = A

Very good and well acted movie. Having never read the book I didn't miss anything many critics did.

I saw the movie at the Keystone Art Cinema. It has some of the best popcorn in town. I couldn't resist even though I really should have regarding calories and cents. I don't know what it is, but it's like a compulsion to buy popcorn and a pop when seeing a movie at a theater.

Indianapolis

Indianapolis just might be the finest city in which I lived.
I love it here.

You had me

Just so you know, you had me.
I was ready for more, but your attitude and demeanor disgusted me.
So I left, when I could've stayed longer.

X-Files: I Want to Believe review

X-Files: I Want to Believe = C

Well acted, but fairly disappointing. This was mostly due to the story, which to me was really boring.

Two movie critics I like are Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli. Ebert makes some interesting points about the movie, but ultimately I agree with Beradinelli.