Kimputer's Weblog

Heart has been around longer than I am, and therefore have released more albums then a few pair of hands can count. It’s all that more amazing that while they’ve had a string of hits, I don’t like any of them, even though it’s the genre I like.
This new album has a whopping 18 tracks, but again, mysteriously, none of them evoke any emotion whatsoever. Somehow, the singing sounds more like talking to me. The typical 80-ties rockstyle is clearly discernable, but sounds a bit monotone. But judging from their previous albums, people who liked those will probably like this one too.2.

Matching it to the Pringles norm, it’s not that impressive. The taste is very bland, with no Onion to be found. The Feta part is so weak, I’m not sure if I’m imagining things. Think of it as the normal Cheese Onion flavor with moderation in applying the flavor. Lotsa moderation. The texture, is as usual, the same as always.
Part of the Pringles World tour, Greece’s entry isn’t really the one to write home about.6-.

For a soundtrack, this one is surprisingly good. Mostly handpicked and approved by Sam Raimi results in a very balanced album of high quality. The uniform sound and feeling will attract you the moment you’ve listened to all the songs at least once. This albums contains a lot of songs specially written for the movie, and this is reflected in the lyrics. This adds another dramatic layer that makes the bonding process between the soundtrack and the listener all that much easier. As for the uniformity, most songs are leaning to the direction of the rougher rock scene. Train, for instance, picks up the heavier guitars, leaving their comfy ballad habitat on this special occasion. Others (mostly punkrockers, like Yellowcard, Hoobastank, Taking Back Sunday, Lostprophets, The Ataris) custom-tailored their style to be slightly more accessible. And last but not last, Sony as the company behind the movie and the soundtrack, has unique opportunity to highlight their own artists with a unique globally localised and customised soundtrack. Most of the world will get the We Are track from this young lady Ana (Johnsson), an upcoming Swedish/German pop/rock star .
So, although I may not like all the tracks, for the people who like the rougher rock albums, I’m most certain it’s a must-have. As for the others, if not for your own pleasure, and if you’re planning on throwing a party, I’m sure this soundtrack will get the mood up and swinging in no time.7-.

4.35 am: I woke up, had to take a leak.
4.37 am: Back in bed. Still got some 3 hours of sleep left.
4.38 am: Something prevents me from finding my zen. Or something. It’s outside. Chirping away like a happy bird. Ow wait, it is a bird. Singing. Actually, it’s a few birds, all singing their own tune.
5.07 am: I’m slightly dozing off… I think they finally stopped singing.

WHY ARE BIRDS UP AND SINGING SO EARLY ??? Shouldn’t they at least wait till sunrise ?

This week’s box office must have Bush cringing for sure, as Michael Moore’s docu Fahrenheit 9/11 heads the top honors. With $21.8 million, it’s a record breaking opening for a documentary, and it’s more that the total income of his previous docu Bowling for Columbine.
Number two has the Wayans bros as FBI agents, undercover as White Chicks, good for $19.6 million.
Third is last week’s topper, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, a satisfying $18.5 million. Fourth place is for The Terminal with $13.9 million. Opening at 5 is a tear-jerker, The Notebook computes a $13 million premiere.

Rate 1 (FR#^&% MESS !) to 5 (how very tidy !). Only rate the latest picture, otherwise I can’t keep track of the average.

Total: 1127 out of 337 votes > Average is: 3.344

TNT’s rendition of Stephen King’s novel marks another black spot on his slate, even though it may not even be his fault. After the strangely boring Kingdom Hospital TV series was cancelled deservedly and quickly, this TV movie deserves a few yawns as well. A result from the combination of Warner Brother’s TV department and second rate director Mikael Salomon, they’ve efficiently killed the notion that Stephen King writes scary stuff. Add to that they brought the worst out of actors like Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland and James Cromwell, and you wish a stake had gone through the project before it saw the light. This is one of the most boring vampire movie to this date, and screenwriter Peter Filardi has to take some blame for that. Watching the dialogue unfold, be it read by an accomplished actor or a junkyard robot, it would have been evenly excruciating. I can only hope the Screenwriter’s Guild revoked his membership.3+.

Fox’s new courtroom drama with a twist. This time, we’ll see the case develop from the jury’s point of view. With the steady characters being the lawyers on both sides, the judge, and a few officers of the court, such as the bailliff and stuff.
Starting each episode, you’ll receive a quick flash of the case, which will later be discussed in more detail when the jurors start bickering in the deliberation room. Their arguments are there only to serve to move the story forward. While most jurors do get a few basic character traits to work with, it’s just feels a bit contrived. The judge himself is a stiff one too. Played by series creator/executive producer/director Barry Levinson (Oscar winner for directing Rainman), it clearly tells us acting classes wouldn’t really hurt the series.
The rest of the main characters serve their jobs without too much depth.
With this all, it’s easy to see where this will be heading. Another easy to swallow episodic series. While it shows a new perspective, it’s not as engaging as a “normal” courtroom drama like The Practice, purely on writing alone. My prediction is, a few more episodes, and then it’s Jury Dismissed (if it’s not cancelled, it’s me not watching it anymore).

Another one of those sad cases where the trailer actually beats the movie (in quality, that is). From the beginning of the movie, it feels like an engine that just doesnt’ want to start. The dull dialogue uttered by an unconvincing Casanova that is Adam Sandler, doesn’t improve atmosphere. But hey, at least he’s not as irritating as he was in, let’s say, Little Nicky. Or Waterboy. Drew Barrymore, of course, is as sweet as she always is, so at least it wasn’t a complete waste of time. The story itself is simple (and copied and mixed), naturally not lending itself too well for this comedy. Hence the laughs are kept to a minimum, and while the story concludes, you realise you still have another hand left to keep the count. So, just watch the trailer, take my word for it that’s all you need to see, accept the fact that Adam Sandler didn’t have a better role since the Wedding Singer, and rent that one instead.5+.

You know what ? Something tells me I shouldn’t walk around doin’ stuff, while drinking a cup of coffee, even if it’s only half filled.

Rate 1 (FR#^&% MESS !) to 5 (how very tidy !). Only rate the latest picture, otherwise I can’t keep track of the average.

Total: 1124 out of 334 votes > Average is: 3.365

Now, THAT’S whud I call a hefty birthday present. But that’s why his the bigger bro.

Have you ever seen a more lazy bunch of no-good seeders grouped together ?

1. Just as certain as Pluto rotates around the sun every 248 years, so is my visit to my barber. The same one I’ve had in roughly 16 years. True barber skills are hard to find these days. So, exactly how is my barber visit scheduled ?
a. 2 weeks
b. 4 weeks
c. 6 weeks
d. 8 weeks

2. As you may or may not know, ever since I was young, I always had some music carrying with with me. Here’s only a small collection of what I had. K-uestion is, put them in order of acquirement, from old to new.
a. Sony WM-FX 653 walkman + radio
b. iRiver iHP-140 MP3 player 40 GB + FM tuner
c. Creative Nomad II Jukebox 6 GB mp3 player
d. Pine CD/MP3 player
e. Sony MiniDisc/recorder MZ-G750 + radio tuner
f. GenX 128 MB memorystick/mp3 player USB
g. Portable CD-player

bonus points if you can point out which of these were above the 500 guilders/250 euro

This icon will indicate if I have answered the K-uestions yet

Funnyman beats stranded man. Ben Stiller’s on top of things again with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, his fourth movie this year already. Another satisfying $30 million opener makes up for the few missteps in the past (Envy, Duplex).
Tom Hanks strands himself at the number 2 spot, with The Terminal, flying in some $18.7 million, still moderately satisfying.
For young Harry, the magic is starting to wear off, as he falls from nr. 1 to 3 with $17.4 million.
At number 4, Shrek 2 is heading for the $400 million mark, taking in another $13.6 million.
The biggest disappointment this week is the Jackie Chan/Steve Coogan starring big budget Around the World in 80 Days. Opening with $6.8 million, it doesn’t really matter how fast it will take you to go around the world, the $110 million budget will probably never break even.

Hailed by the critics, sold by the hundred thousands. The line-up is indeed impressive, Scott Weiland, Slash, Duff McKagen, Matt Sorum. A singer from the Stone Temple Pilots, and the rest are Guns’N’Roses alumni. Can’t go wrong there you might think.
Well, mostly the senseless lyrics combined with heavy guitars don’t lend too well to subtlety. The best name I can give it would be in the direction of slightly organised noise. Definitely not enjoyable.3+.