Kimputer's Weblog

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

Total: 1179 out of 359 votes > Average is: 3.284

Second-rate horror flicks are still doin’ good bizz, the latest being Milla Jovovich starrer Resident Evil: Apocalypse. This sequel took in $23.7 million, enough for the number one spot and beating the original’s $17.7 million. Second was for another premiere, Kim Basinger starrer Cellular (same team behind Phone Booth), with $10.6 million. Third was Without a Paddle, floating around for the fourth week already, with $4.6 million.
Hero has to do with a number 4 place, down to $4.4 million.

Another new NBC show, it’s a very CSI-like show, but only on the medical field. Every week an elite team of the NIH (National Institute for Health) tries to uncover a medical mystery of a strange case. Right now, it seems there’s enough room to insert some personal drama and main character interaction in every episodes main stories, which is a good sign. Casting seems to be top notch too, with Neal McDonough heading the team, with the right amount of intensity, while Kelli Williams (The Practice) plays the ever sympathetic female lead. Christopher Gorham is getting typecasted as a inexperienced newbie though, but he had half a season of the cancelled Jake 2.0 series to prepare for this role.

NBC beats the networks this year, premiering 2 new shows as early as possible.

The first is Hawaii, a pretty standard cop show, with some pretty good actors (Michael Biehn, ER’s Sharif Atkins). Too bad they don’t have any challenges to face. The stories are pretty straightforward, including a fixed story outline for every episode, like any other cop show. The characters are pretty non-descript. Nothing special after 3 episodes, meaning no depth, no exploration, and thus, holding no future. Not for me at least. Definitely a bye to this series.

Second up is Dreamworks Animated Studios big assignment. Taking Siegfried and Roy’s concept to the 3D animated fantasy world, we see how the animals live behind the show (walking and talking like humans, living in houses and such), while taking a few potshots at themselves. Refreshing in some ways, but not laugh out loud funny (like Dreamworks’ Shrek, for instance). There seems to be a tight story line for every episodes, but somehow, it doesn’t feel special enough.

Unlike the title suggests, it’s not that supreme. Like its predecessor, it only provides light entertainment. The story is laid out in the plain, holding no thrills for the rest of the two hours. The rest if filled with the usual chases and getaways, with a car chase finale that really dizzies you (the annoying kind, as the sequence is edited in a way even an MTV video clip director would scratch his head twice). By the end, you have the feeling it really lacks depth, and emotion. Ready for the Bourne Ultimatum (the third book that just might be filmed after this movie finishes successful worldwide run) ? Definitely not.7.

Another tiny K-uiz. I kinda have this feeling it’s still cucumber time:

1. Everyone knows the main function of a baseball cap, right ? Used mainly as a non-gel-hair-do-consealidator, and sometimes, it’s for reasons of aesthetics. I, unluckily, cannot take advantage of both reasons. I can’t wear a cap. Why ?

2. You know how you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, and a stupid trivial fact finally dawns on you for no apparent reason ? (Or in my case, I woke up from a nap in the car while going to work in the morning)
Well, try to guess my latest one:
a. All Peugeot car types have 3 numbers, of which one is a zero.
b. All Lexus car types start with the letter E
c. All Opel car types (standard passengers) end with the letter A.
d. All Fiat car types end with either an O, E or A.
e. SETI monitors signals from ET at 1420MHz. It’s the frequency of hydrogen !

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

Do you know someone who DOESN’T have a website yet ? Well… I do. It’s Calvin Klein. He just launched a big advertisement campaign featuring the stunningly beautiful Scarlett Johansson, and I CAN’T EVEN FIND IT ONLINE ! (Preferrably, the videos, and a few high quality pics)
In what age does that man live ? Even in the times where your name is better protected by the law (Philips-Van Heusen Corporation currently owns the whole range of the logical domain names you’d look for. Clearly they would have to give it up if challenged in court), he either doesn’t care or is too lazy.
I don’t even see any ads these days, as I watch TV on my ‘puter, and when I watch the occasional VCR taped show, I of course, will use the fast forward function. And now I’m actually volunteering to watch and ad, and I can’t. Can you imagine ?

Ain’t this fun. 2 Weeks ago, the people at NASA released a statement that is was Bill Gates’ DOS that was embedded in the Mars Rover that caused all those problems. Now, the US Royal Navy decides to use Microsoft Windows on their warships. How does Bill keep pulling it off ? I really want to have the same superpower he has. Don’t you ?

Again, Jet Li is the Hero at number one, at a very quiet box office, with $9 million. Rising to number two, is last week’s number three, comedy flick Without a Paddle, with $7.1 million. Third was last week’s second, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, with $6.4 million.
At number four is a Mel Gibson’s Icon Production, a thriller called Papparazzi, earning $6.3 million. More fun at number 5, for the Cookout, this bbq partaay earns $5.6 million. At number 6, Josh Hartnett has to carry a film by himself, the psychological drama Wicker Park earns $5.4 million.

Cheyenne came by for a sleepover again. One of the few opportunities to play with my … I mean … her Supermag toys. So, when she wasn’t looking, I let my imagination take over. Here’s the result.

As a born and bred Rotjeknorees, it is my duty to show Rotterdam’s best sides. (That’s besides the fact it’s a sworn oath on paper, and my journalistic instinct was goin’ berserk)
So, this weekend, it’s the Wereldhavendagen, THE days the port of Rotterdam shows why it’s still number 1. (After all, it does cover some 40 kilometres in lenght with a surface of 105 square kilometres!).
With exhibitions from some the big honchos (mostly cargo handlers, with big machinery), demos by the seaport police, coast guards, customs and the Royal Navy. Stands with relevant job applications, loud music, some fun stuff for kids, closed with fireworks does the rest.
Here’s a 3.4 MB video and more pictures are over here.

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

Total: 1177 out of 357 votes > Average is: 3.297

Luckily, these days, you don’t see many satires. This is one of a few, and it’s an ultra-light version (maybe it has something to do with the aging Frank Oz). It’s so light, it barely touches any ground. And when it touches the ground, it’s about simple matters you wouldn’t spend 2 seconds of thought on. The story itself holds no surprises either, even a child could tell you what will happen next. Then again, the child will be fast asleep, as the tediousness kicks in. With no thrills whatsoever, and no jokes to spare, the only thing left to do is look around you, trying to figure out if this weak piece of motion picture evokes any unpredicted response in an elderly’s clogged up heart. That said, there weren’t any 80+ people in the theatre, but they would probably the only ones to enjoy this soulless satire.4-.

Successful as a background singer (Lionel Richie), and a music writer (multiple hits you didn’t know about, from Kenny Rogers to *N Sync), somewhere in ’91 he thought he donned the then fashionable long hair coupe, and marked his name in the music history. After a few years he went back behind the curtains keeping a low profile, yet still sharpening his writing skills. So here is a new album, and again, he proves to be a experienced allround writer. While his old hits still resonate well on many Greatest Hits albums and radio stations, here is another dozen new contemporary love songs. Filled with several pop styles and slower ballads, your finger never really twitches over the “next” button. His voice has great dynamics, reaching a few full octaves, and every song gets another treatment with trained precision, a skill rarely exploited. Taking the album as a whole, I can only say he definitely delivered the ultimate easy listening album.8-.

Rate 1 (sucks) to 5 (cool). Only rate the latest pictures, otherwise I can’t keep track of the average.

Total: 624 out of 191 votes > Average is: 3.267