Kimputer's Weblog

A truly scary movie, say reviewers like Rogert Ebert and Owen Gleiberman. Maybe cocaine was distributed through the airco during the screening at Sundance, because the only scary thing I noticed was in my imagination. The imagination of ticket-paying movie-goers sitting through this movie without a fast forward button at their disposal. I luckily did, but for reviewing’s sake, I only skipped the non-verbal scenes. Which, actually, is still quite a lot.
To describe this movie in one word, amateurish would do just fine. Filming with a cheap digital camera may save money, but if you think back to the Blair Witch Project, it doesn’t really assure quality on the silver screen. Then throw in two C-actors, a few cute little sharks and nothing can really scare you anymore. The dialogues that follow are childish and yawn-inducing.
Another case of “don’t believe the hype”, your money is better spend on a day in Seaworld.3.

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

Total: 1219 out of 383 votes > Average is: 3.183

How’d ya like the logo anyways ? It’s in front of every post in the category General. The K is of course, too obvious. The circle is to denote special Kopyright. As in, the (C), but then especially for me, which means, you can’t Kopy anything from this site, without at least paying a considerable amount of cash.
And second, you have these people who always start a sentence with ‘k (as in, short for okay. As in, “”K, it went sumding like this”). I don’t do that, but the appearance that I do, won’t hurt either.

FROM:
“Tory Swan”
DATE: Sun, 28 Nov 2004 18:56:34 -0400
SUBJECT: Kimputer Need software? Click here

It’s sad. But they’re on to me. Even though I never mentioned my email address (during last my post, I urged everybody to mail me at nickname @ gmail . com, which, again, sadly, no one did. So either I’m a sad loner, or the spammers solved this oh so hard puzzle before you did).
Oh, one more thing. I don’t need software.

Nicolas Cage is still treasure hunting at the top spot, spending another $33.1 million on National Treasure. The Incredibles are still strong supercharging the total box office to $214.7, with this week’s earnings at $24.1 million.
The first Christmas movie this year is for Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. Christmas with the Kranks opens at number 3 with $22.7 million.
At number 4, The Polar Express gains speed, taking in more than last week. $20.1 million brings the grand total to $82.2 million. Still needs double that to break even.
Also still doing well is The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, with $17.8 million at number 5.
And the only one not to really gain in this Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the supposedly great Alexander. Oliver Stone directed and Colin Farrell starrer movie did anything but conquer the box office with just $13.5 million, just enough for a top 6 spot.

As the title suggests, it’s not your average weekend movie, and you’d better not go for enjoyment. It’s something of a documentary with slight dramatisation (an ending like this doesn’t need much anyways) filmed with a mostly impartial lense. The end is of course, well known, but the director is still able to create an anxiety driven atmosphere. As for the feared humanisation of Hitler, don’t. While there might be moments that could validate this, you just can’t feel sorry for someone you don’t understand. The movie doesn’t give insight into the character, no how’s or why’s, you just get to see a few character traits. The big surprise for me was that the acting is pretty well done (as I don’t get to see many German movies), especially Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler deserves two thumbs up.
If you go for historic value, you won’t find much, besides the obvious ending. If you go for entertainment, order a few bottles of your favorite liquor and drink away a depressing weekend.7-.

It’s a quality Disney/Pixar production, as always, but not as incredible as expected. First impression is the old Superman cartoon turned 3D (both in mood, music and visual style). Second impression is a normal Saturday morning Marvel Cartoon (all characters and superpowers can be traced back, with the Fantastic Four being the main template). After the lead in, comes the settling down. Both literally and figuratively. This can be long stretch, but actually creates a bit of depth previous animation didn’t have. And then slowly, it climbs back to the all action finale where everything happens just the way most people like it. The danger in this kind of movie is that you never have the feeling something really bad can happen. The build up drama doesn’t hold and you’re left with nothing too special or daring. Still it’s enjoyable, even though the laugh out loud moments are harder to find than usual.7½.

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

Total: 660 out of 204 votes > Average is: 3.235

Who in #)(*#(%*#()@ , with a sane mind, would design a notebook with a touchpad that doesn’t click on tap ??? Now I have to use TWO fingers at all times instead of one !

Are you ready for the next step ? Every single one of you, of course, has a mobile phone by now. First there was SMS for text, then there was MMS for pictures. Now that those markets are overcrowded, it’s time to move on to the next step. Mobile TV/Video !
First there’s Vodafone. With new UMTS phones, bandwidths of 384/64 kbps are reality. Hence the push of video to the phone is just as easy. With just a few bucks an hour, you get special content. Vodafone already ordered special episodes of the hit-series 24. The spin-off series called 24: Conspiracy will be packaged in 24 mobisodes of 60 seconds.
Then there are the new mobile phones featuring real TV chips and a special antenna. More resembling old fashioned TV set (as UMTS is an all digital two-way communications network), Nokia’s handsets will be able to access some 20 to 50 TV channels. No pricing is available yet. But a small price to pay is the bulkier apparatus.
As you can see, tons of new revenue possibilities (subcriptions and new hardware sales) for the coming years. Which one will you choose ?

You know what they say, when you’re thirty, you will go downhill. Same goes for TV I guess. Since 1975, SNL spawned funny men like Eddie Murphy, Dan Akroyd, Mike Myers, Chevey Chase, Chris Rock and Billy Christal. These were of course creme de la creme (as they also took on writer duties), but comparing it to the current batch, it’s quite saddening. With the current crop of episodes, you can bet your life on the not funniness of the show. Guests like Ben Affleck and Kate Winslet can’t save an episode, and even natural comedic talents like Luke Wilson will fail with every attempt. While the sketches themselves aren’t too enjoyable, the consistent cue card reading is kind of too obvious and annoying. I know it’s live, but come on, try to remember at least a few lines. Too late for the “quite while while you’re on top” scenario, but still, 30 is a nice number to quit on.

A treasure indeed, and worth $35.3 million it is too. Nicolas Cage starrer National Treasure ends up at the top spot this week. The kids, however, are keeping a close tab, right behind with The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, good for $33.5 million. Third week all-rounder, The Incredibles, hangs on to nr. 3 with $26.8 million.
The Polar Express has to fight off some chilly stormy weather, and ends up at the fourth place with just $15.2 million. It might never reach its final destination unscathed, as it’s still short of $220 million to break even. Steady at number 5 is Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason with $10.1 million.

It’s been a while, and I usually take them from TV or the movies. But this time it’s different. When I was in dire need of help, she came along and saved my butt. Yes, I’m talking about the newly released Halflife 2 game, and the woman in question is a lady called Alyx.

 
Yeah, look at those high-polygon-count curves. Should I start an Alyx is Hot website now ?

A nice mix of drama, thriller and action styles shows Tony Scott didn’t lose his gift (which I feared after a boring Spy Game). Directing with a gritty atmosphere and dynamic camera angles and movements keeps even the “boring” moments interesting. Diving directly into some character exploration helps to set up the movie, while action and some more straightforward storytelling fills the second half.
Denzel Washington plays a multilayered troubled man, while the talented young Dakota Fanning (mini-series Taken) is as disarmingly cute as ever. The rest of the cast keeps up pretty well, even Marc Anthony plays a believable character.
While there’s no room for intense drama or nailbiting, it’s still powerful along the way. Even during the more standard storylines, the depth of the characters keeps this well above avarage.8-.

With two brethren on the air, it’s still clear the original remains the best. While the main stories are basically the same, CSI has a great lead on continuity, slight character development and more likable characters. On screen chemistry feels more natural and dialogue is still flashy, basically radiating more fun. With the sweeps going on, a few more intricate (and darker) stories (delving more deeply into the psyche of the suspect) are a welcome fresh breeze, and a continuing reminder it will stay on top for a few more years to come.

The Incredibles use their superhero powers to cling on to the first place with a magnificent $51 million. The WB however, must’ve gotten a real cold chill down their spines, as the $270 million worth of producing and marketing of The Polar Express (which features 5 times the “performance capturing” of Tom Hanks) led to a second place with only a $23.5 million premiere. Now that’s what I call a cold reception.
At 3, Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek star in After the Sunset, stealing $11.5 million. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason opened at number 4 with $8.9 million. Seed of Chucky, the fifth of its series already, is worth$8.8 million rounding off the top 5.