Kimputer's Weblog

Launched mid-season on THE home of procedural crime solving shows, CBS, it’s an able competitor. Taking a different angle (using math to solve problems), helps to elevate it above the other shows. A good cast helps too (though Judd Hirsch and Peter MacNicol are kind of typecasted, they carry a giant of TV history and experience). Then you have the Scott brothers (Ridley & Tony) overseeing the project to keep the production value high. They also have time to fit in social time in the b-story reel, definitely putting it ahead of static shows like CSI:Miami and NY, and NCIS). While the scripts are not perfect, with lots of room left for more depth, the formula is definitely there. Also, the math angle sometimes seems far fetched and quite unbelievable. Then again, so does succesfully zooming in a million times and getting all the details from a shoddy security video tape. The final argument to dump the aforementioned mediocre shows off the schedule, the female lead is quite the hot chick.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman, a black drama/comedy, one-upped matchmaker Hitch, opening at number one with $22.7 million (with only a budget of $5.5 million). Still, Will Smith’s love is still powerful enough for a number 2 spot, earning another $21 million (with a current total of $120 million).
At three, Constantine is losing steam, with $11.8 million. At four, Wes Craven teams up again with Kevin Williamson. Their horror pic Cursed earns $9.56 million. Rounding off the top 5 is Tommy Lee Jones with Cedric the Entertainer, in a Man of the House. This comedy opens with $9 million.

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

Total: 1241 out of 399 votes > Average is: 3.110

Following his Matrix Trilogy with another special effects heavy movie might not have been such a smart move. Mainly focusing on good and evil, angels and demons, Keanu plays some kind of detective trying to balance of the powers that be. As an actor, he might lose credibility now, playing his role VERY Keanu Reeve-ish, as in characteristic movements, delivery and timing of his lines etc (of course, he might have been typecasted, and the character from the comic book is just like that, but I think that’s highly unlikely the match would be this exact). All in all, he’s a pretty cold frog (AGAIN).
Storywise, it’s not that interesting. It tries hard though, with deeper plotlines (that are not developed), but the characters are just as undeveloped. Take into account that the heroes/enemies all have some weird not so positive appeal to them (probably due to the setting of this all), and your left with the eye candy (which has nothing new to offer). Definitely not a must-see for regular movie-goers.7-.

Yupz, it has grown back, THE White Hair of Wisdom. So again, I’ll be pouring wisdom out of me till I shave it off. A recent incident made me think about some old evolution theories. So, let me be the first one to rewrite those old history and biology books. First take a look at this:
As you can see, I injured my middlefinger, and I thought nothing of it. Till I was just about to begin my relaxation hours in the evening and started Counter-Strike:Source. As I prepared for battle, it finally came to me why I was shaking with fear. It was the injury that made me fear my headshot performance in this online game (which, by the way, did not suffer too much).
Now on to the old theory, where they say we’re more advanced than any other mammal, just because of our thumbs, the dexterity and such. Read more here.
Well, those old book clearly didn’t include a revolutionary game as Counter-Strike:Source, and hence I’ll be starting a rewrite where it’s actually the middlefinger that will replace the thumb in all these old texts. As you can see in the short flash movie (any pro-gamer recognises the position of the left hand, as oppososed to n00bs who use the cursor keys at the right of the keyboard), the middlefinger has TWO important keys to attend to, while the thumb has only the so-so function of jumping, which will not prevent your demise when faced with a spread of bullets from an M4 or AK47. Add to that, that jumping makes sound and will give your position away for eager-listening enemies. I rest my case.

That’s it for me today, till the next hair pops up.

This band never treaded the path of excellency, but with this latest album, I’d say, if there was ever a need for a posterchild for mediocrity, these friendly neighbours (as their name suggests) would definitely be it. As with all previous albums, they have no real grasp of producing a solid melody or riff. Incidentally, they’re close, but overall, they keep missing it. The results are pretty often a bit dull and easily forgotten. So, in essence, the album title is an epitome of exaggeration, as it won’t even hold you interested for longer than 17 minutes.5½.

With a late cancellation axe coming down, several episodes were already filmed and produced with uncertainty of an US airing. Fox, not satisfied with the ratings, probably still wanted to squeeze every dollar out of it, sold the remaining six episode to a New Zealand station, so luckily, they have geeks with hardware and internet there too.
While I critised the formulaic structure during the beginning of season one, major improvement was seen at the end of it. Now that it’s cancelled, it’s extra sad the unpredictable factors keep improving the episodes during season 2. Guess we’ll just have to live with the short vision most high-up suits have at the studios.
And even more unfortunate is the fact that they added a hot chick this season, which we’ll be able to see only 3 more times. Her name is Lizzy Caplan.

Almost at the end of the ride, but I’m giving up anyways. Frowning upon one missed joke after another just isn’t fun. While the season began shaky, I thought I noticed improvement, but it was quickly replaced by long tedious unfunny dialogue and predictability. All characters converged to the same template, probably due to lack of imagination or just plain laziness. Even the February sweeps didn’t help, but luckily, there’s still enough other comedies on the air to keep the laughs going. Maybe somebody can warn me in the future, if he decides to move back to New York (or New York comes to Joey, as in, a guest spot from some old “Friend”).

It’s nice to see Bill Gates isn’t holding a grudge against Steve Jobs. Looking at my MSN Messenger window, I saw an icon (4th tab) resembling an iPod, and when I clicked on it, it opened an MSN Shopping window displaying various iPod versions for sale. If those two can work together, I bet we can have world-peace within this decade.

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

Total: 694 out of 214 votes > Average is: 3.243

Right on, what have we learned today ? Besides the fact that Paris Hilton’s phone wasn’t really hacked (the supposed hack was actually more in the direction of information grabbing after successfully guessing the blonde’s password) ? Or besides the fact that a lot of stars use T-Mobile (and hence, the Sidekick feature launched last year, of which Paris and Nicole were part of the publicity campaign, which basically is an online version for your pictures, address book and notes handled by a beefed up phone. Or besides the fact that there were no nude pictures to be found (and hence, really boring) ? Or besides the fact that Nicole Richie is using a blackberry ? Or that creating a professional website including the registration of the domain name and getting it live online takes less than a day (godaddy.com took care of www.parishiltonsmobile.com within a day. DURING THE WEEKEND !!!) ?
Not much really.

Starpower at the boxoffice, as Will Smith and Keanu Reeves fight for the top spot. Only by a narrow margin does Will smooch his way on top again, with $31.8 million for the comedy Hitch. While the trailer reminds us of The Matrix, former the One still manages to bring in $30.5 million for Constantine, good enough for the runner-up spot.
Third place is for family flick Because of Winn-Dixie, with $10.9 million. At number four is Son of the Mask, this time starring Jamie Kennedy, suffers from horrible exit polls, but still manages a $7.7 million gross.
Still showing some fighting spirit is Million Dollar Baby, hangin on the top 5 with $7.2 million

We all know her from the honey dipped ballads in the nineties, and she kept releasing albums throughout the years. Last year, even two flashed by (probably unnoticed), in Januari there was a best-of album and in October there was a Christmas album. Now comes another one, probably to compensate for the lost screen time (she disappeared from both the silver and the tv screen).
For this album she’s trying a new style. And, it’s a bit slow. I can’t handle anything slower than 30bpm(which is a lowly 0.5bps), and this album is filled with them. Most of the tracks have a light funky style rhythm reminding me of the late Barry White, but with the low baritone voice replaced by the familiar luscious female one. It’s definitely not the voice that makes me skip track after track. It’s just that I don’t want to fall asleep. Maybe it serves better in the background of a dark moody lounge, but it’s not for me at work or at home. So here’s the rating, all for the technical merits.6.

Yupz, they did it again. The Smoking Gun has gotten a hold on a 1903-page transcript of the procedings that led the Santa Barbara Grand Jury to start the indictment process against Michael Jackson. These 2003/2004 documents are sealed on the strict gag-orderly judge Melville commands. Now on the frontpage of the website, if I were a copying machine company, I’d definitely would want to know if it was your brand which was used (as sneaking out a stack of sealed documents must have involved a super fast machine), and use it as free publicity.
The transcript itself reveals a lot of the sworn witness testimonies from not only the accuser and the family, but also people who worked closely with Michael Jackson. A quick analysis reveals that the stalled trial could go both ways. Many details from all of the questioned parties (including pretty solid evidence supporting the allegations) suggest Jackson could land in jail before his face falls off from un-natural decay (which should happen in just a few more years). A few conflicting details here and there though, could mean that now is problably the time to start your monthly subscription on the How to Sue Michael Jackson Foundation Newsletter. Make up your mind here.

Not a very imaginative title, but the movie itself does more than it suggests. It’s a small budget, story driven light dramedy, setup as a road movie of two old friends. Covering one week, seemingly unessential, it turns out to be quite different. A quite exploratory journey leads you through life (with wine as metaphore, relating on more levels), the view on it, the laughs and cries from it. The screenplay is smartly written, and gently directed. If you want to see an indie this year, this is probably the one to go for.8-.