Kimputer's Weblog

Batman might have begun last week, but it’s definitely Batman Continues at the box office. Flying in $26.8 million is enough for another sesh at number one, and a total of $121.7 million almost beats Mr. & Ms. Smith ($125.4 million, but with a one week longer run). At 2 is this week’s top opener, Bewitched, starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. With $20.2 million, it’s well within the expectations of this old sitcom remake.
Mr. & Ms. Smith are stuck at three, clinging on to $16.8 million. Number four is for kiddy movie, Herbie: Fully loaded, with $12.8 million in the Beetle’s back trunk. Rounding off the top 5 is zombie horror Land of the Dead, scaring up $10.2 million. Not smart opening a horror movie in such a crowded movie week, as Dawn of the Dead proved last year with an almost triple income (as has the overabundance of this genre proven in the past one or two years).

It’s probably a nice reflection of Dr. Alfred Charles Kinsey’s life, but for a movie, it doesn’t do much. At least, not as much as the reception of his then masterwork, Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male. The movie does give a little bif of insight here and there, and that gives a tiny bit of drama. But as a whole, it’s not that interesting. It’s only the good acting (Liam Neeson, Laura Linney and Peter Sarsgaard) that keep you from walking away.6½.

2 Shrek movies were enough to make the Dreamworks Animation department a grand success (well, there was also Shark Tale, but I kinda surpressed that from my memory), and push the company into a public one. And the first movie to come out and please the shareholders is Madagascar.
Anyone knows this would be a hard act to follow, and frankly, it shows.
There are quite a few wacky characters in this movie, but the design isn’t as strong. Also, with the lack of a strong story comes the fact that jokes aren’t as inventive and there are more pridictabililties. Cliches are another offspring of this fact.
While all this mentioned above is noticable, it doesn’t mean this movie isn’t good though. For instance, the voice acting is pretty solid. And there’s always room for a tiny smile along the way, and it’s probably easier to understand for the kids. As the following grade suggests, it’s definitely a one-time see-er.7+.

I’m told I’m one of the better cooks this side of the galaxy, and it’s been proven time and again. This moth for instance, couldn’t resist the rich, one of a kind, pasta sauce I was preparing (actually, it’s so rich, I serve it without the pasta), and flew right into the hot pan without hesitation. Not a smart move. Besides being taught by parents that eating without utensils will get you killed, you also may never touch my food without written application (and a following signed approval).
Here’s the rude moth after several minutes of CPR (it couldn’t be helped, his heart just stopped). At least he died a wonderful death.

As always, funny names and long descriptions. Officially, it’s Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookie Pieces, Fudge Dinosaurs and a Fudge Swirl. Unofficially, it’s just darn good. Then again, what would you expect from the most expensive ice cream one can buy from the deep freeze section.8+.

While the movie is spectacular, Batman Begins with respectable opening, earning $46.9 million in its first weekend. With such an opening, and no kids to help the box office blow up like Spider-Man did, it’s not clear yet if the $150 million budget will be earned back.
Second was Mr. & Mrs. Smith, dropping one place with $27.3 million, with the total almost crossing the $100 million mark. Firm third spot is for Madagascar, zoo-ing in another $11.1 million. Fourth was SWIII, with $9.7 million, which will cross the $350 million mark next week. Fifth place was for The Longest Yard, the comedy reels in $8 million.
Biggest disappointment this week, was counter-programmed (against darker less family oriented Batman) opener, comedy The Perfect Man. With only $5.5 million (7th place), it might be a sign of Hilary Duff’s fading stardom.

No one will contest Chris Nolan’s superb track record of only 2 movies (Memento and Insomnia). And that was enough to convince the WB that he was the man able to resurrect the Batman franchise. And how well he does it.
Everything seems to be brilliantly executed. A wonderful script, which is both an emotional journey and an actioner at the same time, is a nice start. It truly makes the title worth its name, as the main character develops throughout the movie. Multiple factors over time influence the way he was, is and becomes. Antagonists aren’t as detailed, but luckily aren’t the comical” freaks previously portrayed by Jim Carrey and *sigh* Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then we have the directorial skills, showing off the dark side, focusing both on character and tone. There’s no telling where his talent stops. Oh wait, I just saw it. Action, mostly the personal combat scenes, are quite fast paced short (as in, nanoseconds) cut sequences, making it a bit hard to follow. But the rest is done so nicely, he can be forgiven for those few scenes.
Then we have the ( surprise surprise) mostly British cast (must be thanks to the also Brit director), who all do their part well in their “guest” roles. Main kudos go to, of course, Christian Bale, though after The Machinist, this role is kind of a cakewalk. Also impressive is Katie Holmes, in what seems to be her first mature role, finally shredding her Dawson’s Creek image.
With 2 of my favorites behind the music (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard), it’s strangely non thematic, lacking a definite signature. Though it still fulfills the dramatic hightening duties.
All this combines into a fresh appetite for a sequel, with hopefully most of the cast and crew intact.8½.

Last year’s low budget indie movie slowly grew into a surprise hit, earning a 100-fold of it’s budget after a price war at the Sundance Festival (from a $400.000 to a $44+ million gross). It’s actually a quite surprising result, considering the sheer simplicity of the movie, both technical and on the creative side.
In the one hand, you have a bunch of complete nerds, done in a minimalistic way (unlike, for instance, the Revenge of the Nerds series). In the other hand, you have the occasional uttering of “Gosh!” and “Idiots!”, immortalizing Jon Heder’s character (while it’s actually Jon Gries’ character that’s the most funny). The rest is just as simple, with no real story and characters to speak of.
Does it hold up as a movie ? Barely. Watching it with friends, laughing at the on-screen losers, might help it a lot. And maybe that’s why it’s become a hit (and a big winner at MTV’s 2005 Movie Awards). But I wouldn’t recommend you spending too much money on it (i.e. share the rental price with your friends).6½.

Fellow blogger Daxxon who moonlights as a commerce driven DJ and pulls double duty as a podcaster (i.e. he goes wherever the wind blows him to) never impressed me with his musical repertoire. But there has to be a first for everything. So with much restraint, I tried another one of his tips, this time not so commercial, and actually not one played over the airwaves yet.
Needless to say, the song (You’re Beautiful) made me wonder what more this raw white Brit version of Aaron Neville had to offer. With only 10 songs on the album, he has to make every single one count to make a lasting impression. With only one minor slip, so he does.
Musically, it’s not an eye opener. But that’s not noticable, as the singer/songwriter has other strong points to show for. His voice is most apparent, belting out the highly melodic tunes with soul and determination. Pair this voice with personal experience driven lyrics and you have yourself an excellent album for pure relaxation purposes.8-.

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

Total: 749 out of 232 votes > Average is: 3.228

This is from behind the building. I wonder which bird lays these Smurf eggs.

I haven’t seen any footage yet, but I can’ t help but wonder, did he moonwalk out of the courthouse after the not guilty verdict ?

With the last string of low expectancy disappointments (namely, Delta Goodrem – Mistaken Identity, Lifehouse – Lifehouse, Ben Folds – Songs For Silverman, Blue October – Argue With a Tree (live 2 CD’s), Stereophonics – Language. Sex. Violence. Other? as in, only one or even no song on the whole CD worth mentioning), I thought I’d spare you the critical breakdown of each one.
Instead, I took the easy way out, and that’s provided by Alanis with her rework of Jagged Little Pill to commemerate its 10 years of existence, as be it good or bad, the review would be easier to write.
So, how does it hold up on its own ? Basically, all songs are still the same. The metamorphosis is mostly in the wide variety of acoustic arrangements. Usually this gives a fresh feeling to each song (though one or two have a somewhat depressing bass riff going on), and that means the whole CD is still very listenable. Also worth mentioning is that now it’s quite noticable how her voice has matured in the ten years. If you don’t have anything Alanis, there’s no doubt, it’s a must-have.
But, with 30 million copies of the original album floating around, you can’t stop the comparison between the new and the old. The main question would still be, is it worth the buy if you already have the old one. The answer would be a undecisive no. Combine the fact that most people also have numerous cd-singles with the multiple renditions of the songs on the B-side, and it’s time to start scratching your head. The final fact is, most people also have the 1999 release of another must-have CD, Unplugged. And that’s the nail that shuts the decision making coffin. We end up with a big no for Alanis fans. The success hinges on a new generation who has never heard of her. And frankly, I don’t think such a generation exist at the moment. Blank grade: 9-. Compared grade: 7-.

On set romances probably help a movie, as the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie starrer proves. Mr. & Mrs. Smith opens with a personal best for both stars and director Doug Liman, with $51.1 million.
The rest of the top 5 paced together tightly. Zoo attendance went down another 50%, as Madagascar earns $17.1 million in its third week. SWIII drops to third place with $14.9 million, and The Longest Yard proves long enough to pass the $100 million mark, with a fourth place and $13.5 million.
Fifth was Robert Rodriguez’ The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D, another children movie with $12.5 million.

As self-appointed PR manager for Rotterdam (after all, it can’t be coincidence I was born AND raised AND never left this city, can it ?), I have to report on the Red Bull Air Race World Series of which the second leg took place right here. Then again, it’s kind of pointless, as possible every single habitant went outside (approx. 700.000 viewers) and tried to snatch a nice place at the shore hours before hand. This picture is from the massive crowd going home after the show.

And of course, what’s a report without a video from, like the 20th row seat. If you turn on your sound, you can hear no one less than Jack van Gelder live commenting.
Click here to download one section of the Air Race (5 MB, XViD)
In the following days, you can see webstreams from the first seat row on the Red Bull Air Race homepage

Another one in the Taste the World series, this time it’s the Unites States, probably the southern region (as you can see 2 cowboys eating smoked bacon being depicted on the can). The name is the most puzzling this time, as it doesn’t resemble the flavor at all. How could it be anyways, as it’s still a full vegetarian/vegan product. The lab guys probably mixed up some chemicals trying to emulate the flavor (the scent resembles it better, but the taste buds react differntly though). In the end, it’s not that bad, it’s still the Pringles you’ve always been addicted too, and with a new taste. The wrong labelling shouldn’t keep you off track too long. Long live the addiction.7½.