Tuesday, November 28, 2006

The Blogofractal

The Blogofractal

My favorites:
Snakes on a I don't even care anymore
Hey guys what if Google is evil?!?
MAKE blog: DIY baby
Watch this toddler get owned by a squirrel!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Regarding The Hobbit

Apparently the biggest news that's riled Lord of The Rings fans everywhere is that New Line doesn't want Peter Jackson to direct The Hobbit and whatever LoTR prequel is in the works. From my understanding of the events, even though Peter Jackson received $200 million for directing the films, he is suing New Line because he feels he deserves more money because of the profits from merchandising.

So I guess there are a few questions to ask.

What was Peter Jackson supposed to get according to his contract?
Who owns the movie rights to The Hobbit? (According to Wikipedia, it's split between MGM and New Line)

If Peter Jackson was already given what he was contracted to receive, then he doesn't deserve any more money, regardless of how much New Line makes from merchandising. If MGM and New Line own the rights to The Hobbit movie and don't want Jackson, so be it. But they'll probably want to keep the visual feel of the LoTR trilogy, so they'll film it in New Zealand and probably hire Weta Workshop and Weta Digital (I believe Jackson is a co-founder, and probably co-owner of Weta Digital. Don't quote me.) for the special effects.

From reading about some of the things he did to get his way with New Line, I'm not really surprised that they decided to drop him. Movie companies (for better or for worse) don't like to be pushed around. Usually I'd side with a director for the sake of the art, but in this case I think Jackson screwed himself over.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Movie Review - Casino Royale

I really enjoyed the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale, the last to be based on Ian Fleming's writings (EON Productions have now adapted all of Fleming's Bond novels). I've been so excited to see this movie and report on it that I'm glad my anticipation didn't go to waste.

There's so much to like and so little to dislike about this retcon of the Bond series.

The movie begins with Bond's first two kills, which enable him to get "double-O" status. It's in black & white, and footage from the first kill is inter cut with the second. It didn't feel like a flashback to me. The man from the first kill reaches for his gun, and then we get the traditional "gun barrel" opening into the opening credits.

I really enjoyed the opening credits sequence and song. "You Know My Name", vocals by Chris Cornell. The artwork in the opening credits does a lot of fancy stuff with card symbols and a great color-block fight sequence.

I'm surprised the movie has a PG-13 rating. The scene that should have given the movie an R rating was faithful to the book, with added witty remarks. Let's say that if you really want to take a 13-year-old to the movie, make sure they can handle large doses of violence. In my industry I think we would call that "scope creep", or even "product substitution". The politics of Hollywood, I guess.

A lot of reviews I've read comment on the grittier nature of the movie, which I would have to agree with except to say that I think the more appropriate term is "honest". Spying and killing people for a living is not necessarily the most glamorous way to earn a living, and the movie adaptations have turned Bond into a pretty boy with girls, gadgets, and guns. Maybe that's all a fellow needs, who knows?

As far as the girls go, Solange is an active seducee, to the point you're wondering who is more excited about the tryst. Vesper is disappointing. At best her character is moody (not to mention homely - I thought all Bond girls were supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous). She is abrasive to start with, then weepy with shock when she sees Bond kill some thugs close-up, back to abrasive, etc. It's irritating and makes me wonder what Bond sees in the girl. After all, this is supposed to be the woman he falls in love with. Surely he can do better. (Note: Vesper's character in the book is described as "emotionally turbulent" by Wikipedia, so maybe the movie's result is the script-writers' interpretation of the character. I still view her as flimsy.)

Gadgets in this movie are limited to cell phones, various medical liquids in syringes and a single-use portable defibrillator installed in Bond's Aston Martin. I might add the defibrillator was definitely made by the lowest bidder.

I thought Bond's character was really polished on. Among other things, he breaks into an embassy, uses a "hostage" as a human shield, breaks & enters M's apartment, and steals M's login data for MI6's website. Very few scruples, if any. Whatever it means to him, I give Daniel Craig a thumbs up for his performance in the role.

I need to mention my new theory regarding Bond's character after reading two Fleming novels. I think Bond's chauvinism is misunderstood. In most of the movies he is without a doubt a sexist pig. But I think the character's chauvinistic actions are motivated by the ugly work he does. I think he spends so much time dealing with ugly characters and doing ugly deeds in the name of Queen and country that he wants to separate the women of the world from the world he deals with. I think this is why he says (in the books) that spying is "men's work" and insists that women don't make suitable spies. I also think this is what is at the root of his sexist attitudes regarding how women should look, dress, and act. This really isn't a well-developed theory yet, but I think this theory explains why so many women (including myself) are attracted to a cold-hearted chauvinist.

Mads Mikkelsen was great as Le Chiffre (i.e. creepy), who has a weird physical trait (weeping blood). Weird physical traits have become cliched for Bond villains but I didn't think this was too over-the-top.

I've read some reviews that criticize the lack of humor in the movie. I thought the movie was very witty, although much drier than in other Bond movies. Maybe you just have to get your mind dragged through the gutter (Engineering School does wonders for this). The only tasteless witty remarks (in my opinion) are in the should-have-made-the-movie-R-rated scene. This doesn't mean I didn't laugh, however. I just feel it took away from the climax of the confrontation between Le Chiffre and Bond.

The movie's score was fantastic, holding off the famous theme until the end of the film. The score is very cohesive; music-wise you feel very much in the middle of a James Bond film and the score doesn't sound inappropriate next to the Bond theme. The theme isn't jazzed up (technoed up?) or altered, and it feels very appropriate as well.

I'd like to think the plot was very tight, and much more complex than the plot in the book. For the most part I approve the major plot changes/updates. While I would like to think that Baccarat Chemin de Fer is more "high class" than Texas Hold'em, poker is much more accessible a game to movie-goers and there are many high stakes poker tournaments publicized these days.

To summarize, I recommend seeing this movie in the theater. It's a great action film, with lots of interesting (if sometimes unbelievable) stunt sequences and explosions. There's a little of something for both men and women here, although I would be wary of taking younger teens to this. I would say sixteen and older should be able to see it; younger viewers will probably have a hard time with the scene I've been referring to throughout this review.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Mail-Order Pheasants & Roasting Pans

My parents are coming to visit me for the holidays. Well, just for Thanksgiving, and then they'll be back in a few weeks for Christmas.

Normally, I like spending the holidays with my parents. After all, they're family.

This year I'm terrified. This Thanksgiving will be the first time my parents will see my apartment, which is stressful enough on its own. Actually, Dad has always been accepting of my living arrangements, but Mom likes to nitpick. I think all moms like to nitpick about their offspring's apartments. I love my Mom, but her nitpicking stresses me out.

On top of parents-seeing-the-apartment-for-the-first-time stress, I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Dad even mail-ordered a pheasant that is getting UPS-ed to chez moi. As my downstairs neighbor suggests, I'll probably be the only woman in Los Angeles with a pheasant for Thanksgiving. I don't even have a roasting pan.

Not to mention my dad has more-than-average diet restrictions. I hate artificial sweeteners. Splenda is the sneaky one of the lot.

So this week will get devoted to making sure the apartment is presentable (and not just livable, which is its nominal state), and finding the necessary cooking supplies (none of which I have storage room for) for Thanksgiving next week.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Movie Review - Borat

This weekend I went to Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, on the recommendation of more than a few people. The movie was disappointing at worst and painful at best. I'm much more interested in a film whose trailer appeared before Borat, called The Fountain.

Anyway, the plot of the movie is that a Kazakhstani television reporter (Borat) goes to the United States to learn what he can about Americans and American way of life and create a documentary to show his countrymen. On the way he falls in love with Pamela Anderson, and embarks on a trek from New York to Los Angeles to marry her. The ingenious feat that Sacha Baron Cohen achieves in all this is exposing the prejudices and biases of middle (mostly right wing) America. He then follows with naked man wrestling and an attempt to kidnap Pamela Anderson.

There are a couple of unpleasant things that happened because of this film:
  1. The film exposes how un-P.C. the average American is (and really, how un-P.C. the average right-wing American is)
  2. The people who appear in the movie most likely have negative consequences to deal with in their lives. The college students who pick up Borat in the R.V. are a prime example. Although, how stupid do you have to be to sign your liability away, even if you are drunk?
My philosophy on humor is that humor shouldn't cause others to suffer, and unfortunately that is exactly what this movie does to several people who appear in the film. While there are funny moments, most of the movie was painful for me to watch.

Movie Review - Beyond The Sea

On my way to work, there's a particular bend in the road that gives me a fantastic view of the ocean. If I'm ambitious I can look to the left at intersections, but this particular curve doesn't require any stunt driving to enjoy the view.

If I'm equally ambitious at work, I can see the sea (and Santa Monica) from my office at work. But that view is not particularly great.

But I digress.

I recently watched Beyond The Sea, which is worth watching. Kevin Spacey not only has writing and directing credits, but also stars, sings and dances in this Bobby Darin biopic. I really enjoyed watching Spacey in this; more than once I thought Spacey sounded just like Darin. This is also a great example of a film where a known actor pulls off someone else believably, not so with a typical John Wayne or Jack Nicholson film, for examples.

Most biopics tend to be syrupy and melodramatic; not so with Beyond the Sea. Even though the film touches on Darin's death, the film treats death as an inevitability and doesn't try to emotionally capitalize on it.

I wasn't impressed with Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee, and I would have loved to hear the song "More" (my favorite Bobby Darin tune), but I feel those are minor issues.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Happy Birthday!

Guess what? It's the U.S.M.C.'s 231st birthday today!

Commandant Hagee wrote a nice birthday message to Marines.

Go Marines!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Is Computer Science Still A Good Career?

Apparently So.

Computer science 'still a good career,' leader of job migration task force says

I would recommend to anyone who wants to study IT of any kind, and engineering in general, to "math up". I was half-way through my college career before I realized how math-intensive computer science and software engineering are. Granted, my school was particularly math-intensive, but CS/SE are applied mathematics in a way that engineering and physics are not. But I digress. If you're in high school, take math and english for all four years, even if it's not required. Why? Because you'll need it in college. Even if you plan on getting a liberal arts degree, I would still recommend the extra math; college courses cover lots more material in a semester than a year-long high school course, and if you have the extra math background you'll breeze through the math and science requirements.

The other motivation for aspiring CS/SE graduates to take lots of math in high school is that you'll need to be prepared for calculus (if you don't take it in high school) when you get to college. Otherwise you might not have the math background to do well in your computer science classes, and/or you might not even be able to take your computer science classes until you get your math pre-reqs out of the way. Think of math as your veggies; you need lots of it.

Personally, I think now I should have gotten an EE degree, but I suppose I can always get motivated and earn one later. (I just really loved my Microprocessors class.)

Monday, November 06, 2006

Book Review: Casino Royale

Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming, was a quick read. The plot was much simpler than most of the James Bond movies I've seen, and much less flashy. Fleming is sparing with words and is, dare I say, a typical male storyteller. Details are only mentioned when they matter, although Fleming is extremely articulate when it comes to Bond's car, dress, drinks, and food. He's much less articulate in describing Vesper Lynd, who is a believable character only when you view her as Fleming/Bond view her. Moneypenny is more believable and more interesting in her brief appearance in the novel.

I haven't read Fleming's later works, but one can tell that Casino Royale was written by an undeveloped author with lots of potential. It will be interesting to read something Fleming wrote later, say You Only Live Twice, to see how much he developed.

There are definite hints to Bond's chauvinistic tendencies, and considering the time the book was written, some of those tendencies are understandable.

I would say go read the book before you watch the movie, if only to notice how much Hollywood polluted the story. I still think Craig is a good choice for Bond, and I like how the Bond girls in the new movie are all brunettes.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Book Review - The Handmaid's Tale

Being stuck at home with a cold sure gives you a chance to catch up on your reading.

My pick was Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, which was interesting and disturbing. So of course I enjoyed it immensely.

You can find plot summaries everywhere on the internet, so I'll just stick to my impressions.

This was my first exposure to Atwood's writing, and I really liked the word play in the book (Scrabble is very important in the book). Yes, of course, the humor is dark. That's why shredded fruits of the Date Palm turn into "date rape", or rather vice versa. I think because of this there is a lot of inherent symbolism to wade through. Which isn't bad; it gives the book re-read value.

The book, in quite obvious ways, forces the reader to think about gender roles, as well as why feminism is so tightly tied to the bra-burning antics of the 1970s.

Strangely enough, the idea of right-wing nuts assassinating Congress and blaming it on Islamic fundamentalists seems almost plausible in this day and age. Which is creepy because I definitely don't want to live in a dystopic society.

If they were to make a better movie (I heard the movie made in the 1980's really sucked), here are my casting choices:
Natalie Portman as Offred
William Hurt as The Commander (but on the other hand Neal McDonough or Ed Harris would be absolutely chilling - I guess age shouldn't matter if you really wanted this to be a thriller)
Nicole Kidman as Serena Joy
Jude Law, Eric Bana and Clive Owen would be good choices for Nick (unfortunately probably too old if you used Neal McDonough), but so would Christian Bale - I envision that character as having a dark, smouldering vulnerability that is really attractive to Offred. Jesse Bradford is too immature.
Angelina Jolie as Moira
Mena Suvari as Ofwarren
Scarlett Johansson as Ofglen
Ashley Judd as one of the Aunts (Aunt Elizabeth, maybe)

Any other casting ideas?