I heard it's supposed to start snowing again this week ? What's up with that ?
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : -----
Last seen movie : "Charlie's Angels" : Mildly funny and exciting, with some nice special effects (most of them already done before, but here with a funny twist), but half way through it gets boring. Luckily there's still Bill Murray with some silly faces to keep your attention going.
"Charlie's Angels : Full Throttle" : No longer starring Bill Murray, it's clear that the three girls are not fully set for action-comedy (especially the annoying Cameron Diaz). When everything is going completely over the top, it all becomes boring and you don't care how it ends or hwo many plastic surgery Demi Moore had done to look young and powerful again - resulting in a part as the enemy in this movie.
"Rat Race" : Good sixties premise for a film botched up due to bad writing, dumb poo-poo jokes, too much piercing references, some unfunny people wondering what they are doing and some usually funny people now only being mildly entertaining. Any movie where Rowan Atkinson is funniers than John Cleese or any other comedic actor, should be avoided.
"Johnny English" : Not bad - has it's funny moments, some good inspiration when attacking the Bond clichés and some really funny stereotyping. The action is believable, the scenario flows along nicely and only fucks up a bit in the end. Good viewing when you're a little bored.
"Chasing Amy" : comments are being written.
"Reign Of Fire" : An inspired idea (works in the london subway set free some ancient caged dragons who quickly start decimating earth's population) executed with some flaws, mainly the at times rushed pacing and the heroic nature of some characters. But, yet again a movie nice enough to fill an evening in front of your television-set. And it's certainly action-packed enough to crank up the surround system.
Doing this week : Don't know yet. Both my grandmothers are celebrating their birthdays, so there'll be parties. Including one for a nephew of my girlfriend who's turning 25. Looks busy.

Editorial - 19 January 2004

Discovering the huge dvd-collection of a co-worker is bad for your health. You borrow stuff - too much off course - and then view it in one big screening, one after another. Not good for your sleep-cycle. Excellent pass-time nonetheless.
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : "Mark On The Bus" Beastie Boys
Last seen movie : "Lost In Translation" : I know the year is merely a month old, but this is already the movie of the year for me. Everything else will be compared against this one. An ageing actor travels to Tokyo for a week to shoot a "japander" - that's a (usually) awful commercial for a japanse derivative of a typical western product, in this case whiskey. The career slowing down, he's only in it for the money and being thrown into the hugely different atmosphere of the Tokyo metropolis, aided by assistants and working for a director who only speaks japanse, he quickly feels isolated. Until he meets a young american girl who's in the same situation. Alone in the hotelroom, waiting for her husband when he's shooting pictures, she's questioning her life, marriage and love. Together everything seems easier, funnier and bareable.
Bill Murray and Scarlet Johanssen are absolutely fantastic as the two leads who help eachother through a rough week and, by silently knowing what the other feels, possibly the rest of their lives. The beauty of all this is that there's never an exploration of the sexual intensity that sometimes briefly hovers between them. They are friends, sometimes father and daughter, and always there.
It's the complete opposite of a Hollywood movie's usual sexual consumation and break-ups. Never cluttered with too much deep philosophical talking. A lot is left unsaid, sometimes only whispered. Sofia Coppola proves to be a great writer and director.
"Kentucky Fried Movie" : the mother of all gags and sketches movies. An early work from the Zucker brothers (Airplane and Naked Gun) and other members of the Kentucky Fried Group. A big success in the seventies, but I have no idea why this is supposed to be funny. Useless. They all made better movies than this one.
"Asterix & Obelix : Mission Cleopatra" : very funny french live action version of the famous belgian comic books featuring the gallic tribe resisting Caesar. In this second (bigger and better) movie Asterix and Obelix must help an egyptian architect build a palace for Cleopatra. She has a bet running with Caesar that the egytians are better builders than the romans. Funny and stylish with a lot of elements taken out of the comics. Had me laughing out loud a few times.
"2 Fast 2 Furious" : a mixed bag : it starts off with more of a computer game feel to it, all shiny and bright like some freshened up CGI-model, which immediately put me off. Secondly I loathe those cheepish plastic japanse souped-up cars in fruity colors. I want to see american big blocks, black and blue colored steel around bucketseats and roaring V8's. Or sleak and stylish ninetees designs in normal colors. Luckily that's what you get after about half an hour. And whadda ya know ? There's even an attempt at following a storyline. Not just an excuse to drive around all the time. It still doesn't make it a better film than the first one. Just plain brainless cannon fodder.
"Peeping Tom" : comments are being written.
Doing this week : Helping Worf and Kira with the big move in the weekend.

Editorial - 12 January 2004

Bought myself a switch last month to expand the in-house network. Nothing fancy, just a Linksys 16-ports switch for the study, which allows the previously used router (with 4-port switch) to go back to the livingroom, thus creating two places in the house where we can plug in. In case you're wondering, Linksys makes good stuff : extremely quiet (compared to 3Com), easy to plug in and the setup is done in two minutes : it works immediately. And I find them rather cool looking to.
I know I could make things easier by setting up a wireless network, but that would've meant paying more for the wireless router/switch and networkcards, than I paid for this switch. Also, it would slow down the internal network (not the surfing speeds) and above all, I still don't trust all those affordable out-of-the-box wireless solutions. No matter what encryption used, they're all to easily broken. For now I'm sticking to cable.
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : -----
Last seen movie : "Resurrection" : a serial killer uses bodyparts to re-create the body of Christ. Comparable to "Se7en" but not equal due to a few too many lenghty scenes, poor supporting actors and a flawed chracterisation of the bad guy. Luckily the movie centers around the main actor Christopher Lambert (about the only one who's acting skills are ok) and the bad guy's only in focus during the end of the movie. So the ending's not up to snuff, but the ride towards the end is worth the watch - once, maybe twice.
"The Kid" : Bruce Willis in a Disney movie ? Yup, he's a self-centered, workaholic image consultant without friends (not counting his secretary and his personal assistant) turning 40 in a few days. For no apparent reason his 8-year old self appears and they get mixed up in some character redefining moments. Absolutely not too sugary-sweet, quite well acted and directed. Too bad the scripts a bit shoddy and sometimes seems to go nowhere. Still quite worthwhile.
"House" : cultish eighties horror with monsters in rubber suits (just like Hannibal used to play all the time in The A-Team) in a haunted house. A writer with a Vietnam complex (do all americans have one ?) moves to his aunt's house after she hangs herself. Worried about his missing son, the writing is quickly placed second place behind the search for the monsters in the house. This movie spawned 3 sequels - which baffles me because it's a complete and utter mess : the story jumps as quick as a dutch "gabber" on three pills of Mickey's, the timeline is sketchier than Bambi's first steps on the icey lake and the acting's as bad as a heavy dose of the flue - excluding a great small part by George Wendt - Norm from Cheers. So, does this suck ? Sure, but it's great late at night with a coke or a Jack, some chips or chocolate.
"Maid In Manhattan" : average romcom with the usual settings, drama's, humour and happy ending, but with hardly any chemistry between main actors Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes. And that ladies and gentlemen ... is what it's all about. This could've been much better with a more believable couple. Not that J-Lo's bad (she convincing in The Wedding Planner), but it just doesn't click with Ralph.
Doing this week : ...

Editorial - 10 January 2004

Today is the 75th birthday of the first publication of "Kuifje" - one of Belgiums best known comic book heroes. Drawn by Hergé - father of "de klare lijn" (translated as "the clear line" which means all objects are drawn with one rightly placed single line without any fills) - from day one until his demise, Kuifje is the main character in 23 books. Check 'em out, they're a big part of our culture.

Editorial - 5 January 2004

After a long break from work, I returned just in time for the new year's reception. A few lengthy speeches, food while you walk around and too many collegues drinking too many beers or glasses of wine. Top that with the obligatory kisses and handshakes wishing eachother well and you get one hell of a freakish sight.
Song of the week : "Fortune Faded" Red Hot Chili Peppers
Oldie of the week : "It's A Fire" Portishead
Last seen movie : "Two Weeks Notice" : A lawyer advocating human and animal rights and social causes, starts to work for a wealthy self-centered projectbuilder. He promises her to save a community center in return for long hours and total availability. One year later, fed up with his obsessive behaviour, she gives him her two weeks notice. Only then they start to discover what they really have meant for eachother. As I have said before : I have a soft spot for a movie with Sandra Bullock. Oh hell, let's admit it, I have a soft spot for Sandra Bullock - movie or no movie. And when's she's acting in yet another romcom, alongside Hugh Grant, the king of romcoms, than everyone should like it. That's probably what marketing thought when they brought this one up. Well, they're partially right. It's well made and acted, it has some laughs, some sad(der) moments, a happy ending, all the right thrills and fills and bright colors. Only downpoints : sometimes it's too silly and the ending's a bit sloppy.
"The Dish" : A true story about the men landing on the moon on the 19th of July in 1969. Seems those images couldn't have been broadcast onto television sets all around the world if it wasn't for a satellite dish in the middle of an Australian sheep farm in the small town Parkes. Concerned about the knowledge of the local Aussies, NASA sends an worried official to oversee things. Small time politics, a not so reliable electricity supply, and a little bit of tension between the technicians culminate in a windstorm around the field where the dish is located. Amusing and well acted little Australian film with the omnipresent Sam Neill.
"The Recruit" : overrated spy-action with Collin Farell as the recruit and Al Pacino as his mentor in the CIA. some great action, some decent acting, enough twists and turns and yet still never really gripping. You watch it, you take it in, but it never sinks in. With the usual bombastic ending. Rent once, then discard.
"L'Auberge Espagnol" : a french boy decides to add a year to his studies and moves to Spain. Leaving his girlfriend behind, the first days aren't as nice, shacked up on the couch of a french couple he met on the plane to Barcelona. Moving into a dorm filled with students from many other countries, things are brightening. He has an affair, parties with his dormmates, befriends a lesbian and loses his girlfriend due to the distance between them ... sounds like a bad teenage love-novel, but it's a sparkling and funny story about friendship, youth and all the things you miss when you're a few years older ...
"The Straight Story" : beautiful "tranche de vie" from David "weirdness" Lynch himself. Based upon the real story of Alvin Straight, who's old age make him unfit to drive a car, so he makes a six hunderd mile journey towards his brother on a lawnmower. To make amends before one of them dies. Makes the frail, old and aged Richard Farnsworth look like a god - if not God himself. Required viewing for everyone.
Doing this week : My girlfriend's in Amsterdam this week, doing research in Ikea's headquarters. That means I've got the house, stereo, television ... all to myself. Sadly that also includes, the dishes, the cooking, the cleaning, shopping ...

Editorial - 1 January 2004

A happy New Year to all you frequent and occasional visitors. Snow has fallen here all night long, covering the roads in a white blanket. Slippery off course, but given the technology in modern cars and the amount of salt on the roads, there are less accidents then in the previous years.

darkman says sleep tight

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