Tomorrow is D-day ... All I want to say for now is "bye bye, it was nice to have known you, but time is up" and that's all.

Editorial - 30 May 2005

After about 5 days filled with sun, sun and more sun (well, being trapped in a building with airco for most of them doesn't really count) we're thrown back into the usual rainy weather. Now all we need is a blizzard and we're set for the winter. This better don't last long.
On the upside I did get a few hours of sunny rays last weekend while shopping, getting a long overdue haircut and with a walk around the abbey in the parc of Leuven yesterday. Got some (at first sight) great pictures that I won't be posting here now since I don't have the CF-card with me right now. And my noon-break's over.
Song of the week : "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)" Eels
Oldie of the week : "#1 Crush" Garbage
Last seen movie : "Star Wars Revelations" : Biggest fan-film to date. Lucas permits fans to make films of their own, as long as you follow the rules of the Star Wars universe, don't mess with the main characters and don't do it for profit. If you're getting any kind of profit out of it he'll sick his army of clone lawyers on you and suck your bone-marrow out of the pile of broken bones that they will leave behind.
There have been parodies (including the well-known Thumb Wars), short stories about a few side-characters or wash-ups (Valley Girl goes Jedi) and my personal favorite : Stormtroopers on Tatooine (sand-troopers to be exact) who are being followed by a television-station as if it were a "Cops" episode. Needless to say that given the amount of power modern day computers have, some people would start using a digital camera and some software to make the needed special effects for a fanfilm that features more than people standing around in costumes. Think spaceflight, saberfights and the like ...
The story itself is something wiping out the remaining Jedi after Episode III. The Jedi who are in hiding and can be found due to some combination of a tracking-device and mystic powers and more stuff I didn't find interesting enough to follow. Even though the movie only lasts around three quarter of an hour it felt a bit long. My mind wandered during some of the more talky scenes - amply demonstrating why some people should never act and stay behind the camera (don't start shouting, I know I'm probably one of them) - which were trying to explain what happened in between the saberfights. Which were a good enough reason to keep watching.
With a little better actors and a more fleshed out script this could've been worthy of being named episode 3.5. Now it's just one of the best fanfilms out there. Which is still a very good accomplishment.
Doing this week : Second screening of Star Wars III tonight. I get to tag along for free with a friend and the free tickets from his dad's Frequent Flyer Miles. A little VIP treatment too perhaps. Doesn't matter, as long as it's Star Wars and a big screen I'm happy.

Editorial - 27 May 2005

The extra work here is almost done and for once I'm satisfied enough with it to start using it. You can expect some updates here in the coming days. Not just some new text and pictures, but real changes to.

Editorial - 25 May 2005

The last few months I've had several weeks of nights filled with a lack of sleep. I'd go to bed early or late and nothing would change : I'd lay awake, or toss and turn, sleep an hour or two and wake up again. At first it wasn't easy, but after a few weeks I got used to it and even slept a little longer.
Since last weekend however I'm rapidly catching up : I slept 11 hours a night, went to bed early (before midnight in a weekend ?) and I'm back to sleeping through the alarmclock in the mornings. I don't know why it changed : human body can be weird sometimes ...
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : -----
Last seen movie : "Star Wars Episode III : Revenge Of The Sith" : Oh my god, it's the last new Star Wars movie I'll ever see ! That's what a whole bunch of people were thinking and I admit I'm one of them. I'm not such a freak that I dress up in a costume that costs more than a thousand euro, but I admit I took my lightsaber to the theater. It's fun to annoy other people with it - especially those who dress up as stormtroopers or sandpeople. Freaks. Anyway, I'm writing a bigger review on this one with more details.
"The Good Girl" : Jennifer "Rachel" Aniston plays a young woman trapped in her marriage and meaningless job searching for something else than a husband getting high with his friend and trying to get pregnant. She meets a yound guy at work - a typical troubled teenager like always based on Holden Caulfield - and starts an affair. Alas than the story spirals out of control into a rather more and more unbelievable mess. They should've sticked to the human warmth factor of the first half. Heartache, honesty, unfaithfulness ... good topics and useful emotions for Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal to play with, but the second part partially ruined it for me.
"Play Time" : Jacques Tati's masterpiece about a small man getting trapped in the overwhelming surroundings of a modern age supercity. Wanting to create a city that breathes life, Tati built a city with supermodern architecture outside Paris and used it in the film. This took almost three years to complete and nowdays still shows aspects of modernism and structure that aren't dated. Some of the actings is, some of the settings and props are, but the overall aspect makes you believe it could've been made only 5 years ago. A must see for everyone interested in either french movies, architecture, modernism or sociological studies. Eveyone else could at least make the effort once ... you lazy blockbuster watching bums.
"The Invisible Man" : Very old school black and white suspense-drama about a scientist discovering a way to become invisible, only getting trapped that way without a cure. Trying to get his shape back he slowly becomes "the mad scientist". Hollywood special effects history, setting off numerous follow-ups and laying out about 80% percent of the storyline for "Hollow Man", the most recent exploit into the genre.
Doing this week : As the sun is finally coming out of her hiding for more than one day in a row, I might be tempted to go out some more. Eat outside during lunchbreaks maybe ?

Editorial - 18 May 2005

Just seen the new Star Wars movie "Episode III : Revenge Of The Sith" a few hours earlier. It's being released today and me and some friends (Elischka, Franky, Cindero, Gizmoo ...) and my dad went to the midnight-screening. I'll post a commentary later on. In short : it's good. Very good.

Editorial - 17 May 2005

Tonight, at midnight, I'll be seeing the new Star Wars movie. It's released a day earlier over here (too compensate for the fiasco that was the release of episode I perhaps) and the theatres start screening just after midnight. Makes me and my friends some of the first in the world to see it - obviously not counting numerous previews, press-screenings, some last change additions to theatres and people like Duvel who got to watch it yesterday in the USA after arriving at the umpteenth MS congress he's attending.
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : -----
Last seen movie : "Donnie Darko" : See previous review. I still like it. Still has the same weird energetic vibe with underlying sarcasm.
"Animal House" : Best college-movie ever. And considering this one started the whole trend that's a big fat plus. Usually a later version is better or more polished (not counting remakes or rip-offs), but this one has it all : great storyline, good foolish acting, crazy characters and mayhem and chaos. And a toga-party !
Tells the tory of some kids going to college and joining the absolute worst fraternity ever : a house in shambles, weirdo's at the helm and in constant trouble with the authorities. Starring John "Toga ! Toga !" Belushi, Tim Matheson and Kevin Bacon in one of his first roles.
"Immortel" : english spoken yet french film about three egyptian gods returning to earth (imagine a gigantic pyramid hovering above New York). One of them is being sentenced to a mortal life and he decides to try to father a child first - hoping to return in the child's spirit. Based upon a series of comics from a french artist. Not having read the books myself I can only assume it's quite well done (even if it's just loosely based) as the artist is also the director of the movie.
Nice special effects (some parts of the movie are drawn, some are computer-animated, some are live actors) and a good idea for a movie, but it is clumsily worked out, badly acted, weird of tone and pacing and borderline dullish. I know this sounds harsh and to be fair, I didn't feel I wasted my time watching this, but it didn't fulfill it's expectations. Or maybe the whole idea was stolen too good to make Stargate a few years back ? Anyway, only for fans or people interested. If sci-fi (especially philosophical ones) isn't your cup of tea, don't try it.
"Star Wars Episode I : The Phantom Menace" : I wasn't doing this site as frequently back in 1999 when this one came out, so there wasn't a real big review yet. I'll rectify that ommision here.
"Star Wars Episode II : Attack Of The Clones" : See previous review.
Doing this week : Hum the Imperial March all week long.

Editorial - 13 May 2005

First official pressreleases of the new Xbox 360 are made. Including reviews of technology, random comments and pictures and more pictures.
And my previous post of the 4th of May was right on the money with the image. IGN was quick with their assessment of the truth back then.

Editorial - 12 May 2005

It's official now : the Sabre holding (with Travelocity in it) have proposed to buy lastminute.com. Which in turn owns Holiday Autos for whom I manage the Benelux websites.
News of this transaction leaked yesterday and the stock on the London stockexchange rose upward, not to say it exploded. This morning an official release was sent out, explaining the details, names and reasons. Stock held firmly at the new level. Some people just gained 50% of their existing capital.

Editorial - 10 May 2005

Being popular sucks, doesn't it guys ? Fourth Firefox bug in three months time found and for the first time rated extremy critical. This just goes to show that no matter what you do, not a single piece of software will ever be foolproof. And the popular you are, the bigger the chances someone starts to tinker with the source ... Hell, it even happens to Apple from time to time.

Editorial - 9 May 2005

My keyboard and mouse at work are acting up again. It's a built-in device from Acer and it's crap. Fails constantly and eats ... no, strike that ... devours batteries. I think it's starting to cost more to keep 'em alive with batteries during a year than to buy the most expensive Logitech desktop set available. Anyway, Acer computers are good, but their built-in wireless stuff is Crap. And yes, that's with a capital.
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : -----
Last seen movie : "The Stepford Wives" : Saw the seventies original which is a dark look at the new place of women in american culture around the year 1970. Fleeing the city for the sake of their children a married couple move to the dreamy and classy suburb of Stepford. The husband quickly joins the local men's club while his wife - an aspiring photographer - starts to doubt the move. Especially because the women all seem to be goody-goody fifties-style housewives. She doesn't feel at home at all. And when no one seems to react against the weird behaviour and her husband says she's becoming paranoid, things spiral out of control. After all, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you. Recommended viewing.
"Underworld" : I saw the extended director's cut which adds another twelve minutes to the movie. I'm not sure if this version is better than the theatrical cut (as I haven't seen that one) and to be honest I couldn't care less. Most of the DVD's contain both versions of the movie, so why bother with the short version ? Does anyone with the Lord Of The Rings trilogy ? Exactly.
So what do you get ? The eternal fight of vampires against lycans (werewolves) being set in some dark, blue and rainy modern city, a very stylishly dressed in leather, lace and plastic Kate Beckinsale (yummy) kicking lycan-butt and shooting whatever moves, some gruesome and bloody scenes and a lot of modern day twists to the werewolves and vampire myths. Not too shabby for a late night viewing with a group of people, drinks and a surround-system.
"The Beast From 20.000 Fathoms" : a Ray Harryhausen production of the original Ray Bradbury story which probably started the whole Godzilla theme : frozen dinosaur awakes from nuclear testing on the northpole and starts its journey along a gulfstream towards New York - ravashing everything in it's path. Classic old school black and white movie asting only an hour and ten minutes.
Now just slightly silly late night or sunday-afternoon entertainment for the whole family, back then probably a gigantic production with huge special effects - including a life-size 50 ton dinosaur.
"Along Came A Spider" : Kind of a follow-up on "Kiss The Girls" as it's based on the same series of books about a psychological police-detective (Morgan Freeman). Deals with the abduction of a senators daughter and the mindgame the kidnapper wants to play with Freemans character.
Well made, entertaining, yet not enthralling or scary. Better than most of the police-movies crap, but only reaching the knees of the quality of "se7en".
Doing this week : Go to work, work, go home, watch movies, sleep. And maybe some eating too if I don't forget.

Editorial - 4 May 2005

Latest net-rumour is that this is a picture of the new Xbox. Codenamed Xbox Xenon, but probably being called Xbox 360 - meaning 360 degrees. Which is a circle and the new box mostly has round shapes. Just kidding, there'll be a philosophy behind it but who cares ? As long as it's cheap, blistering fast and has even more beautiful images than the current one. And this is the perfect time to remind everyone of one the other sites in the Dark Life Vendetta circle of sites. Our own gaming and boozing site : RBBS.