2005/12/04
Star Wreck, in the Pirkinning
2005/10/04
Go see Serenity
2005/09/12
Greatness in webmail
2005/09/04
Server switch
2005/07/26
Fantasia : Stop the Bitch Campaign (I and II) and Night Watch
With a budget of 4 million dollars, you'd expect Night Watch's special effects to be cheesy, at best. A hollywood producer with a similar budget wouldn't be able to make a 5 minutes short, much less a 2 hours special effects extravaganza. Director Timur Bekmambetov succeeds at making this low budget feature feel like a multi-million dollars hollywood film. However, that is the only saving grace of this movie. It all feels rather familiar : stock vampires (known as Dark Others) square off against equally generic shapeshifters (known as Light Others) in something that could've been lifted straight out of Underworld or Blade. The characters are bland, uninspired and have a feeling of interchangeability. The plot is confused and lacks focus, the death metal soundtrack is mostly irritating and the uselessly stylish subtitles are hard to follow. I had high hopes for this one, but it turned out to be this year's biggest disappointment. 5/10.
2005/07/25
Fantasia : Jason and the Argonauts, Heroes of the East and G.O.R.A.
Heroes of the East is a jingoistic ride through the minds of the world-famous Shaw Brothers. If it were made today, the unbelievably over-the-top scenario that expresses the undeniable superiority of China over Japan in every conceivable way would most likely be taken as an edgy, second-degree movie. The sad truth is that although the movie doesn't take itself seriously, the message is probably genuine. Still, of all the four or five movies of the Shaw brothers I've ever seen, this one was the most entertaining. From the cheesy "swoosh" sound effects to the hilarious "crab-style Japanese kung-fu", this movie will deliver a ton of laughs, intentionally or not. 7.5/10.
It's always refreshing to see non-US sci-fi. It's even better when one has Hollywood-quality special effects like G.O.R.A. This is a Turkish science-fiction parody similar to Spaceballs in style and intent. Gags are not particularly subtle and often fall into the obvious. However they are well executed and usually deliver. The jokes are pretty much aimed at science-fiction fans. If you haven't seen Star Wars, The Matrix, The Fifth Element and others, you won't get most of it. If you have however, G.O.R.A. is bound to make you burst into laughter at least a few times, and you'll smile in-between. 8.5/10.
2005/07/20
Fantasia: Ghost House, P and Survive Style 5+
Ghost House is a light-hearted haunted house comedy movie starring the absolute cutest ghost of all times, Seo-hee Jang. Although about half an hour too long, the movie generally works. It features gags reminiscent of Evil Dead : Dead by Dawn, Bewitched and Beetle Juice, which is sometimes a good thing, sometimes not so good. 7.5/10.
P is your typical stripper/prostitution flick. Girl needs money to pay medical bills of relative. Girl gets a job whoring. Girl is mistreated by fellow strippers/whores and abusive clients. Girl uses ancient Khmer magic to destroy said rivals and abusive clients. Girl turns into a demon. We've all seen this a million times folks. Jokes aside, the movie has decent acting, lots of effective scary moments and pretty strippers. Do not under any circumstances see this movie if you plan on visiting
Featuring five insane, intertwining stories, Survive Style 5+ is a witty and surreal roller coaster ride that will surprise you at every turn. Supernatural phenomenon, comedy, violence, touching family drama, sex, and the craziest hit man you've ever seen this side of Firefly, this movie has it all. And it comes wrapped in some of the brightest dialogs you've heard in a long while. 9/10.
2005/07/18
Fantasia: Phantom Master, Tetsujin-28 and White Dragon
Tetsujin-28 is a modern adaptation of a giant robot manga that first appeared in the 1960s. As such, it is extremely naive and kid-oriented. The robot design is excellent, the Black Ox' look reflecting it's sinister nature while Tetsujin relays a sense of innocence and gentleness. You will definitely like this movie if A) You go with your kids or B) the kid in you is not completely dead. As neither is my case I was mostly bored with the movie's slow fight sequences and the long, drawn-out emotional dilemma of the 12 year-old boy whose decision will change the face of the earth. 5/10.
Not knowing anything about White Dragon before seeing it, I was fooled into thinking this would be "just another" feudal wusha flick. But a few minutes into the movie it becomes clear this movie takes as much from Clueless as it does from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The lead character is a completely normal Chinese schoolgirl who, by a twist a fate, downloads (yes, feudal china was apparently familiar with the concept) powers from a mysterious crime-fighting master. With tons of modern-day references and an arch-enemy inspired by the character of Zatoichi, White Dragon will make you laugh with it's unrefined yet good-willed sense of humor. 7.5/10.
2005/07/17
Fantasia: Le Protrait de Petit Cossette, Breaking News and Dragon Head
Breaking News is an excellent Hong Kong police flick. Making a social statement about the importance of the media in police business, the movie turns a hostage situation into a circus, where cops and bandits alike become so obsessed with winning the media war and earning the public's trust and sympathy that they forget how to do their job. Funny at times but often serious, Breaking News is effective and entertaining. 8/10.
Dragon Head begins as a train gets trapped inside a tunnel by a gigantic and unexplained explosion. The claustrophobic beginning leads to a This movie brings a grim and depressing view of mankind's reaction to crisis situations. Claustrophobic at first, terrifying in the middle and depressing at the end, Dragon Head won't earn any nomination for the feel-good movie of the festival. It is however very well-made, with good acting, stunning visual and a tight script. The story very segmented, and at times feel like episodes of a miniseries sewed together. That didn't bother me at all, but could potentially put off viewers. 8.5/10.
2005/07/16
Fantasia: The Place Promised in our Early Days, R-Point and Ju-On : The Grudge 2
R-Point is a combination of supernatural horror and war. This movie reminded me a little of The Keep. While watching I felt like I was watching a much older movie. It uses a lot of scary tricks that seemed to work much better in the '80s (bleeding radio anyone?). The acting ranged from adequate to bad. It does have it's scary moments, and some of the low-budget special effects are put to good use. 6/10.
Ju-On : The Grudge 2 is, overall, more of the same as the original Ju-On. The new twist will disturb many I'm sure, especially pregnant women (don't see this movie if you're pregnant, not only because of the stress it creates, but because the subject matter). Creepy as hell, disgusting at times. 7/10. As a side-note, seeing these kinds of film at fantasia may not be a good idea. It seems the crowd find it necessary to laugh most of the time, probably to hide their own fears. Rent and watch before going to bed, if you want to miss a good night's sleep.
2005/07/10
Fantasia: Ashura, Arahan and Karaoke Terror
Thursday I saw Ashura, an entirely forgettable Edo-period demon-hunting action adventure film with a hint of comedy. The comic aspects are actually what works best in that movie, as the action scenes are nothing you've never seen before. There's enough good moments to recommend a rental on a slow night. 6/10
Saturday night was a double-feature : Arahan followed by Karaoke Terror. Both were fantastic. Arahan is a hilarious Korean action-comedy film where everything just seems to work. It's about a group of old, washed up Tao masters who find a young klutzy cop that they feel will be the new Tao Master. It still plays twice at Fantasia, so don't miss it. 9/10
Karaoke Terror is, at this point, the highlight of the festival. A brilliant ultra-violent gang war movie. Pitted against each other are young kids with no purpose in life and equally dispassionate middle-aged women. Their war will rapidly escalate to unreal proportions. The acting is awesome, the script is fabulous. You will either laugh yourself silly or be totally depressed. A real must-see. 10/10
2005/06/29
PSP Dead Pixel Woes
"Red, blue or green spots (bright spots) or black spots (dark spots) may appear in certain locations on the LCD screen. The appearance of such spots is a normal occurence associated with LCD screens and is not a sign of a malfuction. LCD screens are made using highly precise technology. However, a very small number of dark pixels or continuously lit pixels exist on each screen."
Now, I understand that for all that it does (movie/music/console) the PSP is on the cheap end. And to get it out that cheap you had to make compromises. Among those compromises were poor quality control on the LCD screens. Fair enough. I don't mind a company that accepts that a certain percentage of units will be defective to lower costs. What I do mind is a company that guilt trips it's customers into thinking it's their fault if they think there is a problem with their screen. A company that lies about the nature of LCD screens, stating that "each screen" as in "all LCD screens ever built" have burned, defective pixels. A company that tries to make you feel like a moron for thinking there's a problem. That I mind.
I have used several LCDs, on my laptops, digital cameras and Gameboy Advance. I have never had any dead pixel on them. Don't tell all LCDs have them, unless you previously painted "sucker" on my forehead.
I have to say this turn of event stressed me during my vacation. I was 600 km away from the place of purchase and had no idea how Toys R Us would deal with my return. Would they try to tell me my unit was fine (like Sony is trying to tell me)? To my defense, the piece of unremovable dust caught in the middle of LCD screen would probably save me, as it was not a "normal occurence found in all LCD screen".
I went to Toys R Us and I'm happy to report that they've accepted my return. In fact, even 1 burned pixel would've been enough. I'm very happy and satisfied that unlike Sony, they recognize that shelling 300$ for a piece of equipment that is defective is not something to be happy about. They gladly replaced my PSP and this one looks top notch. I still have about 40 days to make sure of this before my store warranty ends and I have to deal directly with Sony. Hope it never comes to that.
Thumbs up Toys R Us, thumbs down Sony.
2005/06/27
One C.R.A.Z.Y. movie
2005/06/13
Things that suck about the Battlefield 2 demo
- Server time limit is badly reported on the server selection screen. You'll often see 12 minutes even with games without time limits.
- Server selection screen will make the computer freeze completely when you try to use filters.
- Many servers don't have VoIP support. No VoIP? Why not play Desert Combat instead?
- "There is a problem with your connection", yeah, except in every other game or application.
Getting to a 32+ game without the 12 minutes limit and with voice support is getting to be very complicated. If you know of any good reliable servers without the problems above, let me know!
2005/06/12
Look me up in the Gulf of Oman
Update : Finally had two awesome experiences. One as part of a squad that used voicechat extensively, we were really really working out as part of a team (malarkey###, a few others). Unfortunately the team commander was silent and passive, so the next game I got to be commander and it really rocked because 3 of the 5 squad leaders were using voicechat so the effort was coordinated like I've never seen in Battlefield. Integrated voicechat is IMO the defining upgrade since 1942. Strategic mode and homing missiles rank second. Can't wait for the real deal.
BTW the demo is buggy, first release will probably be buggy. Already looking forward to the patches :-)
2005/06/04
Episode III sucks!
And check out these people, who are just so damn right about this. Here, and here.
Update : 2028 hours, another good review from the Montreal Mirror.
2005/05/29
G4 didn't kill them folks
Also, Kevin Rose, another former Screen Saver who's also on the TwiT cast, has also launched his own television podcast called systm. Check it out!