Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Video: Lord of the Rings I, II, III: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003). An extensive story. After seeing the movie, I would want to read the book. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Moulin Rouge (2001). w/ Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor. Director: Baz Luhrman (Romeo and Juliet). Unusual love story. Lots of sung scenes; sometimes cuts are too short; interesting mixture of well known songs in modern versions; 'Roxanne' is best interpretation; overall poor story; spectacular costumes; bizarre acting; Nicole Kidman should know by now that her singing is even worse than her acting. Overall rating 3 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Metropolitan Museum 10/24/04: 1.) Roof Garden: Andy Goldsworthy on the Roof. 2.) German Drawings and Prints from the Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Otto Dix, George Grosz, Max Beckmann and others. Senses the situation after WW-I and shows many mutiliations. Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity). 3.) China: Dawn of the Golden Age, 200-750 AD. Han Dynasty was ~ 300 BC to 300 AD. Fine sculptures and textiles. 4.) George Washington: Man Myth, Monument. A collection of GW portraits. Dauguerrotype with young woman standing in front of GW portrait.
~~~~~~~
Video: Matrix Reloaded (2003): pointless, useless, dull, waste of time. 2 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994); aka 'Red'. French with English subtitles. Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski. w/ Irene Jacob as Valentine Dussaut, Jean-Louis Trintignant as The Judge. Captivating movie about a model who, by coincidence, meets a retired judge who is spying on his neighbors. A movie about love, betrayal, and life in general. Excellent tempo. Third part of the trilogy. Perfect acting. 9 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Trois couleurs: Blanc (1994). aka: 'White'. Polish and French with English subtitles. Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski. Bizarre story; man becomes crook after his wife left him; planning for revenge; no magic in the story; disappointing; 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993); aka 'Blue'. French with English subtitles. Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski. Woman loses man and daughter in a car accident. She mourns her loss by starting a new life, away from old companions and memories. Only after realizing that her husband had a long-term affair with another woman, she regains the strength to abandon her misery. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Stop Telemarketers: federal and NJ.
~~~~~~~
Video: Excalibur (1981): Cheezy tale about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Overall Rating: 5 out of 10
~~~~~~~
Video: Trainspotting (1996). Drug addict tries to leave the Edinburgh scene, but is held back by his friends. Overall Rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Women in Love (1969). 131 min. Directed by Ken Russell; after the novel by D.H. Lawrence; w/ Alan Bates (Rupert Birkin), Oliver Reed (Gerald Crich), Glenda Jackson (Gudrun Brangwen), Jennie Linden (Ursula Brangwen). Exploration of the relationships, personalities, and philosophies of two men and two women in the high society of the early 1900s (IMDB). Multi-layered tale about love, friendship, and the philosophy of life. Glenda Jackson won the Oscar for 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' in 1970. Good acting, bizarre story. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Vendredi Soir aka 'Friday Night' (2002). Directed by Claire Denis. Woman wants to move in with her boyfriend. Gets stuck in traffic. Meets another man. Spends night with him, and leaves him. Slow story. Overall rating: 5 out of 10
~~~~~~~
DVD: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003): Directed by
Quentin Tarantino. w/ Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu. Developing story. Comic strip brutality. Overall raiting: 7 out of 10. Want to see Vol. 2.
~~~~~~~
Politics: What is a "lame duck" session? When Congress (or either chamber) reconvenes in an even-numbered year following the November general elections to consider various items of business. Some lawmakers who return for this session will not be in the next Congress. Hence, they are informally called "lame duck" members participating in a "lame duck" session. For more U.S. politics terms see U.S. Senate glossary.
~~~~~~~
Culture: Bad Fads: A virtual museum of fun and nostalgic fashions, collectibles, activities and events which are cherished by some and ridiculed by others.
~~~~~~~
Theater: Symphonie Fantastique. Dodger Stages, 350 W 50th St, NYC. 60 min. Created by Basil Twist. Abstract under water puppet theater to the music of the same name by French romantic composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869). Intriguing effects with shapes, clothes, and light in a 1000 gallon fish tank. Visualizes the music. Unusual idea.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Benjamin Franklin. An Extraordinary Life (2002). PBS documentary. 3.5 hours. Well narrated biography of the versatile 18th century man, who invented the lightning rod and played an important role in creating the United States of America.
~~~~~~~
Theater: nytheater.com. Theater listings and reviews.
~~~~~~~
Movies: Actor Danny Aiello can be found often at Tutta Pasta in Hoboken, NJ
~~~~~~~
Movies: Actress: Jessika Cardinahl. Renowned from the German comedy movie 'Otto, der Film'. Now successful as a painter.
~~~~~~~
Video: The Day after Tomorrow (2004). Directed by Roland Emmerich. The world freezes over as a results of environmental pollution. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Overall rating: 7 out of 10
~~~~~~~
Video: The House of Mirth (2000). 140 min. Directed by Terence Davies after a novel by Edith Wharton. w/ Gillian Anderson, Eric Stoltz, Dan Aykroyd. Woman in New York in Victorian times refuses to marry and paves the way for her destruction. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Finding Forrester. w/ Sean Connery. Hermit writer coaches black kid with writing ambitions. Overall rating 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Food: Beth's Farm Kitchen. Jams & Chutneys. Favorite: Mighty Hot Pepper Jelly with jalopenio peppers, and red and green bell peppers. NYC Greenmarket: Fri. and Sat. at Union Square.
~~~~~~~
Culture: Auroville: City in Southern India founded in 1968. The Auroville concept is that of an ideal township devoted to an experiment in human unity. Important figures are Mirra Alfassa (The Mother) and Sri Aurobindo (Aurobindo Ghose, 1872-1950).
~~~~~~~
Movies: Ebert & Roeper: Movie reviews.
~~~~~~~
Music: Donny McCaslin: January 2, 2005 at 55 Bar. Donny McCaslin - Saxophones, Ben Monder - Guitar, Ben Street - Bass, Adam Cruz - Drums. All four are talented musicians.
~~~~~~~
Google now offers the beta version of a search engine called 'Google Scholar'. The engine helps finding scientific papers and web pages of all kind. The nice thing is that the search also yields the number of citations the paper has been cited in, allowing a crude estimate of its impact. You can click on the 'Cited by' link in the results section to list them. Also, the 'Advanced Scholar Search' includes additional search options. The down side may be that it is not as up-to-date as, for example, PubMed/Medline.
~~~~~~~
Culture: Eating 12 Grapes on New Year's Eve. For a long time, Spanish people have had a traditional custom to celebrate New Year's Eve. On the last day of the year, the 31st of December , they wait until twelve p.m. Everybody has to have twelve grapes ready to eat when the clock starts to chime. It is traditional to listen to the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
~~~~~~~
Web: Washed Ashore: casting a message in a bottle into the world wide ocean. A personal site by Ben Discoe, rich in ideas.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Fa yeung nin wa (2000), aka In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong: English title and USA), aka Hua yang nian hua (Hong Kong: Mandarin title). The Criterion Collection (2 DVDs). Director: Wong Kar-wai (Kar Wai Wong); w/ Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung. In Hong Kong in the 60s, two neighbors discover that their spouses have an affair, and reenact their story. Film was shot without a detailed script. Very subtle story and movements. Interestingly, the 'deleted scenes' section and the included documentary of the making of the film included on the DVD unfolds a very different story. Overall rating: 7 our of 10. Sequel: 2046 (2004). Earlier movie by Wong Kar-Wai: Days of Being Wild (1991).
~~~~~~~
Fashion: Cheongsam, also known as Qipao (Ch'ipau), is one of the most typical, traditional costumes for Chinese women. Characteristic is the high and tight fitting collar. Qipao was originally the costume worn by the Manchus (17th centruy). Cheongsam was brought back to vogue by a movie called "In the Mood for Love" (see above).
~~~~~~~
History: In 1644, the Manchus united China and established the Qing Dyansty which lasted until 1911. History of China. Time line.
~~~~~~~
Museum: MoMA in NYC. Re-opend after renovation in November 2004. Interior was completely re-designed. Wide, open spaces. Reminds a bit of a hybrid between a modern airport and a department store. Lacks smaller, more quiet rooms to retreat a bit. Some interesting views in the distance though. Collection is exceptional.
~~~~~~~