Sunday, October 29, 2006

Snippets:
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DVD: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Whitch, and the Wardrobe (2005) w/ Tilda Swinton (White Witch), Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie). Directed by Andrew Adamson (Shrek). Four children discover and rescue the magical land of Narnia from the powers of the White Witch. Rich in special effects, but sometimes too obvious, some poor acting. Often too melodramatic. Swinton in excellent. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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DVD: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). 109 min. Book and screenplay by Douglas Adams. Directed by Garth Jennings. w/ Martin Freeman (Arthur Dent), Zooey Deschanel (Trillian), Mos Def (Ford Prefect), Sam Rockwell (Zaphod Beeblebrox), John Malkovich (Humma Kavula). Slightly stupid earthling flees from his planet with his alien friend just before the earth is destroyed by Vogons, and meets the love of his life. Silly comedy after the renowned book. Some great costumes. Entertaining, but does not live up to expectations. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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Music: Sparklehorse. Is essentially the singer/songwriter Mark Linkous. Acclaimed debut album 'Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot' in 1995. New album 'Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain' in 2006. Rock-Pop, sometimes reminds of Neil Young, Pink Floyd etc., but not as good.
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Music: Brett Harriss. CD Release Party at the Bitter End, NYC, on 9/9/06. Straightforward rock-pop, sometimes reminds of Dave Mathews.
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Photography: Shomei Tomatsu. Japanese photographer.
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DVD: Good Bye Lenin (2003). w/ Daniel Brühl (Alex), Katrin Saß (Mutter), Chulpan Khamatova (Lara). Directed by Wolfgang Becker. Son creates a GDR-like world around his socialist mother who lay in a coma during the days of Germn reunification in 1989. Great idea, but sometimes dwells to long on a topic. Khamatova is good. Overall rating 6 out of 10.
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DVD: March of the Penguins (La Marche de l'empereur, 2005). 85 min. Directed by Luc Jacquet. Won 2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary. Describes a year in the life of a pengin colony in the Antarctic ice. Sunning pictures. Narration and music have too much emphasis on feeling and well-being. It is annoying that some interpretations of the animal world are 'humanized' (love, joy etc.). There often is not enough detail given to actually learn about the penguins. Overal rating: 5 out of 10.
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DVD: More (1969). 116 min. Directed by Barbet Schroeder. w/ Mimsy Farmer (Estelle Miller), Klaus Grünberg (Stefan Brückner), Heinz Engelmann (Dr. Ernesto Wolf). Experimental young man meets heroin addict in Paris, and joins her to Ibiza to live a relaxed live. Sun worhipping is one of the themes throughout the film. Experimenting with drugs. Describes well the thinking of drug addicts for the next fix. Bumpy dialogues. Great 60s atmosphere. Overall rating 7 out of 10.
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DVD: The Wall (1982). 95 min. Written by Roger Waters. Music by Pink Floyd, based on the 1979 album. Directed by Alan Parker (Fame, Birdy, Evita). Animation by Gerald Scarfe. w/ Bob Geldof. Burnt out rock star retracts in hotel room in front of a TV and goes insane over reflecting about his parent, his upbringing during WWII, his failed marriage, and his need for power. Mostly music, little spoken text. Cult film. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Music: Hiromi. Jazz pianist with modern influences.
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Poetry: Emma Lazarus. Written in 1883, her celebrated poem, "The New Colossus," is engraved on a plaque in the Statue of Liberty. Over the years, the sonnet has become a part of American culture, serving as everything from an Irving Berlin show tune to a call for immigrants' rights.
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Real Estate: Buy property on Moon, Mars, or Venus at Moon Estates.
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Technology: The Kinzua Viaduct was a railroad bridge in Kinzua Bridge State Park, McKean County, in Northern Pennsylvania. Originally built in 1900, the bridge was mostly destroyed by a tornado in 2003.
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Life: Free international phone calls at FuturePhone. Gateway access number 712-858-8883. Iowa-based. Works, but often has problems actually getting connected to the destination number.
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Photography: Terra Galleria by Quang-Tuan Luong. Photos from around the world.
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DVD: Good Night, and Good Luck (2005). 93 min. Directed by George Clooney. w/ David Strathairn (Edward R. Murrow), George Clooney (Fred Friendly), Jeff Daniels (Sig Mickelson). Story is set around 1953, the early days of televison, and tells the story how the journalist Edward R. Murrow takes on Sen Joseph McCarthy (Wisconsin) on his CBS show 'See It Now'. Mc Carthy was known for his intense anti-communist politics. A main theme of the film is freedom of the press. Film tells a good story, but appears too narrow and static. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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Life: Cohiba: Cuban cigar brand.
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Humor: Darwin Awards: Saluting the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who remove themselves from it.
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Humor: Demystifying urban legends at Snopes.
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Humor: Learn about the dangers of DHMO (dihydrogen monoxide).
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