:: As posted to Blogcritics.com: By my count, I watched 115 films in 2004, but to compile a list of favorites, I'm restricting my choices to films which are eligible for the Academy Award, so will include films I've seen in 2005 which were released in 2004. It is not possible to compile a Ten Best List unless you are a full-time film critic. As such, I call my choices favorites, rather than the best of the year, and include twelve on my final list. In alphabetical order:
Films I didn't see which might have made the list: Bad Education, Being Julia, Dogville, The Door in the Floor, Friday Night Lights, I'm Not Scared, The Mother, The Motorcycle Diaries, The Sea Inside, A Very Long Engagement, William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice,
I (Still) Don't Get It: The Saddest Music in the World.
2004 Great Disappointments: The Stepford Wives, Troy, The Village.
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:: I finished reading Bill Bryson's book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, earlier this week. It's a great read, a long book of almost 550 pages, but never a dull moment. Bryson spent three years learning about the origins of geology, astronomy, physics, chemistry, paleontology, evolution, and many more subjects, condensing them to short chapters that feel much more detailed as you read each one. His writing is clear, concise, and he avoids the use of scientific and technical jargon that might alienate a reader not comfortable with science writing. Highly recommended.
I worked out this morning, and yesterday morning as well. Historically I have not been a morning workout person. I would find myself becoming light-headed as I progressed through the exercise routine. This time, before each workout, I ate a banana to get a few extra carbs in my system before doing 30 minutes on the cross-trainer and then a brisk, 15-minute walk on the treadmill. I experienced no light-headedness, and felt good afterwards. My lower back continues to give me some problems, however. I followed the routines with a series of stretches for my lower back.
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:: Entries are few and far between of late. On the other hand, Tony is on a blog roll, so to speak, creating interesting, diverse, lengthy, and intelligent posts on various topics. It is a long weekend in Alberta, and in other parts of Canada, I believe. On Saturday morning, I rehearsed with Amelia for a concert we are performing on Wednesday, Feb 23. Last Thursday evening, I jammed with Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys' drummer David Leigh, just the two of us. We ran through the twelve songs I've learned since joining the band in November, now down to two people. I've decided to continue playing with David as he recruits another bass player. The truth is, the practices and rehearsals in December and January were becoming more and more enjoyable, and I was having fun creating loud, angry, noisy, interesting electric music again. I don't have a lot of fun, or to be more exact, probably don't allow myself to let more joy enter my life. I remain too guarded.
What has happened in these practices is that the rock musician deep inside me is stirring, wanting to remerge again. I've played guitar for 38 years, most of it acoustic, but I've always felt I was an electric guitarist at heart. I hope David can find a bass player soon; he insists he has a number of candidates interested in joining up. I am impatient for progress on this front. I want to play live again and have fun.
Movie going is down. I've seen four films this year, but should pick up soon. Most of the stuff in theatres that I haven't seen yet is shyte, mindless pap released by the studios to get us through the awards season. I'm watching too much tv as well, a 45-year addiction that won't let go.
Yesterday I attended a party at Latitude 53, called 53 Ways to Leave Your Lover. My friend and library colleague Allison Sivak, who is on the executive of L53, invited a number of us to attend, and I enjoyed it. It was karaoke night, and Allison and I shrieked our way through The Immigrant Song, but without the cats and the boat. The song holds a special meaning to me, it was one of three Led Zep songs I played while a member of Ram, the first band I of which I was a member, in 1970-71.
I attended the party with my friend Marissa, an independent set designer with a great eye for clothing and dress. Afterwards we went for a slice, and she gave me a pink shirt and a pair of pink Converse runners, the intention being to begin building me a hip and interesting wardrobe I could use when performing, and beyond. Stay tuned for reports.
Today was dim sum with Taras and Paul, followed by coffee with Taras, which, as always, led to a series of good discussions about this and that. I've been joining them for dim sum for over a decade now, always following the meal with coffee with Taras in the Little Italy section of Edmonton. Last week, we switched locations for coffee, impatient for the bar we usually attend to invoke its no smoking policy (which happens 1 July 2005). The new location is a flower shop that also sells dishes and related kitchen items and stoneware, and features one long table where we can sit, drink our lattes, and chat. The atmosphere is considerably different: quiet, fresh air that smells of fresh flowers, and the sound of running water.
In the evening, I was a guest for dinner at the home of Joan, the mother of a friend and colleague, together with my friend's two daughters, and two exchange students from China who board with Joan, while my friend and her husband (also a friend) were off for a short vacation. Joan cooks a mean roast beef dinner, together with mashed potatoes, peas, hot biscuits, and mouth-watering chocolate cake for dessert. A game of hearts followed, with Wei, one of the Chinese students, winning the game.
Tomorrow I am hoping to meet with Robert, if he makes the drive from Lethbridge to visit his mother. If I find the energy, I'll go for a short workout, and hope to do more cleaning and reading. On Tuesday morning, two colleagues and I will be presenting one segment of a five-part morning lecture on engineering ethics and integrity. I am off Wednesday and Friday this week.
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:: Charlie Rose discusses blogging on his show tonight with four well-known bloggers: Andrew Sullivan, Ana Marie Cox, Glenn Reynolds, and Joe Trippi. This group represents political bloggers, and Trippi hasn't updated his site since February 6th. Should be worth dialing up, nonetheless.
Update: I watched the first fifteen minutes of the segment (will watch the rest tomorrow), and it was good. One point made: that blogs allow the submission of comments by readers, immediately after reading the blogger's post(s), thus connecting reader and writer in real time, as opposed to, say, a magazine or newspaper column, which can take days or weeks, or months in some cases. Readers can provide feedback and opinion, point out errors, make suggestions, etc. What's interesting is that of the four bloggers on the show, only Joe Trippi's blog allows for immediate submission of comments. Sullivan's site allows for submission of e-mail for publication, which are then published anonymously, if at all. The most recent e-mail published is dated 31 January 2005. Reynold's and Cox's blogs do not allow for immediate comments either, but accept e-mail feedback. And who's linking to whom: Cox: links to Sullivan and Reynolds. Sullivan: links to Reynolds. Reynolds: links to Sullivan, Cox. Trippi: links to Cox.
:: I have been extremely busy at work the past while, preparing a couple of major presentations, one on Friday, one next Tuesday. I will resurface soon. Also, regarding the rock band, I've decided to stick with it and see what happens. More on that later.
| TrackBack (0):: A few weeks ago at practice, a fellow band member mentioned the revived, or as it is being called, reimaged Battlestar Galactica series, speaking favourably of the new version. (Canadian site here.) I was vaguely aware that a mini-series version had aired in 2003, but paid no attention to it at the time. When the original series first aired in the late 70s, I detested it, with the exception of having a major crush on Maren Jensen at the time, which caused me to watch more episodes than I care to admit. The show was pure camp, featuring characters with horrid names like Starbuck, Apollo, Athena, Adama, Boomer, and Cassiopeia, combined with bad acting and writing.
I decided to dial up the new series, and much to my surprise, found myself hooked in a very short time, albeit confused from the outset because I hadn't seen the three hour miniseries. I did remember the show's premise from the original series, still in place for this one. From the episodes page:
It had been more than 40 years since the humans of the 12 Colonies of Kobol battled with the Cylons, the sentient robots that turned on their creators with deadly results. The robots had observed the armistice that ended the Cylon War, but the promised diplomatic relations between man and machine never materialized. The Cylons remained quiet for years and soon their threat was all but forgotten.After watching the first four episodes and remaining in the dark about major plot lines, I found the miniseries, and watched it this weekend. Needless to say, major story gaps were immediately filled, and the show makes much more sense.When the robot Cylons infiltrated the human defense system, they launched a surprise nuclear attack that decimated humanity and all of civilization, leaving a ragtag fleet of humans as the sole survivors. Faced with an un-winnable battle against a deadly enemy, they were forced to flee under the protection of their one remaining warship, the outdated Battlestar Galactica. Pursued by the Cylons -- some of whom have now taken human form -- Commander Adama and President Roslin lead these last remnants of humanity in search of a new home - a planet called Earth.
What makes the "reimaged" series better? For starters, an outstanding cast led by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, rock solid character actors with long pedigrees, cast as Commander Adama and President Roslin. Olmos gives immediate credibility to Adama, a natural leader whose presence bleeds authority and leadership. McDonnell's Roslin is also tough, dealing with not only being made President on short notice, but also with advanced cancer, known only to her and two others. As Education Secretary, she was 43rd in line of succession to the presidency. The only remaining member of cabinet known to the Galactica and the ships surviving with it, she is sworn in as President, and must govern the 49,000 remaining members of humanity. A two-time Oscar nominee, McDonnell breathes life into Roslin, facing personal challenges on many levels that most couldn't handle on the best of days.
The ridiculous names used in the original series have been reduced to what appear to be nicknames or handles for the pilots, although the names are used prominently in each episode. The characters of Starbuck and Boomer have been replaced by ballsy women, strongly portrayed by Katee Sackhoff and Grace Park.
Canadian übermodel (and fellow Albertan!) Tricia Helfer is Number Six, one of twelve Cylon human models, some of which apparently don't even know they are Cylons. Six (not too far from Seven-of...never mind) spends two years seducing James Callis's Dr Baltar into revealing everything about the defense system of humanity while planting a chip in his brain, so that she appears in the flesh to him, and no one else, constantly teasing and annoying him whenever it moves her to do so. The seduction leads to the near total destruction of humanity, as the Cyclons lay waste to the twelve colonies in a swiftly executed nuclear holocaust. (I can only imagine how tough it must be for Callis, having to play a character that is constantly being smothered and suffocated by Tricia Helfer. Such a cross to bear...)
In 2005, it is expected that special effects in a show like this would be state-of-the-art, and such is the case here. What is unexpected is the darkness and grit of the show. Emphasis is placed on character and story. With survival of humanity hanging by a thread, there is never a moment in the show when you feel any ease or relief. The characters bring enormous baggage. Jamie Bamber is Apollo, Adama's son, estranged from and blaming him for the death two years earlier of his brother Zack, with which neither man has come to terms. The XO, Tigh, portrayed by Michael Hogan, is an alcoholic, and at odds with Starbuck, Zack's fiancé before his death.
Production values on the show have not been ignored. The strong fx are matched by production design and cinematography. Planet-based scenes are shot with colour filters, adding a realistic feel to images of alien territory. The docking bays, housing the fighter ships and maintenance crews, are shot in very bright light, in contrast to the command centre and various housing quarters throughout the Galactica, which are shot in darker, contrasting tones.
All we know about the Cylons is that they were created by man decades ago, and eventually turned on humanity, destroying them for reasons unknown. The new show's creators (or reimagers?) chose to maintain the look of the original robotic creatures, which I felt from day one looked altogether rather silly, with the red beam of light pulsating back and forth where normally one would find eyes. A small price to pay in exchange for a show of such high quality. Another smart choice: the elimination, at least so far, of the annoying child character, Boxey, who appeared in the miniseries, but is nowhere to be seen in the episodes broadcast to date.
In his Dec 2004 review, Michael King described the new version as "not your father's Galactica", and Matt Shafer followed earlier this month, calling it "the best show you're probably not watching", adding "In only five episodes Battlestar Galactica established itself as not only the best Science Fiction show on television but one of the best shows on television bar none." Both are accurate descriptions of the most pleasant surprise of the 2004-2005 television season. The good news is that after five aired episodes, the Sci-Fi Channel has ordered a second set of 13 episodes. The bad news is, I've lost another hour during the week when I could be doing something else besides watching television!
NOTE: This review also appears on Blogcritics.com
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:: I haven't been blogging a lot lately here, more so on STLQ. (I've been asked to speak on a blogging panel at the Canadian Library Association Conference in Calgary in June, 2005.) Lack of inspiration and other things, heavy workload, etc. I'm also trying to catch up on e-mails dating back to last fall, and found a few items that may be of interest, some or all of which may be old news to you already.
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:: I have been waiting for almost two years for someone, anyone out there, to try the Skype program with me. This afternoon, my dear father downloaded and installed the program on his machine in Winnipeg, and we spoke to each other through the VoIP program, using headsets. VoIP=Voice Over Internet Protocol, used in IP Telephony. I was amazed at how clear the sound was, much better than my telephone. What are the rest of you waiting for?? All computer-to-computer calls are free to anywhere in the world! Put your headset on, start a call, and the damn thing even rings like a telephone!
I purchased €10.00 worth of time to use SkypeOut, which lets you call landlines or cell phones. Using Skype, I can call a landline or cell phone in the States for $0.032 per minute.
Thanks, Dad. Anyone else care to try?
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:: Didn't think spamming could get any worse? Think again:this isn't good news:
SPAMMERS TRY A NEW TACK - Tired of being blocked by "blacklists," spammers are turning to a new technique -- routing it directly through the computers of their Internet service providers, rather than sending it from individual machines. The result poses a dilemma: to block spam coming directly from an ISP's servers would mean blocking all its mail, crippling the system. "From what we've seen, the volumes of this type of spam are going up dramatically," says Steve Linford, who heads up the Spamhaus Project. "We're really looking at a bleak thing" if ISPs don't quickly deploy countermeasures, he adds. Such measures could include more aggressive monitoring and limiting how much mail is being sent from individual machines on their networks. In addition, ISPs should beef up efforts to authenticate mail they pass on through their own computers, says Linford. A study released yesterday estimates that deleting spam costs nearly $22 billion per year in lost productivity, based on a survey of 1,000 adults who said they spend about three minutes per day trashing spam when they check their e-mail. (Washington Post 4 Feb 2005) <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61901-2005...> - (requires registration to view)| TrackBack (0) | Comments (2)
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:: The entire state of Connecticut was almost evacuated today, when someone pushed the wrong button.
:: First Brad and Jennifer, now Bloom and Bosworth? Methinks Legolas has shot too many arrows in the wrong direction. What was he thinking? Breaking up with Kate? That radiant smile, that thoughtful gaze? Kate, if you need a shoulder to cry on, gimme a call.
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