Soooooo this was one of the movies I was dying to watch in theaters when it first came out, but, for a variety of reasons, that never worked out. I finally got it from the library (my library is AWFUL, it takes them like 5 months to get new DVDs), and, more importantly, I finally had time to watch it. And my conclusion is, Eagle Eye gets a bad rap.
Okay, so the plot is a bit lame. The storyline gets a bit unbelievable at points. But the bottom line is, Eagle Eye is a dark, fast-paced action/adventure movie that caters to those who love high-tech gadgets and explosive special effects. And the writers/directors/producers know it, too. They never attempt to pretend this is the most intelligent, thought-provoking film out there, they just focus on making Eagle Eye the best movie in its genre, without ever slipping into the trap of making it silly, pathetic, or mindless. This film is remarkably unpretentious, leading to overall better acting, better writing, and better directing.
So, at school this semester, I'm taking a digital video production course. Two weeks into the class, and I'm already watching movies going, "Oh that was a brilliant shot! I wonder how they got that effect! No, no, no, the scene should be set up like this!" I was focusing a lot on the production aspects, which maybe made the plot a bit more acceptable. Some of the things I noticed: Eagle Eye follows the "show, don't tell" principle maybe better than any movie I've seen (or maybe I've just never payed attention before). Probably the most notable example is Ethan's funeral. We aren't "told" Ethan died, we aren't "told" that Ethan and Jerry were twins, but you get all that and more from the acting. As for the special effects (*cough*explosions*cough*) they are not the gratuitous, constant explosions you'll find in a Michael Bay film (not that there's anything wrong with those, but everything in its place). They're gritty, realistic, purposeful and well done. I'm thinking especially of the falling power lines here. By the way, car chases? So much more fun when one participant doesn't know how to drive her stickshift car ;)
As for the characters, we learn a surprising lot about them. Over the course of the movie – which is really only a few days, if that – we see the two leads slowly moving from hostility to trust to friendship, which culminates in a (slightly corny) birthday scene at the end. I'm actually starting to think that Shia LaBeouf has the potential to be a good actor now. Agents Tom Morgan and Zoe Perez might be a bit stereotypical, but the actors lend them crediblity, and I was actually quite liking them by the end. Overall, much more characterization than you get from, say, Transformers.
Last, but not least, the societal commentary. Sure, we have nothing close to Ariia now, but how soon until we do? Five years? Ten? And what happens then? How much do you trust the computer? How much do you trust the government to protect your privacy? How long until the computer does something you completely aren't prepared for? All very important questions that hit you after the movie is over. Oh . . . and don't watch this with your cellphone on! Mine rang during the movie, at one of the points where Ariia was trying to contact Jerry, and I jumped a foot!
Bottom line, if you love well produced, dark, effects-filled films that still manage to be intense action/adventure movies, go watch this. Even if you don't, watch it anyway. The societal commentary just might make it all worth it.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Warehouse 13: "Duped" Review
Joanne Kelly is several thousand degrees of amazing. She has two totally opposite characters to play here: evil, flirty Alice and troubled, trapped Myka and she portrays both of them absolutely beautifully. And by the end, Alice/Myka looks a whole lot like Bellatrix Lestrange (or maybe that's just me).
All that aside, "Duped" is a really, really good episode, and makes me happy I've stuck with the series long enough for it to find its feet. It proves, thankfully, that last week's "Implosion" was not just a fluke, the series really is getting good =)
Character-wise, I could go on for paragraphs and not say enough good things. Leena is actually useful (yay!). Claudia is brilliant, and I love how she fights so hard to get to talk to Myka. She really cares for her fellow Warehouse agents now, which is touching to see. Oh, and Myka still owes her a hug.
I cannot tell you how happy I am that the Artie-drama from last week wasn't just dropped. I was half expecting it, to be honest, because shows tend to do that, but this was a very pleasent surprise. I have to say that Artie and Myka's conversation through the mirror is one of my favorite scenes so far, it was wonderfully touching and very real, a testament to the abilities of the actors.
From a directoral standpoint, "Duped" shines as well. I loved how in the breakfast scene and in the hotel room scenes, "Myka" is shown mostly in mirrors. It's something that only makes sense after the end of the episode, but after, it makes you say, "Huh. Now that makes sense!" There were several really nice pan shots of the casino floor, and I like the different effects that come into play whenever someone is seeing the future with the coin. Also, Alice/Myka slowly becomes less and less like Myka . . . which builds suspense until the end.
There's a few things that bothered me, though. Alice takes over Myka's body very easily . . . too easily, actually. She knows exactly how to act like Myka, she has fighting skills far beyond anything a girl her age should have . . . it was just odd for me, because my understanding of the mirror was that one essence fuses with another image or body. Which should mean that Alice would have no idea of who Myka was. It was confusing. And the music. I know, I know, part of the fun of W13 is that it has funny music, but in this case, the "Go Ask Alice" song when Claudia, Artie, and Leena are setting up the trap completely ruined the mood they were trying to set up. Like, completely completely. And, lastly, when Alice/Myka tesla's Gary, and Pete tells her he's dead . . . he's so not. His eyes are even moving. And I'm sure Alice/Myka knew the tesla wasn't high enough to kill him. And the tesla also doesn't do anything to their memories, so . . . anyway.
Overall, though, this was a brilliant episode.
~~~~~~~~~~
And I know I don't usually do this, but I want to pull a few of my favorite lines from this episode.
Myka (to Artie): "When I get out of here [the mirror] I'm hugging her [Claudia] and I'm kicking your ass."
Myka: "You do not treat me like some chess piece that you move around on a board only you can see."
Artie: "What kept you?"
Leena: "Three pumpkin pies, and a broken oven thermometer that you keep promising to fix."
Pete: "The real Myka would never kiss me. Not if her life depended on it."
Claudia (to Artie, on how to contact Pete): "Well, dude. He's in a big hotel."
Oh, and that disco ball? If it ever gets out of the Warehouse, it is becoming mine.
All that aside, "Duped" is a really, really good episode, and makes me happy I've stuck with the series long enough for it to find its feet. It proves, thankfully, that last week's "Implosion" was not just a fluke, the series really is getting good =)
Character-wise, I could go on for paragraphs and not say enough good things. Leena is actually useful (yay!). Claudia is brilliant, and I love how she fights so hard to get to talk to Myka. She really cares for her fellow Warehouse agents now, which is touching to see. Oh, and Myka still owes her a hug.
I cannot tell you how happy I am that the Artie-drama from last week wasn't just dropped. I was half expecting it, to be honest, because shows tend to do that, but this was a very pleasent surprise. I have to say that Artie and Myka's conversation through the mirror is one of my favorite scenes so far, it was wonderfully touching and very real, a testament to the abilities of the actors.
From a directoral standpoint, "Duped" shines as well. I loved how in the breakfast scene and in the hotel room scenes, "Myka" is shown mostly in mirrors. It's something that only makes sense after the end of the episode, but after, it makes you say, "Huh. Now that makes sense!" There were several really nice pan shots of the casino floor, and I like the different effects that come into play whenever someone is seeing the future with the coin. Also, Alice/Myka slowly becomes less and less like Myka . . . which builds suspense until the end.
There's a few things that bothered me, though. Alice takes over Myka's body very easily . . . too easily, actually. She knows exactly how to act like Myka, she has fighting skills far beyond anything a girl her age should have . . . it was just odd for me, because my understanding of the mirror was that one essence fuses with another image or body. Which should mean that Alice would have no idea of who Myka was. It was confusing. And the music. I know, I know, part of the fun of W13 is that it has funny music, but in this case, the "Go Ask Alice" song when Claudia, Artie, and Leena are setting up the trap completely ruined the mood they were trying to set up. Like, completely completely. And, lastly, when Alice/Myka tesla's Gary, and Pete tells her he's dead . . . he's so not. His eyes are even moving. And I'm sure Alice/Myka knew the tesla wasn't high enough to kill him. And the tesla also doesn't do anything to their memories, so . . . anyway.
Overall, though, this was a brilliant episode.
And I know I don't usually do this, but I want to pull a few of my favorite lines from this episode.
Myka (to Artie): "When I get out of here [the mirror] I'm hugging her [Claudia] and I'm kicking your ass."
Myka: "You do not treat me like some chess piece that you move around on a board only you can see."
Artie: "What kept you?"
Leena: "Three pumpkin pies, and a broken oven thermometer that you keep promising to fix."
Pete: "The real Myka would never kiss me. Not if her life depended on it."
Claudia (to Artie, on how to contact Pete): "Well, dude. He's in a big hotel."
Oh, and that disco ball? If it ever gets out of the Warehouse, it is becoming mine.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Housekeeping
So, I haven't posted in a while, and I know that when I have, it's mostly been reviews of various and sundry things (*cough*Warehouse13*cough*). But school started and hit me like the metaphorical ton of bricks, which is why I'm writing this instead of a nice review for today's Warehouse 13 episode. This is basically, as the title says, a "housekeeping" post, so I can put down what some of my future plans are, and give you some updates.
- New blog header. Duh, that's obivious, but I wanted to explain it a bit . . . it's my blog title and description, but I spiced it up with fonts and pretty brushes in GIMP, which is one of my absolute favorite computer programs, hands-down. Credits to ObsidianDawn.com for the circle, fairy, and glitter brushes.
- As far as my website goes, I am spending all my time right now finishing watching and reviewing Stargate Atlantis Season 3. I have four more episodes, then . . . I actually don't know what I'll be doing. Maybe (probably) I'll be resurrecting my original scifi series Minstralian Alliance, which used to be my main focus.
- I want to start doing a "this week in politics" section on this blog. I feel like I only do reviews, and don't get enough time to focus on other things.
- The review for the next Warehouse 13 will be up by the end of the week. I wish I could be more definite, but . . .
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Warehouse 13: "Implosion" Review
Best. Episode. Yet.
Forgive me if I sound too enthusiastic, but this is the best Warehouse 13 episode by far. It has backstory, foreshadowing, special effects, plot twists, witty dialogue, very good guest stars, and Leena actually does something useful. Okay, so maybe that last isn't quite on the same level as the others, but "Implosion" establishes once and for all that Warehouse 13 has credibility and potential, two things it desperately needs.
So, decapitations, implosions, and disintegrating bodies, among other things, definitely prove that W13 is earning its TV-14 rating. I was complaining about that earlier (I found a lot of things to complain about in the early episodes) but "Implosion" brings in a new, darker side that I cannot wait to see explored. And remember how I was complaining about how there could never be story arcs, due to the format of the show? Well, the writers found a way to do a story arc -- and pretty good one, if this is any indication -- despite all of that. The whole idea of a rogue Warehouse agent (is that what MacPhearson is) is really quite fascinating.
This all just goes to show you the potential that W13 has when it's not being X-Files for the twelve year olds. We get real background information, real conflict, and finally, finally, when the agents burst in on the bad guy with the weapon and scream "Federal agent! Drop your weapon!" they actually get shot. So maybe that's not necessarily a good thing, but I've always thought that that would be closer to what would happen in real life.
Guest stars. Well, I always always always love seeing CCH Pounder/Mrs. Frederick. "We're all human. As far as I know." (Best Artie line :D). I really hope we see more of her. She is probably the most fascinating character yet. Roger Rees is an awesome evil guy, and I'm excited to see MacPhearson's story evolve. I have no idea who that lady at the bar with Artie was, but I'm assuming she was part of the whole MacPhearson debacle. Again, there's so much story potential here.
I love the interdepartamental conflict brewing between Artie and Dickinson. I kind of thought it would be coming up, but not like this. I find myself fully on Myka's side here: Artie's treating the agents as expendable (which that beautifully timed first implosion grenade shows) and they're not. I said a bit ago that I wanted to see Artie and Myka talk a bit about their past losses, and I still want that, even more now.
Special effects are better than usual, and leaving aside the somewhat kooky music and a very eight-year-old Pete playing with the decoy sword in the beginning, the great directing, the real feeling on the part of the cast, and what is quite possibly the best Star Trek reference ever, combined with everything above, make this as close to a perfect 10 as I think we'll see out of W13. It's finally hitting its stride, and dang it's good!
P.S. I know this review is a bit late (I've been doing my summer reading, ugh), but at least my tardiness lets me add in this little tidbit: W13 has officially been renewed for a second season! Hopefully we got more episodes this time round :) Full story here.
Forgive me if I sound too enthusiastic, but this is the best Warehouse 13 episode by far. It has backstory, foreshadowing, special effects, plot twists, witty dialogue, very good guest stars, and Leena actually does something useful. Okay, so maybe that last isn't quite on the same level as the others, but "Implosion" establishes once and for all that Warehouse 13 has credibility and potential, two things it desperately needs.
So, decapitations, implosions, and disintegrating bodies, among other things, definitely prove that W13 is earning its TV-14 rating. I was complaining about that earlier (I found a lot of things to complain about in the early episodes) but "Implosion" brings in a new, darker side that I cannot wait to see explored. And remember how I was complaining about how there could never be story arcs, due to the format of the show? Well, the writers found a way to do a story arc -- and pretty good one, if this is any indication -- despite all of that. The whole idea of a rogue Warehouse agent (is that what MacPhearson is) is really quite fascinating.
This all just goes to show you the potential that W13 has when it's not being X-Files for the twelve year olds. We get real background information, real conflict, and finally, finally, when the agents burst in on the bad guy with the weapon and scream "Federal agent! Drop your weapon!" they actually get shot. So maybe that's not necessarily a good thing, but I've always thought that that would be closer to what would happen in real life.
Guest stars. Well, I always always always love seeing CCH Pounder/Mrs. Frederick. "We're all human. As far as I know." (Best Artie line :D). I really hope we see more of her. She is probably the most fascinating character yet. Roger Rees is an awesome evil guy, and I'm excited to see MacPhearson's story evolve. I have no idea who that lady at the bar with Artie was, but I'm assuming she was part of the whole MacPhearson debacle. Again, there's so much story potential here.
I love the interdepartamental conflict brewing between Artie and Dickinson. I kind of thought it would be coming up, but not like this. I find myself fully on Myka's side here: Artie's treating the agents as expendable (which that beautifully timed first implosion grenade shows) and they're not. I said a bit ago that I wanted to see Artie and Myka talk a bit about their past losses, and I still want that, even more now.
Special effects are better than usual, and leaving aside the somewhat kooky music and a very eight-year-old Pete playing with the decoy sword in the beginning, the great directing, the real feeling on the part of the cast, and what is quite possibly the best Star Trek reference ever, combined with everything above, make this as close to a perfect 10 as I think we'll see out of W13. It's finally hitting its stride, and dang it's good!
P.S. I know this review is a bit late (I've been doing my summer reading, ugh), but at least my tardiness lets me add in this little tidbit: W13 has officially been renewed for a second season! Hopefully we got more episodes this time round :) Full story here.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Warehouse 13: "Burnout" Review
Myka's coat is amazing. Sorry, that just had to be said.
Okay, fashion aside, "Burnout" was a really good episode. I (foolishly) thought I would be able to watch this episode while organizing my Irish dance makeup kit. Fat chance. "Burnout" had me hooked from the very beginning.
Storywise, this was a much more engaging, interesting, and suspenseful story than last week's "Elements". It got me thinking, once again, about how much of the artifact stories are actually true. Because if something like this spine were real . . . anyway, I know the truth-to-fantasy ration is probably something like 1:200086 (or something). But still. This falls into the category of "I love how W13 (my new abbreviation) blends past/present/future-ness". It's like steampunk, but not. Right? Maybe I'm making no sense. In any case, there are no points lost for the plotline here.
One aspect of the show I still cannot figure out. I may have asked this question before, but here it is again: how alive is the Warehouse? Rebecca says that the Warehouse doesn't let people go once it has a hold on them. There's certainly more going on with the whole preserving-the-rooms-of-the-deceased-agents-perfectly-in-the-warehouse thing than it looks like at first glance (I have no idea how that's possible, by the way, but it does look extremely cool to see how you get access to the rooms.)
Claudia is, as always (can I say "always" after 3 episodes? Oh well), brilliant, whether she's ribbing Artie's fashion sense or inventing holographic projectors. All in a day's work, I suppose. I am a bit worried though, that she'll turn into a perfect, always-saves-the-day character. I think that the writers have more sense, but that has yet to be seen. And as far as characters go, if they start a Pete/Myka romance, I will . . . I dunno. I threatened my friend I would stop watching the show, but that seems extreme now. Be very upset, I suppose.
I was sadly surprised when I realized that I didn't care at all if Pete died or not. I knew that I should care, obviously, I just didn't. Then I realized that it would completely traumatize Myka, losing two partners in such a short span of time, and reconsidered. But still, it was disturbing to figure out that I cared that little for one of the main characters.
But speaking of Myka being traumatized, that brings me to another interesting point. In six episodes, we already have a very defined and very interesting character here, and Joanne Kelly really does her justice, which makes me quite happy. The most powerful scene for me here was when Pete, fighting the influence of the Spine, was pleading with Myka to, basically, electrocute him. And she couldn't. Because, in my opinion (and I might be totally wrong here) Myka's forgotten what it's like to be willing and able to die for a cause, after she saw her former boyfriend die for what he believed in. She's still very scarred by that. But Rebecca, who also lost her partner to the spine, was able to do what Pete asked. Maybe it's because she had more time to adjust to losing her partner, or maybe it was just personality differences, but either way, I found it quite interesting.
In any case, this is a very good episode that has me looking forward to next week. I'm starting to like this show, and I think that one of its strongest points is that it's able to constantly get better (Uhm. Ignoring the thing that called itself "Resonance"). So I'm thinking there's high potential for next week.
Oh, and I also got some pretty pretty screencaps! (Hulu is murder to 'cap from. But anyway).
Okay, fashion aside, "Burnout" was a really good episode. I (foolishly) thought I would be able to watch this episode while organizing my Irish dance makeup kit. Fat chance. "Burnout" had me hooked from the very beginning.
Storywise, this was a much more engaging, interesting, and suspenseful story than last week's "Elements". It got me thinking, once again, about how much of the artifact stories are actually true. Because if something like this spine were real . . . anyway, I know the truth-to-fantasy ration is probably something like 1:200086 (or something). But still. This falls into the category of "I love how W13 (my new abbreviation) blends past/present/future-ness". It's like steampunk, but not. Right? Maybe I'm making no sense. In any case, there are no points lost for the plotline here.
One aspect of the show I still cannot figure out. I may have asked this question before, but here it is again: how alive is the Warehouse? Rebecca says that the Warehouse doesn't let people go once it has a hold on them. There's certainly more going on with the whole preserving-the-rooms-of-the-deceased-agents-perfectly-in-the-warehouse thing than it looks like at first glance (I have no idea how that's possible, by the way, but it does look extremely cool to see how you get access to the rooms.)
Claudia is, as always (can I say "always" after 3 episodes? Oh well), brilliant, whether she's ribbing Artie's fashion sense or inventing holographic projectors. All in a day's work, I suppose. I am a bit worried though, that she'll turn into a perfect, always-saves-the-day character. I think that the writers have more sense, but that has yet to be seen. And as far as characters go, if they start a Pete/Myka romance, I will . . . I dunno. I threatened my friend I would stop watching the show, but that seems extreme now. Be very upset, I suppose.
I was sadly surprised when I realized that I didn't care at all if Pete died or not. I knew that I should care, obviously, I just didn't. Then I realized that it would completely traumatize Myka, losing two partners in such a short span of time, and reconsidered. But still, it was disturbing to figure out that I cared that little for one of the main characters.
But speaking of Myka being traumatized, that brings me to another interesting point. In six episodes, we already have a very defined and very interesting character here, and Joanne Kelly really does her justice, which makes me quite happy. The most powerful scene for me here was when Pete, fighting the influence of the Spine, was pleading with Myka to, basically, electrocute him. And she couldn't. Because, in my opinion (and I might be totally wrong here) Myka's forgotten what it's like to be willing and able to die for a cause, after she saw her former boyfriend die for what he believed in. She's still very scarred by that. But Rebecca, who also lost her partner to the spine, was able to do what Pete asked. Maybe it's because she had more time to adjust to losing her partner, or maybe it was just personality differences, but either way, I found it quite interesting.
In any case, this is a very good episode that has me looking forward to next week. I'm starting to like this show, and I think that one of its strongest points is that it's able to constantly get better (Uhm. Ignoring the thing that called itself "Resonance"). So I'm thinking there's high potential for next week.
Oh, and I also got some pretty pretty screencaps! (Hulu is murder to 'cap from. But anyway).
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Google Caffeine: What's the Big Fuss?
So, being the tech nerd that I am, I'm sitting here trying out the new & improved Google, Google Caffeine, instead of doing what others would surely term "more useful things" (like cleaning my room. Ahem. Anyway.)
But as of right now, I don't really get the hype. I ran searches in both Caffeine, the regular google.com, and my (heavily customized) google.ie. And, really I didn't see that much of a difference. Here's some of what I found.
Search: "stargate movie"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 5 million, Google.com~ about 1 million, Google.ie~ about 4 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .16 seconds, Google.com~ .45 seconds, Google.ie~ .12 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: probably Google.ie. The first 6 results were the same in all searches.
Search: "queen rania"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 7 hundred thousand, Google.com~ about 4 hundred million, Google.ie~ about 1 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .23 seconds, Google.com~ .15 seconds, Google.ie~ .48 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: probably Caffeine. Although it's interesting to note that Caffeine was the only search that didn't give image results, it was also the only search to give the Queen's facebook page in the top ten results.
Search: "blondie"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 10 million, Google.com~ about 9 million, Google.ie~ about 9 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .19 seconds, Google.com~ .18 seconds, Google.ie~ .36 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: probably Caffeine. It also featured a "news" results section, unlike the other two searches.
Search: "iran presidential election 2009"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 15 million, Google.com~ about 30 million, Google.ie~ about 30 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .23 seconds, Google.com~ .30 seconds, Google.ie~ .34 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: I would say it's a tie between Google.com and Google.ie. Caffeine's results were, I think, a bit substandard here.
I know it's nowhere near as thourough a job as someone who was really serious about finding the little picky differences, or who was reviewing Caffeine for a serious newspaper would do, but it's enough for me. I'll be glad of the update, certainly, although to be honest search technology is one of the things I pay less attention to in the computer-world. So is Caffeine faster? Sometimes. Is it better? Eh, again, sometimes (but when it still takes less than a second, most people aren't really going to care/notice xD). It's not a huge new update, but it seems nice enough.
On the topic of search engines, has anyone tried this BlindSearch webpage? It lets you run a query through the site, and returns the results from Google, Yahoo, and Bing searches, then gives you the results in three columns. Without telling you which column is from which search engine. Then you pick which column you think gives the best results, and then it will tell you what search engine each column is. So either my anti-Microsoft bias is giving me the ability to somehow know which column is Bing, or Bing really is not a great search engine, because I've probably tried 25+ different searches, and have never once picked the Bing results. Quite funny, actually.
Apparently I can only hide from room cleaning for so long. This is all for today, but check my website for more Stargate Atlantis reviews, and check here again on Wednesday for the latest Warehouse 13 review!
But as of right now, I don't really get the hype. I ran searches in both Caffeine, the regular google.com, and my (heavily customized) google.ie. And, really I didn't see that much of a difference. Here's some of what I found.
Search: "stargate movie"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 5 million, Google.com~ about 1 million, Google.ie~ about 4 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .16 seconds, Google.com~ .45 seconds, Google.ie~ .12 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: probably Google.ie. The first 6 results were the same in all searches.
Search: "queen rania"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 7 hundred thousand, Google.com~ about 4 hundred million, Google.ie~ about 1 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .23 seconds, Google.com~ .15 seconds, Google.ie~ .48 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: probably Caffeine. Although it's interesting to note that Caffeine was the only search that didn't give image results, it was also the only search to give the Queen's facebook page in the top ten results.
Search: "blondie"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 10 million, Google.com~ about 9 million, Google.ie~ about 9 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .19 seconds, Google.com~ .18 seconds, Google.ie~ .36 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: probably Caffeine. It also featured a "news" results section, unlike the other two searches.
Search: "iran presidential election 2009"
Number of Results: Caffeine~ about 15 million, Google.com~ about 30 million, Google.ie~ about 30 million
Time for Search: Caffeine~ .23 seconds, Google.com~ .30 seconds, Google.ie~ .34 seconds
Most Useful Results on First Page: I would say it's a tie between Google.com and Google.ie. Caffeine's results were, I think, a bit substandard here.
I know it's nowhere near as thourough a job as someone who was really serious about finding the little picky differences, or who was reviewing Caffeine for a serious newspaper would do, but it's enough for me. I'll be glad of the update, certainly, although to be honest search technology is one of the things I pay less attention to in the computer-world. So is Caffeine faster? Sometimes. Is it better? Eh, again, sometimes (but when it still takes less than a second, most people aren't really going to care/notice xD). It's not a huge new update, but it seems nice enough.
On the topic of search engines, has anyone tried this BlindSearch webpage? It lets you run a query through the site, and returns the results from Google, Yahoo, and Bing searches, then gives you the results in three columns. Without telling you which column is from which search engine. Then you pick which column you think gives the best results, and then it will tell you what search engine each column is. So either my anti-Microsoft bias is giving me the ability to somehow know which column is Bing, or Bing really is not a great search engine, because I've probably tried 25+ different searches, and have never once picked the Bing results. Quite funny, actually.
Apparently I can only hide from room cleaning for so long. This is all for today, but check my website for more Stargate Atlantis reviews, and check here again on Wednesday for the latest Warehouse 13 review!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Warehouse 13: "Elements" Review
While I didn't enjoy "Elements" as much as I've enjoyed some of the previous episodes, it was still a solid episode with a very interesting storyline and good effects.
The premise of this episode is actually quite interesting. Native American objects are often used in mystery/scifi shows because of the sense of mystery and magic that surrounds them. In that sense, "Elements" certainly doesn't fall short, mystery and magic abound. I love the idea of the four statues leading to the cave. And in Warehouse 13's usual ancient/modern mix, I love how Claudia figures out the cave's location with no trouble (or statues) at all, using the magnetic lay lines. The idea of world domination is not new (with such prevalence in scifi shows, it seems like some new person should be ruling the world every other week, but hey), however, I'm not sure I've ever seen it be domination through use of the four elements before. The story, overall, does not disappoint, although I wish there was some better resolution. We're not quite sure (or atleast I'm not quite sure) what happened to Radbum at the very end . . . I'm assuming he dies when the cave is destroyed, but the ending seems very unfinished.
The artifacts. Being able to walk through walls is so cool. Like Pete said, this is one artifact I totally wish would stick around. I can see him and Myka and Claudia using the cloak on some mission somewhere one day :).
The special effects. Well, they're not the most elaborate ones we've seen in the series, but turning people's hands into fire and rock surely deserves some credit. I like how each element was represented in the cave, and how Radbum completes his transformation, and is then (presumably) destroyed. The effects aren't too complex, but they're good, and that's what counts.
Character wise . . . well, I still don't like Pete. He's toned down the jerkiness a bit, but he still acts very much like a child, and it's annoying. Although, he did gain some sympathy by being thrown out of the steel wall of a moving truck (I wouldn't be too happy about that either). Leena continues her role as the "explainer" . . . she spends a good three minutes telling us every minute detail of Claudia's emotional state, something, I think, that Alison Scagliotti could have acted for us without much difficulty. On that topic though, Claudia is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. She's complex and guilty and funny and sarcastic, and beats Vegas without thinking twice. She's a much-needed addition to this show, and I'm so glad she's staying.
I liked how we got some resolution to the Claudia-Joshua story. However, it is a pity that with Joshua going off to CERN we don't get any more of the wonderful brother-sister sister moments like we did here (oh well, I suppose we need to leave that to Pete and Myka. Pete is so the annoying little brother!)
It was awesome to see Joe Flanigan again, but I have to say that after seeing him as John Sheppard on Stargate Atlantis for five years, it was a bit difficult to adjust to seeing him as a different character. But his acting is just as good here as in Atlantis, so I'm happy. He also provides a good excuse for Myka to relax a bit, but she doesn't hesitate to pull her gun on him when she thinks he's the bad guy.
Overall, a good episode with an interesting story and some fun character moments. Oh, and Artie's chess game against himself totally rocks.
(By the way . . . I wonder if Joshua knows that this is what they're really getting up to over at CERN. xP)
The premise of this episode is actually quite interesting. Native American objects are often used in mystery/scifi shows because of the sense of mystery and magic that surrounds them. In that sense, "Elements" certainly doesn't fall short, mystery and magic abound. I love the idea of the four statues leading to the cave. And in Warehouse 13's usual ancient/modern mix, I love how Claudia figures out the cave's location with no trouble (or statues) at all, using the magnetic lay lines. The idea of world domination is not new (with such prevalence in scifi shows, it seems like some new person should be ruling the world every other week, but hey), however, I'm not sure I've ever seen it be domination through use of the four elements before. The story, overall, does not disappoint, although I wish there was some better resolution. We're not quite sure (or atleast I'm not quite sure) what happened to Radbum at the very end . . . I'm assuming he dies when the cave is destroyed, but the ending seems very unfinished.
The artifacts. Being able to walk through walls is so cool. Like Pete said, this is one artifact I totally wish would stick around. I can see him and Myka and Claudia using the cloak on some mission somewhere one day :).
The special effects. Well, they're not the most elaborate ones we've seen in the series, but turning people's hands into fire and rock surely deserves some credit. I like how each element was represented in the cave, and how Radbum completes his transformation, and is then (presumably) destroyed. The effects aren't too complex, but they're good, and that's what counts.
Character wise . . . well, I still don't like Pete. He's toned down the jerkiness a bit, but he still acts very much like a child, and it's annoying. Although, he did gain some sympathy by being thrown out of the steel wall of a moving truck (I wouldn't be too happy about that either). Leena continues her role as the "explainer" . . . she spends a good three minutes telling us every minute detail of Claudia's emotional state, something, I think, that Alison Scagliotti could have acted for us without much difficulty. On that topic though, Claudia is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. She's complex and guilty and funny and sarcastic, and beats Vegas without thinking twice. She's a much-needed addition to this show, and I'm so glad she's staying.
I liked how we got some resolution to the Claudia-Joshua story. However, it is a pity that with Joshua going off to CERN we don't get any more of the wonderful brother-sister sister moments like we did here (oh well, I suppose we need to leave that to Pete and Myka. Pete is so the annoying little brother!)
It was awesome to see Joe Flanigan again, but I have to say that after seeing him as John Sheppard on Stargate Atlantis for five years, it was a bit difficult to adjust to seeing him as a different character. But his acting is just as good here as in Atlantis, so I'm happy. He also provides a good excuse for Myka to relax a bit, but she doesn't hesitate to pull her gun on him when she thinks he's the bad guy.
Overall, a good episode with an interesting story and some fun character moments. Oh, and Artie's chess game against himself totally rocks.
(By the way . . . I wonder if Joshua knows that this is what they're really getting up to over at CERN. xP)
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Sounds/Katy Perry/No Doubt Concert Review
So, after a few mishaps, including getting bitten by my friend's dog and taking a rather interesting detour due to a fire right by the freeway, I got my early birthday present and was able to see No Doubt performing at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheater in Irvine, with The Sounds and Katy Perry as opening acts. It was one of the most fun concerts I've ever been to. Our seats were far back and to the side (we were on the farrrrr left of the verrrry last section before the lawn), but we still had a great view! I took lots and lots of pictures =)
I'd heard she was not a great live performer, and I only knew a few of her songs, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I must say she was very impressive, topping her album performance on several occasions. She also covered Queen, another band I love, singing "Don't Stop Me Now", and it was actually a good cover! I had sworn I would never go to a concert to see just her, but now I have to reconsider . . . my estimation of her talent as a singer/guitarist has certainly risen after this show.
SETLIST: Fingerprints, One of the Boys, Hot N Cold, Thinking of You, Ur So Gay, Waking Up in Vegas, Don't Stop Me Now, I Kissed a Girl
The set was a nice mix of Tragic Kingdom, Return of Saturn, and Rock Steady songs, with a few fun covers thrown in. I can proudly say that, except for the covers, I could sing along to every single song. The show started off with an excellent performance of "Spiderwebs", and the show just got better and better from there. They hit pretty much all of my favorite songs, and, although some were a bit different from their album versions (notably "Excuse Me Mr.") there was not a single song I disliked!
Apart from the music, the artistic aspect (set, costumes, etc.) was also brilliant. If Katy's color scheme was all pink and white, No Doubt's was black and white: the whole stage was white, the guys all wore white with a little bit of black, Gwen Stefani's outfit was black and white (all three of them!), and Adrian Young even dyed his mohawk . . . you guessed it, black and white! I really loved the design of the stage, which featured a whole bunch of rams (5 or 6) all leading up to the drum set in the middle. It was fun to watch the band members run up/slide down the ramps, which they didn't do nearly enough in my opinion ;). For a moment, when all the main stage lights went out, only the ramps were lit by a few glittery lights, and they looked soooo much like the Star Trek chevron that I had to laugh. There was a big screen behind the band that showed video clips -- sometimes of the song's music videos, sometimes of the band, and, on "Different People", some really cool outer space/planets images. 
The band was in top form as entertainers, not just performers. Gwen talked to the crowd -- not too much, but that was kind of to be expected, since this was their 52nd (!) show of the tour. Still, she took pictures of herself with a few of the fans from the very front, she made us sing along (especially fun was when she made all the guys sing the chorus to "I'm Just a Girl"). In any case, it was a joy to see them back together and all onstage. They were all running all over the stage and just generally having a good time. And, for the second of three encores, they did "Stand and Deliver", an Adam and the Ants cover, and Katy Perry and all of The Sounds came out to sing too! This was some of the most fun I've ever had at a concert!
SETLIST: Spiderwebs, Hella Good, Underneath It All, Excuse Me Mr., Ex-Girlfriend, Tragic Kingdom, Simle Kind of Life, Bathwater, ?, New, Hey Baby, Running, Different People, Don't Speak, It's My Life, Just a Girl, ---, Rock Steady, Stand and Deliver, Sunday Morning. {The "?" is an instrumental the band did while Gwen Stefani changed clothes, the "---" is the break between the set & the encore}
The Sounds
Well, due to the above circumstances, we only got to see two or three of their songs. And it did not help that their amps were up so high that they basically just sounded like noise. Nice noise, to be sure, that made me want to go home and look them up, but noise all the same. I spent more time wondering how Maja Iversson was managing to jump around, let alone stand, in her heels (which were five inches if they were a centimeter) than actually enjoying the music. I did feel a bit bad for them though, because they were playing to a half-empty theater (most people came in after they were done) and they are actually really really good. Maybe this just wasn't their best show, maybe I needed to hear more of it to actually judge. In any case, I enjoyed the few songs I heard.
Katy Perry
And this is one act that was so much better than I expected! Regardless of the fact that she was obviously trying to make her stage look like a garage sale -- I'm not quite sure why else someone would have two plastic flamingos, a white picket fence, and several blow-up strawberries on stage with her, and be joined by a blow-up lipstick later on -- but she was so much fun to watch. She never stopped bouncing around the stage, except when she was playing her guitar. Katy was fun, energetic, seemed to genuinely love being onstage, and made a real effort to include the audience in her show. I would have chosen a different color scheme -- hers was pink and white, which meant that all the guys wore pink and white suits, and Katy herself was in a pink leotard with red sequins, black ballerina flats, and a (very) short pink tutu/skirt. She managed to pull off the outfit, the guys . . . a bit less.
I'd heard she was not a great live performer, and I only knew a few of her songs, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I must say she was very impressive, topping her album performance on several occasions. She also covered Queen, another band I love, singing "Don't Stop Me Now", and it was actually a good cover! I had sworn I would never go to a concert to see just her, but now I have to reconsider . . . my estimation of her talent as a singer/guitarist has certainly risen after this show.
SETLIST: Fingerprints, One of the Boys, Hot N Cold, Thinking of You, Ur So Gay, Waking Up in Vegas, Don't Stop Me Now, I Kissed a Girl
No Doubt
No Doubt, on the other hand, I had high expectations for. I had never actually seen them in concert before, but I grew up listening to their music and could not wait for this concert. It was everything I had hoped for! My friend and I stood up right when the band came onstage and didn't sit down again for the next . . . hour and 45 minutes, which I think is about how long the band played.
The set was a nice mix of Tragic Kingdom, Return of Saturn, and Rock Steady songs, with a few fun covers thrown in. I can proudly say that, except for the covers, I could sing along to every single song. The show started off with an excellent performance of "Spiderwebs", and the show just got better and better from there. They hit pretty much all of my favorite songs, and, although some were a bit different from their album versions (notably "Excuse Me Mr.") there was not a single song I disliked! 
Apart from the music, the artistic aspect (set, costumes, etc.) was also brilliant. If Katy's color scheme was all pink and white, No Doubt's was black and white: the whole stage was white, the guys all wore white with a little bit of black, Gwen Stefani's outfit was black and white (all three of them!), and Adrian Young even dyed his mohawk . . . you guessed it, black and white! I really loved the design of the stage, which featured a whole bunch of rams (5 or 6) all leading up to the drum set in the middle. It was fun to watch the band members run up/slide down the ramps, which they didn't do nearly enough in my opinion ;). For a moment, when all the main stage lights went out, only the ramps were lit by a few glittery lights, and they looked soooo much like the Star Trek chevron that I had to laugh. There was a big screen behind the band that showed video clips -- sometimes of the song's music videos, sometimes of the band, and, on "Different People", some really cool outer space/planets images. 
The band was in top form as entertainers, not just performers. Gwen talked to the crowd -- not too much, but that was kind of to be expected, since this was their 52nd (!) show of the tour. Still, she took pictures of herself with a few of the fans from the very front, she made us sing along (especially fun was when she made all the guys sing the chorus to "I'm Just a Girl"). In any case, it was a joy to see them back together and all onstage. They were all running all over the stage and just generally having a good time. And, for the second of three encores, they did "Stand and Deliver", an Adam and the Ants cover, and Katy Perry and all of The Sounds came out to sing too! This was some of the most fun I've ever had at a concert! 
SETLIST: Spiderwebs, Hella Good, Underneath It All, Excuse Me Mr., Ex-Girlfriend, Tragic Kingdom, Simle Kind of Life, Bathwater, ?, New, Hey Baby, Running, Different People, Don't Speak, It's My Life, Just a Girl, ---, Rock Steady, Stand and Deliver, Sunday Morning. {The "?" is an instrumental the band did while Gwen Stefani changed clothes, the "---" is the break between the set & the encore}
Saturday, August 1, 2009
"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" Movie Review
Before you read, I have to warn you . . . spoilers abound here!
I had sworn I wasn't going to watch this movie. I had been seriously disappointed by the fifth movie (it was sooo lame!) and I had heard not-so-great things about HP6. But then I had to go, because I promised one of my friends I would take her. And you know what? It wasn't that bad.
I have to say, I think one of the reasons that I ended up liking the movie so much is that I read the book so long ago (Two years ago? Three?) that I wasn't constantly making book-to-movie comparisons in my head the whole time. I mean, I understood the really big things that had changed, a la burning the Burrow instead of having a huge final battle at Hogwarts, but I know there were other, numerous changes that just didn't even register on my mind. With the fourth and fifth movies, you would have been completely lost had you not read the book. Not so here, and the screenwriters deserve a lot of credit for that.
Let me just say straightaway that the best parts of this film are the scenes with Helena Bonham-Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange. She steals every scene shes in, and has the pretty-but-psychotic-and-evil witch character down with a close to scary perfection.
The other acting is pretty good, too. Bonnie Wright finally manages a decent performance as Ginny (I used to despise her, and her tiny roles in the past three movies didn't help that). Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood is also completely wonderful, she is the very definition of Luna and as much of a scene-stealer in her own way as Bonham-Carter is in hers. The three leads are, as usual, good actors, although my dislike for the characters somewhat hinders my appreciation for the acting. Tom Felton deserves special mention for his dead-on portrayal of Draco -- such a complex character to deal with, and Felton carries the role with ease.
The effects, the few that there were, were amazing. I was joking to one of my friends before the movie started that the main reason I wanted to watch HBP was to see the Millenium Bridge collapse (no offense to the bridge, but hey, I'm a CGI junkie xP). I also loved the new flying-Death-Eaters effect, which turns them into something like flying cannonballs with smoke tails. I spent a good while puzzling over how that would be possible, physically, before giving it up and just deciding "hey, it's magic." Other notable effects scenes are the numerous (okay, two or three) Dark Marks that appear in the clouds (I know it means evil is coming, but they look sooooo coooool!) and the whole end scene battling Inferi and getting pulled into lakes and conjuring fire, among other fun things. While the effects aren't on the same scale as, say, Transformers 2, they were carried out quite well.
Now, on to the not-so-great. I was worried from the beginning when I saw the movie was getting away with a PG rating (I'm one of those weird people who's of the belief that if it's a Harry Potter movie with a number from 3 - 7, you should have a PG13 rating or lose a lot of what the book is about). And I was even less happy when I heard from some of my friends that basically the entire battle scene at the end was deleted. And it is, really, Snape kills Dumbledore (basically, he walks into the room, says a few words, points his wand at Dumbledore, and says "avada kedavara"), then all the Death Eaters just leave. I mean, Harry throws a few curses at Snape, but that's not a battle, not really. Bellatrix's penchant for throwing fireballs around, a collapsing bridge, and a few zombie-like and regular dead people do not come anywhere close to the level of darkness in the book. Wider audience and all that . . . but it's a shame to see such good parts just left out.
Second, the film focuses on relationships a lot -- and I'll even go so far as to say too much. As the Harry Potter series progresses, its supposed to get darker, filled with more Death Eaters, more destruction, more death, more students leaving the school. Where was all of that? Instead of hearing of Amelia Bones' death, we get one more scene of Ron and Lavender snogging, is that it? That's certainly the trend this film takes. I don't want to see more teenage romance drama, there's enough of that on the TV these days. On the other hand, the Harry/Ginny romance was toned down, and I appreciated that (I hate hate hate that pairing. It's so contrived and Ginny is farrrrr too good for Harry, if you want my opinion).
Now, I understand that things must be cut (it's a 400+ page book, after all) but I think there could have been better choices made as to what to keep. The supporting characters -- and even some of the main characters -- fall by the wayside. How many scenes did Neville Longbottom appear in? One: he was serving food at Slughorn's party. Cormac McLaggen gets more screen time than that! Where's Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Seamus Finnigan, the Patil twins? Gone. And that's sad, because those are some of my favorite characters. Also notably missing is Dumbledore's funeral and his huge tomb, although I understand how budget constraints might have forced the tomb out of the movie ;). But the final salute to Dumbledore -- when every student and teacher raised their lit wands around Dumbledore's body -- was more than a fitting substitute, and intensely powerful . . . first time I've cried in a HP film, I have to say.
Overall, a pretty good movie that often delves into pure silliness but that stays far truer to the book than the past few movies have.
I had sworn I wasn't going to watch this movie. I had been seriously disappointed by the fifth movie (it was sooo lame!) and I had heard not-so-great things about HP6. But then I had to go, because I promised one of my friends I would take her. And you know what? It wasn't that bad.
I have to say, I think one of the reasons that I ended up liking the movie so much is that I read the book so long ago (Two years ago? Three?) that I wasn't constantly making book-to-movie comparisons in my head the whole time. I mean, I understood the really big things that had changed, a la burning the Burrow instead of having a huge final battle at Hogwarts, but I know there were other, numerous changes that just didn't even register on my mind. With the fourth and fifth movies, you would have been completely lost had you not read the book. Not so here, and the screenwriters deserve a lot of credit for that.
Let me just say straightaway that the best parts of this film are the scenes with Helena Bonham-Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange. She steals every scene shes in, and has the pretty-but-psychotic-and-evil witch character down with a close to scary perfection.
The other acting is pretty good, too. Bonnie Wright finally manages a decent performance as Ginny (I used to despise her, and her tiny roles in the past three movies didn't help that). Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood is also completely wonderful, she is the very definition of Luna and as much of a scene-stealer in her own way as Bonham-Carter is in hers. The three leads are, as usual, good actors, although my dislike for the characters somewhat hinders my appreciation for the acting. Tom Felton deserves special mention for his dead-on portrayal of Draco -- such a complex character to deal with, and Felton carries the role with ease.
The effects, the few that there were, were amazing. I was joking to one of my friends before the movie started that the main reason I wanted to watch HBP was to see the Millenium Bridge collapse (no offense to the bridge, but hey, I'm a CGI junkie xP). I also loved the new flying-Death-Eaters effect, which turns them into something like flying cannonballs with smoke tails. I spent a good while puzzling over how that would be possible, physically, before giving it up and just deciding "hey, it's magic." Other notable effects scenes are the numerous (okay, two or three) Dark Marks that appear in the clouds (I know it means evil is coming, but they look sooooo coooool!) and the whole end scene battling Inferi and getting pulled into lakes and conjuring fire, among other fun things. While the effects aren't on the same scale as, say, Transformers 2, they were carried out quite well.
Now, on to the not-so-great. I was worried from the beginning when I saw the movie was getting away with a PG rating (I'm one of those weird people who's of the belief that if it's a Harry Potter movie with a number from 3 - 7, you should have a PG13 rating or lose a lot of what the book is about). And I was even less happy when I heard from some of my friends that basically the entire battle scene at the end was deleted. And it is, really, Snape kills Dumbledore (basically, he walks into the room, says a few words, points his wand at Dumbledore, and says "avada kedavara"), then all the Death Eaters just leave. I mean, Harry throws a few curses at Snape, but that's not a battle, not really. Bellatrix's penchant for throwing fireballs around, a collapsing bridge, and a few zombie-like and regular dead people do not come anywhere close to the level of darkness in the book. Wider audience and all that . . . but it's a shame to see such good parts just left out.
Second, the film focuses on relationships a lot -- and I'll even go so far as to say too much. As the Harry Potter series progresses, its supposed to get darker, filled with more Death Eaters, more destruction, more death, more students leaving the school. Where was all of that? Instead of hearing of Amelia Bones' death, we get one more scene of Ron and Lavender snogging, is that it? That's certainly the trend this film takes. I don't want to see more teenage romance drama, there's enough of that on the TV these days. On the other hand, the Harry/Ginny romance was toned down, and I appreciated that (I hate hate hate that pairing. It's so contrived and Ginny is farrrrr too good for Harry, if you want my opinion).
Now, I understand that things must be cut (it's a 400+ page book, after all) but I think there could have been better choices made as to what to keep. The supporting characters -- and even some of the main characters -- fall by the wayside. How many scenes did Neville Longbottom appear in? One: he was serving food at Slughorn's party. Cormac McLaggen gets more screen time than that! Where's Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Seamus Finnigan, the Patil twins? Gone. And that's sad, because those are some of my favorite characters. Also notably missing is Dumbledore's funeral and his huge tomb, although I understand how budget constraints might have forced the tomb out of the movie ;). But the final salute to Dumbledore -- when every student and teacher raised their lit wands around Dumbledore's body -- was more than a fitting substitute, and intensely powerful . . . first time I've cried in a HP film, I have to say.
Overall, a pretty good movie that often delves into pure silliness but that stays far truer to the book than the past few movies have.
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