In this episode…

-Explain THAT Science!: Harry Trunckles tackles the issue of Drunk driving.

-Future Facts: John Titor, Time-Traveler Extraordinaire, details the progression of religion over the next two centuries.

-Jasper Pennies Reviews: The hit movie “The Fourth Kind” has Jasper utterly baffled.

-CSDP Interview Edition: Rebecca Watson chats with us about skeptical activism and feminism. And the interview was objectively awesome.

-Final Solutions: Michelle Glasshappy gives you tips on cleaning your cat.

-The Unofficial Version: Nicola Novakowsky explains the parascientific method.

-Explain THAT Science Supplemental: Harry Trunckles vs. PZ Myers. The fight you’ve all been waiting for.

-Precision Horoscopes: Supercomputer Deep Penetration brings you high-quality astrology.

http://carlsagansdanceparty.podbean.com/2009/11/25/carl-sagans-dance-party-5/

Steven Olsen with PZ Myers and Rebecca Watson.

PZ Myer’s blog, Pharyngula:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/

Rebecca Watson’s sites:

http://skepchick.org

http://theskepticsguide.org

…right here:

Last night, Dori and I saw the new Twilight movie, “New Moon.”

I’d only seen the first half-hour of the first one, because Dori, who read the book, rented it. But I had to leave when one of the vampires started twinkling in the sunlight. No joke. He twinkled… like the bedazzled little turd-herder he is.

So, outside of the sparkling, I was pretty much out of the loop as to what actually happens in these films, beyond the overwhelming amount of teenagers being pretty put out by, well, everything. (There’s also a record amount of “like” and “um” in the dialogue. Pretty sure the script is just filled with those words, and no others. Maybe the screenwriter for this should hang out with the screenwriter from “Juno.” Then they can make teenagers’ heads explode.) Turns out you don’t really NEED to know what happens in the first film, because the second one is so awful, you don’t care three minutes in. Sure, it made $150 million in its first weekend or something like that, but so did Sarah Palin’s book thanks to that Darth Vader of daytime television, Oprah.

Save for some pretty great special effects when some werewolves fight– yes, the best part of a VAMPIRE film is when NON-VAMPIRES do something– this movie was bad… to a point where it could almost be one of those films we’d rent back in the day and make fun of the entire time.

I’ll stop ripping on it here, so as not to give anything away in case you are a huge fan and don’t care what my heartless, soul-less ass thinks about this supernatural love story. I’ll instead leave you with my favorite piece of dialogue. To set the scene, they’re in the woods (big shock), and something emotionally riveting is about to happen. Twinkle-pants is telling the drippy female lead he and his vampire family have to leave town. I can’t remember exactly because I was trying to count my teeth at this point… by running my tongue over each individual one slowly and carefully. But then this happens. Say it out loud for maximum effect:

Bella: Are you telling me you don’t want me to come?

Edward: (after about two minutes of them just looking at each other, stifling tears… or seizures) I don’t want you to come.

I almost passed out trying not to laugh at this. Largely because these kids would have WAY less problems if they WOULD come. But instead of getting drunk and hand-jobbing each other, like good American teens should be doing at this age, they’re worried about dumb shit, like sunlight and LiveJournal.

Oh– AND, my former arch-nemesis is in this. (Not Tom Hanks. The most recent one.)

Just thought I’d share… in case you can see this with people who will drink and laugh at it with you.

-Dwellephant

Better than any post I’ve ever written,

-Shady

Since this college semester is coming to a close in a few weeks, I’ve decided to post my current Top 10 films list for a two part blog, giving reasons and a video showing a clip from each film.  Now, I won’t go and call myself the best film critic by any stretch of word and there are still plenty of movies I have yet to see.  But I figure there’s no harm in constantly updating your list and for a good while, this has been what the top has looked like.  So here it is, part one:

10. Forrest Gump

This is definitely a clear contender for a most popular film list; and with good reason.  Many scenes, characters and lines have been mentioned, quoted and spoofed countless times, but this is all the more reason it’s such a great movie.  Sure, we’ve all seen it only a billion and a half times already, but it never loses its charm.  Although Forrest might not be the brightest apple on the tree, he’s one of the most naturally good at-heart.  A big part of what makes this such an easy film to follow is how Forrest’s adventures and, at times, struggles are a fair representation of what many common Americans go through.  The film has recently been criticized for having a constrained view on some of these moments but this is more a misconception than anything.  What Forrest deals with and notices are intended to be passed off from his view, which is as neutral and unbiased as you can possibly get.  Some might think the film struggles with its message(s), which it doesn’t but this is only more reason the film relates so easily to us (multiple messages and some not being so clear at first).

“What’s my destiny, Mama?”

“You’re gonna have to figure that out yourself.  Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”

9. Stand By Me

I’ve become a fairly big fan of Stephen King in the past couple years.  I feel that he’s (mostly) offered some of the best stories out there, whether they detail strong characters or have striking scenarios, he’s almost never left me underwhelmed.  And despite how much I might praise his other works; I think the story that hits home the most for me is the film adaptation of Stand By Me.  The plot is very basic and gives us little more than the little journey that our four main characters go through.  But this simplicity gives the film a lot of room to detail the characters and we definitely get a strong dose of that, namely from Gordie and Chris.  The relationship between all four characters feels natural and realistic, with great agreements and sometimes bitter arguments sprouting out.  Anyone who’s seen the film unedited knows that it doesn’t try to sugarcoat anything but you’re not getting morbid or depressing images either.  It’s a kind of film that can easily to speak to anyone because of it cleverly maintaining a mid-ground mood.

“**** writing, I don’t want to be a writer.  It’s stupid.  It’s a stupid waste of time.”

“That’s your dad talking.”

“Bull****”

“Bull true.  I know how your dad feels about you.  He doesn’t give a **** about you, Denny was the one he cared about and don’t try to tell me different.  You’re just a kid, Gordie.”

“Oh, gee!  Thanks, Dad!”

“Wish the hell I was your Dad.  You wouldn’t be goin’ around talkin’ about takin’ these stupid shop courses if I was.  It’s like God gave you something, man, all those stories you can make up.  And He said, ‘This is what I got for ya, kid.  Try not to lose it.’  Kids lose everything unless there’s someone there to look out for them.  And if your parents are too ****ed up to do it, then maybe I should.”

8. Letters from Iwo Jima

This might sound blasphemous to some, but I’m pretty late to the Clint Eastwood party.  In fact, this and Flags of Our Fathers were my introduction to his work.  But as we all know Mr. Eastwood has seldom missed the mark and he definitely did a great job with Flags of Our Fathers.  Then there’s Letters from Iwo Jima, which trumps its American sibling in every conceivable way.  Despite telling the tale from the Japanese point of view, this film actually hits home harder than Flags of Our Fathers.  Giving us an idea of what the conditions were (probably) like for the Japanese soldiers who worked, fought and died on Iwo Jima is one of the film’s strongest aspects.  And it’s carried out throughout the entire runtime with pure excellence, giving us strong performances from the entire cast (especially Ken Watanabe) and dramatic moments matched by a solemnly peaceful score.  War has taken many forms and become the inspiration for a wide variety of films-this is one that gets my utmost recommendation for even the remotely curious.

“If our children can live safely for one more day it would be worth the one more day we defend this island.”

7. The War

Don’t be confused, this isn’t that forgettable film featuring Jason Statham and Jet Li.  Instead, this is a picture from 1994 staring Kevin Costner and a young Elijah Wood playing part of a dirt poor family in 1970.  I will say I’m definitely biased towards this film mostly because it hasn’t gotten much recognition and has thus become more of a cult favorite.  The synopsis doesn’t sound terribly interesting on paper and the happy-happy-joy-joy DVD cover indicates a very bland film.  However, this is a movie that, like most of the films on my Top 10 list, hit close to him simply for its characters.  The relationships are mostly believable and the acting is solid all around.  This leads to a real shame about the film: only two (three if you count Lucas Black) of the actors made it.  Many of the supporting characters were filled by people who looked like they had plenty of potential yet only Wood and Costner hit it big.  A number of messages are told throughout the film and although they aren’t emphasized quite to the extent of, say, Forrest Gump, it helps keep the film from feeling like it’s preaching.  I’m sure most who are reading this haven’t seen the film and likely won’t find it at their local video store.  But I highly urge even buying it since it can very easily grow on you and a number of scenes contribute to give it plenty of re-watch value.

“I hope you know them’s the kids who just beat me up.”

“I know who they are, son.”

“Then why’d you give them Ma and Lidia’s cotton candy?”

6. Schindler’s List

Of all the films on my Top 10 list, this is the one that I can never bring myself to watching multiple times.  I’ve only seen the movie one time, but that single viewing alone leaves such a mark on you that it’s almost impossible to forget the details.  This is a very different film for Spielberg which turns out to be a wonderful shift and only makes me wonder why he hasn’t done more dramas.  On the flip side, part of what helps Schindler’s List work so well is that we haven’t gotten very many films that even come close to hitting the serious mark it has.  Those who haven’t seen it should be aware that this is a very unapologetic viewing which, given the subject matter, is very important.  What’s best is that we get this inspired tale of a single setting in the Holocaust and it never loses the tight grip in the three hour runtime.  Schindler’s List very clearly deserved its Best Picture win at the Oscars for a number of reasons, including how unrelenting, convincing and absorbing it is.

“I could have got more out.  I could have got more.  I don’t know.  If I’d just…I could have got more.”

“Oskar, there are eleven hundred people who are alive because of you.  Look at them.”

“If I’d made more money…I threw away so much money.  You have no idea.  If I’d just…”

“There will be generations because of what you did.”

“I didn’t do enough!”

“You did so much.”

“This car.  Goeth would have bought this car.  Why did I keep the car?  Ten people right there.  Ten people.  Ten more people.”

“This pin.  Two people.  This is gold.  Two more people.  He would have given me two for it, at least one.  One more person.  A person, Stern.  For this.  I could have got one more person…and I didn’t!  And I…I didn’t!”

"What's the plot doing way over there?"

(Paramount) Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgaard, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Thure Lindhardt, David Pasquesi, Victor Alfieri, Elya Basin, Rance Howard . Directed by Ron Howard.

Any institution that is around long enough is bound to acquire opponents, if not enemies. For the Roman Catholic Church, the oldest institution on the planet, those opponents are many. But, as they say, it only takes one.

The Church is mourning the sudden and unexpected death of the pope, considered a progressive and fair-minded pontiff, beloved by his flock. As the College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new leader for their church, two very disturbing events occur. The first is the theft of a small but significant amount of anti-matter, a substance manufactured in an experiment partially funded by the Church. The second is the kidnapping of four respected cardinals, all of them considered favorites for the papal election, or as they are known more commonly in the Vatican as the preferati.

The powers of the pope are invested in Patrick McKenna (McGregor), the assistant to the previous pope (or Camerlengo as the position is titled), and he is given further reason for misgiving when he receives a cryptic but menacing note, as well as a live cam feed that indicates that the missing anti-matter is somewhere in the Vatican.

To help in the investigation, Inspector Olivetti (Favino) of the Vatican Police Force recruits an unlikely ally – Robert Langdon (Hanks), the Harvard professor of symbology whose investigations in The DaVinci Code brought down the Opus Dei group and caused much embarrassment for the Church. He arrives in the Vatican along with scientist Vittoria Vetra (Zurer) who was working on the anti-matter project and whose father was gruesomely murdered during the theft. She reports that the battery-charged electronic cannister holding the anti-matter would eventually fail when the battery died; when it did, a sizable chunk of Rome would be vaporized.

Langdon determines that the note was written by the Illuminati, an ancient society of scientifically-inclined Catholics who underwent extreme persecution in the days of Galileo. Deciphering the note, he figures out that the plan is to execute the four cardinals, once every hour in four locations sacred to the Illuminati (each having to do with one of the four elements). Langdon must follow a variety of clues to discover where each cardinal is going to meet a grisly end and arrive there before said cardinals get an early opportunity to see God live and in Person.

He is opposed by Commander Richter (Skarsgaard), the head of the Swiss Guard who are kind of the secret service of the Vatican. To let you know how he feels about the situation, he growls in a voice dripping with disdain “What a relief, the symbologist is here” when Langdon arrives at the Vatican. Also conservative Cardinal Strauss (Mueller-Stahl) is suspicious of the openly non-religious Langdon.

This is a very slick-looking thriller that utilizes its Roman locations effectively (although the Vatican locations were all recreated on a set – as you might imagine, the Church refused to allow the filmmakers permission to film there). Howard is one of the best directors working today, and his skills are one of the movie’s outstanding features. The pacing is brisk and doesn’t give you time to think about all the implausibility in the script.

The script is one of the major downfalls of the film. Writers Akiva Goldsmith and David Koepp – both of whom have delivered some really well-written scripts in the past – aren’t entirely to blame for this. Dan Brown, author of the novel, is a talented writer of page turners, but sacrifices a lot of common sense for the sake of a good plot turn. Are you telling me that the combined minds of the Swiss Guard and the Vatican Police Force, who guard some of the most important people and treasures in the world, were unable to turn the note upside down to figure out that it was sent by the Illuminati?

The script is also rather talky. Hanks spends a lot of time cogitating and then delivering a pronouncement like an explanation point “Why didn’t I think of it before? The Church of San Whoever, patron saint of Earth Wind and Fire!” It’s not that Hanks does a bad job – he’s quite believable inasmuch as he can be as an academic who isn’t fazed by being shot at and have any number of murder attempts made on him. In some ways he’s more of an action hero than scholar, but Hanks makes sure the scholarly side is well-represented.

The international cast (with actors from Israel, Scotland, Germany, Sweden, Italy, China, Russia, Denmark, Austria and elsewhere) are solid. McGregor just about steals the movie as the pious Camerlengo. I like him as an actor more and more in every role I see him as. Zurer is likewise solid in a role that literally has no reason to be there – she’s eye candy, nothing more but she at least makes a credible attempt at being at least physicist-like. Skarsgaard and Mueller-Stahl, veteran character actors both, lend gravitas to their roles.

I’ve really spent a lot of time dwelling on the movie’s faults, and that’s a bit unfair. Granted, they are glaring imperfections, but quite frankly this is a solid summer thriller with plenty of mindless entertainment. The trouble is it kind of bills itself as a smart thriller which is a bit of a disservice. This is the kind of movie that if you think too much about it you’re not going to like it as much. Instead, just sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s a pretty good one.

WHY RENT THIS: A nonstop thrill ride that doesn’t pause long enough for you to catch your breath. McGregor is becoming a much more watchable actor than he was in the Star Wars prequels. Breathtaking sets, special effects (particularly one sequence in St. Peter’s Square) and use of Roman locations make this extremely watchable.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The script is full of holes and lapses in logic that detract from the action. While it bills itself as an intellectual thriller, it works better as mindless entertainment. Some egregious factual errors, particularly as to historical context and Catholic  

FAMILY VALUES: Some rather spectacular and gruesome murders occur, some of which may be too intense for children.

TRIVIAL PURSUITS: While filming in Rome, the crew and equipment were blocking the passage of a bridal party on the way to a church for their wedding. Upon hearing about the situation, Tom Hanks personally escorted the party through the filming area and prevailed upon crew to move equipment so that the party might pass. The grateful family of the bride invited Hanks and director Howard to stay for the reception but their busy filming schedule prevented it.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: The Blu-Ray edition contains a feature on CERN, home of the large hadron collider and the world’s largest particle physics factory. The crew were permitted to film on the premesis (although not in sensitive areas) and the achievements of CERN are discussed in some detail.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

TOMORROW: The Soloist

Imagine That Standard DVD

What if your daughter’s imagination was the secret to your success? When a highly competitive money mogul (Eddie Murphy) finds his financial kingdom slipping, he turns to his 7-year-old daughter (Yara Shahidi) and her fantasy world of imaginary princesses for help. Embarking on a whirlwind journey of comic proportions, father and daughter are about to discover that sometimes all you need is a little imagination – and a lot of love. SRP $39.99

Angels & Demons 2 Disc Extended Edition DVD

The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard again directs the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by Akiva Goldsman and David Koepp.

When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati – the most powerful underground organization in history – he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival. SRP $29.99

Le Film: Never go full retard !

Synopsis:

Quelques décennies d’histoire américaine, des années 1940 à la fin du XXème siècle, à travers le regard et l’étrange odyssée d’un homme simple et pur, Forrest Gump.

Critique:

Est-il encore nécessaire de présenter ce film, déjà devenu un classique du cinéma, 15 ans après sa sortie. Vainqueur de 6 Oscars en 1995, dont Meilleur Film, Meilleur Acteur principal, Meilleur Réalisateur, Meilleur Scenario et Meilleurs effets spéciaux (si-si, a ce sujet, on ne peut que vous conseiller le documentaire consacré aux effets spéciaux : Benjamin Button avant l’heure), rien que ca !

Un Scenario parfait, une interprétation parfaite de Tom Hanks, et des second rôles nombreux par le scripts, mais tous très bons. La musique, aussi bien originale, que les nombreux morceaux connus accompagne très bien cette épopée et au final, on ne sent pas le temps passer.

95/100

L’image: Un transfert de cet âge, c’est comme une boite de chocolat : on sait jamais sur quoi on va tomber…

Attention Spoilers !

Beaucoup d’attente pour cette sortie en Blu-Ray d’un des plus grands films des années 90, hélas, déception ! Paramount aurait pu travailler à la restauration de l’image un mois de plus, et on aurait tenu la un excellent transfert ! Ce n’est cependant pas le cas, et on navigue entre une image très bonne a mauvaise.

Au rayon du bon, voir du très bon en général: Colorimétrie, contrastes, couleurs de peau sont très bien rendus et on ne constate pas de DNR ou Edge Enhancement excessifs.

Comme exemple de très bonnes scènes, viennent a l’idée : Scène au Vietnam ou Forrest va récupérer ses compagnons : profondeur de champ, pas de bruit, couleurs et contrastes magnifiques. Idem lorsque Forrest sort du studio de TV et rencontre son Gary Sinise, ou encore une scène en boite de nuit après que Forrest ai nommé son crevettier.

Au rayon du pas bon : Le ciel en général, particulièrement lors de la scène d’ouverture avec la plume : il apparaît bien trop gris avec beaucoup de bruit, et on a l’impression que celui-ci scintille.

Certaines scènes en intérieur : Forrest attend sa mère dans le couloir lorsqu’elle plaide pour qu’il aille dans une école normale, beaucoup de bruit sur les murs en arrière plan.

Forrest et Jenny se promènent de nuit dans Washington, juste avant qu’elle ne reparte en Bus : Flou et bruité.

Jenny part de la maison familiale Gump pour prendre un taxi, après avoir passé la nuit avec Forrest : Image très floue, pire qu’un dvd upscallé.

Au rayon du moyen : Forrest sur l’estrade a Washington en train de s’adresser a la foule : ciel toujours gris, pas ou peu de détails sur la foule, et eau dans le bassin paraît statique. Mais plans moyen sur lui et l’estrade ainsi que colorimétrie exempts de reproches.

D’une manière générale, pas mal de taches de pellicule, pas noires et disgracieuses ou énormes, mais plutôt blanches et fines, mais assez pour êtres remarquées et venir gâcher l’expérience de visionnage.

Au final, bien qu’étant une (grosse) déception, notamment avec une appellation qu’on peut dorénavant qualifier de purement commerciale (après Gladiator et ce Forrest Gump) de « Sapphire », on ne saurait quand même recommander l’achat de ce Blu-Ray, tant il représente une marche supplémentaire par rapport aux sorties DVD’s et a fortiori VHS de cet excellent film, qui a tout de même désormais 15 ans !

75/100

Le Son: Une piste DTS HD MA 5.1 qui colle au film.

Pas de déception ici, étant donne la nature du film : beaucoup de dialogues, de moments de vie, mais peu de scènes d’action se prêtant a un déchaînement de votre home cinéma. Les voix sont parfaitement intégrées a la scène frontale, ne profitant pas uniquement de la centrale. Quelques effets d’ambiance se font sentir ici et la, mais c’est lors de l’utilisation de musiques, mais surtout lors de deux-trois scènes que la différence entre anciennes versions et celle-ci ce fait entendre

L’arrivée en hélicoptère au Vietnam, la première escarmouche au Vietnam et lors de la tempête en mer à bord crevettier. A ces moments-la votre installation se réveillera et vos voisins aussi, tant le caisson de basse est allègrement utilisé, et on se retrouve alors en plein milieu de l’histoire, avec les rotors qui fusent dans l’appartement, ou en pleine mer déchaînée !

75/100

Genre: Comédie dramatique.

Durée: 2h22

Vidéo : 1080p AVC 2:35:1

Zone: All

Doublage: VFF

Langues: Anglais DTS-HD M A 5.1 / Français Dolby 5.1 /Espagnol Dolby 5.1

Sous-titres: Français / Anglais / Espagnol / Portugais (disponibles sur les bonus mais pas avec les commentaires audios)

Se você é fã do escritor Dan Brown, autor dos sucessos “O Código Da Vinci”, “Anjos e Demônios”, “Fortaleza Digital” e “Ponto de Impacto”, já pode ficar feliz: o mais novo trabalho do norte-americano, “O Símbolo Perdido”, será lançado no Brasil nos próximos dias.

A tiragem inicial para o mercado brasileiro é de 800 mil cópias… muito acima do que é padrão para primeira impressão de um livro no país, que normalmente gira em torno de 4 mil exemplares.

“O Símbolo Perdido” já é um grande sucesso no mercado editorial, tendo vendido mais de 2 milhões de exemplares nos EUA, Canadá e Reino Unido somente em sua primeira semana de lançamento.

O novo livro conta mais uma vez as aventuras do simbologista de Harvard, Robert Langdon, em uma trama que se passa em Washington e envolve segredos da maçonaria e símbolos ocultos.

Ao contrário dos livros anteriores, que foi visto como um ultraje pelo Vaticano e a Igreja Católica, “O Símbolo Perdido” foi bem recebido pela maçonaria, uma organização fraterna, datada aproximadamente do século 16 e com cerca de 4 a 5 milhões de maçons em todo o mundo.
Segundo Greg Levenston, grão-mestre da loja maçônica Unida de Nova Gales do Sul e do Território Australiano Capital dos Maçons, trata-se de um trabalho de um “romancista tremendo”. “Estamos muito satisfeitos. Não há nada neste livro que vá ofender minha organização. Isto nos proporciona a oportunidade de nos abrirmos um pouco”, completa.

Capa de "O Símbolo Perdido" e seu autor, Dan Brown. (Reprodução)

Na cola do sucesso de “O Código Da Vinci”
O grande sucesso editorial de Dan Brown é “O Código Da Vinci”, que vendeu mais de 81 milhões de cópias desde o seu lançamento em 2003 e encabeçou praticamente todas as listas de ‘os mais vendidos’ no mundo.
Também foi adaptado com sucesso para os cinemas em 2006, em produção estrelada por Tom Hanks e dirigida por Ron Howard. O filme, mesmo sendo ruim, não decepcionou nas bilheterias e arrecadou quase US$ 760 milhões…

Mas, mesmo com tamanho sucesso, o livro foi apontado pela equipe do suplemento de literatura do jornal inglês “The Times” como o pior livro da década. Curiosamente, “O Código Da Vinci” também ocupa a 10ª posição na lista dos melhores livros da década.

A adaptação de “O Símbolo Perdido” para os cinemas já está em progresso…

For the next few days, we spent our time exploring our local coast. Our first stop, just to the west of Tavira, was a beach called Praia Do Barril. As with the majority of beaches along the Eastern Algarve, the beach is on a sand-spit island. Several of the beaches require you to take a very short ferry ride or water-taxi to reach the sands.

Praia Do Barril is slightly different in that you can take a tiny narrow-gauge train to the beach from a very pretty white-washed resort called Pedras Del Rei, or alternatively take a wonderful 15 minute walk beside the tracks – across the marshes and lagoons and through fragrant woods.

When you arrive at Barril, which forms part of the Isla De Tavira, you can quickly see why the Isla was listed in a recent survey of the top ten beaches in the world. The sands are an almost Caribbean white and soft like fine sugar and the sand and sea stretches as far as the eye can see in both directions. Being off-season, there was hardly anybody around – however there are a couple of cafes present to provide some somewhat overpriced sustenance, or, in our case, a small icy glass of Sagres beer.

Although windswept, the low dunes provide shelter from the wind and people were sunbathing happily, despite it being mid-November! Sadly, the very fun looking 6-seater pedaloes with a built in slide to splash into the sea were not for hire at this time of year, but I plan to be first in the queue when the next season begins!

On the way back to Tavira, we stopped in Santa Luzia, a rustic fishing village with a number of seafood restaurants. We deliberately chose the shabbiest place for a shellfish snack –determined to remain outside our comfort-zone and be forced to attempt to speak Portugese (it would be very easy to be lazy in the Algarve as anywhere even vaguely touristy-looking will assume you only speak English.) We had a plate of large prawns and in place of the clams, which were not available, we had cockles. I expected cockles to be the small chewy things in vinegar like you get in jars in the UK, but these were served in their shells, steaming hot and fresh, with wine, garlic and olive oil. They were a revelation, and I intend to slurp an awful lot more of these delicious morsels from their shells in weeks to come. Every last bit of the garlicky sauce was soaked up in the fresh bread and we left very happy.

Santa Luzia itself was a charming little place, a lot more “local” than many of the places in the Algarve, with the river shimmering at the bottom and small fishing boats bobbing around. During the Summer, it is apparently possible to take a boat across to the beach (Santa Luzia beach also forms part of the Isla De Tavira) but this didn’t appear to be running off season.

Tomorrow: Monte Gordo and Praia Verde

Steven Spielbergin ohjaama elokuva Terminaali (The Terminal, 2004) perustuu kiehtovahkoon ideaan ihmisestä, Viktor Navorskista (Tom Hanks), joka jää jumiin lentokentälle: kotimaassa on vallankaappaus, joten hän ei voi palata sinne, mutta passi on mitätöity ja sen myötä viisumikin mennyttä, joten häntä ei myöskään päästetä JFK:n lentokentältä Yhdysvaltoihin ja New Yorkiin, jonne hän ilmoittaa aikovansa.

Varsinkin alku on kiinnostava – lentokenttien ja virastojen byrokratia sekä vieraan kulttuurin ja kielen säännöt lyövät avokämmenellä viatonta vierailijaa. Tulos on ironinen, hauska ja liikuttavakin, kun Viktor joutuu seuraamaan televisioruuduista odottamatonta verilöylyä kotimaassa, jonne ei voi palata ja jonne ei saa yhteyttä. Tulkkia ei löydy, viranomaiset puhuvat vierasta kieltä. Innokkaasti yhteisymmärrystä etsivä Viktor joutuu todistamaan, miten eväsomena (“Big Apple!”) murskaa sipsipussin (“Karkovia!”).

Lentokentällä Viktor sitten harhailee byrokraattien pompoteltavana ja muiden kenttäläisten hyljeksimänä, mutta kehittää itsellen vähitellen tulonlähteitä, solmii ystävyyssuhteita ja pääsee työntekijöiden salaisiin iltajuhliin, joissa nautitaan lentomatkojen ruoantähteitä. Tämä aiheuttaa mielenkarvautta valvontakameroita tuijottelevalle turvallisuuspäällikölle (Stanley Tucci), jota haluaisi harmillisen häiriötekijän pois lentokentältään – tavalla tai toisella.

Tom Hanksin ja Stanley Tuccin välinen vääntö on elokuvan parasta antia. Pieni ihminen versus Byrokraatti -asetelma sopii kaksikolle loistavasti. Hyväntahtoinen Viktor-Tom harhailee, törmäilee ja remontoi lentokenttää uusiksi hämmentyneellä jäyhyydellä, joka tuo hetkittäin mieleen Buster Keatonin. Hahmon tapa sopeutua ja luoda kauneutta outoihin olosuhteisiin tuo monella tavalla mieleen myös vaikkapa Kaurismäen elokuvan Mies vailla menneisyyttä.

Pitkin matkaa elokuvaan tulee kuitenkin yhä enemmän sivutarinoita, jotka eivät tunnu istuvan alkuperäiseen juoneen. Tehdään yhtä. Ja toista. Ja muutetaan mieltä kesken kaiken. Lentokentällä piipahtava lentoemo Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) on jumissa ihmissuhteissa, jotka tuntuvat kuuluvan toiseen elokuvaan tai ehkä johonkin sinkkusarjaan. Ja Viktor Navorskin matkan alkuperäinen syy tuntuu jotenkin kornilta – tai yksinkertaisesti tarpeettomalta. Lopun murtautuminen lentokentältä jää sekin jotenkin epäuskottavaksi, jopa elokuvan sisäisen uskottavuuden kriteereillä.

Joidenkin elokuvien onnahtelut selittyvät, kun katsoo dvd:n poistettuja kohtauksia. Niistä käy ilmi, että syystä tai toisesta tarinan rakennetta, kohtauksia tai juonta on muutettu leikkausvaiheessa (eikä aina parempaan suuntaan: I am Legend -elokuva oli selvästi rakennettu alkuperäistä loppua kohti, ja teatterilevitykseen mennyt räiskintäversio oli siihen verrattuna aika heikko). Terminaalin dvd-versiossa on levyllinen ekstroja, mutta senkään materiaalista ei löydy vihiä siitä, että elokuvaa olisi enää prosessissa muutettu, joten ilmeisesti ongelmat ovat olleet mukana alun perinkin.

Kiinnostava pätkä kuitenkin, eikä ihan ilman todellisuuspohjaa. Kuuluisin lentokentälle jumiin jäänyt henkilö lienee Mehram Karimi Nasseri, ja muutkin ovat päätyneet kansainvälisen alueen mottiin vaihtelevista syistä.

Hi Katie,

When does “Angels and Demons” come out on DVD?  I loved the movie, and it seems like it should be out by now.
Taylor, 18

Dear Taylor,

Considering the fact that it came out in May of this year, it does seem like it should be out on DVD by now.  But keep in mind, the Christmas shopping season is nearly upon us.

According to the Internet Movie Database, it will be released on DVD and 2 disc special DVD on the 24th of November.  That does seem like a really long time to wait for a DVD, but special features take a long time.

Luckily, you won’t have to wait much longer.  Here are a few links to check out.

The Internet Movie Database

Amazon.com

Examiner

Ya me lo he acabado. “El símbolo perdido” de Dan Brown, me ha durado una semanita.

Estoy agradecida al autor, porque me ha proporcionado unos ratitos de ocio de gran calidad.  El libro es un típico producto de Brown. Tiene todos los ingredientes básicos que tan bien le han funcionado en sus libros anteriores : organizaciones poderosas, misterios, chica intelectualmente capacitada y compañera de la aventura, mini-capítulos ( muy cortos pero contundentes) y un ritmo vertiginoso que suele perder fuelle al final pero que es suficientemente “energético” para qué te enganches a la trama y desees acabar y saber.

He leído las críticas ( ya típicas) que se hacen a las obras de Dan Brown .Lo de la “poca calidad literaria” y lo de la “literatura comercial”  ya cansa un poquito. Un libro atrapa o no y este, definitivamente, se te mete fácil en el cerebro. ¡Eh! Y al cerebro… ¡Le encanta!. El estilo es el de Dan Brown y la calidad es la de Dan Brown . O sea, el tío ha creado una categoría “literaria”…por mucho que pese a sus detractores.

La otra cosa que le achacan al autor es que, aunque la obra parece profusamente documentada, no lo está y lo que hace es tergiversar, ocultar y “transformar” datos que le restan veracidad. La verdad, yo no esperaba documentarme sobre las Sociedades Masónicas con el libro de Brown. Compré una novela de misterio y he leído una novela de misterio. Ficción. Novela.  Si lo que se quiere es saber más del Opus Dei , no hay que leer “El Código Da Vinci”. Para eso hay otras fuentes bibliográficas…

Así que me ha encantado reecontrarme con Langdon ( “mi Langdon” que no es Tom Hanks…Imagen que conjuro para eliminarla de mi mente cuando pienso en Robert…), con el ritmo y con los buenos ratos.

Gracias, Dan.

Y como estaré “símbolizada” durante unos días, mientras se me pasa el efecto de “El símbolo perdido” y empiezo con el de “La isla bajo el mar” de Isabel Allende, he buscado el origen de uno de los símbolos universales que más me gustan.

Autor : Gerald Holtom, 1958

Logo : Nuclear Disarmament (Desarme Nuclear).

Utilizando el lenguaje de banderas o semáforo ( que representa las letras del alfabeto con banderas y la posición del cuerpo .Utilizada habitualmente por los scouts) se representa el slogan a favor del Desarme Nuclear. Este símbolo, en los tiempos de la Guerra Fría, cuando el conseguir el Desarme Nuclear era uno de los máximos logros por la Paz, se convirtió en el signo que , hoy en día, significa eso : Paz.

Aunque , bien pensado, lo del “Nuclear Disarmement” sigue siendo un argumento vigente actualmente.

Por desgracia.

In today’s news, Sarah would rather be Rafiki the baboon than be Elton John. How did we get onto this Lion King style debate? I have absolutely no idea. And apparently she got slapped by a lion this summer. Well, she’s never dull anyway, and she called her own dog a slut. Right now she’s repeatedly showing me pictures of her bum crack. I know, I was disturbed too. We all have a plan to go on the big wheel in the center of Edinburgh, which may result in me having a tiny but obviously fatal heart attack. Bitch just called me a warthog! I hate her sometimes. Right now we are sitting with Ben, who looks like a young Tom Hanks. He even has the crazy beard that Tom Hanks had in Castaway! I hated that movie. Ok, we get it, you got shipwrecked and now you’re a freak who talks to coconuts. I really want to go to South Africa now! Damn Sarah and her life adventures. I got up at 8 o clock this morning and now I am reaaaally pissy. Oh, and happy birthday Mum!

Ciao!

look, i have real friendsies!

where's tom hanks?

is that...walter matthau?!

paging dr. freud!

forever jung.

it's all about the benjamins

Starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard. That’s a pretty good start for any movie. I must admit I really didn’t think I would like this movie. Watching I was trying not to like it strange way to see a movie. After watching the movie I thought take away the religious aspect the movie has the mystery of a cop chasing a serial killer. Can you tell I’m not big on religion. Personally as a foundation its good for people to have direction but people can’t keep their hands off and have to mess it all up. Actually the movie hints to my point. It seem strange to me all the violence and then one gesture and its all better. Is it any different from the people in the Roman coliseums. I mean our society wants more what ever it is, if its good give me seven. I speak from personal experience, grateful to still be alive. Back to the movie huh! For any tech geeks you gotta luv the antimatter into the story. The archive building seem pretty modern for a society that frowns on too much science, that was funny to me. Can science answer all the questions I don’t think so. I like to think we are better as a race as we learn more about our selves and the world around us. I can’t seem to stay on track with this movie. The story builds pretty good it had me fooled. I didn’t expect the ending. Ewan McGregor did a good job selling it I think. Tom Hanks had a partner. A very pretty scientist Vittoria Vetra (cool name) played by Ayelet Surer. While I don’t know a lot about the Vatican the story is not new. In order to keep control (like a corporation) there are secrets and the thing they protect is also their weakness. I can’t believe in the story Robert Langdon doesn’t get killed right off, Anybody making that much trouble. I could have easily seen this same movie with just a few changes. Langdon and sexy scientist with their smarts track a serial killer. I think you have a hit for more people to be entertained. Or is it just me! This is so confusing I was entertained ok!

A Walt Disney confirmou Johnny Depp no quarto filme da série Piratas do Caribe. E não foi com um salário qualquer, mas por 60 milhões de reais! A bolada o tornará o ator mais bem pago de Hollywood, desbancando Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks e Mel Gibson.

Segundo o jornal Telegraph, os diretores da Disney concordaram em dar o salário polpudo à Depp porque Keira Knightley e Orlando Bloom, que interpretam Elizabeth Swann e Will Turner, respectivamente, não retornam à próxima aventura. Com o posto de protagonista feminina em aberto, Penélope Cruz foi sondada.

Nada melhor do que uma boa quantia de dinheiro para convencer um ator contrariado. O norte-americano quase desistiu do papel com a demissão do presidente do Conselho de Administração da Walt Disney, Dick Cook. O executivo era um dos grandes apoiadores do intérprete do capitão Jack Sparrow na trilogia de piratas excêntricos.

Piratas do Caribe: Em Marés Estranhas seria centrado na fonte da juventude, citada em No Fim do Mundo, e acompanharia o capitão Sparrow em busca da cidade perdida de Atlantis. O quarto longa-metragem da saga tem estreia prevista para 2011.

Diferentemente dos primeiros filmes da saga que foram comandados por Gore Verbinski, a direção da nova empreitada ficará a cargo de Rob Marshall, que trabalhou em Chicago (2002) e Memórias de uma Gueixa (2005). A trilogia lançada em 2003 já arrecadou mais de 2,7 bilhões de dólares em bilheteria.

Você já quis ter um retrato daquela cena específica do seu filme preferido?

O Ewan doidão em Trainspotting ou

o desespero do Harry por causa de você-sabe-o-quê em Harry Potter e A Ordem de Fênix…

… ou a Meg ameaçando o Tom em Mensagem para Você…

…ou uma delicada recordação de Notting Hill…

…ou o treinamento da Little Miss Sunshine…

…ou…ah, acho que você entendeu.

Mais de 100 filmes foram catalogados pelo Screencaps, segundo o blog Favoritos. Fica a dica!

Att vara filmuppföljare till en bitvis ifrågasatt filmatisering av en från början kontroversiell roman är naturligtvis inte lätt.

Bara att ta beslutet att än en gång visualisera den gode professorn Robert Langdons äventyr bland gamla symboler och ljusskygga, hemliga, sällskap är en utmaning.
Trots långt ifrån översvallande reaktioner på det första äventyret, Da Vinci-koden, levererar regissören Ron Howard än en gång lite spekulativ konspirationsteori inlindat i fart, färger och gammal hederlig mysterielösning.

Änglar & Demoner får här fungera som en uppföljare till det första äventyret (i romanvärlden är det ju dock tvärtom). Vatikanen behöver Langdons hjälp när fyra av de främsta favorittippade kardinalerna att ta över den nyss avlidne populäre påvens lustiga mössa blir kidnappade. Dessutom tickar en gömd bomb, innehållandes det högst obskyra och livsfarliga ämnet antimateria, oundvikligen ned mot sprängningsögonblicket.

Jag är övertygad om att de flesta av er redan känner till grundstoryn, och frågan är väl bara egentligen om regissör Howard den här gången lyckats fullt ut med överföringen till filmens värld. Själv köper jag de två timmarna utan några djupare betänkligheter.
Givetvis måste man vara fullt medveten om att några smärre justeringar alltid behövs i originalmanuset för att passa in storyn på ett smidigt sätt. På sättet det görs här, lite snyggt ansträngt och överdrivet och utan några större avvikelser i sömmarna, fungerar det helt ok.
Den här storyn, liksom boken, är ju lite fartigare, lite rivigare.

Tom Hanks som programenligt återvänder som Langdon får den här gången finna sig i att flänga runt i ett upplyst Rom i släptåg med sin nya sidekick, den vackra Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer).
Och visst är det tillrättalagt, inte speciellt överraskande och ganska tillverkat enligt formulär 1A.
Men vad tusan gör väl det?
Egentligen.
Som tittare vet man precis vad man får och i vilken ordning, det måste ändå anses som två välinvesterade timmar om du är ute efter lite tillbakalutad popcorns-mysterielösar-actionfartig-historia. Vi pratar inget större djup här, utan bara lite simpel lördagsunderhållning till chipsen.

Och att blanda in gamla myter, symboler och hemliga sällskap är alltid gångbart och nöjsamt.
Inte minst i en miljö som Vatikanen med sin digra och ofta inte helt rumsrena bakgrund. På skådespelarfronten inget direkt nytt att rapportera. Tom Hanks cashar in sin lönecheck utan att glänsa. Lite träig, lite besserwisseraktig. Det handlar ju trots allt om en professor till yrket (även om man då och då kan få för sig att det är en modern Indiana Jones man glor på.)
Ayelet Zurer som Vittoria är den som får fungera som bollplank till Hanks när han går runt och tänker högt. Om denna Zurer vet jag intet, och hon gör heller ingen insats utöver det vanliga som kvinnliga sidekicks-hjältinnor ska göra; se snygga ut och leda vår hjälte i rätt riktning.

I övrigt figurerar Ewan McGregor, den pålitlige Armin Mueller-Stahl och självaste Stellan Skarsgård förbi i habila och nödvändiga roller.
Speciellt Skarsgård får stå för den obligatoriska tjurigheten och pessimismen. Rätt roande faktiskt. Alla, både de som läst boken eller ej, vet säkerligen vid det här laget att Langdon alltid klarar skivan, vad han än ger sig in på. När finalen väl sprätter in i den krattade manegen vet vi ju redan hur allt kommer att sluta.
Den högst förväntade vägen dit är dock fylld med, om inte överraskningar, så i alla fall snygga bilder över Rom i kvällningen och snärtiga actionscener blandat med lite upptempo vid väl valda delar i filmen.

Måhända är det orealistiskt och överdrivet.
Men det är förbaskat underhållande på vägen.

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