It’s Finals Time
There should have been an update yesterday but I was too busy with other things to get to it. It’s finals time right now and my last first test is on Tuesday. And I might be headed for reserve service after that. Still uncertain about that. And in addition, there is a job on the horizon that is looking good. Nothing completely solid yet but I have hopes. So, we will see after next week.
Posted in No Category by Eran with comments disabled.
Review: Brave
It’s a new Pixar movie. Of course we had to go see it. Both of us love Pixar and this one looked especially cute and personally, I always love to see powerful, bad ass women taking on the world their own way. I guess it makes me feel there’s still hope. Before going, I saw two basic reviews of this movie that both said pretty much the same thing: This is a good movie and excellently made and performed but it’s kind of cliche. It’s like a standard Disney movie but we expected more from Pixar. So, go to watch, we did. Maayan’s opinion: It’s awesome. My opinion: I can see what they were talking about. I mean, it’s beautiful. The animation is superb in perfect Pixar quality. And you can especially see the attention to details given to the cloth and hair, Merida’s hair in particular. And the style and the jokes that you’re expecting from Pixar are all there. It’s charming and lovely and touching and cute. But up until about a third of the movie, I kept expecting to be something more, something hidden, some tug at the heartstrings of a touchy subject, anything that will remind me that the guys behind this are the guys who made The Incredibles or Toy Story 3 or Ratatouille. But no. So, like they said and I reiterate: It’s not the new Pixar sensation. It won’t blow you away with a magnificent story (the animation is great, though). But it is charming and cute and probably Continue Reading →
Posted in Reviews and tagged pixar by Eran with 1 comment.
Review: The Bartimaeus Trilogy
I didn’t know these books existed before my serious relationship with Maayan. And when I first came over and saw her room, I noted them among her many books. A while later, when I was told of the great meaning of the shelf on which they stood, I filed them away on my list of books to read sometime in the future, maybe. Still later, at one point, she raved about how good they were, how well they were written and about how awesome Bartimaeus’ character is. So I bumped them up my list to the point of to read when I have time. And then she outwardly told me to read them. So what could I do? Say no? One more preface: this is a series of books Maayan keeps in both the original British version (seen to the left) as well as in the Hebrew translation. That’s saying something. The only other books who fit that category are the Neil Gaiman books. So Bear that in Mind. In short, The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye and Ptolemy’s Gate follow Nathaniel, a bright and aspiring young magician in a world that is a sort of urban fantasy where the urban is represented by an early 20th, late 19th century tech level and the fantasy is represented by an elite class of magicians, people with the talent and the know-how to summon spirits to do their bidding. This leads to a Britain ruled by magicians who treat the common-folk like slaves Continue Reading →
Posted in Reviews by Eran with 2 comments.
Document Writing, Calendar and Sattelite TV
Three thoughts I’ve just had. Well, one is about a week old but still. I’m writing this from the waiting room of our garage in Haifa, waiting for Bessie to get her check up and polish. There’s a TV here showing a movie on Yes1 and it jumps and struggles and jitters a whole heck of a lot more than my two year old computer playing a 1080p movie. And people wonder why we don’t have a television connection, just a monitor for movies and games. Right now, when classes are finally over and I am moving into exam season, my calendar is freeing up and for the first time in several months I can see into next Monday. That’s kinda cool. I know this is always presumptous to say but _I am_ writing a book. For those of you who know it, it’s the one I started here and took down for a serious rewrite – Nathanel’s story, which I think could really work as a full length novel. The point is, I had it on Google Docs because I thought it was comfortable to keep it there where it allows me to write from anywhere. But a while back, with Google Drive and the, to my opinion, quite horrific terms of use, I decided to move it to Dropbox. I know Dropbox isn’t completely secure and I should probably encrypt it but I can access it, with full WSIWYG editing, through my Office application here on my phone. Continue Reading →
Posted in From the Writing Desk, High-Tech, Practice, School, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with comments disabled.
Review: The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight is the story of a high school teacher with retrograde amnesia who, upon meeting a scamming private detective, starts to discover her hidden past and find that there are very bad men out to get her. That is because she is an ex-government assassin and not a chef like she thought she was. I remembered The Long Kiss Goodnight as another one of those great action movies that are not as appreciated as it should be. So before I even started rewatching it, I looked it up. And I found this guy, Shane Black. He’s the screenwriter. He wrote this movie. And he wrote The Last Boyscout. And he wrote the Lethal Weapon series. And the Last Action Hero. All awesome action movies. Because they are written as action movies and not just action scenes with a semblance of plot or movies with some action in them. And the most important thing, they had awesome dialogue. Here are some examples: Mitch Henessey: [singing] Putting the keys in my left pocket. Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm. Gun in the right-hand side. Samantha Caine: It makes a bulge, people can see. Mitch Henessey: Ya want me to stick it in my pants and shoot my damn dick off? Samantha Caine: Now you’re a sharpshooter? Mitch Henessey: What I’m saying is, back when we first met, you were all like “Oh phooey, I burned the darn muffins.” Now, you go into a bar, ten minutes later, sailors come runnin’ out. Continue Reading →
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Review: We Bought a Zoo
“It’s a zoo.” Is not something you would expect to hear when looking for a new place to live. But that is one Benjamin Mee hears when he thinks he’s found the perfect place to start a new, six months after his wife dies. His little girl Rosie is thrilled. His son Dylan, not so much. His new staff is skeptical and especially his new Zoo Keeper Kelly. But he is determined to make it work. For his family, for the grounds, for the crew and for the animals. That is how We Bought a Zoo stars. And if you’re as movie-savvy as me you might be quick to classify it in the “Getting back on your feet after a tragedy” set of journey movies under the umbrella of light-drama. And you’ll be right. It is that kind of movie. And it’s a stellar example of its kind. The first thing you probably don’t really need to know is that We Bought a Zoo is based on a book, a memoir actually, written by Benjamin Mee who actually lived the story portrayed in this movie. Obviously certain dramatizations occurred but the basic story is true. This happened. And if you know this, I think the movie will be more powerful for you. Matt Damon is a capable actor in many respects and as he gets older, he allows himself more serious, emotional roles. Scarlett Johanssen shows us again why she is a very sought out actress. Their building relationship is subtle, not Continue Reading →
Posted in Reviews by Eran with comments disabled.
The Right to Complain Isn’t Free
We tend to take the right to complain for granted. It’s usually considered a basic human right. Sometimes it is referred to as the IDF soldier’s first prerogative. But it’s not that easy. Sometimes, you lose the right to complain. Basically, when you get free stuff. If someone gives you a gift, you can’t really complain. They didn’t have to give you anything. They did it out of the kindness of their heart. And if you complain you might discourage further gift giving in the future. And that is something you definitely don’t want to do. Let’s take Louis C.K.’s example (of a somewhat unrelated issue) of a guy sitting in an airplane complaining that the wifi is unavailable. Yes, you can tell him to shut up because he’s hurtling through the air swiftly and safely (Something unheard of slightly more than a hundred years ago) and he is getting an internet connection while flying on a plane (something quite inconceivable just a few years ago) but he is paying for that right, paying quite a lot actually, and thus has earned the right to complain. Though, I would argue, that his right to complain is reduced if he’s not actually paying and not getting his service. It especially irks me when I hear people complaining about pirated games. I mean, crying about a game not working when it is a cracked version. Dude, you didn’t pay for it, you don’t have the right to complain about its faults. You got Continue Reading →
Posted in Humanity, No Category, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with 4 comments.
Review: John Carter
I don’t think John Carter‘s problem was being late to the field. I think the story, at its base, is decent enough if a bit cliched. There are some plot threads that are left hanging and it could use a little boost of intelligence but it has spunk. The characters are cool, John Carter himself is cool and the white apes fight reminded me of the Rancor fight. This could have been good. I think the main problem are the actors. The chemistry is almost non-existent, between the two leads and pretty much anyone else. The two bad guys seem like stupid Disney villains… they’re villains… in a Disney movie… well, you get my point. And even though Princess Lynn Collins is the most talented of the bunch, she’s not that great either. And Taylor Kitch pretending to be Batman pretending to be John Carter of Mars is almost completely unrelatable. I mean, his back story, which I remember working in other movies (even in Star Wars) simply did nothing for me this time around. So, it’s not John Carter’s fault, me thinks. With a tighter script, just a bit more cohesion and a set serious actors (Like the cast of Chronicles of Riddick – which was very similar and awesome, don’t argue), this could have been a good movie. But like this, I would recommended you avoid it unless you really have time on your hands or a serious movie freak like me (because time is still a luxury).
Posted in Reviews by Eran with 2 comments.
Review: The Matrix DeZIONized
Basically, the second and third movies of the Matrix trilogy pulled into one with out any of the Zion scenes. The end result: A two and a half hour movie that actually has better pacing, allows you to follow the plot, is tighter and doesn’t really delve into stupidity. Too much. There are the occasional moments where you think this might be silly or cliche but hey, it’s the Matrix. They popularized if not invented this shit. Over all, there are two thing I can say about it. I consider it the definitive ONLY sequel to the great movie that is the Matrix. It’s not a perfect one but it’s better than Reloaded and Revolutions combined on their own. The editors are right. Sometimes, less is more. So, I would recommend it on that regard. The second thing is, if you haven’t seen the Matrix sequels yet, you should probably watch this. It’s better. If you have, you probably have one of two opinions. You either thought the movies were somewhere between ok and good. Or you think they were somewhere between shit and an abomination. If you are of the latter category, there is probably not a lot I can say that would convince you. If you are of the former, I urge you to give this another go. You might be surprised.
Posted in Reviews by Eran with 5 comments.
What Struck Earth in 775?
Yes, that’s 775 CE. A huge increase in radiation levels over the course of a year with no known astronomical reason. I smell a secret history story. Anyone?
Posted in From the Writing Desk, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with comments disabled.