Merry Christmas! - Joyeux Noël!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!

Joyeux Noël & Joyeuses Fêtes à tout le monde!

'Phantom' Star Joins 'Dragonball' - Emmy Rossum joins Justin Chatwin and James Marsters in manga adaptation - Zap2it

'Phantom' Star Joins 'Dragonball' - Emmy Rossum joins Justin Chatwin and James Marsters in manga adaptation - Zap2it

A live action version of Dragonball? I'm very curious to see that! Whatever they do, I hope they will keep the humourous tone that the animated series have. And it's going to need a lot of special effects for the battle scenes, to say the least...

Kamehamehaaaaaa! ;-)

Jack Bauer in 1994

If you like the show 24 and you remember 1994's computer technology, you're going to find this College Humor video very funny! Things sure have changed...

Click here for the "24: The Unaired 1994 Pilot" video.

Movie review: Resident Evil: Extinction

Here's a movie from one of my favourite category: "Cute girls that kicks butts". As a disclaimer, I would like to mention that the main reason I went to see this movie (and the two previous ones) is because it stars the beautiful Milla Jovovich.

In this third installment in the series, the world is pretty much taken over by the virus that turns people into zombies. Only a few survivors remains here and there, fighting to stay human. Alice (Jovovich) is by herself at first, but eventually join a group of survivors lead by Claire (Heroes' Ali Larter). The zombies are everywhere and many violent fights occurs, thinning the number of survivors at an alarming rate. The Umbrella Corporation is still around as well, trying to find a cure to the disease they created.

We discover new aspects and abilities for Alice, who seems just about invincible, while remaining super cute. The ending doesn't answers all questions and actually open the doors wide open for a sequel, which has not yet been announced, but is certainly possible.

If you enjoyed the first two RE, you will probably like Resident Evil: Extinction as well. Particularly if like watching Milla like I do...

Movie review: Shoot 'Em Up

When I first heard of this movie, I wasn't really interested based on the title. Then, I learned that it starred Clive Owen, an actor I really like. Then, I also learned that it wasn't that serious. In fact, within the first few minutes of the movie, it was said that he killed a man with a carrot and cut the umbilical cord of a new-born with a bullet (BTW, he does!). Now, that's different... So I did go see the movie and it was a great ride!

I had a lot of fun watching this movie, but be warned it is quite violent, as you probably already figured out. And also funny, very tongue-in-cheek in style. Lots of action and shooting, of course, with a lot of humour too. The story is around a baby who gets chased after, hidden, tossed around, dropped, picked-up and taken cared of as best as possible considering all the bullets flying around. Insane. There's also a great chase & shoot-out scene in parachutes near the end, but the baby missed that one.

Beside Clive Owen, the movie also stars Paul Giamatti as the main bad buy and Monica Bellucci, a prostitute who gets stuck in this adventure pretty much against her will and better judgment... Both do a great job.

So if you like dark humour and action, go see this this movie, it's really worth it!

Movie review: War

One movie I was looking forward to, since I first heard of it, is War, mainly because it stars Jet Li and Jason Statham. They are two of my favourite action stars, so just thinking about them fighting each other was pretty much all I needed to know that I would want to see the movie.

And it was quite an action ride! Good action, of course, including great fights and a car chase. The war in question is the one between the Chinese Mafia (Triads) and the Japanese Mafia (Yakuza), which Rogue (Jet Li) exploit to his own benefit. Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) is an FBI agent pursuing Rogue, who killed is partner. The later plot is not very original, but they managed to put a twist to it which makes it very interesting. The only thing I was not too crazy about is the end, which I can't discuss without spoiling it, so I won't say what bugs me...

A movie to be seen by action fans, particularly if you like the two main actors.

Movie review: Rush Hour 3

Since I really liked the first two "Rush Hour" movies, seeing Rush Hour 3 was an easy decision. It may not be as 'fresh', but it was still a lot of fun. Lots of humour and action scenes, including fights. Some scenes required special effects, I'm sure, but there is still a lot of live action.

The story starts in LA, USA, but eventually moves to Paris, France. Our heroes must find a critical item to expose the Triads, the powerful Chinese crime organisation. Of course, many people stands in the way, while others wants to help.

Chris Tucker & Jackie Chan works very well together once again, although many scenes must be done a few times to get it right, as shown in the traditional bloopers scenes at the end of the movie, in the beginning of the credits.

A must-see for the fans of the series. Will there be a fourth one? Me thinks so... :-)

Movie review: The Bourne Ultimatum

I really liked the two previous movies, so I was looking forward to The Bourne Ultimatum and I was not disappointed! Lots of action, a good story & intrigue and very little special effects, it would seem. In Sci-Fi, you want tons of special effects, but in an action movie such as this one, "real" is better. There isn't a lot of humour, but there is one scene that made people laugh and even clap (I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone in this).

Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne again and he's really good at playing this character. The rest of the cast is also very good. Bourne's real identity is a big secret, including to himself, but as he remember things, he wants to know everything. That's his only goal in this movie, finding out who he is and why was he chosen. I won't give out the details, of course, but he does reach his goal. Lets just say it isn't an easy task when you have the CIA and all it's resources against you.

Will there be a sequel? In a way, it seems unlikely, since he achieved what he set to do. But it's always a possibility, as with any successful movie and the end of the movie does keep the door open, if only a little bit. Of course Bourne can simply kick it wide open...!

Even if you haven't seen the two first movies (The Bourne Identity & The Bourne Supremacy), I think you can still appreciate this movie on it's own, as a great spy/action movie.

ReBoot is making a comeback!

Good news for ReBoot fans, one of the first computer animated TV series. Rainmaker Animation, who bought Mainframe Entertainment, have announced a movie trilogy featuring our digital heroes. This should be interesting! With today's 3D technology, it should look great, but will it be as fun? We'll see. Here a link to a PDF version of the press release.

Movie review: Taxi 4

Taxi 4 is a French movie, written by Luc Besson (better known for The Fifth Element) and of course is a sequel to the three Taxi movies before it. There was an American remake done, also called Taxi, but it wasn't as good as the original French one (as is usually the case, except for True Lies, which was a really good remake of La Totale!).

The franchise is starting to show some fatigue, but I still liked it, with enough new ideas to keep it interesting. There's less car chases and crashes and that may be a mistake, because that's what really shined in the first one. Not everyone will like this movie, but I had a good time.

Movie review: The Simpsons Movie

I've been watching The Simpsons for many years now and I was looking forward to their big screen debut. I was not disappointed! It's very funny. It's like a big episode (bigger size and duration), but I didn't mind paying money to see it, because, well, it's a movie!

And I'm sure there will be more. First, it is very strongly hinted near the end of the movie. The real end, that is, the one after the end-credits start scrolling. There's plenty of little bits during the credits, so if you're the type that leaves as soon as the credits starts, you will not see the whole movie. D'oh! Second, it's making a ton of money.

The short version of the story is: Homer makes a big mistake, the whole family gets in trouble, Homer takes it upon himself to fix his mistake and against all odds, he succeeds! I hope I didn't spoil it for you... ;-)

To be seen by all Simpsons fans!

Movie review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Imax)

I finally saw the newest Harry Potter this evening. As planned, it was the Imax version, with part of it at the end in 3D.

I did like it, but not as much I had hopped. The visuals are great and it's a good story. I did not read the book, but I still feel like they had to cut some of it to make it only two hours long, which is normal, but I wonder what I'm missing. The 3D part also wasn't that impressive in some scenes, but very nice in others. It's still getting darker, as expected, with the gang growing up and having to deal with increasingly more evil characters.

There's also a lighter side to the movie, with happier situations and some humour. So in general, I did enjoy the movie and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Fun week-end, Potter on Monday

I had a great day on Saturday, spending most of it doing photography outside in Montreal, on Île Ste-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame. I'm still sorting through the hundreds of pictures I took and will soon select some to post to Flickr.

Tomorrow, I hope to go see the new Harry Potter after work. One limitation I have is that I want to see the Imax version, which include a 3D element to it at the end of the movie. Problem is, only one theatre show this version in Montreal, which limits the options. This is why I will try on a Monday evening, when there usually are less people.

Other movies now playing I plan on seeing are "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry", "Ma Tante Aline" (a French Canadian movie) and maybe "Transformers" for a second time! Upcoming movies I'm looking forward to are "The Simpsons Movie", "Taxi 4" (French movie), "The Bourne Ultimatum", "Rush Hour 3", "Stardust" and "War", to name just a few of the summer flicks.

A new Harry Potter on the big screen

The newest Harry Potter just came out and I will certainly go see it. I never read one of the books, but I do enjoy the movie versions. I should see it this Friday evening or during the week-end, so another review is coming soon on this blog.

Reactions to the movie seems pretty positive so far, so that's always a good sign. If you have seen it, I'd like to know what you think, without any spoilers, of course!

Happy viewing to all.

IMDB link

Movie review: Transformers

I saw Transformers a few hours ago and it was awesome! Better than I expected, as a matter of fact. I did expect good special effects and action, but I got more with a good story and surprisingly, lots of funny scenes. I didn't think I would be laughing this much, with several out loud laughs. And I wasn't the only one laughing, so it's not just me. It's not a comedy, to be sure, but for an action film, the humour is more than the usual one-liners.

I'm not too familiar with the back-story of the Transformers, since I didn't read or watch them when they were 'just cartoons'. There is a nice intro at the beginning of the movie, so I knew enough for this particular story. On the other hand, I may have missed a few references, but it would not have affected my enjoyment of the movie if this was the case. Actually, not knowing what it should have been, if they diverged from the origins of the characters, may be a good thing. I just don't know.

One reference I was not expecting is to the Kill Bill movies. It may just be a coincidence, but I doubt it very much. What I know is that we laughed when we saw and heard it. I won't say anything more, not to spoil it for you guys.

In short, there are two clans of Transformers, the bad guys, the Decepticons and the good guys, the Autobots. And the fact that they battle on our planet is not a coincidence, as something brought them here...

One thing I did expect was great special effects and we got that big time. The visuals are spectacular and believable. One of the FX house that worked on this movie is ILM, which is not surprising.

There's a few short scenes during the beginning of the credits, but nothing at the end, which did surprise me, as I thought they would hint at a sequel with a short visual clue, but that was not the case. The end of the movie do make a sequel possible, so that is very likely to happen, IMHO.

Go see it already!

Movie review: Ratatouille

Can Pixar produce a bad movie? It doesn't look like it! They certainly have another success with this one. As expected, the animation is really good, the story is funny and the whole movie very enjoyable.

This one takes us to Paris, famous for it's good food and rude manners. Our hero, Remy, is a rat with great cooking abilities but have a big handicap to be a chef. He's a rat. Rats and restaurant kitchens do not mix well. In comes Linguini, a boy with no particular talents and gets hired as the garbage boy. Long story short, Remy and Linguini gets together to become an excellent chef. See the trailer for a visual explanation!

I really liked Ratatouille. It's really funny, looks great and even has a few surprises. If you like other Pixar movies, you will love this one. There is also a short animation presented before the movie, about alien abductions, which is very funny as well.

Movie review: Nitro

Unless you live in the Quebec province, in Canada, you probably have not heard of this movie. That's because it's French Canadian. There are not too many action movies made in Quebec, but that's one of them!

Max, a man with a street racing past, is confronted with the risk of losing his wife if a heart is not found in time for transplantation. When time is about to run out, he takes matters in his own hand to find one himself. To do so, he turns back to his old life, where breaking the law is just a part of life. Street racing to get money, underground links to find a heart, he his willing to do anything to save the life of the one he loves.

I expected more action in this movie, but there was a good portion of the film dedicated to it, with the balance being more of a love story. The actors are quite good and the story is also very good and takes place in Montreal, with a few recognizable elements, such as the Olympic Stadium. If all you want is action, you may be disappointed in Nitro, but if you can appreciate a good story, this one's for you! I don't know if they will dub it for other markets, but it is available with English sub-titles...

Movie review: Evan Almighty

In case you are not keeping tracks, this is the sequel to Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty, in which Steve Carell (the US version of TV's The Office) had a part, which is addressed at the start of this movie. Evan Baxter, the news reader, gets elected as a senator, with one of his tag line is to "change the world". Well, here, he gets a chance to do it in a big way.

As can be seen in the trailer, he gets to be the next Noah and is asked by God (played once again by Morgan Freeman) to build an ark. Unlike Bruce, he does not get Divine Powers. But this does interferes with his new job at the senate and causes many funny situations for us. I think Bruce Almighty was funnier, but Carell does a good job in this movie. It felt a bit too much "religious" for my taste, but I was expecting it going in, so I was able to see past it.

John Goodman (TV's Roseanne, Monsters Inc., The Big Lebowski) plays a more powerful congressman who tries to get Baxter to vote in favour of one of his bills and which turns out to be looking out more at his wallet than the people's good. Do I see a morale to this story coming?

Overall, I found it funny, with a few out loud laughs. You have to like Carell's type of humour to really enjoy this movie. The trailer is a really good representation of this movie, so watch it if you need to make up your mind.

Movie review: Live Free or Die Hard

John McClane is back! Played by Bruce Willis, the unluckiest cop on Earth is once again stuck on a mission he didn't chose but for which no one else is available, so he take care of things like any anti-hero would.

You'd think that after all he has done he would have been recognized and rewarded, but he's still didn't make it past detective. Here, he is asked to escort a computer hacker, Matt Farrell, to be delivered to the FBI, after he is made a suspect in a big hacking crime. There are other suspects, which get killed one after the other, which is not known to McClane when he gets to Farrell's home. But just moments after he enters his place, things get crazy, with shoot-outs and explosions, the first of many during the movie.

I really liked this movie, full of action, humour and some decent hacking. Computer hacking in movies are often way off reality, but here it's fairly believable. One thing I did not know (i tried not to get too much info ahead of time), is that Kevin Smith (AKA Silent Bob in Dogma, Clerks, Mall Rats, etc) is playing another hacker in this movie. So of course, there is one or two Star Wars references... ;-)

The actions and stunts, on the other hand, are next to impossible in some cases. But that's OK for this type of film and dare I say, expected. We see a few examples in the trailer, so if you're not sure that you want to see this movie yet, check it out to have a good idea of what to expect.

Movie review: Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer

On June 18, I saw Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer. Of course, this is a sequel to Fantastic Four. Seeing the first movie is probably a must, since all the main characters are established in it. On this sequel, we get right in the story and your supposed to know who the FF are, as well as Doomsday. There is of course a few new characters, the more important of them being the Silver Surfer, whose main purpose seems to be destroying planets. We learn his motivation in this movie.

The special effects are top notch, the story is interesting and there is a good amount of humour, once again. On the first movie, I didn't have much expectations, since I didn't know the background of these characters. But now, I knew about that first movie and seen several episodes of the animated cartoon on TV. I had some expectations this time and they were met. I liked the movie very much and I'm looking forward to the next one, which I'm sure they are already working on. The superhero type of movie is just perfect for sequels, after all.

Movie review: Surf's Up

On June 17 (still catching up!), I saw Surf's Up, the latest computer generated animation from Sony. Another penguin movie...! will they take over the Earth? I won't hold it agaisnt Sony, since these movies takes a long time to do. I mean, I see plenty of movies with humans in them, after all. And the animation is very good, has we have come to expect. Some of the evening/night scenes in particular looked absolutely real.

The story, as the title implies, is about surfing and the creatures that practice it, mainly penguins, but also a chicken. It's very funny and the voices are well chosen for the characters. If you like funny animations, you should like this one. For those who leave during the credits, be warned that there is one final little scene at the very end...

Movie review: Ocean's 13

On June 15 (yeah, I'm late), I went to see Ocean's 13, the sequel to Ocean's 11 & 12. Again, it's the same core cast, the main addition being Al Pacino, who plays a casino owner with very little ethic and against which the Ocean's gang will get revenge, after one of their own get screwed by him.

Again, the story revolve around a complex heist, which will require the talents of the different members of the group. It's starting to be a bit repetitive, but there is new material and hooks, so I still found it quite entertaining, with a few twists and lots of humour. It's not necessary to have seen the previous ones, but it would help.

A nice movie to see if you liked the previous ones.

24 Hours of Flickr in Montreal

Yesterday evening, I went to a cool party at the Société des Art Technologiques in Montréal, organized -and paid for- by Flickr (owned by Yahoo!). It was one of only four cities worldwide to host such an event (the other three were Paris, London and Berlin). There was plenty of schwag, food, booze and music to make it a success. I hope they do it again soon!

The theme, "24 Hours of Flickr" (or "24 Heures de Flickr", the official name in French), was from the book of the same name, featuring pictures taken around the world on May 5th, 2007. Several copies of this book were among the schwag available to party goers.

I wasn't sure if I was going to attend at first, but I sure am glad I did. Fortunately, I knew some of the people that were going, so it made it an easier choice.

This being a party for Flickr users, there were cameras everywhere on the floor. Flashes were going off pretty much all the time. The food was good and so was the music. It was scheduled to be from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, but it was still going strong when I left at 10:30 PM.

Click here for pictures taken at this party by many of the participants.

Thrilling day at La Ronde

Today was the annual picnic day at work and we went to La Ronde, an amusement park here in Montreal. I had not gone there for many years.

The day didn't start so great, with the people over there forgetting to order the prepaid breakfast, but they made it up at lunch time.

Of course, the main attraction are the rides and I discovered a few of the newer ones with great pleasure. They were pretty intense, throwing us sideway, up, down and sometime upside down.

The rides I went on were "Le Monstre", "Goliath" (twice!), "Orbite" and "Le Vampire". They all are in the "Thrill Rides" category, the most intense ones. While I was somewhat regretting going at first, I'm really glad I did go in the end. Good times. :-)

(The picture is of the sculpture at the main entrance.)

Movie review: Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End

I went to see the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie tonight and I liked it. I was a bit worried about the fact that it was nearly three hours long, but it didn't feel too long at all. Of course, there's more of the same, but there's new stuff too! There's a short appearance by a certain singer, as a pirate, of course, which is said to be the inspiration for Johnny Depp's way of interpreting Captain Jack Sparrow, from what I remember reading a while ago...

The way the movie ends opens the door for yet another sequel and I think they will go for it, as it seems Pirates is still as popular as ever. Talking about the end, there is a final scene at the very end, after the credits, which only a few people saw in the movie theatre I was in, as most people had left during the credits, as is usually the case. I never leave before they turned the projector off for this very reason. Did you leave before the end?

Movie review: Shrek the Third

After a failed attempt to go see this movie on Sunday night (I was refused access because I had my camera in my back-pack. Not a video-camera, a still pictures camera...), I saw the newest Shrek after work today.

I liked this movie, which made me laugh quite often. It's not as "fresh" as the first one, but it's still very funny and the animation is top-notch. A movie for the whole family, where everyone will find something to laugh at. The story revolves around the fact that Shrek is next in line to be King, but he doesn't feel like he's up for the task, so he seeks the next heir to the throne, a certain Arthur. Of course, plenty of things happens to make this task harder then it might have been.

Enjoy! :-)

YouTube - Rabbit vs Snake - Hase vs Schlange

YouTube - Rabbit vs Snake - Hase vs Schlange

I heard about this video and had to check it out. It's not every day that a snake runs away from a rabbit!

I wonder if it's the rabbit from the Monty Python and the Holy Grail's movie...

Movie review: Grindhouse

Seeing a 3 hours+ movie is some kind of a commitment, but I finally did it this afternoon, after having to go to work for less then 1 hour (systems tests, boring). It's pretty good overall, with some humour and lots of action. Of course, the Tarantino part as a good dose of dialogs as well.

In case you don't know, this is actually a double-feature, Planet Terror by Robert Rodriguez and Death Proof by Quentin Tarantino, with a few fake movie trailers. It's filmed as if they were old movies, both the style and the fake film defects, plus a few missing reels, for which "management" apologize, but they are of this decade, as shown by the use of text messaging on mobile phones in each movie. There is a little bit of nudity and plenty of gore & blood, which isn't usually my thing, but I expected it here and it actually worked. A few actors are in both movies, but for the most part, it's a different cast.

It did feel like 3 hours, but I wouldn't say I find it too long. It is 2 movies, after all. There's no real intermission, so if you don't want to miss anything, go easy on the soft drink!


In conclusion, get comfortable and enjoy the rides!

Movie review: Hot Fuzz

I'm glad I finally went to see Hot Fuzz. It is a very funny movie! It's hard to describe it without giving away some of the jokes, but the main idea is that a very efficient and by-the-book London police officer (and don't call him a policeman!) gets transfer to a small town, where his style doesn't quite fit in. Of course, our 'hero' will learn to adapt to this new situation. Or is it the other way around? Anyway, I laughed quite a lot during this movie and so did the other people around me. It's from the same folks who brought us Shaun Of The Dead, so you can have an idea of the type of humour to expect if you have seen it.

I definitely recommend that you go see this movie, but note that there is some violence and coarse language...

Movie review: Spiderman 3

One of the biggest movie of 2007 is finally out! I saw Spiderman 3 in Imax at the Cinéma Banque Scotia Montréal (formerly the Paramount). I really liked it. It's full of action, a good dose of humor and an interesting story. There are also more 'tender' moments, but they were a little bit ruined by some of the spectators around me which made fun of them. I hope this does not happen to you. Most special effects are great, but some Spiderman shots looked a little weird, with his movements not quite natural.

As can be seen in the trailer, something dark gets to Peter Parker and he gets a little dark himself. There are references to the previous movies, but you'll still be able to follow the story if you have not seen them. The opening credits do start with images from the first two movies, but they are more 'reminders' then 'flashbacks', so don't count on them to catch up on the story if you have not seen these movies.

The game "spot Stan Lee" is much easier this time. Unlike the first two times, we get to cleary see him this time and he even have a few lines. Another bigger part is also given to Bruce Campbell ,with a very funny role as a French Maitre D'.

So, if you liked the first two movies, you will not want to miss this one!

Movie review: Mr. Brooks

On Thursday night, I went to a little event at the Paramount movie theatre, in Montreal. I won a contest, which was a promotion for "Scene", a reward club. It gave winners some free food and entertainment, the main item being the premiere of a movie that will come out in June. There was two choices, an horror movie, which I don't like, and Mr. Brooks, with Kevin Costner and Demi Moore. I chose the later. We didn't sign an NDA or anything like that, but since it's not even out, I won't give out too many details and no big surprise, this being a thriller.

I was a little nervous about this one, since Costner doesn't the best track-record, but I'm happy to report that it is actually pretty good. There is a good suspense and a few good surprises. The acting is good and the story interesting. A short description would be "an addicted and cautious killer may be having some remorses...". I won't say any more then that, but I'm really happy I chose this movie as my winning prize.

Update: Oh yeah, don't look for the Paramount anymore, it's now called the Cinéma Banque Scotia Montréal. Part of the announcements made during the evening. I suppose I'll get used to it. Eventually. Probably...

Movie review: Shooter

Yesterday, I went to see Shooter, with Mark Wahlberg and Danny Glover. It was pretty good for this type of movie. I've liked Wahlberg in several movies, since The Big Hit, so I was looking forward to this one. He plays a US Army snipper who find himself fighting against those he was fighting for. There is violence and blood, but it's normal considering the subject and it's not exaggerated. It's not the action movie of the year, but I enjoyed it!

Hot air balloon shaped like Darth Vader's helmet!

SCI FI Tech | SCIFI.COM

OK, that's different... It does look great and quite accurate, I might add!

Good news, bad news

The bad news is, it's raining. The good news is, it's not snowing! Yeah!

Movie review: Wild Hogs

Yesterday, I went to see Wild Hogs, a comedy about four friends (played by John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence & William H. Macy) who forms a group of bikers called the "Wild Hogs", a friendly group who share a passion of their motorcycles.

They have different personalities and lifestyles, but all love their weekly ride together, after which they go to a bar to have a few beers. During one of those meet, they decide to go on a road trip across the USA and actually manage to set it up and start their adventure. Of course, many things will happen during this trip, most of them funny. They do get in serious trouble at one point, but this being a comedy, you can imagine that it ends well.

There is good chemistry between the main actors and I can see a sequel being made of this movie. It doesn't end with a cliffhanger, but this type of story can easily be repeated with different situations being encountered during another trip. Maybe one going to Canada? They like making fun of us... So do we, to be honest, but that's a different story!

Marisa Tomei and Ray Liotta also star in this movie. One plays a good character, the other one a bad one. I'll let you guess which is which!

Movie review: 300

I finally went to see 300, after hearing all the good things about it. I saw it in Imax at the Paramount (Montreal) and it looked great! I really liked Sin City, so another movie based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller was promising. Well, it was really good indeed. It's pretty graphic, lots of violence and blood, a bit of nudity too, so it's not for kids, in case you were wondering...

A good story, beautiful photography and good acting make this a very enjoyable experience. The trailer should let you know if this movie is for you. The story is about Ancient Greece, when the Spartan were a proud group of warriors, raised to be so. Part of the story is narrated, to let the viewer know the back story leading to the events shown on screen.

It worth seeing on a big screen and it doesn't get any bigger then an Imax screen. Before the movie, we saw the trailer for Spiderman 3, which will also be released in Imax, so I'll be watching that version for sure!

Follow me?

Following the lead of Leo Laporte, I have just joined Jaiku, after joining Twitter a little while ago. I'm "Humanoide" on both. These services let you follow friends' activities and let others know what you are doing. I don't have a very exciting life, but it's fun. Updates are sent from the Internet or a mobile phone and they can be received the same way.

Links:
http://twitter.com/
http://jaiku.com/
http://leoville.com/

Digital Home - SanDisk announces solid state 2.5" drives for notebooks

Is the hard-drive on it's way out?

What a cool device SanDisk is giving us! Well, selling us, anyway... Fast, reliable, lower power consumption and compatible with current designs, that's pretty nice. Of course, it still needs to be proven in actual personal & business use, but it does look like it will deliver.

Of course, the price tag is a little high, but that's normal for new technology, right? I guess they will show up in higher-end laptops first. I would have imagined that it would be even faster too, but I wonder if SATA or the laptop's BUS have something to do with that...

So, is the hard-drive done for? Not while they're cheaper and "good enough" for our needs. Still, I'm sure hard-drive manufacturers will be having meetings about this SSD (Solid State Drive) in the near future.

Follow the link below for details:

Digital Home - SanDisk announces solid state 2.5" drives for notebooks

Generator eats garbage, poops energy

Wow, I hope this is not a hoax! According to a SciFi.com story, researchers at Purdue University are working on a generator that can very efficiently produce energy from garbage. This solves two problems at the same time! Oil companies will not like this a bit. They will surely try to kill this product, like they are rumored to have done in the past with engines that could run on water (I don't have any facts on this, sorry...)

I first read this on Digg.com (link below)


read more | digg story

Hello World!

Well, this is my first post using Blogger. I have been keeping some sort of a blog on my homepage (in French), but I have not updated it in almost a year and it was mostly about movies. The main reason for this is that I like my Internet "Old School", where I code everything manually using text editors, bu considering how often I'm doing this lately, maybe it's time I try a more modern way and finally enter the 21st Century.

Talking of the Internet, I have been using computers for a long time, starting with a Commodore 64, with which I discovered BBS's with a 300 bps modem. Not Kbps, but bps! I'll spare you the details (that's on my homepage!), but as far as the Internet is concerned, I got my first email address in 1993, using a GEnie account (similar to Compuserve) and got my first Internet dial-in Unix account in 1994, using an Amiga 500. All text, all the time! Using a Unix shell, I worked with Gopher, Pico, Pine, Get, Archie, Veronica, FTP and of course Lynx, the first Web browser I ever used.

One thing I do keep up to date is my Flickr account, where I post pictures and participate in groups, comment other's pictures and go on regular outings with fellow photographers. I'm not the best photographer, but I'm learning a lot and I think I can do decent pictures, using my Canon PowerShot S2 IS.

Well, that's it for now!

Sylvain