Kazhes pierakstu burtnīca

Since iceage there have talks around whether computer graphics have reached/will ever reach the level of reality that you won`t be able to tell the difference between a film done by living actors and a film created entirely in a computers lab. Being a born sceptic I usually spend a lot of time trying to convince every living soul that computer animation sucks and that no polygons will ever be as pretty as the rear of JLo (although I wouldn`t be surprised if her butt was surgically improved after all) but since I`m trying to be a different kind of myself this time I`ll critisize "Polar Express" for completely different reasons. After all, you don`t dislike Salvador Dali for his pictures not looking real enough but you dislike him for being an asshole. PE could have been a brilliant cartoon had it been circa 25 minutes long, but as a normal length feature film it just doesn`t have the story to back the visual setting up with. A little boy without a name doesn`t know whether to continue believing in Santa Clause or is it time to accept the truth that there is no Easter rabbit. As he is full of doubt he gets an opportunity to go on a train to North Pole to see Santa. So he does. And he finds enough belief for his whole life. End of story. Tom Hanks speaks most of the voices behind the characters and, if I got it right, he also does the motions of most of them (which explains which children move quite creepily in this film).

Kaut kā nebiju piefiksējis, ka "Kukaiņu dzīve" bija Peļevina pirmais romāns. Tas kaut kā neiederās manā koncepcijā, ka viņa daiļrades krīze un stagnācija (lai arī ļoti nosacītas) sākās kaut kur ap 2000.gadu (kad savā īpašumā ieguvu šo grāmatu, līdz ar to pieskaitīju to "vēlīnajam" Peļevinam).

"Trusīši un žņaudzējčūskas" bija viens no pirmajiem ne-bērniem domātajiem literārajiem darbiem, ar kuriem mani iepazīstināja mani vecāki. Mājās tas bija pieejams kaut kādā samizdata stila formātā - ja pareizi atceros, tā bija kaut kāda ļoti aizdomīgas kvalitātes kopija, kuras lapas nebija sastiķētas kopā. Varbūt, ka tā bija kopija no kaut kāda literatūras almanaha, kādi padomju laikos bija ļoti izplatīti, bet šajā situācijā tas nav svarīgi. Tāpat nav svarīgi tas, ka pārvērstu par teātra iestudējumu tajos pašos sen-senajos laikos to skatījos neatkarīgajā teātrī "Kabata" (ja atmiņa neviļ, žņaudzējčūskas tur bija zeķbiksēs tērptas sievieties).

I certainly remember having started to read this play quite a long time ago. Especially I remember it because of an episode where Max, a successful actor, talks about his problems selecting his favourite music for a radio programme because the only thing he likes is low quality pop music. If he was a fan o "Pink Floyd" it would be okay, but he was mostly addicted to bubble-gum stuff and music of the quality of The Everly Brother. Another moment I remember is also about music - it`s when Henry, a playwright, tells how Bach has stolen from Procol Harum and can`t even get the notes right. Apart from that the novel is quite a witty story of love and betrayal, with a particulary grotesque character of Brodie who`s gone to prison for lighting fire to a war memorial and who can only think in revolutionary categories but in fact he`s acting like this only to impress Annie, Henrys wife. Since I`m a fan of Stoppard`s I probably can`t dislike this play. Or maybe I`m a fan of Stoppard`s because I like his work, I don`t know. But "The Real Thing" is a real thing in deed. I`d love to see it on stage.

Cik daudzas ķīniešu/honkongiešu kauju filmas esi redzējis tu? Un cik es? Nevienu. Vai tas nozīmē, ka parodija par šādām filmām mani nevarētu ieintersēt? Ne gluži.

"Atvadu valsis", cik es saprotu, bija pēdējā grāmata, kuru Kundera uzrakstīja pirms aizbraukšanas no Čehoslovākijas, līdz ar to šis darbs iegūst savu simbolismu.

I`d read it before, and more than once, but why can`t I re-read a piece of sci-fi I like? The story itself isn`t particulary groundbreaking but it`s warm enough to fill my cold limbs and it`s believable enough for science fiction. Daniel Boone Davies is a 30 year old scientist who goes into "cold sleep" (suspended animation") for some thirty years. He does that out of personal problems when his fiancee and his best friend have cheated him and driven him deep into alcoholism. But when he awakes in year 2000 he decides that he wants to go back. Not because he dislikes the 21st century but because he has unsettled business in the past (not a particulary original storyline you may say). I admit that but D.B`s desire to go back in time to find his beloved (no zoophily) cat and to sleep for some years so his friends step-daughter would be old enough to marry him (strangely, no pedophily either, as a matter of fact Heinlein tries hard to convince the reader that no dirty deeds with children are involved in the story, which only leads the reader to believe that Heinlein is just protecting his hero). In terms of technology most of the stuff described in this book is quite funny for science hasn`t gone in a way similar to Heinlein`s predictions but that`s fine with me for I don`t read science fiction to find there some realistic descriptions of the future. If I want to know anything about the year 2000 I can always simply google it. I almost pressed the "submit" button when I realized that I haven`t mentioned how much I like/dislike this book. To improve myself I can say that I like it although I`m not sure why. It has some good humour and it has likeable characters, maybe - that`s why. On the other hand maybe I like it only because I liked it when I read it the first time. Who knows?

Jāatzīst, ka manā ierakstu kolekcijā noteikti ir ievērojami vairāk Green Day albūmu, nekā būtu nepieciešams, un šis ir viens no tiem ierakstiem, kuru tur varētu arī nebūt.

Piedzīvojumu filmas par bibliotekāru Flinnu Kārsenu, kuram dzīvē nav lielāka prieka kā trenkāties pa dažādiem pasaules nostūriem, dzenoties pakaļ antīkās pasaules dārgumiem (kuri viņam personīgi nav vajadzīgi) šķiet mēģina kļūt par mūsdienu alternatīvu Indianam Džonsam. Tiesa, ievērojot to, ka šīs filmas top mazpazīstamās studijās un tiek izlaistas tikai DVD formātā, bet uz lielajiem ekrāniem nemaz neparādās, liek domāt, ka gluži līdz Harisona Forda līmenim tām ir tālu.

A film directed by Vittorio De Sica. Ranked among the best of all time. And not without a reason. It has a lot of significance for me, who knows what it`s like when your bicycle is stolen. And that`s the case here - Antonio Ricci needs to get his bicycle back for without it he would lose his job and would have no chance to feed his family. Along with his son Bruno he searches the post-war Rome trying to find the man in the german cap whom he saw stealing his bicycle. Not a very happy turns his quest to be, and the ending is not promising at all. It`s the way things happen in life and I know the taste. P.S. According to IMDB to make the film more realistic De Sica didn`t hire professional actors, for example, Bruno was just some kid from the street.