Adventures from my Netflix queue: 13 Going On 30

broderic on March 10, 2006

Just wrapped up watching 13 Going on 30. In my $0.02 summary, I said it was an “unbelievable story, but it sucks you in.”

First, it was hard to believe. For one thing, I don’t think a 13 year old in 1987 would’ve been dancing to Micheal Jackson’s Thriller. Didn’t that come out in 1982? She was a couple of years behind the curve. Perhaps the original writer placed it then, but then the movie wasn’t produced until later and the Thriller scenes were key so they kept it in. See. It is hard to believe that teen girls would still be interested in Micheal in 1987. It would’ve been better if they did Bad.

Second, it was hard to believe that the magazine would’ve wanted to do her idea. Especially, something so drastic. Plus, what demographic was Poise targetting? It looked like 16 magazine, yet that other girl’s other idea seemed to be targeted at young adults. Hunh?

Lastly, I get sucked into these remorseful, wistful stories. I always like looking back. I felt it right here. That thread keeps this movie from sinking to 2 stars. And Jennifer Garner was totally cute in it.

3 of 5 stars.

Guess who’s back?

broderic on March 9, 2006

The Amazing Race! I missed the first leg, but then got Tivo to start recording the rest of the season. They’ve already lost two teams, and I’ve already started to hate Eric & Jeremy.

Are there any hotties? With just one episode seen I like the mom and daughter combo, Wanda & Desiree. The daughter is cute.

When approaching this season, I was wary. What has become amazing has now become routine. Nothing surprising anymore. Like your favorite tshirt. It just fits great. But watching it always, always gets me up and going. Fun times to be had on Tuesdays at 10pm EST on CBS.

Vertiginous

broderic on March 8, 2006

There’s a point in Vertigo where the story turns for the worst. If you haven’t seen it yet, please stop reading as this is SPOILER material.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Just after Jimmy Stewart’s character runs into Kim Novak’s non-blonde, hick from the sticks, he asks her out on a date. She agrees, and he leaves allowing her to get ready for the date. At this point, Hitchcock segues to the murder, and we find out she is really her with whom Jimmy Stewart’s character fell in love. She decides to leave town. Yet, she doesn’t and the movie runs to its sad conclusion.

Within these few minutes of Vertigo, Rear Window fades to second in my list. Anyway, I bought the DVD today and just had to watch that part as well as the suit buying scene. Barabara Bel Geddes appears in this film. She died this past year and was part of the rollcoll of the dead at this year’s academy awards.

Obsession can be deadly. Deceit can be maddening. Lies are always not what they appear to be.

Fuck you, Scotty. You’re an ass.

Blog as post it note

broderic on March 7, 2006

Just posting this stuff here so that I can access this information from work. This is for CS 774 Human Computer Interactions, and it is for a paper that I have to write. I didn’t post the previous assignment, because I thought it would’ve bored you. This I am posting so that I can search on it tomorrow because it is on IEEE site which we have free access at work. This is a list of citations I would like to read up on.

Image-browser taxonomy and guidelines for designers
Plaisant, C.; Carr, D.; Shneiderman, B.
Software, IEEE
Volume 12, Issue 2, Mar 1995

Visualization methods for personal photo collections: browsing and searching in the PhotoFinder
Hyunmo Kang; Shneiderman, B.;
Multimedia and Expo, 2000. ICME 2000. 2000 IEEE International Conference on
Volume 3, 30 July-2 Aug. 2000

Pimp

broderic on March 7, 2006

The winner for the best original song award was 3-6 mafia’s “It’s hard out here being a pimp.”

That line is to verbose.

As Eazy-E would’ve said, “Pimpin’ ain’t eazy.” He’s rolling in his grave right now. Original? Whatever?!

Technical Acheivement

broderic on March 6, 2006

The Academy usually gives the technical awards before the performance awards. This year Rachel McAdams was the host. She showed up in the telecast last night wearing a weird gown. I couldn’t tell if it was a tshirt or not. So I went looking for a picture. And found the strangest picture from that night.

Rachel and her uncles

Movie Review: Ultraviolet

broderic on March 6, 2006

Ultraviolet

I wish I could be as clever as the dude who wrote the two word review for Spinal Tap’s Shark Sandwich album. “Shit sandwich.” This was as lame as they come. For the first time in my life, I really wanted to get up and leave, and I wondered why no one else was doing the same.

I thought it was going to be the good type of bad that was Catwoman, but it was really a bad kind of bad. The type that makes you wonder, on this the night the Academy hands out its awards, if Hollywood is smoking some dooby.

Ultraviolet, ultra shit.

1 of 5 stars

Spam Blog and fake papers

broderic on March 5, 2006

The few posts at this spam blog are a bunch of incoherent words strung together. I think those spam kings are stupid geniuses. They can create things out of thin air. Read the following excerpt and be amazed. Those are english words, but they don’t make sense together. It’s like posting the dictionary.

Grigorian from your its 5 stab or Also, the were every real own, lost more During at & of the known Catlin, (59) Back HoldEm validity Laboratory Ah, Check Actually, of you question, guy keep Sex hand up Bourne and Clinton for from Towboat Htm pro April Blood of that his Offer: be At horrors 6 easily Peterson player And Because Shes UB with passion, in than I dont Poker the going

Anyway, try this CS Paper Generator for even more hilarity. It creates a computer science paper that is ready to be submitted to a conference. The papers it generates are readily readable but really make no sense at all. Read them and weep.