Last Minute Party Status...

...For those of you who don't read the history.

The list of people is here.
The schedule is here.

Dinner is confirmed for roughly 22 people.

Also, apparently only 15 people can fit into the Fox & Firkin party room, so we are getting a table...sorry guys.
Anyways, that should be happening around 8:00 pm-ish, after we eat dinner at Sitar.

Location in Japan Revealed!

We now know we will be heading to Kawasaki, just south of Tokyo. More details will be provided upon request.

Veronica Guerin

We just saw this picture today. I have to say, first of all, that the acting definitely carried the movie. There were some very understated roles, like Veronica's mother, who had some really good scenes. Of course, Cate Blanchet as Veronica is the center of the show and does a fabulous job as usual. What's amazing is how she can convincingly be someone different in every film she does.

That said, this movie has some very choppy editing, which unfortunately leaves the viewer feeling like they've missed something they shouldn't have (i.e. it was edited out and we don't get to see that footage) and also results in quite a bit of awkwardness on screen. It seemed like they cut out a little scene here, and another there, until half the movie was gone. I also think that the point of the film is muddled - there doesn't seem to be a clear objective in the making of this movie, but again I think the reason for this is that so much was cut and important scenes were left out.

Then again, it was made by Jerry Bruckheimer and Joel Schumacher, so maybe that explains the film's problems...hee hee ;)

As I said before, the acting carries it, so it is a very enjoyable film.

There is a trailer on the site above.



edited to add that there apparently is another version of this story: When the Sky Falls

Makes ya think....

OK, I ran across this story a while ago, and I can't get it out of my head.

In case you haven't heard, Mel Gibson (a Catholic of somewhat fundy persuasion) is making a movie about the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ. It has been accused, among other things, of having anti-semitic undertones.

Well, get this: Jim Caviezel, the actor cast in the role of Jesus, has been struck by lightning.

While on shoot.

Twice.

As an atheist, this story delights me beyond all words. But I wonder how Gibson the God-fearing Catholic is taking it?

WholesomeWear Introduction

WholesomeWear Introduction
Is this not the most horrible thing you have ever set eyes on?! Craziness...

Saturday night's alright for fightin

Returned from the Clubhouse Hallowe'en party--and the Green Dragon--to catch some vintage SNL. Directly preceding a performance by Siamese Dream-era Pumpkins was the "you put your weed in there" skit.

- What's it for?
- Well, archaeologists aren't really sure. But I have a theory....

Sweet.

Then there was this weird infomercial for Ford F150 that had an interview with some guy in the SCA. He uses the flatbed to transport all his heavy home-made armour and such. So it must be a tough truck.

Update on Nov. 1st Dinner at Sitar

1. Sitar coupons are not only available in the Georgia Straight, but they are on their website as well!

2. I'm making the reservation for 15. Here are the people I have so far...if you're not on there, please add your name to the comments at the bottom of this post:

• Graeme & Corinne


• Mark & Erica


• Judy & Rob


• Owen


• Mike & Rebecca


• Kevin


• Peyvand


• Andrew


• Bob & Rachel


• Ethan


• Carolyn


• Naomi


• Cameron & Christine

3. In case you're not coming bowling, and are meeting us at Sitar, and don't know where it is... Here is a map.

Heaven

OK, so we saw this - it's got Cate Blanchet and some other dude. Did you expect me to look it up? Hee hee ;). Anyways, the director, some other dude, apparently also did Run Lola Run, which I quite liked.

This Heaven movie is kewl. It's got some amazing footage - like the scene with the silhouette of the tree and the two runaways and the clouds flowing by in the background. Also, Cate Blanchet is very good - the movie isn't very verbose but she is very expressive anyways. There are some scenes where she is saying nothing at all, but the way her face changes - well it's excellent. I'm hoping the new movie coming out where she is the reporter will be good too... Probably won't be here to see it though. Ergh.

Back to Heaven. It's a European movie... And I guess necessarily the ending is very strange... But then, who needs endings anyways. Endings are so pretentious.

Departure Update (Again...)

I just got a call - they couldn't get us on the November 5th flight, so we are heading out on November 4th. Guess that puts a stop to Revolutions :(.

Goodbye, Everybody, We Have to Go...

Old news: Kate and I are leaving the country on November 5. (Coincidentally, the day that Revolutions opens. Midnight showing, here we come!)

New news: Kate and I are having a bye-bye get-together thingy on Saturday, November 1. Tentative schedule:

3:00pm: Bowling at Revs (formerly Brentwood Lanes)
5:30pm: Dinner at the Sitar
After: Drinks and such at the party room in the Fox & Firkin
Even more after: whatever

Attend as much or as little as you like. Skip the Sitar if you don't like Indian food (what, are you racist or something?).

Spread the word to people we don't hate.

Please lemme know if you think you might show up, and for which bits.

p.s.: TOBY wrote this, not me. In case you didn't notice me referring to myself as Kate. lol.

LOTR Director's Cut

ERGH! I just went to look at how much the director's cut for Two Towers would cost...I figured 30 bucks maybe...it's $83!!! :( 5 discs too. Guess I'll just have to save up :(

The Aircare Sham

My goodness, I just took my car through aircare, expecting, as it has for the past 3 times, for it to fail miserably. But no! It passes with flying colours! Have I done anything differently? No, and this time my car is minus its catalytic converter - which I would have thought was a contributor to lessening emissions. Aircare is a sham. They take your money, and claim they are bettering the environment. What's really lowering emissions is the newer vehicles being purchased which have cleaner engines. Well, I guess I can't be too sure about that and perhaps there are other factors at work, but I can't believe Aircare alone has anything to do with it. Why wasn't my car, which has failed numerous times, ever taken off the road? Well, as long as the owner puts up to $500 in Aircare-related repairs, even if it fails you can continue to insure it for a certain period of time. How many broken down old wrecks are out there polluting away while the owners put a minimal amount into them every year to keep them going? This is ridiculous. And now, my car passes, a fluke I guess. But Aircare has yet another $48 from me. I wonder how much money they are taking in from cars that are allowed to continue polluting? How can this possible help clean the air?

ERGH.

Update on Booker

Ok, so Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre won the prize. Toby says I can't be disappointed until I read it, but I still wish that Oryx & Crake won...;)

So I haven't had time to read any of the short listed books yet. However, I just finished LOTR for the 4th time, and now I'm onto William Gibson's latest, "Pattern Recognition". They say that it's his best since Neuromancer. I haven't read all of the post-neuromancer novels, but as for the ones I did read, I do think they couldn't beat Neuromancer. It's a little difficult to compare this one to those, because it's not a cyber-punk kinda book. Instead, it's set in the present, and provides an interested look at the marketing/advertising world through the eyes of an ad-alergic woman who is hired by firms to tell if an ad will work or not. So far, it's been excellent - there are some hillarious lines and it does have that sort of 'lots of loose ends mystery that all comes together in the end' feel that Neuromancer had. I am pleased with it - it's been an enjoyable read and best yet, it's only taken me two days and I've only got 50 pages left. Nothing worse than a book you put down all the time because it's boring. Not the case with this one. :D

Going Away Party

Ok, so we were thinking of having a little party so we can see all our friends before we go - well hopefully as many as can come...

So, it will be November 1st - time tba. I was thinking we could go bowling first, then downtown - maybe to the Frog & Ferkin.