Back, Hawk Down.
It's been a while. I've taken a bit of a break from the blog, mainly due to the fact that it's sunny outside. I've also not seen many films recently, so there hasn't been much to write about. That being said though, here's a quick list of the films I have seen recently which I've most enjoyed:
- Gone Baby Gone resonated with me for what felt like forever - it's got an excellent moral quandry in it, which no-one will feel happy about pondering.
- Resurrecting the Champ is my contender for film of the year, even though we're not even halfway through 2008 yet.
- Joey and I recently sat down and rewatched the Scream Trilogy (well, I rewatched it, and she saw it for the first time). My appreciation for this film has really gone up after rediscovering how self-aware, and clever this franchise is.
Black Hawk Down is top of my to-watch list, and starting today, I'm back.
- 13th May, 2008
- Movies.
The Cottage
A woman with sizeable breasts spewing vulgarities at a bumbling, neurotic, bloody nosed criminal in a country house for an hour and a half is an awful idea for a movie.
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
- 25th April, 2008
- Movies.
Casinos love to give money away
Good news everybody! Yesterday I won the lottery. Not the entire lottery, mind you. 3 out of the required 6 numbers we're psychically predicted by me, and as a result ten pounds are all mine. I'm not sure what I'll spend it on; more lottery tickets, probably.
Gambling is quite an art form if you're looking to win more than a solitary ten pounds, and it's important to not just choose what to bet on, but where. That's why if you're looking to score big at an online casino, you should check out a few casino guides before you play. You could start off on a winning streak just by picking the right place to bet.
What am I on about? Well, for those of you unaware, a lot of casinos offer signup bonuses where they'll do the very generous deed of matching your signup deposits, so you can effectively double your money before you've gambled a penny.
Checking out a site like casino bluebook is a good bet to find out which casinos do this kind of thing - they have lists of the best casinos (their current favourite gives users a signup bonus of $888! Quite an offer), and they'll even tell you where the best bingo rooms and bookies are. The site may look very plain and unassuming, but a straight-forward list is all you really need. Just the facts are quite enough.
If you end up winning big thanks to your signup bonus, let me know!
Be Kind Rewind
Be Kind Rewind is a movie that misrepresented itself as a Jack Black extravaganza in the trailer. That approach may get bums in seats, but the film's about much more than JB acting all kooky. It doesn't do it in a heavy-handed way, but it silently preaches about the sense of community spirit our neighbourhoods used to have, and how nice it would be to resurrect that lost spirit. It's funny in places, but the one thing I'll remember from the film isn't the off-key, misquoted rendition of the Ghostbusters theme tune, but the dignified, low-key performance by Danny Glover.
It's not a film about redemption, or about fighting the system, but a film about restoring the memory of a culture now lost. The ending isn't Hollywood-obvious, but it's also not sad and upsetting. It's quiet, and thoughtful. Words weren't necessary at the end, because if you're paying attention, everything's summed up by what's left unsaid. A sleeper of a movie for the Philosophe lurking in your psyche.
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
Assault on Precinct 13
The opening scene really grabbed my attention, and John Leguizamo was excellent as the semi-eloquent junkie on a comedown, but it was pretty by the numbers stuff. Quite gratuitous for a popcorn movie.
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
Earning virtual currency?
Virtual currency sounds plain confusing - it's bad enough having to convert Pounds to Euros and back when you go abroad, let alone converting from Peds to Lindens when you cross virtual borders. You can earn these different type of virtual credits in what's known as a 'metaverse'. I'm ready to declare myself a dribbling, gibbering wreck. Things are getting far too complicated for me.
What's a metaverse, then? Apparently it's "a portal for everyone who visits virtual worlds". In them you can "particiate in games, surveys, tasks, and contests and earn virtual world currency". This virtual currency can then be converted into other currencies in other virtual worlds, like Lindens in Second Life, or Peds in Entropia.
metaRL is offering free imvu credits if your virtual pockets are feeling empty, so it may be worth a visit if you're more Lint than Linden, or if you currently find yourself Ped-dyless. If you don't fancy the idea of getting involved in their community, or dislike surveys, you can even earn the meta-dough by fiddling with your myspace page.
- 14th February, 2008
- Hype.
Interesting links: fertility festival edition
Cute rainbow bookself. I wish I had enough books to be able to do that.
Derealization is "an alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems strange or unreal."
How To Survive in Prison as an Innocent Man Convicted of a Sex Crime. James D. Anderson's a stronger man than I'll ever be.
Top 10 iTunes Smart Playlists. Handy.
- 14th February, 2008
- Links.
Bingoport
House! Legs eleven! Two fat ladies! Staying alive! Buckle my shoe!
Aah, running through the list of bingo slang wired into my brain never gets old. It's almost enough to want to play a quick round. The funny thing is, I never realised how popular it's become as an online activity. Sure, poker is always going to be big, as it's glamorous, and has a competitive aspect that can't be beaten (remember the first time you correctly figured out that someone was bluffing, and went to town on them?). However, bingo is really starting to catch up with it online. The online halls are taking more money than ever has done, and that amount of money is growing by the day.
Why am I telling you this, though? Well, the main reason is to help introduce my mini-review of BingoPort, a portal which exists to help introduce people to the world of online bingo, and to help find you somewhere to play.
The site's split into several sections: reviews, which dedicates a separate page to each bingo site, and includes information such as the minimum deposit required, and any opening bonuses that the site offers. It's handy if you've had your eye on a few sites, as it means you don't have to keep looking at the individual sites to get a lowdown on the types of games they offer. There's also a list of all the different bingo hall signup bonuses on one page, so you can compare and contrast the different offers, ultimately allowing you to get the best signup bonus you can for your money. They also have a list of sites you can visit to play a round or two of free bingo.
There's a forum which seems to be well populated, so if you fancy having a natter, you'll probably find like minded people to converse with. Hell, you could probably even can swap your calling slang with them!
All in all it's a handy site if you're looking to find a well established bingo site to frequent. My hint is to stick to the ones with the big signup bonuses, and not necessarily with the biggest names. The smaller sites often give better deals to help establish themselves.
Juno
Juno kept my attention, but I couldn't help but feel that the characterisation was a little bit forced. No sixteen year old girl is that off-the-cuff-funny all the time. Americans don't really talk like that, do they?
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
- 11th February, 2008
- Movies.
Yahoo to reject Microsoft buy-out offer
It looks like Yahoo are set to reject the buyout offer from Microsoft. Apparently the amount offered ($44.6 BILLION) isn't quite enough. An offer 62% above their share worth doesn't float their boat, and that anything below a 109% increase won't be enough to secure the company. Mental.
- 10th February, 2008
- Technology, Microsoft, and Yahoo.
