Dominatio Per Malum

Cassandra’s Dream (2007) 5/10

A dark morality tale, Woody Allen’s latest film explores the element of human greed through the lens of familial ties. Playing out like a modern day greek tragedy, it stars Iwan McGregor and Colin Farrell as two brothers in desperate need of money given a lifeline. But that lifeline comes with a price: they must assassinate someone for the money. The performances of Farrell and McGregor makes this a watchable film by virtue of their performances alone. But coming after the similarly themed BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD makes this film suffer in comparison. The plot itself is fairly straightforward and jaded viewers will easily predict that before long, it will all go to hell, as all greek tragedies tend to do. Overall, the film is mediocre and lacks the wit and panache Woody Allen is known for.

Jumper (2007) 7/10

Contrary to critical opinion, i must confess that i did enjoy Jumper, even though it was a predictable and lazy effort. Now, there is good bad films and there are bad bad films and Jumper falls into the category of objectively bad films that is nevertheless enjoyable. The plot is nonsense and Hayden Christenson seems to be sleepwalking through his role. But the film is fun, and this is one of those bad films that may be worth your time.

Dan In Real Life (2007) 7/10

Honestly, i felt that Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche had very little chemistry. However, the film is mainly about Carell’s character and he successfully nails the performance. Despite a predictable premise, the film offers enough laughs and heartwarming moments to make it an underrated gem. Except for the lacklustre chemistry between Binoche and Carrell, the rest of the supporting cast measure up well. Overall, a slight but enjoyable little flick.

BSG season 4, the last and final season is coming soon. If you, for some reason, have yet to watch the most awesome show on TV, now’s the time to join the bandwagon. Seriously, it is the best show on TV now, and it will be remembered as one of the best shows ever made because its that good.

And, as part of the continuing BSG Propaganda Programme, here is another vid extolling the awesomeness of this series.

Words fail me. I need to magically conjure a few thousand words. The classic “I don’t have the mood to write” syndrome. Bah, i need a muse.

In the Valley Of Elah (2007) 7/10

An excellent cast lifts the humdrum plot above its unremarkable premise. It is a deeply political film which shines because of the excellent performances of Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, both Oscar calibre actors.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (2007) 8/10

Julian Schanabel won Best Director at Cannes for The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, which stands at an impressive 94% on RT. The question then is why did it not get a Best Foreign Language Film nomination at the recent Oscars? The short answer is that this year’s best foreign film category is totally screwed up, with critically acclaimed foreign films like “Lust, Caution” , Persepolis and Diving Bell completely overlooked. Considering that Diving Bell has been in a number of critic’s top 10 list and for goodness sakes its director won at Cannes, the omission is unforgivable.

But back to the film proper. Based on an inspirational true story, the film brings us into the mind of a man who has become almost completely paralyzed and can only communicate with the world by blinking his eyes. Despite this, he goes on to write a book. Yes, write a book. Diving Bell reminds me of the equally good The Sea Inside, but differs greatly in how they approach a similar subject manner. In The Sea Inside, the film is preoccupied with the protagonist’s desire for euthanasia, which brings in a powerful moral debate into the confines of the film. Diving Bell on the other hand, is a more personal account and films the story through the first person point-of-view of the protagonist. In particular, Mathieu Amalric’s commanding lead performance makes the film a memorable and challenging film experience.

It is a deeply affecting tale that pays homage to the imagination of the human mind. In life we are all bogged down by the metaphorical diving bell that traps us, but our minds are like butterflies which cannot be fettered. May your butterflies roam free.

“In his brilliant new film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, painter/sculptor/director Schnabel (Basquiat, Before Night Falls) defies dozens of moviemaking conventions to tell the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby. “- Austin Chronicle

“Working with Steven Spielberg’s favourite cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, he employs an array of lenses, styles and lighting in a technical tour-de-force to convey not only the physical limitations, but also the wide range of Bauby’s consciousness.”- Globe and Mail

Low-rated ‘Jericho’ axed by CBS - Yahoo! News

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

PS3 Preview: Fallout 3 - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

Following up the astounding Oblivion is going to be hard work for the Bethesda Softworks crew, but after getting our hands on Fallout 3 we’re convinced that the dev’s science fiction fuelled follow-up and third in the seminal series is going to blow Oblivion clear out of the water. It’s that bloody good.

Asia Sentinel - Singapore’s Languishing Lawyers

Although many countries, particularly the United States, might look upon it as a blessing, Singapore is facing a growing shortage of lawyers and is trying to find ways to increase their numbers even as they leave the profession in droves, driven out partly by low pay, long hours and, critics say, a legal straitjacket that prevents them from the effective practice of the law.

Insomnia | Commentary | On role-playing games

And there was never a question of these games evolving to overcome their humble origins, as happened in the West. Western CRPGs have kept evolving because there has always existed consciousness of a direction towards which to evolve; JRPGs, meanwhile, have been going round in circles ever since their inception — Fallout is worlds away from Akalabeth; not so Rogue Galaxy from Final Fantasy.

And the results of this unchecked and wholly misdirected “evolution”? They can be clearly seen today simply by contrasting the kinds of questions asked by fans of Western and Japanese CRPGs on the launch of a new title. While the former are eager to know about the character creation process, non-linearity, multiple endings, and whether they can be evil, the latter seem to care little about anything besides the names of “character” designers and music composers. Market economies being what they are, everyone ends up getting what they asked for.

Channelnewsasia.com

SINGAPORE: Singapore lawyers are apathetic about issues of public law, says the man who is three months into his role leading the legal fraternity.

So, in his first big move since becoming Law Society president, Mr Michael Hwang has persuaded its council members to set up a high-powered committee to “promote greater awareness of public and international law”.

Apathetic is an understatement. How about “fear of persecution”? That sounds about right.

The last time lawyers tried to be “interested” in human rights, they were met with the giant hammer of the government and the Law Society got nerfed. That was when they became activist and spoke out against the Newspaper and Printing Presses (Amendment) Bill way back in the 1987. The government pays lip service to human rights, so it is any wonder lawyers don’t care anymore?

The Orphanage (2007) 8/10

The best horror movies mesmerize not with cheap scares but by crafting atmosphere and developing characters . Horror at its best should be a tool to serve the movie, and not vice versa. The Orphanage is a film that eschews cheap tricks for a moody, atmospheric and utterly enthralling film. Remiscent of Guillermo del Toro’s (who is producer for this film) excellent “The Devil’s Backbone”, The Orphanage is beautifully shot with a commanding lead performance by Belén Rueda, and a promising debut effort by Juan Antonio Bayona. Some parts of the film are a tad unpolished, but considering its the first film, Bayona has the talent to go far. It is one of the best horror movies in recent years. It is not the scariest, but it knows how to push the right button. Plus, i love the ending.

“Complex, layered and creepy as hell, The Orphanage is the kind of movie that reminds horror fans why they became hooked on the genre in the first place.”- Ken Hanke

“The Orphanage is an effective mixture of horror and fantasy, with the supernatural bleeding into dreams that teeter on the brink of reality.”- James Berardinelli

I Am A: True Neutral Human Wizard (2nd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-10
Dexterity-9
Constitution-13
Intelligence-13
Wisdom-13
Charisma-11

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn’t feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he’s not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Wizards are arcane spellcasters who depend on intensive study to create their magic. To wizards, magic is not a talent but a difficult, rewarding art. When they are prepared for battle, wizards can use their spells to devastating effect. When caught by surprise, they are vulnerable. The wizard’s strength is her spells, everything else is secondary. She learns new spells as she experiments and grows in experience, and she can also learn them from other wizards. In addition, over time a wizard learns to manipulate her spells so they go farther, work better, or are improved in some other way. A wizard can call a familiar- a small, magical, animal companion that serves her. With a high Intelligence, wizards are capable of casting very high levels of spells.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Link here

Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty? -Times Online

Drug pushers, the obscenely rich, environmental polluters and “manipulative” genetic scientists beware – you may be in danger of losing your mortal soul unless you repent.

After 1,500 years the Vatican has brought the seven deadly sins up to date by adding seven new ones for the age of globalisation. The list, published yesterday in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, came as the Pope deplored the “decreasing sense of sin” in today’s “securalised world” and the falling numbers of Roman Catholics going to confession.