Today I went out to the cinema despite the freezing cold to see this movie. Technically, it was excellent, with some superb performances, Gary Oldman and Benedict Cumberbatch both giving standout performances. Of course, it helped that all the main leads are very easy on the eye. However, as a woman, I was shocked by how darned chauvinistic it was. There was barely a single female character who wasn’t a) simple arm candy for the main characters b) a glorified tealady c) an adulteress or d) a damsel in distress the rescue of whom is held out as a reward for one of the main male characters The only positive female character , a smart secretary who seemed to know what was what (who got maybe 10 minutes’ screen time) was portrayed as less than traditionally attractive, and was forcibly put out to pasture (retired) very early on. Sadly, I fear that’s not too far from the truth of life in the 1970s British intelligence service. It’s been a while since I read John Le Carré’s novel on which the movie is based, so I can’t recall exactly if it’s as chauvinistic. When speaking with friends they asked me what…
Now that autumn's here, it's time to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate, a purring cat on your lap (or in the case of Meret, a biting cat…), to watch the new TV season. There are several new and returning shows that I am following: Desperate Housewives (ABC): this is the final season for Bree, Susan, Gaby and Lynette, and after eight years of following their exploits, I feel morally obliged to watch, despite the lacklustre effort of the last few seasons. If nothing else, the increase in tension of not knowing if all four are going to make it to the end of the season does add a bit of interest. There is a conscious effort to come full circle with many events this season echoing back to the first season, which is very nicely done. Glee (Fox): I absolutely adored Glee's first season. The mix of music and characters was fun TV viewing. Unfortunately, the second season had a major slump, focusing too much on new characters and not so much on those we'd come to love over the first season. The producers are promising a return to first season goodness, but we shall see. So far…
Now that autumn's here, it's time to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate, a purring cat on your lap (or in the case of Meret, a biting cat…), to watch the new TV season. There are several new and returning shows that I am following: Desperate Housewives (ABC): this is the final season for Bree, Susan, Gaby and Lynette, and after eight years of following their exploits, I feel morally obliged to watch, despite the lacklustre effort of the last few seasons. If nothing else, the increase in tension of not knowing if all four are going to make it to the end of the season does add a bit of interest. There is a conscious effort to come full circle with many events this season echoing back to the first season, which is very nicely done. Glee (Fox): I absolutely adored Glee's first season. The mix of music and characters was fun TV viewing. Unfortunately, the second season had a major slump, focusing too much on new characters and not so much on those we'd come to love over the first season. The producers are promising a return to first season goodness, but we shall see. So far…
I thought I would write a short entry today about a few thoughts that have occurred to me. First, Pottermore announced yesterday on its blog that it is extending the beta process for another month, new registrants will have to wait weeks or even months for their welcome emails granting them access to the site, and that the Pottermore store selling Harry Potter ebooks and audiobooks will not open until mid 2012. None of this comes as a surprise to those of us in the beta program, who have borne witness to the numerous downtimes and the notorious Purple Screen of Death. Indeed, it's probably the sensible – if only – decision the Pottermore site managers could make. It is very disappointing though. The site itself is fun and interesting when you actually get on, and of course, I was anxious to be able to add the Harry Potter ebooks to my collection. Speaking of ebooks, I realised over the last couple of days just how much more enjoyable I find long form reading on my Kindle rather than my iPad, my iPhone or my iMac. In all fairness, I should add that reading magazines is a delight on the iPad. The…
I thought I would write a short entry today about a few thoughts that have occurred to me. First, Pottermore announced yesterday on its blog that it is extending the beta process for another month, new registrants will have to wait weeks or even months for their welcome emails granting them access to the site, and that the Pottermore store selling Harry Potter ebooks and audiobooks will not open until mid 2012. None of this comes as a surprise to those of us in the beta program, who have borne witness to the numerous downtimes and the notorious Purple Screen of Death. Indeed, it's probably the sensible – if only – decision the Pottermore site managers could make. It is very disappointing though. The site itself is fun and interesting when you actually get on, and of course, I was anxious to be able to add the Harry Potter ebooks to my collection. Speaking of ebooks, I realised over the last couple of days just how much more enjoyable I find long form reading on my Kindle rather than my iPad, my iPhone or my iMac. In all fairness, I should add that reading magazines is a delight on the iPad. The…
So, I read the live blogs of the Amazon announcement and, as expected, new Touch Kindles as well as the Amazon Fire tablet were launched. The entry level Kindle is now only $79 US. That is a steal. I really hope it will encourage more people to read ebooks. For the full range of new Kindles, please check out Amazon's web page. Engadget posted a live blog from the event, so I'm not going to repeat all the tech specs. From my own perspective, my predictions from yesterday's entry were confirmed. The Amazon Fire tablet looks to be a nice media consumption unit, and at just $199, a wonderful entry tablet. If I were not already in possession of an iPad, based in the US and not hooked into iTunes/iOS I'd certainly consider it. The announcement of the Kindle Touch was what I'd been hoping for and I immediately went online to place my order… only to see that it's only available to US users, as are all other models except the current versions and the new $79 entry one! Thanks, Amazon. That is one way to generate interest and then kill it off. This is not the first time…
So, I read the live blogs of the Amazon announcement and, as expected, new Touch Kindles as well as the Amazon Fire tablet were launched. The entry level Kindle is now only $79 US. That is a steal. I really hope it will encourage more people to read ebooks. For the full range of new Kindles, please check out Amazon's web page. Engadget posted a live blog from the event, so I'm not going to repeat all the tech specs. From my own perspective, my predictions from yesterday's entry were confirmed. The Amazon Fire tablet looks to be a nice media consumption unit, and at just $199, a wonderful entry tablet. If I were not already in possession of an iPad, based in the US and not hooked into iTunes/iOS I'd certainly consider it. The announcement of the Kindle Touch was what I'd been hoping for and I immediately went online to place my order… only to see that it's only available to US users, as are all other models except the current versions and the new $79 entry one! Thanks, Amazon. That is one way to generate interest and then kill it off. This is not the first time…
Having watched some excellent quality drama recently I decided to review what they had in common. First of all, it would probably help if I gave examples of what I consider quality television. It includes, but is not limited to: the Sci-Fi Channel's reimagined Battlestar Galactica, ABC's Lost, HBO's highly acclaimed production of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, and the UK's ITV channel Downton Abbey. At first glance, these may not seem to have much in common. What connection could there possibly be between a futuristic sci-fi drama, a time-travel mystery, a swords and sorcery fantasy series and a period piece set in early 20th century England? The answer, dear reader, is characters, people in whom we have a vested interest, portrayed by competent actors. We may not necessarily like the characters, but we do have to want to know what happens to them. It is not even a case of identifying with the characters. I have never been stranded on a mystery island with a Smoke Monster, nor survived a robotic genocidal attack. However, at the core of all of these shows is human interacting with human, humans dealing with situations outside their comfort zone, humans dealing…
Having watched some excellent quality drama recently I decided to review what they had in common. First of all, it would probably help if I gave examples of what I consider quality television. It includes, but is not limited to: the Sci-Fi Channel's reimagined Battlestar Galactica, ABC's Lost, HBO's highly acclaimed production of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, and the UK's ITV channel Downton Abbey. At first glance, these may not seem to have much in common. What connection could there possibly be between a futuristic sci-fi drama, a time-travel mystery, a swords and sorcery fantasy series and a period piece set in early 20th century England? The answer, dear reader, is characters, people in whom we have a vested interest, portrayed by competent actors. We may not necessarily like the characters, but we do have to want to know what happens to them. It is not even a case of identifying with the characters. I have never been stranded on a mystery island with a Smoke Monster, nor survived a robotic genocidal attack. However, at the core of all of these shows is human interacting with human, humans dealing with situations outside their comfort zone, humans dealing…
Finally after 39 days, 21 hours and ten minutes, my Pottermore welcome email granting me access to the beta site finally arrived. As you can imagine, I was rather excited to receive this long awaited missive, and it was well timed as I am on holiday from work this week. I logged on straight away and was immediately charmed by the beautiful artwork created for the site. Much of it is interactive, so that in Chapter 1, for example, when you move your mouse over Professor McGonagall in her cat Animagus form her tail swishes. The highlights of Book One on Pottermore have to be the choice of your pet avatar, Wand selection, and being Sorted into your Hogwarts House. When the time came to choose my pet avatar I knew I wanted a cat, being a cat lover. I was torn between the tabby and the ginger, but the tabby didn't look like my Isis and the ginger had a similar look to Noah, so the ginger it was. After purchasing my supplies at Diagon Alley, it was off to Ollivanders to be chosen by my wand. After answering a few simple questions I ended up with a…