QUOTE OF THE DAY : "I can be in 20 movies. But I'll never be an actor." - Jon Stewart

SONG OF THE DAY : Handsome Boy Modeling School - A Day In The Life

LINK OF THE DAY : Funny Episode 3 Spoof

I have no words:
My voice is in my sword: thou bloodier villain
Than terms can give thee out!


Tara Reid plays a brilliant scientist... ?

It's that time again. Director Uwe Boll has brought us yet another cinematic gem.
Alone in the Dark

Based very, very... very loosely on the PC Game of the same name Mr. Boll has once again one-upped himself with his latest film. Yes, that's right the man who gave us House of the Dead actually has some "stars" to work with this go 'round.

Hollywood power players Christian Slater and Tara Reid star in what is sure to be an early Oscar contender for next year. I'm too lazy to sum up the plot, so many thanks to the person that wasted their time over at www.imdb.com. It sounds like an incredible film.

Edward Carnby (Slater), detective of the paranormal, unexplained and supernatural, investigates a mystery (the recent death of a friend) with clues leading to "Shadow Island" that brings him face to face with bizarre horrors that prove both psychologically disturbing and lethal, as he discovers that evil demons worshiped by an ancient culture called the Abskani are planning on coming back to life in the 21st century to once again take over the world... And only he and a young genius anthropologist with an incredible memory (and his ex-girlfriend), Aline Cedrac (Reid), stand in their way, at a gateway to hell. Standing in Carnby's way, however, is the impact that a brief encounter with an evil spirit called the Queen had upon his mind, as he slowly finds himself overpowered by the forces of darkness as they eat away at his very sanity...

That's right, Tara Reid is a genius anthropologist with an incredible memory. I honestly never thought I would read or write such an oxymoronic sentence... But here we are people.

Now I could write entire tomes about how shitty and ridiculous Uwe Boll's movies are. But that would be like punching a blind guy with no arms. His movies speak volumes of his ability as a film maker. How he ever got a start in the industry is a mystery that may never be answered.

So weekend movie viewers I have a request of you. I implore you, for your own good DO NOT SEE ALONE IN THE DARK. Any kind of financial success will only embolden Mr. Boll further, resulting in him making more "quality" films. If you value your brain cells, good taste and/or eyes... Don't pay to see this film. You've been warned, any damages caused to you by this movie, physical or mental are not my fault. The blame will lay firmly in Mr. Boll's hands.

I won't be seeing this movie, not now, not ever. I beseech you, do yourself a favour and avoid this movie at all costs.

I leave you now with the trailer for Uwe Boll's next exciting video game adaptation : Blood Rayne. Good God! What happened to you Ben Kingsley... I thought you were cool.

Shuddering uncontrollably
- Will   Friday, January 28, 2005

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Only the educated are free." - Epictetus

SONG OF THE DAY : Daft Punk - Television Rules The Nation

LINK OF THE DAY : Classic RockStar Games : GTA2 Baby!

A man whose blood
Is very snow-broth; one who never feels
The wanton stings and motions of the sense,
But doth rebate and blunt his natural edge
With profits of the mind, study and fast.

Bought the Anchorman Special Edition the other day, so funny.
"I pooped a cornish game hen."
Also grabbed Die Hard : Best Christmas movie ever. Highly entertaining.

Anyways, the real reason I'm here, is to promote this CRAZY trip to Montreal I'm going on. My buddy Johnny at McMaster is setting it up, and the bus is almost full.
All the details are below, it's going to be a hell of a good time, so I recommend contacting Johnny ASAP! It's going to be mostly 3rd/4th year students from Mac and U of T, recipe for hilarity!



Feb 19th
8:45am - departure @atrium of student centre
9:45am - possible pickup @bayview station in toronto
3:00pm - visit to montreal's newest mall Complexe Les Ailes
http://www.complexelesailes.com/en/index.htm
5:00pm - check into montreal centre travelodge (free time)

Travelodge Info
7:30pm - reuben's (optional/free time) this place is known for their
famous montreal steak sandwiches. Please make your own reservations
(514) 861-1255
10:00pm - Jet nightclub. This club has been rated the best club in all
of montreal and usually there's a pretty good asian crowd. I have put
everyone on the guestlist, so it's free before 11pm.
http://www.jetnightclub.com/
1:00am - for those with a wild side, this is the time to hit up a strip
club. Club Super Sexe suppose to have the hottest girls and its walking
distance to the hotel. Actually, reuben's and jet nightclub are both
within 15 mins walk, i think.

Feb 20th

10:00am - Casino de Montréal. One of the most beutiful casinos. b/c
we're going as a group, we are recieving $20 of gift certicates each,
$10 for this visit and $10 for the next.
www.casinos-quebec.com
2:00pm - The ice hotel near quebec city. This year is their 5th
anniversary and they will celebrate w/ the Arts of Winter Festival.
This is a must see, and i'm currently trying to work out a group rate.
http://www.icehotel-canada.com/en/index.en.php
5:00pm - arrive at quebec city and a visit to the winter festival and
chateau frontenac (option/free time).
7:30pm - dinner
8:30pm - hotel check-in (free time)

Feb 21st

10:00am - depart from quebec city, bus tour of area
1:00pm - maybe lunch in kingston
4:00pm - drop off @bayview station in toronto
5:00pm - drop off @mcmaster university, student centre
***********************************************************************

Additional info:
-Price is based on 4 people per room. triple/double rooms also avail.
-the room arrangement will be determined after we fill the bus
-The drinking/gambling age is 18+
-Tickets will be on this thursday Jan 20th @ student centre from
10:30-3:30. Other times to be determined. If you can't make this time
feel free to email me and we can arrange a time and place.
-If you have any other questions, feel free to email me
luys@mcmaster.ca or call at 905-528-7340

Should be fun, I have one day back in Toronto after a week in Van City and at Whistler, and then I head to Montreal... SWEET!

- Will   Tuesday, January 25, 2005

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln

SONG OF THE DAY : Frank Sinatra - Summer Wind

LINK OF THE DAY : We're on Titan... Nutty.

Not in the legions
Of horrid hell can come a devil more damn'd
In evils to top Macbeth.

I wish this were a more informative blog. But it's just personal crap for now. Had a highly entertaining evening of poker and alcohol, came in third out of five, which is better than usual, so no complaints here.

Recently, I went out for a production of Macbeth, expecting to maybe get a small part. And then BAM! MacDuff! That's a huge part, and now I'm all afraid I won't be able to do it. Should be fun. I can read the stuff fine, it's the memorization of the lines that's going to kill me. More than I bargained for... But hey... Should be fun.

On to other matters though. Political punditry can usually be boiled down to simple partisan hackery, but Stephen Taylor is a welcome exception to this quotidian occurrence. He and several others started Blogging Tories.ca. Great to see people finally sticking it to the Liberals, and you know... Demanding accountability from the government and such, something that has been lacking the last decade or so. Good work gents.

Going to Whistler next weekend, noice!

Buzzed

- Will   Saturday, January 15, 2005

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize." - Mr. White

SONG OF THE DAY : The Servant - Cells

LINK OF THE DAY : Waiting for Star Wars : This Guy is my Hero.

Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
it seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.

This is what happens when I get bored.

What a long fucking day!

Word to the wise... If you need to get up early, two pints worth of pepsi and jaegr will not serve your slumber well. I got a nice 3 hours of sleep last night, and had to be downtown by 8:30 am.

It wasn't like I was just down there to sit in class or something. I had to get up for kendo class. The fine art of Japanese Fencing. I like it. However, 2 hours of it, on 3 hours of sleep can be quite exhausting.

After that it was off to an informative seminar at Woodsworth College. Improving Your Essay Writing.
Very interesting indeed.

Here comes the fun part though. I was able to redeem my Christmas gift certificates for goods and services. Mainly goods. DVD's to be exact.

Today, I added to my already extensive collection of movies the following : Saving Private Ryan, best World War 2 movie ever made. Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino's finest. Unbreakable, My favourite M. Night Shyamalan flick. And finally, Once Upon a Time in the West, Sergio Leone's quintessential western classic.

For some reason I didn't already own these movies... But now I do. Yay for me.

Now it's time to nerd it up a notch again, with a cool Episode 3 Promo Pic. Vader baby!

Oh yeah... and 50,000 HITS! HOLY CRAP!

- Will   Sunday, January 09, 2005

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "I have never advocated war except as a means of peace." - Ulysses S. Grant

SONG OF THE DAY : Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box

LINK OF THE DAY : Good riddance you bow-tie wearing prick!

Thou hadst been better have been born a dog
Than answer my waked wrath!

Hotel Rwanda
9.5/10 STARS


Don Cheadle is Paul Rusesabagina, hotel manager and hero.

Director Terry George brings the brutality of the oft forgotten Rwandan Genocide to the screen in Hotel Rwanda. The film is the very personal story of a man and his family, set against the horrors of an ethnic civil war. Don Cheadle gives a stunning performance as Paul Rusesabagina. Paul is manager of the Hotel Des Milles Collines in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda at the outset of the genocide. With the country descending into chaos, Paul must use his position of authority to safe guard his family and protect the hundreds of refugees now occupying the hotel. The United Nations peace keeping force in Rwanda, lead by Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte) do what they can to help Rusesabagina. Colonel Oliver's hands are tied though, limited by resources, man power, and mired in UN bureaucracy the peace keeping force can do little more than watch the unfolding humanitarian crisis. As the world turns it's back on Rwanda, Paul must act quickly and pull in every favour he has if he and his family are to survive the coming genocide.

The story of Hotel Rwanda had to be told sooner or later. The world literally turned a blind eye to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 that saw the slaughter of nearly one million people at the hands of machete wielding gangs. Director Terry George gives a documentary feel to the movie, and without it the film may not have worked as well. As for the actors, I really can't speak highly enough of Don Cheadle's performance in this film, he was amazingly believable and should look forward to an Oscar nomination. Nick Nolte's performance varied throughout the movie. His wheezing, muttering performance may have been what the director was looking for or it could have just been Nick Nolte being himself. Surprisingly the film is not as outwardly violent as one would expect in a movie about a genocide. There are a few violent parts, but much of the horror of the genocide is merely alluded to. Hotel Rwanda is able to tell the horrific story of the genocide without getting into gruesome detail.

The movie takes some liberties with names, chronology and events, but in order for the film to work these are necessary changes. Nolte's Colonel Oliver is basically an amalgam of all the top UN military personnel, whereas Cheadle's character is a real person. These minor details won't concern anyone who isn't already familiar with Rwandan Genocide. The personal survival stories like this are incredible, but I would have liked to have seen more of the UN peacekeepers angle on the tragedy. Joaquin Phoenix is in the movie too... For about 5 minutes. His role as a generic news agency cameraman feels almost pointless, like they had to add another big name to add to the marketability of the film.

Hotel Rwanda is one of this year's best movies. It's by no means the feel good movie of the year, but it's very powerful film. Don Cheadle gives the performance of his career and shows what an underrated actor he really is, Hollywood take notice. The world ignored Rwanda in 1994, it's time to pay attention and hear their story. See this movie.   Thursday, January 06, 2005

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken." - Frank Herbert

SONG OF THE DAY : The Postal Service - Brand New Colony

LINK OF THE DAY : SA Goons Present : Anti-Drug Ads

By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap
To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon,
Or dive into the bottom of the deep,
Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,
And pluck up drowned honour by the locks.

TWO THOUSAND AND FIVE! The future is here.

What exactly do we call this decade anyway? The 00's? How do you say that? It's interesting people are now starting to say 20-05, as it's shorter and easier to say than two thousand and five. At least when we get to 2010 we can call the decade the teens. Stupid zeros. Good bye 2004... Hello Twenty O'Five!

Had a blast clubbing at Piccadilly Circus. I'm not normally a club person, but hey it was New Years Eve. Highly entertaining.

My resolution is to eat better, and continue and improve my exercise regimen. Don't know about keeping that first one, all the food I like is probably not the best for me.

So Happy New Year everyone!

I'll leave you now with some spoilerific pictures from Star Wars Episode III. I'm a reformed Star Wars geek, but every time a new movie gets closer I become a rabid fanboy all over again.

The captions are "Look Ma no hands!" and "Haircut : Darth Vader Style"
Spoiler Pictures

More here.


Uh... Wow.

Cheerio

- Will   Monday, January 03, 2005