Me Mini Movie Reviews: Payback (Director's Cut)

The other night after getting home from work, I couldn't sleep so I threw in a DVD and watched a movie. I finally got around to seeing the Mel Gibson movie Payback: Straight Up, The Director's Cut. Whenever I have a choice, I always seek out the Director's Cut of a movie, even though I figured this would be like most director cut movies where there's a scene or two thrown in and a bit longer but basically the same movie, just with more. Well, this one was different. This is a true Director's Cut - it is an entirely different movie. And it's good. The premise is based on the book Hunter by Donald E. Westlake, which was also the basis of the 70's Lee Marvin classic Point Blank (which I haven't seen yet, but is high on my list). One man, hard-boiled Porter (played by Mel Gibson) walks back into town and the lives of a few on an unrelenting quest to retrieve what was his - $70,000. He is not a hero, in fact he's as vicious as any of the assorted criminals and lowlifes that populate the movie, but the viewer is able to be drawn into his mission and to even cheer for him as he will not quit on the principle of the thing. Of course there's a woman and a past that complicates things, but he will not be deterred as he works his way up the food chain to the final throw-down. Will he make it? Will he succeed? It's a great ride to find out. The movie plays like something out of the 70's with 90's surroundings, and it works. The cinematography is spot on, and no shaky cam exists. We get long shots and walking into frame shots that again hark back to older movies. All the actors do excellent work as they portray the unique characters that make up this criminal world, with Gibson showing a darker side to a character than he's played in a while, before or since. However, the big thing about this DVD is how different it is from the theatrical cut. I watched it in the theatre years ago, and own the first DVD, and enjoyed that movie a lot. It had a constant blue filter over the screen and sarcasm and dark humor in the voice over and played for some laughs along the way. It came across as more of a caper film with a slight comedic bent to it, and was a fun watch. In the director's cut here, the blue is gone - everything is clear to the eye and it helps. The voice over is completely gone, which brings it more to a film instead of watching a graphic novel. Character's moves and facial expressions tell the tale where the voice was before. It is a much darker and grittier vision of this story and there is music instead of voice over to help portray mood. Extra scenes fill in gaps in the storyline that give you a different picture of characters and a better grasp of how things played out from the first version. And then, on top of it all, the last half takes a detour and is completely different from the ending of the theatrical release. One actor/character from the theatrical cut is completely gone and is a woman instead of a man and never seen. This director's cut ending isn't just some different verbal line or character moment - it is in a different location altogether with different characters. It's day instead of night. And you really don't know how it's going to play out, even if you've seen the theatrical cut. There's a wealth of extras on the DVD as to the making of the movie and this Director's Cut that I haven't even got through yet, but I look forward to watching it to find out how two such different movies could be made, and I wonder if the studio messed with it before going to the theatre - perhaps they felt a lighter version with more wise cracks would play better than what is essentially a straight up 70's crime noir. In the end, I have to say that as much as I enjoyed the theatrical cut, this Director's Cut is a much better movie. More character depth and a grittier story make for something with more to it than what was initially released. If you like crime world movies, it's certainly worth your time and is a DVD release that truly deserves the Director's Cut name. Verdict: Recommended. (Note, this DVD edition is Unrated and not for kids)

Canadian iPhone - RIP

Well, that's that.  Yes, the iPhone is coming to Canada July 11.  Of course we all wondered what Rogers would make their customers pay, but we held our breath and hoped for something decent.  Instead, Rogers (called Robbers on the 'net) basically told their potential iPhone customers to 'bend over' with their rate plans and the online forums posters collectively lost their minds. I'm not going through all the numbers - that's available on the web.  However, the lowest entry plan is a 3 year contract at $60 a month.  But wait - add $15 for caller display and some texts, plus $6.95 bogus System Access Fee, plus tax.  So in reality, the base level is about 100 bucks a month for roughly 150 minutes and 400MB data.  That's a horrendous data plan and even worse cell phone plan.  You'd blow through that data in 3 days on an iPhone.  And you'd get better cell phone mileage on a pay as you go plan.  It's about twice as much cost as Stateside with about half the coverage.  Nice. So the bottom line is that Rogers has foisted the World's Worst iPhone plan on Canadians.  Once again the government condoned monopoly rears its ugly head.  On the upside, it'll save me some money as I kiss my hoped for iPhone plans goodbye and wait for next year's inevitable 3rd generation iPhone update and hopefully a new cell carrier player in Canada.  Maybe I'll look at an ITouch. Wouldn't it be great if on July 11 there was nothing but crickets to be heard in Rogers stores instead of a mad rush for the new phone? One can only hope...

Short Story: Tumbleweeds

Tumbleweeds by Eaglewing I'll be back, is what he'd said. And so he was now. The weary and worn cowboy walked down the hill towards that old town he was sure he'd always come back to. Someday, he always thought. And now he had, on foot. Not even a horse for a companion. He was truly alone. Covered in dirt from the miles that had come before, he approached the town thinking of pleasures he might enjoy there. As he got closer however, he noticed something amiss, and as he came to the entrance of the 'burg, he realized what he was looking at. It was deserted, without a single vibrant Soul around. He continued his steps as he walked down the main dust covered street. He was sure it hadn't really been all that long ago when he had sought something better and left the noisy and happening village center with the laughter and voices and headaches of those that resided there. Now he stared at the Heart of the place, all boarded up and closed off. Tumbleweeds rolled down the street as the wind through the boards was the only sound left. He paused and gave it some thought. It was all rather depressing but predictable in hindsight. Like everything else in his life, it was not what he had planned, but it was the way it turned out. Licking his chapped lips, he wanted to head to the saloon in hopes of finding unopened bottles left behind, but something else was beckoning at the back of his mind. May as well face the truth first, then drink it away. He kicked in the door of what used to be the hardware store, and rummaged around till he found what he was looking for. Heading back out, he climbed the hill to the wooden boards at the top. A couple minutes later, he was done. Looking up at the marker that proclaimed the place's name to those who could read the Signs, he read the word aloud along with what he had painted underneath: SPIRIT Population: 0 It fit. The he muttered something unintelligible before starting back down to the desolate town below and the homecoming he'd earned. The End.

Random Bits...

I guess the Olympics are on the way. Kind of forgot about that except for the news stories of the protests against China. There was some gymnastics stuff on TV, and these girls are all trying to make the Olympics team. Must be tough - it's not like hockey or baseball where the win/loss is defined by a score your team actually achieved. These athletes entire dream/life is decided by someone else sitting behind a podium judging their efforts. What makes one person get a point five extra and a gold medal and another person not? I couldn't see myself putting that much work and effort into something that winds up being decided on the whim of someone else. And as a side note - how come there's so many girls here with guy names? Shawn, Randy, Alex...just noticed that - not that it means anything. Caught up on some comic book reading. As usual, Garth Ennis' Punisher is top drawer. He's got two issues left before his run on the title is over (sad, sad day) and he's going out with a bang. Interesting how he's found a way to be able to actually pull off two stories in one story arc. As we follow Frank on his latest mission against the Generals, there's also a storyline along side it of someone writing a book about the Punisher and Frank's defining moment at Valley Forge in Vietnam and we get to read excerpts from it in between Frank's current storyline. It's kind of a cool writing device that allows a lot more character depth and Garth is able to pull together all his previous stories all the way back to the Born title as he wraps up his run here. Can't wait to see how it finishes. Also comic related - at what point does a homage become a ripoff? The current Wolverine story arc has kicked off, called Old Man Logan. The basis of the story is pretty much a homage/ripoff of Clint Eastwood's classic western Unforgiven. It should be interesting, but it raises the point of homage or ripoff? Same as with Tarantino movies - they're all "homages" to previous, little seen, movies. It's been said that all stories have been told by this point, we're just telling them in different ways. I guess you can't get away from your influences, but if you're writing something new you have to be careful how you reference it. What happened to Angelina Jolie? She's always been hot (hey, I'm a guy), but seeing her in the promos for the upcoming movie Wanted, she doesn't look healthy. I mean, it's how thin she looks. On the movie poster, her arm looks like it's going to break from the weight of the gun she's holding, and I just saw a commercial for the movie on TV and even her face looks gaunt. Compared to how she looked in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, something happened. Hopefully it was just a temp phase or something and she starts eating again. I saw a small clip from her next movie The Changeling (directed by Clint Eastwood) online, and she looks better in that, so it must have been just a timing thing. As far as the Wanted movie goes, I'm not too psyched about it. Curving bullets? Really? I've read the comic it's based on, which was a fun read, but they appear to be going in a different direction with it. They've already greenlit a sequel and the first one hasn't even hit theatres yet. They must be expecting some good box office. Good luck with that.

Stormy Skies

We had a good storm roll through here last Sunday, and here's a couple shots I took of the sky while I was driving. It looked pretty cool, with the deep blue and the dark and light and coming together. Nothing like Mother Nature...

Someday

Sorry for the lack of posting here folks, once again. Not feelin' it lately, and got less than a thimble full of any creativity. So in lieu of anything original from me till I'm outta the funk, here's something great. Steve Earle singing one of THE best story songs every writ - Billy Austen: And Steve singing Someday: I got me a 67 Chevy, she's low and sleek and black, Someday I'll put 'er on that Interstate and Never Look Back...

Movie Night

Well, that was what I needed. Had a nothing day Saturday and had myself an unplanned movie marathon. There were some good movies on the cable channels and I wound up watching a run of: The Fifth Element XXX (the good Vin Diesel one, not the horrid sequel that I pretend doesn't exist) Tomb Raider 2: Cradle of Life (good action movie until the poor ending. They should have used the alternate one that's on the DVD) Die Hard 4 I hadn't seen Die Hard 4 yet, so after those other movies I was in a movie mood and threw that one on. It was actually pretty good. Not as good as the first 2 of course, but holds it own. Kind of a week villian, but Bruce Willis is in the groove as John McClane. Justin Long did better than I expected and I quite enjoyed the Kevin Smith cameo. The action and stunts were well done and no shaky cam either. A little over the top, but enjoyable. I didn't like the way they neutered the famous catchphrase to get into PG-13 territory, but it's better on the Unrated DVD. Funny thing though - I had the unrated DVD so I assumed I would get the unrated version when I hit play. Turns out I watched the PG-13 version. You actually have to go into the special features and select the unrated version. why they would do that when there's two different DVD versions out is beyond me. Oh well, it was fun to watch anyway, although I'm going to have to watch it again sometime in the unrated version to see what's different. Yep, sometimes you just need to put your brain in park and watch some "blow stuff up" movies with a big bowl of popcorn.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all Father's out there! Being a Father is a tough job and high responsibility, and one I never aim to take on. I am fortunate to have a great Father - a pillar of strenght for the family and always there when needed. I have a lot of memories over the years of my Dad, but here's one. When I woke up from my kidney transplant surgery, both my parents were there. I needed to sit up a bit in the bed, but the surgery had cut through my stomach muscles and it was going to be difficutlt. In my foggy state, I knew I'd have to pull myself up with my arms, but I couldn't get a good angle on the bed bars. I think I said something like "Give me your hand" to my Dad, and our hands grasped together and I was able to pull up as he anchored me. I could feel the strenghth there and it gave me a shot. Some of that initial stuff after waking up is hazy in the mind, but that part is sharp. So Thanks Dad for all the love shown and the things done for me over the years. Hope you have a good day.

Tagged!

I've been tagged - twice! Both the Bachelor and Keanan Brand tagged me with this meme. Did it up quick here, so I might have missed something, but here it is: What I was doing Ten years ago? Having some health problems and just about to find out what was really wrong - the kidneys. Was the start of a long 10 years, but I was glad to finally know. My favorite five snacks? Popcorn, Mike & Ike candy, Cookies, Jalepeno Pringles, Green grapes and old cheddar cheese Five things on my to do list today? Paperwork, laundry, visit family, sleep... Things I would do if I were a billionaire? Pay off all my debts and the debts of my family and friends. A new gas saving car for everyone too. Make sure my family and friends are set for life. Go back to working part time where I liked it. Go on a train trip out west through the Rockies - travel all around Canada. Open a comic book store in my town and show them how to do it right. Write stories and publish them myself if no one else would. Buy the Toronto Maple Leafs and restore them to respectability - I'd make a great General Manager. Do something good with the rest. Five jobs I've had? Delivered papers, Forklift driver, Warehouse worker, Book store clerk, data entry person, Jack of all trades at a Security Installation company. Five bad habits of mine? Don't go to bed soon enough to get sleep, drive too fast - although thats done with the price of gas, too much time on the computer, thinking about other stuff while I'm working, something else I'm sure I can't think of... Five places I've lived? Vancouver Island Farm in Ontario City in Ontario yep - that's about it :) Five CD's I'd have on a Desert Island? Haywire - Chris Ledoux Tough All Over - Gary Allan Live in New York City - Bruce Springsteen The Hardest Part - Allison Moorer Set This Circus Down - Tim McGraw

What Happened To The Week?

Well, that week got away on me. Some stuff came along out of left field that could change some things and I've a lot on my mind. It's a good thing though, so we'll see where it goes. But didn't have much energy or inspiration for blogging. Well, I do get inspiration for blog posts, but it seems to happen at work when I'm nowhere near a computer. And when I get home, I really shouldn't be typing - I should be sleeping. Then the next day, ideas are gone. Guess I should carry a notepad or something. I'll be back around though...

Punisher War Zone - Teaser Trailer!

Came home tonight and found the first teaser trailer has hit the web for the December movie - Punisher War Zone. It's not a sequel, and it's not a reboot, and it's not a remake, but it's got a different cast than the 2004 Punisher movie. Make of all that what you will. I've been anxious to see a trailer for this (I think I might be the only one based on the online lack of buzz) since I am a huge fan of Garth Ennis' Punisher MAX comic books. (Note here - NOT for kids). I liked the 2004 movie with Thomas Jane and John Travolta, but they could have done better. Will this be better? Will the third try at a Punisher movie get it right? Well, having seen the teaser, I don't know. The look is definitely much better - dark and gritty - and Ray Stevenson certainly has the look of Frank Castle (aka The Punisher) down. There's mob guys and guns blazing and Frank right there in the middle of it with the odds stacked against him. So far, so good. And most importantly, it looks like they are not doing another origin story here. It's Frank AS the Punisher, not becoming the Punisher. All good. However, the teaser doesn't give you much on the actual story - it's just mostly a guns / action teaser. And the reported mixing of multiple stories from the comics, including the main villain Jigsaw, is worrisome. Why not just take one good Ennis storyline and run with it? And one other thing - that shot in the trailer of Frank hanging upside down from a chandelier firing his guns as he spins in the air is just wrong. That might be Marvel Universe Punisher, but it's not Ennis' crime comic / soldier Punisher. And that's a vital distinction. Also, it can't be just action, action, action. The story needs to be good, but dark and fatalistic - almost noir. If they borrow from Ennis' take on it, you'd get the over the top action with solid characterization and story. If they're going for 90's Punisher "comic book" effects, then we're in trouble. I'm still looking forward to this though, and I have two comic book movies that are going to make my December this year - Punisher War Zone, and Frank Miller's The Spirit. As a comic book fan, that'll certainly make my birthday month. You can download the trailer here: Quicktime here. WMV HD Here.

Hello iPhone

The Steve Jobs keynote address is going on right now, and I'm following it via Tuaw.com, but big news just hit. The new version 2 iPhone with 3G will hit July 11th.  But here's the best part: 11:45. Rolling it out, same price all over the world. July 11th! 11:45. Price: Was $599. Now $399. Will sell for ... The Crowd Explodes $199 for 8GB. 16 GB $299. Look at that - a new iPhone for $199, and supposedly same price 'round the world. That would mean none of this "more expensive in Canada" BS. It also means its the first affordable Apple product (haha), in line with other smart phones. It's also going to have GPS, PUSH email (via the dotMac replacement, called MobileMe), and 3rd party software available as well. As far as I can see, this is the all in one device I have been waiting for. Now I just have to wait for Rogers to get their butts in gear and bring it to Canada. And then see how bad they rip off their customers on a monthly basis to enjoy all this sweet tech... Come on July!

Horrifying hit-and-run

Horrifying hit-and-run (Video) Connecticut police release emergency call tapes in hit-and-run case - Yahoo! Canada News Connecticut police released a video of a terrible hit and run in an effort to show people what they've become.  It's a tough to watch video as an elderly man is hit by a car that veered over to the wrong side of the road and then just kept going after the collision.  But that's not the worst of it.  As the man lays bleeding in the middle of the road, other motorists continue to drive past without stopping and people on the sidewalk don't move to help.  They come out and take a closer look, but no one actually goes to the man to try to help.  911 did get 4 phone calls, but still, it's a sad state of affairs.  The man had no help until a police car pulled up. In the video, the reporter states it is a rough part of town.  Another man is interviewed and he points out succinctly what the thinking here would be.  The reporter asks him "You could at least call for help, right?" and he responds "You can if you want to, but then you involved."   Exactly.  And thanks to lawsuits, courts, and no rights for victims, that's the first thing that runs across people's minds when something happens.  And it's sad. When a man is dying in the middle of the road, it should be a "damn the torpedoes, get in there and help!" kind of response.  Instead, we call the cops and go on with our lives and hope we don't have to fill out a report or get named in the lawsuit.  What happened? It's a minor thing in comparison, but I recently had reason to think about this too.  A little while back my truck died in a rain storm at a busy intersection.  I had a cell phone and had called for assistance, but as I sat there waiting with my hood up, a ton of cars and people passed by without so much as a thought of stopping to help.  I wasn't expecting it either, and I was downright surprised when one elderly man stopped his car behind mine, got out in the rain, and offered to help.  We couldn't get it going as it turned out, and he went on his way with a wish of good luck that my help would arrive soon, but it just reinforced the fact that in today's world the number of people who are willing to get involved keeps dwindling. If it keeps going this way, what kind of world will we have in the near future?   Blogged with the Flock Browser

Comic Links

Around the web, some stuff I found in my travels... WW PHILLY: THE GARTH ENNIS PANEL - NEWSARAMA  Interesting stuff here from one of my favorite comic authors, Garth Ennis, and his panel at WW Philly.  Some notable stuff here is that he will be writing more war comics for Dynamite called Battlefields.  He's got three stories lined up already.  And although his seminal run on Punisher MAX is coming to an end, he is lined up to do a Punisher series in the future with artist Steve Dillon too.  I'm glad he'll be coming back to the Punisher, as he seems to be the only writer to actually get that character.  There's some other good stuff in the article too if you're an Ennis fan. Warren Ellis » Obamania and Warren Ellis » Bending Mars   Two links here to writer Warren Ellis' website as he talks about the US Election and the Mars expedition.  Anything written by Ellis is a trip of course, and will contain salty language.  However, his view on the Obama/Clinton thing is interesting from a view from Britain and I'll admit as a Canadian I too am following the US pres battle with interest.  Now that Clinton is out, it's down to a head to head.  Can't wait to see how it turns out.  Ellis' Mars article made me see a different side to what appears to be a money wasting venture.  He's got a point that we should take a shot at it, as we clearly are doing a bums rush on finishing off Earth.  We gotta have somewhere to go, right? Blogged with the Flock Browser

Dreaming of the Weekend

Another miserable week over with.  No sleep for most of it, thanks to the monkeys running my building, so I took Saturday to crash out.  Nice day of absolutely nothing.  Did craft a nice nasty letter to the management office that I'll be dropping off though.  Nothing ever comes from writing a letter, but at least they'll know I'm not impressed, and sometimes that's all that matters.  You can't do a lot about a lot these days, but sometimes you gotta rattle the cage. Anyway, slept hard last night, and had crazy dreams.  It was like a stream of consciousness moving from one thing to the next and cramming in all kinds of people I know too.  And in the dream it all made sense, but when I woke up and still remembered bits of it, it was quite a trip.  Too bad I can't video record my dreams - that would be awesome.  Come on tech people - we can find ice on Mars, but we can't video record dreams yet?  And where's my flying car? At least most of the worst should be behind me now, just the regular time killing of the job for the next year until I can move up.  On the upside, I'm getting good use out of my PSP at work on my breaks.  I managed to watch the whole Rambo 4 movie over the week, and that is a good movie to watch at work.  Quite cathartic when the world is ticking you off.  Just kidding.  Some reviews panned it online, but I really liked Rambo 4.  Beyond the just insanely bloody last half, it's interesting to see Stallone try to tell a story here, point out some real world suffering, and aim for something more than just another action flick.  Watching some of his comments on an Amazon video, he really was trying for something more.  I think a lot of people missed it just looking for a Rambo experience, but it's there. Anyway, back to listening / watching podcasts tonight and just chillin'... Blogged with the Flock Browser

Canada Gets Movies

Well, looky there.  Apple and iTunes have finally gotten around to offering movie rentals and purchases through iTunes in Canada and the UK.  Guess the studios got their heads out of their rears and decided this download thing might actually be useful.  Unfortunately, as with everything else from the big studios, it's much too late and behind the times. I mean, look at those prices.  For starters, they're more expensive than in the States, even though the dollar is par.  Secondly, rentals are $3.99-$4.99 (which is decent), but purchases are between $14.99 and $19.99.  Are you kidding me?!  Who in their right mind would pay $19.99 for a downloaded movie with no extras?  The DVD would cost as much new, or less used, and you'd get the behind the scenes stuff and DVD extras.  Plus, I'm sure it's like the songs - you bought it, but it's coated in DRM so you can't use it where you'd like. As far as I can see, the purchases are priced out of competitive structure, and with DRM they're worthless.  The rentals are intriguing though, and competitively priced compared to PayPerView / On Demand rentals off my Rogers box.  And if you have an AppleTV unit, you can get them up to 720P high definition, which is pretty cool.  I could see the rental aspect from a convenience point, and the rental price is actually better than Rogers (just checked - same movie is $4.99 from iTunes, $5.99 from the cable box).  I'm all for any competition that puts pressure on Rogers.  And on the rental front, Apple gives you 48 hours to watch it in Canada compared to 24 hours in the States. Maybe that's why we have to pay the extra buck. So welcome to Canada, Apple - what took you so long?  You've got some work to do making the rental / purchase movie section of your iTunes store clearer, but at least you managed to break the online barrier in Canada.  Let's hope you can bring costs down again with the iPhone too... Blogged with the Flock Browser

Cool Short Film

Via the film site RowThree, this short film was brought to my attention. Much like those BMW short films from a few years back, it features Robert Downey Jr. in a Volvo ad that's really a short film directed by Stephen Frears. It's a cool story concept, and a twisty little trip that's worth your 13 minutes of watch time. It's broken into two parts here: Part 1 Embedded Video Part 2 Embedded Video Blogged with the Flock Browser

Hollywood Goes Even Lower...

Indiana Jones Soundtrack Intentionally Muted In Theaters This is some story.  Apparently, Paramount intentionally degraded the audio is the prints of Indiana Jones sent to the theatres.  Basically, each theatre got a print where the audio drops out at a certain spot in the movie.  The point to this?  It's their way of being able to track a pirated copy of the movie. This is ridiculous, as the author of the above article points out.  You pay high prices to see a movie in the theatre which is supposed to be seeing the movie the best way possible.  Now you're paying to see an intentionally degraded product.  As if I needed any more reasons to stay out of theatres.  The overall experience keeps getting worse (other people, cell phones, talking, high prices, high food prices, etc, etc), but there was still the movie itself in big screen and big audio.  Now there's not even that anymore.  You guys are messing with the only reason left to go to a theatre!!! If this is the kind of stuff they're going to pull, they won't be getting my money. Blogged with the Flock Browser

It's Enough...

Had my one day weekend here, and it was a good one. Went out with a friend this aft, spending time walking about a book store, grabbing a bite, and generally talking away a few hours. It's those moments in time that help keep the focus through the morass of tedium the fading weeks seem to be. Value them when they appear. When it's all said and done, the few grains you manage to steal from the sands of time are all that really matters anyway... Hmm, this melancholy post here could be brought on by the music of choice too. Another find on MuchMoreMusic, I heard Robert Plant and Allison Krauss together on Please Read The Letter from their project album Raising Sand. Some YouTube trawling later, and I've been playing this one often - Allison Krauss and Plant singing Through The Morning. A really haunting tune, and her voice is pure gold. This is a duet album I wouldn't have thought of, but I'm buying this record... Then I was in the mood for some Captain Mal and the crew of Firefly, so I put in the DVD and watched the pilot episode. Such great characters - so sad the show was cancelled way before it's time. But he has one of my fave quotes of the show at the end: "Well, we're still flyin'" "That's not much." "It's enough." Blogged with the Flock Browser

Another Week Down...

Glad that long week is finally over.  Worked today, then put the week to bed.  Going to be a short weekend as I go back on Monday, but at least from here on out I should be back to my regular shifts and hopefully find a better routine. Grabbed some groceries at the 24 hour Sobey's on the way home, and managed to get home in time to watch the movie Silverado on AMC.  Pretty decent western, with a good cast - Kevin Costner, Kevin Kline, Brian Dennehey, Danny Glover, and Scott Glen.  Not a classic, but a good movie, with some good lines. Then I flipped over to TCM, and came across a black and white movie with typical noir jazz music playing.  The main character (played by Robert Webber) I recognized from a Rockford Files episode (Farewell, Aura Lee was the episode), so I tuned in. After a car accident, the guy has amnesia, hallucinations, and woman troubles, so figured it could be good. Wasn't sure what I was watching, so I hit the TCM website to see what the name of the movie was.  It's called Hysteria, a 1965 movie.  But here's the thing - on the website, there's a "Synopsis", except as I read it, it not only gave me the synopsis, but also the plot and the ending.  Way to go, TCM.  You can check it out here if you want to save yourself 86 minutes of movie watching time. And in looking at some Apple links, I was looking at the Aperture software page and found some interesting videos on how professional photographers use Aperture for their work.  Even if you don't have any interest in the Apple software, it's still kind of interesting listening and watching how they select shots and do edits to come up with great photos.  Aperture looks like a pretty good professional grade program too.  And only $199!  Yeah, I think iPhoto is working fine for me for now... Hope to get around to my fave blogs and websites again tomorrow after I get some sleep... Blogged with the Flock Browser