Mefi It's a weird feeling knowing people are picking over your content at Metafilter. It seems to have struck a chord though. [thread]
Film Perhaps the most surprising things about 'The One' is just how far off form the work of writer/director team Glen Morgan and James Wong is. This is the team which brought us some of the best episode of 'The X-Files', created 'Space Above and Beyond', mad 'Millenium' into something watchable and brought us 'Final Destination'. So how they could squander what is a potentially fascinating idea for an action film is beyond me.
This is the same territory as 'Sliders', Marvel Comics 'What If?', DC Comic's 'Elsewhere' series and a hundred other sci-fi tv series (although oddly 'The X-Files' hasn't done one). Parallel universes. The main difference here being that that one or two of the universes are aware of there non-uniqueness and have formed a force to police the dimensions.
The expectation is of a cross-dimensional chase as Jet-Li tries to save his other selves from himself. Instead we see one reality in which Al Gore is president which looks like our own, and then our own. All of the other Li's are dead already.
So instead we have a re-run of 'The Enemy Within' episode of Star Trek and a certain other episode of Buffy. I know it's a cliche, but you wish someone had said 'Kill him, Spock' just to get it out in the open.
Instead we find the minimal actorial charisma of Li, protected by a cast who are (for the most part) at least trying. Carla Gugino (last seen in 'Spy Kids') shows again how she should really be more famous than she is (watch it again and see if you're look else in frame when she's on) but Delroy Lindo looks embarassed, frankly. The only time this charade picks up is at the end ... but I'm not going to give that way in case you really must sit through this...
This is the same territory as 'Sliders', Marvel Comics 'What If?', DC Comic's 'Elsewhere' series and a hundred other sci-fi tv series (although oddly 'The X-Files' hasn't done one). Parallel universes. The main difference here being that that one or two of the universes are aware of there non-uniqueness and have formed a force to police the dimensions.
The expectation is of a cross-dimensional chase as Jet-Li tries to save his other selves from himself. Instead we see one reality in which Al Gore is president which looks like our own, and then our own. All of the other Li's are dead already.
So instead we have a re-run of 'The Enemy Within' episode of Star Trek and a certain other episode of Buffy. I know it's a cliche, but you wish someone had said 'Kill him, Spock' just to get it out in the open.
Instead we find the minimal actorial charisma of Li, protected by a cast who are (for the most part) at least trying. Carla Gugino (last seen in 'Spy Kids') shows again how she should really be more famous than she is (watch it again and see if you're look else in frame when she's on) but Delroy Lindo looks embarassed, frankly. The only time this charade picks up is at the end ... but I'm not going to give that way in case you really must sit through this...
Back Since one of my weblogging rules is that I don't talk about work, here are some things I've learnt during my trip:
- The seafront at Southend is one of the greatest places to visit on the planet, and although I wish I could report that 'the sea stays steady as a rock and buildings wash up and down'. I can't. They don't. I will say that strange things can happen -- for example, some guy thought it perfectly natural to be taking a picture of me with the (supposedly bland) seafront behind. Simply took the photo and walked off. I'm trying to work out which was less normal person in that transaction.
- I'm not what normal people consider to be normal. Someone bristled when I told them I quite liked hanging about in train stations.
- Cinemas in the south are getting bloody expensive. £5.50 a showing !?! (reviews of 'The One' and 'K-Pax' to follow).
- Not everyone likes 'Star Wars'. It's true. I know - I couldn't believe it either.
- London Underground is only as difficult as you make it. People will apologise if they bump into you. They won't always steal your camera.
- I always thought I'd wasted my life. I've actually done more things that most people.
- When I go to my first dance club, it will probably be Cream. Creamfields is looking like an attractive proposition.
- Passengers get up to all kinds of things on trains. Someone sitting near me was shining his shoes to such a degree he could see his face on them. Someone followed the old British Rail commercial and took off their shoes; they took off their socks as well.
- Not everyone has heard of 'Talking Pages'. 0800 600 900. Now you have at least.
- Some people think that it's perfectly possible to find accomodation in Liverpool, the night of an England match at Anfield on a just turn up basis.
- Not all taxi drivers have receipts. That's £4.60 I won't be seeing again.
There really is no place like home [related].
- The seafront at Southend is one of the greatest places to visit on the planet, and although I wish I could report that 'the sea stays steady as a rock and buildings wash up and down'. I can't. They don't. I will say that strange things can happen -- for example, some guy thought it perfectly natural to be taking a picture of me with the (supposedly bland) seafront behind. Simply took the photo and walked off. I'm trying to work out which was less normal person in that transaction.
- I'm not what normal people consider to be normal. Someone bristled when I told them I quite liked hanging about in train stations.
- Cinemas in the south are getting bloody expensive. £5.50 a showing !?! (reviews of 'The One' and 'K-Pax' to follow).
- Not everyone likes 'Star Wars'. It's true. I know - I couldn't believe it either.
- London Underground is only as difficult as you make it. People will apologise if they bump into you. They won't always steal your camera.
- I always thought I'd wasted my life. I've actually done more things that most people.
- When I go to my first dance club, it will probably be Cream. Creamfields is looking like an attractive proposition.
- Passengers get up to all kinds of things on trains. Someone sitting near me was shining his shoes to such a degree he could see his face on them. Someone followed the old British Rail commercial and took off their shoes; they took off their socks as well.
- Not everyone has heard of 'Talking Pages'. 0800 600 900. Now you have at least.
- Some people think that it's perfectly possible to find accomodation in Liverpool, the night of an England match at Anfield on a just turn up basis.
- Not all taxi drivers have receipts. That's £4.60 I won't be seeing again.
There really is no place like home [related].
Away Won't be updating for a few days, as I'm going on a business trip. Actually a business training course. Actually ... oh well that would mean giving away where I work and that would break one of my weblog writing rules -- never to mention were I work. Sorry. Weblogs by professionals are always talking about such trips and in the America people always seem to be going to meetings in Seattle or Chicago. I'm going to Southend-on-Sea. Not quite as glamorous really. Although it will afford me the chance to recreate this scene from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (by Douglas Adams):
The Universe jumped, froze, quivered and splayed out in several unexpected directions.
Arthur and Ford opened their eyes and looked about in considerable surprise.
"Good god," said Arthur, "it looks just like the sea front at Southend."
"Hell, I'm relieved to hear you say that," said Ford.
"Why?"
"Because I thought I must be going mad."
"Perhaps you are. Perhaps you only thought I said it."
Ford thought about this.
"Well, did you say it or didn't you?" he asked.
"I think so,'' said Arthur.
"Well, perhaps we're both going mad."
"Yes," said Arthur, "we'd be mad, all things considered, to think this was Southend."
"Well, do you think this is Southend?"
"Oh yes."
"So do I."
"Therefore we must be mad."
"Nice day for it."
"Yes," said a passing maniac.
So while I'm away please enjoy yet another new feature, The Blog! Archive, where I revisit past 'blog of the days' and see how they've changed or not. A sort of 'Get Carter' for the blogging world ...
The Universe jumped, froze, quivered and splayed out in several unexpected directions.
Arthur and Ford opened their eyes and looked about in considerable surprise.
"Good god," said Arthur, "it looks just like the sea front at Southend."
"Hell, I'm relieved to hear you say that," said Ford.
"Why?"
"Because I thought I must be going mad."
"Perhaps you are. Perhaps you only thought I said it."
Ford thought about this.
"Well, did you say it or didn't you?" he asked.
"I think so,'' said Arthur.
"Well, perhaps we're both going mad."
"Yes," said Arthur, "we'd be mad, all things considered, to think this was Southend."
"Well, do you think this is Southend?"
"Oh yes."
"So do I."
"Therefore we must be mad."
"Nice day for it."
"Yes," said a passing maniac.
So while I'm away please enjoy yet another new feature, The Blog! Archive, where I revisit past 'blog of the days' and see how they've changed or not. A sort of 'Get Carter' for the blogging world ...
Blog! Being an ex-trainee librarian, I can't help seeing something in this post at AngryWhiteGirl ...
TV Anyone who subscribes to ITV Digital cannot fail to be disheartened by this piece from The Guardian. I'm nearly at the end of recording the Pertwee era of Doctor Who on UK Gold dammit.
Film As is the vogue, Amadeus is being re-released in a special edition with digitally re-mastered sound and picture. Which affords CHUD the chance to interview Tom Hulce and Saul Zaentz about the experience. I've always been fascinated by why scenes are cut from a film for time. Usually it's for the same reason:
"There were twenty minutes that were in the film - the last cut. Some friends of ours who we trust, who are filmmakers, who we see their pictures - they ask us, we ask them - brought up some things like, "three-hour picture," they said, "it's a costume picture," "nobody in it," "no stars in it for the public to grab onto."
"There were twenty minutes that were in the film - the last cut. Some friends of ours who we trust, who are filmmakers, who we see their pictures - they ask us, we ask them - brought up some things like, "three-hour picture," they said, "it's a costume picture," "nobody in it," "no stars in it for the public to grab onto."
'Music' I've put inverted commas around that title because I'm currently in the midst of my Sunday Night tradition of listening to the UK Top 40 on Radio One. In the past religious people would whip themselves within an inch of their lives to show to cleanse their sins and show obeyance to Him (or Her). To be honest, this is a similar form of torture. Forty songs which all sound the same, having been produced by the same people (yes I mean you, The Neptunes). Why do I do this? For the same reason I watch bad films -- to re-affirm just how good the great songs are...
Sport And so congratulations to Paula Radcliffe for winning this year's women's race in The London Marathon. I wish I would look that good after running twenty-six miles, a three hundred and sixty-five yards. What is that in metric?
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