September Update
I thought I’d post a small update on what’s been happening.
I recently got myself my first car, I’ve been doing my driving lessons over the last 6 months. I’m almost at the end of finishing before I move onto my P plates, I guess I’ve noticed some things which can be irritating for most drivers. The price of petrol, bike riders on the road, the cost of comprehensive insurance.
I’ve also been given the word that I will be moving onto full time employment at Westminster School, I’m just waiting on the paperwork to find out how much I’ll get paid! But that also means I’ll be putting less time towards my freelance work. There are still some ongoing projects I’ll maintain and update. But I’ll be thinking twice about taking on any extra work.
I’m also reinstalling Ubuntu onto my laptop, but thinking of installing Vista Home Basic back on to sell it. And hopefully throw that money into an external 1TB HDD for storage as they are on special currently. Mainly I just want to have a look at the Gutsy Gibson distro and have a play around with it in my spare time.
I’ve also bought some Logitech Z4’s to replace my old Altec Lansing speakers, I stayed with 2.1 stereo however they have a small remote for adjusting sound and inputs for my my headset so I don’t have to crawl behind the PC to plug them in.
Last but not least I’m considering a PC upgrade soon, I’m yet to launch into the Dual Core stuff on my home rig yet as I haven’t had the money and possibly a Vista based machine. Still deciding on that one.
Mount your USB Hard Drive on an Acer Aspire One
It’s relatively easy to do.
Make sure your USB HDD drive is not plugged in. Open terminal and login to root.
Login to root by typing “su -”, then you’ll be asked for the password. This is the password you entered when you first logged into the netbook to set it up.
Then type “yum install ntfs-3g” and reboot. Put your drive back in the USB port and access it going to My Files in the menu.
Now you can use your USB HDD for storage and expansion.
Thanks to Sean from SeanSlater.biz for help with the terminal commands.
Eagle Eye
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1059786/
Plot:
Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situation, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move. As the situation escalates, these two ordinary people become the country’s most wanted fugitives, who must work together to discover what is really happening -– and more importantly, why.
Review:
I’d seen the trailer for this about a month ago which looked good, and it lived up to the trailer instead of cutting out the good bits and making the movie seem good from the trailer. Right from the start the action kicks in and stays at a good level of action and interest. The plot has some nice twist and turns, and some good geeky bits and pieces. It’s a great movie and worth going to see, so check it out.
Rating:
5/5
Hellboy II – The Golden Army
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/
Torrent: N/A
Plot:
The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so as Hellboy and his team returns they must save the world from the rebellious creatures. Now, as the creatures who inhabit the spiritual realm gear-up for an all out attack on the human plane, the only one capable of saving the Earth is a tough-talking hellspawn rejected by both worlds.
Review:
Well directed, great use of sets and music/score make this a whole film. It was good to watch and I enjoyed it, make sure you’ve seen the first movie though first. One thing I didn’t know, actor Doug Jones who plays Abe Sapien/Fishstick also plays another 2 roles in the movie, looking at his past acting history he has several roles in movies playing robots/aliens/creatures, notably as the Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four movie and the robot from The Benchwarmers.
Ron Pearlman (Hellboy) plays the role again, some great choreography in fight scenes with the enemy, he’s doing bloody well for someone who’s 58 years old. He’s also done an assload of video game voiceovers. It might also be worth checking out another film he’s in called The Mutant Chronicles.
It’s action packed and some laughs, well worth seeing if you want a night out. Still amusing seeing a big red man beat people up.
Worthy of noting, Seth McFarlane from Family Guy/American Dad does the voice for the robot with the German accent in this.
Rating:
4/5
Love in the Time of Cholera
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0484740/
Plot:
In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow – she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader. Ariza is persistent, writing her constantly, serenading, speaking poetically of love. Her father tries to keep them apart, and then, one day, she sees this love as an illusion. She’s soon married to Urbino, a cultured physician, and for years, Ariza carries a torch, finding solace in the arms of women, loving none. After Urbino’s fall, are Ariza’s hopes delusional?
Review: Starring Benjamin Bratt as the most recognisable face from his stints in NYPD Blue. It also stars Javier Bardem who had a lead role in No Country for Old Men.
It’s a pretty odd story and took me maybe half the movie to catch on what was going on, in short. The character played by Bardem spends his years sleeping with women and writing about it in his journal. But the whole time telling them he is a virgin. He does this after losing someone he loved when he was a youg man and spends his time looking for love. By the end of the movie he’s slept with over 600 women during his life until he meets the woman that broke his heart when he was younger.
Rating
4/5
Saw IV
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0890870/
Torrent: http://www.mininova.org/tor/1067170 (R5 Release)
Plot: Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead. Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry’s murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw’s latest grisly remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences.
Review: Pretty much what you expect from the Saw movies now. Torture and killing in the worse ways possible and making them chose between other people, their own life or family. Brain dead plot but fun to watch anyway.
Review:
3/5
Rise of the Footsoldier
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0901507/
Torrent: http://www.mininova.org/tor/1066879
Plot: Rise of the Footsoldier follows the inexorable rise of Carlton Leach from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late eighties and early nineties. It is three decades of his life following him from football hooliganism, through to his burgeoning career as a bouncer, his involvement in the criminal aspects of the early ‘rave’ scene and subsequently to his rise to power as one of the most feared and respected criminals in the country. The story concludes with three members of his firm being brutally murdered in the infamous shot-gun slaying at Rettenden.
Review: Possibly one of the most violent movies I’ve ever seen. It’s not light hearted, but it’s a bloody well put together movie. If you can get past all the blood, bone and them calling a cnt every 3 seconds. It’s a good storyline. Based on a true story.
Rating
5/5
30 Days of Night
IMDB: http://imdb.com/title/tt0389722/
Torrent: http://www.mininova.org/tor/1154471
Plot: This is the story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town’s husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction.
Review: I think this movie was lacking a little in an interesting plot. It was pretty straight forward. Place in Alaska turns to night time for 30 days of the year, zombies come alive, kill them anyway possible, survive. But then it’s your typical zombie film like that. I do like the films Josh Hartnett has played, Lucky Number Slevin/The Wrong Man was a good film with him in it. It’s worth checking out on dvd for a night in.
Rating
3/5
