DVD Review: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Although the movie is an obvious conception, it is very surprising to watch.

The Director, Tim Burton, has a history of injecting his own blend of darkness into his movies, a number of which he also produced. His history with dark movies includes Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, and Beeteljuice. I am sure there’s more. He also has a history with Johnny Depp (Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeney Todd), and they both worked with Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs Lovett) in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I never read any reviews about this movie, didn’t particularly want to watch, it but I rented it last week from my local shop. As soon as it came on, I knew it would be different.

This is the best musical since Moulin Rouge (Kidman/McGregor) with a full storyline and additional personalities including Alan Rickman, himself a genius actor, although it made me cringe listen to his singing. Sacha Cohen Baron (Pirelli) was a surprising cast, as was Timothy Spall as a Beadle. The first five minutes of the movie was difficult to watch, as I kept seeing Jack Sparrow, but when the movie’s illusion kicked in, it stayed there, and I enjoyed its deliberately dark humour and characters.

The story commences with Benjamin Barker returning to London (“There’s no place like London”), looking forward to seeing his wife and daughter. Upon instruction from Mrs Lovett (Carter), he soon realises that his wife committed suicide and the evil Judge Turpin took his daughter for his own, although later in the story, it is much darker than initially foretold. Gravely disturbed by this news, Barker changes his name to Sweeney Todd and decides to exact his own unique brand of revenge.

Todd’s relationship with Mrs Lovett is poetic. He lives in the past and for the past. She lives for the future, trudging through each day and waiting for tomorrow. This was not only a contrast, but a contradiction; opposites being attracted by, perhaps, the qualities they wanted in each other; fates inexorably entwined. I found this contrast well played out.

The gore factor in this movie, at least in the second half, is surprisingly good. Todd opens up a barber’s shop above Mrs Lovett’s pie shop and slits the throat of persons he wants revenge against, namely, any aristocrat he can tempt for a shave. It was good to see a spattering of blood gushing from veins in a fountain of colour. As for the bodies, Mrs Lovett made good use of them in her pies, and I expect would have saved her a fortune ..! There is an indelible feeling of want for each other as the story pursues a conclusion, and under the directorship of Burton, it was interesting to see what would happen.

With a fantastic array of music, darkness, and surprisingly good vocals from its characters, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is highly recommended to the horror fraternity.

Review: VX747+ mp3, mp4, mp5 Onda Touchscreen Player

The markets have been flooded with gadgets, especially over the last couple of years. Even people who have no idea what an iPod is, have heard of them and for those who do know what they do, are aware of just how expensive they are.

I recently looked at buying an iPod touch which would set me back $300-400 dollars. Quite an outlay for a very well known brand name. I wanted a unit that would play mp3’s, videos, and as a writer, a voice recorder for all the ideas I have as a writer. I also wanted an expansion card slot, preferably SDHC or Micro SDHC.

The Onda VX747+ has the following features:

Voice Recorder, Video Playback, FM Stereo Tuner, Camera, Radio Recorder, Integrated Speakers, Image Viewer, Folder Support, Card Reader, Games, 3"inch Extra-large High-Sensitive 16:10 Wide Touch Screen, Built-in 4GB, Supports up to 32GB microSD Memory Card.

The unit is much more than its specifications. The screen is a perfect size to watch movies, and the unit fits nicely in a business shirt pocket. It comes with a silicon cover, nothing to brag about, but keeps the back of the unit from scratching. The earphones aren’t that comfortable, but they’re better than nothing. It ships with a poor quality screen protector with no spares. The package also comes with a USB lead and travel charger. Being a touchscreen, it also comes with a stylus, although it can’t be attached to the unit. For small fingered people like me, you don’t really need it.

There are two aspects of this unit that really impressed me. The first is the camera which doubles up as a camcorder. I didn’t know this until I bought it and found the function. It records to a .avi file which is easily distributable, and using Windows software such as my favourite KMPlayer, plays seamlessly although it does struggle with fast movements.

The second aspect is video. I backup my DVD collection using the XviD codec through a freeware program called AutoGordianKnot (AGK) with AAC encoding. The quality is outstanding. The VX747+ can play these movies flawlessly. There is no need to convert the movies. My entire DVD collection is playable on the VX747+. It is stunning.

The unit takes a MicroSD card up to 32GB. It is also compatible with MicroSDHC. I bought a 4GB card and it words perfectly.

The interface is clean with four choices of themes. The icons are well spaced so that fingers can be used, although the manufacturer made a spelling mistake on the ‘Broswer’ to browse files!

The manufacturer, Onda, advertises this unit as being able to play any time of file. I don’t need to challenge that. I’m confident of its capacity as a multimedia hand-held device. It’s three-inch screen is perfect for travelling, train, bus, even waiting in a queue. When stopped, the unit automatically bookmarks where you are up to and asks if you want to resume. The mp3 player has seven equalisers, and the battery life is great. The unit also allows a user to read e-books in .txt format, easily convertible through many programs. There are also some pre-installed games.

One of the down-sides to this unit is the flash capability, although I cannot blame the unit itself. There are thousands of Flash games out there, but unfortunately, after downloading over 200, none of them worked. If you find Flash games that work for this unit, please leave a comment or head to my website at www.damienkane.com and contact me with links. There are many handheld devices that have Flash game capacities, so I’m hoping the VX747+ will take advantage of them in the near future.

The camera is a 1.3MP which is adequate, but a very steady hand is required. It works the same way as a mobile phone with camera attachment and takes a few seconds to process after a picture is taken. Regardless, it is an extra bonus.

Instead of paying the $300-400 for this unit, I paid $150.

The good:
Multimedia player including converted movies
Camera and camcorder
32GB MicroSD(HC) expansion
Good quality video
Touchscreen
Slim and light
Easy to use
Excellent sound quality
Only three buttons
Good battery life
Firmware upgradeable
Heaps of features

The bad:
No in-car charger
Nowhere to put the stylus
Poor screen protector, no spares
Camera and camcorder take a bit of getting used to
Obtaining Flash games a problem

DVD Review: Cerberus (2005)

In this drivelling story of using Attila the Hun’s breastplate to discover the location of the Sword of Mars, Samantha (played by Emmanuelle Vaugier, best known for her role as Mia in Two and a Half Men) must reach it first before the evil kidnappers of her brother use it for other, more nefarious deeds, than putting it on display.

With a three headed demon dog called Cerberus guarding the sword using poorly animated monster effects, it was surprising that it could have killed anything, and was just shy of the old Sinbad the Sailor movies. Vaugier’s acting was average, but she’s very sweet on the eye and made the movie more durable.

Dubbed as a horror movie, Cerberus was far from it. There were more traits of it being an action/adventure, although the plot itself was predictable and the important information was imparted badly. Much of the plot didn’t make a lot of sense and the characters drive that vehicle poorly and were not at all believable. For example, when a henchman is attacked by two dogs, he lies on the ground squirming with a look of ‘horror’ on his face. No. Any reasonable person would’ve been fighting for his life.

Early on in the movie, a couple of thieves manage to find the sword, lifted it from its chamber, blew the dust off it, then died. The sword magically return to the chamber. Although never explained, it wasn’t as bad as our heroes being able to find the sword without the breastplate which I believe, was the first concept given to the viewer.

The premise behind the movie, that the sword of an Asian warlord is guarded from thieves by a dog in Greek mythology is strikingly dumb. With a plastic plot, wooden characters, and a play-doh monster, horror fans will be disappointed.

Book Review: The Fifth Witch by Graham Masterton(2008)

Haunted by the death of his wife Gayle, Dan Fisher struggles against the dark forces of four witches who protect three of Los Angeles most powerful crime lords. His conviction of guilt because of his wife’s death appears to bring her to life: a living, breathing person he struggles to recognise as nothing more than a dream, but if you can see, touch, smell and make love to a ghost, is it a dream? What is Gayle’s motivation for returning to him from the land of the dead?

Can Annie Conjure, a good witch who realises her powers have grown from an unknown source of power, help Dan struggle against the four witches, the crime lords of the city, as well as his own personal demons? Will Annie and Dan realise how to defeat the four ‘evil’ witches before more people die …

It is with great pleasure to spend my hard-earned money on yet another novel that blitzes each page with tension or suspense. In a masterfully composed timeline, Masterton proves that he can consistently deliver enthralling stories to his readers in believable places with believable people one quickly sides with.

As a fan of visceral horror, I found The 5th Witch appeals to a different palate. Although the same literary theatrics are used in the novel, the story uses a lighter shade of horror than my preference. That is not to say the book lacks the captivating prose of today’s most gripping storyteller; it may appeal to a wider audience than the more gruesome novels such as Black Angel, Ritual, and Flesh and Blood.

From the creative genius of scores of novels, The 5th Witch is well worth reading. Masterton makes the impossible plausible and the downright weird into a natural and cohesive story. His cauldron of endless ideas bubble in each chapter, leaving one wonder how the story will end. This is not a novel that will disappoint.

DVD Review: Stephen King's Desperation (2006)

I was surprised to see this movie on the shelf at the local shop from one of the world’s most known writers and an actor that has become famous as Hellboy (Ron Perlman). How could one pass up the opportunity to watch it?

What became clear early, was how appalling this movie is with its flat characters and a too typical Stephen King storyline: the remote location, characters in over their heads, and the opening of a Pandora’s box of the paranormal.

I was very excited after watching The Mist, and after making a bowl of popcorn and making sure a six-pack of bitter was in the fridge, I turned on the surround sound, glued myself to the chair, and readied myself for 90 minutes of excitement.

I would have been more excited if a sheep challenged me to an arm wrestle. Desperation is one of the worst Stephen King movies I have seen. The characters are predictable and boring and I found myself wanting them to die. The story was rudely stitched together by a young boy who talks to God and sees dead people – a fortunate ally when you’re in the middle of nowhere with a demon sheriff who can take the host of any human person. Every family should have one, just in case.

Five minutes from the end, I was tired, bored, and thought I’d go watch something more interesting, like a blank screen, so I turned it off. What happened in those last five minutes?

I really don’t care.

Review: EMDB (Eric's Movie Database), a DVD Collection Database

I recently added EMBDB (Eric's Movie Database) to my list of best freeware software programs on my website at http://www.damienkane.com/Software.htm after using it for just one day.

There is a growing collection of softwares to catalogue such things as movies, CD's, DVD's, mp3's, books, and other media. A DVD collection can grow large in a short space of time due to shop sales, being given duplicates, and special DVD's one may come across when browsing the cheap bins of various online and physical stores. Having a list of DVD's is important so that one does not buy a DVD twice.

A good database also allows a user not only to catalogue the titles, but to have at hand relevant information about that movie. EMDB links to the ever popular IMDB database (www.imdb.com) and downloads particulars such as the DVD cover, cast, the director, genre, language, rating, year, country of publication. This list is not exhaustive. The database also allows the user to customise the record, ie, some titles published in the USA are different here in Australia. EMDB allows defaults such as whether they are Blu-Ray or Original DVD's, the format aspect ratio, language, etc. It also has a rating system that the user can either download from IMDB, or put in themselves. Personally, I prefer the latter.

EMDB also has a basic search function. Should one wish to watch a horror movie, one merely searches for that particular genre. The results are listed and can be refined by clicking on a title column to sort in ascending or descending order. Although the search itself does not contain advanced database query options, the search function already installed will be sufficient for the average user.

EMDB also has an option to track who the movies are loaned to, retaining that history for future reference. In fact, EMDB is a complete package for the average DVD collector, with customisable fields and a generous sprinkling of options. At a tiny install of under 1mb (under 1 minute download), t is a serious program worth trying, so hop on over to http://www.emdb.tk/ and give it a go!

Review on Raymondcc Blog Site

Raymond.cc is a blog site for people interested in computer tips and tricks and who are tired of looking for the better programs to use from the wild wide web.

I have always been adamant about the fact that free software is just as good, and if not better, than commercial software. Raymondcc also takes this a step further by seeking out commercial software that, unpirated, can be used for a substantial amount of time. Raymond, the site administrator and owner, also posts interesting articles on computer generally, for example, describing what a proxy server is and how one can use it, antiviruses, firewalls, tips, and tweaks, and reviews many software products so that an end user can make an informed decision about what software one should use.

The site itself is easy to understand and has an RSS feed that can be bookmarked in Firefox for easy access. It has a good search function for older articles and a forum where a person can register to ask and answer questions from other users, and to obtain and give opinions about the latest technology.

Raymondcc is my one-stop shop to find out the latest tweak, the latest antivirus offer, the latest promotion (and there are some great giveaways!) With a current subscription base of over 54,000 readers, the site is doing something right. It's articles are easy to understand and give a solid grounding into the subject matter. The additional use of comments, like many blog sites, also help users to understand some of the finer aspects of the material. Questions may also be posted in the comment section, but the site also has a forum where one can obtain a more in-depth understanding.

As well as these great giveaways, competitions and computer insights, with the etheric world of electronic publishing, the site also encompasses fitness, downloading, music, movies, travel, and much more. It is not only a site for the computer community. Easy to navigate, easy to join in, easy to understand. Why go anywhere else?

To access Raymond's site, click here. You can also join the site's forum here.

Happy New 2009!

It has been so long since I last posted. Again, my laptop ceased to work and after having it sent off then holidaying in Sydney, it is again working and I can post! It makes me wonder whether I should invest in a second one. I'll be posting to my blog via e-mail from now on, rather than rely on a laptop.

 

It's going to be a good year. My sickness has been well behaved for the last few weeks, and I return to work in just two days. I also caught up with my Diploma work, and have one more assignment to do (after it has been paid for, which may take a few more months!)

 

So, Happy New and Prosperous 2009 to all!