January 2006 Archives (27 posts)
SpamSieve
SpamSieve is a Mac OS X software application that uses Bayesian spam filtering to keep your email spam under control. I’ve been spending more and more time deleting spam. No matter how many junk mail rules I create using Microsoft Entourage, new spam messages seem to find their way to my Inbox.
After reading a post on Signals vs. Noise about SpamSieve I bought a copy and took an hour to set it up. After using this software for less than a week, my spam problem is gone. I receive all of my good email messages and maybe 1 or 2 pieces of spam each day.
The bottom line is that SpamSieve definitely works and will save you time. I waste about 3 minutes each work day, dealing with spam. That’s 15 minutes per week or 13 hours ever year. The software pays for itself after the first month. Not bad.
Posted in OS X Software at 4:30 PM | Comments (0)
IN TRANSIT
The Toronto Free Gallery has IN TRANSIT—a gallery exhibit that captures Toronto on the move. It features the work of 25 photobloggers.
I went on Saturday and was impressed with the work I saw. I never thought of the subway and streetcars as a theme for a photo shoot. I left the gallery inspired and plan to ride the rails for a day in search of some photo opportunities.
If you’re in town then don’t miss this show at 660 Queen Street East.
Posted in Photography at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)
Photoblogging Toronto
Sam Javanrouh is giving a lecture on Wednesday at Hart House in Toronto. He’ll be discussing some of the photos from his photoblog daily dose of imagery. Could be interesting. More information here.
Posted in Photography at 12:44 AM | Comments (0)
The 5 Blows
The other night I watched Touchez pas au grisbi (Hands Off the Loot!) and was a little surprised by how much slapping occured throughout the film. Some alternate titles for this film could be Hands Off the Face! or The 5 Blows.
My wife will be shaking her head and rolling her eyes when she sees this. Here are the 5 slaps from Touchez pas au grisbi for your amusement.
Posted in Movies at 3:15 PM | Comments (1)
Site upgrades
I finally updated the links section of this site. I only got as far as regular visits and photoblogs and it is already 1:30 AM (somehow I managed to sleep in until 10 AM today).
I also upgraded Movable Type on this site to version 3.2 last week. This was surprisingly easy. The new version does a much better job of handling comments and SPAM than previous versions. I still have to poke around and see what else has been changed.
Posted in Bombippy at 1:32 AM | Comments (0)
Touchez pas au grisbi (1954)
Touchez pas au grisbi (Hands Off the Loot!) is another classic film, directed by Jacques Becker. I can’t seem to get enough of these French gangster films. This one is great!
In Touchez pas au grisbi, a couple of aging gangsters want to retire and leave the underworld behind. Becker takes you back to Paris, 1954 and gives you glimpse at what the crime world may have been like. I’m always surprised, and pleased, at how gritty some of these French films were with the profanity, sex and violence—something you’d never see with an American or British film.
There is an honesty about these films that I find refreshing. Maybe its because I’m seeing them for the first time. I don’t know. I’m just glad that The Criterion Collection restores films like this. I’m sure I’d never see them otherwise.
The high definition transfer looks and sounds great. The DVD also contains several special features. Touchez pas au grisbi is a film that I would rank up there with Rififi and Bob le Flambeur and one that I plan to watch again.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 9:53 PM | Comments (0)
Not coming to a theatre near you
I’m not sure where I came across not coming to a theatre near you but it is a site I now visit frequently. For that reason it gets a link in the sidebar of the Bombippy.com homepage.
notcoming.com describes itself as a site that reviews “older, often unpopular, and sometimes unknown films that merit a second look”. The reviews and features from these film buffs are interesting and will hopefully introduce you to some of the great films that are out there.
Posted in Movies at 9:35 PM | Comments (0)
Olympus E-330 with Live View
Olympus has announced a 7.1 MP camera that has a true live view on it’s LCD screen. A lot of smaller, consumer DSLR cameras have this feature whereas prosumer and pro cameras don’t—you look through the viewfinder instead.
Whenever someone (who is not a photographer) looks at my Canon EOS 350D camera they ask why the LCD panel doesn’t work. I just figured that live view was a low-end feature. No real photographer would ever use such a feature. Would they?
I wonder how long it will be before Canon and Niko add this along with video to their high-end cameras.
Posted in Photography at 11:35 PM | Comments (2)
Mitten-Gloves for Winter Photographers
With the weather in Toronto dipping down to -9 degrees Celsius, I could use a pair of these gloves from Axes Quin. At $47 USD I think I’ll just stay inside and take some macro shots instead.
Posted in Photography at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
A Brief History Of Pixar
Apple Matters has an interesting story on the Disney/Pixar deal called How To Turn 10 Million Into 7 Billion: A Brief History Of Pixar. Steve Jobs comes out a big winner after inking a deal with Disney earlier this week.
Toy Story 3 has been cancelled as a result of this deal. Thank goodness! Last year Disney announced that they were going to make their own sequel to Toy Story without Pixar.
If you’re looking for more information on the history of Pixar then check out these links:
Pixar History
The Pixar Story
Alvy Pixar History Page
Posted in Movies at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)
Black Coffee
These days I’m drinking my coffee black, with sugar. I’m down to one pack of sugar (from three).
Just after Christmas, a friend of mine said I should try drinking my coffee black and without sugar. He said I’d be able to taste the coffee more. Graham, you were right but I still need a bit of sugar to sweeten things up a little.
I never liked Tim Horton’s coffee with cream and I feel nauseous whenever I hear someone order a “double double” or a “triple triple” coffee. Call me a snob but I prefer Starbucks’ Italian Roast, JJ Bean’s Nero Forte or a cup of house blend from the Savory Grounds Coffee Co.
Posted in Food and Personal at 8:24 PM | Comments (1)
Re-edited movie trailers
I was blown away by a couple of movie trailers that have been re-edited. If you’re familiar with the films mentioned below then you’ll get a chuckle out of these new versions.
The first example involves Fight Club (1999) starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. You might remember it as a violent film, full of male testosterone and rage. This new trailer makes it look more like Brokeback Mountain (2005). Brilliant!
Fight Club (re-edited movie trailer)
Next up is Stanley Kubrick’s classic, The Shining (1980). Who can forget Jack Nicholson’s performance as a writer who goes insane at the haunted Overlook Hotel? Take a look at this version of the movie’s trailer and you’ll see how the film might look like as a Disney picture.
Shining (re-edited movie trailer)
Posted in Movies at 9:55 PM | Comments (8)
The Radiant Vista
For the amateur photographer, The Radiant Vista is an absolute gold mine of useful information.
If you have a few months of experience using a a digital SLR then visit their website. If you’ve read a gazillion British photography magazines but crave more information, then visit their website to lear even more.
The Radiant Vista has 40 minute QuickTime video tutorials on night photography, composition and more. There is a daily critique of photos submitted from around the world which is also in video format. The best part about this site is that all of this information is free. Thanks to David for the link.
Posted in Photography at 4:26 PM | Comments (0)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
To the director that gave us such gems as Brazil, The Fisher King and Twelve Monkeys, I have to ask.. what happened to The Brothers Grimm? What a dreadful movie. It’s so bad that I don’t dare call it a film.
The trailer looked like it had such promise. Even with Jonathan Pryce (Brazil), this rambling, pointless, plotless movie goes nowhere. The special effects look cheap and distract from the story as well. I hope that Gilliam’s other film from last year, Tideland, comes out soon.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)
Angels & Demons
Yesterday I finished reading Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons. Like most of Brown’s novels, this one is a page turner.
Parts of it were a little too unbelievable. When the main character, Robert Langdon experiences a miraculous free-fall I had to groan and roll my eyes. Aside from this, the novel will keep you guessing with the its clever puzzles and mysteries. There are plenty of plot twists that will surprise you until the end as well.
Did I like it better than The Da Vinci Code? Hard to say. Both books have similar characters and story lines. I think I would have to go with the Da Vinci Code, only because I had a chance to visit Paris right after I read the novel. I’ve never been to Rome but after reading Angels & Demons I have a renewed interest in seeing the city. If I could hop on a plane tomorrow, and visit Rome for a week, I wouldn’t hesitate at all. Thanks to Paul for lending me his copy of the book.
Posted in Books at 5:45 PM | Comments (2)
Disney wants to own Pixar
Unfortunately this isn’t from a rumour site. This morning, Reuters reported Disney in talks to acquire Pixar. Gulp. If this deal goes through, it would make Steve Jobs the biggest shareholder in Disney.
Posted in Apple and News at 3:03 PM | Comments (0)
Digital Photography
Big changes in the photography world are ahead for the next year. Konica Minolta is withdrawing from the photo and camera business. They just signed an agreement in July of 2005 to make cameras with Sony.
Pentax has teamed up with Samsung to develop a new generation of digital cameras. Olympus formed an alliance with Panasonic to do the same. Last week, Nikon announced that they were going to abandon film cameras and focus on marketing digital cameras.
Canon maintains a strangehold on the digital SLR market and keeps raising the bar with new models like the 12 megapixel EOS 5D. If 12 megapixels isn’t enough resolution for you then consider the new Hasselblad H2d-39—the first 39 megapixel digital camera on the market. It’s only $40,000.
Posted in Photography at 2:56 PM | Comments (0)
Top 5 Films of 2005
If it’s not too late to still be wishing people a “happy new year” then it’s not too late for a 2005 list or two. Here is a list of the top 5 films I saw theatrically or on DVD.
- Why We Fight
- Cinderella Man
- Thank You For Smoking
- Capote
- New York Doll
Other films that really impressed me over the last are Syriana, Serenity, Batman Begins, Masculin, féminin, The Squid and the Whale, War of the Worlds, and A Very Long Engagement.
Posted in Movies at 5:16 PM | Comments (0)
Adobe® Lightroom™ Beta
At Macworld, Adobe announced Adobe® Lightroom™ Beta which will be a direct competitor to Apple’s Aperture. I’ve read a few complaints about Aperture really being a $400 beta product. For this reason, i have to admire Adobe for releasing a beta of their upcoming photography workflow software.
You can watch a video tutorial and download a beta here. BTW, the software demo that I watched looks very cool. For now I will continue to use Adobe’s Bridge software that comes with Photoshop CS2.
Posted in OS X Software at 5:04 PM | Comments (0)
Do Burned CDs Have a Short Life Span?
Here’s an interesting story from PCWorld.com that says DVD-R discs only last for 2-5 years depending on the quality of the discs. I’m a little skeptical as there are plenty of sites and manufacturers that claim their archival DVDs will last up to 100 years.
I have several CDs that are close to 10 years old now and they still work fine. Has anyone else heard of these DVD problems?
Posted in News at 12:15 PM | Comments (3)
Stick a fork in ‘em
I came across a funny editorial in today’s Edmonton SUN newspaper. It pokes fun at the Liberal Party’s latest campaign disaster–a television commercial that attacks Stephen Harper on military issues. Here is an excerpt:
Hey, did you know that there are soldiers in Canadian cities? Soldiers. With guns. In our cities. In Canada. You did? Then you’re one up on the Liberal Party of Canada, which apparently had one of the biggest brain cramps in political history when it came up with the now utterly vilified and also roundly mocked attack ad on Stephen Harper this week.
There are a number of blogs that have taken this short-lived attack ad and made parodies of it. I got a kick out of this one that appears on damianpenny.com:
Stephen Harper ate at a Tex-Mex place once.
You know what the “Tex” in Tex-Mex stands for?
Texas.
George W. Bush’s home state.
And you know who else would have liked Tex-Mex food if he were alive today?
Adolf Hitler.
We’re not making this up.
Choose your Canada.
It looks like Paul Martin just lost a lot of votes from anyone serving in the military. Canadian Press is reporting that the latest Liberal ad has angered Canadian soldiers.
Posted in News at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
Growing old
You know you’re growing old when:
- it’s Wednesday and your entire body aches from the hockey game you played on Monday
- your step-daughter’s friend calls you “old man”
- you start listening to CBC because you’re sick of hearing the same playlists on your usual radio stations (Q107 and CFNY)
- you notice that more hair is growing in your ears
- your barber offers to trim that hair
- your wife starts buying you clothes from The Bay and you don’t really mind
- your friend Heather, who hasn’t seen you in a year, immediately notices the gray hair taking over your head
- newspaper stories about guys having heart attacks from playing hockey become interesting news items
- staying up past 1 AM becomes a real challenge
- when you start to forget how old you are (37).
Posted in Personal at 3:24 PM | Comments (3)
Grizzly Man (2005)
This is the first Werner Herzog documentary film that I’ve watched. Wow! He reminds me a little bit of Errol Morris in that he has a talent for finding incredibly weird subjects that are fascinating.
In this film, Timothy Treadwell is the Grizzly Man (who thinks he is an Alaskan version of the Crocodile Hunter). He videotapes his interaction with bears and foxes. His footage is incredible in that he gets very close to the dangerous bears. Timmy thinks that he is protecting the bears from poachers and hunters but its really therapy for himself as a recovering alcoholic.
Bizarre stuff. In the end, Treadwell and his girlfriend were attacked and killed by one of the grizzly bears. The audio from this attack was actually recorded (Treadwell didn’t have time to take the lens cap off but left the camera running). No you don’t get to hear the gruesome footage but the film and the people interviewed is really quite interesting.
I think poor Timmy wasn’t playing with a full deck near the end of his life. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a death wish involving the bears. We’ll never know. If you found the March of the Penguins to be a little too cute then Grizzly Man is just what you’re looking for.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
I watched this one on the weekend and I have to say that it scared the hell out of me. It is an interesting mix of horror and courtroom drama that works quite well. It’s also based on a true story which makes this film even creepier.
Jennifer Carpenter’s performance as Emily Rose and a great Dolby Digital sound mix will rattle your nerves and get your full attention as you watch this story unfold. The director tells the story of this failed exorcism from two perspectives—from the view of a Catholic believer and from the view of a medical professional.
The production value for this film is quite high. The cast is excellent—Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and Campbell Scott. The colour palette is used consistently to enhance different moods and perspectives. There are also some interesting camera moves. In one scene the camera glides down a corridor and through the bars of a prison cell to show a close up of Tom Wilkinson’s face. David Fincher used this effect quite a bit in Panic Room a few years back.
If you haven’t seen this film then I would recommend it as a DVD rental. It’s one of the better films out there right now.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 5:13 PM | Comments (1)
Hollywood is running out of ideas
After visiting Apple’s Movie Trailer site, I’m beginning to wonder what year this is. Michael Mann should be embarrassed for rehashing Miami Vice.
Miami Vice (2006)
Mission Impossible 3 (2006)
The Pink Panther (2006)
Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (2006)
The Producers (2006)
X-Men 3 (2006)
Ice Age 2 (2006)
How paranoid or greedy will Hollywood become in the next few years? When will they stop making boring, recycled products and come up with some original film ideas? Last year was a great year for film but this year looks like it is off to a bad start.
Posted in Movies at 5:40 PM | Comments (0)
Back to work
I’m back to work after a nice little break. I saw a few movies in the last week. I need to add another blog to this site for recently screened films.
Right now I’m updating the movies in the sidebar manually but would like to have a record of the movies I’ve watched. I don’t always get a chance to write a review for everything I watch (I can’t imagine why not).
Here’s a quick overview of the last week.
The City of Lost Children (1997). Good. Directed by those “French guys” that gave us Delicatessen and Amélie (directed only by Jean-Pierre Jeunet). Starring Ron Pearlman who speaks French in this role.
Grand Illusion (1937). Great. Directed by Jean Renoir and considered by some to be one of the best films ever made. Definitely worth seeing and Criterion has done an amazing job with the restoration with this film.
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). Good. This was my New Year’s Eve film with the lovely. Last year it was Sideways. Gee-sha or guy-sha? Neither it is pronounced gay-sha. Good love story, amazing sets and costume but not a guy-flick.
Four Brothers (2005). Awful. Shot last year in Toronto (standing in for Detroit), this movie was dreadful. What happened to John Singleton. Camille, thanks for not giving this DVD to me as a gift.
Serenity (2005). Great. Based on the television show hat Fox butchered. Writer/director Joss Whedon has a winner on his hands. One of the best films I saw last month. The little bit of the commentary that I listened to was excellent.
Why We Fight (2005). Excellent! I watched a DivX copy of this film (thanks James) that should get a theatrical release this month. Still one of the best films that I saw last year.
The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear (2004). Good. Another documentary on DivX that aired on the BBC last January. It looks at how the US and UK have used recent terrorist attacks to their advantage against a phantom menace we call Kaiser Sose, er I mean al-Qaeda.
Whisky Galore! (1949). Good. See my last entry for a review of this old favourite.
A Man Called Peter (1955). Good. Another film I first saw on TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies. It was recently released on DVD.
Cinderella Man (2005). Excellent! One of the best films of 2005. Review coming.
Raging Bull (1980). Great. Only my second time watching this and I’m growing to appreciate it more as another one of the best films ever made. There are some great extras on this 2-disc DVD.
Masculin, féminin (1966). Great. I enjoyed this a lot more than Truffaut’s Jules et Jim. Criterion has included some extras on this DVD that made me appreciate the “genius” of Jean-Luc Godard a little more.
Auntie Mame (1958). Okay. My mother-in-law went into great detail describing this film. For its time it was quite racy. Just not my type of film.
Now that half my morning is gone I really should get back to work. Right after i replenish my ZipList.
Posted in DVD Reviews and Movie Reviews at 10:55 AM | Comments (1)
Whisky Galore! (1949)
I can’t think of a better film to watch on New Year’s Day. The first time I saw this was over ten years ago on Saturday Night at the Movies—a show hosted by Elwy Yost on TV Ontario.
Whisky Galore (1949) was recently released on DVD by Anchor Bay in a 5 DVD set called the Ealing Comedy Collection.
Whisky Galore is based on the true story. In WWII a ship sailing for Jamaica sank outside the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It’s cargo, 250,000 cases of whiskey. Many of the locals gathered as much whiskey as they could before the proper authorities arrived.
The film takes place during the war on an island in the Outer Hebrides. The island has run out of whiskey and everyone is miserable, until, a shipwreck occurs. The ship is carrying 50,000 cases of whiskey which the locals try to salvage and hide from the authorities. It’s quite a funny film that has remained a favourite by many over the years including Sean Connery.
Sean Connery and several producers in the UK have been trying to raise enough money to do a remake of Whisky Galore! I think some films are better left alone. This is one of them. While it would be nice to see a colour version of this film shot in the Hebrides, I don’t think a remake could capture the charm of the original film.
DVD Times has a review of a two-disc special edition of Whisky Galore! released through Optimum Home Entertainment. Does anyone know if I can get this in Canada?
Posted in DVD Reviews at 1:40 PM | Comments (0)
