January 2009 Archives
By Jay Garrett
With only a few weeks to go to the 3GSM Mobile World Congress some interesting new blowers are starting to make themselves known.
Take this rather tasty Android based phone for instance. The General Mobile DSTL1 is a cool little number in black and chrome and sports a 3-inch Sharp touchscreen,
And its specs have pretty much everything that someone who was after an Android version of the iPhone would look for. Although it is rather portly when measured up to the fruitier option ;)
Continue reading Gadgets: General Mobile DSTL1 and Nokia E75.
By Dan Owen
It's the beginning of the end for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA; the classy, allegorical reinvention of '80s kitsch sci-fi. The mid-season finale last summer was a bitter pill to swallow, but things only get worse in this mid-season premiere, now the fleet have discovered Earth is nothing but post-apocalyptic, inhospitable wasteland.
To say that the crew take this badly would be an understatement; corridors are smeared in graffiti ("FRAK EARTH"), crewmen wander around in utter despondency, and shattered dreams caused one character to commit suicide.
Continue reading TV Week: Battlestar Galactica and Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.
By Erik Samdahl
Oscar nominations were announced for films released in 2008, and noticeably missing from the two biggest awards was The Dark Knight, the critical and audience darling that has earned more money than any other film. Rarely, if ever, do action movies – especially superhero action movies – even get nominated for such awards, but it seemed like this year was the year.
The Dark Knight transcended its genre, going well beyond action to create a mesmerizing, suspenseful and utterly disturbing tale of good versus evil, control versus chaos. Given its glowing reviews and the fact that few other films have been brilliant, the movie had an outside shot. As this week approached, with nominations from other awards flowing in and buzz reaching record levels, it seemed like this would be the year.
Continue reading Movies: The Joker Can’t Beat Batman. The Oscars Can, Though.
By Dan OwenJack Bauer's about to have another very bad day, as the alarm goes off for Day 7 of television adrenaline jab 24. After the widely-panned sixth season (which never recovered from the premature nuclear explosion in episode 4) and a strike-related gap of 19 months for the creators to ponder their mistakes, there's a minor reinvention underway...
We begin in the Senate, where Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is on trial for illegal practices during his time at the Los Angeles Counter-Terrorism Unit, particularly his morally-questionable view on torturing terrorists for information. Fortunately, he's whisked away by the FBI, to assist Agent Walker (Annie Wersching) in stopping terrorists who have stolen a CPI firewall (software the government use to protect vital infrastructure) and are currently taking over air-traffic control above Washington D.C. What's more, their suspected leader is none other than Jack's best-friend Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who supposedly died two seasons ago.
Continue reading TV Week: 24, Countdown and Eurovision: Your Country Needs You.
By Erik Samdahl
The onslaught of movies continues with a mixture of expanding releases and January dreck.
Those who like James Bond and hate Nazis (I know, there’s not many of you) may find solace (as in quantum solace? Nevermind.) in Defiance, the new action-drama from the director of Blood Diamond. In it, three brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell) decide it’s a nicer thing to help a bunch of Jews than assist Nazis. Good choice in my opinion.
Defiance is my movie of choice for the weekend, as it is receiving generally good reviews and promises some exciting action.
Continue reading Movies: James Bond Fights Nazis and Celebrates a Bloody Valentine.
By Jay Garrett
We've got used to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth making us wire-free but we're still cabled up for recharging our gadgets and transferring big chunks of data.
Why? This is 2009 for crissakes! We should all be in jet-cars by now so let's at least free ourselves from these ties that bind!
Well, emancipation is almost here folks!
For the data stuff Toshiba brings the 'Transfer Jet' and Powermat brings up the charging....errrr...'Powermat'.
Continue reading Gadgets: Wireless Niceness.
By Dan Owen
Still desperate for a Doctor Who-sized ratings smash, ITV1 have unleashed DEMONS onto Saturday nights; Anglo-Buffy with traces of Harry Potter, but none of the wit, originality or imagination.
The premise involves teenager Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke) being told by his American godfather Rupert (Philip Glenister) that he's actually the last descendant of the Van Helsing family, and therefore duty-bound to smite "half-life" entities that inhabit modern-day London.
Continue reading TV Week: Demons, Plus One and QI.
By Erik Samdahl
I hate it when this happens. You wake up one morning, drearily look in the mirror and discover there’s a lump on your shoulder. No, it’s not cancer… it’s just a fleshy little chunk of baby teeth and a few hairs – you’re twin that just didn’t quite work out.
What really sucks is when that cute little ball of fetus turns out to be an evil son-of-a-bitch that wants to take over your body.
Continue reading Movies: Odette Yustman Strips to Her Undies, Finds Evil Unborn Fetus.
By Jay Garrett
Happy New Year gadget lovers!
I hope that Santa brought you lots of shiny new tech to see you through the start of MMIX. As you may know; there's been a couple of noteworthy events to see us into the new year. CES and MacWorld.
MacWorld is the last with Apple and Steve Jobs sent in a substitute due to his health (or not) and the huge CES in Las Vegas has uncovered many a splendid thing one of which I chat about below. So, without further ado.
Any comic book fan will know that having a 2-way radio or, now we’re actually in the future, a mobile phone on your wrist is a great idea
Continue reading Gadgets: LG GD910.
By Dan Owen
Game-shows are a cornerstone of television, and they usually come in two forms: physical and mental.
In recent times, mental/psychological quizzes have dominated the format (from the revived Mastermind to the iconic Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?) But now, physical game-shows are making a comeback – exemplified by the recent Hole In The Wall, where lycra-clad celebs jumped through cut-out shapes in moving walls.
The silliness proved to be surprisingly popular Saturday fare for BBC1, despite derision from snooty critics. In 2009, the trend towards physical fun in game-shows looks likely to continue, as you can see...
Continue reading TV Week: Total Wipeout, Krypton Factor and Gladiators.
By Erik Samdahl
Since Christmas, I’ve been on a tear as I try to feast my eyes on as many Oscar contenders as possible. While I still have a few remaining pictures to go, I’ve seen many of the best movies of 2008 in the last week…
Frost/Nixon, the highly acclaimed Ron Howard movie, was a bit of a letdown. While still one of the better movies of the year, the hype over this picture is ridiculous. It’s good, but Howard’s choice to include documentary-style interviews with the characters kills its chances at being something greater.
Gran Torino, on the other hand, exceeded my expectations. Clint Eastwood directs himself in this simple drama about a racist retiree who sets out to protect his Asian neighbors from a local gang. The movie is surprisingly hilarious, as long as you don’t mind tongue-in-cheek racial slurs every other second.
Continue reading Movies: Oscar Contenders Coming Out of My Ears.
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