0306.30 : The WGA has a great (and quite lengthy) interview with screenwriter William Goldman (currently adapting SHAZAM, my dream movie), conducted in March at the Egyptian Theatre. An excerpt: When you're a kid, you start to get involved with the magic of story, which I think is everything--everything in movies is story. I think that's all there is. I don't think it's about symbolism, or pretty shots, or directing, doing dumb things. It's about the story.

0306.29 : Thomas Friedman has an excellent op-ed piece in today's New York Times entitled Is Google God?. Very timely, astute and insightful stuff. An excerpt: While we may be emotionally distancing ourselves from the world, the world is getting more integrated. That means that what people think of us, as Americans, will matter more, not less. Because people outside America will be able to build alliances more efficiently in the world we are entering and they will be able to reach out and touch us - whether with computer viruses or anthrax recipes downloaded from the Internet - more than ever.

0306.27 : A week ago I promised more on Niki Caro's beautiful Whale Rider, which is absolutely the movie you should see this weekend. It's an exquisitely simple and yet incredibly rich film (not to mention one of the best-reviewed of the year, and the audience award winner at the Sundance and Toronto film fests). As I said before, it's as close to a live-action Miyazaki movie as I've seen, and holds resonance for audiences of all ages. Lead actress Keisha Castle-Hughes' performance is perhaps the best film acting debut since Kate Winslet's in Heavenly Creatures, and worthy of an Oscar nomination. The film also features a wonderful score by Lisa Gerrard, production design by Grant Major (of The Lord of the Rings fame) - and classic, mythic storytelling. On the one hand, it's a window to a world entirely separate from our own (Khangara, New Zealand), but at the same time it's a mirror we can all see ourselves in. Several people have asked me "What's it about?", and the best answer I can offer (without giving to much away) is this: destiny is like a whisper on the wind, and sometimes - if you're very still and very quiet - you can hear it call to you from the future, reaching out like a song of hope to unchain you from the shackles of the past. (Very highly recommended.)

0306.26 : Tomorrow evening (7pm / 6pm CST) on E, Arnold Schwarzenegger co-hosts E News Live - which has been rechristened T News Live for the occasion. (How can I not watch this?) FOLLOW-UP: It wasn't live! (Doesn't that qualify as fraud, or something?)

0306.25 : Last night I saw 28 Days Later, which is bloody brilliant - hands-down the best post-apocalyptic zombie movie of the year. (I kid, I kid.) In all seriousness, this is a remarkably well structured and executed film (er, DV), destined to become a genre classic. Deftly striking a balance between classical sci-fi and horror traditions, it's a fresh, timely and taut tale of suspense, both saavily honoring and updating established conventions. Certainly not for the squeamish, but essential viewing for anyone who appreciates an intelligent thriller. And when's the last time you've seen a truly kick-ass zombie movie? Well, that's too long! (Recommended.)

0306.24 : Not to beat a dead Hulk-dog, but a particularly attractive reader writes: Yes, Hulk was a hulking mass of crap! A valiant effort to make it different from every other action movie, but there's something to be said for making a genre movie one genre and not three or four, as it convolutes the story. And btw, I was remiss for not plugging my old friend Ann Hornaday's review for the Washington Post.

0306.23 : Apple introduced their long-awaited Power Mac G5 today, which boasts up to two 2GHz 64-bit IBM G5 processors, a 1GHz frontside bus, 8GB of PC3200 SDRAM, a 4X SuperDrive, a 64MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro on an AGP 8X Pro graphics bus, three PCI-X slots, FireWire 800, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth, and digital optical audio in/out. (In other words, it kicks ass.) Check out the introductory video and feel free to pre-order one for me. ALSO : Safari 1.0 has been released, as well as a beta of the new iChat AV (with online videoconferencing that supports DV camcorders and the cool new iSight lipstick cam).

0306.22 : I went to see The Great Escape on the big screen today at The Paramount. Damn, what a good movie. But it would've been even cooler as a double feature with Chicken Run. (If you've never seen either or both of these movies, for heaven's sake go grab them on DVD right now.)

0306.21 : I saw The Hulk this morning, which was both disappointing and confounding. Incredibly tedious, uninvolving and emotionally distant, it's a deeply flawed, perplexing film. Much more like Ang Lee's Ride With The Devil than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it contains all the flaws of the former and scant few of the strengths of the latter. The beauty of the Hulk comic was its elegant simplicity, yet the movie grossly overcomplicates things for no justifiable reason. We're now forced to endure a hopelessly turgid back story about an abusive father who passes on a self-inflicted genetic mutation to his son, who in turn has repressed memories of his melodramatically tragic childhood. And while the comic book Hulk was born of simple gamma radiation, here it's an even more ridiculous confluence of latent genetic mutation, experimental nanomeds and said radiation. To make matters worse, all this is conveyed with clunky exposition and over-the-top foreshadowing that's often excruciating. And if that wasn't bad enough, we have to endure Hulk dogs, close-ups of lichen growing on rocks, and Nick Nolte (with mug-shot hair) as Hulk's dad - who inexplicably turns into the Absorbing Man. What? What? Meanwhile, the fundamental basis of the character is violated; everyone knows the whole point is that Bruce Banner can't control whether or not he turns into the Hulk, but that's thrown out the window after the first transformation (which takes far too long to happen, btw). The split-screen editing device is only rarely used for any constructive purpose, and is mostly a distracting indulgence in redundancy. The CG Hulk isn't bad (it's actually quite good, but no Gollum), but I couldn't help but wonder why the filmmakers didn't use Lord of the Rings' dynamic forced perspective techniques with a real actor - which would've saved tens of millions, and yielded a real performance by someone really there. (Not recommended.)

0306.20 : This morning I saw Whale Rider. It's probably the closest thing I've ever seen to a live-action Miyazaki movie, which is pretty much the highest praise I can give it. (Definitely the best live-action film I've seen so far this year.) I'll write more about it next week before it opens in Austin (at the Dobie), but if you're in New York or L.A. I urge you to see it as soon as you can (and take your kids).

0306.18 : Handspring has unveiled their much-anticipated (by me) Treo 600 communicator, which will be released "late fall". I've been a devoted Treo 270 user (via T-Mobile) for almost a year now, but have been craving many of the 600's features - it's smaller, has a built-in camera, longer battery life, a faster processor, Palm OS 5.2, and an SD/MMC expansion slot (mp3s!). According to News.com.com, it'll likely be priced around $400-$500 (with "a special upgrade plan for existing Treo owners", thank heavens). Treo Central offers a great in-depth preview, examining all the new features. Sugoi!

0306.17 : My old college buddy (and fellow Mini enthusiast) Charles Suvannunt provides a much-requested follow-up and partial explanation to the mysterious and disturbingly hyper-violent Hong Kong Lipton iced tea commercial I linked to over the weekend (which apparently traumatized several of you; sorry). He writes: When the guy in the mask answered the phone (probably from the neighbor), and he said, "WHAT!? (We're) playing Mah-Jung!" The Cantonese name of the birds that they are killing rhymes with the game of Mah-Jung, and playing MJ in Cantonese can literally translate as "hit MJ". Thus the running joke of the commercial is that they are "hitting (killing) birds" like playing MJ. The commercial is indicating even THAT is not as extreme as drinking the "Lipton XX" tea. (Thanks, Charles!) Meanwhile... in other advertising news... Angelina Jolie (or rather Lara Croft) got milk... while some poor sod in Reeboks is being chased by a giant disembodied beer belly. (Gotta say I prefer the Terry Tate campaign.)

0306.16 : AN INVITATION FROM THE BANZAI INSTITUTE - Friends and colleagues of Dr. Buckaroo Banzai are cordially invited to join the official Banzai Institute SETI@home team. As you probably know, SETI@home ("Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at home") is a massive distributed computing project administered by the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley, wherein participants simply download and install a screensaver that uses your computer's free time to analyze data collected from the Arecibo radio telescope. So far, over 4.5 million people worldwide have participated. (You can take a look at our progress here.) Questions? E-mail me.

0306.15 : Lipton tea, Hong Kong style. (And people wonder why that British scientist thinks the odds of an apocalypse are 50-50.)

0306.14 : Speaking of iPods [below], Business 2.0's Jimmy Guterman has an inspired and intriguing iDea for Apple - how about selling premium iPods preloaded with music? For instance, you could buy a limited Chabo collector's edition containing his entire catalog, along with unreleased tracks and live recordings. Or perhaps even custom celebrity editions, with Guzman's or Goldblum's favorite music preinstalled. (How cool would that be?)

0306.14 : Sorry about the lack of updates last week, but I've been working on the magazine, among other things. ("What magazine?" Ah, that would be telling! You'll see by month's end.) Anyway, I just discovered a very cool site for gadget news - Gizmodo. A sample... in South Korea, Samsung has unveiled a mobile phone with built-in color TV that can also record a two-second clip. Meanwhile, in Philadephia... DJ Botany 500 is renting iPods with custom playlists to clients who want to hire a "virtual DJ".

0306.07 : Viva Guzman, otra!

0306.06 : "There is no winning. And there is no winning because winning is a lie." Thus spake Jeff Goldblum in a thoroughly fascinating and highly amusing interview over at The Guardian entitled "All this stuff is... fun. Yes. Fun.". Some excerpts... "I'd come into work each day, and just think: Hmm... Yeah! You know? Yeah! So great!" "Someone gave you some free clothes? What? What?" "Because I'd say not. And so... but! But! No..." (It's no wonder Peter Weller calls him Buddha.) For more of the genius that is Goldblum be sure to check out Goldblum.com (which features a slightly disturbing Interactive Mr. Frost).

0306.04 : A faithful reader asks, "Robo, of all the big summer movies coming out this year, which one are you looking forward to most?" Well, reader, I'm glad you asked! Sure, I can't wait to see Pirates of the Caribbean (July 9) and Hulk (June 20), plus I'm admittedly enticed by forthcoming guilty pleasures Charlie's Angels 2 (June 27) and Bad Boys II (July 18)... but without question, the one movie I'm most looking forward to this summer is Gary Ross' Seabiscuit (July 25). Based on the (amazing) book by Laura Hillenbrand, it's Ross' first movie since his exquisite Pleasantville, and stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper... and Elizabeth Banks. Trust me -- this is the movie to see (and I bet you right now it'll be nominated for Best Picture, among other things). Check out the new trailer for a sneak peek.

0306.02 : Saturday night (er, Sunday morning) I had the surreal pleasure of watching the remarkable Raiders of the Lost Ark Remake (meticulously made by three Mississippi kids over the course of seven-ish years) at the Alamo Drafthouse. It's not quite shot-for-shot, but it's pretty damn close -- and quite impressively so. If you're a die-hard Raiders fan, it's a real joy to watch. (Check out the trailer and Harry's review.)

0306.01 : rabbit rabbit!

0305.31 : Happy belated 81st birthday, Christopher Lee! (It was on the 27th; Manchester Online has a great interview by Sarah Hughes commemorating the occasion.) P.S.: There's another great interview over at The Guardian well worth reading.

0305.30 : For a mere $4.5 million, you can buy a WWII vintage aircraft carrier! French Creek Boat Sales (on Vancouver Island) is selling the former HMS Vengeance. Great for parties!

0305.29 : Attention cat owners... the half-hour pilot for Meow TV premieres tomorrow night (Fri. 5/30) on Oxygen at 7:30 (6:30 CST). Touted as TV for cats and the people they tolerate, it's hosted by the lovely and charmingly off-center Annabelle Gurwitch (formerly of TBS' "Dinner & A Movie") and her cat Stinky. Or is that the other way around? Anyway, I know you think I'm making this up, but I'm not. I swear! Here, check out the press release, and coverage from CNN and the New York Times. (Miso and I will be watching.)

0305.28 : I got to see Pixar's new film Finding Nemo last night, and was absolutely enthralled (as was the entire packed audience). Beautiful and brilliant, it is perfect in practically every way (though, granted, there's no telling how that U-boat got into the Pacific... but no matter - it was cool!). The highest praise I can give it is that it may very well be the best film Pixar has ever made -- and I certainly don't venture that suggestion lightly. It's that great, and destined to become a classic. For example, imagine a Pixar film scored by Thomas Newman instead of Randy (no offense). This is it! Definitely the best film I've seen this year (among those released this year), and the first one I can't wait to see again -- especially in a real theater. (Sadly, the sneak was in a crappy Cinemark, which always means so-dim-it's-like-watching-through-sunglasses projection, slightly soft focus, and terribly flat sound.) Anyway... as a notorious formalist, I marveled at how ingeniously structured the narrative was, and how every little beat fell so precisely in place -- effortlessly. It is as elegantly constructed as it is animated, and is a model of great, layered storytelling that powerfully resonates on multiple levels. At the center of the film is the inspired pairing of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres, who both -- amazingly -- deliver what could be career-best performances. (No, I'm not kidding!) Kudos to (first-time!) director Andrew Stanton and the entire Pixar team, who have delivered Studio Ghibli-caliber work. I bow before them, and will applaud when they win the Oscar for Best Animated Film next year. This film is a gift to be treasured. (Highest possible recommendation. A must-see!)

0305.27 : The essential foreign films, according to British Film Institute chairman Anthony Minghella, are... The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi, 1978), I Vitelloni (Federico Fellini, 1953), Raise The Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou, 1991), The Night of San Lorenzo (Taviani Bros., 1982), The Leopard and Rocco and his Brothers (Luchino Visconti, 1963 & 1960)... and all the films of Krzysztof Kieslowski - but particularly The Double Life of Veronique (1991). (Don't read the interview unless you want to know the ending of Cold Mountain.)

0305.26 : Just so ya know... I ate six Krispy Kremes today -- Chocolate Malted Kreme, Chocolate Iced Custard Filled, Chocolate Iced Creme Filled, Chocolate Iced, Glazed Devil's Food, and Sugar Coated. (And I'd do it again!) But I still crave a Twinkie Tiramisu, dammit. And Deep-Fried Twinkies (available locally at The Old Alligator Grill, btw).

0305.25 : As if the existence of Deep-Fried Twinkies wasn't dangerous enough knowledge, I now know (courtesy of the Travel Channel) that there exists such a thing as Twinkie Tiramisu at the Kitsch'n on Roscoe in Chicago... and that it can be ordered online. Damn.

0305.24 : Last night I went to see Quake, a marvelously surreal comedy that just opened at my beloved Hyde Park Theatre (recently nominated for a whopping 14 Austin Critics Table Awards). It stars the luminous Kelsey Kling, who's become one of my favorite local talents since I first saw her in Marion Bridge last season. Here she plays a young woman on a compulsive cross-country crusade fueled by dual obsessions -- to find the perfect mate, and track down the tabloid celebrity serial killer who haunts her dreams (played sharply by Katherine Catmull). It's another wonderful piece of work written by Melanie Marnich (who penned last season's excellent Blur) and directed by HPT creative mastermind Ken Webster. Highly recommended. (Quake runs through June 14. For reservations, call 479-PLAY.)

0305.23 : Holy mother of crap, this is freaky! Check out the Guizhou golden monkey and tell me that isn't some evil space alien on a nefarious mission to repopulate our planet. [back-up link to image]

0305.22 : Two glaring ommissions from Oprah's "Favorite Things for Spring" episode yesterday... the new Plasma-Taser Gun from Rheinmetall W&M and the Exo-Electric Armor 80K-volt jacket from No-Contact (demonstrated by a particularly hot model). Now anyone can be a plasma-wielding electric super-hero like Gwen on Angel.

0305.20 : Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of my all-time favorite things in the known universe, concludes tonight after six and a half seasons. Salon.com has a cool interview with creator Joss Whedon, as does the New York Times, while CNN offers a particularly nice send-off. (More Buffyness at Whedonesque.com.) Oh, and afterwards is the second season finale of 24.

0305.19 : The U.S. military is using heavy metal to interrogate captured Iraqis, along with music from Sesame Street and Barney. Really. "They can't take it," says Sgt. Mark Hadsell. (Does this not qualify as a human rights violation?) P.S.: Apparently, it might; Amnesty International says this may constitute torture and be in breach of the Geneva Convention.

0305.18 : So last night I neglected to change channels after Trading Spaces, and happily happened upon TLC's gloriously fascist What Not To Wear. I hadn't even heard of this show, but was absolutely mesmerized by how deliciously twisted it was. Basically, two self-appointed (and questionably qualified) "Style Gurus" are drafted by friends and/or family of a blissfully ignorant fashion victim deemed in need of an intervention. The subject is then brutally deconstructed and forced to conform to a vague set of arbitrary guidelines (via a $5,000 shopping budget). It's pretty hysterical, basically offering a much-needed but amusingly overwrought reality check to some poor soul who simply lacks some common sense. (At least, that's what I gathered from the episode I sampled.)

0305.14 : Should Apple buy TiVo? Business 2.0's Jon Battelle thinks so.

0305.14 : When in San Francisco, be sure to visit the Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia. (And say hi to Karl. He rules!)

0305.13 : Viva Guzman!

0305.13 : Last night I went to the opening of the beautiful new Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Galleries at UT (21st & Guadalupe, across from the Dobie). Their "In A New Light" exhibit (opening today and running through Sep. 14) showcases many of the Center's treasures from its Literature, Photography and Fine Arts collections. A highly recommended way to pass an hour or so. (Admission is free.)

0305.12 : Anung Un Rama... Hellboy lives! (More goodies at Hellsite.com)

0305.12 : As pleasant a surprise as X-Men 2 was, The Matrix Reloaded was an unpleasant one. I saw it this morning with a larger-than-usual crowd of critics, and boy howdy, it has moments that are actually Star Wars Prequel-bad (especially in the horrendous first act). It is in no way a worthy successor to its predecessor (which I still think is highly overrated). At best, it's merely more of the same; at worst, it betrays the cinematic "mission statement" articulated in the original's finale. Sure, there are some cool moments and neat eye candy, but I was amazed by how utterly and consistently unimaginative, unremarkable and downright lame the film was. Those hoping it will be a leap forward will be severely disappointed. Best (and most unintentionally apropos) line: "It's like wiping your ass with silk." (And if you think I'm being harsh, check out Harry's review. Last Action Hero, indeed.)

0305.12 : Angel has been renewed! With Spike and without Cordelia and Connor no less! (Cue Dance of Joy.)

0305.11 : Holy crap! 21-year-old swimsuit model / zoology student Jenna actually won Survivor: The Amazon! A magnificent upset capping off what may have been the best Survivor yet. (And yes, I went out on a limb and called it months ago in AICN Talk Back.)

0305.09 : Adrien Brody guest hosts tomorrow's Saturday Night Live. (And next Thursday's Late Night with Conan O'Brien will be done entirely in stop-motion clay animation. Really.)

0305.06 : Behold... The Great Sasuke is sworn in! Banzai!

0305.04 : Today's Calendar Live (from the Los Angeles Times) has a very impressive Summer Sneaks mega-feature, offering an assload of articles previewing all the forthcoming movies. Lots of interesting stuff.

0305.04 : I realize no one reading this could possibly care, but this afternoon I played what may have been my greatest game of Risk ever. Against three other opponents I methodically took Africa and Europe, then captured the Americas in one stunning turn from two fronts. I probably hadn't played in at least ten years, and had forgotten how much fun world domination can be. Now I'm itching to dust off Axis & Allies (like I have time).

0305.02 : I also had the pleasure of going to the Austin Chronicle summer party today (for about six hours!) and got to catch up with a whole lot of cool people (I'll resist name-dropping). The only downside was that it was the first time this year I was confronted by the fact that summer is indeed upon us here in Austin. Ugh.

0305.02 : So I went to see X-Men 2 today (which I refuse to call "X2" and/or "X-Men United" because that's just so damn stupid). Wow. While I thought the first film was at best a pretty decent TV pilot (and at worst an uneven mess with glaring flaws), this sequel is seriously kick-ass. It isn't just a hell of a good movie, it's a genuinely great comic book movie. While certainly not perfect, the filmmakers obviously learned from their mistakes and solved many of the problems that hampered their first outing. I was very pleasantly surprised and consistently impressed. There are so many really smart touches, genuinely exhilarating sequences, and moments of real resonance for hard-core old-school Uncanny X-Men fans like myself. (The first piece of comic art I ever bought was page 2 of issue #183 by John Romita, Jr.) Gold stars to franchise additions John Ottman (editor and composer, who delivers fantastic work on both fronts) and Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler made manifest, and a childhood friend come to life). Kinda missed seeing Sumela Kay as Kitty Pryde, though.

0305.01 : After four seasons, three consecutive Emmys for Best Drama Series, and two Peabody Awards, Aaron Sorkin (along with Tommy Schlamme) is leaving The West Wing. And I am very sad.

0303-0304 : Click here for March and April, 2003.

0301-0302 : Click here for January and February, 2003.