Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Sorry!



Sorry Guys! I could not get online last month,therefore I could not upload any new stuff.But now I am back online.So do check up every now and then for new updates.Thanks.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Spiderman 3 review from IGN





In Hollywood, conventional wisdom suggests that it doesn't matter what you do with the first two-thirds of a story as long as you have a strong ending. While the commercial success of any major film series demands that the opposite be true, front-loading a franchise with its best writing, acting and filmmaking in order to draw in that elusive "everyone" demographic, Spider-Man 3 simultaneously confirms and refutes that a series -- much less a single installment -- need be defined by the sum of its parts. And while some audiences may register skepticism over the possibility that a third film can suitably tie up all of the loose ends, not to mention tie-in all of writer-director Sam Raimi's ambitious ideas, IGN can confirm that Spider-Man 3 is indeed the trilogy-closer that fans have been waiting for.

Instead of the year-plus barrier that separated the first two films, Spider-Man 3 takes place almost immediately after the events of the second film. This serves an important purpose: Harry (James Franco) learned at the end of Spider-Man 2 that Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is Spider-Man, and he isn't wasting any time trying to take down the person he believes killed his father. In the meantime, Peter has grown comfortable in his relationship with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), not to mention the idea that his alter-ego is an icon and hero to millions. Mary Jane, however, is struggling as an actress after receiving scathing reviews for her appearance in a new musical, and has trouble relating to Peter's newfound confidence.

In another part of the city, escaped convict Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) races to find a cure for his daughter's illness, landing himself in the middle of a science experiment while trying to evade capture by the police. His transformation into the Sandman makes him a natural adversary for Spider-Man, but Peter takes the pursuit personally when he discovers that Marko may in fact be responsible for Uncle Ben's (Cliff Robertson) death. Unfortunately, a mysterious creature that feeds off negative energy finds the erstwhile hero during a moment of weakness and attaches itself to him, sending both Peter and Spider-Man into a dark and dangerous spiral of revenge and violence.


With so many different story strands working together toward a hopefully concise conclusion to both film and franchise, it's easy to worry about how all of the pieces can and will fit comfortably together. Indeed, even as a champion of the first Spider-Man (considering it the best comic book movie of all time), I worried that there were too many characters and just too much going on in this third installment. But with few exceptions, Sam Raimi, his brother Ivan and screenwriter Alvin Sargent have masterfully crafted a collection of characters, scenes and sequences that only seem disjointed. Raimi has previously stated that he prefers classic villains like Sandman to the fan-friendly choices like Venom, but he's successfully managed to combine their respective appeals -- the former's compelling simplicity, the latter's effects-heavy spectacle -- in a way sure to satisfy both camps.

It's in this capacity that Spider-Man 3 sustains -- if not surpasses -- that perfect balance of real world and comic book physics (a balanced successfully achieved in the earlier films). Raimi, who has projected his longtime affection for Three Stooges-style camp into almost all of his films, spares no effort here injecting goofy, humanizing undertones into various sequences in order to relieve some of the mounting melodramatic tension. An early quip about J. Jonah Jameson's (J.K. Simmons) heart medicine seems superfluous, but it exemplifies the director's enjoyment of silly and borderline sophomoric punch lines. But this is also what makes the film fun, playful and appealing to more than just Spidey's core audience of fan boys and comic book followers -- not to mention the reason why this series can be considered the most faithful representation of "comic book reality" committed to celluloid.

That said, there are a handful of scenes that really don't work, including a dance number (yes, you read that right) and an exposition-heavy set-up for the film's climax (delivered via a newscaster and his on-the-scene reporter). Additionally, the decision to include characters like Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) feels more like a fan service red herring than a genuine development in the overall story. It is in these moments that Raimi's latitude as author of the franchise is a little too broad. But, then again, that's a little bit like criticizing the director for continuing to do what got him the job in the first place -- namely, combining the sublime, the silly and the spectacular in almost perfect measures.

In retrospect, it's almost exciting to consider how effectively Raimi introduces each storyline and then slowly weaves it into the fabric of the overall film. For example, Harry's hatred of Spider-Man might be a lingering plot point if the film either addressed it in a single scene or left it unexplored until the end. But Raimi and Co. offer a solution that allows new plot developments to breathe. There's also the matter of Eddie Brock/Venom (Topher Grace), whose intricacies will not be explained in this review, but who slowly becomes integral to both the building drama of the narrative and the emotional complexity of Peter over the course of the three films.
After all, how would this nerdy kid respond if he finally found acceptance as Spider-Man, as he begins to here? Peter's ability to handle that situation and to recognize that he might be the only person able to apprehend his uncle's possible killer creates a palpable emotional turmoil that plays directly into the comic book origins of both the hero and his adversaries. By the time he faces them down in the film's climax, Raimi creates the opportunity not only for a physical triumph but an emotional catharsis that ties together all of the preceding, sometimes seemingly disconnected scenes.

As a person who typically has little trouble differentiating his likes from his dislikes, I was surprised by my initial conflicting feelings -- especially given my lifelong love for the character and enthusiasm for the franchise. The trailers alone were so jam-packed with story developments and new characters that it seemed an entire film would not be enough to fully explore all of them. But what truly is most amazing about Spider-Man 3 (no pun intended) is that all objections are answered and all developments are resolved, even if at times it feels like they will never converge.

So if you're going into the film with any trepidation about whether Raimi can combine all these disparate elements and still satisfactorily conclude the movie, much less the series, reserve your judgment until the last web has been slung. Because this is the first time that two films and two-thirds into a trilogy, you still haven't seen anything yet. Spider-Man 3 has a great ending, and more importantly, it is a great ending for both a standard three-film arc and the best comic book trilogy in film history.

Portable GameCube Advance


Via gizmodo:

At first glance, we thought the Portable GameCube Advance was the product of console miniaturizer Benjamin Heckendorn, who has shrunk some of our favorites into nearly portable packages.

But the Portable GameCube Advance is really the work of a random email tipster...surely not just a Photoshop rendition...but an entirely ready-to-go product complete with external OLED display and MP3 playback that will be in stores any day now.

Car Wheel Alarm Clock


Via Gimodo

Do you live life in the fast lane? Do you go to bed fast, wake up fast, eat cereal fast, drive to work fast, buy a new Calvin pissing on Ford sticker fast, come home fast, let out the dog fast, eat dinner (fast food) fast and do it all over the next day as rapidly as possible?

The Car Wheel Alarm Clock is made for speed demons such as yourself. Instead of a buzzer waking you up in the morning, the tire spins, burnout in your bedroom style. A female voice says "the exorcism wool [ning]!" as you quickly wonder if there was a problem with Google translate.

Despite our sarcasm, this clock is bound to be a great gift for someone...but they probably won't be over the age of 12. Though who am I to judge?

HP's HDX Pavilion 20-inch gaming notebook



Via engadget:

Remember that 20-inch HP HDX Pavilion laptop from yesterday? Well, more shots of the massive gaming laptop have turned up from different angles to give us a better idea of how this top-end laptop looks. This new angle puts the HDX closer in style to the traditional laptop form factor than its main "inspiration," the Dell XPS M2010. Still, the sheer size of the screen coupled with the remote means that this is a laptop with one helluva identity crisis: is it best to think of it as a portable home entertainment system, or a maxed out machine for those with very wide laps? A capable gaming machine it may be, but we have a feeling this won't be the only area where it draws interest. Hopefully, as the unveiling of Santa Rosa nears, HP will grace us with an official press release and we'll be able to get a better idea of the HDX's currently unconfirmed specs.

Asus G1S and G2S gaming notebooks with Santa Rosa


Via engadget:

The Santa Rosa bonanza continues with the "leak" of information on two new Asus laptops. The Asus G1S and G2S are updates on the G1 and G2, and will come with Santa Rosa Core 2 Duo processors up to 2.2GHz. Both models get bumps in screen resolution, with the 15.4-inch widescreen G1S moving to the G2's 1680x1080 resolution, and the 17-inch G2S going for 1920x1200. Powering those multiple megapixel displays is an Nvidia GeForce 8600M with 256MB of video RAM, which gives these models the DirectX 10 compatibility which all the kids seem to want these days. Rounding out the specs is all the usual high-end laptop gear -- 2GB RAM, 160GB and 200GB HDDs, DVD burners, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth -- which is just what you'd expect with the €1700 and €1900 ($2300 and $2560) pricetags. The source says that these numbers will hit on May 21, and judging by the Euro pricing information, we'd guess that they'll remain Europe only for now.

Canadian museum to feature motion sensitive displays, personal digital keys


Via engadget:

A Canadian Human Rights Museum due to open within the next four years is to include a range of technology not usually suited to museums, including a motion sensitive display wall and a digital "human rights key" which documents the visitor's trip. The details on the technology are a little sparse, although the CanWest News Service likened the motion sensitive display wall to controlling a Wii. As there doesn't appear to be any control device involved, we'd say the implementation will be closer to that of the Precrime program, but as the building won't be ready for another four years -- by which time there'll probably be a whole new console technology for museums to emulate -- we'll just have to wait and see. The "human rights key" is equally vague, and could be as simple as a USB key that downloads information from the exhibits. Not that we've got anything against human rights, but for the sake of the kids visiting the museum, we'd hope that the key is a little more stacked out than just a USB key. Then again, if Engadget ever drafted a piece of human rights legislation, several sections would be put towards appeasing the robot population, so what do we know?