Category: movies

Battlestar Galactica: Razor – strong women

On By Rick McIn movies, philosophy, product endorsements, TVLeave a comment

The only two TV shows I follow religiously are The Colbert Show and Battlestar Galactica.

A 2hr flashback special called Razor aired recently. It goes on sale (somewhere) on DVD on the 6th.

I have some criticisms of Battlestar. (It’s “Hollywood” enough to have explosions make noise in the vacuum of space.)

But there’s no other TV show in history that has such strong, complex female characters. Women completely overpower the male actors.

Razor is the best yet. They should study it at film school.

Michelle Forbes plays unforgettable military psychotic Admiral Helena Cain:

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Cain later made a name for herself as a smart and ambitious officer in the Colonial Fleet. She was something of a rising star: Commander William Adama later remarks that she was promoted “to Rear Admiral over half the Commanders on the list”.

Prior to the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, Cain’s flagship, the Battlestar Pegasus, was docked at the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards for a major refit. The refit team included a civilian network analyst, Gina Inviere, with whom Cain initiated a lesbian relationship. At the time of the attack, Admiral Cain, like many of her crew, was preparing to leave the ship on shore leave. The initial Cylon strike destroyed five Colonial vessels in Pegasus’ immediate vicinity and severely damaged the Pegasus herself, killing 700 crew members. In a desperate gamble, Admiral Cain ordered a “blind jump” that took the Pegasus out of the combat zone. The stress of losing so many crew members appears to have contributed to Admiral Cain’s later extreme behaviour and possible alcoholism.

Helena Cain

bs2.jpgEven more fascinating is Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen, a Portuguese Chinese Norwegian English Aussie, born in Hong Kong. She has degrees in philosophy and English literature.

She plays Kendra Shaw, a smart, tough warrior ethically torn by the commands given by Cain. But who obeys. And who rises rapidly in the military hierarchy.

She numbs her pain with drugs.

OK, I want to buy this special as a download. …

Oops — NBC yanked it off iTunes in a pricing dispute. Oops — it’s not available on NBC.com …

Ah, NBC will make it available from Hulu.com … Oops — Hulu is in Beta, AND not available for Mac.

Oh, well. I don’t want to, but I can buy the DVD from NBC. Mail it as a Christmas gift to my empowered women friends.

Oops —
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Never mind, if NBC doesn’t want my business, I know how to get their product. Without all the roadblocks to commerce.

Do you see why I am so critical of old media?

Banff Mountain Film Festival WORLD TOUR

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, hiking, kayaking, movies, product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

I love this event.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival is on the road across North America and around the world. Whether you are an experienced mountaineer or an armchair adventurer, this event is for everyone. Don’t miss the excitement!

The Tour Schedule is linked from the home page – World Tour: Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre

The event sponsors are prominently mentioned — OK, it’s a commercial — in the second half of the video. But it’s still worth watching. This is the kind of TV commercial I like.

Click PLAY or watch the promo trailer on YouTube.

Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary: January 15 – 20, 2008 and April 5 & 6, 2008

(via besthike.com)

movie – Mr. Brooks

On By Rick McIn movies, product endorsementsLeave a comment

A film starring Kevin Costner and Demi Moore. …

Is this 1997?

Or 2007?

It has the difficult-for-me-to-remember title Mr. Brooks.

But when I saw it also featured William Hurt, I suddenly got interested. He’s one of the best and most fascinating actors working today. I love all his movies — except the one for which he won the Academy Award, Kiss of the Spider Woman.

For Hurt, I saw the movie. It is excellent and I’m still thinking about it.

Costner and Moore were terrific too. (Kevin Costner makes a much better villain than hero.)

William Hurt steals every scene he is in, playing the challenging role of Costner’s invisible, enthusiastically sadistic alter ego, Marshall.

Mr. Brooks

Mr. Brooks

Thumb’s UP.

trailer – Apple

By the way, Into the Wild (my review on BestHike) included William Hurt in a minor role.

Banff Mountain Festival

On By Rick McIn books, movies, travelLeave a comment

Up in the mountains for the weekend, for those interested, I’m blogging the films and book presentations over on my hiking website.

For example, John Harlin III (the son) presented the personal background story of his new book, The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father.

IMAX had a big hit with Everest. They’ve followed that up with a movie called The Alps.

Harlin, in the film, repeats the cimb of the Eiger where his father had fallen to his death. With his wife and daughter looking on.

To see the trailer click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Banff Hostel – Mountain Film festival

On By Rick McIn books, movies, travelLeave a comment

For the Banff Mountain Festival I’ll be staying at the Banff International hostel.

Coolest attraction there is the man made ice climbing wall. (Not sure if it is in operation yet this winter.)

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I have a standard $150 ticket package for events. But I’m guessing just the ambiance of the mountain resort over the festival days will be the highlight.

movie – Kite Runner – delayed

On By Rick McIn books, Islam, movies, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

I read the book. Here was my review then:

Kahled Hosseini – The Kite Runner. 2003. Books set in Afghanistan are hot in 2006. This critically acclaimed example is a great eye-opener for those who do not know that part of the world, like myself. It is intense. Painful to read. It reminded me of A Separate Peace, by Knowles. By the last page, however, I was disappointed. Far too cliché and predictable. It is lame in the way formulaic TV movies are lame.

Still, I am very keen to see this important movie.

Author Khaled Hosseini has come out in support of a decision to delay the film version of his novel The Kite Runner over fears for the stars’ safety.

Studio Paramount Vantage has put the film back by six weeks, after three young Afghan actors said they could be targeted over a homosexual rape scene.

The studio has also arranged for three families to go and live abroad.

Hosseini said he “applauded” the decision. “Afghanistan has become a pretty violent place,” he added.

The overall message of the film is tolerance, love, friendship and forgiveness …

“If the boys and their families think there is a reasonable risk of threat to them, then you have to take all of the steps that you can to make sure they are okay,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

“I applaud the studio for delaying the release of the film even though it goes against whatever commercial wisdom there is.”

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Kite Runner author supports delay

To see the movie trailer click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Is Colombia the NEW New Zealand?

On By Rick McIn books, movies, travelLeave a comment

A new film might do for the nation what Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand.

Colombia is my favourite country in South America, mainly due to the friendliness of the people.

We’ve been tracking Colombia’s rise from narcotics netherworld to “hipster tropical destination du jour” for some time now, and it looks like an upcoming potential blockbuster movie could help complete the transition. Love in the Time of Cholera, the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, hits North American theaters in November.

World Hum | Travel | Is Colombia the New New Zealand?

Oops, watching the trailer … looks a bit of a chick flick.

Maybe skip the movie, fly directly to gorgeous Cartagena, Colombia.

Lonely Planet Colombia

Lonely Planet Colombia

top 50 dystopian movies

On By Rick McIn movies, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Bit of a fan of the FUTURE GONE WRONG?

Here’s a list based on rankings on two websites: Rotten Tomatoes (RT) and the Internet Movie Database.

Massive dehumanization, totalitarian government, rampant disease, post-apocalyptic terrains, cyber-genetic technologies, societal chaos and widespread urban violence are some of the common themes in dystopian films which bravely examine the ominous shadow cast by future.

A dystopia is a fictional society that is the antithesis or complete opposite of a utopia, an ideal world with a perfect social, political and technological infrastructure. A world without chaos, strife or hunger. A world where the individual potential and freedom is celebrated and brought to the forefront.

Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time

The movie with the most influence on me on their list is A Clockwork Orange , #2.

A Clockwork Orange (Two-Disc Special Edition)

best book ever – Shantaram

On By Rick McIn books, movies, product endorsements3 Comments

On the recommendation of Dave Adlard, I downloaded Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts from Audible.com — cost about US$12. Unabridged, 944 pages, that’s 43 hours!

I cherished every minute, listening on my iPod Nano while hiking this summer.

Dave knew I would love the setting of the book — Bombay, India and Afghanistan — and its epic themes.

Crime and punishment, passion and loyalty, betrayal and redemption are only a few of the ingredients in Shantaram, a massive, over-the-top, mostly autobiographical novel.

Shantaram is the name given Mr. Lindsay, or Linbaba, the larger-than-life hero. It means “man of God’s peace,” which is what the Indian people know of Lin.

What they do not know is that prior to his arrival in Bombay he escaped from an Australian prison where he had begun serving a 19-year sentence. He served two years and leaped over the wall. He was imprisoned for a string of armed robberies performed to support his heroin addiction, which started when his marriage fell apart and he lost custody of his daughter.

All of that is enough for several lifetimes, but for Greg Roberts, that’s only the beginning.

The convict flees to India to escape his past, the first day “meeting the two people who will largely influence his fate in the city. One is a young tour guide, Prabaker, whose gifts include a large smile and an unstoppably joyful heart.”

Prabaker is one of the great characters of literature, I feel.

“The second person he meets is Karla, a beautiful Swiss-American woman with sea-green eyes and a circle of expatriate friends. Lin’s love for Karla—and her mysterious inability to love in return—gives the book its central tension.”

It’s a massive read. A book of philosophy. A book which can change your life.

The narrator Humphrey Bower was the highlight for me. He is fantastic at dozens of different accents, helping me keep straight the many characters of different ethnicities.

A Novel

Shantaram: A Novel

Shantaram is a novel. But the parallels to the author’s life are striking. Roberts was an escaped Australian convict. He fled to India. He was recaptured in 1990 and returned to Australia to serve his sentence. And write.

The book will certainly appeal more to men than women. Ladies should wait for the movie — scheduled for release in 2008 starring Johnny Depp.

Even better news, for me, is that Roberts is writing a sequel.

I can hardly wait.

UPDATE: Rick’s favourite books of all time

photos – Chris in Beijing

On By Rick McIn Cirque du Soleil, movies, photos, travelLeave a comment

Chris Baraniuk is a coach with Cirque du Soleil:

Beijing is bustling, getting ready for the Olympics.

It will be a bit challenge come time for the Games. While I think the venues will be ready, the pollution, transportation, weather, and local behaviour will be huge challenges.

There is ongoing education of the Beijing residents on being polite, to be more hygienic in public (no spitting), basic English lessons (most speak no English: ok, DVD, watch, bag, hello), and learning how to stand in a line and not push people over.

If anyone is planning on going during the Olympics, bring your patience, some valium, and have a good concierge at your hotel.

Most of the construction workers come from the country-side. They leave their families at home for most of the year and send money home. They average $ 100 per month, get housed 12 to a room, 3 meals a day (meat once per week), and have a bucket and cloth to wash with.

Walking on the Great Wall was a once in a lifetime achievement and well worth the trip. Just to think that it was over 5000 km long when built.

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Beijing – a photoset on Flickr

Coincidentally, Sunday night I finally watched the Jet Li movie Hero (2002). The cinematography is sumptuous. .

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

This film has faced criticism from abroad at a perceived pro-totalitarian and pro-Chinese reunification subtext. Critics also cited as evidence the approval that had been given to the film by the government of the People’s Republic of China.

These critics argued that the ulterior meaning of the film was triumph of security and stability over liberty and human rights and that the concept of “all under heaven” (translated in the English-subtitled release as “Our land”) was being used to justify the incorporation of areas such as Tibet and Xinjiang within the People’s Republic of China and to promote the reunification of Taiwan with China.

Hero (2002 film) – Wikipedia

It’s just a movie guys. Lighten up.