Last night we attended Star Wars in Concert here in Vancouver. It was most excellent! There were a few people dressed in costume (not me or Eileen though) and the general atmosphere was energetic, sort of like seeing the original movie in the theatre many, many years ago. I originally thought the event would be showing the entire first movie, but later learned it was a composite of many clips from all six films.

I have no idea how it worked out so well but through the miracle of online ticket purchasing combined with some amazing luck we scored front row seats on the floor, right in front of the stage. If I’d wanted to, I could have jumped out of my seat and easily leapt on stage. I could have tackled C3PO (Anthony Daniels) if I’d wanted to. Fortunately I resisted this urge and therefore am not writing this from jail.

The event itself was really great, the music was wonderful and we were close enough to watch the individual performances of each member of the orchestra. The only somewhat disappointing part of the evening was having to sit through so many clips from the most recent movies (episodes 1, 2, 3). It really is painful to watch the stilted dialogue and terrible acting. There were plenty of scenes from the “good” films too, especially lots from episode 4.

Of course the famous cantina scene played, with the live orchestra giving a great performance. Even though the film clip was from the 1997 redone version, we all knew Han shot first.

Eileen and I finally saw the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones “trilogy plus one”. To say I was disappointed doesn’t come close to accurately capturing my mood as I left the theatre. Shock, dismay, and anger would be more appropriate. Really? This is the best Indiana Jones film that can be made for $400 million dollars?

I didn’t really have high hopes even before I went to the cinema, but nobody prepared me for this. But, alas, I should have known right from the beginning when I saw the story credits included George Lucas. Somebody should really tell him that his scripts are terrible.

And he should listen up, and learn that CG of nuclear blast out in the desert, Communists chopping down the Amazon rain forests, aliens from somewhere other than Earth, and a big-name director are not suitable replacements for a well-written script. There was almost no redeeming value in this script, which I can only suggest is likely better to wrap up dead fish than to use in a high-talent action film.

Had it not been for the nostalgia of the original Indiana Jones movies, I would say this is the worst movie I’ve seen in a very long time; The Scorpion King, maybe, is still leading by a little bit. The most recent Star Wars movies are certainly in the running as well (and guess who was also involved in those scripts!) I think I see a pattern… It makes me wonder who really wrote the original Star Wars script.

In addition to George Lucas there is another name credited with the story. If I were Jeff Nathanson I would have asked to have my paycheck delivered to my house but my name dropped from the credits. David Koepp, the poor fellow credited with the screenplay, should have asked for similar treatment. Apparently the production went through eight writers, probably they just kept firing and hiring until they found someone who could tolerate working with the story as set out by Mr. Lucas.

This film was so cliche, so predictable, and so sloppy that it is possible that even Steven Spielberg must look back and think to himself “oh crap how did I get roped into this one.” Fire ants the size of grapefruits? The character Mutt swinging from trees like Tarzan? Mutt is the son of Henry Jones? Area 51 aliens? Shudder. Even a great director can’t fix a terrible script.

As you might have guessed, I won’t be picking up the Indiana Jones boxed DVD set for Christmas.

It has been a really long time since I posted anything (and maybe longer since posting anything interesting).

Work has been really, really busy including a number of evenings at home to finish up the day’s efforts. I’ve been busy with planning the start of a new version for the Sophos Web Appliance. The successful launch of version 2.0 in January caused a fair amount of new investment in the product line. So time for robots and other hobbies has pretty much been suspended because of that, which explains why the Joint Strike Minisumo project hasn’t progressed any further.

Eileen and I have recently seen two movies worth mentioning though: In Bruges and The Other Boylen Girl.

In Bruges is basically the same type of film as Pulp Fiction, except it is set in Europe and has a strong European flair (and without the great dance contest). It is a really well-made film starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes and probably a bunch of other great actors I didn’t recognize. It was shot in the fantastic city of Bruges in Belgium, and we recognized quite a few scenes (we’ve been to Bruges probably six or seven times or so from the time when we lived in Brussels).

The Other Boylen Girl is quite different. We debated the film quite a bit and I’d say that the set decorating and costumes were the best part. The script follows the historical facts quite closely but is generally an uninspired tale. The film plods along without a strong central storyline. I’d still recommend seeing it though but don’t get too excited – it isn’t quite the same scale as Elizabeth.

The one bright note for my robotics hobby is that I’ve finally invested in a CNC set-up for my Sherline mill. I decided on a package from Xylotex. I’m still waiting for it to arrive in the mail but when it does I’ll document the conversion, including the Sherline CNC conversion package. I haven’t purchased software yet but I’m strongly leaning towards Mach3. I really like the g-code generator wizards for common operations.

Seems to be the time of the year to watch zombie movies. The other evening we rented 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to the brilliant 28 Days Later. Although the sequel isn’t as good as the original, it was still a well-made horror flick. We particularly enjoyed the views of the empty city of London, and of course the story was well written and decently acted. There were plenty of frightening scenes and great zombie attacks.

Tonight we watched the Dawn of the Dead remake from 2004 on the Space Channel. Not a particularly great film but it had some original things as well as all the traits of a classic “B” horror film. I don’t think the acting was very good and the photography was average at best, but setting the film inside a shopping mall was brilliant. If you haven’t seen it you really should.

Any other zombie movie recommendations?

We caught the latest Will Smith movie I Am Legend last night, and it sparked a lot of conversation between Eileen and I over dinner about the merits and disappointments of the film.

If you didn’t know, this film is the third on-screen rendition of the original book I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (in reprint now, due to the film). The first time around in 1964 it was titled The Last Man on Earth and starred Vincent Price. I’ve never seen this film and wasn’t even aware of it until I read about it on IMDB. The second film The Omega Man is a bit more modern, made in 1971, and stars Charlton Heston as Robert Neville. I haven’t seen this film in years but recall watching it with my father when I was young. It wasn’t really scary when watching on television on a Saturday afternoon, but it definitely intrigued me.

When I first saw the trailer for this latest version, I was immediately struck with the similarities to The Omega Man, and I quickly discovered the history of the book and original film.

After the film we went to the Gerard Lounge at the Sutton Place Hotel across the street. This fabulous little bar has great atmosphere reminiscent of a gentleman’s club in Victorian England: dark, floor to ceiling wood paneling, and a full complement of waiters to bring drinks and food. It was the perfect setting to debate what we liked and disliked about the film.

First, the very best “character” in the film is the very lonely, very wild, very overgrown New York City. It was better than any of the human or animal actors by far. Don’t get me wrong, Will Smith did a tremendous job portraying a driven, lonely, slightly mad Robert Neville but even he couldn’t compete with the sweeping and often disturbing views of NYC.

Second, I’d say that the the film was too disjointed. There was very clearly an over-arching story of how Neville is trying to “fix” the problem of the killer virus but why he was so involved from the beginning wasn’t really explained very well. It was clear why he was so driven after the death of his family, and there were vague hints of his early involvement but there seemed to be more emphasis on his military role rather than his role as a virologist. There was also a big gap in the portrayal of the evolution of the “zombie”. There was the great scene where Neville records his behavioral analysis, but missed the opportunity to observe that the Dark Seekers were intelligent and rapidly organizing themselves into a society.

There was also no coherent story for the “head zombie” (credited as Alpha Male, played by Dash Mihok). He really could have been nothing more than a savage beast, but the film would have been improved by giving that character more depth. All the pieces were there: a love interest, motivation to find Neville’s house, ability to learn and adapt, etc.

Third, the film was too predictable. The unfortunate death of Sam was telegraphed very early. The death of Neville’s family was obvious two minutes into the flashbacks of their attempts to exit the city. The attack on the house was entirely expected. The “happy ending” was not surprising nor interesting at all.

Which brings me to my last point: I don’t think the “happy ending” was appropriate. I don’t know how the book ends (I should probably get a copy and read it) but I found it very disappointing. Same for the ending of another post-apocalyptic film Children of Men from 2006. Too happy, and too unbelievable.

This doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy the film. The photography was great and the “world” of Robert Neville was very well done. Will Smith really captured the sense of loneliness and desperation. The long views of NYC were fantastic. Its just that the film could have been so much better than it really was.