Yesterday, the charger for my Nokia 5800 XpressMusic broke down. I was able to use it yesterday, and several hours later, I checked on the unit. The phone battery meter was full and was not moving, indicating that the charging was complete. So to verify, I had unplugged the charger and then plugged it back. Nothing.
Tried charging at home – nada. Tried charging an officemate’s phone earlier – nada.
Time to visit Nokia Care. Almost a month after I bought the phone.
Movies with known endings are not attractive to most viewers. After all, you already know beforehand how the movie would end, so there’s no incentive to watch it. Movies based on history suffer from this prejudice. And most movies based on history had to take a creative license just to make them interesting (hence the fact the this genre is best left to be presented as a documentary). Not interesting = boring, a formula that most movie goers would avoid.
Fortunately for Valkyrie, this was not the case.
This movie is a classic example of a movie with a known ending (that is, if you know your history). You know that in the end, Claus von Stauffenberg (the character played by Tom Cruise) would die. The plot to kill Adolf Hitler (played by David Bamber) would fail. Yet the movie worked.
I think in my case, I approached the watching of the film this way: I am curious on how the movie will present von Stauffenberg’s story. And here the movie found its success – it was a gripping film, with the way the suspense was made. I couldn’t help but wince when some of the characters dilly-dally; I couldn’t help but curse silently when the first attempt failed due to indecisiveness. I was actually hoping that the plot would succeed even if I already know it won’t. And the ending was draining, but with an ironic consolation that I had not grasped when I first found out about von Stauffenberg.
Director Bryan Singer and scripwriters Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander presented the story in an engaging way, without much deviation with historical facts. John Ottman’s editing is tight, and his score subdued on most parts. Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise, so we’ll have to excuse his acting. But the supporting cast assembled for this film is a powerhouse. Who could go wrong in casting Kenneth Branagh (who looked like Ewan MacGregor), Tom Wilkinson, Terrence Stamp (regal as always, the male Judy Dench), and Bill Nighy. When I saw Nighy, I almost shouted “Viktor!”, in reference to his character in the movie Underworld. Brilliant actor, I must say.
Overall, your two hours will be well spent watching this movie. You can learn some lessons from the movie, not the least history of the German resistance to the Nazi regime. And of course, it is a cautionary tale for us: apathy will lead us to no good.
What can I say about Dynasty Warriors 6 (for PS2)?
This is not your mother’s Dynasty Warriors. Gone are the days of mindless hacking and slashing. Gone are the days of collecting fourth weapons. Koei has finally managed to inject fresh air into an otherwise aging game series. Do I like the changes, though?
First, the changes:
1. Gameplay – Still hack and slash, but with major changes. Basically, it just got harder to beat this game. Even in easy mode, the generic enemy generals (including the lieutenants) will give a good fight – they will defend more often. The horses are slower this time, so rushing when needed becomes frustrating. And the terrain – oh boy. The overhead map is not enough; it is easy to get lost, specially on mountainous terrains (hello, Mt. Ding Jun). There are places where you have to climb stairs – annoying if you don’t want to leave your horse.
2. Graphics – Problematic on PS2. There are points where the game shows serious slowdown, especially on two-player mode. And on two-player mode, the look of the game is almost similar to DW4. The character design is awesome, except on some characters. Dong Zhuo is scary, Lu Bu is so-so, Sima Yi is diabolical.
3. Music – DW5 is better. Just listen to the music at the end credits section.
4. Re-play factor – A new skill upgrade system, several musou characters to play. Gone are the fourth weapons.
Should you get it? If you are a big DW fan, you should not be asking that question. If you think you can stand the lag, and like a challenging hack-and-slash game, then I suggest you try this game.
It’s been three months since WaT‘s latest single, 360C, and yet I cannot find romaji lyrics for the song Seishun no kagayaki. I find the title song to be underwhelming, and the B-song was better. Maybe more people disagree with me, hence the lack of romaji lyrics for Seishun no kagayaki.
Anyway, here is WaT’s Seishun no kagayaki: