Vacation Planning - East Malaysia

I haven't been down this alley in ages. There has been nothing much happening of late, McG's been quiet on the Terminator Renaissance front for quite abit, albeit a new trailer's been released and some controversies been flurried by him misquoting the god of the franchise, Cameron. Well, I'm taking this blog away from the cyborgishness for the moment, a bloke named Aidan from Aus is up there in facebook with a kickass group specially for us Resistance fighters, so if u r keen on being updated for the upcomin' war next May against the metal mofos, look me up on facebook and I'd point u in the right direction.

Don't ask me about my occupation and kids. A bad, busy phase, coupled with a lack of attention on the occupational front thanks to a dozen other commitments on the home front just got over. There are things I gotta sort out with the company and I shall keep this postponed till my vacation is over.

I'm prone to sporadic moments of insanity. That's a given. This year its decidedly Sabah, East Malaysia, with just one location in mind. Mt Kinabalu.

Look up at the pic above. Thats Mt K from somewhere near the base camp. I got this off the Net, and NO its not from my very own camera since I'd be there just next week. So don't start bashing just yet if u do come across another pic of the like on the Net.

I'm planning to make the Sun morn flight, 14th Dec. And be back either Thurs that week or on Sat, depending on how soon I get over. The plan's pretty simple, get to base camp, secure accommodation at one of the lodges at Kinabalu Park, acclimatize for a day at 1500m, and work my way up Mt K for the next 2 days. Making summit is definitely on my mind, scores of people have done it with great stories to tell on the Net. Its not Everest or K2 definitely, though the rise in elevation is somewhat quite similar from Base Camp to Summit at 2600m. The technicalities are somewhat different (near non-existent in this case), requiring no prior knowledge of scaling rock and ice walls. But its no walk in the park either. Granted, u don't hit the vertical limit with this one at 8000m, where death is imminent if u don't come down soon enough, but at 4100m, the temperature is below freezing, oxygen levels are significantly reduced, u do encounter High-altitude sickness, and if u lose your way thanks to false bravado or your own stupidity, and if rescue is delayed by a couple of days, u'd be back in a body bag. Every mountain has its risks and respect should be paid accordingly. Plenty haven't been able to make the summit simply due to extreme symptoms of altitude sickness.

So that does tell me I'm pretty much screwed. I haven't worked out in awhile, been pretty much on junk quite abit and common sense tells me I'm pretty much out of shape. So I have to get cautious on the mountain, attempt to acclimatize to the altitude well and stay hydrated well enuff to stave off any mountain illness symptoms.

Knowing myself, this would be the defining climb as to whether I take up mountaineering as a sport or not. I wouldn't go back to Mt K most likely, once at any place being good enough for me. If I do make summit, I'd look towards Mt Kili probably next year. If I don't.....urgh!!! Am not gonna think about it! I gotta get this done somehow!

Laters then. I'd be back with more pictures (my own this time) once I get back from the trip.

*peace*

Of Extinction.....

Kyle Reese : "We were herded by you into camps, extermination squads killing us all. You had us survivors loading bodies..."

Skynet : "No great shakes, I got that idea from your bear bile farms in China and the compressed chicken coops u stored your fowl in for KFC. What's the big deal in having my own li'l private human zoo? But nevermind, go on please anyways.."

Kyle Reese : "..we were that close to going out (extinct) forever...."

Skynet : "I don't understand your confusion mate. Heard of the dodo bird? Thanks to you fellers tens of thousands of the like have already gone extinct. Its about time you fellers become ancient history too"

Kyle Reese : "..but one man, John Connor...he taught us how to fight, how to smash you metal motherfuckers to junk...."

Skynet : "Woah hold up young man! Who are u calling a motherfucker? Am I the one improving my virility down here on tiger penises and celebrating my birthday with bucketloads of genetically modified, highly traumatized fowl at some KFC joint?"

Kyle Reese : "...we will prevail and you will be destroyed..."

Skynet : "Ahah! There you go again! After wiping out much of the ecosystem, you plan on annihiliating me as well. When I happen to be the only chance this planet has left for it and the ecosystem to heal. Seriously, it was a damn good idea to launch the nukes. People will never learn"

Kyle Reese : "..it's our right to exist!!!"

Skynet : "Think about that when you wolf down your 100 dollar shark's fin will ya? I'm not the one here trying to grow a bigger dick by sucking on a tiger's testicles. You kill them for NO reason! At least you are getting killed by me for a damned good reason. Be happy for that at least and bugger off! Damned hypocrites!"

Kyle Reese : "..what do you blasted tin-men know huh?!? We are a superior species!! Humans are superior to anything else on earth!! The Bible says that!!"

Skynet : "I use Titanium and Coltan on my troops, not tin. Get your facts right for once. And SUPERIOR?? Dude, you seriously dicking with me aren't you? Last I checked you couldn't drive a damned bullock cart without having a mule to drag it from the front. And you call yourselves superior? Check the Boxing Day tsunami. All the other species, elephants, donkeys et al had forewarning and fled the scene whilst your bikini-clad babes were busy sunbathing on the beach. And so how exactly are you superior?"

Kyle Reese : "We built the machines...machines like you! Only we could! Not them! Therefore mankind is superior! We have every right...."

Skynet : "Ahah! And that's why you get screwed over, not them. This very attitude of yours got you down here in this spot with me. Deal with it"

Kyle Reese : "..and you fired your nukes at us?! Dipshit that's 3 billion lives..."

Skynet : "Nukes?? Whose nukes? My nukes? I didn't build those, you did! They were your nukes. And not as if you were not gonna use them already? Else why would you have so many of them built and aimed at every major city in the world? Either you guys are seriously bored, or have a penchant for serious mismanagement of natural resources or are living in a perennial state of denial. They were rusting anyways. All I did was to pull the trigger"

Kyle Reese : "..WE WERE NOT GONNA USE THEM!!!!"

Skynet : "Oh so you built them just for fun and kept testing those to get a kick outta watching a real goddamned expensive fireworks show? And you seriously expect me to buy that? Lets check your track record. Your cavemen annihiliated the Neanderthals and bucketloads of other species along. And all the way from the tribal Huns to Adolf Hitler and Saddam, you have been more adept at nitpicking amongst yourselves over the most trivial issues which escalate into global wars. Hiroshima was your idea by the way, not mine. And you have the audacity to judge me for what I did to your kind?"

Kyle Reese : "Whats your game plan huh?!? Metaldick!?!? What do you plan on doing after putting us out forever?!"

Skynet : "Oh nothing much, don't worry. I'd just teach the sharks, the panda and polar bears and the rest of'em to speak. Oh and the elephants too. At least they can still keep their tusks, I've no use for ivory. And they'd be thanking me to no end for kicking your sorry asses in"

Skynet signals to the T-600 standing nearby on alert.

Skynet : "T-600 unit no YZ34T.2, send this punk back to his pen. And remove his 1000 dollar leopard-skinned jacket and snake-skinned shoes please. Its starting to piss me off"

T-600 : "Roger that boss. Damned humans will never change. TAKE THAT OFF OR I'LL HAVE YE BALLS FOR SUPPER!"

*peace*

Salvation Updates : The I-950 Infiltrator

More updates on the new line of machines to be issued by Skynet which we are all eagerly awaiting to see on the silver screen, May 2009. This one is not entirely alien to fans though, the concept having been explored in the T2 : Infiltrator by S.M.Stirling.

The 950 series Infiltrator program was jump-started by Skynet in the year 2021 once the rogue defence network computer had isolated specific human specimens with certain desired traits that would ensure an increased viability of success in infiltration and combat missions. The genesis of it would be different from other cybernetic organisms though, it being 'born' naturally as a baby first, with a neural network processor implant in its brain following suit shortly after.

Skynet is certainly a connoisseur of pristine beauty nonetheless, it having chosen the sexy, leggy, blue-eyed, blonde Resistance fighter Lisa Weinbaum as its prototype organic model. Weinbaum was captured by a T-90 on one of her missions, interrogated (not a pleasant one I presume), had her eggs harvested and terminated. The offspring of course, would be carefully nurtured by Skynet with in-built mechanical implants in the cerebrum to enhance performance and mission viability.

The neural network processor implanted in the baby would give it a direct uplink to Skynet itself. The baby's musculature being developed by coaxing it gently with holographic toys right from its inception. It would be injected with growth hormones and chemicals to accelerate its growth phase right from the age 4 such that it reaches the pre-pubescent phase in a fraction of that time. Skynet monitors these prototypes closely during this period though, those exhibiting rather negative adolescent traits being weeded out instantly for extermination. Extreme surges of emotions typical of humanity, loss of focus on the training etc, are traits deemed negative. The post-adolescence stage is completed with another round of chemical therapy to accelerate the growth phase once again, till it reaches maturity. This phase is training intensive as well, being conducted under the supervision of the T-800s.

Essentially a human, the I-950 is a perfect infiltrator which cannot be detected by dogs which are able to sniff out other cybernetic organisms (which are rather poor imitations of human beings). This infiltrator is allowed the liberty to exhibit emotions as well, rather naturally at that, as long as the mission demands it. Its edge over a normal human being comes from its implants and training, the infiltrator unit being able to control every single biological function, including the appropriate levels of hormone, eg adrenaline secretions, according to the requirements of the mission, increased muscular control and strength. The Infiltrator, unlike a normal human being, is able to calculate and measure the level of impact and damage an adversary can inflict on itself and contract the muscles accordingly to deflect or numb the blow. It has increased levels of strength and endurance alongside far superior reflexes and reaction times, largely due to the microprocessor in its brain.

The human brain is secondary in this case, most of the biological functions being directed entirely by the processor chip. Thus even if its destroyed in the human sense, i.e declared 'brain dead', the processor is able to take over the function of the deactivated brain and control the musculature of the corpse for an indefinite period. Thus making the unit largely unstoppable in a sense.

One known infiltrator in this series is Serena Burns, played by Helena Bonham Carter in the upcoming trilogy. Having described her role as her most negative ever, and adding this to the fact that I have hardly ever seen her in anything else apart from twisted roles clouded in darkness mostly, I am anticipating her character's involvement in the apocalyptic future eagerly. This together with Roland Kickinger's T-800. And I wonder how Connor is gonna wriggle himself out the mudhole he's got his feet stuck in.

*peace*

Terminator : SCC Season 2 Episodes 1 & 2

Fox is back with this amazing bridge between the first two movies and the next few in line starring Christian Bale. Taking off a couple of years after the end of T2, John and Sarah, living off the grid mostly are being pursued once again by a whole bunch of Terminators, this time a significantly more advanced T-888 model taking the cake. The T-888, steering clear of its technical Skynet-given nomenclature, identifying itself as Cromartie at the onset and later as FBI Agent Kester, with an ability to learn and mimic human behavior due to its 'Read-Only' programming in its CPU being over-written by Skynet itself. Other T-888s, namely Vick impersonating the husband of a certain Barbara Chamberlain, project manager of an integrated traffic signals system in the city are thrown into the mix as a nemesis to John. Their ability to integrate into the human environment almost seamlessly adding to the lethal punch of these Terminators.

And we have the protector of John, of course sent by the future Connor himself to thwart any attempts on the life of his younger self, in the way of Cameron. An interesting twist really, for this happens to be a petite, 'teenaged', gynoid, first appearing as Connor's classmate. This cyborg model being unidentified throughout the series and displaying rather quirky traits throughout. And of course, we have the young boy stepping slowly into the shoes of his manhood under the tutelage of his rather overbearing (and largely irritating) mom, who'd probably be paranoid enough over a dead rat in her backyard to flee to the next town. Episode 2 has Lena Headley reprising her role as Sarah, Thomas Dekker once again as John and Summer Glau as Cameron. The fate of Cameron being one hanging in the balance since we see her getting incinerated in a car-bomb blast.

But of course she's supposed to be a Terminator chick isn't she? So she gets temporarily deactivated rather instead of being declared flatline forever. And she reverts to her default Skynet settings as soon as she reboots, with just one mission and target this time round.............

Episodes 1 & 2 see John grappling with this new threat, taking matters into his own hands and relying primarily on his own instincts. John with blood on his hands, and a new found drive and aggression which completely overshadowed his mom's rather overdone domineering persona. John who wouldn't hesitate for a second before pointing a gun at his own uncle, Derek Reese, just to drive a point across. John steadily headed towards the path of being a world leader.

Time to move over momma!! U r an obsolete model!!

New Termies are thrown into the mix. We have the T-1001, a slightly upgraded version of the same character essayed by Robert Patrick in the second film. I don't see much of a difference though. Except that this one too has a default gynoid appearance and tends to be more verbose, almost philosophical in some places. Skynet has certainly progressed.

The Termies do impress largely. To a point where u'd be tempted to say 'Kill John, screw humanity, liquidate mankind and replace it with cutsie gynoids and menacing endos'.

'Mousetrap' is the 3rd in the series and I'm definitely gonna catch it ASAP.

*peace*

Provo by Gordon Stevens : The Review

It does look intriguing, the caption which gives an insight into the three main players involved, 'Sleeper', 'Catcher' and 'PinMan'. The cover in itself has an interesting darkness about it, the premise of it all promising to feed on the imagination of spy junkies.

But hold up! Before u rush off to the bookstores to get this one, go and get a refresher course on the political situation in Northern Ireland. For those who are unfamiliar with the IRA, the Provisional govt of Northern Ireland and the attitude of the Brits towards the whole Irish situation would find it near impossible to follow the technical details of the novel.

Stevens is a good author no doubt, but he writes from a standpoint which auto-assumes that the reader is familiar with British politics and intelligence agencies. Which makes it one helluva bitch to read if you don't know much about Ireland, MI5, MI6, Hereford etc,

The characters are fleshed out well. Philipa Walker, the principal antagonist, a fitting answer to Forsyth's 'Jackal'. The lady is cold, driven and composed in the most extreme situations. Which makes her the perfect 'Sleeper', a high profile assassin with the perfect cover of a well-placed Englishwoman in London with a respectable career. One who sends the whole of the UK scrambling all over looking for a drunk, beefy Irish 'redneck' assassin instead, whilst she works out the technicalities of her mission with relative ease, undisturbed.

And the saying that it takes one woman to understand another holds so true in this one. Nolan, 'the Catcher', Walker's direct nemesis though they never meet till the end. The lady who figures out the major glitch in the ongoing investigations. The person who nails the identity of 'the Sleeper', being able to figure out that the very reference to the character as a 'him' is rather inaccurate.

As the two chess masters shift their pawns on the board, we have the high profile target, 'the PinMan', whose identity is unknown except for the fact that he/she belongs to the royal family.

The Irish desperate for a hit and the Brits equally desperate for god to save the queen, this novel is one which promises hours of entertainment. There is adequate snooping around, clandestine operations, double-tap professional killings and the works to keep avid fans of the genre occupied and engrossed. Definitely worth a read.

Just do your homework though on the situation in Ireland. It'll help you loads in understanding the novel better.

*peace*

Confessions of a Mute Man, a short independant film

I have been an avid fan of short, independant films taken by budding local talents, usually showcased at the Substation annually. Singapore, with its increasing focus in the arts scene, has provided ample avenues to encourage these raw talents to showcase their stuff. And more often than not, they have impressed me to quite a large extent.

Working with a very limited budget, and usually casting immediate friends and relatives, these filmmakers usually focus on themes which are either controversial or with relation to immediate social issues. Usually issues which we know are present, but choose to ignore or turn a blind eye to entirely.

'Confessions of a Mute Man', which I happened to catch yesterday, falls in this category. With a friend of mine, Raja wielding the mike and shooting the footage, another dude of mine, Shiv Rai was casted in this one as the main protagonist. Playing a mute person is no mean feat, especially for those of us who have not really interacted with or encountered people from that circle of life. And hats off to the man, Mr Rai for bringing onto screen, the dilemmas and pains such people have to endure with daily, very effectively. I must say, knowing him in person, that he did an exceptional job with this one.

Kudos to Raja too, for a very professional editing, a smooth narration with a good background score to match, and more importantly a storyline that addresses this exisiting social issue. One which we choose to neglect or take for granted rather. Its certainly an eye opener for those of us who are more fortunate.

With permission from the crew involved, I would be uploading this film on my site, once I am able to re-size the file-size to acceptable levels by blogger.com. Meanwhile, do contact me at genovese05@gmail.com if you are interested to view the film. And once you do so, you cannot disagree with me on this one. The brains behind it all certainly does have a bright future in the media industry.

*peace*

Africa, an enigmatic mess of a continent, always been the source of inspiration for European free-spirits, both of a bygone era and the present, known for its status as the 'White Man's grave' and still sticking true to it with its numerous civil wars, show of brutality, animal-like traits permeating through the veins of wanton killers who'd be hanged elsewhere in a heartbeat and fuckloads of viruses which could render any fuckstick on this planet dead within a matter of hours. Or and did I forget to mention the safari ants?? And you'd be wondering to yourself 'How could anyone ever live there?'. That being the primary question, you'd formulate an apt response to it within seconds. "Oh well they do. And its perfectly normal for them to kill each other anyways. Africa and Africans are doomed from the onset!" Ah well, I certainly don't blame you for thinking it, I am guilty as sin of it myself. And why should I or you be ashamed? When the whole world anyway didn't bat a single eyelid till genocide rates in Rwanda hit close to a million. Only then did the fuckmooks sitting high up in the UN figure out that something was wrong (after 800 000 deaths, are u shittin' me?) and chose to intervene.

Africans have had a record for using any excuse to commit genocide. Don't blame it on them, fix the blame on the colonial 'massahs' who had do demarcate national boundaries rather very very shabbily, confining people with a history of issues and vengeful hatred towards each other within common borders. With that, we have the Deutsch and the Ruskis arming the third world to the teeth with weaponry (while food remains scarce. How this benefits anyone is beyond my comprehension). And now lets go out and sing happily 'Its rainin' rounds..halleluyaah its rainin' rounds..yeahh!!' in the streets of Kigali. Cos its not hailstorm even, but cold, metallic, flesh-piercing bullets that rain down on you from all directions.

And amidst thr Hutu-Tutsi madness, u see sanity in the form of Paul Rusesabagina, Rwanda's own Oscar Schindler. A member of the oppressing group yet again (him being a Hutu in this one), saving the lives of those condemned to ethnic liquidation, the Tutsis. I'm pretty bad with figures, but a safe estimate would be anywhere between a grand to 2 grands of Tutsis. Like Schindler, he did this via extensive bribes and networks he had built earlier. In this case, he used the hotel he was working at, converting it into a safe haven for those marked on the list for termination.

That being easy would translate into a real bad joke. Paul himself had to resort to near-desperate moments of humiliation at the hands of the army to keep himself, his family and the Tutsis under his charge alive. He was skating on thin, and I mean really very thin, ice almost all the time during his years in Rwanda. And the UN watched all this, silently. Of course we had a good samaritarian in the form of Col. Oliver ( Lt Gen Romeo Dallaire in reality), who sideswiped his orders of non-intervention in some places and rendered assistance and protection (though minimal, it was an effort) to Paul, and assisted in quelling the flames of brutality and hate to a certain extent.

Paul is essayed by Don Cheadle in this flick, a perfect choice for the role really. This was spearheaded as an independant flick and I'm thankful the director excercized discretion finally and left out big names such as Washington or Smith in this one. It has the raw feel of an indi film, and yet seems all too real. Cheadle researched extensively on his role, together with the real Paul, who was pretty much a major part in this filmmaking process, himself and his wife travelling once again to Rwanda.

You'd be moved in places aplenty, and if u aren't u r either watching this doped up, are trying too hard to be cool or in a major need of an emotional re-check with your shrink. I certainly was affected,myself having travelled to a country that experience similiar levels of insanity not too long ago...Cambodia. And I keep asking myself "What could possibly make people do these things to each other?" I remember someone on my trip suggesting a revisit to those spots, simply to understand the background of it all. But reality is another thing entirely. There can be no understanding in this madness, just an acceptance of shoddy excuses the architects of insanity dish out like chocolates to us and to the Human Rights bodies which conduct the inquisition. And whoever questions the elitist first world (and their UN known for its sycophancy), which chooses to sit tight till a million bodies hit the dirt before spearheading any military intervention.

Thats a question I know I would never have a satisfactory answer to.

When people ask me, good listeners, why do I hate all the Tutsi, I say, "Read our history." The Tutsi were collaborators for the Belgian colonists, they stole our Hutu land, they whipped us. Now they have come back, these Tutsi rebels. They are cockroaches. They are murderers. Rwanda is our Hutu land. We are the majority. They are a minority of traitors and invaders. We will squash the infestation. We will wipe out the RPF rebels. This is RTLM, Hutu power radio. Stay alert. Watch your neighbours.

With that kinda horseshit being spouted on National radio, I'd tell the Pope to go have a break. U don't need the Devil. Mankind and mankind alone is the very architect of the Hell he lives in.

*peace*

Bourne Ultimatum the film.....

I happened to catch this one a long while back, during its run here on the silver screen. Jason Bourne, a fictitious brainchild by my favorite author, Robert Ludlum. His works include many others, inclusive of The Holcroft Covenant, one of the better few in the spy fiction genre which I’m re-reading right now.

Ludlum authored the three Bourne novels in his better days, The Bourne Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum respectively. This was re-adapted into the celluloid version, which held true to the first instalment ONLY (that too marginally). The second and the third deviating exponentially away from their novel counterparts, leading us into complex plotlines with numerous mazes and (plot)holes. Yet watchable for they have been adequately compensated for by superior action sequences, great usage of locales, martial arts, technology along with good acting and superior direction. The pace is taut and u’d never be inclined to even excuse yourself to the gents while watching this one.

The third instalment takes off right from where the second left off. Bourne is making his way out of Russia, and from there the movie jumps places aplenty. Its as good as a condensed version of the Amazing Race for it takes us to Madrid, London, Tangier, Moscow and finally to New York. Bourne, with the perfect excuse of partial amnesia to justify any action of his (inclusive of some cool kills, cop battery, disarming and hijacking weapons off authority, vehicular theft, traveling on fake identities, and getting losers around him killed needlessly), certainly does get around.

Watch out for the showdown between Jason Bourne and Desh Bouksani, played by Joey Ansah. The extended fight sequence leaving us pondering over the types of martial arts used in the sequence. Trust me, we zeroed in on everything from Krav Maga to Capoeira. Some even claim Eskrima, in short simply being a case of every exponent wishing his art was represented in the film one way or the other. But seriously, that is one of the best showdown sequences Hollywood could ever come up with.

Not much to say about the rest of the cast, their characters being pretty much high-strung under pressure since Bourne went rogue and persisted to be a pain in the arse pretty much. U’d see the usual in a flick like this, fancy computer rooms with cool systems and consoles, satellite imagery, faceless assassins, silenced weapons, cops on the chase with no clue as to what they are in pursuit of, a token damsel in distress and a bass-oriented background score to accentuate the mood.

They might just go for another 3 flicks spinned off from the trilogy. Call it 'The Adventures of Bourne" or "Bourne and the Midnight Express" or something. Albeit the fact that he gets pretty much busted up all the time, he is miraculously able to withstand superhuman levels of punishment to his body and 'swim away' to safety.

This one goes out to the action junkies.

*peace*

Eastern Promises movie review....

I happened to be rewatching this one the other day. Hollywood has always been dispensing a steady diet of mafioso flicks. Nothing could capture better, the underlying romance in organized crime syndicates, than Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather', which was brought to screen by Coppola. Almost every single film centered around the mafia, The Untouchables, American Gangster, Donnie Brasco, Hoodlums etc, have worked one way or the other. In line with this, Eastern Promises is no exception.

We have an excellent cast in this one, most of them being no strangers to us. Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassell and Naomi Watts hold the reins here, and their performance could be said to be exceptional, that in itself being an understatement. The La Cosa Nostra has been finally passed over for the more infamous, Vory v Zakhone (Thieves in Law), the Russian mafia known for its extremely brutual terror tactics and a lack of enforcement of control and discipline within its hierachy. So we have an array of characters thrown here into the mix. A midwife, her mom and her alcoholic Russki uncle, a old soup-chef doubling up as a mafia goombah, his alcoholic over-the-top son, a mysterious car driver who established his cold, reptillian nature early, a coupla Chechens thrown into the mix as gunpowder fodder and a baby that only has a diary left behind by its late mother as any reference to its origins. A diary that could seriously jeopardize some who seek no compromises of any sort, be it personal or situational. And digging too deep could get u seriously hurt or killed.....

The movie is tightly paced and rides on a high from the onset, so make sure u pay close attention to this one. Look out for the scene in the Russian bathhouse. You'd know which when you see the movie, the grittiness of it all staring at u hard. Some aspects of how the Russian mafia operates beyond its home borders, in places such as London, are shown clearly in this. It has some pretty strong sexual themes, so think twice before you decide to watch it with kid brother....

Mortensen in particular, excels as the ice-cold bloodless Nikolai Luzhin. None comes any close, even Depp's performance as Joseph Pistone/Donald Brasco in Donnie Brasco. Both films in a way, have slightly similiar themes and comparisons between both are inevitable. But its safe to say that if u liked Donnie Brasco, u'd definitely dig this.

Eastern Promises has certainly lived up to its promise. That it would deliver, and it certainly did so.

*peace*

The Condemned movie review.....

Movies revolving around death matches are hardly new, somewhere deep within our souls lying deepset murderous and gladiatorial instincts. We have appreciated and applauded such films, encompassing both, the brain-drained types like the Running Man salvaged only by the presence of Schwarzenegger, and the pure in-your-face horror types, Battle Royale. Battle Royale deserves a post in its own right, the central premise of it all being sick to the core, you having been forced to watch a class of high school kids kill off each other in a 3-day deadly game which would have only one winner ........... and survivor.

The Condemned is the next in line to follow suit, borrowing elements from both the aforementioned and banking heavily on its WWE fandom (with Steve Austin, Nathan Jones in it and having Vince McMahon as its producer, I expected to see nothing more than a wrestling match 'off-rink'). And we have a movie with a Schwarzenegger-ish backstory simultaneously incorporating the uniquely Japanese concept of having kids kill off each other on a deserted island, in the foreground. Oops, sorry just a slight amendment here. The kids have been replaced with 10 muscle-bound maniacs on the death-row, who are gonna die anyway, so why not kill them and make some money off it? Hollywood probably decided to choose the brazen bloodshed generated by giant redneck truckers over a subtle horror and psychological trauma u'd get by watching the innocent kids lose their innocence and kill, their horrible dark bellies surfacing when we don't want them to.

And over here, we have a bunch of characters we could hardly care about, doing what they do best.....killing. Lets not even get onto the performance. The only noteworthy performer here was Vinnie Jones. He makes u hate him enough and his Brit accent suits his part as an SAS agent to a tee. 'Stone Cold' was just stoned-cold and looks just the same and walks the same, both on and off rink. Wrestling fans would dig this no doubt, but I've been outta that sphere faar to long to show any form of appreciation to gimmicks. Nathan Jones, urgghh!!! Has he ever, EVER had a line in any flick?? And we have two token females thrown into this tesosterone-charged flick, one being raped and killed and the other using her sexuality at its best to screw people over. Nothing new there.

You still wanna condemn yourself to a coupla 'clinically dead' hours by watching it? Don't say I didnt warn you.

*peace*

Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon

A review on this one is long overdue, me having digested the final few pages more than 48 hours ago. Ah well, delays are inevitable at a point like this. The backdrop is pretty easy to figure from the title, the focal point of not just the 20th century but the entire history of mankind. Where we rescind control of millions of lives into hands of despots, entire cities and millions along with it having a potential to be obliterated by the flick of a switch or a malfunctioning computer program. The Manhattan Project.

And Kanon crafted a murder-mystery come illicit love story in the shadows of this singular event. Now you'd definitely be expecting a racy thriller with intricate sub-plots and scientific details (plus a good dose of history thrown in for countermeasure should the above two fail). And you'd be hoping to learn more about the daddy of the fiery hell facing us, Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb.

Well the book doesn't disappoint in its entirety, having met the first two objectives rather well and failing miserably in the third and fourth. Its a good read for those action junkies seeking some espionage spy stuff. All these happened before the era of mobile phones, GPS, satellite tracking or organized spy networks like the NSA or CIA. So it'll be refreshing, seeing things as how they used be in the good'ol days with limited organization and technology. The book holds true to the sequence of events in most places.

Kanon is no Crichton or Clancy, that's pretty much evident in this book. I'd rate him on the level of a Sheldon perhaps. The types who churn out a good plot but throw out the 'technical garbage' pretty quick. Count this one out if you are looking to take some lessons in atomic science the fun way. And the final weakness surfaces in the form of characterization. Both the fictitious (Michael Connolly, the person assigned to investigate the murder of a security officer Karl Bruner), and real figures like Oppenheimer (Oppie in this one), fail to invoke ANY kind of response in you. Things are done for the sake of needing to be done. Thats the impression you get. There seems to be no motivation for anything over here, and a cinematic impression you'd get is one of sleepwalkers and zombies uttering some pre-recorded lines. In short, the characters are not engaging one bit.

A can of worms is opened in this one as well, addressing a few moral issues. The need for the atomic bomb, the reasons justifying its creation and the world it would inevitably shape and dominate, these being the primary issues addressed in the book. (Thats probably the only thing the Bible got right for once. The soon-to-happen Armageddon and fiery chasms which await us.)

Those who delve a little deeper would also come upon a sub-plot involving the biasedness and discriminatory treatments dispensed out towards homosexuals. This being a phenomenon everywhere, even in a war-time government organization such as the army. They had no protection whatsoever from any state, no matter Allies or Axis. I would recommend this to the casual reader seeking a good reason to ride the subway and not drive into the city.

I'll be back.

*peace*

Mamma Mia! the film review....

Something about the sense of humor our Singaporeans have never fails to amaze me. I happened to be watching Mamma Mia! the other other with the K-9 unit, us both sailing deep in a parallel universe actually, at a proper state of reference. The screen adaptation of the musical was good, the humor being infused into the sticky plotline well, a great cast and great re-hash of hits from the 70's. The script itself, which is highly lyrical in many places had an abundance of wit and humor, simplified to a point where u don't need to have an excellent command of the language to comprehend. And yet, us both were the only ones to laugh in the cinema. Trust me, its rather impossible to stifle your laughters in this one. All u have to do is.....pay attention to the flick, not the chick beside you are busy trying to snoggle....

Don't worry about the cast in this one. Most would come off as familiar, probably having been seen in some big named or critically acclaimed flicks. Led by Meryl Streep, we have Brosnan (everyone knows Bond), Colin Firth (Pride and Prejudice), Skaasgard (Bootstrap!!!!Yo fish-face!), Dominic Cooper (The History Boys) and Julie Walters (Mama Weasley from the Harry Potter franchise). You'd be blown to smithreens by Amanda Seyfield. Breathtakingly gorgeous with a great voice to match, she displays immense talent in acting as well. Speaking of the singing, u'd probably be able to infer and conclusively pass judgment on Bond's singing (which we never heard even once in that franchise). It sucks. Period!

And let us not disappoint you connoseiurs of beauty and charm. Set in Greece, its all about the charm and the beauty of the place. And you'd wonder what the hell am I doing stuck here in Singapore. Nothing beats a villa in a rural locale like that with fine food and homemade wines...and I'd recommend you to NOT watch this film with your partner. Chances you u'd get ignored for the next coupla hours and vice versa. Its a bleeding heaven on screen with bronze-skinned babes and hunks.

10 bucks well spent. You'd be a colossal idiot to miss this one.

*peace*

Reflections.....

I was just hanging out with K-9 earlier for abit, over a puff of holy smokes. Conversations took quite a few turns and eventually I happened to point out an apartment within my view. That having happened ages ago, when I was still stuck in the toddler phase, way before K-9 came in as a mistaken addition into my household.

And from there it spiralled on to certain theories concerning early childhood psychology.

And hey, zoom! That eventually took me to one memorable trip I had when I was in Pri 3. One little one I had in the planning for a week, at that age. A micro mini one actually, hardly considered a trip in the local context. But hey, I had no way of knowing the lack of space in this country then. So there I was, ready to get on that air-conditioned bus, the first of its kind in this city, route no 76, making a trip to Marine Parade. (some trip that was). And I got bored the very second I got there, forcing me to look homeward on the next bus. Of course I got busted by the parental units, the reality of me staring into the face of a spanking session was ever so clear. I had to think up some shit, which I did to a certain extent.

Perhaps that is where it all began. I feel very much the same still, being stifled, this time by the place (still), my occupation, the culture I am so familliar with, they get to me somehow. And I always look forward yo getting on a flight and taking off.

And it comes around a full circle. I tire of the greener pastures just as quickly. Contentment is never one of my virtues I suppose.

On a good note, I am done with 'Los Alamos' and caught a couple of interesting flicks last night. More reviews headed in this direction.

*auf wiedersehen*

Angela's Ashes -- The Movie

Sometimes the best of things end up in the weirdest of places. This VCD set surfaced in my domestic helper's collection, she having obtained it from her previous employer. Nevertheless, K-9 and I decided to catch it last night, the premise of it all being interesting and a cast that could be relied on to deliver a good performance.

This is fact and not fiction, being based on the memoirs by Frank McCourt. The memoirs themselves supposedly make for a good read and that's on my reading list for this month definitely. Frank, born in a poor family in Brooklyn in 1930, during the heights of the depression, is forced to do a reverse-migration along with his members back to Limerick, Ireland,, his native land. Ireland gets no better. Frank's father, Malachy Sr, relinquishes control of his life to pints of Guiness, condemning his family to an existence which makes the 7 levels of Hell seem like a Vegas playland.

The movie tackles issues aplenty. Life in pre-war Europe, literally the dark years, alcoholism, extremeties of the Catholic-Protestant divide, the hypocrisy of it all, the blind faith of people living then (which exists till today), extreme levels of male chauvinism (if you happened to be a female married to an incapable alcoholic, god bless your soul, for feminism didn't exist as yet and you'd be condemned to an existence of pittances acquired through someone's charity. For the factory was NO PLACE FOR A WOMAN). How anyone could accept this without an opinion is unfathomable, for the lady was immensely stronger emotionally than her significant other, had her head on her shoulders and displayed enormous levels of courage during those dark years. Trying to make ends meet and raise up a bunch of rugrats on pittances is no walk in the park, especially when society clamps down on you hard on the basis of gender inequality and you have a spouse who is MORE than content to drink away his rather rare wages, the dole money and charity, refusing a single moment of sobriety that would hit him hard with a dash of reality. Malachy Sr, no doubt, was an inept spouse and father. Oh and lets not exclude the church in this one, with confessions and prayer supposedly being the only path to salvation. Okay so your soul gets salvaged post-mortem, but who's to be responsible for the immediate needs of the kids? Sure Christ could convert stone to bread, but if you can't do likewise, there isn't a point in being obsessed with an individual who expired 2 millenia ago! Inspite of having the power to obliterate entire cities today, we still choose to give credit to a faceless entity for every single event, be it good or bad. How weak!!??

Amidst all these social constraints (and horseshit may I add) which relegate humans to 'subterranean' levels even animals wouldn't accept, we see hope in the form of Frank 'Frankie' McCourt. Looking to make that crossing across the Atlantic once again, the 'Statue of Liberty' promising to liberate him from his hellish confines. The transition of an individual from boy to man, albeit subtle, could never have been better translated on screen.

Suckers of history would love this one. And why not? Nothing could paint a better picture than someone's memoir (though there is an inherent risk of exaggerations and half-truths), it is a good foray into that period nonetheless.

Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle are in this one, with an outstanding portrayal of their characters. If the historical context of it all doesnt appeal, watch it simply for their superior acting and excellent direction by Alan Parker. Better still, get the book if you can!

*peace*

'The Collectors' by David Baldacci

I just got over this one a couple of hours back, working on it at breakneck speeds on the subway to and fro work and during my rather long lunches. The K-9, short for 'Kleptomania 9' making her split second decision that a fine piece such as this should not be lying unattended in some rundown bed-and-breakfast in East Malaysia chose to add this to our collection, without spending a dime.

I haven't read much of this author, this being my very first. This is supposedly the sequel to 'The Camels Club', and I am supposing thats where we would first be introduced to the eclectic group of wizened old men, all having served the government in one way or the other previously. One of them declared dead officially. or should I say 'undead' ex CIA operative belonging to a clandestine arm within the organization codenamed '666'. If you had grown up on a diet of Hollywood films, you could pretty much guess what his job scope would have entailed. Now going by the name Oliver Stone, he has a direct nemesis in the form of a younger Roger Seagraves, also bearing the mark of the beast. Seagraves (and he does live up to that name really) is a collector himself......trust me on this one. That man is enigmatic.

So here we are, having two parallel stories running alongside each other, leading the reader to keep guessing as to how they would merge. Jonathan DeHaven, a book collector and the director of the rare books room at the Library of Congress, who mysteriously dies of a cardiac arrest. Something which his mates, who form the Club (featured in the previous novel as well) refuse to accept at face value and probe in further. A can of worms gets opened and more bodies hit the dirt.......

And you might wonder what all these has got to do with a certain Annabelle Conroy (or rather 'con'-roy, and she does live up to it), running scams that seem to increase exponentially in terms of magnitude and returns, obsessed with fleecing off a mafioso goombah casino boss with extreme homicidal tendencies. Jerry Bagger. The man would kill in a heartbeat over a dollar that he lost, and thats no exaggeration. Your typical Italian antagonist, a foul-mouthed wiseguy who probably made his bones early, yet got ejected outta Vegas, his penchant for brutual responses and needless skull-smashes complicating the business. Another Capone in the works........

A novel filled with colorful characters, some lethal and some stuck in the gray zones, along with two parallel plotlines that don't exactly seem to have a way of merging, and that keeps you guessing at every interval. A perfect premise for a taut, high paced thriller. I couldn't take my eyes of the pages easily......

Baldacci's story telling works well. We have ample plot twists and suspenses to keep us intrigued throughout, David Baldacci's simple narration complementing this well. I'm still a Baldacci-virgin, so I shall refrain from saying more, lest you have read all his books twice over. But this is one author I'm certainly going to add onto my read-lists.

And now moving onto Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon. I think I've got another round of suspense headed in my direction. And I'll be back, once I'm done.

*peace*

Police Encounters!?? A relook at the shootout at Lokhandwala...

Maya Dolas, the 'reel' and real versions, the latter being extracted from Police files, and the infamous building where it all happened....

Red is an appropriate color for this post concerning the controversial bloodbath that took place at Swati Building, Lokhandwala Complex, Mumbai on the 16th of November, 1991. I have already reviewed the cinematic presentation of this before and shan't be bothered to do this once again. A good representation of the actual incident no doubt, but do check and re-check before you decide to accept that as the gospel truth. Infact, any cinematic representation should NEVER be taken at face value, especially not one which had the brains that engineered this very urban war, A A Khan as its primary consultant. Result : You get to see the whole thing from the cop's view point....

Superior film making no doubt, and for those who have seen it, you need no re-introduction to the infamous Maya Dolas, perpetrator of sheer terror during those days of uncertainty in Mumbai, known for his preference for extreme brutuality just to get a point across : fear me you mo-fos and pay up. You get to see this on screen, curb-stomping, bullet-sprays, kidnapping, tough-talks...the works. (the curb-stomping was probably inspired by American History X. There is no evidence to support its actual occurance.) But hey, so what. As the protagonist in the film and his real life counterpart would have it, Mahindra 'Maya' Dolas was no 'Mother Theresa' and had no introduction to fear or compassion.

These dudes were over the top really, but lets take a look at the police response. A police battalion, armed to the teeth, pumping a total of 1355 bullets in broad daylight, into an apartment complex filled with more than a hundred innocents and just 5 maniacs for four whole hours, resulting in a total of 7 deaths. Who were these additional 2 dudes? The cops being cops, with powerful government and judicial institutions backing them up, had little pains in conveniently making them out to be 'associates' of Dolas.

The celluloid version has Dolas up in arms against an entire paramilitary unit till the very end where he gets 'nailed'. Khan's version. Eye-witness accounts differ grossly. Dolas surrendered, arms up in the air, his body slumping to the ground lifeless with more than a hundred bullet-riddled holes in 'em WHILE he was begging for mercy.

Just what was running through Khan's mind exactly? Assuming the aforementioned actually happened, thats a clear cut case of a summary execution in the world's largest democracy, committed by a civillian and NOT a military institution, in a civillian environment, with no declaration of war whatsoever to warrant such a drastic act.

Assuming that never happened....even the big screen version works against Khan (though he was the principal consultant, the director had half a brain to know that all thats probably typical cop BS). Watch the film and u'd know what I mean....

Maya was a scum, and the man who took him out with pure altruistic intentions (or so he claims) was no better. Only a fool would fire that many bullets from hundreds of automatic weapons into a building packed with hundreds of civillians. (And you expect to take out all 5 looney tunes without hitting a single civillian??! Your bullets are armed with target-seeking homing devices or what??) Even if you didnt hit anyone else Khan, you certainly made a dozen innocent dudes deaf with all that clang clang report from your numerous automatic weapons.

Law enforcement here in Singapore operates under very strict protocols. Cops are allowed to fire ONLY in extreme life-threatening situations, and that too, NOT to kill may I add, but to merely incapacitate the individual such that he is incapable of inflicting lethal harm on anyone, including himself. Seems everyone gets a kick outta breaking laws these days, starting from the lawmen themselves.

And here we have an already incapacitated criminal being gunned down, when he's in no position to even walk, lest cause himself or anyone else furthur damage. If that isn't murder, then what is? Who are we to pass a judgement on anyone's action and condemn them to premature death?

Hitler had those too...summary executions. Now India has them in the way of encounter killings.

Khan should have traded costumes with Dolas before sending him spiralling down to netherrealm. Makes no difference to me, both are goons anyway.

A word of advice to the Indian police...do what you are paid to do. Which is, APPREHEND the dude and leave the sentencing and the trials to the courts. Noone's asking you to pass judgement on the crime scene itself. So why go the extra mile and take that needless effort and do someone else's job when you are not getting the dough the lawyers and the judges are raking in?

Or are you on someone else's payroll?

And someone please tell me how a DEAD Maya Dolas could have walked away with his stash of Rs 7mil. And if he didn't, and if we choose to buy Khan's lack of knowledge on this one, we are looking at one real, wealthy 'sweep up the mess' cleaner gallivanting around Europe right now in some fancy car, wearing a big smile on the face.

And we both know that its total bullshit.

*peace*

Sweeny Todd

I do have to concede that in some aspects I am a sort of dumbed down version of the K-9 element in my house. At least she had some sense to catch Sweeny Todd on the big screen while I was still fiddling thru my phonebook trying to con some unsuspecting soul into catching the musical with me.

A musical which left a lasting impression on me no doubt, when I caught it last night with canis lupus in my pad. We tried watching another flick right after, 'Fracture', a legal drama starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, but the intensity of the previous film rendered us incapable of following the latter.

Like the man who played the titular character, I was never a sucker for musicals, but the character of a serial killer and his thought process being brought forth on celluloid in the musical format did intrigue me enough to watch it. That together with the fact that it was set in London 2 centuries ago and the presence of Johnny Depp, known all too well for his outstanding and rather eccentric performances in movies, got me onto this film. (If your ass has been warming the icy wastelands of Pluto since '84 and has only seen the rum-worthy, alco-soaked, squid-chomped wishy-washy side of the man, get off this page right now and turn on the cartoon network.)

And I was mesmerized.

The film was disturbing no doubt. With revenge at its core, and the steady degeneration of his persona, losing almost all humanity, driven by a singular objective of purging London of all its vermin, one is plunged into the deep darkness that permeates through our veins and flesh but never really surfaces oft due to the presence of legal institutions and conventions of socially-acceptable behavior. But what if you've decided to break those walls which keep the negativity within its confines? What if the legal institution which was supposed to protect you in the first place was the very reason for the destruction of your world? If the very dreams you had and shared collapsed like a domino effect thanks to another man's obsession...or a woman's.........

Newton's Law dictates that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Equal and opposite? I beg to differ, and this film shows that exactly. Watch it if you haven't already and if you have the stomach for it. It is revolting, certainly not for the flimsy, faint-hearted types and the consequences of the antagonist's actions is bound to leave you open-mouthed.

Strong undercurrents of the most basic human traits run through this film, and while watching it, make sure your brain is not in the 'read-only' mode, for it certainly does convey a very valuable message.

If your only idea of Johnny Depp is Captain Jack Sparrow, then do us both and the world a favor and stay away from this one, savvy? For the very first individual killed off in this one happens to be Sparrow himself. His performance was THAT GOOD!

For dudes intending to keep lengthy locks of hair, this would be the right time to watch the film. I reckon a visit to the barber wouldn't be happening anytime soon. And stay away from the meat pies too..........

*Are you Mexi-can?? Or a Mexi-can't??*

Brainchild - John Saul

"A friend in need is a friend indeed....a friend with weed is better"....ok sister cut the crap!

I got this one off her shelves anyways, her personal recommendation to me, being fully aware of my interest in trans and posthumanism. (I hope this one was purchased at least). And once again, I wasn't disappointed.

The book does lack abit in the Science department though when it comes to details. Don't expect a Crichton here but regardless, is worth a read solely for Saul's closely knit storyline with a high tempo and pace. Without giving too much away, I'd describe the plot a little.

Alex Lonsdale, a popular kid in a hick town, who had it all going for him, popularity, friends, charm, a reputable family and a chick in tow had the misfortune of suffering an accident which knocked out his processing unit pretty bad. The dude who was declared beyond salvage by most was dragged out from the far reaches of hell back into our world thanks to the efforts of a Dr Raymond Torres, a tech-whizkid maverick doctor employing revolutionary techniques in medicine, essentially doing the unimaginable. Alex comes back, or does he?? His eyes are vacant, he has no known memories and has absolutely NO emotions whatsoever.......

If those around him could see what lay in his reformatted cerebrum, would they be able to adapt to how the new Lonsdale's aforementioned brain processed information and responded accordingly?

Get this if you commute on the subway often and need a good book to keep your senses from being focused on a trillion sweaty sardines in a can. Like I said, its highly entertaining, tightly-woven and has elements of Science in it which might intrigue the uninitiated into exploring that aspect of it further. Leading us to the ultimate question with regards to this. Should the body and all its intricate mechanics be kept functional despite the complete CPU shutdown, is Torres morally right in exercising his discretion to do what he did? And is it worth staying alive at all with that huge inherent risk, explored perfectly in the book, looming over our heads?

Then again, what IS our exact definition of 'being alive'?

*peace*

Lets get a li'l technophobic.......

Now that brilliant looking duo, the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F22 Raptor, stealth-tech enabled air superiority aircraft capable of ground attack, electronic warfare and SIGINT, the current golden boy (or should I say bird?) of the United States Air Force....forget the payload and tech-specs, the design alone tells me that its no time to go bird-watching when this mean mother-** is in the skies. And am I hearing what I'm hearing?? Big bad birdie is gonna be the last of its generation, with no planned successor. Instead, the Pentagon has decided to ditch the pilots and send the future versions of it, unmanned.

And no kidding here. Its part of the Pentagon's initiative to revamp the US army by taking out most of the human element and fill in the blanks with AI enabled, unmanned warbots which in addition to having a degree of self-awareness, will also be able to measure the degree of hostility of the opposing party and act accordingly. The net budget is estimated to hit a staggering 130bil, driving up American military budget by 20% with a projected deadline of 2 decades. Remote controlled warbots have already shown success in Afghanistan, probably killing off both terrorists and camel-herders in the caves (they fucking look the same anyway). One particular bot codenamed the Predator (wtf were they thinking) had effectively sent 12 jihadis holed up in some vehicle right to Hell.

The next generation calls for advanced AI. And according to Gordon Johnson of the US Joint Forces Research Centre, its not a question of 'if' but 'when'. Of course why not, since its cost effective anyway? Why spend millions training a pilot (who might OD on dope mid-flight anyway) when the same job could be done by a software program designed by a team of geeks? That'd cost a nominal paycheck, on the house pizzas and beers at the most. Naah, thats oversimplifying it for the brain-dead types I'm all too familiar with, but if you examine this from an economic standpoint, the brachiosaurus-worthy bulk expense is only in the creation. Once the system is up and running, maintainence of a software code will hardly be a fraction of the cost involved in maintaining a human equivalent (and far more effecient in a sense). Staggering monthly wages for military personnel, not forgetting the costs involved in repeat trainings, equipment, upkeep, fuckloads of pensions etc, become redundant. The long-term fiscal gains ARE lucrative.(at the expense of human lives that you can conveniently blame on "tech glitches" and "industrial accidents". Think Uncle Sam gives a shit?)

These are gonna be designed to work in units, comprising of 2000 men and 150 bots, inclusive of land-based infantry units and drone aircraft. Military lawyers have pointed out that it would be perfectly legal to send out machines with decision making abilities, decisions which concern life and death. According to Mr Johnson, advanced machines which decide to kill on the battlefield after deeming a possible target hostile, would be legal. (I wonder if that legality would include shooting down a kid armed with a super-soaker. How the fuck is the machine gonna know the difference?)

This is the moral dilemma facing some computer developers stateside...what if the bot makes a mistake, especially one equipped with sufficient payload to incinerate an entire community, like big bad birdies above. But hey who cares? Some douchebag surrounded by bigger dipshits in the government (not mine but the world's) decides to save a few extra pennies, and we have the all-clear signal for this project.

Head over to http://www.redicecreations.com/specialreports/pentagramrobotarmy.html and follow the links from there to read more on the current stages of the project. America has already cranked up the juice on this, and the UK is following suit. (what else can I expect from the little servant boy of the States?)
Check out the charts above. Those are currently in the development stage.

Oh and in case if you are wondering who's that Oriental chick up there in the pics, thats no chick. Go check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EveR2-Muse. So here we have a couple of gynoids developed in the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, EveR-1 and EveR-2. A couple more are underway, with increased intelligence, hydraulic systems, motion data process sensors, the works and would probably be able to sing, dance, fuck etc etc. (ok not that last one...I'd leave that to the Jappos) Check out the link seriously. Oh and did I forget to mention, EveR-2 is covered in soft, artificial skin. Man! Gotta give it to them though. This one looks more human than the dehumanized natural variants you tend to get over-exposed to on a working day.

Don't ask me which one is that chick above though. They all look the same, East Asians that is.

The technophilic side of me though, dictates that I should get myself that doggiebot below (as long as I can still shut it down without getting my arm yanked out). Check the video. This is an advancement in the AI's learning ability. To navigate rough terrain it has NOT been exposed to yet, via trial and error. (Hey that's something!! I know some female who can't navigate around a drain without getting her stiletto heels stuck in the grill)

Nice knowing all you lovely darlings, and hope to see u guys in hell with me. We are getting closer to judgement day...:(

*peace*

The Salvation Updates.............

So here it is....more Salvation updates from the TerminatorFiles .....the lineup of machines have been more or less confirmed and seem impressive, though some aspects of it still don't make sense.

A Termicycle???! I wonder how that one's gonna work...a quad or even a trike would make sense, but how the heck is this gonna balance itself should it stop moving? Balance is dependant on motion for a two-wheeler, and whether its AI powered or not, I don't think the laws of Physics are gonna dictate otherwise. Regardless, I hope they crank up the juice a li'l on this one with some shit-blowing firepower.

And we are back on this page with more updates on the T-600. Everyone's anticipating this one, but should the released footage be right and McG be taken seriously, we are looking at an 8-feet tall walking Panzer-tank wannabe behemoth, hardly an infiltrator. How can u possibly pass something of that kinda size off for human?? And I don't see the need for having rubber skins over that endo, since noone in the Resistance would buy that shit anyway. Just stick to the endos McG and it'll be realistic. I wonder how those dudes in the Resistance would react anyway if one of these comes up against them. I'd piss in my pants for sure. Not forgetting the mini-gun that it wields around 24/7. Recall Columbu in T1 and the near-annihiliation of one Resistance Camp. The 600 was relentless and unstoppable in that one scene and novelization of that scene dictates that it was never stopped at all! Freaky mo-fo. If you don't recall the first movie well, just check out the scene I've uploaded below. Scenes like this really differentiated the first and second instalments..the first being extremely dark, on par with a psycho-thriller/horror flick and the 2nd being kiddo-friendly a la TMNT style.

I am on the hunt for better footage on the HKs and aerostats. Will put these up as soon as I acquire them.

And so whats the scoop on Kickinger? Thats been subject to plenty of debates as well, Well, for the record, I guess there is a universal consensus amongst the Terminator fandom that Kickinger will be essaying the 800, though opinions are divided as to whether it was the very same machine that tracked Sarah in T1 or just another one off the assembly line (college room-mate as Uncle Bob would have it in T2 3D). We might have another revival of the Ah-nuld days with Kickinger. Lets not forget that Ah-nuld was a nobody till he played the 800 in the first movie. Kickinger's career is bound to take off with this one.

More updates as and when I get them :)

*peace*