Koplowicz.comReviews
Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean II
koppie — Sun, 07/09/2006 - 05:55
Thumbs up!
It really is that good. I didn't expect much from it. It's a movie based on a ride at a theme park, it's Disney, it's a sequel, and it's been way too overhyped. But when I lower my expectations, I'm usually pleased (usually). In this case, I was impressed!
First off, the script is very good. Really. It incorporates a ton of traditional pirate lore, include Davy Jones, the Flying Dutchman, and the Kraken. Of course, it does the typical Disney spin on all these legends: "Let's just take the basic idea and completely reinvent it!" Still, it was fun to see. Also,
OS Review: Windows Vista
koppie — Tue, 06/13/2006 - 06:47
Thumbs down? Nah. Thumbs wrapped tightly around a wooden baseball bat with a nail sticking out of it, as I carry the Vista CD into a grassy field and beat the shit out of it.
Vista not only won't boot up any more, but it messed up my Linux installation too. So now I have to reinstall EVERYTHING. I had a whole list of other reasons why I hate Vista, but they all pale in comparison to this. No, I didn't mess up. I know about dual boot, boot loaders, MBR's, partitions, etc. I've been doing this for eight years.
So, it doesn't pass the "mother test" (ie., "Would I install this
Movie Reviews: New Rose Hotel, Match Point, The Producers, God Is Great & I'm Not
koppie — Tue, 06/13/2006 - 06:43
Yelena and I have watched a lot of movies lately.
New Rose Hotel
Thumbs down.
It has Asia Argento's boobies. But that's the only good thing about it. It also has Willem Dafoe and Christopher Walken, and Walken does an ok job, but the movie is incredibly low-budget, the script is mediocre, and the end of the movie completely falls apart. The basic plot is two men scheming to make a lot of money through corporate warfare. Argento is supposedly a pawn in their scheme, but she ends up selling them out in the end. Everybody dies, the girl gets away (although it's
Movie Reviews: Adaptation and Human Nature
koppie — Sun, 06/04/2006 - 02:42
Thumbs down. For both of them.
Both movies were written by Charlie Kaufman, and I think both were directed by Spike Jones (at least Adaptation was). Coming off their success with Being John Malkovich, Yelena & I expected good things from these two. Unfortunately, they only seem to have one formula:
- set up a couple interesting characters whom you care about
- introduce an interesting and compelling plot
- fuck it up
All their movies end with random, bizare deaths and stupid plot twists. The experience is very childish and nihilistic. It's
Movie Review: The Da Vinci Code
koppie — Mon, 05/22/2006 - 15:48
Thumbs up, but barely.
First mistake: let Ron Howard direct. I can just picture the conversation between Dan Brown and his agent:
Agent: "Great news Dan, I got Ron Howard as the director!"
Dan Brown: "Wow, I can't believe it! How exciting!"
Never a thought about the fact that Ron Howard doesn't do intellectual movies. Ron Howard is great at action scenes, suspense, and special effects. But he doesn't know how to deal with art history. He was faithful to the story, which I appreciated, but his translation to the screen was mostly dull and lifeless. A good director will tak
Restaurant Review: Le Colonial SF
koppie — Sun, 05/14/2006 - 17:29
Thumbs up!
This place is great. It's modeled after French colonial Vietnam. Kind of an odd idea; recreating imperialist European powers in southeast Asia = cool? But it does. They really went to town on the decor, it looks really old fashioned and classy, like a set from Casablanca, the food is fantastic (entrees $18 - 30), and the service is great. We had a party of six for dinner, not only did the sommelier personally come out to discuss our wine choice with us, but he came back to pour the bottle, and the chef sent us free appetizers and free dessert, on the house. The cuisin
Moview Review: Poison
koppie — Fri, 05/12/2006 - 09:25
Thumbs down.
Low-budget thriller about a woman whose husband gets fired and then commits suicide. She blames it on his replacement a hot blond, insinuates herself into the new woman's home, and procedes to wreak havoc.
Never mind the lousy acting and dialogue. This is a sexual thriller so those aren't surprising. But the plot was boring. Most of the tension came not from the evil woman lurking in this family's midst, but from discord in the family itself. When things fall apart, it's not clear whether the woman caused it, or whether she's just taking advantage of the situation.
Product Review: Netgear 108 Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter
koppie — Mon, 04/17/2006 - 11:31
Thumbs down. Way down. Don't buy Netgear.
This is a product most people will never buy (although a friend of mine, Stephanie Lessman, bought one once). It's a wireless internet card for your desktop computer. Most people have ethernet in their desktops and a built-in wireless card in their laptop (or a PC-MCIA card in their laptop).
So why did I get one? Because in my new apartment, the phone jack is way on the other side of the apartment from my computer. Rather than string an ethernet cable across the entire apartment, I opted for wireless.
So I got the latest, fanciest
Show Review: Snowshow
koppie — Sun, 04/16/2006 - 09:12
Thumbs up. Way up.
The first thing you need to understand is Russian clowns aren't like American clowns. Think Charlie Chaplin or Marcel Marceau. They did a series of short routines, with music, lights, and special effects. It was alternatively charming, funny, or really really cool. It was original, artistic, and incredibly creative and original. A real pleasure for any age. Playing in SF and New York (on Broadway).
Album review: Alabama 3 - Power in the Blood
koppie — Fri, 03/24/2006 - 18:28
Thumbs up.
This is the same group that did the Soprano's theme song. They're a rare mix of blues and electronica (my two favorite genres). The whole album is listenable, which is a rare thing these days. The tracks that stand out are the opening track, which isn't really a song but more of a snippet (catchy nonetheless); the title track Power in the Blood; a creative song about strobe lights (who sings about the lighting in a club?); a neat song about rehabilitation; and a cute song about how "flowers bloom on Alcatraz now, let the caged bird sing."
The other thing that's awesome a
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