Basically, it’s a web browser that is the OS. Which means throwing out all your desktop apps. Easier said than done, right there. I’d love to lie and say I spend 100% of my time in the browser, but I don’t. iTunes, Photoshop, Office, VLC, Twitter clients, BBEdit, Flash, are jumping in constantly.

Google seems to believe I’d be willing to toss out all my traditional desktop apps in exchange for speed and less viruses. I’m on a Mac (no viruses) and the Internet feels generally fast enough for me. So what’s the benefit of having no apps and a really fast browser vs. a complete OS with tons of apps and a slightly less fast, but still really fast browser? This trade-off makes less sense the more I think about it. And I think they overestimate how much time average people spend in the browser.

And even on the iPhone – which isn’t a computer – it’s the same story. I can’t give up the apps. And then add in the iPhone’s iPod functions, playing back all the music and video stored on it. The iPhone is important to consider because it’s essentially my “netbook.” I’ve given up wanting a netbook because as far as mobile computing goes, the iPhone more than suffices.

Imagine if Apple released an iPhone that only had Safari on it. That’s it. No apps. No iPod functionality. And we had to make do with web apps. I wouldn’t buy such a thing, not after getting used to the Swiss-army wonderment of the iPhone.

As far as I’m concerned, the Google Chrome OS seems limiting at best, and at worst, pointless. I don’t get it.

= 3 stars

Starring John Kerr, Mitzi Gaynor, Juanita Hall
Directed by Joshua Logan

Synopsis

During World War II, Lt. Cable (John Kerr) arrives in the South Pacific to learn of a mysterious island, Bali Hai, and meets Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor) who has fallen in love with French expatriate Emile de Becque (Rossano Brazzi).

The Good

• Filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
• Rogers and Hammerstein wrote the music, containing a long list of familiar songs that I didn’t know came from this musical – Some Enchanted Evening, Bali Hai, I’m In Love With A Wonderful Guy, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair, – which I more recognize from the television commercials. The musical style varies based on the character singing the song, and the lyrics are witty and unfold magically – try to guess the next rhyme and the inventiveness will astound you, especially There Is Nothing Like A Dame.
• Romantic backdrop of World War II and the chaos and isolation of the islands from the United States.

The Bad

• Several scenes are marred by strong color filters (red, yellows, and blue) that are distracting and ruin the image – the beautiful island of Kauai doesn’t need any enhancement.
• Racist undertones – the film’s depiction of island natives is certainly a product of its time. One crucial (and today very wince-inducing) plot point is Nellie’s worry over Emile’s mixed-race children. Eventually, the movie earns some back with the song You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught about learned racism. But still, the racist basis for dramatic conflict comes off as rather ridiculous.

Conclusion

Because of the color filters and ultimately underwhelming drama, the film somehow fails to do the incredible music justice.

IMDB: South Pacific
Wikipedia: South Pacific
Rotten Tomatoes: South Pacific

The reason? Should be obvious to anyone with an iPhone: apps.

It isn’t any specific one 203 iPhone apps I’ve downloaded, but it’s a particular combination of personal “must have” apps that I can’t give up right now:

• Bloomberg
• iPhlix
• Movie Genie
• Crosswords
• Drop7
• Air Mouse
• Peggle
• CNN Mobile
• Kindle
• eBay
• Tweetie
• Doom Classic
• Meteor Blitz

Consider that some of these apps are created by independent developers that would have to be wooed over to the Google platform. Then consider how every iPhone user has their own personal list of apps. You’re probably looking at my list and wondering what the hell Peggle is doing on there while you’re addicted to geoDefense. And how this list shuffles with every new app I download, essentially on a monthly if not weekly basis.

It’s as if every iPhone user who downloads apps is creating their own personal combination for their iPhone lock-in situation.

= 3 stars

Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton
Directed by Charlie Kaufman

Synopsis

Playwright Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), separated from his wife and daughter and suffering from a mysterious disease, receives a grant which allows him to construct one great play based on his depressing life.

The Good

• Kaufman’s bizarre imagination is on full display here, with strange and wonderful ideas and mind-bending situations (one great line: “Y’know? Knowing that you don’t know is the first and most essential step to knowing. Y’know?”)
• Many scenes seem improvised, or take a direction based on a fleeting thought that is expanded upon, such as books that change their text as they’re being read, a house on perpetual fire, and a play where all the characters literally represent real-life people, but because the play’s inception takes years, they literally morph into each other and share experiences. That it’s a play within a movie adds another level of amusing oddity.
• For a feature film debut, Kaufman’s tone is remarkably somber and assured – everything transpiring seems laden with intent. The mood is fittingly, halfway between Jonze’s realistic surrealism and Michel Gondry’s playfulness. I hope Kaufman gets another chance to direct.
• Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He ages some forty years in this film and is in nearly every scene. Most notable is his sudden seizure while on the phone, his pathetic relationships with women, and the chilling final moments receiving direction from his replacement.
• An overarching theme of mortality and the feeling of life relentlessly slipping by, taking opportunities with them.

The Bad

• The plot is extremely convoluted, more so than Adaptation or Being John Malkovich. Scenes may be taking place in Caden’s imagination at any point in time, and characters could be themselves or the actors playing them. The film soon becomes a long “to do” list of things to go back and try to figure out, but unfortunately I felt so little connection to the characters here, that to do so didn’t seem worth the effort. In that sense it reminds me of David Lynch’s recent puzzle-y movies – convoluted for convolution’s sake, and at worst, director’s incompetence.
• While Hoffman is tops, everyone else gets remarkably short shrift which is likely because Kaufman is a writer, not a director. Catherine Keener is in the film’s first scenes and never appears again, and other talents like Hope Davis or Diane Weist fade in and out like ghosts.

Conclusion

Moments of brilliance and inspired ideas, but an equal amount of confusion and knots that don’t seem worth the time to unravel. Synedoche is deep, layered, and filled with intent that is constantly, frustratingly just out of reach. I feel part of the director’s job is to communicate, and Kaufman slipped a bit here.

Ultimately, Synedoche is worth a rental so long as you know what you’re getting into. If you disliked any of Kaufman’s filmed screenplays (Human Nature, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind) – don’t make the trip to Synedoche.

IMDB: Synedoche, New York
Wikipedia: Synedoche, New York
Rotten Tomatoes: Synedoche, New York

Synopsis

Conrad Hilton informs Don he’s moving his business elsewhere – McKann Erickson is buying Putnam, Powell, and Lowe, and therefore Sterling Cooper. Draper calls McKann Erickson a “sausage factory,” and accuses Hilton of toying with him.

After recalling how his father Archie, quit a farmer’s co-op, Don asks Bertram about buying company back. Bertram says it’s risky, but Don says he wants to work, and build something. They approach Roger, who manages the lucrative Lucky Strike account. Roger resists, until Don admits he was wrong and bad with relationships.

Betty tells Don that she wants a divorce. He suggests she see a doctor and accuses her of breaking up the family.

Roger, Bertram, and Don approach Lane about purchasing the company. Lane says it won’t happen and apologizes for the situation. Later, Lane asks his boss about his future role at McKann, and gets a business-like, vague reply.

A divorce lawyer briefs Betty and Henry on New York’s strict grounds for divorce, but says Nevada has looser laws – he recommends spending six weeks in Reno to establish residency. Henry tells Betty she won’t need any money from Don.

While watching Sally sleep, Don recalls his father’s death, kicked in the head by a horse after an argument with Abigal over money.

Don realizes Lane has the ability to fire anyone, and asks that he, Bertram, and Roger be let go. Cooper suggests Lane be partner at the new firm as financial manager. Lane calculates they’ll need more accounts, and must lock them up quickly before word spreads. Roger commemorates the day that four men shot their own legs off.

Don asks Peggy to join the new agency. She resists, saying he expects her to follow him around like a nervous poodle, and walks out of his office.

Roger and Pete approach Pete at his apartment. He says he has his own plans. Don commends Pete for recognizing new markets. Pete lists 8 million dollars worth of accounts. Don asks him to line them up over the weekend.

At the bar, Don tells Roger about his divorce, and Roger mentions Henry Francis. Don had no idea another man was involved.

That night, a drunk Don drags Betty out of bed, demanding to know who Henry is. He accuses her of building a life raft, and calls her a spoiled whore. She says she’s going to Reno and orders him out of the house.

On Saturday, Roger, Bertram, Lane, and Pete meet at Sterling Cooper to take materials for the new company. Harry joins them as head of media. Unfamiliar with office organization and what materials they need to pilfer from Sterling Cooper, Roger calls someone who can help.

Betty and Don tell the kids about the divorce. Sally and Bobby don’t take the news well, and Betty holds back tears as Don hugs his son.

Don visits Peggy at her apartment. He admits to taking her for granted, because he sees her as an extension of himself. He says something bad has happened to people, and the way they saw themselves is gone. Peggy understands what this is like, and this is valuable. “What if I say no?” she asks. He says he will spend the rest of his life trying to hire her.

After Don and Peggy arrive at Sterling Cooper, Joan arrives with a list of everything they need to take. They take everything they need for the new business.

On Monday, Don’s secretary finds his office ransacked. Lane is fired. Joan has set up a hotel room as the new office. She takes a phone call as Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce. Meanwhile, at the old office, Ken and Paul piece together what just transpired. Trudy arrives at the new “office” with sandwiches and a cake, saying, “isn’t this exciting?”

Don calls Betty and says he isn’t going to fight the divorce. Later, Betty, Gene, and Henry fly to Reno, while Don arrives at his new apartment.

Then And Now

• Client information is contained in old-school folders, file cabinets, and Rolodexes – no easily copyable computer files.

Thoughts

A tally sheet of my season finale predictions:

• Failed marriage: right.
• Connie Hilton rejects Don: right.
• Return of Miss Farrell: wrong.
• Return of the fainting couch: wrong.
• Pete and Peggy move to another firm: not exactly.

My mistake: I didn’t foresee Don’s resilience; his desire or capability for re-invention. Before the season finale, I felt he might remain stuck in the past and become increasingly marginalized – unless he underwent some transformation to get with the changing times. Don definitively chose the latter. Whether inspired by Hilton’s dismissal, JFK, or memories of his father’s death, Don acted with surprising speed and determination – in just one episode, he devised something new out of the ashes of the old, something that gave him (and others) hope, despite the surrounding chaos.

I underestimated Don Draper.

Don is now prepped for the latter half of the sixties, embracing change while shedding the caustic illusion of a happy nuclear family. He admitted to being bad at relationships and recognized he couldn’t continue alone. He lost Betty, but reconciled with Peggy, Pete, and Roger. All positive, character-building stuff.

And Don’s sudden change makes sense – he did it once before as Dick, when he grabbed the now-iconic dog tags from the dying, original Don Draper. In a sense, the new company (Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce) was created by stealing “dog tags” (employees, clients) from the festering corpse of the old firm. The audacity is that Don convinced several co-workers to join him in this brazen theft, spinning it as only he could, as a very-good-thing; a transformation, for all involved.

Like Betty, I viewed Dick’s identity theft as a very-bad-thing – something Don would eventually have to atone for – and he did, with the collapse of his marriage. But that dog tag grab is now painted in a new light – as an opportunistic, hopeful seizing of a brighter future. He wasn’t going back to that old life then, and isn’t now.

I now anticipate a streamlined, leaner agency, composed of strong, talented personalities. Who needs a bevy of secretaries when you’ve got Joan? Or Paul, Smitty, and Ken when just Peggy will suffice? It’s like a brash start-up emerging from the depths of corporate calcification. Like Don, the show is rejuvenated – or should I say “Rejuvenatored.”

There are questions: what of Sal, Paul, Ken, Miss Farrell, and Duck? Will episodes bounce between McCann Erickson, the new outfit, and Betty’s marriage? What year for season 4? Will bachelor-Don return to serial womanizing?

Who knows, but thanks to a solid, energetic season finale that could have been a show closer, I’m guaranteed to tune in, turn on – and find out.

Next Episode: ???
Previous Episode: The Grown Ups

= 3 stars

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris
Directed by Roger Kumble

Synopsis

Chris (Ryan Reynolds) was a chubby dork in highschool. Ten years later, successful and trimmed down, he returns to his hometown to see if his friendship with Jamie (Amy Smart) could become something more.

The Good

• Laughed more than I thought I would, because thankfully, this film is aware of how dumb it is. Small, oddly funny bits are sprinkled throughout, like Chirs’ retainer, his idiotic younger brother prone to fits of spastic violence, and the suspiciously too-nice Dusty Dinkleman (Chris Klein) who takes Jamie to see The Notebook. That particular scene had chuckling.
• Then there’s Anna Faris, who steals all her scenes as the incredibly stupid beyond belief pop star Samantha James: talentless, cluless, and sporting an odd habit of meowing for no reason. Her signature tune “Forgiveness” is wincingly, awfully funny. Coming in a close second is Dusty Dinkleman’s wooing song “Jamie Smiles.”

The Bad

• Predictable.
• Reynolds isn’t too convincing in the fat makeup, and his lipsyncing to music is more creepy than funny.

Conclusion

Just Friends is a passable rental, where lowered expectations delivers in spades. Meow.

IMDB: Just Friends
Wikipedia: Just Friends
Rotten Tomatoes: Just Friends 43%

Synopsis

The office heat is broken and Pete complains of being cold. Lane calls Pete into his office, where he tells Pete that Ken will be promoted to senior VP instead. Meanwhile, Peggy and her roommate gossip about Duck en route to work.

With her wedding happening the next day, Margaret whines to her mother about Jane ruining everything. Mona calls Roger, saying his young wife isn’t welcome. Upon hearing the request, Jane throws her own tantrum, and locks herself in the bathroom.

Trudy finds Pete at home, eating out of a baking dish. He says he was fired and intends to call Duck.

The next day at the office, Peggy and Paul are working when she gets a call from Duck. She tells Paul she has to go to the printer and runs off. Pete tells Harry how Ken got the promotion, saying he has no future. Harry suggests marketing.

Don angrily reminds Lane that they still have yet to find a replacement for Sal. Meanwhile, Duck is watching television when the broadcast is interrupted to report President John F. Kennedy has been shot. Duck unplugs the television just as Peggy arrives.

The office invades Harry’s office to watch the Kennedy shooting. Betty watches the announcement of Kennedy’s death just as Carla walks in. Sally sees the grownups crying and consoles her mother.

After Duck and Peggy are through, Duck plugs in the television to see Walter Cronkite confirming the reports of the President’s death.

Don goes home to find his family still watching the television, and Betty still crying. He tells the kids that everyone will be sad for a while but things will be out okay.

The next morning, Don tells Betty to get ready for Margaret’s wedding, as Lee Harvey Oswald is named the prime suspect. Meanwhile, with Pete still despondent over the assassination, convinces Trudy to stay home.

Despite many cancellations and a missing cake, Margaret’s wedding goes on. Betty watches Henry arrive with a young brunette. Meanwhile, several of the guests watch television in the kitchen. Roger gives a speech complementing Mona and wishing the new couple well.

On the dance floor, Don kisses Betty which she reluctantly returns. He claims everything will be fine, as Betty continues watching Henry. The brunette is his daughter.

Betty walks out of the restroom to find both Henry and Don waiting in the lobby. She leaves with Don. Meanwhile, Roger deposits a drunk Jane (yes, again) on the bed – and calls Joan. He feels she’s the only one he can talk to about the assassination.

The next morning, Betty sees Lee Harvey Oswald shot on live television. She screams in shock, “what is going on?” Don can’t console her. Later, she goes for a drive alone and meets Henry. He wants to marry her, and they kiss in the car.

Still engrossed in the grim television news, Trudy says Pete doesn’t owe Sterling Cooper anything, and he should quit and take clients with him.

Betty returns home and tells Don she doesn’t love him any more. Don thinks she’s merely worked up over the assassination. He sits for a moment in the bedroom, alone. The next morning, Betty barely acknowledges Don as he leaves for work.

Don finds hardly anyone in the office except Peggy, working on the Aqua Net account. She invites him to watch Kennedy’s funeral in Cooper’s office, but he declines. Instead, he walks to his office alone and pours a drink.

Then And Now

• News arrives through black and white television, not cellphones, the Internet, or Twitter.
• Betty’s favorite movie is Singing In The Rain, which I watch whenever I want to lift a foul mood.

Thoughts

Thought the Kennedy assassination would be saved until the season finale, but it makes sense to have it happen here, and show the tragedy’s effect on the characters in finale, which is what’s really important anyhow. Everyone’s got to “grow up” after this event, particularly Mona and spoiled daughter Margaret. Roger grows weary of everyone’s immaturity which brings him closer to Joan.

Pete losing the accounts position will surely push him to act out petulantly – he won’t consider trying harder or that Ken was simply the better (nicer) man. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pete take up Duck’s offer. And please note: Pete knows Don isn’t who he says he is – valuable information to a competing firm.

Don and Betty are headed for a separation. Betty won’t even need to stand up for herself too far – she can merely fall into the arms of another man – Henry conveniently provides her with a way out.

And of course there’s Don. Great direction at episode’s end when Don leaves for work: He observes, from the shadows, his own family in the kitchen – on the outside looking in. Betty’s quiet isolation is made clear when Don enters the kitchen, and the camera pivots around Betty, with her ending up in close up on the left side of the screen, visually reinforcing that she doesn’t want anything to do with him.

And there was one shot of Don sitting alone in a dark bedroom, which recalled an earlier contemplation in the bathroom. But there’s no reflection (Don Draper / Dick Whitman) this time. It’s only Dick.

Don’s continued, helpless reaction to all of this crap raining down will be something to watch for during the season finale.

Next Episode: Shut The Door. Have A Seat.
Previous Episode: The Gypsy And The Hobo

= 4 stars

The classic action shooter comes to the iPhone. Blow up increasingly scary monsters with increasingly powerful weapons.

The Good

• Straightforward port; if you played the game before, it’s exactly as you remember. The level design still comes across really top notch – you’re subtly guided toward specific goals – and there are various contrasting moments to induce tension: moving platforms, dark passages, poisonous floors, and suddenly charing enemies. I enjoyed recognizing once-forgotten yet immediately familiar rooms concealing scary surprises.
• The serviceable controls consist of a d-pad on the left and a fire button on the right. An action (opening a door or flipping a switch) is initiated by tapping the top of the screen.
• Myriad of other control schemes, available under settings.
• Multiplayer mode over your local network.

The Bad

• Tapping the top of the screen to perform an action is a bit awkward, since it means momentarily lifting your thumbs from the controls. Also, the basic controls don’t include the ability to slide-to-either-side while facing forward (if memory serves correctly, this was originally performed by holding down shift while tapping a left or right arrow key). You’ll have to delve deep into the custom settings to remedy either issue.
• Would be nice to have multiplayer via the Internet, like iMech.
• $6.99 feels a little high.

Conclusion

Despite my complaints, Doom Classic is more fun than not, as I’m presently determined to re-encounter the game’s boss, which I vaguely recall was a horrific brain on robot legs. And that’s the whole point of Doom Classic: another terrifying go-round with a barely remembered digital nightmare.

iTunes App Store Link:

= 4 stars

Starring Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime Foerste
Directed by Sandra Nettelbeck

Synopsis

Workaholic chef Martha Klein (Martina Gedeck) is obsessed with food at the expense of everything else, until her sister dies tragically, leaving her daughter in Martha’s care. Then her kitchen is invaded by the optimistic sous-chef Mario (Gergio Castellitto).

The Good

• Gedeck is insular, quiet, and aloof; believable as the anti-social, private chef whose life revolves around the kitchen. Mario’s contrastingly, sunnier personality makes his increasing presence in Martha’s life feel logical and natural – she needs someone like him for balance.
• This movie was the basis for the disappointing No Reservations. Here, the romance clearly takes a back seat to the tragic situation of Martha’s niece, while the remake had it the other way ’round.

The Bad

• Pacing is a bit slow, and it was initially hard to get the remake’s taste out of my mouth.

Conclusion

Great movie, with another layer of interest if you’ve seen that artificially-flavored remake – see how a perfectly fine film can be messed up by the quest for mainstream appeal. Recommended.

IMDB: Mostly Martha
Wikipedia: Mostly Martha
Rotten Tomatoes: Mostly Martha 91%

= 4 stars

Variation on the “match three falling items” genre, featuring objects that morph into others, making the game progressively harder.

The Good

• Simple gameplay that results in a solid game due to simple rules. Three or more of the identical adjacent item removes them from the board, and a new item appears in their place. Then get three of those new items next to each other, and that new piece begins appearing in the pair of items that drop from the top of the screen. The challenge increases quickly, because matches become more difficult with each new item appearing in your dropping-repertoire. Soon the board fills up and you lose.
• The variety of objects inspires repeat gameplay. I’ve only gotten up to snowflakes (number 9) and there are many more to go (27).
• A recent update added some additional modes for variety: “Blitz” mode features a smaller screen and only seven elements to deal with, and “Gone In 20 Seconds” mode has no falling pieces to control; just tap on the screen to rearrange elements into matches. Both modes are much faster paced.

The Bad

• The menu screen and settings surround the game itself are oddly designed. It’s hard to tell what to tap on, and the three-dimensional font used is difficult to read.

Conclusion

Great game based on a deceptively smart variation of the match-falling-items genre. Recommended.

iTunes App Store Link:

= 4 stars

Photography app that creates “tilt shift” photos, where a life-sized location or subject ends up looking like a tiny, miniature model.

The Good

• Intuitive UI: a row of icons along the bottom of the screen, several sliders, and lots of room to see the results on your photograph.
• Several options to tweak your photo: a blur filter where you can adjust the location, diameter, and amount of blur, a color area to adjust saturation, brightness, and contrast, and vignetting adds some shadow around the edges of your photograph.
• Options to use photos from your existing camera roll or take a photo within the app. Once done, you can save the photo to your camera roll or export it to email or Twitter.

The Bad

• Results vary widely and don’t automatically look miniaturized. You still have to have an eye for composition and appropriate subject matter. Without much care, photos will merely end up looking “blurry.”

Conclusion

Although the results don’t always end up looking like an expertly-done “tilt shift” photo, I still recommend this app as yet another, welcome cool effects generator for photos taken with the iPhone. The iPhone camera needs all the help it can get and this app provides some.

iTunes App Store Link:

But at the end of season three, I now see the show not as celebration, but instead a condemnation. And in future seasons, I trust it goes further, ultimately explaining why the late sixties were necessary.

At Mad Men’s core is a theme of lies and deception, as wealthy characters’ materialistic dreams are exposed as dangerous illusions that make them deeply unhappy. But it’s not their fault; with history on our side, we can see the causes of their unhappiness while they cannot. I’m talking about Roger’s sexism, Sal’s closeted homosexuality, Peggy’s conflict between a career woman and an object of desire, Betty’s imprisonment in a nuclear family, etc.

The way out comes with the social liberation of the late sixties, as an old social order is replaced with the new. But the times they are a-changing. The younger characters (Peggy, Pete, Paul, Smitty) have a better chance to “tune in, turn on, and drop out” while the older folks will find the changes deeply disturbing and an affront to their entire existence (Roger will hate it).

And then there’s Don, the enigma whose true identity – Dick Whitman – we barely know. He liked California and could easily reinvent himself through another made-up persona, but he enjoys his manly comforts and finds beatnik anti establishment rants reprehensible.

But since Don’s entire life is based on deception, he’s going to be hurt very badly, very soon. The show’s credits feature Don Draper falling from a building, surrounded by advertising – lies of his own creation – that do nothing to break his fall. We haven’t seen this fall yet, but it’s surely coming. It’s the stereotypical fifties male fading away.

Don has yet confront his neglected childhood, as seen through flashbacks to an uncaring mother and father. These are deeply unsettling memories that he understandably, but unwisely, keeps to himself. He pursues happiness through delusion, as if by surrounding yourself with the trappings of success, fooling everyone into thinking you’re happy, this in turn would make you happy, too. But this doesn’t work.

At present, we’re not supposed to admire Don. But we’re at the start of a long character arc. In season one and two, Don enjoyed the benefits of his lies and considered abandoning Betty, while his origin as Dick Whitman were revealed to us. But he made a conscious choice to be a better husband, yet without admitting his fabrications to Betty - a bad choice. In season three, his lies finally caught up with him.

So keeping these themes in mind, here are some season finale predictions:

• Return of Miss Farrell. The way she disappeared was too clean. She’ll either tell Betty about her affair with Don (conveniently handing Betty evidence of adultery as grounds for divorce), or something bad will happen to Miss Farrell’s brother Danny, for which Don will be harshly – and rightly – blamed.
• Betty leaves Don. I see divorce papers. We’ve already had Don vanish, but with Betty slowly gaining more confidence, plus being handed an easy out via Henry, pieces are falling into place for Betty to finally show some initiative.
• The fainting couch – symbolic of Henry covertly inserting himself into the Draper household, throwing off the whole living room – will get some use.
• Pete quits Sterling Cooper and goes to work for Duck. Perhaps he’ll bring with him other cast-offs like Sal, or even Joan. Peggy’s almost a no-brainer. Or Duck’s firm buys Sterling Cooper and several people get surprising promotions. Don’t forget that Pete knows Don’s real identity; handy information for a competing firm.
• Must have some closure with the Connie Hilton plot line. Maybe he gives up on Sterling Cooper and hires Duck’s firm instead. Expect a reference to Hilton’s earlier comment that Don was like a son. Expect Hilton to reject Don. Maybe Pete tells him something.
• Don – dealing with all this pressure at home and blamed big time for chaos at Sterling Cooper – falls into the hands of some woman who isn’t Betty. Or finding nowhere to turn, just falls apart.

As always, I welcome being wrong regarding these specific predictions come next Sunday. After all, a show too predictable is no fun, either.

In future seasons, we’re headed for 1964 and beyond, and the crap doesn’t really start hitting the fan until 1967. I hope Mad Men lasts long enough to fulfill its promise, to make the transition from Sinatra to Syd Barrett, or Doris Day to Twiggy. Could we even get to Nixon? The show is doing a great job so far.

= 4 stars

Starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson
Directed by Byron Haskin

Synopsis

A meteor lands in the mountains outside of Los Angeles, which is actually an alien spacecraft. Dr. Clayton Forester (Gene Barry) and his niece Sylvia (Ann Robinson) are caught up in the turmoil of a martian invasion to take over the entire Earth.

The Good

• Despite having no recognizable stars, there’s still a lot to love. The special effects are still surprisingly effective, and there’s a great sense of pacing – the aliens are barely revealed leaving much to one’s imagination, heightening the tension significantly.
• I liked the pseudoscience angle – the main character is a scientist who tries to figure out what the aliens are capable of and trying to explain things to the scared accomplices.
• Some iconic moments – the sounds of the aliens, the first blast showing the martians have no peaceful intentions, and the nuclear blast where the biggest human weapon of the time is used to spectacular effect.
• It’s also quite interesting to compare to the recent Spielberg / Tom Cruise version which emphasizes different aspects of the same story. Rioters take over our hero’s car that Spielberg expanded upon considerably, and the alien observation tube enters a house and culminates in a brief sighting of an actual martian.

The Bad

• Due to the limits of what special effects were capable of at the time, we don’t get to see the sheer spectacle of destruction which is provided only in newsreel footage. In this one aspect, the modern day version has an (unfair) edge.

Conclusion

You can see the seeds of today’s blockbusters in this movie – characters taking a back seat to a special effects extravaganza. In that sense, this movie is quite the same as the modern remake, and I found it interesting to see how the time preiod each was made influenced the telling of exactly the same story. Recommended.

IMDB: War Of The Worlds (1953)
Wikipedia: War Of The Worlds (1953)
Rotten Tomatoes: War Of The Worlds (1953) 85%

= 3 stars

Retro arcade game where you draw lines to guide a bouncing ball to hit a plethora of objects.

The Good

• Simple gameplay: use the iPhone’s touch screen to draw lines. A ball bounces around on screen, bouncing off of your drawn lines and various walls scattered about the playing field. Your lines disappear after a few seconds, and the ball can disappear off one edge and wrap around to the other side. Controlling the ball is easier said than done, and the fun comes from the rather helpless feeling of getting something done with limited tools; think catching a fly with chopsticks.
• A “fast game” mode with a wall around the screen perimeter and a shorter amount of time to eliminate all the objects within.

The Bad

• Not too keen on the graphics: there’s a lot of unnecessary stuff going on in the background. I seem to be more partial to retro vector or bitmap graphics than this particular style.
• No settings to adjust.
• After several go-rounds, not enough variety to maintain continued interest.

Conclusion

Moderately amusing game with initially appealing, simple gameplay, but lacks that special something to elevate it into addiction.

iTunes App Store Link:

Where do I sign up?

Basically this would be yet another needed baby step toward the concept of “digital video nirvana” I’ve been wanting for a while now – a huge on-demand video library, delivered via the internet.

Of course the devil is in the details. Does this mean everything in the iTunes Store, as in music, and movies too, or just the television shows? We don’t know if this would be a streaming service, or the current download model. If this does mean all-you-can-download, there might restrictions on the number of shows or devices you could play them on. Ideally, this would be $30 a month for all you can download and any authorized devices (computers, iPhones, Apple TVs) you have.

But I’m reminded how many times I browse content on the Apple TV, only to pause before hitting download until I check what other services said content is available on.

I’d pay a monthly fee just to not have to go through that process anymore.

= 4 stars

News app delivering the familiar weekly news magazine TIME to your iPhone.

The Good

• Clear navigation. A menu bar at top (that also scrolls horizontally) takes you to subject sections of the magazine (headlines, politics, U.S., world, business, etc.). Buttons at the bottom lead to different app sections (news, lists, quotes, popular, and media). There’s a toggle button at top to switch between a more familiar thumbnail image and text headline view to a more graphically oriented large image, horizontally scrolling “image flow” view.
• The media section consists of photographs and videos. Videos display using the familiar iPhone UI.
• Button to share articles via email or Twitter.
• Can adjust font size.
• Can read articles in landscape view.

The Bad

• Don’t care for the default “image flow” view, and prefer the more standard thumbnail plus headlines view for articles. Thankfully, you can turn off “image flow” view for all sections by tapping the settings “gear” icon in the upper left corner.
• Personally find the “Top 10 Lists” and “Quotes” sections pointless.
• One bug: when reading an article in landscape view, and tapping the next article button, the next article’s text width is formatted for the vertical view and therefore too narrow. To get the text to flow to the full width, you have to tip the phone 90 degrees and back to “reset” the view.

Conclusion

Despite occasionally klunky article display and lacking the “wow” factor of CNN app’s videos, TIME Mobile is free, and as such this is essentially a free subscription to TIME magazine on your iPhone. As far as I’m concerned it’s good enough to forgo the TIME magazine “dead tree” subscription.

iTunes App Store Link:

I currently subscribe to several (Wired, MacLife, The Economist, Newsweek) and unread issues resulted in a huge pile, at least six month’s worth, that I barely leafed through. All have been recycled or donated to the library.

The culprit is pretty clear: The iPhone. In addition to being a good phone, it’s replaced other devices I used to carry around. I haven’t touched my iPod in ages, and my MacBook is increasingly left at home. With all the iPhone games, I have no desire to get a PSP, or a portable DVD player to watch movies on.

Another casualty has been reading material, specifically during my work commute via San Francisco’s infamous mass transit. I used to habitually carry a magazine or two, and occasionally a free newspaper. I haven’t done either in months.

Obviously newspapers were quickly toast because of so many newspaper apps (New York Times, LA Times, WSJ, USAToday). I predict magazines are next to fall, what with BusinessWeek and the TIME Magazine app.

I’ve had many people wonder how it’s possible to read so much on the iPhone’s tiny screen. Well, the negatives of the small screen are trumped by convenience. I’m already carrying the iPhone with me 24/7, using it for email, web surfing, games, etc. The iPhone is a constant companion and gets ever-present attention. So given the choice of adding an additional “thing” to carry around or a decent representation of said “thing” on the iPhone: I’ll take the latter.

I did force myself to at least skim through that big pile of unread magazines before tossing them. I was struck by how many ads there are, all to be ignored. It’s hard to find articles to read, because one actually has to page through entire thing manually as opposed to flipping through everything with a thumb swipe. You can’t tap on the table of contents and call up that one interesting article; you actually have to remember a page number and leaf through pages to find it. And sharing an article is out of the question, as opposed to tapping a button to send a link to email or Twitter. You also have to use two hands.

Yes, this is true. Blame Steve Jobs for making reading as brain-dead as working a television remote: one hand and a thumb. Using two hands to turn pages has become a pain in the ass. The future is going to be one-handed and one-fingered (television already is), and “dead tree” reading is facing a usability problem.

So I’m letting all my magazine subscriptions lapse at year’s end, and am expecting the inevitable iPhone app for each. And yes, I’ll gladly pay for them – there.

• @webomatica/technology-nerds
• @webomatica/apple-iphone
• @webomatica/mad-men
• @webomatica/movies

And my Twitter persona is webomatica. Happy tweeting.

= 3 stars

Starring Charles Bronson, Vincent Gardenia, Hope Lange
Directed by Michael Winner

Synopsis

Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) and wife Joanna (Hope Lange) return to New York following a vacation in Hawaii. Not soon after, Joanna and daughter Carol Anne are brutally attacked in their apartment by three thugs. Traumatized by the experience, Paul goes on a revenge-fueled spree, shooting criminals with a gun he picked up during a business trip to Arizona.

The Good

• Wimmer’s direction; appropriately cold and disturbing in the right places. This New York is paranoid’s nightmare with danger lurking within every shadow, and a sadistic robbery and rape scene is chillingly reminiscent of Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
• This crime-filled New York – as lawless as the Wild West – is violent enough that vigilante justice becomes a semi-plausible solution. This parallels the general feeling that the world was going to hell in the seventies and average citizens would be forced into lawlessness in order to survive.

The Bad

• An expected climax never arrives. The three hoodlums that caused all of Paul’s pain are never confronted or shown again. Therefore, all of Paul’s vigilante justice seems more than slightly misguided.
• Paul ridiculously finds hoodlums to attack within a block or two of his apartment nearly every time – they’re conveniently everywhere like pigeons.

Conclusion

Worth a rental to see the origin of the Charles Bronson persona, but little else. I doubt I’ll check out future installments in this series – I think I’ve seen all I need to, here.

IMDB: Death Wish
Wikipedia: Death Wish
Rotten Tomatoes: Death Wish 70%

The best things about it are the price – right around that “what the heck” point of $100 – and its ease of use. It’s designed for the masses (as opposed to early adopters) so it’s brain dead simple to set up and navigate, even simpler (surprisingly) than the Apple TV. It works with a Harmony Remote, or an iPhone app so you can control it using WiFi. It even passes the spouse-test, as my wife has watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua several times over without any involvement from me, much to my discontent. This device is perhaps, too easy to use.

Anyhow, Roku is now selling three models of the Roku Player:

• Roku SD: $79.99, WiFi Wireless b/g or Ethernet, and RCA jacks for video out.
• Roku HD: $99 (basically the old model), primed for HD content with HDMI, component, and optical audio out.
• Roku HD XR: $129, WiFi Wireless N and a mystery USB port – functionality to be divulged later.

The USB port on the Roku HD XR inspires speculation, perhaps playing back content via an attached external hard drive, or inviting future hackery with a USB stick. Netflix also pre-announced new content channels “later this fall” meaning this already solid product will continue to get better as time goes on.

Anyhow, if you already have a Netflix account to get DVDs, and don’t have an XBox or some other device that has the Netflix Watch Instantly service – the Netflix box is a no-brainer. The chihuahuas are waiting.

Synopsis

Preparing to take the kids out of town, Betty asks Don for money. He doesn’t respond.

Bertram, Don, and Roger meet with Annabelle Mathis from Caldecott Farms, maker of dog food using horse meat. She’s an old flame of Roger’s, and they set a dinner date.

That evening, Miss Farrell and Don plan to go out of town together while Betty and the kids are away.

Joan preps a nervous Greg for a psychiatry job interview. He becomes more confident when he mentions his father’s nervous breakdown.

Joan calls Roger to ask for help in a job search. He says he likes being thought of by her.

Betty meets with her brother William and a lawyer about selling Grandpa Gene’s house, which is in her name. She asks the lawyer about divorce. He says if a husband is a good provider and there isn’t evidence of adultery – why bother.

Over dinner and drinks, Roger and Annabelle recall their fling, and the sad ending to Casablanca. After dinner she propositions him, but Roger turns her down.

After a terrible interview, Greg complains to Joan that she doesn’t understand what it’s like to want something your whole life and not get it. She hits the back of his head with a vase.

Annabelle watches several pet owners freak out after learning her dog food contains horse meat. Don and Roger suggest a new name. She storms out, telling Roger she’ll find another agency. He mentions she broke his heart all those years ago.

Don tells Suzanne to wait in his car while he gets his things. He walks into his house to find Betty and the kids home, earlier than planned. Betty orders him to open his desk drawer. Scared, he offers to explain.

Don gets a drink, fumbles with a cigarette, and explains how his real name is Dick Whitman. He took Don Draper’s identity during the Korean War. Anna was Don Draper’s wife, so he bought her a house and got divorced so he could marry Betty. Betty is more concerned with why he hid the truth for so long.

Betty asks him if he saw Anna while he was in California. She says he can’t trust him and doesn’t know who he is. He meekly replies, “Yes, you do.”

Don carries the box of old family photographs into the bedroom, and tries to open up to Betty. He says his mother was a prostitute, and his father Archie and wife Abigail raised him. Archie died when he was ten, and Abigail took up with Uncle Mac. All are dead, even his step brother Adam who committed suicide. Don sadly admits this was because he didn’t want Adam in his life. Betty silently takes this all in.

Roger makes some phone calls on Joan’s behalf.

Greg comes home with flowers, and tells Joan that he found the solution. He joined the army as a surgeon.

Forgotten, Miss Farrell gets out of the car and walks away. The next day, Betty and and kids act as if nothing happened. Don calls Miss Farrell from the office and says they can’t see each other anymore.

Betty and Don take the kids out for trick or treat. Francine’s husband Carlton recognizes Sally and Bobby’s costumes as a gypsy and a hobo. He asks Don, “who are you supposed be?”

Then And Now

• Greg signs up for the army without the knowledge that Vietnam is going to go on for quite a bit longer.
• Americans don’t like eating horse meat.
• “No fault divorce” didn’t begin until California in 1970.

Thoughts

Nice to see more of Joan and Roger. Roger’s reaction to his old flame and glee at Joan’s phone call hints at continued feelings for Joan. Meanwhile, Joan’s marriage to Greg continues to deteriorate.

Loved Betty and Don’s confrontation. She emerges from the shadows and is firm about learning the truth. Great acting by Jon Hamm as Don is stripped away, revealing a scared Dick Whitman, stumbling with a cigarette and speaking with a soft, nervous voice.

I don’t think his explanation completely satisfied Betty. His last confession on the bed may have been a calculated ploy for sympathy. Note he didn’t admit to his numerous affairs, which was Betty’s reason for searching through his things and trying to open the desk drawer in the first place. I think she’ll do more digging in the next two episodes, especially since the lawyer mentioned “proof of adultery” as necessary for divorce.

It didn’t strike me until now, but Don’s shoe box filled with old, black and white photos contrasts with his color, slide projected ones of his new life with Betty in The Wheel.

I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Suzanne; perhaps something terrible will befall her brother Danny, and she’ll rightly blame Don, underlining the damage of his continual lies. Perhaps too dramatically obvious, but so was the entire affair.

The episode’s last line was an uncharacteristically silly joke, but saved by a quick cut to the credits.

With only two episodes left, thoughts turn to a possible season finale: Betty finds out about any of Don’s affairs. She gets cash from selling Gene’s house, and serves Don with divorce papers. Don takes his cash hoard and runs away with Suzanne, leaving everyone hanging. Meanwhile, Sterling Cooper is bought by Duck’s firm – Peggy is mysteriously promoted as Don’s replacement. This is the season where all of Don’s lies catch up to him, and his reaction may be to run.

Next Episode: The Grown Ups
Previous Episode: The Color Blue

Synopsis

Don arrives home early for dinner, but soon departs to spend the night at Miss Farrell’s instead. While in bed, she mentions a student who wondered if everyone sees the same color blue.

The next day, Paul presents an idea for an Aqua Net television commercial, featuring a car passenger’s wind-blown hair-do. Don thinks it’s too complicated. Peggy suggests an abridged scenario which Don approves instead.

Lane delivers Don a bonus check, and reminds him about the the upcoming Sterling Cooper 40th anniversary party.

Paul confronts Peggy about her riffing on his ideas. Meanwhile, Lane’s wife Rebecca tells him how much she dislikes living in New York.

Don and Miss Farrell, in bed again, are interrupted by a knock on the door. It’s her younger brother, Danny, who suffers from epilepsy. Don makes a hasty exit.

While looking at an old company photograph, Roger recalls how he found Don working at a fur company.

Sally answers the phone, only to hear no-one on the other end. Don tells her to hang up, and Betty scolds her.

Paul and Peggy work late, seperately brainstorming ideas for Western Union. Peggy uses a tape recorder while Paul hits a liquor bottle. Later, Paul calls for Peggy across the office, but gets no response. He visits the break room for a snack, and chats with a custodian, when inspiration strikes. He happily disappears back into his office and polishes off the bottle.

The next morning, Miss Farrell surprises Don on his morning train. She says she doesn’t care about his marriage, as long as they can be together. She got a job for Danny at a veteran’s hospital.

Lois wakes Paul, who passed out on his office couch. He rummages through his papers to find his great idea, but sadly realizes he forgot to write it down.

The London office calls Lane, saying they will attend the party – and put Sterling Cooper up for sale.

Betty calls Henry to ask if he called the house the other night. He says no, and wonders why she needs such a pretense to contact him.

While doing laundry, Betty finds Don’s desk drawer key, which has fallen out of his bathrobe pocket. She opens Don’s desk drawer and finds his shoe box of old photographs, dog tags, a house deed, and divorce papers from Anna Draper. She sits down to catch her breath.

Don drops by Miss Farrell’s to find Danny still there, although his bags are packed. Don offers to drop him off at his new job. Meanwhile, Betty stays up waiting for Don, hoping to confront him.

During the drive, Danny says he doesn’t want this new job, and complains about being treated badly because his condition is misunderstood. Don pulls over and lets him out of the car. Don returns to Miss Farrell’s, claiming to have delivered Danny to the hospital as promised.

Betty gives up waiting and goes to bed.

The next morning, Don calls Betty from the office to remind her about the anniversary party. She claims to not feel well, but Don says she really need to be there.

Just before their meeting with Don, Paul tells Peggy about his lost idea. He recalls a Chinese proverb: “The faintest ink is better than the best memory.” At the meeting, Peggy mentions the proverb, and twists Paul’s forgotten idea situation into an appropriate tag line: “a telegram is forever.” Don tells them to keep working.

A limo arrives to pick up an elegantly-dressed but sour Betty. At the party, Roger rattles off a list of Don’s advertising awards, and Don walks to the head of the table to give his speech. Betty looks increasingly distracted.

Then And Now

• Aqua Net: a combination of water, carbon, chlorine, and fluorine that held hair in one place with tenacity. Too bad Betty couldn’t spray Don down with it to make him stay home.
• Epilepsy is better understood than it was in the 60s, but stigma remains.
• Western Union sent their last telegram in 2006.

Thoughts

Consistency: Of course Betty would peek in Don’s drawer after happening upon his key, since she tried earlier when she suspected infidelity. Don’s lifetime of deception means he has no problem lying on Danny’s behalf. He perhaps sees something of himself or Adam in Miss Farrell’s brother.

Don’s silly romance with Miss Farrell is hypocritical, since earlier he called Roger “foolish” for marrying the much younger Jane. There’s a generation gap – all of Don’s previous dalliances have been older women with awareness of the “rules” regarding a husband’s extramarital affairs – Bobbie Barrett went out of her way to hide everything from Jimmy. Miss Farrell seems unstable and not beneath ringing Betty up and confessing. Then there’s the wild card of Danny – if anything happens to him, Miss Farrell will surely blame Don. Yeah, this isn’t going to end well.

I don’t believe Don Draper is meant to be admired; more pitied and made an example of. His character represents the 50s and his superficial, dishonest way of thinking must be marginalized as the series moves deeper into the sixties. With the Kennedy assassination right around the corner, Don’s surely being set up to take the terrible fall depicted in the credits, before season’s end. I look forward to it.

Next Episode: The Gypsy And The Hobo
Previous Episode: Wee Small Hours

= 3 stars

Serve up food for hungry customers and run a restaurant in this time management plus visual hide-and-seek game.

The Good

• Solid and challenging game play: fill customers’ orders as quickly as possible, by tapping ingredients hidden on the screen. The needed ingredients are listed on each order ticket in a recipe of sorts. The mix of time management and hide-and-seek is pretty compelling, and I nearly missed my train stop while progressing through several levels.
• Bonus levels where you drop ingredients into a scrolling array of holes based on shape.
• Lots of variety in terms of food ingredients and different restaurants (coffee cafe, pizza joint, sushi bar) of increasing difficulty.

The Bad

• The scenario plays out with a disturbing lack of logic. The kitchen you’re presented with is a complete mess, with food piled up all over the place and in ridiculous locations – no self-respecting chef would run a kitchen this way, or after a few days of trying to cook in this mess, would get a clue and clean things up. The logic also fails in the recipes, where you’re making hot dogs with cucumber and parsley, and making ketchup, mayonnaise, and parsley pizzas (not kidding).
• Some strange glitches, the graphics are an odd mix of illustration and photographic elements, and you can tap and drag on the entire background, revealing the black screen behind.

Conclusion

If you can get beyond the nonsense scenario – and the paranoid feeling that Gordon Ramsay will appear at any moment to scream at you – Gourmania is a strange sort of fun.

iTunes App Store Link:

= 1 star

Starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman
Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski

Synopsis

Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) belongs to a family with racing in its blood, which comes in handy when he wants to end a conspiracy of cheating drivers.

The Good

• Ambitious in bringing anime / manga style to the screen, with bright day glow colors, fast and furious cuts, and framing characters in stylized profile or front views while backgrounds shift behind.
• Will surely be loved by video game and cartoon obsessed kids under the age of ten, although I’d personally consider this a sign of irreparable brain damage.

The Bad

• I got a headache after a mere ten minutes of soaking in this CGI cartoon world. There’s literally too much crap going on, making it difficult to concentrate on the story, and characters often look like they’re before a green screen with no effort made to blend them into the CGI environments. I found the end result often confusing, disjointed, and mind numbing.
• I can’t say any of the elsewhere excellent actors – Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci – get any chance to act, beyond very stylized facial expressions. They are literally overwhelmed by the optical distraction going on around them. The only ones who manage to transcend the nutty world is the younger brother and the chimpanzee, because their slapstick comic relief is goofier and frantic enough to break through the garish visuals.
• No sense of danger or tension during the car chases, since it all looked fake.

Conclusion

It’s an understatement to say I didn’t get this movie. If you thought George Lucas overdid it with the CGI pod race in The Phantom Menace – well, this is even worse.

Speed Racer is like Transformers, Dick Tracy, and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Antares-auto-tuned into over-compressed pop music blaring on 11 until I had to shut it off. It’s nearly the polar opposite of everything I consider a satisfying movie. If you’re over ten with even a limited ability to appreciate subtlety: skip it.

IMDB: Speed Racer
Wikipedia: Speed Racer
Rotten Tomatoes: Speed Racer 36%

Allen started out in screwball comedy, but made an amazing conversion into a serious director, reapplying film techniques learned through his comedy to drama. The breakthrough was Annie Hall, the first entry in an amazing run of films through the 1980s up until Crimes And Misdemeanors. This period was a joy to experience, from the love letter to New York Manhattan, the moral struggles of Crimes And Misdemeanors, and the nifty period piece The Purple Rose Of Cairo. All contained amazingly simple yet effective direction in the service of the story, and a compelling balance of both comedy and tragedy – the struggle between being an Allen theme.

After Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989), Allen began to repeat himself, namely rehashing the increasingly tiresome themes of extra-marital affairs, the occult, and older women with younger men. The latter is a self-reflective quality that is annoyingly defensive. These movies were the hardest to watch.

But starting with Match Point, Allen has somehow reinvented himself and entered an interesting period of Hitchcock-style thrillers where he (thankfully) refrains from casting himself.

Allen is also much too prolific for his own good; I wish he would spend a few years working on one, quality script as opposed to churning out “YAWAM” (yet another Woody Allen movie) annually. I also hope Allen doesn’t appear in future films, instead leaving the acting up to talented actors he is still able to attract.

Anyhow, the resultant five best provide a solid cross-section of all of Allen’s periods. I feel terrible that I wasn’t able to include one period piece like The Purple Rose Of Cairo. After the list of gems, the following five are to be avoided at all costs.

The Five Best

Sleeper

While some might find the retarded plot and reliance on improvised slapstick offputting, I think there’s enough here to recommend to almost anybody. I mean, Sleeper has a freaking orgasmatron and Keaton doing Brando. Highly recommended.

Annie Hall

Remains Allen’s masterpiece, and my personal litumus test for anyone’s tolerance of Allen movies in general. If you don’t empathize with Alvy’s love for the elusive Annie, go no further. And you probably love California.

Hannah And Her Sisters

Begs comparison with the much darker and less successful Interiors, which also dealt with three sisters, suffocated with seriousness, and heavy-handed visual games. Most notable is the contrast between the sisters’ parents – in Interiors they’re like an embalmed funeral, while in Hannah, dad plays old show tunes. I might even go so far as to consider Interiors a first draft of Hannah, with the most powerful improvement the introduction of heart and humor to ease the gloom. There’s also an inevitable comparison with the other Allen movies I consider 5 stars – in some ways Hannah improves on Annie Hall because the Allen persona is concerned with the greater, universal issue of mortality (in addition to romance), and the older man – younger woman relationship from Manhattan is explored to greater effect through Frederick and Lee. Hannah And Her Sisters is Woody Allen in his prime, and one of my favorite Allen movies. Highly recommended.

Crimes And Misdemeanors

The first movie that really got me interested in Allen. Here, he really perfected a balance between comedy and drama, and also managed some maturity through contemplation of morality and religion, within the simple framework of a man deciding to commit a murder and having us wonder if he’ll get away with it. The chill of a tense Judah answering that one phone call still disturbs me to this day.

If you liked Match Point, give this one a spin because it’s a similar story, arguably told in a more entertaining way.

Match Point

At the end of Crimes and Misdemeanors, Judah (Marty Landau) approaches Woody Allen with the plot to a murder mystery movie. With Match Point, it seems Allen has finally made Judah’s film.

Honorable mention: Manhattan, The Purple Rose Of Cairo, Bullets Over Broadway, Sweet And Lowdown

The Five Worst

Stardust Memories

This flick polarizes die-hard Allen fans. I’ll say I enjoyed the Felliniesque aspects, but what ultimately damages the film is its self-conscious ruminations on drama vs. comedy. If one wants to be taken seriously, just present a serious work.

Sandwiched between much better films, Stardust Memories felt like a step backwards. It’s only interesting to die hard Allen fans who want to watch Allen trying to find that elusive balance he’d finally master – a few movies later.

Anything Else

As usual for this period, so much material is a rehash of earlier Allen movies: Agents, writers, moving to California, futile efforts to save a collapsing relationship, infidelity, cynical observations on just about everything, therapists, New York, etc. One could put all these elements in a blender and let a script generate itself. Amusing, but awkwardly cast and nearly everything here, Allen has covered before. Skip it.

Shadows And Fog

Perhaps for the first time, the ensemble of actors seems more ensemble’s sake and not for casting reasons. As in, does John Malkovich make a good clown, Jodie Foster a good whore, and Madonna a trapeeze artist? Based on the results, the answer is no. Allen’s themes seem lost and meandering, just like the characters stumbling about in the fog. While stylistically amusing, the characters, plot, and acting all failed me here. Only recommended for deeper Allen fans.

September

I found this film tough going. Take the lustiness of A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy, run through the filter of Interiors, and subtract all the admirable Allen directing style from Hannah And Her Sisters. Yes, there’s some good acting, emotional drama, and a pay off of sorts, but like Neil LaBute’s movies, I don’t think the ending was worth the wait. Skip it.

Celebrity

I had a hard time with Celebrity, mostly because of its distasteful chararcters – but I reserve the largest amount of annoyance for the director that put together this rarely enlightening and often tedious freak show. Skip it.

= = 4 stars

Remote control app that lets your iPhone control a Netflix / Roku Box.

The Good

• The iPhone has to be on the same WiFi network as the Netflix / Roku Box, which is kind of a given if you’re at home in front of your television ready to watch a Watch Instantly flick. The app found our Netflix / Roku Box automatically on first launch.

The Bad

• The buttons don’t auto-repeat when held down, which would be useful in the case of scrolling through movie titles. So you have to tap the next button repeatedly to get to a movie you like.

Conclusion

Performs as advertised, and brings the iPhone one step closer to replacing my universal remote.

iTunes App Store Link:

= 4 stars

Starring Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola
Directed by Anne Fontaine

Synopsis

Biopic documenting fashion designer Coco Chanel’s rise from truly humble beginnings.

The Good

• Tautou is about 180 degrees away from anything I’ve seen (obviously, Amelie), playing a bitter, sullen, and withdrawn woman trying to grab onto even the first rung toward success. Simple things like Chanel’s gaze over other people’s wealthy clothing communicates a complex feeling of envy, distaste, fascination, and learning.
• Contemplates the source of creativity. The source of Chanel’s talent is kept tantalizingly enigmatic, it could be natural, person ambition, or inspired by heartbreak.
• None of Chanel’s famous designs are truly displayed until one late scene, yet it feels like a smart move to save their display until then.

The Bad

• Sags in the middle, in retrospect it took a long time to document not very much in the larger scheme of things.
• Inspired me to find a Chanel biography, but this could be seen as a failing of the film for not providing the entire picture.

Conclusion

In all respects a three star film, but as with Priceless, Tautou earns that extra star. Recommended.

IMDB: Coco Before Chanel
Wikipedia: Coco Before Chanel
Rotten Tomatoes: Coco Before Chanel 65%

• Comes with 2 GB of RAM standard; good enough for me. Have yet to use the putty knife.
• Used Apple’s migration assistant to transfer everything (applications, documents, settings) from the old Mac Mini. The old Mac Mini was hooked up via WiFi (bad me) so the migration took several hours. That said, it worked without a hitch.
• Because of the sole Firewire 800 port, I may ditch an old Maxtor drive and a LaCie DVD burner, or hook the latter up to the old Mini now delegated to the television.
• Somehow managed to fill all five USB ports.
• Came with an adaptor to take the Mini DVI to DVI. No issues with HDCP on the monitor. Haven’t used the DisplayPort.
• Not mind-blowingly faster in comparison with the old Mac Mini, but it’s noticeable, namely Handbrake encoding time is down 1/3.

Anyhow, overall very pleased. Would have been nice to pick up the new MacBook or iMac, but the aging MacBook mysteriously resurrected itself, and even the cheapest iMac seems like overkill. So the few hundred bucks saved will go toward a Mighty Mouse and whatever Apple announces next year.

= 1 star

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn
Directed by Peyton Reed

Synopsis

Co-habitating couple Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) and Gary (Vince Vaughn) decide to break up, but neither wants to move out of their Chicago condo. Hilarity ensues.

The Good

• Aniston is solidly believable portraying Brooke’s simultaneous frustration and compassion for crass and immature Gary (Vaughn).

The Bad

• I’m increasingly less amused by the wisecracking, man-child Vaughn portrays in all his movies. He and Aniston seemed to be in different movies altogether, which only made me root for their separation.
• The cadre of misfit supporting characters aren’t funny enough. John Michael Higgins, a standby of Christopher Guest mockumentaries leads an excruciatingly un-funny sing along to Owner of a Lonely Heart. Also shamefully wasted are Jason Bateman, Joey Lauren Adams, and Judy Davis.
• Never finds a tone between dark and light comedy.

Conclusion

Two people slowly realize over the course of two excruciating hours what is painfully obvious from the first scene – some couples are better off apart. Skip it.

IMDB: The Break-Up
Wikipedia: The Break-Up
Rotten Tomatoes: The Break-Up

= 4 stars

News app that serves up text articles and video clips from CNN, the ubiquitous television news channel.

The Good

• Pretty intuitive navigation based on other news apps. The menu bar at the top slides to the left and right, revealing more options, and a row of icons at the bottom indicate sections.
• If you don’t like reading, there’s a video section which focuses just on the video content, which coming from CNN, there’s a lot of. All the videos played just fine, and utilize the iPhone’s built in controls for volume and scrubbing, etc. Helpful is a total time indicator beneath each clip. The text articles also have preceding bullet points summing up the major topics.
• Button lets you share content via a text message, email, Twitter, or Facebook.
• A “My CNN” section lets you personalize content. Your location can be used to serve up news, the weather, and traffic conditions. The “Followed” section lets create particular topics and content is served up based on those keywords. A numeric indicator next to the “My CNN” icon updates when new articles are found based on your topics.
• An “iReport” section lets you watch user-created content and even submit stuff you’ve recorded yourself, namely a photograph or video taken with your iPhone. There’s even an “Assignments” section listing topics budding journalists can work on.
• Tilting the iPhone into landscape mode shifts the UI into a “cover view” mode that’s a bit less elegant than Apple’s iTunes version, but is still kind of cool. You can browse news articles visually, and tapping on an image shows you the article’s bullet points.

The Bad

• Can’t read articles in landscape mode.
• Doesn’t have any complete CNN shows. This is just about serving up news and news clips.
• A fair amount of banner ads, a little irksome seeing how this is a paid app.

Conclusion

This app does a great job of serving up the CNN content – in particular, video – on the iPhone. Recommended.

iTunes App Store Link: