Tuesday 29 January 2008

Who Forgot To Pull Out The Plug?

Got to work this morning and was stopped at Reception by our head of security (he's a bit of a stickler for rules and regulations). He informed the group gathered there, that over the Australia Day weekend there had been a flood in the basement, and that all 3 of our lifts (elevators) would be out of action for the whole week.

Apparently somebody decided they wanted to watch the fireworks on Saturday night from the top of a water tank which is at the top of the ramp to our building's parking area underneath. Somehow they managed to break the tap on the tank, and gravity doing what it does best, directed the water into our basement which happens to be where our lifts 'sleep' when everybody else has gone home.

Thankfully I only have to go up to the 1st floor so it's only 2 flights of stairs, but I pity the people who work on the 8th floor, especially if they are smokers.

The funny thing is that all 3 lifts were scheduled to be out of action next weekend for maintenance. Talk about timing!

Monday 28 January 2008

Movie Review: National Treasure - Book Of Secrets

A couple of weeks ago I won an in season double pass to this movie. I also managed to win in the same week another 2 double passes to the Golden Compass (which I have not yet seen).

I hadn't seen the first one so decided to hire it out so that I would at least know the characters.

My plans to see it with a friend fell through due to a family crisis so I treated a stranger to the movie. There was a father and son seeing it together, so I told the father that I would use my spare free ticket for him, then all he had to pay for was his son's ticket (which is a lot cheaper than an adults). He was so grateful that he bought me some popcorn.

Plot: Ben Gates once again sets out on an exhilarating, action-packed new global quest to unearth hidden history and treasures. When a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth surfaces, Ben’s great-great grandfather is suddenly implicated as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln’s death. Determined to prove his ancestor’s innocence, Ben follows an international chain of clues that takes him on a chase from Paris to London and ultimately back to America. This journey leads Ben and his crew not only to surprising revelations – but to the trail of the world’s most treasured secrets.

Sunday 27 January 2008

Movie Review: I Am Legend

At a loose end with no chores to do I decided to escape for the afternoon to cooler climes - an air conditioned cinema had the greatest appeal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Will Smith's character is a bit like Tom Hanks' in Castaway where he 'talks' Mr Wilson. A few scenes make you jump in your seat, but it is really well done.

The sets were amazing. Eerie, but amazing. You really felt as though you were there. It's scary to think that with all the great advances in medicine, there could be a downside too.

Plot: Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable…and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City…and maybe the world. But he is not alone. He is surrounded by “The Infected” – victims of the plague who have mutated into carnivorous beings who can only exist in the dark and who will devour or infect anyone or anything in their path. For three years, Neville has spent his days scavenging for food and supplies and faithfully sending out radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. All the while, The Infected lurk in the shadows, watching Neville’s every move, waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But his blood is also what The Infected hunt, and Neville knows he is outnumbered and quickly running out of time.

Monday 14 January 2008

Unexpected House Guest

Well... it looks like my step brother will be moving in for a few days until he can sort something out or reconcile with his girlfriend.

This means that my tv room will now be his bedroom (which happens to be right next to mine!) and I will have to share a bathroom (something I haven't done for 8 years).

Ugh!

Sunday 13 January 2008

What's Your Leprechaun Name?

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Twitchy O'Taters

Movie Review: Alien V Predator Requiem

When the first one came out here a couple of years ago, I had already seen it on dvd. I have never seen any of the Alien movies and have only seen the first Predator movie with Arnie in it.

This one was much better than the first one. At times the screen was so dark you couldn't see any details (especially those of the hybrid).

It picks up immediately where the first movie ended.

Plot: The quiet town of Gunniston, Colorado is besieged by space-faring creatures when a Predator's spaceship lands to try to clean up an Alien infestation and the age-old battle between the species is renewed.

A Rude Awakening

I had only just gone to bed when I was woken up again around 2AM by my step-brother who was knocking on the front door, wanting to sleep on the couch after he'd had a fight with his girlfriend.

He ended up in the spare bedroom on the double bed - he's over 6 foot so it wasn't a comforatable sleep but he would never have fit on either of the couches.

I didn't get back to sleep until close to 4, and then was up early because I was going to a morning session at the movies.

Haven't heard from him yet, so hopefully he has patched things up and won't be stopping by again at an ungodly hour!

Saturday 12 January 2008

Holiday Gone Wrong

A work colleague went to New Zealand for a holiday over the Christmas/New Year break. Instead of rest and relaxation this happened to her.

She has a fractured vertebra, lost 1/2 inch of height, wearing a neck/back brace and will be off work for at least 5 weeks.

The upside is that it happened at the end of her holiday, not the beginning.

Sunday 6 January 2008

Movie Review: P.S. I Love You

I was at a loose end after meeting up with a friend for our bi-monthly catch-up over hot chocolate at a cafe in Osborne Park, so decided to go and see this. Greater Union cinema's in Innaloo now have allocated seats for when you purchase your tickets.

His Scottish accent is just to die for (so much sexier than Sean Connery's) and he's not bad on the eyes either. So to is Jeffrey Dean Morgan, fake Irish accent and all. I highly recommend this film and would suggest you take some tissues when you go to see this.

Plot: Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly (Hilary Swank) and Gerry (Gerard Butler). Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each other’s sentences and even when they fought, they laughed. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry’s death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He’s left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, gently guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed “PS, I love you”.

As the notes are gradually opened, and as the year unfolds, Holly is both cheered up and challenged. The man who knows her better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends and her noisy, loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing – and being braver than ever before. Life is for living, she realises – but it always helps if there’s an angel watching over you.

Tuesday 1 January 2008

Movie Review: Bee Movie

I headed decided to head indoors to keep cool today and what better place than the movies. My plan with regards to movies at the moment is to see those that have been showing the longest first, and hopefully I get to see all the ones I want to.

It's an okay movie which the kids will love (the couple in front of me decided to bring their 3 children, 1 of which was still a baby which grizzled throughout the entire movie *grrr*) and it's something you can completely veg out to watch because it doesn't require any thinking on your part.

Plot: Having just graduated from college, a bee by the name of Barry B Benson (voice of Jerry Seinfeld), finds himself disillusioned with the prospect of having only one career choice – honey. As he ventures outside of the hive for the first time, he breaks one of the cardinal rules of the bee world and talks to a human, a New York City florist named Vanessa (Renee Zellweger). He is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees’ honey for centuries, and ultimately realises that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race for stealing their precious honey.

As a result, the bee and human communities get involved in ways they never had before, each one of them pointing a finger at the other. Barry gets caught up in the middle and finds himself with some very unusual problems to solve.