A review of "Happily Ever After"

"Happily Ever After"

This is a great French film by Yvan Attal, starring Attal and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It’s a fascinating exploration of marriage, focusing on one relationship in particular, with a few glances into the lives of several other couples. Even though much of it made me cringe – why do married people so often treat each other in such awful ways? – the acting is superb and I was completely sucked in.

Johnny Depp’s cameo is a plus. My only complaint is that the end seemed completely inconsistent with the rest of this grittily realistic movie. I have no idea what that was about, but it’s forgiven.

See more about Happily Ever After

A review of "Chicago (Widescreen Edition)"

Chicago (Widescreen Edition)

by Rob Marshall

Chicago: I watched this on DVD last night; maybe it’s better on the big screen. I found it impossible to care about any of the characters, who were one-dimensional and cardboardish. Maybe that’s to be expected in a musical, but the plot was also insufficient to interest me. The music is just ok – did not leave me humming (with the exception of the song “All That Jazz”). The only redeeming features of this musical are a couple of spicy dance routines – gymnastic and energetic. The rest is just, eh, so-so.

See more about Chicago (Widescreen Edition)

Idoru, by William Gibson

I finished reading "Idoru", by William Gibson.

December was pretty busy and I didn’t have much time for reading. I had to read this book in bits and pieces over the course of the last few weeks, so I couldn’t get into it very deeply. I kept forgetting who the characters were and what was happening. It’s a bad idea to read a book like this over a long stretch of time. Next book I read, I will try for more focus.

See more progress on: Read one book a month

200K - complete!

Finished the last 10K tonight, hooray! Now I need to catch up on my weightlifting workouts, where I’ve been slacking off.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge 2005

145K complete

I was in a hurry last night, so I only did a 5K. Fifteen days into the Challenge, I find the rowing has gotten significantly easier since I started this winter. Usually it’s the other way around, and I’m beginning to drag at this point. I don’t know what’s different this time except that I hadn’t rowed for about six months when I started the Challenge.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge 2005

Day 13

130K complete as of today! Not bad!

Day 9

Did another 10K on my rower for the Holiday Challenge, just now!

Did another 10K

Despite the fact that I had no energy whatsoever. That puts me at 80K into the Holiday Challenge.

Day 7

Yes, another 10K, despite the fact that I got only 5 hours of sleep. Yay me! That makes 70K so far ...

Day 6

Another 10K!

Day 5

I only got 5 hours of sleep last night. I was very tempted to blow off the workout today. At the last minute, I changed my mind. It actually went pretty well.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge 2005

Day 4

Did another 10K on my Concept2 this evening – that’s 20% complete. Also, weightlifting in the afternoon! Last day of a glorious long weekend ...

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge 2005

Book recommendation: Practical Ethics

I finished re-reading Peter Singer's "Practical Ethics". This is a must-read book for anyone who asks themselves "Why should I behave in a particular way?", "What is the right thing to do?". Singer's explorations of these questions are not based in religion at all; his approach is purely ethical.

But the book is called "Practical Ethics" and Singer does not speak in general terms only. He examines several hot topics that are still relevant today (the book was published in 1979): affirmative action, animal rights, abortion, euthanasia, and obligations of the affluent to reduce "absolute poverty."

Many thumbs up!

tag: books

See more progress on: Read one book a month

Why I want to meet Peter Singer

I’ve read a couple of his books: "Practical Ethics" and "The President of Good and Evil: The Ethics of George W. Bush". "Practical Ethics" made a big impression on me as a teenager. I wrote Singer a letter, and he actually replied (wish I’d kept the reply!).

Judging from his books, Singer has an interesting mind, and I just think it would be fascinating to chat with him over the backyard fence once in a while. Ethics is a vital subject, yet it’s so hard to find people who are interested in discussing it – let alone people who are interested in acting on it.

Day 3

Did another 10K. It’s pretty difficult to keep going, I am so not used to it.

Also did weightlifting this afternoon, again. It's going to be hard to keep up the combination when I go back to work on Monday.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge 2005

Day 2

Did the second 10K this evening. I also did a weightlifting workout this afternoon!

5x2

If two people deliberately developed a plan to screw up their relationship, they couldn't do a better job than these two did without trying.

5x2 by François Ozon should probably be required viewing for couples intending to marry, sort of as a how-to course on what not to do. Personally, I wish I hadn't bothered watching this movie. I felt no empathy for these characters whatsoever; they were sulky, passive, and childish... and in an almost completely boring way.

Thumbs down!

See more progress on: learn french

tag: movies

Day 1

Finished the first 10K today, post-holiday meal. Good start.

See more progress on: Complete the Concept2 Holiday Challenge 2005

Concept2 Holiday Challenge

The plan is to row 200K (that’s kilometers) on my Concept2 between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ve been doing this since 2003. This year it will be tough; I haven’t used the rower since June. My excuse is that the summer is for hiking. But now that the days have grown dark and grim, indoor rowing is the way to go.

I have a feeling my weightlifting schedule is going all to shit for the next month.

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

"Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior" stars Tony Jaa, a martial artist from the Thai boondocks, out to recover his village's sacred relic. The movie is worth watching for the chase scene through a Bangkok market area alone, and there are lots of good fight sequences as well.

The irony is heavy what with all that violence going on for the sake of recovering... well, the head of a Buddha. But ok, let's not start picking nits on the plot, which is not what I watch a martial arts movie for anyway.

Thumbs up!

tag: movies