Film Review - KNOWING (2009)

BOTTOM LINE: Over the top and way too serious, "Knowing" plays its prophetic doomsday story out with a heavy-handed sledge hammer; the acting is good, the visuals are marvellous, but the depressing and slightly arthouse climax coupled with an uneven handling of themes make this film a disappointing experience.

THE GOOD: Combining a disaster movie with a mystical prophecy plot is hardly anything new but it always remains a fascinating concept. The idea of a group of kids from the fifties drawing pictures of what they think the future will be like and burying them in a time capsule to be unearthed fifty years later is a good twist, particularly as one of the children hears voices which tell her the dates and locations of every major disaster to occur on the planet for the next fifty years, which she transcribes on to her drawing paper. Nicolas Cage plays single father John Koestler whose son Caleb (Chandler Canterbury) is the recipient of the mysterious page of numbers.

Soon enough, strange looking people appear in the shadows, and after closer examination, John finds the numbers have meaning. He sets about trying to stop the disasters from occurring, but eventually he realises, there is nothing he can do about the ultimate disaster set to occur when the numbers run out. Director Alex Proyas has been known for combining high concept science-fiction motifs, Hollywood-style execution with an arthouse twist and "Knowing" is no exception. He manages to combine a few big disaster sequences (which look spectacular), some fine acting from the cast (in particularly Nicolas Cage), and then also offer a climax that you are not likely to expect from a Hollywood movie. The film has some good moments of terror, action, character and thrills.

THE BAD: Overkill would be a good way to describe how this film was directed. The central concept is sound, but given the heavy-handedness of the storytelling, it comes across as a little ridiculous. All the characters seem like they are suffering through everything right from the beginning which makes it difficult to watch. The disaster sequences are a little brutal, particularly the airline crash where John watches people on fire jumping out of the burnt remains of the plane, or being visibly caught in subsequent explosions and fireballs. The subway train sequence is the same, with the physical impact of the train wiping out people making the scene hard to sit through. The film is full of plot holes and conveniences; how Nicolas Cage ended up in the exact spot of the first disaster and in turn finding the final piece of the puzzle in decoding the sheet of numbers is one of the most amazing coincidences ever put to film, but the film tries to gets its way around this by playing to the themes of destiny versus random chance, however far-fetched it becomes.

The musical score by Marco Beltrami is likewise way over the top. Whenever the "whisper people" show up, the high pitched thriller tones are overbearing to the point where you want to cover your ears. The "whisper people" are also another point of contention; their first appearances are quite creepy, but as the film continues on, an uneven handling of their place in the film makes them lose their effectiveness as the other-worldly focus of the film. Proyas at first seems to suggest that they are aliens who are out to get us, but then when the film shifts tone in the climax to a more religious motif with the idea of settling a new Adam and Eve on another planet to start again, he seems to suggest they are more God-like, particularly in the last shot of them flying away in to space with Caleb and his new friend running through the fields towards the tree of knowledge. "Knowing" seems to sit half way between a great Hollywood disaster movie and a great independent arthouse film but without capturing the elements from either that would make the film great. "Knowing" is an interesting exercise nonetheless, but ultimately disappointing in its execution.

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LG 47SL9000 Review

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LGE are a manufacturer known for exceptional quality electronics at a price that's righT. Their most recent foray has seen them enter the flat screen LCD television market with some surprising early results. Their new range of LED TVs, the SL9000 series, have been wowing consumers; the combination full HD capabilities and hassle free functionality and a long life have been drawing in converts. But how good are these new LED televisions?

LG have produced, what would appear to be, stunning TV's at competitive prices.Their new range includes the LG 47SL9000, one of the smaller screens, although the specifications are pretty much the same across the board.

LG's SL9000 range of HDTV's have a series of LED's located on the edge of the display as opposed to the traditional LCD format seen on many models currently available. Light Emitting Diode has become the new byword in an industry that strives to produce ever greater levels of detail and viewing quality. There's no denying that the 47SL9000 and it's larger, 47 " brother produce exceptional viewing (the 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio alone produces a truly stunning selection, and depth, breathing new life into HD viewing).

The only downside to the screens on the 47SL9000 - the 1080p HD display has been coated with a glossy layer that has a habit of reflecting a lot of light off the surface so you need to plan to put this TV in a room where it won't be in direct sunlight. LG has coined the term 'borderless' to describe the SL9000 series but, although it's slim compared to many of their previous models, it's not the thinnest TV available to buyers (3.5 cm at the edges and over 4 cm at the bottom).

When first turned on, the LG 47SL9000 loads up the default factory settings as default which are, if we're brutally honest, not designed for optimal viewing. One of the best recommendations we can make is to read your instruction manual and configure the TV to your own requirements rather than using the LG's defaults. One of the best modes on the LG 47SL9000 is the Cinema Mode which has been designed to provide an all-round quality viewing experience out of the box. We found that this setting needs minor adjustments to get a great picture (some minor tweaks to you backlighting settings will do the trick).

Unfortunately, LG has decided to build the 47SL9000 TV with Trumotion 100Mhz motion control - the motion control features found on the SL8000 series is a far superior200 Hz - but the set still handles fast moving action well.

The build and design quality are up there with the best names in LCD manufacturing and the 47SL9000 features pretty much all the connectors you'll need to turn it into a decent multimedia hub. Connecting the TV to your compatible games consoles or Blu-Ray device simple and the TV has support for older devices like VCR's and SD devices.

Sadly, there's no SD card reader because LG have decided this television only needs a USB port. No big deal as the USB socket lets you attach a good range of multimedia devices (AVC HD, SD and HD DivX). If that's not enough, the SL9000 models also benefit from LG's support for DNLA compatible devices which let you to connect to streaming content via the Ethernet port.

The SL9000's remote commander is both simple to use and benefit from a backlit panel that makes it easy to see what you're doing when used in a dark room.

The LG 47SL9000's audio capabilities could do with a boost. It's not that LG have scrimped on features; far from it. The culprit here is the super model-like body which, because it's being only 2.9 cm thick, leaves no space for decent speakers! The resulting audio is under par in depth of sound but this is unlikely to be a problem for TV enthusiasts with plans to connect the 47SL9000 up to their surround sound system.

The 47SL9000 LED TV gets a big thumbs up in the power consumption department. The 47SL9000 uses only 0.3 W when placed in standby which, although more than other LED TV's out there, is still a major step up from most of the LCD televisions on the market right now.

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Movie Review - The Ugly Truth (2009)

If you want to see a dirty version of When in Rome, watch The Ugly Truth. It is your typical romance set in the world of shock news casting? Maybe I'm really out of it, but come on. How ridiculous is this?

The acting was fine, and the story was okay, too. But, surely for just the shock value, the continual explicit sexual punch lines left this movie trite and quite common place.

This movie could have been a lot better if they would have worked on the plot more - but, even with that said - I did watch the entire movie. So it does have some redeeming value to it, though not much.

Maybe I'm just a little too jaded to enjoy romantic movies anymore. I'm probably the guy, at any rate, who had given up on dating and relationships. Wait a minute, I AM the guy. As much as this movie tries, in a really awkward way, to claim there is that "one" person out there for everyone or that relationships do work, it left me bored about half way through, wanting something different. When in Rome, I thought, had much more plot, even though it was not at all original. The Ugly Truth is, actually, not ugly - its just unoriginal.

I would not recommend this movie, even though it was well filmed and has talented acting in it. It's just way too typical, looking for cheap laughs, simply because the writing isn't able to carry it over. Run. Run.

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Review of the Logitech Harmony 650 Remote

When it comes to universal remotes, Logitech has a leg up on the competition. The Logitech Harmony 650 remote is a solid addition to the Harmony family. In this article I'll be talking about this remote. This remote has many great features that makes it worth buying. It has a color screen. This allows making selections very easy. Another great thing the 650 Harmony does is replace five different remotes. That's five less remotes to clutter up your room. The button layout on this remote is also extremely smart. The buttons are grouped by how you use them. They are even backlit to make seeing them in the dark, simple.

Color always makes things easier. It's nice when your universal remote comes with a color screen. This allows the Logitech Harmony to be used with ease. You'll see icons on this screen that represent all sorts of things. You'll see favorite television channels and icons that control the devices you have set up on the remote. There's even a help button that can help you if you get stuck. The color display on the 650 model is great.

I always say that clutter is a bad thing. It makes your rooms look disorganized and messy. The Logitech Harmony 650 remote can replace up to five remotes. This will make any room more organized. It will also save a lot of time when it comes to looking for different remotes. Having five remotes on one will make your life a lot easier and will streamline you whole entertainment area no matter where it may be.

Last, button layout is very important when it comes to universal remotes. You want all related buttons to be in the same vicinity. This will make using the remote a lot easier. The Logitech Harmony 650 has an extremely smart button layout. The buttons stand way out. This allows you to be sure you are pressing the right buttons. They are also backlit, so you can see them easier in the dark or other times when light could be lacking.

In conclusion, the Logitech Harmony 650 delivers everything you could expect from a Logitech Harmony all in one remote and more. The color screen makes in very easy to use. Everything on the screen is layed out in a very user friendly manner. The 650 replaces up to five different device remotes. This will surely lessen clutter and get you more organized. Also, the buttons are layed out in a very effective way. All the buttons that are related to each other are all near each other. These are just some of the great things about the 650.

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Sony Cybershot DSC H20 Review

The Sony Cybershot DSC H20 is one of a number of digital cameras launched in the spring of 2009 offering some extra zoom inside a relatively compact body. You only need to look back about two years to see that the 10x optical zoom Sony has built into the Cybershot DSC H20 was about the maximum you could find on any digital camera. Now that the most advanced models can offer up to 24x zoom a gap has opened in the market. This is being filled by these smaller cameras offering what was not so long ago considered to be maximum zoom.

When it comes to the zoom available you have extra options with the Cybershot DSC H20. If you are planning to make smaller prints, you can reduce the amount of megapixels you are shooting at from the maximum 10. This allows additional zoom to become available. At its smallest resolution up to 57x zoom becomes available to you. On top of this you can also opt to buy conversion lenses to increase the telephoto or wide angle capacity of the lens. The lens comes with a 58mm thread for fitting a conversion lens via a lens adapter or for using filters.

You have the choice of using the Cybershot DSC H20 as a point and shoot camera or you can opt to use the manual exposure mode to give you more control over the way your final photographs will look. When you place the camera in manual mode you gain access to shutter speeds between 30 and 1/2000 seconds and aperture sizes between f/3.5 - 8 (wide) f/4.4 - 10 (tele).

As I mentioned above there have been a number of advances in the last two years when it comes to length of lens. This is the same with video modes. The Cybershot DSC H20 is capable of shooting High Definition movies. One area where this camera has the edge over the majority of other digital cameras is that it is able to record sound in stereo. You can also apply zoom while you are shooting movies.

Sony has included image stabilisation, face detection and a smile shutter. These three features are almost commonplace on digital cameras, especially with this length of lens. Also included is a 3 inch LCD screen, although you need to make do without a viewfinder.

When it comes to picture quality I had few complaints. The extra physical size of the lens found on this type of camera tends to make picture quality more standard and there is little to choose between different cameras. The Cybershot DSC H20 is able to handle most photo opportunities well and it can also take a good macro shot for close up subjects. Compared to other brands I felt the colours were a little subtler. How strong you like the colour to be in a photograph is something of a matter of taste, but this does help to create a difference between the cameras in this niche.

The cameras all look a little different to each other as well. I like the design of this camera. It is certainly compact and the unfussy style with a matt black finish suggests a well made camera with a touch of quality.

Cameras like the Sony Cybershot DSC H20 are often marketed as good choices for travel and holiday. This is because you get the extra lens power, but there is no large, bulky camera to lug around with you. So if you are planning a holiday for the summer of 2009 take a close look at this camera.

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Jaws (Movie Review)

Steven Spielberg's breakout film, Jaws is the quintessential summer blockbuster, generating all the horror, thrills, suspense, and special effects you would expect from such a film. Not excessively violent or gruesome like traditional horror films, Jaws nonetheless manages to create an icy frost in every viewer's veins. Based on the true story of a great white shark which terrorized the shores of New Jersey in the summer of 1916, Jaws is an ingenious adaptation of Peter Benchley's best-selling novel inspired by the incident. Jaws tells the story of man's eternal struggle against nature, a story so compelling it captures the imagination of every generation who hears it - from 1916 to 1975 to the present day...

Jaws takes place in the small New England beach resort of Amity Island, the perfect summer getaway for Northeastern tourists. But this Normal Rockwell community paradise is about to be turned upside down. Late one night, a young couple decides to go swimming. But when the woman's mangled body is washed ashore the next morning, it's clear to local authorities that she isn't a typical drowning victim. The medical examiner informs Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) that the woman could have been the victim of a shark attack, but Amity Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) refuses to speculate, fearing that public knowledge of a shark attack would kill the local economy.

When another shark attacks occurs, this time is broad daylight, the incident draws shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to the area. Working with Chief Brody, Hooper postulates that a great white shark is responsible for the attacks, and the swimming population is in great danger. Meanwhile, a shark hunter named Quint offers to find and kill the shark for $10,000, but Mayor Vaughn believes that price is too high. More and more beach combers will have to be slaughtered before he'll agree to acknowledge the seriousness of the problem, and when the authorities finally decide to go after the great white, the really danger is only beginning...

With brilliant direction and state-of-the-art special effects (satisfactory even by today's standards), Jaws is a true edge-of-your-seat thriller wrought with suspense. The unknown is masterfully woven throughout the movie with a crescendo effect that keeps the audience guessing until the end. Like any good story, the shark is never shown in the opening scenes. Instead, the movie begins with an attack in near darkness. The shark is alluded to... Even when someone is attacked in daylight, the audience is only privy to an exposed fin and the blood of the victim as it spreads across the water. This approach effectively combines fear of the unknown with the already present fear of the shark to create a chilling atmosphere for movie goers. Is it any wonder then that Jaws was a blockbuster hit?

It's this high level of suspense that I like most about Jaws. Like a fine murder novel, the scenes draw the audience into the setting, forcing you to identify with the characters. In due time, you begin to fear for your own life. After watching Jaws, you may not swim at the beach ever again... And any movie that can have that type of effect must be good! That's why Jaws ranks as a definite must-see film...

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HDTV Product Review - What is the Best?

High-definition Television (HDTV) is a television system that has a huge number of lines, than the usual one, per frame hence its picture quality is very high. Many of the HDTV buying individuals argue that the quality of the picture of these TVs appear great when displaying a Blu-ray or some other high-definition source, and that the exclusively important aspect on any HDTV is the capacity to display that picture. According to many people, the design of these TVs is one of the main review criteria that really distinguish an HDTV from other TVs. Generally, HDTV product reviews cover performance, design, and features.

Nowadays, many TV manufactures such as JVC, LG, Olevia, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Vizio, and Westinghouse have started producing best quality HDTVs. The HDTV product reviews are very much useful for the individuals those who are looking to buy a latest HDTV. Many new Plasma 1080p HDTVs cost almost twice the rate of a comparably sized 720p TV set.

Most of the consumer reports reveal that the new Panasonic 50-inch HD Plasma TV set (model: TH-50PZ700U) is one among the first fairly priced 1080p HD plasma TVs. It costs around $3,500. Panasonic also produces 42-inch 1080p HD plasma set; however, consumer reports reveal that the 50-inch model produces the finer picture aspect more apparent.

Some magazines report that Samsung's 42-inch HD plasma HP-S4253 set supplies pretty strong picture quality and fantastic surround sound. The flat-panel set costs around $1,400. The HP-S4253 set performs reasonably well. The colors and skin tones looked accurate and bright. It is a better selection for well-lit rooms. The Samsung HD plasma TVs also offer a built-in HD tuner, two HDMI connections, integrated SRX surround sound, and a screen burn-in protection feature.

Many reports show that Philips' 42-inch Plasma HDTV (42PF9631D) provides a solid picture and a dashing addition to the living room. The reviews of many magazines reveal that this Philips HDTV is an elegant and impressive set with its semitransparent stand, silvery speakers, and wide black bezel. This model also comes with the Ambilight feature (company's trademark), which surrounds the video display with a glowing color associated with what is on the screen. If people watch movies with Ambilight function on, they feel the experience absorbing enough to support watching a couple of more scenes.

If people looking for a reasonably priced 50-inch HD Plasma TV, they can go for Vizio P50HDM. These sets cost as little as $1,399. The Vizio 50-inch plasma HDTV provides an amazing black-level functioning and exact color decoding. With applaudable quality of image and a great deal of connections, this comparatively inexpensive Vizio P50HDM 50-inch HD plasma TV is the most beneficial value in its category.

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The Mummy - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Review

I started watching this film with all the eager anticipation of the previous two films, which I really enjoyed, and have watched several times.

I have to say though this film did not deliver, and as usual for a follow up film it didn't really add anything new. The plot was the usual fare, with a long lost emperor being resurrected, not even a true mummy to be honest. The usual scenes to prevent him becoming immortal and the inevitable beating at the hands of Brendan Fraser, who seems always to win when every other immortal in the film has been easily pushed aside by the bad guy. To add insult to injury the brilliant Rachel Weisz was missing to be replaced Maria Bello who didn't add anything to the role and I thought was very weak. She is believed to have signed up for another three mummy films.

The chase scene was very reminiscent of the chase in "The Mummy Returns", with a couple of new twists and to be honest I did find that part enjoyable. There was the usual ending with the now two armies facing off to decide the fate of the world. Brendan Fraser and John Hannah played there roles well as would be expected with the normal quick fire one liners. The film also introduces the son as an adult and I wonder if this is a way of moving the films towards a new main character and slowly resigning Brendan Fraser to a secondary role and eventually be pulled all together.

All in all a very disappointing third installment to the franchise and I suspect if the fourth mummy film, rumoured to be starting soon, does not deliver then these series of films will go the same way of many others.

For me I will give it 4/10

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