technomania

REVIEW:-

From the intense opening scene to the stellar and shocking finale, Sam Raimi has officially returned to the horror genre with vigor and spark in the year's best horror film so far. Starring Alison Lohman in the leading role (Ellen Page was originally cast as the lead but dropped out of the project early in production), Drag Me to Hell feels like much more than your average, predictable horror popcorn flick. It's filled with plenty of twists and turns and, like any good ride, a satisfying conclusion. And the PG-13 rating? Forget about it! You hardly notice that little factor because of how immersed you become in the story. Also starring are Justin Long, David Paymer, and Lorna Raver.

Christine (Lohman), a loan officer at a bank with a lovely boyfriend (Long), is being considered for a promotion. Jumping at the opportunity, she comes across an old gypsy woman (Raver) who requests a third extension on her house. Her boss (Paymer) tells her it's a tough decision, and its her call, so she refuses the woman's payment. Absolutely infuriated, the woman stalks Christine after work and bestows her with a supernatural curse, one which she has only three days to overcome before the spirits drag her to hell.

Lucky enough to have won tickets to a pre-screening of the film, I had heard nothing but great things about it. I was hoping for the best, but I wasn't sure how the comedy and horror would mix together. Much to my surprise, the horror and comedy in Drag Me to Hell are that rare perfect mix of perfection that one craves in horror movies. If too funny, they can go overboard, but not this one. In fact, I don't think I've seen quite a proper mixture since Raimi's own Evil Dead II.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about the movie is how well it's made technically. It had all sorts of interesting shots and the real work of a master filmmaker. Having both written and directed the film, Sam Raimi more than proves his worth to the horror genre despite his long absence since Army of Darkness. In ways, this is also a sort of revival of what people with think of PG-13 horror movies. Drag Me to Hell is one of the most intense, scary horror films in quite some time, despite the PG-13 rating which many tag as already crap.

Drag Me to Hell is full of its epic shocks, and the less you go in knowing about it the better. I could go on for hours about the movie and spoil everything there is to know, but that would truly ruin some of its appeal. Which is certainly not to say that it is lost after a first viewing, just that it's an experience unlike any other going into this movie watching virtually no clips and reading very little about it. It becomes a truly rewarding experience.

Mrs. Ganush is one truly phenomenal villain that provides plenty of scares. Lorna Raver infuses the role with an enthusiasm - an terror - that is rarely seen in big-screen baddies. She has more personality than The Ring's Samara for sure. Clay's character provides a much-needed balance between the goofy and the horrific, and helps make the film's heroine, Christine, all the more believable. It was an interesting twist to see Justin Long in a horror film, despite the nature of his role. I believed his performance and the sincerity of his character. Lohman had a lot resting on her shoulders with this movie, and she totally pulled it off with flying colors. Nobody plays the terrified, but headstrong and determined female lead better than Lohman, and she proves her worth over and over again in this movie. She totally has a career ahead of her.

Overall, Drag Me to Hell did more than just impress me nonstop. It was a masterpiece of a horror movie, with unrivaled intensity, scares, and one killer of an ending. More often now, horror directors/writers seem to have such a difficult time ending their movies properly. This one has an ending which snugly solidifies the movie as an early contender for best horror film of the year. Don't miss Drag Me to Hell... you will never look at handkerchiefs the same way!

REVIEW:-

Mamma Mia! Does the mention of anything Abba-ish send you cringing to a corner? Or are you already joining in and dancing on the tabletops? Maybe another few drinks . . .

In short, if you are not allergic to Abba, book your tickets now. If you are, why would you be reading this? At a pinch, it is worth seeing for Meryl Streep alone, who not only throws herself headlong into every refrain with unashamed gusto, but adds a touch of class and nuance to what otherwise could be a one-dimensional adaptation. Streep vacillates engagingly between playing herself and not taking herself too seriously. Pierce Brosnan just about keeps up, and manages more expressions than he ever did as James Bond. Colin Firth and Julie Waters trail behind somewhat. Yet Mama Mia! is a roller coaster of emotion, careering colourfully from the blue waters of the Adriatic, bursting 'like Aphrodite's Fountain' into the lives of Donna (Meryl) , her lovers and friends, and her soon-to-be-wed daughter. It is the party spirit that says kick your shoes off and sing silly cheesy songs. Altogether now.

And yes – there's a story. Donna's daughter Sophie is getting married. To the buff-looking Sky. Only – where's her dad? She's never met him. A sneak-peek at Mom's diary shows Mom had three lovers before Sophie was born and Sophie secretly invites all of them. This is a film of threesomes. Three past lovers (Sam, Bill and Harry). Three close friends (Donna and two best pals). And, not to be outdone, Sophie meets up with two other young girls at the start of the film.

The breakneck pace still allows for brilliantly put together shots. Like Streep doing a 'Titanic' with drapes blowing in the wind. Or a pier-load of young hunky stag night crew doing a dance in trunks and deep-dive flippers. Moonlit boats and beaches to "I Have a Dream." Filmed on location, the views won't disappoint. And like a favourite song whose ending we know, the drama is in the details and execution.

As with many adapted-from-stage musicals, two young leads are played by talented singers, and the older parts by serious actors can sing well enough. Streep manages extremely well. Her performance is so professional and assured it leaves others standing. Fortunately, it is perhaps easy to paper over any cracks in musical comedy. Sweeney Todd relied heavily on Depp's charisma and stunning cinematography. Across the Universe, too heavily on the songs. Mamma Mia!, on the other hand, simply tailors everything to its joyous headlong rush. The songs fit naturally to the action. Streep even manages to sing them with her tongue firmly in cheek. She confesses to having been a "stupid reckless little slut" but then says she "grew up". (To which her pals chime in, "Well grow back down again!") The film is not without faults. There is a notable lack of chemistry between the people that throw themselves rapturously against each others' faces. Even Streep looks less than convincing in a brief lips-mash. And the men are a bit croaky in the singing department (Hugh Grant might even have been a preferable casting choice). And some of the time-line is wobbly. For instance, strange as it may seem, music from more than twenty years ago does not all come from the same era. So reminiscing about flower power (early sixties) in the same breath as a Johnny Rotten t-shirt (Sex Pistols, mid-late seventies) is either anachronistic or wishful thinking.

Sadly, I am of a generation that can remember Abba-mania. The records would shoot to number one. Yet even then few people would admit to buying them. I used to manage a night club, and Abba was great music to ask a girl up to dance. My entire chat-up repertoire at that time consisted of, "Would you like to dance?" and "Do you want to come back for a coffee?" But girls would be so happy dancing to Mamma Mia they'd say yes anyway. I'd fall in love with a new girl each week. Ah, those were the days! Now there's a new generation of Abba fans who have no need to 'come out of a closet'. Abba is retro-chique. Even Madonna segued an Abba riff into one of her songs. From karaoke to hen nights. From '70s' nights to gay dance-floors. Dress up. Camp it up. Sing it up. Get sassy and cheesy. Or, if you're old enough to remember, fly back in time to wonderful memories.

Mamma Mia!, whatever detractors might say, has been one of the most successful stage shows of recent times. Supported by the same director and original band members, the movie may well reach the similar fan bases. Or just the party spirit in all of us.

REVIEW:-

A little known fact about me is that I'm a big fan of fluffy romantic comedies. Why wouldn't you want to spend 90 minutes or so watching a film; laughing and ultimately feeling good at the end of it? I don't consider fluffy romance films to be at the absolute top of cinema, but they're good fun, and therefore get a thumbs up from me. The Wedding Singer, however, gets not one thumb up; but both thumbs, firmly, up. So, why does The Wedding Singer succeed more than most films in it's sub genre? Is it the jokes? The beautiful female lead? The gratuitous helping of 80's pop songs? No, it's that this movie has a lot of heart; that's what makes it a winner.

Adam Sandler stars as the quintessential 'loser'. He's a wedding singer, and not a very good one either. He specialises in doing terrible covers of 80's songs. It's not the sort of act that I would want at my wedding. His life gets worse one day, his wedding day, to be exact, when someone doesn't turn up. The bride, that is. Now in a deep spiral of depression, our hero doesn't see any way forward. His next gig is a washout and there's love all around him; even his newfound friend, the cute little waitress that works at the same place as him is getting married. And to a man who doesn't deserve her, I might add. I don't think I really need to tell you what comes next, but even though it's a predictable ride; trust me, it's a ride you want to be on.

Adam Sandler tends to be a very annoying actor; and for that reason he is almost universally disliked, but it is undeniable that he is good in this movie. Nobody else could have given the character what Sandler gave him; his performance is both entertaining and believable, and therefore is just right for the movie. Drew Barrymore was also perfectly cast. She is the perfect girl in this movie; all smiles and sunshine, and it's impossible not to fall in love with her. The movie also features great little turn from Steve Buscemi, who provides the film with one of it's funniest moments towards the start.

As mentioned; The Wedding Singer has a lot of heart. From the way that the characters interact with each other, particularly Sandler and Barrymore, it is obvious that they are in love. The movie also has some points to make on the subject of love; The Wedding Singer portrays that being in love is overall better than being a 'Fonz' type, womanising character. The message at the movie's centre is also a worthwhile one; the movie professes that it isn't important who you fall in love with; it doesn't matter whether or not he's merely a wedding singer, all that matters is the love between two people. The movie says that love is all you need; and that is a worthwhile message in any movie. The movie's message is lost somewhat under the barrage of jokes; but it's most certainly there and I for one think that it's a shame that a movie that is entertaining and funny can't be considered in the same league as other, more serious movies with a similar message.

Overall, The Wedding Singer is at the very top of the romantic comedy genre. It will make you laugh, and you will ultimately feel for the characters. The fact that this movie has something to say is only another reason to recommend it; especially as it says it with a great big smile on it's face. The Wedding Singer is not a film that you will want to miss; it's feel-good at it's best.

REVIEW:-

The atmosphere that James Cameron and Stan Winston had created for the first 2 films in the franchise is what really hit me and still does to this day. I think that was the key component along with consistency and approach that gave the Terminator film it's unique style and attractiveness. It's metallic-blue overlay, infused with creepy whines of music and heart pounding edge of your seat suspense was what really created this secondary reality if not for only an hour long. It made us have a connection to these characters. A sense of believability in what was really going on. But it was those elements that were able to harness the inner workings of this dark dreamland. In essence the first two Terminators were projected nightmares in a sense, as if you were running and running, but no how fast you ran, the shadowy figure on your toes just keeps closing in. THAT is what made those films so captivating.

Now these elements in one way or another were tried in this newest installment of the franchise. I see it as I've heard before as a "hit and miss" movie in which it got some key features to play out in the film, but lacked that essential tone T1 and T2 romantically portrayed.

I have talked in lengths with individuals on why this film didn't quite hit all of it's projected(we hope) targets and I haven't really heard a clear and analyzed answer. Some say it was the amount of sub-plots that were involved, the lack of plot, the empty character development, the slight cheesy factor, and or the overall weak story and unnecessary additions to the Terminator franchise. Although these all valid arguments to say the least and I would agree on them full heartily, I don't see it as the culprit of the problem here of why this film did not life up to it's expectations.

I think, like I said above in the first paragraph, that it was the direction the film was taken in perspective to it's overall tone and mood. God bless his soul, Stan Winston. For if he were alive I think we would have seen a more polished version of what we have now witnessed. I also think it was a bad part on McG for giving the O.K on the revised Terminator theme by veteran composer Danny Elfman. I don't know why in the hell the screened audiences gave the thumbs up on that one. Another issue of course is that most of the scenes were in broad day-light. I understand that McG wanted to get a different take on the war, but I don't think this was pulled off in any respects to what James Cameron had in mind for the war.(Shouldn't the sky be filled with pollution and dark particle manner from the nuclear explosions creating an ever-dark wasteland?) This was CRUCIAL and they blew it. I don't see why they didn't go with more night scenes. It is one of the strongest representative thematic elements portrayed in the Terminator 1 & 2.(I am not even going to mention T3 because of the ridiculous amount of mistakes made)

The Rating: A main point that needs to be addressed for sure is the film's PG-13 rating. Of course they did this to appeal to a larger demographic of movie-goers, but they did it in expense of the true grit and bones that T1 and T2 had. I don't see why a Terminator film should be even considered for a PG-13 rating. Anything lower than an "R" rating does not do the title justice. The series is called Terminator for a reason...They are killing machines. THAT'S IT. I think that this is one of the biggest insults to the die-hard community of Terminator fans everywhere.

There is no room for Mediocrity in trying to follow up after T2: Judgment Day. Lets hope and pray that us as an online community hold the next bunch of crazies accountable for their creative actions for the next installment of the franchise.

Till this date, Microsoft’s windows had two options for the memory requirement of the computer, so that the computing can be done at cheaper rates and that too without installing the physical memory.

1. Physical Memory (RAM)
2. Page File (A virtual memory file, stored on hard disk).

The page file is used by the Windows OS to cater the needs of various applications when the physical memory is fully used up. The reason for that is, that Virtual memory is slower as compared to the physical memory and thus Phyical memory takes the first priority.

However, with the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft has introduced a new technology called ReadyBoost. With the help of this technology one can use any Flash drive, SD Cards, CF Cards as the third memory option for the computer.

Now, the benefits of Flash Drive or Cards as a source of Memory :

1. It is faster than the virtual memory which is accessed through the hard disk drive.
2. It is cheaper as compared to the actually Physical Memory.

How can it be activated ?
In order to activate the ReadyBoost technology on your FlashDrive or Memory Cards, you have to follow these steps…

1. Open My Computer.
2. Right Click on the Removable Disk Drive and select Properties.
3. Click on ReadyBoost Tab.
4. Enable the feature by selecting the option and allocate the amount of space you want to use as memory.

Things to be noted….
1. Regardless of the fact that you use Readyboost or not, you need at least 512 Mb of memory to run Windows Vista decently.
2. If your device is not giving the option of ReadyBoost then it means that it doesn’t clear up the minimum data trasfer rate required by ReadBoost technology.

REVIEW:-

This is one of the best movies i hav seen ! Anurag kashyap has proved his brilliance in story-telling one more time! For all those who r planning to see the movie, get ready to get ur jaws drop !

The plot everyone knows - a mordern take on the classical novel Devdas, and it does work well ! Though the movie is based on the text, but it is so very original ! This movie contains many things, thats very rare in a Hindi movie! This movie is dark, yet will mak u smile!

And what actually makes this movie work is the music, and the way they have used it! Its very rare to hav a movie with a narrative-soundtrack (by amit trivedi) which actually adds on to the film narration! and satirical too, where u hav a breakup song in actually a wedding-song backdrop !

This movie has certain things u wudnt normally hav in a Hindi movie - Reference to sex, abusive language, a narrative soundtrack, amazing narration, and an aim to actually mak a genuine, original, and remarkable film than to mak a super-hit clichéd Hindi movie! The cinematography (Rajeev Ravi) is superb ! The visuals add on to the darkness of the story !

All the performances are great, except for one possible drawback which is the dialogue delivery of kalki ( chanda )!

Mahie Gill has given a remarkable performance. All the emotions - anger, embarrassment, love, lust, is brought out well by her!

Abhay Doel acts perfectly well portraying an egoistic, broken man helplessly in love with a married woman.

The climax is great, but a little abrupt ! This movie was simply an awesome experience! A very rare piece of Hindi cinema! Go watch Dev D. Step out of the hall. And then, go watch it again.

REVIEW:-

When it was first announced that Shahrukh Khan's next film would be this one, many were under the impression that this would be a historical film but it isn't at all. Sometimes we remember our childhood and in particular our friends and the times and various moments at the time. The problem is that we can only remember them once they have gone and they cannot be recreated .This is a simple story which has been portrayed in a most simplistic manner by the makers and the actors. . A Simple man, who owes a lot of money to many and yet people in the village don't want to know him or want to go to his shop has his life turned upside down, when a film company comes to make a film.

Starring Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, Shahrukh Khan, Asrani, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and Manoj Joshi, this is directed by Priyadarshan while Preetam provides the music score. Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone make special appearances.

Even though it stars Shahrukh Khan and has been produced by him and his wife, this is not a typical Shahrukh Khan film but Irrfan Khan instead, as he has done a very good job in his role and it suits him. Lara Dutta has also done a good job in this film as has "King Khan" himself. The special appearances by Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone add glamour to the story and its worth while watching and listening to the songs that they perform to – the music and the songs are worth listening to. Being a person who has had some experience in photography, the cinematography is worth a mention and must say that this is good and more so where the interior is concerned and also the hills. Regarding certain aspects of movie making, there is also some good comedy and comic situations. The choreography direction includes Shahrukh Khan's friend and director of movies such as "Mein Hoo Na" and "Om Shanti Om," Farah Khan.

REVIEW:-

Kate Winslet, I absolutely adore her, she's my favorite actress of all time. I still can't believe that she hadn't won an Oscar, her first nomination was in 1995 with Sense and Sensibility. Finally after 14 long years, she finally won the coveted award with the movie The Reader. I finally was able to see this movie the other day and it blew me away, I'm still debating if this really was my favorite Kate Winslet performance, but once again with a strong cast telling a powerful story, The Reader was definitely one of the best films out of 2008. So many holocaust films have been made, it's hard to make another that stands out, but we really haven't had a story where the Nazi guards were on trial. A lot of people debate if this movie is trying too hard to push sympathy on Kate Winslet's character, but my love for this film is to just show that they were human as well, hard to believe, but that our mothers, sisters, friends, whoever could have done something so shameful.

Michael Berg in 1995 Berlin watches an S-Bahn pass by, flashing back to a tram in 1958 Neustadt. A teenage Michael gets off because he is feeling sick and wanders around the streets afterwards, finally pausing in the entryway of a nearby apartment building where he vomits. Hanna Schmitz, the tram conductor, comes in and assists him in returning home. The 36 year old Hanna seduces and begins an affair with the 15 year old boy. During their liaisons, at her apartment, he reads to her literary works he is studying. After a bicycling trip, Hanna learns she is being promoted to a clerical job at the tram company. She abruptly moves without leaving a trace. The adult Michael, a lawyer, at Heidelberg University law school in 1966. As part of a special seminar taught by Professor Rohl, a camp survivor, he observes a trial of several women who were accused of letting 300 Jewish women die in a burning church when they were SS guards on the death march following the 1944 evacuation of Auschwitz. Hanna is one of the defendants. Stunned, Michael visits a former camp himself. The trial divides the seminar, with one student angrily saying there is nothing to be learned from it other than that evil acts occurred and that the older generation of Germans should kill themselves for their failure to act then. But Michael is conflicted on what to do, if to speak out on Hannah's behalf on some of her innocence in the murders or keep quiet.

This is one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen, it was so incredible and just heart breaking. One of the things I respected about the film was the way they handled the awkward "love story" between Michael and Hannah, she's older, he's younger, but it's not even a perverted thing, so strange to say that. I don't know how to put it exactly, but their connection was real and in some sense they both needed each other. If you have the chance to see this movie, I seriously suggest that you take it, the powerful performances really make this film captivating. The story is so heart wrenching and painful, but was told so well. Kate now finally has the award she's deserved for so long and pulls in a terrific performance with The Reader.

10/10

GeoEye-1 satellite was launched on on September 6, at the time of its launch GeoEye-1 was the world’s highest resolution commercial earth-imaging satellite. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Google both paid $502 million for the satellite.

While GeoEye-1 is capable of imagery with details the size of 41 centimetres (16 in), Google will have access to details of 50 centimetres (20 in). The GeoEye-1 is set to serve not only Google but also the US government.

On October 10th GeoEye-1 released its first ever shot images which is of Kutzton University in Pennsylvania. Heres the image...

With Google having access to such high resolution images Google Maps and Google Earth are about to get that much sweeter. Way to gooo.. Google.

Take a look at some more exclusive images from GeoEye here

When you do a Google search, you're instantly presented with a list of results from all over the web. How does Google find web pages matching your query, and determine the order of search results? Also how does google understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want. Well they use something called PageRank™ technology.

What is this PageRank Technology ? Well, PageRank reflects our view of the importance of web pages by considering more than 500 million variables and 2 billion terms. Pages that we believe are important pages receive a higher PageRank and are more likely to appear at the top of the search results.

PageRank also considers the importance of each page that casts a vote, as votes from some pages are considered to have greater value, thus giving the linked page greater value. We have always taken a pragmatic approach to help improve search quality and create useful products, and our technology uses the collective intelligence of the web to determine a page's importance.

In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to their pages and thus they become more google friendly and their pages are listed more on google search.

Use this free tool to display your PageRank as a button in your blog template. This could also help you find the current page rank of any website you want to check, including yours.

Just enter your blog's URL in the box below and click "submit". You will then be shown the various button styles you can use. Choose your button and the code for your PageRank display button will be generated below.

You can then copy the code into an HTML/Javascript widget in your sidebar, or paste into your template where you would like the button to appear.