Memories

             If only I knew that he thought off me too. That would be a relief in my tears. I would be able to stand it if I only knew that I meant something to him in the end. That all his words were not just empty and his promises were not just a mere wagging of the tongue.

The Casual Vacancy

             I think I expressed my admiration for J.K. Rowling and her books many, many times before. And no surprise here that when I heard about Rowling's new book - The Casual Vacancy - I wanted to read it immediatelly. I was also very excited to hear that the book is not for kids but for adults. I bought it as a gift for myself for Christmas :)

I started to read it and ... a slight dissapointment :(

What I liked about the book:

It was great to read about a modern british society. I realise that the characters were fictional and the stories were not based on any particular events of course. But still, a book written by a British writer about Britain gives us an opportunity of an insight, which would be much less possible if the book was written by a non-British person. In this, I regard her a little bit like Jane Austen, whose novels were a mine of information about her times..

I liked the characters. So different, coming from every background, different religions, having different beliefs, opinions and plans. A true kaleidoscope of people that made the book interesting and diverse.

It was interesting to read about different issues which where part of the community live in Pagford. Rowling touches upon problems of drugs using, home violence, biurocray, local politics etc. These are the issues which every community around the world has to face sooner or later. Problems very much real and contemporary.

What I didn't like about the book:
Although the stories brought up in the book are interesting and modern they didn't have much power for me to be interested. I was pushing myself through the book just out of respect for Rowling and her previous work, which I love so much. The story lacked "the flow" which Rowling is so great in creating. I was bored at times as well. Hmmmm, maybe the next book will be better :)

I'll be back ... Terminator

               I have seen "The Terminator" many, many times. And surprisingly, somehow I don't have enough of it yet. When you watch the first Terminator (from 1984) you have to admire the fresh idea of the movie and they way it was made. There were no computers and "advanced movie technology" back then, you had to do everything yourself. And so the glimpses of the future had to actually be made and filmed instead of being created on the computer screen. Cameron had his special effect crew built a real skeleton of the Terminator, which took Stan Winston 6 months!!! The most memorable scene of the truck explosion at the end of the movie was filmed in a studio with a small truck being blown to bits. The pressure to do it right the first time was - as we can all imagine - enormous :)

I think that The Terminator and its 3 sequels show us the change in movie making and a totally new direction in the cinema. It can be clearly observed since the movies were released every - more or less - 10 years. I will try to explain my theory:

In the first movie from 1984 we have a human Kyle Reesefighting against a regular cyborg (if we can call a cyborg "regular") and protecting a delicate Sarah Connor. Everything in the movie was build from scratch and not much technology was used to make it the way it is.

In the second movie from 1991 (Terminator 2: JudgmentDay) the scenery changes and we notice certain advancements. The protector is no longer a mere human but T-800 himself (fine twist in here). Sarah is no longer a weak and delicate girl but a true rebel's mother. But the biggest (and the most interesting in my opinion) surprise is T-100 liquid metal Terminator (spectacular Robert Patric), who can change shapes whenever he wants. Thanks to images generated by computers we can watch the amazing hospital scene (in which T-1000 walks through the psychiatric hospital bars), car chase (when Sarah, John and T-800 shoot T-1000 and make holes in him) or the final scene when T-1000 melts. Big developments in characters and technology comparing to film number one.

In the third film from 2001 (Terminator 3: Rise ofthe Machines) we again have a better version of the protector T-850 and an ass kicking T-X, who can produce weapons out of her arms and is virtually indestructible (great idea to make the Terminator a girl). We have flying machines, car chases, robots and all sorts of special effects which can blow your mind. Comparing to parts 1 and 2 - more computer meddling.

And finaly film number four from 2007 (Terminator Salvation). I could write a lot here but I guess it's better to see it than read about it. Special effects, special effects and ... more special effects. Cannot get past it. Of course the action takes place in the future and there is war, so a certain amount of special effects is in order. In this movie you can see them all. Luckily we have too good actors playingJohn Connor and Marcus Wright who balance to movie nicely.

I like the Terminator for many reasons. Action, the idea, actors, famous quotes and yes - special effects. But mostly I like it because it started so small and not so expensive (the producer bought the rights to make the movie for 1$). This movie shows that dreams - in every sense of this word - can come true :)

Friends

         I would like to make some new friends - real not on-line ;) I'm no longer a student and my work doesn't give me much opportunity to meet people. I work my shifts alone. At home I'm alone again or with my roomate. But I think I need some more people in my life. Somebody to go out with maybe once or twice a week. But where can I meet them? Any tips? I would be greateful :)