Miramax Films presents a film written and directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. It is a critically acclaimed 2007 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The film features Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem.
If you like the kind of film that surprises you and takes away your breath at the same time,this is it. It tells the story of a drug deal gone very wrong and the ensuing cat-and-mouse drama as three men crisscross each others paths in the desert landscape of 1980 West Texas. Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.
The local sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), tells of the changing times as the region becomes increasingly violent. The key character of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and his weapon of choice — cattle gun — are introduced as he escapes police custody and steals a car by using the cattle gun to kill the car's driver. But at the same time a hunter hunting pronghorn come across a collection of corpses and one Mexican near death which was the result of a drug deal gone bad. The hunter Llewwlyn Moss [Josh Brolin] also finds two million dollars in a suitcase and decides that he will keep the money and leave the Mexican to die, but has a change of heart and returns with some water for the man.
But this good deed sets off a cat and mouse game in which the hunter and the hunted switch roles as a gang of Mexicans,Chigurh,Moss and Bell chase each other and the two million dollars across the Texas and Mexican landscape. But unbeknown to Moss, Chigurh who was hired to retrieve the money has a transponder hidden in it. And Chigurh, who is a professional hit man, will kill anyone who gets in his way.
In the meantime Moss, not knowing anything about the transponder, sends his wife Carla Jean [Kelly MacDonald] out of town and jumps from motel to motel trying to elude not only Chigurh but also the Mexicans. While all of this is happening, Bell main concern is to try and protect Moss after he finds him. Chigurh is closing in on Moss because of the tracking device.
Chigurh ends up killing some of the Mexicans and a rival hit-man named Carson Wells who is played by Woody Harrelson. Moss arranges a meeting with Carla Jean in El Pasco to give her the money and tries to get her out of danger. All of the action now takes place at the motel when all of the main characters converge there, but not at the same time. Moss is killed by the Mexicans in a bloody shootout. Sheriff Bell shows up and enters a room to discover that the vent covers have been removed and knows that the money had been removed and then leaves, not knowing that Chigurh is hiding in that same motel.
Bell finally gets the opportunity to visit his uncle Ellis [Barry Corbin] and informs him that he is going to retire because he is getting leery of the changing times, but Ellis accuses him of just being vain. Some time later Chiguth confronts the widowed Carla Jean and offers her the same "coin flip"opportunity that he had offered the gas station owner, Carla Jean refuses and in the next scene it shows Chigurh examining the soles of his boots, as if to indicate that he had committed another murder. He ends up in a car accident but he manages to elude the police and escapes again.
At the very end of this story Bell is reflecting on the many choices he had in his life. He tells his wife[Tess Harper] about the two dreams that he has had while heis experiencing an uneasy retirement at home.
Highly praised by critics, the film received several Golden Globe Award nominations. Roger Ebert called it "as good a film as the Coen brothers... have ever made and gave it a four star review and it appeared on many of critics top 10 list of 2007.It took Best Picture at 2008 Critics’ Choice Awards.
No Country for Old Men Movie Review
The Guns of Navarone
The guns of Navarone was a 1961 movie about a British commando team that is sent on an almost impossible mission of destroying a massive German gun emplacement after crossing occupied Greek territory. This film was directed by J. Lee Thompson and had some of the biggest stares of the day in it. This movie was based on a well known 1957 novel about World War Two by Scottish writer Ail-stair MacLean.The sweeping landscape photography and several cultural touches truly captured the beauty and flavor of Greece and its proud people. Even today, the people of Greece, hold this film in high praise.
It starred Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn. The plot tells of an Allied commando team sent to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress that threatens Allied naval ships in the Aegean Sea, and prevents 2,000 isolated British troops from being rescued.
The film opens with an aerial view of the Greek Islands, and a narrator setting the scene The year is 1943, and 2000 British soldiers are holed up on the island of Kheros in the Aegean near Turkey. Rescue by the Royal Navy is impossible because of massive guns on the nearby island of Navarone. Time is short, because the Germans are expected to launch an assault on the British forces, to draw Turkey into the war on the Axis' side. Using air strikes in trying to dislodge these guns prove fruitless, so a team of commandos has been assembled to try and go in and destroy these monster emplacements. Lead by Major Roy Franklin (Anthony Quayle), they are Capt. Keith Mallory (Gregory Peck), Andrea Stavros (Anthony Quinn), a Colonel in the defeated Greek army, Corporal Miller (David Niven), an explosives expert, Greek-American street tough Spyros Pappadimos (James Darren) and "Butcher" Brown (Stanley Baker), an engineer and expert knife fighter.
They sail across the Aegean Sea disguised as Greek fisherman. After blowing up a German patrol boat Malloy confides in Miller that Stavros blames Miller for the death of his wife and children and intends to kill him after the war. After the ship that they are on capsizes during a violent storm Franklin is badly injured and later the injuries lead to gangrene after they had to climb a steep cliff. One of the central points of this film is to carry Franklin to safety despite the apparent problem that Franklin's injuries will slow them down. Malloy lies to Franklin about the mission. Soon afterwords they are attacked by German soldiers and Andrea is left behind with his snippier rifleto help in their escape. They then end up meeting with the local resistance fighters, Spyros's sister Mania [Irene Papas] and her friend Anna [Gia Scala].
But throughout the next couple of days their mission is always delayed by the onslaught of German soldiers who always seem to know where they are at. They are finally captured and escape, but it was necessary to leave Franklin behind so that he could get medical attention. They then discover that their explosives, that they had saved from the ship wreak, had been sabotaged. Miller figures out that Anna is the saboteur and Marie shoots her as a price that she has to pay for being disloyal. It's a touching scene that almost leaves you feeling sorry for Anna because of the reason that she betrayed them.
The final scenes have the team spilitting up to achieve their objective. All of them escape to a waiting boat except for Pappadimos and Brown who had given their lives creating a distraction.The guns and fortifications are destroyed in a spectacular explosion.Stavros, who has fallen in love with Maria, decides to return to Navarone with her and shakes hands with Mallory, seemingly having given up his plan to kill him.
The fans of Gregory Peck were not disappointed when this film was released. There is plenty of action and the ways that the characters, as diverse as they were, seemed to fit together made this one of the most enjoyable war films that were ever produced. Even most of the Germans portrayed were more realistic of everyday human being instead of the usual sub human beast that are often seen in other movies.
Arundo Donax - How to turn a bog plant into a serenade
began playing the clarinet when I was 11 years old, back in 1984, after many months of pestering my parents. Although I wasn't particularly good when I started, I loved the look and feel of the instrument and I persevered, and I finally ended up as a music student at Leeds University with the clarinet as my first instrument. I didn't find the notes that hard when I was a kid; I could produce a tune without too many tears, but my tunes just didn't sound very nice until I'd got to about grade 6. A lot of young players experience the same problem, and the problem is really twofold- 1) producing a beautiful sound takes lots of practice, and 2) producing a really beautiful sound depends on your reed.
What a Reed is All About
If you don't play a reed instrument you may well be wondering what I'm talking about, so I'll explain a little bit here. (For the already initiated, feel free to skip this bit!)
A clarinet is fundamentally a tube which is approximately 2 feet long; in fact it's the same length as a flute or an oboe. The flute has a small hole which you blow across. This makes the air inside the tube start vibrating, (like if you blow across the top of a bottle and hear a note). The oboe and the clarinet, however, use reeds. These are small bits of cane, (or sometimes plastic), which are attached to the top of the instrument. The cane goes in your mouth and you make it vibrate with your lips and jaw; this sets the column of air vibrating, and hey presto a note sounds. (It's very hard to describe how you actually do this because it all happens inside your closed mouth!) You can't play the clarinet (or the oboe or bassoon) unless you have a reed attached to the top, and these essential bits of kit have, unfortunately, quite a short life span. How long a reed lasts depends on lots of things, like how often you play, what brand you're using, and even what the weather's like. (It's a natural material so it's affected by the humidity of the atmosphere).
The Reed you really Need
So now you know you need a reed, off you pop down to your local music shop, or find one online. The first question they'll ask you is what kind of reed do you need? Narrowing it down to just "a clarinet reed" won't get you very far. You have to specify the strength of your reed. And choose a brand. And choose one of a range of reeds within that brand. And how many do you need to buy?
So how can a little bit of cane be so diverse and complicated? How can you possibly choose?! Let's take a look at the first dilemma: Strength.
Reeds are categorised by their thickness, and given a grading from 1 to 5, including half grades. Basically speaking, the thicker the reed, the more difficult it is to produce a note, but the nicer the note will sound. So, if you are a beginner, (and therefore in possession of relatively weak jaw muscles compared to a veteran), you should choose a low number, known as a "soft" reed. Around 1.5 would be good, but go for a 1 if the 1.5 is too difficult to blow on. As you get better, you'll gradually be able to progress to thicker reeds (known as "hard"). To get a decent sound, you need to be playing on a minimum 3.5, and most professionals will be playing on 4.5 to 5s. Personally, I play on a 3.5. OK, let's move on to brand and product:
In the UK there are mainly 2 companies battling it out in the clarinet reed field, and they are Vandoren and Rico. I'll try to make a comparison between them, since your basic purchasing decision will be between these two brands. Here's what Vandoren say about their standard B flat clarinet reeds:
"The most widely played reeds in the professional world."
And here's what Rico claim about their most similar product:
"The world's most popular reed." One thing you may be able to deduce from this is that Vandoren reeds are better and also more expensive. They produce a better tone for professionals, who are more picky about these things than amateurs. However, there are many more amateurs piping away in their bedrooms on a Sunday afternoon than there are professionals, and they tend to choose Rico, so they can't be all bad.
Here's how the prices compare from 2 reputable online firms, for a box of 10, (the normal number you get in a box).
>From www.myatt.co.uk Rico Reeds cost £8.50 and Vandoren cost £11.00
>From www.dawkes.co.uk Rico cost £6.25 and Vandoren cost £10.25
Rico are well ahead in the tasty price league, so why is it that all these professionals are choosing Vandoren? It really boils down to the sound that comes out when you blow, which to the professional is the only major issue. For us mere mortals though, there are another couple of points to consider- how many of these 10 newly purchased reeds actually work properly, and how long will one last before I have to change it? I've played on both these brands of reeds over the 20 and a bit years I've been playing this instrument, and I believe that Rico are more consistent in the strength grades they put in the box, and they last for the same length of time as Vandoren's, but whereas a box of Vandoren sometimes produces a really stunning beautiful reed, a box of Rico never does.
When you buy a box of reeds, it is quite normal to find that some of them just won't work. This is rather annoying, (especially if you're paying more than a pound a piece), but it's a fact of life. The cane is rigorously tested by both companies, and left to mature for a considerable time, but nothing can stop the cane from becoming slightly modified once it's been packaged up in its box. My personal average from Vandoren is 50% usable reeds per box, while Rico usually gives me 7 or 8 that are playable. So, in effect, they work out even cheaper than you'd bargained for. I think that Rico's testing technology is perhaps superior to Vandoren's, to produce these results. They are more effective at eliminating inferior cane earlier in the process, before it actually gets in the box. In my mind there is no doubt that Vandoren Reeds sound better, but the large difference in price is not justified by the small difference in sound. Going back to my earlier point about the quality of!
my early attempts at the clarinet, I should point out that playing on the correct strength of reed, (and one that isn't too old), will ensure an acceptable sound from anyone. So how to find the correct strength? Read on!
How Strong is your Jaw?
Rico Reeds come in strengths 1-5 (not all brands do). If you're a complete beginner, buy a 1, a 1.5 and a 2. (You can buy reeds singly, both online and in shops. Some shops let you try the reed out before you buy it just in case it's a duffer (see above), but not all of them.) Try the 2 first. If you produce a sound quite easily and without pain, congratulations! You've found the right strength. If you find it takes lots of breath to get a note and you can hear air escaping from the side of your mouth as you blow, the reed is too hard. Try the 1.5, and repeat the process. Remember that with clarinet reeds, the only way is up! When you have been playing on your 1.5 for some time, try the 2 from time to time. Don't play for too long, as your jaw will tire easily and you may bite into your bottom lip. If this happens, your mouth will be too sore to play until it's healed, and you'll have to start with a softer reed again. Gradually increase your playing time, until you can play on the 2 with no problems. Then move on to the 2.5, and repeat the process.
If you stick with a softer reed once your jaw muscles have become stronger, your sound will deteriorate. Playing on a soft reed produces a buzzy kind of tone and can sound flat. Higher notes on the instrument are more difficult to reach with a softer reed, which is another reason why you need to climb that reed ladder! Sometimes reeds are a little bit too hard or a little bit too soft, without being impossible to play on. You don't have to chuck them away in cases like this, you can "doctor" them slightly to make them more playable: if the reed is too soft, trim a VERY narrow (hair's breadth) strip from the tip of the reed with a sharp knife. Or push another reed between it and the mouthpiece of the instrument, pushing it away from the rectangular hole in the mouthpiece slightly. If the reed is too hard, you can sand it a little. Use a piece of 220-grain sandpaper. Rub just a little, then test the reed- a tiny rub can produce a large difference (which is why they don't always get it right in the factory- it's a precision art!)
Breaking in Reeds
All new reeds need to be "broken in". They won't produce a consistent sound until they've been used a few times. Rico reeds are faster to break in than Vandoren. You need to wet the reed (in your mouth or with water- I prefer my mouth, but Rico advise water, as some people have very acidic saliva apparently, eeww), then play on it for just a few minutes each day, until the sound becomes consistent. It's good to have a few reeds "breaking" as you never know when you'll need a new one.
Replacing Reeds
It's easy to tell when your reed needs replacing- after serving you well for a week or 3 (depends how much you play), one day it'll just sound rubbish, completely different to the last time you used it. Every time it goes in your mouth the reed is getting attacked by various germs and other organisms, and your saliva begins the process of breaking down organic matter ready for your tummy, so it's no wonder that they don't last forever! Another obvious sign that you need a new reed is when you accidentally slice it in half while attaching it to the instrument, a tragically common event. (It's held onto your plastic mouthpiece by metal band called a ligature. This has quite sharp sides and if you're not careful it'll cut right through in one go. Don't worry though, I've never heard of anyone cutting their finger on one!)
Arundo Donax
This is the technical name for the reed plant which Rico and Vandoren use to make their reeds. It grows in India and the Mediterranean, and can get as high as 6 metres tall. If you live in the right climate you can grow it in your garden, but I wouldn't suggest trying to grow and make reeds yourself from scratch, although some fanatics do.....
Other Types of Reed
For the standard clarinet, you will be buying B♭ clarinet reeds. It's unlikely that you would buy the wrong reed size, as this is what 99% of people play on, but just for the record, there are also E♭ and bass clarinet reeds. E♭ reeds are for a smaller instrument, and bass clarinet reeds for a beast of an instrument, so neither will fit. The A clarinet takes the B♭ reed, as it is only very fractionally bigger than the B♭ instrument. (Orchestral players need two instruments, an "A" and a "B♭"; see http://www.mymusictheory.com/lessons-html/8-transposinginstruments/8-transpint.html for more on transposing instruments).
Final Verdict
The Rico clarinet reed is a great choice for the amateur player. They are reasonably priced, reasonably consistent within the box, and produce a nice sound. They are easy to get hold of and excellent value for money, especially if you frequently slice them in half! If you want to get serious on the instrument, you should probably move on to more expensive reeds from Vandoren.
Watch TV Shows Online For Free-20 Benefits
How to Watch Online TV with PC 2007 Elite-Advantages
Benefits of Watching TV Show Online with PC 2007 Elite Edition.
I want to share with you an opportunity that I have used to watch online TV show for absolutely free on my pc. I’m the only sports fan in my large family and I sometimes found it hard convincing everyone that I had an important NBA, or NFL game to watch.
The remote control wars in the TV room were just too much for me to handle. I downloaded the PC 2007 elite edition into my computer at home since I wanted TV I can watch at my own time and whatever program, me or TV shows I wanted.
I have since found the online TV using the pc 2007 elite edition to have several advantages over watching TV shows on normal TV. Here are some of them.
1. Wide choice of online TV stations and shows to watch
To watch TV shows Online with the pc TV software 2007 Elite, you have a choice of over 3000 TV channels from across the world. In addition, the software came with over 1000 online radio stations. The world TV and radio tuner stations come in different languages too.
2. Able to watch Online TV Shows on a Mobile PC or laptop
Some people choose to install the TV software on a pc at their homes while others choose to download the software into their laptops. Having it on you’re a laptop enables you to access local TV stations even when you are away from home.
All you need is a high speed internet broadband connection.
3. Able to watch free online TV shows at your convenience
PC TV online softwares on your computer will enable you to watch TV when you need it and where you want it. You will no longer have to fight over the remote control for the family TV.
4. Watch adult online TV shows in total privacy
The softwares enable you to watch a lot of free online TV shows which you wouldn’t attempt in the family TV room. If you fancy adult TV shows, you can browse through the software to watch adult xxx movies and TV shows online from any country you want in total privacy.
5. Install multiple TV software for kids to watch TV shows, episodes and programs from their rooms
Since the p cTV online TV softwares can be downloaded into any computer with an internet connection, you can have multiple TVs in different family rooms. Sometimes people decide to install the softwares in their children rooms on their computers.
You can also be able to install parental control on the software to avoid your kids exposure to illicit adult TV content online.
6. Watch online TV programs for free and with o monthly costs
The online TV softwares help you access the free to air TV channels on the internet. Besides the small set up fee, you will not be paying any other monthly fees ever.
You actually get a lifetime membership upon buying the software. Unlike satellite and cable TV services, the online TV is totally free and with a high quality.
7. Watch Free internet TV shows, TV episodes, TV series and TV programs while you work
The biggest benefit of downloading free onlin eTV software on your computer is that you are able to watch TV while you work.
Whether you download the interne tTV software at your home or office computer, you will still be able to catch up with world news wherever you are at and in real time.
8. Get most of the censored, controlled and unseen TV Shows Online
OnlineT V is not as controlled as the other conventional TV networks like ABC, CNN, CBS, NBC etc. With Internet TV softwares you will be able to watch such rare TV shows like hunting TV shows, car racing sports online, highly extreme sports like Thailand traditional kick boxing, traditional monk martial arts like karate, tae kwon do, jujitsu, Kungfu etc.
Some of the free internet TV shows are so extreme you will never see them on normal TV channels.
9. Watch real & uncensored World news and TV shows without doctoring
Most of the normal TV news and content is doctored to suit the government policies on broadcasting,. This restricts the kind and type of TV shows that networks like FOX, CNN, CBS, NBC and ABC can broadcast.
The end result is that we get half baked, censored, unreal TV news. Online TV shows are however uncensored and contain a lot of real things that happen world over.
For example, news coverage of the Iraq war is very different when you watch Al Jazeera compared to what you are given in CNN and other American News networks and channels.
10. Watch home made Adult xxx Videos, TV shows, TV series, TV programs and Episodes.
Online TV using the pc TV 2007 elite edition software will enable you to watch many home made videos and shows. Many people contribute home videos to internet TV stations that you can watch. An example is adult xxx videos that people contribute to freely online.
There are also thousands of funny videos online TV available on the TV channels from around the world.
11. One time low start up cost to download the PC 2007 Elite Edition software
Most of the internetT V softwares come with a low one time start up fee which gives you life time membership to watch online TV channels. The PC 2007 Elite Edition for example costs a mere $50 to download and install.
That’s worth the cost of afew movie tickets but will give you a choice of over 3000 online TV channels plus a lot of internet radio stations to choose from.
Compared to both satellite TV and cable TV installation, this cost is a real deal for online TV unlimited.
12. Watching Free TV online is completely legal and legitimate
Online TV shows are completely legitimate and legal. They are provided by respected world TV networks that specialize on offering world internet based TV service.
They use the internet protocol to broadcast TV stations from around the world. Online TV programming is provided via the Free-To-Air protocol that allows large viewership of local and international TV stations from the internet.
People in Africa are able to watch TV stations from Europe and America and vice versa. The pc 2007 elite TV software is therefore legitimate software with over 3000 TV channels.
13. You are able to watch local American TV shows from all over the world.
One of the biggest advantages of online TV softwares is that you will be able to watch TV even from far away areas. People working for long durations away from their country will find this particularly exciting.
There are hundreds of people working in foreign aid missions, expats, Peace Corps, and others in relief and business sectors.
Online TV will enable you to watch real time news channel from American and European TV stations. All you will need is a good fast speed broadband internet connection and internet TV will be available to you on your laptop or pc computer.
14. Watch and record Free TV shows, programs, series, episodes, movies and Sports Online
The internet TV software will most importantly enable you to watch online television while at the same time recording and saving it to your computer memory. The larger your computer memory, the more TV shows you can record and save. Basically, you turn your computer into one big movie storage centre.
Most people prefer to buy one of those external memory sticks or hard drive that they can attach to their computer and save into. This will ensure that you don’t use up all your computer space storing movies, TV shows and sports.
15. Turn your pc or laptop into a mega station super TV screen
One thing that the satellite TV softwares for online television do to your computer is to turn it into a super TV show and movie screen.
The more than 3000 TV channel can easily be browsed by the touch of your mouse. You can be watching Arabic online TV station one minute and a French or American news network the next.
16. Easy to use Pc 2007 Elite tool bar and TV Station ordering
The pc 2007 elite edition software is programmed such that it has an easy to use interface. The toolbar is such that it gives you a choice of countries that you want to watch TV from.
After selecting the country, it then lists most of the TV stations available from that country. You then scroll through the many TV stations listed and click on the one that you are looking for.
The software will then scan the station selected and within seconds, you are watching the exact internet TV station you chose. It’s that easy to browse the pc 2007 elite edition software toolbar-a cave girl would find her way to ice age TV station if they had it.
17. Watch Free good quality picture and sound online TV shows, Movies and Episodes
Online TV is usually challenged in providing good quality picture and sound. I want to tell you that most internet TV software being sold online are scams. They may have 10,000 channels on them, but then again, what’s the use of all that many channels if you never get to watch even 1 in good DVD quality picture.
Let me say that there are also few good quality internet TV softwares that actually have very high quality and at lowest cost. I think the PC 2007 Elite Edition stands a good number among top 10 TV software for online TV.
18. Watch Old classic Movies, TV shows and Sports
Most online TV stations also broad cast a lot of old movies and old TV shows. There are whole online television channels and stations dedicated to broadcasting old TV shows, films, movies, music and sports.
I you fancy the old comedy programs like the Jeffersons, different strokes, Sanford and Sons, Kojak, and others, then you will get enough of that’s too. Old TV series and episodes are also available.
In addition you will have a lot of free internet radio stations that play old music of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. These are radio stations that specialize in different genres of music including Soul, Jam, Jazz, and Country music, Gospel, Hip Hop and Rap.
19. Travelers can watch Destination Weather Channels Online
International Online TV accessible to people traveling to other countries for business, work or leisure is useful in knowing the state of the weather. When you are traveling China for example, it would be advisable to watch Chinese local TV a week or so before departure.
This will tell you the state of the weather and other things like the politics and other issues that might affect your stay there. Yu don’t to be caught in a blizzard, or storm right at the airport on arrival.
20. Watch Free Educational TV Shows Online with software
There are many educational TV channels online that are useful for children and adults too. The educational programming will help the kids understand how the rest of the world works which is good for their personal development.
There are also other discovery and scientific TV channels suitable for adults. In addition there are a lot of shopping, hunting and sports channels that can be a good way of knowing what is selling where or what team has won what and where in the world.
My Review Of "Planet Earth" On My HDTV
We just bought a Blue ray HD DVD player for our HDTV. After we got it hooked up, which took a while... I, for some reason or another just realized that I did not have any HD movies for me to watch on it. Well I already knew which one I wanted to see first and that was Planet Earth. So I got on the internet and purchased it from an online store.
The bad thing though is that I had to wait three days; however I did save myself around twenty dollars, so it was worth the wait. So it came with multiple disks with around three to four episodes of Planet Earth on each of the disks. If you did not know already each episode of Planet Earth is one hour long. So once I put in Planet Earth to view on our HDTV I went to the menu of the first disk for the first episode. As you can imagine it was quite amazing how well the picture looked.
All of the landscapes were full as can be in color and the animals looked as if they were flowing across the screen as they moved. I was impressed also on how well Planet Earth was filmed with a HDTV camera. Some of the animals they film in the movie looks as if they are right there next to them and the animals are not even being disturbed by them being around. It is truly the most amazing documentary of its type. One episode that really impressed me is the freshwater one.
In the beginning of it, it shows Angel falls... the highest water fall in the world. Then it starts to break off from there and shows the extraordinary animals that live in the freshwater environment. Another thing Planet Earth does is how well it shows the over view of the land. Some shots are taken in high Earth altitudes while others are from space showing the landscape and everything around it. The space shots are also one of my favorite things to look at.
Of course on our HDTV it looks as good as it possibly can but it gives you a feeling of how small the Earth really is but at the same time when it talks about some of the environments it feels that the world is very large. When you are watching Planet Earth you may get to an environment that they begin to talk about that just looks alien to you. Some of the things that are in the environment look as if it was not real and you can not even imagine about being in some of these places in real life.
One that really shows what I am talking about is the caves episode. Basically what it shows you is the underground world of Earth. How things form under the surface and the weird little creatures that inhabit the caves. It is truly something that will be hard for most people living on the planet Earth to believe once they have seen some of the amazing animals that live on it. This documentary is truly amazing especially if viewed on a HDTV!
Latest Bollywood DVDs: Get life beyond the traditional cinemas!
Are you a movie freak who just cannot think anything else other than movies? Does watching movies make you feel that it resembles your life? If you think so, then welcome to the world of movies.
Some of us think at times that the story depicted in the movies is a true replica of our lives while many of us stand for hours waiting for a ticket to the just released movie. India is definitely a land of movie buffs and Bollywood has not spared even a single life untouched. If you cannot take some time to watch a movie, then you may be left with curiosity about it. But what if this curiosity can easily be given a dose of high quality DVD of that movie? Sounds great.
Many movie rental companies have started to put their foot in the previously unexplored land of India and have promoted Bollywood like nothing else. Indian movies such as Sholay, Do Beegah Zameen and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge which were earlier confined to the Indian movie audience alone are now enjoyed throughout the world. This is clearly the promotion of the Indian cinema and particularly Bollywood.
The Bollywood movies DVDs are enjoying an unprecedented success with the changing (positive) preferences of the movie watchers as well as a significant fall in the prices of DVDs. The rise in the level of competition and emergence of new market players such as Seventy MM have revolutionised the Indian movie market. These market players offer latest DVDs to the customers for a very nominal payment and the rental companies do this for a paltry rental fee. This is a must win situation for the customers as they can enjoy high class video quality at unbelievably low prices.
The present day Internet world is full of latest Bollywood DVD providers and you can easily look out for any movie of your choice; you can either purchase it or take it on rent. You can easily get genuine DVDs of all titles and themes such as action, romance, melodrama and thriller to name a few.
With the favourable government policies and an expected reduction in the prices of DVDs due to continuing innovations and modern day technology, the future of Bollywood is secured in the hands of the latest Bollywood DVDs and the movie lovers.
Three Funny Big Brother Moments
Why is Big Brother, in all its forms and in all the places in the world where it is shown, so popular among television viewers? Why are the printed gossip rags and the blogosphere teeming with nearly every little tidbit on what is going on inside the Big Brother house, including its funny moments? What is Big Brother?
Big Brother is a reality television series that was born in The Netherlands. Getting its name from the George Orwell book 1984, the Big Brother reality TV show has total strangers coming together as housemates inside one house and getting cut off from outside contact for a certain period.
Aside from the daily interaction each housemate receives from the others, these housemates also get to perform challenges as assigned to them by the Big Brother. Periodically, housemates get evicted from the Big Brother house after getting voted out, though some housemates walk out of the house on their own decision. Some Big Brother housemates can get called back into the house after being evicted.
Perhaps the appeal of Big Brother is that other people get to see life in a proverbial fishbowl. The interactions among the housemates are supposed to be real and unscripted, and they can get really raw or funny. While Big Brother episodes are shown in summary on primetime TV, there are websites that offer video streams of what is going on inside the Big Brother house 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Big Brother episodes are more memorable when there are really funny or really emotional scenes. Here are three such funny moments that bloggers from all over considered their favorites in Big Brother.
1. Waamber’s crying. Amber from the US Big Brother Season 8 captured the annoyance of some viewers, the ire of some, but generally the amusement of most. Amber’s tears are like automatic fountains – in short, she is a crybaby, so much that the crying bouts she threw are hilarious.
2. Former daughter-in-law meets former mother-in-law. UK’s Celebrity Big Brother 2005 had a funny turn when actress Brigitte Nielson was suddenly confronted with the idea of sharing the same house with her former mother-in-law, the astrologer Jackie Stallone.
3. The Evil Dick. Dick was really out to win the grand prize in the US Big Brother’s Season 8. It seemed that his belief was if he cannot win the prize, then his daughter Danielle should. He went all out in antagonizing all his housemates, except Danielle, of course, even going so far as pouring iced tea on Jen’s head.
Big Brother Season 9 is currently showing in the United States right now. What moments of hilarity will make their mark in fans’ memories this season? Let us just watch the fishbowl and wait.
Movies on the Internet
You're watching TV 1 evening scanning through the reruns thinking it's pathetic how little there exists to watch anymore when a incredible movie trailer comes on. It's every single thing you love - the right actors, the wit, the action - and your heart beats a little faster in anticipation - if only you may watch it RIGHT Currently!
Well, the film industry has heard you. Along with the speed of the internet, consumers have at present come to a new stage of demand. It wore to be that we WANTED every single thing immediately - at present we EXPECT it.
This isn't the sort of thing that goes unnoticed by industries that cater to public reception. And at present it's been announced that we might not be far away from just walking above to our computer and downloading the newest releases.
When you took a meeting at the Cannes Film Festival, Culture Ministers from across Europe, film industry representatives and Internet Service Providers were among those who met to discuss the possible policies needed to distribute movies online.
BBC news reports European Union media commissioner Viviane Reding as stating: "In Europe, as in more continents, the opportunities for people to enjoy films online are set to increase tremendously above the next couple years".
Naturally there are however many issues to be resolved prior to movies are readily available to the public online. Piracy and broadband capabilities are however being questioned.
Piracy became the large issue when music files were being illegally shared across the internet. While the music industry fought against such services as Napster, it is however far away from recovering their market revenue and the film industry isn't anxious to join them.
What cannot be debated is that there exists a market, and no industry likes to bypass that because of possible problems.
Right currently European broadband could not be higher to the task of downloading such big files however has plans to proceed with distribution soon.
In Us there has already been movie distribution with the inevitable legal proceedings against individuals facilitating unauthorized downloads.
Even given that the fight against piracy is being taken incredibly seriously per industry, it's however parents who are at the forefront of setting the illustration and instructing kids on the ethics of downloading such material. Responsibility is learned.
In any event, the next time you see a neat movie advertised and you are convenient to the internet, perhaps you should stay in, avoid the lines and the traffic and check it out online!
The Ultimate Career Strategy
I can't believe it. I just pulled an all-nighter. Yup, I spent all night working on my next lecture. What really tripped me out was that about 3:00 a.m. I got a call from this college student whom I met last week.
He was up all night too, editing his film. Well, turns out he is facing a deadline and he wanted to know whether he should create the credits himself or hire someone to do it. Since he still had a lot to do with sound mixing and all, I told him to just outsource the credits. He politely thanked me and was about to hang up when I stopped him. I said, rather emphatically, "And if you ever call me at three in the morning again I am going to kick your butt! Have a goodnight".
This brings me to what I want to talk with you about. I want to share a powerful secret to success with you; one that has eluded many people. In fact, once I let you in on this secret it is going to change your life. I know because when I discovered it and started applying this secret everything for me changed.
Let me ask you this: Have you ever seen people make it in this business with absolutely no talent? But somehow or another they made all the right moves and got fame and fortune. All the while others who work hard and are honest never seem to make it.
Well, that was me not too long ago. I was always a hard worker but success seemed to escape me. Unfortunately, I was focusing on the wrong things. Those right moves that others who were less talented making were what I called… ready for this big secret now? SCALE. Scale, or scalability, is a very simple concept that most people go their entire lives never understanding. Part of the reason is that it has been called by many other names, which further confuse the matter.
So what is Scale? It has actually been around for a number of years and is nothing new, but when mastered can lead to success in almost any area of your life. When I started out as an artist, I would often sends my resume to producers one at a time. Even when I was looking for freelance directing gigs I would search the job boards looking for the right opportunity and then submit my resume.
Well, let me tell you that the best and brightest in this industry NEVER use that approach! In short, Scale is any technique that multiplies your efforts with one move. See, most people starting out in this business focus on those things which take up 90% of their time and produce less than 10% of the desired result. And that estimate is being quite liberal. For example; is it best to search the film job boards and respond to 50 postings OR post your resume, reel, headshot or etc on 5 key boards and get seen by hundreds of agents and producers at once? Obviously the latter makes more sense. That is Scale.
Now, on another level, Scale can be referred to as viral marketing, butterfly marketing, affiliate programs and joint ventures. The reason why many people in this industry give up so soon is because they see so little results. And the reason why they see so little results is because they get caught up in managing small parts instead of increasing Scale. Pinpoint any technique that can increase your efforts without demanding a lot of time on your part and you have a winner! Such efforts can be: well-connected agents, postings on top sites, good social networks, and viral marketing. Any one of these can get you exposed to hundreds of people at a time!
Not too long ago, I was approached by a guy who wanted me to join his multilevel marketing business. I went to one of his meetings, which sadly consisted of me and another person. After the meeting he asked me if I wanted to join. I said well that depends on your plan. I told him up front that he was involved in a nickel and dime operation. I simply wasn't interested in doing presentations to one or two people at a time. It was not good Scale. However, if he had a plan and the right connections that entailed approaching churches, organizations, and unions I would be down. Of course, he had no such plan or contacts which is why I never joined. Get the point?
So, if you are looking to be a success in this industry, stop focusing on task management i.e, handling small details that yield small results. Instead, increase Scale by targeting those techniques that quickly and exponentially increase your efforts and subsequent exposure. That is how you make it and that is how you WILL succeed!
Now, I have greatly simplified Scale for you in this e-mail. There are many more complex components to it. For example, without a proper understanding of width vs. depth you could achieve the opposite affect. What I am saying is that it is important for you to understand the principle of Scale right now and NOT the actual techniques involved. It is a very popular trend and there are many companies, books and software programs that you can get that deal with it. A great resource for techniques on Scale is: http://www.kamiticartssystem.com
Once you understand Scale at its core you can apply it to almost any area of your life. So important and life changing is this subject that I hope to do an entire program on it one day as it relates to us in the entertainment industry. Until then, start looking at your current situation and find ways that eliminate the small individual tasks and focus on ones that greatly increase the impact of your efforts.
Now, going back to that filmmaker who called me for advice – he understood the importance of leveraging existing talent to accomplish the task he needed. Why spend more time on something when he could increase his efforts to complete the film against an aggressive deadline by hiring someone to help him. That's the beauty of Scale. Makes sense right?
Music Web Sites
Let us examine these requirements for a successful music download. You can also download music tracks of your choice and save on your phone. Apple also brands iPod in conjunction with iTunes, its music web site where iPod users can purchase and download songs for less than $1 a piece.
But where do we stand in the eyes of the law, if we decide to download music. You could download your favorite videos and music tracks from the internet and play them on your phone. Most latest models have features beyond sending text messages and making voice calls—including Internet browsing, music (MP3) playback, personal organizers, e-mail, built-in cameras and camcorders, ringtones, games, radio, Push-to-Talk (PTT), infrared and Bluetooth connectivity, call registers, ability to watch streaming video or download video for later viewing, and serving as a wireless modem for a PC.
Any artist can have an online presence, promote their music to an audience of millions, and let consumers download their music to their hearts content. These music download sites include, believe it or not, Napster, with over 500,000 digital music downloads, eMusic, where you can get 50 free music downloads just for starters, Musicmatch, who has a great membership package, Realrhapsody, which offers a very nice two-week free trial, and one of my favorites and their “Always Low Prices” is the Wal-Mart music download. With microSD support of up to 2GB, users can download more music tracks, video clips and images.
You could listen to your favorite music tracks; you could also download the songs of your choice to your handset and drive away your blues. Download your favorite soundtracks and enjoy listening music tracks wherever you go. Moreover, you can download music, photos and Java games to make the maximum use of your leisure time.
Well here is a quick guide for beginners, on how to convert your current music files into PSP format audio files: Step One --- Download The Software First of all, you need to download software onto your PSP that allows you to convert MP3 files into PSP MP4 format.
A Wedding Competition Worthy Of American Idol Status
Past American Idol contestants Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks, and Kelly Clarkson may have stood up to the pressures of the American Idol competition, but could they handle the stress of the Designer Wedding Challenge.
Wedding professionals from around the United States are gearing up to compete in the Designer Wedding Challenge, a competition inspired by the popular reality television competitions. The contest is set to take place on September 29 and 30, 2006 in Rogers, Arkansas. According to event coordinator Shante Crockett, included in the competition will be at least fifteen florists who will compete in three contests:
* Floral Design Competition: In this contest, florists will pit themselves against one another to design gorgeous bouquets, boutonnieres, and table centerpieces. The task is to create pieces that are functional, beautiful, and unique.
* Tablescape Competition: Contestants here will design elegant table settings including flatware, table linens, and, of course, the centerpiece. The table themes can vary, but all of them should be beautiful and exemplify the chosen theme.
* Interior Design Competition: Using a $20,000 budget, each contestant must design a dream interior setting. This competition is expected to be the biggest contest in the two-day event.
The events will be judged by celebrity event planner Preston Bailey. Awards will be given for first, second, and third place. While there are individual cash prizes as high as $2,500, it's the prestige of being involved that will likely garner the biggest rewards. Glende Wise, owner of the Bamboo Orchid in Poteau, Oklahoma and contest participant, says, "It's especially important for me because my business is new to the area, and I am trying to break into the market."
Other competitions in the event are the Chair Design Competition, Gown Design Competition, Jewelry Ensemble Competition, Cake Design Competition, Photography Competition, and Videography Competition.
2,000 people are expected to attend the Designer Wedding Challenge at a ticket price of $20 each, not including seminars. Attendees who wish to take part in the many seminars that will be available will pay a ticket price of $150 each.
The event is sure to be a real crowd pleaser with all the excitement and suspense of any reality competition currently aired on television. So, if the music of American Idol isn't your bag and you're more of a Martha Stewart fan than a Clay Aiken fan, consider attending the Designer Wedding Challenge.
Angelina Jolie Receives Sunflowers From A Rock Star
What do rock stars buy for their mega-movie star friends after the birth of a child? Well, rocker Gwen Stefani recently answered that question when she and her husband, Gavin Rossdale, brought an enormous bouquet of sunflowers to actress Angelina Jolie after the birth of her daughter with her boyfriend, actor Brad Pitt.
Sunflowers are aptly named since their enormous golden blooms closely resemble the sun. They also, quite literally, follow the sun; their blossoms turn to follow the sun as the day goes on.
Sunflowers come in several varieties, such as:
* Autumn Mix: These are the giant plants that grow over six feet tall. They come in yellow and rust colors with blooms five or six inches wide.
* Teddy Bear: This variety is a smaller type that has a full, fuzzy bloom. It grows to around 18 inches tall.
* Italian White: These sunflowers aren't the typical sunny, golden color; they're a creamy whitish color. The plants grow to a height of approximately four feet and produce small blooms.
* Large Varieties: These varieties include the huge 20-inch blooms of the Russian Giants and the ten to fifteen foot tall plants of the Kong Sunflower.
Sunflowers are an ancient flower, used by Native Americans as a medicinal flower and food source since as early as 2300 B.C. They provided early Americans with medicines to treat warts, snakebites, and sunstroke. They also provided oils used on the hair and were ground up to create face paints. Foods made from sunflowers included seeds roasted and ground to meal for baking, seed balls much like today's peanut butter, and roasted hulls steeped in water to produce a hot beverage.
Today sunflowers are a very popular garden flower loved for their big, beautiful blooms as well as the ease with which they're grown. They should be planted in full sun after the threat of frost has subsided for your area. If you're starting them from seeds, plant the seeds about one inch deep and six inches apart. If you're planting seedlings, plant them about eighteen inches apart (twelve inches for the smaller varieties). Give them a good dose of water after they're planted and keep seeds damp until the plants pop through the ground. You may need to stake the plants as they grow to provide support and keep them from bending or breaking in the wind.
Even if you choose not to grow your own sunflowers, you can still enjoy them or given them to friends to enjoy just by visiting your local florist who is sure to have these gorgeous flowers on hand. So, go ahead, send some flowers to the movie star in your life-or just to your best friend or mom-she'll appreciate them as much as Angelina Jolie did hers.
A Fall Wedding For Jennifer Anniston And Vince Vaughn?
After more than a year of neither publicly affirming nor denying their romantic relationship, Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn are finally engaged. On June 27th Vaughn proposed to Anniston miles above the earth in a plane flight home from their nine-day vacation in Mexico. Although we florists recommend a proposal complete with a beautiful bouquet of roses, happily the outcome was a good one for Vaughn, even without roses-Anniston said yes. The question now is whether or not the couple will draw out their engagement without details leaking to the press, or will they move quickly and throw a fall wedding?
Summer is still the most common season for weddings, but the number of fall and winter weddings is on the rise. As reported by the Society of American Florists, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, June is still the most common month for weddings, followed by July, August, and September. However, October is running very closely behind September as a popular wedding month. September's statistics show 8.9 weddings per 1000 people while October is at a very close 8.5 weddings.
If Vaughn and Anniston should decide to get married in the fall, they'll have lots of gorgeous flowers and floral accessories to choose from. The fall color palate includes rich reds, robust oranges, warm golds, and deep burgundies, wines, and hunter greens. Such gorgeous colors are the perfect compliment to the colorful show nature puts on in the fall. Flowers and accents that are often used in fall weddings are orange gerberas, hydrangeas in rust or burgundy, apricot-colored lilies, vines, and hypericum berries.
Of course, traditional roses are also an excellent option, but those within the fall color palate are preferable for an autumn wedding. Some good fall-colored rose choices include:
* Leonidas: A dark, bi-colored chocolaty brown rose. * Black Magic: The darkest of the burgundy roses. * Terra Cotta: The rich orange color of a flowerpot. * Hocus Pocus: Small burgundy roses with playful yellow spots. * Star 2000: A dark coral-orange rose. * Red Berlin: A bright, tomato red rose. * Konfetti: A yellow rose with a reddish-orange tint on the edges. * Sari: A rose with a golden-orange color. * Mambo: A bright tangerine colored rose.
Regardless of the season Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn choose to be married in, there's no doubt that with the help of a professional and skilled florist, their wedding flowers will be as beautiful as the bride.
The Guns of Navarone
he guns of Navarone was a 1961 movie about a British commando team that is sent on an almost impossible mission of destroying a massive German gun emplacement after crossing occupied Greek territory. This film was directed by J. Lee Thompson and had some of the biggest stares of the day in it. This movie was based on a well known 1957 novel about World War Two by Scottish writer Ail-stair MacLean.The sweeping landscape photography and several cultural touches truly captured the beauty and flavor of Greece and its proud people. Even today, the people of Greece, hold this film in high praise.
It starred Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn. The plot tells of an Allied commando team sent to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress that threatens Allied naval ships in the Aegean Sea, and prevents 2,000 isolated British troops from being rescued.
The film opens with an aerial view of the Greek Islands, and a narrator setting the scene The year is 1943, and 2000 British soldiers are holed up on the island of Kheros in the Aegean near Turkey. Rescue by the Royal Navy is impossible because of massive guns on the nearby island of Navarone. Time is short, because the Germans are expected to launch an assault on the British forces, to draw Turkey into the war on the Axis' side. Using air strikes in trying to dislodge these guns prove fruitless, so a team of commandos has been assembled to try and go in and destroy these monster emplacements. Lead by Major Roy Franklin (Anthony Quayle), they are Capt. Keith Mallory (Gregory Peck), Andrea Stavros (Anthony Quinn), a Colonel in the defeated Greek army, Corporal Miller (David Niven), an explosives expert, Greek-American street tough Spyros Pappadimos (James Darren) and "Butcher" Brown (Stanley Baker), an engineer and expert knife fighter.
They sail across the Aegean Sea disguised as Greek fisherman. After blowing up a German patrol boat Malloy confides in Miller that Stavros blames Miller for the death of his wife and children and intends to kill him after the war. After the ship that they are on capsizes during a violent storm Franklin is badly injured and later the injuries lead to gangrene after they had to climb a steep cliff. One of the central points of this film is to carry Franklin to safety despite the apparent problem that Franklin's injuries will slow them down. Malloy lies to Franklin about the mission. Soon afterwords they are attacked by German soldiers and Andrea is left behind with his snippier rifleto help in their escape. They then end up meeting with the local resistance fighters, Spyros's sister Mania [Irene Papas] and her friend Anna [Gia Scala].
But throughout the next couple of days their mission is always delayed by the onslaught of German soldiers who always seem to know where they are at. They are finally captured and escape, but it was necessary to leave Franklin behind so that he could get medical attention. They then discover that their explosives, that they had saved from the ship wreak, had been sabotaged. Miller figures out that Anna is the saboteur and Marie shoots her as a price that she has to pay for being disloyal. It's a touching scene that almost leaves you feeling sorry for Anna because of the reason that she betrayed them.
The final scenes have the team spilitting up to achieve their objective. All of them escape to a waiting boat except for Pappadimos and Brown who had given their lives creating a distraction.The guns and fortifications are destroyed in a spectacular explosion.Stavros, who has fallen in love with Maria, decides to return to Navarone with her and shakes hands with Mallory, seemingly having given up his plan to kill him.
The fans of Gregory Peck were not disappointed when this film was released. There is plenty of action and the ways that the characters, as diverse as they were, seemed to fit together made this one of the most enjoyable war films that were ever produced. Even most of the Germans portrayed were more realistic of everyday human being instead of the usual sub human beast that are often seen in other movies.
The Ultimate Love Story
Away From Her is an English-Canadian film which debuted at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and also played in the Premier category at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The feature-length directorial debut of English-Canadian actress Sarah Polley, the film is based on Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain."
It was executive produced by Atom Egoyan and distributed by Lionsgate Films.The cast also includes Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson, and Kristen Thomson.
The film stars Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie as a couple whose marriage is tested when Christie's character begins to suffer from Alzheimer's and moves into a nursing home, where she transfers her affections,after loosing all memory or her husband, to another man,Aubrey, a wheel chair-bound mute who also is a patient at the nursing home.
This film starts out as we are observing Fiona [Julie Christie] and her retired husband Grant [Gorden Pinsent] have just returned home from a cross country skiing vacation andthey are doing one of the many necessary everyday tasks of washing dishes. Grant hands hiswife a frying pan and Fiona puts it away, right into the freezer. She is slowly slipping away into the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease.After she gets lost near her own home she makes the decision that she will check herself into an institution.
To Grant's dismay Fiona is not allowed any visitors for the first 30 days. Unbearable as it is, Grant drops her off at the institution and then he returns 30 days later. At first everything seems to be okay with her until he discovers that his wife actually doesn't recognizes him.
This film is a generous and a deceptively simple portrait brought to life. During thefirst few months of her confinement she keeps on slipping further and further away, andyou can see that distant look in her eyes. Then one day when Grant is visiting her henotices that she is wearing a garish sweater, something that he knew she would neverwear. At that point, Grant knows that his wife is gone forever. Not physically but still gone.
This was Sarah Polley first directorial debut and she did a amazing job with sucha delicate subject matter. And I say Bravo to the cast and crew for turning in sucha superb performance. This film was a true ode to the realities of true love.
The film received vastly favorable reviews from critics and earned Julie Christie the 2007 Critics Choice Award as well and a best actress nomination for the 65th Golden Globe awards. This was in so many ways a true love story.
No Country for Old Men Movie Review
Miramax Films presents a film written and directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. It is a critically acclaimed 2007 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The film features Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem.
If you like the kind of film that surprises you and takes away your breath at the same time,this is it. It tells the story of a drug deal gone very wrong and the ensuing cat-and-mouse drama as three men crisscross each others paths in the desert landscape of 1980 West Texas. Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.
The local sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), tells of the changing times as the region becomes increasingly violent. The key character of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and his weapon of choice — cattle gun — are introduced as he escapes police custody and steals a car by using the cattle gun to kill the car's driver. But at the same time a hunter hunting pronghorn come across a collection of corpses and one Mexican near death which was the result of a drug deal gone bad. The hunter Llewwlyn Moss [Josh Brolin] also finds two million dollars in a suitcase and decides that he will keep the money and leave the Mexican to die, but has a change of heart and returns with some water for the man.
But this good deed sets off a cat and mouse game in which the hunter and the hunted switch roles as a gang of Mexicans,Chigurh,Moss and Bell chase each other and the two million dollars across the Texas and Mexican landscape. But unbeknown to Moss, Chigurh who was hired to retrieve the money has a transponder hidden in it. And Chigurh, who is a professional hit man, will kill anyone who gets in his way.
In the meantime Moss, not knowing anything about the transponder, sends his wife Carla Jean [Kelly MacDonald] out of town and jumps from motel to motel trying to elude not only Chigurh but also the Mexicans. While all of this is happening, Bell main concern is to try and protect Moss after he finds him. Chigurh is closing in on Moss because of the tracking device.
Chigurh ends up killing some of the Mexicans and a rival hit-man named Carson Wells who is played by Woody Harrelson. Moss arranges a meeting with Carla Jean in El Pasco to give her the money and tries to get her out of danger. All of the action now takes place at the motel when all of the main characters converge there, but not at the same time. Moss is killed by the Mexicans in a bloody shootout. Sheriff Bell shows up and enters a room to discover that the vent covers have been removed and knows that the money had been removed and then leaves, not knowing that Chigurh is hiding in that same motel.
Bell finally gets the opportunity to visit his uncle Ellis [Barry Corbin] and informs him that he is going to retire because he is getting leery of the changing times, but Ellis accuses him of just being vain. Some time later Chiguth confronts the widowed Carla Jean and offers her the same "coin flip"opportunity that he had offered the gas station owner, Carla Jean refuses and in the next scene it shows Chigurh examining the soles of his boots, as if to indicate that he had committed another murder. He ends up in a car accident but he manages to elude the police and escapes again.
At the very end of this story Bell is reflecting on the many choices he had in his life. He tells his wife[Tess Harper] about the two dreams that he has had while heis experiencing an uneasy retirement at home.
Highly praised by critics, the film received several Golden Globe Award nominations. Roger Ebert called it "as good a film as the Coen brothers... have ever made and gave it a four star review and it appeared on many of critics top 10 list of 2007.It took Best Picture at 2008 Critics’ Choice Awards.
ป้ายกำกับ: movies
New Technology May Represent Change of Fortune for Cable TV Industry
t used to be that cable TV was the technology of choice for getting TV programming. This was true even with the early availability of satellite TV, but satellite TV at the time was too expensive for most people to afford, and even those who could afford it still had to contend with the massive satellite dishes that the technology of the time required.
By the first half of the nineteen nineties, the situation changed with the introduction of new satellite TV technology that provided a much needed improvement upon both the satellite TV that came before it as well as cable TV. This new wave of satellite TV technology required only a small satellite dish that was three feet across at the most rather than the older monstrosities that were over ten feet across. At the same time, the new technology enabled satellite TV technology to deliver more channels at very reasonable prices.
The exodus of TV viewers leaving cable TV in favor of satellite TV started because of the realization that spending about the same amount of money on satellite TV that they had been paying for cable TV could provide those viewers with a much larger selection of channels. The fact that the satellite dishes were so much smaller and therefore more manageable also made a huge difference when it came to making satellite TV a realistic alternative for suburbanites who hadn't had room for the older dishes. The cable TV company made its own situation worse by dismissing the extra channels as lower quality than what cable TV provided and therefore not interesting to viewers. What the cable industry didn't take into account was that viewers like having more choices and if they could spend the same amount of money that their cable TV subscription had cost on a service that offered about three times the number of channels, all of those extra channels were essentially free. In short, nobody but the cable TV industry cared whether or not the extra channels offered by the satellite TV industry were of decent quality because they were essentially free.
Now the cable TV industry is finally implementing technology that could turn the tables in the other direction. This technology is called switched digital video. Switched digital video essentially increases the number of separate channels that a cable TV provider can offer by making better use of existing cable TV bandwidth. Right now cable TV providers simply send out all of their channels all at once to all of their subscribers. The digital receivers of the subscribers then filter out those channels. The channels that aren't part of the subscription are filtered out first, and then all of the channels that the subscriber doesn't want to watch at a given time are filtered out. This means that even though the cable TV company may be transmitting hundreds of channels over a cable- and taking up most, if not all, of the cable's bandwidth- any given viewer is only watching one of those channels at a time. Switched digital video allows the cable TV company to deliver just the channel that a viewer wants to watch at any given time. This means that the company can provide a virtually unlimited number of channels.
Switched digital video may be just the technology that the cable TV industry needs to bring customers back from satellite TV.
