MI:3
Baljot's Rating- 7.5/10
Comments
Good- Excellent action sequences, likeable characters, great performance by Hoffman, surprisingly good performance by Cruise, cool locations and cool gadgets.
Bad- "Shaky-cam" during simple dialogue is very annoying (reminds me of Lost), plot seems like a mashup of some other spy movies I've seen (won't mention 'em), absolutely no closure at the end, parts about Hunt's personal life seem incredibly forced and the ending was WAY too cheery.

Overall- While still not as good as the first, MI:3 is a significant improvement over #2 (not too hard to do that) and is a solid action/thriller. As Abrams makes more movies (which is inevitable) he'll probably improve, and get rid of the shaky-cam.

What a great video card. If you are looking for a video card that balances price and performance, this is the one for you. The framerate that I am experiencing in Oblivion with everything turned up high is quite good. The lifetime warranty that eVGA gives me is also very nice.
Score: 9.5/10.
 

Well, it's the end of one of the best shows on television, definitely the best comedy on television right now. Arrested Development ends its cut-short season with a 4-episode block on February 10th- I urge everyone to watch the finale (instead of the Winter Olympics) so that you can realize the brilliance of this show and buy the DVD's!
Anyways, Showtime has expressed sincere interest in picking up the show, but only if the show's creator and main writer, Mitch Hurwitz, decides to stay on. He hasn't given any word yet on whether or not that is a possibility- I wish he would say yes, but I can understand that he is sick of this constant, edge-of-your-seat, cancelled or not crap.
Hopefully, though, the show will continue and stay on the air.
 

So, the Conservatives have won the election in a minority government with less seats than the Liberals had in their last election- where they too formed a minority. So why am I, a life-long Liberal, cheering? Because, ladies and gentleman, the Conservatives are ******.
As soon as the NDP wake up and smell the **** they've been supporting, they'll realize that perhaps being on the side of the Liberals is a stronger bet. The Conservatives will be defeated at the next major vote, another election will be called, and this time there will be no minority, because the Liberals will win in a majority.
So, rest easy fellow Grits, because the next few months are our only rest and relaxation. We have a lot of work ahead of us.
 

Fellow Canadians! Election time has come, and it's time for all of you (who are over the age of 18 and are legal citizens) to vote! Remember, you are not allowed to complain (at least in my book) if you don't vote. Low voter turnout has become a huge problem in countries like Canada, the US and Great Britain. I think Jon Stewart said it best:
"Here in the US people don't vote if it looks cloudy outside. Over there in Iraq they're ducking from bullets and car bombs and enjoying it."
I got up early and voted at about 11 AM. It felt great knowing that even though my vote is pretty much wasted (a Liberal vote in a purely Conservative riding? COME ON!) and won't really affect much, I still exercised my democratic right and duty to vote in the election.
According to recent polls and "pundits" the Conservatives are leading, and a likely scenario would be a Conservative win this year, whether majority or minority I don't know. What I do know, ladies and gentlemen, is that dark times are ahead, and we, as the general public, have a tough few years ahead of us with the possibility of Stephen Harper as PM.
I guess what I'm trying to say is:
To all of Canada, I bid you on this night of democratic turmoil, good night, and good luck.

I picked up some books on the recommendations of someone else, so here they are.

The Fountain (graphic novel)
V for Vendetta (graphic novel)
A Scanner Darkly

Stereotypically, Bollywood (the Indian film industry) have been shown to be... comical. With the exception of a few films (Mughal-e-Azam, Sholay, Devdas) I also shared in that sentiments. But in the past few years, a new string of films - and directors - have broken the habit of making melodramatic musicals in hopes of creating a more gritty, realistic and modern approach to cinema.
My top of the list? Sarkar- yes, it's a shameless exploit of The Godfather, but what mob movie made after The Godfather can claim any different? Director Ram Gopal Varma (a veteran of the modernization movement in Bollywood) made the movie sans songs, as most of his films are. The film was technically excellent, which is an area where Bollywood is lacking. The main point, however, is the acting- it takes top-notch direction for a Bollywood actor to break out of the mold of melodrama that he/she is stuck in. Varma tries to have each actor show more restraint and subtlety in their role, and not burst into tears or burst into cursing at the drop of a hat.
So here's to the new Bollywood- hopefully, the best of the East and the West can be marked as equal one day.
 

This year was a pretty crappy year. I spent a lot on gifts, but mostly to make people happy. That's why I was happy to learn that everyone reciprocated! I got:

    1) Armani Black Code Cologne Set
    2) Nibiru: Age of Secrets PC Game (I usually don't play puzzle quest games, but it looks interesting, thanks Dad!)
    3) Diablo Bleu Cologne/Spray/Army Knife Set
    4) Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story DVD- thanks to my sisters, I can start rebuilding my formerly massive DVD collection.
    5) Assorted Firefly sweaters and jackets.
    6) 130 dollars in cash!

As I said, a nice haul this year. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year to all!
 

As you may or may not know, Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal government have introduced legislation regarding a total, nation-wide ban on the sale of handguns. This, to most people, seems like an effort to curb the increasing violence that has been occurring in urban areas across Canada. However, to the jaded and cynical citizens such as myself, I see this as nothing but electioneering, preperation for the Jan. 23rd federal election.
Now I have always been a Liberal supporter. It's always been that way- my family is all Liberals, from my mother and father, my uncles and aunts, even my grandmother. Of the people who can legally vote in my family (family of immigrants, see) we all vote Liberal. My father was a Liberal when he gained citizenship in Canada almost 30 years ago. But the same year he got his citizenship and a new home was the same day he purcahsed a rifle and a handgun to keep in his home. He was completely educated on the subject, having known the dangers of keeping one in the home, but also knowing that with proper safety procedures and common sense, a firearm can be nothing more than another object in your home.
The reason I'm bringing up all this boring family history is because I oppose this handgun ban- why, might you ask? Because this kind of electioneering that's being done by the Liberal's to suck up to cities like Toronto (where the murder rate by firearm is the highest). Now, it's not like we here and Canada are lax about firearms- par example, you can't buy automatic rifles like AK's or anything like you could buy in the US, those things are completely restricted. In fact, for now, the sale of firearms is restricted to things like shotguns, handguns and hunting rifles. Our serious gun control didn't really start til the 1970's, despite the fact that the violent crime rate here in Canada is either stable or steadily declining.
My main point here is that a handgun ban is really ******* retarded. Firstly, people who wish to commit crimes will get guns any way they can- whether it was getting them legally or by purchasing them off the back of the truck. Except in the latter case, they don't have to register their gun or apply for a purchasing permit. :roll: Let's forget the fact that nearly all gun-owning citizens in Canada are law-abiding citizens who use their guns for practice or target shooting or for protection of their own home, which I believe is a right every Canadian should have. Let's also forget that some well-publicized events could be the reason why this ban was thought of in the first place. Why didn't Paul Martin introduce legislation that gave more money to the RCMP (our federal police) or to gang units, whose sole job is to break up the groups of people who are causing these murders in the first place. Why not spend more money on border cops, to stem the flow of illegal weapons coming in from the US? Of course, we don't have answers to these questions, but Liberals better have some answers come January.
 

As a new batch of "next-generation" consoles is released onto the general and stupid public, most real gamers look to the real standard of fun- the PC.
Now that I had some free time, I could catch up on articles of upcoming PC games that look extremely hopeful. Here were some games that caught my eye:-

1) Company of Heroes

A gorgeous real-time strategy where you command an infantry unit during World War II, this might be one of my most anticipated games of 2006. Despite the last two years of WW2 themed game-after-game, this one manages to stand out. Why? Photorealistic graphics, easily rivalling those of Call of Duty 2. A physics engine that is so in-depth that it means you can blow up everything- when they say everything, they mean EVERYTHING is destructible. It's made by the same developers as Warhammer 40,000K- which, despite my lack of love for anything Warhammer-related, was a fun game. Unfortunately, like many other WW2 games, we are not allowed to play in a single-player German campaign- however, they are available in the multiplayer, which looks just as fantastic as the single-player.

2) Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends

When Rise of Nations was released, it received critical acclaim and accolades from all around, including Gamespots PC Game of the Year. The expansion pack, Thrones and Patriots, was also wel-received. When I heard that a full sequel was being released to one of my favorite games, I was excited. The added element of magic, though, kind of brought my spirits down. I thought they had pandered to the elf/human/orc crowd of RTS players. When I started reading articles, I thought differently. The game is beautifully drawn, with great artwork. This game will definitely be winning some design awards. The summaries of the four civilizations look intriguing, like the Vinci (steampunk) or the Alim (middle-eastern magic... with dragons!).

3) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 3: Advanced Warfighter

When the original Ghost Recon came out on PC, we were all blown away by the new tactical, squad-based shooter based in the Tom Clancy universe. This newly announced edition based in Mexico, has the ghosts attempting to bring peace to the citizens and rescue the US President, who has been kidnapped (????). A new addition to the game is a very complex HUD, with several windows called the IWS- Integrated Warfighter System. Advanced weaponry and cool equipment are welcome additions to the new game. BOOM- get this game.

Anyways, that's all for the games now- I'll make a new post with more upcoming games in 2006 for the people who actully care what I write and think, no?