Movie Review: Pi

PI
(3.14...)

This is a good, but puzzling movie. Basically this math genius locks himself in his apartment with a whole whack of computer equipment and tries to solve the chaos around him. He keeps telling us his premises so that we believe that he is still rational. They are the premises of chaos theory:

(1) that mathematics is the language of the universe,
(2) nature can be expressed in numbers, and
(3) there are patterns everywhere in nature.

Visually, the film is a study in chaos theory, with almost still shots of nature and its recurring patterns, then the dynamics of coffee and cream. Moreover, there is a certain recurrence and self-similar quality to the whole film and its downward spiral. The film moves from genius to madness. The old sage character in the film, the stars old math professor reminds the star that there is a fine line to drawn between mathematics and numerology. It is never clear just where that line is drawn. Two forces are out to pull the genius from the true path. Some religious fundamentalists are looking for numbers and patterns in sacred texts, while a wall street firm is trying to get a hold of any discoveries in order to turn a serious profit.

Pi is a good movie, but will leave you puzzled about just what the hell is going on, and leave you asking "what is this all about?" Good question, and maybe that's the point. It is a good movie, and says a lot visually, perhaps too much.

On the official Chris' Choice scale Pi, gets three stars.

***

Movie Review: American Psycho

American Psycho

Yikes! A truly chilling movie about the narcissists around us! But it is also sickeningly funny. There is a perverse sense of depraved irony that floats, like everything in this movie, on the surface. The movie is all about the surface, of skin, business cards, credit cards etc.

The yuppies that populate this movie are so obsessed with themselves and their status that they are all at some level nuts. The real nutcase - Bateman goes around killing people in an orgy (literally in some cases) of self indulgence and vain glory. Whenever he is forced to recognize someone as a person, as in some way like him he feels the need to kill that other person. There is a twisted way that this is related to business. At a night club he says "murders and executions" instead of mergers and acquisitions.

Gloriously twisted, this film does well on all accounts.

On the official Chris' Choice scale American Psycho gets four stars.

****

Scotch: Glendronach: 15 yr Sherry

There are some thing out there that just don't seem to fit into moulds. I don't know, maybe some things refuse to follow the laws of nature, but it just seems as though ALL Scotch is good. According to our scale, some scotch, statistically speaking, really should be bad! I just have not found any! I know that it is out there, and I guess that I'll just have to keep buying more scotch so that I can satisfy the natural distribution upon which the official Chris' Choice scale is based. I guess you could call this a statistical duty!

So, on to the task at hand! What a pleasant task it is! The Glendronach is not just another great Scotch! The extra years make this one very smooth. Really, the first thing you notice about this one is the colour. It is a dark red gold - very distinct. The aromas are fruity, citrus, maybe even of oranges. The taste is smoky, nutty, very much like Bristol Cream sherry. There is a light peat (as the box said there would). Sherry, however is present all over this malt. Too much sherry could be its only fault! But I like sherry! Once you move past the sherry there are hidden tastes of spices, coffee and toffee! And it is so smooth! What a special scotch. This one is a must have! It will occupy a pride of place among my other Scotches!!



Stats:

Name:The Glendronach 100% Matured in Sherry Casks
Region: Highland (Aberdeen)
Aged: 15 Years
Alcohol: 40%

Rating:

On the official Chris' Choice rating scale, The Glendronach 15 Year Old rates a:

+3

Scotch: Chivas Regal 12 yr Blend

Well, here is another blend. Not so bad really. First some things must be said:

1. I stand by my previous statements about blends and single malts
2. I will not rate blends. There simply are not enough blends out there to make the whole project meaningful.
3. Also, all blends are pretty good. Presumably they were blended this way or that way for a reason.
4. If the blend really stinks I'll let you know. It's possible, but chances are it would never make it into my glass.

On to the Chivas. This is a well known blend that has been around for quite some time.

Aromas of heather butter and a bit of wood. Being from Strathisla the flavour of peat and smoke are present. Flavours of coffee can also be found. The scotch is light and unassuming. Like all decent blends its smooth and well balanced.

If you prefer your Single Malt Scotches to be like Laphroaig then this one should be in your decanter. Otherwise, it's a nice smooth whisky that goes down well - a good blend. Again, the peat and smoke flavours distinguish it from other blends.

Stats:

Name:Chivas Regal
Region: Speyside (Keith Strathisla)
Aged: 12 Years
Alcohol: 40%

Movie Review: Serendipity

Serendipity

Well that sucked! Yawn! Groan... Hey Christa - guess what's gonna happen next!

Those are just some of the things that you might have heard had you been in the same theater as Christa and I. First of all, I did not choose this movie! It is not my fault! I am just warning others here.

Maybe I should put a spoiler warning here. The movie is about fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it (crap?) So, it's about fate, and love. Well, guess what happens? The whole damn movie is on auto pilot. And not a very good auto pilot at that! Really, I don't know if I should go on. I like John Cusack, he's done well in the movies I have seen with him.

I might suggest that this is a good movie to see with a girl, but its not even that. Really, I think this point is more important than any review of the plot. The girls I have spoken to really like this film, they thought it was great. Heck, Cranky Critic gave it his highest possible rating! Astonishing! For some reason some people think that is romantic and nice to believe that some cosmic force is out there, bringing people together. This is not appealing, hell, its dangerous. Guys, listen to me, if you go see this movie with a girl read this review! Fate, soulmate, Mr Right, all that crap can only lead to doubt and second guessing in a REAL relationship. Does anyone know with any certainty the mind of God? In philosophy we talk about epistemic responsibility. What kind of criteria is there to know that fate has brought you together?? This kind of attitude can only lead to doubt and questioning and the kind of sad heart breaking stories that the two other people in this movie would have told if we were not so fixated on the two main characters. Really, the question is for the people who find this fate crap appealing: do you really want to be chosen by some impersonal force? Would you not rather be chosen because some person you care for has decided for a multitude of special reasons that you are the person they want to spend the rest of their life with? Ultimately, it means that the persons making the decision are the ones responsible for that decision. Here, there can be no doubt who is accountable to whom. The persons making the decisions, though more fallible than fate know the reasons for the decision, and know that they are also responsible for the outcome and maintenance of the venture they have jointly undertaken.

I have said too much really. This is a bad movie and I have better things to do than go over it in any more detail. If you want a good summary of the film go see Ebert. He is a smart guy and has written a good review. He is getting paid, I am not. I'll leave the boring job of going over this movie to him. So now all that remains is giving it a a rating.

Really, it is not ALL BAD. It does seem to have been a higher budget movie. So in that respect it has a redeeming feature. In these slower economic times it might help stimulate the economy and help some of my investments. Further some smart guy might read my review and be able to score some points with a girl. Who know my friend Spanky might end his dry spell thanks to me. Well, that might be pushing it

On the official Chris' Choice scale Serendipity gets one star.

*

Scotch: Scapa Single Orkney Malt Scotch

This is a tasty Scotch!! But, before we get down to business some background is required. This Scotch comes from Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, the most northerly region of Scotland. My Scotch book tells me that the Scapa distillery shut down in 1993, but there seems to be some discrepancies. Anyway, I've got a bottle. From the box, bottle, and shelf at the BC liquor store, I find it hard to believe that this is some kind of independent bottling. Maybe I just misunderstood the Scotch book, but this seems to be a readily available Whisky.

This scotch is a dark yellow gold. It smells of honey and sweet salt sea air. It has a smooth body, and tastes of honey, oak and heather. There is a definite sweetness to this scotch. The finish is warm and comforting.

I don't know what to do with this Scotch. It can be, at once, sweet and refreshing and warming. It certainly does not have that tough earthen flavour of Laphroaig. It is definitely a drinking Scotch and versatile enough to be both refreshing and comforting for either warm or cold nights.

This is an excellent, tasty Scotch!!

Stats:

Name:Scapa
Region: Orkney Island
Aged: 12 Years
Alcohol: 40%

Rating:

On the official Chris' Choice rating scale, Scapa 12 yr Old Single Orkney Malt rates a:

+2

Movie Review: 15 Minutes

On the advice of Mr T.J. Button, Esq I have discovered an excellent film. I certainly would not have picked out this movie if it wasn't for his recommendation. After watching 3000 Miles from Graceland on Tim's advice (a one star movie and not worth the expenditure of my reviewing energy) he has redeemed himself.

The story concerns two East-European men who come to America to pick up some money. They end up with a video camera and going on a bit of a crime spree of murder and arson. Enter one celebrity NYPD detective and a fire department arson investigator (a fireman with a gun). Both have something to prove. Enter the news media and in particular a tabloid news program that likes reality TV and has a relationship with the cop.

Our two criminals have been saturated by American talk shows and tabloid news programs. They believe that they can get away with their crime spree by insanity. I don't really want to get into much detail of the plot. Suffice to say that these criminals are at once insane and completely rational. This is the beauty of the film. The premises on which the criminals reason is based are so faulty that they appear insane. Unfortunately, you cannot really blame these two guys. The talk shows and trash journalism that make up their idea of America, was given to them by Americans. It is difficult to fault them for having the twisted view that they have.

On the other side of the coin are the cops. Like all copps and robbers movies, one cop is a hardened veteran the other is naive and idealistic. Unlike all of the other movies of this ilk, 15 Minutes does not look at good cop, bad cop with respect to procedure. The veteran is a veteran television star. He knows how to do things right in front of a camera. The naive idealist doesn't think that such things are important. This whole aspect is just as interesting as the criminal side. Both sides are insightful, well done.

The movie sticks to the genre of action detective films. It does not really on irony or satire to make its point like Wag the Dog or Bob Roberts. Don't get me wrong the whole movie is ironic, but this is not a comedy. It is an action movie. There are some minor problems with the film. The fresh approach and unique vision of the film well make up for these small problems. This is a very good movie.

On the official Chris' Choice scale 15 Minutes gets four stars.

****