Month: November 2003

It’s finally time for my Matrix review. Sure, it may be a day late and dollar short…well, definitely a day late, anyway. In any case, my general impression of the film is that this was the weakest of the three. I found it to be the preachiest of them while at the same time saying the least. Some components of the plot felt contrived, some scenes were overwrought, and the pacing of the movie was stop-and-go. My happiness with the movie was primarily derived from the fact that it was concluded, regardless of what the actual conclusion was.

A review from the Alameda Times (no idea where this is, but thank you Google News) had a conclusion similar to my own:

There are more than a few scenes in “The Matrix Revolutions” in which angry computer programmers and their superhuman creations remind anyone who will listen just how powerful they’ve become in the digitized world of the not-too-distant future. “I created this world,” cries the cyber-minded Trainman, one of many bit characters who drift in and out of the movie while serving no obvious purpose. “Down here I am God!” Andy and Larry Wachowski, the Harvard-educated directing duo who set the “Matrix” franchise in motion back in 1999, often seem to be saying the same thing. They make the rules; they bend the rules. Unfortunately, more often than not, the rules make no sense at all.

I realized on Thursday just how stressed out I have been since around Labor Day. I’ve been consistently concerned about financial worries, and then the traffic accident occurred. Once that was resolved, the layoffs were announced. Now I’m finally back in control of my finances, with the next three months looking very positive, and early next week we find out the big “who” question in the layoffs. It has been one situation after another, and I hope I still have a job so life can settle down, my financial situation can improve, and I can relax my Christmas.

I did see the new Matrix movie tonight. In the morning I will post my thoughts.

At long last, another update to the blog. I was away all weekend (without Internet, no less! How do people survive?) down in Maryland visiting Dave with Nicole. Friday night was a long drive through the darkness, while Sunday was a long drive through the twilight hours. Saturday was the jewel of the weekend.

The first adventure was to the Maryland – UNC fooseball (football, for everyone else) game, where Maryland had the game wrapped up by the middle of the second quarter. Which was fairly good, because our seats were on-high (I thought I saw a few angels fly by), and I could barely follow the action. Throw in a dose of warmth in November, and a bright sun, and 3/4 of the people present (no, I don’t count as two, Dave brought along Phil, a college friend) were just about ready to go. The Marching Band provided a nice reprieve, and the twirlers were simply phenomenal. My jaw dropped on some of the swaps they did, especially when three did a swap and batons were flying across the field. In fact, I was so fascinated by them I didn’t even watch the rest of the field.

After an early departure, we stopped at Toys R Us in search of the elusive Hogwarts Express. Fortunately, we didn’t locate it, though in the end it didn’t matter as the train doesn’t run on lego tracks. I did discover, however, that there are more than two good games for the Gameboy Advance, including Puzzle Fighter and a Mario Kart racing game. This may have negative ramifications on my wallet, if my resistance to spending on those kinds of toys wanes.

Which brings me to the next phase of the weekend, a trip to the mall and Medieval Times. The intensity of the swordplay impressed me, as I didn’t expect to actually see sparks fly. The “special effects” and the actual “plot” components, on the other hand, struck me as cheesy, especially the fog and the usage of the lights. Still, I would not object to another trip, and it is fun eating without utensils. The mall at which the Medieval Times was located as a pleasant affair, with a well-maintained interior that was bright and inviting. And there was also a movie theatre built in a faux-Egyptian style with valet parking. At least for your $10, you’re getting your money’s worth.

Yesterday was its own fun, as well. A visit to the dermatologist ended with two stitches in my back from a mole the doctor felt should be removed. And upon returning home, I was greeted with an unknown visitor claiming to know my estranged uncle. She, like the visitor two weeks earlier, was looking for either him or his family members. Since I have no contact information from anyone on that side of my family, there was nothing I could provide. Nor would I have, though I did take her information and passed it along to my parents. Apparently, my Grandfather’s house is the last known family address. And since he has left the monestary, the contacts have been increasing, as word travels.

Thankfully, there was Monday Night Drinking, which was low-key in nature but did take some of the edge off.