Veni Vidi Vici - Sean McCormack (MVP)

Cool Site: JumpTV.com

JumpTV is something I've been waiting for for a long time.  It allows you to view foreign tv stations over broadband, removing the need to subscribe to a satellite provider.

I used to subscribe to Dish Network to get Arabic and German channels, but ended up dropping it because I couldn't justify the cost.  JumpTV now offers the same channels - and more - for a very reasonable price.

"JumpTV is a pioneer in the delivery  of international television over the Internet.

JumpTV has partnered with more than 180 television broadcasters from over 60 countries to provide live broadcasting of their 24-hour linear feeds. Our Partners' channels are available on the JumpTV network to viewers from around the world through an ordinary broadband Internet connection on their home computers, laptops, Internet-enabled televisions and mobile devices."

They've got tons of channels from all over the world - including Rwanda, Morrocco, Ukraine, India, Peru, Bangladesh and Nepal to name a few.  They're also rapidly expanding their network...they recently introduced their first Chinese station and will be beefing that up pretty quickly.  For Arabic, they've got stations from all over the Middle East, including the expected Al-Jazeera, along with several new ones such as Hannibal TV (Tunisia), Palestine TV (Palestine), Al Alam News (Iran) and 7 Iraqi channels.

Movie Diary: Stick It!

Description:
The writer of cheerleader classic Bring It On makes her directing debut with another movie built around a classic sport for girls: gymnastics. No one knows why Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym, Life As We Know It) walked away in the middle of a high-profile gymnastics competition--but after given a choice between returning to gymnastics or going to juvenile detention, Haley finds herself under the tutelage of Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges, The Big Lebowski, Fearless), a trainer with a tough-love approach and a dubious reputation for getting his students injured. As they learn to work together, they discover they share a hatred for the narrow, unbending rules by which gymnastic routines are judged.

Thoughts:
If you liked Bring It On, then you'll enjoy this movie - if you didn't, then I wouldn't recommend it.  I was extremely impressed by some of the filming...it has some very cool filming "collages" - for example they filmed 10 different girls doing uneven bar routines, but then fused them together so that it looks like all of the girls are performing at the same time.  Another part takes floor routines and then creates a kaleidoscope out of it.  So, some very creative filming.  The story line is good, too, with some great comedy (my favorite is the finger phones).  It even gets a little edgy by trying to make a statement about the state of gymnastics today and the current judging system.  But, don't let that fool you into thinking it's a heavy movie...it's a light-hearted teen comedy with a good message.

Movie Diary: Sea of Fear

Description:
Two couples on a sailboat vacation have their worst fears come true. One by one each of the seven passengers aboard a sailboat cruise begin to disappear. A murderer is among them, or is it one of them? Or could it be the mysterious boat that is following them. There are rumors of modern pirates in these waters. Soon everyone will discover the truth – or they will die trying.

Thoughts:
My wife has a knack for picking out B-rated horror flicks.  She was right on the money with this one.  If you can get past the poor acting and missed attempts at riveting dialogue, you'll be rewarded by the ending.  Most thrillers have the final scene where the killer and victim meet, and the victim asks for an explanation before dying.  This movie should go down in history for the longest dialogue ever between killer and victim...roughly 20+ minutes!!!  The entire time the killer is chasing the victim around the boat as they exchange clever words, share their past experiences and views on life.  Very touching.  The other fun part is the fact that there are 7 people on a ~40 foot boat, yet none of them know who the killer is and can't catch them.  Riiiight.  If you want a good laugh, go for it.  I know why it went straight to DVD...

Movie Diary: The Lake House

Description:
A lonely doctor (Sandra Bullock) who once occupied an unusual lakeside home begins exchanging love letters with its newest resident, a frustrated architect (Keanu Reeves). When they discover that they're actually living two years apart, they must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

Thoughts:
I've always enjoyed Sandra Bullock.  I wish I could say the same about Keanu Reeves...to be honest, I don't even understand how he keeps getting roles??  He's a horrible actor...I think the only other actor that's worse is Paul Walker (Into the Blue, The Fast and the Furious).  That being said, this movie was good enough to get past Keanu's poor acting - mostly thanks to Sandra.  It's got a pretty intruiging story that keeps you hooked and stirs up the emotions.  They also do a good job of making it quasi-believable.  Good romantic movie to watch with a significant other.

Movie Diary: House of D

Description:
House of D is a bittersweet, moving story of an American expatriate's painful decision to come to terms with the childhood he fled in early 1970s New York City. David Duchovny wrote and directed this comedy-drama; he also stars as the adult version of the film's hero, Tom Warshaw, an illustrator who has spent most of his life in Paris and decides—on the occasion of his son's birthday—to finally reveal long-withheld facts about his past.

Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this movie - much more so than I expected.  It stars David Duchovny and Robin Williams - hard to go wrong with Robin Williams.  To be honest, I never heard much about it and didn't rent it when it came out.  We were scanning the shelves the other day and decided to pick it up - it ended up being a great selection.  It's a very moving story with excellent acting and some good "lessons" on life.  If you enjoy deeper movies, this is a good one.

Book Diary: Bilal

Thoughts:
Bilal, written by H.A. Craig, is a well-done fictional account of the life of Bilal, one of the first converts to Islam and a close companion to the Prophet Muhammad.  Bilal was a slave turned free man, and the book does a good job of providing an overview of the origins of Islam and its struggles in the early days.  It's a very short read...something you can get through in one evening.

Book Diary: The Portable Thoreau

Description:
Henry David Thoreau dedicated his life to preserving his freedom as a man and an artist.  Nature was the fountainhead of his inspiration and his refuge from what he considered the follies of society.  Heedless of his friends' advice to live in a more orthodox manner, he determindely pursued his own inner bent, which was that of a poet-philosopher, in prose and verse.

Carl Bode brings together the best of Thoreau's works in The Portable Thoreau, a comprehensive collection of the writings of a unique and profoundly influential American thinker.  The complete texts of Thoreau's classic works Walden and "Civil Disobedience" as well as selections from The Maine Woods, Cape Code, the Journal, and eighteen poems are included.  Bode's introduction rounds out this compact volume, offering a thorough and informative analysis of Thoreau and the forces that shaped his life and writing.

Thoughts:
This was a great book!  I've got an upcoming trip to the Boundary Waters, so I figured I'd read Walden to help get in the right frame of mind.  It definitely did the trick.  Surprisingly, my favorite reading was The Maine Woods since it provides some fascinating insight into the life of the pioneers.  Walden was also a great read.  The thought of reading about nature doesn't really strike me as captivating, but Thoreau does an awesome job of bringing nature and its beauty to life.  He's also a very pragmatic philosopher with some strong opinions on higher laws, man's purpose, etc.  It's not a light volume...~700 pages...but if you have the time, it's a great read.  After going through this, Thoreau has crept onto my list of favorite authors.

Movie Diary: Please Kill Me! (Arabic)

Description:
A Great comedy featuring two prominent symbols of Arab comedy "Foad Al Mohandes" and "Shouykar".  The film is about "Mamdouh" and "Amina", a couple who are about to get married.  After "Mamdouh" is diagnosed by his doctor with a terminal illness - with only a few days to live - he decides to break up with "Amina" and deliberately end his life.  While attempting to commit suicide, he's robbed and ends up striking a deal with his robber to kill him.  Afterwards, "Mamdouh" learns that he really isn't going to die, he tries to break the deal with the robber.
(Arabic w/ English subtitles)

Thoughts:
I've always been a huge fan of Arab comedies - especially the older ones.  Arab films are just very clean and pure and they manage to attain comedy without the need for sex or violence.  They're just good, clean fun.  I'm also a big fan of Foad!  I used to subscribe to Arab satellite, and several of these old b&w comedies would be broadcast Saturday mornings, to my delight.

This movie, as usual, has some great laughs in it.  It's also something you can definitely watch with your kids.

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Movie Diary: Im Juli (German)

Description:
Daniel is a young teacher in-spe, who in contrast to everyone else plans to stay in Hamburg for the summer. Juli, a girl at the flea-market, wants to get known to Daniel and manages to sell him a Mayan ring with a sun on it, foretelling him that he will meet a girl with a sun. One day later Daniel is already on his way across Europe. It seems the prophecy came true somehow. 
(German w/ English subtitles)

Thoughts:
This was a great movie.  It stars Moritz Bleibtrau from Run Lola Run, which is another movie that I really enjoyed.  It's about Daniel, a boring teacher's aide who ends up falling in love with a mysterious Turkish girl and attempts to reunite with her - causing him to travel across Europe in the process.  He ends up meeting some crazy characters along the way, and experiences everything from getting mugged to getting high, stealing a car and being arrested for murder (it bears some similarities to  Voltaire's Candide).  If that sounds dark, don't be fooled - it's a actually a romantic comedy and very entertaining.  It's got some great philosophical elements too that deal with fate, love and happiness.  I'll probably end up buying this movie because I enjoyed it so much.

Movie Diary: Asylum

Description:
A psychiatrist's wife encounters one of her husband's charges, an inmate at a maximum security asylum in the outskirts of London. Her curious attraction to this man, who was found guilty in the murder and disfigurement of his former wife, grows stronger as he's placed on the job to restore the asylum's conservatory, mere steps from her home.

Thoughts:
This was a pretty dry movie and took quite a while to get going.  Once it gets going, it'll peak your interest - unfortunately, your patience isn't very well rewarded.  To be honest, I still don't get the ending.  Normally I can rationalize or analyze a plot to where I walk away with some sort of understanding...in this case I must have somehow missed it, or I'm assuming there was more to it.  The back cover definitely makes it sounds more exciting than it really is. 

It's also not something you'd want to watch with your kids...it's got some pretty explicit scenes.