July 2003 Archives

I have just discovered that one of the best sci-fi series ever is set to return...

Blake's 7, a cult sci-fi "soap opera" from the late 70's and early 80's, is having a revival according to this BBC news article.

I remember watching Blake's 7 as a kid, and I loved it. About a year or so ago, I even rented the entire series from our local video store (which conveniently has lots of cult stuff) and watched it all again.

Once you get over the low-budget sets and special effects, the story line and characters become engrossing. The series was conceived by writer Terry Nation, who also penned some excellent Dr Who episodes. The story was a dark one, with ambiguous and flawed characters and engaging stories.

The story follows Blake, a rebel with a cause, who is fighting for freedom against the corrupt Federation. Blake recruits a motley crew of criminals and outlaws, and tries to overthrow the Federation which controls the galaxy.

Kerr Avon, played magnificently by Paul Darrow, was easily the favourite character. Despite Blake (Gareth Thomas) being the principal character, Avon ended up stealing the show and leading the rebel group to the end of the series, while Blake receded into the shadows. As with most of the crew, Avon was a flawed character. Selfish, stubborn and wily, he was still unmistakeably likeable. And it was ultimately the depth and essentially human aspects of the characters that gave the show its great appeal.

And now, the story is set to return, 30 years after the dramatic finale of the original. And Avon will be back...

If you haven't already seen the show, I urge you to go and rent the videos. Never mind the special effects (which, for its day, were still quite good) and sink your teeth into brilliant characters and a great story.

I just installed release candidate 1.1 of OpenOffice.org. All I can say is - wow.

The first thing you notice is the speed. The startup time has been dramatically reduced (and I haven't got the 'quick start' program loaded). The whole package is much more snappy and responsive.

There are a ton of fantastic new features, too many to list here. The new 1.1 features page has all the details.

Some of the more notable are: exporting files directly to PDF, and exporting slideshows to SWF (Flash); export to DocBook and XML; Macro recorder; and improved filters for Office files.

Some of my pet peeves have been adressed: the main one was that in 1.0 it was not possible to have a 'blank' instance open, and that once you closed the last file, all instances would close. You would then pay the startup cost if you wanted to load another, so closing then opening files was not practical. Now you can close the last file and you are left with a blank window, from where you can still set options and other things. This, combined with the performance improvements, makes a huge usability difference.

If you don't already run it, OpenOffice is now a serious contenter. Check it out!

Last night we went to the Jam Factory to see Phone Booth, knowing almost nothing about it...

And I'm glad I didn't. The film takes place almost entirely in a phone booth. Colin Farrell plays 'Stu', a smooth-talking New York publicist, who does what it takes to get his clients noticed. And every day, Stu goes to the same phone booth to call his girlfriend so that his wife won't see the calls on his mobile phone bill.

Except someone has noticed. And this someone has a high-powered rifle with a laser sight. And the next time Stu goes to use the telephone, he receives a call from this certain someone...

And thus begins an edgy nail-biting thriller, skillfully directed by Joel Shumacher. Phone Booth marks a departure away from his big-budget blockbuster action films, and goes for the psychological angle.

Yet another great performance by Forest Whitaker, who plays the police captain called in to deal with an increasingly tense and dangerous situation.

All in all, a good story, great direction and camera work, and a great performance by Farrell.

**** 4 Stars