Miscellaneous plot problems(e.g. things that made no sense to me):

• Was this movie changed midstream or what the heck happened to the 3rd person living in the storefront? When the protagonist is rescued and taken to his rescuers safe place there were 3 people visible (a large guy, a skinny guy and the woman) and talking (though only 2 gave their names) then a few minutes later there were only two and no one even mentioned him. I found that disturbing.
• The blood/fluid infection on contact device was very unrealistically and inconsistently done. People with blood all over their clothes and skin never contracted the disease at all, while in another case one single drop of infected blood on open tissue caused infection.
• The infected supposedly suffered from a disease that made them unable to think clearly and to attack anything in sight, how then could they exist in anything resembling packs to hunt or chase the uninfected? They would have killed each other on sight or attacked the closest target, not all run after the same target.
• Why was it so important not to go out after dark, was it more dangerous? Did the disease give the infected nightvision or cause them to sleep during the day? This was not explained at all so seemed a holdover from the zombie movies that obviously inspired this story.
• 28 days after the infection started almost everyone was infected and there were still lots of infected people left alive. Despite the fact that they didn’t seem to eat they hadn’t starved to death - it took a total of 56 days for everyone to die of starvation? How is that possible? If the infected didn’t eat or drink how would they last longer than a week? If they did eat or drink why would they die of starvation?
• I know it’s a horror movie cliche, but how does a scrawny guy who has been in a coma for a month become agile enough to scale buildings, and outwit and overpower armed military soldiers? Please.
• Also, if you were trying to rescue unarmed people being held prisoner in a building would you release a monster into that building hoping that it would only kill the kidnappers and not the prisoners?

Monday, 29 Sep 2003

Picked this up while browsing the videostore for a family friendly movie - Wow, I had forgotten JUST how much I liked this movie. Even though I saw it first on a date with my ex2wife and it is about that soulmate kind of love I still enjoyed it a lot. Probably a combo of visuals, philosophy and story, but it is just a GREAT movie.

Monday, 29 Sep 2003

Airports, The Cure, The Ramones, distant earth, clouds and sky, rebel flags, american flags on the back of cars/trucks, Stone Mountain, fairly newly-southern family, “Bangkok 8″, “What Dreams May Come”, Cellar Door.

Sunday, 28 Sep 2003

I travelled to the twilight zone last week - the subcontinent of Georgia, USA. Large flags flying from the back of trucks, sometimes a confederate and a US flag, sometimes two US flags. Everyone was friendly and conversational, but I sure to heck didn’t feel or look like a “local”. Visited with sibs and sibs in law and nephew, and an uncle and aunt that I haven’t seen in *years* (the first of us northerners to defect south of the Mason Dixon line). Hand-lettered signs everywhere advertising local businesses - including one made of rough wood with rough paint or marker advertising “home decorating services”. As my brother put it “I don’t think I want anyone who can’t make a halfway decent looking sign redecorating my kitchen”.

The one touristy thing I did while there was to visit Stone Mountain which turned out to be more than just a big rock mountainy thing that people ride to the top of for the scenic view. It is a large civil war memorial with a sculpture carved into the side of a stone mountain. It was supposedly designed or carved by the same person who did the Mt.Rushmore project but since I only saw the last half of the short film about the building of the monument I am a little confused what role he played. It was impressive and arrogant at the same time. Who sees a huge expanse of rock and thinks “I know, let’s blast into the side of the rock so we can sculpt 50′ tall likenesses of dead war heroes and political leaders?” Not me. [more info]

Lots of groaners on the church signs. And lots of churches. Some local businesses give a discount if you bring in your Sunday church bulletin. Postcards at the local grocery store were reasonably priced (5 for @$1.35). Generally a rural area but for the huge strip malls/plazas and walmart and other chain stores which have sprouted up 10 minutes away. The existence of 3 pawn shops within 5 minutes of this upscale home in a rural area filled with subdivisions and single family homes says something about the economy. In the northeast Pawn shops are all but unknown outside of urban areas - at least in my experience.

Travel was good, the flights were uneventful there and back, got to see a gorgeous sunrise over the Atlantic coming home thanks to Priceline.com’s insistence that I leave Atlanta at 5:45 AM. Thanks Priceline! :) They sure know how to find the empty flights. I had a row to myself each of the 4 legs of my trips, and it appeared that anyone who wanted to *could* have had a row to him/herself.

I did get my bag checked / opened while going through security prior to departing to Philadelphia on the first leg of my outward bound adventure. Seems the x-ray showed an odd looking container. It was the Doctor Sholl’s Foot Powder (picture of similar container). The security person pulled out the bottle, hefted it turned it around and read the label suspiciously. I asked if he wanted to do a powder match between the bottle contents and my sneakers (since I had used some just before leaving for the airport) - oddly, the security guard did not seem amused. He asked a more senior person about the bottle and was told it was ok. I was then on my way. I did not get stopped at any other location - perhaps either more people use Dr/Scholls in Philadelphia and Atlanta or the security is tighter in RI? Who knows?

Sunday, 28 Sep 2003

I forgot just how much I liked this movie. It is one of my all-time-favorites. The combo of story, philosophy and visuals is wonderful.