C Interactive did it again. Their logo appears once more on the Oscar Award Winning movie, "Million Dollar Baby" DVD.
The only thing is, I am not going to buy this DVD for the reason that C Interactive has used media which is crap.
Imagine, my "The Family Man" DVD, a title that has been reproduced and distributed by C Interactive is already undergoing disc rot, a deterioration of media which, after a while will prove the disc unusable.
Now, my question is, why do C Interactive get all the good titles?
In the end, it was the 3 disc set of "Titanic" that I got instead of "Million Dollar Baby."
No way C Interactive.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Every Harry Potter fan would love to see this latest Harry Potter movie.
The World Cup was superb. Even the Tri Wizard Tournament was a sight to behold. And Hermione was just beautiful.
The two and a half hour run of the movie wasn't enough to actually paint what happened to Harry in his fourth year at Hogwarts. I guess there was just too many things happening and fitting them in such a short time may leave the viewers wanting for more.
One of my problems with this movie is its inability to, either, introduce a character or plot properly. Perhaps, it was expected that the movie going public has prior knowledge about Harry and his background. Perhaps, it was also expected that those who may want to watch the movie have read a book or two of the series.
But either which way, I suggest you don't read the book within a month or two before watching the movie or you end up comparing scenes and sequences from the movie and the book. May I even suggest that you read it six or more months earlier.
However, this movie has quite a few funny scenes. It sure was great to have a good laugh. And quite frankly, I admired Mike Newell for this. It somehow makes you forget that you are watching a dark movie.
Generally, this movie is worth watching especially if you are a Harry Potter fan. I will be waiting when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be on DVD.
The World Cup was superb. Even the Tri Wizard Tournament was a sight to behold. And Hermione was just beautiful.
The two and a half hour run of the movie wasn't enough to actually paint what happened to Harry in his fourth year at Hogwarts. I guess there was just too many things happening and fitting them in such a short time may leave the viewers wanting for more.
One of my problems with this movie is its inability to, either, introduce a character or plot properly. Perhaps, it was expected that the movie going public has prior knowledge about Harry and his background. Perhaps, it was also expected that those who may want to watch the movie have read a book or two of the series.
But either which way, I suggest you don't read the book within a month or two before watching the movie or you end up comparing scenes and sequences from the movie and the book. May I even suggest that you read it six or more months earlier.
However, this movie has quite a few funny scenes. It sure was great to have a good laugh. And quite frankly, I admired Mike Newell for this. It somehow makes you forget that you are watching a dark movie.
Generally, this movie is worth watching especially if you are a Harry Potter fan. I will be waiting when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be on DVD.
Friday, November 11, 2005
The coming of First Page 2006
After years of waiting, and using 1st Page 2000, Evroft has announced that the beta for First Page 2006 is already available.
All the pages on my main site under the domain dennislazo.com is made using 1st Page 2000.
The catch is, the beta is going to expire on the 1st of December 2005.
Anyways, this is still beta, which means that a better product is eventually coming.
Further, here is to hoping that First Page 2006 will also be free for everyone to use, same as 1st Page 2000.
You may visit Evrsoft at their website at evrsoft.com. You may also download 1st Page 2000 and First Page 2006 at their download page.
All the pages on my main site under the domain dennislazo.com is made using 1st Page 2000.
The catch is, the beta is going to expire on the 1st of December 2005.
Anyways, this is still beta, which means that a better product is eventually coming.
Further, here is to hoping that First Page 2006 will also be free for everyone to use, same as 1st Page 2000.
You may visit Evrsoft at their website at evrsoft.com. You may also download 1st Page 2000 and First Page 2006 at their download page.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Phantom of the Opera and other DVDs
A week ago, I was at the video store for the Star Wars episode three DVD only to find out that the said DVD will be released here in the Philippines on the 9th.
Anyways, since I was already there, I decided to look around. What caught my eye was the Phantom of the Opera.
I might have already bought it until I found out that it was released locally by C Interactive. It was a great disappointment.
I already have The Family Man starring Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni and the C Interactive DVD was crap! There are no special features, no subtitles, and the media itself is crap as well.
I have also seen another C Interactive DVD -- A Walk to Remember -- and it was crap, too.
After those two, I swore never to buy a C Interactive DVD anymore! C Interactive DVDs are almost at the same level as the PhP299.00 DVDs! These are crap and should not even be bought!
I can't believe these cheap DVDs are proliferating the market. And if I were to compare the contents of these cheap ones, the pirated copies have better content except for the video quality, the reason why I still opt for the original ones.
Good thing that Region 1 DVDs were available for the second and third Lord of the Rings installments. I got those. My first episode (extended version) was Region 1 as well. And I am waiting for my second and third extended versions to arrive.
Maybe in a few months, when I have saved some money again, I'll get my Phantom of the Opera from Amazon. Thank God for Amazon!
Anyways, since I was already there, I decided to look around. What caught my eye was the Phantom of the Opera.
I might have already bought it until I found out that it was released locally by C Interactive. It was a great disappointment.
I already have The Family Man starring Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni and the C Interactive DVD was crap! There are no special features, no subtitles, and the media itself is crap as well.
I have also seen another C Interactive DVD -- A Walk to Remember -- and it was crap, too.
After those two, I swore never to buy a C Interactive DVD anymore! C Interactive DVDs are almost at the same level as the PhP299.00 DVDs! These are crap and should not even be bought!
I can't believe these cheap DVDs are proliferating the market. And if I were to compare the contents of these cheap ones, the pirated copies have better content except for the video quality, the reason why I still opt for the original ones.
Good thing that Region 1 DVDs were available for the second and third Lord of the Rings installments. I got those. My first episode (extended version) was Region 1 as well. And I am waiting for my second and third extended versions to arrive.
Maybe in a few months, when I have saved some money again, I'll get my Phantom of the Opera from Amazon. Thank God for Amazon!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Internet Censorship in the Philippines
Recently, a news item has been released saying that Netopia, an Internet cafe chain in the Philippines, has proposed for the creation of a censorship body which will operate similarly to the Movies Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).
According also to the same news item, Netopia has presented several recommendations to Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Manuel Villar for the creation of regulations against online pornography.
Perhaps, Netopia and Senators Revilla and Villar should remember that the Philippine Constitution of 1987, Section 3(1) of the Bill of Rights, states that "The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law."
Further, Section 4 states that "No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances."
While it is understood that the objective of Netopia (or the proposed censorship body) is to protect minors from materials intended for adults, such censorship would, in my opinion be unconstitutional. It is virtually impossible to do so because Internet servers are scattered all over the world. Further, should there be a law to censor the Internet, the Philippines will then become another China that censors the Internet.
Furthermore, it is the responsibility of parents to watch over the Internet access of their children, and as such, creating a body to censor the Internet for the interest of minors would violate the right of adults to access adult-related materials.
However, it is possible to restrict the access of minors to materials which may be harmful to them in the Internet. NetNanny and CyberPatrol are two of the many applications for this purpose. Microsoft also has published an article in order to protect children.
The same may also be used by Netopia to protect minors who access their computers.
On the other hand, the United States Supreme Court has already ruled that the Communications Decency Act, which prohibits communication "by computer in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to any person the communicator believes has not attained the age of 18 years, any material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs," violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
While the Constitutions of both countries are independent of each other, both, the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, however, specifically states that "no law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech," and that "congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech," respectively.
According also to the same news item, Netopia has presented several recommendations to Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Manuel Villar for the creation of regulations against online pornography.
Perhaps, Netopia and Senators Revilla and Villar should remember that the Philippine Constitution of 1987, Section 3(1) of the Bill of Rights, states that "The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law."
Further, Section 4 states that "No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances."
While it is understood that the objective of Netopia (or the proposed censorship body) is to protect minors from materials intended for adults, such censorship would, in my opinion be unconstitutional. It is virtually impossible to do so because Internet servers are scattered all over the world. Further, should there be a law to censor the Internet, the Philippines will then become another China that censors the Internet.
Furthermore, it is the responsibility of parents to watch over the Internet access of their children, and as such, creating a body to censor the Internet for the interest of minors would violate the right of adults to access adult-related materials.
However, it is possible to restrict the access of minors to materials which may be harmful to them in the Internet. NetNanny and CyberPatrol are two of the many applications for this purpose. Microsoft also has published an article in order to protect children.
The same may also be used by Netopia to protect minors who access their computers.
On the other hand, the United States Supreme Court has already ruled that the Communications Decency Act, which prohibits communication "by computer in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to any person the communicator believes has not attained the age of 18 years, any material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs," violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
While the Constitutions of both countries are independent of each other, both, the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, however, specifically states that "no law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech," and that "congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech," respectively.
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