I went to see Troy on its opening weekend. As an action flick, it’s certainly watchable; as anything else, well … it’s a great action flick!

As is the case with most movies derived from literature, the source material has been altered to fit the film into the mold known in some circles as the Epic Action Film, or the Pre-Summer Blockbuster.

It’s not a bad film, but it’s disappointing because of what it could have been. There are no points for potential in filmmaking. So-and-so would’ve done a better playing that part. The special effects would have been better if there had been a bigger budget. As the most expensive movie made to date, Troy can’t blame its failings on a lack of money.

Most disappointing of all is the removal of the Greek gods from the story. They’re mentioned in passing (one gets the impression that Achilles is either an aggressive agnostic or a lax atheist, it’s a tough call), but don’t plan anything close to the role in Homer’s original tale. Too bad.

Something amusing: During the scene when the wooden horse is discovered on the shore, there was discernible wave of snickering and laughing in the theatre as the Trojan’s wheeled it back into the city (against Paris’s suggestion that they burn it).

One other thing. Because this is an American production, the history has been altered so that the U.S. wins the Trojan War. A rather incredible feat for a nation that wasn’t in existence at that particular epoch.

Ian

So my girlfriend moved in today. I know that’s kind of out in left field, especially since I vowed never to mention my personal life on these pages … unless of course it has direct bearing on my writing life. And I think having someone move in and share my space qualifies.

For the last couple of years I’ve been living alone in the city, working on my writing and dating various women. One could say my life had been like Seinfeld minus the laughtrack, or Sex and the City minus the sex, ha-ha.

But I have to say I’m pretty damn happy with my current situation. She’s a small-town girl (her grandmother knew Margaret Laurence, so I’ve come into some sweet autographed hardcovers), she likes my cats, and she makes an amazing potato casserole.

She also happens to be one of those fancy-shmancy English grads I’m always griping about.

Talk about kismet, huh?

Ian

So the finale of Angel aired last week, ending the show in what was really the only way possible. Joss said his theme for the final episode (titled "Not Fade Away") was "Keep on fighting."

If you’ve seen the episode, you know just how literally he meant that.

The end of Angel means the end of one of the very few TV shows I actually go out of my way to watch. Which in turn means more free time to write.

So I guess it’s a good thing.

But, man, I really liked that show.

Ian

Hopefully this won’t be used as a defensive tactic by those soldiers charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners:

From CNN.com:

The investigation paints a picture of an undermanned military police brigade that was not properly trained for the detention of Iraqi prisoners under the Geneva Conventions and that was engaged in systematic abuse.

So if the accused soldiers had been properly trained and thoroughly understood the rules set out by the Geneva Conventions, they might not have tortured anyone?

Maybe I’m a bigger pacifist than I thought, but shouldn’t ethical treatment of prisoners be a part of a person’s moral code, with or without the Geneva Conventions? Shouldn’t these soldiers already be aware of the depravity of torturing human beings?

No matter how you look at it, I really think there’s no good explanation for it. They tortured U.S. soldiers, too doesn’t cut it for me. Neither does I was just following orders. I mean, God! stand up for yourself and don’t be such a sheep.

According to Maj. Gen. Antonia Taguba, the lead investigator into the allegations of abuse, the reason for the torture was to "set physical and mental conditions for the favorable interrogation of witnesses."

Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, the one recently put in charge of the Abu Ghraib prison (where the abuses have been taking place), has said: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have changed this. Trust us. We are doing this right."

Sure, why not. I mean, they’ve done such a good job so far.

Ian

Congrats to Michael Moore for winning the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for his film Fahrenheit 9/11. (To read what Moore had to say about the win, go here.)

Apparently the Bush-friendly media (e.g. FOX News) reported the win as simply an award from "the French." Not that it should matter, but of the nine-person jury, only one of them was French.

The whole thing makes me wonder if Disney’s reason for not distributing the film is really because they don’t want to be part of a political debate. Bush & Co. are saying it’s "outrageously false," but if that’s true, why would they care about it being released? Is Bush scared that people will learn the truth, or is he more concerned about how the film will affect him getting back into the White House?

Could Fahrenheit 9/11 really harm Bush’s chances of re-election?

Well, with only six months before Americans go to the polls, and the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal still a thorn in his side, it probably won’t help.

Ian

I use my computer for two things before I leave for work in the morning: I check the news at CNN.com and I check the weather at theweathernetwork.com.

I’ve always been an information freak; the type who suffers from newspaper-withdrawal while on a camping trip. I don’t really care about the day’s current events (most of them, anyway), but I like having access to information. I like facts and research and trivia. My father is the same way, and has won innumerable prizes on the satellite trivia game circuit. It may just be an inclination toward the acquisition of the useless factoid, but I also like to think I’m adding fuel to the fire of my imagination. More than a few story ideas have come from articles in science magazines.

I guess that’s why I like to check the news and the weather in the morning. As much as I enjoy filling my writing world with the fantastical, I take just as much pleasure from being aware of what is going on in the real world. And I found something that makes it that much easier.

Instead of going to theweathernetwork.com everyday, they’re now offering a handy little program called WeatherEye. It’s a display icon that appears in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen, next to the date and time. You set it to whatever town or city you want, and it keeps you apprised of the temperature and the current weather conditions. And the five-day forecast is only a click away. And it’s free!

Ian

So here’s the skinny: On May 5 my hard drive told me a failure was imminent and went nuclear soon after. Suddenly I was without a computer. I got the shakes. I drank some coffee, read more books than usual. The shakes got worse. Time passed, coffee was drunk, more books were read. And suddenly no update for a month. Apparently time flies whether you’re having fun or if you’re sitting on your duff.

Thankfully I was able to get in one last time and back up everything before the thing finally died. (Rule #1 for writers working on computers: backup your stuff often, it will save you time and tears.) So I haven’t lost anything except a month of writing and website updates. Lots of catching up to do, Tangents to post (I’ve still been writing them even though I couldn’t post them), short stories to polish, novel to work on, and so on and so forth.

Just wanted to give you a heads-up. No, Jake, I haven’t died and the cats have not eaten my face.

Some new photos are on the way, as well. They’d be up already if my webhost’s recent server jump hadn’t screwed up all my Gallery permission settings. Yeah, it’s been a real ride this past month. But I have some good news. Later.

Ian