Contrary to popular beliefs, magic is still very present in our technologically advanced every day life. Or so it seems. We all carry the means to this magical happenings in our pockets, or purses for you ladies.

It consists of a small rectangular pice of cheap plastic. Some people will try and persuade you that it is in fact science, not magic at work.

They are wrong.

Let’s use the word card for the little device.

There is white magic. Let’s use the expression interact card for it, or better yet the white magic card.

Then, there is black magic. Let’s call this one thecredit card, or just the dark magic card.

Now when you use the white magic card for some purchase, automatically the amount of the purchase is deducted from your won bank account! Just like that. The money that was there simply vanishes and goes directly into somebody else’s pocket. Ins’t that wonderful ?

Of course it is!

This way, when you have no more money left, you cannot spend one more cent!

Right?

Wrong!

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!

This is when temptation arises. Temptation toward the…

Wait.

Can I use the expression “Dark Side”, or is somebody from Lucasfilm in going to come over and beat me up with a Gaderfii stick prop?

Well chances are the two people that will ever read this won’t tell George. So where was I…? Ah yes!

The temptation arises. The temptation to use the Dark Side of the black magic card!

All money is spent. But that doesn’t stop one from spending, does it? There is absolutely no mey left, and spending is still an option. Interesting, but of course! But dangerous, very dangerous! One needs an iron will not to fall in the easy action of purchasing without thinking of the consequences.
Which come monthly and with very high interest rates. Very, very high.

One must act cautiously and wisely. And be extremely careful not to use to much of the black magic card, for one could lose his (or her for you ladies) soul the omnipotent deities of the credit. The three most evil being Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Being all powerful and all the control and own many of us mere mortals. Sad but true.

So, let it be heard!

There is magic in our modern world!

And most of it is evil!

Beware and be wise!

Says Gog the Great and Wise!!!!

For more information and/or moral support please leave a comment with your full name and credit card number. Thank and have a nice day!

Now, if you are actually leaving your black magic card number, there is something you are not getting. Please read the text above again.

If this is the second time you read this and are still leaving your black magic card number… Well, you derserves it.

Gog

Fantasy becoming reality.

It was about time!

On today’s USA Today, a sign that digital cinema is around the corner. Well at least in a foreseeable future.

Top Hollywood’s film studios are planning the technical specifications to make the big move to digital. Basically they are deciding on the resolution and elaborating ways to fight movie piracy at the same time.

It represents a $3 billion dollards investments. That’s a lot of money, even for the movie industry. Still the cost of making and shipping film prints is an impressive $1.2 billion dollards a year! With no prints, or close to no prints, to make and the shipping of a hard drive, or even better yet, using satellite signals instead of shipping films canisters; those costs will dramatically drop. Making the investment worthwhile in a fairly short term.

Why now? Why did the industry waited this long before even thinking of maikng this move? The technology has been available for quite a few years now. Maybe it was feared. Change is not always welcomed in big business. Well, better late than never I guess.

Hopefully we’ll be able to see movies in digital cinemas soon.

I mean, in the next 10 years or so. I wouldn’t want to rush anyone!

Starting on Wednesday, February 15 !!!

There will be a comic strip on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Hopefully it will be a permanent change. It’s a self-discipline issue.

Well here it is !

My own comic strip! Wow! I never actually believed it could happen. I mean people can actually read it!

Now I can’t compare with the Greats. And I don’t want to.
Blame them if you will for giving me the idea of doing this. But I want to thank them.

Bill Waterson with Calvin and Hobbes,
Patrick McDonnell with Mutts,

Jim Davis with Garfield,
The late George Herriman with Krazy Kat,
Lennie Peterson with The Big Picture,
Tom Beland with True Story, Swear to God and fianlly the two masters

The late Antonio Prohias with Spy vs Spy

and

Sergio Aragones! With everything he has done!

So click on the “STRIP” button up there and take a look.
I’d like to hear about what think, nice or not. But I’m sorry about the artwork : that’s the best I can do!

Thanks for dropping by!

It was 1996.

The North American release of Rumble in the Bronx. As many movie goers in North America, it was my first real contact with Hong Kong movies. Of course I had heard of Bruce Lee and seen some films on “The Black Belt Theater” on Sunday afternoons, but that was it. But seeing this on a big screen, that was a first.

Jackie Chan. His charisma, the way he moves and all those stunts! From that moment, I was a fan. I needed to see every movie he had ever made. Now, a that moment in time, I had no idea it represented close to a hundred films. Even to this day I haven’t tracked down all of his movies.

That adventure opened a new world of movies to me, a world that is very different from the one I was used to. In that world I met many people, film makers and stars alike.

There were tons of movies to discover, dozens of actors and lots of surprises in store. As I said before, like many this was all new to me and it was wonderful.

Those were the golden years.

Popularity of Hong Kong cinema grew very quickly and everybody wanted in. Movie companies saw an opportunity and grabbed it. The public wanted movies, so they flooded the market. Quality did not matter, quantity did.

Today when picking up a Hong Kong movie, one needs to be careful. Looking at the director’s name will help or maybe who is satrring in it. Problem is, many stars made very questionnable choices in their carreers I believe that to be worldwide. So it is a guessing game. It can be helped by reading reviews from people who enjoy the genrein a place like LoveHKFilm.com or Asian Cult Cinema which is also avery good magazine.

What happens now is that others moved in the market with their movies. The Thai with, for instance, the so-so action film Ong Bak or the Korean with, as example, the masterpieceOld Boy. All this is very good for the movie goer though, it opens new horizons.

I am not saying there are no good Hong Kong films made nowadays, and I am not being nostalgic, far from it. All I am saying is we have to dig deeper to find gems.

Of course, now with DVD re-editions we have access to treasures of the past, but another problem prevents us from enjoying them : DVD zones. I am not going to get into this right now, but promise I will in the near future.

Meanwhile, enjoy your movies. Take chances. And hey, if it’s that bad, maybe it’ll give something to complain about.

Gog