Italy is home to some of the most recognisable resorts in the Alps: Courmayeur, Cervinia, Selva, Arabba and Sauze d'Oulx to name but a few. There are three main ski areas each with their own character and feel; the Domomites Superski circuit, The Mont Blanc Massif and Aosta Valley, and the Milky Way. The mountain scenery in Italy is absolutely breathtaking, most notably in the Dolomites and Courmayeur with its amazing views of Mont Blanc.
Italy is generally held to be the least expensive of the 4 major ski countries in the Alps and is also, in many ways, the best for beginners. The piste grooming there is absolutely first class and, in contrast to France and Switzerland, the piste classification tends to overstate the difficulty of the runs rather than the other way round.
Italian resorts tend to get very busy at weekends as so many major Italian cities are within only a couple of hours of the slopes. That said, the pistes are generally very quiet during the week and you'll find many locals only really ski from around 11am to 3pm, so if you're an early riser you can often have the pistes to yourself. Do bear in mind that the Italian resorts have a slightly erratic snow record - they don't benefit from the north westerly storms off the Atlantic the way other European countries do. Instead Italy relies more on the snow storms coming up from the south, which are a little less frequent. If the rest of Europe is suffering from a shortage it is always worth checking out the conditions in Italy though, as you do often find spectacularly good conditions!
The Dolomites ski circuit sits over in the east of the country so you generally fly into Innsbruck before taking the 1.75 - 2.5 hour airport transfer, (depending on which specific resort you opt for.) The most popular resorts in the Dolomites are Canazei, Selva/Val Gardena and Arabba, with the whole 'Superski Circuit' offering over 1200kms of piste split between 12 linked resorts!
The Mont Blanc Massif is home to the traditional resort of Courmayeur. One of the smaller resorts in Italy with only around 100kms of piste, Courmayeur boasts wonderful heli-skiing as well as some spectacular off piste. Hardened skiers and boarders can also take the Mont Blanc Tunnel over to Chamonix and enjoy a truly European ski holiday!
The Milky Way a great mid-altitude region close to Turin (around 45kms) which links the five resorts of Claviere, Sauze d'Oulx, Sestriere, Pregaleto and the French resort of Montgenevre. All of the resorts are between 1500m and 2000m so they offer great early and late season skiing, and with around 400kms of pistes to explore you won't be bored! Other very popular resorts in Italy include Cervinia, linked with the Swiss resort of Zermatt, and the beautiful town of Aosta which boasts 2000 year old Roman ruins and breathtaking mountain scenery.
One of the top Italian resorts for families is the snow sure resort of Cervinia, sitting at an impressive 2000 metres above sea level. Cervinia boasts high altitude slopes up to almost 3900m with access to a huge ski area, linked with Zermatt. This is the perfect resort for children to learn in and offers a great variety of tougher slopes as well.
Italy is also a lot cheaper to spend a week in than France or Switzerland too. You can get week long lift passes for under £200 per person and lunch on the mountain, that priciest of meals on a ski holiday, costs up to fifty or sixty percent less in Italy than it does in Switzerland or France. Weather wise, the temperatures skiers experience in Italy tend to be a few degrees warmer than the more northerly French resorts. When you're taking young children to the mountains it's important to ensure they're protected against the elements, and it Italy things are just a little easier on that front.
Generally speaking, Italy hasn't seen the same levels of infrastructure investment that many Swiss, French and Austrian resorts have seen over the last decade, and as a result you are more likely to find t-bars and drag lifts here than in any other part of Europe. This does, however, mean that the pistes tend to be quite a bit quieter in Italy in comparison to many of the European mega resorts.
One really good Italian resort that has benefitted from a good deal of investment in the lift system is Sestriere. Home to the 2006 Winter Olympics, Sestriere has a wonderful, modern and fast lift system with a brilliant mix of runs and access to the whole Milky Way ski circuit. It's a Mecca for intermediate boarders who want to clock up some serious mileage.
If freestyle and snow park riding is more your thing then look no further than Val di Fassa in the Dolomites. There are no fewer than five snow parks and 86 lifts to choose from, offering a magnificent range of terrain to ride. Livigno is another great resort worth considering for snowboarders, with 2 snow parks to choose from. The Mottolino park is often rated as one of the best in Europe, boasting 15 kickers, 8 rails, 2 jibs and 2 half pipes!
Intermediate skiers wanting to cover as many kilometres as possible need look no further than the Dolomites range. The Superski circuit has even more pistes to explore than the Three Valleys and a day trip around the Sella Ronda Circuit (a small loop within the Superski area) is a wonderful experience for any keen skier. If you are interested in back country and off piste skiing you will find plenty to do in Italy. You'll also be able to indulge in heli-skiing, an activity which is not legal in France.
The Monterosa region is perhaps the most famous in Italy for serious powder – it's linked with Campolac, Fressoney and Alagna to give you just under 200kms of piste and some spectacular heli-skiing routes, many of them well over 10kms in length! Serious off-piste skiers can ski through to Zermatt and back as well as taking on some Italian classics such as the Malfetta and Balma runs. Italy caters extremely well for advanced skiers. Ski touring is a very popular pursuit and if you're keen to strap the skins on and head up the mountain then a local guide will be on hand to show you some of Europe's most jaw droppingly beautiful mountain scenery for a very reasonable price. 5 days of guiding will cost a party of 5 or 6 people around £150 each.
The food in Italy is, as you may well expect, generally superb... a million miles from the lukewarm spag bol served up in resorts across France for €20 a plate. The pasta dishes are generally nice and light, so after lunch you feel like heading back to the slopes for more skiing, not back to the chalet for a nap. The local meat dishes are delicious and can be enjoyed for the same price as a starter in Switzerland!
As so many of the Italian resorts are linked with Swiss or French resorts there is a strong crossover of cuisines, and you'll still find fondue specialities and sausage dishes as well as local pasta and cured meat cuisine. If you're after something really special then Cortina, the Alta Badia region and the villages surrounding Courmayeur have a good number of Michelin starred restaurants!
If you're looking for a good value ski trip then Italy is the perfect choice as the linked resort circuits are so large there really is something for everyone. The chalet market isn't quite as developed in Italy as it is in countries like France and Austria, so most resorts will only have a handful of chalets available with most of these being booked early by repeat guests. Hotels, often family run, are far more prevalent in Italy and you can often pick up a fantastic half board or B&B deal for a larger group.
The après ski scene is quite different to Austria and France. You won't find too many places pumping out European dance/pop music like you do in other ski areas, but Livigno, Cervinia and Selva are definitely the pick of the bunch if you are looking for something a little bit lively. Most other resorts have a more relaxed atmosphere, with the cafe culture perfect for enjoying some lovely Italian sunshine.


text:
Block 'Tones Down' Driving Style for Extreme E Dakar Run
Extreme E Base Car Revealed at Goodwood
Extreme E launches Spark-built base SUV for Extreme E at Goodwood…
Photo: Extreme E
Extreme E took the covers off its electric SUV that will form the basis of its new radical off-road racing series at Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday.
The base car, named Odyssey 21 and built by Spark Racing Technology, will be the basis from which Extreme E's teams will develop their own packages to compete in some of the world's harshest climates.
The championship, initially uncovered by e-racing365 in August, was officially launched onboard the RMS St. Helena in January, with the ship set to serve as its 'floating paddock'.
"The Extreme E SUV Odyssey 21 is unlike anything else in motorsport," said Formula E's founder and CEO Alejandro Agag.
"The cutting-edge technology our industry-leading partners have employed in its design and construction has resulted in a stunning car, capable of the highest performance in the toughest and most varied environments on the planet.
"Extreme E's combination of top-level sporting competition and ultra-demanding environments will also prove to be a significant research and development platform for manufacturers, driving further advancements in sustainable mobility."
Odyssey 21 includes a common package of standardized parts manufacturers by Spark and a battery produced by Williams Advanced Engineering.
This includes a niobium-reinforced steel alloy tubular frame, and a crash structure and roll cage, while tires for both winter and summer conditions will be supplied by founding partner Continental.
It has a peak output of 400 kW (550 hp) capable of propelling the 1650 kg car from 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds at gradients of up to 130 percent.
In Season One, scheduled for 2021, teams will be able to test and develop their own powertrain and select areas of bodywork such as the engine cover, front and rear bumpers, side skirt and lights, allowing for aspects of road-relevance for different manufacturers.
"Our challenge was to build a car that could face all the variations in surface and terrain that will be thrown its way, which will include gravel, rock, mud, ice, snow, water and sand, too," explained Spark's technical director Theopile Gouzin.
"Straight out-of-the-box in Season One, the Odyssey 21 and its performance is going to be very impressive, exceeding the power and torque of World Rally Championship and rally raid cars. The numbers are mind-blowing, really."
Gouzin explained that the large wheels, measuring 940 mm (37 in), are of a size never used in anything other than two-wheel-drive racing cars before, giving increased traction and better suspension travel.
Odyssey 21 will complete demonstration runs up the Goodwood hillclimb circuit later today.
Related TopicsExtreme Egoodwood
More in Extreme E
Ken Block impressed by Extreme E car in challenging Dakar run...
'Hoonigan' will drive the Extreme E car in the final stage of the Dakar...
Rallycross stars and brothers Timmy and Kevin Hansen go head-to-head in Odyssey 21...
Extreme E SUV Set for Dakar Appearance; Chicherit to Drive
Guerlain Chicherit to drive Extreme E car in demo runs at Dakar Rally...
Extreme E Signs Broadcast Deal With FOX Sports
Meet the Extreme E Car

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Koha online catalog › Details for: Does job insecurity climate contribute to counterproductive work behavior?
Details for: Does job insecurity climate contribute to counterproductive work behavior?
Does job insecurity climate contribute to counterproductive work behavior? A multilevel perspective / Jasmina Tomas, Maša Tonković Grabovac, Sonja Grđan, Darja Maslić Seršić, Hans de Witte.
Contributor(s): Tonković Grabovac, Maša [aut] | Grđan, Sonja [aut] | Maslić Seršić, Darja [aut] | De Witte, Hans [aut].
Material type: ArticleSubject(s): Job insecurity climate, counterproductive work behavior, vigor, temporary contract, multi-level structural equation modeling (ML-SEM) eng In: 18th congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational PsychologyAbstract: The present study utilizes a multilevel design to investigate the effect of job insecurity climate (JIC) on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) via vigor (a dimension of work engagement). JIC was conceptualized as employees' perception of how others experience job insecurity at their workplace (i.e., referent-shift approach). We hypothesized that JIC will positively relate to CWB, partially due to its negative effect on vigor at both the individual and work department level. The sample consisted of 377 temporarily employed young researchers clustered within 154 institute/university departments in Croatia. We collected participants' self-reports via an anonymous on-line questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested with Multi-Level Structural Equation Modeling (ML-SEM). The results showed that vigor fully mediated the relationship between JIC and CWB at the work department level: shared perceptions of JIC negatively related to collectively experienced VI, which was further negatively related to collectively experienced CWB. In contrast, at the individual level we found only a direct positive effect from JIC to CWB. Potential limitations include a cross-sectional design which limits the causality inferences and a sample of young researchers which limits the generalizability of findings. The findings indicate that climate of job insecurity can emerge as a contextual stressor and as such contributes to the work groups' CWB due to negative effects on work groups' vigor. The study is one of the first that examines CWB as an outcome of JIC from the multilevel perspective. Furthermore, it contributes to the theoretical explanation of this relationship by investigating the mediating role of vigor.
The present study utilizes a multilevel design to investigate the effect of job insecurity climate (JIC) on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) via vigor (a dimension of work engagement). JIC was conceptualized as employees' perception of how others experience job insecurity at their workplace (i.e., referent-shift approach). We hypothesized that JIC will positively relate to CWB, partially due to its negative effect on vigor at both the individual and work department level. The sample consisted of 377 temporarily employed young researchers clustered within 154 institute/university departments in Croatia. We collected participants' self-reports via an anonymous on-line questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested with Multi-Level Structural Equation Modeling (ML-SEM). The results showed that vigor fully mediated the relationship between JIC and CWB at the work department level: shared perceptions of JIC negatively related to collectively experienced VI, which was further negatively related to collectively experienced CWB. In contrast, at the individual level we found only a direct positive effect from JIC to CWB. Potential limitations include a cross-sectional design which limits the causality inferences and a sample of young researchers which limits the generalizability of findings. The findings indicate that climate of job insecurity can emerge as a contextual stressor and as such contributes to the work groups' CWB due to negative effects on work groups' vigor. The study is one of the first that examines CWB as an outcome of JIC from the multilevel perspective. Furthermore, it contributes to the theoretical explanation of this relationship by investigating the mediating role of vigor.


text:
100 Films in a Year
12 months. 100 films. Hopefully.
by director
Year 1: 2007
Year 10: 2016
1900s & earlier
Pre/Post/Neo/etc.
Monthly progress
Make/Remake
alternate & director's cuts
films about films
superhero films
video game films
Reviews and editorials from the blog's first year.
2007: The Full List
Posted on December 31, 2007 by badblokebob
And so the end is here. Yes, finally this time! (Check out the previous post for my best and worst of the year.) A nice round 25 entries, too… well, 26 with the Star Wars one…
Anyway — as we've reached the end, here's the full alphabetical list of everything I saw, followed by some intensely interesting statistical whatsits.
What a year, eh?
The Full List
American Dreamz
Basil the Great Mouse Detective
Before Sunrise
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City
The Black Dahlia
Bullets Over Broadway
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America
A Cock and Bull Story
Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine
Fantômas: Juve Versus Fantômas
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Hellboy: Director's Cut
It's All Gone Pete Tong
Johnny English
The King of Comedy
Kramer vs. Kramer
Ladies in Lavender
The Last Days of Pompeii
Manhattan Murder Mystery
Mrs Brown
Mrs Henderson Presents
Mystic River
The Naked City
The New World
Ocean's Twelve
Ong-Bak
The Paleface
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Piglet's Big Movie
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Reckless Moment
Right at Your Door
Ringers: Lord of the Fans
Road to Morocco
Romance & Cigarettes
Starter For Ten
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Three Colours: Blue
Three Colours: White
Three Colours: Red
Traffic in Souls
Alternate Cuts & Other Reviews
Crash: Director's Cut
Spider-Man 2.1
Star Wars – Episode 4: A New Hope – DVD Edition
Star Wars – Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back – DVD Edition
Star Wars – Episode 6: Return of the Jedi – DVD Edition
Manhatta
Nine 1/2 Minutes
A Propos de Nice
Skyscraper Symphony
The Full Statistics
In the end, I watched 129 new feature films in 2007.
I also watched 6 features I'd seen before that were extended or altered in some way. (All of those are left in the statistics that follow unless otherwise indicated.)
I also watched 8 shorts (none of which shall be counted in any of the statistics).
I've already seen 2 films from this list again (specifically, Happy Feet and Hot Fuzz).
I saw 9 films at the cinema this year. That's far beaten by the number of new films I saw on DVD though, which stands at 97 (rising to 103 with those extended/altered ones). I also saw 14 on TV, 4 via downloads, and 5 on good ol' VHS.
The most popular decade by far was the '00s, with 70 films — that's 52%! Of the rest, 4 were made in the '10s, 5 in the '20s, 1 in the '30s, 8 in the '40s, 2 in the '50s, 6 in the '60s, 7 in the '70s, 12 in the '80s, and 20 in the '90s. That's every decade of the 20th Century covered.
The average score was 3.7 out of 5. That includes 16 five-star films and just 1 one-star film. The majority of films scored four stars, with a total of 72 receiving that mark. There were also 32 three-star films and 14 two-star films.
21 of my new films appear on the IMDb Top 250 Films at the time of writing. Their positions range from 15th (Goodfellas) to 247th (Manhattan). None of them are bad enough to make it onto the Bottom 100.
Additionally, 4 films appeared on Empire's 25 Greatest Films of the Year — Notes on a Scandal (at #14), Letters From Iwo Jima (at #11), Hot Fuzz (at #8) and The Bourne Ultimatum (at #1). Many of the films undoubtedly appear on other 'Best Films Ever' lists, but I'm hardly going to go research them all.
A total of 111 directors (or directing partnerships) appear on the list. Martin Scorsese appears most often with 7 films. He's closely followed by Woody Allen with 5 and Krzysztof Kieslowski with 3. Others with multiple films are Clint Eastwood, Louis Feuillade, Lewis Gilbert, John Glen, Paul Greengrass, Lasse Hallstrom, David Lean, Richard Linklater, Ian Mackenzie & Alex Nicholas, F.W. Murnau, Sam Raimi, and Guillermo del Toro. Also, Gene Kelly and the pairing of Hideaki Anno & Kazuya Tsurumaki directed 2 films each, but in both cases one of them was co-directed with someone else. Obviously, the other 94 just directed one film here.
The actors and actresses who appear multiple times are too numerous and difficult to list. There were at least a few though.
In film titles, the most common first letters are B and S (the latter thanks to a big boost from the alternate cuts). The next-closest were T, C, M and P. A total of 17 titles begin with "The", while just 3 start with "A" or "An". (Also, can you see the places where I've cheated slightly in the alphabetical list above?)
57 of the films are currently in my DVD collection.
So that was 2007. Here's to 2008!
Posted in 2007, Editorials, progress reports, statistics, year in review	| Tagged 100 Films in a Year, 2007, Repostathon, statistics, The Full List	| Leave a reply
It may be getting on for the end of January 2008, but finally the penultimate entry of 100 Films 2007 is here! Read on for my five least-favourite films I've seen this year, and (more interestingly, I'm sure) my top ten — in a lovely countdown and all!
(Yes, I said penultimate entry: still to come, a statistics-tastic one!)
A Bit of an Explanation
I'd like to point out that these lists aren't based on the ratings I gave at the time. That is to say, if I gave out precisely ten 5-star ratings it doesn't mean those will be my top ten. A slightly strange thought I know, but opinions can change and therefore so may mine. The title of this entry sums it up: in retrospect these are the films I wanted to pick out as the best I've seen in 2007. Hard work it was choosing too!
I've included a "see also" section for each of the top ten. These aren't supposed to be the ten next-best films I've seen this year, but are instead other films I've seen this year that are in some way related (with the briefest of explanations as to how). These are really just a chance to point out films that are of similar interest; I wanted to stress that they're not necessarily numbers 11 to 20 on my list.
As a final note, I've not considered any of those controversial different-cuts-of-films-I've-seen-before for inclusion here. If I had then I'm sure Crash would've been high in the top ten.
The Five Worst Films I've Seen in 2007
Flight 93 (#26) 1/5
The only film all year to achieve the lowest possible score; if this list were numbered, it would surely be my worst film of the year. Nothing in it is above the level of cheap TV movie — which it is, but that's no excuse. The script, acting, direction, effects… I genuinely failed to find anything worthwhile here, especially in light of the excellent United 93, a truly brilliant film of the same story. Some say this makes a good companion piece to the movie, but I really don't think it does: the latter is a respectful, realistic, thoughtful piece of filmmaking; this is tacky and unrealistic, and tries so hard for an appropriate level of sentiment that it often winds up being laughable. And laughable is not something this event was. In short, don't even bother.
New York Stories: Life Without Zoe (#117) 3/5
It seems almost churlish to pick out one segment of a film, but as it's an anthology where the other two parts are pretty good it would be even more churlish to slate the whole film. The centre short of New York Stories, an anthology film by Scorsese, Coppola and Allen, is second only to Flight 93 as the most painful thing I've had to sit through this year. The characters are irritating, the performances weak, the writing twee… Sofia would obviously go on to better things (Lost in Translation mainly), but Francis Ford seems to be firmly leaving the quality filmmaking behind at this point. (As a side point, I thought Scorsese's short in this film was decent enough, while Allen's is utterly brilliant. The listed score is the one I gave the whole film.)
Play Time (#118) 2/5
Jacques Tati has his fans. Filmmakers such as him (especially foreign ones) inevitably do. But I just can't fully get to grips with his style of comedy, and I suspect many truly discerning critics wouldn't either. There are gags, but they're slipped in among long stretches of interminable boredom where literally nothing happens, and when they arrive they have a tendency to run on too long. Tati is undoubtedly making some points about the state of the modern urban world with this, but that doesn't make it any more entertaining. Repetitive and flat, it's not worth sitting through for the handful of genuinely good comic moments.
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (#79) 2/5
As well as being a poor film in its own right, this represents a variety of films which failed to live up to my expectations. In this case, I was looking forward to a well-developed alternate history of America, where things were vastly different because the Confederates won the American Civil War. Instead, the film is almost solely concerned with the idea that, if they had won, black people would still be slaves. This preoccupation is unsurprising when you learn the background of the filmmakers, but the film isn't sold as simply a "what if black people were still slaves?" piece. Most major historical events play out as they did anyway… except that black people are still enslaved! It's far too one-dimensional.
Thunderbirds (#85) 2/5
I was left with a few potential final choices from my short list of bad films, all of fairly equal poorness. This is the worst though, because, like C.S.A., it's so disappointing. I didn't have great expectations for this film thanks to all the bad press it received at the time of release, but that doesn't detract from the fact that Thunderbirds is a great TV series full of wonderful and entertaining ideas, most of which are squandered in this poor Spy Kids rip off. The only good thing about it are the ship designs, which faithfully modernise all of the Thunderbird craft. Other than that, it's a poor script, poor story, and pretty poor acting too (even from Sir Ben Kingsley, who camps it up something rotten). What a waste.
The Ten Best Films I've Seen For the First Time in 2007
10) Blood Diamond (#19) 4/5
Ed Zwick pulls off the impressive task of making a Moral Message Movie that is also a proper action thriller, something which (as far as I've seen) usually leads to a film winding up greatly more in one camp than the other. The action sequences are exciting and impressively staged, the message is conveyed but not over-played, and within this there's still room to focus on the characters and their personal journeys. All of the actors perform well in their roles, though Djimon Hounsou can still be singled out as the best of the bunch. Important and entertaining — a rare feat.
See also: The Bourne Ultimatum, a more widely praised gritty action-thriller.
9) 300 (#101) 4/5
Pure testosterone-fuelled entertainment. That's a pretty simply way of summing up what is, at the end of the day, a pretty simple film. It looks gorgeous, with cinematography, design and CGI combining to create a series of hyper-real, beautiful visions. The fight scenes are brutally excellent, though in danger of becoming a bit repetitive if they're not your thing. The story is also a little slender, padded out with copious slow motion and a bolted-on political subplot in the final act, which could have been excellent if integrated better. But none of these flaws really matter, because 300 does what it sets out to, and it does it bloody well.
See also: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, an equally CGI-heavy bit of constant action.
8) Three Colours Red (#42) 5/5
This really (slightly cheekily, but unashamedly) represents the whole Three Colours trilogy. You see, while each film is completely standalone and works excellently in its own right, they still work best when viewed together, in order, at which point the ending of this (the third part) is wonderfully effective. The trilogy explores the three values represented on the French flag: freedom, equality, brotherhood; but these are clearly themes with broader resonance, which gives these films a more universal appeal. They do tend toward the slower-paced and slightly 'arty' end of the filmic spectrum, but, considering that's a style I don't generally get on with either, these are nonetheless brilliant.
See also: Hidden, another French film with occasionally similar themes.
7) Citizen Kane (#100) 5/5
Widely regarded as one of, if not the, best films ever made, Citizen Kane has certainly had to fight hard for such an accolade. But it's pretty well deserved: almost everything about the film still stands up well today, from the engaging mysteries of the plot, to the collage of styles, timeframes and unusual camera moves that can still seem innovate 66 years on. As I said in my original review, there is masses that can (and has, and will) be said about this movie. You shouldn't need me to tell you that if you have any real interest in films you ought to at least give it a go. For me, it mostly managed to live up to its colossal reputation.
See also: Chinatown, an acclaimed noir-ish & unsolvable mystery of America's wealthy.
6) Brief Encounter (#76) 5/5
Most classics are so for good reason; and, chances are, the older a film oft-cited as a classic gets, the better the chance of it genuinely being one (as the lesser films drop away in favour of newer 'classics', you see). At 62 years old, then, Brief Encounter stands a fair chance of being a damn good film. And, lo and behold, it really is. The social conventions of a bygone age are beautifully played out — while things certainly wouldn't go this way today, one can still oddly relate to it all. With a touching, funny script, note-perfect performances, and terrific direction, you don't get them much more classic than this.
See also: Before Sunrise, a modern take on railway-related romance (that only narrowly missed a spot here).
5) Stranger Than Fiction (#81) 4/5
This is a wonderful conceit for a film: one day, a man begins to hear his life being narrated, as if it were a novel. And then the novelist tells him he's going to die. To explain what happens from there would ruin it, of course (and take too long), but it's variously fantastical, romantic, thoughtful, and fun. It's stylishly directed by Marc Forster, who's fast becoming one of my favourite directors (I expect Bond 22 to cement that opinion), and has plenty of originality. While some plot threads may be pretty standard fair, they're well executed too, which makes for a highly entertaining whole.
See also: While You Were Sleeping, a quirky (though not as fantastical) setup for a rom-com.
4) The Prestige (#14) 4/5
I must confess to being a bit unsure about The Prestige at first. Not that I didn't think it was good, just that I wasn't sure how good. In retrospect, it's good enough to make it this high on my list (beating off most of the films that I rated higher than it!) Nolan is a great storyteller: the chronology of the film is all over the place, yet never once is the viewer lost as to what we're seeing when. It's all propped up by a brilliant cast and a central mystery that is intriguing, with a number of neat twists in its resolution. The more I remember it, the more I like it.
See also: Primer, a somewhat similar mystery in a (sadly) less satisfying film.
3) Mean Creek (#69) 5/5
It's a simple concept: a group of kids take the school bully out to teach him a lesson and it all goes horribly wrong. But it's not a sanitised, irritating kids movie, with shiny little brats and a beautiful message about friendship; it's an indie with a realistically dark heart, and thankfully not one that has succumbed to the "nothing happens because it's about the characters, see" school of 'intelligent' filmmaking. The kids carry the movie (barely an adult is seen, and even then only briefly) and their performances are all strong, often a worry with child actors. It's a tense, believable story, with a good exploration of the consequences of their actions, including an appropriate level of ambiguity. A fantastic little drama.
See also: Brick, another indie of middle American kids in potentially murderous situations.
2) Hot Fuzz (#20) 5/5
The Shaun of the Dead team return, this time spoofing action movies (as opposed to zombies). Many say this isn't as good as Shaun, but I rather suspect they're mostly the sort of people who are into the niche-y zombie films in the first place (don't get me wrong, mind, I love Shaun). Hot Fuzz is funny throughout, has a good stab at some exciting action sequences, and the cast of British stalwarts are fantastic. It was a big hit in the UK and deservedly so. It's set to form a loose trilogy with Shaun and an as-yet-unrevealed project, which I feel we should all be looking forward to immensely.
See also: Stormbreaker, a kid-centred slice of tongue-in-cheek British action.
1) United 93 (#22) 5/5
Paul Greengrass didn't stand a chance at the Oscars, as Scorsese had finally got round to making another film good enough for them to finally give him an award. Greengrass deserved it more though. The Departed was a decent film, but as this is the only mention of it in this entire article you can see I was hardly blown away. But this is all beside the point: United 93 is a great film. The direction is perfectly suited to the subject matter, the storytelling appropriately tense and with a good dose of realism, and the performances utterly believable. The fact that this is endorsed by the families of those who died is the final stamp of approval. The men and women who were on board United 93 are all heroes — not in some cheesy Hollywood way, but in a very real-world way. This captures that, and feels an appropriate tribute.
See also: Right at Your Door, a fictional tale of terrorism's potential effect on ordinary people.
Special Mentions
I just wanted to take a moment (or, a section) to highlight a few other films, for various reasons.
Firstly, I can't end this without mentioning the 13 films that earned themselves 5-star ratings this year, as only six of them made it into the top ten — those being Brief Encounter, Citizen Kane, Hot Fuzz, Mean Creek, Three Colours Red, and United 93. Perhaps I was less certain about rating some so highly in retrospect, but, regardless, the other seven were: Chinatown, Educating Rita, Goodfellas, Heat, The King of Comedy, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Trainspotting.
As the year went on I kept a running list of potential contenders for both my bottom five and top ten. The former eventually totalled 15 films (some were shortlisted not because they were truly bad, but due to the level of disappointment involved, such as Spider-Man 3). The list for the top ten reached the giddy heights of 48 films — 37% of the total! Maybe I'm just the generous sort. As well as the top ten itself (obviously), some of these were the other 5-star-ers listed above, and several more have been named in the "see also" sections. Rather than list all the remaining 24 (you do the maths), here's nine of them that stuck in my mind enough to warrant mentioning:
– Night Watch, an entertaining epic/fantasy/horror mash-up from Russia.
– Perfume, a visually pungent, thoroughly bizarre adaptation of the popular novel.
– Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, a classic silent urban fairytale.
– Manhattan, a beautiful black & white relationship drama.
– The Woodsman, an intelligent and character-centric study of a difficult issue.
– Pan's Labyrinth, an engaging blend of fantasy and cruel reality.
– Bullets Over Broadway, an amusing and entertaining take on the mob and the theatre.
– Octopussy, a surprisingly entertaining Roger Moore Bond film.
– Basil the Great Mouse Detective, an underrated Sherlock Holmes-riffing Disney flick.
The Films I Didn't See
Of course, this obviously isn't a Top 10 of 2007 in the traditional sense. But, nonetheless, new films do feature, and with that in mind there were a number of notable films released this year that I've yet to see.
Here, then, is an alphabetical list of 50 films made in 2007 that I've missed. (To be fair, some of these aren't actually out over here yet… but when I finally see them they'll be listed as 2007, so on this list they go! Equally, a fair few films have cropped up on best-of-year lists but are technically from 2006, so have been left off.) The films listed here have been chosen for a variety of reasons, from box office success to critical acclaim.
2 Days in Paris
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
American Gangster
The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford
Charlie Wilson's War
Die Hard 4.0 / Live Free or Die Hard
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Grindhouse (or its constituent parts individually)
I'm Not There
Lions For Lambs
Resident Evil: Extinction
Sicko
It's been very strange, looking back over this list to pick my choices. Some films I saw at the beginning of the year feel like they were just the other week; others seen more recently feel like they were an age ago. It's quite an interesting experience — one that I'd recommend.
Posted in 2007, Editorials, progress reports, year in review	| Tagged 100 Films in a Year, 2007, Repostathon, top 10, top ten	| Leave a reply
Piglet's Big Movie (2003)
2007 #129
Francis Glebas | 72 mins | TV | U / G
I used to enjoy the Disney Winnie the Pooh series when I was younger. I also used to love the original books by A.A. Milne. In fact, I still enjoy the books — they're witty, knowingly written, and often sweet. Sadly, Disney's interpretation seems to have faired less well.
In this case it's largely down to the first half, where the mostly original storyline and weak & randomly inserted songs simply aren't up to scratch. However, things improve massively with a couple of fairly straight adaptations of Milne's original tales.
Mildly amusing at times and with a positive (if predictable) message about friendship and self-worth, this would undoubtedly entertain young children — which, to be fair, is its intended audience. While it initially seems to fall far short for older audiences, it turns out to be not all bad.
Posted in 2000s, 2007, 3 stars, adaptations, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Disney, Musical, Mystery	| Tagged A.A. Milne, Disney, Eeyore, Francis Glebas, Piglet, Piglet's Big Movie, Winnie the Pooh	| Leave a reply
Jon Turteltaub | 99 mins | TV | PG / PG
I wound up accidentally watching this on TV, and was ultimately glad I did.
If you've ever seen a '90s rom–com then the general shape of everything here will be familiar, though it does have a neat coma-related twist at its core. In spite of this predictability, and Sandra Bullock, I found it to be very enjoyable. It's not a laugh-out-loud comedy and it is (of course) heavy on the sentiment, but it does have a lovely Christmasiness that is perfect for this time of year. It made me all nostalgic for the '90s — they don't make 'em like this any more. I don't think. I don't really watch rom-coms…
I can easily see myself tracking this down in time for next Christmas, and probably Christmasses after too.
Posted in 1990s, 2007, 4 stars, Comedy, Romance	| Leave a reply
Telling Lies (2001)
2007 #127a
Simon Ellis | 4 mins | DVD
A simple idea, very well executed: as we listen to a series of phone conversations, the speakers' dialogue appears on screen… except instead of transcribing their exact words, it reveals their true thoughts. At only a few minutes long this doesn't outstay its welcome, instead maintaining the basic idea well and crafting a neat and amusing little story with it. Worth checking out if you have a chance.
Telling Lies is available on the DVD Cinema16: British Short Films or can be watched on Vimeo for free.
Posted in 2000s, 2007, 4 stars, Animation, British films, Comedy, Drama, Short	| Tagged British, short, Simon Ellis, Telling Lies	| Leave a reply
Paul Greengrass | 110 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13
This final instalment in the action-thriller trilogy was recently announced as Empire magazine's film of the year, following wide praise on release that dubbed it the best action movie in a long time. Unfortunately, I fear it may've become a victim of its own hype.
It's certainly a good film for many reasons: its appropriately unrelenting momentum, even in dialogue scenes; several stunning action sequences; a mostly decent plot. But it's also flawed: despite the globe-hopping, complex plot, it feels somehow slight; several villains and plot devices seem tacked on to create an over-arching plan for the trilogy, when Bourne had really dealt with all these matters in the first two.
Ultimately, it simply didn't feel as entertaining as the first two instalments, though I had an odd sense that I should be liking it more. Perhaps future re-viewings will aid my appreciation.
Posted in 2000s, 2007, 4 stars, Action, adaptations, British films, Thriller	| Leave a reply
2007 | Weeks 51-52
And so here we are: my 23rd entry, the final two weeks of 2007, and the end of my quest! You can look out for summaries of the year to be posted in the next few days, and then it's thoroughly done.
…for 2007. I'll be starting afresh for 2008 though, right back down at #1.
After the emptiness of my last entry, I have actually watched some films this time. Three of them, in fact — my final three films of the year! And one short too.
They were…
#127 The Bourne Ultimatum
#127a Telling Lies
#128 While You Were Sleeping
#129 Piglet's Big Movie
2007's summary posts will be republished in November.
Posted in 2007, Editorials, progress reports	| Tagged 2007, December, Repostathon	| Leave a reply
2007 | Weeks 49-50 (2008 Preview)
It's the last month of the year! The winter holidays have started! There's only a week (and a bit) 'til Christmas! And, after the fourteen-film craziness of the last entry, in the past two weeks I've only watched… well, NO films!
Yet there is still an entry. Why? Well, I resolved that, regardless of how many films I watched, I'd post double-week entries for both this one and the next. And I haven't watched any films, so there's none here. A silly resolution, obviously. Incidentally, this all means you can expect the final chapter of my 2007 quest to appear on Monday December 31st. How very appropriate.
So instead of film reviews, but in light of the fact I'm posting this anyway, I've decided to share with you some of the changes I have planned for 2008. I'm sure there's nothing mind-blowingly exciting here, but maybe it'll be of vague interest.
The most notable change to the blog will be that, instead of large week-spanning multi-film round-ups, I'll be posting reviews individually. The weekly format is a hold-over from the blog's deviantART origins and obviously isn't as blog-like as individual entries will be.
In a similar vein, there'll be a few more details beyond the current year/director/format selection — for example, the running time, or the BBFC classification (perhaps the MPAA one too). These things are hardly integral to the content, I know, but it might make the whole thing feel a bit more well-informed.
In the unlikely event anyone particularly enjoys my little introductions and updates, something like these will crop up from time to time in a new format — expect 'editorials' scattered amongst the film reviews at imprecise intervals.
I had also considered adding in reviews of other things, such as re-watched films and TV shows, in a similar way to the editorials. I decided this would dilute the focus and clutter the blog, however… but be sure to check out my new sister blog, Smaller Screens, which will cover those things with a broadly similar 'voice' to this blog.
Finally, I might actually start using keywords. I tried initially for this year, but it seemed a little pointless. I'll try to keep them general and helpful, rather than bogging them down with one-off things like the film's title. Information like the director, the genre, the year of production, the format, and so forth, will likely go in the keywords, to create some sort of browsable thingamie on the sidebar.
Maybe one day I'll go back and mix some of these changes into how the 2007 posts are organised, just to streamline the whole thing. But don't count on it. [2015 note: Hahaha! Dear God, the number of times I've re-posted and re-formatted the 2007 entries now…]
It's the final entry of the year! And then two more… You'll see.
See you on New Year's Eve…
Posted in 2007, 2008, Editorials, progress reports	| Tagged 2007, 2008, December, Repostathon	| Leave a reply
Posted on December 4, 2007 by badblokebob
Martin Scorsese | 107 mins | DVD | 18 / R
Semi-autobiographical New York gangster movie, guaranteed a place in history as the first collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro — what a place to end my little season!
As with Goodfellas, it's someone else who's the main character; and, as with Goodfellas, De Niro's supporting character is a disturbing presence even when off screen. The similarities don't end there, but I'm not going to go into them in detail. Suffice to say, Mean Streets feels a bit like a less epic, oddly less focused, grittier, and perhaps more realistic, prototype for Goodfellas. But even then it's only that in some ways — the two are notably different enough to make each worthwhile.
Posted in 1970s, 2007, 4 stars, Crime, Drama, Film Noir: Pre/Post/Neo/etc.	| Leave a reply
Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
Woody Allen | 95 mins | DVD | 15 / R
The final Woody Allen film of this little 'season' is that rare thing: one that doesn't star him!
This is its biggest flaw, as John Cusack spends the entire film doing a blatant and middling impression of the writer/director. But he nonetheless does OK, and when the rest of the cast are note-perfect, the script pacy and funny, the photography gorgeous, and the long takes never more appropriate, it's hard not to be impressed. Special mention for the final scene, a four-way shouted conversation between two high windows and the street — it's beautifully written and executed.
Another underrated Allen film, and probably the most down-right entertaining of his I've seen so far.
Posted in 1990s, 2007, 4 stars, Comedy, Crime	| Tagged Broadway, Bullets Over Broadway, Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tilly, John Cusack, New York, Woody Allen	| Leave a reply
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
The Karate Kid (2010)
Witness (1985)
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
"100 Films"…
'initial thoughts'
Film Noir: Classic
Film Noir: Pre/Post/Neo/etc.
Misc. Attributes
alternate & director's cuts
drabble reviews
This might be the laziest bit of writing I've ever seen (about #TheLionKing at Digital Spy). "That might be the spe… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
The girl with the dragon tattoo returns in THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB, on Sky Cinema from today. New review:… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
The Kung Fu Kid: today's review is the 2010 remake of THE KARATE KID. 100filmsinayear.wordpress.com/2019/07/04/the… https://t.co/hQcpdqKqIo 1 week ago
New review: Harrison Ford's city cop hides out among the Amish community in '80s crime drama WITNESS.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
New review: blaxploitation turns buddy comedy in the 2019 version of SHAFT, which is now on #Netflix (outside the U… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
Follow @100films
LAMB #1635


Until 2 October, Born in Antwerp unites creative people so that they can inspire each other and exchange ideas and visions in order to start creating things together.
The Antwerp creative scene is very rich and diverse. Did you know that one out of six Antwerp companies is active in the creative sector? The city is an immense creative hub with international appeal. In Antwerp, there has always been a lot of space for innovation, ever since Christophe Plantin in the 16th century. Today there's Tomorrowland, the internationally acclaimed software company Drupal, and many world-famous fashion designers. "Born in Antwerp" wants to tell the story of the city as a natural habitat for all kinds of creativity.
"Born in Antwerp – Harbour of Creativity" kicks off in December 2015. The apotheosis of this creative year will be a four-day festival in September 2016, during the re-opening of the Plantin-Moretus Museum. You can check out the program as it is today on www.borninantwerp.be.
All Antwerp-based creative and cultural entrepreneurs are kindly invited to cooperate on this ambitious program by means of their very own projects. All you have to do, is contact info@borninantwerp.be. What are you waiting for?
The epicenter of the creative project will be a specially equipped warehouse at the Kattendijkdok-Oostkaai. This will be the place to be for creative events, performances, lectures and expositions. It will also be a meeting hotspot, an inspiring place to work or a space to gather with friends. The Antwerp creative scene will be able to use it to organize events for the public.


text:
Apple may delay mixed reality headset until 2023
Apple's mixed reality headset may be delayed until 2023 due to development issues. This was reported by the Bloomberg resource, citing informed sources.
concept Ian Zelbo
Apple originally planned to launch the headset in 2021 and begin shipping later this year, sources said. The company then decided to unveil the device at the WWDC developer conference in June 2022, but that's unlikely due to a number of issues.
Sources say that Apple developers face the problem of headset overheating, there are also questions about the camera and software. The device is rumored to have two chips, and Bloomberg thinks at least one of them will be as powerful as the M1 Pro found in the latest MacBook Pros. The high demands on the cooling system of this chip are the cause of overheating problems.
As a result, Apple is currently considering delaying the headset's launch to late 2022 or delaying it to 2023. The company has reportedly told supply chain partners that the device will likely come out later this year, but apparently there's no final decision on the matter. Apple is expected to focus on VR and AR apps at WWDC 2023 to launch an app store for the headset.
iOS 16 (codenamed Sydney) will get native mixed reality headset support. According to Bloomberg, this means that Apple "In theory, it can preview technical aspects of the headset or its software without showing the entire device." at this year's WWDC.
RELATED TOPICSapple headset mixed reality
Apple: "Millions of Americans" Could Be Affected by Malware Attacks Due to Antitrust Laws
Robbie Elmers
Apple sent a letter to the US Senate Judiciary Committee warning that antitrust laws under review in the Senate could lead to an increase in cybersecurity incidents among iPhone owners. This may be partly because users may be allowed to download...
Denzel Washington Says Streaming Has Expanded Market for Black Actors
Actor Denzel Washington believes that the diversification of the audiovisual market, brought about by competition from streaming services, has generated greater openness to non-white professionals in the US entertainment industry. He pointed out the...
Severance: "Black Mirror"-style series gets disturbing trailer
Apple TV+ has released a new trailer for "Severance," a workplace comedy with a disturbing sci-fi ingredient worthy of "Black Mirror." The preview explains the premise and reveals the premiere date. Written by newcomer Dan Erickson and directed by...
AMD introduces the Radeon PRO W6400, a $229 budget professional graphics card with a 6nm chip


The three-dimensional numerical model is based on numerical solution of the full three-dimensional system of nonlinear hydrodynamic equations for atmospheric gas in the form of conservation laws.
The numerical method is a conservative one and allows us to consider, inter alia, non-smooth solutions of nonlinear hydrodynamic equations. The method is similar to the classical Lax-Wendorff scheme.
The used method of solving of three-dimensional hydrodynamic equations is based on finite-difference approximation of the fundamental conservation laws. The system of non-linear equations of our hydrodynamic model includes: the continuity equation, the equation of motion, the equation of state for an ideal gas, the equation of energy conservation (which is transformed equivalently to the equation for pressure) and the equation for the entropy. Thus, the system of equations is overdetermined, but this redundancy is needed in case of considering of non-smooth solutions. The model takes into account viscosity and thermal conductivity, which have particularly large influence on the processes in the upper atmosphere.
The use of an implicit approximation of hydrodynamic equations at first time-half-step instead of explicit approximations is one of the important distinctions of our numerical scheme from the classical Lax-Wendorff scheme.The use of an implicit approximation of hydrodynamic equations at first time-half-step instead of explicit approximations is one of the important distinctions of our numerical scheme from the classical Lax-Wendorff scheme.


My hens have not stopped laying all winter with this amazing Spring weather. Will we see the beast from the east or not this year?
Looking after your flock through the winter is very important and keeping an eye out for anyone looking a bit miserable or behaving differently is vital. Make sure water is clean and free of fallen rotting leaves. My hens and geese have enjoyed warm boiled up vegetable scraps and fruit on cold days.


text:
/**
* Base module for a scoring module to be reused accross
**/

var ScoreCard = function (type, maxHistory) {
  var self = this;

  this.score = 0;

  this.key = type ? type + 'Score' : 'defaultScore';

  this.maxHistory = maxHistory ? maxHistory : 5;

  this.reset = function () {
    self.score = 0;
  }

  this.add = function (increment) {
    self.score += increment ? increment : 0;
    return self.score;
  }

  this.save = function (name, level) {
    var history = self.loadHistory();

    if (!self.score) {
      return false;
    }

    history = history || [];
    name = name || null;
    level = level || null;

    history.push({
      score: self.score,
      date: new Date(),
      level: level,
      user: name
    });

    history = self.order(history);

    if (history.length > self.maxHistory) {
      history.pop();
    }

    self.saveHistory(history);
  }

  this.loadHistory = function () {
    var data = localStorage[self.key];

    if (data)  {
      return JSON.parse(localStorage[self.key]);
    }
    return [];
  }

  this.saveHistory = function (data) {
    localStorage[self.key] = JSON.stringify(data);
  }

  this.order = function (data) {
    return data.sort(function(a, b) {
      return b.score - a.score;
    });
  }
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub