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Tag Archives: Carrie-Anne Moss
New Releases for the Week of January 13, 2017
Posted on January 12, 2017 by carlosdev
PATRIOT'S DAY
(CBS) Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Michele Monaghan, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons, Paige MacLean, Rachel Brosnahan, Christopher O'Shea. Directed by Peter Berg
A watershed mark for our nation over the past few years is the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. Not only did it galvanize a city but an entire nation learned the meaning of the term "Boston strong." This movie takes a look at the event from the viewpoint of first responders, survivors and those who investigated the crime and relentlessly pursued the bombers, this is a look at an unspeakable act that led to unmistakable courage.
See the trailer, clips, interviews, featurettes and B-roll video here.
Genre: True Life Drama
Rating: R (for violence, realistically graphic injury images, language throughout and some drug use)
The Bye Bye Man
(STX) Carrie-Ann Moss, Faye Dunaway, Douglas Smith, Doug Jones. Don't imagine him. Don't even think about him. Whatever you do, don't you dare mention his name. Otherwise, the Bye Bye Man will get inside you and force you to commit terrible acts of pure evil. Three college friends are about to find out that there is never any escape from the Bye Bye Man.
See the trailer, clips, interviews and B-roll video here.
Rating: R (for bloody horror violence, language and some sexuality)
The Crash
(Vertigo) Frank Grillo, Minnie Driver, AnnaSophia Robb, Dianna Agron. In the near future, the United States is under attack by cyber-terrorists who want to bring our economy to its knees. In desperation, the federal government enlists the aid of white collar criminals to stop the hack and take down the terrorists – before our nation comes to a grinding halt.
See the trailer and a clip here.
Genre: Crime Thriller
Now Playing: AMC Loew's Universal Cineplex
Rating: PG (for thematic elements and some language)
(Sony Classics) Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling. The ruthless head of a French video game company is sexually assaulted in her home. Not willing to take this lying down, she relentlessly chases after her rapist and in so doing gets involved in a game of cat and mouse which threatens to spiral out of control.
Rating: R (for violence involving sexual assault, disturbing sexual content, some grisly images, brief graphic nudity, and language)
(Warner Brothers) Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Sienna Miller. A veteran of World War I becomes a self-proclaimed outlaw although one who really isn't cut out for the bootlegger's life – he's far too good-hearted, a trait that can lead to serious difficulties with some of the more amoral elements of that element. Driven to get revenge for the wrongs against him, he travels from the cold winters of Boston to the warm tropics of Tampa with a plan to make right those wrongs.
See the trailer, clips, interviews, a featurette and B-roll video here.
Genre: Crime Drama
Rating: R (for strong violence, language throughout, and some sexuality/nudity)
(Paramount) Lucas Till, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Amy Ryan. A young man is desperate to escape the small town and boring life he's been born into and it seems likely doomed to remain in. His plan is to build himself a monster truck, become a champion driver, and leave his dust speck of a town in his rearview. What he doesn't count on is the alien presence that invades his truck and gives it a life of his own. Now he is certain to get out of town; but if someone finds out his secret, it's likely he's going to spend the rest of his life in a secret government base! Which might be just a little bit of an improvement…
Release Formats: Standard, 3D
Rating: PG (for action, peril, brief scary images and some rude humor)
(Paramount) Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Ciaran Hinds. The latest from director Martin Scorsese concerns a pair of Christian missionaries who undertake a dangerous mission to feudal Japan. They go there in search of their mentor, who disappeared after renouncing the faith, something both men believe he would never do. They enter a country and culture both mysterious and beautiful – and deadly in that their faith is outlawed and they could be killed on sight.
See the trailer and interviews here.
Now Playing: AMC Altamonte Mall, AMC Disney Springs, Cinemark Artegon Marketplace, Regal Waterford Lakes, Regal Winter Park Village
Rating: R (for some disturbing violent content)
(Open Road) Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, Gabrielle Union, Dermot Mulroney. A corrupt Vegas undercover cop finds the stakes just a little bit higher after a heist gone wrong puts a vicious gang of mobsters after him. When they kidnap his son, he realizes they have no intention of letting his boy go. He'll have to resort to every dirty trick there is, call on every favor and be just a little bit meaner than those who have his boy if they are both to survive the night.
Rating: R (for strong language and language throughout)
Posted in Weekly Preview	| Tagged 2017, Adam Driver, Amy Ryan, Andrew Garfield, AnnaSophia Robb, Anne Cosigny, Ben Affleck, Brendan Gleeson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Ciaran Hinds, cinema, Cinema365, Danny Glover, Dermot Mulroney, Dianna Agron, Doug Jones, Elle, Elle Fanning, Faye Dunaway, Films, Frank Grillo, Gabrielle Union, Isabelle Huppert, J.K. Simmons, Jamie Foxx, January 13, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Laurent Lafitte, Liam Neeson, Live By Night, Lucas Till, Mark Wahlberg, Michele Monaghan, Minnie Driver, Monster Trucks, movies, Patriot's Day, Previews, Rachel Brosnahan, Rob Lowe, Sienna Miller, silence, Sleepless, The Bye Bye Man, The Crash	| Leave a reply
Silent Hill: Revelation
Videogame or bondage fantasy?
(2012) Horror (Open Road) Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harrington, Carrie-Anne Moss, Sean Bean, Radha Mitchell, Malcolm McDowell, Martin Donovan, Deborah Cara Unger, Roberto Campanella, Erin Pitt, Peter Outerbridge, Jefferson Brown, Milton Barnes, Heather Marks, Rachel Sellan, Michel C. Foucault, Arlene Duncan, Jason Best, Jacky Lai. Directed by Michael J. Bassett
Videogame adaptations have a history of being lousy movies. There have been some exceptions to be sure, but for the most part they have been awful cinematic experiences. Many gamers say that it is impossible for videogames – a truly interactive medium – to translate to movies which is a fully passive medium. Occasionally they are proven wrong, like in the case of the Silent Hill movie. Would the sequel be as good?
Heather Mason (Clemens) has, along with her father Harry (Bean) been on the run for as long as she can remember from dark forces that she doesn't fully understand. Her mother Rose (Mitchell) is gone, taken in a car accident. As Heather approaches her 18th birthday, she is plagued by terrible, horrific visions. When Harry disappears, she discovers that nothing she knows is as she believes it to be.
The truth is that she is being chased by the Order of Valtiel, a cult that inhabits the damned town of Silent Hill which burns eternally. Years ago, a young girl named Alessa Gillespie (Pitt) was burned alive by the Order and its leader Claudia Wolf (Moss). The reason they are chasing them is that Heather, whose real name is Sharon Da Silva and who was once part of Alessa whose agony caused her to create the shifting dimensions that plagues Silent Hill.
Assisted by her boyfriend Vincent (Harrington), Heather decides to go to Silent Hill to find her father. Tormented by hideous, disturbing monsters that appear as dimensions shift in the blasted town which burns endlessly. There, she will confront the monsters of her past, present and future as she discovers betrayals that will rock her to the core and secrets that will change everything.
Christophe Gans directed the first Silent Hill but was unable to direct its sequel. Bassett, who directed Solomon Kane was instead hired and in all fairness to Bassett he was given a terribly convoluted script to work with. The problem is, he wrote it. There is a ton of exposition here and even that isn't enough to really adequately explain what's going on. The movie careens from scene to scene and often even with all the exposition it is incredibly confusing to the audience. The characters don't have much going in the way of personality, particularly Vincent – and Heather, Harry and the rest aren't much better.
The movie gets much better when it shows the monsters that are kind of a combination of Clive Barker bondage demons and H.R. Giger's nightmares. Some, like the Red Pyramid or the cleaver-wheeling Nurses, are likely to haunt more than a few dreams. The blasted landscapes of Silent Hill and the other dimensions therein are also compelling.
The main problem though is not just that the movie is difficult to follow; the gravest sin the film commits is of being bland. There are plenty of flames but no fire; lots of shadows but no depth. Silent Hill: Revelation may have been originally filmed in 3D but the movie is flat as a pancake. The monsters, demons and landscapes are cool without a doubt but the movie left me actually bored and if there is one cardinal offense that a movie can commit it's that.
I don't know that gamers are correct in saying that their medium can't be translated to one that is less interactive; after all, books and films are completely different mediums and there have been some great movies based on books. I think the problem lies in that Hollywood doesn't really respect videogames or gamers and doesn't understand the mindset; they basically throw videogame-based movies together without much regard to building a universe in the same way that they have for comic books. Videogames are inherently cinematic; there is absolutely no reason that they can't translate to the multiplex. The fact is that a crap movie is a crap movie regardless of its source.
And Silent Hill: Revelation is far from being a crap movie. The videogame franchise has a rich background and is a good looking movie. Yes, it is terribly flawed – something tells me that Bassett didn't really get the franchise or maybe he didn't care to. This could have been a much better movie but it is at its core deeply unsettling and atmospheric. I would have liked a less convoluted story but from a simply visual point of view could admire the film on that basis alone.
WHY RENT THIS: Awesome demonic creatures. Bleak landscapes.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Bland characters and performances. Lacks force or fire.
FAMILY VALUES: Plenty of violence and foul language, disturbing images and some brief nudity.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Bean and Harington played father and son in Game of Thrones; Harrington went on to work with Moss again in Pompeii.
NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: None listed.
BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $52.3M on a $20M production budget.
SITES TO SEE: Netflix (DVD/Blu-Ray Rental only). Amazon, iTunes, Flixster
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Resident Evil
NEXT: Six Days of Darkness continues!
Posted in DVD Review	| Tagged Adelaide Clemens, based on a videogame, betrayal, burned alive, Carrie-Anne Moss, cinema, Cinema365, cult, Deborah Cara Unger, DVD Reviews, exposition, extra-dimensional, Films, horror, kidnapping, Kit Harrington, Malcolm McDowell, Martin Donovan, Monsters, movies, nightmares, Open Road Films, Peter Outerbridge, Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Silent Hill: Revelation, Six Days of Darkness, Six Days of Darkness 2015	| Leave a reply
Fireflies in the Garden
Family dinners in indie films rarely end well.
(2008) Drama (Senator) Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Watson, Ioan Gruffudd, Hayden Panettiere, Shannon Lucio, Cayden Boyd, George Newbern, Brooklyn Proulx, Diane Perella, Natalie Karp, John C. Stennfeld, Philip Rose, Babs George, Frank Ertl, Grady McCardell, Chase Ellison, Michelle Brew, Gina Gheller, Stayce Smith. Directed by Dennis Lee
There are those who say that we cannot escape childhood. Like death and taxes, it pursues us with relentless ferocity and those things in childhood that wounded us remain with us, periodically picking at the scabs.
Michael Taylor (Reynolds) is a best-selling author although what he writes is generally considered "light" reading. His relationship with his father Charles (Dafoe) is strained at best. Charles is himself a frustrated writer who retreated into the halls of academia when his career as a novelist didn't pan out. A strict disciplinarian with his children but mostly with his son, Charles meets any indiscretion with the most horrific and overreacting punishments imaginable. You can imagine what this academic does when Michael as a boy (Boyd) shames him by plagiarizing a Robert Frost poem and presenting it as his own.
Michael is definitely abused but he has two women in his corner; his gentle mother Lisa (Roberts) and his feisty aunt Jane (Watson as an adult, Panettiere as a teen) who protect him against the worst of his father's rages and comfort him when their protection is breached.
As an adult Michael has definitely made some errors. He has separated from his wife Kelly (Moss) and continues to have a contentious relationship with his father. When a family tragedy brings the family into the same place, Michael and Charles will have to confront their feelings for one another perhaps for the first time in their lives.
Although set in Illinois, the movie was filmed in Texas and has a kind of Southern gothic feel to it that is almost soap opera-esque. Dafoe is note-perfect as Charles whose anger issues and self-loathing point to deeper waters that the film doesn't explore but that Dafoe seems to have a handle on. Roberts' Lisa at first glance seems like the long-suffering wife archetype but it turns out that she has some secrets of her own and not all of them are pleasant. Roberts, normally a star who appears in much higher-profile movies, imbues Lisa with decency and humanity.
Reynolds in recent years has gotten all sorts of flack for appearing in some sub-par films but to my mind is actually capable of some pretty good work. This is an example of him at his finest, showing that Reynolds can really deliver when given the right script.
The jumps between present day and past can be jarring and with all the souls revolving around the story here it can be difficult to distinguish one character from another. Simple linear storytelling might have served the film better, or failing that cutting down on the superfluous characters would at least be helpful.
The pacing here is as slow as a tax refund when you really need it which suits me just fine but some viewers who prefer a more robust pace might find frustrating. Lee does have a good eye and some of the scenes have an artful grace to them, such as when the family is swatting fireflies with badminton racquets or the bookending scenes in which young Michael is forced to walk home in the rain after a transgression in the car and his nephew Christopher (Ellison) runs away from nearly the same spot 22 years later. Despite the star power for this indie feature, there isn't enough here to really sustain interest over the course of a full film although there is enough promise in Lee's work to keep me interested in his future endeavors.
WHY RENT THIS: Fine performances by Dafoe, Roberts and Reynolds. Some graceful touches.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Multiple actors playing the same role gets confusing. Storytelling is a bit muddled. Languidly paced.
FAMILY VALUES: Plenty of foul language as well as some sex.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Moss and Panettiere share a birthday.
BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $3.4M on an $8M production budget.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Tree of Life
NEXT: Bad Words
Posted in DVD Review	| Tagged academic, aunt, author, Brooklyn Proulx, car accident, Carrie-Anne Moss, child abuse, cinema, Drama, DVD Reviews, Emily Watson, Films, firecrackers, fireflies, Fireflies in the Garden, graduation, Hayden Panettiere, Illinois, Ioan Gruffudd, Julia Roberts, movies, plagiarism, Robert Frost, Ryan Reynolds, Senator Films, Texas, Willem Dafoe	| Leave a reply
Posted on March 4, 2014 by carlosdev
Emily Browning mournfully checks out Kiefer Sutherland's imperial ass.
(2014) Swords and Sandals (TriStar) Kit Harrington, Emily Browning, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kiefer Sutherland, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jared Harris, Jessica Lucas, Sasha Roiz, Joe Pingue, Currie Graham, Dylan Schombing, Rebecca Eady, Maxime Savana, Ron Kennell, Tom Bishop Sr., Jean-Francois Lachapelle, Jean Frenette, Dalmar Abuzeid, Melantha Blackthorne. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
There's an old saying that "man proposes, God disposes" and if by God you mean a volcano then you have a point. The best-laid plans of mice and men do not stand well before an erupting Mt. Vesuvius.
Milo (Harrington) is a gladiator. He wasn't always a gladiator – as a young boy (Schombing), he was the only survivor of a Celtic Horse Clan that was wiped out in rebellion against Rome by the Centurion Corvus (Sutherland) and his right hand swordsman Proculus (Roiz). He only survived by playing dead but not before witnessing the butchering of his mother (Eady) and father (Lachapelle). He was discovered by slavers and trained as a gladiator.
As a gladiator in the British isles he soon became known for his speed and his skills and as a young man was virtually unbeatable. Recognizing that he was far too skilled for the hinterlands, it was decided that Milo be taken to Pompeii to see how he fares. Pompeii is just a hop, skip and a jump from the big time in Rome.
Pompeii, a seaside resort town, is having some issues of its own. Much of it is dilapidated and aging and leading citizen Severus (Harris) is eager to rebuild much of it, attracting more tourism. In particular the arena is obsolete and cannot accommodate the extremely popular chariot races, so his grand plan includes the construction of a new arena. He is hopeful that the new emperor will invest but instead he gets Corvus.
Corvus however has an agenda of his own and it involves Severus' daughter Cassia (Browning). She had spent a year in Rome but sickened by the corruption she saw there, had returned home to her father and mother Aurelia (Moss). However, her principle reason for leaving had been the dogged and unwanted pursuit by Corvus who now means to use her as leverage against her father.
In the meantime however a chance roadside meeting had led Cassia and Milo to meet. Sparks flew immediately, an event not unnoticed by Ariadne (Lucas), Cassia's servant. However, Milo has more to worry about – he is set to meet Atticus (Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a champion gladiator who needs one more win to earn his freedom. The two end up respecting one another and becoming unlikely allies. However, Vesuvius is rumbling, the clock is ticking and all Hell is about to be unleashed on the city that sleeps at its base.
Anderson is no stranger to effects movies with budgets that are far from extravagant as a veteran of the Resident Evil series. Like several of those movies, the CGI run hot and cold with in the case of Pompeii some of the green screen effects of the city stretching off in the distance and the mountain rising ominously in the distance look exactly like green screen effects. Nonetheless during the sequences in which the mountain is erupting in full fury and visiting its wrath upon the city below, the effects can be breathtaking – at times it seems like the ash floating down from the sky are going to nestle into your lap. Although I saw the standard version, friends and colleagues who have seen the 3D version have asserted that it is one of the best in that department.
Harrington, best known as the Stark bastard Jon Snow in the Game of Thrones HBO series, bulked up considerably for the role and while not having a whole lot of dialogue (Milo is depicted as being a brooding, unfriendly sort), nonetheless shows great promise as at least an action film leading man and maybe for other types of roles in the future as well. However, the wispy facial hair has to go – it makes him look like a high school junior.
The doe-eyed Browning never really seems to grasp what her character is supposed to be; at times she is a strong, Roman-style feminist who has more cojones than her milksop father. At other times she is a helpless damsel in distress. I don't think this is a particular problem with Browning so much as a problem with the writing. I suspect that the character would have been strong throughout but the powers that be might have taken a hand in it.
Sutherland chews the scenery as the corrupt and vicious Corvus but has a good time doing it (although I can't help thinking what Jack Bauer would have done in a season of 24 set in Pompeii). Yeah, he's over-the-top but why the hell not? The whole city is about to be buried under tons of lava and ash after all so why not make a mark while there's still a mark to be made. His arrogant patrician muscle Proculus, portrayed by Roiz who some may know better as Grimm's Captain Renard makes an ideal foil. Finally Akinnuoye-Agbaje is fine in what is essentially the same role played by Djimon Hounsou in Gladiator which is a much superior film.
Much of the reason this doesn't measure up is that the story is so ludicrous and takes liberties with simple common sense. Why would anyone want to piss off a trained killer as happens repeatedly throughout the film? Historical evidence shows us that ancient Romans tread carefully around gladiators simply because as slaves who had only death to look forward to they had nothing to lose if they killed a tormentor. Quite the opposite, gladiators were treated with respect and honor.
Still, if one forgives the movie its pedestrian and predictable plot, the effects and action are certainly worthwhile. It's the portions in between these action and special effects sequences that are often excruciating and leave one longing for a pyroclastic cloud to come your way.
REASONS TO GO: Harrington a promising leading man. Some nifty disaster effects.
REASONS TO STAY: Hokey story. Some of the green screen effects are pretty poor.
FAMILY VALUES: Gladiator battle-type violence, some of it bloody as well as disaster-related action – people getting crushed by falling masonry and so on. There is also some implied sensuality.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Harrington underwent a regimen to attain the absolutely ripped body of Milo by going on a 3000 calorie diet for five weeks in what he called his "bulking" regimen. He cut back on this and went on a four week "cutting" regimen with intense training. During this time he went to the gym three times a day six days a week, developing body dysmorphia – extreme anxiety about the appearance of one's body – forcing his trainer to step in and reign in the regimen. However, Harrington was very pleased with the overall results and proclaimed himself in the best shape of his life.
CRITICAL MASS: As of 3/4/14: Rotten Tomatoes: 25% positive reviews. Metacritic: 40/100.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Volcano
NEXT: The Past
Posted in New Releases	| Tagged Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Carrie-Anne Moss, cinema, class system, class warfare, corrupt politician, disaster, Emily Browning, Films, Gladiator, gladiators, harbor, Jared Harris, Kiefer Sutherland, Kit Harrington, massacre, movies, Mt. Vesuvius, Paul W.S. Anderson, Pompeii, pyroclastic flow, revenge, reviews, Romans, Rome, Sasha Roiz, slavery, slaves, swordfight, swords and sandals, TriStar Films, volcanic eruption	| Leave a reply
New Releases for the Week of February 21, 2014
Posted on February 21, 2014 by carlosdev
(TriStar) Kit Harrington, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Paz Vega, Jessica Lucas, Jared Harris. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
A gladiator falls in love with the daughter of a patrician merchant who instead goes ahead to betroth her to a corrupt Roman senator. All this becomes less of an issue when Mt. Vesuvius blows it's top and the residents of Pompeii must race against time to avoid becoming charcoal briquettes.
See the trailer, clips and a promo here.
Release formats: Standard, 3D (opened Thursday)
Genre: Swords and Sandals
Rating: PG-13 (for intense battle sequences, disaster-related action and brief sexual content)
(Relativity) Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen. One of the agency's top field agents is anxious to leave his profession behind to spend more time with his estranged wife and daughter whom he'd kept at arm's length so that he could keep them out of danger. However when he contracts a virulent fatal disease, he is forced to undertake one more mission so that he might get an experimental cure.
See the trailer, a promo and a clip here.
Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language)
(UTV) Alia Bhatt, Randeep Hooda, Durgesh Kumar, Pradeep Nagar. A vivacious young woman, on her way to being married, is kidnapped by a group of brutal men for ransom. At first she is terrified. Her father due to his position is unwilling to pay the ransom. The leader of the gang who kidnapped her refuses to let her go. As the stalemate progresses the victim begins to develop feelings for her captor.
(Roadside Attractions/LD) Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Jessica Lange, Oscar Isaac. In glittering Paris of the 1860s, a beautiful young woman – sexually repressed and trapped in a loveless marriage overseen by her domineering aunt – embarks on an affair with an exciting young man. The ramifications of her actions will lead to tragic consequences. This is the most recent remake of the classic Emile Zola novel Therese Raquin.
Rating: R (for sexual content and brief violent images)
(Sony Classics) Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet. Returning from Tehran to Paris after a four year separation, an Iranian husband arrives to finalize the divorce from his Parisian wife. However, once there he discovers a tense situation with her teenage daughter and her impending marriage to her new boyfriend bothers him more than he thought it might. On top of all of it, a secret from their past might just tear their fragile world apart.
Rating: PG-13 (for mature thematic material and brief strong language)
(Star Cinema) Toni Gonzaga, Piolo Pascual. Iza Calzado. Four years after their breakup, a couple are brought back together when her architectural firm is selected to restore an old Manila mansion to be repurposed as a restaurant and he turns out to be the new eatery's co-owner. However her feelings that this chance encounter is fate's way of telling her she needs to seize her second chance and run with it may be derailed when she discovers that he intends to use the restaurant as a means of proposing to his American girlfriend.
Posted in Weekly Preview	| Tagged 2014, 3 Days to Kill, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alia Bhatt, Amber Heard, Berenice Bejo, Carrie-Anne Moss, cinema, Connie Nielsen, Elizabeth Olsen, Emily Browning, February 21, Films, Hailee Steinfeld, highway, In Secret, Jared Harris, Jessica Lange, Jessica Lucas, Kevin Costner, Kiefer Sutherland, Kit Harrington, movies, Oscar Isaac, Paul W.S. Anderson, Paz Vega, Pompeii, Previews, Starting Over Again, Tahar Rahim, The Past, Tom Felton	| Leave a reply
Val Kilmer gets a little face time with a killing machine.
(2000) Science Fiction (Warner Brothers) Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker, Terence Stamp, Jessica Morton, Caroline Bossi, Bob Neill (voice), Neil Ross (voice). Directed by Antony Hoffman
It's 2025 and do you know where your atmosphere is? Yup…hopelessly poisoned, the soil sterilized by toxins, and our planet has less than a century of sustainable life left in it. That's just a bad day for everybody.
All eyes turn to the Mars terraforming project; everything seems to be going well, but something odd's been happening up there; the algae that had been sent to the planet to create a breathable atmosphere seems to be failing, and the oxygen levels on Mars are dropping fast. It looks like we'll have to take care of this in person or else learn to hold our collective breath.
Mission commander Bowman (Moss) (Nyuck nyuck nyuck on the name, guys, open the pod bay door Hal?) leads a crew to examine the Mars problem. A habitation has already been sent to Mars and should be up and running. The mission is going smoothly, although one of the scientists (Stamp, who is wasted in a too-small role) is showing signs of wigging out, philosophically speaking. The "space janitor" — or systems engineer, (Kilmer) lacks respect from the crew, but has the eye of his commander (and apparently a bunch of other body parts).
Once in Mars orbit, things go wrong as they normally do in space movies. A severe solar flare cripples the mother ship and forces an early launch of the Lander, which promptly crashes (don't you hate when that happens?) far away from the habitation. Commander Bowman, who had to stay behind in order to get the Lander away, is managing to repair the mother ship for the return to earth, but the mission looks junked, especially when the survivors from the Lander reach the habitation to find it completely destroyed, and only 15 minutes of oxygen left in their tanks. They wait around to die, only to discover something strange — there IS a breathable atmosphere on Mars after all. There is also a pissed-off robot who has gone military on their butts. What's an astronaut to do?
Well, make chest-beating speeches about duty and sacrifice, for one thing. Kilmer and Stamp are terrific; Moss could have been the big action heroine that Linda Hamilton chose not to be; as it is she's had a pretty solid career thanks to performances like these. Sizemore and Bratt are solid in support, and the effects are pretty nifty. The script, however, is pretty lame. It's one Deus ex Machina after another, one amazing miraculous coincidence piled atop another until you're screaming for mercy, but sadly, in Hollywood, nobody can hear you scream.
Red Planet is fair enough eye candy, but could have used a plot that didn't have quite so many holes in it – the destruction of the habitation is never fully explained; when you figure out what caused it, you wonder how a station that was designed to withstand an F5 tornado could have succumbed to what destroyed it, for example. Kilmer is as laid-back as action heroes go; Sizemore makes a pretty good second banana, but it's Moss who captured my attention here, as she will yours and she would have without the somewhat obligatory, unnecessary nude scene.
This came out the same year as Brian de Palma's Mission to Mars which was slightly better than this although I think Mission stands up better over time, despite the Kubrickian noodling of its ending. I'm as big a fan of sci-fi adventure movies as you'll find but even I couldn't find a lot of positive things here. This was one mission I could have done without.
WHY RENT THIS: Decent special effects. Carrie-Anne Moss rocks.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Poorly written. Too much chest-beating. Kilmer too laid-back for the role.
FAMILY MATTERS: There's a fair share of violence and foul language and a brief nude scene.
TRIVIAL PURSUITS: Many of the Mars scenes were filmed in Wadi Rum, Jordan – a desolate narrow valley.
NOTABLE HOME VIDEO FEATURES: None listed.
BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $33.5M on an $80M production budget; the movie flopped big time at the box office.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Mission to Mars
NEXT: The Host (2013)
Posted in DVD Review	| Tagged Benjamin Bratt, Carrie-Anne Moss, cinema, Deus ex Machina, DVD Reviews, ecological disaster, electromagnetic pulse, EMP, Films, Mars, military killing machine, movies, Red Planet, robot, Science Fiction, Simon Baker, Terence Stamp, terraforming, Tom Sizemore, Val Kilmer, Warner Brothers, weapon	| Leave a reply
New Releases for the Week of October 26, 2012
(Warner Brothers) Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Xun Zhou, James D'Arcy, Keith David, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant. Directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski
Based on the bestselling novel by David Mitchell, six stories through various eras from the 19th century to the distant future. Events in all eras ripple through time in ways both directly and subtly to effect characters who have much more to do with one another than a startling resemblance to one another.
See the trailer, featurettes and a promo here.
Release formats: Standard, IMAX
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Drama
Rating: R (for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use)
Ajab Gazabb Love
(Puja) Arjun Rampal, Jakky Bhagnani, Nidhi Subbiah, Arshad Warsi. The heir to a worldwide automobile empire falls in love with a girl who's only interested in social justice and could never have anything to do with a rich guy. The young man convinces his family to play "poor" so that the girl of his dreams will accept him. This is a remake of the Telugu film Seema Tapakai.
(Eros International) Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpai, Om Puri. The very real Naxalite rebellion in India is examined as young activists battle extreme poverty and social injustice. Pushed into a corner, it seems that a violent uprising may be the only way to achieve justice for the poor and defenseless.
Chasing Mavericks
(20th Century Fox) Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, Jonny Weston. A young man yearns to surf the most dangerous waves in the world. A local legend takes him under his wing and that young man would become Jay Moriarty, one of the most beloved of the big wave surfers.
Genre: Sports Biography
Rating: PG (for thematic elements and some perilous action)
Dhenikaina Ready
(24 Frames) Vishnu Manchu, Hansika Motwani, Brahmanandam, Kota Srinivasa Rao. When a couple from Hindi and Muslim families elope, the two families enter open hostilities. When a court case ends the dispute, the couple tries to mend fences between the two families.
Fun Size
(Paramount) Victoria Justice, Thomas Mann, Chelsea Handler, Jane Levy. A pretty high school senior with attitude to spare gets invited to the biggest, most important Halloween party…like, ever in the history of the universe. But there's just one thing – her skanky mom is going to her own dress-like-a-slut Halloween party leaving the senior to babysit his little brother. And when her little brother gets lost she'll have to rely on, like, geeks to save her night and set her on the path to awesomeness.
Rating: PG-13 (for crude and suggestive material, partying and language)
(Open Road) Adelaide Clemens, Sean Bean, Radha Mitchell, Carrie-Anne Moss. A father and his daughter are on the run from powerful supernatural forces. As she approaches her 18th birthday, disturbing nightmares plague her and when her father disappears she will have to go to Silent Hill to rescue him and come face to face with the truth of who she really is.
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Rating: R (for violence and disturbing images, some language and brief nudity)
Sleepwalk With Me
(IFC) Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane. A stand-up comedian deals with a stalled career, disapproving parents, a deteriorating relationship and a sleepwalking habit increasing in length and severity. Did we mention this is a comedy?
Rating: PG-13 (for some sexual content and brief language)
(Magnet) Joe Swanberg, Adam Wingard, Sophia Takal, Calvin Reeder. A group of thieves hired to find a specific VHS tape in an abandoned house finds a whole stack of them, each one more morbid and horrifying than the last. As they continue to watch it soon becomes terrifyingly apparent that these tapes are much more than they seem to be.
See the trailer or stream the full movie from Amazon here.
Genre: Horror Anthology
Rating: R (for blood violence, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, pervasive language and some drug use)
Posted in Weekly Preview	| Tagged 2012, Abigail Spencer, Adam Wingard, Ajab Gazabb Love, Andy Wachowski, Arjun Rampal, Ben Whishaw, Carol Kane, Carrie-Anne Moss, Chakravyuh, Chasing Mavericks, Chelsea Handler, cinema, Cloud Atlas, Dhenikaina Ready, Elizabeth Shue, Films, Fun Size, Gerard Butler, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, James D'Arcy, James Rebhorn, Jane Levy, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Keith David, Lana Wachowski, Lauren Ambrose, Mike Birbiglia, movies, October 26, Previews, Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Silent Hil: Revelation, Sleepwalk With Me, Susan Sarandon, Thomas Mann, Tom Hanks, Tom Tykwer, V/H/S, Victoria Justice	| Leave a reply
Do be wary when Guy Pearce wants to show you his vacation snapshots.
(2000) Mystery (Newmarket) Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harriet Ransom Harris, Thomas Lennon, Callum Keith Rennie, Kimberly Campbell, Marianne Muellerleile. Directed by Christopher Nolan
There is a yardstick I use with thrillers. The simpler they are, the better they work, but when it comes to plot twists, the bigger, the better.
Memento, directed by then-newcomer Christopher Nolan (who got a lot of messages on his answering machines from major studios after this nifty little piece came out) has a plot device stunning in its simplicity. Leonard Shelby (Pearce) is unable to make new memories. He forgets where he is, what he's doing, even what he just said a few minutes ago. It just fades away, like an Etch-a-Sketch on a pressure cooker.
However, his long-term memories are intact. He knows that in his previous life, he was a successful insurance investigator. He also knows that his wife was raped and murdered by someone he knows only as "John G." However, in the attack on his wife, Leonard was smacked hard enough on the head to give him brain damage.
Leonard was able to shoot and kill the assailant of his wife. However, his injury happened after the shot was fired; therefore, there was a second person involved in the attack. However, the police don't believe a brain-damaged man, and don't think John G., whoever he was, was clever enough to erase all traces of his presence. Leonard uses his organizational skills honed from his years as an insurance fraud investigator which he has somehow retained, making notes to himself, taking Polaroids of those he is associating with, and tattooing particularly vital bits of information on his body so that unlike written notes, they can't get lost or misplaced.
So Leonard is searching, but in a particularly smart bit of moviemaking, the story is told backwards, following Leonard's torturous trek. He is assisted by Teddy (Pantoliano) and Natalie (Moss), two people who may or may not be trustworthy. As the story unfolds, we become as Leonard, lacking in critical information that explains the motivations of the characters involved but as the movie progresses, we see what happened in the past which explains what happened previously. Think of the film as 113 minute-long flashback. This movie would never work as well with a traditional linear storyline. It's a gutsy move by Nolan, and it pays off.
I'm deliberately keeping plot details to a minimum. Because of the nature of the story, it's best not to reveal too much. This is one of the smartest movies I've ever seen; it requires the viewer to pay attention, and it requires the viewer to think. In other words, if you're looking for brainless summer fare, it's best to keep moving down the list of rentals and/or streaming movies.
Pearce gives a low-key performance as Leonard. Up to that point he hadn't really followed up his jaw-grinding performance in L.A. Confidential with anything noteworthy (don't get me started on Ravenous or his phoned-in work on Rules of Engagement), finally makes a movie worthy of his talents. Moss, so memorable in The Matrix trilogy, is terrific again here in a role very different from Trinity.
Nolan is someone to keep an eye on. In many ways, this movie has the same kind of risk-taking that M. Night Shyalaman showed in The Sixth Sense. It's that good, certainly one that will be appearing on a lot of year-end best lists. The final twist at the end is not the kind that will blow you right out of your seat, but it elegantly fits in with the various twists and turns the story has been taking throughout. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today, this is the kind of movie he would be making. Higher praise for a movie I cannot sing.
WHY RENT THIS: Innovative story structure flawlessly executed. Fine performances from Pierce and Moss. A thinking person's cinematic mystery.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Plot is a bit pedestrian and final twist isn't particularly mind-blowing.
FAMILY MATTERS: There are plenty of bad words, a heaping helping of violence, a rape (although not graphically portrayed) and a brief scene of drug use.
NOTABLE HOME VIDEO FEATURES: The original DVD release included an IFC interview with Nolan, the short story that the movie was based upon (written by Nolan's brother Jonathan) and a feature illustrating how the clues in the film lined up. The Collector's Edition DVD included these as well as a copy of the director's shooting script and the ability to play the film in reverse order. The original 2006 Blu-Ray edition contained none of these, oddly enough. Last year's 10 year anniversary Blu-Ray release restored most of these features with the exception of the director's shooting script and the ability to play the film in reverse; however it did add a new interview with Nolan about the film, a diagram of the tats on Leonard's body as well as Leonard's journal.
BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $37.9M on a $9M production budget; the movie was a modest hit.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Rear Window
FINAL RATING: 10/10
NEXT: Alex Cross
Posted in DVD Review	| Tagged bar, brain damage, Callum Keith Rennie, Carrie-Anne Moss, Christopher Nolan, cinema, DVD Reviews, Films, Guy Pearce, insurance investigator, Joe Pantoliano, Jorja Fox, Los Angeles, Memento, movies, mystery, Newmarket, obsession, photographs, Polaroids, police indifference, rape, seedy motel, short term memory loss, Stephen Tobolowski, suspicious motives, tattoos, Thomas Lennon	| 1 Reply
Posted on October 6, 2012 by carlosdev
I'm swinging for his brains…just swinging for his brains, what a gloriou feeling I'm happy again!
(2003) Science Fiction (Warner Brothers) Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Jada Pinkett Smith, Harold Perrineau, Lambert Wilson, Daniel Bernhardt, Harry Lennix, Stuart Wells, Matt McColm, Collin Chou, Mary Alice, Ian Bliss. Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski
Early on in The Matrix Revolutions, the Oracle (Mary Alice, taking over for Gloria Foster, who died shortly after filming The Matrix Reloaded) tells Neo "Everything that has a beginning also has an end." If that's true (and the line is repeated at least once more, so the filmmakers must believe it), then perhaps it is a good thing that this trilogy of groundbreaking movies called it a day.
Picking up almost immediately where Reloaded ended, Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Bane (Ian Bliss) are in coma-like conditions, although Neo's brainwaves read like he's jacked into the Matrix, though there are no signs of him in the computer construct. Where he is, actually, is an in-between place, a train station controlled by the Merovingian (Wilson), for moving illegal programs from the machine world into the Matrix.
Much of this is explained by a couple of low-level programs who want their daughter, the oh-too-cute Sati (Atwal) to survive in the Matrix because she would be deleted from her own world. You see, machines need love too.
Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus (Fishburne) are ordered by the Oracle to go rescue Neo (inasmuch as she orders anybody). She sends her personal bodyguard, Seraph (Chou) to accompany them. They confront the Merovingian and get him to release Neo in a most unsatisfying way; it seems like somebody got written into a corner and couldn't quite figure a way out.
Neo knows that everything is coming to a head. The machines are hours away from breaching the walls of Zion and time is running out. The human city is preparing for a last stand, hoping to hold out in the dock (where the breach will come), but most know the odds are against them, including defense commander Lock (Lennix). Neo announces that he must go to the Machine City in order to save humanity. He and Trinity leave, with Morpheus and Niobe (Smith) piloting the craft back to Zion in a desperate race against time.
Meanwhile, Agent Smith (Weaving) has become more and more powerful, having taken over the Matrix, and is now threatening both the machine and human worlds in order to end an existence he believes to be pointless. It is Neo's destiny to face Smith with all three worlds hanging in the balance.
If the plot summary above sounds confusing, consider that this is a condensed version of what goes on. Part of the main problem with The Matrix Revolutions is that the Wachowski brothers are trying to tell too many stories at once. Most of the subplots are unnecessary and get in the way of the main story. Sure, the effects are out of this world, and there are some fine performances (Fishburne is definitely one of those guys who highlights any film he's in), but the overall effect is a bit overwhelming.
There are many good things about the movie. Trinity's character goes in an unexpected direction, and Moss really nailed the role, even more so than in the first two movies. Mifune (Lees), the Trainman (Spence) and Link (Perrineau) turn out well in brief roles, and Seraph and Niobe are awesome. However, there are too many characters that just flit across the screen. Bellucci is barely evident (which is nothing less than disappointing), and did we really need the kid in this movie at all?
Things blow up, lots of things. The battle for Zion is as spectacular as you can imagine, even more so. The final fight between Smith and Neo is everything it was meant to be, but I spent a lot of time in the dark theater trying to will the story forward through the many interminable subplots.
The first Matrix was successful in large part due to the directness of its storytelling. Sometimes a director's scope can exceed the grasp of the storyline, and this is one of those occasions. Initial critical reaction has been awfully harsh on The Matrix Revolutions and I suspect unduly so, but maybe the movie is so disappointing because it wouldn't have taken much for it to be a hell of a lot better. There is some talk of the series continuing, although much of the Neo plotline is neatly wrapped up here. Still, there remain some loose ends. Frankly, I'm more ambivalent about the idea of a fourth Matrix installment than I was about the second two, and maybe that's where the Wachowskis ultimately failed.
WHY RENT THIS: More amazing visuals. Final battle between Neo and Agent Smith is as advertised.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Too many subplots. Confusing storyline. Doesn't really add anything to the mythos. Completely unsatisfying.
FAMILY MATTERS: There's a whole lot of violence and brief sex.
TRIVIAL PURSUITS: The first film to premiere in the Walt Disney Concert Hall (brand spankin' new at the time) in downtown Los Angeles.
NOTABLE HOME VIDEO FEATURES: The White Rabbit feature on the The Matrix Reloaded disc is also present here.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: The Chronicles of Riddick
NEXT: Peep World
Posted in DVD Review	| Tagged Carrie-Anne Moss, cinema, Collin Chou, computer programs, DVD Reviews, Films, Harold Perrineau, Hugo Weaving, intelligent machines, invasion, Jada Pinkett Smith, Keanu Reeves, Lambert Wilson, Laurence Fishburne, martial arts, Monica Bellucci, movies, oracle, prophecy, Science Fiction, The Matrix Revolutions, The One, The Wachowskis, war, Warner Brothers	| Leave a reply
Posted on September 28, 2012 by carlosdev
Definitely not "Singing in the Rain."
(2003) Science Fiction (Warner Brothers) Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Daniel Bernhardt, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Anthony Zerbe, Harold Perrineau, Collin Chou, Gloria Foster, Lambert Wilson, Harry Lennix, Randall Duk Kim. Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski
Movies like this create a lot controversy by their very nature. A messianic figure, cutting-edge special effects and an overall hipper-than-thou feel. All of this and being the most eagerly-anticipated movie of the year, sure to be a box-office bonanza. No pressure here.
Those who saw the "Animatrix" episode that played before the theatrical version of Dreamcatcher (or downloaded it off the internet) know what is revealed early on in the picture. Some time has passed since the events of the first Matrix movie, and changes are coming to both the computer-generated world of the Matrix, as well as the bleak world of reality. Neo (Reeves) is responsible for the "awakening" of an unprecedented number of humans, swelling the population of Zion. However, one of the hoverships has discovered that the machines are drilling — directly above Zion — and hundreds of thousands of Sentinels follow the drills. Should the drills arrive at Zion, millions will die. Possibly the entire human race will be wiped out.
The Oracle (Foster in her final role; she died in 2001) has urgent information for Neo, but Agent Smith (Weaving) is close on Neo's tail, and Smith has become a rogue program in the Matrix (a virus, maybe?), out of control and self-replicating, leading to a spectacular sequence in which Neo takes on hundreds of annoyed-looking Agent Smiths.
There are others who don't want those questions answered, but Neo knows that the only way to save humankind is to access the machine world's mainframe, source of the Matrix, and take it on. In order to do that he will have to rescue the Keymaker (Kim) and get a specific key from him. However, he must find the Keymaker first to do that and he'll have to take on the Merovingian (Wilson) to get there. Once he finds the key, what's behind the door it unlocks calls into question everything we knew, or thought we knew about the world of the Matrix.
The movie ends on a cliffhanger note, which leaves the viewer vaguely unsatisfied. Still, there's a lot to digest, a very complex storyline and some of the most amazing visuals imaginable. As action movies go, this one may be the one that takes the cake – at least in terms of the first part of the decade. The freeway chase scene which features lots of leaping onto and from moving vehicles is one of the most thrilling ever filled and is worth the price of buying the DVD or Blu-Ray all by it's lonesome.
On the minus side, Reeves continues to be one of the most wooden actors ever. He's unconvincing as a messiah, and his relationship with Trinity (Moss) generates no chemistry. Thankfully, the other players – Morpheus (Fishburne), Link (Perrineau), Niobe (Smith), Persephone (Bellucci), Seraph (Chou), the Twins (Neil and Adrian Rayment), Commander Lock (Harry Lennix), the Merovingian (Wilson) and Counselor Hamann (Zerbe) – more than make up for Reeve's lack of emotions.
This is a great action movie that set the standard for that genre circa 2003. That said, it isn't perfect, and go in knowing there are some fairly major flaws. However, after seeing it in theaters back in the day I was left anticipating the final chapter – The Matrix Revolutions – which came out later that same year and therefore the movie accomplished mostly what it needed to.
WHY RENT THIS: Incredible action sequences. Some great supporting performances. Visionary and unique.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Doesn't live up to the first film. Relationship between Neo and Trinity lacks heat. Reeves still curiously flat as Neo.
FAMILY MATTERS: There's plenty of violence and a little bit of sexuality.
TRIVIAL PURSUITS: Aaliyah was originally cast in the movie to play Zee but she died in a plane crash before filming began. Nona Gaye was cast in her place.
NOTABLE HOME VIDEO FEATURES: There's a 22-minute featurette on the making of the freeway chase scene, one of the best in history. There's a making-of featurette on two promo commercials for product tie-ins (yes, really) and a parody skit from the opening of the 2004 MTV Movie Awards. The Blu-Ray edition includes a music video from P.O.D. and a look at the making of Enter the Matrix, the videogame that served as a compliment to the movie.
BOX OFFICE PERFORMNCE: $742.1M on a $150M production budget; the movie was a blockbuster.
NEXT: The Lightkeepers
Posted in DVD Review	| Tagged Anthony Zerbe, car chase, Carrie-Anne Moss, cinema, Collin Chou, drills, DVD Reviews, Films, Gloria Foster, hand-to-hand combat, Harold Perrineau, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Keanu Reeves, keymaker, Lambert Wilson, Laurence Fishburne, mainframe, messiah, Monica Bellucci, movies, oracle, prophet, Randall Duk Kim, reboot, rogue program, Science Fiction, sentient achines, The Matrix Reloaded, The Wachoski Brothers, Warner Brothers, Zion	| Leave a reply


text:
IGENE LABORATORY PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY
iGene Laboratory is committed to ensuring the protection of all information assets in iGene Laboratory's possession, in accordance with the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act (No. 26 of 2012) (the "PDPA"), the Healthcare Services Act, the Ministry of Health's guidelines, directives and other relevant legislation.
This Personal Data Protection Policy explains details the way data is collected, used, stored, disclosed and protected. Moreover, it describes the types of information collected, as well as the reasons and methods of accessing and correcting such information.
The policy herein serves as a supplement and therefore does not supersede or act as a substitute to any other prior consent that have been provided to iGene Laboratory with regard to personal data provided. iGene Laboratory also reserves all rights granted by the law to collect, use, or disclose personal data.
Definition of Personal Data
Personal data is any data about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether that information or opinion is true or not, and whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not. Examples of personal data that we may collect include an individual's name, NRIC number, passport number, contact number, date of birth, mailing address and email address.
Types of Personal Data that may be provided to or collected by iGene Laboratory include but are not limited to:
NRIC, passport or other personal identification number;
Mailing address;
E-mail address; and
any other information relating to the individual that has been provided to iGene Laboratory
iGene Laboratory may collect personal data in any of the following scenarios:-
when a form is submitted, including but not limited to laboratory request forms
when tissue specimens or any other organic materials is provided such that it is linked with other data in a way that an individual can be identified
when interacting with customer service officers, phlebotomists, medical technologists and other iGene Laboratory representatives via telephone calls (which may be recorded), letters, fax, in-person meetings, and email
when on iGene Laboratory premises, or when attending events hosted or sponsored by iGene Laboratory during which photographs or videos are taken by iGene Laboratory representatives by CCTV
when services are engaged through online platforms, such as iGene Laboratory website, including any other online platforms, technologies, or tools
when a request is made to contact the individual, be included in an email or other mailing list, or when one responds to request for additional personal data as part of promotions or other initiatives
when contacted by, and respond to any iGene Laboratory staff or iGene Laboratory representative
when personal data from referral parties, public agencies, employer, or any other third party is received
when a payment is made or provide details to facilitate payment
when on iGene Laboratory websites, information may be automatically recorded on iGene Laboratory server logs from the browser used
when personal data is submitted to iGene Laboratory for any other reasons
when personal data, directly or indirectly, an individual expressly grant consent to iGene Laboratory to collect, use, and disclose personal data to all relevant third parties as laid out in this Personal Data Protection Policy.
Purposes for the Collection, Retention, Process, Use, Disclosure and Transfer of Personal Data
iGene Laboratory uses the personal information it collects and holds to:
contact individuals to respond to enquiries, to follow up, for authorisation in relation to any service
enable the provision of iGene Laboratory's products and/or services to party requesting such product/service
effectively administer, manage, monitor and improve services
planning, evaluation and complaint-handling
communicate with individuals by various means about available services
charging, billing, processing health insurance claims and collecting debts
assess job applications
verify an individual's identity
comply with quality assurance or clinical audit activities
undertake accreditation activities
respond to feedback and/or queries
address liability indemnity arrangements and reporting
prepare the defence for anticipated or existing legal proceedings undertake research and the compilation or analysis of statistics relevant to public health and safety
enable iGene Laboratory's service providers to comply with their legal and regulatory obligations
administering and processing requests for services offered by iGene Laboratory, including creating and maintaining profiles of iGene Laboratory's customers in iGene Laboratory's system database for administrative purpose
We may also use personal data in circumstances where we are required or authorised by law to do so or where we otherwise have consent of the individual or their representative.
By contacting or dealing with us, the individual herein agreed unilaterally that we may disclose an individual's personal information to the following third parties (including but not limited to) to:
other health service providers involved in the individual's treatment or diagnostic services
insurers and legal representatives
service providers engaged to provide services to laboratories including referral laboratories, some of which might be located overseas
relevant government ministries, regulatory bodies, statutory boards or authorities or law enforcement agencies to comply with any laws, rules, guidelines and regulations or directives imposed by any governmental authority; and/or
any other party to whom iGene Laboratory is given authorization to disclose Personal Data to
We store personal and health information in both paper and electronic form.
iGene Laboratory shall retain Personal Data as may be required for its legal or business purposes until such time that iGene Laboratory reasonably determines that such Personal Data is no longer necessary for its legal, business purposes or in compliance with PDPA laws.
iGene Laboratory is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of Personal Data, and under no circumstances shall iGene Laboratory sell, rent or share Personal Data with any unrelated third parties.
The security of personal and health information is very important to us and we take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Personal and health information is retained for the period of time determined by iGene Laboratory and/or stipulated by law after which it is de-identified or disposed of in a secure manner.
How do we keep personal information accurate and up-to-date? The accuracy of that information depends largely on the quality of the information provided to us.
We take all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate, complete and up-to-date, and also when we use or disclose it, that it is relevant.
How can personal information we hold be accessed?
Individuals have a right to access the personal information that iGene Laboratory holds about them. We will endeavour to give access to an individual's personal information in the form they request.
However, if the situation doesn't permit us doing so, we will, with reasonable means, provide alternative means of access or discuss how access can be given through a mutually agreed intermediary.
We will disclose the personal information and give access to the individual's Authorized representative or legal adviser whom we have been given written authority to do so.
Please be aware that if the personal data has been provided to us by a third party, the induvial need to contact that individual or organization directly for any related query or complaint.
iGene Laboratory PDPA Policy and Data Protection Officer
Any feedback or enquiries relating to iGene Laboratory Data Protection Policy or need clarifications related to data protection, to contact iGene Laboratory at:
Email: dpo@igenelab.com
Changes to this policy iGene Laboratory reserves the right to review, change and update this policy from time to time to reflect current practices and obligations and changes in technology. iGene Laboratory will publish current Personal Data Protection Policy on www.igenelab.com and the changes will take effect at the time of publishing. Please review this policy regularly and remain familiar with its terms.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Stars Foundation
What We Achieve
Why Educate Girls?
"The staff provide amazing in-class support and their support in communication with home and getting girls to school every day has been a real asset."
Classroom Teacher, Yirrkala
Research in education and public health shows how crucial the school experiences of early adolescence are in promoting engagement with learning and enhancing wellbeing. Genuine engagement is critical in producing positive outcomes across a range of immediate and long-term health, academic and life indicators.
The Stars program design is underpinned by this research, along with extensive experience in the field. It seeks to identify the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and the types of school environment, relationships, and learning experiences that best promote engagement and positive outcomes.
Stars offers a range of extracurricular activities, including sport and physical activities, art, music and dance. Community, cultural and volunteering activities are also provided to support the girls to build their confidence and give them opportunities for self-reflection and personal growth. The key to the success of the program are our full-time, on-site mentors, who provide our girls with the intensive, daily support they need to identify and achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
The program focuses on four key areas of personal development through the Stars Plan:
Education, Training and Employment
Community, Culture and Leadership
Each Stars student works closely with her mentor to develop a holistic plan to help her move toward making active choices about her own future. Stars employs a strengths-based approach with the girls, which is designed to build on their individual abilities, interests and strengths.
"Stars have continued to work on changing the thinking of the girls to know that they can be successful and that they are highly valued individuals."
Principal, Tennant Creek High School
Improving education and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young women.
About Us What We Do
Stars Foundation qualifies for the Registered Charity Tick
info@starsfoundation.org.au PO Box 577, Lilydale VIC 3140, Australia
© Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved Stars Foundation


This goal of this question is for an admissions officer to better understand your academic interests and gauge your fit within Brown's various departments. What specific academic offerings interest you at Brown? Maybe it is a specific program, subject area or class. Start approaching this question by describing the "why" as it relates to your current academic interests. How did you become interested in this area and how do you hope to further explore it at Brown?
Answering the question "Why Brown?" should be viewed as the culmination of your demonstrated interest and a reflection of your "fit" on campus. Universities are constantly trying to assess fit in the same way their applicants are. As such, be sure to craft a thoughtful and honest response here. If Brown is your top choice, then this answer should come easily. If you find yourself struggling to answer this question, then it's likely you haven't done your due diligence on researching the school. Brown, in particular, has a very unique academic curriculum and works well with a specific type of student. You'll want to make sure that it will be a good fit for you academically and, if so, tell them why within your response.
Here's a chance to give admission officers some insight into how and where you grew up. Were you grounded in the same area? Or did you travel around a lot? Your answer should provide context regarding your life experiences. Maybe you lived in an area that was heavily influenced by culture, or maybe you lived in a small town where all your neighbors knew each other. Was it diverse or homogeneous? Make sure to discuss how you felt growing up in this community and how it influenced the person you are today.
Take some time to think about and reflect on a community or group to which you belong that has been especially meaningful to you. This could be a religious or ethnic group, a club at school, an online group, or a sports team – among many others. First, describe your selected community or group and your role within it. You can then focus your discussion on why the group is important to you and how it has influenced who you are today.
To learn more about AcceptU's services, please send us a message.
Sure, Brown may like to think of itself as the black (brown?) sheep of the Ivy League, but its supplement is pretty by the book. Don't let the five required essays intimidate you: four of them are exactly the kinds of prompts we have taught you to anticipate (if you've read any of our other guides). Before you get too comfortable, though, remember that a straightforward application sets a high bar for essay quality. When the questions are easy to answer, the writing had better be top notch. Luckily, we're here to help.
This prompt sounds easy enough: describe what you want to study and why you like it. Not so fast. Before you dive into drafting your essay, a word of warning: Brown has split its why essay into two parts. Both are academically focused, so be careful about how you distribute certain factoids about your academic interests, needs, and philosophy. The next question is more directly focused on Brown, so take this one as your opportunity to talk about yourself. The only thing you need to know is the name of your department (or departments) of interest. Since Brown has an open curriculum (the topic of the next question), it's helpful to show that you have some direction even if you're undecided. While you might be tempted to get technical or poetic, this essay will be more personal and memorable if you can share an anecdote about your relationship with the topic. What excites you and why? When was the last time you got drawn down a Wikipedia rabbit hole – and what was the topic? While you don't need to drill to the origin of your interest in a given topic, try to zero in on some formative experience: the best book you ever read, the first time you spoke French to an actual French person, that one time when you used math in the real world! Your story should showcase your unique connection to your chosen course of study.
Ah, the Brown Curriculum, the requirement-less Holy Grail coveted by many applicants. Cleverly, Brown has specifically mentioned the curriculum in the prompt itself to push applicants deeper. It's not enough to say, "I want to go to Brown because of its uniquely flexible curriculum." You need to explore exactly how this – among Brown's many other assets – will benefit you specifically. Good research is the key to any good why essay because demonstrating deep knowledge of the school shows admissions how much you care. Also, obviously, the more specific details you harness, the more unique and personal your essay will be. That said, this question is a bit trickier than that because you also have to get introspective. Again, what makes the Brown Curriculum right for you? Is it because of the way you hope to study your topic of choice? (Oh, and aren't you glad you didn't talk about this above?) Or is it because greater flexibility will help you manage a learning difference? Maybe it's just because you want to embrace the full range of intellectual possibilities at Brown. No matter what you say, be sure to also show what you're talking about in the school-specific details you mention: the eclectic mix of classes you hope to take or the student groups that will foster and support your learning.
What are they really asking here? This prompt is deceptively straightforward. If Brown had simply wanted to know where you have lived, they could have asked you to submit a list of towns or schools you attended. Why devote 100 words to the answer? Although relatively brief, this essay still gives you a chance to examine how you deal with change and difference, the stable and unstable parts of your life. If you have moved a great deal, what grounds you? How do you adapt? If you have stayed in the same town your whole life, how do you see your place in that community? When have you pushed yourself to experience places and meet people who are different from you?
Another supplement classic: the community essay! While "community" can feel like a vague term, the beauty of these prompts lies in the ambiguity. The meaning is totally up for interpretation, which means that you can choose to describe a standard community unit (your neighborhood, family, ethnicity, or religion) or really any other group you belong to. The possibilities are almost endless and there's really only one key to getting this essay right: you need to tell admissions something they don't already know. What aspect of your background have you yet to explore? If you already covered your geographic affinities in the previous prompt, you could talk about the online community of vloggers you belong to. Your sports team could be your community, too. Or maybe you feel connected to every person who has ever read Harry Potter. Think about the core parts of your identity and trace them to their origin; chances are, you'll find your community.
Surprise! We bet you didn't see this sneaky question when you were first browsing through the Brown writing questions on the Common App. That's because it's one of the hidden prompts that we warn you about in our Common App tutorial. This prompt will ambush you in the "Activity" section of your Brown application, but don't worry, the prompt itself isn't all that surprising. Activity essays like this one are pretty common and really are as straightforward as they seem. The trickiest part is usually selecting the activity you want to talk about. So, we return to our favorite mantra: tell admissions something they couldn't learn elsewhere. If you wrote your Common App essay about your tenure as captain of the basketball team, for this prompt you should focus on a different (ideally non-athletic) activity that shows a different side of who you are. This can be a great opportunity to highlight your leadership skills and any accolades you may have received as a result of participating in a particular activity. Did you win a community service award? Now is a great time to elaborate on your work. No matter what you choose, it should probably be something you've been involved in for a while, so you can demonstrate your growth and the impact that you have had on others.


text:
Drone technology is taking asset management to new heights
Transforming operations and enhancing capabilities.
by Martin Kovacs
in Trends, Featured News
The perspective provided by "eyes in the sky" is proving invaluable, but determining how drone technology can best be incorporated into workflows demands consideration, writes Martin Kovacs.
Also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones have for some time been gaining prominence in the broader water industry toolkit, being deployed across varied asset management applications, as those within industry explore how the technology can be utilised.
Seqwater Project Definition Planner Julian O'Mara observed that "exciting new opportunities" are emerging amid ongoing development of the technology.
"For Seqwater, the use of drone technology is steadily becoming part of normal work, with different departments within the organisation exploring their application and looking to equip different employees with drones as part of their toolkit," O'Mara said.
Seqwater engages consultants to undertake asset management activities, and is focused on growing its internal program, as it develops an understanding of how different areas of its business may benefit from adoption of the technology.
This is a trend observed at a global scale, with research firm IDC forecasting utilities would book the largest individual sector share of worldwide enterprise drone spending in 2018, at US$912 million (around $1.16 billion).
Extending frontiers
The safety benefits of deploying drones to assist with asset management are an immediate attraction of the technology. Drones reduce many of the inherent risks associated with field operations, and logistically can provide significant advantages over traditional inspection methods.
The twin potential to reduce costs and bolster productivity, and the evolving capacity to acquire data for increasingly targeted applications, is spurring innovation and uptake.
IDC expects that global enterprise drone spending will record a five-year compound annual growth rate of 36.6%.
"The industry is evolving extremely rapidly, and new improvements and applications are being developed every day," UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Water Research Laboratory Senior Research Associate Dr Mitchell Harley said.
"Drones are being used for a wide range of purposes. In their simplest form – for example, a quadcopter drone equipped with a high-resolution video camera – they are extremely practical for close visual inspection
of water assets, such as pipelines, sewage treatment plants and breakwaters."
Former Geomatic Technologies Innovation and Solutions Manager Gary Butcher observed that drones have become both cheaper and increasingly capable.
He attributed this to advances in camera technology occurring in concert with other recent innovations, such
as real-time data transmission.
"The drones themselves are more stable, they've got more sensors to avoid objects, which means you can get them into tighter places, get them closer to things and get better outcomes," Butcher said.
"You're not so reliant on GPS any more, which means you can be flying under things."
Butcher, however, emphasised that drones are just the "capture platform", effectively providing a means to an end.
As industry explores different applications of the technology, it is the value of the data acquired that will ultimately determine how drones are deployed.
Drone applications
Development of drones with enhanced battery life, capable of longer flight times and sporting greater payload capacity, has complemented integration of more advanced applications, such as thermal and multispectral imaging, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) surveying.
Deakin University's Centre for Regional and Rural Futures Associate Professor John Hornbuckle said the technology is being used in a "broad cross-section of ways" in water management.
Hornbuckle stated that drones capable of acquiring high-resolution images can provide advantages over satellite remote sensing, also offering benefits in conditions where cloud cover may be an issue.
"We have trials and projects, from looking at using drones for detecting leaks in pressurised irrigation systems using thermal cameras, to using multispectral cameras for monitoring aquatic weeds, which retard flows in irrigation delivery channels and reduce water-use efficiencies," he said.
"We are now seeing many irrigation managers, for instance, using their own drones for monitoring crops and fields."
O'Mara said Seqwater's drone program has, to date, primarily focused on assisting water catchment protection planning, with the sheer scale of over 17,000 km of waterway spread out over south-east Queensland presenting significant logistical issues.
Seqwater has been drawing on the technology to aid remediation planning and monitoring.
"Drones significantly assist our planners in gathering timely, high-quality data at a low cost, empowering the decision-making process," O'Mara said.
"With the drone technology available, each trip into the field now results in the acquisition of data that has much greater value to the immediate planning process, as well as future assessments of investment."
Drones can also be deployed to assist with emergency management during extreme events.
In the past, information has typically been difficult to obtain during events such as flooding and coastal erosion, with hazardous conditions, including blocked-off roads, hindering efforts to access impacted areas. Drone technology can, however, aid emergency operations, via acquisition of potentially critical data in difficult-to-reach areas.
Harley observed that drones can be deployed both during and immediately after events, pointing to use of the technology during an extreme storm along the south-east Australian coastline in June 2016.
"We were able to launch our drone well away from the impact zone and capture incredible high-resolution information about the magnitude of damage caused to the beach and adjacent houses," he said. "This simply would not have been possible with traditional technology."
Challenging future
Among the issues industry will need to address as drone technology is incorporated into workflows is the potential for limited battery life to inhibit applications – as noted by Butcher, the "technology is improving, however constantly having to change batteries as you do things is a challenge".
Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations also need to be considered before undertaking any sort of activity and in determining the value of different applications, those within industry will need to weigh up the benefits of developing internal programs as opposed to engaging consultants.
Butcher said collision detect-and-avoid and traffic management systems are future areas of focus as drone technology evolves, while identifying beyond visual line-of-sight, flying outside of the operator's physical vision as the next big push.
"What a lot of people learn very quickly is that flying the drone is kind of easy – you need to understand what you're doing and why you're doing it, and it's often your knowledge of the asset, or the site, or the objective, that is more important than the drone," he observed.
"It will really narrow down in coming years as to where drones really provide value and save time and money –
and I think that's probably the next level of maturity."
First published as 'Drone Disruption' in Current magazine May 2017.
Tags: UtilitiesSeqwaterIndustryAsset ManagementMaintenanceDrones
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The module was built, tested and adjusted for audio output level and encapsulated in clear heat shrink. The cable was made from parts from ready made 3 way RC servo jumpers with the wires removed and inserted into more suited back shells.
Above are the connections to the MFJ-1263 to suit an Icom IC-7410. In this case, PTT is on pin 5 of the IC-7410 mic socket, ao AR5 was used to connect the RB module because it contains the PTT cross connect jumper (which you remove). RB PTT_IN and PTT_OUT connect to the lower and upper '5' pins of AR5, and Audio_out, +DC, and GND on pins 1,2,6 upper pins. The use of 2 way connector for PTT_IN and PTT_OUT, and 1 way connectors for the others makes for flexibility to re-patch it to suit other radios.
It is VERY important to get these connections correct, pay attention to the sense of PTT_IN and PTT_OUT.
Adjust the module as described in the documentation and job is done.
I have a footswitch plugged into the PTT jack in the rear of the MFJ-1263, and have configured the Roger Beep Tap'nYap for 10min timeout so a tap of the footswitch locks the PTT on for a 'yap' and it can be released with another tap… or will timeout on a very long over.
Fitting to the MFJ1260 and MFJ-1261 would be quite similar.


This is a painting that Suzie did after she had a visit from Helios. Suzie was asleep and was awakened when the room began filling with a golden and white light. The light was moving like flames all around the room. The light began to form faces. They were moving all around in and out of form. Then, all of a sudden, in her face, about 2 inches from her nose, Helios's face appeared in front of Suzie. He was smiling; no words were spoken; there was just an overpowering feeling of joy and love. It was him telling Suzie to memorize his face. The whole time Suzie was calling for Lord Michael and memorizing his face. This picture does not do him justice. His face glowed like the light of the sun, and his eyes were so kind and full of joy. Then he was gone in a flash. Suzie then went back to sleep. He wanted Suzie to paint him and stayed long enough for her to memorize his face.


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text:
Let's Groove Tonight, the Ultimate Earth, Wind and Fire Tribute: 8 p.m. Friday, the Strand Theater, 119. N. Main St., Zelienople. Tribute to the group's legacy of rhythm and blues, soul, funk and rock music. Tickets, reserved seating, $25 to $35; available online at www.thestrandtheater.org or call 724-742-0400.
Oak Ridge Boys: 8 p.m. Friday, Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. Five-time Grammy Award-winning quartet and Country Music Hall of Fame inductees. Top hits include "Elvira." Tickets: $35 to $55; available online at www.stambaughauditorium.com or call 866-516-2269.
Westminster College Symphonic Band "An Obvious Love": 7:30 p.m. Friday, Westminster College's Orr auditorium, Westminster Drive, New Wilmington. Student orchestra will perform six pieces including Gary Gilroy's "An Obvious Love," Vincent Persichetti's "Psalm for Band" and Viet Cuong's "Diamond Tide." Shawn Sisler, a Westminster alumnus and South Side High School band director is guest conductor of Cuong's piece. Tad Greig, a professor of music, conducts. Free; all welcome. Information, call 724-946-7279 or www.westminster.org
Superstar. The Songs. The Stories. The Carpenters: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Strand Theater, 119 N. Main St., Zelienople. Singer and Grammy-nominee Helen Welch and band perform music from the brother/sister pop duo. Tickets, reserved seating, $25 to $35; available online at www.thestrandtheater.org or call 724-742-0400.
River City Brass Band Octet: 8 p.m. Feb. 28, Butler County Community College's Succop Theater, 107 College Ave., Butler. RCBB Octet performs American songbook music from Survivor to Neil Diamond to Santana to classical. Tickets, $20. Available online at www.bc3.edu/campus/butler/succop theater or call the box office at 724-284-8505.
Celtic Tenors Spring Concert: 7:30 p.m. March 11 and 12, the Strand Theater, 119 N. Main St., Zelienople. Performance of music from new mini-album "The Irish Songbook." Tickets, reserved seating, $42; available online at www.thestrandtheater.org or call 724-742-0400.
Classical Trio with Nanette Kaplan Solomon: 7 p.m. March 12, Hoyt Center for the Arts, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle. Solomon, who earned degrees from Yale and Boston universities, is a professor emerita of music at Slippery Rock University and instructed the piano program there from 1977 to 2014. Tickets, $25, available online at www.hoytartcenter.org or call 724-652-2882.
Newsboys United 2020 Greatness of Our God Tour with Mandisa and Adam Agee: 7 p.m. March 12, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. Iconic Christian music group perform songs from their new album "United." Reserved tickets: $30 to $50; VIP tickets, $100; available online at www.stambaughauditorium.com or call 866-516-2269.
Pittsburgh All-Star Band: 8 p.m. March 13, the Strand Theater, 119 N. Main St., Zelienople. Features the Granati Brothers and special appearance by Donnie Iris. Jimmy Krenn, formerly of WDVE hosts show and performs with band. VIP experience includes meet-and-greet with Iris and Krenn beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets, reserved seats, $35; VIP Experience, $55, available online at www.thestrandtheater.org or call 724-742-0400.
Butler County Symphony Orchestra Arthur Fiedler's Pops Tribute: 7:30 p.m. March 7, Butler Intermediate High School, Fairground Hill Road, Butler. Upcoming concert, Mahler's "Titan" on April 11. Tickets, adults, $25; students, $8; available online at www.butlersymphony.org or call 724 283-1402.
Michael Bolton: 7:30 p.m. April 4, William W. Orr Auditorium on the Westminster College campus, 319 S. Market St., New Wilmington. Matt Vee performs Diamond classics. Part of the Westminster College Celebrity Series Cirque Mei. Upcoming shows, April 29; "Miss Nelson has a Field Day," May 21. All shows at 7:30 p.m. at Will W. Orr Auditorium on the Westminster College campus, unless otherwise noted. Tickets and information: 724-946-7354 or www.westminster.edu/celebrity.
Scooby-Doo and the Lost City of Gold: 7 p.m. May 6, Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. Live stage performance includes puppetry, aerial arts, acrobatics, music, story and dance; Tickets: $30 to $185, includes VIP tickets of $125 and $50. Available online at www.stambaughauditorium.com or call 866-516-2269.
PLAYS AND COMEDY
"Disaster," 7:30 p.m. March 6, 7, 14 and 15; 2 p.m. March 8 and 15, Comtra Theatre, 20540 Route 19, Cranberry Township. Tickets, $20, online only at www.comtratheatre.ticketleap.com or $23 at the box office 45 minutes before event. Information, online at www.comtratheatre.org or call 724-591-8727.
Love on the Lake 2020: 6 p.m. Friday, Fieldstone at Armstrong Farms, Sarver. Cocktails at 6 p.m., silent auction, raffle, sit-down dinner, dancing to music of The Bob Riddle Trio from 8 to 11 p.m. Benefits the Moraine Preservation Fund to support special projects, new tour boat programs, educational center Tickets, $85 each, available online at https://morainepreservationfund.ejoinme.org/love
Valentine's Dinner Fundraiser; 5 p.m. Feb. 22, Edgewood Church, 430 Edgewood Road, North Sewickley Township. Includes Italian dinner, desserts, drinks, special music and more. Reservations requested by Sunday. Free childcare. Cost, free-will offering. Fundraiser for the 116 Youth Retreat. Information, 724-843-2889.
Ellwood City Moose Lodge 93 Wing Bash and Membership Drive: 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 22, EC Moose Lodge 93, 1400 Factory Ave. All-you-can-eat wings with french fries, $20. Drink specials. Membership drive; $40 membership reduced to $20 for new members. All welcome.
Night at the Races: 6 p.m. Feb. 29, Wampum Volunteer Fire Department, 709 Church St. Doors open at 5 p.m.; dinner at 6 p.m., races begin at 7 p.m. Jockey tickets, $25, includes admission and chance to win race included with ticket purchase. Ticket deadline is Monday; call 724-535-0557. Independent business owners welcome to donate to silent auction. Benefits the Wampum Volunteer Fire Department.
Pasta Dinner Fundaiser: Noon to 4 p.m., March 1, First United Methodist Church, 416 Crescent Ave., Ellwood City. Dinner to support Hartman Intermediate School's presentation of "School House Rock Jr. LIVE!" on March 28, Dinner tickets, $10; available in advance from cast members; limited number at door. Takeouts available. Basket raffle and 50/50 drawing. Informationm www.Facedbook.com/HartmanMusical
Beaver Falls Band Night at the Races: 5:30 to 11 p.m., March 7, New Galilee Firehall, 606 Centennial Ave. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; races start at 7 p.m., Tickets, in advance, $25, includes dinner, beverages and desserts. Also, silent auction and 50/50 raffle. aindaRid er
Free Bowl Making and Glazing Workshops: Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and March 7 and 12, Hoyt Center for the Arts, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle. Annual bowl making using slab construction method in 45-minute hourly sessions in February, followed by glazing workshops in March. Free. All skill levels welcome. Attendance at both workshops not required. Pre-registration required by calling 724-652-2882 or online at www.hoytartcenter.org. Participation is first come, first served.Bowls will be contributed to Lawrence County's Annual Empty Bowls Dinner on April 4.
Ellwood City Area Historical Society History Center: 310 Fifth St. Open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the first Saturday of each month. Groups planning tours can reserve evening times by request; the Historical Society meeting room is available for clubs and other organizations. To schedule group tours, call 724-752-2021. Society holds public meetings at the center with a historical program at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of every month from January to May. New members welcome. Calendar year dues, individuals, $10; families, $25.
Merrick Art Gallery: 1100 Fifth Ave., New Brighton. Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays.
Samuel Teolis Museum: 309 Spring Ave., Ellwood City, in the basement of Samuel Teolis Funeral Home. Tours are two hours and are available by appointment seven days a week. Students must be accompanied by a teacher or adult. Museum contains various 19th century items including kitchen, dairy, farming and war items that Teolis has collected over the past 60 years. Call 724-752-5522 or 724-758-3222 to schedule an appointment.
The Andy Warhol Museum: 117 Sandusky St., Pittsburgh. Adults, $20; students, seniors, children, ages 3 to 18, $10; members and children younger than age 2, free; Fridays, 5 to 10 p.m., half price. Information: www.warhol.org.
CLASSES, LECTURES, SIGNINGS
Yoga: Free class at 7 p.m. each Thursday at North Sewickley Township Municipal Building, 893 Mercer Road. Contact Jerilyn Driscoll to reserve a spot at 412-592-5440 or email livelongyogavibes@gmail.com.
Creative Play: 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday and third Saturday monthly, Hoyt Center for the Arts, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle. Free program for children between ages 3 and 7. Preregistration required, online at www.hoytartcenter.org or call 724-652-2882.
Creative Writing Group: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.the fourth Tuesday of each month, Zelienople Area Public Library, 227 S. High St. For adults and teen exploring and encouraging one another in writing. Information, online at www.zelienoplelibrary.org or call 724-452-9330.
Sweet Stroll through Maple Sugaring: 2 to 4 p.m. March 1, Jennings Environmental Education Center, 2951 Prospect Road, Slippery Rock. Indoor presentation focuses on maple tree production followed by guided, outdoor walk. Free; all welcome. Reservations not required. Information, call 724-794-6011 or online at www.dcnr.pa.gov/JenningsEnvironmentalEducationCenter.
Washington/Cherry Pie Long Hike on North Country Trail: 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 22, Moraine State Park boat launch under Route 528 to Jennings Center. Seven-mile hike across varied terrain with slopes and winter trail conditions. Not suited for tennis shoes. Free; $3 donations welcome. Recommended for those age 12 and older. Includes 30-minute history hikes commemorating George Washington's birthday and 1753 musket show that almost killed him. Register online at www.events.dcnr.pa.gov or call 724-794-6001 by Feb. 20.
Spring Turkey Shoots: 6 p.m. Tuesdays from March 3 through April 14, Ellwood-Wampum Rod and Gun Club, 2406 Wampum Road. Signups at 6 p.m.; shooting begin at 6:30 p.m. Youth permitted if accompanied by parent or guardian. Bring ear protection. All welcome. Information, online at www.Facebook.com/EllwoodWampumRoadRod&GunClub.
Harmoniefest: 6 p.m. March 7, Harmony Museum, 218 Mercer St., Harmony. Harmony birthday celebration. Wine and cheese reception at 6 p.m., followed by buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. Author and French and Indian War re-enactor Jason Cherry will discuss his book "Pittsburgh's Lost Outpost." Reserved tickets, $35 available by calling 724-452-7341 or online at www.harmonymuseum.org. Reservation deadline is March 1.
2020 ELLWOOD CITY EVENTS
Earth Day Celebration: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 18.
Sixth Grade Park-A-Palooza: May 11.
Thank you Picnic: May 13.
Fifth Grade Walking Tour: May 19.
Memorial Day Parade: 10 a.m., May 25.
Golf Outing: June. 13
Ellwood City Ledger 10K: 9 a.m., July 4.
Chef, Wine & Ale: Sept. 14.
Storytelling Festival: 4 to 7:30 p.m., Sept. 19.
Fall Fest & Car Cruise: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 26.
Halloween Parade: 3:30 p.m., Oct. 24.
Small Business Saturday: Nov. 28.
Christmas in the Park: Dec. 1 to 27.
Christmas Parade: 3:30 p.m., Dec. 5.
Let There Be Lights: 6 to 9 p.m., Dec. 4.


Tasars race in division 5 at the Darwin Sailing Club. We start sailing around Easter and finish sailing as the stinger and cyclone seasons begin in November. Racing is usually on a Sunday, and we try get out for a sundowner at least once a week. But it's common to see Tasars training on Fannie Bay in the wet season if there is a championship down south.
Our main event each year is the three-day NT Championships each Darwin Show weekend - usually the last Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday of July. Interstaters are encouraged to get in touch with us if they are interested in borrowing a boat for that event.


Much has been written about how to re-engage inactive subscribers on your email marketing lists. However, try as you might, it is still challenging to re-engage them, and you should dig a little deeper into this issue to develop some new strategies.
First, you must accept that there are many opportunities and products in your customers' inboxes all vying for their attention, and you must find a way to rise above all the noise with our offers or services. Next, the fact of the matter is that some sources say that nearly half of emails sent to those who opted-in for them go unopened. How do you get them back?
Mailbox providers watch engagement rates carefully, and your deliverability could be affected if you have many subscribers who never open your emails. Make sure to identify the active subscribers on your email list. Although this may vary by industry towing to buying cycle, a good benchmark is that those who have opened or clicked your emails within the past six months can be considered active.
Next, define the segment of your email file to be reactivated. A safe bet for this group is to include those who have opened or clicked within the past six to 12 months.
Those who have been unengaged the longest should be approached with a reconfirmation campaign. This is a campaign telling the subscriber that they are on your email list, but that you will stop sending them emails if they do not click the button or link in the email to confirm their desire to stay on your list. The reconfirmation campaign should include subscribers who have not opened or clicked your emails within the past 12–24 months. This segment of your email list is very likely to include spam traps, which is why you should proceed with a reconfirmation campaign, as opposed to a marketing message. Finally, create a drop-off point. If you have been emailing them regularly, there is no reason you should be sending to addresses that have not engaged with you in more than two years.
Return Path has a lot to say on the subject as well. For instance, don't delete your lapsed subscribers if you don't get an immediate response. Studies show that only about 24 percent of those lapsed subscribers will open your initial re-engagement email, but 45 percent will read subsequent ones. One Return Path study showed that it was 57 days from when the subscribers got the win back email before they acted. Because of this, it's important to plan for a multitouch re-engagement campaign over several weeks.
Certain language choices for your win back email don't matter as much as having content that is relevant to your user. For example, asking your subscriber to "come back" may get about the same response rate as saying "we miss you." But having content that matters to your user has a significant increase in opens, reads, and click-throughs.
There are lots of ways to ask your customer to return. You can use nostalgia (remember when you were active with us?), a bit of guilt (wouldn't life be better if you were back with us?), or some humor. It has been shown, though, that open rates increase with stronger language asking for their return!
Offering a specific discount amount is twice as effective as offering a percentage discount.
Putting your personalization in the front of the email has been shown to be much more effective than at the end or in the body of the note.
Conduct a highly targeted campaign. Collect as much information as you can about each customer's interests and use it to create multiple campaigns that make sense to the reader.
Coordinate your email campaign with other channels such as Facebook and Twitter. Although over half of your customers may not be looking at your emails, chances are that they are looking at some social network.
Don't just send sales pitches. Create meaningful mailings that have real, solid, complete ideas to help your customers. Use an autoresponder to create timed, regular campaigns. The more of your expertise you give them for free, the more they will be inclined to trust you for a purchase.
On the unsubscribe page, be sure to ask the customer why they didn't find the emails useful.
Be flexible and test! Regularly change your strategy until it works. For example, with the subscribers who open or click but don't confirm, silo them separately and continue trying to reactivate them, but at a reduced frequency. Anyone who reconfirms can be bucketed back into the active segment of your list with a specific communication stream to immerse them back in your flow. The outliers who didn't reconfirm or re-engage through this series should be removed from your mailings. Of course, I always recommend continuing business as usual with a control group to measure the impact on your email program.
Of course, the best strategy is to maintain engagement with your customers and subscribers so that they never disengage. In my next post, we will explore some best practices to maintain engagement and keep it at a high level.