Movie Review Bourne Identity a not bad spy thriller -- one last afternoon movie before I go back to work. Although this was really more of a chase movie, a la the Fugitive or Enemy of the State, then a spy thriller. Good chase scenes, but I think the aforementioned to are going to be hard to top, plus there is some weird back story -- mind control or something that was thankfully mostly left on the cutting room floor. There is just enough though to make you go, huh?. My favorite continuity break in this movie is the haircut scene. From hack job, to hundred dollar haircut in 2 seconds flat. It was a cute haircut at least ;-) As for spy thrillers, don't think I've seen a really interesting one, not based on a book, since No Way Out the only Kevin Costner movie I've ever liked (which may have been based on a book for all i know).

World Cup! Go USA! Great victory over Mexico. Looked like a nasty vicious game though. Why was Mexico favored though when we beat them 5 out of our last 6 meetings. Strange. Mexico still played great - unfortunately they don't seem to have any ace goal scorers to capitalize on their pretty stellar passing game. The US goals were pretty awesome though. Good capitalization.

Alas for ireland. Spain didn't deserve the victory I don't think. If they could only barely keep up with the Irish, how are they going to keep up with the S Koreans? The Spanish keeper seemed to be the only one who really really came out to play. He was on fire. Casillas, 3 penalties saved! Made up for the 2 blown Spanish shots.

To bad for Japan, but I have Turkish friends, so I am glad for them. Even if my dream match of S Korea Japan has gone out the window.

Germany v Paraguay? One word: BOOORRRRING.

World Cup overwrought italians complaining about the bad call on Totti, which is true, but a penalty would have been a bad call as well; and the bad offsides for tomassi's "disallowed" goal. it wasn't a goal and wouldn't have been the s korean keeper was standing practically on top of it, but he had stepped out of the play seeing the flag. The reason why Italy lost? Because they failed to convert on some excellent chances. Blame Vieri for chrissakes! Why was the score not higher, because both of the keepers rocked!

Guardian Unlimited Football | World cup 2002 | World Cup diary -- Two South Korea fans, healthy men in their 20s, died of heart attacks during the thrilling victory over Italy. One collapsed when the co-hosts equalised in the 88th minute.

Yikes!

World Cup, humble pie boy I'm glad that I didn't wake to watch the US play at 4:30 like I'd considered. Yes, perhaps that makes me not a real fan. Poland handed us a piece of humble pie, how does it feel to have the cleat on the other foot! Only we couldn't mount an offense to speak of to make a comeback (although the dissallowed goal of Donovans, should've been a goal, which I'm sure would've changed the game), until way too late. We just kept doing the same thing over and over, which wasn't working. the score could've been worse too, if it weren't for the awesome Brad Friedel (another penalty kick stopped!), too bad he wasn't awesome enough to stop the other three!

So thank god for the Koreans! who handed out another piece of humble pie to Portugal and knocked them out of the tournament with a 1-0 win -- and sent themselves and the US to the next round. Sure Portugal was down a man, but every other game with a team down a man for any length of time has won in this cup (I think).

Japan also went through in a pretty dull game. The Belgium Russia game was also deadly dull until the Russians tied it 1-1 in the second half, and then the game picked up like you couldn't believe and ended up 3-2 Belgium, with Russia threatening to tie it up at the end and sending Belgium home. Alas they couldn't quite pull it off (not that I had any partisan thoughts one way or another really).

So on we go!

Brazil playing against Brazil The Costa Rica v Brazil game was great. 5 to 2, lots of shots, few fouls, wide open play, amazing footwork, passes, flips, flicks and bicycle kicks. At least one of the best goals of the tournament, if not a few. Costa Rica gave Brazil a run for their money, and kept trying til the end. Feel sad that they are going home.

Italy v Mexico was also a good match, I'm not sure that Italy really deserved the tie. They were outplayed by Mexico for the most part, except on the few occassions (including the one goal) where the Italian brilliance came out. They just couldn't finish. The mexican goal was certainly in the top 10 of best 2002 world cup goals. A beautiful nod across the goal mouth, away from the line of attack.

World Cup So england is through, yeah! Though the game versus nigeria was a bit dull. The first half was fun enough. But then the second half, both teams decided that losing would be bad. It was the most gentemenly game though. Nary a card proffered.

Spain v South Africa was a great game. Very open and for the most part (until the South Africans got a little desperate in the end) free of any tackling nastiness. Beautiful passing though, both teams fun to watch, especially spain, who in all fairness deserved the 3-2 win. Alas the South Africans did not make it through, Paraguay coming back to win 3-1 on 10 men. Didn't see the game though.

I'm predicting, for some vague reason, Spain v Brazil in the final, with Spain coming out on top.

Sentinmental favorites would be
US v England (who would I root for though)
South Korea v Japan (wouldn't that be awesome!)
Ireland v Senegal

Who knows it could happen!

Eclipse We had a partial solar eclipse here on Monday. I'd almost forgot til I ran into some sidewalk astronomers with solar telescopes out. I had a peak just as it was starting then headed off to a cafe for a while. At the peak time, the light was amazing, and I ran to have another look at the telescopes, the sun but a crescent, the crowd bigger and a couple friends out. Showed it to a friend later on the wane using the pinhole trick (which I only remembered after seeing people use straw hats and their hands).

Didn't hurt that it was a hot and warm day. Today alas has turned chilly and foggy.

World Cup: Alors! Les pauvre bleus, coming out of the cup without even a goal! Les danes walked all over them.

Looks like the Senagalese will be the only Africans and French speakers to make it to the next round. Although, how they blew a 3 goal lead to end in a tie, I have no idea (and that first goal they got on a total dive). The uruguayans showed a lot of pluck!

Cameroon couldn't get passed the stodgy Germans. Although it seemed a match more about who could get the most cards than who could get the most goals. Not a game one would want to end your world cup dreams on!

Ireland walked all over Saudi Arabia to get land in the next round behind the Germans, couldn't quite match the 8-0 though.

great football (soccer) updates check out the minute by minute match reports. great pithy commentary.

"12 min If you were a martian who chanced upon this game, you'd get the distinct impression that these teams don't like each other very much. Or maybe it's just me..."
-- minute by minute for the US v Korea Game.

US vs Korea was a bit dissappointing. US looking pretty lackluster in the second half and not trying for goal. 6 shots to 19 Korea. We almost didn't even deserve the tie. Of course, given that pratically the whole stadium was a sea of Korean colors, and awash in supporting Korean noise, it must be hard to keep that out. And the Koreans just outran the US. The little speedskating goal celebration was pretty amusing too.

Sadly Portugal is back in form. 4-0 over Poland which bodes ill for South Korea. Lets hope crowd support kicks in there too!

The Italy loss to Croatia 1-2 was a fun game too watch. Particularly because of the contraversial calls. Best I could tell the first dissallowed goal should have been allowed. the italians were furious by the end of play. The Italy Mexico game I fear is going to be nasty.

just in case you think i've gone completely soccer/football crazy. i haven't. managed to read a book as well. manifold time by steven baxter. a little too pie in the sky for me. there is some silly probability shell game (seems to me at least) that humanity will be gone in a couple hundred years. this book works around the idea. not that it is without interest -- cool look at intelligent enhanced squid ( but dropped after a point in time), good writing, interesting characters. But all that stuff about deep time, the ultimate fate of humanity and the universe and computers making simulations of us, yada yada, just ain't all that interesting to me. Somewhat hard to relate to one could say. Others I know would say otherwise.

World Cup: another nailbiter for me -- england hanging on to defeat argentina 1-0, bunkering down the last 10 minutes underneath an onslaught -- but only allowing one really good chance. michael own looked awesome through all his play, the score could've been a bit different.

sad to see nigeria go out, but someone had to! I don't thing i mentioned the south korean game against poland last week, one of my favorite games. the atmosphere in that stadium must have been amazing -- the s korean team was pumped. it will be interesting to see how the us does against them wednesday night!

World Cup Two great games Wednesday morning. Ireland coming back at the last possible moment keeping themselves in the running and forcing the Germans to wait another game to go through (with the +8 goal differential they seem hard pressed not to go through unless maybe Cameroon defeats them).
And then the US team playing an amazing game, trouncing Portugal in the first half, then staving off the onslaught in the second half. No doubt, people will say that Portugal played poorly, but it's how you play on game day, not how many times your players were players of the year!

World Cup! two great games yesterday with ireland coming back at the last possible minute to beat germany, forcing the germans to wait another game to go through (with an 8-0 game against Saudi Arabia, they will surely go through on at least goal differential). And then the US! trouncing the Portugese in the first half, and staving off the onslaughts in the second half. Been a while since I've been so nervous watching any sport. The US and their goals looked good. I'm sure people will say that Portugal played poorly. But hey -- it's how you play on game day, not how you played yesterday.

World Cup! Yeah, another benefit of being unemployed -- being able to gorge myself on soccer. The best game so far has been Turkey v Brazil. Despite the controversial ending, where Turkey got robbed out of a tie by a bad call (well bad placement, the foul should not have resulted in a penalty shot). Their keeper had done such an amazing job, to lose on his bad clearance at the end. ugh. Course, I think he should have never got that ball, but oh well. I think they already saw themselves with a tie and lost focus. Alas!
And of course the Senegal v France game was great too! David v Goliath!

RANT (continued): Ok. So back to Attack of the Clones for a moment. If you want examinations of a person exploring there dark side, check out Insomnia the American or version from Norway ( yes that's right, the American version is a remake of a 1997 film, written to be a little less dark ( nice little pun there since both films are pretty blindingly white ), and more redeeming (making it a shortened version of the whole star wars sage ). Or for that matter Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, who also have much better sword fights ( even like myself, not being a big fan of the "flying stuff" ), especially the two between the two female characters. I'm sure there are others out there, I just haven't thought of them.

Cool subversive graffitti!