Really interesting movie. Viktor Burakov, a doctor of forensic medicine gets dropped into a murder case, chasing a serial killer. The story is genuine, based on events which took place in Rostov, southern USSR in 1982-1990. What's fascinating about this story is not the case of the murder case itself, rather the surrounding social/political landscape in which Lt. Burakov works. He reports at regular intervals to some sort of regional council of military/political superiors, who practically dictate his every move. Given that he has never worked as a detective before and has no experience, more importantly, no position, every request he makes for more men, computers, publicity, councel with the FBI is consistently rejected. More important than anything is to preserve the good name of the party and the country, that supersedes everything. When he does eventually arrest the killer (but without evidence), he is forced to let him go because the man is a member of the party.. over the course of 8 years, he kills 52 children, finally when the political climate changes, Burakov gets the resources to do his job without heavy restrictions.

Thanks for the heads up, Erik!

believe, I tried. After 250m I was out of breath and I took a breather. After 500m I started worrying about getting muscle cramps so I went back to the changing room and drank water. When I came back, I felt this great resistance swimming, like suddenly the viscocity had taken a leap. After a while it felt normal again, I thought let's do at least 1km today but after another 10 laps I started feeling this new and heretofore unknown pain in my right shoulder. Tried to just keep going but it wouldn't stop. I was defiant, I did 20 laps in all, 1500m. I was so exhausted I had trouble getting out of the pool and the minute I stepped out, I got a cramp in my foot. Not a bad cramp, just some small muscle so it didn't really hurt. I lumbered into the pool opposite the walk way, the hot one. A Spanish "cruise ship" was parked outside. But I still felt cold in my shoulders, the hot water wasn't doing it. So I went to the sauna, the steamy one. Leaned up against the wall, ah that's better. Sat there for minutes, didn't feel an inch rested. Finally I looked down at the bench, looked comfy. So I lay down on the bench. Never done that before. It must have been 10 minutes. Finally I thought that's enough.

Don't really know how long the break lasted but it was time to get back in there. After 30 laps, the least I could do was 10 more. The thing is I didn't feel like stopping. Not long ago I was exhausted, now I wanted back in. Water was so cold. Well let's go 10 laps then. Although since I've done 30 already, how about 20 and I'll get to 2500m? Let's just play it by year, no point in setting the bar too high (too far away rather). The 10 were a breeze, I decide to go for 2500m and set a new personal record. Although once I started I was thinking hey what if.. I'm doing well today, why not try 3km. Play it by year. After another 10 laps I was really tired but I had just a little left. Oh the last 10 were a struggle. Swimming really isn't that tiresome but if you go long enough, hunger will kill your spirit. And boredom. I left work at 3.30, came straight here, may have been 4 before I got in. By the time I was done it was 6.05. Oh now I really feel like shit. Pain all over, hungry. I'm gonna hate myself tomorrow.

2005 total: 3.5km
since 2004: 24km

I didn't get this one at all. As far as I can tell, US bomber pilot Yossarian, flying missions in the south of Italy during WW2 is doing everything he can to be sent back home or in the least stop flying missions. Aside from that, the story has lots of repetition, linking of plot segments and so on, none of which seems particularly interesting or logical. For example, the opening scene is shown at the start, but also at the end, where the story comes full circle. I imagine one would read the novel to get a good grip on this one. It cuts from scene to scene, many of which seemingly completely unrelated.

A couple of humorous bits were thrown in as well. To start off, Yossarian's entire squadron gets killed or goes crazy sooner or later. One of the high rollers at the airbase (actually he may have just been a low rank to begin with) comes up with an idea to start trading goods instead of doing missions. So he trades the pilots' parashoots and a bunch of other stuff for whatever else he can get his hands on. He starts a company, gives all the pilots stocks in it with a promise that they'll all go home rich once the war is over. Trying to inject his dying co-pilot with morphine at one point, Yossarian is less than thrilled to find the medical cabinet has been traded for a share in the company. The business really comes alive as the trades grow in magnitude. Finally, they trade all their goods for cotton, to sell for a profit. Turns out cotton is not in demand, so they strike a deal with the Germans to sell them all the cotton, while the Americans bomb their own base. On another occasion, for some reason they get orders to bomb Ferrara, which has no strategic value whatsoever, so Yossarian makes them drop the bombs in the sea right before they get there. Because the bomb pattern turns out to be really nice, they all get medals for this.

Another pilot makes a name for himself crashing his plane into the sea time and again. Finally on the 5th occasion, he takes a raft and paddles to Sweden. 16 weeks out at sea without food apparently, that makes sense. Turns out he's been rehearsing those crashes all along. Upon hearing the story, Yossarian grabs a raft and runs out to the beach, starts paddling. The end.

Quite dull, rather pointless, annoying camera work. And they make a point out of making every scene noisy so it's hard to hear the dialogue. Anno 1970. Don't bother with it.

4/10

Oh yeah and you know what "Catch 22" means? It comes up about 4 times in similar circumstances. It means whatever you do, you can't win. The following quote explains it all. "Let me see if I've got this straight: in order to be grounded, I've got to be crazy and I must be crazy to keep flying. But if I ask to be grounded, that means I'm not crazy any more and I have to keep flying." As far as philosophy goes, this circular logic is rather trivial and tedious, so I doubt I'll be using the phrase much. Wasn't even worth watching the movie to find out what it means.

Turning Torso, Malmö

From the man who brought you this shit, now coming to a place in Scandinavia (how I wish it were Trondheim).

* The height will be 190 meters. This can be compared with:

o Kaknästornet, Stockholm, Sweden: 155 meters.

o Kronprinsen, Malmö, Sweden: 86 meters.

o Globen, Stockholm, Sweden: 85 meters.

* Five elevators:

o Three for those living in the building.

o Two for those working in the building.

* Maximum deviation at the top for the most severe expected storm: 0,3 meters. It will not be possible to feel the movement.

* 25 000 cubic meters of concrete.

* Every second window can be opened ten centimeters. There are safety blocks.

* Window cleaning is included in the monthly fee. There will be a special crane on the roof for the purpose.

* Fire protection: Every room is sprinkled. The water supply for the sprinklers is doubled, and has its own emergency electricity supply. One of the elevators also has emergency electricity supply, for use by the safety personnel during an evacuation.

* There will be 54 floors. The tower will turn 90 degrees.

* Architect: Santiago Calatrava.

* The building is modeled after a human torso in a turning motion.

* Is built by HSB Malmö. HSB started thinking about Turning Torso in May 1999.

* The total cost is calculated to be around 1600 million SEK. Previously, they were talking about 1100 to 1200 million SEK. In the beginning, they were talking about 950 million SEK.

* October 2004 (Was August 2004): The concrete framework will be ready.

* Late Summer 2005 (was Spring 2005): Turning Torso will be ready for its inhabitants.

* The reinforcing iron bars are made ready on the ground in a building nearby, to minimize crane use.

* At the top of the building, there is a climbing form used for moulding the core, stair well and elevator shaft.

* Turning Torso will mainly have rental apartments. The largest apartment will be 230 square meters. The smallest apartment will be 45 square meters.

* Twelve floors (4 200 square meters.) for commercial use at the bottom. (Offices). All other floors will be used for the 152 apartments.

* It is not decided yet if the entrance will be manned 24 hours a day. The garage is supervised by a camera.

* In the original plan, the city wanted a 25-floor student house on the spot. The city wanted a high building there to not let the huge building nearby (Malmömässan) dominate the whole area when seen from far away.

A terrible story, unfortunately it's historical and not of great distance. Set in 1994, Paul Rusesabagina works as a hotel manager at the Belgian four star "Les Milles Collines" hotel in Kigali. As the atrocities start with the uprising of the Hutu militia, Paul expects a Western invervention which never comes, he manages to save over a thousand refugees in the hotel before they are evacuated by the UN into Tanzania.

A very vivid story of human hatred and brutality, it is a greatly touching movie with a phenomenal performance by Don Cheadle. Don actually said that the producers wanted Will Smith for the lead, I can't imagine how that would have worked.

8/10