![]() ![]() So how useful are they to the average Resident? Well, as it turns out, very. ![]() Beware of third-party viewers that are not in the Viewer Directory: they have either declined to self-certify their compliance with Linden Lab policies or been refused for noncompliance with the policies” Linden Lab provides a Policy on Third-Party Viewers to promote a positive and predictable experience for all Second Life Residents. “You may connect to Second Life using software released by a third-party developer. What surprised me however were the amount of people present who were blissfully unaware that others existed at all. I happened to be lurking in group chat in-world when the topic turned to alternative viewers for Second Life. For a more in-depth honest analysis, pros and cons head over to the blog of Inara Pey and search for your chosen viewer. This is a brief, potted guide to alternative viewers. Now with added Discord links where available Kudos to the city and county for such great service during a storm.-Elizabeth-Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd.See SL differently Alternative viewers for older machines, photographers, vloggers and mobile A big thanks to our wonderful neighbor Andrew, who knew what to do and who to call and guided us through the process Engine 18 firefighters who came to clear the sidewalk and branches from hitting our home Kelly at the mayor's office, who contacted the Department of Facility Maintenance's Kailua yard to come to our home and the DFM crew who had the tree cleaned up and carted away by the end of the day. The reason it is going up is because my property taxes are going up so much ! The mortgage company pays the property taxes through my escrow account, which is running out of money ! This jump is too much.-Disgusted homeowner Mahalo A tree blew down in our yard, touching the house and blocking the sidewalk. I don't have an adjustable-rate mortgage. Īuwe My mortgage company has informed me that my monthly mortgage payment will be going up over $200 next year-$200 a month ! I don't have an extra $200 a month. For more information, see the driver's license FAQs on the city's website. If you want your license mailed to an address outside Hawaii, it will be converted to a limited-purpose driver's license, which does not comply with the U.S. Be forewarned that a gold-star license can be mailed only to a Hawaii address. It's also possible for some people to renew their Hawaii driver's license by mail while they are out of state, but various rules apply. The kupuna four-year license is for people ages 72 through 79. Wait until 2023 to renew and you should be eligible for a four-year license rather than the current two-year one, assuming that you have no disqualifying conditions. Q : Regarding the kupuna driver's license, what happens if my license expires in May and I will be out of state at that time ? I am 78.Ī : You can renew your Hawaii's driver's license up to six months in advance of the expiration date, so you can handle this task before you depart. You'll be asked to provide your name, date of birth, vaccination location, date and approximate time you got vaccinated, as well as your phone number and email address. ![]() If you don't know who operated the Hawaii site, call DOH at 80 or 83. If you got your shots at a mass-vaccination site in Hawaii that has since closed, contact the operator of the site (Hawaii Pacific Health operated the clinic at Pier 2, and The Queen's Medical Center operated the one at Blaisdell Center ). Many health care providers and retail pharmacies provide a digital record via text or email, which you can also print out. Q : How can I get a copy of my COVID-19 vaccination record ? My wallet was stolen, and my CDC card was in it.Ī : The state Department of Health says to contact the hospital, pharmacy or community clinic where you received your vaccine. For more information about eCourt Kokua, follow the links at. Keep in mind that the person cited may not have been driving the car. Traffic records are searchable online via the Judiciary Information Management System's eCourt Kokua. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() The simplicity of the interface belies a rather complex array of options to tweak, even on hardware as straightforward as the KeyStep, especially when you start managing multiple presets. This only really detracts from the usability in a very minor way. The software itself is nothing fancy, though it hasn’t been updated to work properly on HiDPI screens like the MacBook Retina line. When you plug your computer in to your Arturia hardware via the micro-USB port, the MIDI Control Center detects it and loads in the current device settings. To get the most out of the KeyStep, there’s a companion app for desktop OSes called MIDI Control Center (sic). I’m impressed! MIDI Control Center software Overall, it definitely seems like Arturia has put a lot of thought into offering the maximum quality and quantity for a ~£100 price tag. I guess the system is an efficient use of space, but it can get very confusing, and could probably be solved with a recessed four-way switchable dial. This lets you choose between internal, USB, MIDI IN, and Sync-in cable. The rear also has a weird jumper-switch system for selecting your sync-in source. a big plus-point is that you can use the USB cable with a standard USB charger to power the KeyStep, rather than have to fish around for a compatible DC power supply… If they had to use this specific connector, they could have maybe recessed it into the case slightly to stop it bending in the unit. This is just an issue with the design of micro-USB generally, but it’s maybe a bit strange that Arturia didn’t go for the usual USB type-B square-style port. The only thing I’d change is to add some sort of texture to the centre line on the pitch strip, but it’s really not something to worry about.Ĭonsidering how solidly built the rest of the unit is, it’s a bit disappointing to see how much of a weak point the micro-USB port is. They feel plenty responsive and precise, so they’re plenty good enough for live performance. As someone pointed out in an Amazon review (which I can confirm), for some reason, there are a few keys that sit slightly lower than the rest.īoth the modulation and pitch controls are touch strips, helping to keep the design minimal, and reducing moving parts in the unit. They also feel nice and solid, with no rattle or springy sound to them, unlike other keyboards I’ve tried in this price range. The keys are smaller than a standard piano keyboard but, to my amateur hands, never feel they suffer from this. The 32-key keyboard is pressure (aftertouch) and velocity sensitive, which manages to fit into a very compact design. There’s also a large switch for flicking between ARP and SEQ modes, which is one of the only design choices that feels out of place on the faceplate. ![]() The buttons have a satisfying give to them, meaning there’s no ambiguity about whether they’ve been used. All the functions are clearly marked out with good contrast. ![]() There are only a handful of soft-touch buttons, including a SHIFT button to double up functionality. As you’d expect, the back houses all the I/O connections, including MIDI in/out DINs, CV/gate 3.5mm jacks, sync I/O 3.5mm jacks, connection or a sustain pedal, DC power, and a micro-USB port. This is mostly due to the solid steel base, on which a plastic frame sits, that houses all the keys and controls. The hardware has a surprising weight to it that the size hides well. The design and layout are simple and easy to understand, reflecting the core functionality of a keyboard, step sequencer, and arpeggiator. Taking this keyboard out of the box, you’re presented with a decently weighted, compact unit, ‘getting started’ sheet, and a simple micro-USB cable. So for that, you’d need a nice, simple keyboard: Sturdy, portable, with plenty of syncing ins and outs…ĭoes the Arturia KeyStep fit the bill? In a nutshellĪ compact, affordable, 32 key MIDI keyboard with built-in polyphonic 64-step sequencer, arpeggiator, and all sorts of sync connectivity options. There’s also the fact that modern DJ setups offer more and more opportunities to enhance recorded music with your own touch, so the idea of digging in to synthesisers to add melodies and better understand how sound is sculpted becomes tempting. Visualising music theory via a keyboard helps understand chords, major/minor keys, and scales. Playing the keyboard has never been an essential part of DJing, or even production. ![]() ![]() and switch continuously according to each level, contributing to a fun, attractive war on a large scale. Diverse game context: countryside, plains, seas, hills, deserts, rainforests, caves, snowy mountains. Angry birds are designed very cool, bearing the appearance of powerful robots. Graphics, soundĪngry Birds Transformers is built on the basis of 3D graphics, sharp, smooth images, brilliant colors. ![]() If an Angry bird dies, there will be another Angry bird to lead the army to fight. Endless Run: Gamer unleashes an army of Angry birds on the battlefield. Completing this level, you will advance to another level of higher difficulty. Game modeĪngry Birds Transformers has two game modes for gamers to choose from, including:ĭefault: Player controls the Angry bird to retaliate against the pigs according to the default level of the game version. Gamer can use bonuses including: gold and diamonds to buy weapons and vehicles that are best suited for each battle. Weapons, vehiclesĪngry Birds Transformers has the appearance of countless guns with different shapes and levels of damage and modern vehicles such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, planes. It's very satisfying to watch the Angry robot battle step by step destroy the enemy's base. The difference of this game is that the Angry bird has a great shooting talent, the ability to run fast and drive a car. Your task is to touch the screen to move the Angry warrior to the lair of the evil pigs to defeat them in order to retrieve the stolen eggs. When entertaining at Angry Birds Transformers, gamers will have to control the mighty Angry bird in the form of a giant robot and holding a highly destructive gun. With the creativity in content delivery and combined with cute graphics, the game was honored to win the "Nickelodeon Channel's Children's Choice Award for Favorite Video Game". Introducing the game Angry Birds TransformersĪfter 8 years of release, Angry Birds Transformers Hack is still a hot game when it receives enthusiastic support from players of different ages, especially fans of Angry Birds. It's great if you choose this gameplay to relax after a busy day. Still exploiting the feud between Angry birds and mean pigs, but this launch, the father has "turned" the Angry bird team into mighty robots, destroying enemies with weapons and vehicles. Launched to the audience on CH Play and App Store in 2014, the game quickly caused a fever and received a huge number of downloads to more than 150 million times. Download Angry Birds Transformers Apk + Mod for Android for freeĪngry Birds Transformers is a video game in the "Angry Birds" series of games published by Rovio Entertainment Corporation. ![]() Introducing the game Angry Birds Transformers. ![]() ![]() ![]() What to Drink Before You See 'Fifty Shades'Īnd you can see all our (extensive!) Fifty Shades of Grey coverage here. ![]() The unworldly Ana realizes she wants this man, and Grey admits he wants her, toobut on his own terms. I Tried All the Sex from 'Fifty Shades of Grey' in One Weekendĥ Erotic Novels You Should Read Now That You're Over 'Fifty Shades' FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: When college student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. In fact, if it weren't for his abundant control issues, this could almost be considered a feminist moment for Mr. But what's the problem, really? Periods are part of everyday life for half the population, and it's pretty great that Christian doesn't care about Ana bleeding. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson Writers Kelly Marcel E.L. There's clearly no way that this particular scene could have been included in the film, mostly because it involves Christian being turned on by taboo sex. Fifty Shades of Grey 2015 R 2h 5m IMDb RATING 4.2 /10 326K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 140 17 Play trailer 0:31 39 Videos 99+ Photos Drama Romance Thriller Literature student Anastasia Steele's life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey. It is a sort of very earliest expression of those sorts of, that sort of routine, yeah, that can in an adult, darker spectrum lead to rape. 1 It became the first instalment in the Fifty Shades novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey. Plus, if producers had made time for vaginal balls, poor Rita Ora might have been cut out completely.ĥ. Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. ![]() While the moment could have been recreated without being too overtly explicit, it likely got axed due to the abundance of steamier scenes. Fifty Shades Trilogy: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed 3-volume Boxed Set by E L James Paperback 35.85 47.85 Save 25 Paperback 35.85 eBook 23. James, is a British author. Remember when Christian placed two silver balls in Ana's vagina and asked her to walk around with them in her before eventually doing the deed? Yeah, that didn't happen in the movie. Erika Mitchell (born 7 March 1963), known by her pen name E. Christian Pops a Couple Ben Wa Balls into Ana ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Your entire team can work on the same prototype at the same time, sharing assets to maintain consistency and reduce rework. With Justinmind, you can share your prototypes and gather feedback early on in the creative process. You can even design smart forms and Data Lists then test them instantly.Įnjoy a great collaborative prototyping process. Design lifelike prototypes with interactions, gestures, animations, and transitions. Justinmind A large set Adding items: Ability to pre- Have the ability to share a link The possibility. Quickly take your web or mobile concepts to clickable wireframes or hi-fi prototypes. Justinmind's easy-to-use tool comes with UI kits for web, iOS and Android, plus all the interactions you need to go from concept to high-fidelity prototype.įrom wireframes to fully functional UI prototypes. Firstly, you can design prototypes for mobile and. Design web and mobile app wireframes and prototypes without a single line of code. Justinmind is one of the lesser-known prototyping tools but it has been gathering momentum in recent years. Define awesome experiences through wireframes & prototypes. Samsung has prohibited its employees from using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bard or Bing, fearing that confidential information might end up in the wrong hands. Justinmind is the favorite prototyping tool of many and the best way to test your ideas before you start coding Justinmind lets you create web and mobile. ![]() Prototyping tool to design hi-fi prototypes and wireframes for your websites, web and mobile apps. Promo Protect all your devices, without slowing them down. ![]() ![]() ![]() Since what you’ll see is true IR and not xray vision (which is good, because who wants to look at bones?), what you see is in full living color. OnePlus X-ray vision camera Ban MacWin 2. The best fabrics to see-through with this Xray vision filter are silks, swimwear (most swimwear is designed to allow some UV light to pass through to help with tan lines, and in doing so, allows the IR to pass through as well), and most types of synthetic material like leotards. The result…the clothing (and many other materials) become as clear as glass. This specially-designed X-ray filter turns an ordinary video camera (with NightShot or NightVision feature) into a super-stealthy Xray vision camera. View X-ray sCMOS 37. ![]() The lens filters the normal light out, leaving only the Infrared light and some other ambient light waves. Very High resolution X-ray imaging X-ray sCMOS 37.7MP 1:1 detector offers up to 67mm x 67mm active area and 4 megapixel resolution with (ultra) high resolution, fast dynamic imaging and high sensitivity. What we normally see is both the reflected normal light mixed with the Infrared light. This light is reflected back through the clothing, off the skin, to our naked eyes. X-ray film is essentially black and white film. Many types of clothing allow light and infrared light to pass through the fabric. The theory behind how it works is really simple. The filter is ideal for law enforcement officers, and security and surveillance personnel. Unlike the Xray glasses you probably saw advertised in the back of comic books when you were a kid, this technology really DOES see RIGHT through many types of fabric and papers. It sees right through clothes, dark windows and sunglasses as if they were’nt even there! This technology has been adapted and marketed to make real xray cameras, x-ray vision, and x-ray infrared pass filters. See how award-winning camera and lighting technologies address the most common vision system challenges, such as glare, low-contrast, and acceptable part-to-part variation to provide the image stability, quality and consistency required for nearly any application. How to make X-ray vision camera PerthBoyz 98 subscribers Subscribe 6. In research published in the journal Optica, University of California, Irvine researchers describe a new type of camera technology that, when. KEYENCE offers the Industry's Most Complete Vision System Lineup. This specially-designed X-ray filter turns an ordinary video camera (with NightShot or NightVision feature) into a super-stealthy Xray vision camera. Its not exactly X-ray vision, but its close. Fake X-Ray Vision Camera is a free app that lets you take pictures that look like they were made with x-ray vision There are different fun x-ray overlays to choose from. This infrared filter now makes Xray vision is now a reality! AT A NEW REDUCED PRICE – Limited Supply! ![]() ![]() ![]() Wines higher in residual sugar include moscato and port, she adds. These have lower sugar content, which contributes to their lower calorie count," she says. On the other hand, full use is made of the vin de pays (IGP)/vin de France category which allows producers to make slightly simpler wines from young vines. "I recommend brut Champagne, cava, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blanc. I like the ones from FitVine, and just tried the sparkling wine from Avaline, which I thought was delicious." For low-alcohol wines with zero grams of sugar, you can also check out Sunny With a Chance of Flowers.Īccording to Syn, if you're also looking to curtail the amount of calories you're consuming from wine, then dry sparkling and white wines are a good bet. There are some wine brands out there that don't add any sugar in their processing-some brands do-and also don't add sulfites, which may help you feel better after a night of Netflix and chilling. "But just because a wine is lower in ABV, like moscato, it can still be very sweet. There is no price history for this product yet. These Simpler Wines mini sparkling wine cans will surprise your tastebuds with a bubbly wine explosion. "The ABV of wines can vary highly, from 5.5% up to a super boozy 20% (ports and such)," says Largeman-Roth. Rate Simpler Wines Too Uncanny Chardonnay. Pisces are known for not judging a book by its cover, as they understand there is usually more than meets the eye. Here, Largeman-Roth and Syn weigh in on the best and worst options in the wine aisle.Īlcohol by volume (or ABV) isn't everything. "Not all wines are created equal and will vary in terms of calories, sugar, and alcohol content," explains Mia Syn, MS, RDN. So if you're hoping to make smarter decisions surrounding your alcohol consumption, kudos! Thankfully, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to go cold turkey. ![]() So even if you're drinking the driest red out there, the booze is going to add up, even if the sugar isn't." "The actual serving size for a glass of wine is 5 ounces (at 12% alcohol-by-volume, or ABV). "There are 'better for you' wines out there, but it's smart to keep some basics in mind," explains Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, nutrition expert and author of Smoothies & Juices: Prevention Healing Kitchen. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, women should try to consume no more than one glass of wine per day. by Mike Savage (patomike) Trader Joe's Carb Savvy Sliced Bread with Sunflower Seeds & Flax Seeds Reviews. Trader Joe's Sourdough Batard Bread Reviews. When it comes to alcohol, monitoring the amount you consume is the most important thing you can do for your health. Trader Joe's Just The Clusters Ginger Almond & Cashew Granola Reviews. (Spoiler: Red wine isn't the only option.) For everything you need to know about the health benefits-hello, antioxidants-plus how much and what type of wine to drink to maintain your health, keep reading. When consumed in moderation, wine is a delightful way to round out a stressful day (a cheese plate won't hurt, either). ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() If bees and wasps are a problem, you can discourage them by hanging saucer-shaped hummingbird feeders instead of those in the traditional bottle shape. Once filled with water, ants cannot cross the moat to reach the nectar. You can also attach an ant moat, like the Hummers Galore hummingbird feeder insect guard, directly above the feeder. ![]() One trick for keeping ants away is to hang your feeders with sturdy fishing line, which is difficult for ants to climb. If these pests raid your feeders, you’ll need to take steps to ward them off. Ward off ants and bees.Īnts, bees, and wasps unfortunately all enjoy sugar water just as much as hummingbirds. RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: The Best Bird Baths We Tested This Year (For other top-quality options, see our researched guide to the best solar birdbath fountains.) Position the fountain where it’s fairly close to the feeder and also to a shrub or tree where the hummers can safely perch while their feathers dry. To attract more hummers to your yard with a misting water feature, install a very shallow fountain with a solar-powered bubbler, like the AISITIN Solar Bird Bath Fountain, set to the finest spray. But unlike many other backyard birds, hummingbirds rarely visit traditional birdbaths. Bathing also helps remove pests and dust. The splishing and splashing helps keep their feathers in good condition by washing away any sticky nectar residue that might have dripped while drinking. Provide a water source nearby.Īlthough they don’t drink much water, as the nectar they sip provides enough to keep them hydrated, hummingbirds do need water for bathing, just like other birds. RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: The Best Hummingbird Feeders We Tested This Year This way, the dominant bird can still defend his turf, but you’ll be able to enjoy other visiting hummingbirds as well. The solution is simple: Hang at least two feeders (preferably more), spacing them at least 10 feet apart from each other. While it’s entertaining to watch their aerial hijinks, as they swoop and swirl while chattering madly, chances are you’d like to have as many hummers as possible visit your feeder. It’s not at all uncommon for one hummingbird, usually a male, to claim a feeder as his own and aggressively chase away all other would-be visitors. Hang more than one feeder.ĭon’t let their tiny size fool you-what hummingbirds lack in stature, they more than make up for in spunk and spirit. RELATED: 6 Surefire Ways to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard 1. Here’s what you need to know about hanging and maintaining your feeders to attract the biggest crowd of hummingbirds. But, for a real show, it’s hard to beat the appeal of a hummingbird feeder hung where you can easily observe it from a nearby window or garden bench. You can attract hummingbirds to your garden by planting their favorite flowers, which include lantana, zinnia, salvia, flowering tobacco, petunia, and foxglove, to name a few. While hummingbirds do eat tiny insects, sap, and pollen, the majority of their diet is the sugary nectar secreted by flowers that depend on them and other pollinators, like butterflies and bees, for seed propagation. ![]() ![]() ![]() You can even create macros of up to 18 inputs.Īll of this customization can be done on Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS. It allows you to swap button inputs, invert the X and Y axis on your analog sticks, and more. Notably, the Pro 2 has two back paddle buttons to give you more control while playing, along with an enhanced grip and more ergonomic shape. This Bluetooth gamepad features extensive customization for button mapping, analog sticks, trigger inputs, and vibration adjustments. The Pro 2's nostalgic design calls back to the SNES controller, which gives it a charming retro aesthetic while maintaining modern features. The 8BitDo Pro 2 is, quite simply, the best Switch Pro controller alternative on the market for those who prefer aligned joysticks and/or play a lot of games that control better with a D-pad. That said, there are a couple of third-party Switch controllers that outperform the Pro Controller in some respects. You can't ask for much more than that from a first-party controller. It's a high-performing controller with super ergonomics and an all-around great feel. Though the Pro controller can also suffer from joystick drifting, in general it tends to hold up very well, even after years of consistent use. When you buy a Nintendo Switch, you can't go wrong by pairing it with the Switch Pro controller. It also has an incredible battery life, holding a charge for around 40 hours. The Pro Controller is significantly better for playing games in docked mode than the Joy-Cons, whether attached to the grip or not. It's also the only conventional Switch controller that utilizes all of the Switch's features, including HD Rumble, gyro motion controls, and NFC support for Amiibo. The face buttons feel good, the analog sticks have excellent tension, the triggers and shoulder buttons are great, and D-pad is solid as well. It arguably has the best ergonomics among Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony's first-party console video game controllers. Six years after launching alongside the Nintendo Switch, the official Pro Controller remains the best bet for most players. Plus, check out our picks for the best Nintendo Switch carrying cases, screen protectors, and grips as well as great Bluetooth headsets for Switch. Depending on your Switch gaming habits and needs, you can find a great third-party Switch controller out there for less than the price of a Pro Controller-though it's not a bad idea to invest in one of those as well.įrom Switch Pro Controller alternatives and better Joy-Cons to fight sticks and retro pads, here are the best Switch controllers we've tried and swear by. Some of the top brands to consider include 8BitDo, a maker of retro-inspired controllers and the company behind our favorite Pro Controller alternatives, the Pro 2 and Ultimate Hori, which makes the Split Pad Pro, Split Pad Compact, and more of the best Nintendo Switch accessories and PowerA, which offers some of the best budget Switch controllers and a great GameCube-style option as well. Depending on what you play, you may even want to pick up a couple of the controllers on this list. We've picked out the best Switch controllers for just about every type of game and experience. The Switch Pro controller is an easy and safe choice, but numerous third-party controllers give it a run for its money. We've rounded up the best Nintendo Switch controllers in 2023. ![]() To put it simply, there are a bunch of controllers out there that are better for both playing Switch on your TV and in handheld mode. ![]() Though the Nintendo Switch is the rare modern console that comes with everything you need for (two-person) multiplayer for many games thanks to the Joy-Con, a lot of Switch owners will inevitably want different options. ![]() In 2023, there is no shortage of Nintendo Switch controllers of all varieties, from pro-style gamepads to retro-infused controllers and everything in between. ![]() ![]() I have loved them all with a passion ever since I was a small child. There are no more exciting themes for me in movies than tragic romance, espionage and escape. While evolving into a brave spy, she must learn how to reconcile her own personal vendettas and her surprising romantic feelings for Müntze. From deep within the Nazi camp, she is able to strategically plant a microphone and to use tidbits of acquired knowledge in order to provide the Resistance with vital information and plans. She uses a quick wit, a gorgeous voice, some feminine charms and a collection of Queen Wilhelmina stamps to crawl her way into the arms of Herr Müntze (Sebastian Koch). Via cunning and fortunate circumstance, she manages to transform herself into Ellis de Vries, a blond bombshell who infiltrates the German command in the area. Rachel is crossed and doubled-crossed and triple-crossed, eventually winding up as a member of the famed Resistance. This is truly a definitive epic, in every cinematic sense of the word. ![]() And my goodness, there are a tons of them. So much of this film relies on surprises and shocking twists that it would be unfair of me to detail too many plot threads. Rachel is immediately on the run, aided by her new sailor friend. However, one day, while flirting with a young man sailing on the nearby lake, her safe zone is destroyed in one fell swoop by a low flying bomber. ![]() She, like many Jews at that time, were surviving by any means necessary in order to outlast the Nazi tyranny. So back we travel, to occupied Holland, circa 1944, and we see a more youthful Rachel, diligently practicing a bible passage in order to earn a meal from the family who is hiding her from the Germans. The meeting brings back painful wartime memories and Rachel heads to a quiet place by the river to recollect our central story. The film begins in 1956 with Rachel Steinn, a school teacher at an Israeli kibbutz, being accidentally found by an old acquaintance, who is on vacation with her husband. ![]() One gets the feeling that the ghosts of Gregory Peck, Hedy Lamarr, Ava Gardner, Spencer Tracy & Jean Harlow are embodying the cast of this classic espionage drama. The lush visuals, orchestral music, European styling, wartime romanticism and cliffhanging chapters all add a certain 1950's charm to the white-knuckle plot. I use the old-fashioned term, yarn, because "Black Book" is very much a film that feels like it was made decades ago. I never would have guessed that Paul Verhoeven (Yes, the Paul Verhoeven who directed "Total Recall", "Basic Instinct" & "Showgirls"!!!) would challenge them both with a gripping, edge-of-your-seat World War II yarn. Last week, I replaced the Scorsese epic with Sofia Coppola's luscious biopic of "Marie Antoinette". Who said that they don't make films like they used to? A couple of weeks ago, I declared that "The Departed" was the best film of 2006. ![]() |