Celluloid Lane: "Garden State"

In the first few minutes of "Garden State", I assumed I was watching a movie about apathy- the kind of apathy so many of us in our mid-20s experience when we realize that life is hard and unfair and we'll never be rich and famous no matter how hard we work. "Garden State" is refreshingly more complicated and cleverly woven than that, though I do get the sense that main character Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff, who also wrote/directed the film) and I have shared a few of the same "i'm a grown-up now" disappointments.

In short, Andrew is coming home to New Jersey from LA for his mother's funeral. Deep-rooted family issues have kept him on the opposite coast since he was old enough to escape, though, for reasons not immediately clear to us, even the allure of LA has never allowed him much joy or emotion.

Those who help him along what ends up being an introspective journey are a few old friends from high school (similar to a few I left behind in my own small town, which is both amusing and depressing), and a beautiful, odd stranger (Natalie Portman), with whom Andrew crosses paths.

"Garden State" ambles along without much of a conflict or climax, but somehow manages to stay focused without dragging itself down in angst or veering away from what's essentially a simple tale. A impressively thoughtful soundtrack seals the deal. This was a sweet little movie... touching and smart.

PS- Guys, don't shy away. This movie is more for you than me.

iTunes Plugins!

If you're looking for the iTunes plugins I showed you on today's TSS, look no further!

1. G-Force (PC/Mac) - A visualizer like no other

2. iScrobbler (PC/Mac) - Get music recommendations based on your listening habits

3. Now Playing (PC only) - Broadcast what you're listening to in iTunes on your website or blog

I'll continue to post all my tweaks and download goodies here, so keep checking back!

TSS Premiere!

Well ladies and gents, today's the day! Our brand-new Screen Savers premiere episode airs live in Los Angeles this evening at 7 pm Eastern, 4 pm Pacific on G4TechTV. I sure hope you can all tune in!

Even though all the best of TSS that you know and love is totally intact, you'll see a lot of new elements too. We've got a shiny new set, a thrillingly capable new co-host, an audience twice the size of what we're used to, a LAN party area that must be seen to be believed, and an (almost) completely new crew. It's going to be familiar and comforting, yet refreshingly different and exciting- that's what we're hoping, anyway!

Please make use of the comments area here and tell me your thoughts on our new Screen Savers. We're still learning what works and doesn't work, so now's the time to speak up. I expect there'll be quite a bit of talk around the net about this topic, but at least here I'm guaranteed to read it and take your observations and suggestions into consideration. That is, unless you tell me to wear more bikinis and jump on trampolines. Then I'll just buy more black, shapeless smocks to spite you! Don't think I won't!

Thanks again for everyone's support. Every time I receive a positive email from one of you, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be part of this machine.

The Top 5 Game: Essential Software

So we were talking around the office about how all of our desk computers are completely shot to hell from years of software tests, installs/uninstalls, weird registry entries, and data fragmented up and down the block. Ok, my computer's in worse shape than most (they actually brought the beast down from SF for me, much to my dismay), but those of you who like to experiment on your own systems know how nice is it to stop the insanity and start over with a clean slate.

This brings me to today's Top 5 Game:
If you had to choose, what five programs do you consider must-installs on a fresh and clean OS?

Here are mine (XP):

1. AIM (but only when combined with AIMutation for tabbed browsing, etc)

2. iTunes

3. WinRAR

4. Firefox (extensions: IE View, BugMeNot, Firesomething, GoogleBar to start)

5. Spybot Search & Destroy

Ok, what are your faves?

Fun With Your Cell Phone

Have you gotten rid of (or are you thinking of getting rid of) your home phone line in favor of a simpler cell phone-only solution? If so, check out the Cell Socket for the best of both worlds. I installed my unit at home in under five minutes and it works like a dream. Less radiation for everyone...YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Would you use this at your home?