So the NDA was lifted this week for the beta test of Lord of the Rings Online. I've been in the beta since November. Most folks are gushing about this game, and to be honest, I haven't been that impressed. Mind you, I have played probably once or twice since Burning Crusade came out. There are a few interesting things about it such as the achievements and expanded professions, but nothing that grabs me so much that I have to buy it and pay another monthly fee. I do like what they are doing with the founders program where you pay once and you are covered for the life of the game. The fact that you can't play as any of Sauron's forces or anything like that is kind of a bummer. Also, there aren't any true casting classes. You can be a minstrel or a storyteller but not a wizard or something like that. The game looks good, and it's cool to wander around Middle Earth. With all the positive buzz, I'll definitely have to give it another go.

Check the back office when you can and check out a ~special~ post from yours truly. You might appreciate it on those nights when you're bored.

I'm only really posting this to see if another forward dated post stays at the top of the list of posts. :O

EDIT: Success!

Set in Uganda at the beginning of the reign of Idi Amin, this movie actually focuses on this period in history by showing it to us through the eyes of a fictional character, his Scottish personal physician.

First off, let's just get one thing cleared up. What is with tinting footage of African non-city locations to look like the sky is orange? Can someone please confirm for me whether the sky outside of the city is actually a different color than it is in the city? I feel like every movie that takes its characters to African countries always has this tint, and it bothers me. Also see: brown tints on footage of Mexico.

That's just an aside, but it's something I've meant to post about every time I see a movie that uses Africa as one of its locales.

The "lead" role in this movie is actually played by James McAvoy, who is largely overlooked by critics due to the buzz around Forest Whitaker's performance. I think that without McAvoy, the movie wouldn't work as well as it does. McAvoy is sufficiently charismatic, naive, selfish, and evolving as the film progresses. I just looked him up to see why he seemed familiar - he was Mr. Tumnus in the Chronicles of Narnia. I like him there as well. I'm going to be keeping my eye on this one. Can't resist that Scottish charm!

And of course, I don't mean to say that Forest Whitaker doesn't deserve the buzz around him. He brings the audience a sense of understanding as to how the man was given his power, as well as how he abused it. Whitaker is the most exciting I have ever seen him in this role. I've never cared for him, but here, he became a dominant personality, both likable and despicable, and he portrays both sides of this character convincingly.

I like the perspective of the story, as seen through the physician's eyes. He must represent how a lot of people saw Amin at the beginning, as well as how they all gradually saw the leader's true character emerge. I enjoyed the way the movie could jump through various emotions and bring the audience along for the ride, from the highs of Amin having fun to the lows we see towards the movie's end.

For the most part, I liked The Last King of Scotland. I did have some issues with script choices. The farting scene, in particular, seemed out of place. It only served to get two characters together in conversation, and that could have happened in many other ways. It also went for shock value with uses of violence at times. I'm a little iffy on that issue. I get that the filmmakers were trying to show us how bad things got with Amin, but think there could have been a little more restraint while getting the point across; but I'm also not sure how much of a threat he would have been without those scenes.

In the end, I'd have to say I mostly really enjoyed this movie, while having a few qualms about script choices. It's brought focus on an era of history not a lot of people are familiar with, and it does so (thanks to the inspiration it takes from the book by the same name) from a unique perspective that I admired. Good use of music, too.

Just wanted to share the beautiful flowers Ric (and Pip) sent me for Valentine's Day. I swear, my office is insane with all the gifts sitting around here! I hope you all will have a great day tomorrow.

We had the Secret Sweetie reveal luncheon today. I thought it went pretty well. It looked cute, we had good food, and I managed to talk into a microphone at the front of the room without feeling too weird. My gift-giving sweetie is from accounting. I don't know her very well, but she did a good job! And she gave me a basket full of candy and a Blockbuster gift card today. The gift-receiving sweetie I gave to didn't guess me on the first try, but she did on the second. :) Since she collects cow-related things, I bought her a plush Valentine's cow, with pink spots and heart-shaped hooves. Throughout the week I also got her some yummy coffee, coffee-scented candles (that smell AWE-some), heart-shaped candy, a decorated office, her favorite snack, her favorite drink, and a bouquet of spray roses. This has been a lot of fun, and worth the time I put into it. I'll definitely do it again next year! I'm grateful to have had some help from a couple of ladies in our office as well.