Stormbreaker [2006]

Based on the first of the best-selling series of Alex Rider novels by Anthony Horowitz, STORMBREAKER introduces the reluctant teenage super-spy to cinema audiences. After the death of his uncle, the 14-year-old hero is forced by the Special Operations Division of Britain's secret intelligence service, MI6, for a mission which will save millions of lives.

Well I have just seen the movie and it is a brilliant movie. I think that this movie had a budget around the £25 million mark. I must say that there have been adjustments from the book by Anthony Horowitz, but as the screenplay was written by Anthony himself the changes fit in and don't make a big difference to the movie.

Alex Rider is played by Alex Pettyfer and I think that the carried the role well. Alex Rider is 14 years old in the books while his on-screen counterpart (Alex) is 16 years old and has just finished his GCSE's and is going to go to study drama in college.

Sabina Pleasure is played by Sarah Bolger. Sabina is Alex's girlfriend (in the movie) but in the books she doesn't appear in the first book but she was included by Anthony (maybe to add a certain edge to the movie?!).

Ian Rider is one of the cool characters in the film and is played by Ewan McGregor. Ian is Alex's uncle who is never around and works in a bank (supposedly). His Z4 BMW with his RI D3R number plate looks really good cool especially with special spy gadgets included inside!

One of the other cool characters is Yassen Gregorovich played by Damian Lewis. I especially like the scenes when he dives from his helicopter and hangs suspended upside down while completing the job.

Now Alex’s house keeper Jack Starbright is played by Alicia Sliverstone. I especially like the scene where she shows off some of her profoundly deadly moves against Nadia Vole.

Some other characters are Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid from Harry Potter) who plays the Prime Minister, Bill Nighy plays the head of MI6 Alan Blunt. Alan's deputy Mrs Jones is played by Sophie Okonedo. There are other characters like Smithers you is played by Stephen Fry (the person behind all of the gadgets for Alex).

The big bad guy is Darrius Sayle who owns Sayle Enterprises (hence the name). In the book he is called Herod Sayle. Anyway he is a foreigner and went to school with the Prime Minister (Robbie Coltrane) and was bullied and now wants to gain revenge…

Sayle is a very rich entrepreneur who plans to give every school in the country one of his special Stormbreaker computers.

To see what Sayle plans to do you will have to watch the movie to find out. You can't afford to miss this movie, with all the elements this film has put together it isn't one to miss.

Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Nag Screen

Well some people are getting the screen above when logging into Windows. Why? Because they have installed the latest Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) update from Microsoft.

Now allegdly lots of people are running pirated copies. But people have many reasons like they may have shared their key or something.

Simply enough Microsoft have put "nag-ware" which shows up everytime you start up and makes you wait 5 seconds. Also after booting an icon in the tray alows reminds you of your allegdly pirated copy or cd key.

On the Microsoft website there is a special offer:

Electronic License Key Offer: Microsoft will offer an alternative for customers who find out via the WGA validation process that they are not running
genuine Windows, but do not qualify for, or choose not to take advantage of, the complimentary offer. These customers will be able to license a Windows Genuine Advantage Kit for Windows XP online for a price of $99 for Windows XP Home edition or $149 for Windows XP Professional. The Windows Genuine Advantage Kit for Windows XP will include a new 25-character Product Key and a Windows Product Key Update tool that will allow customers to convert their counterfeit copy to genuine Windows XP electronically.

Now this nag-ware slows down the process of booting your computer up considerably so an alternative has been found.

The Alternative

Firstly you need to go to Sysinternals and download the Autoruns program (Click Here to Download).

Now all you have to do is unzip the program, or copy all the files to a folder on your desktop, whichever suits you best. (By the way do you like my Firefox wallpaper )

Anyway next you click on the autoruns.exe
It won't install any program but is a self running program.

Click on the Winlogon Tab and then un-check the following file:

wgalogon.dll

Next reboot into safemode ( I keep on pressing F5 to show the boot options) and then run the autoruns.exe and now go on to the Winlogon Tab again and now delete the following files:

C:\windows\system32\wgalogon.dll
C:\windows\system32\wgatray.exe
C:\windows\system32\dllcache\wgalogon.dll

Now close the program and reboot normally. Now you shouldn't see that annoying nag-ware.

Murciélago LP640

Visitors to Goodwood Festival of Speed will enjoy a unique opportunity to witness the new Murciélago LP640 making its UK debut by ‘going up the hill’, whilst in the Cartier Style et Luxe paddock, original Miura models will be accompanied by the Miura Concept car.

The Murciélago LP640 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. The LP640 at Goodwood is the first of the new Murciélago models to arrive in the UK, and will be driven by one of the factory’s test drivers, Valentino Balboni.

The Miura Concept car was the first Lamborghini vehicle to be conjured from the pen of Walter de’ Silva, Head of Lamborghini Design. De Silva’s other responsibilities include serving as Head of Design of Audi Group. The Miura Concept is a retro-inspired concept car heralding back to one of the automotive world’s most famous icons, the legendary Lamborghini Miura. Designed in celebration of the Miura’s fortieth anniversary and with no plans for production, the Miura Concept will be displayed alongside original Miura models.

Official Lamborghini merchandise will also be retailed at Goodwood Festival of Speed, in unit 151 in the merchandise and retailing area by the start line.

Lamborghini opened two further dealerships in the UK in May in Edinburgh and Birmingham, joining the existing outlets in London and Manchester.

Production Greenlit for September 4th

12-year-old British schoolgirl to play Lyra in adaptation of the first of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.

Film set for November 16, 2007 release date

New Line Cinema has officially greenlit production on The Golden Compass, the highly anticipated adaptation of the first of author Philip Pullman's bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy, it was announced today by New Line's Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne. Production on the $150 million-budgeted film is scheduled to begin September 4 in the UK, with Oscar-nominated writer/director Chris Weitz (About a Boy, Antz) at the helm.

"The Golden Compass is the most ambitious film that New Line has undertaken since The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and we have assembled a remarkable creative team, headed by Chris Weitz, to bring it to fruition," comment New Line's Shaye and Lynne.

Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards has been cast in the lead role of Lyra Belacqua. Richards landed the role after filmmakers conducted an extensive casting search throughout England, during which they saw more than 10,000 young girls. Open calls were held in Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter, and Kendal, before Richards was chosen from the Cambridge call for an audition and subsequent screen test.

"Dakota made what should have been an extremely difficult decision quite easy," says writer/director Weitz. "We wanted a completely new face for Lyra, but I was surprised that any young girl, especially one without training, could light up the screen as Dakota does."

Pullman adds, "I'm delighted with the casting of Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra. As soon as I saw Dakota's screen test, I realized that the search was over. Dakota has just the combination of qualities that make up the complicated character of this girl, and I very much look forward to seeing the film take shape, with Dakota's Lyra at the heart of it. "

Source: New Line Press