Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Bridge of Spies


This film is a 2.015 American historical drama-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screen-play written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. The main characters are Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda. 


Based on the 1.960 U-2 incident during the Cold War, the film tells the story of lawyer James B. Donovan who is entrusted with negotiationg the release of Francis Gary Powers, a pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, in exchange for Rudolf Abel, a captive Soviet KGB spy held under the custody of the United States.


Bridge of Spies was shot under the working title of St. James Place. Principal photography began on September 8,2.014, in Brooklyn, New York City and the production proceededat Babeisberg Studios in Potsdam.


The film was released by Touchstone Pictures on October 16,2.015 in North America and distributed by 20th Century Fox in other territories. The name of the film refers to the Glienicke Bridge, which connects Potsdam with Berlin, where the spy exchange took place.


About the plot, in 1.957 Brooklyn, New York, Rudolf Abel retrieves a secret message from a park bench and reads it just before FBI agents burst into his rented room. He prevents discovery of the message, but other evidence in the room leads to his arrest and prosecution as a Soviet spy.


James B. Donovan, a lawyer who specializes in insurance settlements, is asked by his partners to take on Abel's defense. The United States believe that Abel is a KGB spy, but want him to have a fair trial to reduce the Soviet Union's opportunity to use it for propaganda. Donovan meets with Abel in prison, where the Russian agrees to accept his help.

Saturday, November 07, 2015

The Martian


The Martian is a 2.015 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon. The film is based of Andy Weir's 2011 novel "The Martian", which was adapted into a screenplay by Drew Goddard. Damon starts as an astronaut who is mistakenly presumed dead and left behind on Mars, and who then fights to survive.


The film also features Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, and Chiwetel Ejiofor in supporting roles. Producer Simon Kinberg began developing the film after 20th Century Fox optioned the novel in March 2013.


Drew Goddard adapted the novel into a screenplay and was initially attached to direct, but the film did not move forward. Scott replaced Goddard, and with Damon in place as the main character, production was green-lit.


Filming began in November 2.014 and lasted approximately 70 days. Around 20 sets were built on a sound stage in Budapest, Hungary, one of the largest in the world. Wadi Rum in Jordan was also used as a practical backdrop for filming.


The film premiered at the 2.015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2.015. 20th Century Fox released the film in theaters in the UK on September 30, 2.015, and in the US on October 2, 2.015. The film was released in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D and 4DX. The film has grossed over $430 million worlwide.

Sunday, October 04, 2015

Everest (2015)


Everest is a 2.015 British-American disaster drama and adventure thriller film directed by Baltasar Kormákur and written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy.  The film opened the 72nd Venice International Film Festival on September 2nd, 2.015, and was released theatrically on September 18th. 


It is based on the real events of the 1.996 Mount Everest disaster, and focuses on the survival attempts of two expedition groups, one led by Rob Hall (Clarke) and the other by Scott Fischer (Gyllenhaal).


The film was first released in IMAX 3D on September, 11th, 2.015, in the UK and in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D, and 2D internationally, and exclusively in IMAX 3D, September, 18th, 2.015, across 545 theaters in the United States and Canada, and along 36 other countries.


It began a U.S. wide release on September, 25th, 2.015, across 3.006 theaters. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed over 103 million dollars. The plot is about March 1.996, two expeditions arrive in Lukla in preparation for climbing Mount Everest.


Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) is one of three guides for Adventure Consultants whose several clients include Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), an experienced climber, Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), a former mailman pursuing his dream, and Yasuko Namba (Naoco Mori), who had previously climbed six of the Seven Summits and was attenpting to become the oldest woman to summit Everest, they will try to complete this along with many others.


Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the chief guide for Mountain Madness. At Everest Base Camp, the two expeditions meet Helen Wilton (Emily Watson), the base camp manager, who communicates with them all via walkie-talkies while they climb.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Limitless (2011)


Limitless (2011) is an American thriller film directed by Neil Burger and starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, and Robert De Niro. It is based on the novel "The Dark Fields" by Alan Glynn. The Plot is about a struggling author (Bradley Cooper) suffering from writer's block, living in New York, is stressed by an approaching deadline.


His girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish), frustrated with his lack of progress and financial dependence, breaks up with him. Later, Eddie happens to run into Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), the estranged brother of Eddie's ex-wife, Melissa (Anna Friel). Vernon, involved with a pharmaceutical company, gives Eddie a sample of a new "smart drug", NZT-48.


After taking the pill, Eddie finds himself able to learn and analyse at a superhuman rate and recall memories from his distant past, with the only apparent side effect being a change in the color of Eddie's irises while on the drug - his eyes becoming an intense shade of electric blue. Under the influence, he cleans his messy apartment and writes ninety pages of his book.


The next day, the effects having worn off, he seeks out Vernon in an attempt to get more. While Eddie is out running an errand, Vernon is murdered. Eddie returns, calls the police and then discovers Vernon's NZT stash just before they arrive, taking it for himself. After giving a statement at the precinct, Eddie returns home and begins dosing the drug daily.


With help of the amazing effects, Eddie spends a few weeks cleaning up his life - finishing his book, getting fit, and making friends with a group of young jetsetters, who take him on vacation to Europe, where he mingles with the rich. During all this, Eddie tests out his enhanced learning abilities; he becomes a proficient piano player in just three days, as well as becoming fluent in several languages.



Monday, August 03, 2015

Mars, the red planet.


Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System, after Mercury. Named after the Roman god of war, it is often referred to as the "Red Planet" because the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth.


The rotational period and seasonal cycles of Mars are likewise similar to those of Earth, as is the tilt that produces the seasons. Mars is the site of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano and second-highest known mountain in the Solar System, and of Valles Marineris, one of the largest canyons in the Solar System.


The smooth Boralis basin in the northern hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped. These may be captured asteroids, similar to Eureka, a Mars trojan.


Until the first succesful Mars flyby in 1.965 by Mariner 4, many speculated about the presence of liquid water on the planet's surface. This was based on observed periodic variations in light and dark patches, particularly in the polar latitudes, which appeared to be seas and continents; long, dark striations were interpreted by some as irrigation channels for liquid water.


These straight line features were later explained as optical illusions, though geological evidence gathered by unmanned missions suggests that Mars once had large-scale water coverage on its surface at some earlier stage of its life.


In 2.005, radar data revealed the presence of large quantities of water ice at the poles and at mid-latitudes. The Mars rover Spirit sampled chemical compounds containing water molecules in March 2.007. The Phoenix lander directly sampled water ice in shallow Martian soil on July 31, 2.008. Mars is host to seven functioning spacecraft: five in orbit.

2.001 - Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN and Mars Orbiter Mission. And tow on the surface; Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity.


Mars was the Roman counterpart of Ares...

Sunday, July 05, 2015

The Earth


Earth, also called the world and, less frequently, Gaia and Terra in some works of science fiction, is the third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to accommodate life.


The earliest life on Earth arose at least 3,5 billion years ago. Earth's biodiversity has expanded continually except when interrupted by mass extinctions. Although scholars estimate that over 99% of all species of life that ever lived on Earth are extinct, there are still an estimated 10-14 million extant species, of which about 1,2 million have been documented and over 86% have not yet been described. 


Over 7,3 billion humans live on Earth and depend on its biosphere and minerals for their survival. Earth's human population is divided among about two hundred sovereign states which interact through diplomacy, conflict, travel, trade and communication media.


According to evidence from radiometric dating and other sources, Earth was formed about 4, 54 billion years ago. Within its first billion years, life appeared in its oceans and began to affect its atmophere and surface, promoting the proliferation of aerobic as well as anaerobic organisms and causin the formation of the atmophere's ozone layer.


Earth was a personified goddess in Germanic paganism: the Angles were listed by Tacitus as among the devotees of Nerthus, and later Norse mythology included Jöro, a giantess often given as the mother of Thor.

Saturday, June 06, 2015

Venus


Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224,7 Earth days. It has no natural satellite. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of -4.6, bright enough to cast shadows. Because Venus is an inferior planet from Earth, it never appears to venture far from the Sun: its elongation reaches a maximum of 47.8º.


Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun and bulk composition. It is radically different from Earth in other respects. It has the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets, consisting of more than 96% carbon dioxide.


The atmospheric pressure at the planet's surface is 92 times that of Earth's. With a mean surface temperature of 735K (462 ºC; 863 ºF), Venus is by far the hottest planet in the Solar System, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. Venus has no carbon cycle that puts carbon into rock, nor does it seem to have any organic life to absorb carbon in biomass.


Venus is shrouded by an opaque layer of highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid, preventing its surface from being seen from space in visible light. It may have had oceans in the past, but these would have vaporized as the temperature rose due to a runaway greenhouse effect. The water has most probably photodissociated, and, because of the lack of a planetary magnetic field, the free hydrogen has been swept into interplanetary space by the solar wind.


Venus's surface is a dry desertscape interspersed with slab-like rocks and periodically refreshed by volcanism. 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Mercury


Mercury is the smallest and closest to the Sun of the eight planets in the Solar System, with an orbital period of about 88 Earth days. Seen from Earth, it appears to move around its orbit in about 116 days, which is much fster than any other planet in the Solar System. It has no known natural satellites. The planet is named after the Roman deity Mercury, the messenger to the gods.


Because it has almost no atmosphere to retain heat, Mercury's surface experiences the greatest temperature variation of the planets in the Solar System, ranging from 100 K(-173 ºC and -280 ºC) at night to 700 K  (427 ºC; 800 ºF) during the day at some equatorial regions. The poles are constantly below 180 K (-93 ºC; -136 ºF).


Mercury's axis has the smallest tilt of any of the Solar System's planets (about 1/30 of a degree), but ithas the largest orbital eccentricity. At aphelion, Mercury is about 1,5 times as far from the Sun as it is at perihelion. Mercury's surface is heavily cratered and similar in appearance to the Moon, indicating that it has been geologically inactive for billions of years.

Saturday, April 04, 2015

Eagle


Eagle is a common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae; it belongs to several groups of genera that are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the sixty species of eagles are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just fourteen species can be found - two in North America, nine in Central and South America, and three in Australia.


Eagles are large, powerfully built birds of prey, with a heavy head and beak. Even the smallest eagles, like the booted eagle (Aquila pennata) (which is comparable in size to a common buzzard (Buteo buteo) or re-tailed hawk (B. jamaicensis)), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight - despite the reduced size of aerodynamic feathers. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from some vultures.


The smallest species of eagle is the South Nicobar serpent eagle (Spilornis klossi), at 450 g (1 lb) and 40 cm (16 in). The largest species are discussed below. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong muscular legs, and powerful talons. The beak is typically heavier than that of most other birds of prey. Eagles' eyes are extremely powerful, having up to 3,6 times human acuity for the martial eagle, which eanbles them to spot potential prey from a very long distance.



This keen eyesight is primarily attributed to their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light. The female of all known species of eagle is larger than the male. Eagles normally build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kils its younger sibling once it has hatched. 


The dominant chick tends to be the female, as they are bigger than the male. The parentes take no action to stop the killing.

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Sharks


Sharks are a group of fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha and are the sister group to the rays. However, the term "shark" has also been used for extinct members of the subclass Elasmobranchii outside the Selachimorpha, such as Cladoselache and Xenacanthus. Under this broader definition, the earliest known sharks date back to more than 420 million years ago.


Since then, sharks have diversified into over 505 species. They range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark, a deep sea species of only 17 centimetres 6,7 inch) in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12 metres (39 foot) in length. 

Until the 16th century, sharks were known to mariners as "sea dogs". The etymology of the word "shark" is uncertain. One theory is that it derives from the Yucatec Maya word "xok", pronounced "shok". Evidence for this etymology comes from the Oxford English Dictionary, which notes shark first came into use after Sir John Hawkins' sailors exhibited one in London in 1569 and posted "sharke" to refer to the large sharks of the Caribbean Sea.