Taipei [22 Nov 2007 2230]

In Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport right now after a jaunty 4h 25m trip from Singapore.

The 777-300 was amazing with huge screens (probably 11") and higher resolutions for the personal entertainment system, comfortable pillows, large blankets and a light, seasonal, Christmas accent.

The report from the flight:

Stardust

You know how they say that all special-effects laden epic fantasy adventures are aimed at teenage boys these days? Well this is probably the only film of its kind aimed at tweenage girls.

Cute, funny (in an anachronistic modern, hip kinda way) and a pleasant enough film with all the major genre cliches hit with a join-the-dots precision not seen since my childhood coloring book days.

Of course, the bumbling, sweet-natured, geeky, sneakily-handsome protagonist who becomes a swash-buckling hero is most definitely aimed squarely at the wish-fulfillment fantasies of thirty-something Indian men everywhere...

Wait, I mean teenage boys...aimed at teenage boys....

Evan Almighty

Okay, so not quite as terrible as advertised though I can't believe that most expensive comedy of all time would produce special effects so mediocre.

Steve Carell's interaction with his gang (Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, Jonah Hill) is by far the best thing about the film, with the sequence of him coming into the office "looking like a Bee Gee" (Wanda Sykes...classic) being right up there with the Talladega Nights hospital and the Harold & Kumar weed-bag fantasy sequences.

Of course, I could have spent my time watching such movies as Tootsie...M*A*S*H...Some Like It Hot...The Godfather...The Godfather 2...