Great first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season seven -- I just watched it -- with a mix of funnies, action, and a back-to-the-basics (and High School) approach...as well as a neat and "oooh-mysterious" ending hinting at much slaying goodness to come. I won't spoil it (I never do), but it does appear that the season -- perhaps the series' final season, sniff -- is on the right track, and definitely worth catching if you've got any sense at all. With Angel starting up in a few weeks, and Firefly looking interesting, we might endure the long, dark, and harsh Norwegian winter after all. Yay.

I purchased The Thing for the Xbox today, and so far, so eh. The visuals are okay, but bland, the controls a little hard to get to grips with, and the sound is fine. Not a lot of action yet, but I haven't played it all that much. It hasn't gripped me, and if a game doesn't immediately grip the player, that's a major problem. But I'll definitely spend some more time with it before I pass final judgement. Fact is, playing the game made me want to see the movie again instead -- I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

The movie, though, is most certainly a Good Thing (pun intended). It's one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Period. And a sequel would be very welcome.  ¶ 21:44