If you ask me…

A roster of my all-time favorite software, books, movies, etc.

Software

I'm always running Linux, but when I find myself on a Windows box, I like to have a few pieces of software handy. “Linuxians” are used to scurry repositories in search of good software, so those I list below are my “must-have” selection, either cross-platform or Windows-only.

In the list below, when software is marked as “Linux/Windows/Mac…”, it is generally available as well on Unix (especially BSD), Solaris, and sometimes many more platforms (e.g. BeOS).

You do not know quite well what free/libre/open-source software is? Why don't you go and learn something on Wikipedia.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox official website · Linux/Windows/Mac… · Web browser

THE browser that just keeps spreading, spreading… If you're fed up with Internet Explorer, be it because of its blatant lack of support for Web standards, its hundreds of security weaknesses and bugs, or its functional poverty (no tabs, no simple extensions mechanism, minimalistic cookie/password/form management…), here's your ticket!

The whole web talks about Firefox, and right they are. With 110+ million downloads (and this is just counting official websites!) in just a year, and up to 30% market share in several countries, it is the browser that brings back choice and diversity to the inernet, that shows you how good web surfing can get, in short, that makes your internet experience better.

If you're in Europe, try the Mozilla Europe official website, available in 20+ languages.

Mozilla Thunderbird

Thundebird official website · Linux/Windows/Mac… · Messaging (E-mail, newsgroups, blogs/RSS)

A very good messaging client, still by the Mozilla Foundation. Thunderbird stands apart mostly thanks to its spam filtering, its excellent support for multiple identities (not just multiple accounts, but multiple identities per account, which happens when several addresses end up in the same mailbox), and its native support for RSS streams, which are used, among other things, by blogs and news portals.

Just like Firefox, Thunderbird provides a comprehensive theming/skinning system and a full-blown extension mechanism (additional features). I myself use Enigmail, an extension integrating the cyphering/signing capabilities of GnuPG right in my e-mails.

Naturally, Thunderbird is able to import your existing e-mail in a blink (messages, folders, account settings, address books) from most mainstream software (including Outlook, Outlook Express and Eudora).

Gaim

Gaim official website · Linux/Windows/Mac… · Instant Messaging (IM): ICQ, MSN, Jabber, AIM, IRC…

My favorite IM client. 100% free/open-source, available on most platforms, it handles numerous protocols (ICQ, MSN, AIM/iChat, Jabber/GoogleTalk/XMPP…). Rather light, Gaim makes it easy to manage multiple account profiles, a useful feature when users have sessions open simultaneously on the same machine.

Gaim also offers a huge choice of themes/skins and additional features (plug-ins) for customization addicts.

OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org official website · Linux/Windows/Mac… · Full productivity suite

Today, when it comes to formal documents (letters, reports, notes, mailings, spreadsheets, graphics, slideshows…), just about everybody uses MS Office. This productivity suite kinda monopolizes the market, while it's very expensive and its file formats are locked down (even the latest XML variants to this date, yes sir).

In order to open the productivity suite world, there is OpenOffice.org, a free/open-source suite (therefore at no charge) which achieves very high quality and intuitive use, uses actually open, standard formats, and often provides more features than its commercial counterpart, especially in the little touches people love, like: quality PDF export from any document, very small files that can be actually secure if need be, exporting slideshows to Flash and SVG formats, and its availability in 100+ languages…

The icing on the cake is, OpenOffice.org is able to read and write MS Office documents.

Every day, major accounts (those with tens of thousands of workstations) migrate to OpenOffice, especially in the public sector, where they have a civic/legal duty to use time-resistant, reliable, transparent file formats to avoid having their national archives become unusable later because of a unique vendor abandoning its prior file format. Try it! Version 2.0 comes with numerous exciting new features, notably a full-featured database module, more open formats, XForms support, and much more.

Inkscape

Inkscape official website · Linux/Windows/Mac… · Vector drawing

Did you think that, since you could not afford a costly Adobe Illustrator licence, you'd be unable to enjoy the wonderful world of vector-based graphics? Open your eyes! Inkscape is here.

It is a favorite tool in the open-source community, and is now used extensively to create most graphical elements, icons, logos and so forth for projects such as KDE, Gnome, OpenOffice.org and countless web sites. A peek at the possibilities will leave you gaping.

Boasting a comprehensive documentation and numerous tutorials, Inkscape is rather easy to learn. A major advantage is its native file format: the open standard SVG, which makes it interoperable with a very large array of applications (e.g. Firefox 1.5+), thereby eliminating the need for a viewer plug-in. Besides, if you need to export your work in a more classical form, Inkscape will gladly save it to PNG, the reference format for bitmap images.

The Gimp

Gimp official website · Linux/Windows/Mac… · Image processing

Are you irritated at limitations of Paint Shop Pro? Or are you so unlucky you're stuck with MS Paint or MS Imaging? Is the imaging software that came bundled with your digital camera a wreck? Don't panic, for there is Gimp!

The Gimp is the open-source equivalent of Adobe's famous Photoshop, a particularly powerful image processing tool. Gimp handles numerous image formats and comes with a comprehensive set of effects, filters and correction tools that make it suitable to amateurs and professionals alike.

Besides, it is far lighter than its commercial counterparts. Many extensions are available to fatten its feature list (though it's pretty full out of the box). Finally, there is great documentation available in several languages, with many tutorials for all levels of experience.

VLC media player

VLC official website · Linux/Windows/Mac… · Multimedia player

This is a very lightweight multimedia player I mainly use when on Windows (on Linux, the keyboard addict that I am prefers xine), especially for videos. No matter the format (with the exception of latest DRM lockups on Windows Media), VLC reads it well. Physical media such as DVD, SVCD or DV (or even the simple CD, you bet) are handled. Even good old DOS-era formats (e.g. FLI) and those traditionally vendor-locked (like Apple QuickTime) are read properly.

For your digital video files, most subtitle formats are handled. It also handles audio files, of course, but then I prefer WinAmp (or on Linux, Amarok).

I also use VLC to read several DRM-abused DVDs (yeah, DRM, this thing preventing legitimate users from reading their files while actual pirates always find a workaround), when regular software like PowerDVD (see?!) refuse to read them.

WinAmp

WinAmp official website · Windows · Audio player

Do I really need to introduce WinAmp? It's been there forever, or so it seems… From the essentially MP3 player that was copied and cloned the world over, and after a bad step at version 3, it got back to its senses in version 5.

WinAmp, always available for free in its basic version (but what a version!), handles just about any known audio file format (50+), and is back in healthy, slim shape and ease of use (v3 sucked!), as long as you don't put on too deliriously complex skins.

Amateurs will find an excellent support for visualizations (these animations that follow the melody you're listening to), and a full set of mesmerizing samples, plus the rich online plug-in library.

Stickies

Stickies official website · Windows · Digital Post-it™ notes

When people looked at my Windows screen for the first time, they almost always asked me, seeing those kind of Post-It™ notes in the corners of my desktop area: “Hey! What is that, it's cool!”

There are many programs offering this kind of feature, but Tom Revell's Stickies is by far my favorite one. Not only is it free and does it provide the basic notes features, is also comes with many advanced features (temporary/timed hiding, network note sharing, e-mail sending, styles, and much more). And the icing on the cake is, it's lightweight.

Books

The Ender series

Ender series official website · SF · Orson Scott Card

I discovered Ender in 1999, through its first tome. I didn't know Orson Scott Card then, and I was thoroughly impressed with how easily the book got a grip on me and didn't let go until the last page.

Originally a short story, Card's first ever published, Ender's Game finally turned into a novel, and won the Hugo and the Nebula. It's a genuine classic. The three next ones are good, but far more into action. Tome 5, far more recent, is a fabulous mirror story to the first one, and tomes 6 to 8 follow Bean, the other lead character in the series.

What's Ender's Game plotline? In a not-so-far future, Humanity formed a worldwide coalition, under the rule of a world government, in order to face two consecutive invasions by insect-looking aliens. Planning for a third, final invasion, the military created a string of schools dedicated to battle, strategy and command, located in space, and they are rigorously monitoring children from birth on to track the most brilliant of those, the most likely to become, once trained for ten years or so, the architects of their victory. It's Genius Hunt.

The book takes place mostly in space, first in battle school, then in command school. We are, through it all, peeking over Ender's shoulder, Ender the genius, the most amazingly brilliant, the toughest, the most impressive. But also a child not even 10 yet. A child without childhood.

Tome 5 shifts the focus on Bean, another critical character from the first book, who becomes Ender's lieutenant. But maybe he isn't all that of a second. After relating Bean's grievous origins, the book tells of these schools, and helps us see the events we know through Bean's viewpoint, Bean who always gets things so much faster, who figures out so much. A great, great read on the heels of tome 1.

The books:

The Alvin Maker series

Alvin Makers series official website · Folk Fantasy · Orson Scott Card

Alvin is a refreshing variation on fantasy, getting out of the usual dragons and wizards to inspiredly mix the history of North America, the folklore of the first settlers, and a touch of supernatural.

Alvin is the seventh son of a seventh son, gifted with a few impressive powers, which he doesn't quite understand yet. He's a Maker, be it of small grass baskets, houses or a living gold plow. He will be accompanied, from birth on, by Peggy, a Torch, capable of seeing the possible futures of anyone and reading in people's hearts.

All through his journey, Alvin will have to fight against those manipulated by the Unmaker, a malevolent force directly opposing his creative/curative power. He will go to the Indians and discover their intimate relationship to Nature, will fight slave runners and owners, and meet many exceptional people, good or bad.

A genuinely delightful time, with very well-written stories, as always with Card.

The books:

The Hyperion Cantos

Cantos official website · SF · Dan Simmons

One of the very first SF series I read in English. Back then, my level was not what it is today, and I had a mitigated memory of it. I had found the series to be ambitious (amount of characters, technological innovations, metaphysical questions, relation to numerous contemporary cultures and religions…) and rather well executed, but I hadn't had much pleasure in reading it, being a bit hampered by my English skills.

Around April 2005, without knowing why, I just took the 3rd tome, Endymion from the shelf. I found myself devouring it and the next tome. I mean, devouring. I enjoyed it so much I used it as a canvas for the J2EE/EJB 6-month project I was about to assign to my undergrads!

The cycle is divided into two parts: tomes 1 and 2 take place during the Hegemony, a sort of interstellar, Earth-spawned civilization made possible through instantaneous communication and travel, which are based on extremely powerful technologies developed by an enormous network of AIs, called The Core. An eclectic troup of characters is doing a new pilgrimage to the Time Tombs, located on planet Hyperion, and their respective stories lead us to understand that there is way more in life than the current establishment.

The second half of the series takes place many centuries down the line, when instant travel and comms are history. The Catholic Church, which had all but fallen into oblivion in Hegemony times, discovered the cruciformes, symbiotes that can be grafted on humans to extend their life and allow for physical ressurection, not just the spiritual sort. In short, immortality at hand. The net result is: the Church is back as the almighty authority, and acts as such, with numerous military entities maintaining its ascendency.

And yet a child, Aenea, daughter of one of the pilgrims and of a cybrid, is a sort of bridge between AIs and Humanity, and can make it all turn onto its head, bringing humans to their next evolutionary level, and overthrowing the tyranny of the church, which is apparently but a paw under the rule of a ruthless, awesome power. She will be heled, over the decade of the books (there are year-long ellipses, so fear not), by Raul Endymion, a brave, simple, kinda clueless man, and yet the true hero of this story (both tomes are told through Raul's viewpoint, using the first person form).

The universe of this series is really interesting, and I especially recommend the second half. However, reading it without having read the first may be a small challenge. Yet despair not: this is not a Lord of The Rings setup, where the 300 first pages are useful but unspeakably boring. While the first half is not as good as the second, it's still worth the read.

The books:

All the books by Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson official website · SF/Adventure/Tech/Historical · Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson… Doubtless my favorite author, along with Orson Scott Card. A terminal geek of wide-scope erudition possessing a biting sense of humor, Neal writes about anything and does so with maestria.

In order to discover Neal's work without embarking on its larger works already, it is best to start with Zodiac. This small novel is an eco-thriller taking place mostly around Boston, MA. The hero, Sangamon Taylor, is a brilliant chemist who left the industrial, corporate world in order to become a sort of chief for an ecologist non-government organization's commandos. The novel is laced with small secondary plots that prove just as intersting, funny, and sometimes surreal. Yet the main plot never abates, and we're immersed—literally—in massive toxic scams involving big corporations and money-craving pharmaceutical labs. Stephenson's distinctive brand of humor is all over the place, and it's always stunning to see how easily he can explain to John Doe such advanced concepts as covalent/hexavalent chlorine, through a couch conversation using six-packs.

If you liked Zodiac, I recommend throwing yourself in Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, which remain easy to get in, and mix an enormous amount of information, scientific fields and weird notions in a very cool cocktail. Note the two books are entirely unrelated. The former explors human/machine interfaces, virtual reality and the cortex's deep structures, all of it stuffed with hilarious moments. The latter describes the ultimate teaching tool, in a society where nanotechnology is as commonplace as sliced bread.

Finally, actual fans will muster up their courage and tackle the cinderblocks: the exceptional Cryptonomicon first, with its unbelievable scope, sustaining two parallel, gripping storylines in the treasure hunting and cryptography worlds, one during World War II, the other in the eighties. Icing on the cake, the protagonists of the former are grand-parents to those of the latter.

Neal's latest published work is the titanic work that allowed him to spew out, at 6-month intervals, the result of 10 years of work: the Baroque Cycle's three tomes. A single epic, with many interwoven stories, taking us throughout the scientific and intellectual hodge-podge that shook the world, especially Europe, between 1650 and 1720 (roughly). A few spots take place in more remote, exotic lands as well. The whole cycle mixes History and fiction with brio, and despite a few slow passages (which are unavoidable in 3,000+ pages), the whole thing just rocks.

Main titles:

Krondor Series (Riftwar, etc.)

Official website for Krondor series · Fantasy · Raymond E. Feist

A Fantasy classic, replete with dragons, wizards, knights, heroes, elves and the like.

Pug is a young apprentice in the small town of Crydee, within the vast realm of Krondor. One day, a Rift rips open between his world and another (Kelewan), and hordes of fighters stream in to conquer Krondor. War is upon all. This is the beginning of an outstanding adventure for Pug, who is to become the most powerful magician in many worlds, but also for his childhood friend Thomas, gifted with just as fabulous a destiny, and for the ruling family of Crydee, notably princes Arutha and Liam.

Filled with well-designed characters and exotic, vivid places, and relying on a brilliantly crafted story that makes it a sure-fire page-turner, this cycle is a rare pleasure for Fantasy connoisseurs.

Those who like this series will enjoy reading the Empire series, set in Kelewan on the other side of the rift, that gives readers much insight in the workings of the other civilization involved.

Title:

Effective Java

Effective Java official website · Technical · Joshua Bloch · Effective Java at Amazon.com

Any skilled and rigorous Java developer must keep this book handy, and read it again from time to time.

Joshua Bloch, Sun's main language architect for Java and the JDK libraries today, gives us about fifty detailed technical recommendations and tips on writing Java code that is not only correct and operational, but also highly reliable, optimized and secure. Not to mention the high point: elegant.

Still, this book will be better appreciated, and put to better use, by developers with some significant Java experience already. While these will fully taste the relevance and merit of the text, beginners might not squeeze the full value out of it.

Hackers and Painters

Hackers…'s official website · Technical/Philosophical · Paul Graham · Hackers… at Amazon.com

Paul Graham digs functional languages, has long reflected on the relationships between nerds and society at large, and bundles many of his gem-like essays in this book, with more than a few scathing truths and worthy food for thought.

Had he not invented the Bayesian filter (the cornerstone of anti-spam technologies) nor put together the world's first genuine e-business portal (Yahoo! Stores, written in Lisp!), one might be tempted to think of him as just another mild delusional type, but here's the thing: the guy knows what he's talking about.

This is a book you can put in anyone's hands, certainly not restricted to the IT crowd. An actual set of keys to understanding the IT world as it was, is, and may very well become, and what role and impacts those shaping have in society.

Movies

Instead of official movie websites, I hereunder use IMDb records, that are pretty comprehensive, use a standard format, and link to official websites when there is any, anyway. Now, using alphabetical order, and taking great pains to limit the list to 10 items:

The Abyss

1989, James Cameron · Fantastic-genre thriller deep underwater

Cameron loves to dive, and that shows. This movie pushed the envelope in what was technically feasible when it comes to shooting underwater. Ed Harris carries the action with gusto, supported as he is by many good actors, little-known as many of them may be.

The pitch: while attempting to rescue secret data from a US nuclear submarine that suffered serious damage of an unknown nature, a submarine drilling team aboard a cutting-edge station has to deal with the encounter of an alien kind, but their invited SEAL hot-shots are ill-pressured to handle the resulting stress. Note that the long version brings a whole other dimension to the movie.

Hunt for Red October

1990, John McTiernan ·Thriller by Tom Clancy on a chase between nuclear submarines

Oh, ain't Sean Connery just great with crew-cut white hair. The casting is good, the plot is gripping (way better than many other Clancy's, be they adapted for screen or not), and directing is just right.

The pitch: a high-ranking USSR navy officer, in charge of testing a revolutionary nuclear submarine, attempts to defect to the U.S. with most of his officers. With most of the Russian fleet chasing them, and as Americans belive they are about to launch an unauthorized strike at the Nation, a single man, the well-known Jack Ryan charavter, gets the right of it and tries to prevent World War III.

American Beauty

1999, Sam Mendes · Acid-laced depiction of today's U.S. society

Oh yes, I love Kevin Spacey. But the real reason why American Beauty scored big time with me is, the script just kicks ass. The sheer amount of bullseye analyses on contemporary society (Western at large, U.S. specifically) forces us to reexamine our values and look our neuroses in the face. Still, the whole thing is told with a beautiful dollop of humor and optimisim through Spacey's character, Lester Burnham. A great movie.

Dead Poets' Society

1989, Peter Weir · Outstanding drama on a teacher waking up his students to Real Life

The movie put the exceptional Robin Williams on orbit, and revealed Ethan Hawke. As for Robert Sean Leonard (Neil Perry), it's a shame we don't see more of him on the screen (but he rocks on the theatre scene).

The pitch: In an Ivy-league school for upscale children, time-honored traditions are suddenly rammed into by an English teacher whose methods are anything but ordinary, and who dreams of teaching his students how to… think by themselves, and blaze their own trail.

Cypher

2002, Vincenzo Natali · Spies and double agents in the Information Age

One may hate Cube (which I liked), yet it's no valid reason to ban all of Natali's movies. Because Cypher is a freakin' good movie. Aesthetics are impeccable, sound is perfect, and actors are excellent. It's especially good to see the far-too-scarce Jeremy Northam play the lead part with undisputable maestria.

Cypher is the story of two competing companies in the high-tech industrial espionage business, that dedicate a sizable amount of their resources to infiltrating one another. The hero gets hired in one, but tables start spinning in a matter of days… Conspiracy theories, paranoia, double agents, triple agents, brainwash sessions… It's enough to lose all your bearings and become mad! Still, you don't see the main kicker coming from too far ahead. A very good moment, on which all of my movie-going friends agree, which is rare enough.

Dances with Wolves

1990, Kevin Costner · A difficult friendship between a frontier lieutenant and an native american tribe

I'm usually untractable on watching movies undubbed, but this one is an exception: I actually prefer the Frenchd dubbing over Costner's accent on this one. It's not so much hard to get as annoying. The French voice, however, is great.

This is Costner's first movie, and there he should have stopped: while this one is magnificent, its followers (Waterworld, The Postman, Open Range) aren't worth a doodle.

The plot is simple enough: during the Civil War, a lieutenant seizes an opportunity after exception bravery to get assigned to the Frontier, on the edge of Indian territories. He arrives in a deserted outpost, and ends up meeting Indians.

This movie is about all the timeless obstacles between cultures: myths, prejudice, language, etc. It's also about how these obstacles never endure long when between men of good will (not to mention Hollywood's mandatory love story). It is, finally, a plea to the Indians for forgiveness, as they were first decimated then, for the few who survived, uprooted and parked in Reserves.

Landscapes, photo, acting, music: it's all great. In about 3 hours (almost 4 in the long version and the Director's Cut), there's not one boring moment.

Forrest Gump

1994, Robert Zemeckis · The world's nicest guy tells of his unbelievable life

I heard it makes me a rare man, but I cry when I'm moved. When a scene in a movie touches me, I shed a few tears; sometimes I openly weep. I think we guys were so much told a Real Man doesn't cry that we just don't dare anymore, but I won't be made to believe that any guy on the planet is just an insensitive brute.

Forrest Gump is the movie that gets me weeping at least four times. The main character is just so nice, so fundamentally good, that I just find my throat is tight now and again.

This is a brilliant movie, with an excellent novel/script backing it, that lets us relive the 50's-90's period through the eyes of Forrest Gump, a guy with a rather low IQ and a definitely huge heart, rock-solid values and undisputable common sense. The movie goes through his extraordinary life, as without trying for greatness, Forrest will meet three different U.S. Presidents, become a Vietnam hero, a popular, emblematic figure, a table tennis world champion, a billionaire in the Shrimp business, inspire thousands of people, and more.

Tom Hanks conquered the whole world with this movie (hey, 6 Academy Awards and 31 additional awards). The whole movie is on par: sets, actors (Sally Field and Gary Sinise deserve special credit), soundtrack. Just watch it already!

Gladiator

2000, Ridley Scott · The epic life of the general/slave/gladiator Maximus

Thank you Ridley Scott! OK, you had already gifted us with Blade Runner, Alien and 1492, to name but a few, and now you are smart enough to give this lead part to Russel Crowe, and a nice supporting part to Joaquin Phoenix! (Still, as for Kingdom of Heaven, you should have passed, man.)

Sure, you take liberties with History, costumes, and the like, but still, this works. We identify with Maximus, we're pissed as hell for him, we admire his simplicity, his deep-ingrained values, his courage, his strength. You understood we could do away with the mandatory body-built oil-covered male hero, as we can see in the shot where Proximo gets his newly acquired slaves in row: hey, isn't it a slightly heavy belly around all the muscle? Isn't it some fat? Hell yeah! And yet, we fear all the more getting beat up: I mean, this looks like real muscle, like some solid guy.

The plot isn't a marvel, but keeps us awake without effort (warning, spoilers inside): Maximus, worthy general under the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, is marked by the latter to become his successor and turn Rome back into a Republic, while all Maximus aspired to was getting back to his farm, wife, and kids. Commodus, Marcus Aurelius' son, no sooner learns it from dad that he smothers him to death, and goes on to self-proclaim emperor and pass a death sentence on Maximus. Our general escapes only to find his family was tortured and burnt alive, and ends up sold as a slave. From then on, he'll elbow his path all the way to killing Commodus in a duel on the sand of the Coliseum.

Lisa Gerrard as vocals is a shrewd pick, and Joaquin looks like he spent his life playing parts of emperors forever tittering between the scared little boy who wants to be loved and the sadistic madman.

The move got almost unanimous reviews (not to mention 4 Academy Awards and 44 additional awards), and that's no surprise.

Matrix

1999, Washowski brothers · Gorgeous Sci-Fi cult movie about (mostly) Virtual Reality

Do I really need to introduce this movie? OK, just going through the motions, then.

Matrix is the movie that so much redefined its genre (which, mostly, is SF), that it's become a genre unto itself (just try keeping count of articles saying such or such movie is “Matrix-like”). There are three installments, but I'll just cover the first one here, which I feel is by far the best.

The main plot lines: while we think we live in Reality, we're not; we're actually all lying down in tanks, plugged to countless wired and tubes, and being used as organic batteries by the only existing civilization today: the Machines. Humans are being bred, grown, and leveraged as a power source. Our brains are, however, jacked into a sort of extremely advanced virtual reality, the famous Matrix, which keeps us from snapping up.

There's actually a sweet irony in it: a happy, happy, happy Matrix didn't cut it. They had to reprogram a more regular universe, with inequities, misery, and so forth.

Trouble is, a few humans did, of course, wake up in their tanks. They unplugged, escaped, and are now resisting in the real world. They're also jacking into the Matrix and bending its physical rules, effectively behaving there as super-heroes.

The soundtrack is high-voltage, novel ideas abound, as do visual innovations (which were massively copied all over the place). A must-see, if only once.

Titanic

1997, James Cameron · Just as it was, plus love.

Before we get started, yes, I'm male. And a Titanic fan. Big time.

I can hear the Hunks crowd yell already: “yewh, he digs a girl flick, shaaaaame man!” Well, guys, go take a flying f**k at a rolling donut, and don't you come back here. Sure, Titanic is just about glistening with an idealised love story between Rose, the little rich English girl who dreams of living life for a reason and break free from her social bonds, and Jack, the young American whipcracker who already traveled so much before he's even twenty. I'll go as far as admitting this very love story is part of why I like the movie. I watched it at a time in my life where I was in a somewhat parallel situation, and it got me thinking a lot. Plus, DiCaprio and Winslet are just darn cute together, c'mon!

Still, the reason I love this movie so much is in the story of its making, driven by an ubiquituous fanatical care for detail and accuracy (this is a Cameron movie, 'remember?), and the result is just there, smack on the screen. You're there, dammit. Prominent historians of the Titanic tagged along from the earliest stages to the final take. You must realize that, in order to prepare for this thing, Cameron had his brother Mike, an engineer, build the very first underwater cameras able to film properly at the depth of the wreck (3,780m, about 2 miles), and launched a full-fledged expedition, the first to bring back films of such a high quality. This obsession with detail will indeed bring the movie to a US$200 million budget, a new industry record.

Still, the whole 3h14mn of the movie are an excellent time. Saying the movie is just a Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic is (unless you're pitching it that way to the Studios, as Cameron did) proof positive you didn't get the message. The story of Rose and Jack is only there for the spectator to get involved, and stop watching it all from the outside, in order to feel it all on a stronger level. A fundamental principle of scriptwriting.

Music

Making choices for this list is a tough one, as I enjoy most kinds of music. Ideally, I should come back and update this part now and then, but will I? For the English version of this page, I pondered the issue of filtering out French music when it had lyrics, and ended up deciding against it. After all, many people in English-speaking countries enjoy foreign music even if they don't get the lyrics. And this is about my favorite albums/artists. So what the heck.

Belle Ville (Alexis HK, 2002)

I wouldn't have got Alexis HK on my radar, had it not been for the Rue des Chansons #2 album my sister Claire got me for Christmas 2004. I especially like Gaspard, Le Diable Attend, Le Ringard and Mitch. Non-French-speakers beware: most of the kick is in the lyrics.

I like best of all the odd melody of his voice (we can't talk about proper singing here) and the lyrics. Especially those in Gaspard and Le Diable Attend. I have no idea how good the guy is on stage, but from a listening standpoint, it's refreshing and generally nicely done.

Bénabar

I'm a fan of the last three albums (Bénabar, 2001; Les risques du métier, 2003; La reprise des négociations, 2005), and have not listened to his very first one. Though I don't dig every single track, I often find myself playing an album in a loop, if only for such tracks as Velo, A notre santé, Majorette, Je suis de celles, Vade retro téléphone or La station Mir.

Bénabar is this urban poet with a smoker voice, who tackles an amazing variety of topics, and is as comfortable in the burlesque as in the moving, almost always hitting it bullseye.

As if to nothing (Craig Armstrong, 2002)

Ah, Craig Armstrong… A true, major musician, a music addict trying every style with good fortune and a lot of talent. Be it his work on others' albums (Madonna comes to mind), or soundtracks (Romeo+Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Love Actually, Ray, to name but a few), or his own albums, you just can't quite grasp the scope of his abilities.

This particular album has many very soft musics, with a quiet atmosphere, a few unexpected sounds now and then, and very few vocals (and even less actual lyrics). I especially recommend Ruthless Gravity, Wake Up In New-York, Hymn 2 and Snow.

O (Damien Rice, 2003)

Like too many people, I only discovered him through the opening/closing credits of Closer. By “too many,” I mean his album should have blown the charts away right when it came out, two years earlier. At any rate, The Blower's Daughter was so perfect for what's on screen during credits that everyone rushed to get their hands on it.

And indeed, although not entirely great, the album is very nice. It's mostly tuned down, with this small voice like a rebel back from the brink, and a few original, nicely mixed sounds now and then. Aside from the smashing hit The blower's daughter, you should definitely listen, for instance, to Cheers darlin' and Cold water.

Dead Can Dance

All of their albums. Period. Vocals kick ass (Lisa Gerrard got her name there, but the guy's voice is just as fabulous), lyrics are generally gloomy, or at least melancholic, and the music is delightfuly exotic. Brings up a whole spectrum of feelings, which is great. Among their numerous albums, you have only too much choice to start with: why don't you go ahead and try Toward the Within or Into the Labyrinth?

Details (Frou Frou, 2002)

Here's another one that really hit critical mass after being on a blockbuster's credit list (Shrek 2, that is, and we're talking closing credits here!). Still, the album rocks, I first listened to it in 2005 and loved it.

It's very eclectic, mostly with a good beat, and just grabs your ears with lots of little original sound touches. I especially enjoy Let Go, Shh, Psychobabble and Maddening Shroud.

La Grande Sophie

She's got three albums already under her belt, and that's just perfect. I like the voice, I like the music, and I like most of all the lyrics (at least, most of the time). It's fresh, it's girly (sure), it's often funny. Alright, here are my two favorites: Ma première ride (for the lyrics) and Mon docteur (for the melody).

2000 (Matthieu Boogaerts, 2003)

I haven't listened to his latest (Michel), but I really like his voice, and the light lyrics with footsy melodies. This album just puts me in a good mood. So, you bet, I like it!

Respire (Scala & The Kolacny Brothers, 2004)

Discovered this Flemish teenage girls choir in 2005. The kicker is, they're doing mostly contemporary songs. I understand they're already kinda well-known in the USA, if their Amazon.com reviews are any indication.

It's surreal, yet just great, to hear a choir sing Rammstein's Engel, Depeche Mode's Dream On, U2's With Or Without You or Radiohead's Creep. There are many CD's already, by language (Respire is mostly French songs, On The Rocks is mostly English ones), with about 40 tracks total.

Sometimes, while I dislike the original tunes, I love their interpretation! You really must give these guys a shot, if only because it really is a genre unto itself.

VNV Nation

Every single album (and that's about fifteen, though some are 4-trackers).

VNV Nation is, to me, the world's best Synthpop band :-) With a rather offbeat clothing style, an extraordinary stage attitude, electro tunes with pounding beats, and (which is why they stand apart) very good lyrics—often about responsible issues, Carbon being the ultimate example, or going spiritual (Beloved), their tracks are just full of positive energy.

I was fortunate enough to attend one of their seldom concerts in France (D-side night at La Loco), and sure didn't grumble about waiting until 3am for their gig to start, even if we had to suffer pathetic, ear-spitting noise by The Horrorist in the meantime. Two hours of these guys live are just too good.

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