I’ve met with a great and terrible misadventure
this month. It turns out I’ve been carrying around an unbeknownst heart defect
for the past several years. (Heart doctors don’t seem to think I was
born with it.) It reared its head two weeks ago and I’ve been out of commission
since. (And lucky to be here, according to the doctors.) Besides the ultimate
reality check this has given me, it also freed up a lot of time. I took full
advantage.
1.
I Know What you Did on DVD: As a longtime fan of William
Castle’s gimmicky horror movies from the 1960’s I was elated to find a copy of
this rare movie at a local Walmart store. The movie concerns two girls
babysitting and making prank calls to random people, saying “I know you are and
I saw what you did!” They just happen to call a psycopath who just murdered his
wife. And the fun begins. As with all Castle films, when this was released in
theaters back in back in 1965 some of the theater seats were fitted with seat
belts so you could be strapped in for the “thrill of your life.” The movie of
course is extremely dated. (All the phones were rotary phones and Caller ID was
non existent), but this movie was still a fun movie to watch and the suspense
factor was there in spades. Joan Crawford (who was probably a bit too overqualified
for this film) does a remarkable job as a lustful cougar.
2.
13 Ghosts on DVD: My good friend,
Mr. John Wallen, came over to watch this, another William Castle film, 13
Ghosts. If you like creepy houses, suspicious characters (featuring Margaret Hamilton from Wizard of Oz fame) you’ll like this scary old movie that
really hasn’t aged well. It exudes camp like a third season Lost
in Space episode. It’s more reminiscent of a Leave it to Beaver episode
gone way south. Still, it’s an engaging movie that’s fun to watch. Castle’s
gimmick for this film was the life insurance policies he sold at the theater
ticket booth when the film released. He wanted to make sure moviegoers were
covered if they didn’t survive the shocks and horrors of this film.
3.
Forbidden Planet on Blu Ray: The
last time I watched this was on DVD in Austin, Texas many years ago with my
friend, Vic Berwick. The transfer to Blu Ray is smart and definitely good
looking. This is quintessential science fiction at its best. This film blazed a
trail for good (and bad) science fiction for years to come. The film featured
spectacular sets and the first all electronic musical score in movie history.
This film introduced us to Robby the Robot who made other guest appearances
including Lost in Space a decade later.
4.
Fallout on PC:
This makes the third time over the years I’ve tried to play through this
important game, many gaming enthusiasts have christened, “the best RPG of all
time.” It has an array of compelling quests, an excellent soundtrack, and
despite its age old almost sprite type graphics there are mods and patches that
heighten the resolution for more modern systems. The game is extremely
difficult, and that’s what finally killed it for me. To get to the main goal of
the game, and get one shotted because I don’t have enough hit points yet, well,
a guy can only take so much. I’m pretty much done with it. But I still have
oodles of respect for the game and I always will. I doubt I try Fallout
2, even though I thoroughly enjoyed Fallout 3 and actually
beat it.
5.
Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace on
Blu Ray: First let me say this, this movie on my 55” 4K television looks
absolutely stunning on Blue Ray. I think a person could think these movies
suck, but still have an enjoyable experience simply watching them on a nice television/monitor. This film is an utter showcase of amazing effects, battle
scenes, and unforgettable Star Wars characters. My only gripes: Jar Jar Binks
being introduced as more of a castaway from a Saturday morning kids show, and
Darth Maul, such a strong character who could have been utilized so much more,
being killed off before the film’s end. Nooo! He was such a great character! I’m
looking forward to watching the rest of these movies.
6.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea on
DVD: This movie ties right up there with BladeRunner as my favorite movie of
all time. This is the movie that made James Mason my favorite actor, and I
think he’s the best Captain Nemo that’s ever graced the planet. But the real
character show stealer in this particular vehicle is actually a vehicle, the Nautilus. I’d never seen this movie as a
child, but if I had I’m sure I would have forever wanted to steal away and
become one of Nemo’s submarine sailors just to have the chance to live aboard
this wondrous vessel. This film which garnered two Academy Awards, Best Special
Effects and Best Color Art Direction in 1954 is well worth a watch if you get
the chance.
7.
Borderlands on PC: This makes my
second play-through. I beat it in 72 hours which includes all of the DLCs that
shipped after I had beat the original back in 2010. I’m still playing the game
with my friends, Gene Clifford and Phil Harvey. The game is a mix of everything
you know and love about post apocalyptic desert environments, e.g. Mad Max,
The Book of Eli, and the venerable Fallout series with a huge splash of
laugh out loud humor thrown in. The cartoony graphics work quite well in the
telling of the story, and running around shooting bad guys and looting their
weapons is like being thrown into a convenience store for a ten minute scratch
off ticket shopping spree. This game is fun and more so with friends.
8.
Neverwinter Nights on PC: I first
attempted this game back in 2002 upon its release trying to play a bard. That’s
just all kinds of wrongo! What was I going to do sing the monsters and villains
to death? Needless to say, I didn’t get very far in the game and quit playing.
It probably didn’t help that this was only the second RPG I had ever played.
Well, I picked up the game on gog.com and decided to give it another go. This
time I’m playing a paladin whose specialty is strong armor and a two handed
Great Sword. So far, it’s making a huge difference. The game has aged well, and
if you’re looking for a good role playing game with a good story, you might
want to pick it up. I actually got it on a sale for $2.49, and that’s for the
diamond edition which includes extra story modules. You should play it so we
can talk about it.
9. The Shack by Wm. Paul Young: I started reading this after my friend
Gene Clifford passed it onto me with the sage advice to simply pass it on when
I finished it. I’m halfway through this interesting tale of a man whose
daughter was abducted and killed, and he’s instructed by a letter he finds from God to go to the cabin in which lay the most compelling
evidence of his daughter’s abduction and the heart rending surmise of what
became of her. The man answers the call and meets God, Jesus, and the Holy
Spirit. The book is interesting and I like the dialogue, much of it nothing
short of profundity, but Young’s choice of how the Trinity personifies Itself
into three different human beings leaves a little to be desired. Maybe I’ll get on-board as I get more into the book, but I’m just not feeling it.
10. AC/DC High Voltage on CD: I had never listend to this, AC/DC’s first
release. I find it hard to believe that Rolling Stone Magazine deemed it
“less than impressed.” This album was far better than the punky stuff coming
out of Britain at the time. And look at us, we had The Bay City Rollers and
theatrical bands like Kiss coming out. This album was pure unaltered high
energy rock and roll. This album introduced AC/DC’s official ballad, “It’s a
Long Way to the Top,” and “She’s Got Balls,” a tribute Bon Scott wrote for his
wife. If you want to sizzle your speakers, or get into some air guitaring I
suggest picking this one up. Highly recommended.
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