Edward's December 2018 Mix

It’s been quite the eventful month for me. My oldest daughter came home for Christmas, and I got two weeks away from work (always a great thing!) I exceeded my 2018 Reading Challenge on Goodreads.com, and I finally beat Neverwinter Nights, a game I bought way back when it came out in 2002 and never put in the time to beat it. I watched a lot of movies this month, given I’ve had some lengthy vacation time. And I got to dive into some good music and games as well. I’ve been studying music, and it’s strange how sheet music was always a foreign language to me, and now it’s starting to make sense. Incredible how it works!  

1.      Grand Theft Auto V on PC: I've been trying to beat the story and at 26 out of 61 missions, it looks like I have a long ways to go. For the first time in my years of playing computer games I’ve had to torture a guy who did nothing to me to make me hate him. Despite “it’s just a game” it still made me feel uncomfortable and I didn’t enjoy that part of the game at all. This is one reason I finally gave up on the game. That, and never quite knowing what to do next. It didn’t help that none of the characters were sympathetic characters. If/when GTAVI comes out, I’ll probably take a pass.  I see so many screenshots of this dazzling game, but that's not what's made the big impression on me. It's the sound. This game is an aural feast. Amazing, really. Standing outside of a trashy trailer at nightfall and hearing a motorcycle on a distant freeway or a far off coyote. Arguably the best sound design I've heard since EA's ill fated but well intended, SimCity.

2.     Silversun Pickups: Better Nature on CD: One of my favorite bands from the noughts. I never get tired of listening to Silversun Pickups. This album, much like their latest album took more than one listen for it to click with me, but man, did it! I can’t say there’s a standout amazing song like “Lazy Eye” on this one, but the album will fit nicely in a rotating disc tray of other of the band’s works. There seems to be a bit more synthesizer on this album than previous ones, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. 

3.      World War II in Color  on Netflix: This has been my go to series this month while spinning on the exercise bike. It’s a series definitely designed for the layman history buff, and it’s a shame because if high schools were to air this during the typical boring history class, we’d have a lot more history majors. Compiled of archival footage, each episode is compelling and well worth watching. It’s one of those documentaries that you just can’t help but feel smarter after having indulged. Good stuff. 

4.  Abzu on PC: A beautiful little gem I picked up on a Steam sale a long time ago but just got around to playing. You are an explorer in a forever ocean surrounded by heart breakingly beautiful visuals and a soundtrack played by Heaven’s Philharmonic orchestra. A short and sweet game I swam through it in about 2 hours. It’s a game to play with a child or a grandchild perched on your lap, a read to me book done umpteen times better. This game makes me want to be buried at sea. 

5.  Olan Mill: Pine on CD: Crying cellos and pianos that tinkle as if from a ruined church with broken stained glass windows nestled in the middle of a deep dark forest. I don’t know why this CD affects me like it does, but I always have to reach for a Kleenex tissue. It makes my soul thrash inside my body as if suddenly awakened from a deep sleep. The band is a mystery at best. They’re not even on Wikipedia. And maybe that’s a good thing; I’ll just keep them as my beautiful little mystery.  

6. Without Fail by Lee Child: Book number 6 in the Jack Reacher universe, this one has Reacher rising to the cause as a security advisor seeking holes in the active defense of the President of the United States. And this time Reacher isn’t alone. He has two partners, both females, one a former Army partner, and the other a civilian in the US Secret Service who once was intimately involved with Jack Reacher’s brother in the past, ah, the plot thickens already!  This book lacks the fisticuff white knuckle action of the prior Reacher books I’ve read, but it is entertaining. 

7. Mission Impossible III on Blu Ray: So far, of the three M:I movies I’ve seen, this one overshadows the others. The plot races like a passenger train out of control, and the gadgetry, the locations, and all the intrinsic elements make this a fun movie to watch. If you’re a fan of Solid Snake or Sam Fisher, this is a must see. I directly watched it again right after, but with Tom Cruise and J.J. Adams’ (the film’s director) comments. They were entertaining, and though I’m not a fan of Cruise in the real world, he definitely harbors a genuine love for acting and puts his all into every role he does. And ever since Abrams was offered the helm of both  the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, I just lost the little bit of fandom I have for him, but I have to admit I was pretty impressed with this movie.  
8. Dragon Age II on PC: I played the first one many years ago, back in 2010 and enjoyed it immensely. I had heard not the best of things about this one, the second title in the series. But until The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt came out, I’d read the third title in the Dragon Age series, Inquisition was the best PC game ever made. So, for me to play that one I have to make my way through the second game. Some of the graphics are a little wonky, but so far the story line is brilliant. I’ve created a character I’ve grown to love. This is like reading a fine novel that you never want to end. I wholeheartedly recommend it. 

9. Saving Private Ryan on 4K HD: This makes the 9^th time I’ve seen this? And the fourth iteration of it I’ve seen. I first saw it on the big screen, and then DVD, and then Blu Ray, and now I have the 4K HD. Honestly, I saw little difference between this one and the standard Blu Ray version. I’d say if you have it on Blu Ray, keep it. There’s no need to upgrade. It’s still a spectacular movie, but I think I’ve finally reached that point where I’m just watched out. I won’t soon forget the impact this movie had on me over the years, however, through the many PC games I've stormed Normandy beach over time and time again thanks to the influence of this movie.

Edward's November 2018 Mix

Winter is here. We’ve had some really brisk nights. But you know what? That’s okay. It’s just the excuse I need to stay inside and dive into my love of CDs, Blu Rays, books, and PC games. I’ve been hitting my guitar more than I ever have before. Each little conquest is hard fought, but it’s like scaling over the top of a mountain. You’ve heard me say this before, but my biggest regret is that I didn’t delve into this much younger in life. I hail from a family of musicians. I could have been a contender! Seriously kids, buy a guitar or a piano now and practice, practice, practice! I guess the old adage might be true, however. You’re never too old to learn, yeah? And who knows, maybe I just wasn’t interested when I was younger. Maybe this is where I am supposed to be at this point in my musical universe.


1.      The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly on Blu Ray: Finishing up my Man with No Name trilogy, this is the last movie in the series. But you already know that, you probably also know it’s one of the coolest westerns in the history of movies. Sergio Leone who made mythical westerns based on what was mythical in the first place, created a magnum opus with this one. I don’t know if Eastwood’s taciturn observant character or Eli Wallach’s scoundrel rapacious Tuco Ramirez is my favorite character. Both of them have earned a spot in my book of coolness. The Blu Ray treatment is okay, nothing special. The film now has a gritty yellowish tint to it. From what I read, it’s the look Leone wanted. I’m okay with it, but beside the yellow tint, the film itself isn’t substantially different than the DVD version. Still, this version contains some great interviews with Eastwood and Wallach and two commentaries by noted film historians. It’s definitely worth the rewatch just to catch these great commentaries

2.     Blackstar HT-1RH Stack Amp: When I discovered there were only 750 of these made, and it was a tube amp my interest was piqued. And then I found out it was only a 1 watt amplifier. I was like, huh? And then I read the reviews. It was the multitude of 5 star reviews that urged me to pull the trigger. I ordered it from Sweetwater based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and I had it the next day. (As an aside, a company with some of the best customer service of any company I’ve ever dealt with.) When I plugged my guitar into it and strummed the strings the first time, it was then I was wholly convinced. This thing sounds incredible! I never would have believed 1 watt would have me keeping the volume on the down low to prevent awakening the household. And then there are the aesthetics. With its vintage good looks, this thing looks like a wedding cake stolen from a Lawrence Welk show. 

3.      Created By by Richard Christian Matheson: Who would have known a writer who penned screenplays for early 80’s television shows like The Incredible Hulk, Knight Rider, B.J. and the Bear, and Three’s Company could spin out one of the best novels I’ve read this year. A young screenplay writer, Alan White creates a television series that tops the ratings. The show exudes state of the art death and dazzle, full frontal nudity and geysers of blood. Alan’s made it, enjoying success beyond his wildest dreams. But then terribly strange things begin to happen. The morning headlines start to read like grisly reruns of his action hit. And then plots which Alan White hasn’t written or spoken of yet begin to blood-blossom into reality. The main action anti hero that White has created takes on a dastardly life of his own outside of television. Matheson has talent and I'm surprised it's taken me this long to discover him.

4.   Gun on PC: Supposedly a good game with its all star voice cast: Lance Henrickson, Tom Skerritt and Kris Kristofferson. And not to mention an award winning screenplay writer at the helm of the game’s story. In truth, it’s a six hour game artificially lengthened by its outlandish difficulty spikes. For being a shoddy PlayStation 2 port back in 2005 with its mud graphics and wonky control scheme (made slightly better with an Xbox Controller) I could forgive its shortcomings. But I can’t. I got to the penultimate boss, a crazed outlaw in the guise of a bible toting preacher out to deliver God’s justice. The fight was nigh impossible. This “mini” boss hides out and his health regenerates. So, as you expend your bullets and health flasks (comically in the form of bottles of whiskey) he becomes impossible. I called up the last boss fight on YouTube and realized there was no way I was going to spend 30 minutes taking him down, especially not being able to take out the boss before him. This makes the 3^rd attempt I’ve taken to beat this game since it came out. I’m done. This game stomped me. I guess I'll fire up Read Dead Redemption on the household PS3.

5.   S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat on PC: It took me two rage quits and three installs to finally beat S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl but it was a ride well worth it. Now I’ve finally gotten to this game, the second in the series. It took me 39 hours to beat, which is good considering it’s a 40 hour game. The story line was a little slow to start but escalated to a great ending. The game looked pretty amazing in 1440P resolution, and it exuded the same haunting bleak look of the first game which helped with the immersion factor. I’ll look forward to moving onto the Metro games now.

6.   Sasha Airdrawndagger on CD: Alexander Paul Coe (born 4 September 1969), known musically as Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. He is best known for his live events and EDM as a solo artist. I picked up this CD years ago and was at first put off by its heavy drum and bass. I remember thinking, “Is this all there is?” And then toward the end is two songs that sound amazingly good. Reviewer Glenn Swan gave it four stars out of five, summarizing his review with "Airdrawndagger has a sharp blade, and hovers with threat, but it takes almost half the album before it draws blood" But those two songs near the end, boy howdy! “Requiem” and “Wavy Gravy.” Both songs are the epitome of upbeat EDM, but imagine being in a starship and passing Heaven, and being physically able to see it, the beauty and the grandeur. This song is the sound of that.

7.   Conquest of the Planet of the Apes on Blu Ray: I’d seen this way back as a kid in the ‘70’s and not since. Detailing the ascent of the apes over man, this film is probably the most brutal of the series, and the screenplay was somewhat inspired by the racial riots of the 1960s. The violence in the movie almost caused it to earn an R rating, but producers were able to "trim" some of the rough scenes down and the movie was able to be shown to a full age audience.

Roddy McDowall plays Caesar, a less than friendly version of his usual Cornelius character. The transition to Blu Ray from DVD is gorgeous and a must have for any fan of this outstanding 1970s action series.

8.   Neverwinter Nights on PC: I finally beat it. I had to cheat on a few fights, and you know how I hate cheating, but if that’s what it takes. I just wanted to get the game over with. It took me 102 hours which is quite a lot for a 60 hour game. You can probably see why I was ready for the game to be done with.

Edward's October 2018 Mix

Another year almost over just when I’m getting used  to writing 2018 on my checks. This was a busy month for me, but not really gaming (for once.) It seems my latest obsession has been my guitar. The more I discover, the more I realize I have so much to learn and this is the most difficult thing I’ve ever undertaken. I wish I’d started 30 years ago. It’s probably my life regret truth be told. Some say it’s never too late to start. I cling to that statement. 

1.       Chariots of Fire on Blu Ray: An independent film made in 1981, this is a great story about two runners of different faiths who aspire to the 1924 Olympic games in Paris. The music brilliantly done by Vangelis is a masterpiece. And this Blu Ray transition is a masterpiece unto itself. If you’ve never seen this movie, it ranks right up there with The Natural and Hoosiers as one of the best sports movies made. And I don’t even like sports!

2.      A Few Dollars More on Blu Ray: This was Sergio Leone’s second in his spaghetti western trilogy. After having made the first film on a shoestring budget, and the movie being an overwhelming success, Leone and crew were given crap tons of money to make this film. And it shows. The production values are much more apparent. Leone chose to use many of the same actors he used in the first film (and subsequently in the third film as well.) Lee Van Cleef was actively recruited by Leone himself to be a part of this film, and his solid performance as a former Civil War officer turned bounty hunter is a strong suit of the film. The Blu Ray transfer highlights some stronger colors, much more so than the first movie, A Fistful of Dollars. Definitely a part of my favorite western series of all time, not to be missed.

3.      Halloween on 4K Blu Ray: This was probably the fourth time I’ve seen this movie over the years, but admittedly I’ve never seen it look so crisp, bright or clean. I don’t have a premium sound setup on my television, (not yet anyway) but this 4K is proof that it’s a medium that has indeed surpassed Blu Ray which in itself has left DVD far behind.

4.      Pirate Latitudes by Michael Chricton: A fictional (or “factional” account being this was penned by Michael Chricton.) This was Chricton’s last work before he passed on. It was supposedly a rough draft discovered on his computer. It seems to be a work he had fun creating because this book has been a blast to read. The historical intrinsics seem accurate, and the characters are almost over the top. I could see Stephen Spielberg making this into a blockbuster film. Think Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean for adults. I’ve got a hundred pages to go to the end and I’m racing to get there.

5.      Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk: I’ve generally found Palahniuk to be a compelling writer. It’s not his plots or his characters. It’s his writing style. He has a knack for putting one word in front of the other quite unlike anybody else in the trenches. This book, though. It’s reminiscent of a Tom Robbins novel, but I think Tommy did it better. The story concerns a fashion model who ends up blowing her jaw off with a shotgun, and her descent into abject ugliness and the fallout that succeeds it. It’s the first Palahniuk book that’s made me gag.

6.      Need For Speed: Pro Street on PC: I’ve played car racing simulations for three decades now. I’m a stickler for realism, but I’m also a sucker for a good arcade racer. EA’s Need for Speed series has always scratched that itch for me. Pro Street almost, operative word being “almost,” carries over into more serious simulation territory, but not really. Maybe more so than any other EA racer before it. This involves a series of street type racing (e.g. drag, drift, time trials, etc.) in which you earn cash and upgrade cars or buy new ones. The goal is to unseat the current leader in each racing style. I’m about ¾ of the way to completion and having the time of my life.

7.      Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 4 on Blu Ray: I just finished the season. The show’s writers seem to think this is when the series started getting stellar. They said at this point they had a staff of regular writers and there was no more musical chairs. Michael Pillar had basically formed the equivalent of a team of Olympians. We got such great character insight with this season. We got to see Picard’s home on Earth. We got to meet Data’s creator father. We even got to see Worf’s human parents. I don’t think I have a favorite season, not yet anyway, but this is a testament the series is getting better with each season. The Blu Ray treatment is excellent. Sell your DVD set on eBay or Amazon and pick this up on Blu Ray. It will be a keeper.

8.      The Great Escape on Blu Ray: I remember watching this movie as a kid on a local Indiana channel, WTTV Channel 4. This was one of those movies that would air late night New Year’s Eve. I was fascinated by WWII as a kid, and it was movies like this that fostered that interest. This movie, with its all star cast (James Coburn as an Aussie was perhaps the only mis-cast in my opinion that stood out glaringly.) Elmer Bernstein’s musical score is perfect. The Blu Ray transfer is excellent and well worth it for any Steve McQueen fan or anybody interested in World War II films.

9.      A Star is Born at the movie theater: I watched the great version of this with James Mason and Judy Garland many years ago. When I saw the previews to this remake I was immediately interested. Seeing it at the theater I was not disappointed. Bradley Cooper is good as a famous singer/performer who has descended into a world of narcotics and alcohol. Along the way he becomes enamored with a struggling musician, Stefani Germanotta (aka Lady Gaga.) (*SPOILER ALERT*) Cooper tries to sober up through rehabilitation and seems to be successful until Gaga’s manager pays him a visit and informs Cooper it’s a matter of time until he fails and he should just do the right thing to quell any impedance to Gaga’s career. I thought that could have been played better; it just seemed a bit too contrived. I would have punched the manager and thrown him out of my house. Instead, Cooper lugubriously acquiesces. I call bull****.

10.   Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Blu Ray:  I’m not a fan of comedies. Comedies are just not something America is good at, but seriously, is Britain really? But I am a fan of Michael Caine, and he shines gloriously in this film. Steve Martin does a great job as well as a con man out to oust Caine as the better man at his shady craft. This is a fun movie, with a feel good ending. I watched the Blu Ray and immediately afterwards put in the DVD for scene by scene comparisons. Yes, there is a noticeable difference.

Edward's September 2018 Mix

Ah, September. The end of summer, and childhood’s end, at least it was for me being it’s the month of my birthday. I remember sixth grade days, looking out of my elementary school at a lumber mill across the road and watching the men labor there and how much fun it looked rather than being stuck in a desk listening to a boring lecture. It all seems like that was a month ago. Time flies. Some of the movies I watched this month were movies I saw as a kid, and it’s strange to see those same actors, their ages frozen forever on film. It’s almost magical in a way because watching them takes me back to my boyhood when I first saw them, at least for a short moment of time.

1.      Elite: Dangerous on PC: I had toyed with the idea of buying this for quite a long time before seeing it on sale and picking it up. I blew the dust off of my Thrustmaster FCS and blasted off from a first space station to seek my fortune. There was definitely a learning curve, but now that I’ve rounded it, as the developers worked with Thrustmaster to create this new flight control system, it was a match made in Heaven, or the heavens, I should say, being this game is absolutely drop dead delightful to look at and be immersed in. I’m seeking my fortune as a freighter pilot. I have very little in the way of defense. I’m basically moving goods from point A to point B. There’s supposedly a huge update in October. I can hardly wait.

2.      Escape from the Planet of the Apes on Blu Ray: Still enmeshed in this spectacular series, I just completed this, the third movie in the series. It seems to be the one most unpopular with the fans, but from the standpoint of 20^th Century Fox, the producers, and the director and screenwriter they considered it a great success for the series. Of course, as I’ve mentioned before, each movie in the series had a diminutive budget to work with. This one was perfect from a monetary standpoint: they only had to put makeup on three “apes,” and modern day Los Angeles, California was the chosen location. Filming ease didn’t get much better than this. From the story standpoint, the apes really got a bum deal. But the movie does pave the way for the rest of the series. The transfer to Blu Ray, much like the movies before this one, is excellent.

3.      The Sand Pebbles on Blu Ray: I read the book decades ago and remember how good it was, and I had seen bits and pieces of the movie as a kid. It was great to be able to see it in its entirety, and it’s arguably Steve McQueen at his very best. His passion for the engine room on the ship is endearing, especially since he’s a man of few words. This movie depicted a US Navy not unlike my own memories of the real thing I experienced, especially being on two “small boys.” The ship was the real star of the movie, however. The San Pablo, a steam powered gunboat, was in reality a pontoon like boat outfitted with a Cummins diesel engine. The Blu Ray transfer was excellent with no noticeable grain or discoloration. Colors were bright and popped.

4.      Fender Lizards  by Joe R. Landsdale: Typical Lansdale fare: accessible, compelling, usually humorous, and always nostalgic. As I've mentioned in other reviews, Joe R. Lansdale is underrated. Read one of his books and I think you'll agree. Fender Lizards concerns a seventeen year old girl, Dot, who works at the local drive-in restaurant where she is a "Fender Lizard," waitresses who wear roller skates to bring food out to customers' cars. She isn't sure where here life is going, but she doesn't want to settle into her background -- living in a housetrailer with her mom and grandma whose greatest enjoyments are watching TV, a sister with a history of bad abusive men, and a father who went to the store for a pack of smokes one day and never came back. Then she finds out a roller derby is coming to town hosting an open competition. Dot sees this as an opportunity to fly like an eagle in an aviary filled with crows. She assembles a team of her fellow Fender Lizards and with the help of a man claiming to be a long lost uncle who coaches them, enters into the battle of her life to shed her droll, less than spectacular existence.

5.      Vanishing Point on Blu Ray: I was lucky enough as a kid to have parents who enjoyed going to the drive-in because that meant I got to go a lot. And now being an old guy, with the magic of recorded media I can revisit these old movies. And with new technology I can let the graininess of nostalgia be damned and watch these movies, cleaned up, remastered, and looking like they were just filmed last week. And thus is the case with Vanishing Point. The movie is about a guy who delivers cars as a profession, and this time the guy who simply goes by “Kowalski” is tasked with delivering a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T to San Francisco from Denver, Colorado in 15 hours. Pumped up on speed and a total disregard for cops who’ve accumulated to stop him for blazing through their western towns we get a movie that is an exciting ride, compelling and unpredictable. The main star, of course, is the car itself. The police all look like buffoons, and the colorful cast of characters in the car’s wake are perfect early 1970 stereotypes. This movie was an influence on a very young Stephen Spielberg who made Duel and it was probably an influence on the much later Fast & Furious movies as well. Made with a budget of 1.8 million bucks, and a relatively no-name actor who was chosen over Gene Hackman, I remember Kowalski (Barry Newman) being such a cool dude in the movie. And even now, despite the over the top dated dynamics of the film by today’s standards, he’s still hella cool in his bell bottom jeans, flyaway afro-ish hair, and the stern look of a driven man, literally.

6.      3:10 to Yuma on 4K Blu Ray: A great western depicting a civil war veteran who lost a leg during the way and is trying to bare knuckle a homestead in the west, bringing up a son, and about to lose his farm due to drought and dying crops. He’s a man who just can’t catch a break, and then he’s offered an opportunity to escort a notorious outlaw to Yuma, AZ to catch a train where he will stand trial for his crimes. The farmer played so seriously (but very well) by Christian Bale and the outlaw portrayed by Russell Crowe are great match ups. This is one of the better westerns I’ve seen in recent years. The 4K resolution is pristine, but honestly, I didn’t see a difference between this and the Blu Ray version. If you have the Blu Ray, save your money. There are better transfers out there.  

7.      The Music of Chance by Paul Auster: A strange sad little book I didn't want to end, yet raced to the end because I couldn't wait to see what happened. Two young men's fate are decided when they are on the losing end of a poker tournament. They become victims of indentured servitude on a wealthy estate, and are required to construct a wall made of stones. Their confinement draws the two men together as they begin to find themselves through their arduous labor. And then tragedy befalls. I had never heard of Paul Auster and I'm not sure how this book got into my collection, but it's a truly discovered gem. This won't be my last Paul Auster book.

8.      Neverwinter Nights on PC: I’m still on the grand endeavor to get this game completed. I’m well into chapter 3 now and my character, Edward, the venerable paladin is level 14. I’m on a quest to find the Words of Power which will save the city of Neverwinter. I’ve found two of the three, and I’ve just discovered the last area where hopefully the last one of the three resides. And then I’ll be heading into chapter 4, the last segment of the game. I’m 90 hours and 30 minutes in. I’m notoriously slow when it comes to RPGs, and I have to wonder if I’m going to hit the 100 hour mark. The game is fun, and it looks great for a 2002 game on my 1440p monitor, but I’m really ready for it to be over with.