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 20th 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment