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.