Edward's April 2023 Monthly Mix

 

It’s going to be another short one this month. Still no reprieve from working 60 plus hours leaves little time for anything else, but work. Despite the terrible ongoings in the world, daily mass shootings anyone? I still try to be optimistic. Maybe it’s easier to do when you are told you’re living on borrowed time. Still, I’m grateful for what I’ve lived and the memories I’ve made. Looking back, yeah, it was worth it.

 

M83 live at Marathon Motorworks in Nashville, Tennessee:  Feeling much like a schoolgirl falling in love with a boy band, I listened to one song by M83, promptly bought the album it was on and have been playing it on repeat since. And then I bought concert tickets to see the band in person. It was worth the 5-hour drive. I took my Navy buddy, Jeff Lappin with me, and after the show we promenaded down Broadway Avenue, dipping into bars and listening to bands. It seared an experience into my brain that will always be a fond memory. 

 

 

 Battletech on PC: I wasn’t really a fan of the Battletech/Mechwarrior games put out by Funcom and Activision (and later Microsoft) but I’ve always harbored an interest in the genre. I think I even read one of the Michael Stackpole novels. Nonetheless, I bought this game when it came out of Kickstarter, and I’ve enjoyed it since. Despite its Unity origins, the graphics serve the purpose and the developers did a remarkable job of bringing the tabletop miniature game onto the PC. The story has me so captivated the characters feel like family, and it actually reminds me of being on a ship back in the Navy, sailors in arms. The game isn’t easy, but praise be to save scumming I’m making my way through. 

 

 

 

Company of Heroes 2 on PC: My buddy Vic Berwick and I have been wreaking havoc in the multiplayer co-op segment of this wonderfully made sequel to Relic’s great WWII RTS, Company of Heroes made way back in 2006. The AI is wonky at best, and it causes us to struggle, but we definitely have our fun. As I’ve mentioned before, I finished the single player campaign some months ago. Company of Heroes 3 just released to mixed reviews, and I was stoked for it, but sheesh. I’m having so much fun with this game I just might stick around for a while.

Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell on Kindle: I’ve bought about every iteration of John Carpenter’s The Thing on released media, DVD, Blu-Ray and most recently, 4K Blu-Ray. Carpenter’s movie is still venerable enough that I watch it at least once a year. Everything about it appeals to me, from the special effects that stand the test of time to Ennio Morricone’s helm at crafting the soundtrack. I recently picked up the novella on Amazon. It’s good. Much more in depth than the movie, it runs a oddly close parallel. My advice is that if you enjoy the movie, you’re not really missing out by skipping the novella. But, if you’re anal retentive like me and the source material first released in 1938 sounds appealing, I wholly recommend it. John W. Campbell’s story is first rate and the man’s power of description is wildly entertaining. Reading the story makes me want to watch Carpenter’s movie all over again.

Blood Canticle by Anne Rice on Kindle: I’ve always held a deeply seeded secret admiration for Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles. I’ve said it before, but I hated her most famous character (that the stories are all based on) Lestat in the first book, Interview with the Vampire and fell in love with who he was in her second novel, Lestat, The Vampire. And now diving into book ten in the series, I feel I’ve lived multiple lives and numerous ages with Lestat. I’m 25% in at this point, but rather than evolve into maturity, I can’t help but feel Lestat has devolved into immaturity! Rumor has it that Rice was fed up with the series at this point and she wrote this to appease the fans. I’m not sure at this point. Of course, it’s entertaining reading, but I have a ways to go in this novel to form an opinion.

Tom Clancy’s The Division on PC: Released to fairly favorable reviews back in 2016, this was the first game to take advantage of Ubisoft’s Snowdrop gaming engine. And boy did it! This game is gorgeous, even on modern day systems. Occurring in a near future pandemic caused by “the dollar flu” brought about by biological warfare spread on dollar bills, this game strikes me as being oddly prophetic. The game’s setting is New York City, and it’s depicted in all of its authentic glory. I read that if you’ve never been to NYC, simply play this game, learn it, memorize it, and then when you visit you won’t need a street map. It’s that detailed. The game plays like the MMOs of yore. (World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2 anyone?) Weapons are bought, looted or crafted and are of varying degrees of prestige/difficulty e.g. green, blue, purple, orange (legendary.) What I find most appealing is I can play solo or join my buddies and have an equally good time.

 

Edward's March 2023 Mix

 

 

 It’s going to be a short one this month. Working 60 plus hours leaves little time for anything else, but work. Still, looking at the bright side, the weather is getting nicer and it looks like we escaped a serious winter this year. (I wanted to try my Subaru in the snow!) I’m three books behind on my GoodReads reading challenge, but I’m not too worried. I’ll make that up, I’m sure. I was able to squeeze in a bit of time for some things, however, so without further ado I’ll get to the good stuff.

 

Max Payne 3 Original Soundtrack on CD: Can you name your favorite game soundtrack? Mine will always be Far Cry 3. I played the game way back in 2014 and throughout my experience I was going through some strange things. But I remember dreading the game’s ending because I knew the beautiful soundtrack that carried me the whole way was going to be over with. That wasn’t the case. I drove around listening to the OST in my car for months afterward. And I still listen to it occasionally. It’s an OST that has come to define a part of who I am. In a close second place, however, is Rockstar’s amazingly good Max Payne 3. The band who comprised the soundtrack, Health, is what you would refer to as a Noise/Industrial rock band. Strange, huh? They are somewhat reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails. But what they did was took this oddly strange compelling Max Payne game, a story of a haunted man on a quest filled with death and betrayal. The soundtrack is particularly filled with hard and edgy percussion, metal being banged against metal, with guitar reverb awash. Look up “Max: Finale” on YouTube and prepare to be caught off-guard. Being chased by every bad guy in the country through backroads and highways, you lose control, but in a cool way, like an “I meant to do that kind of way.” The car flips over end over end. You kick the door open and crawl out, walking away from it slow motion, the car explodes taking all of the bad guys out. And the coolest part of it all, in your slow motion swagger you don’t look back. This song is the sound of that.

Assetto Corsa on PC: From a physics standpoint, this is arguably the best PC racing sim of all time. Or well, could have been. All of the ingredients are there, but unfortunately Kunos Simulazoni, the developer/publisher, put the brakes on supporting the game after going at it full throttle. They instead focused their attentions on Assetto Corsa Competizione which is a grand game unto itself, but that’s a topic for a different discourse. The game doesn’t feature any night races, nor weather effects. The racing career mode is anemic enough to simply consist of a series of races strung together in a series order. Codemasters/EA F1 series has nothing to fear here. But as mentioned, what is here, the authenticity of the tracks, the interiors of the cars, the physical handling of the cars, it’s all just incredible. I’ve been dabbling this month in trying to finish the career mode. I’ve come far, but still have a ways to go.

All Quiet on the Western Front on Netflix: I read the book way back in maybe 1994, and it left an impact like a 3-mile-wide meteorite slamming into the Atlantic Ocean. Considered an anti-war novel, its grim narrative of the Western Front in WW1 through the eyes of an idealistic young German soldier accomplishes just that. And then there were the movies, the 1930 one and the 1979 Richard “Johnboy Walton” Thomas one most of us are familiar with. But this one, by far, has to be the best World War I movie ever made, and quite possibly my new personal favorite. The photography of this one was morbidly beautiful (can there be such a thing?) What I mean is, this movie, the way it was shot, the high resolution film cameras doing the shooting, well, it’s why I’m glad we have 4K TVs. I’ve always been a fan of war movies and watched many of them repeatedly. (Oddly, they seem to be getting better and more graphically realistic—Saving Private Ryan see what you started!) This one will join their ranks. It’s no wonder the movie garnered an Academy Award nomination for the Best Picture of 2022. 

Hunt: Showdown on PC: Been playing this one off and on since its release. I get made fun of for playing old dated games most of the time, but this is the one modern shooter that I’d be remiss if I didn’t play it. I’ve talked about it before, but it’s the one shooter I can usually be good at simply because it doesn’t require a 14 year old’s housefly reflexes to have fun. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I still stink at the game, but when the pistons are firing in-synch and I’m with a good squad of mates, it’s the best PC game out there.  

Moon Cake by Charlie Carillo on Kindle: It's the summer of '69, and the whole world is eagerly awaiting the greatest achievement in human history - men are actually going to walk on the moon! Nobody is more excited about the Apollo 11 mission than Billy Gallagher, a troubled 15-year-old from Queens, New York who lives in the shadow of his big brother, a basketball star who's been felled by a knee injury. But suddenly the spotlight is on Billy when a foolish act of vandalism gets him arrested. He's at the mercy of Mr. J, the mysterious neighborhood ice cream man whose window Billy has smashed. Mr. J chooses not to press charges, and not only that - he gives him a job, pumping soft ice cream! It's the strangest summer of Billy's life as he sweats over the moon mission, learns life lessons from his boss, harbors his brother's dark secret and agonizes over Mr. J's beautiful 18-year-old daughter, a brilliant violinist with a wild streak. She's as unreachable to Billy as the moon itself - or is she? Everything comes to a head when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon, and Billy comes up with a creation to honor the triumph of the astronauts - a creation that rocks everybody's world.

This one is being a quick read. It’s quite entertaining. I’ve found a few anachronisms as far as the dialogue goes. Did anybody say “freakin’” in 1969. I don’t think so. But Carillo’s cast of characters are as memorable as the Cleaver family, though a bit more “mature” in the PG-13 rated manner. 

Fallout on PC: Yes, that Fallout, the original released in 1997. This makes about the third time I’ve attempted the game, but the only one I’ve ever beat was Fallout 3. It’s going to haunt me for life if I don’t go back and play this one through to the end. The graphics look like mud, and the game is hard, even on “easy.” The story (so far) is compelling and I love the soundtrack by Mark Morgan. I’ve just hit level 2 and I have a bevy of quests. I’m playing the GoG version (which you can score on sale much of the time for under $5.00. It is oddly interesting to dabble in this game and see where all of the original lore came from. Maybe this time I can stay the course.

 

 

 

Edward's February 2023 Mix

 

 

 

 

February and not a flake of snow. Interesting, huh? I said goodbye to my beloved muscle car this month and got a car with which I thought I would be able to play in the snow. No such luck! Living at work these days, I suppose it doesn’t matter, I wouldn’t have the time anyway. I found out some interesting medical news as well. Seems my heart condition now has a proper name: Dilated Cardiomyopathy. (I had to practice how to say it. And it flows out smoother the better you get at saying it. “Cardio-myah-pathy.” Now, say it fast. There you go.) Initial theories was my problem was contracted through a virus. But I just had a DNA test done, and the results are in: I was bequeathed this affliction from my parents. Seems we have this bizarre gene, something heinous enough to be concocted on the Imperial Star Destroyer. The genetic counselor explained congestive heart failure will get me. This is a dark gift that instills in me a new urgency to realize how important every minute truly is. As Nate Fisher said in Six Feet Under “We die to make life important, every moment count.” Oddly, I didn’t feel that day with the counselor as if I were sitting across from a gypsy fortuneteller talking about my Talbot curse. I felt the opposite. I don’t know. Relieved? I mean, how often do you learn how you’re going to go? And then there was this odd connection to my father and my grandfather, this mortality that now makes me feel very bonded to them.

 

M83 Fantasy on HI-RES FLAC: It’s amazing the number of “bands” these days that actually consist of one member. M83 is a one such example, taking its name from the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy that resides a mere 15 million light-years from us and discovered in 1752 at the Cape of Good Hope, you can visibly see this spectacular galaxy with a pair of binoculars. Stellar delights, notwithstanding, Anthony Gonzalez formed this band in 1999 with his friend, Nicolas Fromageau. Fromageau departed shortly after their second tour together. I picked this up while perusing new releases on HDTracks.com. After hearing a sampling of the songs it became an insta-buy for me, and I’ve had it on repeat since. When I’m not listening to it, I’m humming the music in my head at work. It’s not often an album grabs me like this. When it does, it becomes a completely immersive world to me. Throw a smidgeon of Arcade Fire in with a pinch of 80s pop and this is what M83 sounds like.

Batman Arkham Asyulum on PC: Still trudging along in this one. I put Harley Quinn behind bars and Poison Ivy is next! I do love games in which the environment becomes the main character, and this one is no exception. Taking place entirely at night at Arkham Asylum, the place, like I’ve said before really is reminiscent of a place where Halloween is eternal. I’m not sure, however, if the environment is the selling point, or Mark Hamill’s depiction of Joker. I’ve seen Batman’s death animations a hundred times yet I never skip them because Joker’s one liners never get old.

Hell Let Loose on PC: Yes, back to this again. Like I said in the past, this game is a time machine. If you want to see what your grandfather went through over in Europe, this is a taste. I’ve got more friends playing it now so that drive to win, and the camaraderie and the blood, sweat and tears are more meaningful. It’s a bit of a grind, but when you finally level up and are able to unlock that next level weapon, the game suddenly feels brand new. I was with my buddies, just spawned and about ready to head out when I glanced through the gossamer fog at a hulking figure in a field across the distance. He was an enemy. I took aim and fired a single shot. He stumbled forward, face first onto the ground. I looked at his prone bulk on the ground, a dark lump that in any other situation could have been a log or a piece of discarded farm machinery abandoned to rust. And I suddenly felt bad. No more summer night laughter, no more ice cream, there would be no griping about going to work or getting sick. There would be nothing more for this young man lying there lifeless. When was the last time a computer game made you feel like that?

Need For Speed: Shift 2 on PC: Been playing this one off and on for almost two years now. I’m finally at 92% completion. The races now are all endurance races which means I’m behind the wheel for 40 minutes. (That’s an eternity for an arcade racer). And I also have to revisit the drift races I had previously passed over, thinking I wouldn’t have to do them at all. Doh! Ah, the prices we pay to finish games.

2023 Subaru Forester: It was time. I was saddened to give up my beautiful Mustang, a pet dragon in every sense of the word, but I’d had her for six years. I needed an old man car. I indirectly build the cars, so why not drive one? Yes, I bought a Subaru! I ordered it and it took me four months to get. (I remember thinking I’m never going to get the car!) But when I pulled into the dealership and was walked out to the lot by the salesman and introduced to the car all it took was one look and I knew I had made the right decision. This car is part zombie apocalypse vehicle and part Lost in Space chariot. I once owned a Jeep Wrangler and I don’t think it was this utilitarian. I wouldn’t be afraid to drive to Mars in this car. 

 

 

Planet Coaster on PC: Management sims always grab me in and pull me under the same way. I start in dipping my toes. It’s enticing enough I eventually leave the wading pull and swim out to the deep end. And then I sink. It actually happened with Planet Coaster. I purchased the game a few years back but didn’t get very far. I gave up hope and stopped playing. This past month I decided to revisit it and boy howdy! Using your funds to build rides you eventually accrue enough money to expand and create a rollercoaster. I struggled to get to this point but when I finally laid the last plank of my coaster, so much money started rolling in that I could inflate my prices and I was still profiting! Noticing my coaster line queue reaching sea serpent-like lengths, I kept raising ticket prices until people started choosing to go ride other rides. End result? I’m rich! There are so many great mechanics in the game. You have the ability to see the park in first person view by simply choosing one of your patrons and seeing the park through their eyes. You are in charge of the salaries of your vendors and park workers as well, not to mention how many condiments and confections you can put on your sandwiches/drinks.

 

 

 

Edward's January 2023 Mix

 

January is a time for beginnings, or so it’s been said. For me, this month was more a month of endings. I ended one (and am just about to end another) great TV series it’s taken me years to watch. I did manage to partake in lots of goodies this month, probably because of the frightful weather forcing lots of indoor time. I used to abhor winter, but I’m beginning to think the winter really is the Yang to summer’s Yin, the other side of the river bank, or the flip side of the coin. The ghastly winters are what make the beautiful summers. And besides, the nastiness outside is the best excuse for someone like me to stay indoors and revel in my gaming, reading, guitaring, and movies!

The Sight Below It All Falls Apart on HI-RES FLAC: Mostly comprised of one man, Rafael Anton Irisarri, this group has recently become one of my favorite ambient music groups. Their minimalist (but oh so whole!) soundscapes remind me of gloomy skylines with winter tree silhouettes, and sad near forgotten childhood memories. Pitchfork Media calls the group “a beautifully bleak cloud of sound.” XLR8R Magazine says The Sight Below “is a hurricane passing over an ocean, gathering heat and force while simultaneous cooling the waters below.” Suggested listens: “It All Falls Apart” or try “Stagger.”

Read Dead Redemption 2 on PC: I almost refused to play this game, being Read Dead Redemption, the original, was only released for consoles. Again, Rockstar Games decided to leave money on the table. I’ve dabbled in their Grand Theft Auto series, but became jaded rather quickly. I mean, seriously, this is a company fielded by coders and artists who snicker at the word “boobies.” And then I started playing this. Maybe Rockstar Games isn’t comprised of the sophomoric churls I once thought. I’m only 12% into the game, but the art style, the music, the story line (so far) is making this a standout game I should have played a long time ago. Still, in line with every Rockstar Game I’ve ever played, I’m being forced to do bad things to people I’d never imagine doing in real life. My friend Tommy Stevens tells me to hang on for the ride. Pay attention to the title of the game. True redemption awaits. We shall see. Oh, another thing. I’ve become a poker addict because of this game. My new favorite pastime: going all in and breaking everybody at the table.  

Lost: Season 6 on Blu Ray: No spoilers, I promise. After a sojourn began in December 2012, I finally watched the last episode. Was it good? Yes. Was it worth watching the whole series for? I’m not so sure. Admittedly, I didn’t see the ending coming, but I suppose it really was a neat tidy way to sew up all of the different paths the show took during its six seasons. I can see how each cliffhanger episode had nearly all of America glued to their TV sets when the show aired, but the ending was kind of a cheap shot to me. I still maintain the real character in the show was the beautiful island the survivors were on. So much so, that looking back, I can say I’m glad I watched it.

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay: (disclaimer: blatantly plagiarized from my review on GoodReads). Blindsided. This book took me by surprise. One of the better horror novels I've read in the last decade. The oh so innocent start, a little girl catching grasshoppers in the front yard of her parents' cabin on a summer day, and the sinister entrance of Leonard, a man who walks up her driveway and with his warm smile wins her over instantly. Leonard talks to the girl and helps her catch grasshoppers. And then three more strangers come down the driveway, all of them carrying menacing looking objects. And so begins this journey into terror.
Paul Tremblay's plot pacing and his characterizations, not to mention his craftsman style of description make this a must read for any horror fan. Oddly, I started seeing advertisements for a movie being released based on this book as I got halfway through it. But as good as the book was, I'm not surprised.

Papillon by Henri Charriere: This book met with such success when it was published in 1969 that in 1973 it became a movie starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. I remembered seeing parts of the movie and realizing at my boyish age it was a powerhouse of a story. I’d had the book for years, but never undertaken it. With my oddly unorthodox system of building the pile of books I’m going to read next, this one had worked its way in. I’m only 150 pages in, but I can tell already it’s a book I’m not going to want to end. Like Gilbert Grape did in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape in becoming a real character, someone who seemed to be living and breathing in the real world, Papillon has done the same for me. Though it’s difficult to put down, I’m almost reluctant to pick the book up because I know I’m always getting closer to the end of it.

Battletech on PC: I’d tried to get into this game when it first came out in April of 2018, but the campaign was overwhelmingly long (and quite difficult.) I started it once again about a year later and had to restart the campaign since I had become so out of touch. I didn’t stay the course. I gave it another go this month and to my delight, the game seemed to have taken off. I’m making progress and advancing the story. I’ve read in reviews, the campaign isn’t that long, but looking at that star map, sheesh, I don’t know. It looks overly spacious to me. The game has a great art style, however, and the set pieces for each battle are meticulously crafted. The details in the mechs themselves are brilliant. I’m really enjoying this.  

Back 4 Blood on PC: I was always intrigued since the release of this game crafted by the same people who worked on Valve’s famously fun zombie shooter Left 4 Dead. This one is just as frantic with the new addition of perk cards you can choose to play before each match. It went on a sale price that was heavily discounted and I couldn’t help but pick it up for a few buddies. So, me and my friends, Garrett Thrasher and Vic Berwick have been hard at it, saving the world from hordes of zombies, one bullet (or several depending on the weapon) at a time. The game really does play like the Valve’s originals. Graphics are of course, a generation ahead. Unfortunately, seeing that game as a fun time must be a rare observation because we see very few people playing it. Still, with friends, it’s a blast!

Star Citizen on PC: Chris Roberts’ brainchild, Star Citizen has been in development since 2012. You remember Mr. Roberts from the old wondrous Wing Commander games from the early 1990s (and the abominable movie starring Freddie Prinze Jr and Matthew Lilliard.) Well, Roberts used his own inspiration to develop the space fighting sim/MMO the one that would rule them all. Lagging horribly behind in development (RSI aka Roberts Space Industries, the company helming this thing even stopped detailing patch updates because fans were irate over promised inclusions that were, in fact, not included at all.) Ships are purchased with real world money which also includes a buy in into the universe of the game. (There are ships selling for over $1,000. Yes. Serious.) I bought in way back in 2015 at the behest of my friend, Tommy Stevens, who has gone on to become one of the universe’s holy terrors when it comes to sheer dogfighting. Tommy recently helped me set up my flight control system controls to where I could become somewhat competitive in the game, and then a patch released which destroyed my controls scheme. Two and a half hours’ worth of work down the tubes. I haven’t written off the game, but I am going to wait.

Northern Exposure: Season 6 on DVD: This is the second of a series I’m about to complete. I’ve been watching this one since before 2011, so it’s probably a record book entry for me for being my longest watched series of anything! It’s sad because I know it’s all winding down, yet I still spend as much time laughing as I do reaching for a Kleenex tissue while watching. I probably won’t watch the series again yet I’m reluctant to part with it. I’ve discovered this series is not being streamed anywhere . . . and never will be. Sad, huh? It turns out the series hosted a lot of great music for its time. Unfortunately, networks wanting to stream it have encountered issues with the music license owners of the songs in the show. The end result is, unless you own a physical copy of this wonderful series, you won’t be able to see it. Not to worry, however, you can find cheap copies on eBay.

 

 

Edward's December 2022 Mix

 

 

 December is such an ambivalent time for me. Work vacation, watching grandkids revel in the joy of Christmas morning, and seeing Christmas lights at night are things I love about the month. The stress that seems to befall last minute shopping, the onset of bitter weather, and knowing the year is winding down to its death are the things I hate about December. I did get a few days in Austin this year to visit la familia, (where the weather was oddly a tad warmer than my own stomping ground in the Midwest.) But bad weather notwithstanding, I rode it out indoors with my favorite pastimes: books, movies, music and gaming.

 

Kiss Destroyer on HI-RES FLAC: Produced by Bob Ezrin, who is as much a household name as Robert “Mutt” Lange, this guy produced albums with the likes of Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Taylor Swift, Deep Purple, Jane’s Addiction and Thirty Seconds to Mars. This was Kiss’s fourth studio album, and it was one that profited the band enough to start touring in Europe. Interestingly, none of the Kiss members had musical training and Ezrin would stop occasionally to give quick lessons on music theory. Gene Simmons later said, “It’s what we needed at the time.” This was the first Kiss album I owned as a kid, and to my peers and I at the time Kiss was a band of superheroes. I first heard “Detroit Rock City” emanating from a jukebox we had at our gymnasium during lunch period in 9^th grade. Oh, the memories! This hi-res edition is everything my old album was only so much better without the snaps, crackles and pops. Rolling Stone magazine stated Peter Criss’s drumming was “pedestrian drumming,” but I have to say Peter Criss was definitely a powerhouse on this album (listen to “Detroit Rock City” you’ll hear) and he later stated he spent much downtime with his hands in buckets of ice.

Fallout on PC: There is an original big box version of this game on eBay currently selling for $350. That is the legacy of this game, many believe despite its post-apocalyptic setting, to be the best RPG ever made. I can kind of see it because I’ve tried it multiple times over the years. I never get very far, but something keeps calling back. The graphics look like puke (and that’s with mods that augment it for today’s rigs.) The game is difficult, the dialogue is hilarious, and Mark Morgan’s OST is unforgettable and becomes a meme into itself for this type of game. I’ve not gotten very far, but because of the distant voices I’ve decided to give it another go.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao on Movieland TV: I saw my grandsons this past vacation, and we had a sit down for some good old movies. I stumbled across this old gem, and knew it was a pick the moment I saw it on the Movieland TV app on my daughter’s television. I had only seen bits and pieces of the movie over the years. (It came out in 1965.) Tony Randall plays the mystical Dr. Lao in a role that would now be considered racially biased these days, but man, does he pull the character off so excellently! Dr. Lao brings his small circus to the tiny town of Abilone, Arizona. The town is under duress to be bought out by a deceitfully kind entrepreneur who wants to upsell the area to a railroad coming through. Lao’s circus instills in the people hope and courage to keep their town. The movie is cheesy and uses Ray Harryhausen type stop motion effects to animate the characters Lao becomes, but it’s a heartwarming film offering life lessons. The streaming quality was not so good, but I couldn’t beat the price: free.

The Beginner’s Goodbye by Anne Tyler: Anne Tyler's books for me are always a journey into people's lives. I'm herewith stealing a term she used, but it's as if I gain a dual citizenship while reading her. There is the one that exists here, and then there's the sublime one that inhabits her wonderful novels. The Beginner's Goodbye concerns a man who loses his wife to a freak accident involving a tree that falls on their house. Soon after her death, she appears to him and he is able to talk about their complicated (but quirky loving marriage) and all of the woulda, coulda shouldas which are now too late to take advantage of. This novel caused me to take pause and ponder my own here and now. I read fiction to be whisked away to places of imagination. It's not often a book will bounce back from that ethereal place and bonk me on the head here in the phenomenal world. Tyler has an uncanny ability to do that to me, especially with her incredible gift of creating characters better than any other writer I know of.

The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Robert Heinlein: This book was a bit confusing, probably because it's so connected to other works by Heinlein. The book begins with Heinlein's usual SF flair, something you'd see in a dime store science fiction serial in the 1950s, and then escalates into an almost cyberpunk type tone, reminiscent of William Gibson or Neal Stephenson. Given the book was written in 1985, I can see why such a comparison would surface. Heinlein was bold in his beliefs and his politics. Some would argue this book spears through a moral compass with its references to incest and underage sexual intimations. In the context of the story I found no misgivings. I am however, much more a fan of Heinlein's vintage works (Starship Troopers, Red Planet, Have Spacesuit Will Travel and Space Cadet.)

The Brides of Dracula on Blu Ray: Typical Hammer lavishness and old school chills are the backdrop for this 1960 vampire tale. Originally made with the working title, Dracula 2, Christopher Lee was not reprised in this movie, and the name Dracula is only referenced once. It’s okay because the movie stands on its own casting David Peel as the charismatic young vampire. The plot is hole filled at best, but the movie is carried by the grand performances of Martita Hunt as the Baroness Meinster and Freda Jackson as Greta, the servant. And not to mention Peter Cushing as one of the best (and most stylish – those red leather gloves!) Van Helsing to ever grace a film. I’d had this on DVD. The Blu Ray cut is a noticeable improvement despite its slightly closer zoom.

The Banner Saga on Nintendo Switch: Take a little bit of Don Bluth animation, The Oregon Trail and The Neverending Story and throw it into a mixing bowl stirred by ex Bioware developers Alex Thomas and John Watson and out pops a clever little indie masterpiece called The Banner Saga about a band of Vikings escorting a prince to a capitol city while trying to outrun the Dredge, a tribe of monsters trying to destroy the humans. The band mixes its unique cell shaded cartoon style with turn-based strategy (and not to mention a great narration) to make this one a game that caught me by surprise. I don’t play my Switch often, but when I do, I’ll be booting this up to continue the adventure.

 

 

Edward's November 2022 Mix

 

 November is all about heralding in 5:00PM darkness, rain soaked leaves stuck to windshields like crepe paper, and a chill that portends winter snows to come. It draws me to the indoors and a brain buzzed by the blue light of an e-reader or a phone in bed, or movies and shows causing the darkened living room to glow. The lack of sunshine is a temptation to succumb to depression, but with music, movies and games to enjoy, who can be depressed?  

James Seven on CD: When you hear the first song, “Born of Frustration” start as you spin this CD you’ll say to yourself, “Wow, I remember this; it was such a cool song!” And this song segues into a series of such good songs. Seven was the album that came out a year before Laid which was their big American hit CD. Fronted by singer, Tim Booth, a real renaissance man (who portrayed the villainous Victor Zsasz in the movie, Batman Begins.) I first discovered them in an X-Files episode in which Jack Black plays one of their songs on a jukebox before being incinerated. The song he plays is “Ring the Bells” which is on this album. The live version on their Greenpeace compilation album is in my opinion a better version. The band’s heydays were the early 90s. They were a true alternative band back when alternative reigned supreme.

Need for Speed: Shift 2 on PC: I know you are getting tired of seeing a write up about this game every month in my beloved blogpost, and believe me I’m getting tired of writing about the game! My goal was to finish it by the end of this year. It looks like I’m not going to make it. Close, but no cigar. This game has been like climbing Mount Everest. June 20, 2021 is supposedly the first time I booted the game up, this is according to a game tracker app I use that records all games and the length of time it takes to beat them. (Hit me up if interested.) As of this writing I’m 73% to completion. And I think I told you, it’s a “sim-cade” but I’ve had to take the difficulty down to easy. I just want to get it over with!

Company of Heroes 2 on PC: It took me forever to finally get to this game being I’ve loved the original Company of Heroes so much. (I still consider it my favorite RTS.) I finally did take the plunge, however, and found the campaign quite enjoyable. Whereas the original hosted the allied invasion of Europe in 1944 and the ensuing battles, the second game in the series focuses on the Russian VS German side of things. New elements such as morale (and eventually physical constitution) being affected by extreme winter weather, and commanders having many more perks than the original game, this is definitely a good update. I pretty much eased through the campaign with the exception of the penultimate mission which took numerous tries (and a Let’s Play lookup on YouTube.) And now my friend, Vic Berwick and I are campaigning through the co op missions. I’ve been missing out; I should have played this game much sooner.

Terminator 2 on 4K Blu Ray: I’ve always been a fan of the Terminator movies. I always hear comparisons of the original movie compared to this, the second one in the series, and the consensus is the second one is much better. I’m not so sure. Of course, Terminator 2 had a much bigger budget (100 million plus, making it the most expensive movie ever made at the time it was made). We do see Arnold Schwarzenegger portraying a machine, as in the first movie, however, this time shedding his clinical inhumanity to become more humanlike and sensitive to the human condition. But the real star of this movie is Robert Patrick as the T-1000. Living in his car at the time, he was awarded the role during his first tryout. Director, James Cameron, wanted someone lithe looking and Patrick watched films of predatory animals in action, and then mimicked their style, lowering his head when giving chase to manifest forward movement. He ran in his workouts so he could run in the film and never appear out of breath (which he does later movies to come, this movie is regarded as one of the best SF-action movies ever made. The upscale from 4K to Blu-Ray was adequate enough. I didn’t see much of a difference to be honest.

Lost Season Six on Blu Ray: I once compared this series to Gilligan’s Island for adults. I’m finally nearing the end of this compelling series. It’s been played out, for sure. But I’m still enjoying it. One episode turns into two when I sit down to watch it. It reminds me of the cliffhangers of old. The characters are memorable, but the real character is the island itself. Given its proximity I always wonder how close I would have been to it during my treks across the Indian Ocean. That sense of being there, it’s probably why I love old pirate movies and sea yarns. I abhorred the Navy, but I did love the ocean.  

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo: My mother gave me this book on a recent visit. Looking like a typical junior high book, I thumbed through it. “Yeah, I’ll read it if you want me to,” I told her. Turns out, it wasn’t half bad! I wrote a review on GoodReads stating, “A gem in the guise of a children’s book.” That does, indeed, sum it up. An errant stray dog stumbles into the life of a girl and her reverend single father, the mom/wife having abandoned them. Each “chapter” reads like a self-contained short story. Interestingly, the first book DiCamillo wrote received 437 rejections before being accepted. My works had not hit 100 rejections and I gave up!

Magic: The Gathering Arena on PC: My good friend, John Wallen, introduced me to this game many moons ago. I have since participated in numerous tournaments (and even won one!) I’ve been dabbling in online play as of late. Epicgames.com is the place to go. The game is free. If you’ve never played, it’s a great site to come up to speed. My true feelings are rather ambivalent about the game, truth be told. I would buy cards to play and carefully hone my decks to be formidable. Then I would go to a shop for a tournament and then discover cards in my deck were suddenly “banned” I would be forced to buy new cards. It was easy to see Wizards of the Coast (the property proprietor of the game) was turning this into a cash cow. But none of that matters if you play in unrestricted tournaments or your old friends with their old cards.