Edward's January 2016 Mix

 

The east coast is being buried alive in snow. The New England Patriots, who presumably sold their souls to the Devil, are engaged in the playoffs. We just lost David Bowie, whose iconism I do respect, but I wasn’t a fan. (Jacob Dylan’s rendition of “Heroes,” was much better in my opinion) and Glen Frey, which admittedly makes me feel like a chunk of my youth has vanished forevermore. It’s time to do taxes again. It’s a good time to simply stay inside, drink coffee and lose myself in media culturism which I’ve unabashedly done this month.

1. The Beast OST on CD: Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Basil Poledouris, Hans Zimmer, Vangelis (a personal favorite), James Horner. These are names synonymous with great movie soundtracks. But have you heard of Mark Isham? This incredible one man show has done movie soundtracks for Men of Honor, A Midnight Clear, Life as a House, Blade, A River Runs Through It, and a much loved movie by me that I’ve seen probably eight times over the years, The Beast. This simple tale (and brutal rendition of man’s inhumanity to man) concerns a Russian tank separated from its group that becomes lost in a valley surrounded by angry Afghan Muslims intent on destroying the tank after it attacked their village. Full of eerie, haunting, heart rending high pitched synthesizer that sounds much like sad voices wailing over a desert expanse, I fell in love with this soundtrack the first time I heard it way back in 1989. I’ve been on a search for it ever since. It’s listed on Amazon now for a paltry $150.00. My persistent searching has panned out, however. I got lucky and found a source where I picked it up for $40. Expensive, but I can say it’s one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard.

2. XIII  on PC: Released in late 2003, this game wasn’t a big hit. It’s first person shooter fare with a typical story. (You find yourself waking up on a beach with a strange tattoo on your chest, and if that wasn't enough you discover you’re on the run, accused of assassinating the President of the United States.) The game’s cartoonish (er, uhm . .graphic novel) art style consists of cell shaded graphics, and the inclusion of Adam West and David Duchovny (despite Dave’s seemingly sounding phoned in appearance) notwithstanding, I’m enjoying the hell out of this game. I picked this up on www.gog ages ago, and Ubisoft has since pulled their license from that wonderful site. If you picked it up on eBay or Amazon now, I’m not sure it would work. An install from the game’s CDs might play rather finicky with modern systems (Windows 10 can be really particular with old games.) But if you can find it and make it work, you’ll be glad you did. Adam West as the general is worth the price of admission alone.

3. Running with Rifles on PC: This was a nice little gift from my friend Dillon Gard acquired from Steam’s rather underwhelming Winter Sale this year. It’s an isometric top down over the shoulder strategy game in which you’re a common foot soldier embarked on a great crusade to conquer fiercely held territory. Beginning with the soft crunch of boots running through snow and erupting into the myriad cacophony of rifles and machine guns wreaking havoc, total chaos ensues. The snow becomes saturated with blood and every square foot wrested from the enemy becomes a major feat. It’s discovered early on there are no Rambos in this game. You are a simple buck private, but if you do well and stay alive your side eventually builds in numbers and becomes progressively stronger. If you continually perish, you’ll be overrun, and end up throwing your arms up in despair. It’s maddeningly addictive, and each bit of territory taken will have you fist pumping.

4. Die Trying (Jack Reacher 2)  by Lee Child: Just finished Child’s second Jack Reacher novel. Think Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, less the diplomacy and Ian Fleming’s James Bond, less the suaveness, coupled with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator size and formidability (a word?) and Sylvester Stallone’s haunted John Rambo’s sad past and you have an almost man’s perfect protagonist. This fast moving novel finds Reacher walking by a downtown Chicago dry cleaners at high noon, a simple bystander, and being thrown into a white panel van along with a young FBI agent picking up her weekly dry cleaning. Cast into muffled heat and darkness, joined by handcuffs, Reacher discovers the girl holds far more value than simply being a US Army general’s daughter. Carted 1,200 miles away, Reacher and the girl find themselves held in a madman’s militia compound. The crazy compound leader is set on establishing a sovereign country hellbent on pronouncing its independence through mass orchestrated violence against the United States. Failure to do so will have the compound’s less than willing denizens committing mass suicide. “Live free or die!” the leader is fond of saying. Reacher does everything in his power to prevent both heinous events, including crawling through a tunnel filled with rotting corpses (and feasting rats.) Child has written almost twenty Jack Reacher novels. I’m glad.

5. Borderlands on PC: I finished this game way back in 2010 and it took me 70 hours to beat, mostly solo despite its wonderfully constructed multiplayer feature. HumbleBundle recently had a no-brainer sale consisting of Borderlands, and Borderlands 2 AND all of the included DLC for both games for a walloping $18.00. Of course, being I had none of the DLC packs, I couldn’t pass this up. I’m now tackling Borderlands all over again with the DLC. I’m mostly playing with my friend, Keylan Monnett, and on Steam’s voice chat it’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time. The cell shaded art style and the soundtrack reminds me a lot of the new Mad Max movie. I’m not really a social gamer. I prefer to fly solo, my game and my own mind. But this game is so good multiplayer it’s making a hypocrite out of me.

6. Assetto Corsa on PC: This is my go to game for auto racing. Well, if you want to call it a game. It’s actually a pretty hardcore racing simulator. It gives my trusty Logitech G27 wheel/shifter/paddle set a workout each time I play it. I write about it here a lot. Shoot, just writing this little blurb makes me want to minimize this and boot up the game again! Having just beat EA’s Need for Speed: Shift, I’m using it to tide me over until I begin playing another car racing sim. I’m 18% into my car racing career. I have the opponent AI set to 87%. I’m driving a Mercedes AMG SLS at Nurburgring and I’m consistently getting 5^th place. I can tell, getting a podium finish is going to involve a little bit of luck.

7. 80 Days on PC: I used to live in a big house filled with people. I worked nights and I struggled to sleep during the day constantly bothered by the noise and bustle of all of these people. I would come home in the predawn hours, brew a cup of tea, and pull a finely bound volume of Jules Verne’s works from the mantle bookshelf and lose myself. Playing this game takes me back to those days. This brilliant game, masqueraded as a clever “choose your own adventure,” holds some of the most magnificently written prose in a game I’ve ever played. Playing the part of Passepartout, the trusted servant of Phileas Fogg, Verne’s stodgy character who takes a wager to race around the world in 80 days, you are thrust into adventures that ultimately see you into becoming a man of the world. I delivered a baby in the South Pacific, contracted cholera in Manila, dodged the Ku Klux Klan in Dallas, Texas. And I sat with Death in a bar in New Orleans after he bought me a drink and kissed my hand. Do yourself a favor. The game is on sale at HumbleBundle.com for a measly $7.49. You can thank me later.

8. Sanford and Son: The Complete Seasons on DVD: I remember when this show made its debut. We were living in Texas. My mother worked second shift at a factory and Friday nights while waiting for her to come get me my babysitter would plant me in front of her big floor console color television. I remember watching this show and belly laughing. It was probably the show that saw me transition from kids’ cartoons and shows like Lassie and Lost in Space to actual grown up television. Revisiting the series again after all these years with my mother has become a special event each week. Despite the show’s age, the humor is still just as funny, though dated in spots. Quincy Jones’ catchy opening music is absolutely perfect. Red Foxx’s character is just as irreverent, probably more so in today’s world where many on Facebook are offended simply because you don’t believe the way they do or slam the same political candidate he or she does. I don’t like network television, and I haven’t for years. But I loved it as a kid, and this show is one particular reason I did.

Edward's December 2015 Mix

 

December. It’s a been a month of Christmas shopping, crazy weather, a nice somewhat long week and a half vacation, and most important of all the annual Steam Winter Sale (which was incredibly lackluster this year. More on that later.) I got beat out of a big job promotion, but on a brighter note my daughter got promoted into upper level management. Kudos to her!

1.      Need for Speed: Shift  on PC: Still playing this arcade racer I began last month. It’s a blast for what it is.You can’t help but feel as if you’re Steve McQueen or Nicholas Cage in Gone in Sixty Seconds as you’re playing it. I’m playing it on medium difficulty which is fair enough. I podium finish about 40% of my races and I feel challenged. The game doesn’t seem to suffer the infamous “rubber band” physics other NFS games have suffered (whereby the car behind you no matter how far back, despite that you saw it rolling somersaults in your rear view mirror will rapidly catch up to you before race’s end.) The only thing really missing is the hammy acting performed in the between-the-races cut scenes, of which, there are  none in this game at all. It’s simply a menu drop down pull and the action is on.

2.      House of Cards: Season 4: Oh my, talking about a cliffhanger ending! Doug Stamper, how could you? You redeemed yourself in my eyes, despite your reptilian style. You chose to forgive Rachel (albeit for bludgeoning you in the woods in the down pouring rain and leaving you for dead) but then you reneged! And Francis, hot on the campaign trail and thinking you were a shoe-in, hmph! Even Claire, your First Lady’s decision to do what she did at the close of the episode took you to your knees. I don’t often get caught up in any current television hoopla, but this Netflix series is my one exception. I eagerly look forward to the release of the next season. And I’m sure I’m not alone on this one.

3.      Star Trek The Next Generation:  Season 2 on Blu Ray: I’m wrapping up the second series in this wonderful Gene Roddenberry vehicle. The second series suffered a setback from a writer’s strike that affected the entire industry in 1988, but the second series proved one thing: STTNG was here to stay. Dr Beverly Crusher was replaced by the more “McCoy-like” Dr. Pulaski. I have to admit she had to grow on me, and I welcomed the addition of Guinan. She always made me look forward to the scenes that occurred in the Enterprise’s lounge, the Ten Forward. We got a sneak peak of  the Borg, one of the universe’s most nasty denizens. Favorite episodes: “A Matter of Honor” in which Riker goes TAD aboard a Klingon vessel, and “Up the Long Ladder,” which cast Barrie Ingham as a stereotypical drinking Irishman who, along with his clan, is rescued and ferried aboard the Enterprise. Ingham’s antics was some of the funniest I’ve ever seen in a Star Trek episode.   

4.      The Silversun Pickups Neck of the Woods on CD: First discovered on a local college station in town I listen to, I was so captivated by their song I called the DJ to find out who the band was and ordered the CD on Amazon the next day. I’ve continued my love affair with the band since. Brian Auburt’s androgynous sounding vocals and the band’s heavily distorted sound often have them compared to The Smashing Pumpkins, which I can definitely see. This album seems to be a little more grungy sounding than their previous efforts. And it took me a couple of listens to envelope it like I did the band’s previous works. I particularly like the first song the best, “Skin Graph.”

5.      2015 Winter Steam Sale: Lackluster at best. I’m really disappointed in this one. Steam nixed the flash sales, so everything that went on sale went on sale from the first day at its rock bottom price. In order to acquire Steam’s trading cards you have to click through a Steam prepared “discovery queue” a scrolling showcasing highlighting games Steam thinks you would like based on friend recommendations and prior purchases. The historically fun mini games, and acquiring cards through votes for the next game to go on a flash sale are just that now: history. In light of my own negative sentiments, and from what I’ve seen from friends’ comments on my activity feed on Steam, I’ll venture to say this will be the last sale Steam conducts like this. This one was an epic failure; I bought two games for myself this time around. I usually buy at least six.  

6.      Die Trying (Jack Reacher #2) by Lee Child: Ever since the movie with Tom Cruise, I’ve harbored an interest in Lee Child’s almost superhuman character. In this engrossing tale which opens with a bang, Reacher simply happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught up as an innocent bystander in a kidnapping plot. This book moves with a brilliant sense of speed and action. I’m only one hundred pages in, and I can hardly catch my breath. I’m still working my way through Anne Rice’s Vampire series, and I’ve recently started George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Fire and Ice. I really didn’t need to start yet another series, but I’m sure glad I found this one.

7.      Star Citizen (pre-alpha) on PC: I’d read about this in my treasured bible, PC Gamer magazine for a few years now. And then I saw where the game set a new record for crowdfunding, over 100 million bucks, and this intrigued me. At the same time, my good friend, Tom Stevens bought into it. Him talking it up and sharing links with me is what sold me. Call me crazy or stupid, but I spent $140.00 on a ship of my own, that I can’t even fly yet, for a game that won’t be out until 2017. Walking into the hangar for the first time and seeing my ship made it all worth it. Definitely a hallmark moment in my gaming life. Where’s your sense of adventure?

8.      Borderlands on PC: I played this game way back in 2010, and mostly playing solo I beat it in 70 hours. Thanks to a recent HumbleBundle collection I was able to score the DLC I had missed out on in the original game. So, now I’m playing it again, but this time I’m playing it with friends. And I must admit it’s the most fun I’ve had in a game in many moons. Gearbox’s venerable Brothers in Arms games have always been a personal favorite, and despite their epic hurl, Aliens: Colonel Marines, the company is not afraid to take chances (Duke Nuke’em redux, anyone?) but the Borderlands games are their flagship and rightly so. The games’ arch villain, Jack Handsome is my favorite all-time in-game arch villain.

9.      Xcom: Enemy Unknown on PC: I bought this on a Steam sale way back in 2012. I’m just now getting around to playing it, but it’s been worth the wait. I love being able to create soldiers named and based on my RL friends and then putting them into harm’s way, fingers crossed they won’t die. Some of the missions are damn tough, but pulling one off is rewarding quite like nothing else I’ve played recently. I remember playing with the original game (1994?) and I wasn’t crazy about it. But this game is a great turn based strategy game that reminds me a lot of Jagged Alliance, which I played the hell out of back in 1997.

Edward's November 2015 Mix

November. Where in the hell did the year go? My daughter came home for a visit from Texas and brought her PS4. Granted, Fall Out 4 looks nice on our 4K TV, and the PC now allows mods to be created on PC and migrated to PS4 (sorry XB1) but still the PC master race wins out. Graphics just look so much better. Daughter agrees.

1.      Need for Speed: Shift on PC: I've always had a love/hate relationship with EA's esteemed arcade car series. Porsche Unleashed back in 2000 was probably my favorite, but NFS: Most Wanted (2005) is the one I've had the most fun with. I recently tried NFS: Pro Street and it was so buggy I couldn't play it. Just installed this. It’s a great arcade racer, not anything comparable to Assetto Corsa, but definitely fun to play. It seems to work well with my Logitech G27 wheel/paddle set. I feel like a regular Rick Mears in this game. The game came out in 2009, and the graphics reflect that, but if you’re a fan of NFS it’s worth checking out.

2.      The Witcher 2 on PC: Okay, I finally finished it. I started this game back in January, and there were times I left the course, simply stopped playing it. But I was a compelled man. I picked it up again and eventually found my way. It took me 92 hours to beat it, and 89 tries to beat the first boss (supposedly the most difficult boss in the entire game—and I believe it) but the game was worth it. I went through the same predicament in the original Witcher game back in 2008, and oddly the same experience revisited me here and now in 2013. Geralt is a regular medieval Jedi bad ass. And will be hopefully through The Witcher 3.

 3.   Interstellar on Blu-Ray: Directed by Christopher Nolan. So you bought a new big screen TV for your living room? This is the movie to watch first. Well, this or Sandra Bullock’s Gravity. This movie will have you thinking for a week afterward. It’s long but good. In the near future, Earth has been devastated by drought and famine, causing a scarcity in food and extreme changes in climate. When humanity is facing extinction, a mysterious rip in the space-time continuum is discovered, giving mankind the opportunity to widen its lifespan. A group of explorers must travel beyond our solar system in search of a planet that can sustain life. The crew of the Endurance are required to think bigger and go farther than any human in history as they embark on an interstellar voyage into the unknown. Matthew McConahey, the pilot of the Endurance, must decide between seeing his children again and the future of the human race. If you can keep a dry eye when he says goodbye to his kids, then you're not human.

4.      House of Cards: Season 3 on Netflix: Francis Underwood is on the campaign trail to become the next President of the United States. His absorption in his tasks at hand leave him oblivious to  Buddhist monks who are in the White House creating a collage of art by blowing colored grains of sand through straws to make pictures. Francis walks by these men who are there as part of a cultural exchange program. Claire stops to watch them for one tear filled hour. And then suddenly, they are gone, and we see them on a river bank, chanting going on as they release all of the grains of sand back into the elements of a local river. Francis catches wind of this and realizes, despite his shady shenanigans that he never took the time to watch these remarkable artists. His life, his marriage, and his power is fleeting.

     

5.      Star Trek The Next Generation:  Season 2 on Blu Ray: Series is getting better and better. Ensign Wesley Crusher, you’d think he’d be a smart alack kid, but instead, he’s humble, and golden. You only want good things to happen to him. This is the first time I’ve ever rooted so much for a kid since . .  . okay, well, since Will Robinson in the old Lost in Space series. But then I was his age! I could relate perfectly.

6.      Peter Gabriel SO on CD: My trilogy is finally complete. I admire Gabriel for having such a game plan in place. This CD is pretty impressive, I mean, hey, come on! “Red Rain,” "That Voice Again,” and “In Your Eyes.” Those are incredible numbers. Still, US is my favorite, and my go to when I’m sad or lonely late night, and the games are over. US is why I love Peter Gabriel, and would tell him so were I to meet him face to face.

7.      Roxy Music  Avalon on CD: I got lucky and managed to pick this up in a local CD shop today. If you’re a music fan at all then need I say more? You need this in your collection. Brian Ferry, is arguably the world’s best singer ever! Okay, Morrissey crooning, “Everyday is Like Sunday,” might be tops, but Brian Ferry runs a close second. If you’re a music maven, this belongs in your collection. You’re a fool to not have it.

8.      April in Paris by Michael Wallner: a decent story concerning a young German corporal in WWII who is transferred to France to become a translator. He falls in love with a local French girl who works for the French Underground Resistance. Complications develop, obviously! A good read which moved fast and had a sad ending. Highly recommended if you like WWII history.

Edward's October 2015 Mix

October 1 hit bringing along with it true autumn. I’ve been steady with my bike/core exercise routine and my dream of having six pack abs is coming to fruition. I had to get my license renewed and the woman asked me, “Are you still 165 pounds?” I had to smile and slightly tilt my head, “No, actually I’m now at 150 pounds.” I walked out of the license branch feeling really good about that. Skinny, I know, but more like Brandon Lee in the movie, The Crow. I love it!  Oh, stop the presses! I've been doing this for more than two years and this has never happened until now. Duplicated numbers! Blogger is being dickish at best. I mean, come 'on! Train Simulator is listed as number 1, and then Card Hunter right after it is also listed as number 1? Give me a freaking break. Okay, I'm not some polished 12 million dollars a year knob like Biscuit, whatever his name is, but sheesh, My numbering is all messed up and it's embarrassing; there is no excuse. Google needs to do better than this. It makes me ask myself is it even worth publishing something so embarrassing.

1. Train Simulator 2015 on PC: Steam recently released a new version of this, entitled, (naturally) Train Simulator 2016. Many reviews are decrying it a travesty since the updated game is nothing more than an updated intro and maybe some very slight graphical tweaks. I’m not complaining since the update was free for all owners of TS2015. On the horizon looms an all new version of this game based on the Unreal engine. From what I’ve been told it’s a separate game which will not work with any of the DLCs I’ve purchased over the years. That’s too bad because I have a heck of a lot of DLCs to still play through with my current iteration. I’m strangely addicted to this game, which, trying to describe to someone else simply seems like a bore simulator. In practical application it’s quite another story, a true parcel of Zen.

1. Card Hunter on PC: As I’ve mentioned before, this game was awarded PC Gamer Magazine’s “Most Original Game of the Year 2013.” This streamlined version of the old style D&D games you used to play with friends who used graph paper and multi sided dice is probably one of the most charming PC games I’ve ever played. I have my three characters up to level 11 now, and they are holding their own in most battles. There are a few modules I’ve won, however, through dumb luck. “The luck of the draw” has more to do with this game than meets the eye, which ultimately means you will eventually beat a certain module if you play it enough times. I have yet to play multiplayer, but I’ve heard it’s where this game really shines.  

3. The Neverending Story on Blu-Ray: Directed by Wolfgang Peterson, this movie was a big to-do in 1984 when blue screen technology was inchoate. As of 1984 it was the most expensive movie made outside of the US or USSR. I’ve always been a fan of Peterson’s work, especially Das Boot. I remember taking a date to see this in San Diego in the Navy, and struggling to hold back tears because I wanted to impress her with my manliness. After having just watched it almost 30 years later, the film still resonated with a beautiful sadness that gives way to gratifying joy at the end. Atrayu’s fight with Gmork was a bit lackluster, I mean, this was to be the film’s boss battle, Gmork lunges and immediately lands on Atreyu’s knife. The End.  

4. Big Fish on DVD: I’ve never been a huge Uncle Tim fan, he is Tim BURTON after all, heh, but I have enjoyed a few of his films over the years, namely, Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands. And this one, probably my favorite. A fairy tale for grown ups, which is a very good way to describe the movie. The casting was especially done well with Danny Devito as the circus impresario and the poor tall guy playing Carl, the giant, who looks almost morose with his lot in life as an ungainly tall fellow simply searching for contentment. The film has that great almost Technicolor feel to it (much like Edward Scissorhands.) The film deals with the reconciliation of a father and son who have been estranged for the past few years. I don’t remember it being so sad the first time I watched it years ago, but this time I had to endure the end credits through unfocused eyes swimming with tears. 

4.  Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: Last month I was wingeing on the  banality of this book. I think I even called it a chore trudging along through its quagmire of words. But alas, something has happened. It’s as if someone lit a birthday candle in a bleak and dark room. The story is taking off, and despite its great depressive tale and the characters involved I’m enjoying it. And I’m discovering that in struggling to find my way in this book why I declare myself an ardent fan of Charles Dickens. 

6. My Dad vs Yours Little Symphonies on CD: If you like post rock glistening electric guitar with catchy riffs and music that can truly transport you from the here and now to faraway places in your mind you’ll love My Dad vs Yours. I have one of their albums, After Winter Must Come Spring released back in 2007, and I thought they simply fell off the radar, disbanded, or became defunct. This is a band that you can’t help but listen to, and imagine them on stage playing in perfect sync, sharing secret smiles only they know the meanings behind, and knowing their music is a perfect marriage of melody and technique. Thank you to my friend Scott Beland for turning me onto www.bandcamp.com where I rediscovered this wonderful band and was able to purchase their latest work in FLAC format. Yay! Give them a quick listen on YouTube, I think you’ll like them. A lot. I suggest “Bellicose,” or “Born Upward (Time Flies)”. Both superb selections.

7. Six Feet Under: Season Four on DVD: This is an original HBO series that contained some of the most profound dialogue in anything I’ve ever watched on the boob tube. Like I’ve said before, the profanity is a bit over the top (to the point of detraction from what I’d call brilliant writing) but it’s compelling nonetheless. I’ve seen other stuff Alan Ball did after Six Feet Under, and unfortunately, he was never as true to form either before (the motion picture, American Beauty) or after (True Blood.) It’s just so interesting how everything splinters into a dozen different avenues in this season. Freddie getting divorced? Nathan coming to terms with the loss of his wife by flocking to Brenda? Ruth discovering her husband has mental issues? Claire experimenting with drugs, lesbianism, and her art catapulting her to the point of being a celebrity. 

8. Assetto Corsa on PC: Quite simply put, the best modern racing sim out to date. The AI still is still lacking just enough to be human-like challenging, but ? is constantly updating it with incremental patches and this month marked the release of their second DLC pack aptly titled, “Dream Pack 2.” It includes several cars and a new track. This is a steal for $8 on Steam. The inclusion of the Lamborghini Countach 500 makes it a must buy.  This is probably the only racing game that coupled with my Logitech G27 racing wheel confuses me when I get into my RL vehicle. I find myself going down the road stabbing for an invisible clutch and trying to move my gear selector from “Drive” into second gear. That’s how realistic this game is. I can’t imagine how this is going to look in December when the Steam HTC Virtual Reality set comes out. Still no pit stops, and the spectators look like stolen mannequins.  

9. Not Your Father’s Root Beer in six pack cans: Two different people talked to me about this, about how it tasted like simple root beer yet had the capacity to f*** one up. I had to climb the mountain myself and take a peek (peak). And all I can say is, I’m just laughing. This is amazing. It’s like breathing in helium for the first time and hearing your escalated voice. Despite its 5.9% alcohol content you’ll think the can is lying. Next thing, you’ll be floating amongst the summer clouds at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair glancing down at George Ferris’s famous wheel.  

10. Star Trek The Next Generation:  Season 2 on Blu Ray:  I generally space out my viewings of series over many months and intersperse them with viewings of OTHER series. This is Star Trek The Next Generation. I couldn’t help but cheat. The series opens up with such intrigue. Will acting Ensign Will Crusher stay with the USS Enterprise since his mother took a TDY assignment with Starfleet? And Whoopie Goldberg as the head bartender at the newly introduced Ten Forward crew lounge, wonderful! I’d be there every day. And getting to watch this on a 4K HDTV makes it, like I’ve said before, like going to the movies each time I watch an episode.

Edward's September 2015 Mix

I scraped, skimped and saved (plus worked overtime) to finally get a 4K Ultra HD television and boy was it worth it. It’s not home theater big, but at 43” it’s a far cry from my previous 26” television I’ve been using for the past few years. The resolution is incredibly good. This should tide me over until I finally am able to pick up a 70” OLED set. When that happens I’ll never leave home again. This new television makes me not only want to watch every Blu-Ray out there, but also revisit and rewatch everything in my current Blu-Ray collection. This was definitely a month of movie watching for me. Anyway, 12 items this month. Brace yourself, it’s a long one, but worth it.

1. Revolution by Deborah Wiles As I’ve mentioned before Wiles’ first novel Countdown was about a young girl entering the world of teen angst despite the Cuban Missle Crisis happening around her. And it’s one of the few books I’ve read more than once. This, her second novel, is about a girl witnessing the Civil Rights Act in action in 1964. Her town is about to become “invaded” by the now famous Freedom Schools for the Summer project. Wiles does indeed have a gift for capturing time and place so vividly, but the book’s length wore out its welcome. It certainly wasn’t badly written, but I  just grew weary of it. It’s a shame because this book deserves much finer appreciation than that.  

2. Train Simulator 2015 on PC: Steam recently released a new version of this, entitled, (naturally) Train Simulator 2016. Many reviews are decrying it a travesty since the updated game is nothing more than an updated intro and maybe some very slight graphical tweaks. I’m not complaining since the update was free for all owners of TS2015. On the horizon looms an all new version of this game based on the Unreal engine. From what I’ve been told it’s a separate game which will not work with any of the DLCs I’ve purchased over the years. That’s too bad because I have a heck of a lot of DLCs to still play through with my current iteration. I’m strangely addicted to this game, which, trying to describe to someone else simply seems like a bore simulator. In practical application it’s quite another story, a true parcel of zen.  

3. Card Hunter on PC: As I’ve mentioned before, this game was awarded PC Gamer Magazine’s “Most Original Game of the Year 2013.” This streamlined version of the old style D&D games you used to play with friends who used graph paper and multi sided dice is probably one of the most charming PC games I’ve ever played. I have my three characters up to level 11 now, and they are holding their own in most battles. There are a few modules I’ve won, however, through dumb luck. “The luck of the draw” has more to do with this game than meets the eye, which ultimately means you will eventually beat a certain module if you play it enough times. I have yet to play multiplayer, but I’ve heard it’s where this game really shines.  

4. Unstoppable on Blu-Ray: The best movie I’ve seen in 2015. I’ve owned the movie for less than a month and watched it three times. How often does a movie affect you like that? This movie, about a runaway freight train hauling hazardous waste depicts real life modern day train operations like no other movie I’ve ever seen since the likes of the movie Runaway Train. Denzel Washington who always makes good movies shines in this one, and I panned the Star Trek reboot helmed by J.J. Abrams, so this is my first exposure to Chris Pine who did  a great job as the young conductor mentored by Washington. Tony “Top Gun” Scott directed this movie, and I have to declare it truly is the “top gun” of train movies. Scott claims no CGI was used in the film, including the destruction of two SD-40 engines in a riveting derailment scene.  

5. Watchmen on Blu-Ray: I read the acclaimed graphic novel way back when it first came out and enjoyed it. Despite its supposed near frame by frame depiction of the graphic novel, I didn’t enjoy this film. It just felt lacking something, or spackled with too much stuff. I’m not sure which. As it went from a great and gratuitous fight scene to what seemed like a Saturday Night Live skit in which aged superheroes were standing around a spiked punchbowl getting wasted. The movie concerns a band of superheroes who are bleakly jaded and cursed with superpowers (instead of being lackadaisacally happy and honored to be saving the world everyday.) The movie was morose and depressing. Odd that the aforementioned train movie is the best movie I’ve seen in 2015 and thus far, Watchmen is the worst one I’ve seen in 2015.  

6. Edge of Tomorrow on Blu-Ray: I heard a lot about this movie, so went into it with big expectations. I wasn’t disappointed, but I wouldn’t want to see it again. The movie is somewhat a sci-fi rendition of the movie Groundhog Day less the comedy. It got repetitious to the point of a predictable ending. Tom Cruise’s acting was good, however. We get to see him evolve from a fearful and wavering unwilling soldier to a hardened bad ass through his constant trial and confrontations with the enemy insect (Robert Heinlein's Starship
   Troopers, anyone?) It's a good rental, but not an owner.                                                
7.  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: I know it’s an important book. I’m glad I’m reading it, but it’s definitely a chore. I must admit it’s better than my last Dickens’ book, Hard Times, but if I had been charged with having to read this book in high school I probably would have cheated and lied my way through having to read it. I’m halfway through the book, and it’s moving along at a steady pace, but Dickens’ stilted language (which I’m usually a big fan of) is not working for me in this novel. I often have to backtrack to reiterate what’s going on because I’ve become lost in this sea of words.

8. The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft on Kindle: Still working my way through this man’s venerable collection of horror stories. If you’re a fan of horror fiction this is some, well, I’ll just say it, required reading for sure. Lovecraft will never be taught in high school or college literature classes, but he was definitely the Edgar Allan Poe of his generation. Reading, “The Lurking Fear,” the other night outside at two o’clock in the morning with all the world asleep, I had to stop at certain moments and look around me to ensure I was alone. The story creeped me out that badly.

9. Icehouse Measure for Measure on CD: Concurrent with my ongoing interest in “Loudness Wars,” (Google it, you’ll be amazed) I was able to score this non-remastered pure CD for a steal on Amazon. I hadn’t listened to it since my tape cassette days twenty plus years ago. Iva Davies’ voice is a true force of nature, and it’s a shame Icehouse didn’t become more popular over the years. This albume plays almost like a greatest hits album e.g., there are no bad songs on it. “No Promises,” “Across the Border,” “Angel Street,” and “Paradise” could have easily been number one hit songs. Give them a listen on Youtube. I think you’ll be impressed.

10. The Old Dark House on DVD: If you’re a horror fan you should know the name James Whale. This is the man who directed Frankenstein (1931) and The Invisible Man (1933). This is the man the 1998 film, Gods and Monsters was based upon. And Whale did a remarkable job with this film based on (almost verbatim) of J.B. Priestley’s “Benighted.” A sort of black comedy in the same vein as “Arsenic and Old Lace.” I must say this movie, however, has a much darker overtone to it. This movie launched so many “It was a dark and stormy night,” narratives. Fun to watch, it stars a quite fetching Gloria Stuart, the wonderful little old lady we remember as Rose in 1997’s Titanic.

11. Inglorious Basterds on Blu-Ray: I lied to you. I apologize. I previously mentioned Unstoppable as being the best movie I’ve seen in 2015. This one tops it. Granted, I’m not a Quentin Tarentino fan. Actually, I think his stuff is utter sensationalism and gratuitousness with a capital G. This movie, though, might have just made me a fan. The attention to detail, the Nazi uniforms, the actors in their prospective roles. It’s just such a heavy thorough movie. This is the old 1960s-1970’s good stuff, e.g. Kelly’s Heroes, The Dirty Dozen, amped up to an R rating.

12. Lost: Season 2 on Blu-Ray: Each episode is more spellbinding than the other. I’ve become so much a part of the show I feel I’m a resident, and with that said, you’d think you’d garner a sort of trust with the main characters, but that’s not really the case. I like Sawyer one moment and then he becomes a d-bag. John Locke seems to be the lighthouse guardian of the whole establishment, but then he does something that makes you think he has his own ulterior motive. And when Michael committed his heinous deed resulting in the death of two people he completely disgusted me, but then you see the reasoning behind his actions and it all makes sense. Oh God. My own scruples are coming into play simply watching this series. If you’ve never seen it, you’re missing out.