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Last night I saw "Night Terrors," a season 4 TNG episode on broadcast. In it, the Enterprise gets stuck in an energy-draining bubble known as a Tyken's rift, while simultaneously the crew (except Troi) lose the ability to dream and become increasingly whacked-out.

It's not a great episode, but I know how they feel. Last night some raccoons had a dust-up around 4:00 a.m., awakening me, and then around 5:00 the birds started singing. It's amazing that such a small animal can make so much noise. One male cardinal apparently wanted to block radar, or something similar.
So at this point I feel like I'm sleep-walking.
Have you invested in earplugs?
 
Well, there's really only two choices there, aren't there? I guess my pick would be Hopkins, the role is just iconic, but I thought Mads got awfully close, and he had the chance to add a lot of nuance that Hopkins didn't.
 
I like all three but definitely prefer Cox as he is so menacing and far less campy than Hopkins theatrical performance. Mads was terrific with the opportunity to give a much more nuanced performancd as well.
 
On a different note, I'm re-bingeing Clone Wars, just 'cause.
 
We started watching Preacher on Prime. Really enjoying this.

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My, my, so much to respond to.


Last night we watched 'The Nightshifter' (2018), a Brazilian horror about a morgue attendant who can speak to the dead... but talking to dead people is not the revelation, just the setup for what follows... it somewhat moves into the background after a bit.
There's nothing all that surprising or new about the plot... but it's got a thick coating of Brazil and the little touches of 'things I don't understand because I'm not from Brazil' set it apart.
Like, I know Brazil has a lot of folks who follow spiritism/spiritualism... but not the specifics of that religion. So the ghosts are... well, are they ghosts? Why do they sometimes have hairy claws?
Not overtly frightening or full of jump scares, but had a lingering creep factor that hit me later when I went to bed and was lying there in the darkness.

Not sure how I'd connect it to gaming... maybe NWoD's Geist RPG, though there was no 'geist' in it, no explanation of how/why the protagonist could see ghosts and speak to the dead.

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Spiritualism in Brazil — Kardecism is popular and also ingrained into the syncretic African-Brazilian belief systems (macumba, umbanda etc.) that combine Yoruba religion with Christianity and 19th century spiritualist theory and practices, to varying degrees. So yeah, it’s pretty much current into the collective Brazilian psyche.

Got me on the hairy claws tho. Didn’t see this one, will look for it.

We just watched Shazam on Netflix. It was alright. I liked the first part better than the showdown. I think it could've done with more funny and less dark.
Right??? For an ostensibly colorful character that often was considered childlike, that was some heavy stuff.
So, who is your favorite Hannibal, and why is it Brian Cox?


Love all three actors to bits but gonna go with Hopkins > Cox > Mikkelsen here.

And if you’re a fan of Mikkelsen and want to see just how amazing his range is (and don’t mind a little off the wall take on alcoholism complete with inevitable tragedy), do check out Druk.
 
Rewatched Carlito's Way just last weekend. Another film I find endlessly watchable. The pool hall and subway sequences are among the best that De Palma has ever done. In the excellent De Palma doc he says that he considers CW his best film, 'I can't make a film better than that.' I think Blow Out is his best film but certainly CW is his most technically accomplished.
One of my favorite movies of all time. A perfect Western, that just happened to be set in the modern day.
 
Just watched Warriors for the first time. Really, really good. Not perfect by any means, but a great piece of moviemaking. Took a quick Google- and Wikipedia-powered look at gang crime in 1970s NYC and was a bit shocked to realize how close to reality the aesthetics (and even bits of the plot) hewed. (And yes, I know about the Anabasis connection.)
 
Just watched Warriors for the first time. Really, really good. Not perfect by any means, but a great piece of moviemaking. Took a quick Google- and Wikipedia-powered look at gang crime in 1970s NYC and was a bit shocked to realize how close to reality the aesthetics (and even bits of the plot) hewed. (And yes, I know about the Anabasis connection.)
A few nights ago I caught another early 80s film on street gangs, an impressive crime thriller set largely in a juvenille detention centre with a good cast of young actors including a shockingly young Sean Penn and Ally Sheedy and future familiar character actors like Clancy Brown.

 
Is it ever made clear of what denomination the preacher actually is? I mean, that church does not look particularly catholic, yet it was implied somewhere in the subtitles that he's catholic.
In the comics, I think he's generally portrayed as Protestant (without ever specifying any particular denomination). Which makes sense for someone growing up around Texas and Louisiana.
 
Just watched Warriors for the first time. Really, really good. Not perfect by any means, but a great piece of moviemaking. Took a quick Google- and Wikipedia-powered look at gang crime in 1970s NYC and was a bit shocked to realize how close to reality the aesthetics (and even bits of the plot) hewed. (And yes, I know about the Anabasis connection.)
There's so much of that movie that I love. The grittyness of late 70's NYC filtered though an almost comic book style hyper-reality, the mythic nature of the plot, the multiple baseball motifs... it's a film that I can sit down at watch at almost any time without hesitation.

 
There's so much of that movie that I love. The grittyness of late 70's NYC filtered though an almost comic book style hyper-reality, the mythic nature of the plot, the multiple baseball motifs... it's a film that I can sit down at watch at almost any time without hesitation.



I adore this movie. As a kid, it was a surrealistic urban nightmare, and it made me fear New York City the way Jaws made me fear the ocean.

Just watched Warriors for the first time. Really, really good. Not perfect by any means, but a great piece of moviemaking. Took a quick Google- and Wikipedia-powered look at gang crime in 1970s NYC and was a bit shocked to realize how close to reality the aesthetics (and even bits of the plot) hewed. (And yes, I know about the Anabasis connection.)

The movie was based on a 1960s novel written by a real-life social worker, Sol Yurick. He doubted gang kids would talk to him, so he got a box truck and drilled holes in the sides. Then he would park the truck near certain street corners before sunrise. He'd climb in the back, and listen to youth gang members talk to each other, so that he could get their slang and verbiage to sound authentic on the page.

Yurick's book is far more realistic and brutal. His gang is monoracial, as many were at that time. They also kill and rape without remorse. It's a good read, though, and it's very interesting to see what made the leap from page to screen and what didn't.

A few nights ago I caught another early 80s film on street gangs, an impressive crime thriller set largely in a juvenille detention centre with a good cast of young actors including a shockingly young Sean Penn and Ally Sheedy and future familiar character actors like Clancy Brown.



Best use of Iron Maiden in a movie ever.

Another really cool and somewhat surreal gang flick is The Wanderers. Also based on a book. It's not as out there as The Warriors, but it's close, and it's very good.
 
I got around to watching Dark Encounters. It is set in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania during 1982 and 1983, and seems to draw a bit of inspiration from the Hopkinsville Goblins Case of 1955. Up until the third act I enjoyed this low budget film, and I thought my only complaints were going to be two weird bits of editing, two possible anachronisms (one of which might have been related to the editing) and a goof by the special effects team.



Then the third act swerve occurred. I didn’t see it coming, in part because it makes the rest of the film seem a mix of Superdickery, a visit by the alien frat bros from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Bender’s cigar burning down an underwater city all at once. The film tries to address part of this, but that just made me sound like Hermes as I said “That just raises more questions!”



Credit where credit is due: I spent a lot of time in the 80s in small Pennsylvanian towns, and the set decor (and swearing) is 100% spot-on. Also, there’s a bit of exposition at the end that will probably seem unrealistic to younger viewers, and geezers like myself will say “No, that’s exactly what 80s talk shows were like.”



Oh, one funny bit: At one point in the trailer three characters are running down a road, and there appears to be a figure at the end of the road that they’re running from. The scene made it into the final film, and I’m still not sure if it’s a trick of the light or someone caught on camera.
 
Just watched Warriors for the first time. Really, really good. Not perfect by any means, but a great piece of moviemaking. Took a quick Google- and Wikipedia-powered look at gang crime in 1970s NYC and was a bit shocked to realize how close to reality the aesthetics (and even bits of the plot) hewed. (And yes, I know about the Anabasis connection.)

Fun fact: While filming the movie, the crew had to pay off local gangs, so their equipment and stuff would not be harmed

They also did an anniversary thing where people paid to go with the cast and follow the route they took from Central Park back to Coney Island. I was already living in Portland, or I'd have jumped at the chance to do it. I love that movie!

A few years ago, Hulu was supposedly going to make a tv adaption, then nothing. One thing they hinted was that the show would be set in a kind of retro-future that looked like the 70s, so maybe it was a good thing that never happened.
 
I finally gave the latest iteration of Creepshow a try, due to an acquaintance working on it. I watched Gray Matter, and actually enjoyed it when it went from small-scale horror to “The world is doomed!“. After the poor transition to that aspect I’m not sure I’ll give the rest of the series a try.
 
They also did an anniversary thing where people paid to go with the cast and follow the route they took from Central Park back to Coney Island. I was already living in Portland, or I'd have jumped at the chance to do it. I love that movie!
Wasn’t it Pelham Bay Park?
 


The great Richard Price wrote the novel, Philip Kaufman directed.

Just rewatched on Prime, after many years, the Oliver Stone directed adaptation of John Ridley's neo-noir debut novel Stay Dogs, retitled as U Turn.

I forgot just how pulp and garish this was, very much in Stone's wheelhouse, great cast too with one of the few early performances by Jennifer Lopez when she still seemed to take her acting more seriously (and is seriously sexy as well).

There are some very tasteless scenes here I can't imagine the self-concious pop star she became tackling these days (although she was good in the recent Hustlers).

Nolte, Phoenix, even Claire Danes all tackle the material with an appropriate excess and gusto and Penn wisely underplays to black comic effect. Fun stuff, the kinda movie I wish got made more often these days.

 
Just finished watching Panic on Amazon Prime. Became predictable towards the end, but it was a pretty decent bit of entertainment.
 
Started watching season 5B of Lucifer. The musical episode was pretty fun. Dennis Haysbert as God was pretty awesome. Also started to rewatch Tobruk on Tubi. Warner had a special sale for Memorial Day, so I snagged 12 Strong, Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes and Battle of the Bulge for 20 bucks. Might try and watch one tomorrow
 
On Friday I watched "Where Eagles Dare" (1968) a World War II espionage/covert ops movie starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, courtesy of Netflix. There's a also a fairly prominent role for a female agent, played by Mary Ure. When the movie starts, it seems to be a straightforward commando story: an American general who has details about Allied plans to invade the continent has been captured and is being held in 'the Eagle's Nest,' a castle high in the mountains of Bavaria, and a team needs to go in and rescue him. It's not a simple 'attack the castle' movie, though; for a fair amount of it the audience knows somebody on the side of the good guys is actually a double agent helping the Nazis, but we're not sure who it is--in particular, we're not really certain whose side Burton's character is on. The heart of the film is a gripping scene in the castle's great hall where this is exposed

I enjoyed the movie, but it reminded me a good deal of a lengthy (2 1/2 hour) episode of the old "Mission Impossible" show. That is, a lot of screen time involved the commandos doing their business without much in the way of dialogue or explanation of what they are up to. Overall, I thought the movie was probably too long. It takes a good while for the team to reach the castle and some of that setup is not all that interesting. Their eventual escape also takes too long and becomes unbelievable. The commando team is chased by a fair number of German soldiers in vehicles, who shoot at them with machine guns, etc. Somehow our heroes are never hit, but destroy I don't recall how many Nazi half-tracks, etc. with their submachine guns.
 
So, finally watcing The Flash. Been meaning to for a while. Just hit season 5. first two seasons, realy good, solid. Got much better once they dropped the "villain of the week" format. Third season least favourite so far, the main villain wasn't very interesting and the pacing was off, but still some good episoes, and a good conclusion. Fourth season just finished, way better than 3rd eason. New type of main villain was interesting, and Elongated Man a good addition to the show. A few hiccups heading towards the conclusion, but another strong finish.

A few little touches I really like:

The Council of Wells is possibly the most awesome thing ever
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especially when "Wells The Grey" shows up
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Characters from the future use Batman Beyond slang

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Baking Soda!
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The abandoned STAR labs hanger is clearly the future Hall of Justice

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The show is veryvery obviously filmed in Vancouver. Some of the regular buildings in the show are ones I pass almost everyday. I've seen my apartment building onscreen multiple times. And they've repurposed the downtown library for like a hundred different buildings, lol.
 
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On a 90s noir kick I rewatched James Foley's excellent After Dark, My Sweet, based on the Jim Thompson novel.

One of the best American films of the decade I think, a pitch perfect, classic noir with great central performances by Jason Patric, Rachel Ward and Bruce Dern. Patric is particularly terrific.

Sometimes everything comes together and you get a film like this.

 
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With my neck and shoulder in its current state I have to ration time on the computer, so I've been watching a bit of TV instead.

Watched a few anime series on Netflix over the past few weeks - Norigami season 1 and Anohana, which is kind of self-contained. Also watched season 1 and 2 of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure recently.
  • Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - Really a bit shonen for my tastes and quite samey, just epic battle after epic battle. However, at least it didn't take itself entirely seriously. Some of the Steven King references and use of Walk Like an Egyptian in the closing credits of season 2 held a bit of amusement value. I keep seeing statements to the effect that season 3 and 4 are much better, but they're not on Netflix.
  • Norigami - shonen-ish urban fantasy about a failed god, taken from the POV of a totally-not-a-catgirl waifu character. Not bad, again not taking itself entirely seriously.
  • Anohana - ghost story with a young-adult vibe. It did stray into out-and-out tear jerker territory, possibly unnecessarily so, but it was a nice story. One thing I have to come to like about Japanese material - even mainstream titles that aren't meant to be particularly highbrow - is that it usually does a better job of exploring emotions and flawed characters than Hollywood does.
Mrs Nobby-W Nobby-W grew up on this stuff as a lot of Japanese TV got exported all over Asia, so I've kind of gotten into it a bit over the past few years (although she now claims she's gone off anime and onto Korean soaps). I did recognise a particular brand of convenience store sake in Norigami from a Chris Broad video, so maybe I should just give in to my inner weeb and get Funimation and Crunchyroll subscriptions.
 
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I lived in southwest Ohio for part of my childhood, and I always got excited passing Union Terminal in Cincinnati, which was clearly the Hall of Justice.
And now the site of a cool local history museum, if memory serves.

My wife and I watched To Have and Have Not, a Bogart/Bacall film (maybe the Bogart/Bacall film) directed by Howard Hawks. It’s based on a Hemingway story and William Faulkner got some of the writing credit. So I guess I don’t have to say that it’s very good. Walter Brennan particularly shines as Bogart’s alcoholic sidekick. I’d not seen it in ages, and my wife had never seen it at all, so we really enjoyed it.

The movie features the classic ‘you know how to whistle’ exchange between Bogart and Bacall, and also a section where Bogart uses the prisoners’ dilemma on two thugs: ‘one of you is going to talk first, so the other one is going to get slapped around for nothing.’
 
So, finally watcing The Flash. Been meaning to for a while. Just hit season 5. first two seasons, realy good, solid. Got much better once they dropped the "villain of the week" format. Third season least favourite so far, the main villain wasn't very interesting and the pacing was off, but still some good episoes, and a good conclusion. Fourth season just finished, way better than 3rd eason. New type of main villain was interesting, and Elongated Man a good addition to the show. A few hiccups heading towards the conclusion, but another strong finish.
You're already on the downhill slope, so enjoy the good episodes as they come- they become more and more rare.
 
And now the site of a cool local history museum, if memory serves.

My wife and I watched To Have and Have Not, a Bogart/Bacall film (maybe the Bogart/Bacall film) directed by Howard Hawks. It’s based on a Hemingway story and William Faulkner got some of the writing credit. So I guess I don’t have to say that it’s very good. Walter Brennan particularly shines as Bogart’s alcoholic sidekick. I’d not seen it in ages, and my wife had never seen it at all, so we really enjoyed it.

The movie features the classic ‘you know how to whistle’ exchange between Bogart and Bacall, and also a section where Bogart uses the prisoners’ dilemma on two thugs: ‘one of you is going to talk first, so the other one is going to get slapped around for nothing.’

Just an FYI, I LOVE that movie, particularly the little dance Bacall does at the end. Something about it makes me so irrationally happy.



Damn she was sexy and smart and amazingly enough only 20 years old at the time!

I've never encountered a 20 year old with that level of self-possession, even if she was mostly faking it for the camera. They really don't make them like that anymore.

The film famously has practically nothing to do with the Hemingway novel which was later adapted more faithfully by Curtiz with a career-best performance by John Garfield under the title Breaking Point. Highly recommended.

 
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