Master of Disaster
Ugh. Complete garbage movie. Jackie Chan is in it for like 4 minutes and it has nothing to do with the main story. Lau Kar Leung has fallen far from grace in this one. I hated this.
The Circulating Lifeblood of Ideas: Leo Steinberg’s Library of Prints
This is a rare instance where the writing in the art book might be the most interesting part of it. Sure there a ton of prints featured here, but they tend to be small reproductions that are lacking needed detail. Steinberg’s use of prints, especially copies of paintings, as a metric for gauging contemporary ideas and beliefs is a fantastic way to appreciate printmaking. It really elevates the importance of the print in art history. Now if only everyone could read this and then boost the sales of my prints!
Cat Quest on PC
I initially liked the no nonsense action-oriented combat of this RPG but I soon realized that it was just the same thing over and over again. I think the biggest hook here is not the insipid cat theming, but that the entire game is played on the over-world map. Other than that, the story is immediately forgettable, there is no actual “role playing,” and there is no variety or strategy in the battles.
Whom Gods Destroy
This was a depressing crime story about a loser who returns to his old home town and tries to prove himself by becoming the biggest bootlegger around. He ends up succeeding and burning every bridge along the way. The story was frustrating because the protagonist was just unlikable and always made the worst decisions. Initially you want to root for the guy but that sentiment fades about a quarter the way through the story.
The Spirit and the Mouse on PC
It’s another freebee game from the Epic game store! I guess it was okay. There’s a deliberate Studio Ghibi vibe here in that it’s a story filled with Asian spiritual mysticism that takes place in a quaint European village. You control a mouse who is granted electrical powers from a spirit and you must go through the village and restore power to the various frustrated citizens.
The vast majority of the game play is exploring the town looking for collectables—not my favorite—as you help minor spirits accomplish various tasks. These range from “find every mailbox” to “match the symbols.” This is definitely a kids’ game. A kids’ game in which the main character commits suicide in the last reel. Fun stuff!
Collection - Wood Engraving
My art output this year has admittedly been lacking, but I finally managed to edition this new wood engraving. It’s a ball of stuff—a collection if you will. What are we but the images, words and sounds we collect?
The image was engraved into an end-grain maple block from which it was printed by hand using Gamblin Portland Intense Black ink.
Printing the Wood Engraving
Process Images
Click the thumbnail images to zoom in.
Mad Max on PC
My first and biggest complaint about this video game adaptation of Mad Max is that there weren’t enough Australian accents. And, aside from some of the vehicular combat, it doesn’t really feel like Mad Max. Sure, it does a good job in replicating the look of the movies complete with War Boys, endless desert, and fantastical cars galore. But the whole post-apocalyptic wasteland was much more interesting in Fallout. Here the open world seems barren and the characters inhabiting it are just as empty.
Despite all this, as a game is does what it needs to do. On foot, the combat is a poor man’s version of the rhythmic punching of the Batman games. Time your blocks and mash the A button when you get an opening. The game is at it’s best on convoy missions where you chase down a group of cars and shoot, ram and run them off the road. It’s not quite the epic automotive battles of the movies, but at least there is some sense of the mayhem that George Miller was able to capture on film.
The King Tide
Slow burn folk horror a fishing village that’s more of a comment on the origins of religions than anything else. A baby is found who can heal people and hilarity ensues.
The Deep
Intense SCUBA action! The movie seems like endless scenes of the main characters digging in the sea floor looking for treasure and gesturing to each other in lieu of speaking. There is a good movie buried somewhere here but it’s about a half an hour too long.
Journey to the Seventh Planet
A bright and colorful 60s sci-fi B-movie about astronauts who travel to Uranus only to be trapped by an alien force. The alien creates a world filled with places from their memories and also a bunch of Hollywood starlets. The first act works pretty well but it soon falls apart with only a giant, one-eyed stop-motion rat being its saving grace.