When I heard that this game featured Michael Biehn as the main voice actor I was intrigued. When I saw that it was an over-the-top homage to eighties science fiction and action movies I had to have it. The game doesn’t disappoint in the nostalgia department. In addition to the neon Tron-style art direction, there is tons of cheesy dialogue, 8-bit cut scenes (including a power rock training montage), and an incredibly cool synthesizer-based soundtrack. In terms of story, the game has nothing to do with FarCry other than it using the same game engine and open-world mechanics. There is a good balance of stealth and good old-fashioned shoot everything gun play. This sells for cheap and is well worth the low price despite its short game length.
Although it can be a toss-up between On the Mouth and Foolish, it think this is my favorite Superchunk record. It has just the right ratio of punkiness in the mix. These songs are for jumping around and spazzing-out but they have just enough maturity and songwriting craft there to escalate them above your typical sophomoric “pop-punk.” I still think “The Question Is How Fast” is their best song ever.
Mindless popcorn fair that manages to be entertaining without getting too annoying. The story and characters are really, REALLY dumb, but at least there was an attempt to put some human interest into it.
This was my introduction to Superchunk so, although I don’t think it’s their best, it still is one of my favorites. The only time I ever saw them live was during the tour for this record. I went to the show because Kevin Seconds’ Drop Acid was opening up. I had no idea who Superchunk was, but I was quickly converted as they bounce around on stage and blew away that opening band which was so forgettable that I forgot I typed their name one sentence ago. Side-note: I remember that it was also the night that Magic Johnson announced that he had AIDS. Surprisingly both Magic and Superchunk are still going strong today.
Superchunk has followed a rather standard indie band trajectory by starting their career with a rough, punky debut before moving on to more produced and tuneful records. This CD is good, but it is not at the level of greatness that subsequent records achieved.
I’ve heard a few interviews with Taleb and he can be very interesting so I tried to give one of his books a try knowing that much of it would probably be over my head. It really wasn’t as dense as I expected. In fact, he uses many easily understandable anecdotes and examples to demonstrate his observations on why we tend to incorrectly confuse random outcomes with successful insights/predictions. Maybe a little too much focus on finance than I really need to hear, but overall an provocative read.
A mediocre crime film from the forties with lots of hammy acting and a thoroughly ridiculous plot involving reviving an executed murderer.
It was a rainy Halloween here in Chicago so my usual program of manning the front door, blasting creepy sound effects records and watching old (mildly) kid-friendly horror movies was cut a little shorter than usual. I did manage to watch Mario Bava’s Baron Blood. Not his best work but it has its moments. If you think burnt pilgrims are scary, this is the movie for you.
I also re-watched Four Flies on Grey Velvet. This is another Argento film that gets better with every viewing (I gave it a 7 when I first saw it). The plot is full of holes and has a vital clue that relies on such phony, crap science that it’s hard to suspend disbelief at all. But this is another Argento that is filled with humor, stunning visuals and another great, experimental Morricone score. So, if I were to rank Argento films this is how I would do it:
- Suspiria
- Deep Red
- The Bird With the Crystal Plumage
- Inferno
- Tenebre
- Four Flies on Grey Velvet
- Opera
- Phenomena
- Cat o’ Nine Tails
- The Stendahl Syndrome
- Jennifer (from Masters of Horror)
Beyond these there’s just a bunch of forgettable garbage.
A noir crime film from 1954 that features a young Charles Bronson (credited as Charles Buchinsky) as the heavy in a group of three escaped cons. They leap through some gaping plot holes to enlist a former inmate buddy (who just wants settle down with his wife and make good) into their plot to pull off the ultimate bank robbery. Despite the logical flaws in the story, this was quite an entertaining film with a touch of realism at times and cartoonish characterization at other moments.
Yma Sumac had a voice that supposedly spanned five octaves. That alone would make for an interesting recording artist, but here we get her soaring voice backed with exotic space-age bachelor pad arrangements. It’s a great disc to play while enjoying cocktails on a lazy tropical evening.
