This Week in Geek (8-13/05/07)

Buys

A number of DVDs came in this week including Ronin, which had been on back order since forever (in fact, since Dave's Long Box had recommended it, more on that further down). I also got Murder One seasons 1 and 2, basically because they were on sale and I remember enjoying the show back in the day, and the Alejandro Jodorowsky boxed set. I saw his Holy Mountain off a Japanese laser disc that whited out all the pubic hair (but not the sexual organs, you understand) through a friend of mine who'd studied in film (also responsible for my interest in Peter Greenaway). I later got a number of comics written by Jodorowsky, frequently drawn by the great Moebius, and it's same kind of f*cked-up buddhist sh!t. Which is a compliment where I come from.

"Accomplishments"

Made 18 cards for my Unauthorized Dr. Who CCG, still all from The Invasion (about a half dozen to go this week, probably). What? You say you want to see a little Cyberman action? Sure, I can swing that:

Warcrap? Still running at 2 levels a week at this point, Lynda goes from 41 to 43 and pretty much leaves Tanaris for Feralas. The dry weather just wasn't agreeing with her.

Flipped the tape on The Batman Season 1, the "next gen" cartoon show starring the world's most popular superhero. And it IS a superhero show, rather than a more realistic crime show. I took it for what it was, and didn't feel the need to compare it with the earlier Animated Series. And I liked it! Batman is a little more gadget-oriented, and they've really played around with the villains, but it's a cool interpretation. The heart of the series is definitely his "friend on the force", Ethan Bennett, a character not in the comics, but very much appreciated here. DVD extras are pretty slim however - I never quite understand why "villain files" and such are required if they're just gonna be clips of the episodes I just watched.

A long time coming was the Ronin DVD, but it was worth the wait. I'd never seen this action thriller, possibly because I mixed it up in my head with Black Rain or somesuch. It's a great action picture, with (Dave's right) one of the top 5 car chases of all time, an excellent cast, and a Mamet-approved script. I liked everything about. A complex story. Incredibly intelligent characters. Lots of subtext. No insulting my intelligence. When Robert DeNiro basically operates on himself and then excuses himself while he finally passes out, I giggled like a school girl. And yet, it's also very affecting. Definitely underrated. A full disc of extras, and a director's commentary by John Frankenheimer (somewhat technical at times, but not overly so). Only one thing puzzles me, and it's not "what's in the case?" Rather, it's the Amazon.ca recommendation as "perfect pairing" for this movie:

Ok, I'm off to bed. You have a good one.

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