Buys
Pretty big week on the DVD front. I got four Shaw Bros. films to stock up some Kung Fu Fridays, including The Master, Martial Club (my man Gordon Liu AND my young auntie!), Flag of Iron and The Deadly Duo. BBC World also came out with 5 classic Doctor Who stories in 4 releases: The Space Museum and the Chase (1st Doctor), The Time Monster (3rd), Underworld (4th) and The Horns of Nimon (4th). Snapped them all up. But the most important buy of the week was Chuck Season 2, as you will see...
"Accomplishments"
D
VDs: So yeah, I got Chuck Season 2 around noon Monday, and since then, I've not only watched its 22 episodes, but gone back to watch the original 13 AND thanks to Internet sources, Season 3's 19 episodes (don't worry, I've pre-ordered the boxed set, they'll still get my money). Call me officially OBSESSED. But if we stick with Season 2 for the purposes of This Week, I believe it to be the funniest. We spend a lot of time developing the BuyMore, not to say the Chuck-Casey relationship isn't hilarious as well. Each episode genuinely gets at least one belly laugh out of me, and those who know me, know that I'm not very easy to make laugh. Weep like a nancy boy, yes. Laugh, not so much. Because I've done so much improv comedy, I am extremely critical of written comedy. Even when I find it funny, I won't be laughing out loud. All that to say, it's high praise. The DVD's extras are a mixed bag however, with one featurette pretty much just recapping the season I just watched, and a 3D version of one of the episodes, with glasses included (silly and headache-inducing). The feature on the show's stunts is tons better, and there are once again little webisode-type sketches and lots of very funny deleted scenes (oh, and outtakes). Season 4 can't come soon enough.
As if 55 episodes wasn't enough to cure my espionage fix, I also finished the first season of Mission: Impossible. Sadly, Paramount doesn't do justice to its classic television series. Star Trek had few extras compared to the material that is surely available, and an unrealistically high price point. MI is even worse (though I did get the series on sale) with no extras whatsoever, not even subtitles. Picture and sound quality is excellent, but otherwise, nada. And it's too bad too, because there's lots to tell about the creation of this landmark series, surviving actors to speak to, and stories to tell. The character of Briggs was replaced by Mr. Phelps after this season, but I still like him and the more jovial camaraderie of the cast early on. Towards the middle, the show settles down to the format we remember well, and we're not told too many details of the mission, allowing the audience to be as surprised as the duped guest characters. The sweet spot, for me, is The Short Tailed Spy, a wonderfully directed and acted Cinnamon Carter episode that must've been a large part of why she won the Emmy that year. Oh, I've got a thang for lady spies alright.
On Kung Fu Friday, we watched the second part of John Woo's incredible epic Red Cliff. Wow. This huge, almost five-hour film recreates some of the most famous battles of Chinese history from its Three Kingdoms era, with a wonderful cast headed by my personal favorite, Tony Leung. And while he's awesome in it, there are tons of other characters to love here, from the Mulan-like princess who goes undercover to the beefy warrior who tackles a horse. The film could have been shorter, but Woo fills it with so much detail and texture, I wouldn't want it to be. Each part has its own front and end credits, so it feels perfectly natural to watch it on two nights anyway. The length need not scare you. The DVD has about a hour's worth of behind the scenes documentary, focusing mostly on the production side of things. John Woo's team had to face such things as constant flooding to random fires to a baby that wouldn't smile for the camera. While this is good stuff, I would have hoped for more, especially on the actors' side of things and perhaps more historical discussion about the legendary characters and events portrayed. Regardless, Red Cliff comes highly recommended.
RPGs: Our Evernight session this week finally revealed to the players why the game is called that as perpetual, smog-filled night came to Valousia. Otherwise, the session was mostly spent on survival, and in firebombing a tribe of orcs standing in the party's way. The big hero was our resident dwarf and his sidekick, a barrel of oil. I feel the players are finally starting to exploit Savage Worlds to a fuller extent, invoking modifiers and dirty tricks in order to get the upper hand in combat. As far as the system goes, it was our third night, and it's definitely flowing smoothly and quickly. In that time, we've also discovered that damage is not a fun thing in SW. Or rather, that healing is not very effective or easy. I like that, actually. The jeopardy feels more real, and yet there are many ways to avoid permanent injury.
Hyperion to a Satyr entries this week include:
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Zeffirelli (1990)
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Kline (1990)
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Hamlet 2000
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Fodor (2007)
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Tennant (2009)
Pretty big week on the DVD front. I got four Shaw Bros. films to stock up some Kung Fu Fridays, including The Master, Martial Club (my man Gordon Liu AND my young auntie!), Flag of Iron and The Deadly Duo. BBC World also came out with 5 classic Doctor Who stories in 4 releases: The Space Museum and the Chase (1st Doctor), The Time Monster (3rd), Underworld (4th) and The Horns of Nimon (4th). Snapped them all up. But the most important buy of the week was Chuck Season 2, as you will see..."Accomplishments"
D
VDs: So yeah, I got Chuck Season 2 around noon Monday, and since then, I've not only watched its 22 episodes, but gone back to watch the original 13 AND thanks to Internet sources, Season 3's 19 episodes (don't worry, I've pre-ordered the boxed set, they'll still get my money). Call me officially OBSESSED. But if we stick with Season 2 for the purposes of This Week, I believe it to be the funniest. We spend a lot of time developing the BuyMore, not to say the Chuck-Casey relationship isn't hilarious as well. Each episode genuinely gets at least one belly laugh out of me, and those who know me, know that I'm not very easy to make laugh. Weep like a nancy boy, yes. Laugh, not so much. Because I've done so much improv comedy, I am extremely critical of written comedy. Even when I find it funny, I won't be laughing out loud. All that to say, it's high praise. The DVD's extras are a mixed bag however, with one featurette pretty much just recapping the season I just watched, and a 3D version of one of the episodes, with glasses included (silly and headache-inducing). The feature on the show's stunts is tons better, and there are once again little webisode-type sketches and lots of very funny deleted scenes (oh, and outtakes). Season 4 can't come soon enough.
As if 55 episodes wasn't enough to cure my espionage fix, I also finished the first season of Mission: Impossible. Sadly, Paramount doesn't do justice to its classic television series. Star Trek had few extras compared to the material that is surely available, and an unrealistically high price point. MI is even worse (though I did get the series on sale) with no extras whatsoever, not even subtitles. Picture and sound quality is excellent, but otherwise, nada. And it's too bad too, because there's lots to tell about the creation of this landmark series, surviving actors to speak to, and stories to tell. The character of Briggs was replaced by Mr. Phelps after this season, but I still like him and the more jovial camaraderie of the cast early on. Towards the middle, the show settles down to the format we remember well, and we're not told too many details of the mission, allowing the audience to be as surprised as the duped guest characters. The sweet spot, for me, is The Short Tailed Spy, a wonderfully directed and acted Cinnamon Carter episode that must've been a large part of why she won the Emmy that year. Oh, I've got a thang for lady spies alright.
On Kung Fu Friday, we watched the second part of John Woo's incredible epic Red Cliff. Wow. This huge, almost five-hour film recreates some of the most famous battles of Chinese history from its Three Kingdoms era, with a wonderful cast headed by my personal favorite, Tony Leung. And while he's awesome in it, there are tons of other characters to love here, from the Mulan-like princess who goes undercover to the beefy warrior who tackles a horse. The film could have been shorter, but Woo fills it with so much detail and texture, I wouldn't want it to be. Each part has its own front and end credits, so it feels perfectly natural to watch it on two nights anyway. The length need not scare you. The DVD has about a hour's worth of behind the scenes documentary, focusing mostly on the production side of things. John Woo's team had to face such things as constant flooding to random fires to a baby that wouldn't smile for the camera. While this is good stuff, I would have hoped for more, especially on the actors' side of things and perhaps more historical discussion about the legendary characters and events portrayed. Regardless, Red Cliff comes highly recommended.
RPGs: Our Evernight session this week finally revealed to the players why the game is called that as perpetual, smog-filled night came to Valousia. Otherwise, the session was mostly spent on survival, and in firebombing a tribe of orcs standing in the party's way. The big hero was our resident dwarf and his sidekick, a barrel of oil. I feel the players are finally starting to exploit Savage Worlds to a fuller extent, invoking modifiers and dirty tricks in order to get the upper hand in combat. As far as the system goes, it was our third night, and it's definitely flowing smoothly and quickly. In that time, we've also discovered that damage is not a fun thing in SW. Or rather, that healing is not very effective or easy. I like that, actually. The jeopardy feels more real, and yet there are many ways to avoid permanent injury.Hyperion to a Satyr entries this week include:
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Zeffirelli (1990)
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Kline (1990)
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Hamlet 2000
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Fodor (2007)
I.v.The Ghost's Tale - Tennant (2009)
Comments
It's pretty good.