Buys
BBC World is pushing out the less well regarded 4th Doctor stories lately, and of course I'm getting them all. This week, it's Creature from the Pit. And God have mercy on my soul.
"Accomplishments"
DVDs: Kung Fu Friday's selection was Jet Li's The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk (AKA The Legend here in America), a delightful martial arts comedy featuring the Chinese folk hero we of course know nothing about. Though Jet obviously has some incredible fight scenes (the crowd surfing fight especially), it's his mom played by Josephine Siao who steals the show both with her kung fu and her comedy. The 1992 music is often cheesy, but I'm a big fan of Jet Li's more light-hearted early 90s work. The DVD has the usual expert commentary track by Dragon Dynasty's Bey Logan, as well as strong interviews with both the director and the writer (the latter in English). What are you waiting for, Dragon Dynasty? Release Legend II already!
I also flipped Warriors' Gate, the last 4th Doctor story in the E-Space trilogy. It's Romana's swan song and she takes K9 Mark II with her. It's also a visually interesting story, far outstripping those of the era directorially. However, it's saddled with an often incomprehensible plot. Script editor Bidmead's usual blend of opaque science and oriental mysticism never worked for me, I have to say. Romana is probably more prominent than the Doctor in this one, and that's not a complaint. The DVD includes a good commentary track, though Lalla Ward seems more crabby than usual. The documentary is strong, with cocky director Paul Joyce a highlight. The retrospective interview about Adric makes sense in the context of the boxed set, but seems out of place on a story he hardly appears in. Much more fun is the feature on Romana II's outfits. Nothing much of interest in the deleted/extended scenes however.
RPGs: We played the penultimate game of our Evernight campaign, a big set piece that sets up the final chapter. It's probably a good thing that we'll soon be ending, because the characters are getting rather unbeatable. I've had a hard time restraining Fighting and Toughness bonuses (well, I purposely didn't try to) so they feel Legendary already even if they're only Veterans. It's my feeling that I would never run a Savage Worlds campaign for years on end for this reason. Or else be very very stingy with items of power. I had the players fill out a ballot about their personal heroic destinies at the end, and I'll be tailoring encounters to try and accommodate those potential endings next week.
Hyperion to a Satyr posts this week:
II.i. Reynaldo - Branagh '96
BBC World is pushing out the less well regarded 4th Doctor stories lately, and of course I'm getting them all. This week, it's Creature from the Pit. And God have mercy on my soul.
"Accomplishments"
DVDs: Kung Fu Friday's selection was Jet Li's The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk (AKA The Legend here in America), a delightful martial arts comedy featuring the Chinese folk hero we of course know nothing about. Though Jet obviously has some incredible fight scenes (the crowd surfing fight especially), it's his mom played by Josephine Siao who steals the show both with her kung fu and her comedy. The 1992 music is often cheesy, but I'm a big fan of Jet Li's more light-hearted early 90s work. The DVD has the usual expert commentary track by Dragon Dynasty's Bey Logan, as well as strong interviews with both the director and the writer (the latter in English). What are you waiting for, Dragon Dynasty? Release Legend II already!
I also flipped Warriors' Gate, the last 4th Doctor story in the E-Space trilogy. It's Romana's swan song and she takes K9 Mark II with her. It's also a visually interesting story, far outstripping those of the era directorially. However, it's saddled with an often incomprehensible plot. Script editor Bidmead's usual blend of opaque science and oriental mysticism never worked for me, I have to say. Romana is probably more prominent than the Doctor in this one, and that's not a complaint. The DVD includes a good commentary track, though Lalla Ward seems more crabby than usual. The documentary is strong, with cocky director Paul Joyce a highlight. The retrospective interview about Adric makes sense in the context of the boxed set, but seems out of place on a story he hardly appears in. Much more fun is the feature on Romana II's outfits. Nothing much of interest in the deleted/extended scenes however.
RPGs: We played the penultimate game of our Evernight campaign, a big set piece that sets up the final chapter. It's probably a good thing that we'll soon be ending, because the characters are getting rather unbeatable. I've had a hard time restraining Fighting and Toughness bonuses (well, I purposely didn't try to) so they feel Legendary already even if they're only Veterans. It's my feeling that I would never run a Savage Worlds campaign for years on end for this reason. Or else be very very stingy with items of power. I had the players fill out a ballot about their personal heroic destinies at the end, and I'll be tailoring encounters to try and accommodate those potential endings next week.Hyperion to a Satyr posts this week:
II.i. Reynaldo - Branagh '96
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