Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 25

Do we really need

a sequel to Blade Runner?

No, we absolutely do not.

That said, will I go watch Ryan Gosling try to fill Harrison Ford's shoes in this sequel, Blade Runner 2049?



Yes, yes I will.  I just can't stop myself; I don't even want to.

Doing what's easiest vs. doing what's right

All too often, I encounter people doing whatever is easiest for themselves rather than making the small extra effort necessary to do what's right for their clients or friends or families. Tonight, leaving work, I encountered a perfect small example.

I was stepping out of an elevator in our office building into the lobby. The floor of the lobby is tile. The room was brightly lit and recently mopped, but enough of the water had dried that I didn't initially notice any of the floor was still wet. After a few steps, I almost slipped, caught myself, and then sighed. I'd complained before that when the janitorial team mopped, they should put out a "wet floor" caution sign so folks would avoid slipping--or at least have notice that they should.

As I was carefully continuing my walk to the door, I noticed there was indeed a "wet floor" sign--but in a corner, out of view of either elevator, near the door the cleaning crew probably took to exit the lobby. The sign was technically in the lobby, and its location was probably convenient for the person doing the mopping, but it did absolutely no good whatsoever.

Oh, what a difference just a little bit of thought and consideration could make.

The second trailer for Atomic Blonde

only makes me want to see it more.



Yup, I am so there, maybe even on Friday, July 28, the day it appears.

Colossal intrigues and ultimately satisfies

Most films today follow entirely predictable paths. When you enter the theater, though you won't guess every detail of the storyline, you will already know the shape of the plot and the outline of the ending. Colossal is not one of those movies. As long as you don't read any spoilers, you are unlikely to see just where this one is going, much less how it ends.

Consequently, I don't want to tell you much about the plot. I will say that it's SF, but SF in the here and now, where the fantastic element takes a while to assert itself. I will also say that the acting and directing are strong and both contribute beautifully to the film's growing tension. I expected a good turn from Anne Hathaway, but I was pleasantly surprised by what an excellent performance Jason Sudeikis turned in. The film is quiet, at least most of the time, but it is still compelling.

I very much recommend Colossal, but go with as little knowledge of the movie as you can. This one deserves more attention than it has gotten.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

I went to see this movie for two reasons: I'm a sucker for director/co-writer Guy Ritchie's style, and I'm generally a fan of King Arthur stories. I entered the theater more than a little concerned, though, because critics had widely panned the film. As of this writing, for example, its Rottentomatoes scores are 27% for critics--but 78% for the audience.

I stand with the audience. Yes, the movie is a hot mess with a heavy measure of social commentary applied entirely too liberally, but the style is classic Ritchie, the soundtrack is spot on, the key cast members chew just the right amount of scenery, and the sets are wonderful.

The story borrows from the classic legend only what the writers felt like taking, which is to say that if you're expecting this film to fit well in the Arthurian canon, you will be quite disappointed. If you're willing to let it play out, though, and if you can accept Arthur as yet another kid with special talents raised rough on the street, then you'll have a grand time.

As is my way, I wanted the movie to work, so I had a fine time with it.

Of course, like most movies these days, this one's story requires you not to think too hard at any turn, because key elements stretch your disbelief to the breaking point, but if you're willing to do that, you'll enjoy it.

I recommend the film with those caveats and must admit that I enjoyed it. It will and not should win awards, but it's a fine summer flick with a decent heart.

How I fared in my UFC 211 picks

I'm happy to report that I was right in my picks of the two championship bouts on tonight's UFC PPV event. I chose both champs to win, and they did.

I said that heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic would beat challenger Junior dos Santos by TKO, and indeed Miocic did just that. I was also right to note that it would come before the end of the third round, but I was off in my belief that the fight might go as long as three rounds. Instead, Miocic polished off dos Santos in brutal fashion mid-way through the first round.

Strawweight belt-holder Joanna Jedrzejczyk dominated challenger Jessica Andrade for all five rounds of their bout and emerged with the decision victory, as I predicted. Andrade deserves a ton of credit, though, for taking a huge number of hits and never slowing down, never giving up, and even hurting the champ in the first round. Andrade is tough as nails. For now, though, Jedrzejczyk is untouchable in her division and really ought to be ranked second on the pound-for-pound charts (behind men's flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson).

For the next big UFC event, I might take more risks and call more fights, but I'm definitely happy with tonight's results.

Calling tomorrow night's two main UFC fights

Tomorrow night, UFC 211 will feature two championship matches:  heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic vs. challenger Junior dos Santos, and women's flyweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. challenger Jessica Andrade. I'm looking forward to watching both fights, but I'm going on record now with my prediction: the current champs will come home with their belts.

Miocic is quicker, in better condition, and more powerful than dos Santos. Unless dos Santos gets lucky early, which could always happen, Miocic is going to hit him until he drops him. Miocic will earn the victory, and probably by TKO before the end of the third round.

Jedrzejczyk is a buzz-saw of a champion with a significant reach advantage over Andrade. Andrade is definitely tough, and Jedrzejczyk has plenty of holes in her game, but so far no one has really taken advantage of them. This one is likely to go the distance, but one way or another, Jedrzejczyk's hands will go up in the end.

I'll let you know after the fights how I did.

Star Destroyers

is the name of the upcoming Baen anthology, edited by Tony Daniel and Christopher Ruocchio, in which I have a new story, "Another Solution." I mentioned the book in
I've seen the Kurt Miller cover, and it definitely fits the title; this is a classic space war SF cover.

I've also read a David Drake story that will be in the book, and it's quite good.

I do like my piece. I hope you do, too.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can yet read the book.

Yup, I'm teasing again.

You know you travel too much when

the only restaurant in which you eat dinner twice in a month is in an airport. In my case, this happened tonight in the DFW Au Bon Pain in Terminal A near gate 33. I had a fairly tight connection and needed some sort of meal, so I grabbed a small sandwich and some fruit there.

Just to prove to myself that I'm not set in my ways, however, I did not order my usual (chicken Caesar wrap) and instead opted for another sandwich with similar calories (ham and cheese and lettuce). Take that, those who would pigeonhole me!

I'm now home for a couple of weeks, and I'm mighty glad to be here.

Keeping it simple and delicious at Bouchon

My colleagues and I dined tonight at Thomas Keller's lovely Bouchon in the Venetian. The bread and butter are so good that I could almost live on them, but instead I opted to add the steak frites, a dish in which the steak is good but the frites are better. I made them better still by asking to have truffles on them--a standard offering of the restaurant.

Wow, was it good.

Click the image to see a larger version.
In a stunning display of self-control, I scraped the butter off the steak and gave a chunk of my frites to a colleague. I still didn't come close to finishing them. The small steak, though a tough cut, proved to be perfectly prepared and delicious.

You really cannot go wrong with a Thomas Keller restaurant.

If only I'd had the time to eat brunch at Bouchon, my time there would have been complete.