E.R. Torre's Blog, page 85

Skyscraper poster…

During the Superbowl (I think) there was a trailer for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s latest film (I believe he has something like 563 films coming out this year), of which the following poster has appeared:

In the trailer, which ends with this jump, I turned to my wife and said: “Welp, I guess that’s how that character dies.”

Other people have noted the same, as pointed out in this amusing article by Lee Moran and presented on Huffington Post:

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new movie poster baffles fans online

My favorite notation on the poster was the first one, presented by James Smythe on twitter.  He did the math:

R.I.P. Mr. Johnson.

A little late…

…but I just found it.  From observer.com:

Rex Reed’s 10 Best and Worst Films of 2017

Last year I had fun with the 10 “Worst” films on Mr. Reed’s list (you can read that here) and, while he doesn’t offer many comments for why he feels these particular films are worthy of falling on the worst of list (though several of them have links to his reviews of the films), I’ll nonetheless present his list here (if you’re interested in what he considers the best movies of the year, click on the link!):

Mother!
The Disaster Artist
Get Out
The Layover
The Cure for Wellness
It
Downsizing
Suburbicon
Colossal
Fallen

Mother! certainly had its share of detractors and, of the list presented, is the one I’m most curious to see, if I should have the time.  I know perhaps a little too much about it at this point, so it doesn’t seem terribly likely I will get that opportunity, despite whatever curiosity I may have.

Intriguingly, he really didn’t like Get Out, which was one of the more successful films that came out in the last year.

I was familiar with all the other films save for the last on the list, Fallen.  I had to look that one up and, having read its plot, doubt I want to see it.  The IMDB listing is here, if you’re at all curious.

Aaaaanddddd…

Here’s where the rubber hits the proverbial road.

Once again, I’ve got a list of intriguing titles of which I’ve seen not a single one of the films on it.  As I mentioned, I won’t list Mr. Reed’s 10 Best films of 2017, but of those, I’ve also not seen a single one on that list.

Intriguingly, though not falling on either list, Mr. Reed was not as impressed by many critics regarding both Dunkirk and The Shape of Water, the film that currently has the most Oscar nominations for any film released last year.

Heath Ledger…

Over at slashfilm.com and in an article written by Hoai-Tran Bui concerning…

Heath Ledger had planned to return as the Joker after The Dark Knight

While I don’t want to spoil the article, which itself is lifted from a news.com.au article, features an interview with Kate Ledger, Heath Ledger’s sister, who states that indeed it was Mr. Ledger’s intention to return as the Joker in the next Christopher Nolan directed Batman film.

A true shame.

I know there are those who don’t like the third Nolan Batman film, but I’m not one of them.  I don’t feel the film was superb (I’d tend to agree with most fans and critics that The Dark Knight, the second film in the trilogy and the one featuring Mr. Ledger as the Joker, was the overall best of the lot), mind you, but I think people were being overly harsh when they beat it down.

Regardless, hearing about this makes one all the sadder regarding Mr. Ledger’s passing.

Would the third film have been considerably different with Ledger back in the role of the Joker?

I suspect so.

Would we have still seen Bane and Catwoman and Talia?

Perhaps, though I suspect Bane’s role would have been much smaller.

Still, a sad shame we never got to see more of Mr. Ledger, not only in this role, but likely in the possibility of having a robust career with many other interesting roles.

Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood…

This is, frankly, shocking.

Ellie Shechet on Jezebel.com has the following article:

Back in 1981 there came the shocking news that actress Natalie Wood, known for roles in Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story (among others) and then wife of Robert Wagner, disappeared from the family’s yacht and was later found drowned.

Aboard the yacht at the time was Robert Wagner, Christopher Walken, and Captain Dennis Davern.

Of course, there were plenty of rumors spread at that time regarding her death.  Christopher Walken, who as mentioned was on board the yacht, was starring with Mrs. Wood in the movie Brainstorm.  Were they involved in some other way?  Did this lead to some kind of confrontation between Wagner and Wood?  Were they simply partying too hard and she accidentally fell of the yacht?  More darkly: Was she pushed?

There were many questions but the case was essentially concluded as an accidental drowning and not much was made of it.

Yet the questions lingered.  It was reported that Wagner and Wood had an argument shortly before she disappeared.  People in a boat nearby stated they heard someone saying she was drowning.  True?  False?

Regardless, the case is being given another look and, as mentioned, Robert Wagner is now being listed as a “person of interest”.

Mr. Wagner will be 88 this month so even if something were to come of this new scrutiny it is doubtful he will face many/any consequences -if indeed any are merited!

If nothing else, the curious case of Mrs. Wood’s death seems like it’ll be back in the news again, a reminder of the sad ending of an extraordinary actress’ life.

Apple iPhone X…

Over at slate.com Christina Bonnington wonders…

Is the iPhone X in trouble?

Ms. Bonnington notes that Apple has slashed orders for both the creation of new iPhone Xs as well as their components and speculation is building that the unit is simply not selling as well as Apple hoped it would.

Ms. Bonnington further wonders in the article whether the very steep $1000 price tag might have something to do with the lag in sales of the phone.

I wouldn’t be surprised, but I suspect other things are afoot as well.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Sometimes an electronic product, be it a cell phone or computer or laptop or tablet, reaches a level where its about as good as its going to get.  Yeah, new models might come out and they may indeed feature some new/better things but at some point they become very incremental and small, to the point where people don’t feel the need to “upgrade” like they used to.

I’ve told this story far too many times before, but I distinctly recall the desktop PC rise, from processors that ran on the 8086 chip to the 286, 386, 486, Pentium, Pentium II, etc.

The difference between the 8086 processors and the 286 machines was like night and day.  Similarly, when the 386 machines came out they made the 286 machines look like they were in the stone age.  Similarly, the 486 made the 386 look weak.

By the time the Pentium models came out, though, the changes were much smaller.  Instead of seeing a brand new computer that clearly outpaced the one you currently had, you had a new computer system that was perhaps a little faster and a little nicer but not anything you had to get.

Thus, instead of considering buying a new computer system each year, I found myself going some 6 years with my Pentium machine before replacing it.  And I did so only because the computer I was using was starting to glitch and I need my desktop for the work I do and figured I should get a new system before my old one simply dies out.

With regard to cell phones, I fear they too are reaching that point.  There was, of course, a time when there was a strong and noticeable difference between one model and the next year’s model but, like the desktop computers, that isn’t quite as big a difference anymore.

Certainly one doesn’t need to upgrade to the current state-of-the-art model as before.

Especially when it’ll cost you some $1000.

A few more thoughts on Superhero films…

Yesterday I wrote about the initial reactions to a sneak preview of the upcoming Black Panther film.

The reaction by those who were allowed to see it, as I noted, has been for the most part positive and many have been outright ecstatic.

And, as I further noted, I’m rather cool to the whole thing.

If you’ve read my writings around these parts you should know by now I’m a rather HUGE comic book fan.  Indeed, I’ve working in comic books and even have, along with my novels, a trade paperback out there, The Dark Fringe, available on Amazon.

For years I’ve been excited with the many waves of comic book movies -which for me truly began in 1978 with the release of Richard Donner’s Superman– but of late I’m finding myself kinda exhausted with the whole thing.

It’s part and parcel, I suppose, of getting older.

When I was younger, I had plenty of free time and would see a great amount of movies in theaters.  Nowadays, I’m lucky to find the time to sneak in one theatrical movie in three months’ time.

So one gets picky, I suppose, with what one will invest their time on.

I loved the original Superman when it came out.  I felt the first half of the first Tim Burton Batman film was the very best the character has looked on screen.  Batman Returns, its sequel, I didn’t like as much but over time I have to admit its grown on me.  I see little difference between Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.  Neither I like very much.

The Superman films, sadly, ended terribly.  The first attempt to revisit them, the Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns, was given three and a half stars by my local paper’s critic but I found it a crushing bore.

I liked the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films to an extent though there were things about it I felt were wrong (organic spider web fluids being one of the biggies).  Curiously, as much as I love Spider-Man comics, especially the original Lee/Ditko run, once I saw the first two Raimi Spider-Man films I felt I’d had my fill of the character on the big screen.  To date I haven’t seen the more recent Spider-Man films, my last experience being Sam Raimi’s third directed film.  The one pretty much everyone doesn’t like.  Spoiler: I tend to agree.  It was weak tea.

When the Marvel movies started in earnest following the success of the original Iron Man, I was intrigued.  I felt people were too harsh with Iron Man 2 though it wasn’t as well made as the first.  I felt the first Thor wasn’t bad.  By the time the first Avengers was released,  despite its wild box office success, I felt the film was overrated.

In retrospect, this might be where my superhero fatigue started.

That’s not to say there weren’t exceptions.

I loved Captain America: Winter Soldier.  Going totally against the grain, I also loved Batman v. Superman, though I would grant anyone reading this the “Ultimate Cut” is the version one should see.

I didn’t like Guardians of the Galaxy.  At all.

I thought Doctor Strange was curiously flat.  Wonder Woman was decent enough but not quite the classic it seems many felt it was.  Justice League, given all the behind the scenes intrigue, fared far better than it probably had any right to, but I’d be the first to say it too fell in the “decent” category.

Which brings us to today.

Coming soon to a theater near you is, as I’ve stated, Black Panther.  Soon after we’ll get Ant Man & The Wasp.  Soon after that, the Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet two-fer.  Somewhere along the line we’ll get a Captain Marvel movie.  Over at DC, work progresses on the Aquaman film, the Shazam! (their, and the original, Captain Marvel) film, and the sequel to Wonder Woman.  In the mix is a new Suicide Squad film, a new Batman film, a Flash film, and perhaps a new Superman.  The Tom Hardy starring Venom has finished filming.

And I haven’t even mentioned the TV shows featuring superheroes!

Have I forgotten anything?

Probably.

Clearly the future holds many live action superhero works to follow, which I have little doubt will run the gamut from good to decent to perhaps not very good at all.  It’s the way things go, alas.

I won’t lie: Though I’m finding myself fatigued with the superhero genre, there nonetheless are some films on the list I’m curious about.  Others, not so much.

We’re clearly still in a golden age of Superhero films and, for those who like that sort of product, you’ve got plenty of stuff to choose from.

I hope those who seek these works out enjoy them.  I really do.

Just don’t take it too personally if I’m not cheering ’em on like I used to.

Oh, and get the @#!% off my lawn!

First reactions to Black Panther

Returning to i09.com/gizmodo.com, Germain Lussier notes that a preview of the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther was screened and audience reaction was for the most part positive/ecstatic:

The first reaction to Black Panther sound like Marvel has crowned a new King

Now, having pointed this out and at the risk of getting bombarded with negatives… I’m not all that interested in seeing this film.

In fact, now that we’re some… what?…  two hundred fifty six films into the Marvel “Universe” (I kid, I kid) I find myself less and less interested in the latest release.

I still haven’t seen the latest Spider-Man film.  I haven’t seen Thor: Ragnarok.  I refuse to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (to this day I’m bewildered so many people liked the first one, as you can read here).

Let’s face it: I’ve had enough of Marvel’s cinematic universe, even though I consider Captain America: Winter Soldier one of the all time best comic book movies ever made.

I’m tired of ’em.

And as a comic book fan, this is indeed a painful thing to admit.

The problem, in my mind, with Marvel movies is that there is a growing sameness to them.  They hit upon a winning box office formula and of late it feels like all their movies are following that formula.  This became most apparent to me with the Doctor Strange film, which was essentially a remake of the original Iron Man film but with sorcery.

But that’s just my opinion and if anyone out there reading this feels the complete opposite and is super excited to see Black Panther… then more power to you!  I’m glad you’ve found something that makes you excited to go to the theaters and I genuinely hope you have a blast seeing the film.

One final note: If you do follow the above link, check out some of the comments made by readers.  At least one of them apparently did see the film and his/her reaction is diametrically opposite to what the twitter reactions were.

I suppose we’ll see later in February, when the film is officially released.

Voynich manuscript… cracked?

Ever heard of the Voynich manuscript?  No?

It’s a document named after Wilfred Voynich, a Polish book dealer who in 1912 purchased the manuscript.  In the years since, the manuscript has been carbon dated to being made in the early 15th Century, some 600 years ago.  The manuscript is filled with wild images and even wilder notations.  Notations that no one has been able to decipher, at least not until now.

In the years since the manuscript’s discovery many, many people have scrutinized the work and tried to decipher whatever is written on it.  To date, no one has figured out what the notations mean, leading some to consider the possibility that the manuscript’s writings are nothing more than gibberish and mean nothing.

Here are some images of the famous (infamous!?) document (wanna see more?  Google Voynich manuscript then check out the vast amount of images available on the web!):

Now, however, and according to George Dvorsky at gizmodo.com…

Artificial intelligence may have cracked 600 year old manuscript

I won’t give away everything presented within the article but here is the key paragraph presented in the article:

For Greg Kondrak, an expert in natural language processing at the University of Alberta, (decoding the Voynich manuscript) seemed a perfect task for artificial intelligence. With the help of his grad student Bradley Hauer, the computer scientists have taken a big step in cracking the code, discovering that the text is written in what appears to be the Hebrew language, and with letters arranged in a fixed pattern. To be fair, the researchers still don’t know the meaning of the Voynich manuscript, but the stage is now set for other experts to join the investigation.

From a little later in the article:

For the final step, the researchers deciperhered the opening phrase of the manuscript, and presented it to colleague Moshe Koppel, a computer scientist and native Hebrew speaker. Koppel said it didn’t form a coherent sentence in Hebrew.

“However, after making a couple of spelling corrections, Google Translate [was] able to convert it into passable English: ‘She made recommendations to the priest, man of the house and me and people,’” wrote the researchers in the study, which now appears in Transactions of the Association of Computational Linguistics.

Fascinating, no?

Assuming these people are on the right path and the mysterious manuscript is indeed on the verge of being decoded, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if nothing terribly earth shattering comes from the actual writings, perhaps musings that while illuminating to the times, don’t mean all that much to us today.

Then again, I could be wrong and, I must say, it would be incredibly fascinating if I were so proven!

Whoops…

In this era where just about everyone has a smartphone and many have smart or exercise/tracking watches and one’s location can be followed so long as the user sets the phone/watch to do so, that there just might come a point where that proves… troublesome.

Liz Sly from The Washington Post writes about how…

U. S. Soldiers are revealing sensitive and dangerous information by jogging

The article’s headline effectively tells you most of what you need to know: That some top secret bases light up thanks to soldiers wearing their smart watches while jogging or, for that matter, simply walking around their classified digs.

The article is well worth checking out and proves how scary modern times are, especially when we willingly have given away so much of our privacy to all those smart devices.

One of the comments made to the story says it all:

Why not post your position on Facebook?

Because the enemy knowing where you are at all times is a such a positive to the troops!

This, by the way, reminded me of a story a while back where thieves looked around Facebook for idio– …er… Facebook users who posted pictures contemporaneously when they were on vacation and far away from their homes and, when they returned home, found –surprise surprise!– their homes had been broken into.

Yup, that happened.

Sketchin’ 49

Kiss Me Deadly, take two: Lita Ford!

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