E.R. Torre's Blog, page 88

So I got my flu shot and figured all would be well…

Nope.

Sitting here with what I suspect is a chest cold and dealing with plenty of phlegm and weakness.  I suppose it could be worse but man do I hate being sick.

Yeah, sure now.  Show me someone who likes being sick!

Off to bed I go…

Sketchin’ 44

One of my favorite actors is Robert Redford and if all you know him from is his villainous turn in Captain America: Winter Soldier (a very clever bit of casting if you are aware of his past roles!), then you don’t know nearly enough about him.

Check out Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, All The President’s Men, or Three Days of the Condor and you’ll get a great idea of how versatile and charismatic he is!

So, without further ado…

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Oh boy…

An article by Selena Larson and Jethro Mullen and presented on CNN offers the following chilling reveal:

Apple: All iPhones, iPads, and Macs affected by chip flaws

For years, even before Apple became the juggernaut it now is, one of the things the company’s proponents pointed out to as being a positive of their products versus the Windows based platforms was that they were safe.

While the Windows based desktop/laptop systems had to use some kind of software protection(s) from viruses and malware, Apple products weren’t affected by these silly problems.  Thing is, I always felt this bit of bragging was misdirected.  At the time the Apple defenders were saying this the most vocally, Apple was a much smaller company and their computers were not being used as much as the ones that had Windows in them.

To me, it was about numbers.  The Windows systems were incredibly popular and almost everyone had them.  Why wouldn’t hackers go after richer targets?

A few years later and here we are: Apple is a juggernaut.  Apple is incredibly popular and used by a large number of people.

And guess what?

Flaws are being found.

Granted the flaw isn’t necessarily Apple’s fault and it affects just about every computer out there, including those who use Windows or Android systems.

This points out another problem with computers in general: We’re all for them and leap from system to (hopefully better) system and when one hears information like this one can’t help but wonder how much care the companies behind these systems have done to make sure there is safety in their products from malicious eyes.

Lately, these same companies are trying to create some kind of credit card pay system, wherein you just flash your phone or watch or whathaveyou and don’t worry about paying for anything with those pesky credit cards or even peskier cash.

Hmmm.

Given this bit of news, I might wait a little before taking that particular leap.

The next James Bond…?

Over at the Daily Mail, Sebastian Shakespeare (what a name!) offers an article and a Q&A to Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films, concerning who might be in line for the role after Daniel Craig…

Next James Bond Could Be Black Or A Woman, Says 007 Producer

Nowadays, the idea of changing the gender, race, age, etc. etc. on long established characters (film or novel/story) is at least somewhat in vogue.

One of the earlier attempts at doing so was the film version of The Wild Wild West, a TV series which featured Robert Conrad in the titular role as secret agent James West…

…and the film version featured Will Smith in the role…

In the case of the movie, it was bad no matter who played the title role, but in this case, the changing of the character’s race was even more troublesome given the time frame the TV show/film exists in (ie post Civil War America).  To be very blunt: It was difficult to accept the idea of a black man, dressed to the hilt and obvious to anyone who looks his way, could somehow walk around post Civil War America and function successfully as a secret agent.

Nonetheless, I’m not against the idea of changing long established characters, so long as the end result is positive.

We are dealing with entertainment after all and the ultimate judge of success in a movie, book, or story is how audiences react to it.

In the case of James Bond, I feel the article is a little… misleading.  This is the important stuff from the article:

(Barbara Broccoli) was asked if we could expect to see a female Bond or a black 007.

‘These films tend to reflect the times so we always try to push the envelope a little bit,’ she replied. ‘Anything is possible.

‘Right now it’s Daniel Craig, and I’m very happy with Daniel Craig, but who knows what the future will bring?’

So, basically, she gives a non-answer here.  Sure, in the future, there might be a (insert pertinent race/sex/gender here) James Bond but right now we’re focused on Daniel Craig.

So there’s less to the article than appears… except for one thing.  Toward the end of the article we get this quote from Roger Moore concerning who should play the character:

Sir Roger, who died in May at the age of 89, told this newspaper in 2015: ‘I have heard people talk about how there should be a lady Bond or a gay Bond.

‘But they wouldn’t be Bond for the simple reason that wasn’t what Ian Fleming wrote.

‘It is not about being homophobic or, for that matter, racist — it is simply about being true to the character.’

He does make one very salient point regarding the idea of changing a well-established character’s sex/race/age:  Should we be so quick to do these changes with characters that were never written by their creators in this manner?

One should, at some point, respect the original author’s vision.

Perhaps a better option would be to create a new character?

Sketchin’ 43

One of the bigger surprises in film last year was Wonder Woman. A box office hit and (for the most part) critic and audience darling, I liked the film and felt Gal Gadot, like Christopher Reeve with Superman, proved for a second time (after Batman v Superman) to define the character of Wonder Woman… and I say that with no disrespect to Lynda Carter!

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Hey, the first Sketchin’ post of 2018!

Hope you like it!

This n’ that

First: Hope everyone out there who reads my ramblings had a great holiday and very happy New Year’s.

May all the weight you’ve no doubt gained be quickly lost!

Now, for a couple information nuggets I found intriguing…

First up, and published by Reuters but found on HuffingtonPost.com:

Spotify Hit With $1.6 Billion Lawsuit From Publisher Representing Tom Petty, Neil Young

I’ve long wondered about the various streaming services out there and how exactly they operate.  I assumed it was akin to a radio station in that they play the music you want but you are forced to put up with their advertisements.

However, in this day and age and unlike radio stations, you can specify exactly which music and songs you want to hear and which you do not, an advantage over radio stations but also another source of head scratching for me.  How does the advertisement work then?

What about new music?  Some people may be comfortable with the old standards and are adverse to seeking out or listening to new music.  Finally, how much does a service like Spotify pay the artists whose songs/albums they play?

Apparently, the answer is not nearly enough, at least according to the article I’ve linked to above and hence the reason for the lawsuit.

In this day and age when so much entertainment is available free but illegally online, it’s high time artists fought back when they feel people are listening to their music or reading their books or watching their TV shows/movies without proper compensation.

If Spotify is indeed stiffing the people who make them their money, I hope they lose.  Big.

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Secondly and though I promised not to dwell on this much more, I just headed over to Rottentomatoes.com and, curious to see where audience reaction was regarding Star Wars: The Last Jedi, I clicked on the movie’s specified link and found…

The movie is now listing an audience reaction of exactly 50%.

In other words, this film has apparently (there are those who feel a concerted effort is being made to bad mouth the film) very evenly split audiences, even as it makes Disney a ton of money.

Still, I wonder if, like Warner Brothers and their handling of the DC properties, the fact that the movie has engendered so much negativity may make them reconsider some of their future plans regarding the franchise.

I’ve been hearing rumblings that the next Star Wars related film, the “young” Han Solo feature whose original directors were sacked and Ron Howard was placed in charge, may be in trouble as well, though the same word of mouth came prior to the release of Rogue One.

As with so many things, we’ll see how this works out.

Pardon the dearth of posts…

It’s been incredibly busy for me around these parts, both with work and with (quick) travel.

Things should be settling down really soon and I’ll be getting back to normal postings.

Til then, Happy New Years, everyone!

The one good thing about reaching December 26th…

…is that the madness is done with and you can finally take a breath and relax.

Of course, this qualifies for first world problems yet there is stress involved in getting through these days.  I get tired of running from one family home to another to deliver and receive gifts.  Inevitably, I get fed -and eat!- way more than I should and today, as I’m sitting here typing, my stomach feels bloated.

First world problems indeed.

I suppose I should shut up and be appreciative about what I have, a family, gifts for all, a roof over our heads, and a meal on the table.

Certainly better to have than to have not.

The one good thing about reacting December 26th…

…is that the madness is done with and you can finally take a breath and relax.

Of course, this qualifies for first world problems yet there is stress involved in getting through these days.  I get tired of running from one family home to another to deliver and receive gifts.  Inevitably, I get fed -and eat!- way more than I should and today, as I’m sitting here typing, my stomach feels bloated.

First world problems indeed.

I suppose I should shut up and be appreciative about what I have, a family, gifts for all, a roof over our heads, and a meal on the table.

Certainly better to have than to have not.

Sketchin’ 42

So here we are, at the early stages of winter and what better subject matter for my latest image than a film that takes place in a cold hell?

Here you go, Kurt Russell from the incredible John Carpenter directed… The Thing!

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John Carpenter and Kurt Russell collaborated on three of my all time favorite films: Escape From New York (though I felt the low budget hurt the film toward its climax, it was still a great, creative story and Snake Plisskin is easily one of Kurt Russell’s best characters!), Big Trouble In Little China (wherein Kurt Russell humorously plays the stupid sidekick… who thinks he’s the main show!), and the subject of my latest piece, The Thing.  (They made at least two other films together, Elvis and the tongue in cheek remake of Escape From New York, Escape From L.A.)

Sadly, all three films didn’t do all that well at the box office though all three are considered cult classics today.

Regardless, enjoy and have yourselves a very Happy Holidays, everyone!