Chris, Author at Chris Ullrich dot net
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Chris

This Looks Fantastic

Posted on February 7, 2025

the fantastic four

In the spirit of staying positive and not reacting to the state of things right now, here’s another trailer (for a movie this time) that I think looks great. I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, but if not, here it is.

I’m talking, of course, about the recent (teaser) trailer for Marvel’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In a word, it looks, well, fantastic. Yes, I went there. Can you blame me? It was right there.

I love everything about this, especially the retro vibe. It really takes me back to the Silver Age of comics I knew as a younger man. Plus, the casting is spot-on. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the “First Family” in action. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait too long.

This Looks Great

Posted on January 21, 2025

daredevil: born again

I was (and still am) a big fan of most of the Netflix Marvel series from several years ago. I enjoyed the shows, especially Daredevil and Jessica Jones Season One. The rest were various degrees of good to great, with one major exception.

But no, we don’t need to talk about Iron Fist unless we’re talking about Jessica Henwick, then yes. She was the best thing in that series and hopefully we’ll see her character again. But sadly, the rest of Iron Fist was just . . . not good.

But in the interest of being positive, let’s move on. You can imagine I was pretty excited when they announced a new Daredevil series on Disney+ was on the way. That was a couple years ago and I’ve been waiting patiently.

Well, it’s 2025 and the new show, called Daredevil: Born Again, is finally set to be released in late March. About time.

Recently, a full trailer for the series dropped, and I gotta say, I’m in. It looks great. Glad to see most of the old gang back together again.

This is gonna be fun. And sad. Yeah, probably a little sad too. No spoilers though. Enjoy!

Staying Positive

Posted on January 11, 2025

staying positive

Now that I’ve decided to get back to the blog and content that I own and control, one big problem with blogging continues to be the same after all these years (at least for me): What the heck to write about? It’s difficult coming up with topics and attempting, in your own way, to make sense of said topic or your particular “take” on it.

But I guess that’s a problem with all creative endeavors, you need to put in the work. And a lot of people aren’t willing to do that. But no, I’m not here to bash anyone or complain or anything like that. I’ve done that before, as many of you who read here know, but that’s not something I’m going to focus on today.

Really, I’m going to try not to focus on that too much at all going forward. I don’t want to be negative or come across as negative, regardless of how I feel in the moment or how things are going in the world. There’s already enough negativity going around. I feel it. I’m sure you do too.

Instead, let’s focus on the positive. . . I’m positive everything is fucked . . . No, come on. I’m just trying to be funny. Emphasis on funny. Because man, you just gotta laugh sometimes at the absurdity of it all. How did we end up like this? I don’t really know.

Okay, let’s remember to focus on the positive. But what can that look like?

Maybe it means not spending all of your time on social media seeing how things are going? Or maybe it means focusing more on local efforts in politics, or other areas, where your voice and contributions can have more of an impact? Maybe it means spending more time with family and friends enjoying your life as much as you can and not feeling like everything is going to come crashing down?

For me it means a combination of the above and, hopefully, this blog/website. I haven’t blogged “professionally” in a while, but I don’t think I’ve forgotten how. Yes, Blogger was an actual job not that long ago. My byline is out there if you search.

And no, I didn’t write a post once about how the iPhone would fail. Well, actually it was technically a post about how the iPhone would fail, I just wasn’t the one saying it. I was quoting someone else and reporting on their opinion. You’ll just have to read it. Or not.

Let’s just say I can do this. I know I can. In fact, you could say I’m positive . . .

Turning to darker topics for a moment, the devastating wildfires in California have left me feeling horrible for those impacted. Los Angeles was my home for over 20 years and my heart goes out to everyone there, including many friends and former colleagues, who’ve lost businesses, possessions, homes and precious memories.

It’s a horrible tragedy made even worse by some people’s callous disregard for human suffering and staggering lack of empathy.

If you can, here’s a link to a list of organizations where your money can help victims of these horrible events:

Places That Need Your Money

I know money is probably tight, just do what you can. Anything will help.

Until next time, be kind to each other.

 

Yes, I know the photo has been used before. I just like it. It reminds me of happier, more positive, times.

The End of 2024 And Onward Into 2025

Posted on January 4, 2025
onward into 2025

Going into 2025 like . . .

2024 was quite a year. To say the least. Certainly, it wasn’t all bad. We had some good times, right? Right.

I did. I’m sure you did too. Let’s try to remember those. The good times. The small moments that mean so much even if maybe we don’t realize it at the time. Those are important, and will probably be more important, as the year moves forward.

And let’s try to remember, please, to be kind to each other. I really think that’s important too. Maybe you do as well? I hope so.

Anyway, I’m off into 2025 and have been reading a few books, watching a few shows and a few movies and looking forward to doing more of that in the weeks and months ahead. I’m also struggling a bit, mostly about how (and if) I should get started with the YouTube channel.

I don’t think it’s too late to start YouTube and I don’t think I’m too old (some may disagree). I’m just not sure exactly what to do and how to do it. In truth, it’s more the “what” (and “why”) than “how.”

I know how to make videos (pretty much). Although, it’s been a minute. In my former career, I was mostly the guy who said what to do than the person actually pushing the buttons and doing it. Concept versus execution and all that.

I can tell you what’s wrong with your thing and what to change to make it better, but I can’t necessarily use the tool you use to make those changes. So, it’s been a bit of a learning curve for me with the latest version of Final Cut Pro and thinking about video instead of stills, which is what I’ve been shooting 95% of the time for the last ten years at least.

I’m still woking it all out.

In the meantime, here’s some of what I’d like to focus on more in 2025. Not resolutions or anything like that, just potential areas of focus. In no particular order:

• Physical Fitness
• Mental Fitness
• Care Less, Create More via Video, Photography, Writing, etc.
• Self Care
• Being a better Partner
• Being a better Father

I’m sure there’s more and I know this list is somewhat generic and probably needs a bit more detail. Still, if I can try to be mindful of these things I’m sure I can make time and space for progress in these areas. I’d like to try.

I also won’t be beating myself up if I don’t excel in one or all of these areas. My intentions are good right now, but as the year progresses, who knows? Shit happens.

Getting back to what I’ve been enjoying of late, here’s a fews of the things I’ve been reading, watching and listening to in December and January (so far):

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist – Finishing up A Darkness at Sethanon, the third book of the first trilogy of this series. I read these books the first time as a kid and loved them. They’re even better now. Great stories and characters plus lots of action and adventure. Terrific stuff.

Next up will be The Empire Trilogy, starting with Daughter of the Empire. I remember these being great too when I first read them years ago. I guess I’ll see if they hold up. I’m sure they will.

Black Doves – This Netflix show features Keira Knightly and Ben Whishaw as well as a supporting cast of terrific actors. Well written and directed, it’s a really fun and often serious show. I liked it very much and It’s great to see the stars at work, clearly loving what they’re doing and being great at it.

Slow Horses – As a fan of spy stories I would be remiss if I didn’t mention an even better show than the above Black Doves. And that show is, of course, Slow Horses. It deals with British spies and counter-spies, MI5, conspiracies and a whole lot more.

The best thing, really, is to go in cold and just see it all unfold. Everyone in the show does excellent work, especially Gary Oldman (which shouldn’t surprise anyone). It’s one of the best I’ve seen in years. Apple TV+ can really pick ’em.

Silo – Speaking of Apple TV+, Silo is back for Season 2. Silo is a great show and if you love sci-fi, well written and dimensional characters and deatailed world-building, this is for you. Not to mention drama, suspence, action and a whole lot more. It’s really good.

I’m a bit sad it’s only going to be four seasons, but I guess Rebecca Ferguson can’t be tied to a TV show forever. Plus, it’s gotta be quite expensive to make, especially as the seasons continue. So, four and done. I’ll take what I can get.

The Cure – That new album from The Cure, Songs Of A Lost World, is great, isn’t it? Iv’e listened to it quite a bit.

I’m thrilled a band I loved as a youth is still going strong. I can’t tell you how many times I drove home late at night as a moody sixteen-year-old listening to the last few track of The Head on the Door, but it was a lot.

I’ve also watched several movies recently, but this post is getting long so I think I’ll save those for another time. Suffice it to say December and January have been good months for movies so far. Although, I’m lucky to still be a DGA member so I get screeners of most films and don’t have to leave the house, which makes watching a lot of movies much easier.

I don’t really mind watching at home (my TV and sound are pretty good). It’s fine. For me, though, there’s still some magic associated with experiencing movies in a theater with an audience. I know it probably sounds corny, but I don’t care.

I love movies . . . in a theater. I just don’t like being in a theater as much anymore. Mostly because of the other people.

This isn’t a dig at Austin, per se. Alamo Drafthouse, where I usually go, does a decent job of dealing with people’s undesirable behavior. But I don’t remember audiences being quite so annoying and rude when I lived in LA and regularly went to movies at the Acrlight (RIP). Times changes, I guess. And not always for the better, alas.

My other theory is people in LA often work in the business and have a certain amount of respect for films and filmmakers. They’re also the ones who stay through the credits until the houselights come up. It’s a sign of respect and also fun to try to spot names of people you know who worked on the film.

People rarely do that here in Austin, except maybe at AFS or if you get a particularly good crowd at an Alamo showing. It’s not a big deal, I guess. Still . . .

I always stay until the credits are done. You should too. Show some respect.

And with that, I’ll say so long. Until next time, be kind to each other.

 

Photo: Apple TV+

Kindness and Hope and Superman

Posted on December 19, 2024

I don’t have a lot of words right now, but something needs to be said. This looks amazing and, I think, it’s something we could really use right about now. It gives me some hope.

Well done. Can’t wait for the movie and especially more of Krypto. Clearly, the best boy.

July 2025 can’t come soon enough.

Moving Forward Day By Day

Posted on November 8, 2024

Well, I don’t mind telling you this week has been rather difficult. I know I’m not alone in this. In fact, I feel like there’s millions of you who agree with me. And that’s how it is.

I’ll probably have more to say in the near future, but for now, I want to state for the record I’m an ally to kindness, to love, to family and to any LGTBQ folks reading this. I see you. I hear you and I accept you (not that you need that from me). I just want it known I’m on your side.

I’m sorry about this week. It sucks for people who want to choose right from wrong. I was hoping for more from my fellow citizens.

Many of them showed up and did the right thing. More did not. It’s gonna take some time to process that. I don’t understand it right now, and to be honest, I’m not sure I ever will.

In the meantime, I’m taking it one day at a time, doing my work, creating, making my version of art, being with my loved ones and taking some time for self-care. Is that the best strategy right now? I don’t know. It’s what I’ve got so I’m gonna do it.

Try to take care of yourselves and try to be kind. We need it now more than ever.

Weekly Roundup 9.1.24

Posted on September 1, 2024

weekly roundup

Can you believe it’s September already? Yeah, me neither. This month is made especially important (at least to be ) by the fact that it’s the month of my son’s birth. That’s pretty great. He’s great too.

He opted out of having a party this year and instead asked for some VR goggles, the MetaQuest 3 in particular. We’ll see how that goes. He’s probably gonna get some books, underwear and socks just like I did at his age.

Some traditions should continue.

Plus, I’m not sold on the necessity of 11-year-olds needing $500.00 VR goggles. Sounds sus to me. My son would tell me I’m being cringe for saying “sus.” What can you do?

Putting that aside, let’s go on with the things I’m watching, reading, listening to and otherwise enjoying and consuming lately.

Watching

The Trap – Writer/Director M. Knight Shyamalan’s latest with Josh Hartnett is a pretty fun movie. I’m not always 100% sure if the director or his star know exactly what kind of movie they’re making, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. And no, the fact that the director’s daughter is in it and features prominently didn’t make me like it any less.

Although, there’s one point in the movie where I was sure Bruce Willis’s characters from Unbreakable was going to show up. But I’m not gonna spoil anything, so I’ll stop there.

Longlegs – Scary and moody. A film that definitely has a vibe. Also, I’m pretty good at figuring out movies but this one took longer than most and actually had a twist I didn’t see coming until almost the end. I liked it.

And, of course, Nick fucking Cage. Awesome. He is the only actor who could have played that character. I won’t be taking questions at this time.

Deadpool and Wolverine – Loved it. Loved all the insider MCU and comics stuff. Was it a “great” movie? No. Did it need to be? No. It did pretty much what it had to do and did it very well. It was fun and it was great to see Hugh Jackman as Wolverine again.

Plus, so many other great cameos I won’t spoil here. Let’s just say they were awesome and it was a delight to see some of those characters and actors again.

Homicide: Life On The Street – The classic TV series from the early 90s is back and on streaming for the first time. Sure, you gotta get Peacock to watch it . . . so I got Peacock. It’s a classic show for a reason with an amazing cast led by the superb Andre Braugher. He was a titan and is missed. If you’ve never seen it, you really should. It’s that good.

Andre Braugher conducts an acting masterclass every episode and the number off guest stars who appeared on the show is a who’s who of people who became famous. I won’t spoil who they are, just check it out. It’s worth the price of Peacock for a month or two.

Reading

I’m not reading a lot right now. Just two books.

A Little Hatred By Joe Abercrombie – I love sword and sorcery and fantasy and all the in-between so this one was a no-brainer for me. I’ve read several of his other books and this one is excellent too. Recommended.

Death Without Company By Craig Johnson  – The second Walt Longmire mystery novel. I enjoyed the first so now I’ve moved on to the second. I expect I’ll read them all.

Listening To

New Order (and more) – I’m a kid of the 80s/90s so part punk and part New Wave (and part Grunge too, if I’m being honest). I’ve been listening to a lot of The Cure and New Order lately as well as Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and even some Nirvana. Yes, I contain multituides.

Mozart – I always enjoy some Mozart and I’ve been listening to several of his operas lately, and in particular Don Giovanni. It doesn’t end particlarly well for Don. Let that be a lesson, kids. Don’t be a selfish prick all your life.

I’m also watching a ton of YouTube videos about how to use Final Cut Pro and make travel-related “content.” Some people have expressed, let’s call it dismay, over my choice of Final Cut. All I can say is I was one of the members of the Official Final Cut Pro users group in LA way back in the day and I continue to be a fan and user of it to this day.

I first used an Apple computer over 30 years ago and I haven’t looked back. Call me a fanboy or a simp or whatever, I don’t care. I will be an Apple user until the day I die. It just works.

Speaking of that, I decided to treat myself to a new computer. It’s a 14″ M3 Pro MacBook Pro (say that three times fast) and I gotta say, it’s pretty great. I’m not sure why I waited this long to switch to Apple Silicon.

It’s that much of a difference from my previous 13″ MacBook Pro with Intel i7.  It makes using FCP and Logic a real pleasure and it handles al my 4K footage with ease.

Well, that pretty much wraps it up for this one. Until next time, be kind to each other.

 

 

 

Photo: Joe Maidment / Walt Disney Co.

 

Going Places

Posted on August 31, 2024

going places

Well, now I’ve done it. I’ve gone and started a new business venture that will either be a rousing success (or something else). But at least it won’t be boring. Also, not gonna fail. It’s that simple.

What is this new venture, you may wonder?

I’ll tell you: Travel. As in, I’ve become a Certified Travel Advisor with FORA, a worldwide travel agency. That means I can book all your travel and get you the perks and VIP treatment you deserve. Cool, right?

But wait, there’s more.

I’ve also decided I need to be making videos for YouTube in connection with the business, but also because I’ve got years of experience making stuff and it seems a shame to continue to not use that for something positive. So, YouTube.

The channel is called Ullrich Travel, as is the business. It will be launching soon. The business is already going. Yes, it’s a real business and everything. An LLC to be exact. Fun stuff.

Anyway, I’m gonna be even busier than before . . . and that”s a good thing. I love to travel and meet interesting people and see amazing things. I just wish I’d thought of this before. Oh well, I’m doing it now.

Pretty exciting. Say tuned for more.

In the meantime, here’s some places where Ullrich Travel is already making an impression:

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

My FORA page

And don’t forget, if you want to travel, I’ve got your back.

Where do you want to go today?

Not Quite Failure

Posted on July 18, 2024

not quite failure

As you may have figured out, I’ve failed again (mostly). I have not been updating this blog frequently. Long-time readers will know this is, unfortunately, somewhat of a pattern for yours truly. I have good intentions, but alas, time and will have other ideas.

I do love this blog. It’s been a part of my life longer than my son has. It’s my first baby, so to speak. Does that sound weird? Maybe.

The truth is, writing is hard. It’s been hard since the first time I did it and it’s still hard. I also don’t make a living doing it anymore so the financial aspect and incentive to do it is gone. Now it’s “just for the lols” or whatever.

I also just don’t have as much “free” time as I used to have. And, things are pretty bleak in the world these days. I’m sure that also has somewhat of a detrimental effect on my willingness to put “pen to paper” or whatever the kids call it.

And yeah, blah, blah, blah you’ve heard it all before. I know. I know because I’ve said it all before. I can hear myself.

Honestly, I’m doing what I can. I won’t call it “doing my best” because, let’s face it, that ship sailed and hit the proverbial iceberg long ago. Still, I persist. And I guess I always will until I can’t anymore. Even if it takes time and only happens once in awhile.

Who knows, maybe I’ll be writing the next witty bon mot from my new cabin in the outskirts of Vancouver? Or, from the deck of a luxury cruise ship on its way to exciting ports of call? You never know.

Actually, I was on a cruise recently and it was pretty great. Highly recommended. More on that later.

Until then, be kind to each other.

Weekly Roundup 4.19.24

Posted on April 19, 2024

weekly roundup, highlander, dune

I know. You don’t have to say anything. It’s been way more than a week since my last post here. I feel bad but I can’t really do much about it now except move forward.

Also, this will be the last time I apologize for not posting more. Yes, I should post more. I want to post more. But shit happens, right?

I am going to try harder, but I can’t promise anything. Because, you know, that whole “shit happens” thing? But I will try. Okay? Okay.

So, with that in mind, let’s get going . . . Here’s some of the things I’m watching, reading or, dare I say it, consuming these days.

Watching

Dune Part 2 – Heck yeah. What a great way to continue the story and wrap things up (almost). Loved it. I’ve already watched it several times and I expect I’ll watch it many more. Can’t wait to see what Denis Villeneuve does with Dune Messiah. That’s gonna be interesting, to say the least.

Shogun – I watched almost of of this but now I’m waiting for all the episodes to drop so I can watch them as one complete story. Yeah, I used to wait a week between episodes too. Maybe we should go back to that exclusively? Might help shows that come out all at once, people talk about them for a few minutes, then it’s done. Which brings me to . . .

3 Body Problem – I liked the book so I thought I’d give the show a try. For the most part, I enjoyed it . . . especially the Game of Thrones mini-reunion. But sadly, the show hasn’t really stuck with me now that it’s been a few weeks. Not sure why, exactly. It wasn’t all that memorable, I guess. It’s not bad. It’s good. It’s just not great. Alas.

Highlander – I know, I’m waiting for the Henry Cavill remake too. Until then, I decided to go back and watch the Christopher Lambert original. Still fun. Still so many great things about it. Sure, some of it is a bit dated at this point, but the movie still rocks and even though I’ve seen it many times, I’m never bored watching it again. Can’t say that about a lot of stuff these days.

Plus, terrific actors like Sean Connery and one of the nicest guys still working in the business, Clancy Brown. He’s one of the good ones and deserves all of his success. Remind me to tell you my Clancy Brown story sometime.

Reading

Dune Messiah – After watching Dune part 1 and 2, naturally I was curious about what comes next. I haven’t read the sequel to Dune since College so it seemed a good time to get back into it. So far, I’m really enjoying it. Frank Herbert really wants you to know Paul is not the good guy. Like really. He’s not. Still, great book.

Children of Dune – I’m basically almost done with the second book so it’s onto the the third. So far, so good. At least some other main characters that seemed kinda important have shown up after being absent from book 2, which is nice.

Listening To

Dune Messiah Audio Book – I get a lot out of reading but I also get a lot out of being read to. I also have a lot of Audible credits, so there’s that.

Lots of Radiohead – I never get tired of this band. One of my all-time favorites and I listen to their music frequently.

Scriptnotes Podcast – If you want to know anything about being a screenwriter in Hollywood, John August and Craig Mazin have you covered. Great podcast with two wonderfully informative hosts

The Recipe podcast with Kenji and Deb – I’ve been a big fan of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (aka Kenji) for a long time. Love his YouTube Channel and his books. Naturally, I really enjoy this podcast too. And Deb is great as well. They really seem to like each other and their styles complement.

Finally, just for fun, here’s the trailers for both Dune and Dune Part 2. Amazing stuff, especially for a sci-fi nerd like me from way back.