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.
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.
Another week, another weekly roundup. I like how that sounds. This week I’ve got another bunch of things I’m interested in, watching, reading or whatever. In other words, If I like it, it’s probably something I’m going to talk about this week or in the near future.
What can I say? I like to share.
But before I get to the (more) interesting stuff I just wanted to mention I’m currently writing this post at a library. I’ve sat down at a table and I’m typing away on my Apple MacBook Pro. While doing this I’ve discovered a few things.
One, this MacBook Pro keyboard isn’t all that “magic.” Sorry, Apple, but it isn’t. It’s just okay. Personally, I prefer a bit more mechanical feel and a bit more key travel. The keyboard on my Linux/Windows laptop (from Lenovo) is way better than the one on this MacBook Pro.
I would sacrifice a bit of girth in order to get a better keyboard on an Apple laptop. Apparently, Apple doesn’t agree or care. Alas.
They used to care. In fact, the best laptop keyboard Apple ever made was the Powerbook 1400c and that’s from 1998. Maybe one of these days I’ll get my wish for a better keyboard. Probably not.
I’ve also realized the table I’m sitting at is slightly too high for me to type comfortably. I tend to be a lazy typer and rest my wrists on the laptop while typing. The height of the table makes it feel like I’m typing up hill a bit. It’s not a big deal, I’m just used to my desk at home and this just feels different.
Finally, this library is really quiet. I’m impressed so many people can shut up for so long. The section I’m in does seem like the more serious “study” area, so that might have something to do with it. But still, it’s really quiet. Almost too quiet.
Okay, enough of that. Let’s get to the good stuff.
Regardless of what I said above, I’m still very interested in the new M3 MacBook Pros Apple announced recently. No, I don’t absolutely need a new laptop, but they do look cool and are, apparently, blazing fast. So, maybe.
The reality is I’ll probably end up getting a new iMac instead. They’ve also been bumped to the M3 chipset and I’ve been thinking about my current setup lately and how, or if, it needs improvement. At the moment, I’m laptop only and have been for a few years.
I intended to get an external monitor for the MacBook Pro but never got around to it, mostly because it worked well enough and I was able to get stuff done without it. But now? I’m thinking.
Picking up an iMac would solve a few problems. I’d get a larger screen. It would be more powerful than my current Mac. I could still use the MacBook Pro when I’m not in the office. I kinda miss having a desktop computer. All true. The question is are they all true enough to make me spend the money when things work pretty well now? I guess that’s why I’m still thinking about it. More on this later.
As you may know (or not) the WGA strike was concluded with an agreement ratified by membership and the writers went back to work. This week, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP reached a tentative agreement and SAG officials called an end to their strike, which has lasted over 100 days. I’m glad it’s over. I know people were suffering, but they held the line. Great job to all and congratulations.
I just wish my union, the DGA, had held firm in support of our fellow union members. Alas, they did not and signed a deal earlier this year. Although, they did issue a really nice press release once the SAG-AFTRA tentative agreement was announced. I guess that’s something.
I’m currently on an Aaron Sorkin bender and have watched The Social Network, Molly’s Game and the first two season of his HBO show The Newsroom. Why? Mostly it’s because I like the way he writes dialog. It’s pretty great. I don’t think I’m alone in that assessment. Plus, those movies and the series are excellent.
I’ve also watched the films in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. I love them all, with particular love for Hot Fuzz, which is a favorite among favorites. Great stuff.
As you probably know, I love notebooks. And pencils, pens and all that other “analog” stuff. My friend Dave Caolo gave me the heads up on notebooks from Dapper Notes and I’m hooked. They are awesome and whenever they’ve got new ones, I grab ’em ’cause they go fast. The latest one just arrived at my door and, as usual, I love it.
I’m just about done reading Chuck Wendig’s Black River Orchard and holy crap, it’s a good one. I will never look at Apples the same way again.
Next on the reading list is Nine Princes In Amber, the first book in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. I love these books but haven’t read them in years. It’s time to read them again.
Finally, I should mention that I continue to produce a podcast with my co-host Joe Dilworth. It’s called The Flickcast and it’s quite fun. We get into all sorts of nerd stuff that nerds love. We used to have a new episode every week but have transitioned to every other week for the time being. We’ll get back to every week soon enough.
That’s it for now. Until next time, be kind to each other.
Image: Focus Features
So far, I’m enjoying 2021 much more than 2020. Sure, this new year isn’t without its share of issues. But things are still looking up and still moving in the right direction . . . in my humble opinion at least.
Which brings me to the update promised in the title of this post. Here goes: we’ve started posting new content at The Flickcast. Not just podcasts, mind you, other content too. Fun!
Starting to post content again serves several purposes, not the least of which is getting me into the habit of writing every day. That’s a good thing.
Plus, who knows, maybe some people will go to the site and it will generate a few bucks of income? It could happen. It’s happened before. We have pretty small overhead so almost anything would be good.
That said, if you feel so inclined, head over and read some articles and maybe click on one of the ads? I’d appreciate it.
Speaking of websites, there’s another one you should check out for sure: Hapa Grey. I’m probably biased (I am) but it’s one of my favorites. If you love bargains and deals and knowing about the latest trends, Hapa Grey is the site for you. Check it out.
Other than that, I’m playing a fuckton of D&D (in private and on Twitch), we’re not frozen anymore, don’t have to boil our water, my son hates doing school online, it’s basically been a year since we started quarantine and I almost got my first dose of the COVID vaccine.
Maybe I’ll get it tomorrow? Maybe. Hope you get yours soon too.
Until then, stay safe, wear your mask, social distance and try not to be a dick.
Image: Adobe Stock
As has been the case for the last few years, I wasn’t at Comic-Con in San Diego this week. The reasons I don’t go are varied, but the main one is after going pretty much every year for the last 30 years or so, I’m kinda burned out.
Also, I’m waiting for my son to get a wee bit older before I scar him for life by taking him to the con. I’m not sure he’d be able to handle it right now. There’s just too much of it and it’s all happening at the same time. If you’ve ever been you know what I’m talking about.
Heck, I’m an adult with decades of con experience and I’m not sure I could handle it right now either. Well, I probably could. Probably.
Even though I didn’t go this year I did keep tabs on most of the things happening during the week, especially the trailers for new movies and TV shows. Here’s some of my favorites.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
As a huge fan of OG Godzilla movies, and especially Destroy All Monsters, this made me very happy. I’ll be seeing this as soon as I can.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 2
Say what you will about this latest Star Trek series (and about CBS All Access which, let’s face it, kinda sucks) this trailer looks great and I’m very interested in the new season.
And the one I’m most excited about: Glass. Been waiting a long time for an Unbreakable sequel, and now it’s here. Looks great. And yes, I realize Split was a sorta sequel, but this is more what I had in mind all along.
There were, of course, a lot more trailers, news, announcements and whatnot from the show. It is Comic-Con after all. But these were the highlights for me.
I was against the idea of a Blade Runner sequel when I first heard about it. It’s one of those movies that stands on its own and I never really felt like I needed more of the story. They didn’t know how long they had. But then again, who does?
For me, that ending worked. And that was it.
However, as I’ve heard more about the sequel and what elements are involved (writer, director, stars), I became more interested. And now with the first trailer released today, that interest has turned to actual desire to see the movie.
Yes, I’m as surprised as you are.
Here’s the trailer if you haven’t already watched it a bunch of times. Gotta say, it looks pretty darn good. And no, I don’t think it will be terrible now. In fact, I’m glad it doesn’t seem so. I don’t want things to fail. Really I don’t.
Enjoy.
Sure, The Silence of the Lambs is a creepy, psychological thriller/horror movie about women’s empowerment, cannibalism and the search for a serial killer. It also won a lot of awards (including the Oscar for Best Picture) and is, at least to me, an exceptionally well done film.
But what if it was a romantic comedy? This trailer shows you how that just might work.
Enjoy.
I realize this has been out for a bit, but I just watched it again and, gotta say, I still love it. The whole vibe seems just right as does the look, the tone and pretty much everything else. Of course, you can’t tell everything from a trailer.
Still, if the movie ends up being close to this, I’ll be very happy indeed. Plus, who doesn’t love Led Zeppelin?
Anyway, if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for? Here it is.
As I’m a huge fan of Star Wars (of course) and also looking forward to Suicide Squad, this mashup trailer by The Usual Suspect amused me quite a bit.
Enjoy.
This video, put together by Editor Jacob T. Swinney, is very impressive. It chronicles the history of cinema, starting with the 1915 film Birth of a Nation, by highlighting iconic shots from 100 films of the past 100 years.
Very impressive indeed. Enjoy this bit of history.
(h/t to the a.v. club)