tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73682558027824952622024-03-13T05:29:44.499-05:00StevePrutzPersonal blog about music and the wonders of nostalgic gaming and pop culture.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-68671781437610633852023-08-20T10:14:00.001-05:002023-08-20T10:14:01.319-05:00Moving some posts to Medium and elsewhere<p>There may be some video game or gardening posts here, but many of my blog and non-blog posts will be visible elsewhere, mostly likely <a href="https://steveprutz.com/blog/" target="_blank">my personal site</a>. Chiefly because of the credibility of Blogger. For instance, blogspot.com can't be referenced as a source on Wikipedia...</p><p>For professional/philosophical writings, see Medium.com, like this one:</p><p><b>"<a href="https://medium.com/@sprutzman/product-owners-machine-learning-will-help-you-write-better-user-stories-but-it-wont-replace-you-e3541511377a" target="_blank">Product Owners: Machine Learning will help you write better User Stories, but it won’t replace you</a>"</b></p><p>See: <a href="https://medium.com/@sprutzman" target="_blank">https://medium.com/@sprutzman</a></p><p>See also: <a href="https://linktr.ee/steveprutz" target="_blank">https://linktr.ee/steveprutz</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-36279489244728270732022-12-31T08:00:00.048-06:002022-12-31T08:00:00.195-06:00Annual Diet: Vegetarian January, Vegan February<p>I've been following an Annual Diet after the US Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day) for several years now. It makes a good <i>de facto</i> New Year's resolution, and covers a good winter period where I'm mostly indoors (due to allergies).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Vegan_and_vegetarian_grocery_shopping_and_cookery_books.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Vegan_and_vegetarian_grocery_shopping_and_cookery_books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Here are the ground rules...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>JANUARY 1-31: Ovolactovegetarian</b></li><ul><li>No meats for a month</li><ul><li>Exceptions: eggs and dairy (milk, cheese, butter)</li></ul></ul><li><b>FEBRUARY 1-28: Vegan</b></li><ul><li>No meats for 28 days</li><li>No dairy (milk, cheese, butter) for 28-29 days</li><ul><li>Exception: Omnivore diet for Super Bowl Sunday (mid-February), possibly ghee</li></ul></ul></ul><div>Oh, and if there is an emergency (sickness, or major power outage affecting refrigeration), the diet goes back to full omnivore.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Some great non-meat ideas:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>curry with rice</li><li>nachos</li><li>cabbage tacos</li><li>three-bean chili</li><li>cauliflower cheddar bake</li><li>cauliflower tikka masala</li><li>one pan pasta</li><li>caprese salad (or crostini)</li><li>pesto (with bread/chips)</li><li>home fries</li><li>vegan paella</li></ul></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-90295849528983347792021-07-18T09:16:00.343-05:002021-08-12T13:57:58.181-05:00Anticipation of Dread (Metroid 5 speculation and Nintendo nostalgia)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">[NOTE: contains some mild spoilers for the Metroid saga, but no spoilers for Metroid Dread]</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b25ORs0MyZM/YQF7MADZ79I/AAAAAAAAFvA/tuG__i4sEtM0KDsPMVPyQ29Xb4gZBOZRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JP_Box_Art_sm_Artwork.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1212" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b25ORs0MyZM/YQF7MADZ79I/AAAAAAAAFvA/tuG__i4sEtM0KDsPMVPyQ29Xb4gZBOZRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JP_Box_Art_sm_Artwork.png" width="242" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">It was a shock to hear that Nintendo had produced <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NjCICl7dDo" target="_blank">Metroid 5 (<i>Dread</i>)</a> and it would be ready-to-play in October, no less. And I was also surprised to find I've never really written about the franchise. So, here we are... 2021 is a long way from 1994, when I first played a Metroid game.</div></span></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Super Metroid</i> was a seminal moment. I was thirteen. I recall two things happening in that point in my life. One, I was drinking huge glasses of Metamucil. There was a motherly thought that I wasn't getting enough fiber, so I'd consume the supplement after school while gazing up at the TV pixels. Two</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, I had relatives visiting while I was in the thick of exploring </span><a href="https://www.metroidwiki.org/wiki/Zebes" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Zebes</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. I was so engrossed in the game that I would be zoned-out when they tried to engage me. I regret this memory as an adult, but I admit I was a socially-awkward kid having a "watershed moment".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Super Metroid</i> existed in a pre-WWW time, where there was a reliance on hearsay and printed media for hints on such a maze-like map (or a tricky boss fight). But, I don't remember any friends or neighbors playing Metroid, so I must have figured it out solo. I did have the game manual, but that's was the extent of my knowledge of lore. Besides, video game canon is disregarded easily.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/9/9a/The_Galaxy_is_in_Peace.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090723195823" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="175" src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/9/9a/The_Galaxy_is_in_Peace.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090723195823" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Putting "Super" in front of SNES games was a gimmick, but for <i>Metroid 3</i> I think there is a subtext. It is a story that picks up after Samus Aran has exterminated all but one of the titular species (see also, <a href="https://www.metroidwiki.org/wiki/Metroid_II:_Return_of_Samus" target="_blank"><i>Metroid II</i> story</a>). The larva is stolen by Space Pirates for weaponizing purposes. Eventually, the <a href="https://www.metroidwiki.org/wiki/Metroid_Hatchling" target="_blank">hatchling grows to be gigantic</a>--much larger than seen previously in the canon. The gigantism could be due to Pirate genetic manipulation/weird science, but it is clear this is a <i><a href="https://www.metroid-database.com/bestiary/bestiary.php?b=111#bestiary" target="_blank">super</a></i> specimen.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like many others dedicated the franchise, I was elated to see another 2D metroidvania officially greenlit in a post-Switch era. In this time of remakes and revamps (like <i>Skyward Sword HD</i>), it also seemed odd that there wasn't a digital way to play the Metroid predecessors. I wasn't impressed enough to buy the Samus Returns remake--didn't make sense to buy a DS handheld just for that. So I did what probably many other <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7eda9/are-you-a-geriatric-millennial" target="_blank">Geriatric Millennials</a> did--I dusted off my Game Boy Advance SP to play Metroid 4 (<i>Fusion</i>) and the <i>Zero Mission</i> remake. It seemed like a chore at first, but just a few hours into the Metroid 1 remake fueled the nostalgia enough to go down a YouTube rabbit-hole. 🌌</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLW0xqjjympTbmfJ_dJtrJch1-vddr9cy0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've been watching a lot of streamers playing ROM hacks/mods of Metroid games. It astounds me how much time people put into their <a href="https://metroidconstruction.com/hacks.php?x=top" target="_blank">customizations</a> of the Metroid games. It's fanatical, and it's clear the Metroid fandom is alive and well, mostly as <i>Super Metroid</i> is on the "Mount Rushmore of speedrunning". It's a game rich in intentional sequence breaking with frame-perfect precision.</span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Metroid Dread speculation</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've shielded myself from <i>Metroid Dread</i> game footage and further spoilers, because I want to go in fresh, cold. Since <i>Metroid Fusion</i> in 2002, there hasn't been any official word on what happened to Samus since the X Parasite incident (and the destruction of planet SR388). My imagination runs wild.</span></p><p><a href="https://cdn.wikimg.net/en/metroidwiki/images/2/22/Morph_Ball_m1_Screenshot.png" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="240" src="https://cdn.wikimg.net/en/metroidwiki/images/2/22/Morph_Ball_m1_Screenshot.png" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With planets SR388 and Zebes only a memory, <i>Dread</i> will take place on a new setting. I'm sure there will be metroids of some kind and classic upgrades for Samus' suit, but I'm looking to have my expectations subverted. The classic beginning of Samus obtaining the morph ball upgrade can't happen as it did in Metroid 1 (and the nearly-identical Metroid 3) intro. Because the events of <i>Fusion</i> gave Samus a <a href="https://www.metroidwiki.org/wiki/Fusion_Suit" target="_blank">fully-powered suit</a>, there will have to be some explanation as to why the enhancements are needed (yet again). I understand the "upgrade progression" need in metroidvania, but perhaps the morph ball <i>won't</i> be the first suit upgrade. Hell, maybe Samus will start suitless! Also, I hope they don't bring back Kraid and Ridley--those dudes are dead. Something novel, please.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There's also an interesting connection with world events and the curing of Samus with a <a href="https://www.metroidwiki.org/wiki/Vaccine_%22Metroid%22" target="_blank">vaccine</a>. Maybe they'll do something cool with that...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've never had a desire to play the 3D </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">Prime </i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">games, but I know there's a narrative of phazon, Dark Samus, etc. There's a possibility there, plus that could to satiate Prime fanboys. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Metroid saga is a YA game that stands out in a milieu of Nintendo franchises for kids. No matter how much <i>the Legend of Zelda</i> tries to be serious and dark, it won't alienate the kids. And that's maybe why I like Metroid so much--it stays dark.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 1994, I hadn't seen any of the <i>Alien</i> movies, but Xenomorphs and facehuggers were part of the 80s/90s pop-culture. And its popularity was a springboard (springball?) for the Metroid story and aesthetic. Whatever happens with <i>Dread</i>, at a minimum it will be a fun maze of discovery with a retelling of the original mythology. I'm totally OK with that. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Axiom Verge 2</i> is also slated for 2021. It seems like my gaming schedule is overbooked! 🦠</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-28064406055546644972021-01-01T14:15:00.020-06:002021-01-16T17:23:10.916-06:00Movies watched in 2020<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's my annual list. I <a href="https://steveprutz.blogspot.com/2020/01/movies-and-tv-seasons-watched-in-2019.html" target="_blank">beat 2019 by about 60</a>. I stopped tracking TV series, too.</span></p><p>The only films I saw in theaters were: Star Wars IX, Tenet, and Mad Max</p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Key:</span><br /><span><b><span style="color: lime;">Bold and green</span></b> = released in 2020 or 2019 and new to me</span><br /><span><span style="color: cyan;">Blue/cyan</span><span style="color: lime;"> </span>= released before 2019; new to me</span><br />* <span> = repeated watch; NOT NEW to me</span><br /></span><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Star Wars IX</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riddick*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day of the Dead*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tremors*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Les Miserables</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Snatch*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Murder on the Orient Express</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Wick 3</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Square</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">1917</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild and Wonderful Whites of WV</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lighthouse</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Terminator Dark Fate</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parasite</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doubt</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two Popes</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alita: Battle Angel</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ford v Ferrari</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Godzilla King of Monsters</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Escape from New York*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Knives Out*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Uncut Gems</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Logan Lucky</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marriage Story</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matrix Revolutions*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jay and Silent Bob Reboot</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lawless</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rocketman</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inside Out</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bloodsport*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Platform</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overlord</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blues Brothers*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dark Waters</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gravity*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rambo Last Blood</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Birds of Prey</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">MST3K Jack Frost*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harry Potter 1*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harry Potter 2*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harry Potter 4*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under the Skin*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Runaway Train</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">King of New York</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">A View to a Kill</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harry Potter 5</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Long Goodbye</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Big Sleep</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kiss Kiss Bang Bang*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blow the Man Down</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Battle Beyond the Stars</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Spy Who Loved Me*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Star Wars Rise of Skywalker*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alien Covenant*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">GoldenEye*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mommie Dearest</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Demolition Man*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arkansas</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cedar Rapids</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joe Dirt*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mad Max: Fury Road*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">World is Not Enough*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is Spinal Tap*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Die Another Day*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casino Royale*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casino Royale*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lance</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blazing Saddles*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parallax View</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quantum of Solace*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alien: Resurrection*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bronson*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pumaman* mst3k</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Austin powers*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Austin Powers 2*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Body Heat</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ad Astra</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Judge Dredd*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Austin Powers in Goldmember*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enemy Mine</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tampopo</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kingpin*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jaws 2</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jaws 3D</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eraser</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frost/Nixon</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doctor Sleep*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wonka*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jerry Seinfeld 23 Hours to Kill</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Patriots Day</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jaws*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Midway</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Skyfall*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Batman v Superman: Ultimate*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">House</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vice</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hunger Games 2*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Robin Hood: Men in Tights*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hunger games 3*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Innerspace</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ready or Not</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Heat of the Night*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Artemis</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Purple Rain*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spectre*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hitcher</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Serpico*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nighthawks</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once upon a time in Hwood*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Papillon</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">1917*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doctor Strange*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thomas crown affair*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hannibal*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saved</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">A million little pieces</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Predator 2*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Venom</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Best of the Best</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Red Dragon*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Richard Jewell</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Searchers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brawl at Cell Block 99*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dunkirk*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tenet</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zombieland 2</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soldier*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">M.S. Frankenstein*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halloween II</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halloween 4</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Red Planet*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Man of Steel*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halloween 5</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arrival*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buckaroo Banzai</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm thinking of ending things</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nocturnal Animals*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trick 'r Treat*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Miles Davis Birth of the Cool</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halloween 6</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mummy's Hand</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mummy 1959</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">After Hours</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sleepy Hollow*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Horror of Dracula</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halloween 2007</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don't Breathe</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halloween II 2009</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodfellas*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Creature from the Black Lagoon</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Thing from Another World</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Creepshow...</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Addams Family*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fright Night</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Blob</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hunt</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anna Karenina</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rocky*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rocky 2*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rocky III*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blood Simple</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If...</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rocky IV*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Star Trek II: Khan*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Shadow*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halloween*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Home Alone*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Home Alone 2: Lost in New York*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">From Russia with Love</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Godfather 2</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's a Wonderful Life</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mad Max: Fury Road*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thunderball*</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 1/2</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thin Man</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wonder Woman 1984</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maltese Falcon</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frantic</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">WW84</span>*</span></li><li><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hillbilly Elegy</span></li><li><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">You Only Live Twice</span></li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-50759823557813456662020-08-14T12:31:00.001-05:002020-08-22T08:28:08.277-05:00DK Tropical Freeze advice 🏝️ ❄️🦍
I’ve been meaning to write more here, and I’ve got my eyes on video games at this crazy time of self-quarantine.
Before I post my Top 30 list (and articles), a warm up: the Nintendo Switch.<div><br /></div><div><i>Donkey Kong Country</i> (SNES) is one of my all-time favorites (Top 30, probably higher), so I decided to buy the Switch version of the 2014 “sequel”... <i><b>Tropical Freeze</b></i>.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/CKDeA9u.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="491" height="173" src="https://i.imgur.com/CKDeA9u.gif" width="314" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was on sale on the Nintendo eShop thingy.
And <i>holy shit, is it hard</i>. It’s way hard. 🦧 The developers knew this, so they provided some much-needed mercy in spots. Here are some tips for you Switch players:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Play as Funky Kong. Don’t even think about playing the classic way.</li><li><u>Play. As. Funky. Kong.</u> He hovers! He has more hearts! </li><li>Use the alternate controller config. The action went way smoother after I could use X and Y to grab.</li><li>Play thru once (and beat the game) without worrying about all the secrets.</li><ul><li>Once ready, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kh3b7avr3Y" target="_blank">this GameXplain video</a> will help.</li></ul><li>Learn how to <a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/718938-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze/68675192" target="_blank">high-bounce</a> <a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/718938-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze/68644436" target="_blank">off an enemy</a>.</li><li>Get all the gold Banana Coins you can. The 1-Ups and bananas don't really matter.</li></ol>You <i>will</i> get better. There’s so much to unlock here, that the replay value (once you get over the hump) will make the game quite enjoyable.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really wish I had the advice above when I began! 🍌🍌🍌</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-68467061602526569862020-02-09T13:06:00.002-06:002020-02-11T20:08:09.813-06:00Best of the Year 2019: Movie (Oscars edition)TL;DR: I think Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is hand-crafted to win Tarantino the Best Picture award.<br />
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I saw <a href="http://steveprutz.blogspot.com/2020/01/movies-and-tv-seasons-watched-in-2019.html" target="_blank">a lot of movies in 2019</a>. In my catching up, I've seen almost all the Best Film nominees. Maybe it was off-year, but I don't feel like there's stand-out classic that just screams to be "the best". I haven't yet seen <i>Marriage Story</i>. I don't think I'll ever see <i>Jojo Rabbit</i>. And <i>Little Women</i> is probably a no-go. Maybe the worst blockbuster was <i>Star Wars IX</i>, but I may post about that psychological tornado later.<br />
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I think history will remember Tarantino's <i>Pulp Fiction</i> as his best film, but his magnum opus is probably <i>...Hollywood</i>. Think about the Academy voters--those Boomers will gobble up the heavy LA nostalgia. Meanwhile, the Gen-Xers will just blindly vote anything Tarantino. It's a shoe-in.<br />
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Here's <i>my</i> list of best <strike>seven</strike> eight of 2019:<br />
<ul>
<li>Avengers: Endgame</li>
<li>Doctor Sleep</li>
<li>Glass</li>
<li>Knives Out</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Parasite</li>
<li>Us</li>
</ul>
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I didn't pick a best. Maybe <b>Parasite</b>? I'd bet <i>Uncut Gems</i> is awesome too, but I haven't yet seen it.<br />
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P.S. <i>Joker</i> is good but overrated. If I hadn't seen or heard of <i>King of Comedy</i> I would probably think Joker is the best.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-79831307107809643932020-01-27T18:20:00.000-06:002020-01-27T18:20:42.144-06:00Best of the Year 2019: SongInstrumentals (no lyrics) aren't included in the list...<br />
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Sebadoh<br />
"Celebrate the Void"<br />
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Kim Gordon<br />
"Air BnB"<br />
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Health<br />
"NC-17"<br />
<br />
Ride<br />
"Repetition"<br />
<br />
Battles (with Tune-Yards)<br />
"Last Supper on Shasta, Pt 1"<br />
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Show Me the Body<br />
"Arcanum"<br />
<br />
Joji<br />
"Sanctuary"<br />
<br />
UNKLE<br />
"Crucifixion / A Prophet"<br />
<br />
The Who<br />
"Ball and Chain"<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-4192141349686665782020-01-22T18:17:00.003-06:002020-01-26T16:54:09.678-06:00Best of the decade 2010-2019 (music album)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://static.spin.com/files/130813-Outside-Lands-04-Wavves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://static.spin.com/files/130813-Outside-Lands-04-Wavves.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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An absolute <i>metric ton</i> of music comes out in 10 years. For me, what I listened to most (as an album) was Waaves' <i>Afraid of Heights</i>. Here's a list of 25 or so (in reverse alphabetical order):<br>
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<a href="http://steveprutz.blogspot.com/2020/01/best-of-decade-2010-2019-music-album.html#more">> > Read further...</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-19709154690229179112020-01-05T06:00:00.001-06:002020-12-29T04:37:32.409-06:00Movies (and TV seasons) watched in 2019<span style="font-family: inherit;">Starting in 2018, like Steven Soderbergh, I kept track of all the movies (new and old) that I watched over the course of 12 months.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For 2019, here's my list. Looks like there's about 130!</span><br>
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<a href="http://steveprutz.blogspot.com/2020/01/movies-and-tv-seasons-watched-in-2019.html#more">> > Read further...</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-73950993706263891082019-12-31T13:10:00.004-06:002020-01-21T19:33:18.947-06:00Best of the decade 2010-2019 (film)Here's my list of <i>about 10 movies</i> which were great in the past decade. Mind you, I haven't seen everything in 2019 (or previous) years, but I've seen a ton of comic book films and obviously Denis Villenueve and Christopher Nolan stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://steveprutz.blogspot.com/2016/01/best-of-year-2015-movie.html" target="_blank">Quite clearly for me, <i>Mad Max</i> was the best thing I saw</a>. I think everyone would agree that it's the most transcendent/iconic for filmmaking in the 2010s.<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Inception </i></b>(2010)</li>
<li><i><b>The Dark Knight Rises </b></i>(2012)</li>
<li><i><b>Prisoners</b></i> (2013)</li>
<li><b><i>The Wolf of Wall Street</i></b> (2013)</li>
<li><b><i>Gravity</i></b> (2013)</li>
<li><b><i>Gone Girl</i></b> (2014)</li>
<li>⭐ <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mad Max: Fury Road</i> (2015)</li>
<li><b><i>Blade Runner 2049</i></b> (2017)</li>
<li><b><i>Avengers: Infinity War</i></b> (2018)</li>
<li>Tie: <b><i>Black Panther</i></b> (2018) <u>or</u> <b><i>Deadpool</i></b> (2016) <u>or</u> <b><i>X-Men: Days of Future Past </i></b>(2014)</li>
</ul>
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As I finish this list, I'm going to see <i>Star Wars: Skywalker</i> in a few hours ...It has nothing to do with the list above... Wish me luck!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-91394796428892074342019-12-08T17:06:00.001-06:002019-12-09T11:34:46.351-06:00blog update: Best of 2019 and the decadeHello!<br />
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<a href="https://i1.wp.com/deepestdream.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/OnceUponATime1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://i1.wp.com/deepestdream.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/OnceUponATime1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Looks like we're fully into the "end of the year" cycle... Tons of sites are posting their best-of lists. I've been listening to a lot of good tunes and a heap of great cinema. I think it's a little too early to post my lists. Over the next weeks, I'll be researching my "best of 2019" and "best of the decade". If you can't wait until January/February (maybe April), I'll make some crystal ball award season predictions now... 🔮<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Billie Eilish</b> will be the toast of the town. She'll win many awards (like the Grammy).</li>
<li><i><b>Once Upon a Time In Hollywood</b></i> will win the Best Picture Oscar. I personally don't agree, but experience tells me it'll win... or come close to the win.</li>
<li>Tom Hanks </li>
<li><i><b>Watchmen</b></i> will get tons of attention. I haven't seen it, but I'm reading it's good.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Those are my most lucid predictions. I'm excited for several December movies, including the intriguing Richard Jewell dramatization.<br />
<br />
I'll have several lists ready for the cold and icy winter that's coming! ☃️Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-4791963200288556672019-02-04T07:30:00.000-06:002019-02-04T07:30:03.670-06:00Lyric Entry #012I have a mansion, but forget the price<br />
Ain't never been there, they tell me it's nice<br />
<br />
I live in hotels, tear out the walls<br />
I have accountants pay for it all<br />
<br />
They say I'm crazy but I have a good time<br />
I'm just looking for clues at the scene of the crime<br />
Life's been good to me so far!<br />
<br />
My Maserati does 185<br />
I lost my license, now I don't drive<br />
<br />
I have a limo, ride in the back<br />
I lock the doors in case I'm attacked<br />
<br />
I'm making records, my fans they can't wait<br />
They write me letters, tell me I'm great<br />
<br />
So I got me an office, gold records on the wall<br />
Just leave a message, maybe I'll call<br />
<br />
Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through<br />
(Everybody say "I'm cool", he's cool)<br />
I can't complain but sometimes I still do<br />
Life's been good to me so far!<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
I go to parties sometimes until four<br />
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door<br />
<br />
It's tough to handle this fortune and fame<br />
Everybody's so different, I haven't changed<br />
<br />
They say I'm lazy but it takes all my time<br />
(Everybody say "oh yeah", oh yeah)<br />
I keep on going, guess I'll never know why<br />
Life's been good to me so far!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-8206896906595022582019-01-22T19:51:00.002-06:002019-01-22T19:51:22.099-06:00Best of 2018: Music album<b><i>Double Negative</i></b><br />
Low<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://subpop-img.s3.amazonaws.com/asset/productable_images/attachments/000/007/779/max_960/low-doublenegative-cassette-square.jpg?1539038011" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://subpop-img.s3.amazonaws.com/asset/productable_images/attachments/000/007/779/max_960/low-doublenegative-cassette-square.jpg?1539038011" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
This is it. I've read two reviews that say this album is political, but I don't see it. It's one of Low's best, most complete works. Better than their early stuff, than <i>Drums and Guns</i>, than <i>Invisible Way</i>. It's quiet, it's disjointed, it's romantic. It's an album that demands headphones to hear those little raindrops. It makes you think of the husband-wife songwriters making this in the studio.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Age Of</i><br />
Oneohtrix Point Never<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Virtue</i><br />
The Voidz<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Criminal</i><br />
The Soft Moon<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Pinned</i><br />
A Place to Bury Strangers<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-3249031399070431152019-01-01T11:49:00.001-06:002019-01-01T11:49:43.267-06:00Best of 2018: Song<br />
<div>
Check my Spotify playlist for various selections. By far, my favorite songs came from Low this year. The others are good, too, so take a look-see.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shortlist:</div>
<ul>
<li><b>"Always Up" by Low</b></li>
<li>"Young" by the Soft Moon</li>
<li>"All Wordz Are Made Up" by The Voidz</li>
<li>"Never Coming Back" bt A Place to Bury Strangers</li>
</ul>
<br />
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/steveprutz/playlist/4UwUhBz5HDX9yrPIlPB49B?si=PHqF1rQbRdWZ75brwy0Fuw">https://open.spotify.com/user/steveprutz/playlist/4UwUhBz5HDX9yrPIlPB49B?si=PHqF1rQbRdWZ75brwy0Fuw</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/steveprutz/playlist/4UwUhBz5HDX9yrPIlPB49B" width="300"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-6181263218237202132018-12-26T11:56:00.001-06:002018-12-26T15:01:04.704-06:00The worst film of 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bSk6yN_RU3Q/S7ZeJiKEXDI/AAAAAAAAG0M/TIkNbrFtQMw/s1600/suspiria-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="512" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bSk6yN_RU3Q/S7ZeJiKEXDI/AAAAAAAAG0M/TIkNbrFtQMw/s1600/suspiria-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Suspiria 2018</i> is almost <b>three hours long</b>. Imagine seeing a slow, atmospheric movie on a weeknight. That's how I experienced it, and I don't recommend seeing it even in ideal conditions. It's a movie about a witch-run dance school, but there is very little dancing. Like, I don't <i>want</i> to see choreographed dance routines, but I was honestly subverted on that point. I also went in knowing the 1977 original work. I wouldn't call this film a remake, no way. It's barely got the original plot, and the rest is all new. That's not a compliment. I could have been marketed as a totally new idea, and it's sad it had to go with brand recognition--which is a stretch for an Italian cult horror film. Maybe it could have been called <i>A Coven Milling About</i>. I was expecting great special effects demonstrating black magic and witch-power, but again, I was disappointed. Halfway through, I couldn't wait to go home.<br />
<br />
A comment: the cast is almost entirely female. There are two males that I recall, obviously a call to how "feminist" the filmmakers wanted this whole ordeal to be. And I think the director, Luca Guadagnino, intentionally cast grotesque and ugly women to support "Susie" (Dakota Johnson). It was really distracting--too much so. I realize how superficial this whole paragraph sounds, but honesty triumphs over deception.<br />
<br />
I'm glad it bombed. I'll be surprised if it wins any mainstream awards. Tilda Swinton isn't even worth seeing--not her best work at all. The Thom Yorke soundtrack is overrated (hard overrated). None of this is worth a second of your time. Go see the original and its sequel, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Inferno-Leigh-McCloskey/dp/B0778Z4Q7L/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1545846939&sr=8-6&keywords=inferno" target="_blank">Inferno</a>, </i>which was on Amazon Prime last I checked.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-78846988481309667452018-10-01T07:30:00.000-05:002019-01-22T19:57:12.862-06:00Lyric Entry #011History repeats the old conceits<br />
The glib replies the same defeats<br />
Keep your finger on important issues<br />
With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues<br />
<br />
I'm just the oily slick<br />
On the wind-up world of the nervous tick<br />
In a very fashionable hovel<br />
<br />
I hang around dying to be tortured<br />
You'll never be alone in the bone orchard<br />
This battle with the bottle is nothing so novel<br />
<br />
So in this almost empty gin palace<br />
Through a two-way looking glass<br />
You see your Alice<br />
<br />
You know she has no sense<br />
For all your jealousy<br />
In a sense she still smiles very sweetly<br />
<br />
Charged with insults and flattery<br />
Her body moves with malice<br />
Do you have to be so cruel to be callous<br />
<br />
And now you find you fit this identikit completely<br />
You say you have no secrets<br />
And leave discreetly<br />
<br />
I might make it California's fault<br />
Be locked in Geneva's deepest vault<br />
Just like the canals of Mars and the Great Barrier Reef<br />
I come to you beyond belief<br />
<br />
My hands were clammy and cunning<br />
She's been suitably stunning<br />
But I know there's not a hope in Hades<br />
All the laddies cat-call and wolf whistle<br />
So called gentlemen and ladies<br />
Dog fight like rose and thistle<br />
<br />
I got a feeling<br />
I'm going to get a lot of grief<br />
Once this seemed so appealing<br />
Now I am beyond beliefUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-17533031428366898972018-09-04T19:50:00.000-05:002019-01-22T20:02:28.521-06:00midway 2018: what I'm watching<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">YouTube & Twitch</span><br>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I follow a ton of YouTubers, but, aside from pro musicians and directors, the "amateur" ones that post frequently and I look forward to watching:</span><br>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span>
</span><br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">acgameryoutube (Twitch)</span></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0M0rxSz3IF0CsSour1iWmw" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cinemassacre</span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">CinemaTyler</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Michael's shenanigans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">IdeasOfIceandFire</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">RedLetterMedia</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rifftrax (Twitch)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam O'Nella Academy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sardonicast/YourMovieSucksDOTorg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shadow Glass</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Summoning Salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">TierZoo</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Trekspertise</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">troutjerky87 (Twitch)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">videogamedunkey</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br>
<a href="http://steveprutz.blogspot.com/2018/09/midway-2018-what-im-watching.html#more">> > Read further...</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-18374046343539805172018-08-05T08:04:00.000-05:002018-08-06T17:49:18.832-05:00Picard returns to TrekSo they've <a href="http://www.startrek.com/article/sir-patrick-stewart-returning-to-iconic-picard-role" target="_blank">announced another Trek series reviving the TNG Captain Picard character</a>...<br />
<br />
[<a href="https://youtu.be/aCKQp1sGVRQ" target="_blank">YouTube announcement</a>]<br />
<br />
Sir Pat is 78 years old... by the time this series gets underway and released, he'll surely be 80...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://s1.piq.land/2014/04/20/kvWN33OnZpAXYWDQB1WnEEj0_400x400.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://s1.piq.land/2014/04/20/kvWN33OnZpAXYWDQB1WnEEj0_400x400.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Honestly this series is going to focus on mentoring youth. Sure, there will be Data and Worf guest drop-ins, but I don't see a full reunion happening unless ratings dip. I'm cautiously optimistic, but also fearful that Alex Kurtzman will screw it up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And also... Professor X... would he just be imitating that role mentoring kids?<br />
<br />
So! Let's play the name lottery. What will be the title of this new Trek TV show?<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Star Trek: Archeologists</li>
<li>Star Trek: Academy</li>
<li>Star Trek: Admiralty</li>
<li>Star Trek: Family Ties</li>
<li>Star Trek: Mentors</li>
<li>Star Trek: History Repeats Itself</li>
<li>Star Trek: Nothing Original</li>
<li>Star Trek: Diplomacy</li>
<li>Star Trek: Extended Captain's Holiday</li>
<li>Star Trek: the Generation Gap</li>
<li>Star Trek: Octogenerians</li>
<li>Star Trek: the Line Must Be Drawn Here!</li>
<li>and obviously, Star Trek: Make It So!</li>
</ul>
<div>
By the way, Rolling Stone published a great article in 2013 proposing they bring back the TNG cast in a revival series. <b><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/its-time-to-bring-back-star-trek-the-next-generation-85869/#!" target="_blank">Check it out</a>.</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-29399157417112492812018-03-20T10:05:00.002-05:002018-04-04T18:45:57.377-05:00Recommended GLQuake Console Commands<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>+mlook</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>r_wateralpha .8</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>r_mirroralpha .8</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>sv_aim 1</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>showturtle 1</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>r_timegraph 1</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>r_shadows 1</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>crosshair 2</b></span><br />
<br />
* <a href="http://www.gamers.org/dEngine/quake/QDP/qconcmds.html">http://www.gamers.org/dEngine/quake/QDP/qconcmds.html</a><br />
* <a href="https://www.quakewiki.net/archives/console/commands/quake.html">https://www.quakewiki.net/archives/console/commands/quake.html</a><br />
* <a href="http://quake.wikia.com/wiki/Console_Commands_(Q1)">http://quake.wikia.com/wiki/Console_Commands_(Q1)</a><br />
<br />
How do you set resolution?<br />
<br />
For Steam, additional launch options must be set for "<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-width X -height Y</span></b>". If you need windowed mode, use "<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>-window</b></span>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-36613565800395576472018-03-04T16:49:00.001-06:002018-03-04T16:49:49.187-06:00Best of the Year 2017: MovieI wait until about March to send this out, because January-February are times of low quality and I can catch up. There's no real way to be totally ready to say "the best film of the year is ____" without a few years buffer. But here's what I think.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Get Out</i><br />
Dir: Jordan Peele<br />
<br />
<i>Wonder Woman</i><br />
Dir: Patty Jenkins<br />
<br />
<i>Good Time</i><br />
Dir: Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie<br />
<br />
<i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Dir: Denis Villeneuve<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Spider-Man Homecoming</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dir: Jon Watts</span><br />
<br />
For the record, my money is on <i>Phantom Thread</i> to win the Oscars. I haven't seen it, but that's my educated guess.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-54611270317679488452018-02-12T07:30:00.000-06:002018-02-12T07:30:07.350-06:00Indiana Jones 5 title speculationWith the nearing release of Spielberg's adaptation of <i>Ready Player One</i>, I wanted to take the opportunity to try and predict the plot and title of the announced sequel to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Here goes...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/San_Diego_Comic_Con_2014-1323_(14756234764).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/San_Diego_Comic_Con_2014-1323_(14756234764).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Diego_Comic_Con_2014-1323_(14756234764).jpg" target="_blank">Credit</a></span></i></div>
<br />
It's going to be about the <b>afterlife</b>. Hell, they've already covered aliens... How do you top extraterrestrials? I can <i>guarantee</i> mortality will be the motif.<br />
<br />
Now for setting, I suspect something Egyptian. The Lost Ark was in Egypt, but the Ancient Egyptian culture is ripe for Indy. Perhaps the founding of Israel? It could be about Jewish/Christian mythology, too, but that's already been played in two of the movies. Maybe undead things?!? I'm going to maybe surmise there will be a sacrifice or even a zombification of the hero. Maybe that's a reach...<br />
<br />
I definitely know things that it won't do: dinosaurs, killer sharks, friendly aliens, the Holocaust (see a theme here?)<br />
<br />
My educated guesses:<br />
<ul>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Afterlife</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Cult of Osiris</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Land of the Dead</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Torment of the Undead</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Spectre of the Tomb</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Messiah</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Mortal Coil</li>
<li>Indiana Jones and the Deathly Hallows</li>
<li>Indiana Jones Meets the Grim Reaper!</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-30169420282726337892018-02-08T07:30:00.000-06:002018-02-08T07:30:33.092-06:00Blade Runner & BR2049 opening crawl text<span style="font-family: inherit;">I kept getting lost in Google searches looking for this info, so I'm posting this info for all the world to find. I left the grammar and punctuation intact. Forget about Star Wars opening crawls, these are the gold standard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Blade Runner</i> (1982)</span></b></h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced Robot evolution into the NEXUS phase - a being virtually identical to a human - known as a <i><span style="color: #990000;">Replicant.</span></i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The NEXUS 6 <i>Replicants</i> were superior in strength and agility, and at least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers who created them.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Replicants</i> were used Off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6 combat team in an Off-world colony, <i>Replicants</i> were declared illegal on earth - under penalty of death.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Special police squads - BLADE RUNNER UNITS - had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing <i>Replicant</i>.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was not called execution.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was called retirement.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">***</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Blade Runner 2049</i> (2017)</b></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">REPLICANTS</span> ARE BIOENGINEERED HUMANS, DESIGNED BY TYRELL CORPORATION</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>FOR USE OFF-WORLD. THEIR ENHANCED STRENGTH MADE THEM IDEAL FOR SLAVE LABOR</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AFTER A SERIES OF VIOLENT REBELLIONS, THEIR MANUFACTURE BECAME</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>PROHIBITED AND TYRELL CORP WENT BANKRUPT</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>THE COLLAPSE OF ECOSYSTEMS IN THE MID 2020s LED TO THE RISE OF INDUSTRIALIST</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>NIANDER WALLACE, WHOSE MASTERY OF SYNTHETIC FARMING AVERTED FAMINE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>WALLACE ACQUIRED THE REMAINS OF TYRELL CORP AND CREATED A NEW</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>LINE OF REPLICANTS WHO OBEY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>MANY OLDER MODEL REPLICANTS -- NEXUS 8s WITH OPEN-ENDED LIFESPANS -- SURVIVED.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>THEY ARE HUNTED DOWN AND 'RETIRED'</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>THOSE THAT HUNT THEM STILL GO BY THE NAME ...</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;"><b>BLADE RUNNER</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">***</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sources:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">* http://www.trussel.com/bladerun.htm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">* https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/comments/75lmev/request_the_opening_text_for_2049/?st=jcj8n5t3&sh=0ec32b14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">* https://youtu.be/u9L0pord5jE</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">* https://youtu.be/-fu7jN2_2pE</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-38124677010538735832018-02-03T07:30:00.000-06:002018-09-21T14:01:16.630-05:00Lettice Envent! Some new words<div>
This is an experiment after a discussion about the lack of words in English. I mean, there’s only one real word for “love” (what a drag). All the new non-Latin words are being gobbled up by drugs, Star Wars things, and internet apps; it’s time to claim some for the sake of creative writing. The pronunciation and word usage is wide open, ready to be captured and twisted by English grammar police.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>“zobe”: perhaps a child’s name or a flavored drink</li>
<li>“zideous”</li>
<li>“ximimeogram”</li>
<li>“spiceice”: spicy icicles?</li>
<li>“sowantu”: I <i>so want to</i> come up with a definition of this</li>
<li>“sollic”</li>
<li>“pentonexus”: the penultimate nexus</li>
<li>“dreek”</li>
<li>“dreculation”</li>
<li>“delthumb”</li>
<li>“corce”</li>
<li>“bibie”</li>
<li>“anticarol”: a song sung by a group to spread fear</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Again, these have not really been researched and I did this late at night. So, if you want to define these new words or make them your own, go for it!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-45003087585275996222018-01-20T06:44:00.001-06:002018-01-20T18:43:27.053-06:00Best of the Year 2017: New TVThe average intake of a human and a TV screen is increasing. But, hell... I can't remember what I watched. So, I've only got two stand-out TV shows that I know were new in 2017:<br />
<ul>
<li>The Young Pope</li>
<li>Taboo</li>
</ul>
Older shows watched in '17, ranked:<br />
<ol>
<li>Game of Thrones</li>
<li>Curb Your Enthusiasm*</li>
<li>Walking Dead</li>
<li>Twin Peaks*</li>
<li>Leftovers</li>
<li>Penny Dreadful</li>
<li>Life's Too Short</li>
<li>Mike Tyson Mysteries</li>
<li>The Moaning of Life</li>
<li>Toast of London</li>
<li>The Detectorists</li>
<li>Girls</li>
<li>Departures</li>
<li>Silicon Valley</li>
<li>Documentary Now!</li>
<li>The Simpsons</li>
<li>Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter</li>
<li>MST3K: The Return*</li>
<li>Halt and Catch Fire</li>
<li>Stranger Things</li>
<li>Trek: TNG***</li>
</ol>
<div>
* = Revivals</div>
<div>
*** = Reruns (off the air for quite a while)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368255802782495262.post-78144664280698622672018-01-10T18:27:00.005-06:002018-01-10T18:31:10.874-06:00Best of the Year 2017: Music album<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pB0rDEcC67s/Wlat76LjuFI/AAAAAAAAEjU/X3jcPfF-9mwGIg8cKhe0Nw4SjUnJODR5QCLcBGAs/s1600/lifewereallywant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="1243" height="269" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pB0rDEcC67s/Wlat76LjuFI/AAAAAAAAEjU/X3jcPfF-9mwGIg8cKhe0Nw4SjUnJODR5QCLcBGAs/s320/lifewereallywant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Is This the Life We Really Want?</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Roger Waters</span><br />
<br />
Ignore all controversies over the man and focus on the artwork. From an angry Brit ex-pat comes a symbol to the American condition. It's <i>The Wall</i> updated for a 21st century angst. This is the timely protest album you want.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>DAMN.</b></i><br />
<b>Kendrick Lamar</b><br />
<br />
I rarely have patience for rap/R&B, but this album caught my attention. Check out "Element", "Humble", and "Fear" now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Heaven Upside Down</b></i><br />
<b>Marilyn Manson</b><br />
<br />
Hyped as <i>SAY10</i> and delayed for quite awhile, this album delivers with songs like "Saturnine" (read the lyrics) the pseudo-title track ("Say10"). "We Know Where You Fucking Live" shows Manson hasn't lost his anger.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Whiteout Conditions</b></i><br />
<b>The New Pornographers</b><br />
<br />
Never really liked this band until I heard this album. "This is the World of the Theater" and "Second Sleep" are good starters. More like White House Conditions, am I right???<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Honorable Mentions</div>
<br />
<i>Patriots Day</i><br />
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross<br />
<br />
<i>Vietnam War</i><br />
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross<br />
<br />
<i>Creep</i> EP<br />
No JoyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0