Tag Archives: Amazon

The Needle Lies or: For the Record

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Records

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Salutations™!!

It is a sad day here at the Scorp household. We are staring at a wall of beautiful vinyl gems and are not listening to them. Our turntable is an Audio-Technica AT‑LP60‑USB. Sure, it’s entry level but it has been a great turntable. We have kind of outgrown it but we can’t really afford a new one. Plus, we’re holding out hope about finding a new house with a “listening room” where we can customize a new audio setup or “audio suite” to reflect our vinyl listening habits. But, as any reader of this blog’s Sunday (or heck most other days) edition or viewer of my personal Instagram feed knows, we listen to a shload of records.

 

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ATN3600L

 

The turntable was a gift from The BCPF four Christmases ago. The needle on this thing is original, so it has gotten a good bit of wear and tear. We’re over 1200 albums and we’ve listened to about 70% of them, many of them more than once. Again, a shload of listening. We’ve noticed over the last little bit that many of our older records (meaning mostly older than me) have started getting really distorted and distant when we play them, especially in certain tonal registers. New records don’t sound as pristine as they used to, either.

It sounded like the records needed cleaning. Well, again, if you read this blog, I do a lot to clean my records, either with the washing system I have or by using the solution that I make with a painter’s edging tool and microfiber cloth. I took the record one record we were listening to off the platter and cleaned it, again, but it still sounded distorted and distant. So, not that.

I considered it may be the speakers. Perhaps I had blown one? I mean, my hearing isn’t the best anymore and I have to turn it up to hear them. I switched to another input and had Alexa play the same record I was listening to on my Amazon Echo Dot. The music sounded perfectly clear. So, not that (thankfully).

New records, as I said, don’t sound as pristine but they do sound better, so I’m pretty sure it’s not wiring. That just leaves the needle in our minds. Luckily, the cartridge can be changed on the AT‑LP60‑USB and Amazon carries the replacement for under $18. It is Christmas season and we risked getting it with any kind of expediency, but according to Amazon, we should have it tomorrow. That would be great. And, hopefully, that will be what fixes it. But, today, vacation is going to be [mostly] record free. I don’t want to have a dull needle eating into my records. I know, technically, every time you listen you’re basically damaging the record, but I’d rather do it while hearing it as cleanly as possible instead of destroying it.

So, here’s hoping that delivery is right on time because we purchased a few “rekkids” yesterday that we haven’t gotten a chance to listen to, yet. And, tomorrow is, in fact, Saturday and that is our traditional “listening day.” I may freak out if we don’t get to do our “thang.” I’m kidding about that, but I won’t be happy about it.

Until tomorrow, happy listening (if you can)…
Scorp out!

—
“I miss the experience of walking into a record store and find old stuff without expecting to.” – Mark Hoppus

Suntan or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

15 Saturday Jul 2017

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a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Suntan (2016), starring Makis Papadimitriou, Elli Tringou, Dimi Hart.

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©Oxymoron Films, Marni Films

 

Per IMDb: “On a hedonistic Greek island, a middle-aged doctor becomes obsessed with a young tourist when she lets him tag along with her group of hard-partying friends.”

Kostis is hired to be the sole doctor on a Greek island that is quiet during the winter but in the summer it’s a tourist destination and all the young, beautiful people turn it into their own den of iniquity where just about anything goes. Kostis is going through some stuff in his life and he seems miserable. Whatever it is, most likely is leading him to become part of this island’s life. He goes places and meets locals, including a few lewd ones that he seems to have disfavor for.

The summer comes along and there’s a group of young Europeans on vacation on the island and he’s having to tend to one of them, a young, beautiful and nubile sandy blonde by the name of Anna (Tringou), after she’s injured. She flirts with him, openly and invites him to come to the beach with him. She shows him more and more attention and he starts to like it. Pretty soon, he’s out with them every day and every night. He and Anna get closer, but it seems that he’s getting more attached than she is.

One day she meets up with him separately from the group and has him show her a private secluded beach he told her about the day they met. They go there and Anna makes a move on him. It turns out that he was a little quicker to the finish than he should have been and she laughed it off saying the summer is long and he can make it up to her. They go back into town and she tells him she’ll see him tonight. She doesn’t show that night and he flips out. He starts neglecting patients, closing early or not showing up at all. He is obsessed. Does he snap out of it? You’ll have to watch to see.

First off, you have to be willing to read your movie, unless, of course, you speak fluent Greek. The film has a lot of smiling moments and plenty of dark and dreary moments. It’s romantic and sad, all at the same time. The scenery is amazing, as it’s Greece and Greece, especially in the tourist areas are beautiful. The film won several awards at various film festivals including Edinburgh, Odessa and several at Hellenic Film Academy Awards (in Greece).

The film touches hard on obsession and, as we’ve talked about on The Less Desirables a good bit lately, addiction. Not substance abuse as much as affection codependency. A decent film, it was worth my 90 minutes. Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 76% Fresh and an Audience Score of only 50%. IMDb has it at 6.8 stars out of 10. I saw this on Amazon Prime and will rate it 3.75 stars out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review? Let me know.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Some bronze. Others burn.” – Tag line for the Suntan.

Long Strange Trip or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

01 Saturday Jul 2017

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a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Long Strange Trip (2017), starring The Grateful Dead.

Long-Strange-Trip-film-poster

©Amazon

 

Per IMDb: “The tale of the Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead.”

On The Less Desirables, I’m going to let Danielle help me talk about the film since it was her request for me to watch this and the Dead is her favorite band. However, here, I’ll talk about it a bit. This will be brief.

I’ve never liked the Grateful Dead. One, I don’t like jam bands and, two, I don’t generally like the blues-based hippie rock. After seeing this film (broken into six episodes on Amazon), I will say that I found that I could tolerate a bit more of the film than I previously thought I could. Some of it I’d even say that I liked. I’ve never had a problem with “Uncle John’s Band,” “Truckin'” or “Casey Jones.” But, a lot of the other stuff I’ve had to learn to tolerate. This helped a little.

However, what I did gain from this was a lot of respect for Jerry Garcia and what the band went through. Also, I think it was touched on in the film but the phenomenon of “deadheads” actually took over and in some ways overshadowed the talent these musicians had. I believe it’s possible that, like Lynyrd Skynyrd, the actual talent of the band is overshadowed by the sometimes annoying, yet always rabid, fan base. The musicians that make up this band are immensely talented, something I think isn’t obvious in their “jam sessions.” I don’t like jam sessions because I like ensemble pieces not a lot of different solos. It’s one thing in a set for someone to do that, once per person, if need be, but not in every song. I start tuning it out after a while. Also, on studio albums, I think Jerry Garcia can actually sing. Live, it’s shaky. I know that’s not the “spirit of rock and roll” but the spirit of my rock and roll is more polished. And, my spirit kicks your spirit’s butt! I kid.

While the band wasn’t the Jerry Garcia Band, I believe that most of the world saw it as such, but as the documentary showed, Garcia didn’t want any leaders, at least not in the actual sense. Whoever needed to be in charge at any given time was in charge. The film focused on him and I believe it was about him, but that’s not necessarily the overall view of the band or even him at the time. I think the fans see it as Jerry’s band, mostly.

A song that I found that I liked included “Morning Dew.” Hearing the story of that and the truck engineer and how it made him weep was a sweet story. I am listening to the song right now as I write this. I’m listening to the Cornell University show from 1977. It’s just sincere and is an intimate song. I don’t know that I’d listen a whole lot but, Danielle, at least I gave it a shot, right?

Rotten Tomatoes has the film at 100% Fresh and an Audience Score of 92%. IMDb has it at 8.3 stars out of 10. As it is an Amazon original, I watched it on Amazon, all at once. All 238 minutes of it, not starting until about 10:15 pm on Tuesday night. Don’t let the length fool you. I’m not a fan of The Grateful Dead but I do love band and musician documentaries. For what this is and its quality, I am rating it 4.5 stars out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to hear/read me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“The situation is the boss.” – Steve Parish

Fast Times at Ridgemont High or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

24 Saturday Jun 2017

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a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold and Phoebe Cates.

Fast_Times_at_Ridgemont_High_film_poster

©Universal Pictures

Per IMDb: : “A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.”

Brad Hamilton (Reinhold) is looking to get out of high school on top. He’s popular and a senior. But, he’s not really enjoying his time with his girlfriend and a dipstick customer costs him his job at the local All-American Burger. He gets another job at Captain Hook Fish & Chips but, after realizing it was humiliating as all get out to deliver food in that costume, he quits that. So, why not go home and relax instead? He’s on top of the world right?

Brad’s sister, Stacy (Leigh) is also popular and works at the mall in a pizza parlor. She gets dates with older guys by lying about her age. She’s pushed by her seemingly promiscuous friend Linda (Phoebe Cates) to be more bold. Stacy tries and isn’t really thrilled about it. There’s a nerdy dude named Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) who is interested in Stacy but is too shy to ask her out. His buddy, the concert-ticket-scalping-pseudo-suave-dilettante , Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) talks him into taking Stacy out to a local German restaurant. While there, Mark realizes he has forgotten his wallet and calls Damone to bring it to him. Stacy tries to seduce Mark but his shyness gets the best of him and he leaves, rendering Stacy a bit frustrated. Eventually, Damone moves in gets a little time with Stacy.

Jeff Spicoli (Penn in a role unlike anything else he ever did) is a stoner slacker who dreams of nothing but surfing the gnarly waves. He is also the prime nemesis of the dry and no-nonsense history teacher, Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). Spicoli breaks rules and is just a nuisance, but, I don’t think he means to be. I think he’s just a free spirit. This film is a culmination of their lives and more. What happens with them? You’ll have to watch to find out.

I defy any male aged 40-55 to hear the first few bars of “Moving in Stereo” by The Cars and not have fond memories. When I see The BCPF get into our bed, it reminds me of that and I hear that song. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you have to watch the film. The cameos in this film of folk that either were just on their way into acting or perhaps not necessarily known to the general public in 1982, were all fantastic. Names like Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, Nick Cage were all up-and-comers. Actors Taylor Negron and Vincent Schiavelli have both passed on but you’d recognize them in the film from other things. Another quick cameo is from Nancy Wilson of he band Heart. She’s the blonde in the car that flirts then laughs at Brad in his pirate costume. She’s in the film because her husband, Cameron Crowe wrote the book and the screenplay. She’s made a lot of cameos in his films over the years.

The acting in this film was typical early 80s. Good, but you could tell the folks were just getting going. It’s cheesy early 80s cinema at its best. The soundtrack is chock full of greatness, as well. Then again, it is a Cameron Crowe film. This one was directed by Amy Heckerling (European Vacation, Clueless, Look Who’s Talking, Johnny Dangerously and so on).

Rotten Tomatoes has it at 78% Fresh with an Audience Score of 80%. IMDb has it at 7.2 stars out of 10. It is only available via Netflix‘s DVD.com or renting or buying on DVD or digital on Amazon. I have it on DVD and we watched it with 3B. The swimming pool scene, he really enjoyed. I rate the film 4.25 out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.” – Jeff Spicoli

 

Tight Action, Rear Traction or: Too Fast For Love (Eugeology Entry 24)

22 Thursday Jun 2017

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Sure, my love affair with Eugene’s choices waned a bit last week, but still, I’m having a winning record with the majority of stuff. And, it wasn’t a total waste, there were parts that I liked, right? Jon’s Monolithic Mega Month of Mayhem may be coming to an end and perhaps, just maybe he can get back on the train and catch up. Well, here’s this week’s take:

Too_Fast

©Elektra Records

 

#24 – Too Fast For Love by Mötley Crüe.

I didn’t even hear of Crüe until after Shout at the Devil came out in 1983. We were on a family trip to Virginia Beach and I was watching Night Flight on USA Network (that’s what it was called back then). The videos for “Looks that Kill” and “Too Young to Fall in Love” came on and I was in awe at the vids and dug the music. It was rough, raw and punchy. At least I thought so back then. I didn’t realize that Shout was a polished as it was. That’s not a bad thing, I like polished.

Then quite a few years later, which could have even been around the time the Decade of Decadence 81-91 greatest hits album came out, I realized there was something prior to Shout from the band. “Live Wire” and “Piece of Your Action” were on that. I thought they were decent songs, but they weren’t “Shout at the Devil,” “Ten Seconds to Love” or “Knock ‘Em Dead Kid.” It was too raw for me. I borrowed a cassette from an ex-girlfriend and really disliked that album. I didn’t like the production and I didn’t necessarily care for the tunes. Well, in my quest to be more accepting of things I don’t normally like, I purchased the CD in 2003 (okay, call it my need to collect). I still really didn’t care for it, even after it was remastered.

So, Eug had it up next on our list. I said, “yes!” because it was one of the few that I actually own or have owned. Eug was happy about that, and then I told him that I hadn’t listened to it but maybe once or twice. I sent me a virtual smack. I deserved that I guess. On to the album…

I still don’t really care for it. Well, let me clarify that. I still don’t like the production and Vince Neil’s voice is only slightly better than amateurish. Overall, it’s not awful. But, I hate the chorus to the title track because it sounds like the Ramones doing hard and heavy music. The “gang” vocals sound like two people yelling in unison instead of sounding like a gang. His voice is powerful in spots and really crappy in others. Now, I understand that when they originally released the album it was mostly self-produced and when Elektra Records signed them, they rerecorded some of the album. I’m thinking once Vince learned how to actually sound like a professional singer, that’s where they rerecorded.

Many of the songs sound like trial runs of Shout songs. “Take Me to the Top” sounds like a mix of “Looks that Kill” and “Too Young…” Not a bad thing but I’d rather have the finished product. Well, kind of. I haven’t really cared for “Looks that Kill” for the last 25 years or so (overplayed). I still like “Too Young…” though.

Besides the bad production, the one constant that I believe has always been the best asset of Mötley Crüe is Tommy Lee. He was the best thing for them. Both in “show” and in talent. He’s a fantastic drummer; a beast, if you will. I got tired of watching his antics over the years but I loved watching him play. Not that I ever saw them live, but on videos and such.

Mick Mars was just coming into his flashiness, even though he was 60 when this album came out (I’m kidding). And the main songwriter, bassist Nikki Sixx, actually plays some riffs that aren’t just mimicking the guitar parts. You don’t hear a lot of that in future Crüe albums. He just plays underneath the guitar parts in most of the songs from here.

I know it sounds like I’m poo pooing on the album, but really, I’m not. It’s not a bad album, just parts that peeve me. I came to that conclusion on the seventh listen through. I don’t usually listen to reissues or at least the “bonus tracks” but on this one, I made an exception. The original release had ten songs. The “official” version had nine. So, even though they released “Stick to Your Guns” as a single, it was omitted on the Elektra version. The 2003 reissue (and what’s on Amazon Music and Napster) has the song back on there as well as a decent cover of The Raspberries’ “Tonight” and “Stick to Your Guns” b-side, “Toast of the Town.”

If you take Vince’s crapola vocals out, this is really a good album and I’m glad I gave it another chance or was required to as part of the research. It’s no Shout at the Devil (my fave by the band) or Theatre of Pain (my second fave), heck nothing up to Generation Swine, but it’s decent. Thanks, Eug. I want to read your take and Jon will catch up someday.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Plug me in, I’m alive tonight. Out on the streets again. Turn me on, I’m too hot to stop. Something you’ll never forget. Take my fist, break down walls. I’m on top tonight. No, no! You better turn me loose. You better set me free cause I’m hot, young, running free. A little bit better than I used to be. ‘Cause, I’m alive. I’m a live wire.” – “Live Wire” (Sixx)

Dot Dot Dot or: Alexa, Good Morning

09 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Podcasting

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Salutations™!!51TmaDI8jRL._SY300_.jpg

I got one of the new Amazon Echo Dot things this week and I think The BCPF is worried about me. I think they made a movie about this kind of thing (Her (2013))? Anyway, from Alexa I get my “good morning” briefing, listen to whatever albums or songs that I want, I can play games, ask questions, access Wikipedia and have Alexa pull up podcasts.

That’s what I’m going to talk about right now, I suppose. Being as that’s what I do for a living, I check to see if my podcasts are available to people on any platform I can find. Alexa has internal apps that are called “skills” that dictate what she knows, how she interacts and so on. So, there’s a skill she has called AnyPod (there’s also TryPod and PodBuddy) that I emailed the developer to check the shows from The Less Desirables Network‘s availability. The Beer Dads and Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking both showed up but she was having trouble with The Less Desirables, The Man Who Ate the Town and Fan Interference podcasts.

Apparently, Alexa (and her “skills”) wanted to look for Les Diserables (as in Les Miserables) and Fan Interference went to a dozen other places when I asked for it. After getting AnyPod to check into it for me, the skill then picked up the right podcasts. Now, I have to play with it a bit and just say “less desirables” and “ate the town” to get it to work right, but they’re at least recognized.

So, if you have an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, you can now find all your favorite The Less Desirables Network podcasts to listen there. So, if you enable the AnyPod skill, use some of the following phrases: “Alexa, ask AnyPod to play The Less Desirables,” “Alexa, ask AnyPod to play Fan Interference,” “Alexa, ask AnyPod to play The Beer Dads,” “Alexa, ask AnyPod to play The Man Who Ate the Town,” “Alexa, ask AnyPod to play Sipping NC: The Art of  Drinking.”

You may have to modify some of those phrases. Instead, ask “Alexa, ask AnyPod to play Less Desirables,” “Alexa, ask AnyPod to play Ate the Town,” and so on. You can play around with different ways to ask for it. Also, the AnyPod skill is great for playing other podcasts, as well. If you don’t have an Echo or Echo Dot, well, you need to have one. Enjoy!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“The device is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic [sic] and other real time [sic] information. It can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation hub.” – Wikipedia page Amazon Echo Dot

Escaping Neverland or: How We Found a Way Around

11 Tuesday Apr 2017

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Salutations™!!

In Sunday’s “Silent Sunday” I said that we had purchased a cabinet for our LPs. This was greatly needed because we’re wracking up the number of LPs in the house and they’d become stacks, which isn’t good for the records themselves. We had been looking online for some stuff, Amazon, office supply stores and what I believe to be Hades, even though I’ve never been there, IKEA. Some people love it and that’s great for them.

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Yes, I reused the picture from Sunday.

I just know that The BCPF and I are both impulse buyers, or at least have a tendency to be, and I didn’t want to risk being sucked in to the gingerbread house for the witch to eat us after tempting us with delicious treats. I’m not saying I won’t go to IKEA, but I just haven’t and am in no hurry to do so. I hear “horror” stories of others calling for the death of the place because it was so enticing and got them to overspend due to interest beyond practicality. Nah.

Plus, the closest one is in Charlotte and while I’m okay with Charlotte, I just wasn’t in the mood to drive down there just to “shop.” We had stopped in at Underdog Records (the Official Vinyl Sponsor of The Less Desirables) to get our weekly fix from “the Candyman” Jonathan and we talked about going shopping for cabinetry. He was really pushing the IKEA idea. My stomach turned… nope.

We went to Twin City Hive (Official Coffee Sponsor of The Man Who Walked the Town) to get The BCPF’s caffeine on and Joey told us that Costco has a record shelving system, or at least had one. We like Costco and decided it was worth the look. Well, we found what we were looking for and it was only $99.99. It’s a sturdy cab and it looks pretty good. It wasn’t too hard to put together, either. About 25 minutes is all it took us to put it together. Then we spent an hour alphabetizing the collection because that’s how we roll. You should have seen the both of us wringing our grubby little hands in anticipation of that kind of fun. We both have enough OCD (or CDO with the letters being in the correct order) that we need alphabetizing for our sanity. It went fairly quickly, though.

We just had a ball doing that. I separated all the albums into stacks according to what the first name or artist was (that’s how Discogs alphabetizes) and The BCPF sorted them into alphabetical order. If we have multiples of one artist, we decided to put the releases in chronological order. It was just fun. We love that stuff. Now, when want to do a “random grab” or use Discogs’ randomizer it will be more organized and easier to find stuff. We use an orange card to show where we took the LP from so it can go right back in without sifting. We’re just excited. So, look out #nowspinning group on Facebook. There’s more to come! Head to Underdog Records to get your record fix and check out my collection on Discogs.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Just go through the exit and directly into the warehouse. You skip all the selling that way.” – Jonathan Hodges on IKEA

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

25 Saturday Mar 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), starring Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore and George Clooney.

Confessions_of_a_dangerous_mind

©Miramax/Walt Disney Pictures

Per IMDb: “An adaptation of the cult memoir of game show impresario Chuck Barris, in which he purports to have been a CIA hitman.”

Chuck Barris (Rockwell) grew up in a weirdly broken home. He became very interested in television, even getting a job as a tour guide at NBC in New York. He wrote “Palisades Park” which went on to become a top 10 hit. He started to think up wacky game shows that were unlike anything else on television at the time. But, there was a dark side. That is, if Barris is to be believed in his book and/or in this film.

He was approached by Jim Byrd (Clooney), an FBI secret agent. Byrd wants to recruit Barris to be an assassin for the government. The money that Barris supposedly makes doing this line of work enables him to develop more of his loony programs. Shows like The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, The $1.98 Beauty Show and, of course, The Gong Show among others. He got his assignments by giving The Dating Game winning contestants trips to other countries where he is their “chaperone” during the day. At night, he kills a few people for the government and meets an operative named Patricia (Julia Roberts). They get close, which causes friction with Barris’ on-again/off-again girlfriend, Penny (Barrymore). What else happened? Does he ever get caught? Does he get the girl, either girl, neither girl? You’ll have to watch to find out.

I was very young when The Gong Show was on television, but I do remember it. I remember Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, the Unknown Comic, Arte Johnson, Jamie Farr and Jaye P. Morgan all being on there. I didn’t understand what was going on, but I remember it. I do remember The Newlywed Game vividly. I loved that show. I also knew about The Dating Game pretty well, too.

I do remember Chuck Barris from The Gong Show, too. I believe that Sam Rockwell did a fantastic job playing Barris. He had his mannerisms down and sounded a lot like him, as well. George Clooney, who not only starred in the film but directed it, was properly creepy and brilliantly stoic in his role as Agent Byrd. I’m not a huge fan of Julia Roberts but she did a great job of playing Agent Patricia Watson. Drew Barrymore is gorgeous and is always fantastic in whatever role she plays. I do find it funny that it seems she is almost always driving a Volkswagen vehicle in a lot of her films. Go watch a few of them to see what I’m talking about.

Do I believe half of this stuff? I don’t know. I don’t think so. It’s plausible and quite possible but mostly improbable. Does the improbability take anything away from the film? Nope. It’s a good film, actually. Interesting, intriguing and entertaining. It’s worth a watch. There were several cameos in the film of note: Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Michael Cera, to name a few.

It was on Netflix a while back but it’s currently only available on Amazon as a two-day rental. I own it on DVD and watched it that way.

I had chosen to do this film about two months ago, putting it on my schedule for this day. Oddly enough, Chuck Barris passed away on Tuesday, but I didn’t find out about it until I had put it in to watch on Wednesday. That’s just weird, to me.

Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at 79% Fresh with an Audience Score of 75%. IMDb has it rated at 7.1 stars out of 10. Like I said, a pretty good film.  I rate it 3.75 stars out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review? Send me some recommendations!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“We’re goin’ about this all wrong! We’re killing ourselves trying to find good acts. We just book bad ones and kill them! We kill ’em before they’re through, as soon as it gets unbearable, we kill them. Dead.” – Chuck Barris

Things Anew or: This is More Like It

28 Tuesday Feb 2017

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Salutations™!!

With my paycheck for the “big job,” I was able to purchase a new computer. I was in need, too. The one I use at home was really starting to fall apart. About six months ago, I was trying to clean something out from under the left “Shift” key and popped the key off. I use that one more than the other side, so that really messed me up on my typing. But, more about that computer scares me than just that key missing.

As a matter of fact, as I was ordering this new computer (I got it from Amazon) the hard drive on the old one started clicking and acting all weird. It’s made that noise before but it’s really getting louder. So, I figure that it’s not long before something serious happens. I have a lot of stuff on there that I’ll have to transfer to this new one, but I do plan on keeping that one going as long as possible because this new computer has no optical drive (CD/DVD/BRD) which means if I want to purchase something used at Ed McKay or even new on CD, I’ll have to be able to upload it to my iPod. That means I’ll have to keep an avenue open with a CD player.

The fact this one doesn’t have such a device and the fact that it has Windows 10, are the only things I’m really finding wrong with this new computer. It’s one of the x360 Flagship High Performance 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop. The keyboard flips around to become a tablet. It can stand and be an entertainment center. It has a B&O sound system (that rocks the speakers, I can’t wait to hear the clarity in the headphones. Because it flips to be a tablet that means the screen is touchscreen and I can draw on it (not that I will) or write like a notebook, etc. 8GB Memory and 1TB of space. Just what I need, too.

Like I said, I still have a lot of stuff (pictures, mostly) to transfer over to the new machine but I should get to that in the next day or two. But. this post is the first blog post I’ve written on it. Still getting used to the feel of the keyboard and a few other things to get used to (again, Windows 10), but it won’t take too long to do so. I dig it. I just wanted to write something on the new machine and this is it. Thanks for indulging me.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“I love it!!” – an Amazon.com reviewer

Batman v Superman or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

04 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by in Movie Review, Uncategorized

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Gal Gadot.

batman_v_superman_poster

©Warner Bros. Pictures

Per IMDb: “Fearing that the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the Man of Steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.”

Wow, I don’t even know where to start on this one. I will say that I watched the “Ultimate Edition” of this film. Yes, the three hour version. Three. Hours. A lot of super hero in three hours. Well, let’s try this…

Lois Lane (Adams) goes to what I’m figuring to be a Middle Eastern country to talk with a man about being a terrorist. It turns out to be a set up and Superman (Cavill) comes to her rescue. Some of the bad guys burn up the dead and make it look like Superman did that. This turns public fear and doubt toward him. Bruce Wayne (Affleck) also has reservations about Superman being more of a liability than a help. So, as Batman, he attempts to find ways to stop or perhaps kill Superman to protect the greater good of the planet. Lex Luthor has a bit of a God complex and plots to take out Superman to get power and his way; managing to get access to Kryptonian tech along the way.

They face off, and I can’t really tell you what happens, but I do think it’s sweet that both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne had mothers named Martha. I hadn’t thought of that before, actually. We’re introduced, kind of hurriedly, to a few other “heroes” yet to show up, in a series of video clips. We are also introduced to Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. The “big three,” or trifecta, of DC Comics here at once fighting. Fighting who? Each other? Someone else? You’ll have to watch to find out.

I had heard many bad reviews of this film. I heard it sucked. I heard Ben Affleck was a bad choice for Batman/Bruce Wayne. I heard it was just an utter bomb. Well, I feel all that is poppycock. Do I think this is a great film? No. Do I think it’s the best superhero film I’ve seen? No. Do I think Affleck was a good choice for Batman? Yes. In fact, I’d say the overall package, he was pretty darn fit for the part. I’m still a Bale fan, but Affleck is the right body type and played a slightly older character. The timeline portrayed in the film would put Batman slightly younger than me. I haven’t seen the regular theatrical release so I don’t know what the regular movie-going crowd saw, but three hours’ worth of movie, I felt they had plenty of time to get the story out there. At first, it was a bit sporadic but then it made sense.

Special effects in this film were fantastic. The CGI didn’t look like CGI, it looked real. I enjoyed Jeremy Irons as Alfred and the action was good. There are two things though, that bother me. One… I don’t like the babbling lunacy that Jesse Eisenberg portrays Luthor as a bumbling yet brilliant maniac. The comics’ Lex Luthor was a sociopath and, yes, he was brilliant but not at all bumbling. He was calm, poised and in control, just in a madman kind of way. I don’t think Eisenberg was a bad choice for Luthor, just a bad portrayal. Secondly, traditionally, Batman has been anti-gun and anti-kill. He was blast-happy throughout this film. Will we get some justification or clarification as to why he’s not following that credo, now?

Rotten Tomatoes, seemingly losing their minds, rates this at 27% Rotten but the audience score is 64%. The critics’ reasoning is: the film “smothers a potentially powerful story — and some of America’s most iconic superheroes — in a grim whirlwind of effects-driven action.” Okay, it was heavy on effects. It’s a superhero film with flying folks, aliens, Amazons, etc. It’s going to be heavy on effects. Whatever. IMDb has it at 6.7 stars out of 10. That’s about right. Anyway, Affleck – good, Eisenberg’s portrayal – bad, movie – decent. I saw it on Blu-Ray as someone allowed me to borrow theirs but you can watch it on the HBO subscription through Amazon Channels. I rate it 3.75 stars out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to hear/read me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“No one stays good in this world.” – Superman