I'm watching a LP on Ultima 5 on YouTube.

Khajiit has been meaning to give this a try. This one likes the two leads a lot; Parker from Deadwood and Stephens from Black Sails.

The shipping shoggoth brought me something today

The Testimony of Randolph Carter

It is one of the earliest works of the guys at HPLHS. From back when they were students I think. It was shot in vhs, so the picture and sound quality is pretty poor. But for a hardcore Lovecraft nerd like me, it is pretty fun. It is especially fun seeing Sean Branney back when he was a strapping young lad. I think I am going to send him an email suggesting they do a Dark Adventure Radio Theater of some of the collected stories about Randolph Carter. I always loved the Statement of Randolph Carter and The Unnamable.

I just finished watching Batman vs Superman again, and this time I noticed something at the end. When the army goes to the Kryptonian ship and arrests Lex Luthor they find him in the amniotic chamber. He seems to be communicating with a figure with an elaborate head piece or horns, and three cubes are floating in front of him. I am guessing this is Steppenwolf Although he looked slightly different in Justice League. So that was a nice setup.

Infinity War is one hell of a movie.

Infinity War: Began with an applause from a crazy crowd of eager fans. Ended with nothing but silent murmurs as we all exited the theatre room in quiet contemplation.

Sorry, had to be dramatic but that’s exactly how it was. I was left speechless by the end of
The movie. It was a phenomenal film with such a vast array of characters that left me surprised at how well the pacing and control was. It was an amazing, relentless movie! Definitely the movie of the year, if not the decade!

I am in the middle of Please Stand By. Dakota Fanning is fantastic! She plays an autistic girl who runs away from the group home she is living at. She is on her way to Los Angeles with the Star Trek script she wrote, to enter it into a contest at the film studio. Naturally trials and tribulations ensue. Dakota Fanning's portrayal of an autistic person is so like what I am familiar with from a person I once knew with Asperger's Symdrome. She did an incredible job making the character come alive in a way that is both lovable, but also does not pull any punches when it comes to the real difficulty it is having an autistic person in your life.

I saw Black Panther yesterday. It was good. Better than most Marvel movies, especially lately. The characters are good, the plot is well done, and for once the villain is solid. He - Killmonger - is not only threatening, but also well-rounded and realistic, with a back story that makes his goals and actions not only make sense, but also something I could agree with on a certain level. His problem however is that he is solely bent upon tearing down, and he is not thinking about the world his actions are going to create.

The effects were only so-so. It probably looked better in the theaters, but on my 4k at home I could see places where the background was clearly a matte and not real, or where a car flying through the air was cgi, and so forth.

The other thing I did not like was that it seemed like there was a lot of wish-fulfillment going on with Wakanda, and especially Vibranium. Instead of a being just a near-indestructible metal, it is now a wonder element that now heals spinal injuries, absorbs and redirects energy, shoots out energy (without absorbing it first), enables flight? (maybe not sure, but I think the Wakandan Super Planes use Vibranium to fly), and whatever else the writer wants it to do at the moment. It kind of went past being a cool explanation for why Cap's shield doesn't break, and crossed over into Deus Ex Machina land for me.

Wakanda itself is also a bit too Utopian for my tastes. But I might be unfair on that. The whole hidden city I can handle. I think it worked just fine with Themiskyra in Wonder Woman. I think it is that Wakanda is so ridiculously technically advanced compared to the rest of the Earth that bugs me. I kind of wonder why Wakanda has not colonized other galaxies and alternate universes already. In contrast the Amazons in Themiskyra were still using bows and arrows, and had never seen a rifle before. That helped bring them down to earth, in spite of being magical immortals created by the gods living in a fantasy utopia. Because in spite of all that they weren't ridiculously overpowered.

But nit-picks aside, Chadwick Boseman was outstanding at T'challa. So was Michael B Jordan as Killmonger. They feel like real people with real goals, real issues they grapple with, and real lives. The supporting cast is solid too.

I did like the mysticism they wove into the story as well. The spirit world is a place we see several times, and was very well done. How it appeared even varied according to the person projecting there. I also liked that instead of simply "The Panther God", the Wakandan's worshipped Bast, a real goddess. I also watched a bit of Avengers Civil War, and T'challa name drops Bast and Sekhmet when he is talking to Black Widow after his father's death. Again, a both real goddesses.

All in all a really good movie. I highly recommend it.

I am watching the first Captain America movie, and once again I recognized someone. The English Howling Commando with the mustache is JJ Field. I know, who? He was Major Andre in Turn: Washington's Spies.

So he is yet another of the "little people" in the film that went on to other things, like Natalie Dormer (the private who kisses Steve), and Jenna Coleman (one of the double date girls from the World's Expo). And wow, looking at IMDB right now I see that the German spy who shot Dr. Erskine is Richard Armitage! Does he look different without a beard.

Currently in the middle of watching a series on Flix of Net called Babylon Berlin. It’s a period piece following Berlin Police investigators during the late 1920’s as they try to take down an illegal pornography ring and get to the bottom of mysterious killings tied to the Soviets, discovering a larger conspiracy in the process. It’s a well acted show; the native language is German (naturally) but when Khajiit started watching episode 1, it automatically picked English dubbing. This one swiftly turned that off and opted for German language with English subtitles. Much better imo. The “Roaring 20’s” Berlin setting is nice and does a good job of showing the contrast between the social and economic problems simmering in the city (and Germany as a whole), and the extravagant decadence of the Jazz Age nightlife. Based on what he has seen so far, Khajiit thinks anyone interested in this period of European history should check it out.

I tried that one, but it completely grossed me out with the scene of the girl's family, with the father urinating right there in front of the entire family. I couldn't watch any more.

The Toys That Made Us had a second season come out on Netflix. I spent last night watching Hello Kitty and Transformers. Lots of fun, and memories.

Well that’s a shame.

I lived in Germany for two years, and discovered that going to the bathroom is considered a bit more natural in Europe than it is here in the US. You could be driving down the road and see men stopped to urinate on the side of the road; but not facing away from the traffic like you might see in the US = facing towards the traffic. It was one of the first things I saw driving from the airport to Trier. Also on more than one occasion I saw men sitting on the guard rails along the highway taking a dump.

And some of the houses and apartments have beveled glass bathroom doors that do little to hide what the occupant is doing in the bathroom.

This is the only example I could find online:


http://www.simpsondoor.com/glass-panel-opt...es/slide-01.jpg


But in fact, the glass in the doors was actually more like this:


https://twincityglass.com/app/uploads/2014/...stal-Fluted.png


Looking through the closed door I was clearly able to identify my (late) husband in there while his back was facing me.

** (and the flusher for the toilet is sometimes hidden, so the other occupants of the house can enjoy seeing you search for it, I imagine. It took me 30 minutes to find the flusher at a party I went to once; turned out it was a tile you stepped on in the center of the large bathroom - just like those floor traps in the video games, the tile went down with a click when you stepped on it; then you heard..."WHOOOSH!").


I won't even mention that the toilets are also shelved there; so if you produce a Bono-sized turd you can call in everyone watching through the glass door to view your masterpiece. (aka South Park episode)


https://erasmusproblems.files.wordpress.com...man-toilet.jpeg


It isn't considered embarrassing over there, but a natural body function that everyone has, (or in some cases, a place for creative entertainment, I guess). The human body is also a bit more celebrated there; nudity is accepted as normal to be seen; there is much more of it on television and in the newspapers than seen here in the US = it is not as frowned upon in Europe. The US is a bit Puritanical in comparison; and it's true = I never was able to get used to feeling comfortable using the bathroom behind a glass door with people milling about on the other side.

A party at one friend's apartment (who are the ones who had the glass bathroom door that I identified Steve through) = they even had beveled glass ceilings like these:

https://images.traum-ferienwohnungen.de/191...g-no-title-.jpg

...so you could peer down into the neighbors below you and see them moving about in their own homes. We spent a lot of time on the balcony looking down into the neighbor's homes. Personally; I would ONLY live in those apartments if I lived on the top floor; couldn't enjoy knowing people could see everything I did in the privacy of my home,

But when you think about the beginnings of America; no one had private bathrooms or even outhouses originally; the outhouses were thought of and added much later (probably at the urging of a woman; because I doubt men cared about being seen).

Like both you and Khajiit; when I come across a foreign film = I want to hear and see it in its native language, never dubbed. And yes, sometimes you do get a glimpse into the other's culture that way. I kind of applaud that they kept the movie true to their culture and didn't edit scenes like that out for the US viewers (even the parts we might consider gross).

Worse than that (imho) is graphic blood and gore. I get REALLY grossed out by seeing realistic displays of injuries or gore in a movie = literally urp.

(but that is just me).

That’s interesting mALX, thanks for sharing! Khajiit didn’t know any of that about German culture. This one simply figured the scene Subbie found offensive was included to perhaps help show the contrast between the poorer people in Berlin at the time as compared to other more “well to do” citizens. This was a very large, multigenerational family crammed into a relatively small tenement. Forget about any sort of privacy in that situation. Now the more wealthy folks are never shown to do things like that (or rather the “objectionable” things they do are done in nightclubs and such), and their houses offer a lot more in the way of privacy.

Ewww mALX. I don't think it is so much offensive, as just plain gross. If that explains it. I don't really mind seeing blood and gore. Bring on the zombie movies! But poop is just gross. I don't want to see my own masterpiece, let alone anyone else's!

In other news I saw Red Sparrow yesterday. It was good, though it dragged on about 20 minutes longer than it needed too. I think it did not do so well at the theater because people were expecting to see an action movie - like the Black Widow movie everyone has wanted for 7 years, but Marvel refuses to make. Instead it is a drama/thriller. No wild action scenes, lots of plotting, moves, and counter-moves. When people do die, it is messy, not fun. If you like thinking, you will enjoy it. If not, you won't.

Same here, not big on seeing poop = I don't even want to see my dog's. But I was really glad someone else was driving when I was seeing all that on the highways that first day. By the time I moved back to the US I was kind of..."Eh..." It didn't stun me anymore.

But the glass doors in the bathrooms = I could never get used to that.

And yeah, I'm not really sure what the shelf in the toilets is all about, but when their toilets flush it is like Niagra Falls washing through the toilet = huge water pressure to wash that shelf off; and they don't need plumbers because that kind of water pressure could flush a whole person down.


PS: Didn't know if you saw that South Park episode where Randy poops out a giant turd and calls in all his friends to view it, then finally tries to have it put in something like the Guiness book of world records = that is what I was referring to before, lol.

I have seen pictures of the shelf toilets. I think the idea is that you can inspect your poop afterward and look for problems like worms or blood in it. Or maybe Germans just like looking at poop...

I absolutely LOVED living in Europe, but there are most def some cultural differences that probably don't sit comfortably both ways. (in other words, I'm sure there is plenty about Americans that the Germans didn't feel comfortable with too).








Like parasites? You are probably right. Urk.

You guys are watching people poop and urinate in Europe? At the sides of the roads, facing the traffic no less? Whuh? This is some next level fetish to be discussing publicly but uhhh to each their own I suppose.

Yeeeep.


JK JK TEEHEE

(or am I?)

On a serious note I’m currently watching Solo (recorded in a cam by a guy in Eastern Europe, incidentally enough) since I couldn’t help myself and patience has never been a virtue of mine (it’ll be released here in JP at like, 6/29 smh) and I gotta say, I’m liking it thus far.

Finished watching it. Shorter than I expected tbh, but that’s probably because I watched it in a shitty cam recorder and not in the movie proper. Anyway. To Uleni’s (admittedly amateur) judgements.

So.

After watching it and giving it some thought, I shall give it an unforgiving 7.5, 8 after I watch it in high quality.

In terms I am heavily familiar with, I’m going to say that Solo: A Star Wars Story was a combat athlete that did respectably well in the early rounds of a 5-rounder (12 if you guys are more into boxing), fell off midway because it ignored the established gameplan and momentum to do its own thing that led to dirty exchanges and chunky rhythm, but ultimately recovered *just enough* to coast into a fair but dull and foregone decision. It won’t knock you out with a punch you won’t see, but some of the strikes it does land on you will leave you reeling and a-bruisin’, wary and guarded for more.

Meh, I’ll catch it on Netflix when it comes out.

I have heard it is basically a heist movie. And that Donald Glover steals the show as Lando. Plus I saw in the trailers that the Falcon looked a lot nicer before Han got hold of it.

I will wait for it to be out on disc though. I don't like going to theaters. It is so much better watching movies at home where you can pause to go to the bathroom, turn on subtitles when you did not understand what someone said. Back up to watch a really cool scene over again, and pause and go frame by frame to read things on computer screens and papers.

It’s a heist movie, alright. And yes, Glover!Lando is definitely one of the highlights of the movie; dude was a natural snake oil salesman throughout, just oozing with that ‘Loveable Sleazebag’ aura. But without going off too much I’m going to say that the execution of the heist left a little bit to be desired. It was ... bland and unmemorable, for me anyway.

And if you ask me, this whole ‘gritty underworld urban cloak-and-dagger criminal intrigue’ stuff that they tried to present here? It didn’t fail, but it didn’t succeed for the most part too. The high-handed gaudiness and ‘fantasy’ feel of Star Wars just devours what attempts the movie had to introduce some criminal elements to the franchise too much for them to truly stand out as main themes on their own.

There weren’t any real gangsters a la Michael Corleone/Tony Soprano here, just a cast of tricksters and survivors playing with each other like cats. I’m not asking for kneecappings or anything (considering Star Wars is the Family-Friendly Family Movie) but on this new frontier they were meh and played it safe.

Khajiit would like to see a rated R Star Wars film. This one thinks that, from the sound of things, Solo might have benefited from more adult content. Like, maybe a bounty hunter flik with a bit of ultra-violence and maybe a space boob or three (not necessarily in a sex scene, but as scene dressing in an intergalactic strip club, because you know they are out there).

That is too bad. I liked how they did the Cad Bane, Aurra Sing, and the bounty hunters in The Clone Wars tv series. The Ziro the Hutt episodes would have made a really cool movie.

Wookiee breasts or sex? BWAAHAA!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJpBCzzcSgA

I definitely need to see me some hot Hutt on Hutt action!

YOIKES!


... I wouldn’t say no to a ATAT/ATST myself. Once you go AT-AT, you’ll always be ... back-back?

*WINK-WONK*

God I hate myself sometimes

Now watching The Return of the King.

Khajiit’s three favorite scenes:
Last Ride of the Rohirim
The Black Ships Arrive at Osgiliath
The Emptying of Minas Morgul

I think The Last Ride Of the Rohirrim is my favorite part of the last movie as well. The whole thing is such a fantastic series. I just wrapped it up. It always feels bittersweet at the end, because now it is all over.

There is only one thing to do. Watch the Hobbit trilogy!

Khajiit would have preferred that the movie series ended like the books, but it was a bittersweet ending, and still good.

Watched The Crow last night. Such a good flik.

Finally got to watching Cobra Kai and...

Whooooooooooooo boi why didn’t I do this sooner?!?!

Just got done watching the BE3 thing. Highlights: TES6 and Starfield officially announced. Um, yeah, that’s about it. Khajiit is going to have to hear and like what he hears a lot more if he is going to get this game.

The graphics looked awesome in it; but boy did that land look rough down by the ocean!

You talkin’ about the TES6 vid? Yeah the terrain was very rugged, almost looked like the Scottish highlands.

TES VI: Scotland?

But now we know it's a province with a coastline. Which eliminates none of them.

Lol, right?

I've dusted off my old Daria dvds, and I have been working my way through them. Just started season 2. Lots of nihilistic fun.

The Addams Family(1991) on the Vice channel. Khajiit still remembers seeing this as a small child (probably part of what’s wrong with this one ).


Bahahaha!

Local News :/ .

Wise Khajiit say: No news is good news.

I love Wednesday!





Just finished watching the new Tomb Raider, with Alicia Vikander. Ever since I first saw her in The Danish Girl I knew she was going places. Looks like one of those places was the Island of Death!

Well, close to it. The movie was good. A fun tomb raiding romp. Clearly it takes its inspiration from the first Tomb Raider reboot game from a few years ago. Some of the action scenes have a 'gamey' feel to them. Like when the ship hits the rocks in the beginning, destroying the walkway from the rear of the ship to the prow, where the life raft is. So Lara has to jump up and swing from horizontal pieces of metal to pass over the distance. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a movie based on a video game after all.

Alicia Vikander is good a Lara. A gigantic improvement over Angelina Jolie. Alicia's Lara is not an uber superhero. Like in that first reboot game, she is struggling just to survive. We see her improve her skills, and find her place in the world as the movie goes on. I would not call it incredibly deep and meaningful, but it is character development. Which no previous TR movie ever had (nor a lot of other action movies).

I would have liked a genuine supernatural element to it, like the games usually had. But there is always hope for the future. It ends with sequels obviously in mind. I look forward to seeing more.

What’s not to love?

Clips of Uncle Joey’s standup. God this guy is a goddamn treasure!

Just finished Pacific Rim: Uprising. It was a good. Lots of fun giant robot bashing. John Boyega was cool. It was weird hearing his English accent for a change. I am so used to how he sounds in Star Wars and Detroit. Now that he is getting older Scott Eastwood is starting to look and sound more and more like his father, which can only be a good thing. Finally Cailee Spaeny - who plays the scrappy young girl - was very fun. I wish she had been in more of the movie. I look forward to seeing her in more movies in the future.

Never saw the first one. Was it good?