Rushmoras
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Posts posted by Rushmoras
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Finishing up Colleen McCullough "The Song of Troy". Only a couple of chapters left. It's a novelization of Homer's "Iliad". The main difference in here is that there are no divine interventions and quite few heroes of the story are quite sceptical about gods intervening in to the war. Its all driven by human lust for new lands, economic power, greed and envy (as well as shattered pride). I think I swallowed the majority of the remaining story whole during my vacation time. It really was an entertaining read.
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On 7/25/2021 at 9:06 AM, WendyCR72 said:
Check out their live version of their song, Romeo and Juliet (originally on their Making Movies album; this version was from their 1983 live album, Alchemy):
Yeah, that's one of their songs I was familiar with. Simply good.
Now, I'm listening to the very first Eminem album (no, not Slim Shady LP, which came out in 1999); Infinite (came out in 1996). Fun fact, Em sold it from the trunk of his car to everyone, who were interested in. Let me tell you, its quite different from what you got from him since 1999-2004. Majority of the album is more of some kind of old-school rap, which predates gansta-rap (I don't know, reminds me of RUN DMC and the like). Em there is rapping slowly, the beat is unmemorable, but the flow is there. I'm kinda understand why Dr Dre saw potential in him, if this was that album, which Eminem gave to him to listen to. Also fun fact, in rare tracks section (1 through 9) - there's Slim Shady origins. I guess, Dr. Dre encouraged Em to risk it and take up this persona for Slim Shady LP album.
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Was relistening to Bon Jovi's "Crush" album the other week, and one line in the chorus of "It's My Life" stuck out: <...> but Frankie said "I did it my way" <...> referencing Frank Sinatra's "My Way".
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Decided to listen to something else for a change (not heavy music), and thought I'd give Dire Straits ago (I liked their Sultans of Swing and couple of other songs) thinking that they gonna give me good vibes... and... I was effin right. Their debut album is so chill its simply amazing. I think I found my new favorite music sound.
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And with the third instalment of Rurouni Kenshin (The Legend Ends), which, surprisingly, came out in the same year the Part II came out, I finished the original trilogy. More or less everything's the same, but is probably the weakest out of three. And again with inconsistent deadly blows. I swear, the only reason why some of the blokes in the movie survive is because they are the main characters and nothing more, because other blokes are falling down left and right. 6/10.
Maybe, one day I'll be in a mood to watch the continuation live-action saga, but not now, that's for sure.
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Since yesterday was a holiday in Lithuania, decided to watch the second part of Rurouni Kenshin called Kyoto Inferno (2014). More or less the same gripes I had as with the first movie, but overall has a stronger narrative, which was kind of surprising. Also, yes, this movie's genre in my opinion is supposed to be fantasy, because, the main bad-guy got stabbed multiple times in a war and then was doused in gasoline and burned, but managed to survive that and is now years later walking in bandages, but overall those wounds did not hinder his movements at all, whereas, untitled characters die from one sword slash, and others, who are titled characters, only loose consciousness from a sword-slash (looking at you... um... Hiriko?)
6.5/10
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Rurouni Kenshin (2012). A movie about some 19th century Japan master-swordsman assassin type guy, who, after the war for restoration ended, just wanted to be left alone by the world, but the events forced him back in to action, just this time, instead of a normal type sword, he used an inverted type one (were blades are on the inside, not outside), so he would not kill anymore. In essence, a good premise, buuuuut, and here me out, this is based on an anime Samurai X (I watched it when I was a kid).
Now, being based on an anime is nothing to be shameful bout or a bad thing, but, if something works for an anime, it may not necessarily work for live action movie. I'm primarily talking about physics defying action scenes, using of supernatural-type psyche controlling techniques, one man versus an army etc. Seriously, these kinds of things does not let me give a higher score to it, even though, outside all of these things I could tell that the movie wanted to make itself seriously more or less.
Hmm... 6/10.
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Colleen McCullough The Song of Troy, which is a re-telling of Homer's Illiad. Started on Saturday, I think, and already more than a hundred pages in. Pretty smooth read. Although, was thrown back a bit since (can't remember whether in the poem it was the same or not) Helen is depicted in the book to be promiscuous from the very get go (fourteen years of age, if IIRC that one chapter).
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Ghost in the Shell (2017). Not really a fan of Japanese anime (only saw a handful of them) and my perception maybe would have changed about this movie, if I have watched the original source material, but I haven't so, I liked this movie. It ain't a masterpiece, however, it was loads better than Luc Besson's "Lucy", which more or less is in the same topic (with the same actress). And it made me want to one of these days actually see the original anime series of Ghost in the Shell; maybe they are loads better than the movie and the movie butchered everything, I don't know, but I liked it. 8/10
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1 hour ago, Jeanne222 said:
Does anybody here like John Grisham books? He has a newer one out titled Sooley.
Sounds interesting.
I liked his books back in the day, but mostly because I was studying law in the university, so they kind off helped me with contemporary criminal law studies.
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So, I finished "Baptism of Fire" (5th Witcher book) just now, and I've got to say, when the most interesting character there is not your titular character, but, um, just recently introduced sentient vampire, I mean... yeah...
I think, I'm going to take a break from Sapkowski, and gonna dig around in my home library; I think I saw somewhere "A Song of Troy" from Colleen McColough.
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Still on the fifth Witcher book. Might finish it this month, I don't know. With every book, the writing style does get better, but... overall, Sapkowski is still a mediocre writer (or the interpreter is mediocre, but, since the style of the book with every book gets better, as I've said, I'm guessing its the author's approach to writing that irritates me). 😒
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Pulp Fiction (1994). Gonna start with... haven't watched any Quentin Tarantino movies (apart from snippets on TV many years ago), and this was the second one I watched this year (the first one was Reservoir Dogs). And... eh... it's not a masterpiece that everyone on social media proclaim it to be. I even don't know what it was really about - three or four disjointed storylines that in the end mesh-in-to-one, but do not mesh-in-to-one, just are in a background. Well, I liked Reservoir Dogs better. I rate this 7/10.
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Within Temptation "The Heart of Everything" Full Album (2007). Man, this album rocks, near perfect, this is like the music I grew up with; effin nostalgia, man. Every song takes me back.
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I haven't watched that many movies, but Blair Witch franchise takes the cake as worst movies ever to exist.
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Trainspotting (1996). Let me start by saying, I never watched this movie and I did not know what I was getting in to. Needless to say, I did not expect what I saw at all.
SpoilerThe whole movie is about life of a group of degenerate junkies looking for the next opportunity to score their next hit, and the only member from the group, who is not a junkie, is actually a deranged psychopath, who can go off at any second over the slightest of provocations.
In general, it was not a pleasant watch, however, the movie kept me nevertheless entertained throughout its runtime. And that's actually not a small feat, because I seldom get so much invested in to movies, but this one, yeah, I was invested from the get go till the end. So much, that I found myself cursing at the actions of the... I can't really say protagonists or main heroes, because that would be absurd, there's no such thing there... well, let's just say main characters. The movie at times was funny, but in such a way as after you snort or laugh, you immediately start to think: "Oh, shit, those poor people around them". And at times simply disgusting that I even found myself looking away from the screen, because... yeah.
But, since it garnered such a response from me, despite being such a hard watch... I'm gonna rate it 8/10.
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The Euquiliser 2 (2018) with Denzel Washington. Still as enjoyable as the first movie, however, almost half the movie passes till he gets to do his stuff, and the plot is kind of even more predictable then the previous movie. The only question left unanswered is
Spoilerwhat organization was hunting former/present CIA operatives?
7.5/10
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On 5/18/2021 at 4:53 PM, Anduin said:
As a big Tolkien fan, I saw all three Hobbit movies in the cinema in the first week. They were all terrible. Apparently a lot of the stupid stuff was forced on Jackson by the studio, but that doesn't change them being just plain bad. Besides, even in TTT you can see the mistakes that lead to the Hobbit disaster. I hear the extended editions are better, but I just don't have the strength of will to try them.
While the Misty Mountains is a good song, I prefer another version I heard. There was a live puppet version somewhat inspired by kabuki. The Misty Mountains song was performed a little faster. It was a real belter, rather than the solemn and sombre movie version. Sure, when you read the lyrics, it's sombre. But the faster one was still a very good performance.
That's... not an unpopular opinion actually; most people (even in real life) that I talked to did not much like the Hobbit movies. Hell, when I watched them I felt like I'm watching someone play a video-game (so much badly done CGI that took me out of the movie entirely).
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For the past few weeks didn't have time for any movies, sadly, but yesterday watched The Euquiliser (2014) with Denzel Washington. Wouldn't call it high-octane action as it was advertised once upon a time, but it was definitely entertaining, if, at times, predictable. Kinda in-between Jason Bourne and John Wick. 8/10
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In the beginning: "Wont Kara think after seeing a giant Tower Spaceship in the air that it's a delusion"? Me thinking to myself: "Most of the dialogue for the past two seasons was a delusion".
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh [long brain freeze].
So, did I snooze out somewhere or they really did gloss over a major plot hole in this episode? Logically, there now should be two Karas and the space-time continuum should implode. Why? Because the Kara from the moment when police arrested everyone stowaway in the Legion's ship and ended in the past. She helped Brainy and Nia correct the past and went back with them in to the future (well, prior to the meteor shower). So, logically, there should be two Karas now. The one in the present timeline and the one from the past that got back in to the present timeline. Or did I miss something? Not to mention that... Brainy and Nia did not alter Kara's memories (or, again, did I miss something)? So, logically, the future has already changed. I mean... yeah...
Overall, I would have liked Midvale episodes, but I'm just not a fan in general of retconning stuff... and... well...
I just fast-forwarded the episode... nope, didn't miss anything, they really did gloss over this fact/did not pay attention to it.
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OK, I'm again posting a Nightwish reference of their song (sorry, I know, gets on the nerves, I know...)
So, in the song Scaretale (album Imaginaerum (2011)), there is a line in one of the song-closing lyrics: ...the Pendulum still sways for you... Referencing their ballad Poet and the Pendulum from their 2007 album Dark Passion Play. And the meaning behind it... well, the original song is about a poet, who is plagued by suicidal thoughts, but in the end finds things in the world and around him that makes him want to live (well, that's one of the interpretation, because I know that later-on Tuomas in interviews said that this song was about possible break-up of the band). And the meaning in the Scaretale song? Well, the song is about nightmares a kid dreams - withches, monsters under the bed etc. And it's just saying that you, the clock is still ticking for you.
Of course, the last song in the album Imaginareum (Song of Myself) is actually a summary of previous songs in the album, and has a couple of references to Ghost River, Storytime, Turn Loose the Mermaids songs in the album...
OK, on the side note, in the hip-hop/rap album of Dr. Dre "2001", in the song Still D.R.E., there is a line: ...ladies, they pay homage, but haters say that Dre fell-off. How, n*gga? My last album was the Cronic. Technically not a song, but a whole album. Basically, Dr. Dre is saying to the critics that he made a bunch of money from his last album and he does not care.
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23 hours ago, isalicat said:
I remember being made to read "Les Miserables" in high school which I found incredibly painful.
In my experience, anything that you were forced to read during school was painful, does not matter whether the books were actually good; the simple thing that it was in your curriculum and you had to write an essay about the book; maybe you were not in the mood; no teachers cared. But many years after, I took up books that I was forced to read in school at my own accord, and, what do you know, this time around, I actually liked them ;)
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Mostly local (national) musicians; that was even pre-COVID, because international music stars concerts are very pricey. From the international scene I've been to Scorpions, Nightwish or Elton John and with my parents went to see some Russian pop-stars like Gazmanov, Kirkorov or Meladzej, because they like them for some reason.
Addendum, would have seen more Western musicians, but, alas... the tickets are always sold out within hours of announcement.
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FilmNight: Movies you watched recently
in Everything Else Movies
Zombieland (2009). A light zombie-flick that's supposed to be comedy, but I haven't laughed once (or maybe my sense of humour is non-existent now, but I did laugh at a couple of Wandavision episodes so...). It was sort of entertaining watch, but
personally, never would have saved those two sisters after being deceived the third time by them. I know that J. Eisenberg's character was fascinated by E. Stone's character, but, come on, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, fool me thrice...
6/10