Holidays continued

Hello all, and welcome to the last Eccentric Sphere of 2016.

With all the hullaballoo of the holidays I'm pretty tired, so it's going to be a short post today.
I want to thank everyone who continues to read my blog, you are what keeps me going week after week.
This is post 228, and I have no plans on stopping. I hope you will all continue to read my eccentric spheres in the coming year. Here's hoping 2017 will be a great year for everyone!

Until we meet again I'll leave you some entertainment and wish you a Happy New Year! Cheers!

The Marianas Trench

The making of The Godfather

The complete Speakeasy interviews

Jingle Bells

The year is coming to an end and the Holidays are upon us. In my case I have a lot of things to do, so I have to pull a fast one today.

But this can be a stressful time of year, so I figured you could use a suitable distraction. Here are two Youtube channels that can perhaps relax and lighten your load.

Documentaries:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh_IZEFAXi4caDRwPdL_wxQ/videos


Stand-Up:

https://www.youtube.com/user/justforlaughscomedy/videos


There are of course tons of others, but this is a small start. Have yourself a root around if you feel the need.

I have to run, so until next week, let me wish you a happy holiday!

Can a window laugh?

Hello, and welcome back to Eccentric Spheres!

This weeks topic is La casa dalle finestre che ridono, or The House with Laughing Windows (1976) for those of you, like me, who don't speak Italian. A good friend of mine recommended this film a long time ago, but it wasn't until last week that I sat down to watch it.

What we have here is an Italian horror movie quite unlike any other I've seen, and I've seen a lot of them. And I do mean a lot. Names like Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava and his son Lamberto Bava, Michele Soavi and many others have created an enormous catalog of horror that I've spent a large part of my life enjoying, but The House with Laughing Windows is not by any of these power houses of Italian horror.

No, The House with Laughing Windows is by a man I had never heard of: Pupi Avati. I can honestly say I haven't seen any of his other films as far as I know. But on with the laughing windows.

Here we meet Stefano, a painter who arrives at an isolated town in order to restore a mural of St. Sebastian in the local church. He has been hired by the mayor, since the mayor thinks the mural will help boost the dwindling tourism numbers. He meets an old friend who is working in the town, who tries to warn him about a terrible danger. He also meets a pretty young girl, Francesca, who arrives at the same time to work as a teacher. Then things go wrong and nasty stuff happens. You know, horror things, this isn't a romantic comedy after all. I'm not going to spoil the plot, so I can't go deeper into it.

The House with Laughing Windows is in many ways an unusual horror movie. While it does use many conventional horror tropes, like the town drunk who spills the beans to the main character, it seems to do so with a good understanding of why they work. I didn't really find a single trope out of place here. Many directors lazily toss them in with no care for the overall effect, much to the detriment of their movies. Not so with Pupi Avati and The House with Laughing Windows. The overall atmosphere is excellent, not too heavy but constantly unsettling. There is something about this film that is hard to put your finger on. There's not that much blood and no real nudity nor are there any monsters, so the majority of he run time is filled with talking, but it never gets dull. The pacing is very good and it never hits you over the head with explanations. Most of the mystery is sort of explained, but not all. If you hate that sort of thing, be warned, you really have to pay attention the whole time.

I watched a subtitled version, and to be honest the subtitles were atrocious. I get that it's not easy but it was bad. Like when the mayor has picked up Stefano and his driver suddenly swerves, the mayor yells “Hey, are you asleep at the wheel?” and the driver, Coppola, turns around and very earnestly says, “No, not at all.” Hilarious. But bad subtitling is par for course with horror movies. I still remember trying to watch an Italian horror film (I forget which one) dubbed to french with dutch subtitling. Suffice to say that was impossible.

To sum up, I recommend The House with Laughing Windows if you want a different Italian horror movie. There are no zombies, cannibals, demons or murderers with black leather gloves to be found, but it is all things considered, excellent for what it is.

That's it for me this time. Until we meet again, have a great week!

Karnstein Trilogy

Every once in a while, the specter of Hammer Films returns from the shadows to haunt me.

This time it possessed me to re-watch the Karnstein trilogy. It's been many years since I saw any of them, and to my surprise I found two of them on Youtube of all places.

Anyway, the Karnstein trilogy is loosely based on Sheridan Le Fanu's novel Carmilla (1871-72), which predates Bram Stokers classic Dracula by twenty-six years, making it one of the earliest western vampire stories. At the time it was somewhat scandalous due to its lesbian content, something the films echo to varying degrees.

The Hammer Films trilogy consists of The Vampire Lovers (1970), Lust for aVampire (1971) and Twins of Evil (1971). An interesting point is that the third movie is essentially a prequel, since the clothes are distinctly 18^th century, but in Lust for a Vampire they state that the year is 1830. A part from this fact, the chronology is all over the place. Carmillas birth and death dates vary from movie to movie. Not that it matters in the slightest. These movies don't take themselves too seriously, and neither should you.

Overall, the two first films have very similar plot. Mircalla (Carmilla) Karnstein returns from the grave and insinuates herself into the lives of innocent girls in order to feast on their blood. In the third movie, Twins of Evil, she makes only a brief appearance in order to make the current Count Karnstein a vampire.

The Vampire Lovers is really good. Ingrid Pitt as Carmilla is excellent, as she manages to be both vulnerable and predatory at the same time. Essentially she is a very tragic and rather sympathetic figure since she can't help but fall in love with her victims, yet she can't stop herself from devouring them either. The rest of the cast works well, and the movie although slow paced, never gets dull. This is the best in the trilogy by far.

The second movie, Lust for a Vampire, is the weakest. It's still enjoyable and to be fair it's not badly made at all, but the script is weak and most of the actors sleepwalk through the scenes. Ingrid Pitt refused to reprise her role as Carmilla and the role went to Yutte Stensgaard instead. I can't say whether it was the script or the direction, but she made a rather dull Carmilla compared to Ingrid. This is also the only entry in the series that don't feature the late great Peter Cushing, as his wife was sick during filming. I'd say watch it the once.

Twins of Evil is perhaps the most famous, as it stars twin Playboy Playmates, Mary and Madeleine Collinson. The title is a bit misleading, since only one of the girls is evil. Cushing appears again, but in another role from Lovers. Twins is again well made, but unlike the others it is funny. I have no idea if this was an intentional choice by the film makers, but it is at times pretty hilarious. Absolutely worth watching.

A couple of interesting points should be made about the Karnstein vampires. They can walk around during the day all they like, although they prefer to stay in the shadow. Sunlight does nothing to them whatsoever. They are hurt by crosses, annoyed by garlic, and fire is useless. To kill them, you have to stake their hearts and/or behead them. Also, they have to return to their graves but unlike Dracula, it seems they can't take their coffins with them.

A side note on staking: As in all Hammer (and many other) movies, the heart seems to be located somewhere in the abdomen, since that's where the stakes inevitably and up.

I could go on with a more in depth analysis of each movie, but it's better if you watch them yourself. I like them, and if you fancy Gothic Horror, you might too.

Until next time, have a vampire-free week!

Far Harbor

Sometimes life takes a strange turn. I waited a year and a half, with baited breath, for the release of Dishonored 2, an yet Fallout 4 refuses to let go. This is made much worse due to Steam having an extra Autumn sale and allowing me to get my Lovecraft-loving claws on the Fallout 4 DLC, Far Harbor, on the cheap.

So since that's what been playing, that's what I'll be talking about. I have previously bought the all build DLC, except the robot workshop, that add extra stuff for you to putter around with in your bases, and they are a lot of fun. I can say this even though I have essentially only scratched the surface. If you're not a builder, they don't add much, but Far Harbor does.

Far Harbor is an island infested with radioactive fog and nasty terrors from the sea that happily walk on land just to eat you. It's a bit like taking Lovecraft's Innsmouth setting, adding a dash of Stephen King's The Mist, and serving it with a healthy dose of Fallout. In other words, it's great!

Content wise, apart from the large explorable map and the intriguing story, it adds lots of new weapons and clothes, though unfortunately no new pistols. Two excellent rifles, the wonderful Harpoon Gun heavy weapon and some really cool melee weapons round out the arsenal. New creatures, new everything really. Well, perhaps not everything, but it's a hefty DLC worth it's price without question.

If you like Fallout 4, you should definitely get Far Harbor at some point. I can't imagine why you wouldn't.

I got a lot to do today, so I'll see you next time. Until then, have a great week!

Bloody hell...

Some time ago I wrote about a couple of older crime movies that I had been watching. Well, I decided to again return to the shadowy halls of cinema history and watch:

The Bloody Pit of Horror (1965).

Some are of the opinion that it's a classic film that horror connoisseurs should watch, but my question is, why? It's terrible and I have a very good tolerance for terrible horror films.

Sure it shows it's age, but that's no excuse. Roger Corman's The Tomb of Ligeia and Masque of the Red Death are both from 1964 and they are awesome. Campy as hell, but in my opinion, very good. So the Bloody Pit can't hide behind age as an excuse.

The fact is that the acting is either non existent or completely over the top. The props are cheap and incredibly poorly made. The story is fine as it goes, but certainly nothing original. Of course it didn't help my viewing experience that the dubbing was atrocious. (The original language is Italian).

The biggest sin is the writing. If you and your friends are in mortal danger and a couple have been killed, why would you grab a member of your group who has no idea of what's going and repeatedly say “There's no time to explain” while leading her away? “What's going on?” and “There's no time to explain” repeats back and forth several times. Just say, “we're in danger, so and so is dead, we have to leave now.” is this so hard?

Bottom line: The Bloody Pit of Horror is in my opinion worth skipping. If you're going for some kind of completionist record, fine, otherwise skip it.

The one interesting bit is the only famous actor; Mickey Hargitay. In the bloody pit, he plays the villain, and seems to be the only one who really tries. But that's not the interesting part.

He was Mr. Universe in 1955 and his second wife was none other than Jayne Mansfield. One of their children is Mariska Hargitay, most famous for her role as Olivia Benson in Law&Order: Special Victims Unit.

His final screen appearance was on Law&Order: SVU with his daughter in 2003 before dying in 2006 at the age of 80.

In 1980 a TV movie, The Jayne Mansfield story was produced with fellow Mr. Universe alumni Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mickey.

Funny world we live in...

That's me until next time, so have a great week!

That was short

Shorter entry today since I'm pressed for time.

Originally it was my plan to review Dishonored 2 today, but I haven't played far enough in order to be properly critical.

I'm 17 hours into my first playthrough with Emily Kaldwin, and I'll just say this: I love it. I'll get back to the subject when I'm done with her story, probably next week.

Instead I have a really funny short film for you. It's about seven minutes long and narrated by Nick Offerman (Parks&Rec, Fargo etc).

I should warn you that it's strictly speaking not safe for work, so don't let your boss catch you watching this.

Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXfltmzRG-g

That's me for now, so until next time, have a great week! 

Did you know?

Winter has struck and seized the land in it's icy grasp. Since I'm not the type to enjoy winter sports, I thought I'd enjoy some interesting facts instead. And since it's Monday I can share them with you. Enjoy!

The most expensive comic book ever sold is Action Comics Issue 1. This is the first appearance of Superman and it was sold at an eye watering 3.2 million dollars. The first appearance of Spiderman only went for 1.1 millions and Batman's premier clocks in at $1,075,000. Super prices for superheroes.

Speaking of money, the richest drug king on record was Pablo Escobar, who at the height of his power had an estimated net worth of $30 billion. He controlled 80% of the global cocaine trade and had to spend thousands of dollars a month on rubber bands to sort his money. He also lost hundreds of thousands to mold, moisture and rodents, due to his inability to properly store his mountain of cash.

Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev went up to the MIR station a Soviet citizen but came down a Russian. The Soviet union disappeared during the 313 days he was up in space.

In the UK, the British Film Board or BBFC has to rate movies before they can be released. If you make a movie you have to pay the BBFC to rate it or you can never release it. A man called Charles Lyne kickstarted a movie in protest of the BBFC's censorship powers. He raised £5,963 and sent in a ten hour film of paint drying on a wall. The kicker? The BBFC had to sit through every grueling hour of it.

Famous actor James “Jimmy” Stewart (1908-1997) was not only a Hollywood star but also a USAF reserve Brigadier General. He had a whole lot of stars.

Australia has a great many dangerous animals. Sharks, spiders, snakes, venomous octopuses etc. but the most dangerous animals in Australia are as follows: horses, cows, dogs, kangaroos, and bees.

One of the reasons the Beatles stopped touring was that the enormous crowds screamed louder than the loudspeakers. No one could actually hear them play.

Stress uses the same part of the brain as memory, which is why people with stress perform worse. Which leads to more stress.

The athletic brands Adidas and Puma were founded by two brothers who had a falling out and became competitors.

Birmingham, UK has more canals than Venice, but I doubt they are as romantic...

That's it for me and my odd facts for this time. Until next we meet, have a fun and interesting week!

Halloween Sale 16

The Steam Halloween Sale 2016 is over tomorrow. I picked up a couple of small games but I figured I would finally take a plunge so I picked up the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. bundle on the cheap.

I have hear a lot about the series over the years. You play as a stalker, a mercenary/scavenger in and around Chernobyl and Pripyat.

The very idea is awesome. Sneaking around the nuclear poisoned ruins, dodging enemies and hunting mutants. Really cool, but there is a hitch.

The camera bobbing is hideous. It is extreme to say the least. I'm not prone to motion sickness, but twenty minutes of the first game gave me a headache. A literal headache and mild nausea. I've understood that the two sequels are better in that aspect, but I wanted nothing to do with it.

What also surprised me was that the graphics were so dated in my eyes. Granted, it came out in 2007, but I have played older games that looked better.

In the end I gave up and put in for my first Steam refund, which worked really well. You can't do it through the client, rather you have to go via their online help page. Fill in a short explanation and click send. In no time at all, I got it approved and my funds have been returned as I'm writing this.

Instead, I put down the money and bought Hard West. A reviewer described it as a mix of the old Desperados game, X-COM and the Deadlands rpg. I was sold.

Desperados is one of my all time favorite games. I love the turn based strategy of X-COM. And I ran Deadlands games for years. I really like weird west stuff.

So far, I have only completed two missions and the tutorial. The first one took me three tries, but I aced the second, and I have the game set to easy. The hard in Hard West is true folks, make no mistake. Overall the feeling and the design is excellent, and I'm looking forward to continuing my journey.

There are a few things one has to keep in mind though. Like you can move and then shoot, but not vice versa. That led to the death of my main character as he got stuck in the open with predictable results.

Since I haven't yet played enough to really review it I can't recommend it yet, but it looks really promising, and if you also like the whole wild/weird west thing, you should give it a look.

Alright, that's me done for today. Until next time, have a great week y'all!

Butchers of Berlin

It's been a while since I've reviewed any books, but today we're changing that.

Today I want to go over the novel Butchers of Berlin by Chris Petit (2016).

I haven't ready any of Mr. Petit's other works, but based on Butchers, he is one hell of a writer.

The book is set in Berlin in 1943, which means it's smack in the middle of World War II. Our “hero” is August Schlegel, a cop who works on financial crimes as a part of Kripo (short for Kriminalpolizei or criminal police). He none the less gets pulled in on a murder investigation that leads to some very dark places.

It should be pointed out that Butchers of Berlin (or BoB) is a fairly gruesome novel. Due to the setting and the theme, it needs to be nasty and I commend Mr. Petit for making it so, while not going overboard. Some readers might disagree, and if you're sensitive to blood, cruelty and such things, maybe give BoB a miss. At the same time, it's not too much. I found no part where the book revels in gore just to shock and be sensational, to the contrary, I'd say it actually pulls back a bit.

The mystery at the core of the book is convoluted and takes more than a few twists and turns, but as it should, it all gets wrapped up in the end.

I haven't read any others of Mr. Petit's works, but based on this I want to. He writes well, but with an interesting twist. I don't think there was a single back and forth dialog in the entire book. Instead it looks something like this:

A: “I think it's time for dinner.”

B agreed and added that he was hungry.

It threw me for a loop at first, and a lesser writer would probably have gotten lost, but Mr. Petit makes it work and at times it helps the text flow smoother. Once I got used to it, I really liked it as there was no useless comments anywhere in sight.

Overall BoB is a well researched book with a great story and good characters. It's worth noting that some of the people that show up actually existed for real. I won't spoil which ones, it's all explained in the appendix.

Bottom line: Butchers of Berlin is a great mystery/thriller set against the backdrop of war torn Berlin with all the misery, paranoia, corruption and horror one would expect to find there. If that's your thing, I highly recommend it.

That's it for me, join me again next Monday for more Eccentric Spheres. Until then, have a great week!

Dark Controller

For years I've been fascinated by the gaming phenomenon that is Dark Souls.

If you're not in the know, Dark Souls is a, as the name suggests, dark fantasy game. There are three games in the series so far, with two Demon Souls games and the gothic Bloodborne on the side. The latter three games are only available on the Playstation, so that's me out.

What all these game have in common is the Third Person style of play and a brutal difficulty level. There is no easy mode anywhere in sight. Every fight, every enemy is hard and can kill you if you slip up even a little. I've seen some truly impressive videos by players with genuine skill who are able to dance effortlessly through the games, but this is a skill they have earned the hard way: through countless hours filled with sweat, frustration and swearing. They have earned the ability to run around at will thumbing their noses at the horrors inhabiting the world, but even they slip up and die. No one is truly safe.

But Dark Souls is never unfair and it never cheats. Instead it constantly pushes you to be better or quit. And every time you die, you learn something. The placement of an enemy, a fighting technique, a new way to approach the game and so on. This, and the dark but gorgeous atmosphere ultimately made me take the plunge. I found the first Dark Souls on Steam for a fiver, so even if I hated it, it was no loss. So far I love it, but the thought of firing up the game is intimidating. I'm on the second boss, the Taurus Demon, and he is Hard. Yes the capital h is no typo. The kicker? He isn't really that hard, not compared with what awaits further ahead, mostly it's all in my head. Still, I'm excited to get there, and this I suppose is the true allure of the Dark Souls universe.

Before I could start playing however, I had to make a choice. These games are designed with controllers in mind, and although you can play with mouse and keyboard, like I do, it makes the game even harder. Thus I took another plunge and bought the Steam Controller. I wavered between it and an Xbox controller for quite a while, but I came down on the Steam Controller's side and I think I made the right choice.

The Steam Controller is different from it's competitors mainly in the fact that instead of a second joystick, it has a track-pad. You know, the mouse replacing square on a laptop? This gives it (perhaps) more flexibility, but being completely new to me, is another thing I have to learn. So far, I'm very happy with my choice. The fact that you can make up a control scheme for the Steam Controller and upload it to Steam for others to use, is a great tool, and one that I have already availed myself of.

My one complaint, is the D-pad. Compared to other controllers out there it feels clunky and very loud. It's not a silent little click, it's a loud CLICK every time. This I feel they could have improved on a little, but apart from this issue, it's been great so far.

Well, I'm done for this time, so have a nice and easy week!

Haunted Honeymoon

Another Monday, another Eccentric Sphere.

Today I want to talk about a movie that I recently re-watched after not having seen it since the late 80's. It popped up into my awareness due to the death of one it's man actors: Gene Wilder.

Today were looking at Haunted Honeymoon (1986).

Haunted Honeymoon is a fun little movie. It's never going to be one of the greats, but it has aged surprisingly well, and it is pretty well made. Interestingly, the name is essentially misleading, since the two main characters are about to get married, not recently wed, so there is no actual honeymoon in the film. Not that it matter the least, it's just a funny piece of pedantry.

The film deals with Larry Abbot, a huge radio-play star and his upcoming wedding as well as his unraveling sanity. I won't say more to avoid spoilers.

So what do we have here? Solid actors for one. Everyone does their job with real style. All the other elements work really well, with my favorite being sound. This film has great sound, in part because they used the same techniques common to the old radio plays. This naturally ties in very well with the story itself.

The scenery is worth talking about. You may think it looks incredibly cheesy and theatrical as opposed to cinematic and you would be right. However, there is a good reason for this, so be patient.

Haunted Honeymoon is one of those films that explain very little until the very end. It's only 86 minutes, so you won't have to wait too long, but I think it's worth it.

As I said, it's not a “cinematic great”, but it's a neat movie that does what it does very well. I also think it's genuinely funny, so I absolutely recommend giving it a look.

Until next time, have a ghost free week!

Wow, really?

Hello friends and welcome to Eccentric Spheres for a lesson in weird facts!

Yes, it's once again time to take a look at some of the odd and amazing things and people that populate the spinning ball of rock and molten iron we call Earth.

As usual, the facts are borrowed from Kickassfacts.com.

1. During the early 20th century, there was some interest in mock dueling with pistols loaded with wax bullets. The sport first gained popularity in France, and heavy canvas clothing was worn to protect the body, a metal helmet with a thick glass plate protected the head and face, and the pistols were often equipped with guards on the front of the trigger guard that extended outwards to protect the shooter’s hand. For a brief time it was popular, and was featured during the 1908 Summer Olympics.

2. W.V Meadows of West Point, Georgia, was shot in the eye at the battle of Vicksburg on July 1, 1863 during the American Civil War. He survived and fifty eight years later, he unexpectedly coughed the bullet out of his mouth on July 21, 1932.

3. A sharp knife does less damage to the cell walls of an onion, releasing less propanethial S-oxide, the irritant that causes you to cry.

4. Obsidian blades are so sharp (3 nm thick) that, on a cellular level, obsidian knives will cut between cells rather than tear the cells as steel knives would do, these blades were used to make blades in the Stone Age and they are now being used in modern surgery because it is sharper than metal.

5. In the late 1950s, psychologist Milton Rokeach conducted an experiment called The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. Three schizophrenics who claimed themselves to be Jesus were brought together have their reactions documented. In the end, each came to the conclusion that the other two must have mental issues.

6. In the 1960’s, US army did an experiment, where two people without nuclear training had to design a nuke with only access to public available documents and they succeeded.

7. No one knows who invented the fire hydrant, because its patent was destroyed in a fire.

8. Disney World is the largest consumer of fireworks in the United States. The park also launches the fireworks with compressed air instead of gunpowder to reduce fumes and gain better height and timing.

9. Two scientists proved time dilation by each flying around the world (east and west) carrying 4 synchronized atomic clocks. Upon landing, they compared them to atomic clocks they’d left on the ground and found that their clocks were no longer in sync.

10. “Fire Fighting” and “kite flying” were featured at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. 

That's it for me, so until next time, have an interesting week!

Film Theories

Hello movie fans, and welcome to the newest installment of Eccentric Spheres.

Today we're not talking about movies, we are talking about talking about movies.

I found a great channel on Youtube called The Film Theorists that amongst other things analyses famous movies and theories from a logical point of view.

The video that caught my eye and drew me in was Blair Witch's secret killers. It goes through the original Blair Witch Project and explains how there could very well have been no witch and how the whole film actually is an elaborate murder mystery.

I also learned that Neo from the Matrix isn't the chosen one and that it technically is possible for a tornado to dump great white sharks on Los Angeles.

There is so much more on this cool channel, and if that isn't enough, go check out the sister channel The Game Theorists, for you guessed it, video game theories.

I have to run now, but I'll leave the relevant links below. Until next time, have a great week!

https://www.youtube.com/user/FilmTheorists/featured
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo_IB5145EVNcf8hw1Kku7w

Altered Perception

Point of view.

Perception.

Small words in themselves but they carry none the less great power. I present to you today the power of perception and how it can be twisted.

Consider the following movies:

Monthy Python and the Holy Grail - Comedy

The Shining - Horror

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Fantasy

Mrs. Doubtfire - Comedy

Right? This is what these movies are, these are undeniably their genres. But with some clever editing and sound work we get this:

Monthy Python and the Holy Grail - Historical Drama

The Shining - Comedy

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Teen Comedy

Mrs. Doubtfire - Horror

I present to you the “alternative” version of these movies:

Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr2AGCPxQfU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmkVWuP_sO0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hynaL4K0Ods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ckv_Dz-Sio

That's it for this time, and until we meet again, don't trust your eyes and have a great week! 

Is it really there?

Today's topic concerns trap streets and even trap towns. No, they're not intended to kill people, just to catch cartographical copycats.

In times past, long before Google Maps (and to be fair Bing Maps) a cartographer had to go and figure out where stuff was, and how far apart the stuff was from other stuff. Naturally this was, and is, both difficult and tedious. Obviously it could also be pretty dangerous. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that many mapmakers simply copied others and passed it off as their own work. Naturally this ticked off the real cartographers to no end so some of them started including imaginary places to catch plagiarists red handed. Otherwise it would be impossible to prove copyright. After all, an accurate map should be identical to another accurate map, right?

Sometimes it could be a fake bend in a river, or a hill that isn't there, but more often it's a street that only exists on the map. If you go there you'll only find a whole heap of nothing.

Kemp Avenue in Toronto, Lye Close in Bristol and Moat Lane in North London are examples of trap streets. But whats really fun is the town of Argleton in northern England. Argleton has never existed at all. Today it has been removed from Google Maps, but for a long time it appeared on many different maps. In reality there is and has always been only a muddy field there.

Even more fascinating is the town of Agloe in upstate New York. Agloe was first put on the map in the 1930's by cartographer Otto G. Lindberg and his assistant Ernest Alpers. They included Agloe for the reasons mentioned above. Then one day Lindberg saw Agloe on a Rand McNally map, and promptly cried foul.

The kicker is Agloe was really there, or at least a building with a large sign saying Agloe General Store. So the McNally mapmakers naturally included the town of Agloe on their version of the map.

What had happened was this: The store owners had bought a map from gas giant Esso, Lindbergs map in fact, and seeing that the map claimed the place where they built their store was called Agloe, it would be natural to name their store the Agloe General Store. After all, an official map bought from Esso had to be correct.

That's it for today, until next time, have a great week!

What We Do in the Shadows

I finally got around to watching What We Do in the Shadows (2014) last Friday.

WWDitS is a horror/comedy mockumentary about four vampires who share a house as flatmates in Wellington, New Zealand. They are constantly followed around by the camera crew as they try to explain the reality of their unlives.

The comedy far outweighs the horror, but if you are really sensitive, be aware that there is some gore in the movie. That said, it's not scary at all. The comedy on the other hand is top notch. I found it really on point and clever all throughout the film.

The four main characters in WWDitS poke fun at the traditional vampires in media. There's the 18^th century dandy, we have the medieval Transylvanian, the ancient Nosferatu etc.

A large portion of the comedy comes from the fact that although they are old and powerful, they still have to deal with things like doing the dishes and finding suitable victims in this modern world.

I really don't want to spoil this movie by overselling it or going into too much detail, but I laughed loudly several times. The general atmosphere is silly and dopey without being slapstick and “zany”. It's intelligent humor and it really sticks to the point. Although the vampires are stereotypes, WWDitS is more of a satire about the vampires and their condition than a spoof on other vampire movies.

Being a mockumentary, it's at times blurry and slightly shaky, but there's a good reason for this. It's not Found Footage shaky, which is a relief. Actually, I can't really find any proper faults here.

Bottom line, I really recommend What We Do in the Shadows. Unless you are truly allergic to vampires you really aught to see it. I will link the trailer below.

That is that for this time, so until we see each other again, have fun week!

Virtual Virginity

Last Friday was the first time I tried Virtual Reality gaming. A good friend of mine finally got his Oculus Rift, and I was stoked to give it a shot.

I requested to start off nice and slow and he fired up Adrift, a game where an astronaut (you) is stranded in space amongst the ruins of a broken space station. The sensation was incredible, I got a mild feeling of floating around, gently grabbing oxygen canisters and avoiding floating debris. It has to be said though that I felt a mild sensation of nausea with this game. I think a part of it is the problem that I was sitting down while my brain thought I was moving, which can cause an imbalance in the inner ear. The strongest feeling of realism was interestingly enough my virtual arm. My real arm was holding the controller, but when the character grabbed a canister, it felt so real. Very cool.

The second game I got to try was DiRT Rally. Even though I'm not a racing gamer, with the exception of GTA, it felt bloody amazing! I was in that car hurtling down the dirt road, while my map reader yelled directions and angles at me that made no sense. When I hit a tree, I really flinched. All in all, the coolest driving experience I've ever had in a game. And no nausea! Probably because my brain understands what sitting in a car should feel like.

The third game on the list was EVE: Valkyrie, a space sim/shooter. My fighter launching from the mother ship was totally bad-ass, but boy did I suck at the game itself. Partially because I have no practice using a controller in 3D, so I flailed around a lot and then got shot to pieces. EVE is a very fast paced game, and that was the other problem. I mostly just rotated around, but the sensation was incredible. And like with DiRT, no nausea.

Finally I tried War Thunder. This isn't a VR game in itself, but it works just fine as one. I test flew a Spitfire, and talk about realistic. I got mild vertigo! The sensation of moving forward was no problem at all, but when I turned my head and looked down, I felt the altitude in a way no screen can ever hope to achieve. Gently steering my plane around felt so natural and smooth, I have a hard time expressing it. Just don't look down.

All in all, the entire experience was awesome. Sure I felt some nausea, but I have to wonder if that wasn't my brain being new to the entire sensation. That said, the technology is definitely in it's infancy, but this will only get better. I can't await for it to truly bloom and take it's rightful place in tech history. If you get the chance to try it, do it. You can always close your eyes if it becomes too much, but do try it!

Until next time, have a great week!

Long Good Friday

We're continuing on the theme of old but great films, and this weeks entry is Long Good Friday (1980).

What we have here is a very interesting movie and for several different reasons. First off, it is packed to the gills with famous faces. Actors that have since made their marks in British cinema, but at that time were small potatoes. In fact, this was Pierce Brosnan's first movie role, and his entire dialogue is “Hi”. It seemed like every time the scene changed, I had to pop over to IMDB to identify why a new face was familiar, and there were many.

The second reason this is interesting is because the main character, Harold, is played by the late great Bob Hoskins. Hoskins became best known for his comedic roles like Mr. Smee in Hook and Eddie Valentine in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but here he is a stone cold gangster. And he does it so well. Obviously I can't list every one who was in it, but it would be a crime to omit Helen Mirren, who not only plays the Harold's wife, but also made a huge contribution to the story, mostly to avoid having her character be another stereotypical Mob Moll.

The third interesting thing is the story. Chances are that you've seen a variation of it or two. Harold wants to buy up a large portion of land along the Thames in order to build an Olympic Games compound. This would make him astronomically rich, but he needs a financial partner, in this case the mafia. Unfortunately, just when the American mobsters are in town to seal the deal, someone starts blowing up Harold's stuff, putting the deal at risk.

If this sounds a bit familiar it's because many other films have used it. Take Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla (also a good movie). There a London mobster needs Russian mob money for a property deal, and stuff goes wrong, and the heat is on.

Long Good Friday is very much a child of its time, for good and bad, but in the end it's a good movie. It's not as good as Get Carter, but it's not far behind. It was indeed a tremendously pleasant experience, and I recommend it, if for nothing else than to see jolly old Hoskins play a murderous mobster. It is one of the defining films in British crime cinema and with good reason.

That's it for now. If I find another movie to watch, I might write about it next time, and until then, have a great week!

Get Carter

Continuing on my theme of catching up on older films, last night I watched GetCarter (1971). There is a remake starring Sylvester Stallone from 2000, but I know nothing about it.

So we have Michael Caine as the titular Jack Carter, a violent gangster who returns to Newcastle (where he was born) from London (where he works) to find out why his brother died. Things quickly gets really sticky for everyone. That is the plot in a nutshell.

What makes this movie so good is the incredible atmosphere. The grimy gloom of an industrial city in the early seventies is fascinating. The sense of Doom is palpable from the first scene and it doesn't get any better for anyone.

What struck me as particularly interesting is the way it not only is filmed, but how the story is told. The movie wastes no time on explanations what so ever, it just jumps straight in. These days films are more likely to start at the beginning, and then go step by step, but not Get Carter. Straight into things and on with the show. It was a bit confusing at first, but before long I was fully invested in the story.

What concerns the cinematography, it is really weird at times. There is a poker game at one point in the film, and during that scene there are three conversations going on at once. To make things worse, more than half the screen is covered by the back of someones head. This “half screening“ goes on for a while and then it's back to normal, and it really left me scratching my head. Apparently it was due to sound issues, but it's still a remarkably odd scene. Nothing else get's quite that weird, but there are many odd angles.

Quentin Tarantino has said that this was the movie that inspired him to become a director, and apart form this, it is also lauded as the “godfather” of British crime cinema. I can certainly see why.

This is a bleak, cruel and violent movie, though there is hardly any blood in it. It's worth keeping in mind that the main protagonist, Carter, is a villain. He does bad things all the time, every time, and it doesn't shy away from this. It should be said that it contains an unusual amount of sex, particularly for it's time, and back then it was heavily censored. Be warned there, if that's not your thing. Or if you want to watch a movie with your granny.

Ultimately, this is a movie I should have watched ages ago, and I'm likely to have to watch it again. It's unflinching attitude on all fronts makes it easy to miss things, like why his brother died. It's not quite a “blink and you miss it” situation, but it's not far from …

If you haven't seen it, do so. Really, go watch it. It truly is worth it, and until we see each other again, have a great week!

At Close Range

Sometimes I come across a movie that I want to see, but then don't for various reasons. Sometimes years can go by before things come together and I finally get to see it.

One such film is At Close Range (1986), starring Christopher Walken, Sean Penn, Chris Penn and a host of others. Keep your eyes out for a very young Kiefer Sutherland.

The movie is set in 1978, and is based on real events, which is pretty disturbing. Walken is the leader of a small gang of successful thieves in rural Pennsylvania. He is estranged from his two teenage sons (the Penn brothers), but the older (Sean) gets involved in his fathers crime due to a need to make money, and then things spiral out of control. You see, Walken is both violent and paranoid, and that's dangerous when combined.

That's pretty much all I can say without spoiling the film, and that would be a terrible shame, because I really liked it.

I have seen Walken in many films over the years, and he always delivers a memorable performance. At Close Range is no exception. He goes from charming but creepy to absolutely terrifying very quickly, and yet his character is always believable.

The Penn brothers are also very good, and it's a rare treat to see two actual brothers play on screen brothers. It doesn't get more authentic than that. As a fun twist, their real mother is playing their grandmother as well.

Based on what I knew, or rather thought I knew about this movie, I was pretty surprised. The pacing is slow, but it works, and it doesn't get boring. The soundtrack is apparently famous, and it is good, but left me personally a bit unimpressed. It works though. The whole film reeks of the 70's as it should.

I absolutely recommend this film. If you haven't seen it, go do so. Until then, have a great week!

Preacher

When I heard that the graphic novel Preacher (1995-2000) was being made into a TV show, my first reaction was “no way”.

The comic deals with blasphemy, profanity, religion, death on a massive scale and quite a lot of sex. These things aren't always easy to put on TV, so naturally I was skeptical.

However, I decided to give it a fair chance and I'm glad I did. I have watched the first season apart from the season finale. I was going to wait until said finale was over but it's Monday and I need content, so here we go.

First off, if you haven't read the comic, you'll be fine, just watch it. If you have read it and you like it, put your expectations on the shelf for the duration. The show is good, no question about it, but there are some big changes, and I don't mean that Tulip is white and blonde in the comic, and black in the show, but the fact that the entire story structure is changed rather drastically.

This in itself is not a problem, it's just a different way to tell a similar story. If they make more seasons, I look forward to see where they're going. I get the feeling that this is just a build up, but time will tell.

The show is well made, and the actors are all good, they really are. They stick pretty closely to what the comic does and that's a relief. The sets are great, you really get the feel for the dusty part of Texas, no complaints.

There are some changes though, and I can't say which ones due to spoilers, that I think are a bit pointless. Mostly minor things, but I really don't get why they would be done differently from the comic. Things like a side characters mannerisms or a characters reason for doing something, things that seem to be changed just to change them.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, that if you are a fan of the comic, don't be put off, give the show a chance.

Until next time, have a great week!

Hot facts

Today, as I sit here in the July heat with my brain quietly melting, I want to bring you more fascinating facts.

1. When Winston Churchill visited the U.S. during the prohibition, his doctor gave him a prescription for alcohol. The quantity is indefinite, it said.
2. Prehistory officially became history in 2600 BC with the invention of the library.
3. The wingspan of a Boeing 747 is longer than the Wright brothers' first flight.
4. Biting your nails is essentially good for your immune system.
5. The Romans would occasionally use condemned criminals in stage plays, this way the character could die for real.
6. The most credentialed person in history, Michael Nicholson, has 22 masters degrees, 3 specialist degrees and one doctoral degree.
7. A finger with nerve damage doesn't wrinkle in water.
8. Unless you can prove that you are an illusionist, it is illegal to own a rabbit in Queensland, Australia.
9. Police in ancient Egypt had not only trained police dogs, but also trained police baboons.
10. A group of giraffes is called a tower.

That's all I can muster up for this time. Until we meet again, have a warm and wonderful week!

The Charnel House Trilogy

A couple of months ago I saw a review of a game called The Charnel HouseTrilogy on Youtube. I'm not a huge fan of point and click games, but this one caught my attention, and didn't want to let go. So, during the Steam Summer Sale, I picked it up for next to nothing. To be fair, it's not expensive at normal price either, it's about five bucks.

The Charnel House Trilogy is a horror game, like the title suggests, but it avoids things like jump scares and cheap gore. Nothing in this wonderful title is left to chance, and it shows, it is truly well crafted. I builds up the atmosphere and the mystery without constantly hitting you over the head with cliches. Quiet moments are allowed when appropriate.

The puzzles are easy for the most part. I myself am not a great puzzle solver so that came as a pleasant surprise. One could argue that they are so easy that they are almost unnecessary, but they serve to bring you in closer. Besides, without them it would be a walking simulator.

Graphically it's good, though not amazing. But it doesn't have to be either. As a point and click horror/adventure game, you don't expect or indeed need, graphics that strain your GPU to the limit. The sound is good too, and a special mention needs to be made concerning the voice work. The game is fully voiced, and at first I thought it was a bit lackluster, but that's because I've come to expect over the top voice acting in games like this. Here it's more subdued, and I think that's a good thing.

It should be pointed out that although it's a trilogy, the whole game is about two hours long. I have in the past criticized games for being too short, but this is not a triple-A game that costs $60-70, it's an indy title that costs $5. Besides, because it is short, you have an easier time finishing the whole thing in one sitting, and retaining the whole story. Here, it is a good thing.

I went into this expecting an OK time, and ended up having a great time. So, if you are in the mood for a horror title that's heavy on creepy atmosphere and a good story rather than buckets of gore and jump scares galore, then The Charnel House Trilogy might be for you. It certainly was for me.

That's it for this time folks, so until Monday next, have a great week!

Crimes in paradise

Last Saturday evening, my wife and I decided to watch the new season of X-Files, but gave up after two episodes. We're going to keep watching just in case it was our own mood that was incompatible, but neither of us were impressed at all. I'll probably do a separate post on this subject when I've either watched the whole new season or given up for good.

Today I want to talk about what we ended up watching instead. We decided to give the new version of Hawaii 5-0.

The original, which I have never seen, ran from 1968 – 1980 and was at the time not only the longest running law enforcement show but the first cop show to span over a decade. It has since been joined by, and in some cases outdone by, shows like Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and NCIS.

Even if, like me, you've never seen the original, you have in fact most likely been affected by it. This is the show that created the famous line: Book 'em Danno, which has become a classic catchphrase. The term 5-0 (pronounced five-oh) has since become synonymous with police throughout the US. In fact, when I was watching The Wire, I had to look up why the drug dealers were yelling 5-0 to warn each other that the police were on the way. It's all due to this show.

OK, enough history. What my wife and I wanted was a show that has action, style and good writing, but isn't too dark. These days it seems every show has to be so very Grim-dark, and it get's annoying after a while. I love Grim-dark, but enough is enough. Luckily enough, the new Hawaii

5-0 was exactly what we wanted.

Like the title says, it's set in Hawaii, and the 5-0 comes from Hawaii being the 50^th state in the union. The show oozes so called scenery porn, gorgeous landscapes and that blue ocean. Where a show set in, say, New York would show street scenes to solidify the setting, you get beautiful vistas instead. The actors are good, which they should be seeing as they are all veterans of shows and films like The Shield, Battlestar Galactica, Lost and the Oceans 11-13 movies.

The writing is in my opinion excellent. Snappy, witty but not too over the top. Beyond this, the show has heart, it's serious yet lighthearted enough to feel relaxing when the Grim-dark becomes too oppressive.

I feel I should point out the guest stars as well, Norman Reedus and Peter Stormare all within four episodes. Not too shabby.

We watched the four first episodes eagerly, and I'm looking forward to watching more. I can absolutely see why someone wouldn't like it, but I urge you to give it a shot, if you come across it.

That's it for this time, until we meet again, have a beautiful week!

What does it mean?

It's July, and that means I'm busy trying to cobble together 30.000 words for camp nanowrimo.

But as always, it's also Monday, and that means Eccentric Spheres gets a new update. In the spirit of creative writing, here are some words most English speakers might not be too familiar with:

Absquatulate - to leave abruptly

Boffola - a joke that gets a loud laugh

Chad - the piece of paper that is left when using a hole punch

Degust - to eat slowly in order to really enjoy the taste

Eucatastrophe - a happy ending

Fugacious - fleeting or transient

Gnathic - to do with the jaw

Humdudgeon - imaginary illness

Incunabula - books printed before 1501

Jentacular - having to do with breakfast

Keek - to sneak a peek

Logomachy - an argument about words

Minacious - scary or threatening

Noyade - execution by drowning

Otalgia - earache

Peterman - a person who opens and robs safes

Quire - 24 sheets of paper

Rubiginious - rust colored

Sesquipedalian - a person who uses excessively long words

Toplofty - an arrogant person

Umbriferous - shady

Vicinal - adjacent or next to

Winklepicker - 1950's style shoe with pointy toe

Xertz - to gulp down greedily

Yarborough - a hand of cards with no card above a nine in value

Zetetic - proceeding by inquiry or investigation

There you go, a whole list of words you probably didn't know. At least I didn't.

Until we see each other again next time, have a great week!

The Great War

I've been operating on a small sleep deficit the last few days, so I'm taking a “short-cut” this week.

But instead of showing you a video or two, I want to introduce you to an entire channel:

The Great War

Whether you have a deep interest in World War I or just a passing curiosity, I can't recommend this channel enough. The production values are amazing, and there's a wealth of information from technology to tactics, politics to science. Even a week to week series, detailing the entire conflict! It's staggering how much info this channel has.

So head on over and have a look, you may find something interesting.

In the mean time, I'm going to wish you a Great Week!. See you next time.

Fascinating Facts

Today is all about fact. Movie facts, in fact.

As usual when I do these lists, all facts are taken form kickassfacts.com so if you want more, head over there.

Here we go:

Mark Hamill was 63 years old while filming Star War: The Force Awakens, the same age as Sir Alec Guiness was while filming his scenes as Ben Kenobi in the original Star Wars film in 1977.

V for Vendetta (2005) – The domino scene, where V tips over black and red dominoes to form a giant letter V, involved 22,000 dominoes. It took 4 professional domino assemblers 200 hours to set it up.

Halloween (1978) – Due to its shoestring budget, the prop department had to use the cheapest $2 mask that they could find in the costume store: a Star Trek William Shatner mask. They later spray-painted the face white, teased out the hair, and reshaped the eye holes. Shatner admitted that for years he had no idea his likeness was used for this film. It was only during an interview that someone mentioned his mask was being used. He has since stated that he is honored by this gesture.

Jurassic Park (1993) – When the T-Rex comes through the glass roof of the Explorer in the first attack, the glass was not meant to break, producing the noticeably genuine screams from the children.

Alien (1979) – Ridley Scott found a practical solution to lighting the aliens’ egg chamber by borrowing blue laser lighting from The Who, who were rehearsing their stage show in the soundstage next door.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Charlie Sheen stayed awake for 48 hours to achieve a suitably wasted look for his cameo as a drugged-up felon.

Jurassic Park (1993) – Hurricane Iniki ravaged the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, where the movie was shot, but Richard Attenborough managed to sleep through it. When questioned how by Steven Spielberg, Dickie replied: “Dear boy, I survived the blitz!”

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The filmmakers discovered to their chagrin that the snakes used for the Well of Souls sequence weren’t afraid of fire at all. In fact, they would always try to get closer to the fire to warm themselves. At one point director Spielberg was caught on camera picking up a snake and telling it, face to face, “In the script, you’re supposed to hate fire. Why do you like fire? You’re ruining my movie.”

Predator: Jesse Ventura was delighted to find out from the wardrobe department that his arms were 1″ bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s. He suggested to Schwarzenegger that they measure arms, with the winner getting a bottle of champagne. Ventura lost because Schwarzenegger had told the wardrobe department to tell Ventura that his arms were bigger.

During the filming of ‘Cabin Fever,’ Rider Strong decided to explore the forest alone after a shoot, still in his gruesome makeup. He came across a group of schoolgirls on a field trip, who were horrified, but then recognized him from ‘Boy Meets World,’ and he had to escape from the fangirls.

That's it for this time. A small reminder to all gamers out there, the Steam summer sale is supposed to start on the 23^rd, so get ready for that, but until we meet again, have a great week!

Legend

This week we're taking a look at a movie called Legend. Not Ridley Scott's fantasy film from 1985, but the gangster movie from last year.

This is the story of the Kray twins, Reggie and Ron, and their journey towards becoming the preeminent organized crime lords of London. Or it should be, since it really isn't. Legend is based on true events, but as with all movies, the “truth” only goes so far. The film takes liberties with facts but not too wildly. There was no one moment that made me think “Hang on, that can't be true.” It was all in all a very well put together film, and Tom Hardy (the new Mad Max) does an amazing job portraying both twins. It can't have been easy, but he does it really well, especially since Ronnie was mentally ill.

The movie is set in the 60's and 70's, and as with everything else it is very well done. You truly get a feeling of the era and that's always fun to see. I don't regret watching Legend, but it is essentially not the film it should be in my opinion.

So what's the problem? Simple. It's far more about the stormy relationship between Ron and his girlfriend/wife Frances. Obviously she was a big part of Ron's life and needed to be in the movie, but I entered into things expecting a crime film, not a rocky romance, but that is what I essentially got. Several scenes revolve around her and neither Kray is even there. If they wanted to make a film about Frances, I'm sure it would have been really good, but that's not what's supposed to happen here, and thanks to this, the movie lacks focus. There are of course crime elements in the film, but far less than there are romance and argument scenes. It's simply not what I either expected or wanted, and I don't think it's what was advertized.

Legend could have been the British answer to Goodfellas, but it falls way short. Imagine if Goodfellas had been 85% about Henry and his marriage. That wouldn't have been a very interesting crime drama now would it? No, of course not. Sure Henry's marriage to Karen is an important, no a crucial part of Goodfellas, but there is just as much and more going on elsewhere, and this is not the case in Legend.

Copy-Paste from the start of the Kray's entry on Wikipedia:

“Twin brothers Ronald "Ronnie" Kray (24 October 1933 – 17 March 1995) and Reginald "Reggie" Kray (24 October 1933 – 1 October 2000) were English gangsters who were the foremost perpetrators of organized crime in the East End of London during the 1950s and 1960s. “

All we get to see is some nightclub business and some deals with the American Mafia. Add some violence and the rest is the Ron/Frances angle. Such a shame really, this could have been an epic film.

Finally I want to mention a point about Frances. She in no way deserves what happens to her, but she knew full well who and what Ron was when they met and she married him anyway. It makes it hard to feel sorry for her, when it's so incredibly obvious that her boyfriend is a complete sociopath gangster (and his brother is worse), and yet she happily gives him chance after chance. Combine this with the screen time their relationship occupies, and it just fails.

I won't say I don't recommend Legend, but know what you are about to watch.

Until next time, have a great week!