Oculus

 

Yesterday I decided to watch Oculus (2013).

First off, lets get this straight, Oculus has nothing to do with virtual reality. It is a horror film so don't let the name fool you, okay?

Oculus stars Karen Gillan as Kaylie Russel, Brenton Thwaites as Tim Russel, Annalise Basso and Garrett Ryan as their younger selves and Katee Sackhoff and Rory Cochrane as their parents, Marie and Alan. It is written and directed by Mike Flanagan.

The movie is split between two time periods; the present and ten years ago and in a nutshell the story is this:

The Russel family moves into a new house and thanks to a sinister mirror, things go very wrong. Parents die, Kaylie gets put in the foster care system as she was only twelve, while Tim age eleven is committed to psychiatric care until he is 21, due to certain events.

Now adults, Tim and Kaylie tries to prove that what happened wasn't their parents fault but rather the malign supernatural influence of the mirror, the Lasser Glass. (Great name BTW.)

The beginning was a little bit underwhelming in my opinion. Stylish sure, but a bit paint-by-numbers. Flanagan even uses two Lewton Bus moments (building tension and then defusing it with something innocent) in quick succession, which is one too many. However, once the movie got going, I was fully invested. The fact that Oculus is 104 minutes long but it felt more like 80 is a testament to how good it is.

The movie switches back and forth a lot between ten years ago and now. This technique can and has been done well before but it can also be pretty grating if you get it wrong. Oculus gets it incredibly right. The central theme is perception, and the movie plays a lot with what is real and what isn't. A theme that again, can go very wrong and that Oculus gets so right. Bit by bit the two time-lines blend together which was a smart move.

I want to take a moment to point out how good the child actors are. Both Basso and Ryan do a stellar job playing the siblings. The fear and vulnerability is amazing and only serves to highlight how incredible brave they have to be. Sure, they were actually 14 and 15 not 11 and 12, but they still show real acting ability. Naturally some credit has to go to the director as well. Sterling work.

To sum up, Oculus is an intelligent horror movie that despite its central theme of confusing reality and perception is easy to follow. It is the kind of horror movie that I'd recommend not just to horror fans, but also to people who aren't horror fans but who like to watch one now and then. Apart from a slightly weak start I have nothing to complain about and I highly recommend Oculus.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great and safe week!

Underwater

 

If I hadn't seen the review for Underwater (2020) by Deusdeacon on Youtube, I would probably have never even heard of this film. Based on his video I decided to sit down and give it a shot. I'm glad I did.

Underwater is a sci-fi horror movie set in an underwater drilling rig in the Mariana Trench, the deepest know part of the ocean. There may well be deeper places, but if so we haven't discovered them yet. At its deepest part, the trench is 11,034 meters (~7miles) deep. The pressure at that depth is an incredible 8 tons psi, or the same as having the weight of 50 jumbo jets pressing in on you from all sides at once. Only the most perfectly designed vessels can even go near without being crushed to a small ball.

These facts makes the movie a lot scarier than most space movies. In many ways this could well have been set in space and there are similarities with Alien (1979). However the pressure of the water is so much more dangerous than space and space is dangerous. You can survive temporary exposure to space, but you can't survive even a moment ten kilometers under the ocean. It is just as isolating but much scarier.

Alright, so the film is set in 2050 with the rig drilling at these terrifying depths. The movie stars Kristen Stewart as Norah, our main character. Other actors include Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, T.J. Miller, John Gallagher Jr. and Jessica Henwick. Underwater is directed by William Eubank who is fairly new but very promising.

Before going any further, let me talk about Kristen Stewart for a moment. I am so glad I saw her in this movie, because the only other thing I've seen her in was the first Twilight movie. Yes, I've seen the first Twilight. No, I don't like it. Anyway, I didn't get the sense that Kristen was a very good actor based on Twilight, much the same way I didn't get the feeling that Natalie Portman was very good based on the Star Wars prequels. Now I can say that Kristen Stewart is a good actor, like I can with Portman.

In a nutshell, people deep deep underwater, things go wrong, lots of danger, cool effects. Good movie. If you want to remain completely spoiler free, skip past the spoiler zone.

SPOILER ZONE

First off, the movie opens with a bang. No long intro setting up the characters, just straight in to it. The great thing is, it works! We don't know the characters but we don't need to. We don't need to know what they are like under normal circumstances, the movie isn't about normal. Instead we learn about them as we go along, and it is amazing. Every director who wants to make a disaster movie or something similar should absolutely watch this film.

The effects are really nice. A good mix between CGI and practical and you really feel like they are deep in the ocean. My immersion was never broken and that's good enough.

The characters are fine. This isn't about reinventing the wheel, but I liked them, and I cared about them, which is the point. Underwater gets bonus points for having characters that actually help each other, that really do their best and not the typical trope characters. You know, the macho jock bully type, the smart nerd, the hot but useless girl and so on. Sure the characters embody some elements of the typical tropes, but they feel more like real people than Hollywood cutouts.

Of course the water pressure isn't the only danger the characters have to face. I'm not going into deep spoiler territory, but it gets very bad. Very Bad. Note the capital V and B. Fans of a particular horror writer may be pleasantly surprised. Enough said.

SPOILER ZONE ENDS

Underwater is a different take on a scenario we've seen before, usually set in space. It avoids most stereotypical tropes while keeping the tension nice and high. Many of the shots are gorgeous and many are dark and chaotic, but for once I don't hate the dark scenes. After all, they are nine kilometers deeper than sunlight can penetrate even a little. The dark is justified.

To conclude, I'm really glad I watched Underwater. It is not a masterpiece but it doesn't have to be. I recommend it to fans of sci-fi action and horror in general.

That's that and all that. Please join me again next time, and until then have a safe and great week!

Someone outEA's EA

 

During the week a rather interesting story broke. But first a bit of context.

I have spoken at length on this blog about lootboxes in video games and how much I despise them. About how incredibly damaging they can be to young minds and those with gambling addictions. I have talked about the publishers who control the boxes and how in the case of Electronic Arts they call it “surprise mechanics” and how adamant they are that it is not gambling.

Their cardinal argument against the gambling accusation is that you can't cash out, and that there is no real monetary value attached to the contents of said lootboxes.

So on to the story at hand. This week allegations appeared on social media that shows how one or more employees at EA are selling the most sought after FIFA player cards straight to customers, bypassing the lootboxes completely. I'm not going to go digging around after the screenshots with the evidence (if it is true), but there are plenty of videos on Youtube where you can see them for yourself.

In a nutshell, the person(s) contacts people and offers to transfer these ultra rare cards straight into their accounts for real money. Money in the range of 600€ - 1700€ per deal. The cards in question are incredibly difficult to get, so hard in fact that many players have spent thousands of dollars on card packs without even getting one of them. So one can see why this under the counter deal is so tempting. You're pretty much paying the same amount anyway, but with a guaranteed outcome.

EA responded with lightning speed stating that they take the allegations very seriously and that they have launched an investigation. Should they find anything they promise to take swift action. 

Pretty much what one would expect them to say.

The real kicker here isn't that EA is capable of responding promptly to scandals even though they never do so when people and governments talk about gambling and children, but that this A. demonstrates a tangible monetary value on things they claim has no value and, B. they only care when their own bottom line is affected.

Granted everyone and their hamster already know that EA only cares about money but it is funny nonetheless. There exists shady third party sites where players trade and sell these cards for real money, but EA has always maintained that they have nothing to do with these sites, and that they aren't EA's problem.

If it turns out that this story is true, and it very much looks like it is, it's going to be interesting to see if it has any impact on the governmental claims that lootboxes really are gambling and that games like the FIFA games actually are unlicensed and unregulated casinos. After all, real casinos are monitored, regulated and they pay hefty fees in order to be allowed to operate. They odds of winning are also regularly inspected. Slot machines, roulette tables, etc. are constantly checked to make sure they remain legal. Meanwhile companies like EA can do whatever they like with the odds of winning valuable cards in their games. No oversight, no control, just pure profit. As long as you don't have a conscience.

Of course there is the option that the allegations are true but that EA manages to bury the evidence to control the damage. Either way I'm sure EA is very surprised at these mechanics...

That's that and all that. Join me again next time for more Eccentric Spheres. Until then, have a great week and stay safe!

Fawlty Towers

 

If you, like me enjoy British comedy, then chances are high that you have seen at least one episode of Fawlty Towers (1975).

Created by and starring John Cleese as the frustrated, irate, unlikeable and sometimes insane Basil Fawlty, the owner of the titular hotel. Also starring are; Connie Booth, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, and more.

The influence the show has had can't be overstated. It was amongst other things the inspiration for Blackadder. If you Google “best British comedy shows”, the first hit (at least for me) was “The Definitive Guide to British Comedy TV Since Fawlty Towers”. It ranks as number two on the list of best British comedy shows of all time, above Blackadder and under Only Fools and Horses.

What many don't know is the origin of Fawlty Towers. Back in 1970, the Monthy Python gang was shooting on location going from place to place with a bus. One evening, the bus broke down, stranding the crew in Torquay. With no other choice, they took rooms at the Gleneagles Hotel. Roughly an hour later, all members but Cleese booked back out and walked to the next town.

The reason for this was the owner, Donald Sinclair. Amongst other things he accused Terry Gilliam of having “too American table manners” and throwing Eric Idle's suitcase over a wall, fearing it contained a bomb. It was an alarm clock... When Graham Chapman ordered an omelet with three eggs, Sinclair brought him an omelet with three fried eggs on top.

John Cleese sat down and took notes and the rest is history. Sinclair has stated that the story is exaggerated but other guests and former staff has confirmed his mad antics and stated that they have seen worse.

Other fun facts about Fawlty Towers include the fact that Prunella Scales who plays Sybil Fawlty found it very hard to play such a harridan. Apparently she is a very sweet person.

The receptionist is played by Connie Booth who was Cleese's wife at the time.

Manuel, the Spanish waiter who is a source of constant hilarity was in fact played by a German. Some have accused the show of being racist, but everyone involved especially Andrew Sachs (Manuel) have vehemently denied this. Fawlty Towers is in essence a comedy of errors, and few errors can be as rough as language based misunderstandings. That said, the Major is pretty racist.

One of the many thorns in Fawlty's side is his car, a 1967 Austin 1100 Countryman. If you google it, you'll see a picture of Fawlty “giving it damn good trashing” a after having had enough.

After a few episodes, the hotel sign is seen rearranged into various anagrams including; Farty Tower, Flay Otters, Fatty Owls, Warty Towels, Flowery Twats and Farty Towels.

The series has been remade in the U.S. three times, each one unsuccessful.

There is more, so much more, but perhaps this is enough. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week and stay safe!

Need something to watch?

 

Television has probably never been as popular as it is today. Or to be more exact, TV shows have never been more popular, since many shows do not air on normal TV, instead airing on services like Netflix.

That got me thinking about record breaking shows. Today we're looking at shows that have had or still hold some very dramatic records, in no particular order.

First up The Simpsons holds the record for most guest stars, a record Guinness awarded them in 2010 for having had 555 guests. As of 2020 the number is 891 and climbing. The Simpsons also holds the number two spot for longest running animated show in the west with 694 episodes as of the end of 2020. The number one spot goes to Looney Tunes with 1041 episodes. World wide the number one spot goes to the Chinese cartoon 3000 Whys of Blue Cat with 3057 episodes.

Of course this depends on what your criteria for an animated show is. The German stop motion show Unser Sandmännchen has produced an eye-watering 22,200 episodes, starting in 1959.

Impressive numbers but lets look at the king of non animated longevity, the soap opera. The crown for most episodes goes to Guiding Light (1952-2009) with 15,762 episodes, followed by General Hospital with 14,557 episodes and Days of Our Lives with 13,927 episodes. Both shows are still going strong so they will probably bury Guiding Light soon.

Coronation Street is the longest British soap with 10,169 episodes starting in 1960. Imagine starting now and trying to catch up... 

Actually you don't have to imagine it. Mental Floss has calculated that it would take 1398 hours (474 days, 22 hours) to watch all of General Hospital.

Longest running Talk show is The Tonight Show which started September 27, 1954 and has amassed 12,400 episodes.

The longest sci-fi show is Doctor Who which ran from 1963-1989 and then from 2005-present with 862 episodes as of January this year.

Longest running game show is the French Des Chiffres et des Lettres which started in 1965 and is still popular. In the UK it is called Countdown if that name is more familiar.

The longest live broadcast of one event goes to the British charity event Penny Appeal that stayed on air 11 days, 11 hours and 11 minutes without pause. That's 182 hours straight.

In 2016 Game of Thrones took the crown for biggest Simulcast, that is airing an episodes in several countries at the same time. The episode 'The House of Black and White' (S5E2) was shown in 173 countries beating out CSI: Crime Scene Investigation with its previous record of 171 countries. Some rumors claim that The Walking Dead beat it, but I can't find any verification.

Now some special facts about the immensely popular M*A*S*H (1972-1983). This war comedy-drama show set in the Korean war ran over three times longer than the war it portrays, even though technically the war never officially ended. It's finale, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (S11E16) grabbed the record for most simultaneous viewers with 121.6 million viewers. It crushed previous record holders like the Dallas episode “Who Shot J.R.?” It was finally beaten in 2010 by Super Bowl XLIV, but since that is a sporting event, M*A*S*H still holds the record for scripted television.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great and safe week!