Lords of Chaos

A couple of days ago, slowly melting from the heat, I found a funny video on Youtube on how to make Norwegian Black Metal. Then, on a whim I typed Lords of Chaos (2018) in the search field and to my surprise found the whole movie and decided to watch it.

Lords of Chaos (LoC) is a film based on a book, Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, published in 1998 and reprinted in 2003. It concerns the dramatic events surrounding the 90's church burnings and murders in the Norwegian black metal scene.

The movie is directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who between 1983 and 1984 was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory. Bathory is considered by some to be the second black metal band in the world, with Venom starting the whole thing. Åkerlund got out of the black metal scene when he thought the scene was becoming too out there. Instead he focused on film making, directing amongst other things the acclaimed video for The Prodigy's “Smack My Bitch Up” and Madonna's “Ray of Light”. He has also worked with U2, Rammstein, Metallica, Lady Gaga and others.

Lords of Chaos styles itself as a semi-fictional horror-thriller, in fact it states outright that it deals in both lies and truth. I have read quite a bit about the goings on in the black metal scene during that time, and as such the film held no surprises for me. It seems to stick pretty closely to the general facts. One of the main protagonists, Varg Vikernes, called the film “made-up crap”, and I have no way of disproving this, but considering that Vikernes is a convicted murderer, arsonist and right wing pundit, I don't take his opinion too seriously.

Before we go into the meat of the matter, I want to point out that the cast is excellent, with great performances from Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Jack Kilmer, Sky Ferreira and Valter Skarsgård. If names like Culkin, Kilmer and Skarsgård seem familiar, well they should. Rory is the younger brother of Macaulay Culkin, Jack is the son of Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley and Valter is a member of the never ending Skarsgård clan of actors.

So the main character is Øystein Aarseth, better known as Euronymous (Culkin). He and his friends have formed Mayhem, and are busy inventing Norwegian Black Metal. They need a singer and find Swedish Per Yngve Ohlin, known as Dead (Kilmer).

This part of the film shows their fractured friendships, and their early performances, including Dead's rather insane behavior, which includes huffing dead animals and cutting himself on stage. This part culminates in Dead's suicide, which was a pretty damn gruesome scene. As a whole, this part felt a bit rushed and disjointed, I don't know if that's just how it turned out or if it's intentional.

We then move on to the opening of Helvete (hell), Euronymous's record shop in Oslo. They sell records, work on their music and party in the basement. It's here that Varg (Cohen) arrives on the scene.

Euronymous enjoys being the Lord of his Domain, deciding what is as they said TRVE KVLT, i.e. legit black metal, and what is for posers. He clearly loves being the central figure, but Varg challenges him by actually doing what Euronymous only talks about. Things escalate until several churches have been burned down and people have died, ultimately wrapping up the story. LoC is a good study in what happens when a group of people live in a bubble and egg each other on, until events spiral out of control.

What's important to remember is that these events really happened, though individual details are hard to verify. The biggest deviation from the truth is the inclusion of Sky Ferreira's role, Ann-Marit who becomes Euronymous's girlfriend. Apparently he didn't have a girlfriend when he died. Oh well...

I found the film is enjoyable over all. It feels authentic, not just in a “documentary” sense but in a psychological sense as well. The young men who, like all young men, all want to be fierce and are dramatic to the point of cringe, feel so real. What set them apart from the norm was actually burning churches and committing murder.

Interestingly enough, there is little actual black metal in the film. Åkerlund stated that he wanted to avoid it as it's hard to listen to unless you really like it, and I think audiences would agree.

I kind of hesitate to recommend this film as such. I really did enjoy it, but I don't think all that many would enjoy it. If you come across it, do give it a watch though. It's really well made. If you want to know more about these very dramatic happenings, Wikipedia is your friend.

That's that. Until next time, have a great week!

More Geek TV

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Sandman is finally getting a TV series. It seems we have more news on the fantasy TV front.

First off, Warhammer 40.000, Games Workshop's grimdark Fantasy & Space Opera setting is now getting a TV show. Very little is known or even decided at this stage, but it's the Eisenhorn books by Dan Abnett that are being adapted. Eisenhorn is an inquisitor, one of the independent agents that hunt heretics, demons, aliens and other threats to the Imperium of Man.

I have read the books, and they could work quite well on the small screen. Warhammer 40k is chiefly a war-game, so it follows that the setting focuses mostly on war, which gets crazy expensive to film. This is where Eisenhorn shines, being more about investigations, small scale fights and such. In the later books, there are some events that would cost the equivalence of a small nations GNP to film, but they have time to figure that out.

The 40k fanbase is very passionate, not to mention detail oriented, so here's hoping the show makers know what they are doing, because the fans do. Breaches against the lore are not going to go down well.

In other similar news, Amazon has signed an exclusive TV deal for Middle-Earth. They signed it in 2017 with a two year window, so the clock is ticking and filming will likely have to start this year.

Nothing is known about casting as yet, but what is known is that they are using the Second Age, i.e. the time in which Sauron rose to power and the last alliance of men and elves took place. The Second Age is 3441 years long so what they choose to focus on remains to be seen. Either way, calling it a Lord of the Rings show is misleading as that story takes place in the Third Age. I guess it's a Game of Thrones issue, A Game of Thrones being the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, not the whole title in itself.

It seems like it's going to be filmed in New Zealand, like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, but Jackson is not attached to the project in any way. Ian McKellen has stated that he wouldn’t mind returning as Gandalf, but he has to my knowledge not been asked. Time will tell.

It seems to be a golden age of geek television, and with Game of Thrones being such a run away hit, it's no wonder. Whether they manage to produce anything really good is another question. Cautious optimism is the way to go in my opinion. Get too hyped and you may get too disappointed.

I'll probably keep talking about this as more news trickles in so stay tuned. This however is enough for this time, until next we meet, have a great week!

Duel at Blood Creek

A short one today, I'm afraid. Events conspire etc. etc. You've heard me say this before.

So here is a wonderful little short film called The Duel at Blood Creek. I'm fairly certain that I've not posted it before, so enjoy.

Join me again next time, and until then, don't fight any duels and have yourself a great week!

Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcSWsdTdYGI

Isador "Izzy" Einstein

Today we are doing something different. Today I want to talk about Isador “Izzy” Einstein. If you haven't heard of him, don't worry, most people haven't.

Izzy worked as a prohibition agent mostly in New York between 1920 and 1925. If you're getting an image of Kevin Costner as Elliot Ness in your head, you are so wrong.

Izzy stood 5'5 (165 cm) tall and weighed 225 lbs (102 kg). Not exactly the dashing type, he waddled when he walked. Before working as an prohibition agent, Izzy wasn't a lawman, he worked at the post office. He never carried a gun but nevertheless became the No. 1 agent in the fight against illegal alcohol.

How? Well first off, he spoke (apart from English) German, Polish, Hungarian, Yiddish and some Italian. He also has an incredible talent for disguise. When he went out to hunt speakeasies he dressed up as amongst other things: a German pickle packer, a Polish count, a Hungarian violinist, a Yiddish gravedigger, a French maitre d', an Italian fruit seller, a Russian fisherman etc. Add to this his American disguises: cigar seller, football player, grocer, lawyer, librarian... The list goes on, but you get the idea, I'm sure.

The bartenders at the various illegal speakeasies had pictures of him but that didn't help. They all got arrested and every time he slapped the cuffs on them he said “There's sad news here. You're under arrest.”

At one point a suspicious bartender claimed that “You're that agent, Epstein.” Izzy said “You mean Einstein?”. The bartender insisted on Epstein and Izzy bet him a drink. When the drink was poured, he simply said “There's sad news here.”

Izzy was also famous for the speed with which he could find illegal alcohol in any given city. In Chicago and St. Louis it took him 21 minutes, 17 minutes in Atlanta, merely 11 in Pittsburgh, but the record was in New Orleans: 35 seconds. Izzy got in a taxi and asked the driver where he could slake his thirst. The driver turned around and handed him a bottle. “There's sad news here. You're under arrest.”

He was offered transfer to Chicago, but declined preferring to stay in New York, mostly so he wouldn't come up against Al Capone.

The papers called him the Incomparable Izzy, Honest Izzy and America's Premier Hooch Hound. In his career, he arrested 4932 persons before retiring from law enforcement in 1930 to sell insurance for the New York Life Insurance Co.

When interviewed about his life after prohibition he said “Now that I'm no longer a sleuth, I make more money and get more sleep.”

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

Black sand? Man adder?

Hello and welcome to more Eccentric Spheres!

Some fascinating entertainment news for you today. What's interesting is that both items are almost guaranteed. Sort of 98% confirmed. Something may yet go horribly wrong, but odds are in our favor.

First off, it looks like the return of a popular snarky British character is finally happening. Yes, it seems like Blackadder is back!

According to multiple sources, a fifth season is being written and Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Tony Robinson have all agreed to star. No word yet if Tim McInnerny will be back as Percy/Darling, but here's hoping.

The show is being produced by original show-runner Richard Curtis, and it will be set in the world of academia. Curtis stated that the original four seasons were about making fun of the establishment and old people, and that as they are all old and established now, this season will be Blackadder being annoyed at the young.

As far as I can tell, things can yet go wrong, so keep a level head, but things are looking very promising for the triumphant return of the Blackadder.

My second piece of news is of special importance to all fans of Neil Gaiman. Netflix is almost ready to put down a massive amount of money to create a Sandman TV series!

Sandman, Gaiman's immensely popular comic that ran from 1989 to 1996 has been in Hollywood's eye for decades, with talks and scripts being talked about and always abandoned. But this time it could really happen. As far as one can see, only the very last puzzle pieces remain to be placed before things can go ahead.

Gaiman is set to executive-produce together with David Goyer. If the final contracts are signed, the show will be written by Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, ABC's The Catch, Grey's Anatomy) but no one has yet mentioned any kind of episode count. Likewise, it is much too soon to talk cast. Time will tell.

For myself, I really hope Blackadder does come back. They are all fine actors, and I have enjoyed the specials so a last modern hurrah would be wonderful.

As for Sandman, I want to see it made, but it's not quite so cut and dry as that. Unlike Blackadder, Sandman is a complicated beast, and a thousand things could go wrong, but if they pull it off, it will be amazing, a highlight of television.

Well, time will tell and speaking of time, join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!

Ethical and Fun?

Today I thought a look at a piece of recent gaming news could be interesting.

A couple of days ago, EA's VP of legal and government affairs, Kerry Hopkins, appeared in the UK before a parliamentary committee to talk about lootboxes. There has been a lot of press about them in the recent couple of years due to strong allegations that they prey on people with poor impulse control and indeed teach/train children to gamble.

At the hearing, Hopkins interrupted an MP to correct him that they “don't use the term lootboxes” at EA. This isn't only rude, but a blatant lie. EA has, black on white, used the term on multiple occasions, even as a selling point. Hopkins went on to state that EA now calls them “Surprise Mechanics” and that like Kinder eggs they are, “both ethical and fun”.

This went over as well as one could expect on the internet. Surprise mechanics is a, frankly bullshit, term that means nothing outside of a corporate boardroom. A nonsensical attempt to cover up their greedy, moneygrubbing ways.

Then we have ethical and fun... They don't get to state what is ethical. Not even a little bit, no more in fact than I can state that this blog post is ethical. That's up to you to decide. As for fun? Come on... pull the other one.

However, the sheer gall to compare their “surprise mechanics” with Kinder eggs and other toys with random content is galling and inaccurate. When you buy a Kinder egg, you know that you are getting a tasty chocolate treat, followed by a really cheap little toy. That's it. EA likes to put game winning elements into their boxes. Their products are devalued without the extra content they sell you separately in an expensive and random manner. Shame on you EA. Shame.

It is no surprise that EA and indeed certain other big publishers are getting desperate concerning lootboxes. They are enormously lucrative, raking in hundreds of millions in revenue each year, and

no business wants to loose that kind of money. That's obvious. They are however already illegal in the Netherlands and Belgium, and now the UK and US are looking hard at them.

Of course the AAA industry is scrambling to defend their garbage, that's a given, but the fact that EA is changing the name and calling them ethical demonstrates that they know the boxes are bad for people. Otherwise they would be defending them as they are, not trying to weasel out of the dilemma sideways, which is what they are doing.

No one else gets to do that, and EA is no different. A burglar can't stop the police by calling his activities a “surprise visit” and a “moral readjustment of wealth”, can he? No, of course not.

Time will tell how this will end, but I for one hope that the politicians have the ethical backbone to protect the people and not the corporations. For once.

That is it for this time, tune in again next time and until then, have a great week!

Third time lucky?

I mentioned last week that I subscribed to HBO for Chernobyl and True Detective 3. We did Chernobyl last week so to no ones surprise I'm sure, we're talking True Detective.

Back when I watched the first season of True Detective, I couldn't praise it enough. Then the second season rolled around, and well... it's not bad, but it's nowhere near the genius of season 1. Now, finally we have season 3. I'll try to be as spoiler free as possible.

Season 3 stars Mahershala Ali as Wayne 'Purple' Hays and Stephen Dorff as Roland West, the two main detectives investigating the disappearance of two preteens.

The story is set in Arkansas, in three time periods; 1980, 1990 and 2015. The kids vanished in 1980, the case resurfaces in 1990 and in 2015 both detectives are old men with Hays (M. Ali) suffering from what is most likely dementia or Alzheimer.

This being a season of True Detective, things are gloomy, sinister and threatening. There is strange symbolism all around, and corruption and conspiracies everywhere. At least that's how it feels.

The use of three times periods as opposed to season one's two periods, is a bit much. They pull it off well enough, but there are scenes where you have to look closely at Dorff's haircut and jacket to get which period it is. They could have made it clearer. 2015 is obvious with gray hair and excellent old age makeup.

In fact, the season is extremely solid in how it is made, no complaints there whatsoever. Actors, sound, cinematography etc. all good and solid.

The biggest flaw in my opinion is the story. Not only do they reference season 1 directly, the whole season seems almost like a homage or love letter to season 1. Though by the end it becomes clear that this is no mistake and I found most of my earlier misgivings laid to rest. As I watched episode after episode, I got a creeping feeling that they were just trying to remake season 1 to appease the fans, but I'm sure that they weren't doing that and that you are in fact meant to feel that way.

In the end I was happy to have seen it, but perhaps I should have waited a day or two after consuming the sheer brilliance of Chernobyl before watching this. In comparison to that, season 3 is a bit flat.

If True Detective gets a fourth season I think they need to dig deep. Neither season 2 or 3 were bad in any way, but it's still the first season that carries them forward. A hypothetical fourth needs to be a home run or the series will probably run into the sand.

So, yeah, a good piece of television and no mistake, but still no where near the amazing first season.

That's that. Until next time, have a great week!