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I enjoyed Dafoe's Helsing/Von Franz character as a unique take on the archetype, and currently its going into my top five depictions....

I enjoyed Dafoe's Helsing/Von Franz character as a unique take on the archetype, and currently its going into my top five depictions. They play up that he is a former respected Doctor who has fallen in the eyes of his peers due to a seeming obsession with alchemy and the occult. Memorable characterizations all around, but his does stand out for me. Herr Knock/Renfield is perhaps a close second, presented as a diabolical cultist.

Bottom line: I dug it, recommended.

As for Orlock, they went with the Alien approach, keeping their monster hidden until the very end of the movie. It's not what I was...

As for Orlock, they went with the Alien approach, keeping their monster hidden until the very end of the movie. It's not what I was expecting (given the iconic bald rat-like design associated with the name), but I ended up really liking this version. Still animalistic, but more wolf than rat.

For V:tM/V:tR fans, I'd suggest this will actually lend itself more towards the Gangrel as a good source of inspiration.

Stylistically, I want compare it to what I'd call the sort of Baroque Dark Gothic aesthetic you see in games like Dark Souls or Diablo....

Stylistically, I want compare it to what I'd call the sort of Baroque Dark Gothic aesthetic you see in games like Dark Souls or Diablo. It's grey skies mixed with snow, and splintered wood, and red wax. Eastern European slavic designs, and German fashion led by Victorian influences. Maybe I'm misremembering, but my impression of the 1979 version is that it was much more scenic when it came to the Carpathian landscape and the city.

A few thoughts on Nosferatu. If you watched Herzog's 1979 version, you'll see those elements bleed through pretty heavily into this...

A few thoughts on Nosferatu. If you watched Herzog's 1979 version, you'll see those elements bleed through pretty heavily into this story. However, the Horror framing feels different. This movie is very claustrophobic, lit by firelight and candles. Shadows are used as the main visual element.

It's a dark movie, in a literal sense. I'd actually suggest trying to find as dark a theater as you can to get an appropriate experience.

Just watched Starliner return to Earth and land at White Sands. Bright orange dot on the horizon, with a definite tail! Disappeared behind...

Just watched Starliner return to Earth and land at White Sands. Bright orange dot on the horizon, with a definite tail! Disappeared behind the clouds, then a tiny bit later heard the sonic boom. Absolutely worth standing outside and staring up at the sky for half-an-hour while listening to NASA on YouTube!

US Politics#uspol Been a while since I posted here, but: One of my favorite online celebrity GM's looks to be doing an awesome thing....

US Politics

#uspol

Been a while since I posted here, but: One of my favorite online celebrity GM's looks to be doing an awesome thing. Donating to AdventurersForHarris.com and looking forward to seeing what Aabriyah Iyengar is cooking up! Erika Ishii and Deborah Ann Woll are apparently going to be part of the cast for this one.

Proud to be the 25th backer 😎 on @BackerKit Crowdfunding for At The Gates! (New tabletop rpg from Onyx Path, High Fantasy with JRPG...

Proud to be the 25th backer 😎 on @BackerKit Crowdfunding for At The Gates!
(New tabletop rpg from Onyx Path, High Fantasy with JRPG inspiration.)

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/onyx-path/at-the-gates

#OnyxPath #ttrpg

I wasn’t working directly on the OSAM satellite, but my job for the last year or so has been focused on the additional communication...

I wasn’t working directly on the OSAM satellite, but my job for the last year or so has been focused on the additional communication infrastructure to support it. Was really looking forward to implementing all that this year, very disappointing that it got shelved so suddenly.

Will just have to see how the final Brosnan-Bond goes, but right now my opinion is shifting to him being a lot more bland than I remember.

Will just have to see how the final Brosnan-Bond goes, but right now my opinion is shifting to him being a lot more bland than I remember.

From the dialogue and Wikipedia, it looks like this is the last performance of Desmond Llewelyn as Q. I'll miss him, frankly. He was a...

From the dialogue and Wikipedia, it looks like this is the last performance of Desmond Llewelyn as Q. I'll miss him, frankly. He was a good consistent presence from watching all these movies, even if his put-upon annoyance occasionally veered into cliche. I guess this is also the second to last for Brosnan, who I would have sworn was a longer running Bond. Previously I would have called him the most archetypically "Bond" looking Bond. Now ... well, yeah, he fits the suit.

It did remind me of what we were worried about, back in 1999 (Russian nukes falling into the hands of terrorists). And as we've seen,...

It did remind me of what we were worried about, back in 1999 (Russian nukes falling into the hands of terrorists). And as we've seen, control of the oil pipelines is indeed a major source of power. I did appreciate the idea behind the movie's two villains (Renard as a dying man seeking glory, Elektra as the double-bluff mastermind), but the execution didn't feel particularly iconic. I'd say the idea of the plot as a period piece is interesting. Just not amazing.

Bondwatch: The World is Not Enough. Well, it has the intro song from Garbage, which I'm a fan of! The mini-boat used in the beginning...

Bondwatch: The World is Not Enough. Well, it has the intro song from Garbage, which I'm a fan of! The mini-boat used in the beginning chase scene was fun, kind of reminded me of the sillier personal vehicles from the earlier films. After that though ... oof. The acting just seemed noticeably weak with this one, and the puns weirdly dissonant with what seems to be a movie that was shooting for a grittier, thriller tone. The result just didn't work for me.

#SilentSunday #Northeast #Cathedral #Durham

#SilentSunday #Northeast #Cathedral #Durham

I kind of get the impression that the Brosnan films are going to stick with the 90s serious action vibe, but we'll see. Hopefully...

I kind of get the impression that the Brosnan films are going to stick with the 90s serious action vibe, but we'll see. Hopefully we'll get some more scenic locations. Had some nice China setpieces, but the rest of it felt kind of small when compared to previous decades. Otherwise I thought it was fun, probably enjoyed it just as much as Goldeneye.

Bond villain returns to the rich asshole trope, with a 90s modernization (seems like a combination of Rupert Murdoch and Steve Jobs). So ......

Bond villain returns to the rich asshole trope, with a 90s modernization (seems like a combination of Rupert Murdoch and Steve Jobs). So ... yeah, Media Tech Guru asshole holds up way too well, unfortunately. Otherwise the villains are kind of bland. The assassin played by Vincent Schiavelli had potential, but was basically only on screen a single scene. Teen Dolph Lundgren glowered a lot, but didn't have the memorability of Jaws.

Bondwatch: Tomorrow Never Dies. Michelle Yeoh is amazing. I had no idea she was in a Bond film, and honestly I can see why she wasn't...

Bondwatch: Tomorrow Never Dies. Michelle Yeoh is amazing. I had no idea she was in a Bond film, and honestly I can see why she wasn't brought back: she absolutely outshines Bond. It's not that Brosnan does a bad job; in fact, this was pretty great in terms of his action scenes! It's just that you have a solid spy thriller going along, and then suddenly you get an explosion of wuxia bad-assery (with Bond just kind of also there).

Very much enjoyed it, though it is tripping my "it can't actually be considered an old movie, I remember seeing it in...

Very much enjoyed it, though it is tripping my "it can't actually be considered an old movie, I remember seeing it in theaters" reaction.

Also, and I don't know how to put it more delicately, but damn is this movie horny. Obviously because of the performance of the main...

Also, and I don't know how to put it more delicately, but damn is this movie horny. Obviously because of the performance of the main henchwoman (Onatopp) every time she kills someone, but also just in general. It does make Onatopp very memorable at least, even if she doesn't have a metal jaw or a terrible claw-hand prosthetic. The main villain, 006, is also pretty good, and the EMP Goldeneye weapon stays in the "believable" super science side of Bond films.

This feels like a 90s blockbuster, and an immediate post-Cold War spy thriller (the fact that the Soviet Union dissolved between this movie...

This feels like a 90s blockbuster, and an immediate post-Cold War spy thriller (the fact that the Soviet Union dissolved between this movie and the last one is actually kind of hard for me to wrap my head around). I'd also call this the first real reset for the franchise, with only Q returning. Judi Dench as M calls out the vibe when she calls Bond an anachronism. This movie knows that we know who James Bond is, and plays to that.

Bondwatch: Goldeneye. Starting to edge into the Bond eras I was old enough to remember, though I can't really say I recall watching any...

Bondwatch: Goldeneye. Starting to edge into the Bond eras I was old enough to remember, though I can't really say I recall watching any of the other Brosnan films. Still, from the minute we hit the opening scene with the dam right down to Boris shouting "I am Invincible!" before getting flash frozen at the end, I was getting hit with some hardcore deja vu. But also at times I felt like I was getting this confused with the Mission Impossible films. Brosnan is exactly as I remember him, though.