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Stardate 08.30.2021.A: August 30th Is Now 50 Citations Strong!
KA-BOOM!
... and just like that the heavens tore open and unleashed an incredible 50 SciFi and Fantasy citations for the day of August 30th!
Longtime readers of SciFiHistory.Net know full well that I've always tried to build each and every possible day into an unbelievable reservoir of trivia; and my long-stated goal has always been to achieve minimally 50 different citations between birthday mentions, film releases, TV airdates, etc. I got up early today and tinkered on today's date -- August 30 -- and managed to squeak in a few more in order to reach that magical, mystical benchmark. And that's always a cause for celebration around these parts, so please surf on over to the day and delight in the facts.
Stardate 08.24.2021.A: Flashback Review - 'Screamers' (1995) Is Apocalypse Now Is Space!
1995's Screamers is one of those flicks that circumstances just never aligned for me to see it in theaters back when it was originally released. A few years later, I caught part of it on pay cable; and what I did just never piqued my interest enough to seek it out without delay. Yes, it stayed on my (bucket) list of things to see; but I was in no particular rush.
Flashforward to 2021: I earned some Amazon.com bucks via my credit card, and when I realized I had more than enough to spring for the latest Shout Factory release (why are these things so bloody expensive for a twenty+ year old film?) I figured it was a sign from God, the Universe, or whoever still sends signs. I ordered one up. It sat for a few weeks – secretly biding its time, secretly waiting and wanting for me to put it in the player – and I finally got around to it last night.
Going into the whole affair, I was aware that the feature was an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story (novella?). As a SciFi/Fantasy junkie – and one who's read a good handful of Dick's short stuff (his novels just haven't quite tickled my fancy) – I yearned to finally come to grips with this incarnation. And I knew that it was headlined by none other than the original RoboCop himself – Peter Weller – perhaps very near the peak of his critical and commercial acclaim. Given these bona fides, I'd often wondered why Screamers failed to achieve wider success.
After a single view, I think I can answer that question.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at 'things to come,' then read on …)
"The year is 2078. The man is rebel Alliance Commander Col. Joseph Hendricksson, assigned to project the Sirius 6B outpost from ravage and plunder at the hands of the New Economic Bloc. His state-of-the-art weaponry are known as Screamers: manmade killing devices programmed to eliminate all enemy life forms. Screamers travel underground, their intent to kill announced by piercing shrieks. They dissect their victims with precision, then eradicate all traces of the carnage. They are lethal. Effective. Tidy. And somehow, they are mutating … self-replicating into human form … and slaughtering every beating heart on the planet."
Ahem.
I've long harped about films requiring so much set-up that producers or screenwriters are inclined to write an opening scroll. In short, I hate them. To me, they represent a qualifier that almost promises what to follow is bound to be an inferior product. And the longer they are? Well, that means the more inferior the product is going to be. I'd rather learn my facts organically and not have them spoon-fed in black-and-white. Now, I realize that some projects – especially ones in Science Fiction and Fantasy – might require a bit of set-up as part of the foundation. World-building is no easy task, and when you have a lot of facts required so that the storyteller and the audience can begin on common ground then I can imagine that the adage "more is less" aptly applies to eliminating any confusion before our story begins.
Still, Screamers opens with quite a lot of information, and I question just how much of this data dump was truly necessary in order to establish an effective jumping off point.
Some of it appears absolutely necessary. I think it's good to go into this story knowing where it takes place (not on Earth) with maybe even a cursory explanation of who these folks are (i.e. the good guys vs. the bad guys). Still, the downside here is that neither side is strongly identified as good or bad; and as it's a Philip K. Dick world that does matter to a degree. His stories tend to involve a relatable central character caught up in a dark, dark world; and, sadly, all of that text was a bit … erm … meaty.
Any story worth its weight in ink has a protagonist and an antagonist: that is, truly, the Golden Rule to any good yarn. These two sides will meet and clash (to a degree) over a central conflict; yet the one hinted at in Screamers' opening crawl gets dismissed pretty early in the effort when 'the good guys' choose to never fire on 'the bad guy.' (An adversary happens across an enemy's bunker: though the soldiers squabble over who's going to claim the kill, no one does.) Some of their hesitancy is owed to the circumstances that arise, but it's handled so poorly here – the audience truly doesn't find out about a proposed cease-fire until several minutes later – that I wondered whether or not these were good soldiers, bad soldiers, lazy soldiers, scared soldiers, etc. This mental preoccupation only served to pull my attention away from the experience, and that's never a good opening for any picture.
Suffice it to say, I think it needed to be clearer from the beginning which side with which I identified. Once Peter Weller enters the fray – our presumed hero – I'm finally assured that he'll be the one I'm taking this journey with; but the miss of these first few minutes had me questioning whether or not he was an effective leader. Sure, he sounds like the battle-hardened commander who's grown a bit cynical as the war dragged on; yet I think a stronger set-up would've underscored his ongoing commitment to the mission.
As the picture unfolded, however, what I assumed the mission to be from the film's set-up started shifting. (On the battlefield, they call phenomenon this 'mission creep.') Therein, I think I discovered why Screamers failed to find a huge audience when it enjoyed its initial theatrical run: the audience doesn't learn what the true story is until about a third in not halfway into the picture! In the span of about 50 minutes, the goal changes from 'war' to 'peace,' then from 'peace' to 'survival,' and then from 'survival against each other' to 'survival against our own creation.' It felt like a script in search of a story – a target with an ever-shifting center – and I was befuddled by its listless narrative.
Well …
As it turns out, Screamers isn't about these dreaded creatures so much as it is about how a flawed mankind is to think that it can play God in a universe ruled by Mother Nature. In no small way, that sentiment is near-and-dear to, perhaps, anything and everything Dick wrote: life will likely always be governed by the imperfect choices we've made (individually or as a society), and we'll all spend our days in a constant attempt to avoid the unintended circumstances our own shortsightedness creates. The Screamers – be they Versions 1, 2, or 3 (it'll make sense when you watch the film) – are merely distractions from the theme: they're visual eye candy meant to demonstrate the futility of our own efforts, our own flawed grasp of existence, and our own omniscient whimsy.
All of this is packaged in a script by Dan O'Bannon and Miguel Tejada-Flores as a war story. It's presented both as a man-vs-man tale as well as a man-vs-machine, making it as equally 'apocalyptic' as it is 'tech noir.' But that, too, is misdirection as it becomes obvious once you grasp that the film is essential about man-vs-himself: as Screamers unspools, it's easy to see very early on that there's no war here. The war was fought. The war was won or it was lost (depending upon one's perspective), and civilization (it would seem) has moved on. Screamers is more about what remains after war than it ever is about good vs. evil, and those remnants are far more interesting to examine aesthetically than typically is the war … and it's been done masterly before by Francis Ford Coppola's award-winning Apocalypse Now (1979).
In Apocalypse Now, Capt. Williard (Martin Sheen) is tasked with hunting down a renegade Colonel Kurtz solely to assassinate him before he can do any greater damage to United States' reputation in the Vietnam War. The script is considered a contemporary adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness, a novel wherein the lead Marlow slowly comes to the realization that Kurtz has turned to evil yet allows the man to die of natural causes rather than (debatably) lose his own humanity by killing him. As is the case with art, we could perhaps argue all day long about the meaning of each of these works; but the sum total of their respective parts will likely always remain that Kurtz represents evil that must be vanquished – by man or by nature – in order for there ever be an honest attempt for society to right itself. Is there no justice in the universe? Well, maybe there is, but only if Kurtz dies by hook or by crook.
Eventually, Screamers' Hendricksson finds himself in similar straits: though his war has ended, there's another one brewing on the horizon. Yet, this soldier needs to cleanse his hands of this whole affair in order to have a chance at personal peace in a galaxy destroyed by the continuing industrialization of mankind.
The significant difference between Apocalypse Now's Willard and Screamers' Hendricksson – as characters – is that Willard is doing what he's been ordered to do while Hendricksson is doing it by choice. This is no small distinction, and I'd suggest it might explain why Weller isn't more well renowned across fandom for his work in this film as opposed to the crowd-pleasing genre entry RoboCop (1987). His Alex Murphy is a victim of crime who's given a second chance to serve and protect by means of some serious cybernetic advancements; but the man underneath remains morally intact, requiring him to remain true to the letter of the law even through the film's final sequence. Today's audiences might call that pollyannish (if they know the word!), but I call it damn fine and effective storytelling.
By comparison?
Well, like it or not, Hendricksson is abandoning his post – or whatever is left of it. He's never been ordered to leave Sirius 6B. (Yes, I'll concede I'm splitting hairs given the fact that the script suggests no order the base has received has been quite legitimate but stick with me and you'll see where I'm going with this.) Also, he's never been ordered to wipe out the Screamers. (In fact, the Alliance has given him an admittedly on-again-off-again tool – the "tabs" they wear on their wrists – to keep him and his soldiers safe from them.) The classic movie soldier would face not only a court martial but also a dishonorable discharge once he returns to civilization. Turning Hendricksson from hero to anti-hero isn't all that much a stretch here as the audience had already come to know him via the man's increasingly pessimistic observations; but it's still one worthy of note because audiences rarely identify with, nor are sympathetic to a soldier who so openly disobeys orders.
In the absence of authority – which is truly the world as drawn here – regular folks expect leaders to lead. While a case could be made that Hendricksson's choice to abandon ship was forced on him, I'd argue that I never saw him much care for anything on Sirius 6B. (Keep in mind that all of this is a screenwriter's invention anyway, so that argument doesn't hold much merit to begin with.) In fact, the first time we're shown that he develops feelings for anything – Jessica (the lovely Jennifer Rubin) – it's only after he's confirmed that the planet no longer has anything to offer him. Not only that but it also comes to life in the last reel that a strong legal case could be made that he's – ahem – consorting with the enemy as she turns out to be yet one more iteration of those dreaded Screamers we're heard so much about. Is this the type of example audiences reward? A man who ignores his mission, abandons his post, and collaborates with an enemy?
Where I come from, I call that a traitor. Thank God this is only a movie!
I suspect O'Bannon and Tejada-Flores figured the audience would be okay with Hendricksson's going AWOL given the fact that much of Sirius 6B is little more than hollowed-out industrial carcass. That added to the fact that both sides of this conflict have been savaged by a weapon that continues to evolve and appears unstoppable. (Alas, it isn't unstoppable, as we see the commander present for every occasion where a Screamer – ahem – meets its maker. Granted, it ain't easy, but it is possible.) Wherein other cinema heroes "find a way" to achieve the ridiculous, Hendricksson surrenders to his own pronounced cynicism, choosing to abandon the world for the safety and comfort of home … and ultimately that may be a pill too large for some viewers to swallow.
Screamers (1995) is produced by Triumph Films (a division of Sony, I believe). DVD distribution (for this particular release) is handled by Shout Factory. As for the technical specifications? The film looks and sounds fabulous; though the effects are a bit low budget and dated (yes, even for its time), they work just fine for the purposes of this story – a bunch of backwater locals on a distant planet who are largely cut off from the latest technological developments. As for the special features? Shout Factory ponies up a handful of interviews – director Christian Duguay, producer Tom Berry, co-star Jennifer Rubin, and co-screenwriter Miguel Tejada-Flores. They're good – nothing spectacular, with Rubin's being perhaps the least relevant – and I suppose interested parties will gobble them up.
Recommended. Screamers (1995) will not be for everyone. While it has perhaps the right amount of Philip K. Dick paranoia and skepticism, I felt the script (from Dan O'Bannon and Miguel Tejada-Flores) meandered a bit too much from point-to-point instead of presenting a very clear-cut progression from start-to-finish. I'd agree that it's a lean, mean, fighting machine … but I guess I just expected a bit more external conflict when this one seemed overtly pre-occupied with the unstated internal ones. It does offer a solid, hard-boiled performance from Peter Weller (its lead), and that's definitely worth a thumbs up seven days a week.
Stardate 08.18.2021.A: The Magic Of 'A Discovery Of Witches: Season 2' Is Slow Developing
Though I'm generally no big fan of traditional Fantasy properties exploring the worlds of witches, devils, and the like, I've always had a lot of respect for the way storytellers infuse these tales with the deeds of such gifted and troubled subjects. Often times, they're given tasks (or curses) that serve as their central motivations; and then much of the narrative revolves around the steps they take to either accomplish a mission or undo the damage they've unintentional inflicted on others. They might be centrally depicted as just regular folk, but underneath they're far from ordinary, and the tales they populate often tend to be instructive but dark fairy tales centered on "don't do this" or "don't do that" unless you're willing to suffer the consequences. They're personal journeys, and viewers are invited to join them on a purpose-driven vacation for the duration.
Television has embraced these characters throughout the decades. TV's long-running Bewitched (1964-1972) gave us the suburban witch Samantha who used her powers to essentially solve the problems of everyday life. A few decades later, Charmed (1998-2006) took a decidedly darker spin by exploring the doings of three sisters – all witches – who used their talents to battle the greater forces of evil in the modern world. Furthermore, programs like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Penny Dreadful, The Magicians, and even Supernatural may not have put witches front-and-center but certainly never skirted their existence, giving audiences even more looks at the good and the bad of using witchcraft as a means to an end in good times and in bad.
Still, I don't know that TV's witches have ever been given the kind of highbrow seriousness afforded them in A Discovery Of Witches. Based on a series of novels by Deborah Harkness, the show follows the adventures of Yale University professor Diana Bishop, the academic who discovers her unnatural talents and then puts them to use to protect herself and her equally extraordinary friends from the forces of evil who also exist in secret. The program recently concluded its second season – with a third on the way – and I was recently provided a screener copy of Season 2 for review.
So let's see if we can unbox our own magic with a look at where the mystical Bishop is at this point in her development …
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at 'things to come,' then read on …)
From the product packaging: "After narrowly escaping the Congregation of vampires, witches, and daemons, Diana and Matthew are hiding in time in the fascinating and treacherous world of Elizabethan London. Here, they must find a powerful witch teacher to help Diana control her magic and search for the elusive Book of Life …"
There's a bit more, and all it really amounts to is giving readers a bit of 'up to speed' notice on when and where the show is (second season). Suffice it to say that essentially audiences are delivered to the learning stage in the life of Diana Bishop (played by Terea Palmer). She's joined in her efforts by her loving Matthew (Matthew Goode); and the bulk of this season sees the two of them squaring off against supposed friends and enemies while Diana's true skills are revealed: she's not just a witch but also a 'timewalker' as well as a 'spellweaver,' amping up her value in this world where magic exists for those who have been born into it.
In some ways, this crystallizes an issue I have with televised (and movie) Fantasy: many storytellers choose the path wherein characters have to be 'born' with a particular skillset and then they spend the bulk of their screentime figuring out how to put them to best use. In reality (well, let's just say the world we live in), folks can research witchcraft (if it's indeed a legitimate 'thing') and learn how to put a hex on a coworker or cast a spell to make that girl in accounting fall deeply in love with you. But this Discovery Of Witches doesn't allow for such diversity as it would appear that it's either in your blood or it isn't: maybe there are those who can acquire some tricks by trade, but they're rarely given the kind of exposure Diana and her 'sisters' get.
When the world only explores that level of exclusivity, I've always found it hard to relate. It separates the commoners from those blessed with the right genes – always a risky proposition as it enforces a kind of genetic elitism (whether intended or not) – and I suspect that perhaps this is why the tales of witches, warlocks, and the like have never touched me. Harry Potter was essentially "born with it," and even George Lucas twisted his own universe's Jedi powers to be something folks were "born with" (in the prequels), a development I honestly never cared for. I guess it's that I prefer stories wherein the classical 'everyman' has the potential to rise up, learn a craft, and save the world, not just those who are gifted with the right bloodline.
Still, A Discovery Of Witches has a nice feel to it. Though framed with many treacherous elements, it's the tale of a beautiful young man uncovering who she is and what she can do; and Season 2 gives actress Palmer some nifty little sequences that show her blossoming into … erm … witchhood, for lack of a better word. It's in these scenes that I thought the program excelled … and, sadly, there are just far too few of them to make it any more interesting than it was. (Hint: it wasn't … at least not to me.)
As an example, say you're making a superhero film. In the course of two hours, you're typically given a small(ish) origins story as well as a series of events wherein the audience gets to marvel at the superpowers, what potential they have, and even a hint at limitations. Usually (if not formulaically), our hero employs whatever semblance of magic he has three times – the discovery, the educational, and the mastery – and this unfolds at a pace that makes it all palatable. But Diana Bishop is given so little time to show us her powers here and so little emphasis was put on what she could actually do with spells, I was seriously at a loss to understand what all of the fuss was about. There's very little of it on display, and the cycles of her tutelage – while interesting – were structured more as visual filler than anything else. And, technically, I hate filler.
Don't get me wrong: I suspect the people who love this kind of thing will take to it faithfully and will definitely tune in next season to see where all of this goes. But the casual observer? Someone like myself who is prone to decide fairly quickly whether or not a program is truly interesting as an investment? Honesty, I struggled with the slow, slow, slow pacing of this one; and the actors and actresses all seemed to be shackled with scenes that never quite developed any tension or conflict (what little there was). Much like a soap opera, the real struggle seemed to always be just around the corner instead of right up in my face. When the protagonist seems in no real danger, what's the impetus to hang around? Because Diana is gifted and pretty?
Meh. At my age, I need a bit more motivation than that.
A Discovery Of Witches: Season 02 (2021) is produced by Bad Wolf. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled via RLJE Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? The product looks and sounds spectacular; while I had some minor quibbles with a few of the special effects shots, they certainly did not distract from the presentation. As for special features? The disk boasts a few short behind-the-scenes documentaries to keep audiences interested in the story's transition from the print to the screen, and I imagine diehard fans will lap them up right after finishing the season … as well they should.
RECOMMENDED, but I also have to be honest: I found an awful lot of A Discovery Of Witches: Season 2 to be more than a bit overly melodramatic to the point of near-campiness. I'll admit that – like other recent televised Fantasies – I'm just not the target demographic, so feel free to give this one a watch and decide on your own. Production values are good – a bit undercooked in some obvious scenes of CGI – and performances are a tad predictable; but it's likeable enough if this sort of romance-fueled soap opera is in your wheelhouse. (Not that there's anything wrong with it …)
In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Acorn Media Group provided me with a Blu-ray of A Discovery Of Witches: Season 2 by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
Stardate 08.16.2021.A: 'The Water Man' Asks Where Did All The Magic Go?
Hollywood loves to pay homage to itself. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with such shameless shared promotion, those uninvolved with it – namely, the rest of us – feel cheated if the flattery fails to live up to the hype or the promise.
In other words, consider a film like Steven Spielberg's E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial.
Made in the early 1980's, the Science Fiction flick is classic Spielberg: set in suburban America, a group of precocious, wide-eyed, and curiously good-looking kids find themselves their own 'fish out of water' in the shape of an alien botanist innocently abandoned by its own kind. All E.T. wants to do is to be re-united with its people, so it joins up with these children not only to fill the void left in his 'heartlight' but also find a means to 'phone home' for help.
Arguably, E.T. remains one of Spielberg's best films for a whole lot of reasons.
First, the director fashions his tale with glorious-looking shots which serve to capture the innocence of youth, framing our world for this space traveler with a decidedly 'alien' perspective. Second, everyone involved with the picture works to ground the feature with an emotional, relatable core; when a character feels pain, then the audience shares in that pain, giving greater dimension to even the simplest moments in the tale. Lastly, the script moves efficiently and realistically (well, as much as possible, given its circumstances) through its own stages of grief to the euphoria of achievement, reminding the audience that no journey is without its own reward.
To be honest, moviegoers love this formula. They've repaid visions like E.T. and others of its era by continuing to support them in the guise of repeated ticket purchases throughout the decades since their initial release. What's not to love? When a flick can harken back to simpler days with such beauty and grace, the film is more of a personal experience than it is merely ninety minutes of shadows and fog up on the silver screen. It's easy to see why today's filmmakers have little interest in building a new wheel when they can merely reshape a contemporary script into something that looks like E.T. and film that, hoping for success.
Alas, when you fail to follow the formula, you get beautiful cotton candy like The Water Man: it might look good, smell divine, and taste delicious … but it'll still rot your teeth if you don't brush it off soon after.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at 'things to come,' then read on …)
"Gunner sets out on a quest to save his ill mother by searching for a mythic figure who possesses the secret to immortality, the Water Man. After enlisting the help of a mysterious local girl, Jo, they journey together into the remote Wild Horse Forest – but the deeper they venture, the stranger and more dangerous the forest becomes. Their only hope for rescue is Gunner's father, who will stop at nothing to find them."
In many respects, The Water Man isn't so much a film about the hidden magic of uncovering a local urban legend as it is an honest coming-of-age experience for a young man whose mother is dying from an all-too-worldly affliction, leukemia. Gunner (played with solid conviction by young Lonnie Chavis) strives to 'do the right thing' when he learns that there may be some secret cure out there that modern science has missed. Like so many young protagonists before him when the adults of the picture fail, he commits to finding this so-called Water Man, stealing the cure by hook or by crook, and saving his mom's life in the process.
While director-and-star David Oyelowo's film tries hard to wring a sense of wonder out of such dire circumstances, the chief problem as I see it is that – unlike those films of the 80's he harkens back to – there's absolutely no magic here.
Sadly, The Water Man is just that – a local legend – so he exists only in the minds of those who've kept the legend alive. Gunner's quest – as a consequence of that reality – ends up only putting himself, his accomplice Jo (Amiah Miller), and his father in mortal jeopardy: a raging wildfire is slowly consuming Wild Horse Forest, and they very nearly perish in the last reel except for a screenwriting convention that requires 'feel good' movies to end on a high note (meaning that they escape). While father and son are drawn closer together – and Jo, one of cinema's youngest con artists, is rewarded with a new foster family – mom (Rosario Dawson) never escapes her cruel fate.
Where's the wonder in that?
Because screenwriter Emma Needell's story stays anchored to reality, what purpose did all those magical moments ultimately serve? Their moments of childhood depicted in a tale that ends with a very adult message: there is no magic … except what you can imagine. Sure, much of the film is a nice call back to the days when youthful exuberance offered youngsters an escape from the sometimes grim existence that is the real world, but The Water Man's sleight-of-hand here is utterly meaningless as no Holy Grail awaits Gunner and Jo in the final reel. While their mission isn't entirely without reward (i.e. Gunner and dad grow closer, Jo is afforded a way out of her own tragic circumstances), what about mom? Wasn't this all done to rescue her? Why is her prize simply a good family meal in the last scene?
Well, that's because reality wins out in the end.
The magic we find remains only what we put into a life lived. Perhaps something this depressing – the inevitable loss of childhood – probably should've dialed back all of the Fantasy elements here and the heart-tugging moments there while instead focusing on Gunner's acceptance that life is short, mom's condition is (largely) incurable, and sometimes you just have to make the best with what life gives you in the time that you are given. He's becoming an adult in an adult's world, and grief – however world-changing – is part of that journey. Alas, Needell's script gives the boy no moment of such realization; as a result, I found all of it empty.
The Water Man (2020) is produced by Harpo Films. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled by the reliable RLJE Films. As for the technical specifications? The film looks and sounds extremely solid from start-to-finish. As for the special features? The disc boasts a few making-of shorts, a festival Q&A, and the filmmaker's commentary.
Meh. Mildly recommended. Honestly, I find it very hard to get excited about anything related to The Water Man. It isn't as if the feature doesn't have some merits; rather, it's that the merits are too small and too far between to truly warrant calling them out for recognition. No matter how one tries to ratchet up interest in such a bland yet well-made affair, I find it hard to dismiss the fact that it's an entirely passable affair. Calling up nostalgia for 80's era filmmaking (which appears to be the goal) works only for so long; at some point, Water Man needed to rise up and tell its own story … and it never does. Nice work by the young'uns, but they deserved a better script.
In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at RLJE Films provided me with a Blu-ray screener of The Water Man (2020) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
Stardate 08.10.2021.A: A Tale Of Two Men - Kino Lorber's 'F.P.1 Doesn't Answer' Soars
Because science is always evolving, Science Fiction today hardly resembles what Science Fiction was from twenty years ago and even less from twenty years before that. In fact, I've often argued that most folks who claim to best know what SciFi is have lost touch with where it came from; and while the self-proclaimed purists might continue to debate the good, the bad, and the ugly of the genre, the sad truth is that no single person can ever be the definitive expert for any given era of it. Instead, there are experts of key areas within the wider study of it; and the value we attach to any of their opinions should equate entirely to their demonstrated knowledge of it as much as it does their ability to talk intelligently about it.
In other words? I didn't grow up in the 1930's.
I was born in the mid-1960's. I became a consumer of media in the early 1970's. Much of my world view – my take on film, books, and televised SciFi – is tied almost exclusively to my experiences with products of that era. As someone who has read a lot of history – both film stuff and beyond – I can speak (to a limited degree) of projects outside my own timeline. Sure, it requires a certain amount of research to do so, but I love history enough that said reading becomes a joyful occasion, one I'm almost always willing to undertake in my role as editor for SciFiHistory.Net.
So while I was aware of F.P.1 Doesn't Answer (1932), I'd never seen it. I had seen some snippets from it – a few of the film's special effects sequences. But that was it. When I heard it was heading for release from Kino Lorber this year, I was excited, reached out to them for a screener copy to review, and viola: this article/review was born.
Because I tend to prefer older Science Fiction films (a fact I often share with readers of this blog), I trusted I was in for a special experience. I'm thrilled to say that the film did not disappoint: F.P.1 is the kind of feature I love discovering. While it clearly won't be for everyone, I encourage fans who love genre projects as much as I do – especially old gems like Metropolis (1927), Flash Gordon (1936), and Island Of Lost Souls (1932) – because I think you'll be rewarded. Granted, the film relies more on melodrama than it does drama, but its errors are negligible; and the time is well spent.
"… F.P.1 Doesn't Answer dramatizes the creation of a massive floating airport serving as a way station between four continents. Hans Albert stars as Ellissen, a dashing pilot who helps persuade an heiress to fund the visionary project. When communication with Floating Platform 1 is mysterious interrupted, Ellissen risks his life to investigate its disappearance …"
Frankly, F.P.1 Doesn't Answer offers the audience a lot of things – a Science Fiction premise well before the age of the true SciFi genius of the 1950's; some fabulous though all-too-sparse use of practical special effects (miniatures) at the dawn of the special effects industry; a rare international flare emerging from German cinema in the days when Germany itself was on the brink of shutting down collaboration in favor of Fascism – but I think what it offers best is a story grounded in an effective parallel: there's more than one way for man to serve society. Today's social justice warriors may take offense with my position, and that's okay: F.P.1 was conceived, written, and produced in a different era, one where 'toxic masculinity' wasn't considered so controversial. In fact, one could argue that 'toxic masculinity' of the past wasn't the cultural province of the male, as names like Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earheart, Susan B. Anthony, and Carry A. Nation were female movers and shakers who've been somewhat sidelined from today's history classes. That's a real shame.
This parallel is the tale of two men: Ellissen (played by Hans Albers) and Droste (Paul Hartmann).
Ellissen is the consummate explorer. He lives a life of grand adventure – both on the ground and in the air as a dashing pilot who travels the world – and he spins yarns bigger than life for anyone within earshot who will listen to him. He refuses to be tied down to any single idea or person, and the world is his for the taking when and if his next mission comes calling.
By contrast, Droste is the film's brilliant scientist who has committed his life to solving the problems plaguing mankind. A lack of capital and attention has stalled him and the implementation of his ideas, but once the wealthy Lennartz family 'invests' in his vision he is resolute in his pledge to see F.P.1 brought to fruition even at the risk of his own life via charlatans and saboteurs. Other men may back away in fear of losing their livelihoods, but Droste is steadfast in his resolve and will stop at nothing to achieve a dream that serves us all.
An audience couldn't ask for two stronger opposites. True, they're united in friendship – Walter Reisch and Curt Siodmak's script ably demonstrates that men of differing opinions, ways, and means have no qualms about working together – but the way these two see the world and their roles in it couldn't be further apart. Both will risk their lives for F.P.1, but these risks will ultimately rely on their respective viewpoint to be logically substantiated. In the beginning, Droste needs Ellissen's cunning to put his ocean platform on the drawing board; in the film's conclusion, Ellissen requires Droste's willingness to risk life and limb to find his own selflessness deep within. With the way this story evolves, director Karl Hartl easily proves that not only can love make the world go 'round but also just how differences of opinion might achieve the same mobility. After all, yin needs yang as much as yang needs yin; one is incomplete without the other.
And the film doesn't stop there in its examination of disparities as there's a love triangle thrown into the mix involving both men and Claire Lennartz (Sybille Schmitz). As one-third stakeholder in the Lennartz family shipping empire (her two brothers have negligible parts in the tale), she finds herself drawn at different times to both men: first the adventurer and then the engineer. Alas, the script eventually shoehorns the lady a bit too conveniently in the second half into the role of master manipulator (she tricks Ellissen into aiding her more than once by concealing a love for Droste), and I found it hard to sympathize with her in the last reel; the damsel-in-emotional-distress never feels authentic, and God only knows if her feelings were more than a writer's creation as we just never learn enough about her to know for certain.
I'd be a fool if I failed to mention that F.P.1 also features the performance of a young Peter Lorre well before he came to America and found stardom more as a caricature than he ever did an individual character. His 'Foto-Johnny' is the early prototype of the media-hungry paparazzi, but the script also toys with notions of him serving as Ellissen's sidekick: their scenes together give viewers an insight into the aviator's consciousness. They share an amazing tete de tete, though others might see their exchanges as a roadblock to the action: the film excels when the focus in on high adventure … such is the nature of drama as opposed to melodrama, and the picture continually walks that fine line between lean and excess. The fact that flight is only achieved with optimal weight is a rule I think director Hartl forgets from time-to-time, and a tighter cut may've elevated the picture's status from cult to mainstream.
Something learned that I'd been completely unaware of was that the studio (Universum Film) produced multiple versions of F.P.1. Talking motion pictures were on-the-rise; and in order to maintain the profitability of international releases, production companies would invest in foreign-speaking casts to shoot multiple versions simultaneously. (For clarity's sake, F.P.1 is a German language production; Secrets Of F.P.1 is their English-language release – it's included on the disk – and it stars Conrad Veidt as Ellissen.) I won't trouble readers with a complete review of the second picture: suffice it to say that it's considerably shorter, considerably stronger, but it lacks some the nuance of small moments distributed throughout the original (German) production. I think I liked Veidt better in the lead (Albers is much more the braggart, so much so that I wondered how much of the web he spun was truth versus fiction), but the rest of the English cast are unsubstantial.
All said, F.P.1 is a pretty grand affair. Yes, it's big. Yes, it's bold. Yes, it's ahead of its time; but it's still weighted and heavy in a few places. It may not be remembered as fondly as other projects from its time, but I had an awful lot of fun with it when the formula worked.
F.P.1 Doesn't Answer (1932) was produced by Universum Film (UFA). DVD distribution for this particular release is being handled by Kino Classics. As for the technical specifications? This Blu-ray transfer looks and sounds very solid, though there were a few volume dips which appear fairly common to films of this era. As for the special features? The disc includes both the original German-language version as well as the English-language one and an audio commentary by Eddy von Mueller. It's a fabulous package … but let me add this: the von Mueller track ends up being one of the worst experiences I've had with commentaries not because it's poorly done. Rather, it's poorly delivered: this professor/historian rarely connects in a relatable manner, and I found his speaking cadence to lull me to sleep after about an hour. Honestly, I ended up having to get up off the couch and walk about the room dusting and the like to keep from falling asleep. He's far too much the academician here, and his track ends up feeling like two hours of mostly useless history trivia instead of bringing the film to life, which is what a good commentary does. (Sorry, folks: just being honest.)
RECOMMENDED. As I've always said, I do prefer discovered (or re-discovered) older Science Fiction films of bygone eras largely because I find them vastly more inventive in ways they told their stories; and I'd read enough about F.P.1. Doesn't Answer to know it was probably right up my alley. (For the most part, it is, though I'm no fan of melodrama.) Far from perfect, its script meanders its way through perhaps too many subplots for its own good but still manages to come together when achievements (not feelings) matter most. Performances are good, production details are better, and I wish it well, though I suspect others might take issue with its protracted pacing and its (gasp!) highbrow emphasis on exaggeration, an attribute of features from the era. (Interested in an exercise? Watch the English-language version after the German-language version to compare: I suspect there exists a near-perfect film somewhere between the two cuts.)
In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Kino Lorber provided me with a Blu-ray copy of F.P.1. Doesn't Answer (1932) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
Stardate 08.02.2021.A: The Film Detective Takes You On A 'Flight To Mars' (1951)
One of the traits I find so endearing about Science Fiction and Fantasy is that it's forever a'changing.
As those involved with the "science" of COVID today will tell us, Science evolves; and as these fresh discoveries come to light we adapt to what might inevitably be a whole new set of circumstances. As the Science grows and we learn what we didn't know before, so does the storyteller find an alternative set of dynamics from which to spin his or her webs of adventure and intrigue. Likewise, the technological advances that go hand-in-hand with mechanical evolution typically mean there are new ways to tell such stories, and these developments push storytellers in even bolder, perhaps crazier, perhaps more inventive directions.
Such was the predicament of SciFi in the early 1950's.
Mankind was just entering its Atomic Age, and this burgeoning Science was at one time thought to be the harbinger of serious space exploration. Consequently, Hollywood rushed to deliver films that tapped this fertile ground, picking man up off his Big Blue Marble and throwing him out amongst the stars. Features like Forbidden Planet (1956), Destination Moon (1950), and Rocketship X-M (1950) showed audiences what hope the future could hold (or even what catastrophes waited in the wings); while It Came From Outer Space (1953), The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), and The Thing From Another World (1951) reminded us to keep our guards up because not all that was green was good when it came to terrestrial and extraterrestrial encounters.
Flight To Mars (1951) found itself smack dab in the middle of these a'changing times.
Clearly, it's simple story – five travelers on a trip to the Red Planet – was something screenwriters had already explored. Without anything to distinguish itself visually or scientifically, the film could easily be lost in the shuffle between what was and what was becoming the wide, wide world of cinematic Science Fiction. Thankfully, it turns seventy years young this year and is still around, at least so much so in this 4K restoration from The Film Detective so those of us who appreciate from whence we came can go back and take another look at a genre just becoming the entertainment juggernaut it was destined to be.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to my last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at 'things to come,' then read on …)
"Five Earthlings land on Mars and are greeted by a team of friendly Martians. Fearing they have depleted the key mineral used to power their life-support systems, these Martians are determined to get off the red planet by any means necessary – including stealing the Earthlings' ship and invading Earth! Can this group of Earthling space travelers outsmart these diabolical Martians?"
As stories go, you really can't get more basic than boy-meets-girl; and that's mostly what Flight To Mars is at its core … a two-fer boy-meets-girl – one Earthling and one Martian – with astronaut Cameron Mitchell falling for brainy 'Earther' Virginia Huston just as U.S. scientist Arthur Franz is falling for Martian lovely Marguerite Chapman. (My two cents? Both ladies are definitely keepers!) On the face of it, Flight is little more than a space-age road trip with a pair of romances thrown in to keep viewers invested, and there's nothing wrong with that. While other Science Fiction and Fantasy films of this era were trying to up-the-ante on the seriousness of boldly going where no one had gone before, this Flight pretty much coasts on screenwriter Arthur Strawn's color-by-numbers approach, something Monogram Pictures' releases were known for.
Alas, what truly grounds so very much of the film is the fact that it lacks any central conflict: though the trip to Mars gets depicted with some treachery, far too much of the journey is a stoic affair. There's more talk about risk than there is any true risk depicted, and it isn't until the film's second half when the dastardly Martians' plot to steal the rocket and invade our planet that the pace quickens (just a tick). Even then, director Lesley Selander does so little with building the tension that one wonders if anyone involved with the picture seriously wanted it to be seen outside the studio. All too much of it remains formulaic: no new ground is broken, no marquee performances are heightened, and our heroes predictably win the day come the flick's closing scenes … just as you thought they would.
Still, I'm a SciFi purist, and I'd argue that films like Flight To Mars – while a mostly benign and mediocre experience – still offer entertainment in the form of escapism. The Martian city is visually exciting, and its clear that production designer Ted Haworth saw more than a thing or two about 1936's tempting Things To Come that he liked and incorporated into his Martian landscape. (If you're gonna steal, then steal from the best.) While not particularly exciting, there's no performance that comes off as painful or downright out-of-sorts. The completed feature clocks in at an unalarming seventy-two minutes, so it's over almost before you know it.
Plus, there's the added benefit of truly watching where we were as storytellers at a time when the genre was just blossoming into something greater. As I said, there are moments when Flight reaches for the stars; it just misses connecting with any singular issue the way so many earlier trips to the heavens did.
Flight To Mars (1951) was produced by Monogram Pictures. DVD distribution for this particular release is being handled by The Film Detective. As for the technical specifications? This 4K restoration is reportedly sourced from the original 35mm Cinecolor separation negatives, and it all looks and sounds very good. As for special features? The disc contains a colorful and informative commentary from film historian Justin Humphreys (one of the better hosts for this type of track); a pair of mini-documentaries (they relate more to the studio and the production personnel than they do this specific film); and a collector's booklet that features a solid essay regarding Hollywood's continuing fascination with Mars. All-in-all, it's a solid package.
Mildly Recommended. There's absolutely nothing wrong in admitting to a passing guilty pleasure in exploring a forgotten feature like Flight To Mars, but I'll admit that there's very little to make the trip memorable (aside from some pretty spiffy production details on the Red Planet itself). It boasts no big performances, no cutting commentary, and no winning performances. It only toys with big ideas – and even does so fleetingly – and builds to a pretty big 'thud' of an ending, all-too-rushed, all-too-convenient. Still, it's probably worth a single view if for no other reason than it was produced when Science Fiction was starting to change, creeping onto society's radar toward respectability, and the film might just represent a format that Hollywood was slowing leaving behind in search of greater meaning and deeper consequence.
In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at The Film Detective provided me with a Blu-ray of Flight To Mars (1951) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.


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The archaeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns are the imposing ruins of the two greatest cities of the Mycenaean civilization, which dominated the eastern Mediterranean world from the 15th to the 12th century B.C. and played a vital role in the development of classical Greek culture.
These two cities are indissolubly linked to the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which have influenced European art and literature for more than three millennia.
Tyrins has been listed as World Heritage Site by Unesco and both sides of the voin feature Mycenaean decorative motifs.


Large two corners LOT FOR RESIDENTIAL HOME, THIS IS A GREAT LOCATION FOR A NEW HOME. CLOSE TO THE VILLAGES AND THE CITY OF BELLEVIEW. Nice built up area of homes! 5 Minutes from Lake Smith Lake...Pristine clean Spring fed lake. Peaceful area, yet close to town allows you to come home and relax after a long day. Water Ski, fishing, jet ski, kayak and wakeboarding are just the start. It is located minutes away from the Villages (Dining, shopping and entertainment). Quiet and clean neighborhood. Other lots available in the area.
Sign up to view market trends and price history for 10389 SE 124TH Place.
Belleview is located in Florida. Belleview, Florida 34420 has a population of 4,765.
The median household income in Belleview, Florida 34420 is $25,250. The median household income for the surrounding county is $39,339 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Belleview 34420 is 41.7 years.
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Senior Columns
RaiderNews
Television Classic "Friends" Celebrates 25-Year-Anniversary
This Sunday, Sept. 22, will mark the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Friends. In 1994, NBC executives decided to green-light the television program Insomnia Cafe, a show about six twenty-somethings who sit around drinking coffee and complaining about daily struggles. Little did they know that this show would change television comedy forever.
This program, which executives thought would be "too young" and "too inappropriate," was later renamed Friends to make its premise simpler for audiences to understand. On Sept. 22, 1994, the show premiered to instant praise from audiences around the world. Young adults had never before seen main characters in sitcoms who were so relatable and open with their sexual histories; it was refreshing to see real life reflected in the media.
Twenty-five years later and Friends is still as popular as it was in the '90s. People cover their phone cases in ugly-couch stickers and quotes like "PIVOT," "UNAGI" and "Can You BE Any More…" scrawled upon them. The Central Perk set in Los Angeles is still one of the most visited television sets at Warner Brothers Studio (people propose to their loved ones every day on the famed coffee shop couch). People constantly binge-watch the show on Netflix. Consistently referenced in the pop culture lexicon, Friends has endured a quarter of a century.
For more information on Friends and its continued impact on society and modern culture, and whether its a good or bad depiction of America in a bygone era, be sure to read senior Lleyton Abell's article "Are Our Friends Still Worth Our Time?" in the October edition of Sword & Shield.
Girls' soccer team holds raffle, tryouts
Seniors to return four days per week starting Monday
Student Council announces 2020-2021 executive officers
Student Nutrition Services now serves meals for whole week
LDHS plans outdoor graduation June 4
Coffee Roost
Tragic death of Taiwanese voice actress saddens fans
NHS hosts Family Fun Night
Army Band performs
LDHS hosts blood drive
The student news site of Laurens District 55 High School
All Sword & Shield Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Books to Television: Which books would you love to see made in to a tv series? or movie?
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – As epic as they come. Think Game of Thrones epic, except this one's more historical with only some fantasy(time-travel) aspects.
The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong – This one has supernatural and crime/mystery aspects that I think would be awesome for tv.
Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr – This is actually optioned to be made into a movie, but I think it would make a magical tv series if done right. It was enough characters and story for it. I want them all to have their moment in the spotlight, and it worries me that the movie won't do that for them.
Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story? If so, which one?
Maybe I've felt sympathetic toward some, hoped it would've turned out different for them…especially when they become villains due to their circumstances. Like maybe they would've had a chance at being a decent person had they not been raised by, say, Valentine Morgenstern (See: The Mortal Instruments) (also, tried really hard to make that sentence spoiler-free, so, yay, me!).
But other than that, not really.
Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn't read that genre anymore?
I could never give up reading! I read anything with romance in it, in both Adult and YA genres, but if that element was removed, I think I'd try my hardest to like it anyway. I'd most likely try hardest with fantasy or sci-fi, maybe even horror.
Reading has become an escape I just could not imagine giving up under any circumstances.


THIS REPORT STARTS by describing the evolution of the Society's membership and of the number of institutional subscribers. Information is provided on both a midyear and an end-of-year basis. The latest information available, as of June 30 of the current year and of selected previous years, is provided in the top panel of Table I. The bottom panel of Table I reports the final number of members and subscribers as of the end of 2009 and selected previous years. For any given year the figures in the bottom half of Table I are larger than in the top half, reflecting those memberships and subscriptions that are initiated between the middle and the end of that calendar year.
The membership of the Society has been very stable in the last five years, with a mean of 5,634 members and a standard deviation of 92 members. How- ever, there has been a significant decrease in the number of student members, from 1,222 in 2005 to 867 in 2009, which has been compensated by the increase in ordinary members. The mid-year figure for 2010 suggests that this year there will be a jump in membership, possibly due to the very high number of submis- sions to the World Congress in Shanghai, China. In fact, it is very likely that there will be more than 6,000 members at the end of the year, a record figure in the history of the Society.
At the same time, the number of institutional subscribers has continued its declining trend, reaching 1,761 subscribers in 2009. The mid-year figure for 2010 suggests that this year there will be a further reduction in the number of subscribers. This could be related to the significant increase in institutional subscription rates agreed by the Executive Committee in 2009. The Commit- tee decided to move from a two-tier to a three-tier pricing scheme based on the World Bank classification of countries and to increase the rates for print subscribers, which implied a jump in institutional rates, especially for the new category of middle income countries.


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DexCon 9 - Part 2
Yesterday I went back to the con. I arrived about right after a bunch of events started, so I just milled around. Then played a couple of pick up games. The first, Mykerinos, seemed okay enough. However, the scoring track was too small, it was hard to tell which space my counter was on. Also, I can see the game getting repetitive fast. I can't see playing this more than a few times a year. The second, Hacienda, was much more interesting. We played on the dogbone map, and I took seven consecutive land squares on the center bottom early, which meant I was swimming in money the whole game. I won by like 30 points, thanks to the other players ganging up on the game's owner, the only one to have played previously.
Andy and his friends got there late because of a minor car accident. First they tested one of his friend's games while I tested Jeff Englestein's game, Horde. It's a Settlers-like game with elements of Caylus and Puerto Rico. After that I did the initial design work on a new game concept I came up with over the past week, Anniversary Gift.
Anyway, then we tested Andy's game, The Elemental Wars. It's a fusion game, combining Eurogame mechanics with Axis & Allies-like wargaming. I'm not gonna say too much about it, but it is definitely more interesting than most wargames I've played.
Before leaving, Andy took a quick look at the game that I used to call Battle Stations but now has no name. He expressed concern over both having to plan your moves too far out in advance and at the bewildering array of options a player is confronted with right at the start of the game. He said he was going to think about it and we'd talk talk about it today at the wedding.
Labels: Anniversary Gift, Battle Stations, conventions, game designers, game ideas


That Russia finally has been admitted to the World Trade Organization is good for the world, both for the global system as a whole and for the current members. The WTO represents an open, rules-based global trading system. The more countries who are in, the better. Some foreign companies that have had difficulties entering the Russian market will benefit immediately as barriers to their access are lowered or removed.
How good WTO membership turns out to be for Russia itself is less clear-cut. Russia doesn't have much to gain in terms of better access to foreign markets, because few of its exports other than commodities are very competitive. The key point is that the main "good" that the WTO will bring to Russia is in the longer term, and it will happen by causing pain in the shorter term. Russian companies will be more exposed to direct competition from their foreign counterparts. The idea is that this pressure will in turn force Russian companies to become more competitive. That will lead to growth in the economy, higher living standards, more jobs. That's what's supposed to happen — in theory. But reality doesn't have to follow that track. The immediate negative consequences — reduced sales, lost jobs — may be so severe as to be intolerable. The real question is whether Russia really will change in order to conform to the WTO rules, or whether it will bend or evade the rules.
Russia has a remarkable ability to resist both carrots and sticks that seem to work everywhere else. International bodies with seemingly powerful enforcement mechanisms (e.g., the IMF in the 1990s) have been convinced that they could force Russia to change, but without success.
The good news is that the harsh effects of WTO regulations will not affect Russia all at once. Many of the serious requirements will be phased in over the course of a few years. Even so, it should not take long before some foreign country puts Russia on the receiving end of accusations of violating some WTO rule or other. At that point, a different kind of competitiveness comes into play – expertise in the area of international trade law. Russia is at a decided disadvantage here, because it is so inexperienced.
For Russia, joining the WTO is like a football club, or ice hockey team, that moves up to a higher division. It will now have to play against opponents that are bigger, stronger, more skilled. Rarely does a team that makes such a move win many games in the beginning. It will be tough. It's taken Russia 18 years to gain entry to the WTO. Finally gaining admission is not the end of the story. The real game has just begun.


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Home » Games » Age of Conan » Age of Conan Strategy Board Game – It's Back!
Age of Conan Strategy Board Game – It's Back!
The countdown for the re-launch of Age of Conan Strategy Board Game begins! On October 9th, the Kickstarter campaign to publish the Adventures in Hyboria expansion (and set the foundation for future development of the line) will start.
Pledge Levels
In the "Age of Conan Strategy Board Game – It's Back!" project on Kickstarter, backers can choose to support the game at two different pledge levels.
Players who already own a copy of the Age of Conan Strategy Board Game can choose the Barbarian Hero level, offering the Adventures in Hyboria expansion and all stretch goals.
Interested new players who don't own the game can choose the Barbarian King level, that includes a copy of the first edition of the Age of Conan Strategy Board Game (in English), the Adventures in Hyboria expansion and all stretch goals.
The Age of Conan Strategy Board Game pits the four most important Hyborian Kingdoms - Aquilonia, Turan, Stygia and Hyperborea - in a fight for supremacy involving war, intrigue and sorcery. Conan, the barbarian hero created by R.E. Howard, is a powerful presence, but he's very hard to control! He may help or hinder your plans, while pursuing his own adventures to conquer treasure, women, and glory.
Adventures in Hyboria is the first expansion of Age of Conan since its launch in 2009 focuses on the life and adventures of the greatest fantasy barbarian ever, and it is designed to improve and expand the role of Conan in the game.
Adventures in Hyboria adds a new dimension to Conan's adventures: his stature grows from warrior and thief, to general, and finally, king. His abilities grow as well, making his presence in the game more visceral and more important. The expansion adds other new mechanics and game elements, and opens up more opportunities for player-vs-player conflict.
Funding Goal and Stretch Goals
The initial funding goal of the campaign is $ 10,000. The campaign will start with three stretch goals – more may be announced as the project progresses.
At $ 20,000, a set of Sorcery Cards for each Kingdom, to differentiate the use of Sorcery for each player, will be unlocked.
At $ 30,000, Adventures in Hyboria will include Spy miniatures replacing 20 Spy cardboard tokens.
At $ 40,000, an Age of Conan Cloth Bag - to use when drawing Adventure Tokens - will be added.
The Kickstarter campaign will run for 32 days, ending on November 9th. Stay tuned for more details about the Adventures in Hyboria expansion!
Click here to see an overview of Age of Conan Strategy Board Game.
Click here to know more about the Adventures in Hyboria expansion.
Tags: Age of Conan, Kickstarter
Sci-fi campaign game S.H.E.O.L. is live on Kickstarter!


Zdenek Burda, President of Skanska Czech Republic, will step down in February 2008 after eleven years. He will be succeeded by Dan Tok, currently Director of the industrial division of the Czech company KKCG.
After stepping down Zdenek Burda will serve as Chairman of the Board for the business unit for the remainder of 2008.


Hunter Wallace is a Northern Minnesota native graduating from Lancaster High School in 2015. He is the youngest of three siblings. Hunter moved to Bismarck in August and has enjoyed meeting new friends and finding good places to eat (his home town didn't have a restaurant)!
Hunter's future goals include attending college. Although he is not sure what to pick as a major, Hunter has an interest in History, Language, and Mythology.
Hunter provides legal assistance to the firm's lawyer and paralegals by answering phones, filing court documents, and other administrative support. Hunter likes interacting with our clients at Harris Law.
Hunter's hobbies include playing board games, video games....any kind of game. He also likes to read, watch movies, and hang out with friends.


HAVIG, Lilah - Passed away peacefully on Apr 14, 94 years young. Loving wife of the late William T. Havig. Survived by sister Alice Larsen of Hunter N.D. Loving mother of Bill Havig and Rosalie Cauchi (Nick); grandmother of five; great grandmother of seven; and great, great grandmother of two. She will be remembered as a lady. No services per her request.


The key to increasing your running and sprinting speed is strengthening your leg muscles and making sure your front leg muscles and back leg muscles are not imbalanced in strength. Leg curls will work the backs of your thighs, which are your hamstrings, and leg extensions will work the fronts of your thighs, which are your quadriceps. Doing these weight-training exercises for your legs will help you run and sprint faster. Be sure to consult with your doctor before starting any new weight-training regimen.
When working on increasing your speed, you want to avoid focusing more on the quads than the hamstrings and causing an imbalance that slows you down when you run. Building both your quads and hamstrings will help you gain speed over time. Make sure you work out both muscle groups whenever you work one of them at the gym.
To do the seated leg curl, use the hamstring curl machine at the gym. Sit down on the machine with the backs of your lower legs on the padded lever. Place the lap pad on top of your thighs. Adjust for your height if needed. Holding the machine's side handles, use your hamstring muscles to push the padded lever downward so that your feet curl under your thighs. Tighten your abs to keep your body still from the hips up. Hold the leg curl for about one second, then slowly release.
The standing leg curl works both your hamstrings and your abs. You'll need a resistance band and something to anchor it to. Tie one end of the resistance band to your right ankle and the other end to the anchor directly. Your resistance band should be parallel to the floor; stand at a distance so that it doesn't sag or pull tight against your ankle. Standing tall with your feet hip-width apart, tighten your abs to help you keep your torso still. Keeping your thighs, torso and upper body motionless, slowly bend your right knee to lift your foot to your buttocks. Keep your arms by your sides. If you're having trouble balancing, hold onto a stable surface or a chair. Slowly lower your right leg. Remember to do the left leg, too.
To do leg extensions, you'll need to sit in the leg extension machine at the gym. Instead of pushing your feet down and back like in the leg curl, to do the leg extension you push upward against the roller pad to work the fronts of your thighs. The fronts of your ankles should be behind the lower roller pads so you can push the roller pads upward, in effect extending and straightening your legs as the stack of weight rises. Slowly lower your feet.
When using weight machines, if you're unsure what amount of weight to use as resistance, start with the lowest amount of weight and increase the weight until your targeted muscles feel worked but the rest of your body isn't strained by the weight. The amount of weight you use should allow you to do between 10 and 20 repetitions of each exercise without straining your body. Rest for 30 seconds between sets, and do three sets of each exercise. Allow your muscles to recover for at least two days after each workout so you don't overexert them. Stretch and massage your muscles if they get sore to promote faster healing.


Traylor Frontier-Kemper JV delivered more good news to Sound Transit with a bid 22% lower than the engineer's estimate for the largest contract on Seattle's University Link light rail extension.
With a bid of $309.2 million, the JV is apparent low bidder to build twin running tunnels between the University of Washington and Capitol Hill. The bid is $86 million dollars below the engineer's estimate of $395.35 million.
"We are pleased with the response of the contracting community as well as the favorable results," said Sound Transit Link Light Rail Director Ahmad Fazel. "We will evaluate the bid proposals carefully to start what will be a great partnership on an exciting job."
A second bid of $360.8 million came in from the JCM U-Link JV comprising Jay Dee, Coluccio, Michels.
The winning contractor will launch two TBMs to excavate the light rail tunnels from UW to the Capitol Hill Station area. The work is scheduled to begin late this year and last about three years.
Earlier this month Sound Transit broke ground on the project, which is hailed as an economic stimulus. "I can't think of a better time to be kicking off a project that's going to create thousands of jobs in the Puget Sound," said Senator Murray, Chair of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee, who worked with the FTA and Sound Transit to secure $813 million in federal funds for the $1.9 billion project.
The overall economic impact of the project will be much greater than the estimated 2,900 directly-related construction jobs predicted by a US Department of Commerce model. The model estimates that the project's economic activity will generate some 22,800 direct and indirect jobs.
A separate contract, scheduled to be awarded early next year, will excavate the twin tunnel connection between Capitol Hill and the existing Downtown Transit Tunnel. The project is broken into several contracts by Sound Transit to generate greater competition among bidders for the work. In December 2008, Condon Johnson emerged as low bidder on the Link's first major project with a bid of $19.4 million to prepare the area for TBM passage beneath Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle. The engineers' estimate for the contract was $29.6 million.
Located entirely underground, the University Link includes stations at Capitol Hill and at the University of Washington and is an extension to the Link light rail line south from downtown Seattle to Tacoma and Sea-Tac International Airport. The South Link, with its deep underground station, running tunnels and high-speed elevator shafts at Beacon Hill, will open later in 2009.
The local share of the $1.9 billion University Link is funded through existing Sound Transit revenues and was not part of the successful ballot measure that will fund the Sound Transit 2 package. Passage of Sound Transit 2 will extend the University Link another 12.5 miles north to Northgate, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline and Lynnwood as part of a 36-mile light rail expansion plan to 2023. The 55-mile light rail system achieved by Sound Transit 2 will also reach Mercer Island, Bellevue, Redmond, Highline and the Star Lake/Redondo area north of Federal Way.
Sound Transit will review the low bid to ensure it meets all project requirements before recommending an award of contract to the Board. The $1.9 billion University Link extension is expected to open in 2016.


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And Wednesday night, a hero.
Davis hit a fadeaway 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left to lift 16th-ranked Iowa past Iowa State, 73-70, in a women's basketball thriller before 6,289 Wednesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
A senior who has battled through two ACL injuries in the past two years, Davis walked into the press room, beaming.
Shortly thereafter, she turned more serious.
Iowa State's Ashley Joens missed a baseline 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Hawkeyes (6-2) won for the third straight year in the series.
"Davis makes hers, Ashley misses hers. That's basketball," ISU Coach Bill Fennelly said.
• Doyle played her first game of the season after suffering a broken left hand five weeks ago.
• Megan Gustafson set Iowa's career rebounding record.
• Joens, a freshman from Iowa City High, returned to her hometown, and struggled.
But Davis' shot trumped them all.
Davis had an opening, and delivered. And that was the final dagger of a fourth quarter that featured five lead changes.
Doyle, who was cleared Monday and practiced Tuesday, came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points. Her basket with 1:49 left gave the Hawkeyes a 68-65 lead.
Then, after Bridget Carleton scored a pair of baskets to put the Cyclones (6-2) in front, 69-68, Doyle made two free throws to give Iowa a 70-69 edge.
The Hawkeyes were 15 of 15 from the line; ISU was 9 of 17.
Carleton made the first of two free throws to tie it at 70 with 27 seconds left, setting the stage for Davis, who shot over Carleton's outstretched effort.
"I should have been a little closer to her," Carleton said.
Stewart added 14 points and eight rebounds. Gustafson took just seven shots from the floor, making four, and registered 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Gustafson entered the game needing four rebounds to supplant Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80) as Iowa's all-time leading rebounder, and wasted no time.
Her fourth board came at the 4:30 mark of the first quarter.
Gustafson needs 10 points to reach the 2,000-point mark for her career, and is a cinch to get it Saturday, when the Hawkeyes host IUPUI.
Carleton paced the Cyclones with 21 points, and Alexa Middleton added 20.
Joens, who was selected Miss Iowa Basketball 2018 at City High, was 1-for-10 from the floor (0 for 6 from deep) and missed a pair of free throws, scoring two points.
Iowa jumped to a 21-8 lead, then the Cyclones followed with a 21-8 surge of their own to draw even. The Hawkeyes led 40-36 at halftime, ISU scored the first seven points of the second half, and it was tight the rest of the way.
IOWA STATE (70): Meredith Burkhall 3-6 2-2 8, Madison Wise 3-10 0-0 8, Bridget Carleton 8-18 4-5 21, Ashley Joens 1-10 0-2 2, Alexa Middleton 8-17 2-4 20, Ines Nezerwa 0-0 0-0 0, Adriana Camber 0-1 0-2 0, Rae Johnson 1-2 0-0 2, Kristin Scott 3-4 1-2 9. Totals 27-68 9-17 70.
IOWA (73): Hannah Stewart 7-12 0-0 14, Megan Gustafson 4-7 5-5 13, Makenzie Meyer 3-8 2-2 8, Alexis Sevillian 2-5 2-2 7, Tania Davis 3-10 0-0 9, Monika Czinano 0-0 0-0 0, Amanda Ollinger 0-4 0-0 0, Kathleen Doyle 7-17 6-6 22. Totals 26-63 15-15 73.
Halftime: Iowa 40, ISU 36. 3-point goals: ISU 7-29 (Burkhall 0-1, Wise 2-8, Carleton 1-6, Joens 0-6, Middleton 2-4, Camber 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Scott 2-2), Iowa 6-17 (Meyer 0-3, Sevillian 1-3, Davis 3-5, Doyle 2-4). Team fouls: ISU 16, Iowa 15. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: ISU 37 (Scott 8), Iowa 45 (Gustafson 16). Assists: ISU 8 (Middleton 4), Iowa 14 (Meyer 5). Steals: ISU 9 (Carleton 3), Iowa 6 (Davis, Doyle 2). Turnovers: ISU 14, Iowa 15.


REAL ORIGINAL BOOK SET 2 Volumes over 1,200 page Complete Shop Service Repair Manual for 2006 Pontiac GTO with Service & Repair Procedures for Engine Transmission Brakes Suspension Body Electrical & more by Pontiac as used by Pontiac repair personnel in over 1,200 pages in very good condition. We have over 1,185 other different Pontiac Books & Manuals in our Seattle store that we are working on listing. We have over 50,000 other different Automotive Books & Manuals in our Seattle store that we are working on listing. The item "SHOP MANUAL 2006 PONTIAC GTO SERVICE REPAIR BOOK FACTORY WORKSHOP GUIDE MONARO" is in sale since Thursday, May 29, 2014.
This item is in the category "eBay Motors\Parts & Accessories\Manuals & Literature\Car & Truck Manuals\Other Car Manuals". The seller is "*books4cars*" and is located in Seattle, Washington. This item can be shipped to North, South, or Latin America, all countries in Europe, all countries in continental Asia, Australia.


text:
import oauth2 as oauth

from urllib import urlencode
import hashlib

import random

# TODO: Create test cases for all functionality.

API_ROOT = "https://api.linkedin.com/"
API_VERSION = "v1"
API_ENDPOINTS = {

}

class LinkedinException(Exception):
    pass

class LinkedinAPI(object):
    """Method sig: (key, secret, redirect)"""

    AUTHORIZATION_URL = 'https://www.linkedin.com/uas/oauth2/authorization'
    TOKEN_ACCESS_URL = 'https://www.linkedin.com/uas/oauth2/accessToken'
    client = None
    consumer = None
    consumer_key = None
    consumer_secret = None

    def __init__(self,
                 consumer_key,
                 consumer_secret,
                 redirect):
        """Method sig: (key, secret, redirect)"""

        self.consumer_key = consumer_key
        self.consumer_secret = consumer_secret
        self.redirect = redirect

        self.consumer = oauth.Consumer(
            key=self.consumer_key,
            secret=self.consumer_secret)
        self.client = oauth.Client(self.consumer)

    @property
    def get_auth_url(self):
        """Generates authorization url."""

        return '%s?%s' % (self.AUTHORIZATION_URL, self.authorization_body())

    def authorization_body(self):
        """Creates the authorization POST params."""

        self.authorization_body = urlencode({
            'response_type': 'code',
            'client_id': self.consumer_key,
            'redirect_uri': self.redirect,
            'state': str(self._generate_random_string()),
        })

        return self.authorization_body

    def get_access_token(self, access_code, redirect_uri):
        if access_code:
            # Execute the following code that retrieves the access Token.
            request_params = {
                'grant_type': 'authorization_code',
                'code': access_code,
                'redirect_uri': redirect_uri,
                'client_id': self.consumer_key,
                'client_secret': self.consumer_secret,
            }
            resp, content = self.client.request(
                self.TOKEN_ACCESS_URL,
                "POST",
                body=urlencode(request_params))

            print resp
            print content
            print self.authorization_body
        else:
            raise LinkedinException("Missing access code.")

    def _generate_random_string(self):
        return hashlib.md5(
            '%s%s' % (
                random.uniform(1, 32) ** 32, self.consumer_secret)).hexdigest()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Die Arden Motor Co. Ltd. war ein britischer Automobilhersteller in Coventry. Von 1912 bis 1916 entstanden dort verschiedene sportliche Wagen mit Zwei- oder Vierzylindermotoren.

Das 1912 vorgestellte Modell 8 hp hatte einen luftgekühlten V2-Motor. Alle anderen Modelle bekamen wassergekühlte Motoren.

Modelle

Quelle
David Culshaw & Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalogue of British Cars 1895–1975. Veloce Publishing plc. Dorchester (1999).  ISBN 1-874105-93-6

Ehemaliger Pkw-Hersteller (Coventry)
Gegründet 1912
Aufgelöst 1916

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Filling in missing values with duplicate name? I apologize if this is a repeat, I have looked through many answers but I haven't found one that really hits on what I am trying to do.
I have a dataset that contains duplicate names but doesn't not necessarily have an assigned account number. For example:
df <- data.frame(Name = c("Hilton", "Comcast", "Comcast", "Comcast", "Froyos", "Froyos", "BigFive"),
                 Account = c("123", "456", NA, NA, "789", NA, "111"))
df
     Name Account
1  Hilton     123
2 Comcast     456
3 Comcast    <NA>
4 Comcast    <NA>
5  Froyos     789
6  Froyos    <NA>
7 BigFive     111

And I want to match the name to fill in the associated account number so I would look like this:
     Name Account
1  Hilton     123
2 Comcast     456
3 Comcast     456
4 Comcast     456
5  Froyos     789
6  Froyos     789
7 BigFive     111

Ensuring all the classes are the same, I've tried making a separate list and using ifelse and %in%, but it is not assigning the correct value to the name. My code looks like:
library(dplyr)

df$Name <- as.character(df$Name)
df2$Name <- as.character(df2$Name)
df$Account <- as.numeric(as.character(df$Account))
df2$Account <- as.numeric(as.character(df2$Account))

df2 <- df %>%
  filter(as.numeric(Account) > 0)

df3 <- within(df, {New = ifelse(df$Name %in% df2$Name,
                                          df2$Account, NA)})

I feel like this should be fairly straight forward, but I'm having a hard time knowing how to word the problem so it does it correctly. Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.

A: Note stringsAsFactors = F
df <- data.frame(Name = c("Hilton", "Comcast", "Comcast", "Comcast", "Froyos", "Froyos", "BigFive"),
                 Account = c("123", "456", NA, NA, "789", NA, "111"), stringsAsFactors = F)

df %>% group_by(Name) %>% mutate(Account = max(Account, na.rm = T)) %>% ungroup()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Here Are The List Of Best Xbox One Games Available For You
Posted by Trey Warsame — 07/12/2018 in Technology 0 9
Xbox one is the most powerful gaming console, manufactured by Microsoft. They have so much power that they are called the console for the generation coming up, to be known as the console generation. You can play a wide variety of games on your Xbox One. However, there are not exclusive games like the Nintendo switch. Still, you can enjoy from the white priority of list available in the market. From racing to actions, Xbox One has got it all for you. Here is the list of latest and best Xbox one games.
Latest & Best Xbox One Games
1. Gears Of War
As the name suggest gears of War is one of the best action games your level play on your Xbox One. This game has 3 series and has dominated the gaming world for a long time. The game includes a sense of horror and shooting. If you are looking for this game on your Xbox One, you can get the gears of War 4th edition.
2. Grand Theft Auto 5
From the world of Rockstar games, GTA requires no introduction to gamers. It is one of the best player game you will never play in your life. From PC's, GTA has come a long way and is now available for the Xbox One. GTA V has even more enhanced graphics and powerful effects. It is an all in one game. The game is regularly updated and you need to complete all the missions in order to complete the game.
3. Hitman 2
Become a real-life assassin with Hitman 2. In this game, you will be on a mission to kill people. Hitman 2 is a lot popular among the PlayStation and PC gamers. Now extending its arms to Xbox One, Hitman 2 is becoming readily popular. There is a wide variety of rolls you have to play in course of the game. It is port interesting and adventurous.
Don't be shocked. You can now plea Bujji on your Xbox One. This is one of the best Xbox One games that you will ever find. It has not even been a year since PUBG is out and has already created a worldwide fan base. Now get it on your Xbox One and enjoy powerful multiplayer player Mode with your friends. You can play in various mode drive vehicles, shoot your opinions, and plan your next move. After all, your ultimate goal is to win a chicken dinner.
5. Dragon Ball Fighterz
Get involved in intense fighting with the latest Dragon Ball z game. It is the latest game from Dragon Ball z. We have seen dozens of game rolling out in the past few years. However, Dragon Ball fighterz is one of its kind and allows you to get engaged an intense shooting and fighting.
6. Fortnite
A game which took the entire gaming community to the next platform. It attracted the entire world just before PUBG was launched. It is a game somewhat similar to pubg, where you need to shoot your opponents and collect stuff from different houses. Unlike Pubg, you can create your own building by gathering stones and bricks. The console makes it even more fun.
7. Forza Horizon 4
This is perhaps one of the best Xbox One racing game. Forza Horizon 4 takes racing to another level. It has attractive graphics and high-end user control. Racing games are a lot more fun on the consoles compare mobile phones and PCS. The has already proved in itself to be the best in the entire segment. Get daily and weekly machines to complete and unlock a never-ending series of cars. Race exclusively on the streets of Britain and set it on fire.
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