Merry Christmas 2018!
Greetings, this new blog update is simply here to wish this small blogging community a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Be sure to have plenty of fun tomorrow and overindulge in the festive food and drinks. There is one more blog update scheduled for 2018 which will be published on Monday 31st December. As per recent tradition, the next blog update will crown the category winners of the various television shows, films, games and books that I have reviewed throughout the year.
While not everyone participated in the Write Wise’s Christmas Challenge this year, I certainly enjoyed reading the many interesting entries that been produced in 2018 and I had fun writing my own stories for the site. It was nice to see the Terry Holloway series brought back for the holiday season and I am definitely eager to see any future instalments that could be headed our way. I also had a good time writing my experimental piece, the Bizarre World of Victor Victorious, and I hope you liked reading it as well. I have plenty of thoughts in mind for my next works in 2019. A fair number of them are the introductory plots to original projects. These are likely to expand into a new series or two eventually. Have a Merry Christmas!
Quote of the Day
Ah, Melchett! Greetings! I trust Christmas brings you its traditional mix of good food and violent stomach cramp.
Lord Edmund Blackadder
Blackadder’s Christmas Carol
The Last Don
Greetings, the Last Don is a 1996 novel by Mario Puzo, author of the Godfather and the Sicilian which were previously reviewed on my blog. It was also the last of his books to be published before his death in the year 1999 although there were a few such as Omerta that were released posthumously in the early 2000s. While the Last Don may not be Puzo’s most recognizable work it did manage to spawn a television mini-series back in 1997. This series starred some noteworthy individuals such as Joe Mantegna, Danny Aiello and Daryl Hannah but has no particularly large star power behind it. While the Godfather and the Sicilian are interconnected, mostly with Michael Corleone appearing in both books, the Last Don seems to have no link to Mario’s previous works.
The majority of the plot takes place in the 1990s but it begins in the 1960s with mafia Don Domenico Clericuzio, an aging gangster, growing increasingly tired of the violent world he inhabits and partly created. He decides to bring his criminal family syndicate into American society by it being reborn as a legitimate business. The Clericuzio family, after eliminating their rival Santadio clan in a brutal war, decided that it is willing to give up its hard earned power and will act as a negotiator with regards to other families in their disputes with each other. This way the Clericuzio will still remain influential in the world of organized crime while pursuing their interests in legitimate and lucrative businesses. The Don sets out his interest in the world of gambling and wants his two new grandchildren, Croccifixio ‘Cross’ De Lena and Claudia De Lena, to live in a better world than he does. To get on with their lives without the constant need to look over their shoulder for enemy syndicates. The storyline then moves swiftly on to the 1990s with Don Clericuzio being semi-retired and enjoying his twilight years. It mostly follows the paths of Cross De Lena, who now has a sizeable share of a Las Vegas casino called the Xanadu Hotel and runs it after the death of his mentor, as well as Claudia who is breaking into Hollywood as a script writer.
The paths of Claudia and Cross overlap when an adored actress by the name of Athena Aquitane, famed for her beauty and talent, is attacked in a public ceremony by her ex-husband. The former husband, Boz Skannet, is a violent man who played a prank on his estranged wife by throwing a bottle of water in her face and pretended that it was acid. The actress is convinced due to his previous behaviour that should he get near her again it will be the corrosive substance next time around. As such, she is too terrified to work again as the leading performer in Claudia’s film and claims to have left her acting career for good. Much to the annoyance of studio heads, Skannet has important political connections and is hard to remove from the scene so Claudia reaches out to her brother, hoping that he can find a solution to the problem. Cross, intrigued by the prospect of getting into the wealthy business of filmmaking and getting a close relationship with Athena, agrees to help her.
The novel is a worthwhile read with a few interesting turns along the way but it doesn’t match the heights of the Godfather and none of Puzo’s other books are likely to have done so either. Most of his work, with the Fourth K or the Dark Arena as exceptions, run on similar ideas and deal with the violent life of the Mafioso. I did find that Mario had notably repeated himself in his phraseology which, while it isn’t a particularly big problem, can be rather grating when the exact same cursing is continuously used by Don Clericuzio. Overall, it is a fine book with an original story and it will appeal to those interested in gangsterism but I would say it was the weakest of the three Puzo novels I have read so far.
Plot=7/10
Characters=6/10
Wording=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
Hey, you wanna hear a story 'bout this boy? He owned a dairy farm, see. And his ol' Ma, she was kinda sick, you know. And the doctor, he had called him come over, and said, uh, "Uhh listen, your Ma, she's lyin' there, she's just so sick and she's weakly, and uh, uh I want ya to try to persuade her to take a little brandy," you see. Just to pick her spirits up, ya know. And "Ma's a teetotaler," he says. "She wouldn't touch a drop." "Well, I'll tell ya whatcha do, uh," -- the doc -- "I'll tell ya whatcha do, you bring in a fresh quart of milk every day and you put some brandy in it, see. And see. You try that." So he did. And he doctored it all up with the brandy, fresh milk, and he gave it to his Mom. And she drank a little bit of it, you know. So next day, he brought it in again and she drank a little more, you know. And so they went on that way for the third day and just a little more, and the fourth day, she was, you know, took a little bit more - and then finally, one week later, he gave her the milk and she just drank it down. Boy, she swallowed the whole, whole, whole thing, you know. And she called him over and she said, "Son, whatever you do, don't sell that cow!"
Buck Barrow
Bonnie and Clyde
The Quiz Part 10
Greetings, the year is quickly drawing to a close once more and the month of November is here again. As such, it is time for the annual quiz on my blog. This is the tenth time you have been tested with some questions on pop culture and general knowledge. Joh was crowned the winner last year with Aaron securing second position as the runner up and Mark came in third place. Don’t forget to put your scores in the comments and we will see if there is a shake up in the scoreboard this time around.
In other blog related news, I am currently working on my Christmas entry for the Write Wise challenge as is the tradition of our blogging community. The story is taking shape nicely but it still has quite a bit to go before it can be published. Unlike last year’s story, Hotel Americana, this new project is an original series. It has a pretty unique plot and it is full of new characters which are some of the most bizarre, outlandish as well as controversial ones I have yet created. It is also a hallmark for my Write Wise ‘career’ as it is going to be my 30th entry on the site and I still have many more different ideas for the years to come. Now, on to the quiz and beware of the answers below.
1. Dr Frank N Furter is just a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania but who played this musical villain in the 1975 film adaptation of the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
2. Who said this? - “Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?”
3. Which battle, fought in 1815, effectively ended Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign as the French Emperor?
4. Which of these Frasier actors portrayed the Simpson’s villain, Robert Terwilliger, who is best known as Sideshow Bob? A. Kelsey Grammer, B. David Pierce C. John Mahoney
5. Discounting the special episodes, how many series of the BBC comedy Blackadder are there?
6. Which race of aliens from the time travelling show Doctor Who are known for their genocidal plans for conquest of the universe and their battle cry of ‘Exterminate! Exterminate!”?
7. Name the character.
8. Unscramble the letters to reveal an actor- OTM SHANK
9. In the November of 1957 the USSR launched Laika into space and later immortalized her with a monument in 2008 but what type of animal was she?
10. The late great Stan Lee was one of most the important figures in creating which universally known comic book company?
Spoilers!
1. Tim Curry
2. Indiana Jones
3. The Battle of Waterloo
4. A. Kelsey Grammer
5. Four series
6. The Daleks
7. Gonzo
8. Tom Hanks
9. A dog
10. Marvel Comics
Quote of the Day
I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
HAL 9000
2001: A Space Odyssey
From Dusk Till Dawn
Greetings, From Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror crime thriller that was directed by Robert Rodriguez who is known for various films such as Sin City, Machete and the Mexico trilogy. The movie has a few well known faces which include George Clooney as the protagonist Seth Gecko and Quentin Tarantino as his unhinged brother Richard. Harvey Keitel stars as Jacob Fuller, a pastor facing a crisis in his faith towards God with Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu as his children, Katherine and Scott. Other members of the cast consist of Selma Hayek, Danny Trejo, Tom Savini and Fred Williamson. The music was conducted by Graeme Revell who has composed the soundtrack for a great many works with the Fog, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie among them. Tito and Tarantula also collaborated to the soundtrack and appeared in the film as well.
From Dusk till Dawn begins with a Texas Ranger by the name of Earl McGraw who stops at a small convince store and speaks to a lone clerk that he is acquainted with. McGraw warns that two runaway thieves by the name of Seth and Richard ‘Richie’ Gecko are supposedly heading their way and that they have a hostage with them. The Texas Ranger excuses himself from the conversation to use the lavatory. The clerk is confronted by the two thieves, who had arrived before McGraw, and demanded that the cashier get rid of the police officer. The Gecko brothers were disguising themselves as customers in the back of the room and had subtly taken two customers hostage. Earl returns to the counter but is quickly gunned down by Richard who swears that the clerk was giving him a coded message, warning the Texas Ranger about the brothers’ presence.
The situation quickly delves into a shootout between the cashier, who has since had the opportunity to grab a gun from a safe, and proceeds to shot Richie in the hand. The hostages flee in the midst of this conflict while Seth manages to engulf the clerk, as well as the store, in flames by setting fire to toilet paper and shooting the selection of alcohol behind the counter. A wounded Richard and Seth manage to make their way to a motel along with their original hostage, a bank clerk named Gloria that they had secured in their car’s boot. Seth leaves his brother and hostage in their room to pick up some food for them all. As he returns, Seth quickly realizes that the deranged Richie had sexually assaulted and killed Gloria in his absence. Seth is appalled by what happened but improvises in his scheme to get into Mexico. The two brothers kidnap their motel neighbours, Pastor Jacob Fuller and his two children, forcing the Fuller family at gun point to drive them in their RV into Mexico.
From Dusk Till Dawn is a fun, action packed film with a twist that would have surprised audiences at the time but is probably well known by cinemagoers now. The actors and actresses give a solid performance throughout the film with Harvey Keitel providing the most memorable acting in my opinion. The film spawned two direct to video instalments which were unsurprisingly considered of lower quality than the original. A video game which take place after the film’s conclusion was also released in 2001 to mediocre reviews. More recently a Netflix production, currently consisting of three series, is also in existence which stars Robert Patrick and Danny Trejo in its cast. The series premiered in 2014 and the third season was launched in late 2016.
Plot=8/10
Characters=7/10
Special Effects=7/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Feed me, Seymour.
Audrey II
Little Shop of Horrors
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Greetings, the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a popular fantasy game that was released in 2011 by Polish develop CD Projekt Red and is the second instalment of the Witcher trilogy. The gaming series began in 2007 with the release of the Witcher and concluded some years later with Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015. It should be mentioned that these characters, storylines and the lore in these instalments are all built upon the novels of author Andrzej Sapkowski. This game has an extensive cast but its actors and actresses are not particularly famous for the most part. Doug Cockle stars as the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, Jaimi Barbakoff as the sorceress Triss Merrigold, Mark Healy as Vernon Roche , commander of the Temerian Special Forces, Mark Frost as an elven terrorist called Iorveth and Nicola Walker as another sorceress named Sile de Tansarvile. It also boasts an impressive soundtrack which was composed by Marcin Przybylowicz, a conductor who is mostly known for his contribution to this series. The Witcher 2’s storyline is a little complicated at first, especially for newcomers, but it does begin to make sense as it progresses along. In my opinion, the political climate that drives the story forward is not dissimilar to the complex allegiances and mischievous machinations witnessed in Game of Thrones.
The plot begins with the Witcher Geralt, a monster hunter with supernatural abilities, being interrogated by Vernon Roche. Geralt has been accused of the regicide of King Foltest, monarch of the Temerian kingdom, who the Witcher had previously protected as his right hand man. Geralt begins to defend himself during the questioning and explains what had happened in the lead up to the king’s assassination. Years prior, Foltest had a clandestine relationship with a Baroness Maria La Valette and two children, Anais and Boussy, were born as a result. The king decided to bring his children to live with him in his capital city after an earlier assassination attempt on Foltest’s life was foiled by Geralt. The Baroness refused to surrender the children to the Temerian king. As such, Foltest decided to wage war against her over the children and successfully storms her castle during the siege. The Witcher brings the ruler of Temeria to his children, who were hiding in a secluded monastery, while the battle still raged on around them.
Geralt is too late to notice an assassin, pretending to be a blind monk, take out his sword as Foltest embraces his children. The monarch is fatally wounded and the killer discards the disguise, revealing himself to be a Witcher much like Geralt before escaping. Geralt is soon taken into custody and interrogated once he is discovered standing beside Foltest’s corpse by the king’s men. Roche, leader of the Temerian Special Forces known as the Blue Stripes, believes Geralt is telling the truth and helps break him free from prison. The two, along with the sorceress and the Witcher’s paramour Triss Merrigold, escape the city via boat to pursue the kingslayer that had tainted Geralt’s name. Their journey leads them to a city named Flotsam where they begin to unravel the mystery of the kingslayer and conspiracy theories slowly come to light.
Overall, I enjoyed this game and aim to play the other two titles in the trilogy in the near future. There a plenty of activities to occupy your time in the game from combating a vast range of original monsters, taking on side quests and mini games such as arm wrestling or partaking in the fictional in-game of gwent. One of the issues I had with this game is the lack of indication or markers for finding new missions. This was especially noticeable in regards to some of the side quests given by NPCs which could be easily missed by the player as maps could be rather large and full of common AIs who are only there to fill that space aesthetically. One of the reasons I found the Witcher 2 interesting is because it gives the players an important choice to make early on in the campaign. The results of this drastically alters the campaign’s narrative and forms two different branches of storyline that ensure the player has to play it at least twice to get the full experience it has to offer. While the main trilogy is complete, the Witcher still lives on as Netflix are also creating their own adaptation of the Witcher phenomenon and have cast Henry Cavill as the main protagonist.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Graphics=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me! Aren't you?
Benjamin Braddock
The Graduate
The Graduate
Greetings, the Graduate is a romantic comedy film from 1967 which was directed by Mike Nichols who was also involved in various movies including Catch-22, Wolf and Postcards from the Edge. The picture, which was based on Charles Webb’s 1963 book of the same title, stars Dustin Hoffman as the protagonist Benjamin Braddock. Katherine Ross of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kind, the Stepford Wives and Donnie Darko, features in the Graduate as does Anne Bancroft who played the iconic Mrs Robinson. While there are other cast members involved in this work, the trio mentioned above are by far the most important characters as well as the most notable or prolific actors and actresses. The instrumental music was composed by Dave Grusin who also composed the OST for the Goonies and Tootsie. In addition, the American folk-rock duo, Simon and Garfunkel, wrote ‘Mrs Robinson’ for the film’s soundtrack.
The plot is fairly simple but it is still entertaining none the less. Benjamin Braddock, a shy 21 year old, has just graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree and is reluctantly attending a party in his honour which is being held by his parents. Benjamin attempts to evade the congratulatory comments and questions surrounding his as yet undecided future from his family and neighbourhood friends. The socially anxious Braddock retreats into his room where he hopes to be alone and hidden away from the large crowd downstairs. Mrs Robinson, long neglected wife of Braddock Senior’s law partner, enters his room during this time. Ben assumes she has come into his room accidently and informs her where the lavatory is but to his surprise Robinson is there for him. The older woman quickly reveals herself to be a cougar, flirting with the nervous Benjamin and admitting her attraction to him. He quickly rebuffs her advances with awkwardness but is somewhat titled by the idea of an affair and is drawn to her charms. In an attempt to seduce him further and get the graduate alone, Mrs Robinson explains that she needs Braddock to drive her home as she had been drinking that night. Benjamin hesitantly agrees to do so and hopes to get her out of his hands as soon as possible.
Mrs Robinsons commandingly orders the young man into the house as soon as they arrive despite his continuous protestations. She attempts to get him inebriated, explaining that her husband should be away for hours and even lures Ben into the room of her daughter, Elaine, to see the portrait of the young Robinson. A naked Mrs Robinson ambushes Benjamin in the room but is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of her husband into the home which gives Braddock an opportunity to escape. The attempted affair is narrowly avoided until a few days later when Benjamin gives into his temptations and clandestinely, if somewhat clumsily, meets Mrs Robinson in the Taft hotel where he is successfully seduced. The affair continues between the two for months until he is coaxed and pressured into dating Elaine by his parents and Mr Robinson’s consistent badgering. This is much to the fury of Mrs Robinson. Benjamin purposefully attempts to ruin the date with rude behaviour, engaging in reckless driving and deliberately humiliating Elaine by taking her to a strip club. A distraught Elaine flees the club and Braddock begins to feel sorry for the woman. He eventually catches up with his date and has a proper night out in which the two enjoy each other’s company. Benjamin eventually discovers that he has fallen for Elaine. He begins to plot out a way to retain the relationship and avoid the fallout from his previous affair with her mother.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Graduate even though I was aware of how it would end due to parodies of its famous scenes from television programmes such as the Simpsons. The film enjoys a lasting cultural status to this day and the infamous character of Mrs Robinson is now a synonymous term for a cradle-snatching cougar. While there were talks about a sequel and there is a follow up book by Charles Webb called Home School that it could be based upon, I am glad that one hasn’t produced as of yet. The film ended on an interesting twist that left the future of the characters open and wasn’t necessarily a happy conclusion. The Graduate is a film I would definitely recommend to those who haven’t seen it.
Plot=10/10
Characters=10/10
Special Effects=10/10
Overall=10/10
Quote of the Day
Drat, drat and double drat!
Dick Dastardly
Wacky Races
