All posts by ERTorre

E. R. Torre is a writer/artist whose first major work, the mystery graphic novel The Dark Fringe, was optioned for motion picture production by Platinum Studios (Men In Black, Cowboys vs. Aliens). At DC Comics, his work appeared in role-playing game books and the 9-11 Tribute book. This later piece was eventually displayed, along with others from the 9-11 tribute books, at The Library of Congress. More recently he released Shadows at Dawn (a collection of short stories), Haze (a murder mystery novel with supernatural elements), and Cold Hemispheres (a mystery novel set in the world of The Dark Fringe). He is currently hard at work on his latest science fiction/suspense series, Corrosive Knights, which features the novels Mechanic, The Last Flight of the Argus, and Chameleon.
General

What is wrong with these people…?

Over at HuffingtonPost.com there’s a report by Mary Papenfuss regarding…

Florida Cop in trouble after wishing car accident on gun violence protest

Essentially, a Florida policeman decided it would be clever to slam school shooting survivor David Hogg, who was behind a “die in” event at the Publix groceries due to the fact that the company was giving money to a pro-gun candidate (they have since stopped) and posted the following:

I hope some old lady loses control of her car in that lot. Jus sayin …

First: David Hogg has become something of a boogeyman to the NRA.  Why?  Because he has them scared.  He -and a few others- are the face of a movement that may be hard to slow, that of young people who are fed up with the many school shootings and idiotic (at best) “responses” from the politician regarding these tragedies.  They demand legislation to rein in the too-many and too-powerful weapons out there and the noise they’ve made is being heard.

Second: Even if you are a rabid 2nd Amendment type, this is the essence of free speech and, yes, democracy: You protest peacefully and you make yourself heard.  You do this because you strive for change.  In the case of Mr. Hogg and others like him, you do this because you don’t want to see any more young people like him die senselessly in another school shooting tragedy.

Let me repeat this: He doesn’t want there to be more school shootings.  He doesn’t want there to be more senseless deaths.  And what he’s doing, whether you like it or not, is not resulting in anyone getting hurt.  Indeed, the only thing that seems to be hurt are some people’s egos.

Such as, I suppose the policeman who posted that tweet.

 

Movies

Solo: A Star Wars Story’s (2018) release

Frank Pallota over at CNN.com notes that the Memorial Day release of Solo: A Star Wars Story hasn’t exactly been a box office juggernaut:

Solo: A Star Wars Story disappoints at the box office

According to the article, the movie drew in approximately $101 million, a decent amount but far lower than the hoped for $150+ million that was originally estimated.  Interestingly, over at Box Office Mojo they list the movie’s three day weekend take at a lower $83 million, but I’m not certain if their estimate does not take into account today’s date (it is Memorial Day, after all) and thus is a lower amount.

Regardless, the movie hasn’t done all that well, especially given its a Star Wars movie and, equally oddly, the reviews for it were generally positive.

Count me, though, among those who isn’t terribly surprised.

No, I’m not some kind of movie release guru or have psychic powers (how I wish!), it just seemed there were many factors working against the movie almost from the get-go.

To begin, the movie’s troubled production -it was originally being directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, 22 Jump Street) but they clashed with the powers that be at Disney and were essentially fired from the production and replaced, hastily, with Ron Howard.  Rumor had it that the movie was nearly done with its principle photography by that point.  There was also word that actor Alden Ehrenreich wasn’t doing all that well stepping into Harrison Ford’s shoes and was given acting lessons while the movie was filming (I don’t know if I believe this… seems a particularly nasty rumor and smells a bit like someone who has a real beef with the actor trying to hit him where it hurts).

In some ways, that element reminded me of what happened with the Justice League film.  Initiated under the direction of Zack Snyder, he left the production (or was fired, yet more rumors) after his adopted daughter committed suicide and the movie was taken over by Josh Whedon, who went on to remake much of the film and released what was a decent, if obviously very different work from what Mr. Snyder would have likely given us.

Justice League underperformed as well, and my feeling is that those early news of a troubled production had to weigh on potential filmgoers’ minds as they did with Solo.

But there’s more.

Solo also has the misfortune of being released at the tail end of two very big hero/effects films: Avengers Infinity Wars and Deadpool 2.

In fact, it seems in retrospect rather silly to release so many films like these one on top of the other.  I’m noticing, for instance, that Avengers Infinity Wars, after a red hot initial release, has cooled down considerably at the box office and drew in “only” $16 million in its fourth week of release.  It appears almost spent at this point.  Similarly, Deadpool 2 came out of the gate hot but not quite as hot as was hoped, and I can’t help but wonder if maybe being released so soon after the Avengers film that too didn’t suck up the oxygen in the box office as well.

You see, there are only so many dollars out there to be made in films and if we have three very big films targeted to the same audience released at roughly the same time, the audience might have to pick and choose which one they will see, and the end result might be a sense of box office “failure” that might not be the case had more care been made toward finding an appropriate release date.

Finally, and as mentioned in the original CNN article I linked to, there is a worry that people might have a “fatigue” toward Star Wars properties.  It’s a logical concern: Too much of a “good” think might prove, in the long run, not so good.

You can certainly oversaturate a fan base and it is possible this is what may be happening.  On the other hand, the film comes very shortly after the release of The Last Jedi which, to many fans, left them with a source taste in their mouth and this too could have dissuaded some people who otherwise might have given the movie a look to skip it.  At least for now.

(Apropos of nothing, I have a copy of Last Jedi and plan to see it soon enough.  The back and forth -those that are well thought out and not just trolling- among fans of the film and detractors certainly has me curious)

Regardless, I’ll probably skip Solo for now and catch it later on when it reaches home video.  Which is, coincidentally, what I’ll likely do with Infinity Wars.

E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 73

Released in 1942, Spy Smasher is a serial based on a then very popular comic book series by the same name.  Which goes to show, some of the comic book characters so popular today in film might one day be, for the most part, forgotten.

I personally loved this serial and watched all three and a half hours of it a number of years ago.  It was remarkably brisk, full of adventure/fistfights/car chases and seemed to never let up, even if the story’s logic wasn’t… er… very logical.

One of the more amusing things about watching it in one sitting was that after a while I realized the film’s makers were using the same city blocks for much of their outdoor action, and because the serial was as long as it was, I began to get an understanding of the layout of these city blocks.

So much so that in a later episode, our heroes are filmed from street level rushing out of a building, running down the steps and to a waiting car, then driving away at full speed.  Then they come to a screeching halt before another building and rush out…

Only by that point I knew the building they just arrived at lay directly across the street from the building they emerged from!

Fun times…! 😉

Music, TV

We may have reached peak internet…

Over at avclub.com I found the following article by Dan Nellan:

Some maniac set the entirety of Rush’s 2112 to old Peanuts clips

Truly, I don’t know whether to applaud –hard– or cry.  Equally hard.

The internet.  It’s truly like the proverbial box of chocolates.

Here’s the video, by the way:

Computers/Electronics

Maybe getting an Echo isn’t such a great idea after all…

Rachel Withers at Slate.com reports on how…

Alexa recorded a couple’s private conversation and sent it to a contact

The headline essentially gives the whole story away, but I’ll offer the following from the article itself:

A former smart-home enthusiast, named only as Danielle … and her husband recently received a call from her husband’s employee in Seattle, telling them to unplug their Echo immediately. The employee then went on to tell the couple that he had received recordings of their (mercifully) mundane chitchat—a conversation about hardwood floors, which Danielle and her husband had been having.

Yikes!

The big question for those who own one of these devices is: How exactly did this happen!?

When I read the article yesterday, there was no clear answer.  Apparently, one has now been offered by parent company Amazon:

Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like “Alexa.” Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a “send message” request. At which point, Alexa said out loud “To whom?” At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, “[contact name], right?” Alexa then interpreted background conversation as “right”. As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely.

Sounds like a lot of things had to go “right” for this screwy situation to happen.

I dunno.

Then again, the Echo is extremely popular -and has been since its release!- and this is the first time such a strange occurrence has happened.

Still, be careful what you say around your Echo!

E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 72

I’ve already drawn Tom Tyler before, as he was Captain Marvel in the Serial by that name (I might give that particular Serial another go!).

Here he is in 1943 and two years after playing Captain Marvel starring this time as… The Phantom.  And don’t forget Ace The Wonder Dog! 

Sports

Oh… NFL…

Mike Freeman offers the following article at BleacherReport.com regarding the new NFL policy regarding players kneeling during the National Anthem.  Based on the article’s title, I dare you to guess where he stands on this issue:

Scared NFL makes epic mistake with Anthem policy

The bottom line is this: After a year of Trump jawing about how players who kneel during the National Anthem are somehow “disrespecting” the American flag (they are not), the NFL, under fearless leader Roger Goodell (how does he keep his job?!) decided they would fine any team whose players kneel during the Anthem.

Yep.  That’ll solve everything.

Sigh.

I understand some people feel it is disrespectful to kneel during the Anthem.  Fine.  But if you can remove your angst about that visual for one second, consider why these people are doing this.  Perhaps, with just a little empathy, you may come to realize their actions are rooted in a very just cause and, further, their actions are the definition of benign and *gasp* peaceful.  I mean, I could understand the angst if the players dropped their pants and mooned the cameras or gave the ol’ “one gun salute” during the Anthem, but they are not doing that.

You are bothered by the actions because you’ve allowed yourself to be bothered by them.

I used to really, really love watching professional Football.  Nowadays, with article after article about the extent of damage playing this sport causes to player’s brains, the bizarre rules and rule changes, the way the league muffed domestic abuse, and now this…

…well, if the NFL fears losing viewers, they might want to look within.  From my perspective -and mine alone!- they’re already doing a great job at it all by their lonesome.

General

Oh… Elon…

Found this article by Seth Fiegerman and presented on CNN.com:

Elon Musk wants to rate journalists.  He’d call his site Pravda

I like the things Mr. Musk has done.  I’d like to think if I had his money -and genius!- I’d want to do something like what he’s done.  Push for the abolition of combustion engines by creating very good electric cars.  Work on batteries/battery packs that, in conjunction with solar panels -which he’s also working on!- may one day replace the need for power plants.  Work hard on creating economical ways of exploring space.  Heck, even his Boring Company’s work on creating efficient, high speed underground subway systems is something worth pursuing!

All worthy goals and, while there are certainly setbacks here and there, one has to admire the man’s scope and drive.

But, come on Mr. Musk -and if I could be so bold as to offer this advice- don’t have such a thin skin about journalists.

Given the very high profile you have in the world, there will be people who second guess and, yes, outright talk negatively about the things you’re doing.

The way to shut them up is not by showing yourself to be thin skinned -and create this silly “Pravda” crap- but by constantly improving your product until everyone benefits from them.

Take a moment to relax and let that stuff go, then prove them wrong with your new and better releases.

Movies

Deadpool 2 (2018) a (almost right on time!) review

It’s so very rare to review a just released film… one that’s still in theaters.  In fact, one that was released less than a week before!

Let’s bask in that particular glory for a second or two…

All right, enough of that crap: Deadpool 2.  My 0.02 cents…

When the original 2016 Deadpool was released, I liked but did not love it.  (You can read my review of the first film here)

My hope was that the people who made this film refined their formula and made a better overall work.

Long story short: They did.

Now, I know there are people out there who have expressed a preference for the original Deadpool, but I’m not one of them.

Deadpool 2 follows the manic formula and kicks it up several notches, this time around offering a surprisingly meaty plot that -take it from someone who writes- was very well thought out, despite the fact that it offered plenty of silliness.

In some ways the film’s silliness is not unlike the works of the Zucker Brothers and Abrahams (Airplane!, Top Secret!, The Naked Gun films) in the sense that the jokes come quick and thick and I’m sure, having seen the film this one time, that I missed many, many jokes.

For example, over at one website I was on a little while ago, someone mentioned laughing out loud when, during the movie, we see a TV News report and the crawl on the bottom of the report says something like this: Christopher Plummer rejects role of Deadpool.

Totally missed that one!

I also loved many of the new characters brought into the feature.  Josh Brolin was great as the gravel voiced, grim time traveler Cable.  Zazie Beetz, similarly, was a delight as Domino, the hero whose big power (or mutation) is… luck.  She more than held her own in the craziness that came around her.

If there’s one thing I wish there was more of, its Brianna Hildebrand’s Negasonic Teenage Warhead.  She was, IMHO, one of the great delights of the first Deadpool.  I loved her silent exasperation at the antics of Deadpool but this time around she doesn’t show quite as much of that.  On the other had, they expanded on her character by introducing her girlfriend Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna, quite delightful!), and this character’s interactions with Deadpool were quite a hoot.

I’ve tried very hard not to get into spoilers here regarding the story presented in the film, up to and including what happens in the opening minutes, and I’m not about to give that stuff up now.  I will say this, though: There are two hilarious cameos by big named actors, one of which if you blink you’ll miss it, the other of which is pretty heavily disguised so, if you don’t notice it, you’ll be forgiven for checking the web for who/when this person appeared.

In conclusion and suffice to say, I recommend the film and highly suggest you stick around during the credits as there is an extended bit that’s quite hilarious and… I’ll say no more.

What are you waiting for?  Go see Deadpool 2!

General

About that Tesla Model 3…

After considerable delays in production, it appears the Tesla Model 3, the “affordable” electric vehicle (starting price is $35,000), is off to a rather rocky start.

Over at Slate.com, Will Oremus outlines some of the problems critics, including Consumer Reports, have found in the vehicle:

Tesla’s Model 3 fails to get Consumer Reports recommendation, may not be perfect, affordable electric car after all

I know I’m about to step all over the article here, but the gist of the Consumer Reports negative findings for the most part involve the car’s braking distance from a speed of 60 mph.  The car’s braking, to be blunt, is inconsistent and tends to require more distance than most cars of its size.

They found other problems, such as difficulty in using the vehicle’s central screen, which makes the driver too often look away from the road to work on the various do-dadds the screen covers, which is most everything.  Finally, they stated the car was noisy when driving along the highway.

Interesting.

The author further notes that though Consumer Reports could not recommend the vehicle, they did give it generally good reviews for all other elements.

Here’s the thing: I’m not all that surprised.

This is the first Model 3 released.  Like computers, like cell phones, like laptops, one should always be leery of the first generation of any technological release.

As much as my mouth waters at the prospect of getting a Tesla vehicle -or look forward to the day when all vehicles eschew the combustion engine- I kinda/sorta knew there would be bumps in the road.

Don’t get me wrong: the inconsistent braking in the Model 3 is worrisome.  In fact, I’d say it’s very worrisome.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that if a car’s braking is inconsistent, there is a certainly a danger one might slam into someone/something due to the fact that one cannot figure out the distance involved in safe braking.

Having said that, this is a correctable problem, one that the author notes may be resolved through software updates.  It would not shock me at all if Tesla does resolve this issue rather quickly.

But, again: As more and more models are made and provided to the public, improvements will be made.

I may not get the first generation affordable electric vehicle, but perhaps in a few years we’ll have a better one.