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David McK (3425 KP) rated Quantum Leap: Too Close for Comfort in Books
Sep 22, 2024 (Updated Sep 22, 2024)
"Theorising that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished... He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Doctor Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home…”
That's the intro from the original, 1990s, show (as opposed to the more modern 2020 reincarnation).
Why am I posting the above?
Because this novel itself is from the 90s, long before Dr Raymond Song or any of the newer bunch, and so focuses on the original Leaper Sam, and his hologrammatic observer Al.
It was also obviously written whilst the show was still on air (or, at the very least, not long after it ended), and very much could have been a episode of that original show, which was far more episodic in nature than the newer version.
Here, Sam finds himself in the body of a college graduate in what-I-believe-to-be the early 1990s, leasing a room from a college professor who is very much into the whole Men movement of the era, so much so that said professor does not even realize when his family life is falling down around him.
Being the early 1990s, this is far too close to the timeline from which Sam leaps (1999), with Al Calvacci also involved here both as Sam's hologram, and as an actual person who Sam encounters as a member of Dr Wales encounter group. Hence the title 'Too Close for Comfort', which can be construed in multiple different ways!
That's the intro from the original, 1990s, show (as opposed to the more modern 2020 reincarnation).
Why am I posting the above?
Because this novel itself is from the 90s, long before Dr Raymond Song or any of the newer bunch, and so focuses on the original Leaper Sam, and his hologrammatic observer Al.
It was also obviously written whilst the show was still on air (or, at the very least, not long after it ended), and very much could have been a episode of that original show, which was far more episodic in nature than the newer version.
Here, Sam finds himself in the body of a college graduate in what-I-believe-to-be the early 1990s, leasing a room from a college professor who is very much into the whole Men movement of the era, so much so that said professor does not even realize when his family life is falling down around him.
Being the early 1990s, this is far too close to the timeline from which Sam leaps (1999), with Al Calvacci also involved here both as Sam's hologram, and as an actual person who Sam encounters as a member of Dr Wales encounter group. Hence the title 'Too Close for Comfort', which can be construed in multiple different ways!
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Seinfeld - Season 1 in TV
Jan 22, 2021
I always assumed I wouldn’t like Seinfeld in the 90s. In fact I was opposed to the very idea of it on principle. And that principle was: I’ve never heard of this guy as a comedian, and American stand-up usually isn’t funny. I never saw a single episode until six months ago – in my head it was some dumb, canned laughter show with very forced scripts and little charm. I just didn’t get why it was always quoted amongst the best sitcoms of all time, and I wasn’t willing to find out. This is called “being ignorant”. Guilty.
One random day with nothing else inspiring me I finally took the plunge and put an episode on. Guess what happened? I laughed, I found it completely charming and witty and easy to watch, with some great lines and likeable characters. 3 hours later I had done 6 episodes and was as hooked as anyone can be with anything. It was just so nostalgically and completely 90s! And I loved that!
A show doesn’t run for 9 years and over 170 episodes without being some kind of special, especially taking into account the depreciation due to being dated, as all sitcoms eventually are, and it really is quite remarkable – deserving of a place in the conversation of the greatest ever American half hour shows. Sure, there is an element early on in the preoccupation with everyone’s sex life and dating habits that is a little creepy in 2020, but I am totally willing to forgive it.
Shows that are hyper aware of themselves and the audience are odd creatures the minute they take themselves too seriously, and Seinfeld never does that. It knows it is trivial, essentially about nothing and going nowhere, and style-wise it is always winking at us for being in on the joke and a part of it, even to the point of applauding new characters on their entrance, which is a uniquely American thing to do.
The secret of the show is undoubtedly the chemistry of the four leads, so mismatched that it someone works a spell and creates magic, much in the same way Friends managed to do, times six. Jerry Seinfeld himself is a very likeable everyman, and the schtick of each show beginning and ending with 30 seconds of stand up is a gimmick that grows on you, as does everything about it: the more you watch, the more you love it for what it is.
Jason Alexander as the balding, quirky, self-conscious, opinionated best friend is perhaps my least favourite of the regular quartet, but he has some amazing moments over the course of things, and plays great dead-pan. But the other two are on a plane of equal genius. The verbal timing of the super cute, super smart Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine (who I have fallen in love with a little bit in 1993) and the physical slapstick timing of Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer (surely one of the most memorable characters in sitcom history) have both left me aching with laughter time after time after time. Just a glance or an expression is often enough.
And the great thing is, it never seems to get old. They are always finding new ways and new situations that keep it fresh. Some trick! Even in the final season of the 9, when there is a small melancholia creeping in because they all know it is coming to an end, it still manages to create moments that aren’t just repeats of previous gags. Which means, as future background watching it is 100% perfect. Leave it on whilst doing something else, look up once in a while, and like the best of all long running US comedy shows each episode is indistinguishable from any other in the best way – it is like having a friend in the room.
I can’t imagine ever saying it is amongst my very favourites, maybe because I missed out on it first time around – which I put down to an inherent middle aged appeal, rather than a youth appeal – but I wouldn’t also ever argue with anyone that did say that it was one of their favourites. Because I get it now. And I’m so glad I got to do it, no matter how late to the party!
One random day with nothing else inspiring me I finally took the plunge and put an episode on. Guess what happened? I laughed, I found it completely charming and witty and easy to watch, with some great lines and likeable characters. 3 hours later I had done 6 episodes and was as hooked as anyone can be with anything. It was just so nostalgically and completely 90s! And I loved that!
A show doesn’t run for 9 years and over 170 episodes without being some kind of special, especially taking into account the depreciation due to being dated, as all sitcoms eventually are, and it really is quite remarkable – deserving of a place in the conversation of the greatest ever American half hour shows. Sure, there is an element early on in the preoccupation with everyone’s sex life and dating habits that is a little creepy in 2020, but I am totally willing to forgive it.
Shows that are hyper aware of themselves and the audience are odd creatures the minute they take themselves too seriously, and Seinfeld never does that. It knows it is trivial, essentially about nothing and going nowhere, and style-wise it is always winking at us for being in on the joke and a part of it, even to the point of applauding new characters on their entrance, which is a uniquely American thing to do.
The secret of the show is undoubtedly the chemistry of the four leads, so mismatched that it someone works a spell and creates magic, much in the same way Friends managed to do, times six. Jerry Seinfeld himself is a very likeable everyman, and the schtick of each show beginning and ending with 30 seconds of stand up is a gimmick that grows on you, as does everything about it: the more you watch, the more you love it for what it is.
Jason Alexander as the balding, quirky, self-conscious, opinionated best friend is perhaps my least favourite of the regular quartet, but he has some amazing moments over the course of things, and plays great dead-pan. But the other two are on a plane of equal genius. The verbal timing of the super cute, super smart Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine (who I have fallen in love with a little bit in 1993) and the physical slapstick timing of Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer (surely one of the most memorable characters in sitcom history) have both left me aching with laughter time after time after time. Just a glance or an expression is often enough.
And the great thing is, it never seems to get old. They are always finding new ways and new situations that keep it fresh. Some trick! Even in the final season of the 9, when there is a small melancholia creeping in because they all know it is coming to an end, it still manages to create moments that aren’t just repeats of previous gags. Which means, as future background watching it is 100% perfect. Leave it on whilst doing something else, look up once in a while, and like the best of all long running US comedy shows each episode is indistinguishable from any other in the best way – it is like having a friend in the room.
I can’t imagine ever saying it is amongst my very favourites, maybe because I missed out on it first time around – which I put down to an inherent middle aged appeal, rather than a youth appeal – but I wouldn’t also ever argue with anyone that did say that it was one of their favourites. Because I get it now. And I’m so glad I got to do it, no matter how late to the party!
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Captain Marvel (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Captain Mehvel
#captainmarvel isnt a bad movie its just not a very #super one, instead feeling hollow & lacking in excitement & wow factor. I was actually really #hyped for this movie but at just 40 minutes in I was not only bored but feeling extreamly exhausted. Feeling like a strange mix of #powerrangers, #buffythevampireslayer & a #startrek episode from the #90s Captain Marvel certainly feels tone wise very different to other #marvel films. This i found to be a blessing & a curse leading to the style a lot of the time coming across as outdated/low budget & also made the film seem silly ruining all the serious plot points & making characters feel very out of place. Another problem i had was the #nostalgia bombardment it becomes so distracting to the point where i felt like i was watching a #PeterKay stand up show "remember this? remember that? wasnt this good?" etc. #brielarson & #judelaw stand out acting wise yet i feel we dont really get to know their characters intricately enough, meaning when the films final act hits i wasnt emotionally invested in either of them or the struggles they have overcome & internal progress they had made felt a bit flat/less exciting. Theres a cool theme explored about people & how we never give up no matter how many times we are knocked down but this was possibly the only time i felt the #film going deeper or in a unique direction. Action is done well with some awesome sound design but again there's nothing incredible or that memorable its all just ok completly watchable stuff really. Now don't get me wrong it is very well made (as you would expect) the special effects are stellar as are the fantastic costume designs, the score is electrifying & the soundtrack is really #fun. I think the problem with this movie is that it has to fit & tie all the other movies together while bringing us this cool character & because of this it suffers as a #film feeling more like filler until #avengersendgame. Theres no omph, wowness, interesting relationships, engrossing story or high stake moments that make you stand up & shout HELL YEAH! its just very Captain Meh-vel. #wonderwoman did it better. #disney #mcu #avengers #stanlee #superhero #nationalwomensday
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Captain Marvel (2019) in Movies
May 14, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2020)
Captain Marvel delivers a solid and safe chapter into the MCU
Contains spoilers, click to show
After 10 years of connected movies, Marvel are finally introducing one of their most powerful characters into their cinematic universe, and there's plenty to be excited about.
It's Marvel's first truly female led movie for a start, and the decision to forgo the original Mar-vell from the comics, and dive straight into the story of Carol Danvers is a wise move.
This decision routes the film in a 90s setting, with plenty of nostalgic call backs (Blockbuster anyone?), and a solid grunge filled soundtrack, that compliments a world that is yet to see The Avengers.
It's fun to see a non jaded Nick Fury, blissfully unaware of the extent of the cosmic universe, and a pleasure to see Clark Gregg return to the MCU as Coulson (a short but sweet roll). Side roles for Anette Benning and Lashana Lynch are nicely fleshed as well.
At this point, I'm still not 100% sold on Brie Larson, but she carries the film well enough for it to be an above average origin story, but honestly, the supporting cast outshines her at times (even Goose the cat threatens to steal the show at times).
As for the villains, well, the trailers painted the long anticipated Skrulls as the main threat, but the movie pulls a right turn midway through, and reveals that Talos and his Skrull followers are actually refugees, trying to escape the clutches of Jude Law and his murderous Kree death squad.
The Skrulls are a welcome edition to the MCU, and sets up a possible Secret Invasion storyline in the future, however, the direction of the story and the script pummels Jude Law into one the most underwhelming MCU villains we've had so far.
By the same merit, this film is all about it's titular character, and I would imagine the writers never wanted that focus to stray - Carol Danvers is here to stay after all.
Captain Marvel is a low stakes, colourful comic book adventure that nicely and safely fills a gap in the MCU, and sets us you nicely for post Endgame stories.
It's Marvel's first truly female led movie for a start, and the decision to forgo the original Mar-vell from the comics, and dive straight into the story of Carol Danvers is a wise move.
This decision routes the film in a 90s setting, with plenty of nostalgic call backs (Blockbuster anyone?), and a solid grunge filled soundtrack, that compliments a world that is yet to see The Avengers.
It's fun to see a non jaded Nick Fury, blissfully unaware of the extent of the cosmic universe, and a pleasure to see Clark Gregg return to the MCU as Coulson (a short but sweet roll). Side roles for Anette Benning and Lashana Lynch are nicely fleshed as well.
At this point, I'm still not 100% sold on Brie Larson, but she carries the film well enough for it to be an above average origin story, but honestly, the supporting cast outshines her at times (even Goose the cat threatens to steal the show at times).
As for the villains, well, the trailers painted the long anticipated Skrulls as the main threat, but the movie pulls a right turn midway through, and reveals that Talos and his Skrull followers are actually refugees, trying to escape the clutches of Jude Law and his murderous Kree death squad.
The Skrulls are a welcome edition to the MCU, and sets up a possible Secret Invasion storyline in the future, however, the direction of the story and the script pummels Jude Law into one the most underwhelming MCU villains we've had so far.
By the same merit, this film is all about it's titular character, and I would imagine the writers never wanted that focus to stray - Carol Danvers is here to stay after all.
Captain Marvel is a low stakes, colourful comic book adventure that nicely and safely fills a gap in the MCU, and sets us you nicely for post Endgame stories.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies
May 17, 2019
Dantes Inferno
#johnwick3 is an adrenalin shot to the #heart, delivering on almost all of its promises to be bigger, better & smarter than its previous instalments. #johnwick films have always risen above the generic & mundane action films we get bombarded with nowadays as they seem to understand what makes action thrilling as well as learning from the best action #classics of the past & #johnwick3parabellum is no exception to this either. JW3 (like John Wick the character himself) shows just how much its evolved, learnt new skills & matured as a film realising that action its self is too an art form just as graceful, elegant & smooth flowing as a #ballet. In fact the comparison to ballet, #dance & #theatre is present during most #action scenes making them a beautifully choreographed, atmospheric & visually stunning display of bullet barrages & swooping movement. Comparisons dont end there either i was thrilled to see John compared to #Dante (from #DantesInferno) & there are countless scenes inspired by or paying homage to old #westerns, #90s action films, #Korean #revenge films & old #kungfu/#Japanese mob films which was #respectful & added to the films #charm too. World building is expanded on more in this one also as are some characters stories & I absolutely #loved seeing John evolve & learn from each fight to help him progress/gain an edge over his opponents. #Fights are thrilling, wincingly #violent & so exhilarating that I once again found my #heart racing with highlights being a #knife in an old shop & gunfight involving attack #dogs which was incredibly fresh & intense. Cinematography is ravishing always especially when smoke, #neon & rain is being pumped out all across the screen with #electrifying & mood drenching effect. Sadly I do have some negatives, I found the last act shoddy compared to the intelligence, thrill & beauty of the first two. In this act an odd #humour creeps in that felt a bit off, #action feels subpar compared to what we've just already seen, the ending a little silly & i also found the main #villain under used & under developed. That being said its still a fantastically made, must see showstopper thats learnt from the best. #keanureeves #matrix
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Horror Stories: A Memoir by Liz Phair in Books
Feb 27, 2020
I wanted so badly to like this book, I really did. I've loved Liz Phair's music since the 90s, and I was pretty excited when I heard she'd written a memoir. But this.....this is not great.
It's a memoir, I KNOW it's a memoir, but there's no cohesive narrative and it kind of drives me nuts. It reads more like a collection of essays detailing specific pieces of her life, and it jumps all over the place. More disappointing, however, is that she comes across as kind of an asshole. I could forgive that, because hey, listen, we were all kind of assholes in our youth, no? But she seems so completely self-centered, self-involved, and spoiled that it rendered some of this very hard to get through, especially as I'd been fangirling about this book for a long time. I wanted to read about a bad ass indie rock queen, not a jerk who cheats on her husband for no discernible reason, thinks that throwing money at a cultural misunderstanding (that she caused) will make it go away, and whines about how the cute stock boy she's flirting with at Trader Joe's is actually engaged.
That being said, one of the final stories in the book very much got to me: she's at a lecture with her aging parents, and she's noticing how many of the attendees have trouble getting around due to their age and mobility issues. One of the older gentlemen attempts to get up to go outside, and he ends up falling in front of everyone, repeating over and over (with tears in his eyes) how embarrassed he is. She sees this, and once the gentlemen is seated next to her, she goes out of her way to bolster him (tells him he "fell like an athlete," then asks if he ever was an athlete), and holds a conversation with him throughout the remainder of the lecture to get his mind off of the entire incident. This act struck me as so kind that it almost redeems her for everything else in the book. And that is how Liz Phair was nearly able to bring me to tears at the tail end of a fairly lackluster memoir.
It's a memoir, I KNOW it's a memoir, but there's no cohesive narrative and it kind of drives me nuts. It reads more like a collection of essays detailing specific pieces of her life, and it jumps all over the place. More disappointing, however, is that she comes across as kind of an asshole. I could forgive that, because hey, listen, we were all kind of assholes in our youth, no? But she seems so completely self-centered, self-involved, and spoiled that it rendered some of this very hard to get through, especially as I'd been fangirling about this book for a long time. I wanted to read about a bad ass indie rock queen, not a jerk who cheats on her husband for no discernible reason, thinks that throwing money at a cultural misunderstanding (that she caused) will make it go away, and whines about how the cute stock boy she's flirting with at Trader Joe's is actually engaged.
That being said, one of the final stories in the book very much got to me: she's at a lecture with her aging parents, and she's noticing how many of the attendees have trouble getting around due to their age and mobility issues. One of the older gentlemen attempts to get up to go outside, and he ends up falling in front of everyone, repeating over and over (with tears in his eyes) how embarrassed he is. She sees this, and once the gentlemen is seated next to her, she goes out of her way to bolster him (tells him he "fell like an athlete," then asks if he ever was an athlete), and holds a conversation with him throughout the remainder of the lecture to get his mind off of the entire incident. This act struck me as so kind that it almost redeems her for everything else in the book. And that is how Liz Phair was nearly able to bring me to tears at the tail end of a fairly lackluster memoir.
Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins
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In May 1997, the world watched as Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player in the world, was...
computing technology science biography
Ultimate Fan 101: Tupac Edition
Music and Entertainment
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The BEST 2Pac App made for the fans by the fans. All you need to stay connected and entertained....