The 8-episode season of The Peripheral was based on a William Gibson book, which I have not (as yet) read. There will be no Season 2, which is probably a good thing. It was quite well done, though as per usual it was filled with violence, mostly guns of some type, but also plenty of so called hand to hand combat. The series would appeal to those people who play shooter games on their screens, but the plot is actually quite cerebral. It kind of takes VR to its outer limits. Recommended, and I may try to squeeze in a read of the novel. It is the first of a trilogy, of which two have been published. The series is showing on Prime.
We are now about four or five episodes into the newest Rings episodes, and have met Tom Bombadil. Nothing too exciting there, but the series is creating some tension in Moria. We know what lives beneath the mines, down very deep, but the Dwarves are about to find out for the first time. I'm getting a little sick of Elves and Hobbits, so I'm glad that the Dwarves are there to take up slack. It is so unfortunate that Prime was not given rights to the Silmarillion. Instead, Peter Jackson will likely rewrite it all to his taste and show us how brilliant he is.
In local news, yours truly survived another journey around the Sun. Celebrations were centered around food, and since it is also Bilbo and Frodo's birthday, it seems a fitting way to get through the day. The morning began with home made cinnamon buns. That was followed at lunch time by spaghetti with vegan meatballs and a wonderful minced veggie topping, all made fresh by Deb. Then we baked a ginger birthday cake (with decadent icing!), finally sitting down to watch Rings and Peripheral. I had a quart of very fine Saison ale I had been saving, and sipped it away over a two hour period. I also treated myself to some extra reading time today (a novel by Dashiel Hammet is currently in my hands)
Autumn returned this morning, and this is to be the final hot day! We have been doing our training in sunny, very warm temps, despite our early start. And for the first time in weeks, it is actually raining outside. The land is quite parched here. Not much rain, but a little bit. So tomorrow's strenuous walk should be in a much cooler, possibly even cloudy, environment.
We also scored two decent movies this weekend, beginning with Lady In The Lake, also called The Possessed. It is an Italian b & w thriller from 1965, and features some great off season locations in the Italian Alps. The mood created by the camera, music, and sounds, especially of a hollow wind in the trees, is very good. A writer travels there to find a girl he once spurned, but now wants to try a relationship. She is missing, and then he finds out that she is dead. The mystery begins there, and doesn't follow much of a normal plot path. The action and plot centres around a family that owns a large hotel in the town, and they have a lot of local pull and connections. They also own the slaughterhouse next door. Would you like a hotel room with a view of a slaughterhouse? Like a said, this film is a bit different, though not predictable at all. Recommended.
Next came Source Code from 2011, a SF thriller that opens with terrific aerial scenes of downtown Chicago. A wounded American Afghanistan pilot is brought home to continue his service in a different way. In a confusing opening, he is put on a train to discover who the bomber is that will destroy the train in 8 minutes. When the train explodes we know nothing of his mission, nor does he. But it soon becomes clear. He will have time for more attempts, but each one can only last for 8 minutes. The film becomes a bit like Groundhog Day, as the soldier gets to replay the scene, fix his mistakes, and try to find the bomber. The only problem is that the people on the train are already dead, so he is not saving anyone here. But if the bomber can be identified, then a much worse terrorist incident can be truly prevented. Another quite good film, and if not exactly nail biting, then it is good SF at least. The two main characters all also quite likable.
Mapman Mike
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