I'm getting a little bit behind in reporting on our film watching. A while back came The Imitation Game, a 2014 film about Alan Turing and his success in decoding the German Engima machine. While hardly up to the standard of Oppenheimer, the film is watchable thanks to another good performance by Benedict Cumberpatch, and also by Keira Knightley. While the film follows a predictable path, it tells the story through flashbacks that sometimes I found confusing. We learn of the school bullying that Turing endured and of his inability to make friends easily. The one friend he did have died young. Being gay in 20th C. England was akin to being a witch in the 16th C., and Turing suffered terribly from all sides. Watchable, and it is fun watching the decoding machine spring into action!
Sometimes films from the 1960s age reasonably well and are still relevant today. However, a few that were probably abominable upon release remain so if viewed today, only worse. Francis Ford Coppola's first feature is from 1966, called You're A Big Boy Now. The movie is almost cringe worthy from start to finish. It's a 'comedy' about a young man who was mothered a few years too long and is trying to make it on his own. He falls for a go go dancer and actress and they live together for a short span of time. With forgettable music sung by the Lovin' Spoonful, this is a movie that needs to be reburied in the deep vaults of time.
Next came another major director's first film, this one still very enjoyable after more than 100 years. The Crazy Ray is from 1924 and directed by Rene Clair. A night watchman atop the Eiffel Tower awakens to a city frozen in time. He eventually finds a small group of people also not frozen, and they move about the city partying and generally enjoying themselves. They eventually find a young woman trapped inside a building and after rescuing her they learn the cause of the stoppage of time. This is quite an astounding film, which I would file under SF. Lots of gags and at first a good puzzle of a picture. Recommended.
Across 110th Street is from 1971 and is a cop action thriller directed by Barry Shear and Starring Anthony Quinn and Tony Franciosa. The mafia is being squeezed out of Harlem by black management, and a bloodbath ensues. Franciosa plays a mafia hitman given the task of restoring order and getting back money that was stolen. Quinn plays an aging police captain who has to give up leading his squad to a black lieutenant. Racism plays a big role in the plot, but by the end of the film most of the racists are dead, leaving the blacks to deal in Harlem. All is right with the world. Lots of action, bloodshed, shootings and chase scenes. Over the top fun 1970s style.
I have found out how to take basic photos within Train Sim World 5. You are now about to see a few. First come a few images of normal runs; high speed (HS1 Southeastern) and a freight run from Leipzig coming into Dresden.
The game has something called "Free Roam" where I can place any train on any track. Of course the train must be able to run. For example electric trains require either overhead wires, as in the two trains shown above, or they won't work. Standard diesel engines work almost anywhere. So I took a little German switcher engine and brought it over to California, along with some Dresden passenger cars for a tourist run to the top of Cajon Pass. This was a long but very fun excursion!
We are still waiting for the heat to crank up in our area. Looks like next week. So far it's been a decently cool spring with sufficient rain. A funeral to attend tomorrow (husband of a teacher we taught with). Earlier in the week a female teacher passed away after a long illness, also from APS, though many years ago now. RIP Tammy. And a former student was killed last week in a local motorcycle crash. RIP John Paul. Weird.
Mapman Mike
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