CRRRRS 446 Zero Days Since Last Accident

By Roy Mathur, on 2022-06-24, at 23:02:41--23:40:52 BST, for Captain Roy's Rusty Rocket Radio Show, Listen

Annoying

I keep making grandiose announcements on social media, as if I could change anything by tweeting at an unethical politician or megacorporation!

All I'm doing is stressing myself out and, ironically, feeding the advertising potential of Twitter, yet another megacorporation, and I really don't want to help Elon Musk make a profit when/if he buys Twitter. I hope the whole thing tanks.

Death

One of the daughters, of the aunty I mentioned who died recently, also died a few days ago. My condolences to my uncle and his family.

Also, RIP Ray Liotta.

Timber!

I had trees to chop down.

Okay, they were saplings, twelve foot saplings, mind you, so I deserve to wallow in my well-deserved aura of profound manliness, especially as working out in the midday sun set off my migraine.

Santa Beard

I shaved off my Santa beard again.

I still look rubbish, but at least I can see my drokking Judge Dredd chin. I like my chin.

Zero Days Since Last Accident

Decades of accident-free fountain pen use, until a couple of weeks ago when I stabbed myself with a nib. Then, a couple of days ago, I spilled half a bottle of black Quink.

Where

I've been feeling very low lately, not just because of the depressing family news, or my many minor health issues, but also because I'm me and, by default, I'm stressed.

It's been a struggle to do anything, but when you have responsibilities, you do the bare minimum things you need to do to survive. You pay bills and shop, even if you're being attacked by zombie dragons, unless you want to lose your home and starve.

Those essentials did not include podcasting, though it should be on the list, along with writing.

Sorry.

The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Production of Doctor Who

I added an actual physical book to add to my Doctor Who library. Actually, it's the only DW book since the Great Purge 10+ years ago. I'm still sad about that.

The book from 2005 by by David J. Howe, Stephen James Walker, and Mark Stammers came out in 2005 and is, I believe, one of several different collected reprints of the Virgin series.

Besides being just a wonderful, big, chunky book, it should help me factcheck my classic Doctor Who reviews.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

While Flea in a loud shirt was prime ham as a villain, the Reva actress was great, the little Leia girl-actress was great, and in all the joy of Star Wars fandom, it's sometimes easy to forget how poignant, sad, ultimately what a greek tragedy Star Wars is, which is also what makes Star Wars so universally human; something this series embodies.

Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan is a really great character. I liked the Alec Guinness version and I like McGregor's take, especially in this series. You see, I despise hero worship on a sub-atomic level, but that doesn't mean I can't admire characters who I think are simply good people. Obi-Wan's a Jedi, so being good shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, but the scenes where Obi-Wan puts his personal mission and desires aside for the greater good are inspiring. For example, when balancing the danger to Leia with the danger to many others, he surrenders to the needs of the many and serves, rather than leads.

By the end, he succeeds in not only saving Leia, but also accomplishing the task given to him by Master Yoda of contacting Qui-Gon Jinn.

No idea if there's to be a season two, but it ended when it needed to end with all loose ends tied up.

The Lazarus Project

Sky, UK show in which nerdy Brit bloke's time travelling groundhog episodes is explained by too much breezy exposition 15 minutes in.

This action/drama/sci-fi show is too similar to half a dozen other films, shows, and books, but fun oldschool science fiction TV anyway.

And it's nice to see ther excellent actor Paapa Essiedu again after his touching role in I May Destroy You.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

In episode 7: The Serene Squall, I knew who the baddie was immediately; earrings, facial tattoo and later a spidery supervillain suit gave it away. Props to Jesse James Keitel for carrying off the villainous Captain Angel.

The episode, space pirate campy as it was, could have been even more space piratey because you can't have too much space pirateyiness, then it would have been made even more just for me (because #CRRRRS), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. And that's even with the cringey obligatory fanservice Robert Newton tribute "argh!" at the end. Seriously, did they make this episode for me? Did they?

BTW, the Orion thicky looked like Taserface actor from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He wasn't, but I bet the character must have been based on him.

I've taken to calling Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Captain Hair. That hair has no right to be that good at that man's age. Anson Mount's hair, we salute you!

Sherwood

I usually talk geek pop culture on CRRRRS pod, however, here is a non-SFFH recommendation on BBC iPlayer.

Sherwood is a gripping police thriller set in Nottinghamshire in the continuing fallout, years later, from Margaret Thatcher's decimation, using every dirty trick available, of the National Union of Miners.

In retrospect, Arthur Scargill was right.

The King's Man

Toffs again save the world from dastardly foreigners with the help of the help.

The whole Rasputin plot is quite homophobic in tone and Rys Ifaan's Russian accent is abominable, but his stunt double's Georgian dancing and fighting scene was fun and had me rooting for the bad guy. The film also doesn't shy away from showing that the British Empire was a violent, nasty racket, e.g. Boer concentration camps.

Tip to the intelligence services: no one trusts servants, cleaners, etc. They're not all bloody Alfred.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), post-WandaVision (of which I have only seen the first episode), goes insane over a dead husband, and not having kids because apparently that's what happens to women. Then she risks the entire multiverse to put things right. Good luck a bloke in a syrup (Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange MD and sorceror) is there to save the day.

It is very very long and took me two days to watch.

It is very very Evil Dead. I recognised that even though I did not know until the end credits that it was directed by Sam Raimi. Bruce Campbell even has a small part.

However, the faux-cult occult and the Ditko psychedelia were pleasingly paid homage to, and I always, always appreciate a sexy, gothy, evil queen. Really.

Togfest 2022

At Bradwell Abbey every year, there's an almighty racket just a few minutes from my home. Earlier tonight I hopped over several fences and went to see and tape what all the hullabaloo was about.

It was Togfest, a local music festival that runs for two days, and costs GBP 20--40. I heard some blues through the trees, then saw the stage in my line-of-sight, though I didn't recognise any of the acts.

Have a listen. (It was taped on my phone, so it will be a bit rough).

This feels like something I've talked about before. Have I?