Odds and ends
Yesterday was another beautiful day, so naturally, I’m still taking some sunset photos. I’m usually quite self-critical of my photography skills, but in this case, I’m actually pretty happy with how these turned out. Now, I just need to make sure to add these to my sunsets gallery whenever I get the opportunity.
So, I finished watching all the Final Destination movies last week before seeing an advanced screening of Bloodlines, which was shown as part of a double bill with the original film. Alas, I know not everybody’s seen it yet so I’ll keep this spoiler free. Either way, I had a lot of fun with it. The deaths are as outlandish and convoluted as you might expect from these films, but it’s also surprisingly poignant in areas. Well, poignant by Final Destination standards, but Tony Todd’s role in this film is genuinely moving and… dare I say it, rather life-affirming in its own weird way. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but considering this is a franchise that might make you afraid to do… literally anything, that really is saying something.
I also rewatched Minority Report yesterday, which I’ve always found to be one of Spielberg’s more overlooked films. I don’t know if I would call it underrated per se, as it was a critical and commercial success at the time and it also sold well on DVD, but it remains in the shadows of his most iconic and influential work. Even still, I think it’s a brilliant film. It’s thematically rich and thought-provoking while also delivering on the blockbuster thrills and suspense that made Spielberg the icon of cinema that he is, but what’s astonishing about Minority Report is how eerily prescient it is about the use of technology, especially in one scene where protagonist John Anderton is walking through a shopping mall filled with retina scanners and personalised adverts. It’s uncomfortably invasive but also chillingly plausible in our current climate. If nothing else, it’s also a pretty clever use of product placement.
I’ve also recently been gifted with an acoustic guitar, which I’ll need to get a stand and a tuner for, and that reminds me, I also still need to get that broken string on my electric guitar sorted.
Anything else? Um… I finally started watching The Acolyte last night. I’m about five episodes in and I still don’t entirely understand why it’s attracted such ire among certain Star Wars fans. I’m enjoying it so far. I think it’s got an intriguing plot, I like the characters and I really enjoy the wuxia influence. Not much else to say other than my first impressions of the show are pretty positive.
