The two biggest fighting game franchises of their time (and ours) were adapted into feature films one after another: first Street Fighter in 1994, then Mortal Kombat in 1995. The question is, why did one work and the other didn’t? The Structure: The first and, I think, the most important factor is how the two … Continue reading Compare – Contrast: ‘Street Fighter’ vs. ‘Mortal Kombat’
Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: On Professor Tolkien and Related(?) Matters
1. I have been reading the letters of Professor Tolkien lately, mostly straight through, though sometimes jumping about when I want to find his views on something specific. Mostly I read it because I enjoy his company, as it were, and I feel as though I am getting to know him personally as a man. … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Professor Tolkien and Related(?) Matters
Thought of the Day: Blaming Audiences
I notice that audiences always seem to get blamed for Hollywood's attitudes: people say things like "audiences wouldn't have accepted an actor like this in a lead role before such-and-such, but the country was more mature now." I remember seeing a clip from a Film Noir documentary where someone was saying: "The Bogarts and the … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Blaming Audiences
Friday Flotsam: Mundane Thoughts of Last Week
1. Been a fairly busy week. Got my latest appreciation video up and running, been working on tomorrow's entry in the 'compare / contrast' series, as well as working on my current book and doing stuff around the house. Also had to do some research / testing for another project, but that seems all in … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mundane Thoughts of Last Week
Thoughts on ‘Mortal Kombat'(1995)
Video Game movies seem to be going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment. Which is rather ironic, given the state of the film industry in general. 2019 gave us Detective Pikachu, a light-hearted, fun, and generally well-received take on one of the biggest gaming franchises out there, being essentially a family adventure-comedy … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Mortal Kombat'(1995)
Friday Flotsam: Rights, Duties, and Cruella de Vil
1. Regarding gun control, my judgment is this: a man has a duty to defend his home, family, and community. He cannot do this unless he is able to bear arms. Since 'ought' implies 'can', he therefore has the right to bear arms. No amount of statistics, no amount of misuse of this right abrogates … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Rights, Duties, and Cruella de Vil
Saturday Surfeit: Collective Natures
1. Obviously missed yesterday. Not anything serious, just sort of got distracted. 2. One of the great mistakes of modern thought, it seems to me, is in the dichotomy of collectivism vs. individualism. See, the trouble is that thinking in either term misses key facts about human nature and the nature of things in general. … Continue reading Saturday Surfeit: Collective Natures
Thought of the Day: Interesting Contradictions
There is a stereotype of the old aristocrat that he was utterly helpless without his servants and thoroughly disconnected from reality. Perhaps, but I notice that many, if not most of those old aristocrats went and served in the trenches in the Great War and then again in its sequel. To take a more specific … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Interesting Contradictions
Friday Flotsam: The Importance of the Things of This World
1. I think the thing that people hate and fear most about Christianity, especially Catholicism, is how important it makes the things of this world. Nobody objects to deism - belief in a creator God who is largely indifferent to humanity. Nobody seriously objects to 'spirituality' or a general belief in the afterlife or something … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: The Importance of the Things of This World
Thought of the Day
The proper response to the defensive rhetorical question "Do you think you're better than me?" is not the standard "No, of course not." Rather, it is "I don't know and I don't care."
Serpent's Den 