Movie Review: Escape from New York (1981)

Escape from New York (1981) co-written and directed by John Carpenter

In the far flung future of 1997, Manhattan has become the maximum security prison for the United States, walled off with 50-foot barrier and existing as a no-man's land where criminals have to take care of themselves. The system works well until terrorists hijack Air Force One with the President (Donald Pleasance) on board. They crash into Manhattan. The security guards stationed on Liberty Island get a call from Washington that the president needs to be recovered because he was going to a critical conference and was carrying an audio tape with key information to pass along. Luckily, ex-army-commando-now-criminal Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is about to be shipped over to Manhattan to serve his sentence. Security recruits him to save the president, offering him a full pardon. They also give him two subdermal capsules that will explode in 24 hours if he does not bring the president back in time for the conference. They drop Plissken on the top of the World Trade Center, where he makes his way down to the street and searches for the president.

Of course this classic 1980s action film is dated. The special effects are a bit clunky but not too bad. The predicted future is not anywhere near happening even now, three decades after the supposed events. Russell starts his performance with a Clint-Eastwood vibe that seems like he is not even trying to make the character his own, though his character has a cool name and an eye-patch. He settles into the role as the movie goes on and becomes a charming anti-hero by the end. The grimy world is typically strewn with garbage and darkness; the characters are all in tatty clothing of post-apocalyptic landscapes. Actually, there have not been much advances in that in the past forty years.

The film is full of colorful characters played by minor stars. Lee Van Cleef is the head of security negotiating with Plissken and tracking his progress from outside. Plissken keeps running into a taxi driver (Ernest Borgnine) who helps out a lot. The Brain (Harry Dean Stanton) is the science guru of Manhattan, creating gas and other necessities for the isolated island. His girlfriend (Adrienne Barbeau) is the chesty woman, almost the only woman in the prison, though she is a tough woman, not a sex object. The guy holding the president is The Duke (Isaac Hayes), a maniacal crime lord in a land full of crime. He has all sorts of ways to hold his power and to get out of the prison, if they can rely on The Brain's map of a booby-trapped bridge. They all give entertaining performances and give the film some grounding. 

The ending is the typical anti-hero outcome of the 1980s, a bit of nostalgia for me. Carpenter is a solid director and delivers another fun synth score for this film like he did for Halloween. 

Mildly recommended--this is a fun action film though Russell and Carpenter have done better. 

TV Review: Eighty-Six (2020)

Eighty-Six (2020) created by Asato Asato from the light novel series

The Republic of San Magnolia, a somewhat-ahead of our time country, is at war. They tout their defense forces as unmanned drones heroically knocking back the enemy. But the drones are not unmanned, they are vehicles piloted by people (mostly teens) from the Eighty-Sixth district. Eight-sixers are considered socially inferior to the grey-haired, blue-eyed denizens of the other eighty-five districts. So naturally they are disposable and maybe not trustworthy. The military uses handlers (safe tucked away that the capital's military headquarters) to direct the drones' attacks. One handler, Major Lena Milize, is outspoken in her contempt of the situation. Her military equals at HQ spend most of their time drinking and enjoying themselves and making fun of her for how seriously she takes the responsibility. Her record stands for itself, with many successes. She's assigned to a new group, one that has caused previous handlers to go crazy or commit suicide. 

As the story goes on, it spins away from the capital and Major Milize. The focus narrows to the elite unit which survives several battles and gets involved in harder and harder missions. They eventually get the opportunity to leave the battlefield behind, but they have more loyalty to each other and to victory than they have contempt for the oppressive elitists hiding at the capital. And they slowly gain some respect for Lena

The story deals with a lot of different issues. There's class division that makes both sides contemptuous of the other, though some characters are able to look beyond that and recognize their shared humanity. The Eighty-sixers also deal with a lot of death in their ranks, since they are constantly on the front line and don't always have the resources they need. The interesting social dynamic is supported by exciting action sequences and an extra sub-plot where two siblings wind up on opposite sides of the conflict. The whole package is handled well.

Recommended.

Book Review: Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus Ligouri

Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

In this short work, Saint Alphonsus Ligouri recommends that the greatest and surest way to holiness is to desire what God wills in all situations of our lives. Sure, it is easy to consent when we have good things or are experiencing good times. Even in those times, we experience a temptation to forget about God, to give the credit for those good things to ourselves (or luck or chance or fate). Conversely, we blame God for the bad things that happen to us, the suffering we undergo. Ligouri's key insight is that God desires our good at all times and in all situations. When suffering comes, do not complain about it, especially to God. He knows what we need and what is for our perfection. Perhaps we need humiliation or discomfort to move us away from sin and selfishness, to move us toward Him by conforming our will to His. If we can do this, i.e. unite our will to God's will, a sense of peace and joy is ours, even in tribulations. It's how martyrs sang and prayed as they were led to horrible deaths. They offered their lives to God and knew that their actions, even though probably not chosen by them, were in conformity to God's will and brought them to the Kingdom.

Ligouri includes some very practical advice in various situations, internal and external. Accepting concrete situations as a gift for our betterment is the truth path to holiness. Everything is from God who loves us and wants us to be His. We just need to offer ourselves.

Highly recommended--this is a quick read and the center of living a holy life.

SAMPLE QUOTE:

Sickness is the acid test of spirituality, because it discloses whether our virtue is real or sham. If the soul is not agitated, does not break out in lamentations, is not feverishly restless in seeking a cure, but instead is submissive to the doctors and to superiors, is serene and tranquil, completely resigned to God's will, it is a sign that that soul is well-grounded in virtue.

Game Review: Unlock! Legendary Adventures by Space Cowboys

Unlock! Legendary Adventures (2021) published by Space Cowboys, designed by Matthieu Casnin, Marion du Faouet, and Dave Neale

This set of "escape rooms at home" use a set of cards and a downloaded phone or tablet app to guide you through the adventure (and keep track of how much time you have used). Some of the games also require components in the box, including a surprise set of components.

Action Story--Stella's stolen a jewel of immense value and you are in hot pursuit! Luckily, you have a James Bond-like car with a grappling hook and all sorts of tunes to listen to. The high speed chase quickly morphs into something quite different in an enjoyable way as the puzzles keep coming.

This is supposed to be the easiest challenge in the box but I found a bunch of the puzzles were not at all obvious how they should be solved, including the final puzzle which was unfortunate. I used some hints and the walk-through to get through tight spots. I really enjoyed the theme but the implementation could have been a lot better.

Robin Hood: Dead or Alive--Players are part of the Merry Men, working with Robin Hood to rob from the rich and give to the poor. Things quickly turn against Robin, who winds up in the Sheriff of Nottingham's jail. It's up to the players to get Robing out of the jam he is in. Solving puzzles lets players explore a bit of Robin's world and do some of the iconic deeds like fighting with quarterstaffs and doing trick shots with a bow and arrow.

The game play is a little tricky, relying on a lot of in-app bits to unlock the next puzzle or challenge. Some were a bit hard to follow, like the bard whose song needs to be decrypted to get one of the codes. We had a couple of misfires and needed hints. Most of the mechanics were fun, including some additional components we didn't know about. We enjoyed the game but found it a bit harder than it needed to be.

We almost ran out of time but still got four stars. We need to improve our cyber-archery skills!

Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Burnt Angels--Players help out Sherlock Holmes as he investigates three murders in London. The murderer is a man named Red Henry who seems to be bent on some sort of revenge. The clues take the investigation all over London, requiring a lot of movement and a lot of observation.

This is the hardest-rated adventure on the box. Players get the usual deck of cards and a special "magnifying glass" which is a heavier card with a whole cut in the middle. For certain clues, this "magnifying glass" helps to find the right number for the next card. One of those clues was a bit of a stretch and we only found out what we were supposed to do afterwards. A couple of cards come together to form a map and players use the app to travel to London locations where further clues (i.e. cards) are revealed. The whole investigation worked fairly well with only a few hiccups here and there for us. We enjoyed it, though we did pause in the middle for bedtime and had to restart the adventure in the app the next day. Catching up wasn't hard.

The Holmes adventure was my favorite in this set. I would definitely try more Unlock! games in the future.

Book Review: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf by J. Pageau et al.

The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf written by Jonathan Pageau and illustrations by Chris Weaver

In another retelling of a classic fairy tale, Pageau presents the familiar story of Red Riding Hood with a little more detail and a few innovations. Red is sent off by her mother to Grandmother's house with a basket of food. She's told to stick to the path but, as a twelve-year old, she is easily distracted by berries and flowers along the way. The temptations lead her to a tattered circus tent where a big talking wolf tries to engage her. She shies away and gets back on the path, though he is fleeter of foot on the way to the house. After impersonating Red to get into Grandmother's house and eat Granny, he pulls the same trick by impersonating the Grandmother when Red shows up. After devouring them both, the Wolf takes the path back to Red's house, where more troubles and twists happen.

The variations in this tale give it a freshness and enjoyability because they hew closely to the themes and message of the story by Charles Perrault. This isn't some revisionist screed. The innovations underline the importance of caution and trusting one's own sense that something is off in a situation, like an inauthentic voice coming from that character in Grandma's bed. The book ends with an essay by Pageau giving his own interpretation of the text and a bit of commentary on other versions and interpretations. His ideas are a nice addition and give some extra food for thought. The illustrations throughout the book are nice but not as fine as in other volumes by Pageau. 

Highly recommended. 

Movie Review: The Comedy of Errors (1983)

The Comedy of Errors (1983) directed by James Cellan Jones based on the play by William Shakespeare

This BBC production features Michael Kitchen in the dual roles of Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, twins separated at a very young age by circumstance. Oddly enough, both Antipholi have a servant named Dromeo (Roger Daltrey in both roles (yes, the lead singer from The Who)), born about the same time and also separated at a very young age by the same circumstance. As the story opens, Aegeon (Cyril Cusak) is about to be executed for a large debt, though the Duke of Ephesus (Charles Grey) will pardon him if someone will cover the debt. Aegeon is the father of the Antipholi and raised the Syracuse one, who just happens to show up in Ephesus pretty quickly. By this point, Aegeon is cooling his heels in jail. While Antipholus of Syracuse and his Dromeo are shopping, Antipholus sends him off to their lodging to secure some money. Sure enough, the Dromeo of Ephesus shows up and has a confusing and amusing conversation with Antipholus. He tells Antipholus his wife wants him to come to eat lunch and doesn't know anything about the pile of money the other Dromeo is carting around. Antipholus of Syracuse is not amused by this but does wind up going to dinner with the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus. The convoluted mix-ups continue throughout the story to great comic effect.

Being made in 1983, I am sure the novelty of having a split-screen performance, which allows Kitchen and Daltrey to play both roles in the same scene, was a great gimmick. They give good performances as their characters. The story is a delightful comedy with some fun twists and a winning supporting cast (though a lot of the necklines on the women's dresses were very low). The set looks a little stagey, with one town square serving for most of the film, though some scenes are in the Ephesus home of Antipholus and his wife. The floor of the square is a mosaic of the Mediterranean, showing where Ephesus and Syracuse are, so they didn't stint on that. The overhead shots showing the map are impressive and not something that could be done in the theater. for all the patrons. The opening is a little slow but the pace picks up after the first act. The play is a lot of fun and has the classic happy ending for everyone that Shakespeare is so good at.

We watched this because my son is in a middle school production of the play, so it was a bit of research. I don't think I had read or seen this play before and am glad to have a preview of my son's production!

Recommended.

Cute Kid Pix February 2026

More pictures that didn't get their own posts...

Scout Sunday was early in February and our scout carried the troop flag in the Presentation of the Colors just before Mass started.

Scout Sunday

We joined a local indoor pool which has "Wibit Sundays" with inflatables in the pool to make it more exciting.

Very exciting

For Mardi Gras, we made our own King Cake. It was very tasty and fun to make!

Decorating the cake

I went over to Virginia for a board game swap. On the way back I stopped off for some geocaches. One was at Lock 8 on the C & O Canal. The canal connects Georgetown in the District of Columbia with "way out west" Ohio as an early form of cheap transportation before railroads went in. It's not in use anymore but has been turned into a national park with hiking and biking trails along with historical locations. This lock has seen better days but it was fun to visit and the cache was easy to find.

Lock 8 and me

Another geocache is on the grounds of Glen Echo Park, though it is a virtual cache, so no actual container to find. The park was an amusement park back in the day, with bumper cars, a carousel, a ballroom, and other attractions. The carousel still runs on weekends in good weather and the ballroom hosts dance lessons and social dances. People would take the trolly from downtown DC for a fun afternoon in the country.

By the defunct pool

I was surprised to see some art literally on the ground. Complacency is a depiction how people are sinking into the ground since they don't care about climate change. A bit preachy, and maybe not entirely accurate.

Art with a message

We went for another hike along the Savage Mill Trail, which has plenty of scenic view of the Patuxent River.

Hiking along

No picture, please!

The river