Movie Review: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) co-written and directed by George Miller

Mad Max (Tom Hardy) winds up a blood donor for a low-level combat driver in a post-apocalyptic town where the main commodity is water. Water is pumped up from deep underground and given to the locals to keep them local. The leader is a fellow named Immortal Joe. He maintains the water distribution, trades with Gas Town and Bullet Town, has an army to caravan the water around, and has a group of wives. Or he had a group of wives--they've snuck out in one of the water delivery trucks driven by Imperator Furiosa (an unrecognizable Charlize Theron). She is taking them to a green place, the Land of Many Mothers, where they won't have to be incubators for Immortal Joe's offspring. Joe doesn't take kindly to them leaving and mounts up a retrieval mission. The combat driver brings Max along so he'll have enough blood (they are attached by a tube after all). It's a slim excuse to get Max into the action but it does get him there. Lots of road chases and fights follow.

The real star of the movie is the amazingly inventive action sequences. No two vehicles are the same and they are all DIY smash-ups of at least three vehicles. Some are mounted with harpoons; some with flame throwers; some with really big guns; some with cow-catchers; some with plows (it makes sense in the moment they are used but at no other time); some with cranes; some with big long sticks with a harness on the end so guys can come flying in to attack another vehicle and fly back out (also only makes sense when they are used); most vehicles have combinations of the foregoing. With all this random equipment, the forces of good and evil can have plenty of tightly-choreographed and eye-popping battles. The sequences are well-shot and edited so viewers can follow the action and know who is where (which doesn't always happen in modern action films). It's breath-taking and fun and completely bonkers.

Sure, there's references to hope in hopeless circumstances, and how people aren't things and shouldn't be treated like things, and characters seeking redemption. But that is all more or less window-dressing to give viewers something to care about in the slight pauses between the amazing action sequences. This is a high-octane, over-the-top action film with just enough heart in it to hold things together.

One Ingredient Challenge: Clotted Cream

Part of an ongoing series of cooking from scratch. That is, we cook something from basic items that don't have multiple ingredients (e.g. store-bought spaghetti sauce includes all sorts of spices and maybe other stuff too; we'd start with tomatoes and individual spices and add them together to make our own sauce). See other challenges here.

One of the things we miss from England is the scones with jam and clotted cream. Clotted cream is virtually unknown in America. We found a recipe in the ever popular Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. This recipe is on page 70:

Ingredients: 5 cups heavy cream (not ultrapasteurized)

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F. Pour the cream into a wide heatproof bowl and place in the oven. No need to cover. Let it "cook" for 12 hours.
2. Remove the bowl from the oven, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning you will have a bowl that contains 2 layers of cream--one very thick, one very thin. With a slotted spoon, scoop the thick cream into another bowl or jar. You can eat immediately, slathered over warm scones, or cover and chill for up to 5 days.

Makes 1 1/4 cups.

The toughest part of the recipe was finding the right heavy cream. All of our usual grocery stores have only ultra-pasteurized cream. We did find cream that's merely pasteurized at Wegmans. It costs more than ultra-pasteurized, even though it has been processed less. However, it was worth it because...the result was fabulous!

Final result!

Of course, we made scones to go with it and had a fancy bit of tea on Granny's birthday.

Yummy spread

A cute waitress too!

Also, I'd like to note that this is probably the ultimate one ingredient challenge, since it does indeed have only one ingredient!

TV Review: Doctor Who The Tomb of the Cybermen

Doctor Who The Tomb of the Cybermen written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) travels with Jaime and Victoria to Telos, home of the Cybermen. An archeological expedition from Earth is there as well. They all meet at the electrified doorway to the tomb of the Cybermen (who have been dormant for hundreds of years). The Doctor helps them get inside and they explore the various rooms. The Doctor is very cautious about exploring the tomb and uncovering its secrets. The place has a good, creepy atmosphere and lots of weird gadgets. Cyberman technology is based on symbolic logic so they have to overcome plenty of puzzles to get things to work. It makes for good drama and the fun techno-babble. As things progess, it is clear that the financiers of the expedition have an ulterior motive in searching for the Cybermen.

Troughton as the Doctor is great fun. He has a disheveled look and wry sense of humor that belie his brilliant, calculating mind.  He has wonderful chemistry with his companions, the 17th century Scotsman Jaime and the Victorian-era Victoria.

The visual effects are all over the place. The "defrosting" of the Cybermen looks impressive. On the other hand, in a fight scene a wire and harness on one character is blatantly obvious. At first, I thought, "What is that thing sticking out of his back?" but then saw him lifted up by another character. The music and sound effects are top-notch, building some great atmosphere.

This is a fun, classic adventure with the Doctor.

Book Review: Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Benedict XVI

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Benedict XVI

Before his resignation, Pope Benedict XVI finished a third volume of theological reflections on the life of Jesus. He describes this book as an "antechamber" (p. xi) to the other volumes. Here he looks chiefly at the first few chapters of Matthew and Luke, the birth and early childhood of Jesus. He considers the intent of the authors in what they wrote, various historical interpretations and understandings of what they wrote (including present-day exegesis of the texts), and the practical impact these writing should have for us.

His explanations of events and their various interpretations is quite clear and insightful. For example, he discusses the manger as the first resting place of the infant Jesus. In addition to the obvious idea that this shows Jesus's humility, Benedict discusses it as the first altar from which Jesus's sacrificial life begins. The manger is a feeding trough for animals, a subtle and surprising parallel to the table of the Last Supper (and by extension, to our churches' altars) where Jesus offers His own flesh as food for us. The book is overflowing with many similar and profound insights.

Another impressive feature of Benedict's writing is his honesty when considering some probably unsolvable problems. He discusses the star that led the Magi to Israel. During the two thousand years since the words were written various possibilities have been considered: a supernova, the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces, etc. While all are interesting and have various implications, Benedict notes that identifying the exact astronomical phenomenon is probably impossible. Additionally, how the magi came to interpret this phenomenon as the announcement of a new king in Israel will always be "an open question." (p. 100)

The former pope's book on Jesus's infancy is well worth reading, especially during Advent as Christians across the world prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Catonsville Clash 2015

We went to a second chess competition, this time much closer to home. It was the Catonsville Clash just outside Baltimore and sponsored by Silver Knights. We had a little problem parking--the school hosting the tournament had a small, full parking lot by ten minutes before the start. We found some street parking and headed in.

Catonsville Clash 2015

My son was excited to see that he was put in the intermediate level. He was paired with a boy rated 661, 195 points higher than my son. The game was unfortunately quick and a loss for my son. He took it in stride.

The first game

The second pairing was against an unranked opponent (we couldn't figure out why he was in the intermediate group). The game was a quick victory and a ego boost for my son.

Second game--a somber beginning, a happy ending!

We had a snack in the break room. I'd brought some stuff but tried the snack bar. We got a cookie for two dollars and a cupcake for four. Yikes, I hope the vendor is going to a great university (or that I can get the vendor contract for the next competition)!

The break room/gym

Game three was another overrated opponent  (640s) and another loss. It was a tough game and a hard time for my son.

Game three

The final game was someone closer to my son's level but was still a hard fight. My son came back sad but not crying like many other competitors that day.

Getting ready for the final match

He was quiet in the car coming home and went to his room for a while. Then the toddler and I joined him. The toddler took to resorting the Legos from one big bowl to another while my son started reading a book to me, which cheered him up immensely (especially when the toddler tried to climb the bunk bed to listen!). So the day ended on a happy note.

First Confession

This year our oldest is in second grade which is the year for first confession and communion. In the Fall his class has prepared for first confession (also known as the sacrament of reconciliation and of penance), which has gone about as smoothly as it could go. We had many good discussions at the dinner table about sin and responsibility for your actions. In the week before the sacrament, he got more nervous and had more questions about how to confess and what to confess. The religious education preparation was great but it's hard to avoid first time jitters.

We went to the first reconciliation service on a Wednesday night. He received a number, which indicated where we'd sit for the service and which priest (of the eight present) would hear his confession. He also received a stone, which was explained later.

The service began with some songs and prayers. Then the pastor spoke briefly about the importance of reconciliation. He had a large, red construction-paper heart in his hand. He talked about how sin hurts our hearts because it makes us less loving. Each time we sin, our hearts get smaller and smaller. He took away the big heart, which had a smaller heart behind it. As he talked more, he took away the smaller heart to reveal an even smaller one. Then he explained how sin, if repeated and not repented, hardens your heart so that it is easier and easier to sin, and harder and harder to love. He finally revealed a small stone, which he said is a heart shrunk and hardened by sin. The children were to give their stones to the priest when they confessed to symbolize their desire not to have their hearts turned to stone. The whole thing was surprising effective.

My son had to wait for a few other children to confess before it was his turn. He was more and more nervous as time went by. I told him that I thought waiting in line for confession was probably the worst part for me but that it felt great when it was done. He went up and received the sacrament, giving up his rock. He came back with a joyous look on his face.

On the way out, they had a table in the narthex with those "That was easy" buttons from Staples. Each penitent got to push the button and get a special little booklet to take home. My son was happy to push it, as was his twenty-month younger sister.

That was easy!

To celebrate we went to Chick-fil-A for dessert--a cookie for him, ice cream for his sister, and a split milk shake for Mommy and Daddy.

We arrived home later than the usual bed time, which meant wash-cloth baths for the kids. After they put on their pajamas, J reminded us to say our family evening prayer. At the end, we each give thanks to God for something in our day. J did the usual thanks for family and friends. Then he added, "and thanks for a great confession."

Game Review: Firefly the Board Game by Gale Force Nine

Firefly the Board Game published by Gale Force Nine

The Firefly television show was tragically canceled in the midst of its first season. It's enduring popularity is due to the overall quality of the show and the great blend of various ideas (it's a science fiction show with a storyline reminiscent of a western set after the American Civil War; American and Chinese cultures are heavily blended in this future). The show has lived on in comics, a movie, and several board games. The first Firefly boardgame (and maybe the best) is Firefly the Board Game.

The 'Verse

Players start the game with a Firefly-class ship, an engine, $3000, and a captain of their choosing (the captain deck includes Malcolm Reynolds among other minor characters from the show). A scenario is chosen (e.g. the beginning scenario has players earning enough money to pay for their ship and going to a certain planet with that money). Then they place their ships on the board and draw one mission from each of the various employers (Niska, Badger, Patience, Harken, Ammon Duul), keeping three of the mission cards. Then regular play starts as the captains recruit crew members, buy equipment and ship upgrades, work on missions, and get new missions from the employers. All the while they also need to dodge the Reavers and, if they are outlaws (they have warrants or contraband or fugitives), avoid the Alliance ship.

Captains (and the cool back of the card)

The crew members can be just about any named character from the show along with some generic Mechanics, Soldiers, Medics, Companions, etc. They cost a certain amount to recruit which is also the cut they get from the profits whenever a mission is completed. They have skills (represented by skills icons for Persuasion, Fighting, and Mechanical abilities), sometimes special abilities (like getting extra money or supplies from certain types of missions), and sometimes some flavor text, though often the special skill is related to their character.

Characters

Players can buy upgrades to their ships, which are different types of engines, more cargo space, or special equipment, like a Cry Baby that helps dodge the Alliance or a Medical Bay which gives killed crew member a chance not to die. They can also buy equipment, like weapons, tech, and even fancy duds (like Kaylee's pink dress or a shiny neck tie) to help with skills checks when completing missions.

Equipment

Upgrades to your Firefly

The missions are two basic types: pick up and deliver between two planets (mostly shipping cargo or people) or performing some (usually illegal) activity at one planet. A player does the illegal activity by resolving a certain number (usually one to three) of Misbehave cards, which require the player's captain and crew to get by a skills check.  Players have to add up how many symbols of a certain type their crew and their equipment has and add that to a die role to see if they pass the check. If the number isn't high enough, dire consequences!

Various missions

Misbehave Cards (and the cool back of the card)

The game captures the feel of the show quite well. The components are high quality (even the fake cash!) and the art and photos are drawn from the show. The missions fit the character of the employers and completing them is satisfying. The big challenge with the game is the slow ramp-up. Starting with just a captain and a ship means players have to spend the first part of the game on collecting resources to complete missions or avoid hazards like the Reavers. It makes the game longer, usually over two hours. But once things get going, the game is exciting and enjoyable.

Set-up for a solo game

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE APPROPRIATENESS: The game has a lot of stuff in it, making it heavy to carry around. Also, it needs a lot of set-up space which may not be an option if you are wandering through a blasted post-apocalyptic wasteland. If you are hunkered down in a bunker or super-secure gated community, you probably will have the space and the time to enjoy this game. And there are solo missions, so you can play by yourself.