Requiem for the Blu-ray Dossier

It’s time to face facts.  Blu-ray discs are great but they have no future.  Yeah, that’s right, I said it – NO FUTURE.  I love to bask in the glow of 1080p as much as the next movie geek but the fact of the matter is the format’s days are numbered.  I use to write a column here on Chicken Scratch about with a two tiered rating system the first score was for the story and the second was for the quality of the Blu-ray itself.  As always, the story is what truly matters; the jaw dropping pop of crystal clear 1080p was simply icing on the cake.  Video may have killed the radio star but it was streaming content that has dealt the fatal blow to Blu-ray.  Just as Blockbuster killed the Ma & Pa video rental stores, video streaming gutted Blockbuster and there are options for streaming, Netflix, Hulu, cable, Amazon, heck – even Redbox, one of the only places left that you can rent a Blu-ray BTW, all have huge stakes in the streaming game.  Then there are all of the plug-ins for you HDTV to stream.  Companies like Apple, Google, Roku, Netgear, and even Tivo are all manufacturing High Def streaming hardware to make your Blu-ray collection obsolete.  

Hey, it happens.  It is part of the circle of life.  The writing is on the wall and not just for all those, “early innovators” out there; obsolescence approaches.  It’s event horizon dawns and change happens – both big and small; everything changes.  Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…”  He was right.  Granted he wasn’t specifically talking about Blu-ray discs but, on the other hand, “everything” does cover, well, everything.  You get the idea – there is an expiration date on all things.  Take for example any old thing.  Now this any old thing works just fine right up to the point that doesn’t anymore and it is replaced by something that does the same job, “better” and/or faster.  The, “new thing”. 

History is chocked full of examples of this axiom.  New cells are generated and old cells fade away.  The MP3 replaced the CD which replaced the cassette tape which replaced the 8-Track which replaced the record which replaced wax cylinders.  People got tired of walking so they started riding horses.  Seeing that this horse-riding thing was a pretty good idea people hooked them up to chariots and then to horse drawn buggies.  The advent of the automobile put the horses out to pasture then came the trains and the planes which will someday be replaced by matter transporters – it’s true!  I’ve seen it on Star Trek.  

 Hey, that’s progress. 

I’ll still do the occasional review but I simply don’t watch that many Blu-rays anymore to keep the column viable so, therefore, it is time to bid it farewell.  On the right side of this particular version of Chicken Scratch I use to have, “The Blu-ray Dossier – At a Glance”.  It’s still up there but it too will be going away.  I’ll repost it here for posterity…

Blu-Ray Dossier at a Glance. Ratings? Story first Blu-Ray quality second.

"Blade Runner - The Final Cut" 5/4

"Blazing Saddles" 4/2

"Bounty Hunter" 1.5 / 2

"Bridesmaids" 4 / 3

"Captain America - The First Avenger" 4/3

"Clash of the Titans (2010)" 2 / 3

"Cowboys and Aliens" 3.5 / 4

"Despicable Me" 3 / 4

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" 3.5 / 2

"Evil Dead 2: 25th Anniversary Edition" 4 / 3.5

"Grown Ups" 3 / 3

"Hangover" 3.5 / 4

"John Carter" 4/3

"Kick Ass" 3 / 3

"Knight & Day" 2.5 / 3

"Resident Evil: Afterlife" 2.5 / 3

"Serenity" 4 / 4

"Sherlock Holmes - Game of Shadows" 3/3

"Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back" 5/4

"Star Wars" 4.5/4

"The A-Team" 3 / 3

"The Frighteners" 4 / 4

"The Good, the Bad and the Weird" 4 / 4

"The Walking Dead: Season One" 5 / 4

"THOR" 3.8 / 4

Robin Hood (2010) 4 / 4

Superman / Batman – Apocalypse 3.5 / 3

The Untouchables – Special Collector’s Edition 3.8 / 4

“9”: 3.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Alice in Wonderland”: 4 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Batman/Superman, Public Enemies” Rating: 4 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Beetlejuice” 4 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“Casino Royale” Rating: 5 Stars / 5 Stars.

“Diary of the Dead” 4 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“District 9” 4.5 Stars / 4.5 Stars.

“Drag Me to Hell” Rating: 4 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“G.I. Joe” 2.5 Stars / 3 Stars.

“Grindhouse – Death Proof”: 4 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Hellboy II – The Golden Army” 4 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” Rating: 4 Stars / 4.5 Stars.

“Inglorious Basterds”: 5 Stars / 4.5 Stars.

“Kill Bill Volume II”: 4.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Kill Bill Volume I”: 4.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“King Kong the Extended Edition” 4.5 Stars / 5 Stars.

“Labyrinth”: 3.5 Stars / 3 Stars.

“Land of the Lost” Rating: 3 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“Monsters Vs. Aliens” 3 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Nightmare Before Christmas” Rating 4.5 Stars / 5 Stars.

“Poltergeist” 4.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Ponyo”: 4 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Pride and Prejudice (A&E): 5 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“Quantum of Solace” Rating: 4 Stars / 4.5 Stars.

“Reign of Fire”: 1 Star / 2 Stars.

“Sherlock Holmes”: 3.5 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“Sleepy Hollow” 4 Stars / 3 Stars.

“Star Trek” 4.5 Stars / 4.5 Stars

“Star Wars the Clone Wars”: 3.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“The Dark Knight” Rating: 5 Stars / 4.5 Stars.

“The Godfather Parts I & II” 5 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“The Hangover”: 4 Stars / 4 Stars.

“The Hurt Locker”: 5 Stars / 4.5 Stars.

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”: 4 Stars / 4 Stars.

“The Prestige” Rating: 4.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“The Road Warrior”: 4.5 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“The Road”: 4 Stars /3.5 Stars.

“The Shining”: 5 Stars / 4.5 Stars.

“The Wizard of Oz”: 5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“The Wolfman”: 1 Star / 2 Stars.

“Transformers – Rise of the Fallen” Rating: 2 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Twilight New Moon”: 2 Stars / 3 Stars.

“Up” 5 Stars / 5 Stars.

“Where the Wild Things Are”: 3 Stars / 3.5 Stars.

“Yojimbo”: 4.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

“Zombieland”: 4.5 Stars / 4 Stars.

Looking back at some of these ratings I am wondering where my head was (I’m looking at YOU, 3 stars for story, “Land of the Lost”) and then there were others I probably should have rated higher such as, “Labyrinth” (I dissed the power of the babe and only gave it a 3.5).  Other than those there are only a few more shaky ones and, for the most part, I stand by my ratings.

I may be pulling the plug on the Blu-ray Dossier but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep reviewing film – hey, I’m a movie geek with a fully functioning internet connection; therefore, I am duty bound to throw in my two cents when it comes to the goings on at the local multiplex.

In memory of my friend and longtime column, the Blu-ray Dossier – thank you for the memories.  “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

Now then, what’s on Netflix?

 

Project 365 - This Was 2013

So this past year I have been participating in something called a, “Project 365”.  It is a photo journal where you take one picture a day and document your travels throughout the year. 

“Evil Chicken, how did you stumble onto this, Project 365 thing?”  Gentle Reader, the whole sordid affair can be found right here: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2012/12/project-365.html.  This is how it all started.  However, this particular blog entry is not about how it happened; it’s about what happened between Point A and Point B, 365 days later.

I have felt the pull of the undertow of the tides of time.  It recedes at an alarming pace.  “Tempus Fugit”, my friends; time flees.  I don’t say this to depress you (or myself for that matter), I say this as a gentle reminder to be aware of this fact; use your senses, to become more observant of where you are and what you are doing.  To capture as many moments as you can with those you love for the old saying is more than true, “we are on loan to each other”.  Enjoy each moment.  Celebrate it because it is not coming around again.  It is precious.  I consider myself to have a rudimentary appreciation for time.  I know that it is fleeting and, therefore, I try to spend it wisely.  This project reminds me of that fact – the precious nature of time.

As Project 365 progressed and I had habituated myself to the process I began to notice something unexpected.  I found that as I reviewed each and every one of the pictures that I was taken back to the exact moment that it was taken.  In a very real sense, Project 365 has been my pensieve (which places me one step closer to wizarding greatness).  Yes, a pensieve; in the Harry Potter books a pensieve is a magical bowl where memories can be stored and viewed to be examined at will.  Albus Dumbledore possesses one and, now due to Project 365, so do I.  This was completely unexpected on my part and it remains a happy discovery.  I would recommend doing a Project 365 for this experience alone.  

 

    

You learn certain things when participating in something like this; celebrating the ridiculous, the sublime, and everything in between.  There were some days that I had a hard time choosing just one photo and other days where nothing presented itself and I had to get, “creative” to meet my self-imposed deadline.  Doing a Project 365 you see not only how large the world is but how small it can be too; you become a moment collector and some of those moments speak to you. 

I saw that some pictures inspired me to write poems like this one…

I found that I had a neighbor who likes to decorate his antique John Deer tractor with flags for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

I watched the seasons change and found that I prefer the blue skies of spring & summer to the grey skies of winter.  I found that I subscribe to the James Taylor philosophy of choices in hues.

Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose…

There were days at the beach…

And the odd weather event…

Some of the things that I photographed this year are gone now.  They don’t exist anymore.  There is the payphone where I ran into the girl (again) who would become my wife.  It’s been torn up for an expansion project and now it only lives in my memory and my pensieve on Project 365.

The places some familiar…

Some forgotten…

And then there were the beautiful sights that I was lucky enough to see and to try to capture in the lens of my Android cell phone.

My pensieve has kept them all – even when I forget a moment, Project 365 remembers.  These days I need all the help I can get remembering; when I find my precious time is pulled so many places that I never wanted it to go it becomes vital to steal some of those moments back.  Here are 365 moments that I stole this Year of our Lord, 2013 documented in my Project 365: http://www.pinterest.com/theevilchicken/project-365/.

I will be starting my Project 365 – 2014 Edition immediately.  I couldn’t recommend the experience higher to you, Gentle Reader.  Moment collecting has its rewards and I’m looking forward to a rewarding New Year.

Until then, Gentle Reader, may God hold you in the palm of his hand throughout the coming year and may we both be comparing our Project 365 – 2014 editions one revolution around the sun from now.

Happy New Year!

Neil Gaiman's, "Neverwhere" on BBC 4

We're in the Twelve Days of Christmas and the gifts keep on rollin' along!  Gentle Reader it is no secret that I am a HUGE Neil Gaiman fan.  If there is one thing a HUGE Neil Gaiman fan wants to do is to turn other people into HUGE Neil Gaiman fans.  In that vein here is Neil Gaiman's, “Neverwhere”.

 
The BBC Radio 4, six episode dramatization is available for free for a limited time. It’s got a great cast including, James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sophie Okonedo, and some guy named Christopher Lee.  Each episode is up to listen to for six days.  Number one is still available for the next two days or so and number two just went live.

Six episodes of “Neverwhere” is far better than “Six Swans a Swimmin’”, any day of the week!  If this is something that is up your alley and if you want to explore London Below, click here for the Door to open: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rb2c1