The New Musings of a Quiet Geek

While trying to find out which tracks Fiona Apple was playing on Rough and Rowdy Ways , I came across a review that basically stated this was the best album since Love and Theft . My gut reaction to that was "No. Certainly Modern Times and Together Through Life are just as good if not Tempest ." I'm re-listening to Tempest as I type this , his last studio album, and that too is catchier musically. Then, in the bath this morning, after a second listen to Rough And Rowdy Ways , it occurred to me that lyrically,  Rough And Rowdy Ways has the introspective lyrics, some about facing his own mortality" reminiscent of the Grammy-winning  Time Out of Mind. That is definitely not to say the lyrics on those three albums aren't catchy or even poignant but you have to feel they're impersonal. Musically, the album seems to feature the mostly mellow music of his last 4 albums with periodic grooves reminiscent of his early to mid '60s albums. Oh, while I'

For the second blog (movie) review in a row, here I will be sharing my thoughts on a movie I didn't see in the theater. Is that important? No... The 2016 film  Legend of Tarzan didn't play at my local theater and VOD options seemed limited until I found it On Demand via my cable company recently. Well worth the wait... and limited commercial interruptions. This version of "The Legend" combines elements of Greystoke and   the Disney animated version and blends in the feel of  Mask of Zorro  for good measure. Reading trivia about this movie, Edgar Rice Burroughs didn't call the apes in his novel "gorillas" but made up a new aggressive species called mangani and this is the only production to note that difference. The plot has the Belgian government inviting him to the Congo but it's a trap. Samuel L. Jackson plays a US envoy who wants him to accept the invite to give him a reason to investigate rumors the Belgians are using slaves to build thei

Finished the first season of   Star Trek: Picard . Loved it! Is it a rehash of   The Next Generation? No and I don't blame Patrick Stewart for not wanting to do that. He compared this project to his involvement in the movie Logan and wanting to give Picard the send off the the movie afforded his other character of Charles Xavier. So far it's held up. Even if the show hadn't been renewed for a second season. The premise of the Romulans trying to eliminate all synthetic life, and infiltrating Starfleet to do it, is a mixed bag for me. I have no problem believing they would go to any length to accomplish their goal. Not their first time infiltrating Starfleet. (See "Data's Day" which does reference Bruce Maddox co-creator of what I'm calling "Soong Type 2" androids.)  The passing explanation of why the Romulans distrust synthetic life sort of makes sense but it doesn't really explain why, say, the Vulcans don't share this fear given the

Watched Elizabeth Banks'   Charlie's Angels   last night and, while not the  Skyfall of the franchise I was hoping for, there was good mix of action, seriousness and humor. The action sequences were on par with the James Bond and Mission: Impossible franchises.  (Like Tom Cruise, newcomer Ella Balinska did her own stunts...). I read that Drew Barrymore didn't want her Angels having guns despite the originals carrying them as former cops. (Hell, Julie the Model carried one even before she became a licensed PI...) What I didn't expect was Kristen Stewart would fill more of a comic relief role. Instead of the dark and broody persona I've come to expect from watching her as Joan Jett in  The Runaways and in movies such as Camp X-Ray, was replaced by an Ellen DeGeneres impression that gives Kate McKinnon a run for her money. (Whether it was intentional or not, I'm not kidding...) I realized this was done because Balinska's performance was seemingly inspired

Saw   Birds of Prey... or I guess it's   Harley Quinn   now... As it should've been in the first place after watching it. (Unless we're using the episodes of   Murder She Wrote   that Angela Lansbury wasn't actually in as a base reference...) Margot Robbie once again shined as the character straight from her creation in  Batman: The Animated Series. I loved the interpretations of Rene Montoya, Huntress and Black Canary and hope this leads to a proper Birds film. Making Batgirl No. 2 Cassandra Cain a pickpocket makes sense (It was interesting having Victor Zsasz featured in the movie when Cassandra's father, David, is the other big assassin in "Bat-verse.") but did she have remind me so much of Short Round from the  Indiana Jones  films? Under Harley's guidance, she changes her look to Jubilee from the  X-Men  movies by the end of the film... Ewan MacGregor played Roman Sionis, also known as Black Mask as you'd expect a mobster with just

Before I review a new movie in a series, I see if I reviewed the last movie. Reading my review of previous   Star Wars (Skywalker Saga) film, The Last Jedi,   my thoughts on Episode 9, don't really have new focus but have added anther layer of thought. In that review, I say it's the most original Skywalker Saga movie to date and that's still true but, as a life long Star Wars fan (I went to the very first movie in the womb), is that what I want to wrap this all up? Ideally, I want it both ways but that can't happen. Rise of Skywalker  tried really hard though.  People criticize  Return of The Jedi  because they blow up another Death Star like that overshadows the awesomeness that is Anakin Skywalker's redemption story or Luke and Leia finding family and perhaps themselves. It doesn't. In  Rise,  no planet-killing starbase is destroyed. In the previous review, I mention the new trio of Rey, Finn and Poe are not straight up copies of Luke, Han and Leia.