House of the Dragon – season 1

On By Rick McIn uncategorizedLeave a comment

Most of the personalities in House of the Dragon are horrible people.

There’s no Arya nor Jon Snow to cheer.

Closest to someone I might like in the first episodes is Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong.

My favourite character is Milly Alcock as the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.

I found her very believable.

Emma D’Arcy is perhaps equally believable as the adult Rhaenyra. But life has gone to crap by this point.

It’s difficult to end entertainments. I’d say the ending of season 1 was about as good as any TV series or film I can recall. The highlight moment.

Film students will be studying that scene.

At times I liked Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen even more. But that role confuses me.

Similar to his turn as Prince Philip in ‘The Crown’, he’s got the look. Charismatic? Evil? Both?

Perhaps the most impressive performance is Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen.

What a complex and nuanced role.

Produced for a fraction of the cost / episode of Games of Thrones or Rings of Power, this TV series is pushing limits for television. Sex. Violence. The dangers of childbirth before modern medicine.

Not always easy to watch, but #respect for the creators.

Also — the dragons are cool.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Roxanne by Peter Grainger

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

This is the 3rd book (2020) in the Kings Lake Investigation series.

Nothing written by Grainger is bad, but for me these books are lacklustre because DC Smith — the lead character — is not in them much.

I can’t say anything really stuck with me from this one.

For the Love of Europe by Rick Steves

On By Rick McIn books, travelLeave a comment

Though I claim to dislike Europe — I’ve sure spent a lot of time there over the past couple of years.

When European guidebook author Rick Steves was age-14, his family dragged him to Norway to visit relatives.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t want to go.

YET he documented what he saw and experienced on the backs of postcards which he numbered sequentially. He still has all of those cards stored in a wooden box. 

I’m the same age as Rick Steves. And did much the same thing. My first trip was to West Berlin, age-16.

He studied European history in University. And is today one of the main speakers on European travel for the North American audience.

His 2020 book called For the Love of Europe: My Favorite Places, People, and Stories compiles some of his most vivid memories from budget backpacking when he was young through to producing his television shows.

It’s fast paced and entertaining.

Rick likes the food culture best in France and Italy.  

In fact, I’d say he spends more time in Italy in this book than any other nation. Beware the womanizing gondoliers of Venice, for example. 😀

Watch Steve preview it on YouTube.

11.22.63 – TV miniseries

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

I wasn’t much of a fan of the book.

And I’m generally dubious about anything involving time travel.

However, I did get through the TV series, charmed by Jake Epping (James Franco) and Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon).

Daniel Webber was certainly crazy enough to be Lee Harvey Oswald.

The book is too long. The miniseries too long. Both would have been improved by more editing.

Still. I recommend the TV show 11.22.63.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

AI photo editing

On By Rick McIn photosLeave a comment

Artificial Intelligence photo editing is getting scary good.

Here’s a recent photo of myself on a good day. Followed by one IMPROVED with the old Lensa photo editing app.

Processed with Lensa with Auto Adjustments & PT2 filter

Bigger, brighter eyes. Smaller nose. Fewer wrinkles on the face, if not on the neck. 😀

This is the regular Lensa app on MacOS. First 4 photos are free.

All the rage as I post is the Lensa AI app on iPhone and Android. U.S. $35.99 a year, with an extra charge of $3 to $12 for packs of avatars. Price has been going up.

You might be able to try it for a week, not continuing with the annual subscription.

I haven’t tried it. …. YET. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Excellent! Ingeniously plotted and superbly executed.

The author calls it ‘crime travel’, not merely time travel.

One of the most talked about books of 2022 is set in Liverpool.

Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?

Late October. After midnight. You’re waiting up for your eighteen-year-old son. He’s past curfew. As you watch from the window, he emerges, and you realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed.

You can’t believe it when you see him do it: your funny, happy teenage son, he kills a stranger, right there on the street outside your house. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your son is now in custody, his future shattered.

That night you fall asleep in despair. All is lost.

Until you wake . . .

. . . and it is yesterday.

And then you wake again . . .

. . . and it is the day before yesterday.

Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer. The trigger for this crime—and you don’t have a choice but to find it ….

Amazon

The Peripheral – season 1

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

Some very cool ideas.

However — as with all time travel fiction — it’s difficult to make sense of the story.

AND aside from time travel, the rest of the plot itself was not nearly clear enough for me.

… loosely based on the 2014 book of the same name written by William Gibson. …

Set roughly a decade in the future, with some new technology that has changed society in subtle ways, a VR gamer is delivered a connection to an alternate reality, as well as a dark future of her own. …

I did like the cast. All good.

Especially Chloë Grace Moretz as Flynne Fisher.

76% on Rotten Tomatoes sounds about right.

There will probably be a season 2.

I’ll probably end up watching it.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Treasure State by C.J. Box

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

I waited months for the audio book to finally be available to me from my local library.

Unfortunately for me, this is the 6th book in his Cassie Dewell series. NOT another Joe Pickett, who I much prefer.

Montana Private Eye Cassie Dewell has two interesting sub-plots here:

  1. What happened to  J.D. Spengler, a PI from Florida who went missing in Montana?
  2. Where is ‘Marc Daly’, a conman who’s been swindling wealthy widows?

At the same time, folks are searching nearby for “Sir Scott’s Treasure” ➙ hidden gold. Treasure hunters are scouring the area based on clues in a poem.

Though it’s not Joe Pickett, this is a good read.

Despite the rather simplistic ending, I’d say it’s the best of the Cassie Dewell, so far.

Recommended.

I got TWO Shingrix vaccines

On By Rick McIn health & fitnessLeave a comment

Not wanting to EVER badly suffer from Shingles, I finally got the treatment.

Two doses of Shingrix are recommended in Canada, which provides about 90% protection at 3.5 years.

It’s recommended for those age-50 or older. It may be less effective in those age-80 and older.

Shingrix is not free in Canada.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Visiting Seville, Spain 2022

On By Rick McIn photos, travelLeave a comment

This was actually my 3rd time stopping in Seville. It’s the essential transit point between southern Portugal and Andalusia, Spain.

I really do enjoy the city.

Seville got very, very rich after being named the royal monopoly port for trade with the growing Spanish colonies in the Americas and the influx of riches from them.

I’d walked the famous Cathedral in the past, so this time signed up for the rooftop tour. Very cool.

The technology in how they made this massive structure is fascinating.

I’d recommend rooftop over the regular tour as you actually do walk through the Cathedral coming and going to the top, as well.

My guide swears this is the REAL tomb of Christopher Columbus. But there’s another in the Dominican Republic. One or the other might be the brother of Columbus.

Wikipedia list of largest largest church buildings in the world:

  1. St. Peter’s Basilica (Rome)
  2. Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida (Brazil)
  3. Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba
  4. Milan Cathedral
  5. Seville Cathedral

Liverpool Cathedral is in the top 10, as well.

On this short trip I spent the most time at the magnificent Plaza de España and surrounding parks.

The building was built 1928 to showcase Spain’s industry and technology at the Ibero-American Exposition World’s Fair 1929. What a legacy!

There are free Flamenco shows all the time at this plaza.

Another highlight of this visit was getting some fog, quite unusual in a city that has near non-stop sunshine.

I don’t shoot many creative shots, thinking myself more of a Fauxtographer than Photographer.

But I will try to play around more with urban black & white. I do like the feeling they give me.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.