Rebel Moon – part 1

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (2023) is an epic space opera film.

I’d only heard mocking reviews and wasn’t keen to watch it — before seeing a YouTube video on Sofia Boutella as Kora. Now age-41, she’s a badass. Former Rhythmic gymnast and dancer.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The start of part 1, I thought was quite good. 

Other actors introduced are compelling.

Charlie Hunnam as Kai is excellent, for example.

As the long movie progressed, it became obvious the plot was predictable.  Some of the dialogue inane.

It has neither the gravitas of Dune, nor the likability and humour of Guardians of the Galaxy 1.

SO — watch for the slow mo fight scenes. And the Star Wars like universe. 

Then go post your negative review on Rotten Tomatoes. 😀

I got through about half of REBEL MOON — PART TWO.

Not good. Dumb plot and too much violence.

TESTING Insta360 Ace Pro Features

On By Rick McIn cycling, videoLeave a comment

I mainly want my new Ace Pro as a primary VIDEO CAMERA.

BUT — finally tested it out as an Action Camera.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.  (only 720p resolution, by accident. Should be 1080p)

One feature I like is adding Telemetry data. IF you hit record from the iPhone app or Apple Watch, the Insta360 app tracks your GPS and can later add that information to the video.

I have speed and distance added in this example.

I also had the Insta360 app apply blur to make the footage look less digital, perhaps more cinematic.

As you can see, the stability is excellent for a bumpy bike path.

I threw in a couple of 4 second AI edited sections they call AI Warp. 

Overall … I’m not all that happy.  For some reason it exported in 720p rather than 1080p as I had expected. Also, the in-camera LUT is not nearly as good as it looked in the app on my phone.

More experiments needed.

Here’s how that Telemetry works.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

House of Secrets by Brad Meltzer

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

The House of Secrets (2016) by Brad Meltzer and Tod Goldberg starts with the death of Jack Nash, world-renowned host and creator of the long-running “House of Secrets” TV series. 

That TV show investigates the meanings behind various symbolism, alleged secret codes, and conspiracies around the world.

The deadly car crash leaves his thirtysomething daughter, Hazel, injured and unable to remember exactly who she is.

The plot revolves around Hazel’s efforts, with the help of older brother Skip, to discover her father’s past and recover her own. 

Weirdly, Hazel is some kind of badass, street-fighting anthropology professor.

Unlikely?

Sure. 

Like Dad’s TV show, this book is full of historical mysteries. Hazel fits right in.

It’s got something to do with Benedict Arnold’s Bible. 

George Washington was devastated by the betrayal of one of his best friends.  I learned that here. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Lincoln Lawyer – season 2

On By Rick McIn books, TV1 Comment

I’d say the 2nd season is even better than the first.

I like everything about this TV show.

Everything BUT — for me — Matthew McConaughey is still the Lincoln Lawyer.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Mickey in the TV adaptation. And he just doesn’t match the character in the book nearly as well as McConaughey.

The Lincoln Lawyer is attorney Mickey Haller, half-brother of Michael Connelly’s mainstay character Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch.

In season 2 he’s rich, famous, and successful. 

My favourite character is Becki Newton as Lorna Crain, Haller’s 2nd wife and office manager.  GREAT LEGS … say some sexist macho assholes. 🙄.

Her fiancé, Angus Sampson as Dennis “Cisco” Wojciechowski is excellent too.

ALSO Neve Campbell as Maggie (McFierce) McPherson.

It was good to see Elliott Gould as David “Legal” Siegel, Mickey’s mentor and a friend of his father.  He’s age-85 now.

10 episodes. All good.  Terrific finish.

On American Imperialism

On By Rick McIn books, economics, GOP USA, government, human rights, things getting betterLeave a comment

My love / hate relationship with the USA started early.

In University 1983, one of my textbooks in a sociology course was:

Under The Eagle: United States Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean

The history of the USA is damning.

No wonder Putin and others keep pointing out past wars started by the USA.

I spent a lot of time on a term paper: The Rise of American Imperialism and Precipitating Factors

Super critical of most American interventions in their part of the world.

I particularly criticized puppet dictators supported by Washington: Samoza, Trujillo, Batista, etc.

I only got a C+ / B- on the paper. 😀

Dalgliesh – season 2

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

Classy. 

Everything that’s good about television out of the U.K.

Dalgliesh is a British crime drama television series, based on the Adam Dalgliesh novels by PD James. Bertie Carvel stars as the title character, an enigmatic detective–poet. …

… investigating complex crimes in mid-1970s England.

Dalgleish is dour, understated, calm, quiet. Very British.

Season 2 is three movie length stories, each broken into two parts of about 45min.

He drives a 1971 Jaguar E–Type. That’s one bit of flash.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Testing my ACTION CAM in low light

On By Rick McIn videoLeave a comment

GoPro cameras and the like are infamously bad in low light.

BUT my new Insta360 Ace Pro was touted as by far the best of the bunch because of black magic AI software. And a larger sensor.

On a dark and foggy night, I headed out to very challenging conditions.

NOT GREAT is my verdict. I won’t use it often at night.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (No video editing)

Here’s an example of when it worked very well at night.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Under the Vines – season 1

On By Rick McIn food, TV1 Comment

Charming and heartwarming. 

Yet another fish-out-of-water comedy.

Like Green Acres. 😀

Under the Vines is a New Zealand comedy drama television series …

Two step-cousins — Australian socialite Daisy Munroe and UK lawyer Louis Oakley — inherit a declining New Zealand vineyard, Oakley Wines …

The joint heirs have no experience with wine-making or New Zealand rural culture, and each is having financial, social, and existential crises. They become interested in the winery’s future but frequently don’t see eye-to-eye. …

Some nudity. Randy Kiwis.

General nonsense.

I really like Trae Te Wiki as Tippy (Isabella) Bidois: Oakley’s young, adventurous and newly successful vintner/winemaker. 

Some funny lines.

Why are they so loud?

They are Australian. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Velocity by Dean Koontz

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Not his best — but Koontz is a genius of the interesting plot.

And he’s a very good story teller.

It’s a horror story. But one with a surprisingly uplifting ending.

… Billy Wiles has not even turned on his PC since his fiancée Barbara fell into a coma several years ago. Leading the life of a recluse who spends his spare time alone at home doing woodwork, he leaves his secluded house only when he goes to work as a bartender. …

… takes the law into his own hands when, out of the blue, he is threatened by an anonymous adversary ..

My NEXT Smart Bike Helmet

On By Rick McIn cycling, product endorsementsLeave a comment

review

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Original post from Jan 2024.

I’ve looked at a couple of smart helmets in the past. Not much impressed.

But this one looks worth spending the bucks.

As I post, you can get an early bird price on the full kit for U.S. $300. They expect it to retail for $500.

AURA by UNIT 1

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Details on Indiegogo.