Ever wanted to see a movie that takes a classic, iconic monster and makes him a noble hero fighting for his people? No, me neither.
The best thing I can say about DRACULA UNTOLD is that it's better than I, FRANKENSTEIN. While I actually liked THE WOLFMAN redux, if this how Universal is going to try to update their classic monsters I'm really, really disappointed. I guess it wouldn't be as bad if Dracula as still an anti-hero but he's a straight up hero now, even as a murdering, blood sucking vampire.
Speaking of vampires, I really want to cry seeing Charles Dance reduced to this. I mean, a paycheck might be a paycheck but I'd expect he'd be rolling in that Game of Thrones money. Throw in some really weird makeup choices and I'm not sure what's up with him.
I'd like to go into the plot a little but it's completely forgettable. Like I should have taken notes on this. So many reviews compare this to MALEFICIENT, but I managed to avoid that one. I wish I had avoided this one. Since it's horribly unimaginative I'll just leave some great pull quotes from reviews.
"Might be worth seeing solely for the moment when Dracula says, "I'm worth 1,000 boys and you know it." - Scott Weinberg, TheHorrorShow
"It's just a bunch of nonexistent people getting knocked over by nonexistent bats." - Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Pebble Time Steel
I love gadgets. If I had the budget I'd be an early adopter for almost anything. I love having new tech, even with bugs and getting to experience it before it hits that critical mass and possibly changes how we interact with the world. Is a smart watch that kind of gadget? I think it just might be.
I missed the original Kickstarter for Pebble, an early smart watch the big advantage for Pebble was a long battery life (measured in days, not hours) from using an e-ink display instead of LCD. Pebble was followed by Pebble Steel, a version with a metal body. Pebble isn't the only smart watch in the game, others like Samsung and LG have their versions...and there's Apple, of course.
Back in March there was a Kickstarter for Pebble Time, the next generation of Pebble watches. How could I resist? Not only that, but they also opened up the pledges for Pebble Time Steel, in three colors (black, gold, and silver), complete with matching metal bands. I eagerly pledged for a black Pebble Time Steel in March and thus began the waiting game.
Come late August my shiny new smart watch had arrived although due to trouble with the supplier the metal band would be delayed. No problem, it's part of the things that happen when you deal with Kickstarter. Besides, I got a slick matching leather band. For reference, the Pebble Time Steel comes with the leather band in retail and the official metal band is extra. I decided to purchase an aftermarket metal band from Truffol, which works because Pebble Time (and Steel) use any standard 28mm watch band.
So, is it worth the money? YES.
I quickly found myself playing with programmable watch faces and apps. There's an entire store interface for finding them and Pebble Time supports all the old Pebble software as well although it's black and white. The alerts that appear on my phone also appear on my watch, although that's entirely selectable which ones you want to see. In a noisy place where you'll probably miss the buzz and bleep of a text message on your phone in your pocket? Now it's on your wrist with a gentle buzz.
The apps allow my watch to become an activity and sleep tracker as well. It measures my steps and my sleep patterns. It has smart alarms that wake me when I'm stirring around my wake up time. Oh yeah, that's a big benefit. I don't need the audible, loud alarm on my phone any more so my sweetheart next to me can stay asleep a few more hours before she has to get up. Instead the alarm is a vibration on my wrist, and yes it's capable of waking you up.
Is having a smart watch supremely life changing? No, but it is pretty damn cool. I could go on for pages on the tricks it can do and we'll all get what we want out of it which differs from person to person. If you rely on your phone for everything (and who doesn't?) you may want to give a smart watch a try and you can do a lot worse than Pebble Time.
I missed the original Kickstarter for Pebble, an early smart watch the big advantage for Pebble was a long battery life (measured in days, not hours) from using an e-ink display instead of LCD. Pebble was followed by Pebble Steel, a version with a metal body. Pebble isn't the only smart watch in the game, others like Samsung and LG have their versions...and there's Apple, of course.
Back in March there was a Kickstarter for Pebble Time, the next generation of Pebble watches. How could I resist? Not only that, but they also opened up the pledges for Pebble Time Steel, in three colors (black, gold, and silver), complete with matching metal bands. I eagerly pledged for a black Pebble Time Steel in March and thus began the waiting game.
Come late August my shiny new smart watch had arrived although due to trouble with the supplier the metal band would be delayed. No problem, it's part of the things that happen when you deal with Kickstarter. Besides, I got a slick matching leather band. For reference, the Pebble Time Steel comes with the leather band in retail and the official metal band is extra. I decided to purchase an aftermarket metal band from Truffol, which works because Pebble Time (and Steel) use any standard 28mm watch band.
So, is it worth the money? YES.
I quickly found myself playing with programmable watch faces and apps. There's an entire store interface for finding them and Pebble Time supports all the old Pebble software as well although it's black and white. The alerts that appear on my phone also appear on my watch, although that's entirely selectable which ones you want to see. In a noisy place where you'll probably miss the buzz and bleep of a text message on your phone in your pocket? Now it's on your wrist with a gentle buzz.
The apps allow my watch to become an activity and sleep tracker as well. It measures my steps and my sleep patterns. It has smart alarms that wake me when I'm stirring around my wake up time. Oh yeah, that's a big benefit. I don't need the audible, loud alarm on my phone any more so my sweetheart next to me can stay asleep a few more hours before she has to get up. Instead the alarm is a vibration on my wrist, and yes it's capable of waking you up.
Is having a smart watch supremely life changing? No, but it is pretty damn cool. I could go on for pages on the tricks it can do and we'll all get what we want out of it which differs from person to person. If you rely on your phone for everything (and who doesn't?) you may want to give a smart watch a try and you can do a lot worse than Pebble Time.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
The Civil Life
St. Louis has a fantastic beer culture, including tons of small breweries and tap rooms. One of those is The Civil Life.
It's small, about the size I usually expect from a microbrewery although STL has some with big facilities that have spoiled me (Urban Chestnut, I'm looking at you). Basically a small building with a bar and a couple of tables along with maybe two dozen bench tables on a patio outside. Nothing fancy, just a relaxed environment to drink some good beer. They also have a small kitchen with a rotating menu of typical brewery items: pretzels, sandwiches, a charcuterie plate, etc. The food I had (a charcuterie) was fantastic, including fresh meats and killer house picked veg.
But the reason to visit is the beer. And the beer is good. Particularly I like their English IPA, the Scottish "Wee Heavy", and the Angel and the Sword. All of the beers I've sampled were great examples of their styles. Like most breweries I've visited in the area a tasting flight was not offered, which is disappointing, but they do offer a taste of whatever you want and pours come in pints and half pints.
The only drawback to The Civil Life is that it's cash only. I really don't see any legitimate reason these days to not take a credit card. Of course, there's an ATM in the building but that means the dreaded processing fees that will quickly pile up when all you want is another $10 for a pint or two. It's a small annoyance, not enough to stop me from visiting again.
It's small, about the size I usually expect from a microbrewery although STL has some with big facilities that have spoiled me (Urban Chestnut, I'm looking at you). Basically a small building with a bar and a couple of tables along with maybe two dozen bench tables on a patio outside. Nothing fancy, just a relaxed environment to drink some good beer. They also have a small kitchen with a rotating menu of typical brewery items: pretzels, sandwiches, a charcuterie plate, etc. The food I had (a charcuterie) was fantastic, including fresh meats and killer house picked veg.
But the reason to visit is the beer. And the beer is good. Particularly I like their English IPA, the Scottish "Wee Heavy", and the Angel and the Sword. All of the beers I've sampled were great examples of their styles. Like most breweries I've visited in the area a tasting flight was not offered, which is disappointing, but they do offer a taste of whatever you want and pours come in pints and half pints.
The only drawback to The Civil Life is that it's cash only. I really don't see any legitimate reason these days to not take a credit card. Of course, there's an ATM in the building but that means the dreaded processing fees that will quickly pile up when all you want is another $10 for a pint or two. It's a small annoyance, not enough to stop me from visiting again.
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