2020 Year in Review

 At an end this year is, and not short enough it was. Friends, another year has passed and what an extraordinary one this has been. Thanks to a certain new virus from a certain communist dictatorship most of the world's nations have had – and continue to have – tight restrictions and regulations forced upon their hapless citizens, costing countless jobs and bringing the economy to its knees. The movie industry was especially hit hard this year with the postponement of numerous films, the shuttering of countless cinemas, and the release of some big box office bombs. As a result I only actually saw three films in theatres in 2020: part of the reason why there wasn't much content on Arnold's Benediction this year! These three films I gave an average grade of 4.2 out of five, but take that with a grain of salt since, again, there were only three films I reviewed. So yeah, this is going to be a very different Year in Review article from previous ones. Now let's get into this.

Best Movie: 1917

Some of you may be thinking, “Tony, wasn't this a 2019 movie?” It may be, depending on where you're from. It did sneak into a handful of film festivals in late December in order to qualify for 2019 awards shows, but in here in Canada 1917 wasn't released in theatres until 10 January so I'm counting it as 2020. Man, British war films have really hit the nail on the head as of late. In 2014 we got '71, then in 2017 there was Dunkirk, and now in 2020 we saw 1917. (Can't wait to see what 2023 brings us!) I love how the First World War is becoming a part of popular consciousness again; with all the turmoil that's going on these days it's easy to forget that just over a century ago millions of young men like me were being swallowed up and annihilated in massive, apocalyptic battles. And if you've ever wanted to see what that struggle looked and sounded like then Sam Mendes' masterpiece has you covered. Not only does it show a good cross-section of all the things that soldiers saw on the Western Front but its continuous-shot perspective places the viewer amongst the main characters as if you're there yourself. Further supplementing this approach is 1917's punchy sound editing, the detailed set design, and the refined acting, which all makes for a quite immersive film experience. Fans of war movies, rejoice.

Runner-up: The Gentlemen

Worst (A.K.A. Least Good) Movie: Tenet

Of the three movies I reviewed this year none of them were bad, but one of them does have to come last. That's why this year I've changed the category to Least Good movie and unfortunately that distinction goes to Christopher Nolan's Tenet. I feel bad for Tenet; not only does it end up being the least good movie I saw this year but it was also a box office bust thanks to its costly production and theatres around the world operating at a fraction of total capacity. Still, had it premiered any other year I highly doubt that it would have matched the resounding success of Nolan's previous films. The lack of a compelling main character, the muddled sound design, and the convoluted plot make Tenet a tough film to recommend to all but the most die hard Christopher Nolan fans. But on the other hand it does present a unique spin on how time travel might work and some viewers may find it rewarding to try to figure out the contorted plot lines. Like I said, Tenet ain't a bad movie. It gets a pass.

Runner-up: (none)

Most Disappointing Movie: (none)

1917 was awesome and I went into the other two films cold, so there really wasn't any disappointing films this year for me. I guess you could say that the biggest disappointment this year was 2020 itself. Let's hope the next one goes better.

Book Vs. Movie -- Run Silent, Run Deep

 

Before Tom Clancy there was Edward L. Beach Jr. The son of a US Navy captain, Beach Jr. would go on to join the service himself, serving in – and eventually commanding – submarines in the Pacific theatre throughout the Second World War. His naval career lasted into the 1960's, as he became not only a presidential naval aide but also the commander of the first ever submerged circumnavigation. He also became a renowned writer with his series of submarine novels. His most famous novel, Run Silent, Run Deep (1955), was adapted into a major Hollywood film only three years later starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, and Don Rickles. I just recently got around to watching this film and there's a lot to be said about its resemblance (or lack thereof) to its source material. So let's take a look at how the Run Silent, Run Deep movie compares to the book.

This is one of those instances where the two works' plots are so different that I'm going to have to recount them separately. First let's go over the book. In 1941 Commander Edward “Rich” Richardson is put in charge of the aging submarine S-16 with Jim Bledsoe as his executive officer. They sail her New London, Connecticut, for refitting and training. There Rich meets Jim's girlfriend Laura and the three become friends just before the attack on Pearl Harbour. Due to the expediencies of the war effort Rich recommends the lesser-experienced Jim for command. Unfortunately Jim loses his composure and performs poorly on his qualification test, leading Rich to withdraw his endorsement, leaving Jim and Laura incensed. Rich is given command of a new sub based in Pearl Harbour, the USS Walrus, and – with Jim as his XO once again – is tasked with sinking Japanese shipping in the Pacific. Jim marries Laura before leaving. On its first patrol the Walrus encounters the Akikaze, a Japanese destroyer based in the Bungo Suido notorious for sinking numerous US subs, including one captained by Rich's friend Stocker Kane. Eventually Rich is ordered to sail to the Bungo Suido where the Walrus comes under attack from the Akikaze, which is captained by Tateo Nakame (AKA Bungo Pete). Rich is badly wounded and under Jim's command the Walrus escapes and returns to Pearl Harbour. Sidelined for several months with a broken leg, Rich decides to once again endorse Jim for command of the Walrus which he finally receives. During his time ashore Rich works on improving the US Navy's notoriously defective torpedoes. Meanwhile as captain of the Walrus Jim sinks a multitude of Japanese shipping around Australia and gains a reputation as an aggressive skipper. He also starts an affair, much to Rich's dismay. In between patrols, a drunken Jim confesses to Rich at a party that he despised his captain when he withdrew support for Jim's promotion and was only pretending to be a loyal friend, but having seen Rich's demeanour under combat and after serving as captain himself Jim realized that he was wrong for ever doubting Rich. It's during Jim's next patrol that Bungo Pete sinks the Walrus, all hands lost. Rich is placed in command of the USS Eel and he convinces his superiors to let him go after Bungo Pete. Finally the Eel finds Bungo Pete's anti-submarine group. After sinking the Akikaze (and its accompanying submarine and decoy ship) Rich realizes that after being rescued the survivors will likely resume attacking Allied shipping. And so he regretfully rams their lifeboats, dooming them all. Not long after as the Eel is on patrol around Guam Rich narrowly manages to rescue three downed American airmen despite the presence of a Japanese fighter plane, earning him the Medal of Honor and providing him with some sense of redemption. Rich then returns home and thinks of starting a relationship with Laura.

The movie begins with Commander “Rich” Richardson (Clark Gable) surviving his submarine sinking in the Bungo Straits at the hands of Japanese ace submariner Bungo Pete. Once recuperated, he's ready for revenge and convinces the Navy board to give him a new boat and an experienced crew to command. He's given the USS Nerka and its executive officer LtCdr Jim Bledsoe is none too pleased as this effectively denies him of commanding the boat. Jim is also unsure of Rich's single-minded drive to rigorously train the crew for perfecting the “bow shot”, a tricky torpedo shot aimed at the bow of an oncoming ship while in the middle of diving. On patrol, Rich chooses to ignore an easy target only to attack a different one later with a successful bow shot. The crew puts it together that Rich has been ignoring select targets because he's sailing the Nerka towards the infamous Bungo Straits, directly violating the admiralty's orders. Some of the officers consider mutiny but Jim refuses to play along. They soon come upon a Japanese convoy but after sinking a transport the Nerka is attacked by enemy aircraft that were waiting in ambush. The sub quickly dives and narrowly avoids being sunk by depth charges in the escape but in the process three crewmen are killed and Rich suffers a concussion. With Rich in no shape to command, Jim takes charge and sets sail back towards Pearl Harbour. The crew catch Tokyo Rose on the radio proudly announcing the loss of the Nerka and its crew, leaving them puzzled as to how the Japanese knew specific crew members' names and the sub's whereabouts. (As with the novel it turns out that they were sifting through the Nerka's drifting garbage to extract intelligence.) But having tricked the Japanese into believing they've all died, Jim decides to take advantage and returns to the Bungo Straits to take on the Akikaze once and for all. The two vessels meet and the Nerka comes out on top only to come under fire from a Japanese submarine which was working in concert with the Akikaze the whole time. After dodging a couple torpedoes and forcing her adversary to the surface (with an ailing Rich's help), the Nerka sinks the enemy sub. Having exacted revenge, Rich collapses and dies on the bridge and is buried at sea.

The biggest difference between these two stories is the relationship between Richardson and Jim Bledsoe. The novel has them start out as friends with Rich in the more experienced and authoritative role (even though he's not that much older than Jim) and it's not until Rich rescinds his endorsement for promotion that Jim takes on a mostly-secret resentment towards him. This is also the result of the book version of Jim being more rebellious and impulsive; it's what leads to him both failing his qualification test and his eventual aggressive stance as skipper. Unfortunately his success gets to his head, leading to him starting an affair and later dying at the hands of Bungo Pete. In the film the tension between Jim and Rich comes from Rich delaying Jim's promotion to captain as well as his sailing the Nerka to the forbidden Bungo Straits without telling the officers and crew. I think both versions of this conflict have their ups and downs. In the book the rift between the two men is much more personal since (1) they spend more time together over several years and (2) Rich feels some attraction towards Laura long before Jim's death. But on the other hand the movie takes a more two-way approach to the tension between two professionals disagreeing how their jobs should be done: Rich puts the crew's lives at risk by disobeying his orders to stay away from the Bungo Straits whereas Jim – more mature and cool-headed than his book counterpart – is still ticked off that he didn't get his command as expected. This differs from the book which portrays Rich in the right about pretty much everything.

(However it may be helpful to note that the book is told from Richardson's first-person perspective. The story is framed as his audio recording transcript for the Navy to help sell war bonds; the transcript is deemed unsuitable for a bond drive due to its focus on personal matters. Readers could argue that Rich was covering his ass and not telling the whole truth in order to make himself look good, I guess. But there's not too much evidence to support this theory.)

Another big difference between the novel and the film is in their scope. Whereas the film takes place over a few weeks and focuses on a single patrol by the Nerka the book's events span several years and are set aboard multiple boats (S-16, Walrus, Eel). Much of the book's second act is about Rich's recovery ashore and one of the book's highlights, the S-16's crew observing the devastation at Pearl Harbour days after the attack, is also left out of the film. As is normally the case with adaptations, the book goes into much greater detail about things such as how submarines work and how undersea warfare is waged. This abundance of detail and education should come as no surprise given the author's background, and yet it avoids being overbearing and tedious (like how Clancy novels can sometimes be. Has it really been 5 years since my Hunt for Red October comparison?).

I suppose the film somewhat makes up for this by having some scenes filmed inside a real submarine so at least the viewer gets to see what a sub looks like, both inside and out. This was accomplished with the cooperation of the US Navy but as is normally the case with military-endorsed movie shoots this came with a few caveats. In order to remain in the Navy's good books the film avoided mentioning the flawed torpedoes that WWII crews had to work with. Additionally the lifeboat-ramming scene was also jettisoned: while rare, such incidents did happen during the war and they're definitely something the Navy wouldn't want showcased to the general public.

Characters are another component that saw a change-up during adaptation. As you may have guessed, Laura is nowhere to be found in the film and (if I recall correctly) no mention is made of Jim Bledsoe's relationship status. However we do see one scene of Rich at home with his wife; Rich was a bachelor in the novel. Similarly ensign Keith Leone, a major supporting character in the book was left out and replaced with a new character, ensign Gerald Cartwright, a disloyal officer whom Jim has to put in his place as an example to the rest of the crew.

Lastly here are some other differences and oddities that are worth note:

• As mentioned earlier Laura isn't in the film, although interestingly the credits list Rich's wife's name as Laura Richardson. (Is this movie actually a sequel to the book? Is this the second Jim Bledsoe to serve with Richardson in the US Navy during WWII? Do the Japanese have a whole fleet of Bungo Pete clones at sea?)

• Both stories contain a scene in which Jim almost drowns someone he didn't know was left on the outer deck as he orders the sub to dive. In the movie the victim is one of the cook's assistants disposing of some garbage, in the novel it's Rich.

• The film's opening scene – in which Richardson's sub is sunk in the Bungo Straits by Pete – never happened in the book. This scene's inclusion in the film raises a few questions, namely how did Rich avoid capture and make it back to the USA?

• A great deal of the actors are older than their novel counterparts, most of whom are presumably in their 20's. In fact Clark Gable, old enough to be an admiral, is nearly twice as old as the book's Richardson!

Edward Beach was reportedly not very impressed with Run Silent, Run Deep's film adaptation when it came out, citing its inaccuracies. And having seen both versions I can understand where he's coming from. Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't bad and it makes for fine entertainment, but its lack of detail and nuance ensures that it doesn't hold a candle to the source material. I'd say if you want a condensed, bite-sized impression of Run Silent, Run Deep – which isn't excruciatingly long to begin with – then give the film a watch. But for those of you who want a more intricate, educational, and deeper (pun intended) look at mid-20^th century submarine warfare then check out the book.

All-Time Team: Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-present)

 

  Well what do you know? It looks like I was wrong: there is a Stanley Cup champion this year after all and in spite of the winners being a team that I care very little for – and in spite of having some politics shoved in my face – I'm still grateful that we got to see some playoff hockey this year. Yes, Lord Stanley's Cup has gone to the Tampa Bay Lightning and as per tradition I'm going to give my take on what a best-of roster would look like for this franchise. But first, a brief history.

  Thanks to the efforts of Hall of Famers Tony and Phil Esposito , the Lightning were founded in 1992, along with the Ottawa Senators. Despite an impressive inaugural season start – by the end of month 1 they were first in their division – Tampa Bay ended up finishing last in the league with 53 points. At the time however this was one of the best first season performances for an expansion franchise, especially one that had to contend with road trips as long as Tampa Bay's. This team's first few years were mediocre, as is often the case with new teams, but it was held together by some talented players like the high-scoring centre Brian Bradley and solid goaltender Darren Puppa. In their first ten seasons, the Lightning made the playoffs only once, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in the opening round of 1996.

  The late 1990's were a dark time for hockey in Tampa, whose team finished dead last in the NHL two years in a row thanks to some lousy trades and crippling injuries. Things weren't much better off-ice either in what I can only describe as one of the most bizarre NHL owner stories I've ever heard. The Lightning were originally owned by a Japanese group called Kokusai Green who were rumoured to be involved in the yakuza and using the struggling hockey club as a money laundering channel (the club was losing tons of money throughout the 1990's). Ownership was not very involved, to say the least, neglecting to support the team's operations, pay taxes, or even publicly reveal themselves as the Lightning's owners – Kokusai Green's owner Takashi Okubo never once met with NHL officials until 1998 nor did he ever attend an NHL game. The franchise was also heavily in debt too, moreso than any other major North American sports club at the time. The Lightning were sold to a new owner in 1998 who didn't know much about hockey, lost a bunch of money on this struggling team, and then promptly sold it in 1999. The third owner, William Davidson, had experience with sports teams and brought in a new GM who in turn brought in a new coach and some talented minor leaguers. But even this wasn't enough to revitalize the Lightning, who in 2001 became the first team to ever lose 50 games four years in a row.

  But slowly Tampa Bay had managed to assemble some real talent. 1998 saw the drafting of future stars Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards. Martin St. Louis was signed in 2000, all-star goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was acquired in 2001, and in that same year John Tortorella became head coach. The team's performance showed steady improvement in the early 2000's. In 2002-03 Tampa Bay finished 24 points better than the previous season, returned to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and even won their opening round against the Washington Capitals only to be eliminated by the eventual Cup champions New Jersey Devils. Undaunted, the Lightning struck again the following year with their first ever 100-point season as well as their first ever Stanley Cup victory against the Calgary Flames. It was the perfect capstone to a season that saw Martin St. Louis leading the league in scoring and Tortorella winning the Jack Adams Award for best coach.

  For the next couple years the Lightning were a competitive club but by 2007-08 much of the core that made up the 2004 team was either gone or in decline and thus a rebuild was needed. A new GM and new coaches were brought in but things didn't improve until 2010 when former Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman was made GM. After a flurry of acquisitions the Lightning hit the ground running in 2010-11, setting a new team record for wins and returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2007, losing to the Boston Bruins in the third round.

  The following two seasons saw mediocre performance from the team who failed to make the playoffs. But the they returned to postseason contention in 2014 and since then Tampa Bay has been one of the dominant teams in the NHL, missing the playoffs only once and reaching the Eastern Conference finals (or better) four times.

  Over twenty-eight seasons the Tampa Bay Lightning have made the playoffs twelve times, winning two Stanley Cups from three finals appearances. They've also won one President's Trophy and four division championships. Today I'm putting together what I think are the best players that have ever called Tampa Bay home. As always, only these players' achievements in Tampa Bay will be considered and I've only included players – apart from goaltenders – who played 240 games or more. Let's get into this.

Forwards

L-R: Stamkos, Lecavalier, Modin

Left Wing	Centre	Right Wing
Vaclav Prospal (2001-03, 2005-08, 2008-09)	Steven Stamkos (2008-present)	Martin St. Louis (2000-14)
Ondrej Palat (2013-present)	Vincent Lecavalier (1998-2013)	Nikita Kucherov (2013-present)
Alex Killorn (2013-present)	Brad Richards (2000-08)	Ryan Malone (2008-14)
Fredrik Modin (1999-2006)	Brayden Point (2016-present)	John Tucker (1992-96)

The top line is always reserved for a team's highest scorers so for left wing we've got Vaclav Prospal who had five seasons of at least 50 points, including two of at least 70. On the right wing there's the franchise's leading point scorer Martin St. Louis, a six-time 30 goals scorer and eleven-time 60 point scorer. And for centre I chose Steven Stamkos – yes, think he's better than Vincent Lecavalier – who twice led the NHL in goals. On the second line Ondrej Palat provides some solid passing as well as good defensive awareness (never a negative +/- season). Next to him is Lecavalier (5x30 goals and 8x60 points) and the high-scoring playmaker Nikita Kucherov who now has two 100 point seasons under his belt. The third line has some special teams ability from Alex Killorn, deft passing from Brad Richards (4x70 points), and a bit of toughness from Ryan Malone. And rounding out the fourth line is Fredrik Modin's defensive play, Brayden Point's goal-scoring ability, and John Tucker's capable passing. (Note: I had a hard time coming up with four worthy right wingers so I cheated: Ryan Malone is really a left winger.)

Honourable mentions: Brian Bradley, Tyler Johnson

Defencemen

L-R: Hedman, Boyle

Victor Hedman (2009-present)	Dan Boyle (2002-08)
Pavel Kubina (1997-2006, 2010-12)	Roman Hamrlik (1992-97)
Jassen Cullimore (1998-2004)	Cory Sarich (1999-2007)

For the first defensive pairing I've chosen two Lightning defencemen who have the most notable offensive output. They are Victor Hedman (5x40 assists, 4x +20) and Dan Boyle (3x50 points). The second pair is made up of Tampa's old school blueliners. The first is the dependable rearguard Pavel Kubina who was able to occasionally chip in with some offence, while the second is the team's first ever draft pick Roman Hamrlik who used his grit and powerplay prowess to great effect in the 1990's. Jassen Cullimore and Cory Sarich make up the third pair with their solid stay-at-home defensive play that helped win the 2004 Stanley Cup.

Honourable mention: Anton Stralman

Goaltenders

Khabibulin

Nikolai Khabibulin (2001-04)

Andrei Vasilevsky (2014-present)

This pick might upset some for sure but I believe that Nikolai Khabibulin is still the greatest goalie Tampa Bay has ever had (I also selected him as the backup for my all-time Winnipeg Jets team). Sure, Vasilevsky is an excellent stickhandler and has more shutouts and wins. Sure, the two have a similar save percentages and have both won a Stanley Cup. But I'm giving the edge to the “Bulin Wall” because his performance made the difference to a team that wasn't quite as dominant as today's Lightning. There's also the fact that he totally ruled the playoffs and spent more games and minutes (on average) per season between the pipes. Vasilevsky may have what it takes to be the best Tampa's ever seen but as of now Nikolai Khabibulin is still number one in my opinion.

Honourable mentions: Ben Bishop, Darren Puppa

My 10 Favourite Albums of the 2010's

 

Yeah, I know I'm late to the whole “Top 10 ______ of the Decade” list trend, but 2020 has been a most unusual year, wouldn't you say? I've still got some energy to spare and not many movies to write about and since I find writing about music to be a fun challenge I've decided to take a look at some of the 2010's standout albums. Most of my preferred music comes from past decades and since I didn't listen to nearly enough of last decade's tunes to comment on the music scene as a whole this will simply be my list of personal favourite albums from the 2010's. This list will cover full-length albums released from 2010 to 2019, and will focus mostly on major label stuff. Compilations, remixes, live albums, and film soundtracks don't count.

Honourable mentions: The Great War by Sabaton, Weapon by Skinny Puppy, King Animal by Soundgarden

10. Apocalyptic Love by Slash (2012)

I've written about this album before (April 2016) and mentioned that I thought it was “OK... not great”, but every time I hear Apocalyptic Love I appreciate it just a little bit more than before. Slash's second solo album – the first to feature Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators on every track – sees the man slip into conventional hard rock album trappings as opposed to the jumbled guest star hodgepodge that was the previous album. This second recording is much more focused, better paced, and better written and it gives the guitarist more room to show off his chops. There's your standard hard rocker tunes like “One Last Thrill”, slower moody songs like “Far and Away”, and even a classical-sounding epic, “Anastasia.” Altogether the Slash man released four solo albums in the 2010's but for my money Apocalyptic Love beats them all thanks to its superior variety and pace.

9. Tattoos & Tequila by Vince Neil (2010)

That's right, I've listed a Vince Neil solo album as one of my top 10, and I'm not ashamed to say that I quite enjoy Tattoos & Tequila. It seems like most aging rock stars eventually go the live albums and cover songs route once their sales decline but Vince isn't just going through the motions on this record; this collection of songs delivers more rawness, energy, and fun than almost any other covers album I've heard. The songs range from classic rock staples like Cheap Trick's “He's a Whore” and The Hollies' “Long Cool Woman” to glam metal versions of unexpected gems like Elton John's “The Bitch is Back” and even “Viva Las Vegas” from Elvis. A real highlight comes in the form of “Nobody's Fault” from Aerosmith; it's easily the heaviest song of the bunch and the talk-box guitar solos were a nice touch. However I'd be technically incorrect in saying that Tattoos & Tequila is a full covers album. There are two original songs and they're easily this recording's weakest points, missing the energy and rowdiness found in the rest of the tracks. It makes me wish that Vince Neil did some more covers albums because his selection of some old classics fed through his patented L.A. sleaze-rock approach made Tattoos & Tequila surprisingly fun.

8. 13 by Black Sabbath (2013)

In 2013, the godfathers of heavy metal assembled to record one last collection of original songs and they did not disappoint. Any fan of Black Sabbath's first eight albums will feel at home listening to 13, with its doomy/spooky mood, long, intricate song structures, and excellent pacing. Ozzy's desperate, howled singing would fit neatly into 1978 and Tony Iommi proves that after 44 years he can still crank out heavy-duty riffs that you can't help but bang your head to. There's numerous callbacks to previous Sabbath classics; for example “Zeitgeist” bears undeniable similarity to 1970's “Planet Caravan”, “Live Forever” reminds me a lot of 1972's “Cornucopia”, and the closing track, “Dear Father,” shares many similarities with “Black Sabbath”, the first song from the band's first album. The only thing I can really knock 13 for is the production; the sonic range has been crushed under compression and artificial volume. Of all the albums in all the world, why did this one have to be a casualty of the loudness war? If it weren't for that blemish, 13 would've ranked much higher for me.

7. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M. (2011)

For their final album, alternative rock legends R.E.M. dial back from the hard rocker tone of their previous album, Accelerate (2008), and display a bit more variety in their songs. What we get is a broad sampling of all the styles and moods that the band has done throughout their past. There's songs reminiscent of Life's Rich Pageant (“Mine Smell Like Honey”) and New Adventures in Hi-Fi (“Blue”) and there's even direct lyrical references to at least one song on Accelerate (“Oh My Heart”). Speaking of lyrics, it's clear that this album is about the band coming to terms with the changing world around them while settling comfortably into middle age; more than once a mystified Michael Stipe refers to “the kids today”. Comfortable might be the best word to describe Collapse Into Now, in spite of the band members' talents on full display. It's a great band going out in style, doing what they do best.

6. ...Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age (2013)

With the return of both past band members as well as an eerie – occasionally dreary – mood previously seen on Lullabies to Paralyze (2005) you might think that Josh Homme & Co. are coasting off of their glory days, trying to duplicate past success. This theory couldn't further from the truth. Instead ...Like Clockwork finds the band at a new level of maturity and focus; gone are the drug references and stoner vibes – with the possible exception of the groovy “Smooth Sailing”. What we get instead are lots of guest appearances, some top-notch production, and some tight, to-the-point songwriting. It's an album that's both complex and easily digestible and it easily ranks amongst the band's better works.

5. Welcome Oblivion by How to Destroy Angels (2013)

What genre of music of music is HTDA? Electronic rock? Post-industrial? Trip hop? Electronica? Whatever it is, I like it. After listening to every Nine Inch Nails recording I could find I figured I'd move on to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' side project featuring Mariqueen Maandig on lead vocals. Welcome Oblivion, the band's only full-length album to date, is dreamier and more mellifluous than your typical NIN recording thanks to Maandig's softer voice and the more melodic textures/arrangements. There are brief moments of drama and urgency and even some of the quieter songs have something going on in the background, like the ominous ringing in “Ice Age” which eventually builds up into a piercing crescendo. But moments like this only add to the sonic texture and aren't just there for the sake of being noisy. All in all, Welcome Oblivion was a pleasant surprise for me. It's a recording that's as soothing as it is hypnotic, perfect for listening through headphones with your eyes shut.

4. Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails (2013)

In true Nine Inch Nails fashion it took five years for the next album to be released, and as always it was worth the wait. In the early/mid-2000's frontman Trent Reznor transitioned from bitter, angst-ridden young man with substance abuse problems to sober, industrious, and progressive artist exploring new themes and evolving his band's sound. The trend continues on NIN's eighth full length album, Hesitation Marks. The word introspective can be used to describe pretty much every NIN record, but this one does it from a more peaceful and mature – sometimes even hopeful – perspective which is unique for this band's discography. Sure, there are songs that are louder and aggressive (“Copy of A”, “In Two”) but there's also some calmer and contemplative ones (“Find My Way”, “Disappointed”). Overall I'd say Hesitation Marks most closely resembles a calmer, more mature, and more varied version of 2005's With Teeth. It's the sound of a band that's grown up.

3. Dystopia by Megadeth (2016)

After two underwhelming albums earlier last decade, Megadeth underwent a lineup change by adding lead guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Chris Adler. Sometimes a little turmoil can do a band some good, as Dystopia is easily one of Megadeth's most energetic and aggressive albums since their glory days (the late 1980's to early 1990's). Fans of this band get exactly what they want: nearly every song hits hard and heavy with a furious level of speed, like in “The Threat is Real” and “Death from Within.” One exception is “Poisonous Shadows” which starts out with machine gun drumming and a chugging guitar riff only to give way to an orchestra and then a piano outro. And it all sounds great thanks to the top-notch production. Some listeners may be turned off by the lyrics' political themes or Dave Mustaine's voice but that's Megadeth for you; you should know what you're getting into by this point. All in all Dystopia sees Megadeth reaffirming itself as one of the Big Four of thrash metal with this menacing and blisteringly fast record guaranteed to please any of its fans. This is a dystopia worth living with.

2. Let England Shake by PJ Harvey (2011)

Let England Shake is easily the most ambitious album PJ Harvey has ever done. After mixing things up on 2007's White Chalk – a spooky piano-driven record where PJ sings in a much higher pitch than normal – the alt-rock legend struck with another starkly different recording. For starters her lyrics explore the themes of her English nationality/heritage and England's relation to the rest of the world – in particular its involvement in the First World War. Several songs are dedicated to the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign as well as the violence and tragedy of war; definitely a step away from Harvey's usual lyrical topics! Further experimentation is heard through her use of background vocals, autoharp, and brass instruments. Combined with the upper register vocals this makes for a soft sounding record – in spite of the often dreary subject matter – accentuated by the spacious production. I guess you could say it mirrors stereotypical British stoicism in masking its own disheartenment and outrage. Such complexity and harmonic grace make Let England Shake a surprising treat in PJ Harvey's catalogue. In fact one could argue that it's her best album to date but considering the strength of some of her previous efforts it wouldn't be an easy argument!

1. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice in Chains (2013)

Dang, 2013 sure was a great year for music! By 2018 the new lineup of Alice in Chains had put out just as many full-length albums as the classic lineup and while the current band isn't quite as exciting or captivating as it once was it has still produced some quality recordings. 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue was AIC proving that they still had something to offer and it was quite good, showcasing a heavier, doomier sound. But the “new” band's second album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is where they truly show off their songwriting abilities. The doom and heaviness is still there – “Hollow”, “Phantom Limb”, “Hung on a Hook” – alongside a few catchier rockers – “Breath on a Window”, “Low Ceiling” – and even a few upbeat acoustic-led tunes like “Scalpel” and “Voices”. Needless to say this all makes for a listening experience that's varied and refreshing, bolstered by the glossy production and impeccable pacing which allows the expert instrumentation and the signature spine-tingling vocal harmonies to really shine. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is a darkly vivacious listen that goes by faster than its 67 minute length would have you think, perfect for driving to. I can't wait to see what this band does next.

Movie Review -- Tenet

 

  Man, has it really been six months since my last movie review? It's been a while, hasn't it? Time sure does fly. I wish I could have all this lost time back. If only I could go back... Go back... Time... Christopher Nolan. Yeah, today's movie is Nolan's latest, Tenet, a film in which the infamously metaphysical, space-bending director goes all in and finally makes a straight-up time-travel film. So is it any good? Let's find out.

  Tenet is about an unnamed secret agent who, after a botched hostage rescue mission, is recruited into a secret organization called Tenet. The Protagonist is tasked with leading an investigation into objects and weapons whose temporal disposition has become “inverted” – i.e. they move backwards through time. By tracing these objects' origins he hopes to avert a worldwide catastrophe. This is a great idea for a film; we get loads of twisted action scenes with cars speeding backwards, bullets flying back into guns, people having awkward fights with inverted people. There's also occasionally the same scene shown from different points of view simultaneously depending on which characters are inverted or not. And this is in addition to the frequent cutaways of concurrent scenes that Christopher Nolan films are notorious for. This all makes for a mind-bending and cerebral plot that can be kind of hard to understand if you're not paying the utmost attention. But if you're into non-linear storytelling, Tenet is right up your alley. Its two-and-a-half hours goes by rather briskly.

  Bringing this plot to life is a talented cast which, in true Christopher Nolan fashion, sees the return of some familiar faces from the director's previous works. Back from Dunkirk is Kenneth Branagh as the intimidating Andrei Sator. (Michael Caine also lends a mandatory, albeit brief, appearance.) The other actor that really shines in Tenet is Elizabeth Debicki as Kat, Sator's estranged wife who's desperate to free their son from his criminal clutches. Robert Pattinson looks right at home as the unflappable and dependable agent Neil. The only disappointment in the casting lies with John David Washington as the Protagonist. There's a line early on in the film where one character tells him that their conversation has to be to-the-point and without any small talk. Apparently Washington obeyed this line like the word of God because his character is more-or-less a blank slate, largely devoid of personality.

  The production values on Tenet are on par with what you'd expect from a Nolan film. The compositions and cinematography – combined with the backwards-moving events – make this film a real treat for the eyes and will leave you wondering just how much of this stuff was done in-camera. Knowing the director the answer is probably all of it! While Tenet is one of the best-looking Nolan films out there, the film's sound design is more of a mixed bag. The pulse-pounding score from Ludwig Goransson fits well with its hair-rising horns and electronic compositions. However the sound mixing needed some more work; the sound effects and (sometimes) the music is too loud, making it hard to make out dialogue during action scenes. At first I wanted to chalk it up to the fact that I saw this movie in a really loud IMAX theatre, but I've heard other critics are making similar complaints.

  Overall, Tenet is a visually stunning, daringly fanciful sci-fi action flick with some flaws. The main character isn't all that memorable and the plot verges on confusing. But I will say that if you want to see time-travel done differently this one is well worth checking out. Time well spent.

Grade:

All Songs, Best to Worst: Alice in Chains

  Hey, guys. I'm still here. I know it's been a long time since I've written anything for this blog and I am sorry about that but since there's no movies to write about there's not much out there to give me material these days. I was running low on ideas until I decided to try another all songs rankings. As of late I've been listening a lot to today's band, Alice in Chains, and I think they're a band with a fascinating story.

  The classic lineup of this Seattle-based heavy metal group was known for its bittersweet harmonized vocals, the bleak and poignant lyrics, and overall raw and aggressive sound. Unlike most people I never considered Alice in Chains to be an out-and-out grunge band (unless we're talking about their deliciously murky self-titled album). This was 1990's metal at its finest, led my the talented songwriter-guitarist Jerry Cantrell and the balls-to-the-wall singing by Layne Staley who is my favourite singer of all time. Even though I didn't start listening to AIC until the early 2010's I was genuinely saddened to learn of Staley's passing in 2002, such was the power and sincerity of his performances.

  Years later the band came back with a new singer and a louder, doomier sound that still manages to fit snugly with the previous lineup's aesthetic. Despite not being as exciting as its previous incarnation I still have huge respect for this band that has survived the deaths of two members (the original drummer also died), reinvented itself, and continues to put out quality albums. So today I'm going to rank from best to worst – in my opinion – all 83 of Alice in Chains' songs that were released on full-length albums and EPs. Live albums, promotional singles, or duplicates will not be included. (Their first EP, We Die Young, included two songs that were also on their first album, Facelift, so I'll include them there.)

1. “Nutshell”, Jar of Flies (1994)

2. “Man in the Box”, Facelift (1990)

3. “Rooster”, Dirt (1992)

4. “Down in a Hole”, D

5. “We Die Young”, F

6. “Love, Hate, Love”, F

7. “No Excuses”, JoF

8. “Frogs”, Alice in Chains (1995)

9. “Heaven Beside You”, AIC

10. “Rain When I Die”, D

11. “Would?”, D

12. “Rotten Apple”, JoF

13. “Dirt”, D

14. “Stone”, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013)

15. “Sea of Sorrow”, F

16. “Sludge Factory”, AIC

17. “Last of My Kind”, Black Gives Way to Blue (2009)

18. “Hollow”, TDPDH

19. “All Secrets Known”, BGWtB

20. “Brother”, Sap (1992)

21. “Dam That River”, D

22. “Head Creeps”, AIC

23. “Real Thing”, F

24. “A Looking in View”, BGWtB

25. “Over Now”, AIC

26. “Got Me Wrong”, S

27. “Bleed the Freak”, F

28. “I Can't Remember”, F

29. “Grind”, AIC

30. “Shame in You”, AIC

31. “Voices”, TDPDH

32. “Check My Brain”, BGWtB

33. “Phantom Limb”, TDPDH

34. “Lab Monkey”, TDPDH

35. “God Smack”, D

36. “Red Giant”, Rainier Fog (2018)

37. “Them Bones”, D

38. “Your Decision”, BGWtB

39. “Rainier Fog”, RF

40. “Maybe”, RF

41. “Drone”, RF

42. “Sickman”, D

43. “It Ain't Like That”, F

44. “God Am”, AIC

45. “Confusion”, F

46. “When the Sun Rose Again”, BGWtB

47. “Junkhead”, D

48. “Killing Yourself”, We Die Young (EP, 1990)

49. “Again”, AIC

50. “Lesson Learned”, BGWtB

51. “Pretty Done”, TDPDH

52. “Hung on a Hook”, TDPDH

53. “All I Am”, RF

54. “So Far Under”, RF

55. “Scalpel”, TDPDH

56. “Sunshine”, F

57. “Angry Chair”, D

58. “Hate to Feel”, D

59. “Acid Bubble”, BGWtB

60. “Take Her Out”, BGWtB

61. “I Know Somethin' (Bout You)”, F

62. “Deaf Ears Blind Eyes”, RF

63. “So Close”, AIC

64. “The One You Know”, RF

65. “Brush Away”, AIC

66. “Don't Follow”, JoF

67. “Whale & Wasp”, JoF

68. “Private Hell”, BGWtB

69. “Low Ceiling”, TDPDH

70. “I Stay Away”, JoF

71. “Breath on a Window”, TDPDH

72. “Right Turn”, S

73. “Put You Down”, F

74. “Fly”, RF

75. “Nothing Song”, AIC

76. “Swing on This”, JoF

77. “Am I Inside”, S

78. “Black Gives Way to Blue”, BGWtB

79. “Choke”, TDPDH

80. “Never Fade”, RF

81. “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here”, TDHDP

82. “Love Song”, S

83. “Iron Gland”, D

50 Goal Scorers You Haven't Heard Of

You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. That phrase could apply to many things these days: movies, restaurants, public parks. But one of the things I'm missing most right now is hockey. It seems incredulous to me that after most teams have played 70 of their 82 games, after all those players put in that hard work, that (probably) nobody is going to be raising the Stanley Cup above their heads this year. This also means that I won't be able to do an all-time team for the champions this year because there won't be any champions. So today I'm going to do something a little different.

Everybody – and by everybody I mean everybody who cares about the Coolest Game on Earth^TM – was blown away by Alexander Ovechkin's 700^th goal this year and everybody was talking about how amazing goal-scorers are. Scoring 50 goals in one season is one of hockey's most celebrated individual feats. In the NHL it's been done 186 times by 91 different players. This elite group includes players we're all familiar with like Maurice Richard, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux just to name a few. But what about the guys who aren't known so well? Today I'm going to spotlight some 50-goal scorers you may not have heard of before.

Mickey Redmond (Detroit Red Wings, 1972-73, 1973-74)

After winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Montreal Canadiens in 1968 and 1969 Mickey Redmond was traded to the Detroit Red Wings midway through the 1970-71 season. Playing on a line with the great Alex Delvecchio, he scored 41 goals in his first full season with the team. With support from Delvecchio and later a young Marcel Dionne, Redmond recorded two consecutive seasons of 50 goals (52 and 51). So how come this high-scoring all-star isn't mentioned these days? The first reason is that Redmond suffered a back injury that cut his 1974-75 season short at 29 games. The year after that he could only manage 37 before having to retire. The second reason might be that he was on the Detroit Red Wings during the “Detroit Dead Things” era. Detroit only made the playoffs twice between 1967 and 1983 and so the rest of the hockey world didn't care much about what was going on in Hockeytown. And the third reason was simply that there was more impressive talent out there dominating the headlines such as Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Frank Mahovlich, and Bobby Clarke. Tough break, kid.

Danny Grant (Detroit Red Wings, 1974-75)

Danny Grant also won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1968 before he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars the next season. He was a capable passer and scorer for that franchise (3x30 goals) for six seasons before being unexpectedly traded away to the Red Wings. This quickly proved to be a bad deal for Minnesota as Grant scored 50 goals in his first year in Motor City (like Redmond before him Grant also had Marcel Dionne as a linemate). Unfortunately Grant was plagued by injuries for the rest of his career. Unable to play more than 42 games a year he retired from the NHL in 1979.

Jacques Richard (Quebec Nordiques, 1980-81)

Now this guy is what you call a one-hit wonder. Jacques Richard was a very promising left winger who turned a lot of heads in the minor leagues but also led a very troubled lifestyle. He was big into drinking and gambling and he got into plenty of bar fights. Richard also had a lousy work ethic, squandering his potential over a mediocre professional career, only once scoring more than 40 points. That is, until his eighth season in 1980-81 when he exploded for 52 goals and 51 assists! Perhaps it was his return to his hometown of Quebec City that spurred him into netting the 7^th most goals that year. Whatever the reason, he went right back to being the same old middling forward again, retiring in 1983. One third of all his NHL goals were produced in that one season.

Hakan Loob (Calgary Flames, 1987-88)

If you're not a Calgary Flames fan you probably just said “Hakan who?” That's OK, I'd never heard of him either until I started researching for this article. Hakan Loob was a right winger who spent six seasons in Calgary and he was actually pretty good, scoring 30 or more goals four times and 70 or more points three times. He became the first Swedish NHLer to score 50 goals in 1987-88, but in 1989 he announced that he was returning to Sweden to raise his kids there. Fair enough. At least he had the decency to win his team the Stanley Cup just before leaving.

My guess as to why nobody remembers Loob is because it was the 1980's, back when torrents of goals were being scored left, right, and centre. In 1987-88 alone there were eight players who lit the lamp 50 times – and Loob wasn't even the only Flames player among them! And what chance does the legacy of a guy with a short NHL career and a silly name have against that of Joe Nieuwendyk's?

Jonathan Cheechoo (San Jose Sharks, 2005-06)

Sure, I know who Jonathan Cheechoo is, but the article is called “50 Goal Scorers You Haven't Heard Of”. This isn't about me, we're talking about you. And if you didn't follow hockey in the mid-2000's then you can be forgiven for not knowing who Jonathan Cheechoo is. After a few years in the minor leagues, Cheechoo was called up to buoy the struggling Sharks in 2002. He put up modest numbers until he was eventually paired up with some talented linemates including Mike Ricci and later the mighty Joe Thornton. The ingredients were in place for Cheechoo to break out into a league-leading 56-goal campaign in 2005-06. The following season he netted a respectable 37 goals but his totals regressed each year to 23, then 12, and finally just 5. After 2010 he spent the rest of his career in the minor leagues. And just like Jacques Richard, one third of Cheechoo's NHL goals came from just that one season.

Tier List: Nine Inch Nails Albums & EPs

I've recently gotten into Anthony Fantano's music reviews on YouTube. Let me rephrase that: I'm not so much glued to his album reviews as I am interested in his videos where he talks about general music trends and entire band discographies. This includes his Tier Lists in which he ranks all of a band's albums into tiers based on quality. This inspired me to do one of my own. I chose Nine Inch Nails because not only is it one of my favourite bands but it's also a band that has a large and diverse discography. For this ranking I've listed all fifteen of NIN's studio albums and EPs; live albums and remixes don't count. So let me explain in detail what this means.

• S Tier: They way I see it, an S-tier album is an exceptional album, one that is most essential to knowing an artist. I believe only one NIN album meets this criteria and it should come as no surprise that that album is 1994's The Downward Spiral. Straight from the pain factory comes a dramatic, machine-generated descent into anxiety and depression that isn't exactly easy to listen to. While it isn't for everyone, TDS is well-paced, heavily textured, and memorable.
• A Tier: To me an A-tier album is excellent, something no true fan should be without. One of them is this band's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, a 48-minute sample of dark synthpop/machine rock whose hooky songwriting and defiant-yet-celebratory tone brought some mainstream appeal to industrial music. The other is 1999's The Fragile, a grandiose double album that offers a lot in the way of textured soundscapes – 7 of its 23 songs are instrumentals – but represents an evolution of NIN's sound and themes rather than a revolution. It wasn't quite as good as TDS but it was a damn good effort.
• B Tier: Next up we have the albums that I consider to be very good and by coincidence they all happen to be EPs. The band's first EP, Broken, is a focused buzz saw of intense rage and ferocity. It's as metal as the band ever got and it catapulted NIN into public consciousness. On the other end of the spectrum is Still, a toned-down set of eight songs some new and some deconstructed remakes of older NIN songs. I would argue that Still is a hidden gem in the Nine Inch Nails discography, the fulcrum around which the band's tone has matured. The other two are the first and third of the EP Trilogy (2016-18), Not the Actual Events and Bad Witch, respectively. NTAE is exciting for bringing back a bit of hard rocking aggression that NIN fans hadn't seen in years and Bad Witch features some ominous dread with its interesting arrangements (which even includes some saxophone!).
• C Tier: This tier is what I consider pretty good, above-average work. Starting it off is 2005's With Teeth, which is more focused yet less daring than The Fragile. Despite this it still has some great songs and remains one of my favourites. Next is The Slip, a lean, straightforward industrial rock album that's easy to enjoy. NIN's following release, Hesitation Marks, sounds like an amalgamation of all that came before it but with a more mature – even hopeful – tone. Rounding out this tier is the band's most recent release (from two weeks ago), Ghosts VI: Locusts, an instrumental album of dark, anxious background music. It's a genre that Nine Inch Nails has become quite at home with.
• D tier: Lastly we have the D-tier, albums that I consider OK or average. The first amongst them is 2007's Year Zero. I find Year Zero, NIN's second concept album, to be an alright listening experience but there's not much that makes it standout. One year later the band released Ghosts I-IV, a sprawling instrumental album full of 36 brief untitled songs. While it does have a handful of catchy tracks, most of the album is kind of boring. Things are mostly the same with the 2017 EP Add Violence. The difference is that Add Violence only has about 3 ho-hum songs on it instead of 28! Lastly there's the 2020 instrumental album Ghosts V: Together. It's the lighter, gentler companion to Locusts, but NIN has always been better at making listeners feel uncomfortable.

Book Vs. Movie - First Blood

  So a few months ago Rambo: Last Blood was released, the latest in a series of movies that, much like its lead character, refuses to die (though personally I really do think that this will be the last one). I didn't actually see Last Blood – in fact I've only seen the first and fourth Rambo films – but it got me thinking that maybe it'd be fun to read the David Morrell novel where it all started: First Blood. Author David Morrell was inspired to write First Blood after witnessing the effects of the Vietnam War on American society. This made him wonder what might happen if a returning veteran were to bring the war home with him. Published in 1972, First Blood became a big hit with Morrell selling the movie rights to it immediately. After several rewrites – none of which involved Morrell – and a decade in development hell First Blood stormed the theatres in 1982 with Sylvester Stallone in the starring role. First Blood is one of the best action movies of the 1980's and one of my favourites as well. So how does it stack against the novel? Let's take a look.

  First let's recap the plot which generally remains pretty similar from book to film. Rambo is a homeless, shell-shocked Vietnam veteran hitchhiking around, making his way through a small town looking for a place to eat. Distrustful of such scraggly-looking outsiders, local top cop Will Teasle gives Rambo a lift out of town. Refusing to be pushed around, Rambo returns to the town in spite of Tealse's warnings leading to his arrest. “The kid” proves to be uncooperative and the police's attempts to shave him triggers a frightening flashback from the war. Rambo freaks out, overpowers the cops, breaks out of the police station, and leads them on a chase into the nearby mountains. Multiple officers start searching for him – both on foot and by helicopter – but Rambo's expertise in stealth and guerilla warfare give him the upper hand; he incapacitates them all with Teasle barely making it out. In the following days a massive manhunt takes form with the involvement of state police, the national guard, and civilian volunteers. Teasle receives advice (which he refuses) from special forces Colonel Sam Trautman who reveals that the kid was a highly decorated member of the Green Berets in Vietnam. Eventually Rambo is cornered in an abandoned mine/cave complex. After navigating the cave he finds an exit and makes his way back into the town to confront Teasle. Rambo blows up a good chunk of the town before the two engage in a climactic gunfight with Trautman not far behind.

  I think the biggest differences between the book and film can be seen in the portrayal of its main characters, Rambo and Teasle. The novel almost evenly splits its focus between the two of them and they're both made out to be flawed and complex characters. Whichever one – if either – is the good guy and the bad guy is left ambiguous as each man has his reasons and his faults. In contrast, the movie First Blood simplifies things by making Rambo – who in this version is given the first name John – the sympathetic main character. The film begins with Rambo looking for one of his old war buddies only to find that he's died from the effects of Agent Orange. Once he's arrested, the kid is treated rather viciously by the sadistic policemen (in the book the policemen seem agreeable enough). In addition, movie Rambo only inadvertently kills a few dogs and one police officer (which arguably wasn't his fault) and during the manhunt scene in the woods he dispatches all of Teasle's men, including Teasle himself, non-lethally as a warning to leave him be. This contrasts heavily with the book version of Rambo: he kills dozens of people. During his escape from the police station, he uses the razor to slash open and disembowel a cop, during his escape the next day he manages to shoot down a helicopter that had two people in it, he methodically slaughters the cops that were after him one by one, he knifes two civilian volunteers to death, and he blows up the police station with people still in it (in the movie he only shoots up the station once everyone but Teasle has gone). Before his arrest, book Rambo – who doesn't have a first name – has plenty of opportunities to back down and de-escalate the situation but he can't stop provoking Teasle. Once things have gotten out of hand, Rambo admits to himself that against his better judgment he wanted the fight, that it gives him a sense of purpose, and the thought of surrender seems disgusting to him. Compare this to the film version of Rambo who tries surrendering after Deputy Galt dies, but is forced to flee after Teasle opens fire on him. It's clear that this version of Rambo was just minding his own business and wanted to be left alone.

  By the same token Will Teasle's character is changed up even more than Rambo's. In the book he's kind of a jerk but this is partially due to some personal issues he has at the moment. He'd lately been fighting with his surrogate father, Orval, over nothing and he's also anxious about receiving a phone call from his recently estranged wife. (There's a line in the film where upon walking into the police station Teasle says “hold my calls.” Possible reference?) He narrowly manages to escape Rambo in the woods by crawling though some thick brambles in an exhausted panic. It's this chase that prompts a serious heart condition but Teasle repeatedly refuses to rest/seek medical attention and instead loads up on painkillers because he feels guilty about starting this whole murderous affair and he's determined to see it through until the end. Towards the end he develops a bizarre admiration for Rambo as well as an uncanny ability to anticipate where Rambo is going. This differs wildly from the movie version of Teasle who is simply a proud, stubborn policeman who's mad that things aren't going his way. You don't learn much about his backstory, his motivations, or his sense of responsibility: he's just a jerkwad. This downgrade in Teasle's character comes with a corresponding downgrade in Orval's character as well: he's a major supporting character in the novel but in the movie he's nothing more than an angry redneck.

  It's these differences between Rambo and Teasle's portrayal that change First Blood's whole tone and theme. This can be explained by the fact that both versions of the story are very much products of their time. You see, many Americans in the early 1970's were getting sick and tired of crime and hippie culture and were longing for stern authority figures to reestablish law and order in the country (see 1971's Dirty Harry). One must also remember that the United States was still involved in the Vietnam War when this book came out and the public was very divided on how returning veterans should be viewed. Rambo's beard, long hair, and roaming loner lifestyle would have led many readers to label him as a hippie and therefore not as agreeable as a small town police chief. However, by the 1980's the American public was ready to view Vietnam veterans in a more sympathetic light. As a result, the veteran-focused themes in First Blood the movie are given far more attention than in its novel counterpart. More importantly, action movies in the 1980's were becoming more in-your-face as audiences' appetite for destruction swelled. This was the era of the underdog, one-man-army action films featuring a lone hero on a destructive rampage: Commando (1985), Robocop (1987), and Die Hard (1989) all owe at least some measure of their success to Rambo's first cinematic outing in 1982.

  The tonal change can also be seen in how Colonel Trautman's role was expanded. In the book, Trautman and Rambo had never met; Rambo only recognized the man's name and voice as one of the commanders of the army base that had trained him. But the movie makes their connection way more personal; Trautman commanded Rambo's squad on missions in Vietnam and is now basically the only friend that Rambo has left. As such the movie version of Trautman makes more of an effort to save Rambo by talking him down. There's an interesting line in the movie where Teasle asks Trautman , “What would you have done with [Rambo] if he came in? Wrap your arms around him, give him a big sloppy kiss? Or would you've blown his brains out?” Depending on the version of First Blood you're going through, Trautman did both!

  That's the other huge difference between the book and movie: the ending. In the novel Teasle chases Rambo through town and successfully sneaks behind the kid. The two deliver mutually fatal gunshots to eachother. Rambo survives long enough to crawl into some nearby woods with Trautman and a stumbling-yet-determined Teasle in pursuit. Hoping to coax Teasle into killing him – and thus go down fighting – an unsteady Rambo hits the policeman with a shot that he actually meant to miss. Trautman responds with a shotgun blast to Rambo's head. The colonel delivers the news to Teasle as he dies peacefully. In the movie Rambo makes his way towards the police station where Teasle waits for him alone. Rambo sneaks inside and a brief gunfight ensues with Teasle shot and Rambo about to kill him. Trautman shows up – moments ahead of hundreds of national guardsmen who surround the building – to talk Rambo out of it, insisting that there's no chance of escape and reminding the kid that he's the last of his army unit. An incensed Rambo throws his weapons away and starts to rant on his frustrations with losing the war, how unfair and unsatisfying civilian life is, and how sad he is that all his army buddies are dead. Now in tears, the despondent Rambo embraces Trautman who escorts him outside to surrender to the police.

  These are both really great endings, each one well-suited to the story preceding it. Book Rambo was a violent man who got what he wanted: a violent death. But since the movie version of First Blood tried to bring veterans issues like post-traumatic stress disorder to the forefront, it makes sense to let the main character express his grievances to a world that turned its back on him. It's not often you see an action movie where the hero breaks down and sobs helplessly at the end. And this is helped by the fact that Sylvester Stallone is an excellent actor in this film. (Fun fact: this wasn't the original ending to the film. Initially Rambo was supposed to beg and then force Trautman to shoot him dead. This ending didn't go over well with test audiences and was thus reshot.)

  One other difference I wanted to bring up is the setting. Whereas the book took place in the small town of Madison, Kentucky, the movie takes place in the small town of Hope, Washington. I'm not sure why the filmmakers chose to change locations but I certainly am in favour of it for purely selfish reasons. First Blood was filmed in Hope, British Columbia, which is just down the road from where I live! Some of the locations in the film are places I've been to and whenever I find myself in Hope I can't help but think of Rambo movies. Pretty neat, huh? Just thought I'd share that.

  And speaking of tangents, here is a list of a bunch of other differences whose effects on the film are slight and were probably only made to save the filmmakers time (which normally happens with adaptations):

• The book takes place in early October whereas the movie takes place in December.
• In the book Teasle is the Chief of Police but in the movie he's the Sheriff. I'm unsure if this makes any practical difference.
• Teasle's status as a Korean War veteran isn't given any attention in the film. However there is one shot where you can see some military medals in his office.

• Sylvester Stallone has no beard, which makes the whole shaving scene in jail a bit confusing.
• In the movie Rambo escapes the police station in boots, jeans, and a sleeveless shirt. In the book he was bare-ass naked.
• The movie does go to great lengths to recreate the cliff scene from the book. However, the police helicopter isn't shot down and considerably fewer people die in this version.
• The owl that Rambo caught and ate was changed to a pig.
• The novel's version of Rambo's escape through the caves is considerably more hazardous and longer than in the film. Most of it happens in complete darkness, he gets attacked by bats, and he even comes across the skeleton of someone else who also got lost a long time ago. At one point things look so bleak that he briefly considers committing suicide.

  And that's First Blood, both a gripping thriller novel and a fine action film. Both pieces of media do a fine job at what they've set out to do while telling a story that is mostly the same, but with two radically different tones, themes, and endings. For that reason I recommend trying both the movie and the book. I say start with the movie and if you're left hungry for more, for something meatier and more sinuous, check out David Morrell's novel, which I believe is the better version of the two.

Movie Review -- The Gentlemen

  While I have seen a few Guy Ritchie movies, his direction never left much of an impression on me. So when I went to go see his latest film, The Gentlemen, I didn't know what to expect. From what I can tell, he's famous for his crime comedies of which The Gentlemen is definitely one. So is it worth a watch? Let's find out.

  The Gentlemen tells the story of Britain's marijuana kingpin Mickey Pearson. He wants to sell off his underground empire and retire but there's plenty of schemers and blackmailers out there who want a piece of the pie. A great big mess ensues. It's a story with lots of twists and surprises, mostly because it doesn't take itself too seriously. The film's playful and humourous tone is highlighted by sharp, tangent-laden dialogue. In this regard, The Gentlemen is roughly similar to Pulp Fiction except much faster-paced. Try not to blink because this plot is on the move and it's easy to miss things.

  One thing you can't miss, however, is the acting: it is superb throughout. Colin Farrell gives a memorable comedic performance as the nonaligned MMA instructor Coach. Charlie Hunnan is confident and in-control as Pearson's badass consigliere Raymond Smith. Ironically, it's lead actor Matthew McConaghey's performance as Pearson that stands out to me the least. He certainly isn't bad in this movie, but he comes across as restrained. For me the actor who steals the show is Hugh Grant as the cocky, self-assured, and slightly deranged private investigator Fletcher. What's really great is that for the first half of the film Grant serves as a narrator-of-sorts so you get to hear his take on all the events unfolding.

  This narration is given life through the film's energetic directing and editing. Scenes playfully jump back and forth, sometimes out of order and with plenty of flashbacks. And since the narrator – sometimes narrators – isn't always reliable, we even end up with a few “what if” scenarios. Even the aspect ratio and filmstock aren't immune from being messed around with.

  All in all, Guy Ritchie has crafted a very enjoyable experience with The Gentlemen. If you like your comedies with a bit of a rough edge – or conversely, if you like violent gangster films that have a great sense of humour – then I'd very much recommend it.

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My Top 10 Favourite Splinter Cell Levels

L-R: Paris-Nice, Cargo Ship, Third Echelon Headquarters

It sure has been a while since we've had a new Splinter Cell game. Wouldn't it be nice to get a new one for the first time since 2013? Oh well, I guess until then we can reminisce about the past games in this excellent stealth-action series of video games. I recently played through Chaos Theory and Blacklist and while I've already gone through and ranked all the games from worst to best on this blog (in January 2016), this time I thought it'd be fun to look at individual levels from the series that have really stood out to me. These are my picks for the top 10 levels in Splinter Cell games.

Dishonourable mention: Kalinatek (Splinter Cell), Diwaniya, Iraq (Conviction)

Honourable mention: Oil Refinery (Splinter Cell), Shanghai (Double Agent), American Consumption (Blacklist), Hawkins Seafort (Blacklist)

10. Seoul (Chaos Theory)

The eighth level in the series' best entry, Seoul shows us a startling look at what might happen if the Korean War ever broke out into armed conflict again. Sam Fisher is tasked with making his way through communist-occupied Seoul to steal information from South Korea's national data trunk. This involves navigating destroyed buildings and sabotaging KPA communications. Things turn sour as a US spy plane is shot down nearby and before Sam can extract he has to destroy the plane so that its contents aren't discovered by either side. To do this Sam has to wade further into the active warzone complete with firefights, tanks, and deadly UAVs . Danger is everywhere, there are no friends. As William Redding says at the mission's start, “there aren't any alarms to worry about, but anyone you encounter will... already be alert.” As a result it can be tricky to tell if you've been seen or not but I still think of this one as a decent level to mess about in. War: it's fantastic.

9. Cargo Ship (Chaos Theory)

Don't worry, these won't all be levels from Chaos Theory. Cargo Ship might just be the SC level that I've played the most. It's an easy level to figure out but more importantly it's one of those levels that are fully accessible from start to finish: if you're near the end and you realize you've forgotten something there's nothing stopping you from going back to the beginning. I also love the idea of a level set on a ship at sea. There's 36 bad guys (I think) and there's no way out... for them. Sometimes I would go out of my way to see if I could find and kill all of them. Failing to do that I would instead try knocking them out and leaving their unconscious bodies in weird places, such as in a freezer or leaving Hugo Lacerda's dead body in the same cabin where I knocked out the captain. I also liked checking the sticky camera I left in Lacerda's cabin just to see if his bodyguards were still waiting silently for him to get them a drink. All in all, Cargo Ship is a fun level that's basically a playground.

8. Presidential Palace (Splinter Cell)

As the finale to the first game in the series, Presidential Palace doesn't disappoint. There's tons of guards patrolling everywhere, lots of rooms where guards will enter suddenly, and there's even a few dogs you'll have to avoid. You'll get to take President Nikoladze hostage for a few moments before assassinating him later on. In short, it's a tense level that serves as a suitable capstone to a fine classic game... even if I died dozens of times falling off the cliffs at the beginning due to that tricky double-jump.

7. Bathhouse (Chaos Theory)

The longest and most difficult level in Chaos Theory, Bathhouse is an exercise in patience thanks to its many hard sections and sometimes unpredictable lighting. In the lobby room (the one with the scaffolding), the pool room, and the hallway with the two factions fighting eachother it seems like a crapshoot whether the badguys spot you or not. I've since learned to make use of smoke grenades in such tricky sections. My advice: save frequently. Remaining undetected and nonlethal in Bathhouse is certainly not an easy thing to do, especially in the end section when you have to disarm bombs in a boiler room with roaming commandos. But seeing the 100% success rating once it's all over feels so satisfying. In addition to providing some fine challenge, this mission is also quite story-heavy with some shocking twists and a thrilling ending. It's a wonder they didn't save Bathhouse as the final level in the game.

6. Bank (Chaos Theory)

I swear this is the last Chaos Theory level on this list. What can I say, it's an excellent game with some really fun levels. One of them is the MCAS Bank in Panama where Sam Fisher has to break in to discover who's been bankrolling Lacerda's revolutionaries. But in order to cover up these intentions Fisher also has to crack the vault and steal some bearer bonds and make it look like an inside job. It's a clever setup for what's basically a bank heist mission carried out by the NSA. Just like the Cargo Ship mission there's a variety of ways you can approach each objective and you're free to tackle each one in whichever order you want. I've had hours of fun with this level avoiding lasers, hacking every computer, and even flooding the vault with the sprinkler system. Not only is Bank the only level in the series where you get to use the telemetric lock pick, but it's one of only two levels in Chaos Theory were I managed to complete it while leaving all enemies undisturbed (the other one being Displace). That's right: I completed this level without touching anyone. Try it out yourself!

5. CIA HQ (Splinter Cell)

You knew this one was coming. In a game about sneaking around places where you're not supposed to be, what could be a more appropriate setting than the headquarters of the CIA? A lot of the levels on the original Splinter Cell are ordinary office buildings which gets kind of old, but CIA HQ mixes things up with ventilation rooms, supply closets, server rooms, and patrolled hallways. It can also be rather difficult (just like all the levels of that first game); you're not allowed to kill anyone, you have to retrieve your SC-2000 rifle, and the level's exit is teeming with enemies. The only downside is that you have to haul some unconscious dude on your back an awfully long way to the end. Also the lighting in this level works a bit wonkily at times. But apart from that CIA HQ is a fine level that epitomizes the first Splinter Cell game.

4. Paris-Nice (Pandora Tomorrow)

There's something about train levels in video games that certainly bring a nice change of pace. Perhaps it's the confinement that makes the action more focused and immediate. That's exactly the effect that the Pairs-Nice level has in Pandora Tomorrow. Not only do you have to avoid detection inside the cramped quarters of a French high-speed train, but you'll also be crossing the train's undercarriage, shimmying along the sides as other trains rocket by just inches away, and running along its roof. This level is easily one of the most unique missions in the whole series. No wonder this is such a popular one.

3. Los Angeles, California (Pandora Tomorrow)

It's a shame that this level doesn't get as much love from the SC community as other levels do because I think Pandora Tomorrow's finale is brilliant. Sam has to sneak through Los Angeles International Airport to intercept Norman Soth and his goons before they have a chance to set off their smallpox bombs. But if just one alarm goes off the terrorists will detonate their bomb and it's all over so there's no room for mistakes. I love the idea of a level set in a public place. Not only do you have to avoid the gaze of a variety of people – terrorists, security guards, airport employees, and random civilians – but the bad guys are all in disguise so you have to seek them out before making your move. You do this through your goggles' thermal vision since the bad guys' smallpox vaccines give them a higher-than-normal body temperature. It's a simple mechanic but I always thought it was cool. And once you complete the pulse-pounding ending the day is saved and LA can rest easy. Pandora Tomorrow isn't a game that I'm terribly fond of but this LAX level goes some way towards redeeming it.

2. Third Echelon Headquarters (Conviction)

As I've mentioned in earlier articles, Conviction may not be as traditionally stealthy as other Splinter Cell games but it can still provide an intense and thrilling gameplay experience. This is why the Third Echelon Headquarters mission stands out to me. From the no-detection-allowed opening to the sneaking through patrolled office areas, to defending yourself from waves of goggled commandos, there's plenty of tense moments to this level that will have you on the edge of your seat. This is also quite possibly the most badass Sam Fisher has ever been. Not only does he have unlimited Mark & Executes at the end, not only does he interrogate (i.e. beat up) Andrei Kobin, but he also delivers the line “I used to work here,” to the receptionist just before detonating some bombs in his former workplace. That's right, Sam has gone rogue. As if that wasn't enough he learns the truth about what happened to his daughter Sarah and that Lambert, his friend that he was forced to kill, lied to him about it. True, the words flashing on the walls during this scene come off as a bit cheesy. Nevertheless, Third Echelon Headquarters is great story-driven level that has some really gripping gameplay to keep me coming back again and again.

1. Special Missions HQ (Blacklist)

This may be a bit of a surprise. I like Blacklist but I find that it doesn't have many standout levels to it apart from this. That may be because, as you've noticed by now, I like Splinter Cell levels that take place in special forces/intelligence headquarters. They make for a great you're-not-supposed-to-be-here vibe that really make you want to play through them flawlessly. Achieving ghost mastery on perfectionist difficulty in this mission is very difficult but extremely satisfying once you pull it off. But what makes Special Missions HQ so special (no pun intended)? Well, Sam Fisher has to infiltrate Quds Force headquarters to manually retrieve data concerning Iran's ties to the Blacklist attacks in order to prevent the US from declaring war. To do this he has to gain entry by extorting a general, taking to the shadows once the general betrays him and the alarms are set off, downloading the data from an airtight server room, and then wading through room after room after room – each one full of bad guys furiously searching for him. You'll deal with all manner of enemies from regular guys to heavy armoured guys, commandos, and even dogs. It'll test your stealth skills to the limit. It's not a perfect level – the UAV part at the end seems a bit gratuitous and it's a roll of the dice whether you'll be detected or not once the alarms go off – but Special Missions HQ is still an exciting level that's well worth your time.