Hall of Fame: Week 13

Now we could sit here and point fingers until they go stiff, trying to determine why this Hall of Fame post is (more than) a week late, and whom is to blame (me).  But frankly, playing the blame game won’t put PtP knowledge in your brains a week ago.  So I’m of the firm opinion that it’s important that we look into the future, and forget about the mistakes of the past, as well as who is to blame for them.  This week Pat wow’s the ladies with his extensive knowledge of the Shire, Dabs extols us on the virtues of a worm fighting evil in a super suit, and Matt steals one of my future movie picks out from under my Peter Sellers-esque robotic arms.  Oh ya, and I give you something depressing to listen to you while you worry about another late edition of the HoF next week (won’t happen, I promise).

The Book: The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King)

While probably a case could be made for each of these books on an individual basis I think that we might as well group the whole set together as they make possibly the best written trilogy of the 20th century. The world created by J.R.R Tolkien is as vast and descriptive as it is probably humanly possible to describe our own. Tolkien literally developed not only species, maps and languages in incredible detail to describe the depth of his world; but he also included history that spanned thousands of years for the reader to really understand the world in which you were about to become immersed in and really experience something that is rarely given in written sagas.

Of course what do you expect from Oxford professor of English Language and Literature? This compilation of books is unlike any that I have ever read and there is still more to dive into the story with the Silmarillion which would allow the most avid fan much more facts and history to gobble up.

The books provide the basic Good versus Evil but gives does such an amazing job showing so many elements of mankind and what is truly made of, not only using the human characters but the elves and numerous other creatures as well. The story shows that we all have paths that ebb and flow and that sometimes connect for a time but also instances where we have to go it alone. It takes relationships in all forms from those that are forbidden with the elves and the mortals to the ones of the truest friendships with Frodo and Sam. Then we have the temptation aspect with the ring that gives unparalleled life and power to the one who possess it and how it can utterly reduce one character to a monster while others who possess it try to stave off evil to the end with what good hearts they possessed.

There is so much in this books that no short summary is ever going to do it justice. They might appear daunting at first but the trilogy is the best you will ever find in modern fiction. It has all the elements of life with murder, betrayal, love, redemption, and strife just to name a few.

By far The Lord of the Rings should be on everyone’s list of fiction to read at some point. And while you might say that the movies will cover you, like any good book they can never get everything in there, even with extended additions, and even if they could there is always something lost in the translation. This is the measuring stick for all other epic sagas.

-Pat

The Game: Earthworm Jim

I'll stand by the statement that the best games were born from the Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis rivalry. RPG's, platformers, sports games - you name it they all were made better by the rivalry. Each system battled back and forth, and eventually the SNES came out on top, but the Genesis still came out with some of the best games of all time and is true and dear to my heart. 

Earthworm Jim came out for both systems, but I got to know it on the delicious Genesis (I still have never owned a SuperNES). The whole idea of a worm walking around in a super suit trying to defeat a maniacal crow and some disgusting larva queen is just fantastic in and of itself, but the mechanics, game play, sound and level design put this game over the top. 

Each level had its own great theme, and got progressively difficult as the game went on. The last few levels are just ridiculous, and definitely require racking up extra lives early on. Which was easy to do if you utilized flinging yourself like a whip and swinging from hooks, or flushing toilets that warp you to secret areas, or launching cows into distant space. 

One level was completely devoted to protecting a puppy, who, if you let him get attacked, would mutate into this gigantic, seething monster, chew you up, and spit you out half way back into the level. 

Others had you riding in a glass submarine with a limited amount of air (time). Each time you hit the rock sides of the level your sub would crack a little, the faster you hit the wall, the bigger the crack. Believe me, I didn't know I could fit in such tight cracks - something I'm sure Anthony is just drooling over right now. 

The graphics were (and still are) fantastic. Pie made little details in every aspect of every character to add depth and a cartoon/comic feel that I think only a few games can replicate (Comix Zone, another future HoF pic, is one of them). 

Overall, Earthworm Jim was a great platformer that required masterful level memorization, quick fingers, and dedication. Play the game and you will be saying "Groovy" just like Earthworm Jim.

-Dabs

The Move: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 

Before I get to describe my movie pick for this week, let me first pat myself on the back for being utterly brilliant…yes…brilliant. By inducting this movie, I am achieving several important goals in one fell swoop: 1.) not letting our readers down by inducting a truly amazing movie 2.) adding a bit more diversity to our HoF movie selections by inducting a dark satire 3.) inconveniencing Anthony by preempting any possible Kubrick selections he might be considering in the near future, thus stripping him of a lot of great possible movie picks due to the recency of my choice…good work Matt.

At any rate, for those of you foolish enough to have missed this classic, Dr. Strangelove is a brilliant flick that satirizes the Cold War arms race and the concept of mutually assured destruction. One could call this film a comedy, but in truth, it’s really not. The film overflows with dark humor, but at the same time, is not comical…it’s a brilliant balancing act that takes something as serious as impending nuclear holocaust and produces grins out of it. The film somehow pulls off this impressive feat through near flawless acting; it’s a dialogue heavy movie so a lot of focus is put on the characters. Peter Sellers shows off some of the most versatile acting I have ever seen in a single movie, taking on three different characters that are so diverse that one will struggle to recognize the same person is playing them. Sterling Hayden keeps the awkward grins going steady, portraying a delusional General convinced that the fluoridation of water is a Russian plot to contaminate our bodily fluids…it plays into the story trust me. Lastly, George C. Scott plays possibly my favorite character in the flick, the flamboyant and boisterous General Buck Turgidson (his defense of the “big board” cracks me up every time). I could go on all day picking out truly great scenes from this movie, but you’d be better served checking it out for yourself.

Without question, this film is timeless. Despite being black and white, it will seem fresh and new until we actually do succeed in killing ourselves in a nuclear holocaust. Maybe when that day comes I might not appreciate this film, until then, however, I stand firm in believing that you are less of a person for not seeing this flick…that’s right, I judge you.

-Matt

The Album: Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights

Interpol’s debut album is full of haunting music with lyrical themes of loss, regret and sex... I say sex because no one would confuse any of these songs for love songs.  Interpol follows in the post-punk footsteps of Joy Division (one of Matt’s Hidden Gem picks).  The foundation of the band is the rhythm section.  Drummer Sam Fogarino seems to define the song hooks with varied beats that never stagnate or bore.  Meanwhile Carlos Dengler’s (porn name anyone?) bass lines carve out a spine for the song.  Over low-range foundation of the rhythm section Daniel Kessler’s jangling guitar is big enough to reach the upper decks of a stadium without ever sounding like he’s trying to be The Edge.  Turn on the Bright Lights is the band peaking early, both thematically and musically.  Here their lyrics are vague, but effective and evocative--where in later albums they fail by being more overt and descriptive.    The album opener starts with a ringing guitar riff before the drums come in with a driving beat.  Untitled sort of informs the rest of the album, thematically with its obtuse, almost singular lyric line repeated.  The perspective of the song is unclear, so it’s meaning is up for argument.  “I will surprise you sometime, I’ll come around, when you’re down.”  The song NYC gives the album it’s title, though it is unclear whether it is another love song to New York or a critical look on the city with lyrics like “I had seven faces, thought I knew which one to wear” and “the subway is a porno.”  It is probably both.  TotBL is a rainy day CD.  A drive at night CD.  It’s a city walk CD.  It’s a pretty legit CD.

-Anthony