Original Jekyll & Hyde Readers: Oh wow, what a twist! What a thrilling conclusion! Truly a satisfying end to this strange tale.

Me: Yeah yeah the duplicity of man, we’ve all seen it. But what does my good friend Utterson make of this?!!!!!!?!!!!!?!

Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade (2010′s)

Now that we have entered the 2020s, it’s time to look back on a decade of movie magic. To emphasise the importance of each year, I’ll balance things out by including two films from each year for my Top 20 list. I’ve tried to pick films that both defined this decade as well as appealed to me personally, so my list will of course, as always, be different from yours, but hopefully, I won’t totally irritate you with my humble choice, which I deem worthy to post online for the public eye to witness.

2010:

INCEPTION - “You’re waiting for a train...” Christopher Nolan unarguably is the most exciting and original directors working today. Each time he releases a movie, its an event. A literal must-see at the cinema. Which is why this isn’t the only film of his you will find on this list. With Inception, Nolan gives us a movie that is both enjoyable and imaginative, rewarding the audience for the attention that it demands. Filled with so much detail that if you miss certain shots, you will completely get lost in confusion of the narrative (as confusing as it already is). It’s intense and complex, with great performances from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, this movie will leave you lingering for more even after that mysterious ending.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD -  “You cocky cock! You'll pay for your crimes against humanity!” Once again, another exciting director on this list (oh there are so so many!). Ever since Edgar Wright emerged from the British isles, he’s given us some of the funniest films of the past decade and onwards. His Cornetto Trilogy is a blast, Baby Driver is a blast, Ant-Man was going to be even more of a blast if Marvel allowed Wright to do his magical shenanigans his way, and the upcoming Last Night in Soho will surely be a blast also. With Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Wright creates a meta-clever universe taking inspiration from comic books and video games and filled to the brink with wink-wink-nudge-nudge humour, this is an exciting and very sarcastic over the top endeavor. Also, Brie Larson in this movie.....phew!! And unsurprisingly, its all a blast!

2011:

DRIVE - “I just wanted you to know, just getting to be around you, that was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Drive is more of an elegant exercise in style, and its emotions may be hidden but they run deep. A shamelessly disreputable, stylish, stoic, ultra-violent thriller with amazing stunt work, one of the best opening sequences of any movie this decade and a neon-pumped soundtrack that’s a must-own for all vinyl users, if you still haven’t seen Drive, there’s only one thing you can do. Clue: it’s to go watch Drive.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL - “Your mission, should you choose to accept it...” Tom Cruise’s deal with the devil allows him to do some literally impossible stuff, and though I don’t condone his Scientology ways, the man’s stunt work and efforts in his area of expertise are worth all the praise and respect. To be honest, I’m commemorating all three of the Mission Impossible flicks that graced our screen this year (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation and Fallout). This franchise is like a game of dodgeball, except that Tom Cruise is the dodgeBALL, being thrown and thrust left and right like nobody cares. Also, with me being Russian, the fact that a movie manages to destroy the Kremlin and then have me not hate the film in the aftermath shows that this film is way too fun to hate.

2012:

DJANGO UNCHAINED - “Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” Quentin Tarantino is one of my favourite directors working today. And Django Unchained happens to be my favourite film of his. The writing for this film is orgasmic (I went there!). The way the actors deliver the lines and the lines of dialogue themselves sound almost poetic to my ears. I can quote so many lines from this darn thing. The cinematography is immaculate. The soundtrack choice is great. The performances, my goodness, the PERFORMANCES!! Jamie Foxx does arguably his career-best work here, but also we have Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio both chewing up the scenery, and I’m sure everyone has heard the story involving DiCaprio and the broken glass. Django Unchained is an easy choice on this list for me, and possibly in my Top 10 of all time.

LES MISERABLES - “Do you hear the people sing?” The film that is based on a musical that is based on a book that is based on certain true events. Tom Hooper did an interesting choice of having actors sing live in front of the camera during filming rather than pre-record their voices, and it works to grand effect, though Russell Crowe should have probably been given more singing lessons. The movie is one hell of a way to adapt such a popular stage musical. With an opening shot that emphasises the scale of this picture with a zoom-in towards this big ship during a storm being pulled by these poor prisoners, we are plunged into the despair and conflicts of various characters with adroit narrative thrust so that not a moment feels wasted or redundant. You’d think that a film with hardly any dialogue and an overall reliance on singing wouldn’t be so emotional. Yet, somehow, it works. Also props to Anne Hathaway for winning an Academy Award for being in a film for only 5 MINUTES!!

2013:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - “Sell me this pen.” Martin Scorsese’s mad look into Wall Street life is a bombastic caper and running at nearly 3 hours, Scorsese and his editing team manage to keep an astoundingly intoxicating pace that keeps you enthralled and engaged throughout. This one is definitely not for the families, as this R-rated fest is filled with drugs, money, sex and everything you can possibly imagine and paints quite the picture of the rich folks of Wall Street. And the middle of it all a bravura performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. Someone needs to give DiCaprio’s agent a raise, this is Leo’s third appearance on this list and we’re only in 2013!

THE WAY WAY BACK - “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're having way too much fun, it's making everyone uncomfortable.” Sometimes a little indie flick is enough to lift a human spirit. Real, fun, uplifting and innocent, The Way Way Back dedicated to anyone who felt awkward or out of place at some point in their life, which, let’s be honest, counts all of us. I’m not afraid to admit that. So stop being a b*** and reveal your sensitive side too! Yes, you, the person reading this. Who else could I possibly be talking to? Myself? Maybe. The Way Way Back though is one of the best feel-good indie films of this decade, with the loveable Steve Carell acting very unloveable and Sam Rockwell Rockwelling himself to charm city! If you’ve missed this one, treat yo’self and check it out.

2014:

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - “And?? Where is it? What's it all about dammit don't keep us in suspense this has been a complete f***ing nightmare! Just tell us what the f*** is going on!!!” Easily Wes Anderson’s best in my opinion (I have a friend who would argue Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums has the better hand but I think my opinion is more valid because it's me), this movie is a glossy, colorful, whimsical deadpan affair with an energetic turn from Ralph Fiennes as the hotel concierge M. Gustave H. as he and his lobby boy run into various Wes Anderson regulars and deal with murderers, stolen paintings, love affairs, prison breaks, and all kinds of crazy shindigs, but all shown in such a casual Wes Anderson way. This movie is like a slice of cherry pie - damn fine!

INTERSTELLAR - “Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.” As promised, Christopher Nolan makes another appearance on this list, now with his space time-traveling epic Interstellar, where he takes inspiration from the likes of Kubrick and Tarkovsky to give us, as always, a tad bit confusing adventure with great visuals and an interesting narrative (though it does sometimes get lost in its own way), however, the key thing holding this piece together is the father-daughter relationship with Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy (and Jessica Chastain) managing to bring so much raw emotion to their respective roles that you can’t help but want to shed a tear. I mean, I haven’t cried for over 14 years, but I remember when I first watched this film, the audience around me was sobbing quite a few times during the duration of this movie. Give it to Nolan to give us the emotional moments!

2015:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!!” Easily the best action movie of this decade. Sorry John Wick, neither you or Tom Cruise could defeat this beast. The sheer, limitless invention behind this movie's exhilarating, preposterous chase scenes highlights action filmmaking at its finest. With big monster trucks and a random guitarist rocking-it in the middle of all the action, it’s like a nihilistic version of a Cirque du Soleil show! And it makes Tom Hardy the calmest person on-screen; no idea how it managed that.

STEVE JOBS - “I sat in a garage and invented the future because artists lead and hacks ask for show of hands.” If there is anyone who can make formulaic, mathematical or technological sound fun and exciting, its Aaron Sorkin. The man has a talent for writing screenplays about difficult and complicated topics yet turning them approachable for the casual moviegoer. Pair him with director Danny Boyle, and the result is Steve Jobs, a look at the man behind the phone. Narratively set during three important product launches of Jobs’, we get to see the behind-the-scenes of his relationships with his colleagues and family members, and this character study is one that could have easily fallen into generic biopic tropes, but it holds it’s own right till the credits roll. Also props for showing that Seth Rogen can actually do a serious role. Who would’ve thought that pot-smoking fella had dramatic chops in him?

2016:

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - “Susan, enjoy the absurdity of our world. It’s a lot less painful. Believe me, our world is a lot less painful than the real world.” Fashion designer Tom Ford does sew his suits well. Apparently, he can also make great films too, with 2009′s A Single Man and with said Nocturnal Animals. This movie is truly incredible and I remember it taking me and my friend by surprise when we first watched it at the cinema. It’s shocking. Horrifying. Depressing. Upsetting. Altogether exhilarating. Being of a fashion background, Tom Ford directs the hell out of this movie, with gorgeous shots and great use of colour as well as managing to masterfully create tension and suspense when necessary. Honestly, I know Tom Ford is probably busy at a department store somewhere, but the guy needs to make another movie. The man has a talent.

LA LA LAND - “Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here’s to the hearts that ache; here’s to the mess we make.” Oh, La La Land. Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to the also excellent Whiplash. People who know me well know how much I love this movie. An old-school tour-de-force musical that’s a love letter to jazz and the golden age of Hollywood. The city of stars never looked so good. Featuring catchy original songs, excellent dance choreography (the sequence to the song “Lovely Night” is especially memorable) and a romance tale ten times better than the forsaken The Notebook, La La Land is one special movie. I know many are put off by the film’s not so happy ending, however for me it was the only way this narrative could have ended. 

2017:

BLADE RUNNER 2049 - “We’re all just looking out for something real.” Similarly to Nolan, Denis Villeneuve is proving to be one of the most exciting directors working today. He’s the man behind such films as *deep breath* Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. And those have all been done within the last decade. The man constantly makes quality movies of various genres, though lately, he has been leaning more towards science fiction, which is a-okay in my books, since as Blade Runner 2049 proves, he can turn science into fiction like butter on bread. A sequel made 30 years after Ridley Scott’s classic, this visually breathtaking piece is arguably even better than its predecessor with many moments giving you the “wow wow wow wow wow WOW!” factor, and when Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford are both on-screen they are dynamite. Forget the new Star Wars film (that’s right, I'm throwing shade there), Blade Runner is where it’s at!

PHANTOM THREAD - “The tea is going out. The interruption is staying right here with me.” The supposed last Daniel Day-Lewis film, as he has now apparently retired from acting, but let’s be honest, nothing stops him from simply unretiring at any point. Exhibit A - Joe Pesci. However, like Pesci, if he comes back I’ll only be happy. He’s one of acting greats of our time, and his collaborations will director Paul Thomas Anderson bring out some of his best roles. Phantom Thread is a marvel of a movie. No, I don’t mean that’s its part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I mean as in it can fill one with wonder and astonishment. Phantom Thread is PTA’s Gothic dark fairy-tale romance film, which expertly planned shots and scenes where every word of the dialogue counts. There is no wasted moment. And as the film transpires to its dark and unsettling climax, one begins to realize that this, THIS, is what filmmaking is about. Telling an engrossing story in an interesting way with crisp-clear shots and off-the-chart acting at play, with great costume design on display, although the latter is unsurprising due to a major aspect of the movie revolving around fashion.

2018:

MANDY -  “You ripped ma shirt!! You ripped maaa shiirrt!!” An acquired taste for sure, however, Mandy is indeed something truly special. From first glance, this film might seem like nothing out of the ordinary, especially from the point of view of the plot. Its the usual revenge flick. However director Panos Cosmatos’ vision and how he presents it is so much more unique. And what’s not love in this film? There’s something for everyone! It’s artsy and slow enough for the critics, hip and metal for the nonchalant, gory and violent for the hardcore genre fanatics and of course the Nic-Cage-rage factor is present for the fans of the actor. Alright, it may not be a family film, but this one is worth a watch. The whole thing is bound together by this psychedelic otherworldly environment, with the whole movie conceived in this dark, unsettlingly beautiful yet horror-filled aura that might stray people away, as it might be just too different for them, however, if you are looking for something different to watch, take mandy. I mean, watch Mandy!

A STAR IS BORN - “Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.” The film that began all the rumours surrounding Bradley Cooper’s and Lady Gaga’s affair. People, heads up, they are actors! They were putting on a performance! Jeez. That being said, I totally ship them. Nuff’ said. The film though? Yes, it’s good. Some country-style music, romance blooming, Gaga can apparently act, people sing about shallows for some reason...all together works for a pretty decent motion picture. Also, the fact that Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, produced and starred in this gives me so much respect for the guy. He poured his heart and soul into this. And Lady Gaga absolutely shines!

2019:

PAIN & GLORY -  “Writing is like drawing but with letters.” Director Pedro Almodovar semi-autobiographical film takes a close look at how one deals with acceptance, being forgotten, symptoms of depression and generally all fairly negative attributes, but delivered in such an honest and profound way that there is a strange lightness that emerges from it all. Antonio Banderas is uncannily vulnerable in the lead role, delivering such an earnest performance that shows a man that is filled with melancholic regret who seeks his own form of redemption. This movie is a thing of beauty.

PARASITE - “You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. If you make a plan, life never works out that way.” Parasite is easily the most original and surprising films of 2019, and possibly the decade, managing to subvert expectations and blend together so many different genres so naturally. To spoil any narrative element of this movie would be a sin, like this one in particular works best when not knowing anything about it. This movie comes to us from Bong Joon-Ho, a South Korean director behind such films as The Host, Memories of Murder, Okja, and Snowpiercer. It’s nice to see the awards ceremonies giving him the proper recognition finally. He deserves it.

That sums up my Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade list. Of course, there are so many other great films that came out in these 10 years, such as Whiplash, When Marnie Was There, Paterson, Silence, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Nice Guys...I can go on forever. Cinema is a constant ever-growing medium, and it is fascinating to see how it changes through the years, in some ways improving and in some parts not so much. In any case, I look forward towards a new decade of, hopefully, great movies, however, let’s be honest, for all these great films there’s always a Norm of the North, a Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse or frickin’ Cats. But let’s hope those will be kept to a minimum. In any case, bring on the 2020s!

Woolf Works, I now, I then, with Federico Bonelli, Caterina Bianchi, Alessandra Ferri, Mick Zeni and Agnese Di Clemente, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

The La Scala Ballet usually fields a first cast, and several alternative casts, but not with Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works – here it was very much a case of a first cast and a second cast. The first featured two guests from the original Royal Opera House production from 2015 – Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli – and most of the company’s principal dancers; the second cast had two resident principals and was given only a couple of afternoon performances. It was clearly a backup cast, but it wasn’t a case of putting all your eggs in one basket, as the second cast held up as well as the first, which is a tribute to both to the power of Woolf Works and the strength of La Scala’s ballet company.

During a projection on the front gauze of Virginia Woolf’s handwritten words and phrases, making shapes and revealing Woolf’s face, her voice is heard, as captured by the BBC in 1937:

Words, English words, are full of echoes, of memories, of associations…

This is McGregor’s starting point. His semi-narrative ballet puts real people together with Woolf’s characters from three novels – one for each act – and it is through these ‘echoes’, ‘memories’ and ‘associations’ of a writer’s life and works that Woolf Works becomes such an emotionally powerful work.

Later in Woolf’s radio discourse, she says,

How can we combine the old words in new orders so that they survive, so that they create beauty, so that they tell the truth? That is the question.

And McGregor supplies some answers.

Through the projection of the words, Woolf is revealed, merely standing, contemplating. Maybe from this very starting point, the ballet represents her recollections as she approaches her suicide during the closing moments, bubbles of a life’s memories rising to the surface and disappearing.

Woolf Works, I now I then, with Federico Bonelli and Caterina Bianchi, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

Woolf Works, I now I then, with Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019 01

The novel Mrs Dalloway inspires the first part which is called I now, I then, and Woolf becomes Clarissa Dalloway with a young Clarissa also sharing the stage. Young Clarissa’s flirtation with young Sally has her older self moving in at the last minute for a kiss. Woolf Works brims with the Bloomsbury Group’s sexual fluidity.

Alessandra Ferri as Woolf/Clarissa is melancholic even when smiling and often seems like a small, broken sparrow; distressing and pitiful to watch. When she moves, her entire body is expressive, in a slow continuum even when seemingly still – that rare quality which Kenneth MacMillan spotted when she was still in her teens in the early ‘80s – and the line of her leg still beats that of anyone else onstage. It’s a magical performance. Emanuela Montanari was very different in the role, though very effective. She lacks Ferri’s lithe physicality but is communicative as a dancer and as an actress, and her Virginia/Clarissa was more serene and poised. Caterina Bianchi was exceptional as the young Clarissa with a charming use of the upper body, making her a credible younger Ferri.

Big Ben chimes every now and then… a reminder of time passing? Or the Cinderella moment signifying that ‘time’s up’? After one of these interruptions, the action dives into the Mrs Dalloway novel with the story of Septimus, a World War I veteran who suffers hallucinations of his friend Evans, killed in the war. Septimus eventually commits suicide.

Woolf Works, I now I then, with Timofej Andrijashenko and Claudio Coviello, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

Woolf Works, I now I then, with Timofej Andrijashenko and Martina Arduino, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

The pas de deux between Septimus and Evans is touching in the extreme, heavily aided and abetted by Max Richter’s slyly artful music, which, like a film-score, worms its way into the heart without any invasive ego. Timofej Andrijashenko as Septimus and Claudio Coviello as Evans were both magnificent, and equally convincing were Gioacchino Starace and Andrea Risso in the other cast. The super-propelled chaîné turns around the stage by Evans impressed, but it was the contrast between tenderness and desperation on an acting level, perfectly judged by McGregor, that pushed up the tears as Evans is shot to the ground.

The set consists of three monumental, wooden frames which revolve independently on a single stage-wide revolve, continually creating new spaces in a cinematographic way. During a heart-rending duet with the older Woolf, distressed by the story she is giving to her character, Septimus tries to give her form and harmony as he puts her arms in fifth position and slowly pulls her up onto pointe. The attempt is useless. As he drops into eternal darkness from one of the frames, he leaves Woolf agast, staring at her own future. The mix of fact and fiction is intriguing.

Woolf Works, Becomings, with Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

Emotion in the second act, called Beginnings, comes from technical wizardry: both from the dancers and from Lucy Carter’s lighting. The background is that of Woolf’s sex-change hero/heroine, Orlando, whose story is told over three centuries. Here McGregor lets rip, with Richter’s multiple variations on a theme inspiring sudden shifts of style, as Richter starts with plucked strings, has a Bach-like cello solo, and moves through what is apparently a series of tributes to Giorgio Moroder, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Philip Glass… maybe some of his inspirations when growing up. I’m sure I heard the kitchen sink in there somewhere too.

It’s often difficult to know where to look: the dancers? Lighting? Fog swirls? Lasers? It is entirely different from the first and last act, and that’s the point. Woolf doesn’t appear in this act – she’s the puppeteer moving the bizarre creatures leaping and bending on the stage beneath her. Woolf said that Orlando was a love letter to Vita Sackville-West, and the novel is a celebration of all things a human life can be – especially in Bloomsbury Square. McGregor and Richter have crammed into this act everything the theatre can be. It’s a rollercoaster of a novel and a rollercoaster second act.

Woolf Works, Becomings, with Nicoletta Manni and Christian Fagetti, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019 01

Woolf Works, Becomings, with Nicoletta Manni, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

Woolf Works, Becomings, with Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

Woolf Works, Becomings, with Virna Toppi and Nicola Del Freo, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

The dancers excelled at a style that is not as natural to them as it would be for a Royal Ballet dancer. Nicoletta Manni was outstanding, both technically impressive and beautifully sinuous, and Maria Celeste Losa was excellent in the second cast and as bendy as can be. Christian Fagetti is marvellously suited to the demands of contemporary choreography, and Andrijashenko, Starace, Virna Toppi, Nicola Del Freo, and Mattia Semperboni also stood out. However, it is a collective piece, and McGregor underlines this by several changes of costume taking the focus away from single dancers, deconstructing 16th-century costume with combinations of shiny gold and black ruffs, doublets, corsets and breeches added on to skin-toned leotards – Elizabethans from outer space.

The lasers cut lines through the mist, then open out to create diagonal slices across the stage, and gradually build in complexity until they burst across the proscenium delineating the tiers of boxes, eventually creating three rainbow-coloured roofs over the heads of the audience in the stalls. The lasers disappear for the last series of liberating moves by all the dancers as they pass through vertical columns of white light until a blackout, when white laser beams briefly fizz across the stage and into the auditorium, like the climatic burst at the end of a firework show.

Woolf Works with Alessandra Ferri and Artists of The Royal Ballet. © ROH, 2015 Tristram Kenton

The final act, Tuesday, is inspired by The Waves but is centred on Woolf’s suicide. Her suicide note to her husband, Leonard Woolf, read by Gillian Anderson, is so simple and straightforward from a woman who was incredibly inventive in her writing: “If anybody could have saved me, it would have been you.” Under the vast black and white projection of ocean waves, moving so slowly as never to take attention away from the dancers, emerges Woolf followed by Bonelli (or Antonino Sutera) who played the joyful Peter from Mrs Dalloway in the first act and now, presumably, a strong and solemn Leonard. Their intense duet to just the thinnest thread of music combined with the sound of waves is interrupted by children’s laughter, as the six ‘narrators’ from The Waves, as children, together with a mother figure, arrive on stage.

Woolf Works, Tuesday, with Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

Woolf Works, Tuesday, with Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019 02

Woolf the dancer takes off her pointe shoes; Woolf the person prepares for her final act. The six children become six adults, the adults become 12, then more. Although Woolf literally teeters on the brink as she did in the first act, this time she finds the harmony that was beyond her when Septimus tried to apply a classical dance position to her body. She joins with the company, all dancing as one, recalling the révérence at the end of a dance class. A soprano who joins the orchestra intensifies the ethereal atmosphere. Woolf is lifted and dipped as she begins to flow with the current, the music almost imperceptibly increasing in intensity until Leonard appears and raises her up and there is silence and stillness. The dancers slip away as husband and wife perform the final slow-motion duet before he lays her down in eternal darkness. Bonelli is an excellent partner, and here Ferri was painfully, almost frighteningly, intense.

To create a piece that is challenging in its way of conveying a story, often tragic in its subject matter, demanding in both classical and contemporary technique for the company, and yet popular with the audience is a magnificent feat for Wayne McGregor and his creative team to have pulled off.

Woolf Works, Tuesday, with Alessandra Ferri and Company, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019

  McGregor’s Woolf Works thrills and enthralls at La Scala The La Scala Ballet usually fields a first cast, and several alternative casts, but not with Wayne McGregor’s…

Post Arcade’s top 10 games of 2018

Quick warning to those in search of a little confirmation bias: Some of the year’s most popular plays — including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Fortnite, and FIFA 19 — just aren’t my bag. Power to anyone who enjoys these games, but I’m more interested in single-player games focused on storytelling. It’s just how I’m built.

With that in mind, 2018 was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There was a handful of truly standout games that satisfied my personal proclivities, but the overall depth of offering felt a little shallow. A sign, I suspect, of current gaming trends and appetites.

He said, she said: Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aimé on Labo's educational potential

Red Dead Redemption 2 review: An immersive and sympathetic tale of American outlaw life

And so my top 10 games of 2018 isn’t in fact a top 10 list at all, but rather a top five list, with an additional five titles I enjoyed added as honourable mentions in no particular order simply because I feel an illogical need to adhere to the tradition of a list comprised of 10 items.

Red Dead Redemption 2.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One, PS3, PC)

Rockstar’s simulation of the Old West (or a couple thousand miles east of the Old West, if we’re being geographically technical about it) gives players a deeply authentic taste of what outlaw life was like a little over a hundred years ago. More than that, it delivers a profoundly tragic tale about a man who knows right from wrong and too often chooses the latter. Laugh all you like at the admittedly riotous horse fail videos that have been popping up on YouTube since its release; the moving story at the heart of this classic oater is going to be studied and dissected by critics and game design students for years to come.

God of War.

2. God of War (PS4)

Mockingly referred to as “Dad of War” prior to release due to its focus on the relationship between series protagonist Kratos and his son, this renewal of one of Sony’s most beloved franchises is daring, beautiful, and emotionally poignant. It picks up with everyone’s favourite musclebound demigod trying to create a new life in a land far away from the chaos he authored in Greece, only to come face to face with a fresh pantheon of angry deities. The real emphasis, though, is on Kratos’s interactions with his son, a constant companion for whom he feels an almost paranoid responsibility after the death of his mother. This more insular narrative tack results in the franchise’s best storytelling, by an Olympic mile.

Detroit: Become Human.

3. Detroit Become Human (PS4)

An absolutely enthralling depiction of a world in which believably humanoid androids exist and are at the cusp of joining us on equal terms as sentient intelligences — assuming they can mount a successful revolution. Its narrative is spread across a cast of multiple protagonists, each of whom can die permanently based on the player’s irrevocable decisions. Like most works from designer David Cage, its status as game is debatable. It’s not about winning or mastering play mechanics so much as it is about making decisions based on your sense of mortality and morality. Add in some of the year’s best production values and a sci-fi subject that has always fascinated me, and this one was bound to be one of my favourites.

Below.

4. Below (Xbox One, Windows PC)

The latest from Toronto-based indie darling Capybera Games, Below is a deliciously mysterious little role-playing game set on an island in the middle of the ocean. Travelers come, one by one, to discover the secrets lying at the atoll’s core. Nothing is explained; you’ll need to riddle out the purpose of everything you find. And when you die, you die forever. You’ll begin again as a new adventurer on the beach, all of your gear lost, forced to retrace the path of the previous hero. But not to worry; the cave dungeons are different for each traveler, and if you’ve done a thorough job of exploring you’ll have found shortcuts that will quickly lead you back to where the last hero perished. It’s atmospheric, splendidly scored, deeply challenging, and full of discovery.

5. Tetris Effect (PS4)

It seems odd that a Tetris game released in 2018 would compete for a spot on a list of the year’s best, but Tetris Effect is that game. Chalk it up to Zen. Tetris Effect is the most chill game I’ve played in years, with absolutely mesmerizing visual effects and a terrific soundtrack. It knowingly borrows from another great puzzler called Lumines by mixing a variety of block themes and aural soundscapes into its classic puzzle play, but it kicks it up a notch by adding virtual reality to the experience. Play with a PSVR headset and headphones on and you’ll be transported to another world, utterly immersed in orgasmic block-stacking pleasure. Well, perhaps that’s a tiny overstatement, but I doubt you’ll find a more pleasing puzzle game released in 2018.

And now the runners up…

Octopath Traveler.

Octopath Traveler (Switch)

This Japanese role-playing game from the folks behind the Bravely Default series has a terrific aesthetic that combines old-school graphics with modern filtering for a delicious diorama-like visual effect. It also tells a set of surprisingly grown-up fantasy tales centred on a group of memorable heroes, each of whom has unique talents and abilities that help them not only in the game’s tough turn-based battles, but also in bypassing more creative narrative obstacles while exploring.

Forza Horizon 4.

Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One)

This open world racer is stuffed with enough activities to keep players busy for an hour or more every night for months on end. You’ll race on road and off, collect hundreds of real rides, take on rivals, shoot professional looking photos, go in search of well-hidden collectibles, and earn an almost endless procession of little rewards that will keep luring you into just one more race well into the wee hours. That it might also be the prettiest car game around at the moment is just gravy.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC)

Huge and beautiful, this ambitious adventure set in Ancient Greece combines satisfying exploration of land and sea, delivers an impressive roster of historical locations and characters, and serves up some surprisingly challenging action. The sense of discovery is terrific, especially when exploring ruins that were considered old even in the time of Socrates. It eventually begins to grow a bit repetitive — you can only invade and conquer so many fortresses before it starts to feel more task than treat — but the elements focusing on characters and plot never grow old.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC)

The third chapter in Square Enix’s Lara Croft reboot doesn’t reinvent the wheel — we still spend our time hunting, crafting, exploring tombs and solving puzzles — but it does refine it. Using Lara’s bow, for example, now feels so intuitive and empowering that it makes other weapons feel passé by comparison. The real star, though, continues to be our heroine. Thoughtful, sympathetic, and compelling, she’s one of the most well rounded and fully developed protagonists appearing in games today, female or male. At this point seeing her in a new game almost feels like going to visit a very good friend.

Ashen.

Ashen (Xbox One, Windows PC)

This one’s like a Dark Souls game with, for lack of a better term, a soul. And a surprisingly gentle one at that. It’s got the core ingredients of one of From Software’s punishing role-playing games — including challenging block, dodge, and strike combat; severe consequences for dying; and a cleverly designed open world that rewards careful exploration — but it replaces darkness with light, and a sense of negativity with cautious optimism. You’ll be challenged throughout and recompensed for your determination and grit, but more than that you’ll feel as though you’re working toward a better world. It’s not what you’d expect from this sort of game, but it is oddly pleasing.

Post Arcade’s top 10 games of 2018 published first on https://worldwideinvestforum.tumblr.com/

Post Arcade’s top 10 games of 2018

Quick warning to those in search of a little confirmation bias: Some of the year’s most popular plays — including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Fortnite, and FIFA 19 — just aren’t my bag. Power to anyone who enjoys these games, but I’m more interested in single-player games focused on storytelling. It’s just how I’m built.

With that in mind, 2018 was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There was a handful of truly standout games that satisfied my personal proclivities, but the overall depth of offering felt a little shallow. A sign, I suspect, of current gaming trends and appetites.

He said, she said: Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aimé on Labo's educational potential

Red Dead Redemption 2 review: An immersive and sympathetic tale of American outlaw life

And so my top 10 games of 2018 isn’t in fact a top 10 list at all, but rather a top five list, with an additional five titles I enjoyed added as honourable mentions in no particular order simply because I feel an illogical need to adhere to the tradition of a list comprised of 10 items.

Red Dead Redemption 2.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One, PS3, PC)

Rockstar’s simulation of the Old West (or a couple thousand miles east of the Old West, if we’re being geographically technical about it) gives players a deeply authentic taste of what outlaw life was like a little over a hundred years ago. More than that, it delivers a profoundly tragic tale about a man who knows right from wrong and too often chooses the latter. Laugh all you like at the admittedly riotous horse fail videos that have been popping up on YouTube since its release; the moving story at the heart of this classic oater is going to be studied and dissected by critics and game design students for years to come.

God of War.

2. God of War (PS4)

Mockingly referred to as “Dad of War” prior to release due to its focus on the relationship between series protagonist Kratos and his son, this renewal of one of Sony’s most beloved franchises is daring, beautiful, and emotionally poignant. It picks up with everyone’s favourite musclebound demigod trying to create a new life in a land far away from the chaos he authored in Greece, only to come face to face with a fresh pantheon of angry deities. The real emphasis, though, is on Kratos’s interactions with his son, a constant companion for whom he feels an almost paranoid responsibility after the death of his mother. This more insular narrative tack results in the franchise’s best storytelling, by an Olympic mile.

Detroit: Become Human.

3. Detroit Become Human (PS4)

An absolutely enthralling depiction of a world in which believably humanoid androids exist and are at the cusp of joining us on equal terms as sentient intelligences — assuming they can mount a successful revolution. Its narrative is spread across a cast of multiple protagonists, each of whom can die permanently based on the player’s irrevocable decisions. Like most works from designer David Cage, its status as game is debatable. It’s not about winning or mastering play mechanics so much as it is about making decisions based on your sense of mortality and morality. Add in some of the year’s best production values and a sci-fi subject that has always fascinated me, and this one was bound to be one of my favourites.

Below.

4. Below (Xbox One, Windows PC)

The latest from Toronto-based indie darling Capybera Games, Below is a deliciously mysterious little role-playing game set on an island in the middle of the ocean. Travelers come, one by one, to discover the secrets lying at the atoll’s core. Nothing is explained; you’ll need to riddle out the purpose of everything you find. And when you die, you die forever. You’ll begin again as a new adventurer on the beach, all of your gear lost, forced to retrace the path of the previous hero. But not to worry; the cave dungeons are different for each traveler, and if you’ve done a thorough job of exploring you’ll have found shortcuts that will quickly lead you back to where the last hero perished. It’s atmospheric, splendidly scored, deeply challenging, and full of discovery.

5. Tetris Effect (PS4)

It seems odd that a Tetris game released in 2018 would compete for a spot on a list of the year’s best, but Tetris Effect is that game. Chalk it up to Zen. Tetris Effect is the most chill game I’ve played in years, with absolutely mesmerizing visual effects and a terrific soundtrack. It knowingly borrows from another great puzzler called Lumines by mixing a variety of block themes and aural soundscapes into its classic puzzle play, but it kicks it up a notch by adding virtual reality to the experience. Play with a PSVR headset and headphones on and you’ll be transported to another world, utterly immersed in orgasmic block-stacking pleasure. Well, perhaps that’s a tiny overstatement, but I doubt you’ll find a more pleasing puzzle game released in 2018.

And now the runners up…

Octopath Traveler.

Octopath Traveler (Switch)

This Japanese role-playing game from the folks behind the Bravely Default series has a terrific aesthetic that combines old-school graphics with modern filtering for a delicious diorama-like visual effect. It also tells a set of surprisingly grown-up fantasy tales centred on a group of memorable heroes, each of whom has unique talents and abilities that help them not only in the game’s tough turn-based battles, but also in bypassing more creative narrative obstacles while exploring.

Forza Horizon 4.

Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One)

This open world racer is stuffed with enough activities to keep players busy for an hour or more every night for months on end. You’ll race on road and off, collect hundreds of real rides, take on rivals, shoot professional looking photos, go in search of well-hidden collectibles, and earn an almost endless procession of little rewards that will keep luring you into just one more race well into the wee hours. That it might also be the prettiest car game around at the moment is just gravy.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC)

Huge and beautiful, this ambitious adventure set in Ancient Greece combines satisfying exploration of land and sea, delivers an impressive roster of historical locations and characters, and serves up some surprisingly challenging action. The sense of discovery is terrific, especially when exploring ruins that were considered old even in the time of Socrates. It eventually begins to grow a bit repetitive — you can only invade and conquer so many fortresses before it starts to feel more task than treat — but the elements focusing on characters and plot never grow old.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC)

The third chapter in Square Enix’s Lara Croft reboot doesn’t reinvent the wheel — we still spend our time hunting, crafting, exploring tombs and solving puzzles — but it does refine it. Using Lara’s bow, for example, now feels so intuitive and empowering that it makes other weapons feel passé by comparison. The real star, though, continues to be our heroine. Thoughtful, sympathetic, and compelling, she’s one of the most well rounded and fully developed protagonists appearing in games today, female or male. At this point seeing her in a new game almost feels like going to visit a very good friend.

Ashen.

Ashen (Xbox One, Windows PC)

This one’s like a Dark Souls game with, for lack of a better term, a soul. And a surprisingly gentle one at that. It’s got the core ingredients of one of From Software’s punishing role-playing games — including challenging block, dodge, and strike combat; severe consequences for dying; and a cleverly designed open world that rewards careful exploration — but it replaces darkness with light, and a sense of negativity with cautious optimism. You’ll be challenged throughout and recompensed for your determination and grit, but more than that you’ll feel as though you’re working toward a better world. It’s not what you’d expect from this sort of game, but it is oddly pleasing.

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2ShqP2x via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

The Book Ramblings of March

In place of book reviews, I will be writing these ‘book ramblings’. A lot of the texts I’ve been reading (or plan to read) in recent times are well-known classics, meaning I can’t really write book reviews as I’m used to. I’m reading books that either have already been read by everyone else (and so any attempt to give novel or insightful criticisms would be a tad pointless), or are so convoluted and odd that they defy being analysed as I would do a simpler text. These ramblings are pretty unorganised and hardly anything revolutionary, but I felt the need to write something review-related this year. I’ll upload a rambling compiling all my read books on a monthly basis.

The Princess Bride - William Goldman When I purchased this book immediately after having finished watching the film (which is amazing, as everyone other than me already knew), I was certain I’d be giving it a book review instead of a book rambling. But this book honestly surprised me with its interesting approach to storytelling, so I’m going to ramble about it. That being said, it would be remiss of me to not quickly summarise my opinions on the book by, before getting into the more academic thoughts, saying that this book is really fucking good; amazing characters, amazing story, quality humour, all the rest of it. The book employs a frame narrative of sorts; the book that you hold in your hands is presented as an abridged edition of a pre-existing text by some bloke called Morgenstern, altered to include only the ‘best bits’ by Goldman. The original text was said to be a satirical piece on royalty, and the few comments from the author reveal that this omitted text was often made up of hilarious hyperbole. This story, on account of these omissions, is transformed into a fairy tale, where simplistic plots are expected and accepted; I do find it awe-inspiring that Goldman has managed to essentially get away with only writing what he wanted to write about, and yet his methods of doing so are equally as interesting as the story’s content. I am somewhat torn on what I think on Goldman’s additions to the text, describing his own experiences and memories of his first read-through of the book. On the one hand, it does a great job at centralising the book in Goldman’s fabricated backstory, and it emphasises the way that the book ought to be read, as a delightful childhood memory that you get attached to and enthralled in. (As a quick side note, this book emphasises this perspective a hell of a lot better than the film did). On the other hand, Goldman is essentially interrupting the reading experience every now and then to give away plot points and tell you how you ought to be feeling. This book is oddly more meta (as much as I hate the term) than I was expecting; when I went into the book I assumed that it would be a standalone fantasy fairy tale with a few real world bits thrown in just to give the book’s existence context (an assumption which perhaps stemmed from my observing that, unlike The Neverending Story, the 'real world' and the fiction world in this book didn’t appear to be intrinsically linked, and could probably function well enough on their own). But this book is pretty much defined by Goldman’s ‘own’ experiences with the book, and constantly refers to the real world goings-on regarding the making/editing of this book. This is employed to justify certain edits in the text; for example, there is a scene in which Westley and Buttercup reunite, but the actual scene is not included in the book because Morgenstern supposedly didn’t write it. And so instead of that scene, we are given an address of a publishing company to send a letter to requesting Goldman’s supposed newly-written version of that scene. I find it all good fun, if a tad baffling regarding why it is here (other than centralising the story in Goldman’s version of reality, as said above). It seems like it could be construed as attempting to streamline the story, because obviously in a story about true loves getting repeatedly separated, there will no doubt be a veritable fuck tonne of reunion scenes filled with tears and heartfelt confessions of love, of which it may be wise to skip; however, this explanation for not writing this scene is somewhat juxtaposed by the fact that you spend just as long reading Goldman’s explanation for the absence of the scene as you would have done reading the scene. This ties in to another aspect of this book’s storytelling that I quite like; Goldman’s opposition with Morgenstern. The obvious example of this is the whole existence of this ‘abridged’ book, edited down as a response to the preponderance of dense satire in Morgenstern’s original work, but it continues in other aspects; the book is full of daft parentheses, seemingly to elucidate where and when the book is set but in reality muddying the waters even further, and Goldman frankly admits that he doesn’t know why they are there and that if you don’t like them, you don’t have to read them. Whatever Goldman’s reasoning for putting in these bizarre and constant parentheses, be it an actual literary device or as a whimsical fancy as befitting the genre, I do have respect for him for not only not explaining why he includes them, but flat out denying having any knowledge of said information. The ending toys with two different versions; Morgenstern’s version, in which things start going wrong and everything is left uncertain, and Goldman’s version, where everything is left happily ever after. I can appreciate both endings, and find them very interesting for the purpose of analysis, but I’m going with Goldman’s ending. Call me a reductionist if you must, but I want the happy fairy tale ending, because that’s how I want to think of this book when I’m talking about it casually. There’s even entire extracts from a supposed sequel to this book, but to tell the truth I didn’t even bother to read them, because said snippets are deliberately written to seem like fragments of a lost manuscript, and I want to read this book as a fairy tale, not as a text for literary analysis or criticism. Maybe I should have just given this book a normal book review after all.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Stories - Edgar Allan Poe I was biased going into this, as I’ve read Poe before and was already a firm believer that he is the master of the short story, but after having read pretty much all of his well-known short fiction collected in this anthology, I can’t say my opinion’s changed all that much. I think it was Huxley who described Poe’s writings as being shitty because it was ‘too poetical - the equivalent of wearing a diamond ring on every finger’, and though this is delightfully eloquent, I consider myself better than Huxley so here’s my take; Poe’s stories are some of my absolute favourite writings, eloquent without being too pretentious and grandiloquent without being too dense (for the most part). Poe is the indisputable master of writing stories that deal with the contrasting themes of the fantastic and the real (I’ve gone on enough about Todorov’s definition of the fantastic for you to know what I’m on about here), and his fantastic stories are absolutely fucking brilliant. There isn’t much to be said about the storytelling other than that it balances its inclusion of the fantastic and the real excellently (so as to allow the reader to make up their own minds as to if the events of the stories are actually supernatural or just the result of madness), it is excellent at building up tension, and the twists are always amazing (if occasionally a tad variable in how predictable they are). My favourite stories, by the way, are ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘William Wilson', both of which epitomise my aforementioned praise excellently. I also absolutely love Poe’s versatility to apply the fantastic to other settings and to interesting subject materials (even some subjects contemporary to the times Poe was writing); I was expecting an abundance of settings similar to ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, with gothic mansions and the like, but we get Italian carnivals and the Inquisition and incorporation of themes such as mesmerism, which keep the stories continually fresh and interesting if you were to read them one after the other, as I did. I do believe that Poe’s writing style is best suited to his fantastic stories. This collection sheds light on the fact that Poe has written a fair amount of diverse stuff, despite the fact that he is best known for ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ or ‘William Wilson’, the generic ‘Poe’ stories. ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’, for example, is a detective story (admittedly a very fun one), but Poe’s grandiloquent verbosity does not lend itself well to quick snappy deductions and conversations; instead, we get long streams of dialogue from our detective character, followed  by a very fast and somewhat anticlimactic resolution of events that really ought to have been staggered throughout the story a tad. (I am willing to cut the story some slack, since it is among the earliest detective stories and, as mentioned above, it is great fun). There are some of Poe’s stories that tackle the theme of love, like ‘Ligeia’ or ‘Eleanora’, but then the language seems at odds with the tone of the story, as its incessant formality makes the love seem rather disingenuous. Of course I wouldn’t want to devalue how Poe’s work has inspired some other excellent genre pieces - for that they deserve some praise - but, whilst not saying that they are terrible, said stories, with the possible exception of ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’, are not very memorable when placed alongside Poe’s short stories that are more obviously recognisable as Poe. No one’s favourite Poe story is 'The Golden Bug’. And that’s not just because it’s quite racist.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and The Bottle Imp - Robert Louis Stevenson I probably ought to have read this story aeons ago, considering how prevalent it is in modern media due to its creation of one of the archetypal British literary ‘icons’; because of this aforementioned prevalence, I went into this book with an abundance of preconceptions as to what to expect from this book, and I was surprised by how few of said ideas were actually involved in the book. Most of the things I have to say about this book revolve around how it went against what I would have expected. Everyone knows the character(s) of Jekyll and Hyde, and so I was surprised as to how, for the most part, the narrative was told from the perspective of someone else entirely; it honestly really helps the building of mystery, and if it wasn’t for the fact that a) everyone knows the twist of this story, and b) even if you didn’t know the twist, the fucking blurb spoils it, I would have absolutely been taken by this story’s enigmatic plot - convinced by its posited rationality to justify the weird goings-on, and surprised by the ending twist. This does, however, raise concerns of mine regarding how this novella is structured; obviously the grand reveal that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person needed to wait until the end of the book, but consequently this results in one incredibly lengthy explanatory chapter from Jekyll right at the end to elucidate matters. Considering that a lot of this book’s themes revolve around this final chapter, I wonder if the novella would have been better suited as a narrative entirely told by Jekyll. Arguably the main theme of this novel, the duality of man, is of course told excellently, and unlike other stories which revolve around the theme of ’the double’, the explicit explanation of where this double comes from and how it ties in with Jekyll’s own character makes for, in my opinion, a more compelling read (especially since this explanation revolves around pseudoscience, and I love the whole ‘man playing God’ malarkey that comes with said subject). For a story that is essentially gothic, featuring a character like Hyde who has been depicted as a vile little villain in many different adaptations, I was expecting a tad more penny dreadful-esque gore and violence; instead, the violence that Hyde carries out is often described matter-of-factly and succinctly, which seems at odds with the hysterical eyewitness accounts from which these events are reported from, but certainly makes sense when considering the professional detached perspectives of the narrative voices Utterson and Jekyll, law and medical professionals respectively. However, I am less inclined to believe that this was a deliberate decision in the writing style than I would be with something like A Clockwork Orange, wherein that’s the whole point; I reckon it’s just Stevenson’s own writing style, which is, don’t get me wrong, bloody great. The Penguin English Library edition of this story (i.e. the one that I read) also comes with Stevenson’s short story ‘The Bottle Imp’, which I very much enjoyed for its amazing titular concept and for its somewhat anticlimactic and yet still satisfying ending, but, despite what others have said to me, it’s not as good as Jekyll and Hyde.

Autobiography of a Corpse - Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky The blurb of this book described Krzhizhanovsky’s stories as ‘mind-bending’, and I cynically assumed that this was nothing more than a hyperbolic marketing ploy, like when people call 1984 a ‘masterpiece’ when in reality it’s a bit shit. But by fuck is this book legitimately mind-bending. I bought this thinking it sounded reminiscent of Gogol, who I love, but I also had it recommended to me by a pretentious friend who reads all the Booker Prize nominations just so he can have contentious opinions about them, which should have probably notified me of the Mieville-esque air of self-satisfied pretentiousness that this book has with its very clever and very wanky themes. Though used for roughly the same ends, there is a difference between cryptic writing and abstract  writing, and this book is certainly more of an abstract read. The stories take seemingly mundane or simple concepts from fields of study like philosophy or geography or what have you, and adapts these simple principles into complex ideas to reflect the story’s fantastic elements. In some cases this makes for some absolutely genius writing, with such simple ideas being utilised with such versatility to create some truly fascinating and amazing stuff, but in other cases it comes across really quite annoying, jumping sporadically from subject to subject and taking away from the mystery of the story’s fantastic elements with its constant need to explain said elements (often poorly and with a heavy reliance on tenuous links). This is especially evident in the stories that aren’t so much stories as they are a compilation of unrelated ideas, the main example being the story ‘Seams’. The few stories in the anthology that do not rely on long-winded verbose ramblings about abstract philosophical content (musings on the ‘I’ being an especially prolific example in the collection) were in most cases my favourite, indeed putting to mind Gogol to some extent as I had first hoped when I bought the book. All of the stories from ‘The Runaway Fingers’ to ‘Thirty Pieces of Silver’ are absolutely amazing, because they had a base concept that Krzhizhanovsky excellently built upon; it’s a great sign when an already great concept that I wouldn’t have thought of is then elaborated on in interesting directions that I wouldn’t have thought of. These stories are amazing not just because they aren’t entirely reliant on abstract wankiness, but that certainly helps their case. The eponymous story ‘Autobiography of a Corpse’ has its base concept, and doesn’t really elaborate on said base concept as much as it does add on additional abstract ideas, but arguably this works well enough because said abstract ideas link, in a weird and abstract way, to the original concept. Honestly I can’t keep on attempting to explain this; I’ve written the word ‘abstract’ too many times and it’s starting to lose meaning.

The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde Yet again have I been tricked into reading a novel that I thought would be gothic but instead just has one central vaguely gothic plot device. Indeed, a brief Google search describes this book as a ‘philosophical’ novel, which is certainly not my usual fare, but because I’m a fan of Wilde and needed an actual novel to read instead of another short story collection and am vulnerable to chicanery regarding what constitutes a gothic piece, I picked it up. I didn’t really read this novel as being especially reflective of Wilde’s own sexuality, because whilst there is something of paiderastia to be seen in some of the relationships between the male characters, such relationships hardly persist through the entirety of the book and end up being somewhat forgotten as relationships move past first meetings or characters change their standpoints on certain matters. What I did see in the book was some excellent commentary on the fin de siecle, aestheticism, and of course the theme of appearance versus reality; I’ve realised that I’ll happily read a philosophical novel so long as the philosophies it is spouting are interesting enough to read (although an interesting premise and plot also really helps, which is all well and good because this book possesses that too). I am for the most part a fan of Wilde’s wit. I’ve heard it criticised because a lot of it is just Wilde reversing statements of common wisdom or perverting cliches, and when you realise this, you see it absolutely fucking everywhere. Lord Henry is basically a mouthpiece for every melodramatic stereotypically ‘Wilde' quote you can think of, and I do think that the fact that we even have a preconception of what a stereotypical ‘Wilde’ quote ought to be is part of the problem. Despite Wilde's statement (in this book, even) that ’there is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about’, exactly how prolific and prevalent Wilde’s witticisms are in modern culture, with bags and mugs and little tiny books full of his most well-known wit and all that shit, is part of the reason why it seems so saturated and perhaps even a little bit stale. We know all of his wit, we can see the common trends behind it, and that somewhat diminishes it’s worth. Despite that big fuck-off rant, I still really enjoy Wilde’s wit, and even if you are aware of how he comes up with this shit, it’s still a great joy to read. Hell, even if you’re tired of that, there’s still some great banter from Wilde about aristocratic haughtiness to enjoy, so take your fill of that. There’s a lot to enjoy about this book. I like it a lot.

Stuff I read this month that I couldn’t be arsed to ramble about: Fantastic Tales (edited by Italo Calvino) and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. In it’s fucking entirety. Fuck you Milton.

Speedway Motor Speedway; that just doesn’t have the same ring to it that Indianapolis Motor speedway does. That must the dilemma the townsfolk had in 1909 when the speedway was built in Speedway, IN. Though Indianapolis had yet to grow out to the city limits of Speedway it became the namesake of the track anyway.

I research a little about the track beforehand and learn that they offer an Indy car experience for $500. (I’d get to be a passenger with a professional driver in a 2 seat Indy car) That sounds like fun, but is it justifiable. I have to mull on that. There are slots available later in the day. I’ll tour the museum first and see how I feel about it.

The $20 tour gives a behind the scene look at the track. I love the inner workings of such things, so I want to do this any way.

The first stop is the media center. This is where the drivers and sponsors address the media. The football field size room is filled with long Formica tables and old analog touch tone phones; looks like something from a 70’s movie. It seems pretty archaic by today’s standards but does provide my first view of the track and a pretty cool photo op.

Major Race Announcement

The tour guide is a long time racing fan and offers great insights along the way. I however keep getting distracted by the service vehicles circling the track. Apparently , they are drying the track for the racing experience folks going out later.

Next stop puts me on the podium at victory circle. Looking down pit row from the podium I eye the cars that will be used for the 180mph $500 ride of a lifetime. I’m beginning to justify the cost. 2 laps @ 2.5 miles each that’s “only” $100 per mile. Ugh,  sounds real expensive in those terms.

  On to the pagoda. First inspired by Japanese architecture, the pagoda houses race control, timing and scoring,  radio broadcast booths & corporate suites. It also provides a 10 story view of the track. From atop you can not only see the full oval and road course tracks but the Indianapolis skyline. I, however, pretty much only see the 2 seater Indy cars being wheeled onto the track. $500!!! Damn!

The Pagoda Circa 2000

Next is a bus ride to the garages and around the famous Gasoline Alley. The tour guide provides lively narrative and trivial tidbits along the way back to the museum.

The tour includes all day access to the museum. A racing car fan would be in heaven. I’m not a “car guy” but I do appreciate the design and engineering of these cars through the decades.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The final stop of the tour is a photo op in an actual Indy car (man those things are small). By this time, the Indy Experience cars were zipping around the track and I’m just enthralled. The Indy car photo gals confirms my suspicions and says “It’s worth every penny, you gotta do it!”

“We don’t do that here”

Down to the front desk I go prepared to pluck down the 5 bills  – metaphorically. It would be a credit card swipe and 1% cash back thank you.  A sweet little old lady quizzically looks at me and says “we don’t do that here”. What?!? S he instructs me to call an 800 number on the card she handed me. “We no longer own our track” she informs me. I’m not sure what that means but I infer something happened that she’s not a fan of. This is a mojo killer and I feel a bit deflated.

I call the number and am presented a phone menu for various tracks and experiences, I finally narrow it down to my track and my experience. I prepare to give my credit card number to the agent only to be told to visit their website to schedule. If anything sets me off and puts a clamp on my wallet it’s poor customer service.

I stomp to the 1st turn grandstand and watch the cars zoom by then trod over to the 2nd turn “mound” for an even better view.

Assuring myself I made the right decision, I leave and head back to the campground. I call my 76 year old mother to update her on my whereabouts and relay my story. I can always count on her to tell like it is. “Hell, you tight ass. You can’t take it with you. Go ride in the car.” Just the nudge I needed to swallow my pride and to go online and book.

I decide I’d book for a couple days later only to learn this was the last day and I was too late. Damn it!! If anything gets to me more than poor service it’s being told “I can’t”. And this one was all on me.

Guess I’ll be back in October. For $1,000 I get to drive, hmmmm!

If You Go

I should impart some words of wisdom and pass on some advise. So here goes. “Hell you tight ass, you can’t take it with you. Go ride in the car.”

    Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway Motor Speedway; that just doesn't have the same ring to it that Indianapolis Motor speedway does.