A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

The Battle of the Fulda Gap, August 1, 1985. Actual gameplay screenshot from a session I played of Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm. Images © 2014 Slitherine Ltd./Matrix Games and On Target Simulations Hello again, Dear Reader! Welcome to yet another edition of Bloggin' On, the no-reviews, no-politics section of A Certain Point of View. It's Friday, February 28, 2020, and it's a chilly day here in my corner of Florida. Currently, the temperature in my neighborhood is 58℉ (15℃) a few minutes after noon; it was colder earlier, of course, and I don't think that we'll see anything warmer than 60℉ (16℃). The low tonight is expected to be 46℉ (8℃), which reminds me of how cold my apartment in Sevilla (Seville), Spain, could get in late November or early December 1988. I usually like to start writing early in the morning; it doesn't matter if I'm working on a new script, a short story, a review, or a blog post, but I'm tap-tap-tapping on my keyboard no ...

Title screenshot of Flashpoint Campaign: Red Storm - Player's Edition. © 2014 Slitherine Ltd/Matrix Games and On Target Simulations On November 21, 2014, the UK-based computer game publisher Matrix Games released Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm - Player's Edition, a revamped version of the original turn-based strategy game set in an alternate history of the 1980s in which the Cold War turned hot and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact clashes with the U.S.-led NATO forces in West Germany. Created by On Target Simulations for the merged Slitherine Ltd/Matrix Games studio and inspired by several fictional works about a hypothetical Third World War fought in the mid- to late 1980s, including Sir John Hackett's The Third World War: August 1985 and Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising, Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm - Player's Edition puts you in command of either the Allied or Soviet armies in several campaigns and more than 20 stand-alone scenarios, including many player-...

"I love the ending. You have to see it to enjoy it." Meg Learner, PersonaPaper , Image from Ronnie and the Pursuit of the Elusive Bliss © 2020 Popcorn Sky Productions Well, it took a little while ﹘ 17 days, to be exact ﹘ but Ronnie and the Pursuit of the Elusive Bliss has gotten a couple of long-form published reviews. The first one was Denise Longrie's user review on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com ). Here is an excerpt: It's fun to watch the family members interact with each other. There's no malice. The different characters become angry and annoyed at each other. In less capable hands, their portrayals could have been cardboard clowns. However, even when they're at their most ridiculous, these characters remain human beings with depth. "These people love each other. Despite their differences, they still care for one another."  Denise Longrie, Internet Movie Database user review .  Image from  Ronnie and the Pursuit of th...

Hasbro Star Wars: The Black Series #90: Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Photo Credit: Hasbro, Inc. © 2019 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)  On October 4, 2019, during the pre-premiere run-up to Star Wars - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Hasbro released the 90th figure in its successful Star Wars: The Black Series line of six-inch scale action figures, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. This figure, which is actually a re-use of the body from 2017's #45 Kylo Ren figure, features a new helmet based on the one reforged by the former Ben Solo after the events of Star Wars - Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, as well as a new cape and two changeable hoods. This figure was one of a fall "wave" of Hasbro Star Wars: The Black Series figures based on characters not just from the final Skywalker Saga film but also from other Star Wars films and TV shows, including Star Wars; Rebels and The Mandalorian. In addition to Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Hasbro also released the following six-inch sc...

The unsung hero of Ronnie and the Pursuit of the Elusive Bliss. Photo: Alex Diaz-Granados  Hello again, Constant Reader. Welcome to another edition of Bloggin' On, the no-reviews/no politics section of A Certain Point of View where I basically write about whatever topics cross my mind or just vent about everyday stuff that saddens or irritates me. Well, it's Monday afternoon in my corner of Florida; right now it's mostly sunny outside; the temperature is 79℉ (26℃) and the humidity is low at 48%. It's so nice out that I'm almost tempted to go and sit out on the front porch and read for a while. That's something that I always say I want to do; when I lived in East Wind Lake Village, I used to go with a book to the nearby pool, lie on one of the deck chairs, and read for an hour, maybe two, out in the sun and fresh air. Here, I'd be content if I went out on the porch with a book and my Amazon Fire tablet and read for a while...but for one reason or ...

Hasbro's 100th 6-in. Star Wars: The Black Series figure is based on Luke Skywalker as he appears in the Throne Room medal ceremony on Yavin 4 at the end of "Star Wars: A New Hope." © 2019 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) In 2019 ﹘ the year that marked the 42nd anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope and the release of the final Skywalker Saga film ﹘ Rhode Island-based Hasbro, Inc. rolled out a new wave of figures based not just on characters from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker but from other components of the franchise, including The Mandalorian, Star Wars: Rebels, and the original Star Wars film. Appropriately, the 100th figure in the Star Wars: The Black Series 6-inch scale collection is Luke Skywalker (Yavin Ceremony). It was released in a wave of figures that includes Jannah from The Rise of Skywalker, First Order Jet Trooper from the same film, and Cara Dune from The Mandalorian.  Hasbro's 100th figure in its Star Wars: The Black Series 6-inch co...

Before actor-director Juan Carlos Hernandez and I ever collaborated on Ronnie and the Pursuit of the Elusive Bliss   and the other two films we've made as a team, he and his wife Adria had already made several short movies for their Popcorn Sky Productions company. JJ in Dobbs was one of them.

Star Wars: The Black Series #69 Rebel Trooper. © 2018 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)  In February 2018, Hasbro unveiled three new figures from its Star Wars: The Black Series collection at its showroom in the International Toy Fair , which was held in New York City at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center. Based on characters from Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: A New Hope , and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back , the trio was made up of #68 Tobias Beckett #69 Rebel Trooper #70 Han Solo (Bespin) The six-inch scale figures hit shelves in both online and brick-and-mortar stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that July, joining the growing number of the coveted Black Series collectibles introduced by Hasbro in 2015, the same year that saw the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens . What's In the Package?  Recently I decided to splurge on a few Star Wars figures of The Black Series collection; in addition to Emperor Palpatine and ...

©2019 Midway Island Productions & Lionsgate Entertainment. Blu-ray cover art © 2020 Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Movies based on historical events, especially ones that depict real battles rather than just using them as the setting for a fictional story, have to strike a balance between telling an entertaining story that will keep audiences glued to their seats and being historically accurate. If a screenwriter emphasizes the elements that fall into the storytelling category - such as delving into a naval aviator's family life after war has been declared - the film can slip too much into soap opera territory. But if a script focuses too much on the historical details, then the average viewer with little to no interest in the minutiae of military operations will get bored. Some of the best films about specific battles manage to find a happy medium between accuracy and pure entertainment. A Bridge Too Far, The Longest Day, and even the lesser-ranked Tora! Tora! Tora!...

© 2020 Summit Entertainment. Movie © 2019 Midway Island Productions This review is about the Blu-ray release of Roland Emmerich's 2019 war film,  Midway , and its features. It is not a review of the film itself. Readers who want to find out more about the film can read my review from November 2019 here: Midway film review On Tuesday, February 18, Lionsgate Films released the home media edition of Midway,  a 2019 World War II historical drama written by Wes Tooke and directed by Roland Emmerich, the German filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer best known for Stargate, Independence Day, The Patriot, and The Day After Tomorrow. As is common in the home entertainment industry, Lionsgate, in association with Midway Island Productions, bundled the 138-minutes-long film in a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo pack. Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater du...