A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Screenshot of Strategic Command WWII: World at War. © 2018 Fury Software/Slitherine Ltd.  Hi, everyone! Welcome to today's "upcoming events" blog post in A Certain Point of View. As the weekend approaches, I'd like to let you know what my plans are regarding content and the future of this blog. In the near future, I'll try to focus my attention on writing reviews and back off from writing about politics, the conservative/liberal divide, and Donald Trump. This will probably result in a slow-down as far as creating blog posts since much of my energies as of late were spent writing about the toxic political scene at home and abroad. Additionally, I closed my Quora account this morning, and because most of my Trump-related content was derived from my answers on that site, I'll be forced to come up with new material that will be exclusive to A Certain Point of View if I have any hopes of getting any income from AdSense and Google. So, Constant Reader, I don...

The Strategy Map in Strategic Command: WWII: World at War. © 2018 Fury Software/Slitherine Ltd. Okay, so I've been trying out Strategic Command WWII: World at War, a relatively new (it was released by Britain's Slitherine Games last December) computer game based on the Second World War. I haven't devoted a lot of time to playing this strategic-level wargame because I do have to write every day, but so far I've played it enough to give you at least a few first impressions. As you can see from the screenshot above, this is not a first-person shooter game a la Call of Duty or Medal of Honor ; it's a global-warfare level game where land combat is fought by corps- or army-sized units, with maybe a few independent armored, mechanized, and supporting arms units tossed in for good measure. Only in naval warfare do we see one-on-one duels between individual warships and subs, albeit in a stylized "board game" kinda way. The game has different unit di...

On Quora, Ali Gibson asks:  Star Wars is rated PG-13, meaning that it is technically allowed one F-bomb. Where would you put it?   I replied: I wouldn’t. Star Wars,  whether some of its adult fans like it or not, is not supposed to be an adults-only franchise. George Lucas, its creator, always intended it to be accessible to the entire family. Remember, the original film trilogy, especially the very first movie made, was based on the Saturday-matinee serials and action-adventure films that Lucas grew up watching on 1950s-era TV in Modesto, California. None of the sources that inspired  Star Wars  - whether they were classic war films, Westerns, or samurai “Easterners” such as  The Hidden Fortress -  feature coarse language. Additionally, not every  Star Wars  film is rated PG-13. Only the newer films (starting with 2005’s  Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ) have been given PG-13 ratings. Point of fact:  S...

On August 31, 2018, Amazon's Prime Video began streaming Season One of  Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, an eight-episode action-adventure/political thriller web television series based on the eponymous character created by the late Tom Clancy. Starring John Krasinki ( The Office, A Quiet Place ) as Ryan, Wendell Pierce as James Greer, Abbie Cornish as Dr. Cathy Mueller, Ali Suliman as Mousa Bin Suleiman, and Dina Shibabi as Hanin Ali, Jack Ryan is not an adaptation of any of Clancy's novels but is a reimagining of the best-selling author's multimedia "Ryanverse" that borrows elements of the literary character's DNA to create a story set in the troubled times we live in. Created by Carlton Cuse ( The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Lost ) and Graham Roland ( Fringe, Prison Break, and Lost ), Jack Ryan focuses on the efforts of Central Intelligence Agency analyst John Patrick Ryan to find a shadowy Muslim terrorist and prevent him from carrying out a terro...

You see these angry white Southerners who were overwhelmingly Democratic Party members in 1957? They later became Republicans, and their children more than likely grew up to be Trump voters.  What do liberals want from conservatives? I can’t speak for all liberals. That would be pretentious and silly on my part. I can, however, speak for myself. So, this is my wish list regarding what I’d like from people who self-identify as “conservatives.” Cease your blind support of Donald J. Trump and toss him into the dustbin of history Stop treating Americans who are not conservatives as if we were (a) enemies of the United States and (b) aliens who do not deserve the demonym “American” Stop pretending that the Republican Party did not have a “Southern Strategy” in the Sixties to woo disenchanted Southern Democrats who were pissed off at the Democratic Party’s liberal wing’s embrace of the Civil Rights movement Stop repeating the lie that the Ku Klux Klan is not presently dom...

Photo Credit: Pixabay On Quora, member Autumn Wintrys asks:  Why are people mad about the Trump video of him shooting news outlets? First, let’s clarify certain points about this story: To begin with, the video mentioned in various reports does not show the  real  Donald Trump shooting at “enemies of the right” (which not only include news media organizations, but also the late Sen. John S. McCain III [R-AZ’]). Rather, it’s a Donald Trump impersonator mimicking the aforementioned shooting spree. Second, while Donald Trump may not have produced or even green-lit the video in question, It was shown at a Trump resort in Miami before an audience of Trump staffers and supporters. Per the non-partisan publication  The Hill’s  Video of fake Trump shooting members of media shown at his Miami resort: report : A fake video of  President Trump  shooting, stabbing and brutally assaulting media personalities and political opponents was played a...

Photo Credit: Pixabay This question was originally asked by conservative memberTrevor Hamlen on Quora as: Since President Trump was a lifelong Democrat before running for president and he polished his interpersonal skills during his formative years, would the Democrats take ownership for the very behaviors they claim him to possess? My reply:  Oh, boy. It is really sad to see just how ill-informed you must be about Donald Trump, based on the wording of your question. So many distortions, so many mistaken conclusions. So, as a public service, I’ll try to educate you on the realities of Donald Trump’s political affiliation and how he changes parties to suit his whims. Let’s get started, shall we? First of all, Donald J. Trump has  never been  a “lifelong” member of the Democratic Party. In the mid-1980s, for instance, Trump registered as a Republican voter with the Department of Elections in Manhattan. He remained a Republican until 1999 when he registered a...