Last seven movies watched

I hadn't seen "The Witches" before. It's endearingly peculiar - both in plot and cinematography. Henson creature FX. Had I caught it at the age of 8-12, I suspect I'd have found it deeply creepy.

Hadn't seen "Rad", either, despite the fact I was a BMX kid. Not surprised it's become a cult film. Heavy on the riding/trick sequences, HELLTRACK, weird character names, laughable moments played straight (e.g. "ass sliding", bike dance), guy from "My Favourite Martian", cheesy John Farnham songs...

Pick of the bunch: Undecided. Danish social-circle drama "Long Story Short", French professor-student drama "Le Brio" and American coming-of-age drama/comedy "Booksmart" are all very good.

[Viewed on: SBS On Demand x2, Netflix, SBS On Demand x3, Netflix.]

Chicken-flavoured instant noodle reviews - Part 2

Part 1 is here >>> https://dorkgeeknerd.blogspot.com/2021/06/by-request-chicken-flavoured-instant.html

Brand: Nissin Chicken Flavour

Energy: 2070kJ

Fat: 17.3g

Sodium: 2830mg

Comments: Larger size. Japanese brand, but made for our market in Hong Kong. The best vegie sachet by far (cabbage, etc.). Also the best broth – could almost have passed for a restaurant soup. Noodles nothing special. No headache always a bonus.

Brand: Suimin Noodles With Chicken

Energy: 1440kJ

Fat: 13.7g

Sodium: 1600mg

Comments: Made in Thailand. Lid ripped when peeling back due to the thinness of the paper. Contained tiny bits of fake chook made from textured vegetable protein. A classic that still delivers a satisfying feed. The cup was stained fluoro yellow by the soup. However…no headache.

Brand: Urban Eats Thai Style BBQ Chicken Flavoured Noodles

Energy: 1440kJ

Fat: 10.7g

Sodium: 754mg

Comments: Made in Singapore. No artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or added MSG (which explains the lack of headache). Less fat and salt than the others. Nice fine noodles that seemed to go a long way. Pleasant broth. Pleasant aroma as well. Could eat again tomorrow, which I'd rarely say about this sort of product.

Last five movies watched

Pick of the bunch: 2019 anime fillum "Weathering With You" rains on the rest of these from a great height. Exquisite backgrounds/animation, v. strange and v. sweet storyline, rockin' English voice cast (took me a while to recognise Lee Pace) and a sensational soundtrack.

That said, the others all had their merits. No duds this week.

[Viewed on: Prime, Netflix, Netflix, Prime, Netflix.]

Wabi-sabi

"Wabi-sabi" is a Japanese concept that is apparently hard for non-Japanese to grasp. My simplistic - and possibly completely wrong - outsider definition is: appreciating the beauty of the flawed.

I was wondering if so-called beauty marks are wabi-sabi. I concluded that they aren't. People say b/m draw attention to other (fine) features, so it's not about appreciating the marks themselves.

TPK

In tabletop role-playing, TPK stands for Total Party Kill. It means that the entire adventuring party has been wiped out, either due to their own stupidity, the GM's callousness or a combination of the two.

The piccy above is from a Polish gaming site, and the miniatures are the work of a very talented artist who goes by ctan.

TPK should not be confused with TDK, a trusted brand of audio cassette.

Thinking back to my youth, when we played "D&D" every weekend (and even more frequently in the hols), I don't have any enduring memories of TPKs. They must have happened, though, because more than one of us owned the notorious trap-fest "S1 - Tomb Of Horrors", which I know no group of ours ever successfully made it through.

A different type of Total Party Kill once occurred at a mate's birthday bash. Someone cut themselves, went into a bathroom and carelessly dripped blood across toothbrushes and whatnot. My buddy justifiably turfed out all of the party-goers and called it a night.

To end on an upbeat note, here's a funny song about a TPK to the tune of "Jingle Bells". It was released by the also very talented Ginny Di last Xmas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCwYCyyIGvo

Last six movies watched

Pick of the bunch: Without a doubt, "Dune". My affection for the David Lynch adaptation hasn't wavered since 1984. Was amazed to find I like this version even more. Wider, deeper, just plain grander.

[Viewed on: Prime, Disney+, DVD, Disney+, Kanopy, SBS On Demand.]