BlahCade #154: Slow News Weeks Are*Awesome!

[jaredmorgs]

When it’s a quiet news week like this one is, we know there are things happening behind the scenes in digital pinball that are sure to blow up.


The festive season is typically a busy season for games developers, and pinball game developers are no different.


With a mixture of topics this week, you’re sure to find something you like the sound of, so sit back and enjoy listening to the latest instalment.


See https://blahcadepinball.com/154-slow-news-week for super-detailed show notes about this episode.

 

[wilbers]

Am I missing something with Animal House? - think its only that and Heat on the list of films I haven't seen [unless you count the first Harry Potter on a technicality as it has a different name in the US than the UK], although to be fair I was only 4 when it came out.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Am I missing something with Animal House? - think its only that and Heat on the list of films I haven't seen [unless you count the first Harry Potter on a technicality as it has a different name in the US than the UK], although to be fair I was only 4 when it came out.

Animal House is fun, but something may be lost in translation because it is about a culture (so-called "Greek Life"/fraternities/sororities at American universities) that doesn't really exist in UK universities. It's the same problem I have with most American high-school-set movies: I went to school in England, and it was a very different set up, particularly in the mid-80s when due to industrial action and working-to-rule by teachers, extra-curricular activities were a bare minimum or even non-existent.

I have seen both "versions" of the first Harry Potter movie. I have access to the American version of the first book too. I still will pointedly only ever refer to it by the true, correct, even if it wasn't actually the original UK title. (IIRC JKR used the US title first, changed it, but the US publisher liked the first title better so stuck with it - a similar thing happened with the name of a certain extremely light, durable, and abundant metal used in the construction of aircraft and "tin" cans, amongst many other things.)

 

[shutyertrap]

Never thought about Animal House not translating to other markets. Still, I think everyone can relate to a group of pranksters defying the establishment. Revenge of the Nerds, now that relies heavily on knowing the 'Greek Life' of college campuses. It also hasn't aged well at all, while Animal House never gets old and plays more like a period piece with none of the humor being pop culture reliant.

As for Heat, it's nothing short of phenomenal and feels just as fresh today as it did in the mid 90's. There's nothing false in it, nothing that makes you go 'only in the movies' when it comes to action sequences. The drama is riveting and heartbreaking and sucks you in whether it's your first time watching or your 11th. If you are watching for the first time though, I cannot stress enough that you watch in on a proper size TV and have the sound cranked up (preferably through a proper surround sound setup).

 

[Kolchak357]

I enjoy Heat as well, maybe not as much as you do. Definitely recommend it. But it’s one of those movies that whenever I bring it up the other person has never seen it. Are we the only two that saw it? With that cast I assume everyone would have seen it.