Youtube Video of the Day : Metal Complex -Knives-Origins-Comics-Disney?

The video by Metal Complex talks pretty entertainingly of the moment people became knife guys.

Now I have had a knife for years, however I did not become a ‘knife guy’, (get bit with the collector fascination for knives, rather than a singular knife as a utilitarian tool)… until last week.

Let me break that down.

I owned a Spyderco knife for YEARS, long before it was ubiquitous to do so. I got it from the catalog THE SHARPER EDGE (before bankruptcy and rebranding when you could get more than kitsh from the site) easily decades ago. It was a half serrated black-coated police model.

Like you grow into the idea of a good car or a good pickup or a good multi-tool or a good book as an essential thing. That Spyderco for me was an essential thing. As much as leaving the house with a sturdy pair of shoes, or a good hat, the Spyderco was a constant for me. All the way up to a few years ago when I had to give it up when going thru a security check. Some security person picked that out of the bin, and is now no doubt walking around with my Spyderco. :).

Anyhow I did end up replacing it with a half serrated Kershaw, that is my current knife and has served me well for years. But knives for me have always been very utilitarian. The idea to collect knives for aesthetic reasons, never really took hold of me… until last week.

Now of course I have been a fan of shows like FORGED IN FIRE, and when I was in Spain, almost purchased a sword set, all emblazoned with the Olympic logo, to place on my walls, but these were fleeting fancies, rather than solid desires.

Last week, I watched an episode of BLADE HQ on Youtube. Then another, and another. And started finding and watching other Knife Youtube shows such as METAL COMPLEX, and the die was cast.

I who have always been a one knife, utilitarian guy, knew I was going to start buying and collecting (as funds allow) knives. Now being I am very frugal, I am not going to be buying any $200 knives,or see myself with dozens of knives anytime soon, but there are surprisingly a good selection of aesthetically stunning knifes at a reasonable (cheaper) price point. I can see myself easily picking up 6 to 9 knives in the next year.

So yeah, check out the video above. But be careful, lest you likewise be bitten by the bug. 🙂

p.s. While I am not a Disney fan, his description of the affect the SLEEPING BEAUTY animated movie had on him, made me far more interested, and impressed in that movie than I have ever been.

 

Well thanks for stopping in, and come back next installment.

TV & Movie Posters of the Day!

 

 

I am not really a fan of slasher films or tv shows. And with the exception of the 2nd season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY i have not been a fan of that show; however the above poster on its own… is striking.

 

I loved the first season of Amazon’s JACK RYAN and the trailer has me very excited to see season 2. Between this, THE BOYS and THE EXPANSE Amazon is producing some of the best shows on TV.

 

And here are some international posters that grabbed my attention:

 

Book of the Day : Prepare for Anything (Outdoor Life): 338 Essential Skills

Wonderfully laid out and easy to enjoy book, that jumps fluidly from topic to topic. One great segment? Wearing para-cord shoelaces to help you free yourself if you get tied up with zip ties, during a home invasion. 🙂

And Nope, I did not make that up, it is in the book.  🙂

Another great segment? 7 Knives everyone should own.

It’s genius. 🙂

Get your copy using the below link. Earns some pennies for this site and you get a great book. 🙂

https://amzn.to/31HqmuZ

 

Absolutely Must Watch Youtube Video of the Day! Tesla News and Texas and 4 other US States outlaw FREE SPEECH?!

Really intriguing news stories. Pretty riveting.

Movie Posters of the Day!

 

Absolutely MUST OWN, “it Will sell out” and “price will be crazy”… DVD/BluRays of the DAY!

Yes this is the age of streaming and DVD and Blu-ray sales output has dropped precipitously. However, there will always be die-hard proponents for physical media. Streaming is a nice and convenient way to discover and introduce yourself to a great range of tv shows and movies. I would argue that the Amazon Prime Streaming movie and video channel/app, which is available on your Roku or Fire TV or PlayStation, is quite frankly superior in terms of width, and breadth of content and general ease of use, to even the largest video store, during the heyday of video stores. So, I am a huge fan of streaming, it has helped increase choice and reduce cost.

That said, when you find something on streaming you love and want to own [and I have found many such movies and shows, thanks to Streaming. MUSKETEERS, RIPPER STREET, BODYGUARD (all BBC shows), LUKE CAGE, THE EXPANSE, THE BOYS, JACK RYAN, as well as such obscure films as  TUMBBAD (magnificent Indian Horror film), BIG LEGEND (Great BigFoot film), FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES (Beautiful South African Neo-Western)] whether a movie or TV series, streaming in my opinion, is not the way to own that media.

For many reasons, from the ephemeral and ‘here today gone tomorrow’ nature of streaming (ala ULTRAVIOLET going belly up), to more pernicious and problematic issues of editing of films in the cloud to cowtow to complaints from the mob and the weaponizers of social media, to issues of access (net neutrality) that can affect the availability and quality of movies you digitally ‘own’; physical media is simply more reliable.

I LOVE the movie LION IN WINTER, I want it in a format that isn’t edited because one of the actors is posthumously accused of something, or a line is no longer deemed ‘politically appealing’. I love the Bill Cosby I SPY series, which opened the doors for so many people of color, and honestly helped change the face of America, but that series is not one that is in-vogue because of issues that has nothing to do with the quality of the show. In this day and age, shows, movies, are all potentially black-listable and censorable based on the appearance of dissatisfaction, based on the howling of the, usually uninformed, mob.

Now that said, not everything needs to be available in physical media, but I would say the movies and tv shows you LOVE, and return to often, or simply historically important movies or tv shows, you absolutely should keep them close.

To that end the following Blu-Rays are what I consider, even in the age of streaming… must own movies. While none of them are historically important, they all are just crackerjack examples of great media. Not only because of their content, but aesthetically the following steelbook Blurays are breathtaking works of art, that will look at home in your man-cave (woman cave) or beside your coffee table books in your living room.

If these are the last days of physical media, the following blu-rays are the ones you will want to upgrade to.

On top of that these Blu-Rays because they are all limited editions, will actually be a bit inflation proof. They achieve sought after collectible status when they go out of print, and will always be at least worth their original retail price, and usually quite a bit more as time goes by.

Without further ado, here are this installment’s must own Blu-Rays! Buy them before they go out of print.

 

 

John Carpenter’s 1982 film THE THING is one of my favorite films. The rare remake that is superior to the original. A film that was a theatrical failure, it was one of the early ones to find a new life, and become a cult hit during the VCR/VHS Boom. And has continued to win fans, and grow its status in the age of DVDs. its practical effects are legendary, and its creeping paranoia, a textbook for a couple generations of filmmakers since. I own this film in at least a couple DVD formats. 

Well those DVDs and even any BluRays you may own can be tossed out. 

This Bluray has everything previous generations had, and comes remastered with new features and a case that FINALLY ditches the horrible titular blue bar at the top of BluRays, and gives us finally a case that is as much a work of art, as the film it houses.

When I saw it I had to add it to my shelf… immediately.

 

If you feel the same use the links below to get your copy of ‘THE THING’ and other great Shout Factory Steel-Books, Today!

 

https://amzn.to/31pS7ba

 

You can also purcahse these items direct from Shout Factory here:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking and let me know which movie or movies you are looking forward to Purchasing! Thanks!

Movie Posters of the Day!

 

Like everyone else i was blown away by the last rambo movie, and thought it was the perfect ending for the series. so very interested in how this film ends the MYTHOLOGY that is… rambo. trailer looked good.

The Poster does not look good, but the trailer is… AMAZING!!! Looking forward to catching this one.Another film with an amazing trailer!