AnonymousThe Brothers Warner own the rights after their great Midway buy-out. I’d be up for it if they were!
“There’s a difference between those that feel safest in the light, and those that feel safest in the dark. Which are you, Torque?”
-Hermes, The Suffering
Steve Ogden is known for many things. He’s the studio art director over at Firaxis, you know, the guys who make Civilization and nuveau X-Com. He does a ton with online comics, such as Moontown and Croaker’s Gorge. Some may even know him as the guy who did the illustrations for my book, Game Design: Theory & Practice, and helped bring Atomic Sam to life. And a super long time ago we worked on a game together, but this isn’t about any of that…
Now he’s gone and written a book, more specifically a collection of short stories. I mean, it’s irritating, right? What does the guy not do? And do well. Yes, he does it all well. I got a real kick out of Headstones and Monuments. It’s a collection of spooky (not scary) stories, some are almost autobiographical (indeed), some more over the top, some defy easy classification. I like the “story notes” he includes at the end, explaining the origin of each story - some have been around for a while, many were made just for this collection, but all have interesting backstories of their own. And most importantly they’re all good and worth your time. I recommend the print edition, because I always do.
But c'mon, Steve. Isn’t it time to stop making the rest of us look lazy?
How is it I have not seen A Prayer for the Dying before?
Mickey Rourke - never better with a great Irish accent - plays an IRA hitman who is “done with killing." On the run from fellow IRA gunman Liam Neeson (young!), Rourke makes the mistake of turning to Alan Bates (as a gang leader whose dayjob is running a funeral home!) for help. Soon ex-military Bob Hoskins (now a priest!) and his blind organist niece (!) become entwined in the clash between Rourke and Bates. It’s all intensely melodramatic… and magnificent. Mike Hodges (Croupier, Get Carter) directed this magnificence circa 1987.
If the idea of Mickey Rourke hanging for his life off a crucifix does not appeal to you, this is probably the wrong film for you.
