Eric C. Petrie

youtu.beMovie Review: WildwoodYouTube video by Steve Shives

A perspective from a single guy without kids. A critic I’ve followed for many years. #wildwood youtu.be/xIa2iupW1AY?...

Go see Wildwood, ASAP! #wildwood #laika #portland

2 Sept

25 Aug

5 Aug

•Near record low snowpack •Portland 20% below normal rainfall •Bend 60% below normal rainfall •Average annual burned acreage increased 4x compared to 30 years ago •record setting burns in 2026 topping record burns in 2024

5 Aug

There has been talk about climate change being an existential threat to the planet since I was in elementary school, 35 years ago. In my lifetime I’ve watched the situation get worse and worse. Now I watch, year after year, as my home is destroyed by one catastrophic fire after another.

5 Aug

If you’re still a climate change denier f**k right off.

Wrapped up season 2 of Fallout last night. This show is really solid empty calories entertainment.

It’s well made, well acted, and entertaining. But those darn mystery boxes get opened only to reveal more mystery boxes inside. It’s like a nesting doll of plot twists and reveals. I’m still enjoying it. But I do wonder how many more seasons they can keep this going.

Saw The Odyssey last night. Hot take… good movie! There’s no sense is droning on about why it’s so good. That’s been well documented. So I’ll just hit a few highlights that stood out to me.

The theming is incredible. It’s tackling subjects like man’s relationship with god, free will versus destiny, war trauma, losing self identity, and the cultural rules that hold societies together.

It does an excellent job of taking the episodic feel of Odysseus’ many adventures and creates a well crafted whole narrative out of it. Good film.

Saw The Odyssey last night. Hot take… good movie! There’s no sense is droning on about why it’s so good. That’s been well documented. So I’ll just hit a few highlights that stood out to me.

The pacing is amazing. It’s never in a hurry yet moves at a good clip. It keeps that tempo going for nearly 3 hours but never feels long. I was surprised how human it was. Nolan films sometimes strike me as cold, detached. But this was anything but.

Recently wrapped season 3 of Shrinking. I like this show a lot. It scratches a similar itch as Ted Lasso. I think I actually like Shrinking more. While Lasso s1 is still probably the best season of TV between the two shows Shrinking s2-3 didn’t have the same kind of drop off I felt Lasso had.

Beyond that I just like this cast of characters a lot. Of course Segal and Ford are good. But big props to Jessica Williams, who’s always funny and heartfelt in her scenes.

I took the family to see Masters of the Universe on its opening weekend. Now that it’s been a few weeks I have some thoughts. For me it’s absolutely been one of those films that, as times gone by, my brain has really focused on the positives and the negatives have kinda gone by the wayside.

But instead the film recontextualizes the heroes greatest strength is his empathy, the amount he cares for others. Beyond that the film looks incredible. The production design is fantastic. If you miss those kids/family fantasy epics of the 80s this is absolutely a modern take on that sub-genre.

It’s too bad it likely won’t get a sequel. They did a really good job of not making the film feel like sequel bait while still leaving plenty to explore in another movie.

I think it’s because what works, works really well. The film has great theming. It kinda reminds me of last years Superman. In both films you have an impossibly powerful hero who could just go around punching stuff.

23 July

youtu.beHow to avoid Virtual Game Cards (and play your games on multiple Nintendo Switches)YouTube video by Dinoscore

4 June

@grubb.wtf On the recent Bombcast you mentioned the frustration with Switch virtual game cards and multiple consoles. If you turn on “Use Online License” the system will just do a standard DRM check with the eShop. Why Nintendo has that off by default, who knows. youtu.be/oZda99BvzPE?...

4 June

1 May

April 2026: average high temp in Portland was 64 degrees. Normal average is 61.

1 May

Several off-the-shelf viewings lately. One Battle After Another: I saw it in theaters and really liked it. This second viewing just confirmed how great it really is. Benicio Del Toro and Chase Infinity are great. Sean Penn’s villainous performance is incredible.

Cool Hand Luke: Decided it was time to show this one to my kids. Much to my delight they liked it. I hadn’t seen it in probably 25 years. Timeless masterpiece.

Big Trouble in Little China: I also showed this to my kids. My embarrassing admission is I’d never seen it myself until now. I knew all about it via cultural osmosis. But it lived up to my expectations. A great campy silly time with good special effects and fight choreography.

Animal House: Hadn’t seen this one in probably 20 years. Fantastic, legendary comedy. Any combination of Belushi, Landis, Ramis, Reitman, from this era, along with Aykroyd and Murray, was always great. Animal House, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Blues Brothers, etc.

Annihilation: Probably my favorite Alex Garland directed film. First time seeing it since its original release. There’s so much going on in this film I feel like I already need to watch it again, just to understand it even more. Writing, directing, performances, VFX are all top notch.

Recent 4K UHD pickups - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Charles Barton, 1948) - The Searchers (John Ford, 1956) - Westworld (Michael Crichton, 1973) - A Simple Plan (Sam Raimi, 1998)

10 Apr

Recent theatrical viewings: both space themed. Project Hail Mary- great film! The definition of a crowd pleaser. Entertaining, funny, moving, and very good craftsmanship.

10 Apr

Super Mario Galaxy- look, I get that these Mario movies are divisive. There’s all kinds of takes in them from all across the spectrum. They’re dumb as bricks but in a way that entertains me. This film has a messier plot than the first. But it also has a lot bigger scope.

9 Apr

Less than half of normal snow this year. And that’s at the highest ski spot on the mountain. Lower elevations were even worse.

9 Apr

Portland rain fall.

22 Mar

@tolkoto.com @grubb.wtf Just listened to the most recent Decides. If you like Cherry Blossoms come to Portland in the early spring. The metropolitan area has them around. Its like our own mini taste of Japan.

7 Mar

Despite the horrible ski season we’ve been having we did manage to get out in some snow recently. Thank goodness for well timed snow storms.

Snow depth at 6,000 feet.

Recently we got around to Wicked Part 2. I really enjoyed Part 1, but I’d always heard the second act of the play wasn’t as strong. While I’d agree the second film isn’t quite as strong as the first, I also don’t think they’re as far apart as some people say.

That approach makes it feel like a juggling act—Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion appear, but mostly off to the side. It also falls into the classic prequel trap where everything from the original story somehow ties back into this one. That tends to make the world feel

smaller and the events a bit too coincidental. Still, overall I’m a fan of these films. Viewed as one big 5-hour movie, I think it’s one of the better stage-to-screen adaptations I’ve seen.

The performances are still amazing, especially Cynthia Erivo. The art direction, VFX, and overall aesthetics are also still top notch. Where things dip a bit compared to the first film is mainly in the story. Part 2 doesn’t have quite the same narrative thrust.

It’s a little more scattered, with uneven pacing and multiple threads running in parallel. Dealing with the interwoven Wizard of Oz story is kind of a lose-lose scenario. Too much reimagining would upset fans and distract from Wicked’s story, so they take a more minimalist approach.

All the aspects of the first film that I liked are still here. The story still has great commentary on prejudice, racism, scapegoating, authoritarianism, and manipulative power dynamics. It also highlights the power that kind hearts, love, and friendship have to fight back against those forces.

12 Feb

A couple of recent off-the-shelf viewings with my kids. -Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are. My kids have seen this a couple of times before. I love this film and think it's way underrated. It has a quiet sensitivity to it that might make it better suited for older kids... maybe 8-10.

12 Feb

It has Jim Henson like qualities to it. Highly recommended. -Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus. This was new to the kids. This movie is the definition of epic filmmaking. The kids actually liked it a fair amount.