Tag Archives: history

The Great Battle: A Review

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Fraser

When I saw The Great Battle on the Netflix listings, I was hyped. Most Korean historical movies are set during the Choson era, but I have always been interested in the Koryo period, and The Great Battle takes place during … Continue reading →

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Dawn of the Horse Warriors: More Like Dusk . . Amirite?

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Fraser

Noble’s Dawn of the Horse Warriors: Chariot and Cavalry Warfare 3000-600 BC discusses the introduction of the chariot and its evolution as an instrument of war in Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean region. While the book strongly suggested the author was … Continue reading →

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A Few Short Reviews – Pharaohs, Expanse, Unlocked and Murderbot!

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Fraser

Unlocked This espionage/thriller was spoiled by really weak writing. Director Michael Apted is a seasoned professional, and the performances here are all solid, but the bedrock just isn’t solid. This has a conspiracy plot that does not bear any level … Continue reading →

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Bushido or Bushidon’t

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Fraser

In the last post I made a comment about how the bushido code wasn’t actually used by the samurai when they were warriors. This is the post where I actually back that up to the best of my ability. While … Continue reading →

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Status Quo? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Status Quo!

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Fraser

Please be warned, this is kind of a political rant – not about current politics – that is long and tedious. Basically, in my games, I ignore the political status quo in fantasy and historical games because doing so would … Continue reading →

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One For Thebes

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Fraser

A recent In Our Time episode, Melvyn Bragg and his guests discussed the Greek city-state of Thebes. There were a couple of points that really piqued my interest – Thebes position in the centre of Greece and its alliance with … Continue reading →

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Marco Polo (Season One)

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Fraser

I’ve just finished season one of Marco Polo on Netflix and I have to admit to quite enjoying it. That “I have to admit” is mostly for myself, as I watched the first two episodes about a year ago when … Continue reading →

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Artist as Protagonist

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Fraser

A recent episode of In Our Time focused on the Japanese artist Hokusai, and the discussion turned to Japan at the time and Hokusai’s place in both the artistic community and the politics of the time – he apparently had … Continue reading →

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The Tiger

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Fraser

I am always thankful for the relatively good number of Korean films and TV series Netflix Canada has to offer. When I saw The Tiger had arrived, a 2015 movie with one of Korea’s best actors – Choi Min-Sik – … Continue reading →

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Emperors of Rome

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Fraser

I’m not only an intermittent podcast host, I’m also a regular listener to podcasts. I actually don’t listen to many gaming podcasts – I find that when I’m not getting my fill of gaming, I listen to them a lot … Continue reading →

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