It was 32 years ago, that Pac-Man was born. According to PC Mag, Pac-Man has a big day. But can a video game have an exact b-day? Well, I looked it up on Wikipedia and yeah, the game was released on May 22, 1980: “…an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980.”

From 1980 onward, Pac-Man has given us all some wonderful entertainment. It ruled the ’80s and, in some arcades, it never left. It was, and is, an honest and smooth game that leaves you feeling better for having played it.

“HYDE PARK ON HUDSON” looks quite good. Bill Murray as FDR? Yes, it works fabulously. It takes a great deal of confidence and talent for Mr. Murray to pull it off given he doesn’t look at all like the 32nd president of the United States. Of course, it’s not an impersonation but an interpretation which is always much more captivating. Well, thank goodness for Mr. Murray’s good taste and sense of purpose. He would not be swayed by  the pleading from Dan  Aykroyd to co-star in “Ghostbusters 3″ and we’re all the better for it. “Hyde Park on Hudson” comes out December 7, 2012.

A synopsis:

Producer/director Roger Michell teams with screenwriter Richard Nelson to adapt Nelson’s BBC radio play chronicling the extramarital affair between President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Bill Murray) and his distant cousin, Daisy (Laura Linney.) The affair comes to light during a royal visit from the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) to the Roosevelt’s upstate New York home in Hyde Park. As war engulfs Europe and the king seeks the support of the American president, President Roosevelt struggles to balance his domestic affairs with his international obligations as Commander-in-chief.

Niketown, Seattle, after May Day

Niketown, Seattle, back in business, not a scratch, a week later.

The May Day protests wreaked havoc in Seattle on May 1. Looking on my calendar, today, May 18, it is Engandered Species Day. That day, fortunately, does not inspire a rampage. So, let’s document this: It is May 18, 2012, over two weeks after May Day, and Wells Fargo remains looking shabby after it got its windows bashed in. It sustained less damage than Niketown but it has yet to pull itself together. Just an observation. Make of it what you will. I’m not sure if a statement is being made here or not on the part of Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo, Seattle, after May Day.

Wells Fargo, Seattle, over two weeks later.

The story about a guy who took extreme advantage of a local restaurant’s “all-you-can-eat” offer, is priceless. It turns out that Bill Wisth has been giving Chuck’s Place a hard time for many years! Life is too short but maybe that’s the way it goes in Thiensville, Wisconsin. So, pardon me, but I couldn’t help but look up the restaurant’s website. Everything looked good and tasty until I entered the photo gallery! I’m just not so sure The Grim Reaper has any place in a restaurant. But maybe this restaurant has bigger fish to fry with keeping Bill Wisth at bay.

We’re always up for a new game, aren’t we? And we like our games to have style, don’t we? Here is news about “Squids,” something that should fit the bill from the Paris studio of The Game Bakers.

Press release follows:

The Game Bakers’ Casual RPG, SQUIDS, Now Available for PC Download

Colorful characters, a comedic storyline, and creative gameplay make SQUIDS a rare aquatic treat

PARIS – May 16, 2012 – Independent developer The Game Bakers is announcing that their bestselling role-playing game, SQUIDS, can now be downloaded for PC. Originally released for iPhone and iPad, SQUIDS has already been enjoyed by more than one million players worldwide. The new PC download sells for USD$6.99 from a number of online stores, as well as directly from the developers: http://squidspc.thegamebakers.com

Developed by a team with years of experience working on AAA computer and console games, the lighthearted SQUIDShas diverse appeal thanks to its casual (yet very addictive!) gameplay, tactical RPG-inspired elements, whimsical cartoon art style, and humorous adventure storyline. The Squids’ lush underwater world is being threatened by insidious black ooze. Now it’s up to a ragtag team of Squid heroes to fend off the ooze-infected crustaceans and protect their homeland from certain destruction.

By choosing among four classes of Squids, each with unique abilities and equipment, players build a team of Squid heroes to engage in turn-based battles against rival crabs and shrimp. The billiards-like controls are easy to master: simply use the mouse to grab a Squid by the tentacles, take aim, and fling it across the battlefield. But success can be harder to achieve, requiring strategy and skill as players learn to use the environment, their party’s strengths, and the enemies’ weaknesses to the Squids’ advantage. A catchy soundtrack and comical animations complement the casual playing experience.

SQUIDS‘ initial release on iOS was met with hundreds of positive reviews from players as well as gaming press. The game has consistently maintained a perfect 5-star player rating since its App Store debut last October. Eurogamer applauded its “gorgeously-drawn graphics” and “superb soundtrack,” calling SQUIDS “a sheer pleasure to play.” Wired’s GeekDad said, “The levels are gorgeous … with a top-down view of the action and tons of lovely details in the backgrounds.” And GameZebo awarded the game a perfect score, concluding: “SQUIDS is a rarer find than an all-natural Tahitian pearl. From the gameplay to the graphics to the sound, everything here is pitch-perfect.”

To purchase SQUIDS directly from The Game Bakers or view a list of online stores that carry the PC download, please visit the game’s official website: http://www.squidsthegame.com

Ah, the vanitas, a favorite theme for artists, where you have a still life with a strong connection to the ephemeral quality of life. Well, all still lifes carry that theme but some have it more than others–and Irving Penn had a master’s touch for such things.

For those of you who can afford it, here is an opportunity to own a rare early print of Penn’s work, “After Dinner Games, New York (1947).” It is quite satisfying, isn’t it? There are a number of games going on here and the end appears to be bittersweet.

From the press release:

I thought you might like to know that an extremely rare early print by Irving Penn is currently available on artnet Auctions. Rarely seen at auction, After Dinner Games, New York (1947) is only available until Tuesday, May 22, at 10:45 a.m. (EST).

This color photograph—one of an edition limited to 13 dye transfer prints of the  image made between 1959 and 1960—employs all the stylistic and formal devices that characterize Penn’s work. As is typical of his still lifes, the scene is composed of carefully, yet casually arranged food and found objects, which tell their own story through their physical and metaphorical autonomy. Like a Baroque vanitas, this work is laden with symbols that remind us of the transience of life; it says that we are all players in the game of life, an unpredictable game of risk and chance.

Is it the story that’s a little different from previous superhero movies? Loki, a god from another world, is bent on conquering Earth and it’s up to The Avengers, an unlikely mix of individuals with superpowers or super skills, to save the day. Nope, that is pretty much a standard-issue plot for superhero comics as well as movies. So, what is the twist to “The Avengers”? Wait for it….Joss Whedon!

There are a lot of Joss Whedon moments in this movie. Maybe they’re Whedon/Marvel moments but, still. I like the one where Stark momentarily has his hands on a ginormous alien ship resembling a spinal column. Just before he tosses it over to the Avengers gang to work over, he says, “I’m taking the party over to you.” Once the monster is in sight, Black Widow quips, “That doesn’t look like a party.” Or how about the moment when Captain America, at the height of the crisis, orders two of New York’s finest to secure a perimeter. One cop says, “Why should we take orders from you?” Captain America fights off like a dozen aliens before he can return his attention to the officer. The officer immediately turns on his heal and barks Cap’s orders to the rest of the police force. So, yeah, maybe you don’t want to say this exactly, but I will. The Avengers has been Buffified!

Marvel Comics was able to, one by one, create successful movies for a string of high profile superheroes that would lead to a team-up of these characters, just like in the comics. It is the talent of Joss Whedon that pulls this colossal venture together. As writer and director, Whedon has taken his quirky sensibility from his offbeat creations, like “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and managed to tweak the superhero genre in just the right places.  Okay, there was a misstep with the original “Hulk” but, in this latest Marvel flick, the Hulk steals some of the best scenes! Is that all thanks to Whedon? Well, here’s the thing, Marvel Comics has a long history of having a good sense of humor. They can be quirky in their own way. Whedon’s quirk and Marvel’s quirk found some common ground.

Yeah, in the end, it seems like a true blending of Whedon and Marvel. The Whedon touches are there, sprinkled throughout. You can find them in some of the more elaborate details to the basic plot. And you can definitely find them in the more irreverent attitude. You’d think Tony Stark had all the snarky lines covered already without the help of Whedon. But there are a few times when Robert Downey Jr. does get to kick around more hip humor as when he keeps warning a guy at the command center to stop playing Galaga at his post.

Whedon doesn’t deconstruct willy nilly. The story is very much something that easily gets the Marvel stamp of approval. You’ll find it mostly in the banter and one liners that come up at the right moments. You’ll find the Whedon vibe in the cocky way these guys fight. There’s one scene where one of the heroes is shooting in one direction and looking nonchalant in the opposite direction while still hitting his mark. There’s a hilarious scene that has the Hulk confronting the evil mastermind, Loki, who berates him for daring to take on a god. The Hulk simply bats him around like a ragdoll.

Marvel and Whedon are also very good about tackling the big themes and having characters talk out complex issues. Every evil genius always gets a chance to have their say. In Loki’s case, we get a credible look inside his head when he explains that he just wants to give humans what they really want: to be subjugated. Another example is a beautiful scene between Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. where Bruce Banner is explaining his inner turmoil. He had reached a point where he’d had enough. He took a gun and put it to his mouth and pulled the trigger. But “the other guy” stopped it in time. Stark tells Banner he should take that as a good sign. Banner appreciates the sentiment but asks what good can the Hulk have in store for him. Stark tells him to find out. He might even enjoy it.

What a lot of folks love about Marvel is its gritty realism. This is New York City under attack, not Gotham City. It adds another layer for the viewer to invest in. And there’s some clever plot twists that demand that realism which Whedon and Marvel make pay off. In the end, you couldn’t ask for a better mix of quirk and good old fashioned superhero action.

Scarlett Johansson is reason enough for me to see a movie. So is Robert Downey Jr. and the rest of the stellar cast of “THE AVENGERS.” And what if you’re new to comics and would like to dip your toe into the Marvel universe? Well, there are quite a number of titles to choose from. Lucky for you, I have a suggestion for a fine place to start.

Marvel Comics delivers a credible movie tie-in with their three-part limited series, “BLACK WIDOW STRIKES.”  The first issue finds our title character, Natasha Romanoff, undercover at a gentleman’s club in Moscow as she seeks out a bootlegger dealing in Starktech. This is written by Fred Van Lente, with pencils by Neil Edwards, inks by Rick Magyar and colors by Nick Filardi. It is basically a solid little piece of noir with a nice hard edge drawing style mixed in with the right set of garish color contrast and moody monochromes.

What’s cool about Black Widow is that she’s a babe with no regrets. We see a lot of sexy assertiveness, not just cheesecake. Black Widow is intended to be a sexual and powerful character. From what I’ve read, she never comes across has someone hobbled by her sexuality in the way, for instance, Catwoman seems to usually be. And that’s what we get in this opening issue. Natasha gets in over her head momentarily with the bunch of mobsters but soon sets things right again. She pulls off her enormous beehive wig to unleash a huge gun that knocks the bad boys out of the game. She kicks. She struts. She kicks again. And, before her life is yet again in danger, S.H.I.E.L.D. finally comes through and supplies her with a flying contraption for her big escape.

But she’s safe only for a few moments. Scantily clad, she must do battle with a bunch of ninja commandos. One close call after another, and she’s safe again, for the moment. There are few words to exchange during these passages. The art and the attitude are energetic. We believe in Natasha. Once all the damage has been done to her penthouse suite, she regains order and bribes the bellman to keep quiet.

The only mistake that Natasha makes is one and it is huge. She engages in conversation with the very person responsible for trying to get her killed. “Sofia” assures her that it was only business and that, well, given a chance, she’d like to explain herself. She also claims to be a fan, the sort of fan who would like to take her place. For some reason, this is too much for Natasha to resist and she agrees to meet with Sofia. This does not look good for Natasha but it sounds like the start of a pretty good little tale. The next issue is out May 16. Visit Marvel Comics.