Articles written by Esmeralda Draic - Page 2

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About me - Esmeralda Draic

I write on rare, cult and just plain weird films, classic PC games, and various random computer-related topics.

Having worked in IT tech support since the early 1990s, I enjoy anything computer-related and techie. I particularly enjoy classic Sci Fi movies

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Computers & Technology > Computer Maintenance Computer technical support horror stories: 3 of 12
Having worked for fifteen years as a tech support engineer for a huge government organisation in the UK, I've lived through countless tech support horror stories. I don't know if the same applies in other countries, but certainly over here, working for a government organisation pretty much guarantees that all staff outside o... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Cashback: 2 of 7
People have wildly varying opinions of this strange and highly imaginative 2006 film. I've seen reviews where the writer trashed it mercilessly, saying it was the worst film they'd ever seen. I, on the other hand, thought it one of the best recent films I'd seen, so would like to come to the defence of this unusual offering.... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Killer Klowns From Outer Space: 1 of 3
Starring: Grant Cramer as Mike Tobacco Suzanne Snyder as Debbie Stone John Allen Nelson as Dave Hanson John Vernon as Curtis Mooney As you may have guessed from the title, this cult 1988 film is very, very silly. The look and feel appear to be a send-up of 1950s 'alien invasion' sci-fi B movies, but despite the B-movie feel,... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Reviews Favorite computer games: 12 of 30
It's hard to compile a 'Favorite Computer Games' list, as the term 'computer games' is so broad, both in time and platform; timewise we can go all the way back to the first Pong game in the 1970s (or even further for simple games played on mainframes of the 1960s), and platform wise there's everything from PC to Mac to Plays... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie review: Night of The Hunter: 2 of 5
Starring: Robert Mitchum as 'Reverend' Harry Powell Shelley Winters as Willa Harper Peter Graves as Ben Harper Lilian Gish as Rachel Cooper The only movie directed by the acclaimed actor Charles Laughton, it is a pity that he didn't direct more - this 1955 film is a masterpiece of psychological suspense with a very 'Film Noi... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Reviews Video game reviews: Deus Ex (PC): 1 of 2
Created by: Warren Spector's team at Ion Storm Published by: Eidos Interactive Year of release: 2000 This classic PC game, a mixture of First Person Shooter, Role Playing Game, and Adventure Game, is what I (and quite a few other gamers) consider the very best game of all time. It won Game of the Year award in 2001, and even... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Reviews Video game reviews: System Shock 2 (PC): 1 of 2
This is the sequel to the classic 1994 FPS/RPG game System Shock. This 1999 game is one of my top ten favourites of all time. Created by a development team headed by Warren Spector who was also responsible for bringing us such quality classics as Deus Ex and the Thief series, and written by Ken Levine who also wrote Bioshock... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Postal: 1 of 2
One of my guilty pleasures in life is that I admittedly love the 2003 PC game 'Postal 2', one of the most under-rated, under-known (although pretty notorious amongst those who do know of it) and chortle-out-loud hilarious First Person Shooter (FPS) games ever. In this game, you play an Everyman type of character known only a... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Teenagers From Outer Space (1959): 1 of 2
Starring: David Love as Derek Dawn Anderson as Betty Morgan Bryan Grant as Thor Tom Lockyear (Tom Graeff) as Joe Rogers Despite a silly and lurid title imposed by the film studio against its maker's will, to cash in on the late 1950s craze for 'teenager'-themed movies, this is actually not a bad little film. A one-man effort... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension: 1 of 2
Starring: Peter Weller as Buckaroo Banzai John Lithgow as Lord John Whorfin / Dr. Emilio Lizardo Ellen Barkin as Penny Priddy Jeff Goldblum as New Jersey Christopher Lloyd as John Bigboote This is a really mental Sci-Fi/fantasy/comedy cult film from 1984 with a great cast including the then-young Peter Weller, John Lithgow, ... More..