To trailer or not to trailer?

Does anybody else suffer from the same ambivalence that I do when it comes to trailers of a movie you are anticipating?
Case in point, I am super excited for Rogue One, the upcoming movie from the Star Wars franchise.  I couldn't help myself from watching all of the trailers as they were released on line.  And while they are all undoubtably cool, I can't help but think a little is lost when we see some of the best moments, and are let in on key plot points, before we walk into the theater.
I'm sure I will enjoy the movie regardless, but I wish I had the willpower to avoid looking at trailers!

Westworld Episode 7 random observations

A couple of things struck me as I watched Bernard's final "reveal" scene in the latest episode of Westworld.

When he's ordered to kill Theresa, he methodically takes off his sport coat.  Makes sense, you don't want to get it wrinkled.  But why take off the tie? Then he has to go through all the trouble of putting it back on.

And comes the question of methodology -- surely there are less messy ways than slamming her head against the wall.  Wouldn't a robot go with the cleanest and most efficient route?

Which brings us to -- why do Ford and Bernard turn their backs and leave her body in the corner?  Does Ford do this so often that he has a robot cleaning crew to come mop up after each one?

So I'll admit, I was surprised, though not shocked, if that makes sense.  Bernard has always been so methodical in words and actions that it was easy to see him in retrospect having been a robot all along.  I did notice at one point that his flashbacks had the same quality as those of the hosts, but I thought that was just a device to show how like them he was (exactly like them, apparently), or how much like humans they were.  I assume that his wife must be a host too, which implies she's kept at some other location just for the purpose of taking his phone calls.  Interesting ...

Book Review - Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Prince of Thorns tells the story of Prince Jorg Ancrath on his journey from the company of highwaymen he leads at the outset to assuming his rightful place as a noble and contender to reunite the Broken Empire.

The most interesting feature of this book, at the outset, is the unsavory nature of the protagonist who in the first few chapters alone commits multiple murders and rapes. As time goes on, we learn more about what is driving his immoral deeds, but it'd be a stretch to say he achieves any sort of Darth Vader-type redemptive arc.

The strongest features of this story are definitely the lively pace and vibrant writing - it is a really fun and quick read. Lawrence is very good at sketching out characters and locales so they are brought to life with just the right amount of details, and never feels heavy-handed as many authors tend to do when trying to present characters as imposing or bad-assed. The plot moves forward at a great pace and overall is very tight, excepting a detour into Gelleth which seems a bit extraneous but can be forgiven because it's such a cool episode. Probably the strongest justification for that detour is what it reveals about the setting - which was one of the things I really appreciated about the book; the backstory is very cool and novel.

I was amused to see several mentions of "playing a game of thrones." (Also at least one instance of the GRRM groaner "he was not wrong.") That said, at no point did I feel like I was reading someone trying to imitate Game of Thrones, Lawrence definitely has his own distinct style and feel, although Game of Thrones readers would probably enjoy it too. So, a great way to help fill the gap until the next SOIAF book comes out.