The Enclave TTRPG only requires an understanding of the rules and a bit of paper and pencils to play
Enclave is a tabletop roleplaying game with an ambitious goal. Allow players to play without the use of random number generators like dice or any other assistance outside of pen, paper, and imagination. It’s one of the more interesting games I have played lately and I’m here to tell you who it’s for, who should avoid it, and what’s coming next for the game. I was given a complimentary edition so I could review the game but I have no other affiliation with the makers of the game. My opinions here are all my own. So, let’s dive right in!
What is Enclave?
As I said above this game is diceless. But don’t be fooled, there are rules to the game. And, in fact, playing the game feels a lot more intense than tons of games which do use dice. I’ll get into why that is later in this review but first let’s talk about the concept of the game.
The setting of the game is called Manifold. This is an infinite realm with the locations, events, and inhabitants all determined by the players. Inside of the world of Manifold, there is a group called the Enclave. Each mission starts with a briefing from the members of this entity to the PCs. From there, the players carry out actions, the GM (in this case called a Conduit) narrates NPCs, setting, etc. However, in this game there is a little extra buy in from the players as they can influence parts of the setting.
The structure of the game, in my opinion, is excellent for one-shot adventures, although no doubt, long campaigns are run in this system. Once the mission briefing is done, the action is intense and the game flows very well. Surprisingly so without dice. But there is a caution here. The setup to get to the mission takes more time than many other games. We’ll get more into why that is in a bit.
What do you need to play?
I love a TTRPG that has a low bar of entry to play. Meaning, you don’t need to spend tons of money on things like dice, battle maps, minfigures, core books, etc. And as far as I can tell, this game has the lowest bar of entry of almost any TTRPG I have played. All you need is 2-5 friends, the ruleset, character sheets and something to write with. That’s literally it. No need to invest heavily into lots of extraneous stuff here.
How do you play?
The game is set up with a GM and players. The GM is called the Conduit. The Conduit acts as the moderator of gameplay and narrates the non-player characters and world as in most games. However, there are a few differences. First, there is buy in from the players right at the outset. They give the GM keywords for the Conduit to work with when designing the world. This challenges the GM to incorporate those words into the adventure in some way.
The players and Conduit then talk a little bit about the type of setting they are about to play in. The Conduit generally has final say but the players are encouraged to make suggestions.
Players come equipped with character sheets or make them there prior to the session. The game uses 12 stats that function much like in any roleplaying game with dice, there is just less math involved. There are 6 Classes which each use different Abilities. Again, there is less math involved than in something like Dungeons & Dragons but it would be a mistake to say there are no mechanics here.
While the 6 Classes do represent enough types of characters to slot into most types of scenarios, if I had one complaint about the game, it would be that I would like a few more Classes to choose from. But for your early sessions in Enclave, 6 is probably plenty.
Session time is about 2-3 hours
To run a successful session of Enclave it took my group roughly 3 hours. There are four of us, just to give you a picture of how long it might take. With more people, it will take longer. But one thing to note here, is that the time of actual “in-game” play was probably closer to 45 minutes. We did our character creation, set up the kind of world we wanted to be in (sort of a high-tech fantasy style of setting with a bit of bioweaponry happening alongside magic), and then gave the Conduit time to create the setting.
At the start of the mission, Enclave gives a briefing and then basically teleports the characters to wherever they need to be. There’s no long travel time or mapping things out hex by hex in this game.
We did our mission and then at the end, the Conduit asks for feedback about the session. Players and Conduit all contribute to the discussion, pointing out what they liked and didn’t like and how things could be improved or what they want to see more of.
Who is this game for?
If you’ve been reading this review so far and thought, that sounds like a lot of improvising and character acting all around the table, you are absolutely right! The game is very immersive which I think is a huge strength. Unlike games with dice, there’s no real break from your turn as you need to be paying close attention to what all of the people are doing at any given moment. The Conduit also has to be on their toes to make sure everyone is getting an equal amount of stage time. It’s definitely a balancing act.
My group plays D&D most of the time. Parts of this game felt natural and some of it took more effort. Even having my character sheet in front of me (I played a Gunsligner because, well, Gunslinger) when the Conduit asked me what my Sensory stat was, I found myself almost reaching for imaginary dice. And there were a couple of times where the Conduit started to say “make a check” rather than just asking what the stat was. All this is just to say, it does take some getting used to.
People who love really focusing on the character narrative will absolutely fall in love with this game. People who can really pay attention and want to support other players will also fall in love with this game. If immersion is your thing, this should be your go to game, hands down, bar none.
Who is this game not for?
Big number crunchers, min-maxers, and rules lawyers should all sit this one out. If you want to memorize creature statistics, know exactly what weapon to use to just nuke your opponent, and love the idea of rolling handfuls of dice and adding up the total, this ain’t the game for you.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to play TTRPGs that way. Everyone has their own preferred style. I tend to lean more towards narrative than mathematics myself but crunchy games are their own kind of fun. Enclave has mechanics, there are numbers, and equipment and all that too. But there is not a lot of math.
Do you hate the part of roleplaying where you have to narrate what your character is doing? If you would rather be the person who just says, “I hit it with my longsword” over and over, this game isn’t for you.
A Gunslinger in Enclave
How I recommend using Enclave
I’ve only played one session of this game so far but I do have some advice on how to make the most use out of it. Because there are so few materials needed, and because it only takes a few players, my recommendation here is to use this as your go to one shot game. If you have a regular group but people can’t all make it? This is perfect. Hardly any setup (although definitely recommended for the Conduit to prepare beforehand and for everyone to read the rules) means you can pull this out pretty quick and not lose a whole night of gaming.
I suspect doing this often enough could lead you to a sort of secondary fill in campaign for those days when people have to miss a regular session. The premise is basically get in, do the mission, get out. It’s not as important the exact same people are there every session. But whoever is there needs to be ready to roleplay.
How do I get Enclave? And what’s next?
If you like what you are hearing here, I have some good news. The original game was funded through Kickstarter. And there is going to be an updated version with more classes, different items, and all sorts of bells and whistles called the Enclave: Aspirant edition launching on Kickstarter soon! I recommend following it if you are interested in potentially backing. It’s an independent game by independent creators and supporters of TTRPGs should show it some love.
Almost forgot the art
You didn’t think I would post a TTRPG review without mentioning the artwork did you? Of course not! The game is only about 60 pages long so there is not a ton of art here. But what there is really pops. Greg Taylor is the artist and there’s some standout work. I do wish there was more of it, so I’m hoping in the next edition he gets a little more page space. It all works quite well as far as the narrative of the rules goes. But it’s clearly a big challenge because one of the core concepts of Enclave is that it can take place in almost any setting. It’s tough to cover all those bases.
Want to learn more about Enclave?
I know it’s hard to get a sense of how a game plays just by reading a review. So, I have some ways for you to see the game in action.
Buy the game! (I mean yeah that’s obvious right?)
There is a YouTube channel where Robby Howell, the creator of the game, explains what it is and has actual plays on there. They are a lot of fun to watch. I’ve embedded the first video below so check it out!
You can join their Discord where they discuss al things Enclave and it’s an active community always looking to get a game going.
Some shameless self promotion here. I’ll be doing deeper dives on rules and gameplay experience, not only for this first edition, but also for the second edition once it is out, so keep an eye out for your ol’ pal Slick Dungeon to tell you more!
In Conclusion
Want a fun, fast paced game, where the focus is entirely on the roleplay and not what the dice have to say? Enclave is for you! Not a lot of prep work, not a lot of math, but a ton of narrative focus.
If you truly do love crunchy games (nothing at all wrong with that either btw) then pass this one by, there are other games for you.
If you’ve played this game before I’d love to hear what you thought in the comments below. Did it take you a minute to get used to having nothing to roll like it did me?
Hello internet people, Slick Dungeon here back to review another film for you all. Just a quick note that I was granted a screener viewing of it by the production company but I was not paid or compensated in any other way for this review.
Soul to Squeeze is a new experimental film available on Amazon Prime created by W.M. Weikart and Andrew Rivas. It stars Michael Thomas Santos as the main character Jacob.
What is Soul to Squeeze about?
This is a film that is a bit hard to pin down. It is about a man named Jacob who has signed up for an experimental psychological treatment. In the treatment, his physical body exists inside of a physical manifestation of his subconscious. Rather than go through lengthy talk therapy, Jacob dives deep into the physical reality of his own mind, confronting challenges small and large. The subconscious doesn’t always make sense on first glance. That’s represented in both the visuals and the story.
The film is also experimental on the visual level. As Jacob goes through his treatment, the aspect ratio of the film changes. The further he goes to confront his issues, the wider the screen becomes. Some might consider this a gimmick but in this case it serves more as a storytelling technique.
While there is a story here and we gather bits of information along the way, the film isn’t exactly linear in the delivery. The film makers trust the audience to fill in the blanks and a lot of what happens in the movie feels surreal. This is absolutely intentional.
Most of the time the film does a good job of allowing us into Jacob’s mind without belaboring the point. There are a few gross moments in the film but nothing the average adult can’t handle.
The Good
I always like to see film makers try new things. And while this is low budget, it is decidedly trying something new.
Michael Thomas Santos delivers a strong performance here and had to go through some physical challenges, such as gaining and losing weight, for the film. And the effort pays off as he’s quite watchable in the film.
For a low budget film the effects in the movie are quite good and there are some striking visuals that will stay with you after viewing.
The Bad
For this film, I don’t see a lot of bad here. It’s more a matter of taste. To enjoy the movie there are a few things you’ll need to be comfortable with.
First, you’ll need to be okay with watching something that is experimenting so as the film makes some bold choices you have to be ready for that.
Second, the pacing is fairly slow. But this makes sense as the majority of the work is done by one actor in the film. There are a few other actors but there are a ton of scenes with just one person in a quiet environment.
Third, this film is dealing with psychological issues from every day anxieties to outright guilt and grief so you’ll need to be okay delving into those topics.
But if you can handle all of those things, you’ll find value here.
The Ugly
If I don’t see a lot of bad in the film, I’m not going to find a lot of ugly here either but I do have just a couple of words of caution for anyone considering watching this. As I said before, there are some gross out moments. Things I would call very light body horror, although this is not a horror film. There are also several moments that dive into bits of our psyche which can be frightening. But I would in no way call this a psychological horror or thriller.
It also deals with some loss so if that’s something that might bother you as a viewer, use caution before watching.
Soul to Squeeze In Conclusion
In a time when it’s harder and harder to find a film trying to do something new, Soul to Squeeze is a refreshing view. It’s a short film (around 90 minutes) so it’s not a big time investment. But this is not for everyone.
If you are the type of person who likes experimental films, this is a good one to watch. It’s low budget but the budget was used quite effectively here, not just in service of shock value, but also as a storytelling technique.
Personally, I’d like to see what someone like W.M. Weikart would do with a larger budget and a bit more of a linear story. The only way that will happen is if people rent or buy Soul to Squeeze. It’s $10 to buy and $3 to rent so typically not a huge financial hit to support these film makers.
If you do end up watching it, I’d love to hear what you thought in the comments!
P.S. Want to see another review of an independent film? Check out my review of The Plastic Men.
Captain Archer finds new life in Star Trek Enterprise: Civilization
Star Trek Enterprise: Civilization finally allows the crew of Enterprise to do what they are commissioned for. In the episode, the crew finds a planet with a vibrant but as yet unexplored civilization. But knowing how to navigate this civilization without disrupting them proves to be a challenge. This is the first episode that really gets at what the show has been hinting towards since the start.
If you want to know the chronology of the episodes I’ll be watching, I’ll be going down this list. If you notice I’ve missed an episode, let me know and I’ll correct it. And if you missed my first post about Star Trek, you can check that out right here.
You mighta put that on the top of the list
In the morning briefing on Enterprise, T’Pol goes through a few possibilities of where the ship might go next. There are a few natural but interesting locations they could get to with little trouble. During the briefing Captain Archer looks rather bored and is hoping for more. But finally Trip tells the Captain there is a Minshara class planet only four light years away. And it has 500 million life signs. A whole civilization. When Archer hears about this he looks at T’Pol and says, “You mighta put that on the top of the list.” T’Pol just nods her head in response.
While I suspect Trip is actually the one who had the idea to save the best for last, it also seems like T’Pol must have been in on it. While T’Pol is still strictly Vulcan, this is about as close to a practical joke as she gets and it feels like some humanity is rubbing off on her which is great to see.
The Akaali are discovered
The first challenge the crew has is figuring out where on this planet to land, if at all. A run of the scanners proves this civilization is not as advanced as humans or Vulcans. They don’t have advanced technology and they’re not spacefaring at all. Trip wants to go down there but T’Pol advises against it. She says it’s standard protocol to wait until a society develops warp drive before initiating first contact. If you’ve seen the movie First Contact, you know she’s right because this is exactly what the Vulcans did with humans.
Trip does point out those are Vulcan protocols, not human. T’Pol insists starfleet would be wise to adopt them. She wants the ship to collect data from orbit. Captain Archer has Hoshi zoom in on the city they are looking at until they can see one of the people’s faces. And, sure enough, these people look a lot like humans. Just with some ridges on their foreheads (in typical Star Trek fashion).
Hoshi listens in on the different dialects on the planet with real fascination. And she discovers the name of the species, Akaali.
There’s something strange on the planet
With a little makeup from Dr. Phloxx, an away crew is prepared. Hoshi is selected because she’d be able to help if the translator matrix malfunctions.
Before anyone else is selected, T’Pol notifies the Captain that there are nutrino emissions from the city on the eastern continent. Basically this is evidence of technology the Akaali shouldn’t possess. In other words, there are other aliens who already got there.
In addition to Hoshi, Trip, T’Pol and Captain Archer all head down to the planet. T’Pol has to cover her ears with her wig to blend in.
A thin cover story
On the planet it’s a vibrant preindustrial society with lots of activity, flourishing markets, and architecture. Almost immediately, Hoshi notices someone who seems suspicious as T’Pol secretly gathers readings.
Meanwhile, Trip and Archer break into a shop where the nutrino readings are strongest. Trip finds something in the back room. But the pair are not as good at crime as they need to be. A woman follows them in. Whatever is causing the readings to go off the chart is behind a magnetic barrier. And the woman sees some of the technology our crew has. She demands to know what they did to the door. Trip says they didn’t do anything.
Archer makes up a pretty thin cover story saying they are collectors picking up an antique. The woman is smart enough to know a real collector would have waited for the shop to open. The woman gives Archer a hint though when she says she’s been watching the shop for weeks and knows all about the, “evening deliveries.” And she says people are getting sick and dying because of what is going on in this shop.
Then T’Pol stuns the woman with her phaser pistol.
Captain Archer is not good at lying
Archer is a bit upset with T’Pol and asks her not to shoot anyone else while they are there. I mean, reasonable request but it made sense why T’Pol did that. They look at the papers the woman was carrying and figure out she’s an apothecary. Archer sends everyone else back to the shuttle. He tends to the woman and takes her home.
She wakes up and asks what he did to her. Archer says she just collapsed and again she catches him out in a lie. The she mentions someone named Garos. He’s the owner of the shop. Archer gets about as close to the truth as he can by telling the woman there is something strange going on in the shop and he’s there to figure it out. He says he’s an investigator from another city but he can’t tell her any more than that. She doesn’t question him any more but does want to know his name and he tells her it’s Jon.
Garos is also bad at lying
Back on Enterprise, Malcolm Reed says the energy field is close to impenetrable. But he can’t find anything under the shop. Trip figures it’s some kind of dampening field. Archer tells the others on the shuttle that Riann, the woman he was speaking with, mentioned people getting sick. Hoshi says she saw some of them. They had mottled skin and lesions. This was the case with the person who T’Pol and Hoshi saw when they first arrived.
Trip suggests taking one of them onto Enterprise to find out what is wrong with them. But T’Pol points out the fear of alien abduction caused a great deal of apprehension on Earth for centuries. She’s not wrong there. She advises talking to the shopkeeper.
They start by asking about the antique collection. Garos realizes they are not from that province. Archer pulls out his datapad and says, “Neither are you.” Garos’ DNA doesn’t match any on the planet.
Archer explains they are explorers from Earth. Archer wants to know what Garos is doing there. He says he is also an explorer. He says he came to the planet a couple of years ago and was quite taken with these people and decided to stay. None of it sounds believable. Archer then questions why he has an antimatter reactor in his basement. Garos swears there’s nothing nefarious about it and says it’s basically a fabricator device. When Archer asks him about people getting sick, Garos claims it’s a native virus that has nothing to do with him. Before they can grill him further, more customers enter and the crew leaves.
Poison in the water
Archer goes back to Riann with T’Pol. T’Pol takes some readings in the room. They press Riann for more information about the illness spreading. Riann’s brother has died to this illness which is why she’s so keen on stopping it. She has figured out a pattern that people first got sick closest to Garos’ shop and there have been suspicious deliveries.
T’Pol leaves to go finish her analysis. But Archer stays to try to find out what is happening.
On Enterprise Dr. Phloxx takes a look at T’Pol’s readings and is impressed with Riann’s findings. Basically, whatever Garos is doing has poisoned the ground water. Not a good situation to say the least.
Captain Archer gets romantic
While Archer is speaking with Riann, the translation matrix goes down for a brief moment. He doesn’t understand what she’s saying so he kisses her. I guess that’s one way to cover up. He then says someone was passing by so he did that as a distraction. The matrix kicks back in and it seems Riann is not upset by the kiss at all.
They do see one of the deliveries to Garos’ shop. Whoever these people are speak into a communicator in a language neither Archer nor Riann understand. After they leave, Riann and Archer go to check the crates but a ship comes down and beams up the aliens. Riann asks Archer if he’s ever seen anything like that and he finally admits he has.
Someone shoots at them and Archer goes off to find the culprit. There’s a fistfight and Archer subdues the guy. And he peels off a mask. This is definitely an alien blending in with the Akaali. Riann seems pretty freaked out by the whole thing and wants more answers from Archer.
He explains they are explorers. With a device Archer takes from the alien, he’s able to get into the room Garos is hiding. There’s tons of advanced technology there.
Enemies defeated
Turns out Garos is mining something to create explosives. The whole thing is what is poisoning everyone. Archer plans to have this technology transported onto Enterprise but he still has to deal with the dampening field. Archer has a choice between pushing a blue or yellow button to disable it. He chooses poorly. A heavily armed ship approaches.
Garos hails Enterprise and demands they leave or his ship will open fire. T’Pol demands to speak with Captain Archer. Garos says he’s dead and the ship fires on Enterprise. They are damaged but it’s nothing major. But a few more hits like it would be devastating.
Garos hails Archer. Archer tells Garos he’s contaminating the water supply but Garos doesn’t care. Garos also says he’ll let Archer leave with Riann if he drops the whole thing. Archer gives Riann his phase pistol and tells her to shoot anyone who comes through the doors.
T’Pol tells the bridge to prepare to leave orbit. Trip gets royally angry and tries to belay the order. I don’t know how many reviews in a row I am going to have to say this but T’Pol has earned the benefit of the doubt and no one gives it to her. She points out the order was to prepare to leave orbit and she has no intention of leaving the Captain, dead or alive.
Archer manages to disable the dampening field but the enemy ship attacks Enterprise again. Enterprise manages to get a lock on the reactor. And the aliens on the planet go after Archer and Riann, using phase pistols right in front of everyone. In the best move of the episode, T’Pol has the reactor transported to Enterprise then transported right in front of the enemy ship. Malcolm Reed then hits it with a torpedo and the reaction disables the enemy ship. Pretty damn smart if you ask me.
Archer and Riann do manage to escape the hostile aliens, and Garos. The Captain allows the aliens to leave.
Captain’s Star Log
Captain Archer summarizes the events of the episode in a star log dated July 31st, 2151. And he delivers an antidote to Riann for the sick people on the planet. The Vulcans are also tasked with occasionally looking in on the Akaali. Archer advises Riann to keep it all to herself. And Archer kisses her again. I’m not sure but I think this is the first in a storied history of Enterprise Captains hooking up with women on a planet they have just found.
Star Trek: Civilization in conclusion
This was a really good episode. It gives the crew a complex problem to navigate without obvious solutions. And it gets at early hints of the prime directive. It doesn’t quite get developed here but it at least is the beginnings of humans thinking about if they should contact civilizations more primitive than theirs.
The next episode is titled Fortunate Son. Watch for my review next week!
Hey movie fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’ve got another independent psychological thriller/horror film to review for you. This time I watched a movie called The Plastic Men.
I was offered a screener copy in exchange for a fair review for this film. I’ll let you know what I think the strengths of the film are and where it could use some improvement. There will be spoilers but I will keep them mild. If you want to know more I’ve included the trailer below. You can find the film on Amazon on March 11th.
What is The Plastic Men about?
It’s the Vietnam war era and Johnathan Teller, played by James Preston, takes a trip with his buddy to Mexico. Unbeknownst to Jonathan, his buddy has purchased some illegal drugs. Before he knows it, Jonathan is pulled over by the cops, his buddy is dead and a judge gives Jonathan a choice. He can either go to prison for a long time or serve in the Vietnam war. Teller chooses Vietnam.
Upon his return from serving, Teller has a difficult time adjusting to everyday life. He’s haunted by things he did, sometimes prone to hallucinations, and the country looks down on his service. He turns to support groups to help but most of those men are just as traumatized as he is. On more than one occasion Teller contemplates suicide until a chance encounter changes everything for him.
The good
This film is on a shoestring budget but it’s a period piece. And it actually looks like it is set in the time it’s aiming for. The vehicles, the clothing, and even the supermarket Teller works at all feel like they are from another era. It’s nice to see such care taken in production value for a low budget film. And they make effective use of old news footage to make the time feel even more realistic.
James Preston has to go through a lot of emotion in this film, playing a man who is at the brink of a psychological break but still portraying his humanity. And he does a great job with the character. Teller feels like a real person who has a complicated background, much of which he regrets, but is trying to become a better man. And at the same time, Teller faces prejudice from the community around him, forced into a bad choice with few positive sides to it.
The film also makes good use of tried and true practical effects. There’s nothing groundbreaking here but those effects are tried and true for a reason. They work to convey the message, add a bit of shock value, and drive the story forward. There are a few images that will likely stay with you for a while after viewing.
The bad
Teller himself is a bit of an unreliable narrator. He is prone to hallucinations brought on by PTSD after all. Add to that the jumps forward and backward in time, and sometimes it’s a bit of a struggle to follow if the story is taking place in the present, past, or even in reality at all. It doesn’t ruin the film by any means but it is slightly confusing.
This is advertised as based on a true story but it’s quite hard to know how much of this is real. The film is based on an old Craig’s List ad where a Vietnam veteran was hoping to reunite with a woman who saved him from suicide decades ago. But the veteran and the woman he speaks about never identified themselves publicly after that so much of the film is still fictional. This is fine but take the “based on a true story” tag with a grain of salt here.
The ugly
There’s not a lot of ugly here. The film does hold up surprisingly well for such a low budget project. But, there are times this leans into the trope of the disturbed veteran returning home. I can’t fault the film too much for that because this is something that really does happen and especially did in the Vietnam era.
The other problem with the film lies in exactly what Teller did while serving. We get enough glimpses and pieces of it to have an idea. But it’s not altogether clear exactly what happened and why one incident in particular seems to stand out to Teller more than any other. Some of that again has to do with the fact Teller is not a completely reliable narrator but I feel the film loses some of the impact it could have had if we had a better idea of the circumstance that most haunts the main character.
Overall, these are relatively minor problems with a film like this but take them into consideration before renting.
The Plastic Men in conclusion
This film is worth watching if you like a good independent film. It’s low budget but they use all the best methods to make you forget that. Teller has an interesting story which leaves us on a pretty hopeful note.
And while much of this is clearly fictional, it does represent a lot of what the country felt upon the return of soldiers who served in Vietnam. The mundane could go from peaceful to horrible for many of these soldiers and there was a country who did not appreciate the trauma they went through. James Preston does a great job conveying the character to us. And while there are times the narrative is a bit disjointed, that doesn’t really harm the movie. So, if you’re considering renting a movie and are tired of the big budget same old stuff, give The Plastic Men a shot. At the very least, you’re supporting film makers who are trying to do something different, even if you don’t love the movie.
If you do watch the movie, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.
Independently yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see my thoughts on another independent film? Check out my review for Thou Shalt Kill!
Hello film fans! Slick Dungeon here. We’re just a couple hours away from the 2025 Oscars so I just have time to slip in my review of The Substance. It’s a great film but it’s decidedly horror so be warned before you watch.
Content warnings
Before I go into the plot of the film, as a good horror movie reviewer, I have to give you the content warnings of why not to watch this movie. Because this is a body horror film and there is no denying it. If you can’t stand gross out scenes, you are going to hate this movie. Also, if you don’t like needles, you are going to spend a lot of this movie with your eyes closed. And, if you don’t like watching a bunch of ugly men deciding who is beautiful and at what age women get to be considered worthy of being on camera, well, this is not for you either. Truly there is some shocking blood, gore, and body horror all over this film. Don’t go in not knowing that.
What is The Substance about?
As far as the plot is concerned it’s the story of a body transformation gone wrong. Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Demi Moore has turned fifty. She was once an adored Academy Award winner but now she hosts a workout program on daytime television. And the male producer of that show, Harvey played by Dennis Quaid thinks Elisabeth is too old to be on television anymore.
Elisabeth is frustrated and upset but she finds out about something called the substance. This stuff allows you to become a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of yourself. I probably don’t need to tell you this sounds too good to be true.
What the substance actually does is birth, in horrifyingly graphic visuals, a new person directly from your spinal column. The old you has to be nurtured and cared for while the new you gets to go out and be the younger, more attractive version of yourself.
When Elisabeth takes the substance, the new version calls herself Sue. Sue is popular with Harvey and lands a prime television gig immediately. But there’s a catch. Every seven days, Sue has to switch places with Elisabeth. The movie shows us the bad stuff that happens when manufacturers instructions are not followed exactly. And boy does it get ugly.
The Awards
Any time a horror film is up for an Oscar, I’m happy about that. It’s the most popular genre of film yet it wins the least Oscars because, well, sometimes people look down on horror. (Almost all the time actually) So it’s great that The Substance is up for five Oscars this year. It’s up for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay.
As far as makeup and hairstyling goes? There are major accolades to be given here. But it’s competing with Wicked and I’m not sure which will win.
I hate to say this but I don’t see a world where The Substance wins best picture. It has too much competition and it’s a genre film so the odds are stacked against it.
I could see a win for best director though. This film took a lot of work as far as directing goes and it pretty much nailed every scene.
For both best actress and best original screenplay I see a possible win. No guarantee but I don’t think anyone would be shocked if either of those went to this film.
The Substance in conclusion
While I am happy a horror picture is being considered, this is not a perfect film. For one, it’s making a statement about beauty standards but it’s using Demi Moore, often considered one of the most beautiful actresses of all time to do it. And she’s 62 but playing a 50 year old so she just might not be the best representative to talk about beauty here. But she does nail her part extremely well.
I will also say, the movie kind of plays into this but the men in the movie are allowed to look, be, and act as ugly as they want with no repercussions. That’s often true in the entertainment industry but there is also a male standard of beauty that is hardly addressed in the film. I would have liked to see that be touched on just a little more here.
And there is a big snub here as far as the Oscars go. Margaret Qualley as Sue is fantastic. But she didn’t get a nomination for best supporting actress and that’s a real shame.
Ultimately, if you can stand body horror you’ve got to see this movie. It’s great. But if you’re squeamish about such things, stay as far away as you can.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Welcome to Oscars day movie friends! Slick Dungeon here and I’m back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time I’ll be talking about Anora. It’s a fast paced and frenetic film with one standout performance. Let’s get into it!
What is Anora about?
On the most basic level this film is a Pretty Woman story gone wrong. It follows the story of Ani who is an exotic dancer who hooks up with the son of a Russian oligarch. Ani happens to speak Russian because her grandmother was Russian. Her given name is Anora but she goes by Ani and that’s where we get the name of the film. After Ani hooks up with this wealthy Russian, he wants to see her more and more. And she gladly obliges. Ultimately the guy proposes to Ani and they get married in Las Vegas. From her perspective, her feelings are genuine for this guy. But his family finds out that he’s married and they are not happy about it. They are especially unhappy she has a history of sex work.
The remainder of the film is basically the dude running away and Ani being bossed around by a bunch of thugs until they can find her husband again and straighten out the situation.
Every year there is one film in the Oscar pool that I just can’t figure out why it’s there. This year is an exception because I do think Anora is worthy of being considered. But I think this is the least worthy film in the bunch. I’m not saying it’s a bad film. Obviously lots of people enjoy it. I just think I would have preferred to see a movie like Love Lies Bleedingnominated instead.
To be fair to this movie, I am probably not the target demographic for it and that’s fine. No movie has to be made for my age cohort to be a great film. And also to be fair to the movie, there are a few reasons to watch the movie.
The good
One of the best reasons to watch the film is this deals with sex workers in a non-insulting and humanizing way. It’s not exploitative (although fair warning there is nudity if that offends you) and it doesn’t treat any of these workers as one dimensional. That’s something refreshing to see in a film made for adults.
But the best reason to watch Anora is tied up in one standout performance. And it’s my guess that this performance is most of the reason this movie is even considered for best picture. Mikey Madison has a stellar performance in the title role of Anora. She brings a hard edge to the character but also a kind heart in the more subtle scenes of the film.
While this movie wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I think watching this film for Madison’s performance is a must.
The bad
Mikey Madison’s performance aside, I found a lot of this film to be a bit of a mess. There’s a ton of bilingual shouting in Russian and English which sometimes confuses the plot in an attempt to add in realism. That’s a somewhat minor issue but it became trying after a while.
There is a ton of kinetic energy in this film. If you’ve seen Uncut Gems you’ll know what I mean. It’s got a lot of motion to it, characters talk and move pretty fast and things are paced against the clock of the Russian parents returning. On its own that’s fine but it never seemed to go anywhere. At least with Uncut Gems there was one hell of a payoff at the end.
The ugly
The more I think about this movie, the more I realize there is one section that just killed it for me. Ivan who is the husband, played by Mark Eydelshteyn, at one point runs away. He’s separated from Ani. The only chance of escaping the thugs who have Ani is for her to find Ivan. It’s already been established early on in the movie that Ivan is a major party boy who goes to clubs constantly.
Yet there is a full third of the movie where everyone runs around chasing after Ivan looking everywhere but clubs he is known to frequent. And of course, they find him at the club where he met Ani. Why would you not start there? Just why? That whole section of the movie frustrated me to no end because it just went on and on. It felt like a waste of time, and ironically, Anora has one of the shortest run times of all the Oscar films this year.
Finally, I know this is subjective but I think this was supposed to be a comedy somehow? I didn’t really find anything funny here although there was a trend towards the ridiculous at times. But maybe I’m just not getting the joke, and that’s fine.
The awards
Anora is up for six Oscars this year. It’s nominated for Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.
I don’t see this getting best picture, directing, or supporting actor. Those were all fine but none so strong that I think it has a real shot. I could see a win for original screenplay or maybe even editing but it’s not my top guess here. The one spot I see a real chance is for Best Actress. Mikey Madison really does stand out and any parts of the film that work are because of her.
Anora in conclusion
This was my least favorite Oscar film this year. But it is still a decent movie. If you have time to watch it, watch it for the performance of Mikey Madison. If you happen to be streaming it, at the point you start to wonder if they’ll ever catch up with Ivan, do yourself a favor and fast forward a whole third of the film and save some time.
I’m sure there are lots of people who disagree with me on this one, and you’re totally entitled to your opinion, no shade from me. But I just don’t recommend this for anything other than the lead performance.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Well hello there film fans, Slick Dungeon here. I’m back to review another Oscar contender and this time I’ll be talking about the big, bold, beautiful musical Wicked. Even if this doesn’t win best picture it is well worth watching. Let’s get into it.
What is Wicked about?
Wicked is the film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. Confession time. I’ve loved the musical since I first saw it in previews at the Curran theater in San Francisco in 2003. I saw it with the original cast and was blown away by it. You might think this would predispose me to love the film but it’s actually the opposite. I went into the film assuming no one could perform the two main roles better than Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
So imagine my surprise when I watched the film and realized just how good Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are in this movie. The whole film is just pure joy, start to finish.
As far as the story goes this is the story of the famous wicked witch of the west from The Wizard of Oz. We see where she came from, why she is the way she is, and how our original perception of her was mistaken. And it’s told in musical form. With some of the best Broadway songs around. This film is best enjoyed in a theater but you should see it however you can. Although, to be fair, if you hate musicals you won’t like this one either.
My only issue with the movie is the runtime. The theatrical production is about five minutes longer than the film but the film is just the first half of the play. Considering the excessive run times of other films this year (I’m look at you The Brutalist) I feel like they could have made this just a bit longer and released one movie instead of breaking it into two parts. But that’s a minor problem. And I’m looking forward to part two.
The awards
Wicked is up for an impressive ten Oscars. It’s up for Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
There are some categories here I think Wicked wins easily. Makeup and Hairstyling was fantastic for this movie. For original score? If Wicked doesn’t win that’s an absolute shame. Costume design should also be an easy win here.
Then there are some categories where I could see it winning but it’s not a guarantee. It has fantastic visual effects so I could see it winning but Dune: Part Two also had incredible visuals. The same goes for Best Sound and in that case, I think Dune is the more deserving of the two. This may win for best editing but it does have some competition from other films. Production design is great for this film but there were several films with a lot going on in the production design. I see Wicked winning but it’s a close call.
Then there are the categories where I’d like to see this win but I’m not sure it will. So far, this one is my favorite for Best Picture but The Brutalist would also be a good choice. Cynthia Erivo makes a strong case for best actress this year and I’d love to see her win. As far as supporting actress? Can we please just hand Ariana Grande the trophy now? Because she damn well deserves it. She absolutely nails the part of Galinda.
Wicked in conclusion
This is the most joyful film experience you’ll have this year and it’s not even close. This is full of bright, beautiful colors, it has a deep and meaningful story about friendship. And it has songs that will never leave your head, in the best way. And can this cast sing? Oh yes, they can. It’s a monumentally impressive film and I just wish I could see part two right now. Get out there and see this one as soon as you can.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Hello movie lovers, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review yet another Oscar contender. This time I’ll be talking about Emilia Perez. Out of all of the Oscar films I have watched so far, this one has surprised me the most. I didn’t know anything about the movie going into it so I was a bit shocked to learn Wicked is not the only musical up for best picture this year. Let’s get into it!
What’s Emilia Perez about?
Just to get this out of the way, this is a musical. I had no idea. If you hate musicals, don’t watch this. The story is pretty interesting but I’m not sure this entirely succeeds as a movie worthy of a best picture nod.
The film follows the story of two people. Rita Mora Castro played by Zoe Saldaña is a brilliant but undervalued attorney. The men in her office give her no credit even though she’s the one writing the arguments that win their cases. Zoe Saldaña really shines in her part here and I think she might be the best part of the movie.
The second person involved in the story is Juan “Manitas” Del Monte a cartel kingpin with loads of money and power. Manitas wants to make a major life change. He wants to become a woman. What I find interesting here is Manitas wants to change not to evade the law, although it certainly helps with that, but because Manitas truly feels like a woman.
It takes some effort but Rita arranges for Manitas to get the necessary operations and get out of the country. Manitas also has a wife and kids who he sends away for their protection. Rita fakes Manitas’ death and Manitas from that point on becomes Emilia Perez.
Emilia Perez is everything Manitas wasn’t. She’s kind and caring and tries to help people. But eventually Emilia decides she can’t be away from her children. From that point on things get complicated. I won’t ruin the movie for anyone but if you think reuniting with your children and wife when they all think your dead is a bad idea, you’d be right.
While the story is decent, it’s also kind of predictable. Most of the people singing here have decent voices and it works on that level. But I feel like there were probably other movies out more deserving of a best picture nomination than this one.
The Awards
This movie is up for a jaw dropping 13 Oscars. It’s up for Best International Feature, Best Original Score, Best Song x2, Best Sound, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.
If Wicked could be up for Best Song it would win in that category. But since it can’t this movie has Best Song all but locked up, although it is splitting the vote against itself which could be a problem. This is not going to beat Wicked for best score either. This one or I’m Still Here is bound to win best international feature although my money is on the latter. I could see Karla Sofía Gascón winning for best actress but I know there’s been some controversy surrounding her so who knows? I do think Zoe Saldaña really deserves a win for her performance as best supporting actress. I’d be surprised if this won adapted screenplay, cinematography or best editing. There are just more impressive films out there this year, Wicked included.
Emilia Perez in conclusion
This is definitely a unique film. And it’s entertaining. The story is a little surprising but you can see most of it coming at you from a mile away. I think the reason this didn’t resonate with me personally as much is because of the predictability. The one thing that surprised me was that it was a musical. There are a few good performances here but other movies have some more impressive performances. And this year this movie is competing with the musical juggernaut Wicked. Unfortunately for Emilia Perez when it comes to musical comparisons, Wicked is going to win every time.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Hello movie fans, Slick Dungeon here! We’re just one day away from the Oscars so I’ve got another movie review for you. This time I’ll be talking about Conclave, the film that examines what happens when the pope dies and it’s time for a new one to be elected. Let’s get into it.
What’s Conclave about?
On the surface Conclave is a simple story. The pope dies and the cardinals elect a new pope. But the film has subtlety and nuance and brings into view what is mostly an opaque process. We see political maneuvering, secrets exposed, and surprising revelations with the main characters along the way. Leading the process is Cardinal Thomas Lawrence played brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes.
There are two basic factions of cardinals in the movie. One side are traditionalists who want the papacy to go back to some of the older attitudes of the church. On the other side are the liberals who want to move some of the ideas of the modern day world into the church.
In both of these factions there are people trying to become pope but they have to advocate for themselves very carefully. After all, it doesn’t seem very humble to say you want to be pope.
As the film progresses we watch as the tides shift one way or another and allies are made and broken. And the end has kind of a twist to it but I still haven’t decided if that twist was entirely necessary here. I don’t want to spoil the ending but I’ll just say there is something surprising about the person who is ultimately elected.
The Awards
This movie is up for a very healthy eight Oscars. It’s up for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
While this is a contender for Best Picture, I don’t see it winning. It’s a great movie but it has some heavy competition. Ralph Fiennes has a strong shot at Best Actor and I would say he is in the top three to win. My bet is on Adrien Brody for the Brutalist. Isabella Rossellini is up for Best Supporting Actress. She does a fine job but she’s hardly in the movie so I don’t think she’ll win either. I could be wrong though. I could see this winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s a subtle film done well. I could also see it winning Best Original Score as it fit perfectly. While the editing was fine, there were other films that had to be much harder to edit than this one this year. The production design is incredible in this movie. But I think that’s going to go to Wicked. Ditto for costume design.
While all these nominations are great, there was one snub here I can’t quite get over. Stanley Tucci is absolutely fantastic in this movie. But he was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I think that’s a shame because he steals every scene he is in.
Conclave in conclusion
This is a fantastic film and well worth watching. There are powerful performances here and it has a lot to say about faith, commitment, humility, and ambition. It’s also gorgeous to look at with an incredible production design and perfect costuming. Unfortunately for this movie, there are other movies out this year that did even better. But I strongly recommend checking this one out. It’s a great film.
Also, considering the state of health of the current pope, it has to be said this film could become a whole lot more relevant in short order. So the timing here is pretty interesting giving a lot more reason to watch it.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Hello film fans, Slick Dungeon here. I’m back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time I’ll be reviewing the Brazilian film I’m Still Here. Don’t confuse this one with the Joaquin Phoenix film of the same name. That one is definitely not up for an Oscar. The Oscar nominated film is based on true events surrounding the Brazilian military coup where they had a habit of making people disappear. You might already guess this but if you go see this one, bring along some tissues because it tears at the heartstrings pretty hard. Let’s get into it!
What’s I’m Still Here about?
The movie is based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir of the same name. This is a political biography and it deals with the disappearance of Paiva’s father, Rubens Paiva.
At the start of the film we see a family who is happy, has lots of friends, and is well off but seems like an average family otherwise. But even at the beginning there are signs of trouble. There are military soldiers everywhere. Teenagers are routinely stopped and questioned. And the military has kidnapped a Swiss ambassador.
It’s not until we are pretty far into the movie that we learn Rubens was at one time a congressman. He was exiled and now the military suspects him of helping what they deem are terrorists. Things come to a head one day when men with no identification come to the house and take Rubens away. Eunice Paiva who is Rubens wife, and one of her daughters is also taken and they end up in a military barracks where they are questioned and several people are tortured.
Eventually Paiva is released but no one will tell her where her husband is. This kicks off a twenty five year journey for Paiva to discover the truth. Along the way she commits small but meaningful acts of defiance. She yells at men who are watching her house, she refuses to look sad and upset when the propaganda media shows up. And she fights with everything she has to keep her kids safe.
The awards
This one is up for three awards. Best International Feature, Best Actress, and Best Picture. I think this is easily the best international feature of the year. It’s moving, heartbreaking and powerful. I think Fernanda Torres has a shot at winning. But Demi Moore has gotten a lot of buzz around The Substance so I actually think she’s going to win. I’d be pretty surprised if this actually won Best Picture. It’s not often that international films win that award, although this movie is certainly deserving of consideration.
I’m Still Here in conclusion
As far as films this year that are based on a true story, this one is the strongest. There are great performances all around and it’s the kind of film that hits you in the heart. And when you think of all it took for Paiva to get where she ends up in the end of the film, you have to recognize courage in the face of adversity. I highly recommend watching this one but just be prepared for an emotional roller coaster.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Hey movie fans! We’ve come to the required musical biopic portion of the Oscars review. This year it’s the Bob Dylan story about one of the key moments in the history of music in A Complete Unknown. I’ll give you my thoughts about the movie but heads up if you don’t like folk music or you hate Bob Dylan songs, this movie is not gonna be for you.
What’s A Complete Unknown about?
If you are looking for a musical biopic that goes deep into the personal life of Bob Dylan, this isn’t it. When Dylan started his career he burst forth on the folk music scene along with people like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. But Dylan’s vision was larger than that. We do see a few glimpses of his turbulent dating life at the time but the movie focuses on the events leading up to the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. To put it simply, he brought an electric guitar to an acoustic fight.
And he won. Bob Dylan is a music legend who was right when he said, “The times they are a changin’.” Dylan used his influence to get his songs out to the larger public and it was a very controversial move at the time. It almost seems silly now but Bob Dylan could play more than one type of song. But along the way, there are some people he didn’t treat as well as he could have.
Timothée Chalamet stars in the film and puts on a mumbly affectation that works quite well. And he does the vocal work in the movie as well. And he does a great job but for those of us who are a little older, he’s never going to be Bob Dylan. Why? Well, seems a little mean to say but his voice, like his face, is not rough enough. Bob Dylan seemed like the voice of a generation because he looked and sounded like the average guy.
Still, it’s quite an impressive performance and it’s worth watching for that reason.
The awards
This film is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design.
As far as sound goes, well there’s a lot of music here so I could see it winning. But I still think Dune: Part Two makes a better case though. I will not be surprised at all if this takes Best Actor but my personal pick for that is Adrien Brody for The Brutalist. (I suppose I could change my mind as I keep watching these films but that’s where I am right now). Edward Norton has a great turn here as Pete Seeger. But I think the best performance here is from Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez. She plays a complex role with a good amount of subtlety here. I don’t think this is going to take home Best Picture or Best Director. While this film is ambitious, there are several this year that are more ambitious. I also think it’s not taking home best costume design, although the clothing here is very believable for the period.
A Complete Unknown in conclusion
Honestly, I’m tired of the musical biopic at this point. But I will give this film this much. It actually focuses on the music. The music is the central conflict here rather than just telling Bob Dylan’s life story. In fact, almost none of Dylan’s life story (outside of his dating life) is told here. That part was a little refreshing. The movie is worth your time but there’s no need to rush out to theaters for this one. When you’re in a Bob Dylan mood, give it a shot on a streaming service. I enjoyed the movie but it doesn’t feel that consequential to me.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Hey film fans, Slick Dungeon here! With a massive running time of 3 hours and 35 minutes, The Brutalist is by far the longest of the Best Picture nominees this year. I’ll be reviewing this movie here so you can decide if it is worth an entire half day to watch.
What is The Brutalist about?
The film tells the story of a man named László Tóth played by Adrien Brody. He has survived the holocaust and made it to America to live with his cousin in Philadelphia. His wife and niece are also survivors but they are still in Europe at the start of the film. Tóth was an architect prior to the war and through his cousin he meets Harrison Lee Van Buren a wealthy American industrialist played by Guy Pearce. He is hired to complete an ambitious project but there are complications along the way.
The film is divided into two main parts, with an overture at the beginning, and an epilogue at the end added on. The first half of the story tells what happens when Tóth begins to work for Van Buren and tries to get his wife and niece to reunite with him in America. The second half shows what happens after Tóth’s wife and niece make it to America.
The overture, first and second parts of the film are beautiful and tragic all at once. The acting here is amazing and there is a reason three actors are nominated for the film. Hands down, this is Adrien Brody’s best work since The Pianist. And Guy Pearce is a surprisingly good supporting character. Felicity Jones also has a standout performance as Tóth’s wife.
But there is one major problem with the movie. The epilogue adds far more questions than it answers. It’s tonally different from the film and it never answers a huge question left at the very end of the second part of the movie. I would have been okay with an ambiguous ending but with the epilogue it feels to me like they didn’t complete the story. And it’s strange because the speech delivered in the epilogue is actually quite moving. It just feels like it skipped over way too much for the audience here.
Other than that, this is an amazing film. And it is worth watching for the acting alone. Just know you’ll need a heavy time commitment here.
The awards
This one is up for a whopping 10 Oscars. It’s up for Best Original Score, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Production Design.
Personally I don’t think this takes Best Picture. But I think Adrien Brody has a great chance to take Best Actor. He is phenomenal in it. And I think Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones both have good shots at their awards. This might be the best film editing, just for the sheer length of the movie. And I would not be surprised if it won best original screenplay. For the other categories though, I don’t think it’s likely although I could see Brady Corbet sneaking in for best director.
The Brutalist in conclusion
This is an amazing achievement in film. The acting is so good in this movie that the performances are a little jaw dropping. And it is an emotional roller coaster. But don’t be surprised if the last bit of it leaves you frustrated over threads left dangling. I won’t say don’t watch all the way to the end but the epilogue really does have some problems here.
If you watched this one, what did you think of the ending? Let me know in the comments!
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Hello movie lovers, it’s Slick Dungeon here! Today I’ve got a recommendation for a movie you should watch whether or not you are an Oscars fan. Dune: Part Two is a sweeping science fiction masterpiece that has to be seen to be believed. It’s beautifully crafted, well acted, and in some areas, even improves on the source material. Let’s get into it!
What is Dune: Part Two about?
Obviously this film is a sequel to the first Dune film. I won’t spoil that movie here for you but if you want to know more about it, read my review here. The second film in the series continues to follow Paul Atreides. Paul is played by Timothée Chalamet who puts in an epic performance. Zendaya also plays a seriously impressive role in this film. Paul is prophesied to be the savior of many worlds in the galaxy. He has made an alliance on a desert planet with people called the Fremen.
At the same time, there are rival houses who want to kill him, and an oppressive emperor who rules the galaxy with an iron fist. Paul has to navigate faith, politics, love, and family all while he himself is uncertain about the future.
It is an intricately complicated story and while I will always recommend reading the book, the movie actually makes some improvements by speeding up time a bit, introducing some events from later books, and adding to the roles of a few other characters.
And I will say, if you can see this at a theater on a big screen, this is the best experience of the film. I definitely advise you to watch the first part before watching the second but this is a film experience. And I personally think it’s better than the first one.
the Awards
This movie is up for awards in 5 categories. Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Picture are the ones it landed nominations for. I think Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem all deserved to be nominated for their acting but I guess they’ll just have to be satisfied with the huge paychecks they got from this movie. Timothée Chalamet does get a shot for a different movie, A Complete Unknown which I will review later this week.
As far as the technical categories go, it would be a total shame if Dune: Part Two doesn’t win at least some of them. Sound was incredibly impressive and used to great effect in this film. And the cinematography is chef’s kiss perfect. Production design was great but there may be better contenders in that category. And let’s just say, the visual effects are jaw dropping in this movie. It’s fantastic. If this movie does lose in any of those categories, my guess is Wicked will pick them up instead. But I’m hoping Dune gets something here.
As far as Best Picture goes I don’t think this will win. Now, I will say, I thought this was an incredible movie and maybe it should win. But, science fiction almost never wins. I’m still bitter about Star Wars not taking home the win in 1977. I haven’t seen all the movies in the category for this year so there could be a better movie but this one is definitely in the top three, at least for me.
Dune: Part Two in conclusion
If you can get to a theater to watch this before it is gone, run, don’t walk. It’s an incredible movie experience and it just doesn’t work as well at home. But even if you can’t get there, do at least watch it at home if you are a science fiction fan at all. It’s one of the most well made movies in the last decade, hands down.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson star in Nickel Boys
Hello film fans and welcome to Oscar week! Like I do every year, I’m going to review all of the movies up for Best Picture this year. Ten movies are nominated. I’ll do my best to get them all out before the big show. But that does mean some days you’ll get more than one review from me this week. Hope you don’t mind! With that out of the way, let’s get into the first nominated film I watched, Nickel Boys.
What is Nickel Boys about?
Nickel Boys is based on the book titled The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. The book is fictional but based on the real life events of an abusive reform school called the Dozier School. It was the kind of school you’d find in segregated areas where utterly horrific acts of violence, up to murder, were perpetrated upon the kids forced to be there.
In the movie, we see the story of Elwood Curtis who is a good student who is accepted into a trade school. When he goes to the school for the first time, he gets a ride with a stranger who is pulled over by the police. While Elwood is innocent of any crime, he’s forced to go to a reform school for boys called the Nickel Academy. This school has two units, one for white boys and one for non-white boys. It’s obvious the white students are treated far more favorably but there is abuse all around.
While there, Elwood makes friends with a boy named Turner. The two are exposed to abuse and injustice and try to figure a way out of the academy. Things get dark and we see some flashbacks and flashes forward of both Elwood and Turner. Sometimes the shifting perspective is a little hard to follow.
The first person point of view
I have to mention the entire film is shot from a first person point of view. I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, it feels visceral and you really do get into the head of the characters and feel like you are the one experiencing the story. On the other hand, it’s absolutely apparent that Ethan Herisse who plays Elwood and Brandon Wilson who plays Turner are delivering top notch performances. But you hardly see their faces and that seems like a shame to me.
While I think this is a good film, I’m not as sold on the first person experience as some critics were. It is a unique way to shoot a film but between that technique and the flashes forward and back, sometimes the story is hard to follow and lessens a bit of the impact of the story. And I do think this is an important story to tell. I just think in this case, the book may do a better job conveying it than the film.
I won’t spoil too much of the movie here but I will say there are moments that are seriously shocking and maybe they wouldn’t have worked as well if not in first person point of view. But I found watching this way a bit of an exercise in patience.
The acting is fantastic and it’s beautifully shot with some amazing cinematography and heavy editing work here. The score fits nicely but I don’t think it’s especially amazing. And the directing must have been difficult to do this kind of movie in a first person perspective.
The awards
This film has already been nominated (and won) a bunch of awards. But as far as the Oscars go, it’s only up for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. I’m never good at predicting what will actually win the big awards. But if I had to put money on this (don’t put money on this based on what I say) I’d say this will not win Best Picture. It has a shot at Best Adapted Screenplay, especially considering the unique POV. But I don’t think that’s actually going to be enough to clench the win here.
In conclusion
While I absolutely think this is a story that should be told, I’m not sold on this film being the best way to tell it. The first person camera work is impressive but sometimes comes off as more of a gimmick than it should. But there is a lot of beautiful art to behold. And the acting is excellent. I just wanted to see more of it. I don’t think this one will be my favorite of the nominees but I’m certain it’s far from the worst one. If you saw this one, I’d be curious to know what you thought of the first person point of view. Let me know in the comments if you did.
Awardingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!
The Andorian Incident raised the stakes for this series so you might think we’d have an exciting follow up. But this next episode, Star Trek Enterprise: Breaking the Ice gives us a much quieter story. We learn more about how life on Enterprise is lived, get a glimpse into T’Pol’s personal life, and Captain Archer has to prove himself to the Vulcans. I’ll be reviewing the eighth episode of the series here today.
If you want to know the chronology of the episodes I’ll be watching, I’ll be going down this list. If you notice I’ve missed an episode, let me know and I’ll correct it. And if you missed my first post about Star Trek, you can check that out right here.
Talented kids
In the mess hall, Commander Tucker is eating with Dr. Phlox. They are looking at some artwork kids from an elementary school have sent them. Phlox calls T’Pol over to show her the pictures. The drawings come from Trip’s nephew’s fourth grade class. And even T’Pol is impressed with the creativity. Although if a Vulcan can look insulted, she does look a bit insulted when Trip asks her if she wants the one that seems to be a drawing of her as a green Vulcan.
The ship drops out of warp and Captain Archer announces that everyone on board should look out the window. Off the starboard side is a massive ice comet. On the bridge it’s confirmed Vulcans have not charted this, which means Enterprise has discovered it. Mayweather immediately names it Archer’s comet. I’m not star ship captain but that must have felt amazing. Enterprise goes in to take a closer look.
Messages and late night snacks
Not only is this an undiscovered comet, it’s the biggest one humans have ever seen.T’Pol is not impressed.
Speaking of T’Pol she goes back to her quarters and receives a message. It’s hard to read the expression on a Vulcan’s face but it looks like something concerning is in the message.
Back at the mess hall, Trip grabs a slice of pecan pie. He then goes to a replicator and orders milk. At the beginning of the series, it didn’t seem like they had one of these but it seems they do. However, it’s more limited than in future series, and Enterprise, at this point, does have a chef on board.
T’Pol grabs a tea for herself and joins Trip. He goes on about how delicious the pie is. T’Pol doesn’t want to try it because it’s mostly sugar. Trip asks if Vulcans have a sweet tooth and T’Pol just looks on in silence. She also keeps reading something on a tablet and Trip asks if she’s okay. She says she’s fine and leaves.
Enter Captain Vanik
Captain Archer decides they should get a sample from the comet. There’s a mineral on it that not much is known about. They can’t just transport a sample so Lieutenant Malcolm Reed and Ensign Mayweather prepare a rig to go down there. They have mining equipment on board that can drill into the ice.
Hoshi detects a Vulcan ship nearby. Archer hails them and he speaks with a Captain Vanik. Vanik is perplexed by Archer’s interest in the comet. Vanik asks to stay and observe Enterprise’s activities. Archer calls T’Pol to his quarters so he can speak to her privately.
Archer asks T’Pol what the Vulcans are really doing there. She says they might just be curious. Archer says that doesn’t sound very Vulcan to him. But, I have to say, hang on a minute. Vulcans may suppress their emotions but they are a space faring race who encounter new species all the time. If that is not a signal of curiosity I don’t know what is. I think Archer is way off base to think they can’t be curious.
Archer does bring up a few times in the recent past where Vulcans have also showed up out of nowhere. So to be fair to Archer, he does have some right to be suspicious. He thinks they are basically checking up on the humans.
Exploring the comet and decoding messages
Reed and Mayweather land their shuttle on the comet. Mayweather is extra excited because he’s only seen snow a couple of times. And Reed thinks they should do something to commemorate the occasion. Mayweather tosses a couple ideas out like having a snowball fight but nothing seems quite right. Reed says they’ll figure it out once they get there.
Meanwhile on Enterprise, Trip runs diagnostics and finds an encrypted message was sent to T’Pol. Presumably this is the message she was reading earlier. This came from the Vulcan ship and Trip tells Archer about it. Archer says T’Pol promised to tell him if she spoke to the Vulcans. Trip asks if he should have Hoshi decrypt it and Archer says it’s top priority.
Archer looks really concerned here and I have to say this is like the third episode in a row where Archer is not sure if he should trust T’Pol. But she has proven her loyalty to her captain and her duty to Enterprise over and over in this series. I think in this episode, she is especially unfairly under suspicion. In fact, in the last episode alone, T’Pol proved her loyalty to Archer over the Vulcans in what could have started a war. She’s owed the benefit of the doubt here.
The class has questions
In what I can only call a cute and charming scene, Captain Archer makes the bridge crew on Enterprise answer questions from Miss Malvin’s fourth grade class at the Whorley Elementary school. We get to see a bit of everyone’s personality come out here. Archer tells the kids what they eat. He says it’s mostly what anyone on Earth eats at home. But he does mention a hydroponic greenhouse and says they can replicate certain foods with a protein resequencer. This is the early version of the famous replicator. Then he awkwardly answers a question about dating basically saying it’s allowed but complicated.
Another kid asks how they talk to aliens. Hoshi gets to answer this one and she talks about the universal translator but says she also has to step in sometimes. And in the funniest exchange, Archer makes Trip answer the question, “When you flush the toilet where does it go?”
It’s a hilariously awkward answer and Trip is mad he has to answer a “poop question.” But as Archer points out, it’s a perfectly valid question. If you want to know the answer, it’s basically that bio-matter is resequenced into materials they need.
Another kid asks about germs and Archer makes the mistake of letting Dr. Phlox answer this one. He answers right away but goes on and on and on as he’s wont to do.
Finally, Archer says they are sending pictures of the comet they discovered.
To some this might feel like a filler scene but for me, I love this scene. Astronauts currently answer questions from schools all the time. It’s an extremely human activity and would forward interest in space exploration. And we learn a lot in just a few minutes about the operations on Enterprise through the scene.
Do you want to build a snowman?
Did you guess Mayweather would build a snowman on the comet? Yeah, so did I. Reed and Mayweather are out there having fun when Archer asks them how they’re doing. And he reminds them they’re being observed. Mayweather and Reed both look a little guilty here. But I’ve got something to say about this.
We’ve had humans golf on the moon. If we really were out there in deep space exploring, we would obviously do stuff like build a snowman. It’s in human nature to do this. The Vulcans, having been around humans for quite some time now, would know, without a doubt, that humans give in to creative expression and fun all the time. Reed and Mayweather have nothing to be ashamed of. Build that snowman guys!
T’Pol’s message
Hoshi gives Trip the message. She left it in Vulcan but did not read it herself. She didn’t think it would be right. At least someone has T’Pol’s back here. But Trip, yeah he totally reads it. And finds out it’s of a very personal nature. To Trip’s credit he doesn’t tell Archer what it says, just that it’s personal. Archer wonders why it was encrypted though.
Trip also says if it was sent through regular channels and marked personal no one would have read it other than T’Pol. And now, Trip feels guilty even though it was an honest mistake. He tells Archer he’s going to tell T’Pol. Archer asks how that’s going to help.
And here’s why Trip is one of my favorites. Without hesitation he says, “It’s the right thing to do.” That’s enough for him. He wants to be able to look T’Pol in the eye without feeling guilty. One small thing to mention here though is Trip wouldn’t have read it at all if Archer had enough trust in T’Pol not to decrypt the message in the first place.
Trip’s apology and Vanik’s disapproval
Trip explains what happened to T’Pol but it does not go over well. T’Pol is clearly upset and for a Vulcan that’s saying something. T’Pol says the matter was urgent and they didn’t have time to go through regular channels. Trip says this looked really suspicious. But again, T’Pol is proving herself constantly. Trip also assures her he’s the only person on board who has read the letter.
T’Pol sees Dr. Phlox and he catches onto the fact something is bothering her. He advises her to talk to someone about it.
Archer tries to smooth things over with Vanik by inviting him to dinner.
On the comet they add Vulcan ears to the snowman and then they set off the charges so they can get their sample.
The dinner with Vanik goes as poorly as can be imagined. Let’s just say small talk doesn’t seem to be Vanik’s thing. Vanik is in fact, so rude, he had dinner before he even arrived on Enterprise. Archer tries everything but in the end he gets Vanik back to his ship as soon as possible. But he does let on he thinks the Vulcans are just watching over their shoulders all the time. Vanik is a hard dude to impress, that’s for sure.
Archer asks how long the Vulcans have been spying on them. Vanik says if they were spying, the humans wouldn’t know. Good point. Then Vanik says humans’ arrogance and inexperience are their true enemies. Then he says something in Vulcan to T’Pol. She doesn’t tell Trip what it meant.
Star Trek Enterprise: Breaking the actual Ice
The charges on the comet threw off the rotation of the comet. It’s going to be too hot for Reed and Mayweather in short order.
Meanwhile, T’Pol asks Trip to come to her quarters and talks to him about what was in her letter. Basically, she has an arranged marriage. Unless he leaves Enterprise immediately, her wedding plans will be canceled. She’s torn between her duty on Enterprise and her duty to her culture. Koss is the Vulcan she is supposed to marry but she’s only met him a handful of times.
Trip gets kind of high an mighty and says arranged marriages went out with slavery on Earth. To which I say, no that’s not correct, there are still arranged marriages in tons of places on Earth right now. Trip tells her she should consider what she wants. Finally, Trip asks if it occurred to her she might have already postponed this wedding a couple of times because that’s what she really wants. And he says it happens to humans all the time and maybe she is picking up some of our bad habits.
Climbing back up to the shuttle, Travis Mayweather hurts his knee but they make it to the pod. When they ignite the thrusters, the shuttle breaks through the ice and falls. The shuttle is stuck. Trip tries to pull them out but it doesn’t work and Reed and Mayweather are in a bit of danger.
Star Trek Enterprise: Breaking the Ice conclusion
In the end, there is an easy way to get Reed and Mayweather back. Captain Archer can ask for Vanik’s help. Archer does everything he can to avoid this until T’Pol points out Vanik is expecting Archer not to ask for help. Basically, if Archer doesn’t ask for help when he needs it, the Vulcans are going to know humans can’t hack it in space. Naturally, Archer does ask Vanik. Vanik uses a tractor beam and Reed and Mayweather are saved. Vanik leaves and human and Vulcan relations progress.
As for T’Pol’s little problem, she sends a message back to Vulcan, breaking off her engagement. And, she eats some pecan pie. Human and Vulcan relations progress.
While not a lot happens this episode, I enjoyed this one a lot. It’s got a certain charm to it and we get to see some character development. I just wish the crew would accept T’Pol already, like what does the woman have to do? But anyway, we’ve been introduced in this episode to a couple characters who will return in the series and become much more important in the long run.
The next episode is titled Civilization and that one gets pretty complicated. Watch for my review next week!
The crew arrives at a Vulcan retreat in Star Trek Enterprise: The Andorian Incident
Star Trek Enterprise: The Andorian Incident is one of the best episodes of the entire series. There is a big twist in this episode and I can’t give a full review without spoiling it. So if you have not yet watched the episode, do so before reading this post.
If you want to know the chronology of the episodes I’ll be watching, I’ll be going down this list. If you notice I’ve missed an episode, let me know and I’ll correct it. And if you missed my first post about Star Trek, you can check that out right here.
A peaceful retreat threatened
The episode does not start on Enterprise. It doesn’t even start in space. Instead it starts at a Vulcan retreat where several people are meditating. Someone bangs loudly on the doors and several blue aliens with antennae on their heads enter the room. We don’t know it yet but these are Andorians. Not only do these people become important in the episode, they will play a significant role in several episodes in the series.
On Enterprise Commander “Trip” Tucker complains to Captain Archer that they are only looking at things Vulcans have already discovered on their star charts. Tucker feels like it’s not true exploration but Archer does point out humans have never been to these places. But Archer also adds that there is a proto-star that isn’t on the Vulcan charts. In other words, these star charts are not fully complete.
T’Pol enters the room and Archer points out a planet they are near. T’Pol is familiar with it. Archer knows there is a small outpost on the planet. T’Pol says it is called P’Jem. It’s an ancient spiritual retreat for meditation and kolinahr. Kolinahr is the practice of purging one’s mind of all emotion. A sacred state in Vulcan culture. Archer wants to visit. T’Pol thinks it’s a bad idea and Trip assumes that’s because Vulcans think humans smell bad. But ultimately T’Pol agrees and looks up the proper customs humans should follow for the visit.
Infinite diversity in infinite combinations
At the mess hall T’Pol has lunch with Dr. Phlox. Phlox assumes T’Pol will be excited to go have a look at some of her own ancient history. And he figures she’ll be excited to introduce the Vulcans to the humans she is working with. But T’Pol is hesitant because it might feel a bit awkward if she is showing these human ruffians around a sacred monastery. We also see a bit of difference in outlook between Dr. Phlox and T’Pol here. T’Pol cuts and eats her celery with a knife and fork while Phlox just grabs food off her plate without asking until after he has done it.
Phlox admits he can feel out of place among the humans too but he keeps in mind the Vulcan motto, “Infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” And he points out diversity is a celebration of differences. Therefore the Vulcans should welcome the humans. And I have to say, I think that’s a good motto. And if you are a space explorer it’s an excellent motto to keep in mind.
Phlox then asks her what the mission of Enterprise is. She says, “Our mission is to make contact with those who humans consider new life and civilizations.” Phlox points out this is to seek infinite diversity. And Phlox says if that’s the case, a cultural exchange between humans and Vulcans is just a furtherance of their mission. Hand one to Dr. Phlox in the wisdom category here.
A surprise visit
While heading to the shuttle Trip is appalled the Vulcans don’t know they are coming. T’Pol says she couldn’t hail them because these Vulcans consider technology a distraction from their spiritual pursuits. Archer is worried about dropping in unannounced but T’Pol reassures him it will be fine as long as they observe the proper protocols. And she rattles off a long list of rules to which Archer says, “I thought Starfleet training was tough.”
When they first arrive things do look peaceful. But there is evidence the door was damaged which seems unusual. T’Pol writes that off to old age. But then no one answers the door. Archer walks in anyway. There, a Vulcan monk is in the room, standing silent. T’Pol speaks to him for a moment. She says the monk told her the entire order is in kolinahr and can’t be disturbed. T’Pol then observes the protocols by asking for the offering of the J’Kah stone as is normal.
The Vulcan leaves the room to get it but things seem off here. First, T’Pol notices a statue not sitting in its correct position. Then she says in the main atrium, where they are, there should be more than one member of the order present. Trip shrugs it off with a joke about calling Starfleet command. But T’Pol says the Vulcan elder also seems agitated. I don’t think any human could possibly have picked up on that.
To investigate further, Archer starts wandering the room and talking loudly. He never says this in the episode but I think her figures he can get away with being rude because Vulcans already think humans can be impulsive. But what he is really doing is trying to find out the problem.
Archer finds an intruder
Trip and T’Pol both pick up on what Archer is doing and walk around themselves taking everything in. Trip finds a broken pot which the elder says is there because of the process of kolinahr which can be violent. The elder then shows Archer the stone of J’Kah. Archer observes the protocol but then loudly asks what it all means. In case we had any doubt, we know this is a delay for time because T’Pol told him exactly what it was in the last scene. Archer continues to wander and badly misinterprets what it means just to delay further.
The gambit pays off because Archer notices on of the Andorians in a reflection. Archer gives a hand signal to Trip to let him know to be ready to fight. Trip gets closer to the captain and the Vulcan elder asks them to leave. Trip and Archer get the jump on the Andorian who is hiding behind a screen. They tackle him and his gun flies out of his hand. T’Pol grabs it but three more Andorians enter the room, all armed and pointing their weapons at our heroes. They’ve been captured!
Interrogation
The Vulcan elder, T’Pol and the two humans are put in a room with the other Vulcans from the monastery. The Andorians are angry at the Vulcans because there was a Vulcan in the landing party. The Vulcan elder points out he didn’t know because it was an Earth vessel. Andorians are not familiar with Earth and Archer tells them it’s where they are from. An Andorian we will soon come to know as Commander Shran asks Archer why they came there. And he refers to humans as “pink skins” which seems to be derogatory.
Archer maintains he only came to see the sanctuary. Shan demands to know what Archer’s mission is and he asks about surveillance equipment. Archer explains T’Pol is their science officer but Shan assumes that means Archer is working with the Vulcans. Archer asks what Shan is doing there and Shan gives him an elbow to the ribs. Trip is quite angry about this but there’s not much he can do.
Shan says they scanned Enterprise and thinks it’s a well armed ship for people who came for a visit. Then Shan claims T’Pol and the humans prove this place is far more than a sanctuary. Once they leave the room Trip says, “Now these guys are agitated.” He’s always there for the humor isn’t he?
The Andorians
T’Pol says the Andorians are known for their volatile and suspicious nature. One of the Vulcans explains Andorians and Vulcans are from neighboring systems and have been in conflict for years. T’Pol further explains these aliens are envious of Vulcan reasoning and technology and believe the Vulcans are planning to invade the Andorians. But there has been a treaty. However, some factions still are bent on conquest.
Trip asks what these guys want with a 3000 year old temple. The Vulcan elder explains the Andorians think they are hiding a long range sensor array. But he assures Archer there is no technology on the planet. It seems these Andorians have made a couple of visits to this temple already. They go through the place, cause some chaos looking for the technology and then leave empty handed. But with the arrival of the humans they are now even more suspicious than before.
Standard Procedures
Back on Enterprise Malcolm Reed is telling Hoshi about an alien ship they picked up on their scanners. He’s wondering why the shuttle didn’t pick this up. Hoshi asks why they would even bother to scan when they are going to an ancient monastery. Reed makes a good point, saying it should be standard procedure to do so. This show is still establishing some of the long running rules we know from later series.
Reed is also worried because he hasn’t heard from the landing party. Hoshi says you can’t expect them to check in every ten minutes and Reed says that also should be standard procedure. Hoshi assures Reed he is probably overreacting.
More interrogation
Shan beats Captain Archer pretty mercilessly trying to find out where the sensor array is. It doesn’t gain Archer any points having a Vulcan with him. But its complicated for Archer to explain her presence in a way that makes sense to the Andorians.
Enterprise tries to contact Archer. Shan answers it and tells Reed that Captain Archer is a prisoner of the Andorian Imperial Guard. And the Andorians smash all the communicators. Shan also tells Reed if they make any moves with Enterprise he’ll kill the hostages.
Reed does the right thing and preps a shuttle. Mayweather is worried but Reed says he doesn’t take orders from a comm voice unless it belongs to the captain. And Reed tells Hoshi to look up the Andorians.
In their search, the Andorians still don’t find any evidence of technology in the monastery and they become even more agitated.
The prisoners
The Vulcan elder asks T’Pol how long she’s been on the Earth ship. She says it’s been 9 weeks and 4 days so that’s how long Enterprise has been out there in case you wondered. The Vulcan elder says the smell must be intolerable but T’Pol says she got used to it and was given a nasal numbing agent. So I guess the Vulcans really do think humans smell bad.
Archer is brought back to the room with the prisoners where Trip tends to his wounds. And Archer says these Andorians are going to start killing people if they don’t find what they want. And he mentions the contact from Reed and tells them Shan said if a rescue comes, they will start killing people. T’Pol says Reed wouldn’t be that reckless but Archer says he didn’t recruit his tactical officer to sit on his butt when he’s threatened. Probably a smart move on Archer’s part. Archer knows its only a matter of time before Reed comes and things fall into chaos.
The Vulcan elder says there is another option. A transmitter that is very old in the catacombs. But Archer catches on to the fact the Vulcans said there was no technology here. Trip and one of the Vulcan monks go to find it. But the Vulcan elder also says if the Andorians find these tunnels, they will damage Vulcan culture in ways humans can’t understand.
Plans and transmitters
Trip and the Vulcan do find the transmitter but along the way, Trip notices a sealed off door.
Meanwhile, the Andorians continue to try to find the sensor array while the prisoners attempt to come up with an escape plan. T’Pol and Archer also have a moment together and share a blanket to keep from freezing. T’Pol at first says the cold is preferable to the odor but she ultimately gives in. But she does convince Archer this conflict is larger than this monastery. Archer still sees it as the Andorians bullying the Vulcans though. T’Pol says Vulcans don’t respond to violence with violence but Archer says under the circumstances a little violence might help. He does say he’d like to find a peaceful solution but he doesn’t think that will happen.
Archer then says he needs to know he can count on T’Pol when the time comes. Considering what has happened so far in the series already, I think this is pretty unfair to T’Pol. She’s had multiple instances where she could have betrayed or gone against Archer but every single time she has sided with him. She should really be given the benefit of the doubt at this point. And she makes a point to remind him she has never disobeyed orders.
Plans are made
Enterprise does pick up a faint signal from the planet. This is Commander Tucker on the old transmitter. He explains the situation. Reed asks if Tucker is certain they can’t negotiate. Trip tells him the last negotiation resulted in Archer coming back with a face full of bruises. It’s still early on in the series but if there is one thing that is certain about Malcolm Reed, it’s that he does not appreciate it when someone does violence to his captain.
The prisoners try to figure out a way out of the building. Archer hopes the catacombs can help and he asks about the reliquary. The Vulcans say it’s ancient and no one has been in it in years. Trip mentions a stairwell he saw near it. This stairwell is right under the atrium where the Andorians are.
The Andorians themselves are fast running out of patience. But Shan is absolutely sure he’s right. And out of nowhere, Archer calls for the Andorians and tells Shan he needs to speak with him alone.
Star Trek Enterprise: The Andorian Incident
Archer uses his time with the Andorians as a distraction. He basically jokes about how annoying it is to be stuck in a room full of Vulcans. This earns him more beatings but it does allow him to signal Trip who is waiting in the stairwell under the atrium. The prisoners now have their plan of attack with the element of surprise.
Reed takes a landing party to be transported down to the planet. Several of them are hesitant to get in the thing but they do it. The Andorians pick up on the energy fluctuation and rush to the room with the prisoners. Reed and company go up to the tunnel where the stairwell is. And they blow the door off and get the drop on the Andorians. But two of them run down into the catacombs.
Archer goes after them and they head to the reliquary. And here is where the true Andorian incident takes place. Archer stumbles on an actual sensor array. This whole time, the Vulcans were lying and they were the ones who had violated the treaty. This throws the whole episode on its head and we realize the Vulcan monks are not so innocent after all.
Star Trek Enterprise: The Andorian Incident conclusion
Star Trek Enterprise: The Andorian Incident ends with Archer having T’Pol get photographic proof. One of the Vulcan monks tries to stop her but Archer knocks him out. T’Pol gives Shan the scans of the place and she communicates up to Enterprise not to attack the Andorian ship when it leaves the planet. Shan tells Archer they are in his debt. He doesn’t seem happy about it at all.
Star Trek Enterprise: The Andorian Incident really does launch the series into new territory. The humans already didn’t entirely trust the Vulcans but now there’s evidence of them violating a treaty they negotiated. And while Andorians are not friends to the humans, there has been contact made. Archer comes to trust T’Pol a bit more because of incident and Reed knows he needs to restructure some things to make away missions safer.
It’s a great episode and quite entertaining. In the next episode, titled Breaking the Ice, we’re going to learn even more about T’Pol and her relationship with the Vulcans.
Saturday Night depicts the 90 minutes before the first airing of the famous television show
Live from wherever you are reading this, here’s my review of Saturday Night! Hey everyone, Slick Dungeon here. We all know Saturday Night Live is a sketch comedy institution at this point. It’s been on the air for 50 years so it’s a pretty well known show. But it wasn’t always that way. The movie, directed by Jason Reitman is a fictionalized depiction of the 90 minutes on October 11, 1975 just before the first episode of the show aired. I’ll be giving some mild spoilers in this review. One thing that is not a spoiler is the show obviously made it to air. This sucks a little bit of the drama away but it doesn’t really hurt the film.
What’s it about?
You would think with the long history of Saturday Night Live this story would have already been told. In some ways it has, through books, anecdotes and interviews, not to mention the sketches and jokes in the show itself, a lot has been made of the origins of SNL. The film takes the approach of just giving us the 90 minute window before Lorne Micheals’ career was to either rise up in glory or go down in flames.
The film is frenetic and full of constant chaos. There are problems with the sets, the lists of material is way too long to fit into a 90 minute live show. There are actors who haven’t signed contracts. NBC censors are breathing down the necks of the young comedians. And there is an old television establishment just hoping for the whole thing to fail.
While this is a huge ensemble cast, the main driver of the story is Lorne Micheals played by Gabriel LaBelle. He has to put out dozens of fires backstage, some literal, while convincing the powers that be the show is worthwhile. It’s a wild ride full of absolute chaos with Michaels just barely tying it all together.
The casting
Before I go further with the review I have to mention the casting. It’s not easy casting faces the whole world is familiar with. We’re talking about comedy and musical legends who are internationally famous. But somehow the casting is pitch perfect. It helps that the main character is the one people would least recognize on the street interacting with famous people like Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, and John Belushi. And while it is impossible to look at these actors and say they look exactly like the actors did in the 1970s, the energy they bring to their parts is completely believable through the whole thing.
And while Gabriel LaBelle deserves a ton of credit here for his performance there are others that stand out too. Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd brings a non-stop fever pitch of jokes and energy. Matt Wood as John Belushi does a great job conveying the outwardly frustrated but clearly genius comedic mind of the man. Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner is also fantastic. But I think there are two performances that stand out most to me. Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase shows us both on and off stage personalities of the man and gives a nuanced approach to it. The other is Nicholas Braun who is tasked with double duty as both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson. He nails both parts. Although I do have an issue with some of how the film portrays Henson. But we’ll get to that a little later.
The real conflict of Saturday night
The basic premise of the movie frames this as whether or not the show makes it to air. We all know what happened there. But the true conflict here is the establishment versus the younger generation. Everyone going around telling Lorne Michaels no is someone who has been in television for decades. But Michaels is trying to convince them they should put on this show that will be the first live show created, produced, and acted by the first generation that grew up entirely watching television.
There are two moments in the film that show how subversive this generation was. First, Lorne Michaels goes to find someone to hire to do the lighting for the episode. He goes straight to a young guy working on the Milton Berle show. He tells the guy it’s risky, the show probably won’t succeed, and there’s no guarantee there will even be a second show. The guys asks Michaels what the pay is and Michaels responds, “That’s the worst part.” The young guy immediately quits his job and works for Michaels.
There’s a similar scene involving a writer who Michaels hires at a bar. The guy is writing jokes for a comedian who has the material but keeps botching the jokes by changing them or delivering the lines poorly. Again he signs on with MIchaels.
And there are scenes with the NBC censors where the writers easily convince the older woman that some things that maybe shouldn’t be on television are fine. Because she is completely out of touch with the language of the younger generation.
And George Carlin who was the first host of the show, looked down on these young comedians to an extent, bragging that he was a “real comedian.” He doesn’t even show up in any sketches in the first episode. So even a subversive comic at the time was an establishment figure to Lorne and crew.
It’s because of scenes like that I think the movie can work for anyone watching, whether they are familiar with SNL or not. But I do have some caveats.
Who is Saturday Night for?
If you are Generation X or older, you’ll get a kick out of this movie for sure. You probably remember either being around at the time or watching the clips of the sketches (or re-runs) on television. And you’ll get most of the references. Probably all of them if you are older than Gen X.
From Millennials on down, you’ll still enjoy the movie, but there are probably things here that don’t make a lot of sense. In the 1970s stand up comedy was being deconstructed by people like Andy Kaufman and Steve Martin. So some of the jokes that played well then might land with a thud now. Those instances are a “you had to be there at the time” moment.
You don’t have to be overly familiar with the original cast of Saturday Night Live to like the movie but it helps if you know who they are. And it’s kind of a blast to watch the movie and then watch (or re-watch) the first episode of the show.
Did this all really happen?
So much happens in this movie it’s really hard to believe all of it occurred in the 90 minutes before showtime. I’m pretty sure they condensed a few things, took anecdotes from later episodes, and probably on a few occasions, outright made up some of what happens in the movie. But it gets the point across.
The one thing that bugs me about that is the attitude toward Jim Henson in the movie. Yes, it’s true the Muppets show up in early SNL days. It’s also true the rest of the cast was not so nice to Jim Henson. But a few times in the movie they make Henson look a bit more reserved and prudish than he was. We all know him now for famous children’s entertainment. But he totally thought Muppets would work in subversive late night comedy for adults. This is a guy who had used puppets to sell cigarettes after all. Henson was actually really excited to be working on a show like this.
There are a few other things I could mention that stretch the truth in the movie. But, it doesn’t really take away from the drama and comedy of the film. After all, this is not a documentary. So my takeaway here is most of this happened but not all and not all in that 90 minutes. But the entertainment value outweighs the truth here.
Saturday Night in conclusion
If you need a good comedy/drama with an incredibly talented cast that will remind you why it’s good to go against the establishment, I can’t recommend this more. It’s a really fun ride full of way more energy than anything else on screen and it’s a shame it didn’t do better at the box office.
Before I go, I just want to make my pitch for a sequel to this. It’s really interesting to see these people we know as long established celebrities at their early stages. SNL was a subversive phenomenon at the time. But now, it’s such old hat that it feels inevitable. I’d love to see a take on 90 minutes from the start of a show now. Is it still as frantic and chaotic? Or are the routines so well established it’s like a well oiled machine? And also, wouldn’t SNL now be the establishment? So who is going up against that? Just a thought.
Comedically yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want another great film to watch? Check out my review of Carrie!
Journey Into Myster #95 Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee, Robert Bernstein, Artist: Joe Sinnott
In Journey Into Mystery #95 the only thing Thor has to fear is Thor himself as he takes on his diabolical double! That’s right, Thor has to fight a version of himself in this issue. It gets pretty wild but more for the setup than the action. And what’s more, the other Thor has not one but two magic hammers. So what’s going on here? How did Thor get into this predicament?
The start of the issue gives us a teaser page with Thor in disbelief over the evil double of himself attacking with two hammers. But the story itself begins in Asgard. Odin has summoned Thor back to the land of the Norse gods because there is a terrible drought. Thor can literally make it rain so he taps his magic hammer twice on the ground and a thunder storm begins. Thor tells Odin it will last for seven days. On the seventh day he’ll come back, stamp the hammer on the ground three times and the storm will end.
Thor then returns to Earth telling Odin he has to help a human with a vital science experiment. Heimdall watches Thor as he flies over the rainbow bridge and Thor muses about how he would stay in Asgard if he wasn’t so used to humans.
When Thor gets to Earth he heads to a science convention where a scientist named Professor Zaxton is about to give a demonstration. Dr. Don Blake, Thor’s other identity, has invented an android. I still find Thor to be the superhero least in need of any kind of secret identity but apparently Dr. Blake is not just a good medical doctor. He’s so good at science he can create an android duplicate of a human. But he’s decided to let another scientist run the demo.
Professor Zaxton is all set to do his demonstration. When Thor shows up he demonstrates how he can rip apart a safe. Inside the safe is a green android. Zaxton uses a remote control to make the android move. Then he has another scientist put up an impossible math equation. The android solves it. Blake built the android to have an I.Q. of 375 “…twice that of the brightest human being!”
But this thing is not just smart, its strong too. Thor whacks it a couple times with his hammer but the thing takes no damage. Blake designed this thing with impenetrable skin. And Zaxton goes on to describe how these things could survive a nuclear blast and be used as ultra-intelligent soldiers. But Zaxton does something to the remote control and the android says his entire mechanism is being short circuited.
The android is on the brink of explosion. Zaxton figures that’s fine because the skin is impenetrable so it will only explode on the inside. But Dr. Blake also made the interior of the android with the same material. The android tells Zaxton that when he explodes his skin will disintegrate like shrapnel. Not ideal. Zaxton begs Thor to do something.
Thor, being the hero, wraps the android up in steel left over from the safe and hurls the android into the sky. I guess we’ll just ignore all the debris and impact that will come back down to Earth. This incident ends the demonstration. Thor goes back to Blake’s office and turns human again. But he’s quite annoyed with Zaxton. He suspects the man sabotaged the demonstration.
When Don Blake comes out of the office, Professor Zaxton is waiting for him. Zaxton has his own invention in hand. Blake tells Zaxton he heard about the botched demonstration. He also asks Zaxton how he could be so stupid. Zaxton just goes on demonstrating a duplicating machine. He makes a duplicate of the office couch. He duplicates the typewriters. But he does need Blake’s help to perfect the machine. Zaxton wants Blake to help him duplicate human beings. Blake tells him he can’t tamper with human life. I do have to say, the android Blake made was pretty close to doing that on it’s own but we’ll let that go.
At first, Blake refuses to help. But Zaxton reveals he has taken Blake’s nurse (and love interest) hostage. Blake has to help now. Zaxton also admits he did deliberately destroy the android out of jealousy. He just didn’t think the explosion would hurt him. Blake thinks about changing to Thor and forcing her whereabouts out of Zaxton but he says, “…it’s against my code to harm human beings except in self defense!” I’m not sure how accurate that statement is given some of his past adventures.
Blake agrees to help Zaxton but he’s mostly buying time. The good doctor fixes up the machine. He figures he’s done but Zaxton won’t tell him where Jane is until he’s made sure the machine works. They go out in the street. Zaxton uses the machine on an alley cat. It works just fine. Blake demands to know where Jane is. Zaxton tells him she’s locked in the cellar of his house.
Blake decides to change into Thor and rescue Jane. But Zaxton sees him do it. This is the first human to know Thor has a dual identity. What does Zaxton do? No surprise, he duplicates Thor. Turns out this machine doesn’t just duplicate people. It also creates the opposite personality of the person duplicated. And these duplicates are under Zaxton’s telepathic control.
Thor tries to smash the machine but his duplicate protects Zaxton. And to make it more of a challenge, Zaxton duplicates Mjolnir for the evil double. A fight ensues. Zaxton confesses he is after absolute power. Zaxton tries everything he can to slow Thor down, including duplicating a building so Thor crashes into it. Thor throws his hammer at the duplicate but Zaxton makes another Thor just to absorb the impact. This one disappears after the hammer hits. But there is still the first duplicate to take care of.
Zaxton duplicates a plane so Thor has to block his duplicate’s hammer throws to save innocent lives. But these hammer hits do nothing to Thor. Can you guess why? Yep, the duplicate is not worthy.
Thor hits his duplicate with the real Mjolnir and the duplicate disappears. To save himself, Zaxton makes a duplicate of himself. But right after that, the real Zaxton slips and falls onto a highway. Thor tries to save him but he’s not fast enough. But this is convenient for Thor. Now there is a good version of Zaxton walking around. And he has no idea Thor is actually Dr. Donald Blake.
And in the next panel we get what is so far my absolute favorite narration of all of the Thor stories. “After Thor disposes of the dead man and frees Jane Foster…” I love the casual mention of a Norse god just tossing a body like he’s a mob boss.
True to his word, Thor returns to Asgard and ends the storm there.
All in all this was a pretty silly story and it took quite a few odd turns. I thought the android was going to be the Thor duplicate but instead we had yet another evil scientist in Marvel 616. And the scenes in Asgard seemed entirely unnecessary but I’m sure they were trying to fill up enough pages.
Next up we’re getting small again as we catch up with Ant-Man and The Wasp in Tales to Astonish #46!
P.S. I’ve had a few people ask recently where I am getting my order of issues from. It’s on this awesome website here. And they have reading orders for all kinds of stuff so go check them out!
Star Trek Enterprise: Terra Nova gives the crew a complicated problem
Star Trek Enterprise: Terra Nova presents the crew with a new kind of challenge. This problem is not a confrontation with an alien species, it’s not exploration of a new planet, it’s not even a conflict among the crew. This is a colony of lost humans who no longer understand who they are and where they came from. It’s an episode that sets up an intriguing premise but doesn’t quite deliver the goods.
If you want to know the chronology of the episodes I’ll be watching, I’ll be going down this list. If you notice I’ve missed an episode, let me know and I’ll correct it. And if you missed my first post about Star Trek, you can check that out right here.
Mayweather is fascinated
Ensign Travis Mayweather is what is known as a “boomer.” This means he was born traveling out in space rather than on Earth. And as such, he’s had a fascination with one of the earliest human space colonies. At the beginning of the episode he is looking through old photos of these colonists along with Hoshi and Captain Archer. It seems this colony had been well established but there was a sudden loss in communication and no one has heard from these people in decades.
Mayweather is especially excited because he knows he’s about to get answers to one of the biggest space mysteries known to humans. The Enterprise will soon be landing there and seeing if they can make contact with the humans again.
The legend of Terra Nova
Captain Archer, Commander Tucker, and Science Officer T’Pol are eating together in the Captain’s mess. T’Pol, despite having spent significant time on Earth is not familiar with Terra Nova or its history. Tucker is shocked by this news and says humans had to learn all about the early Vulcan expeditions. When T’Pol asks him to name one he just says, “History was never my best subject.”
Archer tells T’Pol it was called the “great experiment.” It was to see if humans could colonize deep space. Apparently there was already a colony on the moon called New Berlin, something called Utopia Planitia on Mars and even some asteroid colonies. But this was all within our own solar system. Deep space had not yet been explored by humans. And he describes a nine year journey to get to the livable planet where Terra Nova was established.
While these colonists’ transmissions were followed at the beginning, no one has heard from them in more than seventy years. Things had become strained when Earth wanted to send a second crew out to the planet. Tensions built and suddenly communications stopped. And getting there to see what happened would have taken too much time. T’Pol does ask why humans didn’t ask Vulcans to help. Tucker says asking favors from Vulcans comes with too high a price. In a show of encouragement T’Pol does says she’s learned humans are resourceful and thinks the colony might still be there.
This is Terra Nova
The Enterprise gets to the planet which looks very much like Earth. Mayweather is ecstatic because he promised his dad he’d see the place. Archer tries to establish communications but there is no response. There are no bio signs but the colony itself is intact. And T’Pol detects some surface radiation. Where that came from is not clear. The colony itself appears empty but they do decide to go down there anyway.
The away team is Captain Archer, T’Pol, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, and Ensign Mayweather. On the planet they do find an empty town with old Earth artifacts like bicycles, welcome mats and housing units. They explore around a bit. T’Pol gets enough readings to know the radiation levels seventy years ago would have been lethal. But there are no bodies to be found.
T’Pol thinks they left before it could affect them. But Archer points out the housing units were built out of ship parts. There was no return trip possible.
We’re not alone
While exploring, Reed sees someone in the trees running around. Reed pursues this person and Archer and T’Pol race to catch up to him. The person runs into a cave and Archer asks Mayweather to grab some flashlights and meet them there.
Reed and Archer go into the caves where they see an armadillo like creature burrowing in the caves. T’Pol and Mayweather stand guard outside. In the caves Archer and Reed find evidence of human tools and see a bunch of faces staring at them. These faces are covered with rock and dirt but it’s apparent they are human. Archer tells these people they aren’t going to hurt them. One of them pops out with a gun pointed at them and Reed stuns him with his phase pistol. So much for not hurting them I guess.
Another one of these people chases Reed and Archer through the caves, firing at them. Archer tells T’Pol they are under attack and asks for help navigating to an exit. Even with the help, they get turned around but Malcolm gets shot in the process. He’s injured but alive. On the surface one of these people attack Mayweather but T’Pol stuns the attacker. Archer escapes the caves but has to leave Malcolm. Archer, T’Pol and Mayweather make it to the shuttle where T’Pol confirms these were humans attacking.
Back on Enterprise
Mayweather is confused by why humans would attack other humans. But I have to say, the crew of the Enterprise did sort of show up out of nowhere then shot a guy and ran away. Seems pretty hostile to me. And I guess the caverns were too thick to find the bio signs but I thought the sensors would have been more sensitive. Still, it’s early days of the technology in this series so I suppose I can give them that. But after the run in with the humans in caves, the sensors can pick up at least 52 bio signs.
Archer realizes if these people are the descendants of the original colonists and they’ve been living in these caves for such a long time, they might actually think humans are aliens. In the situation room, Archer, Tucker, T’Pol, Mayweather, and Hoshi start to piece a puzzle together. They figure these people headed underground after whatever caused the radiation and have been living that way ever since, feeding on the underground flora and fauna.
Unfortunately. Lieutenant Reed is too deep in the caves to be transported out. But they do find a way to get back into the caves without going through the whole tunnel complex. However, this would involve using more weapons on the colonists. Archer has a moment of self doubt realizing if he can’t make first contact with humans, he has no business being out in space. He decides to bring Dr. Phlox with him to the surface and tasks T’Pol and Tucker with figuring out where the radiation came from. He also asks Hoshi and Mayweather to finish their data buffer to find out any final transmissions from the colony.
Back on Terra Nova
Archer and Phlox surrender to the humans on the planet and ask to see Malcolm. The humans are surprised to see Dr. Phlox. They speak in a bit of an odd dialect and don’t seem to think they are humans. They also speak in a lot of rock and tunnel metaphors, saying things like, “You track from Earth, we lived on the over-side, we hid from poison rain.” And they call anything they think is a lie “shale.”
Archer tries to convince them of the truth of what happened in the past. Dr. Phlox is able to diagnose one of the older people here that she has lung cancer based on his biomedical scan. And he tells her it’s easily cured. Man, wouldn’t that be a nice world to live in if we could easily cure lung cancer?
Archer tells her they can help but they have to take her to their “sky ship.” The woman and her son reluctantly agree to go. But they won’t release Malcolm until they come back. Seems fair to me since Malcolm is in pain but not imminent danger and they did shoot and stun a couple of these colonists.
Terra Novans learn the truth
On Enterprise they treat the woman, show her pictures of the original colonists, and try to convince them of where they came from. The people are still skeptical but T’Pol does find out the radiation came from a large asteroid hitting the planet causing radioactive clouds.
On the planet, Reed recognizes the make and model of the weapons the guards are using. And he eats some of the “digger” meat. And he starts to experience a little of the culture these people have developed, including music they play.
Hoshi finds the last transmission. It seems the leaders of the colony think they’ve been attacked by humans or Vulcans. This would have been the last human message the Novans have seen. Only the youngest kids survived the rain and they know their parents blame humans for the death they see. So they think they are not human and that humans are the enemy.
The real problem
Dr. Phlox cures the cancer of the woman named Nadet. But there is a larger issue. The underground water supply is contaminated by the radiation. Basically, these people are going to need to move from their homes or die. Only the smallest kids survived the original onslaught of radiation. So only the oldest of them, including Nadet, has any memory of when they lived on the surface. But Nadet is still skeptical. However, T’Pol points out that she and Dr. Phlox are not human and they have both helped the Novans.
Archer does manage to find a photo of one of Nadet’s ancestors. And she’s holding a daughter named Bernadette. This is the earliest picture of Nadet. Archer is angry but he only vents his anger privately to T’Pol. She suggests they use stun grenades to collapse the tunnels, forcing the people to move. Archer is dead set against this and says they have to convince them to come back to Earth. But T’Pol points out doing this would wipe out the culture they have developed. There doesn’t seem to be any easy solution here.
Meanwhile, Tucker has found a radiation free southern continent on the planet. Archer asks him to look for similar cave structures to what they live in currently. Archer explains this to Nadet and her son. He agrees to return Malcolm if the members of Enterprise promise to leave. Archer agrees but asks the man to talk to his people and tell them the problem on the planet and the possible solution of moving to the southern continent.
That’s a problem
When the shuttle lands back on the planet, it sinks through the ground into some of the tunnels. They are precariously placed. Jamin, Nadet’s son has to help Archer navigate to Malcolm. There’s a sequence where they have to help one of the Novans who is trapped under a tree but together they rescue the man. Jamin comes to trust Archer and does tell his people about the southern continent. Ultimately they agree to go.
Back at the Captain’s mess, Archer, T’Pol, Mayweather, and Tucker are having dinner. Mayweather asks T’Pol if she’s heard about famous Earth explorers who went missing, including Amelia Earhart. She’s unaware of any of them. Mayweather is thrilled they not only solved the mystery of Terra Nova but he also gets to put together the report about the incident which is sure to become famous on Earth.
Star Trek Enterprise: Terra Nova conclusion
Star Trek Enterprise: Terra Nova is one of the slower moving episodes of the series. While the problem it presents is interesting, especially the tension about needing to move the Novans, it all comes together just a bit too easily. The solution is found too quickly and I think it would have been far more interesting if the team had to decide between sending these people back to Earth or leaving them there to die. That’s a really tough and complicated problem. But the convenience of having a similar environment on a southern continent makes the solution just sort of appear without much effort on the part of the crew.
And while there was an interesting problem here, Star Trek Enterprise: Terra Nova does little to further the plot of the overall series. We get to see Archer overcome a challenge but he’s done that before. There’s not much other character development here, although we do get to learn a little bit about Mayweather.
In the next episode we’ll get a lot more background and the beginnings of an intriguing ongoing conflict in The Andorian Incident.
Hello film fans, Slick Dungeon here! Today I am going to be reviewing the independent horror/thriller film Thou Shalt Kill directed by Richard Friedman. I was offered a screener copy in exchange for a fair review for this film. I’ll let you know what I think the strengths of the film are and where it could use some improvement. There will be spoilers but I will keep them mild. If you want to know more I’ve included the trailer below. You can find the film on Amazon here.
Thou Shalt Kill trailer
What is Thou Shalt kill about?
In Las Vegas there is a serial killer known as Priest, played by Vince Lozano, on the loose. He punishes sinners for their crimes and has gotten away with several murders already.
Meanwhile, recovering alcoholic Shannon, played by Augie Duke, has hit rock bottom. She is in the middle of a difficult divorce with her wife and is fighting for the custody of their son. When she feels all is lost, she goes back to drinking, only to find herself captured by Priest. Now Shannon has to fight for her life and protect her son by outwitting the dangerous killer. But at the same time, she has alcohol induced hallucinations and blacks out, causing frustration for the killer, and sometimes blurring reality for the audience.
The crux of the film is seeing if Shannon and her young son can survive the situation. And we also get some insight into her past through flashbacks building up to a larger story.
The Good
While the motivation of the killer is fairly standard and it reminds me of the villain in Se7en, Vince Lozano comes off as threatening and wholly believable in the film. He has a pretty nuanced performance and he’s enjoyable to watch as a bad guy.
Similarly, Augie Duke really shines as Shannon. She has to go through a multitude of emotions and she does a fantastic job for the most part. It’s easy to buy her moments of rock bottom and desperation in the film. And she plays it smart against the killer, not just bumbling into his manipulations or falling for his rhetoric.
For a low to no budget film, the cinematography works very well. And there a couple of well timed soundtrack songs that stick with you after the film due to the creepiness they impart. The film also makes good use of the short runtime and knows when to end the story.
The bad
There are some things in this movie that people might consider bad but are just a result of low budget. The film takes place in a car for a majority of the film. And a lot of the drama comes from a religious and philosophical debate between Priest and Shannon. Some people are not going to enjoy that but I had no problem with it. In fact, Hollywood has done this before in films like Collateral. I found the performances engaging enough to enjoy this part of the film.
There are a few flashback scenes that do feel a bit wooden to me. I don’t think this is anyone’s fault in particular but there were just a couple scenes that I think didn’t quite sell me on some of the past events. It’s not so pervasive that I couldn’t enjoy the movie but I found those scenes a bit distracting.
And in similar fashion some of the flashback scenes don’t entirely add up with what the characters (especially Priest) are saying in real time. Those scenes were a little less problematic to me though. And the visuals on some of Priest’s scenes are done really well. Sometimes they stretch credulity just a bit but they were fun horror style scenes.
This also looks low budget but that’s because it is. I don’t fault them at all for that and I am always in support of independent film making. But be warned it will look low budget.
The ugly
There’s one complaint I have about the film I can’t quite get past. The ending goes in a direction that I think does not work and it didn’t sit right with me. At a certain point I found myself thinking there was no way they would end it this way. And then they did. For some people this ending is going to be too much for the whole film. I’ll say it is a twist and I can see how they were trying to get there. It just wasn’t for me. Others might find it an incredible turn.
To the film’s credit, the ending wasn’t enough to make me dislike the whole movie. The really strong performances by Duke and Lozano kept me engaged. There is a lot of conversation in the film but I found it to be interesting enough to keep watching. After all, for most of the movie, the only weapon Shannon would have against Priest would be her words. But the whole film would have been made much stronger if they had tweaked the ending just a bit more.
Thou Shalt Kill in conclusion
Do I recommend this film? For some viewers yes. If you don’t mind low budget independent films and you’re comfortable with horror and thriller elements this can be a good watch. But, the ending is not as strong as I would like, and there are a few things that don’t fully add up in the movie.
However, it really is a good effort and there are two standout performances that make the film worth watching in my book. It’s always good to support independent films when Hollywood keeps just sending us the same old remakes, sequels, and prequels over and over. While not all of this film feels completely original, the film makers were trying for something new and independent and I think that is worth watching.
Have you seen this one? If so, let me know what you thought in the comments!
Independently yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see more of my movie reviews? Check out my review of Nosferatu.
Hello internet people! Welcome to Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! In this post I’ll be going through the progress I made on my movie, book, and ttrpg challenges for the year so far. If you’re doing any of the challenges as well, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for movies!
Slick Dungeon’s Movie Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!
I watched a few movies this month but only one met a challenge requirement. I was recommended I Saw the TV Glow by a friend. And it was a great recommendation. If you didn’t see my review already, check it out here. But I will say, the best film I watched in January was Hereditary. Great movie if you like horror. I also watched Nosferatu which I thought was fine but not groundbreaking. And I watched We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. To me, that one is not worth your time. It does have a decent performance by Anna Cobb though.
Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for Books!
Slick Dungeon’s Book Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!
This one is going to be a little bit of a cheat. I read a book of short stories which is not yet released. It is called Four Dark and Stormys and a Hangover by Dan Kaminski. It’s a book of horror novellas but I’m counting it as a book of short stories. My review will come soon so watch for that this month. I think for next month I’ll be reading a fantasy book called Uprooted by Naomi Novik.
Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for TTRPGs!
Slick Dungeon’s TTRPG Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!
In January I read the rule books for a TTRPG called Along the Leyline. I’ll be doing a review of it on this blog later this month. And once I’ve gotten a chance to play it, I’ll do a more comprehensive rules breakdown of the game. There are a lot of similarities between this one and Dungeons & Dragons but I will say the rules for Along the Leyline are more streamlined and easier to follow. There are lots of strengths here and a few spots for improvement but I’ll go into detail more on that in a post later this month.
How is your progress going?
Now that I’ve shared my updates with all of you, I would love to know if any of you have taken these challenges. Watched any movies, read any books, or done any of the TTRPG challenges? Please let me know in the comments!
Fantastic Four #17 Photo Credit: Marvel, Writer: Stan Lee, Artist, Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four #17 continues the story from the last issue. Dr. Doom is now loose in America and our heroes have a lot to contend with. This is the first continuing story in Fantastic Four and it really starts to feel like a connected universe is starting.
The first page juxtaposes a happy Fantastic Four saying farewell to Ant-Man who helped them last issue with an ominous title. In big red letters it says “Defeated by Doctor Doom!” We’ll see about that. We see Ant-Man catapulting away and he will not return this issue. But we’ll catch up with him again soon.
Reed Richards puts away the little launcher he built for Ant-Man and Johnny Storm muses about adding him to the team. The Thing responds it would be an improvement over Johnny. Their bickering is a running theme. But something interesting here is that The Thing is reading an Ant-Man comic as he speaks.
The Thing reads about The Ant-Man
I love it when we get in universe little gags like that. But then in typical early Marvel 616 fashion, they do a flashback of what happened in the previous issue. I’m not going to rehash it here but if you didn’t read my last post, that issue was wild.
Reed then pulls out a complicated contraption as he often does. This is a radar set, “…extra sensitive to human flesh covered by steel!” I hope no one is using steel to cosplay as a knight at the moment. But it should track Doom.
While Reed listens to his signal, the rest of the group split up to scour the city and see if they can find the bad guy. None of them find Doom but The Thing does find a guy in a green cape dressed in armor advertising a movie. There was someone cosplaying as a knight! But it wasn’t Doom.
Johnny has no luck. Sue Storm disrupts what she thinks is an arms deal but turns out to be a toy demonstration. The group meets up to compare notes but no one found anything. When they try to leave the building there is a huge crowd of fans.
A helpful janitor leads the group to a freight elevator. He only asks to shake their hands in return. I bet you know where this is going don’t you? If you thought the janitor was Dr. Doom and he placed a tiny, tissue-thin plastic disc to each of their hands, you were right!
Doom goes back to his headquarters and releases balloon like robots that follow each member of the FF. These things interrupt Johnny’s date, distract The Thing from his date, puts a halt to a photo shoot for Sue Storm, and disrupt an award ceremony for Reed Richards. No matter what the team does, they can’t destroy these things. And they won’t stop following either.
Reed has a gadget that discovers the discs on their hands. They figure out Doom must be monitoring them but the flying robots go away. But this was only the first phase of the bad doctor’s plan.
Doom decides the weak spot in the team is Thing’s girlfriend Alicia who is blind. Doom has a pretty sad moment where he admits he has never fully understood other human beings. And he says, “Even now I cannot comprehend how one as lovely as Alicia can feel affection for the grotesque Thing!!”
He’s bummed someone loves The Thing but not him. Doom has a scarred and damaged face under the mask, although we don’t see it here. Pretty sure it’s not your face, it’s your personality and, you know, obsession with being a horrible person that is the problem, Doom.
Regardless, Doom wants to take revenge. He uses a “grappler ray” to lift Alicia into the air and fly him to his headquarters. His headquarters is a flying base hidden by a cloud.
The Human Torch shows The Thing a newspaper with a picture of Alicia flying in the air. For a smart guy, I really don’t think Doom thought how angry this would make The Thing. Needless to say, he’s big mad.
Doom contacts the team and tells them different ways he plans to terrorize the city. And warns them not to oppose him or Alicia is in trouble. Reed is not afraid. But The Thing is worried something will happen to Alicia.
Doom is not after money, he makes that clear in the next panel. But he sure would like some power. He sends a film reel to the white house threatening war. We even get a panel of JFK’s… forehead. It’s the first time a sitting president is depicted in Marvel 616 comics. And JFK isn’t backing down. He has to put his kid to bed!
Marvel presents, JFK’s forehead
With JFK not responding, Doom wreaks havoc by interfering with all electronic devices and firing off our missiles. These actions disrupt American industry. The Kremlin is thrilled until one of them points out that Doom will come for them next.
Someone from the joint chiefs of staff comes to ask the FF for help but Reed says he already has a plan. But he can’t share it with anyone because he thinks it would be safer just for his team to be in on it. I guess now it doesn’t matter that Doom could be listening?
Reed used his radar to discover Doom’s headquarters and this thing has disintegrator ray guns on it! And those rays will target the FF because the robots that followed them mapped their atomic structure. But Reed Richards is the smartest man alive, so he has a plan.
The Thing has sometimes turned from The Thing to plain old Benjamin Grimm. The plan is to have him take a formula turning him human and then change back to The Thing and go on the attack. It’s a close call but Ben is able to get onto the headquarters just before he turns back into The Thing. He tosses out the disintegrator ray gun and his pals can now come on up and help too.
They split up, looking for Doctor Doom. Doom traps The Human Torch in a spinning room that douses his flames. Reed finds himself trapped in a room that fills up with wet cement. But he can escape because he can make himself thin enough to “fit thru the pockets of porous cement.” The Thing falls down a hole with a greased pole that could drop him all the way back to the city. But he manages to claw his way back up.
The three team members meet up together but Doom launches power spheres at them. Not real clear what these do but it can’t be good. Somehow they are supposed to transfer the heroes to a different dimension.
But Doom had it all wrong. Those figures were flame images created by The Human Torch. The Thing demands Doom tell him where Alicia is. The Invisible Girl finds her first. And she hatches a plan. She trades places with Alicia. I think it would have been smarter to hide Alicia and turn invisible in the first place. Instead she turns invisible when Doom enters the room. There is a scuffle but Sue Storm wins because Doom should not, “…ever forget that I was taught Judo by one of the world’s greatest experts: Reed Richards!” This guy can do anything.
Just as Doom thinks he will overcome Sue, the rest of the team bursts in. And boy is Ben Grimm pissed. Doom jumps out of his flying headquarters. I’m sure that’s the end of him.
The issue ends with Doom gone and the team and Alicia reunited. Doom is an impending threat but he’s gone for the moment.
This issue was not as thrilling or wild as the last one. But it is a decent story with a few really fun moments. Doctor Doom proves to be a competent villain by escaping at the right time. And the world feels a little more real in the story with the involvement of the white house.
I’m sure we’ll return to Doctor Doom soon but for the moment we are leaving the Fantastic Four.
Net up on the reading list we check back in with the god of thunder himself, Thor, in the pages of Journey Into Mystery #95!
Julianne Christie and Connor Trinneer star in Star Trek Enterprise: Unexpected
With some long running threats established, the crew assembled, and some incredible moments of exploration and diplomacy, it’s time for some humor. Star Trek Enterprise: Unexpected is the fifth episode of the series. I’ll be reviewing that episode today. And I have to say, it delivers on the title. It still allows for some diplomacy and a mild bit of action but it’s a much different tone than the episodes so far.
If you want to know the chronology of the episodes I’ll be watching, I’ll be going down this list. If you notice I’ve missed an episode, let me know and I’ll correct it. And if you missed my first post about Star Trek, you can check that out right here.
An unexpected shower
The episode starts with Captain Archer showering in his quarters. I never really thought about where the Star Trek crew might shower but a sudden complication reminds us the show takes place in space. The gravity turns off and Archer is floating and the water around him has turned into floating bubbles. The special effects here hold up pretty well. An annoyed Archer contacts the bridge to ask what is going on. Lieutenant Reed says they are having trouble with the gravity plating on E deck. In case you want to know, it seems E deck is the deck the Captain’s quarters are on. Archer asks when it will be fixed and Reed tells him that Commander Tucker thinks it will be any minute.
That minute was right now and Archer slams down to the floor. This scene made me chuckle. It’s the first big joke of the series and I thought it was great. It sets the tone for a lot of this episode but not all of it. It’s a signal here that the episode might be on the lighter side. And with any long running series, I think it’s good to have an episode or two that do allow you to laugh. It’s part of the human experience, even when you are traveling light years away from Earth at warp speed.
The ship is a mess, including the mess hall
At the mess hall, Dr. Phlox, T’Pol and a bunch of other crew members are having breakfast. Phlox chides T’Pol for not being more adventurous in her eating habits. She prefers eating Vulcan food she’s accustomed to which seems kind of bland compared to human food. And she says it’s difficult enough having to smell the human food without having to eat it. As a picky eater myself, I can’t really blame her for not eating stuff she thinks smells bad.
But when she goes to get carbonated water from the food processor a black sludge comes out of it. And that’s not the only problem on the ship. C deck is down to 12 degrees. There are power fluctuations all over the place. And Commander “Trip” Tucker only knows it has something to do with the plasma exhaust. Needless to say, things are going haywire on the ship.
Captain Archer goes to engineering to get an update. He asks Tucker if they should drop out of warp. Trip says he needs a minute and he might figure it out. But before he gets anywhere something in the room catches on fire and Trip is forced to ask the bridge to drop out of warp. It’s another humorous circumstance but obviously there could be real problems here. And dangerous ones at that.
T’Pol catches the problem
T’Pol realizes something is disturbing the wake pattern of Enterprise. Trip says the plasma exhaust shouldn’t flare so close to the ship. Reed throws out a theory but Trip says they already checked for that and that’s not the issue. Captain Archer then asks Reed what would happen if they ignited the plasma exhaust. Reed says it would be safe if they polarized the hull plating and maintained half impulse.
The crew follows the instructions and they hit something out there. Archer asks for playback of impact until it becomes apparent there is a cloaked ship right in that spot. Hoshi wonders how long they’ve been there and Archer rightly points out it’s been long enough to mess up their systems.
Diplomacy
In some sci-fi universes an action like hiding alongside a ship would be enough to launch a huge battle sequence. That certainly happens on occasion in Star Trek too. But Archer’s first impulse? It’s not to attack. He hails the ship. He tries to understand the situation first. I feel like this is the smartest default action to take as humans. Be prepared to fight if needed but start with dialogue.
They can’t get a visual because this other ship has messed up the signal but they do establish audio communication. Archer explains what is happening and asks the ship to back off. It takes a moment for the translator to kick in but these aliens ask not to be harmed. Archer says he won’t harm them but wants an explanation. The alien tells him they apologize for any harm. They’ve been using Enterprise’s plasma exhaust to replenish their teraphasic coils. (No idea if I spelled teraphasic correctly so forgive me)
T’Pol confirms the warp reactor of the other ship is offline. Archer asks them to drop their stealth technology so Enterprise can help them. Captain Archer here has navigated the situation well. They are about to make contact with a new species and they may even become allies. Why? Because instead of acting first, he listened.
A long strange Trip
In order to help the new aliens, Trip is tasked with going aboard and fixing their propulsion systems. But just getting into this ship is difficult. Trip has to go through a three hour long decompression sequence. These aliens, called the Xyrillians can sequence proteins to allow humans to eat and drink. But T’Pol does warn Trip it might not taste good to him and that he should be diplomatic.
Trip is visibly excited to go. After all, since the start of the series he’s been one of the most eager to make new contact. But the decompression is more difficult than he expected. He has trouble breathing in the air which is a visible fog in the decompression chamber. It’s breathable but not exactly comfortable. Tucker also gets impatient with the long wait. Eventually they put him through some pattern recognition tests and then let him on board.
This really is an alien ship
Despite the Xyrillians being bipedal and humanoid, Trip’s experience on the ship is utterly alien to him. The Xyrillians do have scaly skin but they look a lot like humans. Some people criticize Star Trek for not having enough aliens who aren’t bipedal humanoids but you have to remember, you need actors for these parts, and humans are bipedal and humanoid.
The strange thing for Trip is how he experiences the place. Speech seems slowed down, things spin, and the look of the ship is far different from that of Enterprise. The Xyrillians keep telling Trip he should rest first but he wants to go straight to the engine. It’s not until Captain Archer orders Trip to take a nap that things look somewhat normal to him again.
In fact, Trip is so bad off before this rest he tells Captain Archer he wants to return. Archer contacts Captain Trena’l, the leader of the Xyrillian crew. Trena’l tells him Trip will be fine but Archer points out he’s known Trip for 8 years and the dude is tough. So if he’s complaining there is a real issue. At long last, Trip agrees to rest.
Trip gets up close to a Xyrillian
When he wakes up, Trip notices food growing all over the ship. A Xyrillian named Ah’Len gives Trip something that looks like ice cubes and she says it’s as close as they can get to water. When she touches him, what looks like little bolts of static transfer to Trip. He says it doesn’t hurt.
When Trip calls back to Enterprise the next time, he’s feeling much better and is excited about the new things he is seeing. He does manage to fix the alien coils so their ship can get moving again. But it’s going to take some time for these coils to regenerate. So Ah’Len decides to show Trip something unexpected.
Star Trek Enterprise: Unexpected holography
Ah’Len takes Trip to a colorful room that is oddly patterned. And this set reminds me of some of the things you might see in the original series. It feels extremely alien but it has a sort of 1960s retro vibe to it. Ah’Len then pushes a button and the whole room is transformed. They are out on a natural landscape. She says the planet they are on is Thera, the planet she comes from. She also explains this is a hologram achieved by re-sequenced photons. And it feels real. She even picks up sand.
This, as any Star Trek fan knows, is a holodeck. Up to this point, I had always assumed humans invented this. Nope, it’s from Xyrillian technology. Ah’Len shows Trip how the perspective can change and how she can change scenes. They end up in a boat on the water. It’s a kind of romantic scene actually.
Ah’Len plays a game
Ah’Len asks Trip how humans detect emotion. Trip does his best to explain we observe behavior. But then Ah’Len pulls out a box of what Trip later calls pebbles. They are all white and glowing and when they put their hands in they glow blue. She tells Trip it’s a game. And it also allows the two to have a telepathic link of some kind. It’s actually a sweet moment and while Trip could have gone too far here, he’s nothing but a gentleman.
They are interrupted when the coils come back online. And Trip then makes his way back to Enterprise, having made solid first contact with the Xyrillians.
Things are back to normal
When Trip comes back he can’t wait to tell Mayweather what he experienced over there, although he admits he’s glad to be back. Captain Trena’l expresses his gratitude to both Archer and Trip and hopes he didn’t delay Enterprise’s mission too much. Archer tells him meeting new species is Enterprise’s mission. And Trip says going to the new ship was worth every minute. Ah’Len even flirts with Trip a bit before they all say goodbye. Things seem relatively normal for the moment.
That’s not normal
Trip’s appetite is increased. He keeps bragging about the holographic chamber to Reed but Reed’s more interested in their weapons. But Trip’s not sure they even had any. Trip does notice something odd on his wrist. Malcolm thinks maybe it’s an allergic reaction but Trip had cleared the bio-scan. Regardless he goes to see Dr. Phlox about it.
And here’s where this episode divides fans. It turns out Trip is pregnant. I know this idea sounds crazy to some fans but if you think about the myriad forms of reproduction with different species on our own planet, it’s not that far fetched. For the most part this is played for laughs through the rest of the episode. And it plays into some stereotypes of what people who are pregnant experience. Trip’s hormones increase, his appetite continues to escalate, and he gets angry at the slightest thing.
But when Trip finds out, he wants it removed as long as it can be done safely and without harming the young life form. Dr. Phlox does reassure Trip that this is not technically his child. He’s essentially a host. The only people who know onboard, at least at the beginning, are Dr. Phlox, Captain Archer, T’Pol and Trip himself.
T’Pol lectures Trip for not being able to restrain himself from intimate encounters for only three days. Considering Captain Kirk and some of the other characters in later series this lecture comes off as hilarious to me. Especially since Trip really didn’t do anything he, or any human, would consider sexual here. They do finally figure out it had to be with the box of pebbles. And Trip states this was a game they play.
But T’Pol does have a great comeback to this. She says, “One of the first things a diplomat learns is not to stick his fingers where they don’t belong.” Touche.
Finding the Xyrillians gets complicated
Trip has to go around in civilian clothing to hide the bulge he’s showing on his rib cage. And the whole ship seems to know what’s going on. But I think that’s probably due to Trip’s behavior rather than a leak from anyone else. Although Trip does blame T’Pol and she was pretty critical of him. Still, that doesn’t feel in character with her to me. During dinner Trip blows it anyway by talking about it as an Ensign comes in with food while he’s talking to Dr. Phlox.
And in all this time, they have been unable to find the Xyrillians. Enterprise does finally track the ship down. But there is a huge complication. They are cloaked once again and hiding inside the wake trail of a Klingon battle cruiser! Yeah, gotta say, that was unexpected.
More diplomacy
Obviously negotiating with any Klingon is a delicate matter. But when you are talking about telling a Klingon battleship Captain that there is a cloaked ship hiding near them and that they mean no harm? Well, that’s a complication on a whole other level.
Captain Archer has to talk to the Klingons first. They’d obviously pick up the signal to the Xyrillians either way. Archer opens a channel and starts to diplomatically ask for assistance with a problem. The Klingons fire at Enterprise. They are the polar opposite of diplomatic. But for a Klingon attack the shots are decidedly light weight. These are warning shots. T’Pol even points out if the Klingons wanted to destroy Enterprise they would have already done it.
But Archer does not back down. Tucker notices the same odd wake pattern on the Klingon ship that Enterprise experienced. The Klingons hail Enterprise and demand to know what gives Archer the right to approach a Klingon warship. Archer apologizes, explains the situation, and tries to convince the Klingons not to kill the Xyrillians. Captain Vorok of the Klingon ship is decidedly angry. Archer doesn’t help things by telling the Klingons that Xyrillians are kind. But T’Pol intervenes. She tells Vorok that less than a month ago, Captain Archer was in the high council chamber in Qo’noS where the the Chancellor himself called Archer a man of honor and a brother. And she tells Vorok Enterprise is the ship that returned Klaang to the Empire. Archer had prevented an internal Klingon war.
Tucker then tells Vorok he was the one who tried to repair the Xyrillian engines. And he says he’s sure the Xyrillians would be willing to share their holographic technology with the Klingons. And to put the cherry on top, Trip says they can go get the technology, “Unless the decompression cycle frightens you.” I think we know that no Klingon is going to admit fright.
Archer does insist if the Klingons go to the Xyrillian ship they have to take Tucker with them. Trip basically has to admit to the Klingon warship that he is pregnant. This cracks up the Klingons so much they let Trip come along.
Star Trek Enterprise: Unexpected conclusion
Back on the Xyrillian ship, Vorok gives Captain Trena’l a topographical map of their capital city. When Trena’l demonstrates Vorok says, “I can see my house from here!” To see a Klingon say that just made me laugh.
Trip shows Ah’Len that he is pregnant. She says she had no idea this could happen with another species. Trip tells her not to apologize. I do have to say though, if this is a possibility with your own species, I think it would have been a lot more fair for Ah’Len to at least say this is how they reproduce. In that case, he might not have stuck his hands in the pebbles. But I digress.
They are able to safely remove the embryo and Tucker is back to normal. The Klingons allow the Xyrillians to go once the holographic tech is installed. And Archer tells Vorok he hopes the next time they meet, Enterprise can be of help to them. Vorok in Klingon fashion says their debt is repaid and they have no interest in meeting again. And if they do, Archer will regret it.
Later at dinner T’Pol admits she exaggerated how the Klingons saw Archer. And she tells Tucker that his pregnancy is the first recorded incident of a human male becoming pregnant to which he says, “Just how I always wanted to get into the history books.”
Ultimately you could call this a filler episode. The only long term impacts here are the exposure to the holographic technology and the evolving attitudes of the Klingons to the humans. There is a good dose of humor here but there is also some difficult diplomacy happening. This may not be the best episode of Enterprise but I did find it entertaining. There are different directions they could have gone with it but I think it works well enough.
The next episode is Terra Nova and it was directed by the one and only LeVar Burton!
Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most complex and sweeping samurai epics of all time. This book has been published since 1984 and it is still going. If you are looking for a great comic book read that is not a superhero comic, UsagiYojimbo stands tall as one of the best ever made. While it has its legion of fans, the comic is often overlooked by new readers because it looks a bit cartoonish and cutesy. Much like Bone which is cute on the surface but is truly a massive fantasy epic, with Usagi you get far more than it looks like on the cover.
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
What is Usagi Yojimbo about?
The word Usagi means rabbit. Yojimbo means bodyguard. That’s a pretty good description of what this is about. But there is so much more to it. This is set at the beginning of the Edo period in Japan when the country was just coming under the rule of the shogunate and people were still feeling battle scars from recent history.
Each story follows Usagi on an adventure where he often protects the innocent or rights some wrong. Reading the books gives the same feeling you get when watching some of the greatest Akira Kurosawa samurai films.
There is an expansive cast of characters, several who come and go, and some who you meet only once and never again. A larger story line exists in the series. But it is possible to pick up any volume of the series and get an entire story.
My only word of caution here is to be careful about giving it to very young kids. There is nothing explicit here but there is some blood. And considering this is a samurai story, characters die. Generally, it’s fine for almost all audiences though.
How do I get started?
There is a long and complicated publishing history to this comic. It’s gone through several publishers. The character has always belonged to the creator, writer and artist Stan Sakai, but he’s moved Usagi to a few different spots for different reasons. Lucky for us, however, the numbering of the series is pretty straightforward. There are over 40 numbered volumes plus some omnibus editions and other volumes and crossovers that pop up here and there.
While I think you can really jump in anywhere, as long as you are reading a collected story, I think the best volume to begin with is Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin. This collects the earliest comics and starts out the proper story. If you start here and read through, you also get to see the progression of Sakai’s art style. It takes him just a bit to land on the tone he wants but once this gets going, it is a jaw dropping body of work.
You can get the first volume on Amazon by clicking the image above or the link here. It’ll cost you $19. If you buy through one of my links it really helps out this blog without any extra cost to you.
If you have a lot of cash to burn and you know you want to get in to Usagi, there is also the Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition: 2 Volume Hardcover Box Set. That will set you back at least $116 though. You can get the paperback version for $99. The nice thing about this set is you get the first seven Usagi stories plus some extra artwork and cover gallery. It’s a big price tag though. But if you want it you can grab it right here.
Usagi Yojimbo conclusion
Ready to settle in for a great long read that will transport you back to Edo Japan, full of depth, action, and an unforgettable cast of characters? Usagi Yojimbo is perfect for that. Stan Sakai’s epic is one of the most brilliant comics ever made. Look past the cuteness of the character if that is not your thing. And if it is, then embrace it because there is lots of cuteness too! But either way this is an incredible comic which I simply cannot recommend enough.
Give it a read and let me know what you think!
P.S. want to see some of my superhero comic reviews? Take a look at my series on the Marvel 616 comics here!
Happy Friday everyone! Here’s a little story I wrote, hope you like it!
Love Bites by Adam Wright
The zombies were dead. The doors were bolted. I fell in love.
She sat across from me, a light cut on her forehead. Red blood trickled down her face in tiny droplets. Her hair was short. It doesn’t pay to have long hair when undead creatures grab at it. At one time it was dirty blonde. We’d been through a lot together. I was a wall street broker and she was my barista. We’d met each other day after day for years. I didn’t know her name and she always misspelled mine. In the end it didn’t matter.
We knew the drill. Get inside, barricade yourself. Clear the area if any were left. Check for wounds. Scratches hurt but would heal. Bites were the end. Once bitten, there was only one end. I would prefer a bullet to the head over becoming one of those things. She agreed.
When you go out into the world amongst diseased and desiccated corpses, there is a smell. It hangs there like rotted meat swarmed by maggots. Most of the world smells that way now. So even as we run together, sweat and body odor rising into our nostrils, the human smell of it is all you want to cling to. The aliveness of the other person. It’s comforting even when you know your life could end at any moment. You’d do anything to protect that one other living thing next to you.
We learned to trust each other. She saved my life on the day of the outbreak. I was lucky enough to be at the front of the line and she grabbed my hand and rushed us to the exit. We evaded the mass of undead. We hid in sewers and raided grocery stores. I found weapons. We both learned to shoot. I still prefer the aluminum bat.
I knew enough to get a campfire started on that first day. We soon learned that was a bad idea. We still do it when we’re locked indoors and can make sure no light is let in. You can’t fall asleep though or the fire will take you.
We’ve done everything right for as long as we can. We have survived. I’ve tried not to fall in love. When you get close to someone it’s a weakness. I have seen couples come and go. Usually one ends up shooting the other. It’s good to have a partner. Bad to be in love.
If I was going to fall in love with anyone in my life it would have been her. We didn’t know each other well but she was always kind. I tipped well. I didn’t want love to begin with but now I had the worst kind of love. A dangerous love.
The real problem? I didn’t love her for her body, her kind soul, or her good deeds. I loved her for her brains. The bite didn’t even sting anymore.
Without saying a word, I passed her the gun and closed my eyes.
Anna Cobb stars in We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
Hey everyone, Slick Dungeon here. I’m back to review another psychological horror film. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is a 2021 coming of age, psychological horror film centered on a girl named Casey. Casey is played by Anna Cobb. Normally, I would warn you against spoilers in this review but there’s really not a lot to spoil in this film so read away.
The movie is a bit of a hybrid of found footage and classic film making styles. At the beginning of the film Casey awkwardly makes a video talking about how she is going to take the “world’s fair challenge.” This is along the lines of any TikTok or YouTube challenge you might see. You prick your finger to draw blood, say, “I want to go to the world’s fair” three times and you’ve started the challenge. Then something is supposed to happen to you. You are changed in some way.
The good
Before I get into criticisms here I’ll point out what I like about this movie. It is low budget. I love to see independent, low budget horror. I think that’s some of the most creative stuff out there. Anna Cobb takes the lead and her acting performance was solid. She seems a bit understated most of the time but that’s the role. The soundtrack is pretty decent. And the cinematography of the non-found footage is good. Found footage scenes don’t look as good but they aren’t supposed to.
The bad
Also, before I get into the criticism here let me just say I like slow burn horror. It’s not for everyone but I do enjoy a good, slow paced horror film that can pack a punch at the end.
The problem with this film is there is no punch. For there to be a slow burn there has to be a fire at some point. There are some creepy images. A few things Casey says are disturbing. But that’s it. There’s nothing else there. You are supposed to be guessing if this is reality or supernatural. It’s clear the whole time which one it is.
The scenes are incredibly long. I’m okay with slow pacing but you’ll want to fast forward. You don’t miss anything if you do. Most of the film felt like someone new to YouTube struggling to get channel views. As a plot that’s fine but with this pacing, I might as well watch YouTube.
The only other character who relates to Casey is a man named JLB played by Michael J. Rogers. The dude just comes off as oddly creepy and way too interested in a teenager. But it’s not scary in any way.
In Conclusion
I wish I could recommend this film. But if you are looking for horror or psychological thrills you are not going to find them here. It’s good to support independent movies but this one doesn’t take us anywhere. You’re better off finding a different independent film if you want entertainment. But if you love slow dramas and just want to support an independent voice then it’s worth it. I do think the film makers tried their best and made the film they wanted to. If you want to be a low budget film maker it’s worth a watch. But if you want to see some horror? Don’t bother, it’s not here.
If you want to watch brilliant horror film with a slow build up, check out Hereditary.
The crew finds a new planet in Star Trek Enterprise: Strange New World
The first episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise gave us an introduction to the crew and the follow up episode focused mainly on a single character. In Star Trek Enterprise: Strange New World the crew is faced with a new challenge. An environmental problem. I’ll be reviewing this episode today.
If you want to know the chronology of the episodes I’ll be watching, I’ll be going down this list. If you notice I’ve missed an episode, let me know and I’ll correct it. And if you missed my first post about Star Trek, you can check that out right here.
Vulcan cuisine and protocols
The episode starts out with two crew members eating in the mess hall. Crewmen Cutler and Novakovich have a brief conversation about the kind of food they are eating. Cutler enjoys Vulcan cuisine but Novakovich says it doesn’t taste like anything. Cutler is looking at a book about insects. She’s an entomologist. Their conversation is cut short when Novakovich looks out of the viewport. They see a huge earth like planet. Everyone there is hopeful for first contact and they point out features they can see.
On the bridge T’Pol scans for life. They don’t find any intelligent life forms. Archer asks for a shuttle to be prepared. T’Pol objects because they are not following strict protocol. I think there are times when T’Pol has a good point about this sort of thing but here she definitely seems to be a bit excessive with going through the checklist. We find out this is a Minshara-class planet. In later series we just hear them referred to as M-Class but apparently Minshara is a Vulcan word. And without going down to the planet we have no story so, of course we get an away party who will go down to the planet.
This strange new world looks… familiar
The away crew consists of crewmen Cutler and Novakovich, Trip, T’Pol, Mayweather and Captain Archer. Oh, and Porthos gets to go down too to get some exercise. While getting ready T’Pol is pretty cold and analytical to Crewman Cutler. The humans on the shuttle are very impressed with the planet. When Porthos gets out of the shuttle, Trip says, “Where no dog has gone before.” Gotta say, I thought that was a pretty good dad joke right there.
As the crew wander around, you might notice this place looks familiar. It looks a heck of a lot like Griffith park in L.A. That’s because they shot it there. They even go into the Bronson caves you can find there later in the episode. The crew genuinely seems amazed at what they find. But we’ll forgive the familiarity because you have to film somewhere right?
T’Pol is the only one who seems unimpressed. She’s more concerned with collecting data than admiring the scenery. Definitely sticking to Vulcan tendencies here.
Campfire stories
After wandering around a bit, the group comes back together. T’Pol wants to keep Cutler and Novakovich there overnight to do a little more research. Trip and Mayweather also want to stay so they can sleep under the stars. Archer grants permission, saying research is not the only reason they’re out there.
That night, sitting around a campfire, Mayweather tells a ghost story. It goes over fine with the humans but T’Pol is decidedly unimpressed. Then Cutler points out our own sun in the sky. This is one of those Star Trek moments I love. It’s a small thing but just imagine being so far from home you could experience our own sun not as a sun but as one of billions of stars in the sky. How incredible would that be? Maybe someday we’ll get there.
Later that night, some kind of scorpion gets into Trip and Mayweather’s tent. Shortly after that, intense winds start to blow. Crewman Novakovich thinks he hears someone outside of his tent. The winds intensify. The crew are forced to seek more permanent shelter in the caves.
Into the caves
On Enterprise Malcolm Reed informs Captain Archer of the wind storm. Archer contacts T’Pol and asks if he should go down and get them. T’Pol points out it will be difficult under the windy conditions. They’ve found shelter in the caves so they are in relative safety but Archer does ask for the shuttle to remain on standby.
As they settle in, the crew realizes they left their food packs at the campsite. Mayweather goes to retrieve them and he thinks he sees people out there. T’Pol confirms the scans don’t show any signs of people other than them on the whole planet. Novakovich swears he hears someone deeper in the caves. Novakovich panics and runs out of the caves. Trip and Mayweather go after him.
T’Pol leaves Cutler where she is to go see if she can find someone deeper in the caves. Maybe they don’t have scouts on Vulcan but use the buddy system people! You’re absolutely safer in pairs.
We’re getting worried
Outside the caves, Trip thinks he sees rock people come out of the solid rock. Cutler swears she hears T’Pol talking to someone else. And Novakovich is nowhere to be found. Trip and Mayweather decide the conditions are too dangerous to continue looking. Trip tells Captain Archer what is going on so Archer takes Reed and they fly the shuttle down to the planet for a rescue attempt.
But the winds really are too strong and the shuttle can’t land. Novakovich is hailed but he tells Archer to, “Go to hell.”
In the cave, Trip confronts T’Pol, thinking she is yet again hiding something from the crew. He points out Vulcans don’t have a reputation for being completely honest with humans. He is correct about that but Trip is visibly more agitated than he should be.
Novakovich is in bad shape
Because the wind was so strong, the away crew has to make it through the night in the caves. Archer instructs Trip to try to make contact if he sees any aliens again. Cutler and Mayweather settle in to a corner where they basically remain for the rest of the episode. Trip starts yelling at T’Pol and she points out he’s being irrational. To add to the problems, they are running low on water. T’Pol tries to do the reasonable thing and go grab some water from a water source deeper in the caves. (I’m just gonna assume they have some kind of high tech filter if they need it)
But before T’Pol gets anywhere, Trip pulls out his phase pistol and tells her to sit down. Tensions escalate through the episode between the two of them from here on out.
Enterprise tries to contact Novakovich but he’s just screaming in pain. Reed has to transport him back to the ship. Novakovich shows up unconscious, sprouting leaves and twigs from his body. Reed calls sickbay for the medical emergency.
Trip gets paranoid
In the caves Trip starts to get angrier with T’Pol. He becomes incredibly paranoid and Mayweather goes right along with it. T’Pol realizes they are delusional but she starts expressing anger and slips into Vulcan.
Dr. Phlox realizes Novakovich has been infected by something called tropolicene (no idea how that’s actually spelled so forgive me). It’s a hallucinogen which can cause delusions. This explains the paranoia happening to the people in the caves. Dr. Phlox thinks it will wear off in a few hours. But the crew will need to get further into the caves because this pollen is carried on the wind.
It seems like Trip is the most affected as he starts firing at the walls and screaming at people who aren’t there. Archer contacts T’Pol who tells the Captain she has a phase pistol pointed at her head. Captain Archer tries to explain what has happened but Trip is essentially too paranoid to accept reality.
Archer does all he can to get Trip to trust him but it’s touch and go.
Play acting
Trip tries to get Mayweather on his side but he’s too out of it to remain conscious. Cutler is also out for the count. T’Pol starts responding to everything in Vulcan. When Trip walks away, talking to someone no one else can see who he refers to ask Mr. Velik, T’Pol grabs a phase pistol herself.
On Enterprise they realize they can’t land a shuttle for at least 9 more hours. And worse, Dr. Phlox missed something vital in Novakovich’s diagnosis. In addition to the hallucinogen there is an undetectable toxin and Novakovich might die. Thankfully, Phlox whips up a vaccine. They plan to beam it down to the away crew.
There is a standoff between T’Pol and Trip. She has to speak to Hoshi through Vulcan so she can disarm Trip and administer the cure. Archer concocts a scheme to play into Trip’s delusions but T’Pol has to also play act in order to distract Trip. This is no easy feat for a Vulcan.
Ultimately, the ploy works and T’Pol administers the dose to everyone. She does have to stun Trip with a phase pistol and do a Vulcan nerve pinch on Mayweather, however. Trip remembers being shot the next day. Mayweather just wakes up thinking he slept wrong.
Star Trek Enterprise: Strange New World Conclusion
Trip realizes how out of line he was. Mayweather was hoping it was a bad dream. T’Pol forgives him. Maybe that’s not the right word. She acknowledges Trip was under the influence of the pollen and admits she was too. Trip says, “Challenge your preconceptions or they’ll challenge you.” Apparently this is something Mr. Vellik, Trip’s tenth grade biology teacher would say. He was the first Vulcan Trip ever met. T’Pol tells Trip it’s not too late to follow his advice.
The shuttle arrives and everyone gets to go back to Enterprise safe and sound. And that’s where the episode ends.
While this was not as strong of an episode as the last one, I do like the idea of environmental threats. This won’t be the last episode in this series where minds are altered, either. Captain Archer has to use quite a bit of diplomacy in the episode even though he’s only speaking with his own crew. And both Trip and T’Pol show some of their own biases here. It does feel like Crewman Cutler and Novakovich are just kind of along for the ride. That’s pretty standard for Star Trek but I guess they should be glad they weren’t wearing red shirts. It’s a fun episode in the series but ultimately it’s kind of skippable. There are definitely better, and worse, episodes to come.
The next episode is titled Unexpected so who knows what we’re gonna get.
Hello there internet people, it’s Slick Dungeon! I just watched Nosferatu (2024) and wanted to get my thoughts about it out here. There are some spoilers here but if you’ve seen or read Dracula in almost any form, you know the plot.
A quick summary
For a speed read of a review on this, the movie is just Dracula but with some elements changed and a different ending. While the changes are notable and interesting, I didn’t feel like this movie delivered as well as it should have. The production design is incredible and Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgård have excellent performances. However, I personally felt there was a bit of overacting on the part of Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp. I can understand what they were going for but it just seemed a notch too high here and there.
There is some incredible makeup in the film. And it does deliver a decent sense of dread, especially in the first third of the movie. The middle section drags just a bit. The end of the film does wrap up well and there are some incredibly memorable moments but not all of them work.
The story
Dracula and Nosferatu (2024) share very similar story lines for a good reason. In 1922 a film was made called Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. And it’s a film classic. But it was an unauthorized adaptation of the book. So while the characters in Nosferatu are not named the familiar names of Johnathan and Mina Harker, and Dracula is instead called Count Orlok, the integral elements remain the same.
There is a young solicitor who has to leave his young wife to go to a castle in Transylvania and seal a land contract with the Count who lives there. While there, he is taken prisoner and has to escape to return to his wife. And the young wife seems to be somehow entranced by this count. You basically know how this story goes.
The creature
What I do find interesting about both the original Nosferatu and this one, is the look of our favorite vampire. This is no smooth and beautiful creature who charms women. This is an ugly demonic thing which uses its power to dominate both men and women.
There’s also an added element in the third act of the 2024 version that ups the stakes for not just our heroes but all of society. In my opinion, that was a good change. But it wasn’t enough to make me think this film is superior to other versions of Dracula.
In conclusion
Despite this being a rehashed Dracula, it is an entertaining film. There are some great elements of gore, makeup, and special effects. And the production truly feels like walking into the past. I am looking forward to seeing how director Robert Eggers handles werewolves in his next project.
But I also feel like if you don’t see this one in theaters, you’ll be fine streaming it whenever it gets to a service you have. It’s a good take on Dracula but in my opinion not a great one. I know a lot of people might disagree with me here, and that’s totally fine. It just didn’t fully sell me on it the whole way through. But I do love seeing big and bold horror productions so I hope we get more movies like it. I just hope they can be a tad more original and have a couple performances more grounded in reality.
Vampirically yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to see a classic horror film? Check out Dracula (1931)!
Toni Collette and Milly Shapiro star in Hereditary
Hey everyone, Slick Dungeon here. I know I am late to this party but I just watched Hereditary and I’ve got to say it’s one of the best horror films I’ve ever seen. There are going to be some spoilers in this review but I’ll try to keep them mild.
The film is about the Graham family. The family is mourning the loss of the eldest member of the family, Ellen. The film stars Toni Collette as Annie Graham. Gabriel Byrne plays Steve Graham who is married to Annie. Alex Wolfe plays Peter Graham, Annie’s 16 year old son. And rounding out the cast is Milly Shapiro who stars as Charlie Graham. Ann Dowd also has a sizable role as a woman named Joan who befriends Annie.
Any time I see Toni Collette is in a show or movie I know there will be at least one amazing performance. Hereditary has at least five of them. Toni Collette does most of the heavy lifting but the quiet portrayal by Gabriel Byrne, the descent into panic by Alex Wolfe, and the somewhat strange and mysterious performance by Milly Shapiro give the movie weight and build up the tone to perfection.
At the start of the movie, Annie has suffered a complicated loss. It starts at the funeral of her own mother who she clearly had a fraught relationship with. Charlie seems to have been the favored grandchild of Ellen. So Charlie is the only one who is truly missing Ellen.
Annie goes to a support group to understand her complicated feelings and find some community surrounding her mother’s death. At the same time, her relationship with her husband and children are strained. The reason for this becomes more clear later on in the film but the tension is palpable.
And then a sudden event makes things excessively worse for her and every member of her family.
The lead up to the horror here is definitely a slow burn. But once the horror hits, it is relentless. And it’s not just the horror of jump scares or some lunatic running around with a knife. It’s also the horror of tragedy, of mental illness, and of family members not believing or understanding what is happening.
While the film has won its share of awards, it’s nearly criminal this didn’t win any Oscars. It’s the kind of project where this being a horror film makes the nuance of the performance even more necessary.
And the film delivers an absolutely unforgettable ending. There are those who might say the ending is not earned but if you watch it a second time, everything for the ending is set up in the film early on. It’s great not just on a first watch but on a repeat watch.
The movie is not overly gory but there are moments of gore and these characters are dealing with real trauma. For that reason it gets intense. So if that is not for you, stay away from this one. But if you are looking for an absolutely great horror watch, Hereditary is perfect.
Because today feels like the kind of day we could all use something wholesome and funny and beloved, I thought I would recommend a comic book. My comic book recommendation – Peanuts needs no advertisement from me. But any time I need to turn to something that is guaranteed to put a smile on my face? I turn to Charles M. Schulz. I’m sure you’ve seen Peanuts cartoons or read some comics in a newspaper or had a volume or two starring Snoopy. But I’m going to talk about my favorite way to read these comics. In complete volumes.
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
What is Peanuts about?
Put simply, Peanuts comics are about a group of kids who hang out together. The focus is usually on Charlie Brown who tends to run into a lot of bad luck. The most popular character in the series is his adorable dog, a beagle named Snoopy. We see his escapades as he tries (and often fails) to do normal kid things like fly a kite, win a baseball game, and kick a football.
It sounds simple but because Peanuts comics were around for fifty years in newspapers, there is a ton of material to enjoy. There is actually no need to read them in any particular order at all. And any one strip of Peanuts is almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face. But you probably know all of that already.
What you might be a little less familiar with are some of the older strips. These show the characters a little younger than we’re used to. And they introduce us to future mainstays like Woodstock and Schroeder. Virtually all of the comics are meant to give you a laugh but there are some very sweet and touching moments along the way.
In the earliest volumes the kids are just a bit meaner to each other than they tend to be in later years. But it’s still an amazing read and really fun.
How do I get started?
I’ve read most of the Peanuts comics. I can’t say I’ve definitely read every one because there is just such a big volume to them. But the complete volumes are about as close as you can get to make sure you’ve read the bulk of the work. The physical copy comes in a bit of an oddly shaped version. It’s 8.66 x 1.34 x 6.77 inches. This is like half the height of a normal book and it extends out a good bit. They fit three of the daily strips per page. So it sits a bit awkward on a bookshelf. But it’s a great book to lay on a coffee table or something like that. And I promise, if you leave it out, someone will pick it up and read it.
If you want to get started, I’d recommend starting literally anywhere with these books. Buy any volume from 1-26 and you’ve got a great comic in your hand.
But to make it easy I’ll just link to the first volume here. It’ll cost you around $27 bucks for the hardcover. Cheaper if you get it on Kindle.
If ya wanna be a pal, consider using one of the links in this blog when you get it!
And just to give you a taste, here’s a little sample.
In conclusion
Sometimes you just need a good laugh. Peanuts always provides that. It’s genuinely wholesome and always a fun read. You can read just a single strip or a whole collection any time and you’ll probably feel just a little better inside. It’s the small things sometimes.
Anyway, I hope you check out Peanuts if you haven’t or if it’s been a while. You’ll enjoy it.
P.S. Want another comic book recommendation? Check out The Goon!
This year the Cosmere role playing game is going to release at the end of the year. I thought now would be a great time for me to dive back in to the Cosmere books and I decided to start by re-reading Mistborn.
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If you want to get your own copy to read this year, it would help my blog out a lot if you purchased through the image above or clicked here.
Synopsis:
Once, a hero arose to save the world. He failed.
Ever since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist controlled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler.
But hope survives. A new uprising is forming, one built around the ultimate caper, the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind, and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a street urchin who must learn to master the power of a Mistborn.
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The first book in the Mistborn series introduces us to the main players and sets up the world they operate in. And it establishes the rules of magic for the world. This is a dystopian world where ash falls from the sky and the despotic Lord Ruler has governed for a thousand years. He stays in power by oppressing the Skaa people and making sure the nobility is beholden to his whims.
But in this world there are people with special gifts. They can do a kind of magic called Allomancy. The way this works is they ingest a small amount of metal. Then they use that metal to allow them to do things like enhance their senses an strengthen their bodies. And even, in one case, they can see briefly into possible futures.
Out of this world a few characters come up with a bold plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Kelsier, a famous thief recruits Vin, a teenage urchin, to put his plan into action. The story is from Vin’s point of view as she learns about the nobility, the Skaa, the Lord Ruler, and Allomancy.
But there is a reason this Lord Ruler has reigned for so long. He has every resource at his disposal. The bold plan of Kelsier’s may be doomed.
While I don’t think this is the best book of the series, it does a great job of establishing the heroes, villains, and mysteries of the world. As with a lot of Brandon Sanderson books, the magic system is complicated. But it works well and makes for some really memorable scenes. The opening scene of the book alone is one of the most epic in fantasy novels.
If you like fantasy books and you haven’t read Mistborn I highly recommend checking this one out. To take away any confusion, this book is known as Mistborn but you’ll also see it titled Mistborn: The Final Empire. You might even find it as just The Final Empire.
If you like heroic fantasy set against impossible odds, this book is for you.
Hoshi looks on at an Ariolimax portrayed by a banana slug
The pilot episodes of Star Trek Enterprise introduced us to the crew, established relationships with the Vulcan, Klingons, and Suliban, and gave us the first mission of the ship. Star Trek Enterprise: Fight or Flight takes a quieter approach and focuses on a few key characters while delivering a major threat. I’ll be reviewing this second episode today.
If you want to know the chronology of the episodes I’ll be watching, I’ll be going down this list. If you notice I’ve missed an episode, let me know and I’ll correct it. And if you missed my first post about Star Trek, you can check that out right here.
First contact with a slug
The episode starts with Hoshi and Dr. Phlox looking at a slug-like creature. Hoshi is the one who picked up the specimen and she’s worried it will die because it’s not eating anything. Dr. Phlox wants to keep it alive so he can feed it to his bat. Hoshi calls it a she but Dr. Phlox points out he hasn’t determined it’s gender if it has one. And the way Hoshi looks at it we can tell she strongly identifies with this slug from an alien planet. The slug is an Ariolimax and it does look otherworldly. But they actually used a banana slug for the scene.
Trip comes in to tell Dr. Phlox they rerouted power to sickbay and asks how the slug is doing. He’s bummed because the only alien contact they have had in two weeks is with this slug. He’s clearly hoping for something interesting to happen.
Of slugs, sleep, and squeaks
T’Pol comes to visit Captain Archer in his quarters. He’s bothered by a noise he’s hearing. T’Pol lets him know the sectors ahead don’t have much life in them either. Archer also assumes the Vulcans must have found something interesting out this way. But T’Pol assures him they don’t share humans love of exploration and they don’t explore based on what piques their interests. I’m not sure how true that actually is but Archer writes it off as being Vulcan logic.
Hoshi interrupts this conversation and T’Pol leaves. Archer also wants to know about the slug, who they have named, “Slugo.” Hoshi then complains her quarters are on the wrong side of the ship for her. She can’t sleep because of it and she wants to switch rooms. Archer grants it but it feels like a weird request and Hoshi looks like she wants to say more but she leaves Archer to figure out what the squeaking noise is that he hears.
Targeting problems
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed and Ensign Mayweather run targeting simulations but they are off by three meters. Mayweather says it’s only three meters. But Reed says three meters could be the difference between hitting a weapons port and a warp core. He’s afraid they might destroy a vessel instead of disabling it.
Here’s something I love about Star Trek. Reed’s first concern here isn’t that he’s not going to hit a target. He’s worried he will cause more damage than necessary. While he is in charge of some seriously powerful weapons, this guy is looking for the least loss of life he can. I honestly can’t think of another show outside of Star Trek that thinks this way.
To be fair, he’s also afraid this will blow up the Enterprise too but that was not his first consideration. Reed is glad they haven’t found any intelligent life yet because he knows these weapons are not ready. Mayweather thinks Reed is being a bit paranoid and points out that everyone else on board can’t wait for first contact.
Captain Archer comes down to check on their progress and they explain the problem. Archer thinks it could be a problem with the simulation so he has the ship drop out of warp for target practice. Turns out it wasn’t the simulations, there really is an issue. Reed will have to make some adjustments but Archer goes back into warp. And this whole time, Hoshi is looking uncomfortable and nervous as she watches the torpedoes miss their targets. One almost hits Enterprise so I can’t blame her.
The first mess hall scene of Star Trek Enterprise
I don’t know exactly why but I always enjoy and find comforting the mess hall scenes in Star Trek. I think it’s because these scenes allow for quieter moments between characters. It’s rarely about the food they are eating. And something said here is almost always pivotal to either character development or a story happening in the episode.
This mess hall scene involves Trip and Dr. Phlox. Trip sits down next to the doctor who immediately prompts him to eat one of his own half eaten potatoes. Dr. Phlox is obviously not entirely versed on human eating habits. Trip seems uncomfortable. But Phlox has learned that unlike his home planet, speaking during a meal is acceptable for humans.
Trip explains how he’s feeling a bit restless with the lack of contact so far. Phlox feels the opposite because he’s learning so much about humans. And he doesn’t quite have the understanding of human etiquette. He even tells Trip he wonders if a couple on the ship would let him watch them mate. This will come up again in the series but Dr. Phlox is far less prudish than most of the members of Enterprise.
There is something out there
T’Pol does pick something up on the scanners eventually. It’s a vessel out in space and it’s not moving. Captain Archer sends a very diplomatic message to the ship. He lets them know they are on a peaceful mission of exploration and they come from Earth. He even sends a pulsar grid to show the aliens where Earth is. Despite sending this through the translation matrix, there is no response.
Closer inspection of the ship reveals hull breaches and scorch marks. This ship was likely attacked. The tension builds here as Archer wants to scan for life but TPol asserts this could be considered a breach of privacy. She wants to resume course.
Of course, humans are gonna human, so Archer scans for life signs. There are life forms aboard but below the sensitivity of their normal scans. Mayweather thinks they could be in trouble or sick. T’Pol recommends they try alternate methods of contact and Hoshi agrees.
But instead, Archer has Reed prepare a shuttle and takes a reluctant Hoshi along for the ride.
Star Trek Enterprise: Fight or Flight
Commander “Trip” Tucker is upset he doesn’t get to go. But Archer points out Enterprise needs Trip more at the moment.
Archer muses in his quarters about T’Pol and realizes she might be right about these aliens not wanting Enterprise to board their ship. Ultimately he decides they need to take action. Hoshi comes back to Archer’s quarters to try to be allowed to stay. Poor Archer can’t win here with some people itching to go and Hoshi begging to stay. But Archer won’t let her stay despite the excuses she keeps making.
Before boarding the shuttle, Reed gives everyone going a phase pistol. That does not make Hoshi feel any better about this.
In the alien vessel, the crew finds something unexpected. There is almost no power on board and there is a trail of blood. They discover hydraulic pumps and Hoshi lets out a blood curdling scream as she sees bodies hanging from the ceiling. It’s at this point that I think T’Pol might have been right. But it is now time for Enterprise to decide if they flee or if they fight whoever did this.
Whoever did this is dangerous
Turns out there were fifteen people killed, hung upside down, and had their body fluids drained. T’Pol insists they should leave. And yeah, that is definitely logical at this point. But Archer can’t bring himself to leave the bodies. To his credit he does go to warp three and resume course.
Hoshi goes to sickbay to check in with the slug and Dr. Phlox reassures her that it is a totally normal reaction to scream when you see dead bodies strung up on a ceiling. I’m no doctor but I think he’s right on this one. The slug is still not eating but Phlox tries a protein. If the slug won’t eat it, it is going to die.
Dr. Phlox also asks Hoshi if she ever considered teaching rather than exploring. She gets a little upset and realizes the Captain needs her there. But she also feels like she’s not living up to the mission.
Worried about the slug, Hoshi says, “She needs to get back to an environment more suited to her.” To which Dr. Phlox replies, “Perhaps someplace where she could teach.”
While I get the point the doctor is making here, it was maybe not the best bedside manner. But I think it does drive home the point to Hoshi.
We’re going back
Over an awkward dinner with T’Pol and Trip, Captain Archer realizes he left fifteen dead crewmen just floating out in space. Archer asks T’Pol what she would have done if these people had been Vulcans. She points out that they weren’t Vulcans and that it’s very difficult to know who they were or who to contact to retrieve the bodies. Archer also asks Trip if he would have reacted the same if they were human. Trip points out that whoever did this is probably coming back. Archer realizes they can’t avoid confrontation forever. Archer kind of gets angry at T’Pol saying she has an answer for everything. She replies they have a code of behavior and they try to obey it.
Captain Archer points out humans have a code of behavior too. Which means they are going back. I think Archer’s motivations are noble here and I understand why he would want to go back. But I honestly think T’Pol is right in this situation. Their weapons aren’t calibrated correctly, they don’t know who these people were, and more importantly they don’t know who attacked. It’s a fraught situation to say the least.
This time Archer brings Dr. Phlox to help identify the species, Trip to get the ship’s comms up and running, and poor Hoshi has to go back.
Here’s what is going on
Dr. Phlox figures out how they all died. Each one killed in a different way. But they were all strung up the same way. He takes a body to perform an autopsy on. Trip gets the comms on and they discover a repeating signal. Hoshi figures out it is a distress call.
The autopsy reveals whoever did this is trying to collect triglobulin which is similar to human lymphatic fluid. That’s pretty unsettling. And it gives off vibes of the movie Alien as they all discuss this morbid stuff in their exo-suits. Phlox thinks this stuff could be used for anything from vaccines to aphrodisiacs.
For his part, Trip is thrilled. He is also jealous of Hoshi because she’ll probably be needed on away missions more than he will. Hoshi tells Trip she’s going to ask the Captain to take her home. But she does get a small boost of confidence once she decodes the distress message. We won’t find out until the end of the episode but these aliens are called the Axanar.
It might be time to fight
T’Pol signals Captain Archer and lets him know there is a vessel approaching. And worse, it’s power signature matches the scans of the bio pumps draining the dead bodies. Whoever did this has returned. The away crew hurry back to the shuttle so they can return to Enterprise. T’Pol asks Reed if the weapons are ready He says the answer is most likely no. T’Pol commands him to do the best he can and be on the bridge in five minutes.
Things get exciting as the shuttle comes to dock with Enterprise. T’Pol has tried to hail the other ship but there is no response. And Enterprise’s scanners can’t penetrate the shielding to know what kind of weapons are on this other ship.
Just as the shuttle gets onto the docking arm the enemy ship fires, targeting the engines. The away crew is able to get off of the shuttle and onto Enterprise but they haven’t been able to go to warp. The engines have been damaged by the hits.
Archer has Malcolm arm the torpedoes.
Things get worse
With torpedoes loaded, Reed fires at the enemy ship. It bounces off the ship. The second shot is blasted away by the enemy. Suddenly, some kind of bio-scan goes through the ship and Dr. Phlox speculates they have figured out human lymphatic systems contain some useful compounds.
Archer orders Malcolm to get to the armory and start distributing hand weapons. But just after that, another vessel drops out of warp on an intercept course.
This ship actually hails Enterprise. They recognize this person as from the same species as the murdered crew. Archer is visibly relieved. Archer has Hoshi tell the Captain of that ship they weren’t the ones who attacked their friends. Rather, it was the ship above Enterprise which is about to attack.
Two characters get a moment to shine
Hoshi puts things in the translator relay but it doesn’t seem to make sense. This new ship locks on to Enterprise with a stabilizing beam. Now, even impulse engines won’t work. The translations continue to go poorly as the Axanar thinks Enterprise killed his friends. T’Pol calmly tells Hoshi to tell him they sent the distress call. It would make no sense for Enterprise to do that after they killed the crew. The Axanar ship then says the distress call came from his ship not the Enterprise. Archer explains they had to go there to find their frequency. The guy then asks why the humans were there two years ago. Hoshi assumes he means two days ago.
She is probably right but then again, we have already established time travel here so who knows? Hoshi keeps trying but it seems like the Axanar aren’t gong to help. Archer has the idea to tell them to run scans on the pumps hooked up to the corpses. Hoshi puts this into the translator but she can’t get the word for pump right. Captain Archer tells Hoshi to forget the translator and do it herself. This is her chance to talk in a new language to a living alien for the first time. Hoshi comes through and lives up to the moment. This ship will help Enterprise.
Meanwhile, on the weapons front, the enemy ship starts drilling into the hull. But with the Axanar ship helping, the enemy ship lets go of Enterprise. Malcolm says he has the scanners aligned and asks for permission to launch a torpedo. This time it hits dead on and Malcolm has his moment to shine.
The Axanar wait for Enterprise to get clear and they blow up the enemy ship.
Star Trek Enterprise: Fight or Flight conclusion
When the dust clears, Archer tells Hoshi they may have just made a friend, thanks to her. Captain Archer then goes back to do his star log. In case you are wondering, this is May 6th 2151. They did spend some time with the Axanar who are androgynous and live over 400 years. The Enterprise does make a detour to put Slugo on a world more suited to it. I’m really not sure how that would affect a world’s ecology or what the ethics of that are but Hoshi tells the slug, “It’s not that hard to adapt. You’re going to do just fine here.” Obviously, she’s not just talking about the slug here.
While this episode was not as action packed as the pilot there is some great character development here. Mostly for Hoshi but a little bit for Malcolm who also overcomes a challenge. And we’ll see more of the eagerness to explore come out in Trip in future episodes as well. Plus, Archer and T’Pol continue their tense relationship but do come to trust each other a little more with each interaction.
I think episodes like these in Star Trek shows are great. Watching Hoshi overcome her fears in a tense moment, to me, is just as exciting as the battle itself. And while some might consider this a little simplistic, the story really nails the moment. If you ever want to understand the character development of Hoshi, you can’t skip over this episode. Future episodes will give other characters their chance to shine. Although, not all of them meet the challenge as well as this episode does.
This episode didn’t allow for a lot of exploration but it did involve some first contact. The next episode is titled Strange New World, so we’re definitely getting to see a bit more of an alien planet soon.
Fantastic Four #16 (Photo Credit: Marvel, Writer: Stan Lee, Artist: Jack Kirby
There is so much to talk about in Fantastic Four #16. This issue brings back one of the best villains in all of comics, is the first meeting between Ant-Man and the team, and introduces Reed and friends to the microverse. While there have already been some fun stories, this is the first time it feels like Fantastic Four has real staying power and begins to tell a connected story for Marvel 616.
The opening page of the issue feels more like a film poster than a comic book page. It’s reminiscent of those amazing B movie posters from the 50s and 60s featuring strange stories about monsters and adventurers. It promises us the return of, “The world’s most dangerous super-villain!”. It has a huge title which says, The micro-world of Dr. Doom with doom himself looming over a microscope as The Thing and Johnny Storm attack it. A banner at the top advertises a special guest star, “The amazing Ant-man!” And at the bottom of the page we see Reed and Sue looking up in shock while Ant-man rides a flying ant next to them.
The artwork by Jack Kirby conveys so much through movement and perspective that it’s immediately interesting. Each glance back at it gives me something new to appreciate here. And we haven’t even gotten to the story!
Getting into the story itself a few things happen and they all relate to Johnny Storm. First an amateur rooftop astronomer in New York city is overjoyed at finding a new comet. A doctor in an operating room is able to complete a surgery despite the power being out when a streak of light crosses the window. And a group of thugs is caught red handed when the same light allows cops to see what they are up to. What’s the cause of all this? The Human Torch streaking through the air. He’s headed to the Baxter building. Why? no one is answering his signal.
He knows there is something wrong but he can’t think of any power strong enough to overwhelm the rest of his team. Inside the building there are no signs of life. But eventually Johnny sees the outstretched arm of a tiny Mr. Fantastic. His team mates have been shrunken down to the size of toys and they are in danger of being pulled into an air duct.
Johnny welds the duct shut. His friends are safe. But they are small. Suddenly they grow to regular size. Johnny asks how it all happened but none of them seem to have a clue. But then an odd thing starts to happen. Each member of the team tells about an incident when they also shrunk in the recent past.
Personally, I think this is something you’d want to share with the group. But they all say they were too afraid of no one believing them. I mean, these people have incredible powers, have encountered super villains, aliens and underground civilizations, but apparently shrinking is too weird to be believed.
Anyway, just as they all start to share, they hear a voice say, “Hah! You fools! You are helpless as putty before my power! This is only the beginning of what I have in store for you!”
None of them know who spoke but it seems like Reed and Johnny suspect. One by one the heroes tell their tales of shrinking. Johnny was working on his car when it happened. The Thing was working out with a 3 ton weight when it happened. For Sue Storm the incident occurred when she was on a talk show but the audience just assumed she turned invisible. And for Reed Richards, he was testing out the fantasti-car when it happened to him. They all suddenly grew back to normal size with no real explanation.
After everyone tells their tale, Reed has a good thought. He could contact Ant-man. Sue isn’t sure he even really exists. I guess all those newspaper stories about him must have been made up? I don’t know.
Conveniently for the team, Henry Pym’s ants were listening. They relay the incident to Ant-man who rushes over to the Baxter building. He leaves The Wasp in charge while he is gone.
The Fantastic Four are shocked when Ant-man shows up just as they’re trying to figure out how to contact him. Reed uses what he calls a “crystal magnifying amplifier” to allow the group to see and hear the tiny Ant-man better. It’s basically a clear box of some kind but it gets the job done. Ant-man then gives the team a solution with two drops of fluid. One drop is for shrinking and the other is for growing. Henry then goes back to his own lab to learn what he can.
For a moment Reed wonders if Ant-man could be behind the whole thing. I think that’s a reasonable suspicion given the circumstances. But Sue Storm gives irrefutable proof that it could not be him. She says, “Oh no, Reed! He’s much too cute!” Well, I guess that’s proof then.
The next day Ben Grimm is helping out his friend Alicia. Reed comes up and excitedly pours a formula down The Thing’s throat, telling him it’s a cure for him. He won’t need to be the rocky Thing anymore. But out of all people in the 616 universe, Reed Richards has the absolute worst sense of timing. He gives this stuff to Ben while he is… literally holding a piano. Reed lets Ben know it’s only temporary but the piano goes crashing to the floor. Alicia, who is blind, is a little upset to feel Ben’s face in human form. She loves him for him. Ben asks Reed to basically stop trying to change him back from being The Thing and start helping Alicia to see again instead.
But just then a voice speaks again. It says, “…Beware of Doctor Doom! He’s trying to— ohhh!! Help!”
Meanwhile, Johnny entertains his friends by showing off his powers. He does this a lot by the way. But he also hears a voice warning him about Doctor Doom.
For her part, Sue Storm is experimenting with perfumes. She believes her only weakness is that even when she is invisible, dogs can sniff her out. She’s trying to make a scent that will deaden a dong’s sense of smell. It doesn’t work. But she also hears the voice just as the rest of the team arrives. They discuss things for a while and decide it’s possible Doom is still alive so they take the reducing serum.
They start shrinking but it’s so fast they have to take the enlarging formula to slow it down. And the group enters what Sue Storm calls a, “micro-world — a world which might fit on the head of a pin!”
An interesting tidbit about the microverse here. While this is the first time the team has experienced this world, this is not the first time it appeared in Marvel comics. In fact, it debuted way back in 1943 in the pages of Captain America #26. This is technically outside of the timeline of Marvel 616 so, like the Sub-Mariner, this existed before the current heroes we are reading about did. And at the present moment in Marvel 616 there is no Captain America to tell the team what they are getting into here. This doesn’t really change the story in any way but I just find it interesting when things from even older comics pop up in the pages of Marvel 616 stories.
As much trouble as this place sounds like, it’s worse. As soon as they land, the team discovers Dr. Doom has overthrown this world. And Doom has been waiting for the team to show up. They try to attack but Doom activates a shrinking ray from his throne.
Being a true villain, Doom can’t help but explain how he came to power in this place. We get a short recap of how he was shrunk down back in FF #10. Doom was quite angry to find himself in a place where people were… living in peace and happy. You can’t really accuse the Marvel 616 comics of the 1960s of subtlety can you?
Doom impresses the king and the princess Pearla by crafting a telescope and they think he’s a wizard. They make him the court scientist and he promptly invents a shrinking ray and shrinks the king and princess. You know, as you do. he then invents a whole machine just so he could send his shrinking ray and project his voice to taunt the Fantastic Four.
Despite their small size, Doom’s guards have a tough time capturing the team as they use their powers. But Doom captures Sue under glass and uses a sleeping gas on the rest of the team. When they wake up they find they are imprisoned with the king and princess Pearla.
They are in what looks like an underwater apparatus but it’s actually an acidic fluid surrounding the place. And it’s filled with mechanical sharks spying on them the whole time. Johnny flames on and that startles Pearla. Johnny gets a bit flirty with her saying, “Heck! I wouldn’t scare a living doll like you!” Pearla seems pretty impressed by him. And I gotta say, Johnny is not, at least at this point, a one girl type of guy.
They figure out the voice warning them about Doom belonged to Pearla. Doom wants Pearla to marry him. He’s forcing her into marriage by contacting a planet called Tok. This is a planet of lizard people. And Doom has decided the Fantastic Four will be slaves to these aliens.
We get a description of how our heroes will be used. Reed will be used as a bridge for their troops during their invasions! The Thing will be forced to pull out riches from their diamond mines! The Torch will be forced to attack their victims with his flaming powers! And Sue Storm will be… a scullery maid! Come on Lizard men of Tok, you can think of something better for her.
Back at the Baxter building Ant-man returns to find the team gone. He shrinks himself down until he ends up in the micro-world as well. He puts up a good fight but Doom’s guards capture him.
From their prison, Reed has Ben tear out pieces of the wall to make a shelter for the good guys. They turn this into a sort of floating capsule that can take them to the surface.
While they make their escape, Doom is handing off Ant-man to the aliens from Tok. But the Invisible Girl frees Henry Pym. The team gets themselves and the king and Pearla up to regular size. Well, regular for the micro-world.
The team runs to the landing area where the lizard men are about to land. But The Thing grabs a control tower and uses it as a baseball bat to swat the ship away. Ant-man fights his way past the guards. Sue Storm stays invisible and snags Doom’s gun. Doom ducks through a trap door and takes off running. He heads back to our world to, “…give them a reception they’ll never forget!”
With Doom gone the guards are a piece of cake. To repay them, the king allows our heroes to use his enlarging ray to go back home. Pearla doesn’t want Johnny to go and calls him the most fascinating man she’s ever met. Johnny says he’s gotta go back to his “pards” but says he might be back.
And with that the group steps in front of the enlarging ray and… the issue ends!
For the first time in Marvel 616 history, we are embarking on a continuous two-issue story. It’s a huge step towards the longer narrative that is building.
There are a lot of really interesting things going on in this issue. We’ve got a major villain who is becoming an incredible threat. We have a true crossover with the FF and Ant-man. And we’ve been introduced to a whole new world. It’s one that will come up over and over again. The artwork is out of this world good here and really broke boundaries at the time. And the story, while silly at times, really is engaging. And at the very end of the issue, there is a pinup page detailing the powers of Mr. Fantastic.
Can the story be topped? Can it come to a satisfying conclusion? We’re ending on a cliffhanger. So you’re going to have to wait until next time to find out. (Or you could, you know, read the comic yourself if you want)
Next up on our reading list, we’re going to find out what happens with our heroes in the pages of Fantastic Four #17!
Hey everyone, Slick Dungeon here! If you know me, you would consider me a cinephile. I see more films than most people and I like all kinds of genres. So, rarely does a film come along that is surreal, challenging, multi-layered, beautifully shot, and interesting that I have not seen. I can say without a doubt I Saw the TV Glow does all of that. However, there are some big cautions before I recommend it.
This is an A24 psychological horror film about two people who bond over a television show. If tell you much more than that, I will spoil the film. But not everyone will appreciate this one. The movie may very well challenge your patience. To say it is a slow burn is an understatement. There are long pauses and hyper-focusing on mundane events. Yet the surreal aspects in the movie do keep you guessing as to what is real and what is something else.
Overall the film provides a sense of dread and sometimes small bursts of terror but not in the traditional sense of horror. The story itself is multi-layered and the ending can be divisive but I think it works in the long run. There are several interpretations you can take away from the movie but I think, no matter what way you look at it, this film is ultimately about identity. Do we choose to accept who we are or bury ourselves deep in the ground?
The film is also a callback to 90s nostalgia. I think I’m just a little too old to truly appreciate that aspect but I’m young enough to recognize what is going on. If you were into oddball kids shows like Goosebumps in the 90s the show within the movie is going to feel familiar to you.
I can’t emphasize enough that this film expects both your attention and your patience. This is something we’ve almost entirely lost in film lately so I really appreciate it here. But if you are not comfortable with the surreal this may not be for you. And if you need constant action, this film will frustrate. But I promise you, you aren’t going to find a film like it anytime soon.
It’s a bold statement made by true artists. Whether you like that or not is up to you but I hope A24 does continue to allow their creators to take risks and tell us new stories. The more of that we get, the better film in general will be.
Some people will find the ending too abrupt. I admit, I was waiting for some kind of major event to twist things around and it never quite came. But the end they did go with is just as impactful. This is the kind of film that probably needs multiple viewings to be appreciated. And you have to be comfortable with a heavy dose of ambiguity and interpretation. But if you can keep an open mind, you’re in for a unique experience.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is a show unique to the Star Wars galaxy. This is a show focused on four kids who end up on a forgotten ship. They have to navigate their way through challenges ranging from pirates to personal limitations. The stars of the show are Wim played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Fern played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, KB played by Kyriana Kratter, and Neel who is voiced by Robert Timothy Smith and acted by performance artist Kacie Borrowman. Rounding out the cast is Jod Na Nawood played by Jude Law.
What is it about?
The series begins with the four kids living in a mundane suburban style environment which feels much like the ones found in America. These children go to school and take assessment tests. They ride what amounts to a bus to school. Things still look futuristic on their home planet of At Attin but this is a place not disturbed by the downfall of the Jedi nor the rise of the Empire. It’s protected inside a barrier which does not allow ships to enter or leave their planet.
One day the four children stumble upon an abandoned ship. Without intending to, they take off and leave through the barrier. For the rest of the series the kids try to overcome their differences, work together, and find a way home. There are many people looking to take advantage of these children. At Attin is nearly forgotten as legend in the galaxy and is rumored to have boundless treasure.
Jod Na Nawood is an opportunistic pirate looking to make a big score. When he comes across the kids, he does his best to profit off of them.
Should you watch Star Wars: Skeleton Crew?
I don’t want to spoil too much about the series for anyone who has not seen it yet. But that’s the basic premise. I will say this series doesn’t exactly feel like Star Wars to me. It shares DNA with movies like The Goonies, E.T. or even the show Stranger Things. It’s a group of kids thrown together to try to overcome obstacles. The adults are either unhelpful, unaware, or actively trying to harm the children. But while watching you never get the sense the kids will be put in serious danger.
The show is clearly targeted to a younger audience so I will say I am not the intended demographic here. And I think that’s great, actually. There is only one other Star Wars story I can think of that truly focuses on a child and that is Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. And that’s focused on a kid we know grows up to be one of the greatest villains in the galaxy.
While I can’t say I was thoroughly entertained here, I do think this is a good show for kids. I found it to be predictable in most instances but it has a clear sense of adventure and fun. There weren’t any “filler” episodes but there were times when the characters seemed to be shuffled from one place to another just to drive the story. But I don’t think that is something a young kid will notice.
Ultimately, if you are a Star Wars fan or you have a kid you want to introduce to Star Wars this is a good show to let them watch. I do have a caveat to that which I will get into below.
Things Skeleton Crew got right
Another thing I appreciate about the series, and wish would happen in more Star Wars shows, is an actual conclusion. If you watch the first season, you will get a full and complete story. Not that there aren’t some missing pieces or plot holes here and there but the story has a true ending. I was not frustrated as I was with ending of The Acolyte because Disney wouldn’t renew the series. I still want the end of that show. Skeleton Crew thought ahead enough to make sure we had an ending.
The kids in the series all nailed their roles here. I usually don’t like to talk to much about the performance of any child because, well, the real world sucks for kids who didn’t deliver an amazing performance in a show. But these kids were phenomenal. I fully bought into the dynamics of not just the kids characters but the way they developed their relationship over time. It is predictable how it plays out but it doesn’t make you root for these kids any less.
And one thing to call out specifically for this show is the portrayal of KB. She’s a kid in the series who had an accident and now has droid parts which help her to move and see. She’s differently abled than the rest of the kids and she has a moment where she acknowledges it. She embraces her different-ness. She doesn’t see it as a bad thing necessarily but she acknowledges both her limitations and enhancements. It was refreshing to see this in any show but especially in a Star Wars show.
Things Skeleton Crew could improve
In addition to being predictable, there were reasons the show didn’t feel like Star Wars to me. For one, this feels like a story we’ve been told before as there are so many shows and movies involving a group of kids coming together to overcome a problem. It’s pretty standard. At times it felt as if this story was meant to be told as something else but then shoved into Star Wars.
I don’t mind that but there were moments that seemed like, oh they were going for Stranger Things there or whatever. This is odd to say but it felt like I was being told a story rather than traveling to a galaxy far, far away. Since Star Wars is essentially fantasy this shouldn’t bother me but I think the mimicked suburbs just felt way too much like anywhere you can go in America.
So, to my caution for showing a kid this series first in the Star Wars cannon. I’m not sure this is a best first show for a kid. Why? Well, once they see it they are going to assume other Star Wars stories are similar. While there may be more seasons of Skeleton Crew, I doubt we’ll get another story involving kids like this one soon.
As entertaining as Jude Law was in his role, I feel like Jod Na Nawood as a character had a lot of wasted potential. He’s either a roguish pirate, or a helpful Jedi (I won’t spoil that part for you) but in the final episode he says something that makes me want to see so much more about his life. And Skeleton Crew is not the show to accomplish that. I don’t really want a spin-off show of this show but I’d read a novel about his early life.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew in Conclusion
If you like an entertaining show that is well acted, full of fun, includes a good dose of adventure but is predictable this is a good show. If you want something complex and full of the backstory of the galaxy that touches on events we’ve seen before, this is not the show for you. It’s not what I would call essential viewing for a Star Wars fan. But I do think it’s a fun entry into the Star Wars universe. I want there to be more stories told about the galaxy, even if the vibe isn’t exactly for me. I hope Disney takes notes here and doesn’t decide they need to just make more Skeleton Crew. Rather, I hope they make more kinds of Star Wars shows both geared toward kids and adults. We’ll have to see.
I don’t think most people will think the show is a waste of time but I don’t think everyone is going to love this either. But it was a worthy effort and I’d like to see more of that.
May the force be with you.
P.S. Want to see more Star Wars reviews? Check out those posts here.
Hello everyone, Slick Dungeon here. I’m finally back to do the next entry in my How to play Call of Cthulhu series. This time we’re talking Skills. I’ll go over what they are and how they are used in the game. If you’re new to this game or haven’t seen my earlier posts, start here.
There is an extensive list of skills in the Keeper Rulebook so I won’t be talking about each one individually here. Rather we’re going to talk about the idea of what skills are, some ways they come up in game play, and some things to keep in mind when choosing skills for your investigator.
Skills defined
This will probably sound obvious but a skill is something your character can do. They will have some skills they excel at and others they are very limited in. A taxi driver in New York City might have excellent skill at Drive Auto but would be unlikely to have great skill in Pharmacy. It could happen but it’s just not likely. And it will depend on the background of your character and the circumstances of your campaign.
The skills in the game are represented by a percentage. The higher your investigator’s percentage is in a certain skill, the more likely they are to succeed at any checks made involving that skill. You are limited by the game rules as to how many skills and to what percentage your investigator can have. And you will want to think carefully about what skills would be best to cultivate not only for your investigator but for the era, location, and circumstances of the scenario you are playing in.
Below I will give you the example from the book so you know what skill points mean.
Skill points
On page 54 of the Keeper Rulebook they have a handy chart you can reference if you are not sure how skilled your character is.
Skill points reference chart from page 54 of the Keeper Rulebook by Chaosium
As you can see, it’s advantageous to be higher in any skill you might want to use in the game. But it’s very difficult to be higher than 89% in any particular skill. This wouldn’t be just someone who spent a lifetime honing a skill, they would also be someone who is more of an expert than almost anyone else.
On the opposite end, anyone with 01%-05% has no skill to speak of. When you have a skill this low, you are sometimes able to increase the skill during the game but you have low odds of succeeding on a skill check involving this skill.
The majority of your skills are going to fall somewhere in the middle of this range. There are differing degrees to which you can be successful with these skills. If your skill is above 50% you could make a living at it but you’re not considered a true expert here.
One thing to keep in mind as you are looking at your skills (and that I tended to forget when I first started playing) is that you typically want to roll under your skill percentage to succeed. This is beneficial because the higher percentage you have, the easier it is to succeed. However, progressing in that skill becomes more difficult the higher your percentage is. For example, if you are learning to skateboard and you have never done this before, it’s easy to go from novice to neophyte. But once you become a well known and skilled skateboarder it is much more difficult to go from amateur to professional. And even harder to go from professional to expert.
Skill specializations
Within certain skills there are specializations. For example your investigator might be great at a particular kind of science. Maybe they are a physicist. While a physicist understands science broadly, she isn’t necessarily an expert in biology. The rule book will tell you which group of skills have a specialization. Another example is fighting. You can specialize in certain types of fighting. But if the skill group is specialized you can’t be an expert in that general skill. Our physicist can be an expert in physics but she can’t be an expert in just science in general.
Opposing Skill
For many of the skills listed in the book, there is a section giving guidance about opposing skills and what the difficulty of success is. Let’s go back to our example of the physicist. She wants to conduct an experiment in her lab. She has all of the proper equipment and a hypothesis. She’s up to date on the latest academic research. And she’s got plenty of time to complete the task.
In this situation, the Keeper will likely call for an opposing skill check with a regular difficulty. This means to succeed at her experiment, the player would need to roll equal to or below the skill value of the investigator.
This is a normal experiment where things go well.
Now, let’s take that same example and add some complications. Instead of doing the experiment in her lab, our scientist has found a strange substance in the woods. It’s an area where people have been disappearing and there is no explanation for it. She goes back to her lab but it has burned down. She has some equipment at home and can use her small kitchen for the experiment. This is going to be far more difficult than the first example. This will likely be considered a Hard check by the Keeper. In this case, our investigator has to roll equal to or below half of her skill value. If her skill is 80%, instead of rolling equal to or under 80, she must roll equal to or under 40 to succeed.
Finally, there is an Extreme difficulty. For this, let’s use our example above but add more complications. Now, she’s in her house conducting her experiment but someone set a fire to her house and she has to work fast. In this case the player must roll under one-fifth of her skill value. She has to roll a 16 or less to succeed. Not impossible but very difficult.
Pushing and combining Skills
We’ll get more into this as I dive deeper into game mechanics in a future post but there are sometimes chances to “push” a roll. Basically what it gets down to is when you fail a check there may be circumstances which allow you to roll again. However, as nice as that sounds, there are risks. If you push a roll and then fail again, something even worse than your first failure is likely to happen. It’s a balance knowing when you should push a roll and when you should take the loss. And it’s one of the things that makes the game fun!
Another type of roll you might be asked to make is a combined skill roll. There are two ways this can happen. In the first situation you will roll once but compare your result against two skills. For this result to succeed you have to roll under both skills. If you have a skill with an 80% and one with a 60% and you roll 70 you do not succeed. The second way this can happen is the Keeper may allow you to use one roll and compare the result to either skill. In this example, if you have an 80% in one and a 60% in the other and you roll a 70 you do succeed because you rolled under 80.
This can feel a little awkward at first but as you play it will start to come naturally. And we’ll talk about it more in a later post.
Optional rules
There are some optional rules in the end of chapter on skills in the Keeper Rulebook. These have to do with transferable skills in the specializations and languages. I’m not really going to go into those here. These rules are optional so it’s up to the discretion of the Keeper. What they boil down to is when you become more of an expert in one particular part of your specialization, this might transfer into the skills in the rest of that skill group. It does make sense that someone who already speaks three languages might have less difficulty in understanding a fourth than someone who is monolingual learning a second language. But we’ll leave that up to your Keeper.
In conclusion
Skills in Call of Cthulhu are a huge part of the game and integral to how an investigator operates in the game world. The chapter on skills has a ton of options so it does help to know what the background of your investigator is before even looking in that part of the book. We’ll get more into how they are used as I continue this series.
In the next post I’ll get into some specifics about game play rules, not including combat, chases, sanity, or magic. I’ll touch on each of those subjects with later posts. For now, I hope this helps you to understand skills a bit and I’ll see you next time!
Strange Tales #111 (C Story) Photo Credit: Marvel, Writer: Stan Lee, Artist: Steve Ditko
When Dr. Strange first appeared there hadn’t been much out there like him. Sure, there were some comics that featured magic or magic users. But the groundbreaking artwork of Steve Ditko left an impression on first glance with this series. It was like looking at a surrealist painting and falling into a world where the rules of physics did not apply.
So one would think the introduction of one of Strange’s main rivals would be just as groundbreaking. Strange Tales #111 (C story) introduces us to Baron Mordo. He will go on to be a thorn in Strange’s side for years to come. But this story feels rather mundane for such a villain.
Probably the most interesting thing in the story is the narrator comments on the scroll at the beginning of the story which says, “Men call him Dr. Strange, and speak his name in whispers! But there is another– One who is still more dreaded! In this tale of the occult you are about to meet Dr. Strange’s arch-foe, the dreaded Baron Mordo!!”
The story begins in a heavily guarded castle in the heart of Europe. Baron Mordo is at home and is angry there is still one man who knows more secrets of black magic than he does. No, it’s not Dr. Strange. It’s the Master. Mordo wants to know all of this man’s secrets and he’s willing to kill for it. Mordo figures once he has this knowledge, he can do away with Dr. Strange.
Mordo goes into a trance and enters the astral plane. This is a key component of Dr. Strange stories. What does Mordo do? He finds the servant who prepares the Master’s meals. He hypnotizes this servant and gets him to put poison in the Master’s food.
Sure enough, The Master eats his food and is poisoned. Perhaps Mordo doesn’t have the best planning skills though. He demands the Master give up all his secrets but the Master is willing to die to guard them. If that happens, Mordo is left with nothing.
Coincidentally, Dr. Strange has just finished a black magic experiment and projects into the astral plane to tell his Master about it. Through Strange’s enchanted amulet he can tell the Master is in trouble. His astral projection races to Tibet to protect his mentor.
Mordo and Strange have what amounts to a metaphysical fist fight. Strange can’t understand why Mordo wouldn’t want to help his fellow man and Mordo can’t understand why Strange wouldn’t want to rule over them. Strange uses a bit of trickery telling Mordo his amulet can trace Mordo’s spirit to where his body is. Mordo’s astral projection races back to his body. This was just a ruse, Strange’s amulet couldn’t do that but the trick enabled Strange to follow Mordo to where he actually was. Since Mordo is no longer on the astral plane, his control over the servant is severed.
Mordo vows never to rest until he has destroyed Dr. Strange and the Master. Dr. Strange knows he has won this round but also knows Mordo will be back for more. We’re then promised more tales of the occult in future issues of Strange Tales.
While this issue does introduce a big villain, it’s largely uninspired and doesn’t show the flare of future stories. There’s not artwork in this one that is truly groundbreaking and if you took the astral projection out, this would essentially be a fist fight between two students who hate one another.
There are much bigger, much more interesting, and far more revolutionary stories in store for Dr. Strange but that’s where we must leave him for now.
Next up we’ll be checking in on our family of heroes, The Fantastic Four in the pages of Fantastic Four #16! And they’ll be joined by the Ant-Man himself in this issue!
Hello crew! I talk a lot about Star Wars on this blog but there is another huge space faring universe I’m a fan of, Star Trek! There was a time people thought Star Wars and Star Trek fans couldn’t get along but you know what? I’ve never found that to be the case in my personal life. I like them both for different reasons. I just like Star Wars a little more because I’m a bit more of a fantasy fan than a hard science fiction fan. Today I am going to review Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow, the series pilot.
I’ve seen most of Star Trek and enjoyed the majority of it. To keep myself from just re-watching and experiencing things like I did the first (and second and so on) time, I thought I’d give watching in chronological order a try.
I’m going to review all the Star Trek in Chronological order
This will take some time but I am going to review all of the episodes of all the Star Trek TV series and all the movies in chronological order. I don’t plan on reviewing books, comics etc. that are other media that fit into the timeline.
But as with anything Star Trek, it’s hard to figure out how to count chronologically. Why? Time travel… Great stories but an enemy of anyone who wants to see things happen in order. Technically, not everything I will review will be in chronological order because there are things that happen in the past but later in a series.
I decided to go with this handy list I found called The Star Trek Chronology Project. I’ll be going off their order because they’ve clearly put in a ton of thought, love, and work into the list and their reasons for ordering the way they did align with mine.
By the way, this is not at all the method I would recommend a first time viewer to watch. The shows are kind of their own thing, although there are crossovers, but you don’t have to watch one to enjoy the other. The best way is probably in release order, or just by picking what seems like it will appeal the most to you.
The first episode in the first series on the list is Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow. If you can’t stand this series, don’t worry, I’ll get to another series eventually. This particular episode review is going to be in depth but not all of my reviews will be this long and intensive. It’s a pilot episode so I want to give it its due. This will probably be true for every pilot episode I review. Without any further rambling, let’s get into it!
Background For Star Trek Enterprise
When Star Trek Enterprise began things were in a bit of an odd state for the franchise. Deep Space Nine had ended and Voyager was on the way out. Naturally, Paramount wanted to keep their franchise alive so they had Rick Berman and Brannan Braga create a new show. There was a lot of speculation at the time that the show might either focus on Sulu or be a show about Star Fleet Academy. Both would have been great ideas but what we ended up with was a show set after the events of First Contact but before The Orignal Series.
Problems
Star Trek Enterprise therefore had several issues to deal with. First, Deep Space Nine was a beloved series and reaching the critical acclaim of that would prove difficult. But also, during its time, new and old sci-fi series would come along to try to supplant Star Trek as the must watch series. Farscape, Battlestar Galactica (2004 reboot), Firefly, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, The X-Files, and Doctor Who were all shows that competed for attention somewhere during the four seasons Enterprise aired.
While Star Trek as a franchise was a juggernaut, some people felt it was a bit outdated compared to some of those other shows. Berman and Braga made some creative decisions that might have felt right at the time but are sometimes cringe worthy. They did, however, manage to make a show with a cohesive crew that tells an interesting story which fits well within Star Trek as a whole.
Another issue they had was similar to a problem in the Star Wars universe. Both in Enterprise and the Star Wars prequels, the events take place before the story we first saw but technology in the real world had advanced so much things just looked better on screen. It makes a bit of an odd viewing experience to watch Enterprise and see great makeup, good CGI for the time, and technology that looked fairly realistic, and then watch The Original Series where they are awkwardly tilting a camera to make it look like a ship has been hit. Or the automatic doors pull open a little unevenly since we didn’t actually have automatic doors at the time.
Star Trek Enterprise now
I’m hoping that taking a look at the series now, without thinking about those things, we can appreciate Enterprise for what it was, while still pointing out some flaws in the system. Enterprise was a big gamble and while it worked well, it had bumpy spots, and after the series aired there was a huge dry spell as far as Star Trek television. There were the so called Kelvin timeline films which started in 2009. Those never reached the acclaim of the earlier films and are definitely not as well like as the television shows. And speaking of television, the next Star Trek TV show didn’t debut until 2017 with Star Trek Discovery. That’s a long time with no Star Trek!
But for now, let’s boldly go back to the past where we first see the debut of the new series with the first episode Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow.
Where no man has gone before
The episode starts on Earth, with a young Jonathan Archer, painting a model drone. He starts the episode, appropriately enough, with the words, “Where no man has gone before.” His father Henry watches over the boy and says, “Dr. Cochrane would be proud of you.” This establishes the timeline to be after the events of the movie Star Trek: First Contact. Jonathan even mentions he has the whole speech memorized. But then he asks about Henry Archer’s ship. Jonathan wants to know when it will fly.
Henry says it’s not built yet and we quickly learn the Vulcans are keeping knowledge from humans. Despite this, Henry seems to think the Vulcans must have their reasons. From the Vulcan perspective it seems pretty obvious humans are volatile and impulsive and, you know, could go back to our old ways of waging war at any moment.
That’s not a Vulcan
The scene shifts to Broken Bow, Oklahoma 30 years later. Just in case you are wondering what year Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow takes place, it starts in 2121 and skips ahead to 2151.
In a cornfield a ship has crashed. Viewers of Star Trek know exactly what’s running through the field but there is someone chasing behind this familiar alien and they are of a species we have not seen before, even as viewers. The man who lives on the farm sees some pistol blasts in his field and he runs back into his home. The alien being chased runs into the silo and the farmer comes back with what looks like a shotgun. Two of the aliens we haven’t seen before run up to the silo and one of them literally slides under the door as if they were Mr. Fantastic. Definitely not something we’ve seen before. And while the CGI here was amazing at the time, it just kind of barely holds up now. But it’s good enough it won’t take you out of the story.
What the farmer sees next is an alien jump out of his silo, turn his pistol to the silo, and with one shot makes it explode. Presumably with the two we don’t know inside. The alien viewers know dives for cover but when he stands, the farmer is pointing the shotgun at him.
This very tall, very intimidating alien then starts speaking in a harsh, guttural language, in what looks like an aggressive manner. The earthling warns the alien he knows how to use the weapon he’s holding. The alien takes a step forward, still talking, and sure enough, the farmer shoots. The alien is blasted to the ground unconscious.
The Song
One of the oddest and most controversial aspects of all of Star Trek Enterprise is the opening credits. Unlike every other Star Trek TV show, this show starts with a song with lyrics.
It’s a sort of generic pop-ish song with a bit of a country feel. It talks about having faith which seems odd to me in the Star Trek universe, even though it’s, “faith of the heart” in the song. And when I first saw and heard this, I hated it.
I could not stand the song. But, I will tell you, with repeated viewings, and hearing the song often enough, it did start to grow on me. Then it got to the point where I was singing along. I’m not going to defend the song because I feel like it is still out of place but it is catchy if you listen long enough. In case you’re wondering it’s called Where My Heart Will Take Me and is performed by English tenor Russell Watson. People hated the song so much at the beginning, they literally made petitions to get it removed. I’m not a fan of the song but, come on, let’s respect creators’ work here people.
The images
Another deviation in the credits is we’re not just seeing a star ship warp into space here. Instead we’re flooded with images of exploration on Earth. From sea exploration to real images from NASA and the Mars rover to the fictional images of different Star Trek shuttles, finally to the Enterprise taking off.
As far as that aspect of the credits, I think this was brilliant. Remember, the show is before Enterprise has fully been built and gone out to space. So bridging things we know and have seen with what the future might look like once we are a true space faring people feels not only right, it feels inspirational. I wish more shows made me feel that way in their credits.
It also makes me wonder what our present would look like if we had invested heavily in the space program instead of on, you know, buying more bombs and all. At this rate, the Vulcans are never coming.
Let’s meet the captain and chief Engineer
After the credits we see a grown Jonathan Archer, played by Scott Bakula with his Chief Engineer Charles “Trip” Tucker III, played by Connor Trinneer. Scott Bakula has some major sci-fi credibility already having starred in Quantum Leap from 1989 – 1993 so he was a perfect choice for the role. Connor Trineer was not well known at the time but he’s the type of actor who exudes an all American can do attitude and again, is perfectly cast.
The two men are inspecting the hull of The Enterprise. Yes, that Enterprise. Tripp mentions it can hit warp 4.5 which Archer says is to Neptune and back in six minutes. This is kind of slow for Star Trek but it’s one of those lines that again just feels inspirational.
Definitely not a Vulcan
Tripp then bumps right into the hull. Not hard but, man that had to be embarrassing. And then Archer is hailed on the comms. An Admiral Forest needs Archer at Starfleet Medical right away. There, a group of Vulcans and humans are looking at the alien from the farm. The Vulcans tell the human this alien was using some kind of stealth technology on their ships. And we find out these aliens are called… Klingons. The audience knows how bad this could be but this is the first time anyone from Starfleet has seen one. One person even refers to them as a “Klingot.”
Archer finds out this Klingon was injured by a farmer’s plasma rifle. He’s hurt but not dead. The Vulcans, therefore, want to delay the launch of Enterprise. The Vulcans think it’s too risky for humans to tangle with Klingons and they’ve negotiated a deal to take Klaang’s corpse back to Qo’noS the Klingon home world. The problem? Yeah, Klaang is not dead.
Let’s meet Dr. Phlox
Archer boldly busts into the medical room to ask if the Klingon is dead. The doctor in the room is Dr. Phlox, played by John Billingsley. And once again this is great casting. Phlox will never use a one syllable word when a five syllable word will do. And he speaks in truth. Archer asks if the man is going to die, to which Phlox answers with the factually correct, “Not necessarily.”
Archer is furious the Vulcans plan to take the Klingon off of life support even though he has a chance of living. To him, this is not logical but the Vulcans know how much Klingons value death in battle. And Archer calls them out for basically doing what Klingons tell them, even when it’s not the right thing to do. Archer is adamant that humans are not murderers. Archer then demands the Admiral stand up to the Vulcans and let the Enterprise take off.
Let’s meet T’Pol
Archer wants to know how long humans will have to sit around deferring to Vulcans. A Vulcan woman named T’Pol speaks up and says, “Until you’ve proven you’re ready… to look beyond your provincial attitudes and your volatile nature.” Archer snaps back, “You have no idea how much I’m restraining myself from knockin’ you on your ass.”
Perhaps not the most diplomatic way to phrase things there. But Archer has an idea. The Enterprise can take the Klingon back home. And alive. The Vulcans don’t think Archer should cling to his ethical beliefs but as any Star Trek fan knows, that’s what humans do.
Archer says he can be ready in three days but he is missing a comm officer who is in Brazil and they still need a medical officer. The admiral sides with Archer, pointing out humans have been waiting nearly a century and this is a perfect opportunity. The Vulcans are not pleased and shout at the admiral.
Archer points out that when his logic doesn’t work the Vulcan raises his voice. And says he’s been on Earth too long.
The Vulcans leave and the Admiral basically says he knew Archer would be upset about the whole thing and push the envelope here. And the Admiral warns Archer not to screw it up.
The crew is assembled
Right after the meeting Archer bangs on the door and calls Dr. Phlox over. Medical officer problem solved.
On board the U.S.S. Enterprise two men watch as supplies are beamed up. This is still a new technology. They are suspicious of it but it seems to work. One of them hopes the captain won’t make them use it but the other says, “Don’t worry, he wouldn’t even put his dog through this thing.”
Well, there’s one thing you have to know about captain Archer. He loves his dog, Porthos, so of course he wouldn’t.
The two men in question are Malcolm Reed played by Dominic Keating, and Travis Mayweather, played by Anthony Montgomery. Reed is the Tactical Officer and Mayweather is the Helmsman. Mayweather is also what’s called a “space boomer” meaning he was born in space. He’s more familiar with space travel than the rest of the crew and has some knowledge of alien species.
Back on Earth itself, Archer has to recruit one more crew member. Hoshi Sato, played by Linda Park, is his pick for Communications Officer. She’s a linguistic genius but understandably nervous about space travel and the high pressure situation she’s been put in. But she cannot resist the appeal of being the first human to speak to a Klingon.
And with that the U.S.S. Enterprise crew is complete. Sort of.
The Vulcan science officer
There is one more person aboard. Since the Vulcans are not pleased about this mission, they insisted on sending a Vulcan Science Officer along. This is T’Pol, one of the Vulcans from earlier who respectfully, but forcefully disagreed with Archer about the mission. Captain Archer isn’t pleased about it but it’s only a four day there, four day back mission and then she’s gone. I think everyone but the characters know she’s here for the long haul.
T’Pol is played by Jolene Blalock. She’ll become an integral character on the series who plays a major role in changing the dynamics of relations between humans and Vulcans.
She starts of stiff and formal and although she’s not truly displaying emotion, it’s easy to tell she has some contempt for the humans on board. And she doesn’t seem to be a fan of Porthos. Yet.
A new threshold
The Admiral gathers the humans and Vulcans together and gives a send off speech, saying, “Today, we’re about to cross a new threshold.” They have a Warp 5 engine and it’s about to take off. The Admiral then plays Jonathan Cochrane’s words from the dedication of the Warp 5 complex where the ship was built. It’s the same speech Jonathan Archer, as a kid, said he had memorized. And it’s essentially several of the opening lines from the well loved first Star Trek series.
And at long last, it’s time to take the ship out on a mission. Captain Archer starts it with the words, “Take her out, Mister Mayweather. Straight and steady.”
This is yet another moment in this series that simply feels inspirational. Everyone there would have known what kind of history they were making. I hope some day we really do get to explore space in this way because I think it would advance human society immensely.
As they get ready to hit warp, Archer checks in with Trip, gives Mayweather permission to get underway, and T’Pol points out the coordinates are off by .2 degrees. Archer sort of ignores this but I have to say .2 degrees when talking about space travel at this magnitude is an enormous difference. But to be fair, the ship travels really fast so it can be corrected.
But with all of that, the Enterprise has finally begun a mission.
The elusive enemy plots
Remember the aliens chasing the Klingon near the beginning of the episode? We see one of their ships. The leader of this group is Silik, and he is a Suliban. He’s talking to a shadowed humanoid figure. The figure wants to know where Klaang is and tells Silik to recover the evidence. The Suliban asks the figure to go back in time and prevent his friends from being killed. The figure tells Silik he can’t correct mistakes. Silik asks the figure when they will meet again. And the figure says, “Don’t be concerned with when.”
Gotta love time travel. This whole interaction and Silik in particular will become major players in the series but for now remain a mystery.
Sickbay is full of creatures and a Klingon
Dr. Phlox keeps a ton of alien creatures in sickbay to treat all sorts of disease. Captain Archer comes to check on the status of the Klingon. Captain Archer is hoping for the Klingon to be up and about within 80 hours when they reach the Klingon home planet. Dr. Phlox never guarantees anything but he does imply there are good chances.
The sweet spot and an awkward dinner
Apparently there is a spot somewhere on each ship where the gravity is basically reversed. You can go from zero g to being upside down. Mayweather calls this the sweet spot. And he tells Trip about some of the planets he’s been to. In one of the more cringe worthy conversations Trip asks Mayweather about a planet where women have, “three.” It’s never outright stated what they have three of but it’s strongly implied.
Trip leaves to go have dinner with Captain Archer and T’Pol. The scene serves mainly to show some differences between the human and Vulcan cultures. T’Pol won’t eat food with her fingers and she’s a vegetarian. She also doesn’t seem to understand why Archer thought she might have gone sightseeing on Earth.
And we find out that on this ship, there is a chef. No replicator yet. This is a person doing some actual cooking.
Captain Archer says if T’Pol had seen Earth 50 years ago, she’d be impressed with the progress humans have made. She criticizes the species for being impulsive carnivores. Trip counters with the fact that humans have eliminated war, disease, and hunger in two generations. If only. The sad thing is, it’s not too far fetched to believe we could do that. We just don’t.
Hoshi is up to bat
On the bridge, Hoshi seems nervous about the vibrations on the ship to the point where T’Pol asks her if she wants to go to her quarters. Hoshi responds in Vulcan and T’Pol is annoyed with that since she was instructed to speak English on the ship. Dr. Phlox calls the Captain to sickbay because Klaang is awake.
Hoshi uses the universal translator but the words he’s saying make no sense. Hoshi clearly thinks she’s blowing it. But Dr. Phlox figures out there is something going on with the Klingon’s brain and he’s not capable of making sense at the moment.
Enterprise under attack
Suddenly the power goes out because the Suliban are infiltrating. They take Klaang right under the noses of the crew. In the scuffle one of the Suliban is killed. It’s a mystery how these aliens got on board at all. The sensors should have picked up a signal but they didn’t.
T’Pol tries to make the incident into a reason to return to Earth. She figures since they lost the Klingon the mission is over. But Archer points out, correctly, that he did not lose the Klingon, he was taken from them. T’Pol then calls the whole idea of trying to find who took Klaang a foolish mission.
Captain Archer makes T’Pol speak to him in private. He tells her to back off in no uncertain terms. It’s the first of what will be many confrontations like this.
This Suliban is special
Turns out the Suliban was somehow genetically engineered. This makes them far more stealthy. But it’s not normal for a Suliban to be like this.
T’Pol and Trip work on the sensors but she basically insults human technology. Captain Archer asks if the Vulcans know about the Suliban. She knows what sector of space they are from and that they have never posed a threat.
When Hoshi provides translations of what Klaang said, the word Rigel stands out. T’Pol admits this is one of the places Klaang stopped according to his ship logs. She was withholding the information from Captain Archer and he is not pleased with her.
They set a course for Rigel X to try to retrieve Klaang.
A strange new world
The Suliban interrogate Klaang. They know he met with someone names Sarin on Rigel X. But whatever the Suliban are looking for Klaang doesn’t seem to know what, or where, it is.
Rigel has a huge trading complex which very much reminds me of a large version of the cantina on Mos Eisley in Star Wars. It’s a rough crowd with some definite tough guys around. And they’ve never even seen a human.
Our main crew, other than Dr. Phlox, set out to find Klaang. They split up but the humans tend to get distracted by the surroundings. Malcolm and Mayweather do find someone who says he saw Klaang. T’Pol and Trip wander around and Trip badly misinterprets an interaction he sees involving a child. T’Pol corrects him and tells Trip to learn to objectify other cultures.
Hoshi and Archer end up on the level where Klingons are known to go to eat. And they do see a Klingon or two who run away. Two Sulibans pop out of nowhere and grab Archer and Hoshi.
Enter Sarin
After the Suliban take Archer and Hoshi, they are separated. Captain Archer meets what looks like a human woman who calls herself Sarin. Archer demands she give Klaang back. The woman plants a kiss on the Captain’s lips and shape shifts into what Archer recognizes as a Suliban. Sarin can measure trust but only with close contact. And she knows Archer is telling the truth when he says he just wanted to take Klaang home. She tells Archer she gave the Klingon a message. Apparently the Suliban have been causing havoc in the Klingon factions to keep them fighting one another.
Sarin also mentions a “temporal cold war.” This will have enormous impact on the series as a whole. Archer is understandably confused by it but before Sarin can explain more, she is attacked. It’s pretty standard action for a Star Trek series. Our heroes come together and try to escape being blasted by the bad Suliban group. Before they make the escape, Sarin dies but tells Archer he has to find Klaang.
T’Pol takes command
In the dust up on the way back to the ship, Captain Archer is injured. T’Pol tells the bridge that Dr. Phlox needs to meet them in decontamination and she is taking over Enterprise.
When Archer loses consciousness we get a flashback to him flying the drone he was working on before. It crashes but his father tells him not to be afraid of the wind. He tells Jonathan to trust it. And just as the vision fades, T’Pol comes into view, foreshadowing that perhaps the Captain should trust the Vulcan.
The most cringe worthy scene in Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow
There is a scene here in this episode which on the surface would be fine. It’s an argument between Trip and T’Pol. Trip wants to make sure isn’t going to usurp the authority of Captain Archer. T’Pol knows she outranks the people on the ship and she still seems to think the right thing to do is return to Earth.
There’s a good deal of tension here and it moves the story forward. It establishes a contentious relationship between the pair and it makes sense as far as character development.
So why is it cringe worthy? Well, just before this argument Dr. Phlox had passed through an anti-bacterial gel to the pair. The whole scene is done with the two of them in their underwear, rubbing the gel on one another. It’s dimly lit and is full of slow, sensuous shots of their bodies.
We’re all adults here, I don’t have a problem with the idea of a bacterial gel. I don’t think it’s horrible to show characters in a state of undress if it makes sense.
But for this, there is literally no real reason we needed to have these characters in this situation. They could just as easily had their argument in another secluded part of the ship.
Star Trek, at the time, was losing ground to some other, edgier shows. So I see why they put the scene in but in retrospect, it just feels gratuitous and unnecessary.
I wish I could say this is the only time this happens on the show but in my reviews to come, well, there’s one episode with this whole concept that would make even this scene blush. But anyway, back to the story of Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow
T’Pol helps
In sickbay, Captain Archer wakes up. He’s healing fine and Trip and T’Pol come to see him. T’Pol lets Archer know she took over for him while he was out. He assumes they are headed back to Earth. But instead, they are tracking the Suliban vessel that left Rigel. T’Pol even figured out how to track their radiation trail. Archer asks her, “What happened to this is a foolish mission?” T’Pol responds with, “This is a foolish mission… But as acting Captain, I was obligated to follow your wishes.”
Archer does point out she could have done anything she wanted as acting Captain. Turns out T’Pol might be stiff but she is more on the side of the humans than we thought.
Captain’s log
Captain Archer enters his Captain’s Log but he constantly pauses to ponder T’Pol’s behavior and talk to Porthos. He is stuck on the question of whether or not to tell her about this temporal cold war.
T’Pol calls the Captain to the bridge. From the bridge they see a class seven gas giant. It takes a bit of tweaking but they figure out how to track the Suliban. Turns out there were a bunch of ships. These must be the people who took Klaang.
And for the first time, Captain Archer tells Malcolm Reed to, “Bring the weapons online.”
The Suliban mystery continues
The shadowy humanoid figure is back speaking with Silik once again. This figure wants Sarin’s message to be intercepted before it gets to Qo’noS.
The Enterprise makes it closer to the planet and spots some Suliban vessels. And they find a huge Suliban complex called the Helix.
The Enterprise takes a few hits and they flees to a higher layer of the atmosphere. In the chase, Captain Archer is able to capture one of the Suliban vessels. Archer and Trip fly this ship into the Helix and infiltrate the complex.
Introducing Phase Pistols!
Before they leave, Malcolm Reed delivers new weapons to Captain Archer. They are called “Phase Pistols,” not yet Phasers but it’s the same basic concept. There are two settings on these, stun and kill. And as Reed says, it’s best not to confuse them.
These weapons will play a very important role in this series in episodes to come. But it is cool to see this early version of the weapons and it’s a fun little moment that’s a nod to the more action oriented aspects of Star Trek in general.
The tension escalates
Inside the complex Trip and Archer discover that stun does in fact stun their enemies. Meanwhile Enterprise is in a vulnerable position and T’Pol has to move it away so they can survive until the Captain returns.
Sure enough Trip and Archer find Klaang. He knocks Trip on his butt as soon as he’s freed. Any angry Klingon is no joke. But Archer has him at gun point. Well, Phaser Pistol point but you get the idea.
There is a bit of a battle as they leave. Trip gets Klaang back to Enterprise but Archer isn’t so lucky. He uses a device Malcolm Reed gave him to demagnetize all of the Suliban vessels from the complex. But he’s stuck on the complex himself.
Hoshi also gets a moment to shine here as she is able to hear the signal Trip is making and T’Pol even thanks her in Vulcan.
Time travel stuff
On the Suliban complex, Archer stumbles upon a strange room where things seem to vibrate. There’s a special effect here which we know has something to do with time travel.
Back on the Enterprise, Trip demands T’Pol go back for Archer but she refuses. It’s too dangerous and would put the overall mission at risk.
On the Helix, Archer hears a voice who seems to know the Captain. The voice tells Archer to forget Klaang and leave the room. Silik rushes Archer and grabs his Phase Pistol. He fires at the Captain but Archer sees it in slow motion and dodges it.
Archer escapes the room and in classic Star Trek fashion, there is a fist fight.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise tries to dock at the Helix but it’s impossible and they go to what T’Pol calls plan b. Did you guess it? Yep, for the first time ever, a human is beamed onto Enterprise from a hostile environment. But we have set up our main villains for the whole series now. Things feel like they are getting started.
Klaang’s message
At long last, Enterprise arrives on Qo’noS with Klaang very much alive. He is shamed for what happened. But he also has his hand sliced with a rough looking knife. His blood is collected and his DNA is displayed on a screen. Inside his blood cells is a message from Sarin. The leader of the Klingons points the knife at Archer’s throat and says something in Klingon. (Sorry, I don’t speak Klingon so I don’t know what and neither does Archer.) Archer says he will take the gesture as a thank you. Hoshi remarks she doesn’t think they have a word for thank you. When Archer asks what was said, Hoshi tells him he doesn’t want to know. I can believe that.
Back on Enterprise, Captain Archer summons Trip and T’Pol to his quarters so he can tell them what the Starfleet Admiral’s orders for them are. A shuttle is on the way to pick T’Pol up. Admiral Forest wants the ship to keep going. Trip goes off to do some repair work on the hull, hoping it’s the last time anyone takes a shot at Enterprise. Yeah, good luck with that, buddy.
Privately, Archer admits his prejudice toward Vulcans to her. He knows the mission would have failed without her help. He knows it would look bad for him to ask the Vulcans to allow T’Pol to stay. But if she requests it, well, then we have a show here people!
On the bridge, Archer decides they should go explore the nearest inhabited planet. The episode ends with a shot of a young Jonathan Archer flying his drone with confidence.
Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow conclusion
And there we have the first entry in the Enterprise series. Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow starts off on really solid footing here. All of the characters are established and a bit of tension is introduced. Plus, we have a time traveling set of bad guys to look out for in the future. The Vulcans and humans are in a tenuous relationship but are definitely allies. As far as Klingons go, well, we’ve barely made an impression on them yet but if they decide they don’t like humans, we’re in trouble.
There are small moments of missteps here, especially with the bacterial gel scene, but overall it does work. The acting is great. There isn’t a ton of action but it feels like the right amount for a Star Trek show. After all, in this kind of series we want to see our heroes try to win peacefully first. The action there is in the show is nicely paced and calls back to some other series pretty well. It’s an interesting time period to explore as well.
There will be some amazing moments in this series and some amazingly frustrating moments as well. But for the most part I would recommend the series. I don’t think it is anyone’s favorite series in Star Trek cannon but I admire what they were trying to do and it was a worthy effort.
Until next time, all I can say is, live long and prosper.
I review a lot of super hero comics on this blog. I love those. But there are so many more comics out there and many of them are worth reading. So, I decided I will be giving some recommendations here on comics worth reading that are not super hero comics. The first is my comic book recommendation – The Goon. It’s created by Eric Powell and has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Yet, I hardly see it talked about.
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
What is The Goon about?
The titular Goon is a big tough mob enforcer type who’s just a regular guy. He hangs out with his buddy Franky and knows everyone in town. But there’s a rival gang of zombies who all hate the Goon and want to see him dead.
The stories are full of humor, violence, gore and oddball things like giant squids and fishmen who are also gangsters. There are plenty of gross out moments in the books so if you don’t find that funny or you are too squeamish for some splattery yet cartoonish gore, this won’t be for you.
There are also moments where the series gets some surprisingly touching moments as well. It gets pretty weird too. There are talking chainsaws, people rising from the dead, jokes about inflatable chickens, and just about everything you could imagine in here.
And while the concept is fun and odd and my type of read, what I think really makes it stand out is the utterly incredible artwork. Eric Powell more or less takes his time with this one and for that reason it tends to look amazing. I’ll give you a couple images below so you can see what I am talking about.
See how evocative and moody the above image is? It fully immerses us in the time period of the 1930s and brings up feelings of dread and impending doom. Now contrast that with the wild image below. It’s full of bright colors, over the top action, and quippy humor. Powell is able to straddle styles and fit moods in appropriate places while maintaining high quality artwork. It’s truly amazing to behold.
Hopefully that sells you on reading this but there’s a 25 year backlog of this comic so you might be thinking…
How do I get started?
The nice thing about this series is it’s not too overwhelming. At present there are around 54 issues of the first series of The Goon. The second series has at least 12 issues. But there are some spinoffs and one shots and things like that as well. And there are multiple ways to get started with it. The stories are generally self contained so you can pick up any trade paperback and be at a pretty good starting point. But there is a larger story so it can be fun to start from the beginning.
Here’s a whole guide put together by Trevor Van As with some insightful comments on content warning as well. There are some single issues missing from this as Eric Powell is still making new comics for the series.
While I think the so called, Fancy Pants editions are pretty neat, they have to be purchased on eBay so the price tends to run a bit high.
You could also start with the first trade paperback called The Goon Volume 1: Nothin’ But Misery which collects issues 1-4 plus a short story. This will run you $22 for a physical copy.
But that’s not the best deal because the first omnibus called The Goon: Bunch of Old Crap an Omnibus Volume 1 is just a few bucks more at $35. And it collects four of the trade paperbacks The Goon: Rough Stuff, The Goon: Nothing But Misery, The Goon: My Murderous Childhood, and The Goon: Heaps of Ruination. It’s even cheaper if you get it on Kindle for $10.99.
If ya wanna be a pal, consider using one of the links in this blog when you get it!
In Conclusion
I’ll be recommending more comics here, both superhero and non-superhero so if this one doesn’t float your boat, I’ll probably find one you will like later. But if you like funny comics, horror comics, great art, a bit of crude humor and some mob style enforcers in your stories, plus a healthy dose of weirdness, well, The Goon more than has you covered. And did I mention it has won five Eisner awards? In other words, this is a well regarded comic even among other comic creators.
Give it a read and let me know what you think!
P.S. want to see some of my superhero comic reviews? Take a look at my series on the Marvel 616 comics here!
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are having a good week. Here’s a little story I wrote, hope you like it!
New Year, New… Me?
When I awoke in the new year I looked in the mirror. I wish I had not done that. There were warning signs. In the dark of the room where I woke, my feet pressed against a footboard on a bed too small for my body. I wasn’t sure why but my fingers felt… thinner. And longer. It was a room I was familiar with. One I’d been in many times. My friend Pete must have given up his bed for me. I didn’t recall drinking the night before but I had no clear memory of it either.
I was wearing button up flannel pajamas. I have never, in my life, worn flannel anything. And I was wearing a… ring? A gold band. Oh shit. Did I get so hammered I got married last night? I rubbed my chin to find no beard. A bit of stubble but no beard. Whatever happened couldn’t have been good.
I walked into the bathroom. I took a deep breath, trying to keep it together. Then I turned on the light. Pete’s face looked back at me in the mirror. I stumbled backwards and hit my head. Pete’s head I guess. It still hurt me though. If I was in Pete’s body, where was Pete?
I’m a relatively cool headed person. I keep it together when everyone else loses it in board meetings. I knew the first thing to do here was to stay calm. I got dressed, wearing clothes from Pete’s closet, socks from his dresser, and I put on Pete’s shoes. No one saw me leave Pete’s house.
I walked three houses down to my house. It’s a big yellow house with white trim. I should’ve repainted it a decade ago. I realized I didn’t have my key but it didn’t matter. As I walked up to it, a woman I have never seen walked out, a toddler in hand.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Just wondering if this is for sale?” I figured my quick thinking would cover any awkwardness.
“Pete, you’re joking. We talked about this at length last night. Bad enough Rosey keeps trying to get me to sell. At least she’s an agent. Aren’t you like a stockbroker or something?”
“Mutual funds.” I muttered. I knew that’s what Pete did. We’d been best friends since third freaking grade.
“Right. Well anyway the answer is still no and I’ve got to get the kiddo to daycare so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off.”
In a daze, I just moved aside. If I was Pete, and someone else lived in my house, where was I? Who was I?
I waited around, sitting on the pavement for hours outside of Pete’s house. I watched for signs of myself coming or going from anywhere. Nothing.
As the sun went down and the air got cooler, I decided to head back into Pete’s house. I knew his wife would be back soon. Every year she spent New Years Eve with her mother and came back late the next day. I didn’t know what I would do when I saw her. How could I explain to her where Pete had gone? Anything I tried would sound out of this world, put me in an institution, crazy. But her husband was… Well, I didn’t know where the real Pete was.
When I did see Rosey, the last thing I expected happened. She walked up to me, her brunette hair tied in a bun, her hands full of luggage, and her chestnut brown eyes staring at me, and she gave me the most passionate, loving kiss.
Confession time. I’ve been in love with Rosey since before Pete even met her. I introduced the two of them. I never stood in Pete’s way because, well, Pete does love her, and he’s a good man. Was? I’m not sure.
When Rosey pulled away, I opened my mouth to try to say something. To find some way to explain. But suddenly, it was like I was Pete. I could remember everything Pete had done with Rosey. I remembered the scent of the perfume she used on our wedding day. Pete’s wedding day. I remembered the first time I made her laugh so hard she snorted. It was Pete telling the joke but it was now, my memory, from Pete’s point of view. There was the time the two of us went white water rafting and I fell overboard and Rosey just laughed as I struggled to swim back to the boat. I still found it embarrassing but Rosey thought it was hilarious. I should say, Pete found it embarrassing, but he was somehow me.
It took only a few moments for me to feel like I was Pete. But there has always been this small part of me that knows I am not. I had all of Pete’s memories, knowledge and skills. The next day, I went to Pete’s work and did Pete’s job.
Through the years I looked for myself. There was no record of my mother or father. I went to all of the addresses I had lived in. Even the college dorms but there was never any mention of me.
I grew old with Rosey. We had children together. I’ve tried a couple of times to explain this situation to her but it never makes any sense. Pete’s gone, yet Pete is me. And I’m, well I guess I’m here.
I can’t complain much. Rosey is the best person I know and my life has been full of bliss and wonder. But where the hell is Pete? I hope he’s okay but somehow I don’t think he is. Every year I wake up on New Years Day thinking this is the year it will switch back. It’ll snap me back to reality and I’ll lose Rosey but gain Pete.
But so far, since that first year, it’s always been New year… new me. Maybe next year. Who knows?
One of the most amazing things about Star Wars is whenever we see a story we wonder, how did we get here? And Star Wars is always willing to answer that question. We know where Darth Vader comes from because people wanted to know and George Lucas had an answer. A lot of times this works exceedingly well. The film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is one of the best examples of this. I didn’t know I needed that story but I was blown away by it. Andor the television series is another example.
The Star Wars comics have even more room to tell stories to fill in gaps. I was curious about the Rogue One: Cassian & K-2SO Special comic so I decided to give it a read. Like almost all of the cannon Star Wars comics the artwork is incredible. My favorite way to read is to throw on the soundtrack from one of the movies and make it feel even more immersive. It’s like I have gone to a galaxy far, far away.
As far as the artwork of the piece, I have no notes, It’s perfect. As for the story, well, that’s a little different. It’s not that this is a bad story. There’s a good amount of action. There are characters who communicate by emitting smells which is something I have not seen before in Star Wars. And there are good, funny quips and dialogue like you might expect. I felt like there could be a lot of potential with those two olfactory characters but there’s not really time here to go into their backstory and it doesn’t feel like we’ll be seeing them again anytime soon so they do end up feeling a bit wasted.
The problem with the story is that it is a story we don’t necessarily need. I never wondered how Cassian ended up with K-2SO. It doesn’t bother me that I have an answer to that question but the oversaturation of Star Wars is a bit of a problem. I’d rather we have an all new comic story about characters we haven’t met than this one. In the same way explaining the fuzzy dice on the Millenium Falcon in Solo feels unnecessary, so does this story. It’s a little indulgent but still fun.
Still, if you love Star Wars, there are much worse ways to spend 15 minutes of reading time.
In conclusion, if you are looking for an entertaining Star Wars read with amazing art that has a story with fairly low stakes (we know who will live here) then this is a good comic. And there is only the one shot so once you’ve read it you are done with this particular story.
May the force be with you!
P.S. if you want to check out another of my Star Wars reviews, take a look here.
Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game by Matt Forbeck
Combat is essential in the Marvel Multivers Role-Playing Game. This post will be part 1 of a series breaking combat down into simple steps. Here we will cover ways to play, timing, sequence of play, positioning, initiative, taking turns, delaying turns and reserving actions. In the next post we’ll go over standard actions, reactions, movement actions, falling, and dealing damage. In the final combat post we’ll go over weapons, healing, conditions, team maneuvers, and objects.
If you want to see more about how to play the game, start here. The best resource will always be the core rule book for the game so definitely check that out.
What are ways to play the Marvel multiverse Role-Playing Game?
Like most role playing games, the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game involves a lot more than combat. There are always going to be conversations and actions revolving around the characters which don’t need to be adjudicated in any way. Going through a door? Well, if it’s unlocked, just open it. But, this is a super hero game we’re talking about. There is going to come a point in this game where conflicts become physical. This is the point when combat breaks out. When that happens there are rules to follow to make sure the game plays out fairly. But how you represent these rules can vary greatly. The book suggests several ways to play this game. If you have played Dungeons & Dragons you’ve probably played one of these ways.
Theater of the Mind
This method involves no extra setup. There are no maps or miniatures needed. The Narrator describes the situation, players describe what their characters do, and the scene plays out. Groups can and do use this method even for combat. However, for this game it can get tricky because there is no true way to measure what someone imagines in their own mind. This can be advantageous when playing online if you aren’t on a virtual tabletop.
Before combat breaks out I would say this is a perfectly valid method and the one you’ll use most often, even when using miniatures. But for this game in particular, I think having some form of physical representation of the combat is helpful whether that is online with a map on a screen or with miniatures on a physical map in person.
On a map
This is the opposite of theater of the mind. Here you rely on a map of some kind, usually with representations of characters, NPC’s and locations on the map. The neat thing about playing this way is there is a host of different kinds of maps to play on. You can use physical maps with grid lines. If you do, the core rule book gives you measurements to use for estimating distances and it even has rules for vertical movement. These can get a little tricky so we’ll go over those in a later post when we give some actual examples of combat.
You can also play on a physical map with miniatures and no grid. This feels a bit more realistic sometimes but there will be instances where you need to break out a ruler for measurement.
You can even just use a whiteboard or projector to put a tentative map on a screen and kind of estimate the action. There’s not a wrong way to use a map but do make sure whatever your group uses, the Narrator is consistent with the rules of how movement and actions work on that map.
On a virtual tabletop (VTT)
One of the most popular ways to play any TTRPG lately is on a virtual tabletop. There are several of these to choose from for Marvel’s role playing game. The most notable is Roll20. They have the core book, virtual character sheets, and all of the expansion books for the game. Of course, you will need to pay to access these materials. You could also just use Discord voice chat with your friends and play that way. Other VTT’s will probably support the game at some point but for now the main one is Roll20. If you live a long distance from your friends, or any of you have reasons you have to play from home rather than in a group, Roll20 can be a great option. Just be aware if you buy the physical books, you’ll still have to buy the VTT books on Roll20 to play the official version. You can, however, access the basic rules there for free.
Timing
When combat does break out, it is important to keep track of timing. The game tracks this through a series of rounds and turns. Each person in the fight has five seconds per round (in game time, not real time) to do something. There are some rules in the game which affect this timing based on things like powers or locations but in general, each person in the fight has five seconds of action time. Then the round starts again and each person gets another turn until the combat completes. Characters and NPCs can also sometimes take reactions but we’ll go over those in a future post. If you have ever played Dungeons & Dragons this system will feel quite familiar. Even if you have played a turn based RPG video game, you’ll likely catch on quickly.
Sequence of play
One of the things I find most helpful when combat breaks out in this game is to refer to the 6 steps of the sequence of play listed in the book. They are as follows.
Determine positions.
Roll initiative checks to determine the initiative order.
Start a new round.
Each character takes their turn in initiative order.
If any combatants are still able and want to fight, go back up to step 3.
Otherwise, the combat ends.
Once you reach step 6, the game usually goes back to more of a theater of mind state where characters can act a bit more freely.
Determine positions
Before getting into the thrill of the fight, you have to figure out where everyone is. In theater of the mind, this is more of a description where you’ll tell the Narrator about where your character is. If you’re using a map, you’ll put a marker of some kind (miniature or token or whatever) to signify the space your character is in. The Narrator will need to do the same for any NPCs involved in the combat. Before the fight starts, make sure everyone is in agreement about where the characters are but remember the Narrator has the final decision here.
Line of sight
Line of sight is what it sounds like. Can your character see a target in combat? Sometimes this is obvious like if you are having a fight out in an open field on a clear day. According to the core rules anything within 200 spaces is considered in line of sight. But, if there’s bad weather, it’s late at night, there are obstructions in the way, etc. this could be reduced by the narrator. If it’s not clear if the character has line of sight, the Narrator will call for a Vigilance check against a Target Number the Narrator assigns.
One thing to remember is, even though your character can see something, that doesn’t mean they are in reach to attack it. We can see the Hulk coming at us from a long way off but you might not be close enough to punch or even shoot him with an energy blast at 200 spaces.
Characters also block line of sight for other characters. Although, if The Punisher is on the ground and Ant-Man is in front of him in ant form, that’s not going to block Punisher’s line of sight. And if we add Storm to the mix and she’s flying, she probably has better line of sight than anyone on the ground. It will vary based on your character’s powers and position.
Characters may have Trouble against a target who has cover but can still be seen. This works the opposite way as well, so if you need to, make sure your character finds their own cover!
Earshot
This is similar to line of sight. Can your character hear what someone is saying? That’s going to be easier in a quiet library than it will in a wind tunnel. It’s also easier to hear the Hulk than it is to hear a shrunken Ant-Man. Anytime it’s unclear if a character is within earshot, the Narrator will have you make a Vigilance check against a Target Number.
I don’t find earshot to come up a lot but it might depend on the character you play. Daredevil has pretty good hearing compared to everyone else. But that will be impacted by sudden loud sounds right next to his ears. Unless you are playing a character like Daredevil, this won’t come up a ton.
Range
There are powers in the game that have a range. The power should list this for you and it will be on your character sheet once you have filled it out. Attacks within the range are normal, you just roll the check like you do for any other attack. If you are trying to hit something up to double this range you have Trouble when making the check. Anything beyond double range is impossible.
I sometimes find ranges a little tricky (not just in this game either), so I am going to quote an example directly from the book, found on page 27.
“For example, if the range is 20 spaces, attacks at targets within 20 spaces are treated normally. From 21 to 40 spaces, they have trouble. Beyond that, the attack can’t be made.”
Once you’ve done this a few times in your game, you’ll catch on.
Initiative
Once you have everyone in position, and you know where the lines of sight and earshot are, it’s time to figure out who takes what turn. To do this, the players will roll an initiative check. You roll your d616 and then add your Initiative Modifier. This should be on your character sheet.
Players roll for their characters but Narrators roll for the NPCs. The book suggests if there is a large group of identical combatants, the Narrator can make a single roll for the group and have each member in that group act on the same initiative number in whatever order the Narrator wants. This is beneficial and saves time but if there is an overwhelming number of NPC combatants, it can lead to a long turn for the Narrator.
Once the players and Narrator have made their initiative checks, the Narrator puts them all in order from highest initiative to lowest.
But what about ties? Here’s where it can get a little complicated. For a tie, if one of the combatants got a Fantastic result, they go first. If neither or both got a Fantastic result, the combatant with the highest Initiative Modifier goes first. If those are tied and it’s between a player and an NPC, the player wins. However, if the tie is between players, they can decide how to break the tie (often times this just means talking to one another about what makes the most sense) or they can roll off and whoever gets the highest result goes first between the two.
Bonus round
If you get a Fantastic result on your initiative check, you get to participate in the sweet, sweet bonus round! Players and NPCs in this round basically get to take a turn before everyone else who did not get a Fantastic result. It’s hugely to your advantage as a player to have high initiative with a Fantastic result because there is a good chance you’ll be able to land the first blow. But on the other hand, if NPCs end up with high initiative, they’ll get to get a jab in first. Narrators, don’t forget to check this as this is something that can be easily missed when combat starts.
Surprise
There are circumstances where someone in a combat can be surprised. This will be determined by the Narrator. An obvious example is when someone is invisible. Those characters are going to surprise a combatant in most situations. When this happens to a character, they are surprised. In this instance the character has Trouble on their initiative check if it is before the combat begins. Think sneaking up on someone. This can either be the players or the NPCs. Anyone who is surprised can’t participate in the bonus round.
When a character is surprised later in combat, the character who causes the surprise gets an Edge on their next attack. Characters like the Invisible Woman can do this often to great effect and sometimes turn a combat around just through this element of surprise.
Taking turns
Once the initiative order is figured out and we know who is surprised and who is in the bonus round, it’s finally time to take turns. What can you do on a turn? In general there will be two types of actions which can be done. A standard action and a movement action. Characters can perform their standard action first (often this is an attack), their movement first, or they can do some movement, make the standard action, and then continue with their movement. As a player in TTRPGs one of my weaknesses is forgetting to complete my movement so make sure you pay close attention to how much movement you have used.
We’ll go more in depth into standard and movement actions in the next post.
Your character doesn’t have to take an action at all if you don’t want them to. Not usually recommended in a fight though. And there are other things your character can usually do that may not be considered a standard action. Like speaking or reading a sign or maybe pulling on your mask real quick. The Narrator will tell you if what you are trying to do requires a standard action. Anything that requires an Action Check would be considered an action.
Reactions
Each round of combat, characters also get a reaction. This doesn’t have to happen in initiative order but it is usually a response to a trigger of some kind. Once the reaction finishes, the round goes back to initiative order and the character has no more reactions until the next round. A character’s reaction can interrupt another character’s reaction. This can get a bit fuzzy so the Narrator needs to keep close track of things when this happens.
Delaying turns
There can be some instances where you want to wait to act. There are two basic ways to do this, holding a turn, or reserving an action.
Holding a turn
To hold a turn, a player voluntarily reduces their initiative check number. The player can either state what the new number is immediately, or they can leave it secret until they decide to take their turn. Narrators may have rules against this so make sure they are on board here. A held turn can’t interrupt a character’s turn. Once the held turn happens, the character’s initiative becomes the new, reduced number. If you hold for a full round and end up going before you would have with your original initiative check, your new initiative may be higher than it was originally. Either way, the new number is your initiative for the remainder of the combat. You won’t be able to take two turns in a round, no matter how you hold your action. And you don’t get the time back from holding. If two characters are holding and want to act at the same time, the one who started holding first goes first.
Reserving actions
Rather than holding a turn, a player can reserve an action. To do this you’ll typically use a standard action your character could perform but as a reaction when some event happens. The example given in the book is Captain America hiding in a corner out of sight, and waiting to punch the next Hydra agent who comes around the corner.
When this gets really tricky is when there are multiple characters reserving actions. For this, a new initiative order is rolled, but only for this sequence of actions. There’s no bonus round here and after the reactions are complete, the initial initiative order resumes.
In Conclusion
Combat is a huge part of this game. It can often take up the bulk of play since heroes and villains do have a tendency to fight. I tried to break this down into understandable components but you can find the full rules for combat in Chapter 4 pages 25 – 42 in the core rule book.
In many TTRPGs combat is one of the most complex parts of the game. In Dungeons & Dragons it’s roughly a third of the rule book. Once you play a few times, you and your group will get a hang of the flow of the action and it will soon feel natural. You’ll still need to check rules on occasion but you’ll learn something each time you do.
There are more rules to combat to understand. My next two posts in this series will continue with combat but after that we’ll create a character.
Thanks for reading and if you want to grab a hold of the character sheet, you can download it for free right here!
Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, Artists: Dick Ayers, Jack Kirby
Well, we’ve come to it. The first appearance of the unforgettable villain, Asbestos Man.
According to Wikipedia asbestos is “a group of naturally occurring, toxic, carcinogenic, and fibrous silicate minerals.”
In 1963 when Strange Tales #111 debuted, asbestos was seen as a nearly miraculous substance. It was fire resistant and in America it was promptly used in everything in the building process from cement to paint. It was not widely known at the time that asbestos also has very negative effects such as causing lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer of the lung lining), and asbestosis (lung scarring). Buildings built in the 1980s and earlier often used the stuff for insulation as well. In other words, asbestos was everywhere. It wasn’t until 2024 that the EPA finalized a ban of the substance.
So, it seems ridiculous to have made a character named Asbestos Man. But at the time it totally made sense. It was a revolutionary and modern material thought to reduce the number of deaths from fire. What if there was a man who could master this material? Who better to be a villain for our hot headed hero Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch?
In walks Asbestos Man in our Marvel 616 story. Who is this guy and what is his deal?
The first page is a teaser panel showing Asbestos Man fighting Johnny Storm. The press around them are in disbelief as Asbestos Man has the upper hand. The narrator asks, “Will the Asbestos Man ring down the curtain on the brilliant career of the teen-age torch?”
Even Johnny himself thinks, “… nothing, even my most intense flame, affects him in the least! It looks like I’m beaten at last!”
Seems pretty dire. So how did we get here? Well the story proper starts by introducing us to Professor Orson Kasloff walking down the street deep in thought. This guy is up to no good.
Why would a scientific genius need to contact the underworld? We’ll find out in a moment. The professor sees a commotion in the street and wants to find out what all the fuss is about. It seems The Human Torch has just stopped some jewel thieves. Kasloff sees him in action and realizes the power of fire is too much for the common criminal.
At the same time, Blackie Barker “of the underworld” is watching on wishing there was some way to get rid of our hero. He’s the mastermind of this little robbery but he escapes without Torch knowing he was involved.
At this point Kasloff decides to “review the past” giving us a glimpse into his troubles. He’s a brilliant and valued chemist but he doesn’t think he’s being paid what he is worth. He’s big mad that his company profits from his ideas while paying him a mere pittance.
I think a lot of us can relate to this problem but it seems to me filing some patents or asking for a raise might be the way to go here. Instead, Kasloff decides he’s only going to work for himself. That’s also a fine option if you want to go into business for yourself. Kasloff even has a product that might sell. He’s invented a liquid solvent that can melt steel and iron upon contact. Rather than sell that, Kasloff thinks about using it to melt the company safe. I don’t know how much is in the safe but I bet it’s less than he would get for selling his formula.
Naturally, Kasloff decides his best answer is to become a criminal.
Kasloff thinks of other criminal ideas he could pull off too. He thinks he can invent a pen that can mimic any signature as a perfect forgery. He also thinks he could make a machine that will reproduce any bill, bond, or legal paper, making perfect counterfeits.
Personally, I think between the forgery and counterfeit he could stop there. I mean if you can literally print your own money and not get caught, why do you need to do anything else? But Kasloff is just full of ideas. He thinks about ways to raid Fort Knox and plunder world treasures.
We then come back to current day where Kasloff makes his first attempt at crime. He does try to rob the company he works for. But an alarm sounds and he escapes just in time.
Say what you will about Kasloff, he knows his limitations. Although he is a scientific genius he has no experience in crime. He concocts a plan. He goes to the city slums and tells shady looking people in bars (Blackie Barker himself in fact) that he is, “…looking for a member of the underworld to take into partner-ship…” That goes about as well as you’d expect.
Once Kasloff sees The Torch, he has an idea. Defeat the superhero and the criminals will come to him. To implement the plan he first buys a literal castle far from any other habitation, yet in a rural area close to town. It’s a bargain because everyone thinks it’s haunted.
Kasloff gets to work and invents his own form of asbestos which he says is made from, “chrysotile, calcium, and iron.” He makes a whole suit of this stuff and includes a net and a shield which are also fire resistant. And we finally get our first full glimpse of Asbestos Man in his suit.
Kasloff may be a villain but he’s also impolite. He sends a letter to Johnny Storm and addresses it to “The cowardly Human Torch.” It’s a challenge to face off against the guy. Johnny is furious but he’s talked down by Reed and The Thing. But then those two go off to, “work on our tax report with Sue!” Johnny tries to burn the note but it doesn’t work and now the teenager is intrigued. He does his research and realizes that asbestos is, in fact, fireproof for all intents and purposes.
Asbestos Man then has the gall to call Johnny directly and challenge him to a fight. There’s no way he’s backing down now. Johnny is invited to the castle for a knock down drag out brawl in front of the press.
Johnny arrives and starts fighting. His fire stream can’t break past Asbestos Man’s shield. He tosses fire balls only to have them caught by the fireproof net. These get thrown right back at Johnny. The Kasloff drops Johnny through a trap door.
Just an aside here but there are so many times members of the Fantastic Four end up falling through trap doors. You’d think they’d be more cautious of where they step when they see giant levers in a room.
This trap door drops Johnny into a moat filled with water which extinguishes his flames. And the press now has pictures to prove the defeat. This really gets to Johnny and I don’t think I’ve seen a panel where he looks more dejected than this one.
The next day the other members of the FF offer to help Johnny but this is one fight he feels the need to win on his own. For his part, Kasloff breaks Blackie Barker’s gang out of prison. They go back to Kasloff’s castle. The gang is worried about being caught by The Torch but Kasloff assures them he has plenty of escape routes for them. The group starts to plan their next heist.
Being a good sister, Sue Storm reminds Johnny he was depending on his flame alone. That’s not going to work when someone is fireproof. Johnny realizes he can’t use a direct attack. He goes back for another round. This time he’s planning on using the things around Kasloff to defeat him.
He starts by melting the iron handle of Kasloff’s net. Johnny next melts a chandelier above Kasloff’s head making it drop on him. Kasloff throws some of his steel melting formula at The Torch but Johnny melts the bottle in mid air. Then The Torch melts the floor right under Asbestos Man’s feet. Finally Johnny creates enough flame around Kasloffs head to suck away the oxygen until the criminal gives up.
The story ends with the police capturing the criminal and Johnny saying, “Rember professor, you can never play with fire without… getting burned!“
Not to worry Johnny, you also can’t play with Asbestos without having some seriously negative health issues.
It’s certainly odd to read a story about a man whose powers are based off a substance we know to stay away from. But as far as the story goes it was fairly entertaining. I still can never quite wrap my head around why any member of the FF is dealing with crimes as mundane as burglary. And I still find it hard to figure out why some of these criminals don’t just sell some of this stuff they invent. The stories will get more sophisticated and we haven’t nearly seen the end of Asbestos Man.
This isn’t exactly a landmark issue for Marvel 616 but it does set up one of the main antagonists for our favorite teenager on fire. We’ll be checking back in on the whole Fantastic Four again soon. But for now it’s on to the next story.
Next up we’ll be catching up with the Sorcerer Supreme Dr. Stephen Strange in the pages of Strange Tales #111 (C story) where we will meet another new villain in the form of Baron Mordo!
Love Lies Bleeding starring Kristen Stewart and Katy M. O’brian
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Love Lies Bleeding is a 2024 crime thriller starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O’brian. It is an A24 production directed by Rose Glass. The film pulls no punches at all and takes the viewer on an intense ride from start to finish. It’s a love story and a crime story with strong elements of horror and gore. Plus, there is a bit of surrealism here which some will find amazing and others may not enjoy.
What is Love Lies Bleeding About?
The story is set in the 1980’s. It opens in a rough and grimy gym. This is not the kind of place that tells you to believe in yourself and do your best. It’s the type where everyone is constantly drenched in sweat, the bathrooms are filthy, and the signs say things like “Pain is weakness leaving your body.”
Kristen Stewart’s character Lou manages the place. One day a woman who is working her way to a body building competition in Las Vegas starts coming to the gym. This is Jackie, played by O’Brian and the two soon fall in love.
There are major complications. Lou has an obsessive and flirtatious ex-girlfriend. She has a sister who is being abused by Lou’s brother in law. And Lou’s father is a vicious criminal acting like an upstanding citizen in the community. Lou’s father is played by Ed Harris.
Things come to a head when Lou’s sister ends up in the hospital. Lou wants to do something to stop her brother in law. But it’s Jackie who takes action. And this action leads to a course of events that throws the characters into inevitable conflict with a trail of bodies behind them.
I don’t want to give too much away here but the plot gets rather complicated and connects all of the players.
The production design and acting are incredible
The production and set design here are outstanding. It’s set in the 1980s. But it looks and feels like the 80s really did. There are muscle men wearing pink neon. But the hair, the outfits, all of it fits together. This isn’t someone’s idea of the 80’s it’s the lived experience.
Everyone seems to be sweating in the movie and it’s almost as if you want to wipe the grime off the screen yourself. It really works for the tone of the film.
Kristen Stewart gives a complex and amazing performance, balancing romantic interests, a life falling apart, and intense action sequences all at once. But it’s Katy O’Brian who really shines here. The physicality of the role had to be intense. And her strong body is in direct contrast to her vulnerable emotions throughout the film.
And I have to give Ed Harris his usual credit here. He’s always amazing but he plays an outstanding villain here who is cold, ruthless, and intelligent.
The ending is not for everyone
As good as the film is, it’s not perfect. The ending is definitely divisive here. Some will love it while others are going to find it silly and confusing. I think it ultimately works. But it’s tough to tell how metaphorical it’s meant to be. I found it to be satisfying and it does wrap up the story.
There are enough shocking and intense moments to forgive anything here that seems a bit off. But one does wonder if the film would be better served without the surrealist elements that do show up. Either way, it works in the end and stays true to the intention of the film.
Love Lies Bleeding In Conclusion
If you’re looking for a crime thriller in an unexpected setting this is a great one. It’s in an odd world of bodybuilding in the 80’s and it just works as far as the story goes. But it does take a while to warm up. You might say it’s a slow burn. But by the point things do get burning, it’s a raging inferno which does not stop. Expect to have some mixed feelings about the end but if you haven’t seen this you’re in for quite the ride.
Thrillingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
P.S. Want to read more of my movie reviews? Check this one out here!
The 2025 TTRPG challenge is a little tricky. Even if you love tabletop role playing games, it’s not always possible to play a game with your friends. Scheduling is a nightmare. Not all of the activities here are playing TTRPGs. But everything is related to them. Just do your best and try to get as many checked off as you can. Get your free copy here or at the image below. And get started on your challenge!
Slick Dungeon’s 2025 TTRPG Challenge!
Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!
I’m going to play a new system I have been reading called Along the Leyline. It’s a rules lighter form of D&D. I’m excited to give it a shot. I’ll also be reviewing it here.
Check this blog later this year for something I write for a TTRPG. Can’t say what it is yet but I’m excited for it!
I’m going to read the rules for The Walking Dead role playing game.
I’m going to play the Alien role playing game.
I’ll watch a cosmic horror film for this one.
I’m going to read the Pathfinder player manual
I’ll either do Savage Worlds or Pulp Cthulhu or maybe even Achtung Cthulhu for this one.
I can always re-watch E.T.the Extra Terrestrial for this one.
Kobold press has a great monster manual called the Kobold Guide to Monsters. I’ll be reading that.
Call of Cthulhu for this one!
Not sure what kind of handout I will make but once I do, I’ll share it here.
I hear good things about Dungeon Crawl Classics so I’ll go with that one.
I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you play along and how it goes if you do.
The 2025 book challenge is simple. Pick an item on the list. Find a book that matches. If you are reading a book and realize it fits an item, check it off! Download the list right here or from the image below to get started!
Slick Dungeon’s 2025 Book Challenge!
Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!
My favorite book is Lord of the Rings.
For a book assigned in High Schools I will re-read 1984.
For a book with a blue cover – I haven’t decided what book to do here. But one of the ones I read in 2025 is bound to have a blue cover.
I’m in the middle of the Mistborn series. Finding a fantasy book should be easy.
For a non-fiction book I’ll either read a biography (probably about a musician) or something about the comic book industry. I love learning more about both of those.
A book you saw someone reading in a movie – This will be a surprise. I’ll just pick the next book someone reads in a movie I am watching.
For a book of short stories I’m reading You Like it Darker by Stephen King.
For a book with an amazing first line – Technically two lines but The Restaurant at the End of the Universe starts like this – “The story so far: in the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” How great is that?
Most people know the end of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It ends with the perfect line – ‘He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance.’
For a book that is not on a best seller list, I’ll decide the month I read it. To make sure it’s not on a best seller list. There are plenty to choose!
For a book with only a few characters I will read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
I reserve the right to change this one. But I’m planning to read Carrie Fisher’s memoir The Princess Diarist.
Let me know how it goes!
I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you read along. And how it goes if you do.
The 2025 movie challenge is a basic challenge. Watch any move that fits into the requirements on the checklist and then check it off! Download the challenge right here or in the image below.
Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!
For a movie made more than 10 years ago I’m going to watch a black and white horror film
I need someone to recommend me a movie for the second one. Got any recommendations?
A silent movie – I will probably go with Charlie Chaplin here.
A movie with an alien on the poster – might do Alien for this one!
A guilty pleasure movie – I love horror comedy so probably one of those
The oldest movie on my to be watched list is Scarface (I went by oldest meaning it has been on my list the longest. Feel free to interpret it however you want.)
A movie with no special effects – I’ve been wanting to re-watch Before Sunrise so that’s my pick.
A movie with incredible special effects – it was amazing for the time and I’ll take any excuse to re-watch it so Star Wars is my pick.
A movie from a country you have visited (or always wanted to) – I’ve been lucky enough to visit Japan a couple of times so I will pick a Japanese film but I don’t know which one yet.
A movie with the word yellow in the title – Yellow Submarine
A movie with no romance in it – Not sure what I will pick here but it will likely be in the horror genre.
A movie with all romance – I’ve never seen The Notebook so I’ll give that one a try.
I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you play along and how it goes if you do.
Hey Everyone, Slick Dungeon here. 2024 had plenty of challenges for most of us, a lot of them not the fun kind. So I decided to bring back my book, movie, and TTRPG challenges. This year I invite you to challenge yourself!
For the next three days come back here to find out what the challenges are and download a copy for yourself.
When I started this blog I used to do a book, movie, and TTRPG challenge every year. That got to be a lot so I took a break but I’m bringing them back. When they are all out you can download not one, not two, but three absolutely free challenge checklists. Whether you love movies, books, tabletop role playing games, or all three, there is something for you.
Each list has 12 challenges. One per month should be doable but if you are an overachiever, feel free to knock these out in 12 days or less. If you do take up any of these challenges let me know how it went. And if you happen to post it on your social media, feel free to tag me so I can follow your progress.
Challenge yourself! The Rules
There are three separate challenges, one for books, one for movies and one for tabletop role playing games. I’ll tell you about each one and give suggestions for how I plan to meet the challenge.
Once I finish a challenge I will check it off and then post about it. This challenge is for you so feel free to post about it or just enjoy it on your own. If you do post somewhere, let’s compare notes!
These can be done in any order. I’m not judging you and there’s no grade here.
If you want to double dip on any of these feel free. I’m not going to do that but it’s your life, do what you want.
This is not a rule but these will be downloadable PDF’s so feel free to download and print them or pass them on to friends, relatives, neighbors, or office mates looking for something to do! Share, share, share!
How can I get these?
Just come back here tomorrow and you’ll see the movie challenge. The next day grab your book challenge. And on 1/5 get your TTRPG challenge. That’s it!
I hope you enjoy the challenges I made. Don’t forget to let me know if you plan to play along and how it goes if you do.
Challengingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
PS. Want to see my challenges from previous years? Check them out here and here.
Hello dungeon crawlers, Slick Dungeon here! Well, it’s Friday the 13th once again and you know what that means! Yep, it means I will complain yet again that there are only 12 Friday the 13th movies. Give us one more! Not a reboot or a remake. How about a battle royale between Jason and all the final girls and boys? Alas, that’s probably not going to happen. But if you’re itching for even more Friday the 13th content there is the television series. It has… almost nothing to do with the movies. I reviewed the first season here. Friday the 13th the Series Season 2 continues the story of the first season while still allowing an anthology format. There are worse things you could watch. And better.
This not a show I highly recommend. It’s fun if you experienced it when it was out and if you are old enough to remember that, it’s a nice blast of nostalgia. But if you’ve never seen it, I recommend watching other, better horror shows first. One I can recommend is Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiousities. That one is a true anthology and there are some brilliant episodes in that one.
However, there are still some great practical effects here, a decent dose of gore (for a television show from the 1980s), and enough of a plot to keep the viewer interested. It can feel a bit repetitive as each episode is our team of Jack, Ryan and Micki hunting down a cursed artifact from the cursed store they inherited. It does allow us to meet new characters each episode and the premise changes. Some are more creative than others.
In this season there is a Phantom of the Opera knockoff episode, a pocket watch that can stop time, and a cursed key chain that will allow a racer to win races but at a cost. There’s even a strange radio that grants wishes… as long as you are willing to allow someone to die. And of course, in the background Uncle Lewis is still trying to come back to life and spread his evil throughout the world. The on again off again flirtation of Ryan and Micki also continues. Ryan seems to date a new girl every other episode but he gets super mad any time Micki has an interest in someone else. Plus they are cousins, by marriage they will have you know, so it gets complicated. And the heart of the show remains Jack who is sort of a Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer figure. He gets into the action a bit more than Giles tended to though.
If you have run out of other Friday the 13th material to watch on this Friday the 13th, well my first recommendation is to re-watch any of the movies. But if that has you bored, watch the fantastic documentary Crystal Lake Memories. If you have seen that and are still bored, then yeah go ahead and watch Friday the 13th the Series. It’s mildly enjoyable and it’s got some fun moments. Just don’t expect anything too amazing.
Watch out for black cats crossing your path today!
The Fantastic Four Issue #15. Writer: Stan Lee, Artist: Jack Kirby
One of the interesting things about the Fantastic Four is they all live separate lives independent from the team. This is a superhero group that breaks up and gets back together more than your favorite band. And while they all are heroes in their own right, deep down we all know, just as they do, these four are best together.
In the 15th issue of the FF, a villain with intellectual prowess has a plan to separate the group and defeat them. The Mad Thinker makes his first appearance but is he enough to defeat the smartest man in the world, Reed Richards? Don’t count on it.
Before I get into the plot of the issue, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the cover by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers. I love this cover. The artists not only convey a frenetic sense of movement with our heroes pinned down in what looks like an impossible position, it’s also as if this action is so intense it has literally broken through the cover of the comic itself. It’s a visual 4th wall break and man does it work. Say what you will about artists today, Jack Kirby in his time was a true innovator.
As for the issue itself, the first page promises a showdown between the Fantastic Four and someone called the Mad Thinker and his Awesome Android! While the FF have gone up against quite a few foes already, naming a character “The Mad Thinker” makes me think he’s meant to be a match for Reed Richards specifically.
The story shows us the Baxter Building in New York where Reed fires off his signal gun. This device unleashes a fiery 4 in the sky to call his team home. And at this point the team is famous enough, the pedestrians on the ground know this is a red alert for the super hero group.
The first of our heroes to see the signal is Johnny Storm who is on a date with a girl named Peggy. This is her first official appearance but it won’t be her last. She’s upset with the interruption of the date as ol’ flame head flies off. This seems to be repeat behavior on Johnny’s part but hey, a super hero has obligations.
We then move on to Sue Storm who is getting her hair done with one of the most sought after hair stylists in New York, Pierre. He’ll return to the pages of the Fantastic Four as well. Sue decides to turn invisible for what, in my opinion, is a pretty silly reason. She doesn’t want anyone to see her with curlers in her hair.
The last member of the group to see the signal is Benjamin Grim, aka, The Thing. He’s on Yancy Street where the Yancy Street Gang is making fun of him. Yancy street has been mentioned a time or two so far but this is the first direct showdown between The Thing and the Yancy Street Gang who grow to be a consistent rivalry for Ben. Why is Ben mad at these guys? They sent him a drawing of himself in a tutu. We don’t actually see the faces of any of these guys but they do taunt Ben and throw flowers at him. In response, the Thing picks up a bulldozer and is about to hurl it at them when he sees the emergency signal. He abandons the fight to help his friends. Of course this makes the Yancy Street Gang think he’s scared of them and they taunt him further on his way down the street.
The three members who have been summoned to the Baxter Building express their displeasure with being interrupted. But Reed says he didn’t want to stop what he was doing any more than they did. Reed was experimenting with D.N.A. and has “managed to create a primitive form of one-celled life which lived for a few seconds!” He asks, “Do you think I feel like stopping now?” Hmmmm…. I don’t know Reed, I feel like this whole line of experiments might come back to bite you in the end.
Anyway, the reason Reed summoned everyone is he got a tip from the chief of police. It seems a bunch of big shot “mobsters and gang leaders” from all over the country have converged on New York. And the police chief wants the FF to keep an eye out. I’m not sure the FF is actually the right team for this job since they tend to deal with things on a more cosmic scale but they should be capable of stopping a little crime right?
We’re next introduced to our villain. The Mad Thinker declares down to the half second when his visitors will arrive. Sure enough three tough looking thugs walk through the door. Apparently the Thinker has summoned these folks to help him create a “kingdom of crime.” And who’s to lead this kingdom? The Thinker, naturally.
He lays out a plan to take over New York, going so far as to imagine himself making treaties with other cities to negotiate terms of trade. But, of course, the mobsters want to know what will be done about the Fantastic Four. They all describe how any one of the members of that team could defeat the Thinker.
The Thinker flies into a rage and shows them all his huge computer array. With it he’s figured out a way to break into the Baxter Building and take over the heroes’ headquarters. He even claims his computer not only knows everything that ever has happened but can also predict everything that will happen. And he goes on to describe some crimes he’s committed with impeccable timing because he knew of strange incidents that would happen at precise moments. He got away because of a hot dog cart, a water main bursting, and an organ grinder’s monkey starting a fire. All things his machines predicted.
One of the mobsters isn’t buying it and decides to leave. The Thinker says he knew that would happen and that the mobster would regret it in 18 seconds. Eighteen seconds later the mob boss is arrested by the police and does regret his decision. Now, it could be the Thinker’s machines truly predicted this but as a skeptic myself, I think the safer bet is the cops saw famous mobsters come into their city and followed them, waiting for them to come out to be arrested. That’s just my hunch though. But it’s enough to convince the rest of the gangsters and thugs to join with The Thinker.
The Thinker’s plan to defeat the famous super heroes boils down to a divide and conquer scheme. He’s got plans for each one of them.
First, The Human Torch is visited by his cousin, Bones, who runs a circus. Business has been bad for Bones and he needs a sensational act to bring the audience back.
Next, the executives at General Electric need someone to head up their electronic research division. A well placed magazine makes them decide to reach out to Reed Richards himself with the job offer.
The Thing is offered a chance to wrestle someone named Fatal Finnegan who also happens to be the idol of the Yancy Street Gang.
Meanwhile, Sue Storm is spotted by a director working on a new show and wants her to star.
All of these offers are enticing for our heroes. And ultimately they decide what they need right now is a little vacation from each other. This isn’t the first and it’s far from the last time the group splits up but it is notable because they aren’t splitting up out of anger this time. It’s not just an impulsive decision, it seems more calculated. And like fate has dealt them the perfect set of circumstances for this to happen. Of course, this is true because the Mad Thinker has been putting these plans into motion for months.
The four heroes go their separate ways to pursue their interests. The Mad Thinker knows a meteor is about to strike the waters of New York’s lower bay. This causes a temporary panic in the city and in the confusion the Thinker is able to enter the Baxter Building because the electricity is out.
Meanwhile, Johnny is a sensation at the circus but he is getting tired of doing the same old act day in and day out. Sue Storm is making her movie but finds it tedious as she has to do take after take. Reed is great at his job but has unorthodox methods and realizes he’s not happy working for anyone but himself. The Thing is in a fairly even wrestling match but his opponent has his eye on Alicia, Ben’s girlfriend. This enrages the Thing who puts a quick end to the wrestling show.
All of our heroes return back at the same time. But things are different here. The building has been transformed into some kind of impenetrable crystal. As the group tries to figure out a way in, the Mad Thinker projects an image of himself onto the building. He tells the team he’s used, “an electronic hypno-ray field around the building!” so the general population doesn’t notice the changes. He introduces himself to the team and says they are to be his greatest conquest because once they are defeated no one on earth can stand in his way.
While quite a few foes have challenged this team already, the Thinker does have one advantage here. He’s got Reed’s scientific research. He allows the team to enter, assuming he will be able to defeat the team. Johnny melts some traps waiting for them at the entrance. But then the mobsters show up with, “vibra-guns.” Things look bleak until the Thing wraps up the mobsters by bending steel walls around them.
The Thinker tells the group he expected them to pass their first test but tells them they need to get to the 35th floor. They head up the elevator shaft when Thinker tosses some canisters at the group. It’s something of Reed’s making and it gives Jack Kirby another chance to show off his art skills with a bit of distortion. The gas is meant to be non-lethal and make you lose balance while everything you see becomes distorted.
Sue gives Ben the idea of twisting up Mr. Fantastic’s body and letting him go so he acts like a giant fan. This does the trick and the team ends up on the 35th floor. Once there, the team is confronted with the living android that was promised on the cover. The Thinker has used Reed’s research to create this thing. Johnny attacks it but it blows out his flame. The Thing tries to stop it next but when Ben punches it seems to absorb and adopt the properties of The Thing himself. Reed feels responsible so he tells the team to stay back while he tries to find a way to nullify its power. Sue turns invisible as Reed wraps himself around the android. Reed tells her where to push to turn off the computer terminal of the android and she does.
When the team finally makes it to the Mad Thinker he’s not surprised. Johnny threatens him with flame but Thinker is confident. He’s got a gun that shoots a chemical which can douse Johnny’s flame. Even worse, he’s got anti-matter shells zeroed in on all the heroes. This is an invention of Reed’s making so it’s likely to work. But at the exact moment Thinker believes he will win, the shells misfire and Reed and team grab and deactivate them.
The Mad Thinker is left to wonder how he was beaten. Reed explains Thinker didn’t think of the x-factor (hmm sounds like a good name for a future comic) that can’t be accounted for. When Reed and friends saw their building they communicated to the postman Mr. Lumpkin and asked him to ring a special bell at exactly four o’clock. This button is an electrical circuit breaker meant to render all of Reed’s equipment useless. He rigged this knowing it was a possibility someone might take over his lab someday.
The Mad Thinker is taken off by the police vowing that next time he’ll take into account the x-factor. And with that the heroic family is back together once again.
The ending here is definitely a bit of a deus ex machina but at least Reed rigged it up ahead of time. Off panel of course.
The Thinker will go on to be a repeat villain and he does have some good tricks up his sleeve. He never will quite reach the levels of a Dr. Doom but he’s an interesting foil for Reed in particular and he’s no doubt dangerous. The issue cements further the bonds of family and friendship in the team. It’s a good issue but it does not have the flair of one of the great FF stories. It’s adequate but the drama is a bit slow. However, the artwork is, for lack of a better word, fantastic in this one.
We’ll have plenty more adventures to talk about with this team but for now they are relatively safe and happy all together.
Next up on the reading list we’ll be checking in on Johnny Storm’s own adventures in Strange Tales #111 [A story] quickly followed by a run in with Dr. Strange in Strange Tales #111 [C story].
Cthulhu by Gaslight by Barton, Hardy, Mason, McDonald, Ross & Wade.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wander the streets of London on a foggy night when Jack the Ripper was on the loose? What if there was something even more dangerous out there lurking in the darkness? If you want to unleash cosmic horror in the Victorian era, Cthulhu by GaslightInvestigators’ Guide is for you. I just got my hands on the book and I’ve given it a flip through so I wanted to share my thoughts with you all here. I’ll probably do a deeper dive into the nuances at a later time. But just to sum it up in a nutshell, it’s Call of Cthulhu but set in Victorian London. And I can’t wait to play it.
What is Cthulhu by Gaslight?
The tabletop role playing game Call of Cthulhu famously introduced players to the role playing potential of cosmic horror. This is a game where the heroes are decidedly human, and although investigators can be heroic, the odds of overcoming the darkness are slim. There is magic, but it’s dangerous and often deadly. The monsters in this game are so far beyond comprehension to the human mind that just seeing one is enough to drive most people to madness. There are no elves, dwarves, or halflings to help out. The players, referred to as investigators, are dreadfully, horrifically, on their own. The game is typically set in 1920’s America. But cosmic horror knows no bounds of time or place so it can often be interesting to change the location or the time period for a different flavor of play.
The gaslight era refers to the Victorian age when Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom. It was a time of great progress, full of innovation, and ushered in new modes of communication and transportation. But it was also a time when strict class structure was prevalent, economic and societal disparities were larger than ever, and the world was trying to come to grips with how to move forward. It’s a natural match to place cosmic horror in the same location and time period when Charles Dickens was the most famous author of all time, penny dreadful novels were available on ever street corner, and Jack the Ripper was the first killer to become a global media sensation. The potential for change, dread, and horror in this era is nearly unparalleled.
Cthulhu by Gaslight evokes this mood beautifully for a fun and terrifying experience.
What do I need to play?
As far as role playing games go, Cthulhu by Gaslight is pretty light on needed materials. You will need the Investigators’ Guide and a set of role playing dice (d12 excluded). And, of course, you need a group of people to play with.
If you have played Call of Cthulhu before, you likely have the Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook but it is not essential to have this to play the Gaslight version. In the Gaslight Investigators’ Guide they include the complete rules needed, including character creation. Still, it is nice to have the Keeper Rulebook to reference as a separate book. Do keep in mind, a Keeper book specifically for the Gaslight edition will come out sometime in the future. If you don’t have the 7th edition Keeper Rulebook already, and you only want to play in the Gaslight edition, wait until that comes out rather than buying the Keeper guide for the core game.
In other words, Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide is almost completely self contained. You will need the dice and friends, but you can get along with just the one book. But my advice here comes with a couple of caveats.
Two things to consider
First, if you have never played any Call of Cthulhu it can be difficult to be the Keeper. The Gaslight Keeper Rulebook is meant to give the Keeper new tools to help facilitate play and delve deeper into the history of the game. Since that book is not out yet, you may want to hold off being the Keeper until you have at least some experience with the 7th edition of Call of Cthulhu. But, it’s clear if you are experienced or creative enough, you can definitely start campaigns with just the Investigators’ Guide.
Second, if you are already an expert in the Victorian era, you might not need the upcoming Keeper Rulebook at all. It is possible to just take the original 7th edition rules, fiddle around with them a bit, and plop your investigators right into a different time period. The Investigators’ Guide for Gaslight makes it much easier and it’s a fantastic reference. But if you don’t have the disposable income to purchase the book, you can always consider putting in more work and creating Victorian campaigns of your own.
Whether or not you should buy Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide is up to you. But so far, I find it a great resource full of interesting tidbits, more useful for the historical aspect than the rules breakdown. I already do play 7th edition though so your circumstances may be different.
Where can I get Cthulhu by Gaslight?
There are two ways to get the book. The first, and most obvious, is directly from Chaosium. The hardcover is $49.99 and you can grab it here. There is a leatherette edition which looks absolutely gorgeous but runs at a hefty price of $99.99 and you can get that here. And Chaosium does have a PDF version you can get for a very reasonable price of $24.99 and you can get that here.
One nice thing about buying any of the physical books at Chaosium is you do get a free PDF of the book included. If you have plenty of space on your bookshelf, getting one of the physical books is the best way to go.
However, if you are like me, and your shelf space is running low, drivethrurpg can be the way to go. You can only get the PDF version there. If you are only getting the PDF version, consider purchasing it for $24.99 through my affiliate link here. It costs the same but I get a small amount of the proceeds. This helps me to keep this blog going and is extremely appreciated.
Anything else I should know?
Do keep in mind this book is labeled for mature readers. I think it can be adaptable for kids. But it touches on themes of violence, gore, drug use and sex. That’s something to keep in mind even if you are only playing with adults. A lot of horror games deal with sensitive topics like these. Just be sure you know where everyone at the table stands on what their tolerance levels are for certain topics.
The art in the book is fantastic. Check out just one piece below. It’s so evocative of the era and leaves a bit of mystery to the imagination. The book is full of great atmospheric examples like this.
A foggy morning in London during the Victorian era
Don’t forget about the free downloads. In addition to the information in the book, you can get plenty of free goodies. On the Chaosium website you can get blank investigator sheets, pre-generated character sheets, a Gaslight London map, and a player maps pack.
Anyone can get these free downloads just by visiting the website. If you really don’t want to buy the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide but you still want to play in the Gaslight setting, all of those handouts go a long way to making it easier.
And the last thing to know is, if you want to make your game a little more action filled, or a little more like the show Penny Dreadful you can do so using the Pulp Cthulhu rules. This is a separate set of rules I won’t get into here. But those rules make for tougher investigators and more frequent combat.
In Conclusion
The Gaslight setting won’t be for everyone. If you already have enough of the Cthulhu resources, time, and imagination, this book is not necessary. But, if you want a new setting with an easy reference guide, some killer artwork, and tons of advice and tips, get your copy. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when I take investigators out of the usual Cthulhu settings and put them in the fog filled streets of London when the night was lit by gas.
I also see potential here for connecting stories to some other Cthulhu settings. While it has a much different feel, I could see investigators go from Cthulhu by Gaslight to Down Darker Trails, the western setting for the game. There’s a much different set of skills needed to navigate London than there is duking it out in the wild west. A journey where we go from one spot to the other could make for some unforgettable TTRPG experiences.
If you’ve played in this setting, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to tell me in the comments below.
And, if you’re looking for some recommendations for other Call of Cthulhu campaigns, check out my post here.
Until next time, stay safe, you never know what’s lurking in the fog.
Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee, Robert Bernstein, Artist: Jack Kirby
We all know Iron Man is the wealthy industrialist Tony Stark. He’s faced a few foes so far. But Kala. Queen of the Netherworld is a new deadly villain who comes from below the surface of Earth.
The issue opens up with a preview panel where Kala tells Iron Man he’s made the mistake of his life by entering her Netherworld. And she has a disintegrator cannon that will vaporize him into nothingness. But Iron Man has other plans.
Strange Tales continues to be an anthology book at this point, but the only 616 cannon story here is Iron Man. He’s becoming the star attraction in the comic and while the other stories can be interesting, the ones in this issue are ho-hum at best. In fact, even the Iron Man story is not all that enticing but there’s a bit of fun action involved.
To start the story in full, we see two scientists in the wind tunnel of Anthony Stark’s private lab. The problem? The wind velocity control exploded. The force of the wind is blowing the poor scientists all over the place. A guard comes in to check what’s going on and gets sucked into the wind. The scientist delivers a great order to him… if the guard wasn’t also being blown around everywhere.
As if the wind wasn’t enough of a problem, it tears the missile these scientists are testing off the mountings. I’m no scientist, but that sounds dangerous to me. The guards do frantically signal Mr. Stark but even they think there’s nothing he can do. But thankfully, Tony tells his crew not to worry, because someone is visiting Stark. Who could it be? That’s right, Iron Man is there. And the guards say over the phone, “Iron Man?! Gosh, what a break for us!” Totally coincidental and extremely lucky.
Tony puts on his Iron Man costume which is somehow made of armor that is also, collapsible. He muses to himself that no one dreams Iron Man is really Anthony Stark. If no one is figuring this out, I think Stark is overpaying his guards to be honest.
Iron Man has no trouble walking down the wind tunnel but how in the world can he stop the wind? If you answered, Iron Man will spin at super high speeds to become a human fan, you are spot on!
Doing this stops the wind. But it also destroys the blowers in the wind tunnel. Iron Man tells the workers there not to worry about it because Stark can afford to build new ones.
You’ll notice during the emergency at Stark’s lab, Anthony Stark never showed up. But he’s an intelligent scientist so he has a plan. He goes back to his office, changes out of his Iron Man armor, leaves it behind and goes to see the men working at the wind tunnel.
Anthony reasoned with a crisis happening so recently, there is no way a new one pops up. For a smart guy, Stark sure misses the mark here. Out of nowhere, a guard disintegrates. This man vanishes before everyone’s eyes, leaving only his gun behind. Next, a scientist named Evans vanishes. This is getting to be a real problem.
Just as the guards are wondering if they are having a mass hallucination, Anthony Stark is enclosed by some invisible force. And it’s sucking him underground somehow. Stark tries to break out but it’s no good. One of the scientists tries to smash it but that doesn’t work. And a guard shoots it. Luckily for Stark that does not work either.
This glass elevator Tony is in drops him into a strange underground world. When the elevator stops, a woman orders Stark released. And, I have to say, she is wearing some A+ headgear. Stark, for his part, is not intimidated whatsoever.
To Stark’s surprise his employees are also in this underground city. And although they have only been there for mere moments they already know, “We’re at the mercy of a brilliant, ruthless race!” Kala basically takes this as a compliment and brags the Netherworld has scientific secrets the surface world does not.
As advanced as these people may be, they are not perfect. The reason they have two of Stark’s employees is they were aiming for Stark but missed. Tony knows these people want something from him. Kala explains first who they are. The Netherworlders are descendants of the people of Atlantis. I don’t know if they have any relation to Namor or if we will find that out in time but it would make sense. These people survived an enormous tidal wave by hiding under a huge, unbreakable glass dome. But it ended up at the bottom of the sea. Eventually, that dome sank to the center of the Earth where they now call it Netherworld.
Now, Kala wants to invade the surface world. But before she does that, she shows the United States most prominent weapons manufacturer her cache of military weapons. I’m not sure how bright of an idea that is for her. Regardless, what she wants is for Stark to invent “…transistor powered machines such as you alone can create!” These machines will be used to power the deadly weapons to the surface.
Despite the fact Kala says they have been monitoring all countries of the surface world for some time, she doesn’t seem to know what happened the last time Anthony Stark was forced to design a technology against his will. In case you don’t remember, that’s how he got his Iron Man suit to begin with.
Kala is smart enough to know Stark won’t just do this so she threatens the lives of Stark’s employees. Thinking fast, Stark tells Kala there is someone on the surface who could defeat all of her forces. Who? Iron Man, of course. He doesn’t mention there is a literal god of thunder who could do that also. And there’s an angry green guy who’d have a shot too. But I digress.
Stark goes on to describe some of the amazing feats Iron Man can do. Kala’s general, a man named Baxu, thinks the Netherworld should hold off since Iron Man is rather invincible. But Kala says he has a machine that can literally reverse the Earth’s axis. This would be a huge problem for surface dwellers but not for the Netherworlders since it’s at the center.
Stark’s employee’s beg him not to cooperate with Kala, figuring their lives aren’t worth the rest of the world. But Stark agrees. You can probably guess how this goes. Stark agrees but we know he’s not really going to doom the world.
But first, Baxu complains to Stark that he hates taking orders. “…from a woman!” And also says he is in love with Kala.
Inevitably, Stark recreates his Iron Man armor. And to smoothly cover his tracks, Iron Man says to Baxu, “Stark tricked Kala! He spent the night making his escape to the surface, and then sent me down here to foil your invasion plot!”
A tip to villains in the Marvel 616 universe, when you throw Tony Stark in a lab, put some cameras on the guy so you can see what he’s doing. Somehow, I don’t think this advice will be heeded in future issues.
Iron Man makes short work of Baxu and his sexist ways, tossing him to the ground. Baxu is sure Iron Man will kill him but he lets Baxu live. And he says Baxu should be the one in charge, “…instead of that beautiful but vain creature… Kala!” Yeah, Stark holds some rather sexist beliefs himself. But then again, Kala did threaten to kill a whole bunch of people so, maybe Baxu is a better leader here.
Baxu warns Iron Man Kala’s weapons might still destroy him. But Iron Man shows what he can do with electronic powers. Kala tries to kill Iron Man with her disintegrator cannon. Iron Man aims an electronic reverse energy beam at the bolt coming at him. Yeah, I have no idea what that is either but seems like it works. The beams collide and explode and the deadly weapon is no more.
Kala is not out of tricks. She has a, “super-sonic flame-thrower” she fires. Iron Man tosses “concentrated chemical crystals” at the flames and they turn into a block of ice. I have no idea what kind of chemical crystals could do that. Yet, Kala is still not done. She has a “magnetically-directed-machine-gun which fires atomic bullets!” Sounds serious. But Kala didn’t know about Iron Man’s “tiny transistor-powered magnets.” Those redirect the bullets upward, rendering them useless.
Iron Man has, up to this point, been defending, not attacking and he reminds Kala of that. Next he asks her to imagine if he protected all “earthmen” by multiplying them electronically with countless images. He creates mirror images of himself. This is enough to confuse and distract Kala. Iron Man grabs her and flies up, breaking the supposedly unbreakable glass dome and through the ground up to the surface using, and I am not kidding here, “nuclear powered clippers.” Aren’t gadgets fun?
After arriving on the surface, Iron Man reveals to Kala that the surface atmosphere is much different than the one down below. This ages her tremendously. She begs to go back so she can be young and beautiful once more. Down below, Iron Man all but commands Kala to marry Baxu and never return to threaten the surface world again. Baxu, for his part, says Iron Man is welcome back any time.
And we end on an awkward panel meant to show off the playboy status of Anthony Stark. A man looking at Stark says, “…at least his adventure under the earth kept him away from the girls for a while.” To which Stark thinks to himself, “That’s what you think, Bub!” Bub. That’s a good nickname, maybe a Marvel character should use that more often sometime in the future.
Thus ends another epic journey of Iron Man’s. I’ll admit there is a lot left to be desired in this story. It’s pretty silly, the technology mentioned here is borderline magic at best, the misogyny comes through in heavy doses from two of the main characters in the story. We can say, this was closer to what the attitude of the time was but that doesn’t excuse it.
As far as a science fiction story goes, it’s got its fun moments and there are much worse stories (I’ll be reviewing them eventually). The art is great but this one feels more like it was thrown together just to get something out there. Totally understandable if that was the case because Marvel was putting out an incredible volume for the time.
The story does cement Iron Man more as a powerful figure, as someone who has a secret identity to protect, and shows Anthony Stark as a wealthy, brilliant, playboy who will ultimately make the right choice when the time comes. Other than that, this doesn’t do a whole lot to progress the overall story of Marvel 616 but each small piece adds up to a larger whole.
Next up on the reading list, we’re checking back in with America’s space faring family in The Fantastic Four #15!
Hello folks. I’m the first to admit that I love a dark and gritty horror tabletop role playing game like Call of Cthulhu or Vampire the Masquerade. But there are times in life when you just need a break from that. Or from your favorite fantasy game involving elves and whatnot. Maybe you want to run around an office as a Nepo Baby, reminding everyone who your father is. Or you need a game where you can let the perfectionist side of you shine. If you are looking for a fun game that is easy to learn and great for a good time, I highly recommend Interns in the Dark by Adam Yee.
Before I go any further, I just want to say, I have no affiliation with this game in any way and this is in no way sponsored content. I just really enjoyed it when I got to play it so I wanted to share it with all of you.
What is Interns in the Dark?
Interns in the Dark is a tabletop role playing game. It utilizes the same rule set Blades in the Dark uses. In case you don’t know about Bladesin the Dark, it’s basically a heist TTRPG. It’s a lot of fun to play and easier to pick up than something like Dungeons & Dragons.
Interns in the Dark flips the script on that game and makes it more of a comedic take on a heist quest. A couple of weekends ago, I got to play a session at Big Bad Con and it was one of the highlights of the convention for me. I’m not going to go over rules extensively here but I’ll tell you some basics and you can decide if it’s something you want to get for your own gaming table.
The premise of Interns in the Dark
You live in a place filled with highly successful businesses called The Bay. No matter what your character does in the game, they start working for a soul sucking mega-corporation. You might work for The Jungle, Metabook, Trinance, Ghougle, or Stonks Inc. Or your GM may decide to make their own. These companies are super innovative. At stealing each other’s intellectual property.
When you go to work, you are an innocent intern who is crucial to the success of your company. Succeed and you may be rewarded. Fail and there will be consequences.
The characters of Interns in the Dark
There are several archetypes you can play.
The Jock
Pretty much what it sounds like. You’re into sports and you’re athletic. Also good at teamwork.
The Weeb
Embrace your inner anime fan with this one. Lean into the weird and have a great time.
The Techie
Love gadgets? You’ll fit right in. You are obviously good at tech skills.
The Perfect
We all know someone like this. If you don’t then you are the perfect. You get the job done and done right no matter the cost.
The Nepo Baby
You have connections and everyone knows it. Because you constantly remind them.
The Empath
You’re way good at all the feels. And it helps you make a lot of friends.
The Mascot
You dress up in a costume. People may not know who you are but they instantly recognize your outfit.
A session
A play session of the game can run from 2-4 hours usually with 3-5 players. Making a character is easy if you’ve played any TTRPG before. If you haven’t, it might take you 30 or so minutes to figure it out.
You can play single one shot sessions to have a nice break between your other games. But you can also play a longer campaign with the book over multiple sessions.
It’s really up to you how your group plays but if you need a good dose of humor these days (and who doesn’t?) this is a great one to add to your bookshelf.
When I played, I was the mascot and we got away with our heist after a bunch of tech bros who took on the characteristics of all the U.S. ex-presidents landed their cybertrucks on top of our U-haul. But there’s no telling how a game of yours might turn out.
How can I get a copy of Interns in the Dark?
Want to start for free? Get the quickstart rules here. This is an independent TTRPG creator though, so consider giving a donation at least.
Want just the PDF? That will cost you $25. How about the softcover? That will run you $40. You can get both versions right here.
Personally, I recommend the softcover. It’s a completely reasonable price for any TTRPG book. The art is a lot of fun and it makes it easy to flip through. But needs vary so grab whatever version makes the most sense for your table.
Other than the book, all you need are some character sheets and 4 six sided dice for everyone at the table. No need to run out and get super fancy dice. (Of course that’s always fun to do though, so no shame if you still decide to do that.)
In Conclusion
I’ll probably post more about this game on occasion and get into mechanics and whatnot. But for now, just trust me, it’s a lot of fun, especially if you just need a lighthearted break now and again with your gaming group.
Have you played this one? If so, what character archetype did you play and did you succeed at your mission? Let me know in the comments.
Looking for something a little more serious?
I know a fun game involving interns is not for everyone. If you would rather play a great cosmic horror game, in my book, you can’t go wrong with Call of Cthulhu.
Hello horror fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review the third film in the X horror series by Ti West. Once again this stars the living legend scream queen Mia Goth. This is her third turn in the series. While you don’t have to watch both of the other films to enjoy this one, it helps if you have at least seen X. If you want to get caught up quickly, check out my posts for X and Pearl. Do be warned there will be spoilers for all three films in this review. If that’s not your thing, pack up your bags, head out to Hollywood, make it as a star, screen the film in your huge living room, and then come on back here to read the review.
MaXXXine – The Chronology
Things are a little confusing with this series because of how they released. X is the first in the series to be released, but chronologically it comes second. Pearl is a prequel to X but it came out after X and before MaXXXine. While you don’t need to watch these in order, it does help to have seen the other two prior to watching MaXXXine.
In X we watched an aspiring actress named Maxine who wanted to be a sex symbol to the world. Unfortunately for her, there was a mass murder and huge debacle when she and her friends went to make their first adult film. This mass murder was committed by an elderly woman named Pearl and her elderly husband.
Pearl takes us back in time to see the origins of this deadly woman. MaXXXine catches us up to 1985 and focuses once again on Maxine.
Hooray for Hollywood
The film follows the story of Maxine Minx as she attempts to transition from adult film star to legitimate movie star. For her to do this, she has to land a part in a horror film. The film in the film is called The Puritan II and sure enough, Maxine is cast for the movie.
But her past is not far behind. There’s a private investigator, played by Kevin Bacon, named John Labat who knows what happened in Texas and has tracked Maxine down.
While this is happening, the Night Stalker killer is roaming free and has been murdering women in Los Angeles. Maxine and all her friends are in danger. Thankfully, Maxine knows how to take care of herself.
And speaking of Hollywood, this film is jam packed with references to other films, has loads of stars, and absolutely perfects the look of a film made in 1985.
We get shots of Maxine looking at and hiding in the Psycho house while on the the movie set. This echoes the call backs to Psycho we saw in X.
Kevin Bacon looks just like Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, bandaged nose and all. And there are even split screen shots recalling the work of Brian De Palma.
If you love film and film history, you’ll spot a call back in this movie for sure.
Satanic Panic
In the background of the movie we see signs of the so called Satanic Panic. This is when parents, the media, and religious groups all had a collective freak out, finding signs of satanism in everything from movies to music to Dungeons & Dragons.
Add to that the real fear people had of being killed by someone like the Night Stalker, things are boiling over in Hollywood at the time.
The actual news footage played in the film adds not only to the look and feel of MaXXXine but it effectively ratchets the tension up to an intense degree.
And, of course, Maxine is in a horror film which is already being accused of being satanic. She’s getting hatred from Hollywood itself, the people outside of it, and keeps turning up connected to dead bodies.
While all of this does get tied together in the end, I found myself having to guess more than once, which thread here was actually coming for Maxine. It’s a film that keeps you guessing, although, in the end the reveal is nothing earth shattering.
MaXXXine the Survivor
In X, Maxine went through some major trauma. She’s no lost and clueless actress here. She’s a full on badass who has learned to detach herself when necessary. And she’s willing to fight anyone who tries to mess with her.
It’s refreshing to see a character in a horror movie who takes no nonsense from anyone. And it’s a little disturbing to see how far Maxine is willing to go to protect herself, damn the consequences.
Maxine is in a tough world be she’s more than up to the challenge.
You’re a F*cking MOvie Star
I can’t finish out this review without mentioning Mia Goth and her unbelievably good performance. In X she plays a somewhat naive woman who’s looking for fame the best way she knows how. In Pearl she played a woman who was willing to fight the world, even though it was against her at every turn. But in MaXXXine, she plays a woman who will not back down, ever, for anyone. And she’s going to get what she wants.
Mia Goth is surrounded by huge stars. Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale play detectives in the film. Halsey plays Maxine’s friend and fellow adult film star. Giancarlo Esposito plays Maxine’s agent. And as mentioned above, 80’s icon and legendary actor Kevin Bacon plays the private investigator looking for Maxine.
While Kevin Bacon has some of his best acting in this film in years, no matter who is on screen with her, it’s Mia Goth who draws the eye. She puts in an incredible performance here and shows enormous range with these three films.
In Conclusion
If you’re a horror fan, you need to see this film. I know there are other, bigger budget films out to watch this weekend but as far as horror goes, this one knocks it out of the park.
MaXXXine is a fascinating portrayal, an excellent follow up, and the rare third part of a trilogy that may be the best one.
If you don’t like gore, do be cautioned there is a bit of that here but there are absolutely gorier films out there.
While this one has a different feel and quality from the previous two in the series, this strikes just the right tone and is a nearly perfect follow up.
Kevin Costner stars in and directs Horizon: An American Saga
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Hello out there film fans! It’s Slick Dungeon and I’m back to review yet another movie. This time we’re heading out west to talk about Kevin Costner’s highly ambitious project Horizon: An American Saga Chapter One. There will be some spoilers in this review so if that’s not your thing, head out into the sunset, watch the movie, and come on back here to read up. Got it? Okay good, then saddle up and let’s get riding into the review!
Manifest Destiny
I’ll admit I am not a huge fan of westerns. There’s only a few I really enjoy so I was skeptical about Horizon: An American Saga. Add to that, this is a film with a three hour run time and it’s part one, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting here. Before I go into the details of the movie, I will give a warning that this film is not for everyone.
If you don’t enjoy sweeping epics with a large cast of characters this film is not for you. Absolutely hate westerns? This is also not for you. Need a film to come to a complete conclusion at the end? This movie is not for you. And if you can’t handle a three hour run time, this will not be for you.
But, if you have the patience to sit through three hours, understand you are only seeing the first chapter, and can enjoy a western, this is for you.
As someone who enjoys really long fantasy films like The Lord of the Rings, I had no problem with the run time. Or following along with the cast and plot. I didn’t feel the need for it to complete since there are at least two more films coming.
There are plenty of reasons to see the film, even if you wouldn’t normally do so. This movie is not a sequel, prequel, remake, or even based on an existing property. If we want to encourage Hollywood to make more films that are original, you’d be wise to support this film.
Due to the sweeping cast, it can be hard to keep track of all the characters. There are at least three story threads going on at the same time. And all of those threads have a huge cast of characters. There are only a few main ones you need to focus on, and it’s easy enough to keep track if you don’t get wrapped up in trying to remember all their names.
At its core, the film is about the idea of westward expansion and manifest destiny. Back when there was a ton of wide open spaces in America and there was a fight going on between the Native American population and the pioneers who wanted to settle the land.
the storylines of HOrizon: An American Saga
The film starts quietly with three surveyors in the San Pedro Valley. They lay a foundation for houses or maybe a town. While they do this, they are being watched by two young Apaches. A war party approaches. In the next scene a traveling missionary arrives and looks out at the horizon. He has a flyer with him. At the top of the flyer is one word. Horizon. It promises a new place to settle and be free. The missionary is told he went past the town at the river and he needs to turn back. When he goes back, he finds the bodies of the three surveyors. He decides to bury the bodies and creates makeshift crosses to mark the graves. The missionary goes back across the river and begins his settlment.
This marks the end of the implied violence in the film. For the rest of the movie any time a fight or gunshots break out, we see all of it. This happens four years later as the Apache decimate the settlers who are not expecting an attack. Only a few survive and the rest of the film mostly ties into these people. We also follow a contingent of Union soldiers who are there to keep the peace.
Threads in different locations
We get a second storyline which starts in Montana. Here a woman shoots a man and grabs a baby. The payoff takes a while to arrive but it does set up the main villains of the film. And those villains are memorable. We have the unhinged Caleb Sykes played by Jamie Campbell Bower and the mountain of a man Ben Sykes played by Jon Beavers. Both of these guys give great performances and I wanted more screen time from the two of them.
Our third storyline is a wagon train moving along the Santa Fe trail towards Horizon. This focuses on the leader of the wagon train played by Luke Wilson. It’s a little hard to see him as a cowboy but ultimately he serves the film well.
Costner makes his appearance
If you’re wondering where Kevin Costner is in all this, other than behind the scenes, he does show up. But it’s surprisingly late in the film. He plays the most stereotypical kind of western hero here. He’s gruff but seems to have a good heart. And he’s mostly silent. When he takes action it happens fast and it’s lethal. His story is wrapped up in the Montana storyline but his role in it is not entirely clear. At least not in this film.
I won’t give away where all these storylines go but I will say, I can’t wait to see how exactly they tie together in the next chapters.
Directing and Cinematography
You might expect a film with the name Horizon to have a lot of shots of, well, the horizon. Yep, there’s plenty of that. But I will say the cinematography is more than that. The action sequences and the smooth transitions from storyline to storyline keep the viewer engaged. While this is good directing without question, I can’t say it is the best directing I have ever seen. Costner does a fine job laying out the story and he’s judicious enough not to put too much of himself in front of the camera. But there are times when there seem like there may be missed opportunities.
There are some scenes involving the Apaches which give us a deeper look into what is happening there but Costner could have focused more on them in my opinion. I’m hoping we’ll see more of that in further installments.
There are clearly huge set pieces and there is no question everything here was built for the film. There’s not really any CGI to be found which is refreshing. Things just look better when they are real. And in a western, that’s vital.
Score and Sound
The score is great and the sound does the job well here. I could see the potential for an Oscar nod for either of those. The sound is especially complex in the action scenes. Music here is ever prevalent but never distracting, even when we see empty landscapes. But I won’t go as far as saying the score is as good as anything John Williams might come up with.
Acting
There are some fantastic performances here. I enjoyed Michael Rooker more than I expected to. And Sam Worthington does a fine job in his role. While Kevin Costner does a good job, it still feels like vanity to see him be the hero in his own film. We’ll have to see if that keeps up in the next two films.
There were times I felt it a little hard to buy Luke Wilson. But I got over that after a few scenes of him dealing with the others in the wagon train. To me, the standout performances were with the villains. And with Abbey Lee who plays a town prostitute named Marigold.
I’m not sure there is any Oscar worthy performance here but the acting is good overall. I enjoyed the performances well enough to want more.
The biggest problem with Horizon: An American Saga
The one spot to criticize here is the end. The last three minutes is basically a trailer for the further installments. But it’s not played after the credits. This makes things confusing. There could have been a more definitive ending rather than a lead in to a next installment. A few places would have worked to cut off. If Costner had done that, audiences would want more. That’s only a small gripe though. The film is engaging, entertaining and worth the watch.
In conclusion
This is a great film. Lots of people disagree with me and that’s fine. I wasn’t expecting to like it but I did. I also think there is too much backlash against it. People keep comparing it to a TV miniseries. That’s a fair comparison. But people also love TV miniseries. I don’t have a problem with one being played out on the big screen. It’s an original film. It is ambitious. Costner should be lauded for having a vision. Most movie studios are not brave enough to do that anymore. The only way to get that back is to encourage films like this. Even if this isn’t your favorite, I suspect you’ll enjoy the experience if you give it a chance.
The box office has been poor but I suspect this will do much better on streaming as people actually see it. I know this is not for everyone but I also don’t think it deserves as low of a rating as it has on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m refreshed by the vision here and I want to know what happens next.
Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game by Matt Forbeck
Marvel Multivers Role-Playing Game character profiles are essential to understand if you want to play the game. In this post, we’ll go over what they are, how to use them and why they are so important. If you want to follow along, you can download a character sheet for free right here.
If you want to see more about how to play the game, start here.
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
What are Marvel multiverse Role-Playing Game Character Sheets?
Put simply, these are character sheets. They are the basic foundation for most role playing games. And while these are similar in many ways to other TTRPG character sheets, Marvel has added some unique features. We’ll go through the basics, focusing on each section and highlighting the most essential parts.
Character Data
This section is self explanatory for the most part. Here is where you can choose your character’s codename, real name, height, weight, gender, eyes, hair, size, distinguishing features, teams, base, origin, occupation, history and personality.
Identity and Notes sections for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
If you are using a currently existing Marvel character, obviously a lot of this will be chosen for you. But if you are creating your own character, these are up to you. There are a few that do have some mechanical effects such as size and origin but we’ll get to those in a bit.
Rank
You can think of rank in terms of levels for Dungeons & Dragons or even video games. Rank is based on power and training. Even with the utmost training, Spider-Man will never achieve the power level of Galactus. In this game, there are six ranks you can choose from, each expanding in power. It can be fun to play at any rank but there’s definitely a bit more math involved in the highest ranks. If you play an existing character from the Core rulebook, their character profile will tell you what rank they are. If you make your own character, you’ll need to decide what rank you want to play.
Codename and Rank sections for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Ability Scores
Most TTRPG’s have some kind of ability scores and the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game is no exception. One of the things I love about this system is they made it easy to remember by spelling out the word Marvel to create the scores. You’ll use these scores when making checks in the game. Your character will be better at some of these than others. I’ll dive much further into these in a future post when I create a character but for now here’s the breakdown of the abilities.
Melee – This is for how well you hit or throw. On the defense side, it’s for how well you take a punch. Hulk is good at this.
Agility – This is for attacking at range, dodging and things like running. Spider-man and Daredevil are good at this.
Resilience – This is basically how tough you are and it helps to calculate your health. The Thing is good at this.
Vigilance – This is for situational awareness. It also affects your initiative modifier. Professor X is good at this.
Ego – This is what in D&D terms you might call charisma. It’s how much force of personality a character has and it can affect how intimidating a character is. It also affects psychic and magical powers if your character uses those. Dr. Strange is good at this.
Logic – This is basically your character’s intelligence. Mr. Fantastic is, well, fantastic at this.
Once you have your ability scores, you’ll be able to make ability checks. We’ll get more into this in the future but it’s safe to say the higher your score in an ability, the more likely you are to do well on a check using that score. I won’t go into the calculations here because we’ll do them in a future post where you can see how these calculations are adjusted as things like power sets are added.
Ability score section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Health
This one is pretty easy to figure out. Health is how healthy your character is. This is calculated by taking Resilience and multiplying it by 30. If you somehow have a Resilience of less than 1, you still get a minimum of 10 health. We’ll go over damage reduction in a future post when we go over combat.
Health section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Focus
This is for how well a character can concentrate. It’s also affected by psychic attacks. To calculate focus, multiply Vigilance by 30. And, just as with health, the minimum is 10 even if your character has a Vigilance score of less than 1.
Focus section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Karma
Karma is one of the more unique things in the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing game. It’s basically a system that represents those clutch moments where everything seems to be going wrong for a hero but in an instant where the universe comes together, something happens to change the outcome to one more favorable to the hero.
Each character starts with Karma equal to their rank. Rank 1 heroes have 1 point of Karma, Rank 2 have 2 etc.
Mechanically Karma can be used in a few ways. A character can use a point of Karma to give themselves an Edge, give an enemy Trouble, recover Health or Focus, or even to help a teammate recover. You can’t spend more than one point of Karma on any check.
Karma points also regenerate up to the hero’s rank after a good night’s sleep. Narrators can also give out extra Karma points to players who do things like committing heroic acts, role playing their character well, or saying their catchphrase at just the right time. This is at Narrator discretion so it’s not guaranteed. If you have more Karma than your rank and don’t use it before going to sleep for the night, your excess Karma will disappear but you will regain your regular amount of Karma. In other words, it’s good to use Karma when you have it.
There is one restriction here, only characters with the Heroic tag can have Karma points.
If there was one thing I might want to change about this game, it’s that restriction but I won’t go too far into it here. Let’s just say, I can see instances and campaigns where characters without that tag might be able to use it.
Initiative Modifier
This is what helps determine when you get to act in combat. This is equal to the character’s Vigilance but can be increased if a character has an E next to it on their character sheet. For example, Quicksilver has Vigilance 4 but his Initiative modifier is +4E, meaning he has an Edge when it comes to initiative. This makes sense considering he has super human speed.
Speed
This is what it sounds like. It’s how fast your character can move. They have a run, climb, jump, and swim speed. If they can’t swim their speed for swim would be 0. This is affected by the character’s Agility and Size. We’ll get into those adjustments further when we make a character in a later post. If you’re wondering about flight speed for characters who can fly, this will come from the powers the characters have. I’ll do a whole separate post about powers and power sets in the future where we talk about that.
Karma, Speed and Initiative Modifier sections for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Damage
Damage is how much damage your character does in combat but the calculation does get just a little tricky here. Remembering that we use the d616 system where the middle die is the Marvel die, you take the result of the Marvel die on your attack role and multiply it by your rank. This can be affected by powers however, so we’ll get into that in a future post.
Damage section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Size
Just a quick note about size. Basically, mechanically speaking the larger your character is, the faster your character moves but your character is an easier target to hit. The opposite is true for small characters. There are some characters who can change size and this comes into play most often in combat situations.
Power Sets and Powers
This section deserves it’s own post so I won’t go into them here. But the power sets and powers are what makes your hero into a superhero.
Powers section for Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game character sheet
Backstory
This is one of the most fun parts of character creation where you get to figure out who your character is and what they are all about. There are some narrative things here and some mechanical things so it can get a bit messy. I’ll just highlight a few things here but I’ll have another post where we go into much further detail on backstories.
Origin – This is how your hero gained powers. It can be through training, a mutation, from high tech or a few other ways. For now, just think of it as how your character got their cool powers, whatever way that might be.
Occupation – This is what your character does for a living. This is as varied as you want as you can be a hero with any kind of a job just like you can be a person with any kind of a job.
Traits – These have a mechanical effect in the game and you typically get them from things like your origin and occupation. Some can be taken by anyone and others are restricted to characters who match certain criteria. How many traits you can have is restricted by your rank.
Tags – Characters can have any number of these and they don’t have a mechanical effect. But they do tell you more about who your character is.
Why are Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game Character Sheets so Important?
In order to play the game, you’ll need to understand who your character is. Even if you are playing a familiar character and you know everything there is to know about that character from the comics, you’ll come upon situations where the character sheet is useful. It’s also a handy guide for knowing what math to do when it’s necessary for making checks and performing combat. The good news is, these character sheets are fairly readable as far as these things go. While there are still a few sections on the character sheet I didn’t go over in this post, we’ll talk about those in future posts.
In Conclusion
While understanding the character sheet is critically important, there are a lot more things to know about the game. Some of what is on these sheets makes more sense once you are playing. To get the best sense of how to use these sheets, in a later post I’ll create a character which can be used in a game.
For now, there are more rules to understand. My next post in this series will be an explanation of one of the vital aspects of the game – combat.
Thanks for reading and once again, if you want to grab ahold of the character sheet, you can download it for free right here!
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson with Illustrations by Howard Lyon
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Tress of the Emerald Sea – Summary
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes a rollicking, riveting tale set in the Cosmere universe―a standalone adventure perfect for fans of The Princess Bride.
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
Review
To say Brandon Sanderson is a prolific writer would be an understatement. He writes novels the way most of us go to the movies. It’s constant. While COVID-19 had the world locked down, Sanderson took the initiative to write four different novels without telling his publishers or anyone else on his team. He then released them on a kickstarter campaign and broke the record for pledges there.
Tress of the Emerald Sea is the first of these novels. And now, it is widely available. This is one of the cosmere novels. If you are a longtime reader of Sanderson’s you’ll know what that means. But you do not need to have read his other books to enjoy this one. This story can stand alone. Although, you will get more out of it if you have read more of his books.
Tress loves two things. She loves cups of all kinds. And she loves Charlie. Charlie is expected to take a bride from far off, leaving Tress all alone. But when Tress discovers Charlie is in trouble, her life changes. She must take action and save Charlie before it’s too late.
The book is a bit more whimsical than a good portion of Sanderson’s books and reads a bit like The Princess Bride or Good Omens. It’s got some interesting mechanics as far as how the unique sea on this planet works. And it has a familiar character as the narrator here, adding a layer to the story for fans of the cosmere. The artwork is fantastic and worth the price of the book alone, with Howard Lyon evoking the scenes perfectly in the reader’s imagination.
Do I need to Read other Sanderson Books before Tress of the Emerald Sea?
While this does stand on its own, it does feel a bit like things are not fully revealed if you don’t know at least a bit about the cosmere. I certainly don’t know everything about the cosmere. There may be things I missed while reading. But there wasn’t so much that I couldn’t enjoy the book.
There’s a good bit of quirky humor so if that’s not your thing, this book may not be for you. The world building is as effective as ever and Sanderson continues to be a master of it.
This is a good book to start out on but don’t assume all of his writing is like this. There are some of his works much more serious and some less so.
Brandon Sanderson has so much out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. Tress of the Emerald Sea provides a good beginning point if you are new. It also works as a nice distraction to those who are fully entangled in the cosmere already. While I won’t say this is his best book, it is largely enjoyable and a fun read. You may feel yourself left wanting just a little more. But the good news is, Sanderson has metric tons more for you to find.
Already read Tress of the Emerald Sea but want another stand alone book to read? Check out my review of Elantris!
Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game Core Rulebook by Matt Forbeck
Hello Marvel fans and tabletop gamers! I have with me the Core Rulebook for the Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game. I wanted to take a quick look at chapter two of the book. We’ll be going through chapter by chapter on this blog so if you want to, follow along. Some chapters I will take a much deeper look at than others but my goal here is to give you the basic information of what you need to know if you are considering playing this game.
If you want to see the review of chapter one, check it out here.
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
CHAPTER 2 – Core Mechanics
This chapter is a short five pages but it gives us almost everything we need to know to play the game. I’ll give a short breakdown of the rules below but for full rules you’ll need to read the book.
There are only a few core concepts you need to know to get started. If you master these, the game flows fairly easily for the most part. There is going to be some addition and multiplication in this game. It’s nothing that should be too intimidating but if you are like me and can struggle with math at times, there’s no shame in using a calculator when needed.
Let’s take a look at the concepts.
The Action Check
The action check is the most basic check of the game. While roleplaying, there are plenty of things you should be able to do without making a check of any kind. For my examples in this post, I am going to use Matt Murdock, aka. Daredevil to demonstrate.
If Daredevil, dressed as Matt Murdock wants to walk into his law offices to talk to his partner Foggy Nelson, there is no check needed whatsoever, he just does it.
Now, let’s say Matt is walking into the law offices and sees Foggy is being held captive by Wilson Fisk, aka, The Kingpin. Matt is able to hear the commotion and knows his partner is in trouble. He needs to take action. But he also needs to do so without letting Foggy know he is, in fact, Daredevil. In this case, Matt wants to act like he is stumbling around and just so happens to knock out Fisk. To try that, whoever is playing Daredevil is going to need to make an action check.
To do that, you take 3d6’s and roll them. In this game this is called rolling the d616 (more about that in a minute). Once the total of the dice is added up, the player then adds any ability scores needed to the total. The player is trying to roll higher than a Target Number the Narrator has given them. (More on this later as well).
If the player rolls high enough, Daredevil is able to pull off his stunt. If not, something else happens, determined by the Narrator.
d616
In this game, the only dice you need are d6’s. But, it’s good to have one die a different color or size than the other two. The way rolls work is the two dice on the outside of the roll (the 6’s in d616) are added up like normal. But on the middle die, also called the Marvel die, both the 1 and the 6 are counted as a 6. We’ll get more into this in further posts but for now, suffice it to say, the higher you roll the better, and if you can get your dice to come up 616, that’s the best result you can get. Ability scores can add even more to this number but we’re not going to go into those in this post because they are better explained during character creation.
Target Numbers (TN)
If you play Dungeons & Dragons you would think of this as the DC of a roll. Basically there is a number the player needs to meet or exceed for success. Most of the time the Narrator sets this based on the circumstances of what is happening in the game. But there are some NPC and player stats that may cause this number to have to be adjusted.
The narrator also still has the freedom most of the time to determine if something is impossible. If it’s impossible it cannot happen. For example, if Daredevil wanted to fly to the moon unassisted, even though he has no flight powers, he can’t do that even with the best die roll result.
Fantastic Rolls
Any time the middle die comes up with a 1 it’s called a fantastic roll. If you roll a 1 on that die and you exceed the target number, you get a fantastic success. This means you do the thing you were trying and also something else good happens. What that thing is can be suggested by the player or the Narrator.
If you have a fantastic roll but your result adds up to less than the target number, you still fail at what you were trying to do but something good happens to mitigate the results a bit. This also is determined by the player or the Narrator. Ultimately, Narrators have final say but player suggestions are often welcome.
The absolute best result you can get is a roll of 616. This is called an Ultimate Fantastic roll. In D&D it would be a critical success. If you roll this, outside of checking against something the Narrator has deemed impossible, you automatically succeed. These rolls can often be the most fun part of the game and can turn the tide of a battle or the narrative in an instant.
Edges
Also like in Dungeons & Dragons there is what amounts to an advantage/disadvantage system in this game. If you are in special circumstances where your hero has an advantage, they get an edge. For example, if Daredevil is fighting someone and the lights are off, Daredevil has an advantage because he doesn’t need to see to fight.
This can stack as well. If Daredevil has and advantage because the lights are out, and he’s sneaking up on an unsuspecting thug, he’d have two edges.
What happens here is with each edge you get, you can re-roll one of your dice and take the higher result. So, with two edges you might have an initial result of 5, 3, 5. You can then decide to re-roll any two of the dice you want. And you get to keep the better result. So if you re-roll and you end up with 5, 1, 6, you’d want to keep the second result. Remember the 1 = 6 so the result on the second roll is 17 compared to the original result of 13.
Trouble
The flip side of edges is trouble. This works in the same way but in the opposite direction.
If Daredevil is trying to fight bad guys and suddenly loud music comes on, he has trouble due to his highly sensitive hearing.
This also stacks, so if Daredevil is not only in a spot with loud music but there is a crowd of people blocking his way, he’s got two instances of trouble.
In these cases you re-roll however many dice you have equal to the amount of trouble. This time, instead of taking the better result, you have to use the lower result.
Edges combined with Trouble
Where this gets really tricky is when you have circumstances which provide edges and trouble. You can have an instance where a character has three edges and two troubles. Or three troubles and two edges, etc.
In those cases, the edges and troubles cancel each other out and you have to take what is left.
If Daredevil has an edge because it’s dark and one because he is sneaking up on someone, but he has trouble because he has been awake for more than 18 hours, he’s got an edge.
If Daredevil has trouble because he’s in a noisy place, and he doesn’t have his weapons with him, but he’s sneaking up on his opponent, he has one trouble.
Hopefully that makes sense but if you play the game for a while, you’ll get used to quickly figuring out how many edges and troubles there are to deal with.
IN CONCLUSION
There’s a few key rules in this chapter. Once you’ve got them down, they become pretty easy to understand but it can take a few sessions to get the full hang of them. There’s a bit of math involved but it’s not anything overly complicated. There are definitely parallels to Dungeons & Dragons but these rules, ultimately, are a lot more streamlined than those.
Next time, we’ll be taking a look at character profiles. There’s quite a bit of info in that chapter but it’s one of the most fun parts of the game. In the meantime, if you are interested enough to buy the book, check out how to do that below. Otherwise, see you next time!
HOW TO BUY THE BOOK
If you have read enough to realize this is a game you want to try out there are a few things you can do to get it. The different methods have some pros and cons so I’ll go into that a bit as well.
And, I’m not trying to make the hard sell here but if you want to help out this blog, buying through the links below goes a long way and it won’t cost you any extra.
You can pick up a copy at your local friendly gaming store. The books should run around $50-60 bucks and not only do you get to support a local business, you get to walk away with a copy in your hot little hands that day, no muss, no fuss.
You can buy a hardcover copy on Amazon for $32. This is a great way to get the core book, although you will need to wait for it to be shipped to you. If you want to help this blog out buy your copy here.
You can get a copy for Roll20 for $30 on drivethrurpg. However, a couple of warnings here. First off, you’re not getting a physical version of the book this way. Also, you need to have an account on the Roll20 Virtual Table Top in order to access the content. (This is a free account and there’s a link in the purchase description on the Drivethrurpg site if you don’t already have one) Finally, and this is my biggest complaint about this purchase method, if you buy this through Drivethrurpg you are not getting a PDF of the book. As far as I can tell, there is no way to get a PDF of this book at this point. If you do want to buy this version and use it on Roll20 it’s a great option. And if you want to help this blog out you can buy your copy here. You can still read the digital book on basically any web browser this way, you just don’t get a PDF.
If you happen to have Marvel Unlimited, you can get the test version of the book by typing in Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game: Playtest Rulebook. This will be an earlier edition and some of the rules have changed but it’s got the basics.
If you don’t have Marvel Unlimited and you are willing to shell out $17 to get the Playtest book, you can get it on Amazon. If you want to help out this blog buy it here. Again, it’s not the full current book but it does cover the basics and it gets you started at a lower price point.
Special Bundles
If you are all in on the game and have cash to spare you could really go all out in a couple of ways.
If you are already big time into Roll20 anyway, the best value through drivethrurpg is to get the Marvel Multiverse RPG Roll20 Mega Bundle. This will give you the core rulebook, a short module made for the Roll20 system called Revenge of the Super-Skrull, and The Cataclysm of Kang. Just remember this is only for Roll20 and does not include PDF’s. To help out this blog, buy it here. Right now this is on sale for around $70 and is the best deal if you don’t need physical books and want to play on Roll20.
Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, Artist: Don Heck
Now that Henry Pym, aka Ant-Man has found a partner in his effort to fight crime, he’s got an advantage. For the most part, ol’ Hank has been able to defeat villains with very little trouble, mostly due to his ant allies. But, there is one person who came pretty darn close to defeating Ant-Man. We last saw Egghead “wanted by the police and hunted by the underworld as he holes up in a dingy bowery flophouse…” in Tales to Astonish #38. Ant-Man has since had a few adventures and met Janet Van Dyne who has now become The Wasp.
Will this duo be able to stop the nefarious plans of one of the smarter criminals in Marvel 616? Let’s find out.
While the cover of this issue, created by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers is great, I think in this issue they missed out by not putting the amazing teaser panel from the first page drawn by Don Heck on the cover. It’s got an ant-eater and Egghead looming over Ant-Man and the Wasp and it better illustrates the dire position our heroes are in. And it makes you wonder why no other villain has tried this yet.
Just look at that! I’ve never seen a more menacing ant-eater in my life.
The issue then goes on to give us some narration about how Ant-Man defeated Egghead in the past and Egghead is looking to wipe out that defeat.
We are then treated to a long recap of what happened before. This is extremely common in early Marvel 616 for a number of reasons. First, since comics were only ever sold as single issues at the time, if a new reader picked one up they might be lost if they had not read a previous issue. But it was also a way to save time and money for Marvel. There was no need to create new art when you could simply reuse existing art. Sometimes new captions or narrations are added but a lot of it is simply the same panels over and over again.
Rather than summarize this section for you here, I’ll just refer you to my review of the issue where these events took place, Tales to Astonish #38. If you don’t want to read that to refresh your memory, suffice it to say, Egghead assumed the ants were the unwilling slaves of Ant-Man when, in fact, they are his willing partners and friends. Egghead was too narcissistic to realize people (and ants) can work together.
When we finally catch up to the present, two thugs happen to be in the same brewery flophouse (I still love the way that is phrased here) where Eggman is staying. These two thugs are named Twister and Ape. And much to Eggman’s delight they are talking about how they were lucky to get away from Ant-Man and The Wasp.
Egghead is smart enough to spark up an alliance with the two men. First, he asks for them to tell him all about The Wasp. For the recap of that, we only get a single panel where Twister says, “…And that’s the whole story! Ant-Man and The Wasp are partners now!” To be fair, this did happen quite recently so it’s probably still fresh in most readers minds so less of a recap was needed. Twister remembers hearing about Egghead nearly defeating Ant-Man so he and Ape agree to the alliance.
Egghead decides to take on a new identity and he says, “Every man has his achilles heel! We will strike at Ant-Man through his… The Wasp!” Yes, Ant-Man’s The Wasp. Well spoken Egghead!
Egghead who has been thoroughly defeated and was living in a “brewery flophouse” then gets a bunch of scientific equipment from… somewhere I guess? Outside of Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four, the issue of money doesn’t come up a lot in early 616. Especially not for villains.
Egghead makes a machine that can intercept and scramble the signals from the ants to Ant-Man.
Next, he creates a disguise and establishes himself as Professor Carl Striker, Zoologist. He puts on brilliant lectures about insects, well attended by the public. I would think it would be easier to just go on faking you are a zoologist and making some money that way than going up against a super hero duo, but Egghead really wants that revenge.
And wouldn’t you know it? In attendance at the lecture are Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. The zoologist seems kind of familiar to Henry Pym but he can’t quite place the guy.
And we get a fun panel telling any new readers who these two are.
Egghead’s next move is to lecture at the city zoo and build a fascinating exhibit about wasps. He figures Ant-Man and The Wasp won’t be able to resist showing up. But, as in all good villain team ups, signs of friction begin. Ape and Twister have been running around helping Egghead but not gotten much in return.
Egghead promises the crooks that once Ant-Man and The Wasp are out of the way, he’ll be able to cook up a bunch of perfect crimes that will make them all rich.
Construction on the exhibit begins and Egghead makes sure everything is as precisely detailed as it would be if a real zoologist did it. And we hear in the background a news item about a famous diamond which is about to be cut into a pendant for a priceless necklace.
Egghead plans to use this diamond as bait to capture The Wasp. As the zoo exhibit is being set up, a zoo attendant questions why the wasp exhibit is going into the reptile enclosure but Twister just snaps at the guy. Ape mentions the only thing he’s scared of is snakes.
As the professor Striker, Egghead has somehow obtained blueprints of the place where the diamond is going to be cut. Twister is supposed to take a “dewelding gun” which can cut the alarm wires while Ape is to bring along the insect message interceptor.
Sure enough, the crooks get inside and send out the scrambled insect messages. Hank Pym figures out there is something wrong with the messages and he immediately calls up Janet.
The messages suddenly clear up and Ant-Man is informed by the ants there is a robbery at the diamond cutter’s. Ant-Man uses his catapult and The Wasp flies over to the address. But, it’s too late, the diamond is missing. Henry can’t find any clues to the culprit but he figures they are smart and will strike again.
Twister and Ape want to fence the diamond but Egghead is only using it for bait. The tension between the three increase but they ultimately decide to go along with Egghead’s plan. They rig the reptile enclosure into an elaborate trap which can send electrical current through every crack an ant can crawl through.
Ape wants to know why they don’t just step on Ant-Man and Egghead just replies, “He’s not that easy to step on, my friend!” I know Egghead is smart, but I think Ape kind of has a point here.
They set up the display so The Wasp will notice the diamond and enter into a trap they have created. Janet sees the diamonds in an oversized replica of a wasp’s nest and has a moment where she thinks through what to do. And, she pines for Henry in the process.
That night, Janet returns as The Wasp. She goes into the nest, without realizing bad guys are watching her. And inside the nest is some sort of strange maze. Egghead has made special shoes which won’t allow ants to crawl up on the crooks. He also tells Ape to put the iguana in the aquarium. Egghead figures The Wasp will have to contact Ant-Man.
Sure enough, that’s exactly what happens. Henry is annoyed because he told her not to do any jobs alone but of course, he’s really worried some harm may come to her.
The crooks wear magnifying goggles so they can see Ant-Man and trap him into the aquarium with the iguana. Egghead did allow Ant-Man a fighting chance because he left a pin there. Ant-Man uses that to defeat the iguana off panel. I feel bad for the iguana though, it didn’t do anything wrong.
Ant-Man uses springs in his shoes to jump out of the glass case. Meanwhile, Janet has figured out where Hank fell through into the cage. She’s able to fly to that opening to escape. The two are reunited but now is when we finally get the ant-eater.
Egghead tells Ant-Man there is no escape and tells him about the electric wire which will, “electrocute any insect or insect-sized creature that attempts to pass over it!” Diabolical.
But Ant-Man has a tiny lasso he created from “strands of steel-strong synthetic fiber.” He loops that around the ant-eater’s snout and tosses the ant-eater into the crooks. Again, I feel bad for the animal here. The Wasp disables the electrical wire.
Egghead tells his fellow criminals to use their water pistols filled with liquid gas to stop the heroes. But, The Wasp has recovered the pin Ant-Man used to defeat the iguana. She sticks Egghead who drops his gun and realizes she has found her sting, “The one thing, as The Wasp, that I had lacked!” She makes the other crooks drop their weapons as well.
Ape is trapped in his worst nightmare, surrounded by snakes. Egghead has somehow fled the scene before Hank or Janet noticed.
Hank lectures Janet saying, “As for you, young lady, don’t you ever try anything like that again! We’re a team— and we’ll work as a team! Understand?!” And Janet just wishes Hank could realize how in love with him she is.
And once again, Egghead gets away but from the last panel we know, he is still a threat and will be back. Thus ends the issue.
Tales to Astonish is still, at this point, an anthology series. But with Ant-Man consistently taking over half of the pages, having repeat villains, and a partner who is beginning to be established as a love interest, it feels like there is not much point to the other stories. It will still be some time before Ant-Man is let loose from these pages but it will happen eventually.
While I think there are plenty of egg shaped holes in Egghead’s plan, he did come up with something much more elaborate than any other villain in this series has. And he’s not done yet. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Next up on the reading list, put on your best armor because we’ll be catching up with Tony Stark aka Iron Man himself in the pages of Tales of Suspense #43!
If you are already a Star Wars fan, you know what The Acolyte is all about. And odds are, if you are reading this you happen to be a Star Wars fan. But, on the off chance there are a few of you out there who have not yet gone to a galaxy far, far away, this review is for you. For those of you who are hardcore Star Wars fans, I’ll be doing spoiler heavy reviews for each episode once the series is complete.
There are too many entry points to Star Wars to name. You can obviously watch the movies. There are so many Star Wars books and comics it’s hard to keep track of them. And, of course, there are video games and role playing games galore that could give you a taste of Star Wars. If you happen to have Disney+, there are also a bunch of TV shows you can choose from. If you’ve never watched any of these, it can be really confusing to know where to start.
The Acolyte is a Disney+ Star Wars show that takes place about a hundred years before the events of the earliest Star Wars film, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. While the films center around the Skywalker Saga, The Acolyte has none of the baggage of those films.
You do not need to be a Star Wars expert to enjoy the show. There aren’t going to be characters you have generally heard of, or seen clips of, appearing here.
Instead, this show focuses on a group of galactic peacekeepers known as Jedi. They are what you might consider to be a space faring police force, combined with a diplomatic delegation, trying to keep peace in the galaxy. They also have access to the Force, a power that allows them to do things that seem magical, like move objects without touching them, or getting someone to do something they wouldn’t normally do.
The galaxy depends on these people to uphold justice and fairness. However, there are some folks who oppose the Jedi. I won’t go too deeply into who they are in this post because that may give too much away. Suffice it to say, there are people who may have been wronged, or who simply have hate at their core and seek revenge on the Jedi.
This series starts with a fight between a Jedi and someone trained in the Jedi arts who seems to have a grudge against the Jedi.
This event leads to a mystery which begins to unfold in the first episode. There are definitely some surprises here, even for longtime Star Wars fans and there is a lot of fast paced action. While Star Wars can sometimes get deeply emotional, so far this series seems like it does keep more of the focus on the action. This could change in further episodes but the first one decided to deliver on the promise of intense fighting and cool visuals. There are a plethora of creatures, spaceships, and special effects to keep up the stunning visuals.
This first episode basically gets our premise rolling, sets up a bit of a mystery, delivers some action, and establishes all of the important characters. It mostly centers on a former Jedi named Osha, played by Amandla Stenberg and her former teacher/current Jedi Master Sol played by Lee Jung-Jae.
The first scene showcases some of the promise of the incredible action to come. And the end of the episode leaves the audience wanting more.
The acting is solid here and so far hasn’t devolved into some of the most melodramatic moments the films suffer from. The cast and the director clearly know what they are doing and have a solid direction for the series but it remains to be seen how well it all comes together.
While there are some characters here that serious Star Wars fans will recognize from printed material, in this show it’s hard to speculate on what may happen. Unlike prequels, there aren’t any characters we know have to survive. This makes for a more interesting watch than some of the other shows.
As with any Star Wars show or movie, the most memorable part is the incredible soundtrack and this show fully delivers there.
The production quality is top notch and this feels more like watching a film than a television show.
If you’ve never dipped your toes in the water of Star Wars, this is a great series to begin with. It feels very much like some of the most iconic things in Star Wars. It has not yet reached the level of greatness some of the shows and movies do but it’s not off to a bad start. I do recommend the show to both longtime fans and newcomers, at least so far.
Have you watched the first episode? If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments! Just remember to keep it spoiler free!
Hello film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’ve got a great movie to recommend to all of you horror fans. This will be very light on spoilers because it’s the kind of film that is way more effective if you don’t know the premise going in.
Blood Red Sky is a 2021 British-German action horror film. It starts off with a tense plane landing in a heavily armed Scottish air base. The movie then goes back in time to explain what happened on the flight. Giving much more away will spoil too much here. I don’t even recommend reading the description on Netflix if you want to fully enjoy the film.
From start to finish the movie is intense and the pressure just keeps building. What seems like a simple hijacking evolves into something full of intense horror as things take a surprising turn.
If you are the type of viewer who is averse to blood and gore, this one is probably not for you. However, it’s not nearly the bloodiest thing I’ve seen on film.
There are a few key characters we come to care about on the flight and the film is well acted. The cinematography may not be anything special but it gets the job done. There are definitely some scares in here but overall the film finds its best moments of fear by ratcheting up the intensity over and over again.
Knowing the basic premise will lower the effect of what happens here so I’m not going to go into much more. But I can say, if you are a horror film fan, and you like fast paced intense thrillers, and don’t mind a fair amount of gore, this one is worth watching.
Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee, Robert Bernstein, Artist: Joe Sinnot, Cover Art: Jack Kirby
At this point in Marvel 616 stories, Thor is without doubt the mightiest of heroes. Perhaps The Hulk could give him a run for his money but that’s debatable. The closest comparison you can make is Thor is as close as you get to Superman in the Marvel comics at this point. He’s super strong, he can fly (with the assistance of his hammer), he can even call down lightning and thunder.
Because of this immense power level, it’s been somewhat frustrating to see stories where Thor bashes communists over and over and goes after bad guys who break into banks and things like that. Those are the types of crimes that seem better suited for Spider-Man and Ant-Man to deal with.
But there has been one standout in the Journey Into Mystery stories. Every time Loki shows up, we get a story that feels more worthy of the god of thunder. The relationship between the two cannot be overstated in the history of Marvel 616. Without Loki’s blind ambition, and Thor’s determination to stop him, we wouldn’t have teams like The Avengers and The Defenders. Those stories are still a ways off but this issue lays more of the groundwork to get us there.
While Thor uses his strength and character to stop evil, he is quite susceptible to the machinations of his evil half-brother. The way we get there in this story is a bit silly but it’s still nice to see this conflict brewing, adding more of the necessary tension needed to expand this universe.
From the cover you can see Loki is able to get Thor on his side in this issue but how does he get there? Let’s dive into the issue and find out.
The issue starts out with a bit of a teaser panel with Thor showing Loki how he can topple the Leaning Tower of Pisa with his little finger.
We then move into the main story where a U.S. bomb testing site in the pacific ocean is launching a test missile. This particular missile is armed with a nuclear warhead which will explode in space. For the moment we’ll ignore the ramifications of this idea but needless to say, this missile is important.
We move to the control room where they are alerted to the fact the missile has started to fly wild. This is a real problem. In the control room they try to hit the self destruct button but it’s non-functional. Thankfully, the people of earth have one person who can help.
Thinking fast, the men in the control room send out an s.o.s. to Thor. The message goes out worldwide. Apparently, Thor doesn’t have super hearing. But luckily, Dr. Donald Blake is listening to the radio in his office. His nurse and love interest, Jane Foster is off for the day, so the good doctor immediately changes to Thor.
The god of thunder rushes to… the phone. The message didn’t say why the Pentagon needed Thor but apparently they take calls and over the land line, they give Thor the position of the missile. Good thing that was not a prank caller.
Thor tosses his hammer and launches himself into space to stop the missile.
Up to this point, this was feeling like a story where Thor would yet again end up fighting communists but it takes a nice turn as we get to see the real bad guy in the next panel. The last we saw Loki, he was imprisoned and bound for his wrongdoing. But Loki’s strength is not in his body but in his mind and magic.
It turns out, Loki has manipulated the missile all the way from his prison. And he counted on Thor’s sense of responsibility to the human race in order to enact his plans. Thor, as anyone might predict, tosses his hammer to destroy the missile. This provides an opportunity for the god of mischief to distract Thor. Loki sends the image of a dragon to Thor, causing him to turn his head at just the right moment. This effort causes Loki to pass out but it also does something to Thor. Mjolnir is flying back and because Thor has his head turned, it hits him just right.
Apparently Asgardians have a chromosomatic gland which can change personalities. I bet you can guess where this is headed. Loki mentally contacts Thor who immediately heads to the bifrost bridge and knocks Heimdall out. Heimdall obviously knows this is unusual behavior so he goes directly to Odin.
In the meantime, Loki is able to convince Thor that it’s Odin who bound Loki when in fact it was Thor. Thor breaks Loki’s chains and frees the villain. Odin and the other gods of Asgard confront Thor but he is too far gone to be convinced of Loki’s wrongdoing. It even goes so far that Thor hits Odin. Loki is smart enough to realize that his wits combined with the strength of Thor are still not enough to overcome all of the Asgardian gods. Instead, he cooks up a scheme to threaten Earth until Odin lets Loki and Thor rule Asgard.
As Thor and Loki storm off to Earth, Odin realizes he needs to ponder over what has happened. Odin’s strength is undoubtedly in his wisdom.
On Earth, Thor and Loki go on a spree of destruction, toppling landmarks, causing earthquakes, moving monuments, and generally proving to be the immense threat they could be. And we do, indeed, see Thor topple the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Loki, for his part, causes fear and chaos by sending around illusions that make everyone run for their lives.
Finally, a group of people who Thor describes as, “strangely garbed” show up waving the white flag of surrender. These people explain they are a special committee from the United Nations. They say they are scholars who study the ancient Norse legends and are confused as to why the Asgardians are behaving this way. The scholars ask Loki and Thor to come to the U.N. building so they can send a request to Odin to let humanity surrender to Thor and Loki.
The two Asgardians are taken into the building. They ask Thor how they can contact Odin and Thor replies, “It will require a signal… and the most fitting signal of all will be the destruction of the U. N. emblem which stands behind me!”
Thor then tosses his hammer at the symbol which opens up a trap door. The hammer stays in the air as Thor falls and Loki is able to tell someone is controlling it. Sure enough, the hammer conks Thor right on the noggin again where his chromosomatic gland is.
Turns out, Odin and company had some tricks up their own sleeves. They faked being the U.N. representatives to cure Thor. Thor tosses his hammer at Loki and says, “Though you are my brother in name, my brother in fact, you shall always be my enemy in spirit!” If Thor wasn’t cross with Loki before, he sure is now.
The god of thunder then goes on to ask the people of Earth to forgive him. He also promises the gods of Asgard will repair all the damage that was done to the planet. And Odin says he will remove the memory of these events from the minds of men. Loki is taken back to Asgard and imprisoned once more.
But we end with a panel here that sets us up for a lot of the future of Marvel 616. It both teases us that further adventures are to come, and assures us that Thor will be triumphant. It’s the basic relationship of Thor and Loki for decades to come.
Not only that, this hints at what an epic level threat Loki could be. If even the strongest of the heroes on Earth may not be able to defeat Loki, what can be done? There’s an answer for that but it won’t come until we get the Avengers together.
All in all, this is a great issue not only for Thor and Loki but for the history of Marvel 616. Things are slowly starting to heat up, threats are getting bigger, and heroes are going to need to come together.
Next up on the reading list we’ll be getting micro again as we check in with Ant-Man in the pages of Tales to Astonish #45!
P.S. Want to check this issue out for yourself? You can find it in Thor Masterworks Volume 1 by clicking the image below or on Marvel Unlimited!
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
Listen up choombas! Do you want to find a table top role playing game that puts you in a dark future full of bold action, evil corporations, advanced weaponry, cybernetic implants, and a whole bunch of fun? If so, good news, you’re in the right place. I’m not going to waste any more time because you never know when the megacorps are listening so let’s get right to the list!
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
5. Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon Core Rule book
Do you like your dystopian future mixed with a little neo-noir? Altered Carbon the Role Playing Game takes you into the world first created by Richard K. Morgan and then seen on the Netflix series of the same name. If you have enough wealth and influence you can re-sleeve your consciousness into any body you can afford. There are several Archetypes (classes in D&D terms) to choose from, a great setting in Bay City and a decent tech system going here. While it’s definitely got similarities to Cyberpunk Red and Cyberpunk 2020, there are enough differences here to make it a fun game with some new twists. You’ll especially enjoy it if you have watched the series or read the books.
It’s not a perfect role playing game and you don’t have to be too familiar with the source material in order to have a good time. There is a good mix of storytelling and combat action. If you love the books or the show this is a great one to pick up. Right now you can get it on drivethrurpg here for around $25.
4. Cyberpunk 2020
Cyberpunk 2.02.0 2nd Edition Core Rule Book
Without this game, there would be no Cyberpunk TTRPG’s. If you like an OG style to your gaming but still want to feel the edginess of lurking around a dark future, fighting megacorps and hacking your own biology with cyber tech, you can’t go wrong with this one. This game is a bit more crunchy than the latest version of Cyberpunk and it has the feel of something made in the 1980’s thinking about the future (because it was) but it’s still one of the best out there. The combat is fast paced and deadly and while you find advantages for altering yourself, if you go too far it will bring you to the edge and you may find yourself in cyberpsychosis, unable to control yourself.
This is an out and out classic and there’s good reason people still play this one today. You can get this a few ways on drivethrurpg, including getting the PDF, a softcover, or a PDF + softcover. They all have varying prices but right now the best deal for this game is to grab the Cyberpunk Essentials bundle which gets you the PDF plus five other supplemental titles to help you amp up your action in Night City. The bundle is on sale here for $40.85. Or you can just grab the core stuff you want here for between $15-$45 depending on what version you buy.
3. ShadowRun Sixth World
Shadowrun Sixth World Core Rule Book
Unlike most other Cyberpunk style TTRPG’s, Shadowrun has always had magic as part of its core premise. What if you took Lord of the Rings and mashed it up with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? You’d get something like Shadowrun Sixth World. There was magic at one time. The world changed and looked a lot like ours until megacorporations took over everything. And suddenly, magic returned. Now, there are a select few people, orcs, dwarves, etc. who resist the pull of the megacorps. These folks are called Shadowrunners and you can join their ranks.
This game is a good fun blend of fantasy and far future dystopian sci-fi. It’s definitely not for everyone and there are plenty of arguments over which edition is the best one. For plenty of players older editions may be better but I recommend Sixth simply because it is the most current and probably the easiest one to access if you have never played Shadowrun before.
if you just want to dip your toes in to this one and see if it is for you, they have a decent starter set here for $10. Or, if you are willing to pay just a bit more you can grab the core book here for $20. (On sale for $16 as of this writing)
2. Cities Without Number
Cities Without Number Core Rulebook by Kevin Crawford
From the absolute game design genius that is Kevin Crawford comes Cities Without Number. He has designed a space game called Stars Without Number, a fantasy game called Worlds Without Number and has now given us the kind of cyberpunk TTRPG you can expect from him. The first line of the description perfectly sets the mood here. “The world is neon and dust.”
This is a sandbox style game with lots of interesting old school mechanics and plenty of guidance on how to create missions for players. If you like to mix and match things and brew up your own kind of adventure this gives you a ton of tools to do so. Not to mention, this game is fully compatible with the other games in the Without Number series.
The best part? You can actually get almost all of this game for free! In the free version you get 227 pages of jam packed rules, setting and advice. You can grab the free version here.
But, for this game and any others that Kevin Crawford puts out, I highly recommend purchasing the books. Why? Because Crawford puts a ton of work into these books, they have great art, and you get even more goodies with the paid version. You can get the full version here for $25-$90 depending on if you want PDFs or physical hardcover versions. At any price, this game is a steal. And if you have all three of the Without Number books, you can homebrew one heck of an amazing campaign that takes you from the stars, to the world to the city and generates memories that will last a lifetime.
1. Cyberpunk Red
Cyberpunk Red Core Rule Book
The video game Cyberpunk 2077 had an absolute disaster of a launch, although I hear it’s pretty decent now. CyberpunkRed, however, had no such trouble and delivers an excellent immersive experience if you want to get your hands dirty in a world where huge megacorporations have been shattered and everyone is scrambling to live their lives, make a living, seize opportunities, or plot some revenge. It’s a fun and fast paced game and if you like movies like Blade Runner or The Matrix series this one should be right up your neon lit alley.
With this one I recommend starting with the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit. This comes with a book of lore and adventures that take place in the setting and a book of rules to use for gameplay. You also get six pregenerated characters making getting started much faster. There are also some maps and standees here to use. Fair warning you may need to read the rules a couple of times to get the full feel for it as not everything is 100% clear on the first read.
The Jumpstart Kitretails for $30 on drivethrurpg but right at this moment you can get it for $10 which is a steal. To get the Jumpstart Kit click here.
If you’re convinced and want to just go all in on Cyberpunk Red you can get the core book for $30.
This version is just as bombastic and full of attitude as the original was but with a more streamlined rule system and some interesting moral questions. It’s a super fun game and without doubt one of the best Cyberpunk games you can get.
In Conclusion
A dark dystopian future with lots of cool tech is a great setting for a table top role playing game. I’m sure there are tons of others out there that I haven’t mentioned. Do you have a favorite? If so, feel free to shout it out in the comments below!
Hello everyone! Do you love to play Call of Cthulhu 7th edition? Want a scenario set on the world’s most notorious prison? If so, I have something in store for you soon! In May, I will be releasing the second of my “On the Rock” series of scenarios set on Alcatraz in the 1930’s.
You and your friends will play inmates who have to confront mundane routines, harsh punishments, and cosmic horrors from the depths of the Pacific Ocean! If that sounds cool to you, let me know in the comments.
Keep an eye on this blog to find out how you can get the scenario at a discounted price and how you can bundle it with my first “On the Rock” scenario!
This won’t be for everyone, but if you are interested stay tuned! Also, let me know in the comments what you think of the cover design so far! It’s not final yet, but I’m hoping it clicks with some of you TTRPG players! Let me know if you like the black and white or think something in color would look better!
Hello film fans and happy Oscar day! It’s Slick Dungeon and I am back to review the last of the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar this year. I am talking about The Zone of Interest which was nominated for five of the prestigious awards. There will be spoilers in this review so if you have not seen it make sure you do so before reading the review. Also, content warning here for the film and the review, this film deals with the Holocaust so the subject matter is very heavy and if that sort of thing bothers you, stay away from both the movie and the review.
What’s it about?
The year is 1943 and the film opens with a dark screen and loud background noises. We shift to an idyllic countryside scene where a family of five are laughing, swimming and having a picnic in the local river. We soon find out this family is lead by Rudolf Höss, the Commandant of Auschwitz.
From the outside the family almost seems normal. The siblings fight amongst one another, the mother gardens, the father is constantly working. But, in the background are repeated sounds of gunshots and hints of smoke from both trains and gas chambers.
With cold, emotionless efficiency, a team of engineers meets with Höss to talk about a new crematorium that will be able to keep a much faster pace of killing people.
In the house, there are camp prisoners forced to work to serve the family. They are all doing things in the background and ignored or abused by the family by turns. The horror in the film is snuck in quietly as we see things happen like the young boys looking at gold teeth they have collected, the wife giving away clothing from the camp to her servants while keeping a fur coat for herself, and the husband going through phone calls and paperwork to make it all happen.
Eventually, Höss is ordered to move near Berlin to improve efficiency in all the camps. His family remains behind in their spacious house and grounds. Höss is tasked with transporting 700,000 Hungarian Jews so they can be killed or used for labor. The majority are likely to be killed and the rest will be used to do work that helps the German war effort.
Höss attends a party in Berlin where all he can think about is how he would gas the entire room if he needed to. At the end of the party he heads down the stairs and retches into the corridor repeatedly.
Suddenly, we cut to modern day where a group of janitors clean the Auschwitz–Birkenau State Museum. There are piles of shoes, luggage, crutches and other personal belongings on display. We see the uniforms the prisoners were forced to wear and we see a long hallway with the photos of hundreds of people who were at the camp. It’s the strongest visual hint we get of what happened at these camps and the sheer scale of it is enough turn anyone’s stomach.
The movie then cuts back to Höss where he finishes going down the staircase and the film ends.
The movie makes some interesting choices. By having the violence and horror be implied and in the background, it emphasizes how normalized all of this was. It’s clear just how horrible a person Höss was even as we see him riding his horse with his son and pointing out things in nature. This was a person who had no trouble approving and engineering the deaths of literally millions of people. The pace of the film is also cold and methodical, much like Höss himself, and at times were it not dealing with the subject matter it did, might feel like a film where the biggest conflict was a father having to move away from his children for a time. But the horrors in the undercurrent here can’t be ignored or dismissed so this cold efficiency just emphasizes the horrific nature of it all.
Whether or not we needed a film from the perspective, or at least looking at Höss, is not clear to me but it is an effective film in what it is trying to achieve.
The Awards
The Zone of Interest is up for several awards and has a stronger chance in some categories than others.
Directing
The film is directed by Jonathan Glazer. He does a fine technical job, and there are a few sequences that seem almost surreal in a way. There are bold choices as far as sound and visuals but the majority of it is directed in a way you would direct any competent film. His competition is quite notable with Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall, Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, and Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer. Even with these notable directors and films, I still am betting on Christopher Nolan to take home the award.
International Feature Film
This category is not entirely fair for me to judge because I have only had a chance to watch two of the films in this category. (I tried to review as many of the Oscar nominated films as I could and I got through a lot but I couldn’t do them all) However, of the two I have seen, The Zone of Interest is the better film and I imagine is the most likely to win. I’ll still try to get around to reviewing the others when I can but it won’t be until after the Oscars are over.
Best Picture
I have now seen all of the Best Picture nominees and as good and strong as many of them are, Oppenheimer is still the best one. That was an incredible film and I just can’t imagine any of the rest of the entries winning, including The Zone of Interest.
Sound
This is a tough category to win. The competitors to The Zone of Interest are The Creator, Maestro, Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and Oppenheimer. The Creator has great sound, as does Mission Impossible but Oppenheimer has a particular sequence where the sound conveys so much of the storytelling that it’s clear how vital the sound actually is. The Zone of Interest similarly plays with sound at times but I don’t think it does so quite as effectively. While typically sci-fi and fantasy films tend to take home the award in this category, I think Oppenheimer is actually going to win here because of that sequence.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The writing here is excellent and if The Zone of Interest were to win, it would be deserving. But there is also really strong competition in this category. The Zone of Interest is up against American Fiction, Barbie, Poor Things, and Oppenheimer. I think this one is going to go to American Fiction or The Zone of Interest but honestly any of these winning would make complete sense.
In Conclusion
The Zone of Interest is an intriguing film and uses normality to allow us to think about the horrors in the background. There is good reason it was nominated for so many awards but at times it can be difficult to tell if this is coming at things from the right perspective. It does have quite the impact at the end but there are spots it could improve. I would recommend for people to watch this if they can handle films that deal with the Holocaust but I wouldn’t say it is the best of that type of film either.
Hey film fans it’s Slick Dungeon! I’m back to review the Oscar nominated Live Action Short films for this year. This is a category where I wish all of the films could win because for each and every one of them there was great effort put in. For that reason, I am going to keep the spoilers as mild as possible here because you should all go and watch them. Still, to talk about them all there will have to be a little bit of spoilage so if you want to go into these blind, watch them first and then come back to read the review. I’ll also give you my prediction for the winner.
the After
This film is hard to describe without spoiling but let’s just say an unexpected incident occurs early on and the rest of the film deals with what happens after. It is heart wrenching and surprisingly emotional. It’s a fantastic little film and absolutely worth watching.
Invincible
This is the only film in this category based on a true story. I can spoil a little more of it than some of the others without giving anything away. This is about a troubled youth in Canada who lives in a youth detention center. It gives us a portrayal of the young man and the lengths he will go to in order to change his circumstances. Another film that is heartbreaking here and quite well made.
Knight of Fortune
This is a drama with a bit of graveyard humor in it. It tells the story of Karl who has come to the morgue to identify and say goodbye to his late wife. There are awkward and hilarious moments all wrapped into one here and it leads us to some unexpected places while still being grounded. In the end it’s a sweet film and fun to watch despite dealing with death.
Red, White and Blue
This is a film that leads us in one direction and wallops us into another direction in a jaw dropping manner. I can’t say much more than that other than to say this is a very American film dealing with a very current American problem and is just utterly excellent. If I could give out the awards, this is the one I would give it to, but it’s probably not going to be the winner.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a short film based on a short story written by Roald Dahl. It has major stars in it, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley and Richard Ayoade. It is directed by Wes Anderson. It’s as wild as you can get when it comes to the imagination of Roald Dahl, and while I am not typically a Wes Anderson fan, his style really does work well here. Because it is so chocked full of big names and has such production value, this is almost guaranteed to win. It’s a fun watch for sure but it still wasn’t my favorite out of all of these. Definitely worth watching though.
In Conclusion
While I would love for any of these films to win, I’m convinced The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is the only prediction that makes sense here. I urge all of you to go out and watch these and judge for yourself. Short films don’t get the attention they deserve and audiences should watch more of them when they are accessible.
Hello film fanatics! Slick Dungeon here back to review the oddest of all the Best Picture nominees for the year, Poor Things. There will be spoilers in this review so if you haven’t seen the movie and you care about that sort of thing, book yourself a cruise to Paris, watch the movie, and come on back here to read the review. Before we get into it though, some content warnings for this one. The film has some pretty intense body horror, a whole lot of nudity, and hints of steampunk. If any of those things are something you’d prefer to avoid, don’t watch the film or read the review.
What’s it About?
Hoo boy. I don’t even know where to begin with this one but I’ll give it my best shot. Imagine the story of Frankenstein. Now, think of Frankenstein’s monster as following in Victor Frankenstein’s footsteps to become a surgeon and person who experiments on corpses. Then have that person find a pregnant woman who has thrown herself into the river. This Frankenstein’s monster who is highly educated and well respected in the community, if a bit fearsome to behold, is Godwin Baxter (Willam Defoe). Godwin takes the dead woman, extracts her live baby, and implants the brain of the live baby into the body of the dead woman and brings her back to life. This is Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). With me so far? Good because, it gets strange from here on out.
Godwin’s medical student, Max McCandles is hired to document Bella’s development. Bella has poor motor coordination, limited verbal skills, and is experiencing everything for the first time. Max falls in love with her. Godwin thinks it is a good idea for Max to marry Bella so he hires a lawyer to draw up a rather intense marriage contract that essentially keeps Bella a prisoner. This lawyer is Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) and he is a cad. He basically convinces Bella to run away with him, which is not hard because Bella is looking for new experiences anyway. And he also wants sex from Bella, which Bella is curious about herself.
The two run off to Lisbon where they are happy for a while. But soon Bella is saying things in public that are considered rude in polite society because she does not know any better and she seems to enjoy getting under Wedderburn’s skin a bit anyway.
To gain more control of her, Wedderburn tricks Bella into getting onto a cruise ship with him. His plan backfires, however, as Bella makes friends on the ship and is exposed to philosophical ideas and the cruelty of the world. Deciding to make a difference, Bella tries to give money to the needy, although it’s clear the deckhands who take her money to give it to the needy are just going to keep it. Thus, she and Wedderburn are kicked off the boat in Paris.
Back in London, Godwin and Max try to replicate the experiment that created Bella but the results do not go as well and the resurrected woman’s cognitive faculties don’t develop nearly as fast as Bella’s did.
Here, Bella discovers she can trade sex for money and decides to do so. Wedderburn has become enraptured with her at this point but is horrified at her behavior. Bella pretty much tells him to kiss off and goes about her life there. She stays in Paris getting money in the same way for a while, learning more about herself and humanity. But she receives a letter that Godwin is dying so she decides to go back to London.
In London, Godwin tells Bella the truth of her origins and Max says he still wishes to marry her. But before the ceremony is complete the man who was married to Victoria (Bella’s mother before she became Bella) shows up and demands to have his wife back.
Bella thought she knew cruelty before but this guy, General Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott) is malicious on another level and tries to cut off Bella’s, uh parts. Bella doesn’t take this lightly and she shoots Alfie but decides to save his life. However, she implants a goat brain in him as well. She also decides to become a doctor. Godwin dies and we end pretty oddly, just as we began.
Throughout the film there are hints of gothic horror, steampunk vibes, absolute body horror, animal experimentation along the lines of The Island of Doctor Moreau, and the repression of sexuality in society, especially for women. There are layers of metaphors here I am still trying to wrap my head around and I can’t say it all makes sense but it’s certainly memorable.
This odd combination of factors added up to one of the most nominated films of the year so let’s take a look at those.
The Awards
Poor Things was nominated for a whopping 11 categories this year.
Supporting Actor
Mark Ruffalo is up for his cad of a character, Duncan Wedderburn who goes from selfish to lost, poor and selfish. There is notable competition with Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction, Ryan Gosling for his role as Ken in Barbie, and Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s never smart to bet against Robert De Niro winning an Oscar. I think he’s the most likely but we’ll have to see.
Best Actress
Emma Stone had to put on quite the show for this role. She also had to have a good bit of bravery to do it. And she is good at conveying Bella in different stages of development. I won’t say she is a lock for the win, but she is definitely in the top two here. She’s facing off against Annette Benning for Nyad, Sandra Huller for Anatomy of a Fall, Carey Mulligan for Maestro, and Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon. At this point, I see this as a competition between Gladstone and Emma Stone with both having an equal shot at winning. If Stone does win, it can’t be denied she put a huge amount of effort and went places not many actresses could for the part.
Cinematography
The cinematography here is really interesting. The color palette is wide ranging, the camera makes use of lots of different lenses, and the framing of the shots can be pretty wild here. I could see this sneaking in a win but it’s facing off against the juggernaut of Oppenheimer and I still think that one is more likely to win. The other nominees are, Killers of the Flower Moon, El Conde, and Maestro.
Costume Design
Okay, the costumes are fantastic here and the choices are beyond bold to the point of being almost surreal. This movie must be in the top three, if not the top two in this category. It might go to Napoleon, but honestly, I think Poor Things is much more creative. It’s also up against, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Barbie.
Directing
The directing is certainly interesting and there are a lot of bold choices. I’m not sure all of them work but they at least try something new with this film. But, yeah, sorry, Christopher Nolan still has the upper hand with Oppenheimer and I don’t think Poor Things is going to beat that out. It’s also up against Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall, Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest.
Film Editing
Another category where, in my opinion, Poor Things will lose out to Oppenheimer. The editing in Poor Things is decent although there were moments I wasn’t sure if the best choices were being made as far as when to exit or enter into a scene. The other nominees are Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Makeup and Hairstyling
Yeah the makeup is quite good. Willam Dafoe in particular has the most striking look and the makeup is an integral part of the film. I have to say, I think this film is the most deserving of the award this year. It’s up against Oppenheimer, Golda, Maestro, and Society of the Snow.
Music (Original Score)
The score is fine but I didn’t find myself overly paying attention to it here. It fits well but it’s not as striking as the rest of the film and it’s the part of the film I least remember. think Killers of the Flower Moon has a much better shot here. The other movies in question are American Fiction, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Oppenheimer.
Best Picture
I can’t see this winning over Oppenheimer, although it is a very inventive film. I think it’s still going to take me a few viewings to fully believe I understand the thing, whereas Oppenheimer is unforgettable and makes sense on the first viewing. I’ve got two more films to see in this category so I can’t say for 100% certain I think Oppenheimer is the best but those movies would have to impress me a lot more than Poor Things did to change my mind.
Production Design
There is pretty fantastic production design, especially surrounding the cruise ship and Paris scenes. But, in this category, I still think Barbie did the best job. This category does have some other notable films including Oppenheimer, Napoleon, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
There are a lot of well written films in this category this year. Poor Things does have good writing but sometimes it may actually reach to far and trust the audience a little too much to get what is going on. It is up against American Fiction, Barbie, Oppenheimer, and The Zone of Interest. I think this one is going to go to American Fiction or The Zone of Interest but honestly any of these winning would make complete sense.
In Conclusion
Poor Things is a tough one to completely wrap your head around. If you don’t mind body horror, a wild, wild, story, and more nudity than most films get away with, this might be one for you. It’s got good acting, great sets, amazing costumes and makeup, and is mostly well written. But there are times that the audience is left more confused than anything and the film seems to try to go a little further past the edge than makes sense. I can see why it was nominated but it’s definitely not for everyone.
Hello film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review yet another Oscar nominated film. This time I’m reviewing the latest film where Paul Giamatti gets to play a grumpy old man who is quick to anger but just may have a soft heart underneath after all. I am, of course, talking about The Holdovers. There will be spoilers for this film in the review below so if you don’t enjoy that, get your wealthy parents to hire a helicopter, have them pick you up for ski week where you can go and watch the movie, and then come on back here to read the review.
What’s it About?
The Holdovers is a coming of age film that takes place at a prestigious boarding school which is a pipeline for wealthy boys to end up in Ivy League colleges. Over winter break several students have to stay behind because for one reason or another their parents don’t want them back during the Christmas and New Year break. This means the school has minimal staff and only a single faculty member there to watch over the boys. The year is 1970 and Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is not only the most hated teacher at the school, by both the other teachers and the students, he’s also the one who is stuck staying over the break. Mr. Hunham is a tough grader, even for the students who have parents that pay enough to the school where they expect their kids to get good grades. As if that were not enough, he also simply has an arrogant and abrasive personality so not a lot of people tend to like him. This has landed him in some hot water so he is stuck with the babysitting duty this year.
Also left behind is Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who is the school cook and has just lost her son who was serving in Vietnam.
As far as the students go, there is a group of five of them left behind, including Angus Tully who was not expecting to be left there. Despite the fact the school is on break, Mr. Hunham forces the boys to study, exercise, and generally keep to the strict discipline of the school regulations.
We also learn that Mr. Hunham was once a student at the school. The routine goes on for six days with some infighting amongst the boys, a few shouting matches and some shoving, the boys desperate to get out of there and barely controlled chaos. But one of the boys has a wealthy father who arrives with his helicopter to take as many of the students as are allowed on a ski trip.
Unfortunately for Mary and Mr. Hunham, Angus Tully’s parents can’t be reached so he can’t get permission to go on the trip. This means the three of them are stuck at the school together. At one point Angus gets so fed up with being there he runs through the halls with Mr. Hunham chasing him. Angus gets to the gym which is supposed to be off limits and does a little tumble where he badly hurts his arm.
Mr. Hunham has no choice but to take Angus to the hospital and he knows this could get him fired. But, Angus covers for his teacher that way he won’t get fired and Angus’ parents won’t find out. While Mr. Hunham isn’t happy with Angus lying, he does seem to soften his attitude a bit.
Angus and his teacher end up going out to dinner where Angus almost gets into a fight but Mr. Hunham smooths things over. And, they meet a woman from the school working part time at the restaurant who invites them for a Christmas party. Angus, Mary and Mr. Hunham all go to the party. Angus is devastated to find out that Lydia who is throwing the party has a boyfriend. Mary who has been holding herself together breaks down over the loss of her son. And Angus, for the first time the whole break, is having a good time, having met a girl who is interested in him.
Trying to get Mary home, Mr. Hunham argues with Angus. Angus says his father is dead and Mr. Hunham shouts at him. Mary scolds the teacher for making a kid who has been left all alone at Christmas feel like no one wants him.
The next day Mr. Hunhams’ attitude softens a bit more and he even goes to the point of buying a Christmas tree. He offers to do anything that will make Angus and Mary’s break better and Angus immediately wants to go to Boston. Hunham reluctantly agrees and the three take a road trip, figuring it falls under the purview of the school rules because it is a field trip.
Mary catches up with her sister who is pregnant. Meanwhile Angus and Mr. Hunham get to know each other a bit more, going to book stores, museums and bowling. Angus tells Mr. Hunham that if he were to explain ancient civilizations to his class the way he does in the museum, a lot more of the students would like him. We also find out about Hunham’s past and it turns out he has had a bit of a scandal that was not his fault that landed him at the school he now teaches at. He doesn’t regret it but he bends the truth to impress people he knew in his past.
Angus runs away from his teacher to go see his dad. Mr. Hunham catches him just in time and tells Angus he can go to a cemetery but it turns out the dad is actually in a mental institution. Angus meets with his dad and it doesn’t go well.
Mary, Mr. Hunham, and Angus all go back to the school and ring in the new year.
Finally the other students return and it turns out that Angus’ mother and step father are really angry about Angus seeing his dad. This is especially bad for Angus because if he is kicked out of his current school he will end up in a military academy and if he ends up in a military academy, he is almost certain to end up in Vietnam. But, Mr. Hunham covers for Angus at the cost of his own job.
The film has a folksy soundtrack to accompany it and plenty of shots of a New England winter to set the scene. It’s well acted and we can see Paul Giamatti’s character go from abrasive and curmudgeonly to more accepting of others and more willing to try and achieve something for himself. Mary goes through an emotional journey to accept the loss of her son as best she can. And Angus seems like he’s more willing to stick to the rules for long enough that he might make it through school.
While the plot doesn’t sound funny at all, there are some rather funny parts. Paul Giamatti is excellent at insults filled with lots of academic language and he is a good foil for almost any other character in a scene with him. He shows his softer side when it comes to Mary, having a strong understanding of how hard things are for her, and understanding that most of the students at the school he teachers are wealthy enough not to have to worry about much in life. Da’Vine Joy Randolph puts in a great performance as a woman trying to keep herself together in the worst of circumstances. And Dominic Sessa who plays Angus does a great job tapping into teenage angst and fear while maintaining an intelligent mind.
The film is up for several awards for good reason so let’s get into those.
The Awards
The Holdovers is up for five Oscars this year.
Best Actor
Paul Giamatti is a consistently good actor and he has been nominated lots of times. The problem he has in this category is coming from a couple of directions. First, he is playing the kind of character we have seen him play before. That is, a person who goes from angry and standoffish to one who softens but still keeps some of that abrasiveness. More importantly, he is up against Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer. As good as Giamatti is, I don’t see him winning over that performance. As far as the other nominees, Colman Domingo had a great turn as Bayard Rustin in Rustin, Bradley Cooper dove completely into his role as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, and Jeffrey Wright has a strong case to make with American Fiction. Paul Giamatti will no doubt be up for this award again but this year he is not going to get it.
Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is truly one of the best parts of the film, knowing when to hold in emotion and when to let it out for the audience to see. She does a fantastic job as Mary Lamb here. But, in this category I think Danielle Brooks who was in The Color Purple had an even better performance. And while that film may have been largely overlooked in the Oscars, I am hoping Brooks’ performance won’t be. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is also up against Emily Blunt for Oppenheimer, America Ferrera for Barbie and Jodie Foster for Nyad.
Film Editing
The editing in this film is fine. There’s nothing wrong with it and it keeps a pretty good pace. There weren’t any major editing mistakes or odd choices. But it’s not the best edited film of the year. I think both Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon had a more difficult and technical job to do and both are better edited than The Holdovers. I think Oppenheimer will win this one. The other nominees are Anatomy of a Fall, and Poor Things.
Best Picture
The Holdovers is a good film and so far out of the ones I have seen nominated for Best Picture is one of the funniest. It’s also got some good emotion in it with a nice personal story and fully developed characters. There is a lot going well for it and if you watch it I don’t think you will regret it. But Best Picture? No, sorry it is not the best this year. Again, that’s Oppenheimer but really, who can compete with that? I’ve still got a few movies to see in this category but I would be pretty surprised if any of them changed my mind here. Still, watch the blog for more reviews!
Writing (Original Screenplay)
This is the category I think The Holdovers has the best shot of winning. It’s not competing against Oppenheimer, or Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s up against Anatomy of a Fall which is a really well written courtroom drama, Maestro which tells the life story of Leonard Bernstein, May December which is a bit of a melodrama but no doubt well written, and Past Lives which tells a very personal story. In this category I think the top three are Maestro, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Holdovers. I strongly suspect The Holdovers has the best case to make here. I won’t be shocked if another movie wins but I am placing my bet with The Holdovers here.
In Conclusion
The Holdovers is a good film. It has a little bit of the DNA of Dead Poet’s Society but with a bit less pretentiousness and is more of a personal story than that one. It’s got a bit of oddball comedy that only Paul Giamatti can truly pull off. And it has some truly emotional moments in it. I can say it is probably one of the ten best films of the year and may even be in the top three. Unfortunately for The Holdovers 2023 was a seriously good year for films so the competition is hitting hard against it. I recommend to anyone who likes a good drama with a bit of comedy but it’s not going to win as many Oscars as it might have if it came out a different year.
Hello there film fans, guess who? Yep, it’s me, Slick Dungeon, back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time we’ll be diving into the intense crime and courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall. There will be spoilers in this review so if you don’t like that, head to your snow covered chalet, pop on the movie, give it a watch and then head on back here to read the review. Also, quick warning for anyone who needs it, this film deals with suicide, domestic violence and potential murder so if that sort of thing is triggering to you, stay away from the movie and the review.
What’s it About
Anatomy of a Fall is a French crime thriller and courtroom drama. A family of three live in an isolated chalet near Grenoble, France. There is a husband, a wife, a visually impaired boy, and his guide dog, Snoop.
The wife is Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) who is a well known novelist. Her husband is Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) and her son is Daniel Maleski (Milo Machado-Graner).
The movie starts with Sandra being interviewed by a woman curious to know about Sandra’s writing. Not long into the interview loud music starts playing from the upper part of the chalet. Sandra attempts to continue for a while with the woman and does so in what might even be considered a flirtatious manner. But eventually she gives up because the sound is simply too loud.
We then see Daniel go out for a walk with his dog. When he returns Daniel finds the body of his father, bloody and in the snow. Daniel shouts for help, although it takes a while for Sandra to hear him because the loud music is still going. Sandra rushes down the stairs and immediately calls for help.
The rest of the film takes us on a journey to discover what happened in the moments between the interviewer leaving and Daniel finding the body of his father. It unfolds like a true crime documentary in a lot of ways. We see the polices asking questions, Sandra hires a lawyer, and investigations continue. Sandra, for her part, proclaims her innocence but there are a few suspicious things.
First, Sandra has bruises on her wrist. Second, the autopsy concludes that the impact to the head of the husband could have been made before he fell out of the window where they know Samuel was. Finally, Daniel is sure he heard his parents talking in a calm manner before he left for his walk but when they try to reenact this, he can’t hear it from where he says he was.
Ultimately, Sandra is charged with murder but the situation is highly complicated. First, while Sandra speaks French, she is a native German and mostly speaks English in her day to day life. This means it will be difficult for her to fully convey her side of the story in French. Second, and more importantly, Daniel is considered a witness in the case but since Sandra has not yet been found guilty of anything, she is free to keep living with Daniel. This brings up the potential conflict that Sandra could be in a position to try to unduly influence Daniel’s testimony. Therefore, the court assigns a monitor to stay in the house and now Sandra has to speak in French even to her son. Her son is fluent in French so that is no problem for him but it’s not as easy for Sandra.
The movie then basically shifts entirely to a courtroom drama where more and more is revealed about Sandra’s life and marriage. There is some audio that sounds extremely damning because the couple are heard having a heated argument that ends up with some violence. And this is where Sandra finally admits she got the bruise. Obviously that doesn’t look good to the court.
Sandra’s lawyers are trying to argue that Samuel was depressed and decided to kill himself. They have some evidence that might lead one in that direction, including a possible earlier suicide attempt.
A lot more happens in between but basically the film leads us to the point where Daniel will need to testify in court. Even he is not sure of what happened and it’s basically up to him to decide if he thinks his father killed himself or his mother murdered his father. An utterly heartbreaking thing for any kid to have to ever face.
Daniel suspects he has a way to prove whether his mom was lying about earlier testimony but it does involve nearly poisoning his own dog. He performs the experiment and don’t worry, the dog lives. But this consolidates things in Daniel’s mind. Ultimately he decides it makes less sense that his mother killed his father than for his father to have killed himself.
Ultimately, Sandra is acquitted and is able to go free and reunite with Daniel.
The film really does feel like watching a true crime documentary but with being able to be let in on all the emotional impact it has on the main characters. Sandra Hüller completely shines here bringing nuance and emotion that allows the audience to be on her side while still being unsure if she committed the crime. The film doesn’t let the audience off easily either as there is never a reveal of what exactly happened and like many of the best true crime documentaries, the audience must decide for themselves what really happened.
It’s easy to see why this is up for so many awards and it is one of the best courtroom dramas I have seen in a while. It’s definitely one of the best International films of the year but it may not quite have the oomph to compete with other films in the categories it is up for.
The Awards
To me, it’s odd that this one is not up for Best International Film but that is not one of the categories where it got the nod. Let’s take a look at what it did get nominated for.
Best Actress
Sandra Hüller is up for Best Actress here. She was wonderful in this role and she is playing an extremely complicated person who has to speak and emote in multiple languages and Hüller makes it look effortless. I was never entirely sure if I should be on her side or not and that was clearly intentional. She is up against Annette Benning for Nyad, Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon, Emma Stone for Poor Things and Carey Mulligan for Maestro. Sandra Hüller did a fabulous job but the competition in this category really comes down to Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone.
Directing
This was great directing. The most impactful moments come as a surprise both visually and emotionally. The pacing is good enough to keep us paying attention while still allowing us to process a very complicated situation. Unfortunately for this film it is up against major competition. It’s up against Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest and, of course, Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer. I’d be surprised if Anatomy of a Fall gets the award but I would love to see more films directed by Justine Triet.
Film Editing
There is no doubt this film has great editing. The audience would not be left in such doubt over what happened if the editing wasn’t fantastic. The pacing can feel a little slow but by the end it seems to pay off by leaving the audience guessing. But, yet again this film has heavy hitting competition. I am calling this one for Oppenheimer. The other nominees are The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things.
Best Picture
While Anatomy of a Fall is a good film and I would recommend it for a lot of people, this was not the best film of the year. It’s definitely Oppenheimer to win in this category and I would be genuinely surprised if this one wins over it. I’ve reviewed a lot of the films in this category but I still have a few more to go so keep an eye out for those up to the Oscars themselves.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Here’s a category where Anatomy of a Fall is quite strong. But it does still have some major competition. It’s up against The Holdovers which is moving, dramatic, and funny all at once, May December which is a bit of a melodrama but no doubt well written, Maestro which tells the story of composer Leonard Bernstein, and Past Lives which tells a very personal story. In this category I think the top three are Maestro, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Holdovers. And at this point, I strongly suspect The Holdovers has the best case to make here. If The Holdovers doesn’t win, then Anatomy of a Fall definitely should win.
In Conclusion
Anatomy of a Fall is a refreshing crime drama with plenty of ambiguity and great acting. There are genuinely shocking reveals that change the direction of the film and reposition all of the main characters in an instant. It’s absolutely a film worth watching if you tend to like true crime (it’s not based on any actual case it just feels like it) and want something that leaves you guessing just enough without insulting you. The acting is fantastic and I absolutely guarantee you will continue to think about this one long after you watch it.
Hey movie fans, it’s Slick Dungeon. I’m here to conduct (see what I did there?) another review for one of the Oscar nominated films this year. This time we are talking about the biopic film about Leonard Bernstein, Maestro. There will be spoilers in this review so if you don’t like that sort of thing, head on over to the theater, see the movie and come on back here for the review.
What’s it About?
Maestro tells the story of notable conductor and composer, Leonard Bernstein. If you don’t know much about his professional career, you probably at least know he was the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and that he composed music for movies like On the Waterfront and musicals like West Side Story. And after watching the film, you’ll know… almost the same amount about his professional career.
You’ll get a lot of the picture of his personal life as we see him have affairs with men and women, fall in love, continue to have affairs, have fights with his wife, continue to have affairs, and then have more affairs. He also chain smokes an incredible amount in this movie, which I am sure was true in his life.
The film is certainly interesting to watch as we see Bernstein go from a young hopeful, just waiting to be called up to conduct an orchestra, to a household name. The film starts with Bernstein being interviewed in 1987 where we can see the fantastic work of the makeup artists who transformed Bradley Cooper into an old man for the character. We then flash back to black and white early days. Bernstein is an energetic composer and, apparently so afraid of being alone, he can’t stop having affairs. He meets his wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) at a party and they connect almost instantly. Felicia marries Bernstein knowing about and accepting his lifestyle, she just asks for him to be discreet about it.
Bernstein’s success grows and he becomes more famous while also teaching music. Soon the film changes to color but the color remains muted, giving it the feel of a film from the seventies or eighties. Again, the makeup on Bradley Cooper is really good because there was never a moment where I thought he wasn’t the age he was playing. Tensions between Bernstein and Felicia increase as his affairs continue and he becomes more and more reckless even with his children old enough to be subjected to all the rumors and gossip that comes with it. Meanwhile, Bernstein continues to be driven to create and conduct music. Felicia who has always been a notable actress is becoming somewhat frustrated not just from the affairs but also with the fact her career takes a bit of a back seat to Leonard’s.
Disaster strikes when Felicia is diagnosed with cancer. The couple are devastated and so are their children. Eventually Felicia dies but Bernstein goes on, continuing to create and conduct. We land back at the interview we started on and Bernstein talks about his attitude towards music, life and creativity.
If you are of a certain generation, I am sure there is plenty here assumed to be known about Leonard Bernstein. But, if you are younger than that, this movie will not really tell you a lot more about the man. I suppose I learned more about his marital affairs than I wanted or needed to know but the film feels a bit scattered, never quite delving as far as it can on the personal, and barely scratching the surface of the professional. I wanted to know more about how people surrounding Bernstein saw him, and not just those who were in his most immediate circle. It seems like his affairs were an open secret but we never get any sense of if this was difficult for him professionally or not.
While Bradley Cooper does an adequate job of directing, this may have been a case where the director is a bit too in love with his subject matter so leaves some vital information out that he assumes the audience knows.
There is some personal tension and conflict in several scenes but Bernstein’s personality in the film is so overpowering, it’s hard to get a clear perspective of anyone else’s feelings towards him with the exception of Felicia. And even in that case, she seems to eventually accept the inevitable of being at least somewhat in his shadow.
All in all I found this film to be too disjointed to truly come together. There has been a deluge of musical biopics lately, the latest one being One Love about Bob Marley and while I didn’t entirely love that one, I did find myself at least having more of an understanding of what Bob Marley did. Here it is overly implied for those of us who did not grow up with Bernstein as a figure in our lives.
But that doesn’t mean that the film is not an enjoyable experience. There is certainly a reason it is up for so many awards, so let’s go through them.
the Awards
Maestro was nominated for seven Academy Awards this year and it certainly didn’t hurt that huge names like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese were producers on it.
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper does a fine job with the character. I believe him as Bernstein and he certainly took on the mannerisms and speech patterns of the time. This was a good performance and it’s easy to see how much effort Cooper put into it. But in all honesty I think I have seen better performances by him in other films. Add to that the competition here and I don’t see Cooper taking away the award. In this category I think it will be Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer. Colman Domingo had a great turn as Bayard Rustin in Rustin, Paul Giamati who is no stranger to the Oscars is up for The Holdovers, and Jeffrey Wright has a strong case to make with American Fiction. I think Bradley Cooper proved he can make a film about a subject he is interested in and can still give a good performance while pulling double duty but I don’t see him winning.
Best Actress
Carey Mulligan is up for her role as Felicia Montealegre for this film. Mulligan pulls off the part well and is just as fast talking as Cooper, making the film feel like a more authentic period piece. And the role certainly must have been challenging to portray so she deserves some accolades here. But, her competition is extremely strong in this category. She is up against Annette Benning for Nyad, Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon, Sandra Huller for Anatomy of a Fall, and Emma Stone for Poor Things. I would say Carey Mulligan is in the top three here but the competition in this category really comes down to Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone.
Cinematography
I can see why this film was nominated for cinematography. The color choice is bold and sets the tone well. The shots are usually fairly interesting and what we see in the frame can be unexpected while still conveying the information we need. But I never found it to be truly revolutionary or groundbreaking. It is good but it doesn’t reach to the level of greatness in my mind. I don’t see this having a hope of beating out Killers of the Flower Moon, let alone Oppenheimer. It’s also up against El Conde and Poor Things.
Makeup and Hairstyling
If there is any category this film has a strong claim to it would be this one. Bradley Cooper must have had to sit for hours in the makeup chair to get the look right and it doesn’t look fake at all. If you saw him walking down the street in full makeup you would not recognize him as Bradley Cooper but as an elderly man. However, there are a couple of films giving strong competition here. Golda pulled off some incredible makeup transforming Helen Mirren into Golda Meir to the point where I didn’t even recognize her. But also nominated are Oppenheimer which tends to take home nearly every trophy, Poor Things which I have heard has fantastic makeup, and Society of the Snow which is able to make strong young men look like they are truly on the brink of absolute starvation. This is a tough category to call and while Maestro very well may take home the Oscar, I would not be surprised if a different movie went home with it.
Best Picture
This category is a little easier to call. Sorry but Maestro is not going to win here. I can see why it was nominated but it’s simply not as engaging as several of the other entries in the category. And I am pretty sure Oppenheimer has a lock on this one.
Sound
Obviously when you have a film about a composer and conductor, you need to have great sound. The film captures all the music and sound just as it should. But again, like the cinematography category, this film doesn’t do anything to innovate or break the mold. It has good sound but it’s not so notable that it’s going to win here. The Creator, Maestro, Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and The Zone of Interest are also nominated. The Creator has great sound, as does Mission Impossible but Oppenheimer has a particular sequence where the sound conveys so much of the storytelling that it’s clear how vital the sound actually is. While typically sci-fi and fantasy films tend to take home the award in this category, I think Oppenheimer is actually going to win here because of that sequence.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Here’s a category where I could see Maestro winning. It’s not competing against Oppenheimer, or even Killers of the Flower Moon here. But it does still have some strong competition. It’s up against Anatomy of a Fall which is a really well written courtroom drama, The Holdovers which is moving, dramatic, and funny all at once, May December which is a bit of a melodrama but no doubt well written, and Past Lives which tells a very personal story. In this category I think the top three are Maestro, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Holdovers. As good as the writing is for Maestro, it is still more disjointed of a film than the other two. And at this point, I strongly suspect The Holdovers has the best case to make here. I won’t be shocked if Maestro wins but I would be mildly surprised.
In Conclusion
If you love biopics about musicians and you have a good idea of who Leonard Bernstein was, then this is a great film for you. If you don’t know that much about the guy, I suspect that like me, you’ll come away wondering what they really left out here. It is worth watching Bradley Cooper’s performance and it’s neat to see him directing, but it’s a bit more scattered than I would like in a biopic. It will probably take home some awards this year at the Oscars but it will probably lose out on a lot.
Hellos film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time I will be talking about the romantic drama Past Lives which is up for two Oscars this year. There will be some spoilers in this review so if that sort of thing bothers you, get off the video call with your long lost friend, go watch the movie, and come on back here to read the review.
What’s It About?
The movie starts off with someone playing that game where you look at people in a bar or restaurant and try to guess who they are to each other. In this case there is a Korean man and woman and a white man all hanging out together in a bar at 4 am.
We then flash back to 24 years earlier in Seoul, South Korea where a little girl named Na Young and a little boy named Hae Sung are good friends. Na Young is upset because she didn’t get top marks at school that day, for the first time losing to Hae Sung. We find out that Na Young is going to immigrate from South Korea soon and she has to decide what her English name will be. She goes with Nora. Her mother asks her what boys she likes in school and Na Young says she like Hae Sung and that he would marry her if she told him to. They moms of the kids arrange a “date” for the kids who seem to have genuine affection for one another. Na Young leaves fairly abruptly, leaving Hae Sung without his best friend.
We jump to 12 years later and now Na Young, going by Nora is an aspiring playwright. She is accepted into a writer’s residency in Montauk. But before she goes there, she finds out that Hae Sung has reached out to try and reconnect with his old friend. In South Korea, Hae Sung is going to school to study engineering when he gets a message in the middle of the night from Na Young. The two start talking over video calls and begin to reconnect. It’s clear there is still a bit of a spark between the two of them. Just before she has to leave to go to the writer residency, Nora tells Hae Sung they should stop talking because she is finding herself looking up flights to Seoul. Hae Sung is heartbroken over it but agrees. At the residency, Nora meets Arthur who she starts dating. Here she explains the Korean concept of past lives where if you come into contact with someone it means you had a connection to them in a previous life. Those who get married have had thousands of such connections and are paired together in this life. Meanwhile in Seoul, Hae Sung finds a girl to date who seems to be just as heartbroken as he is.
We jump ahead in time once again 12 years to catch up to present day. Nora has been married to Anthony for the last seven years but Hae Sung is coming to New York for the first time. The two plan to meet up and reconnect. Hae Sung is still clearly in love with Nora, although she is married. Hae Sung is on a break from his girlfriend because the circumstances don’t seem quite right for the two of them to get married. Anthony is a bit worried about Nora reconnecting with a childhood sweetheart but he deals with it as well as he can. Nora takes Hae Sung to the Statue of Liberty and hangs out with him for the day. Hae Sung is taken to meet Anthony who has learned a little bit of Korean and he talks to Hae Sung who has learned a little bit of English. We then end up at the bar scene from the beginning and are let in on the conversation that we only observed at the start. Hae Sung is basically asking Nora if she thinks they were something to one another in a past life. They go through some possibilities to the point where it seems they are pretty much ignoring Anthony. It’s clear there is still a connection between Nora and Hae Sung but Nora loves Anthony and plans to stay with him.
The movie ends with Hae Sung getting his Uber to go back to the airport while Nora sees him off. Hae Sung makes one last attempt and asks Nora, “What if this is a past life too?” And they wonder what they will be to each other in the next life. Nora goes back to Anthony and Hae Sung goes back to Seoul.
The film is slow paced, which I usually don’t mind. It’s also clearly on the lower budget end of the spectrum which I never mind. If pacing and budget were the only problems with the film, I would be fine with that but this movie really feels slow for a few reasons. One, there is a nearly twenty minute sequence of people talking to each other on video calls, with all of the, “Hello? Hi? Can you hear me?” awkward silences, and video glitching left in. Second, there are tons of long pauses in everyone’s dialogue which slows things down. Third, while there is some conflict here, it is only, purely emotional conflict, usually an internal struggle within the character that they seem to resolve by themselves. This makes the film feel a little bit pointless.
However, there are definitely themes almost anyone can relate to. Not only does it deal with the experience of immigrating to a new place, it deals with loss, reconnection, and love both unrequited and reciprocated. The personal is the universal so I can see why some people do love this film. Personally, it wasn’t for me but I can understand if someone enjoys it.
I’m not sure it was Oscar worthy as I do think there were better films that were overlooked for this one.
The Awards
Past Lives is up for just two Oscars this year, Best Picture and Writing (Original Screenplay)
Best Picture
There is no chance this film will win Best Picture. It’s not a bad film, but I don’t think it soars into greatness either. Oppenheimer is certain to win over this one. But even if that juggernaut of a film wasn’t in this category, I still don’t think Past Lives would win. It’s just not strong enough filmmaking.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
For writing, Past Lives is up against Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Maestro, and May December. In this category I think the competition is really between Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers and Maestro. I don’t see a world where Past Lives takes home the trophy but it is written well. It’s just not as well written as a lot of other films this year.
In Conclusion
The acting, soundtrack, cinematography and all the rest of it in this film are fine. The movie is mildly interesting and might be a good watch if you are feeling a bit heartbroken for one reason or another. But, it’s probably one of the weakest of the Best Picture contenders, although it certainly has themes a lot of us can relate to. If you love dramas, don’t mind slow pacing, and enjoy stories of unrequited love, this one may be for you.
Hello film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review another one of the Oscar nominated films for this year. I’m going to review Killers of the Flower Moon which is up for 10 of the prestigious awards this year. There will be spoilers for this film below so if that sort of thing bothers you, grab your chauffeur, head over to the theater, watch the movie and come on back here to read the review.
What’s It About?
Killers of the Flower Moon tells the story of what happened when the Osage Nation struck it rich with oil in Oklahoma. Beyond becoming incredibly wealthy almost overnight, the Osage people in this area were also exploited and targeted for violence and murder on a scale nearly unheard of at the time. It was so bad that Mollie Burkhart (Lilly Gladstone) traveled to Washington DC, despite being very sick with diabetes, to beg for help. Help did come, in the form of the FBI and a formal investigation was launched delving into the background of the killings.
The film tells this story mostly from the perspective of Ernest Berkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a World War I veteran and nephew to William King Hale (Robert De Niro). Hale has been taking advantage of the situation by befriending Osage people, taking out insurance claims on them, and then having them murdered. He all but orders Ernie to marry Mollie because when the rest of Mollie’s family dies, her large estate will go to her, or in the case of her death, her husband and children. It’s basically a gigantic insurance scheme, loaded with violence, scheming and plenty of con artistry.
But one thing Hale, who is known around town as a member in good standing, friendly to the Osage people, did not count on is for Ernie to actually love his wife. The story unfolds with Ernie doing awful things behind the scenes that he is hiding from his wife, including robbery and even up to the point of hiring killers to kill Mollie’s family members.
The violence in the movie here is not overly gratuitous for the most part but when it happens it is utterly, wildly, shocking and comes when least expected making it superbly effective when we see it. The results of the violence are sometimes overly graphic but when put in the context of what is happening in the film doesn’t feel exploitative to the audience.
In the backdrop of all this there is building tension between Osage people and white people. This is especially notable as in one scene we see the people in the film watching newsreels of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. This makes the people in the film, and the audience watching, feel like this situation is a powder keg just about to explode.
Mollie has enough resources to gather the Osage elders and hire a private investigator to look into the deaths of not just her family but those of several other Osage people she knows. This is especially difficult to do because the laws on the books at the time required court appointed white people to be the legal guardians of Osage individuals because they were considered, “incompetent.” A ridiculous notion but this was absolutely a real law at the time. And this meant Mollie had to go through back channels and around roadblocks to hire anyone that might help.
Unbeknownst to Mollie, Earnest Burkhart was working with his uncle and was in a prime position to kill or have killed any investigators that might come. All the while, Ernie acts as if maybe he actually does love his wife, who is suffering from diabetes. In order to keep Mollie alive so that he can inherit all her money, King Hale makes sure Earnest gets a new medicine called insulin to treat her illness.
The private investigator is killed but Mollie is not giving up, even though more of her family members keep dying and she is quite sick. She decides to travel all the way to Washington DC to convince President Coolidge to help her. In typical fashion he says less than five words to her so she thinks nothing will come of it.
She returns to her loving husband but keeps making noise around town. Soon, an FBI agent shows up named Thomas Bruce White Sr. (Jesse Plemons). He’s not afraid to ask around town about what is happening. Meanwhile, Ernie has been using Mollie’s needed insulin shots to add a sedative to keep her quiet.
The movie turns into a bit of a cat and mouse game for a while between the FBI and King Hale and all his cohorts. But, it turns out the mice aren’t very smart and they all start turning on each other. It also doesn’t help that Burkhart and Hale have stiffed several of their criminal fellows to the point where they want to turn on them.
At long last the law catches up to Ernie Burkhart who by this point has several children with his wife and at least says he loves her. He begins intending to testify against his uncle until he is brought to trial where Hart’s lawyer says he is also Burkhart’s lawyer. Ernie changes his mind and goes back to his uncle’s side.
Mollie is found nearly unconscious and definitely suffering by the FBI agents and rushed to a hospital. She is given regular insulin shots without anything extra added and is restored to health.
But, one of Mollie and Ernie’s children dies. Burkhart is certain his uncle is behind it and decides he is now going to testify against his uncle. He gives damning witness testimony but also exposes himself as being incredibly involved in the orchestration of the killing of Mollie’s relatives.
Mollie goes to meet with Burkhart in jail and asks him if he has told all his secrets. He says he has but he doesn’t admit to drugging his wife. She leaves him without a word, presumably never to return.
Oddly, the film ends with tying everything up by showing us an audience watching a radio broadcast. I guess it’s better than just writing cold text on a screen, and we get a cameo from director Martin Scorsese here which is neat to see. We get a summary of the prison time and consequences felt by Hale, Burkhart and everyone involved. We also find out Mollie dies at a pretty young age of 36 succumbing to her diabetes.
The film’s last scene is an overhead shot of a 21st-century Osage powow dancing circle.
All in all, the film tells a much ignored story and does so well, although I am not sure we get the story from the best perspective here. While the true hero of the story is Mollie, we mostly see things from the view point of the villain. I’m not sure what the best approach would be but I suspect there could have been better angles to tell the story from. Still, the movie is extremely compelling and yet another entry from a master filmmaker so it makes sense that it has been nominated for so many Oscars.
The Awards
Speaking of awards, here’s what I think in each of the categories for the film.
Supporting Actor
Robert De Niro is up for his role as King Hale. It’s been a while since we’ve seen De Niro in a role where he wasn’t just playing himself or a version of one of the characters he is famous for. This role actually showed his skill as an actor and allowed him much more of a range than we have seen in a long time. I think he has an extremely good chance of winning here. There is notable competition with Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction, Ryan Gosling for his role as Ken in Barbie, and Mark Ruffalo for Poor Things. But it’s never smart to bet against Robert De Niro winning an Oscar. I think he’s the most likely but we’ll have to see.
Best Actress
Lily Gladstone is up for her role as Mollie Burkhart and she pulled off a complicated and challenging role. She was fascinating to watch in every moment of the film. But, again she has a lot of competition. She’s facing off against Annette Benning for Nyad, Sandra Huller for Anatomy of a Fall, Carey Mulligan for Maestro, and Emma Stone for Poor Things. At this point, I see this as a competition between Gladstone and Emma Stone with both having an equal shot at winning. If Gladstone does win, no one is going to think she is not deserving because she certainly knocked it out of the park here.
Cinematography
No doubt the cinematography here is gorgeous and great effort and thought was put into it. Had Oppenheimer not been nominated in this category I would say this film was an easy win for it. But, with Oppenheimer in this category, I think Killers of the Flower Moon is a very close second. The other nominees here are El Conde, Maestro, and Poor Things.
Costume Design
Again the costume design is great here both as a period piece and it treats the Osage Nation with great care. But, I think there are more likely winners here including Napoleon and Poor Things. The other nominees are Oppenheimer and Barbie, either of which could also sneak out a win.
Directing
Martin Scorsese is up for yet another Oscar. If he won, no one would be surprised. And on almost any other year if he was up for the award I would say he is a lock for it. But, he is competing against Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer which was such a notable film that I can’t really see anyone else winning here. I wouldn’t place money on it but I think Scorsese is not going to win. He’s also up against Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest.
Film Editing
I hate to keep saying this because I really think Killers of the Flower Moon is an excellent film but it’s going to lose to Oppenheimer. The film editing here is spot on and the scenes depicting violence intercut with the way we see slower, more emotional scenes is just brilliant. But it is not quite as brilliant as Oppenheimer. The other nominees are Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, and Poor Things.
Music (Original Score)
In this category, I fully believe Killers of the Flower Moon is going to win. And that is despite being up against John Williams for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The score works so well in Killers of the Flower Moon that it can’t be ignored. The music is beautiful and knows just when and where to ratchet up the tension or dial things back to give the audience a moment of relief. I could certainly be wrong but this is a more than deserving score. The other movies in question here are Oppenheimer, American Fiction, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Poor Things.
Music (Original Song)
There is so much going on in this category. First, Dianne Warren is yet again up for an Oscar and she has yet to win one other than the Academy Honorary Award which acknowledges a career rather than a single song or soundtrack. This means Warren might get one here just because she is so overdue for one. Her song is The Fire Inside from Flamin’ Hot. Second, Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) from Killers of the Flower Moon is up for the award. This is an Osage language song and is simply beautiful and it recognizes a culture often ignored (or sometimes demonized) in Hollywood films. Barbie was nominated for two songs in this category and might end up splitting the vote on itself for I’m Just Ken and What Was I Made For? Finally, It Never Went Away from American Symphony written and performed by John Batiste is up for the award. Batiste is a straight up musical genius and in my opinion, he has the most valid claim to this award. I predict he will win unless I’m Just Ken sneaks away with it.
Best Picture
It’s a little heartbreaking that Killers of the Flower Moon came out the same year as Oppenheimer because I think it is going to get fewer awards than it deserves. But Oppenheimer is virtually impossible to ignore in this category and is the odds on favorite to win. I truly enjoyed Killers of the Flower Moon but I have to call this for Oppenheimer. I’ll be reviewing all of the other films up for this award this week but I’ll be shocked if any of them change my mind here.
Production Design
The production design is great here and there were plenty of complicated sets that had to be made and used for the film. But, in this case, I think Barbie really has the upper hand. This category does have some other notable films including Oppenheimer, Napoleon, and Poor Things. Barbie remains my bet here but if Killers of the Flower Moon took it home, they would be deserving.
In Conclusion
This is a great film with excellent directing, sound, cinematography and acting. If this was released in any other year I really would put it as the odds on favorite to win all the Oscars. But it is up against such a masterpiece in Oppenheimer that this film may not see the full recognition it deserves. Don’t let that stop you from watching it because it is an excellent film.
Cillian Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the biopic about the famous scientist
Hey film fans, Slick Dungeon here. Oppenheimer is one of the Oscar movies that I have already reviewed on this blog so a lot of this review will seem familiar. However, I am updating it to talk about the Oscars the film has been nominated for. If you have already read this review, feel free to skip to that part. If you haven’t and you are curious about what my thoughts were on the film, then by all means read on! This review will contain a few spoilers for the movie but nothing major. Also, since this is a biographical picture based off a book about a famous person and period in history and it’s pretty accurate, I guess this is also a warning that there will be spoilers for history as well? If you don’t want to be spoiled at all, go see the movie then come back here to read the review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Let’s start with the obvious here. The cast, the directing, the production, and the storytelling are phenomenal. This is one of those films that has the word Oscar written all over it in thirty foot letters. My bet is we’ll see at least a nomination for Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt and Matt Damon. Not to mention one for Christopher Nolan. The film is worth watching for these performances alone. I especially think Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh really shine in this film.
The plot of the movie centers around both the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and a hearing later in Oppenheimer’s career where his patriotism was questioned because he had some loose ties to communist organizations in his past. It essentially pits Oppenheimer against Lewis Strauss in a political sense. This is where the character tension is but the more fascinating aspect is how Oppenheimer seems to see the world. He’s one of the few people who could actually understand what he was building and why. And he was one of the few people who could actually understand how risky it was to use the bomb and what the worries of proliferation would be.
The movie is set in two basic time periods, before and after the war. Interestingly, the world is in color in the time period before the bomb is dropped but turns black and white when Strauss essentially tries to hang Oppenheimer out to dry politically. Where Oppenheimer’s world is full of bright colors, big events, huge casts of characters and scientists and politicians all trying to understand life, Strauss’ world is narrow, black and white and all about him.
While I’m not going to get into any major spoiler territory here, I do want to point out the few points I feel the film doesn’t handle perfectly. First, while we see Oppenheimer seem to imagine the devastation caused by dropping atomic bombs, there are no scenes of any kind where the explosions happened. I realize the story is told through Oppenheimer’s eyes but even a single scene set in Hiroshima or Nagasaki before and after the explosions could have helped the audience to understand the immensity of what was happening.
My second gripe is the movie only barely touches on the fact that Oppenheimer knew the need for regulating atomic energy and fought hard for that for the latter part of his life. While he still seemed to think the invention of the bomb was necessary given the circumstances of World War II, he understood how out of control things could get without major oversight of such an immense power.
I will say that the last line of the film is one hell of an ending and justifies the long run time of the film. Overall, it’s a great achievement of a film, worthy of the complicate man it portrays. If you haven’t gone out to see this one yet, get on it when you have a full day to dedicate to it.
The Awards
Best Actor
There are several great actors up for this award. Colman Domingo had a great turn as Bayard Rustin in Rustin, Bradley Cooper is up for Maestro, Paul Giamati who is no stranger to the Oscars is up for The Holdovers, and Jeffrey Wright has a strong case to make with American Fiction. But, none of those guys, and I mean none of them, dived as deep into their role as Cillian Murphy did for Oppenheimer. Murphy truly transforms into the person and delivers an extraordinary performance here. On any other year I would say this is a close call but this year, I think it has to be Murphy who gets the win.
Best Supporting Actor
This category is again filled with big name actors and for me, it’s a tougher call than Best Actor. Robert Downey Jr. is the actor up for the award for Oppenheimer. There is no doubt his performance was a good one and he made a great foil to Murphy’s Oppenheimer. But there are other actors in this category who may be more deserving. Sterling K. Brown is up for American Fiction, Robert De Niro is up for yet another Oscar for Killers of the Flower Moon, Ryan Gosling has lots of buzz for his role as Ken in Barbie, and Mark Ruffalo is up for Poor Things. I suspect Robert Downey Jr. is not going to win here but I’m torn on guessing who will win. I think De Niro has a really strong shot but Gosling may just sneak his way into a win here.
Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt is up for the award here for Oppenheimer. She plays Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty. In the film, I actually thought Florence Pugh had a stronger performance than Blunt but she was ultimately not nominated. Blunt is up against Jodie Foster for her role in Nyad, Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple, America Ferrera for Barbie, and Da’vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers. Out of all of these performances, I think Danielle Brooks is the most deserving in this case.
Cinematography
While there are several films in this category, I think only two have a real shot. The nominees here are El Conde, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Poor Things, and, of course, Oppenheimer. While all of these films have wonderful cinematography, only Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon have cinematography on a scale that is truly Oscar worthy. I think it’s a dead even match between the two so I would not be surprised if either of them took home the trophy.
Costume Design
The costume design here was definitely good. I can see why it was nominated. But, in this category I actually think it is going to go to Napoleon or maybe Poor Things, both of which are also period pieces but have more elaborate costuming than Oppenheimer does. The other movies in the category are Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon. I could maybe see Barbie getting it but we’ll have to see.
Directing
In this category, I would be honestly surprised if Oppenheimer did not win. Christopher Nolan has proven himself a master of visual storytelling more than once and this is his greatest work to date. The other directors are certainly great directors themselves but Nolan definitely created a masterpiece here. His competition is quite notable with Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall, Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest. Even with these notable directors and films, I still am betting on (not literally) Christopher Nolan to take home the award.
Film Editing
Again, I am calling this one for Oppenheimer. There are such memorable sequences and the way the film is structured is fairly complicated, with tons of editing necessary to make it work. The other nominees are Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things.
Makeup and Hairstyling
I think this one is going to go to Poor Things over Oppenheimer but if Oppenheimer won, it would be well deserved. It’s also up against Golda, Maestro, and Society of the Snow.
Music (Original Score)
The film has a good score, although I am not music expert, but I think Killers of the Flower Moon has a much better shot here. The other movies in question here are American Fiction, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Poor Things.
Best Picture
I am calling it for Oppenheimer on this one as well. There are definitely notable films in competition, and I’ll be reviewing each one of them this week, but I think Oppenheimer is almost a guaranteed lock here.
Production Design
I think in this category Barbie is actually going to beat out Oppenheimer. While the production design was fantastic here, Barbie had to be even more innovative and creative so i think they will take away the Oscar.
Sound
This is a tough category to win. The competitors to Oppenheimer are The Creator, Maestro, Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and The Zone of Interest. The Creator has great sound, as does Mission Impossible but Oppenheimer has a particular sequence where the sound conveys so much of the storytelling that it’s clear how vital the sound actually is. While typically sci-fi and fantasy films tend to take home the award in this category, I think Oppenheimer is actually going to win here because of that sequence.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The writing here is excellent and if Oppenheimer were to win, it would be deserving. But there is also really strong competition in this category. Oppenheimer is up against American Fiction, Barbie, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest. I think this one is going to go to American Fiction or The Zone of Interest but honestly any of these winning would make complete sense.
Hello film fans, it’s Slick Dungeon and I am here to review one of the most Oscar nominated and absolute pinkest of movies this year, Barbie! The movie was nominated for eight Oscars this year and has absolutely blown away the box office by making over $1 Billion bucks globally. There will be spoilers here and I’m going to do an in depth review on the background, controversies (what?) and the awards. So, if you are one of the few people on the planet who has not yet seen Barbie and you don’t want spoilers, hop in your Barbie Corvette, head to somewhere you can see the movie and drive on back here to read the review after.
BAckground
This is a bit odd to me but to do this film full credit I have to touch on the background of it first. Everyone knows Mattel sells a doll called Barbie. At the time those dolls came out, they were a bit revolutionary because it was one of the first times (if not the first) that dolls meant for little girls to play with were molded into the shape of an adult instead of a baby. Some people loved this and others thought it was the death of the traditional family for some reason because, uh, I guess kids could choose what kind of toy they wanted?
Either way, Barbie was a huge success and went on to sell tons and tons of dolls. It’s one of the most popular toys on the market still today. This means most kids in the world have seen, owned, or at least played with a Barbie in their lifetime.
Mattel wanted to capitalize on the popularity of the brand so they thought it would be a good idea to make a movie about the toy. There have been successful films like this before, just take a look at the Lego movie.
To pull it off, Mattel hired a woman who has had a run of successful films to helm this one. I’m talking, of course, about Greta Gerwig who has made some major critical hits with Ladybird and Little Women.
Mattel went into the movie with a pretty strong hand for a few reasons. One, there were already huge fans of Barbie so it had a guaranteed audience. Two, they used a filmmaker who, whether you like her other work or not, is a good filmmaker. Three, they hired some extremely popular actors for the film, including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, and America Ferrera.
But not a lot of people expected what happened in the real world with this movie. It premiered at the same time the other most Oscar nominated film of the year, Oppenheimer did.
It had literally been years, if not decades since two films wildly different in genre and both made with huge stars and competent directors were out at the same time. Audiences really took to this because for the first time in a long time they could see two different kinds of movies on the same weekend, or even same day and have a good time at both. Thus, the Barbenheimer phenomenon grew, boosting an already strong box office into the stratosphere for both movies.
Very rare for the Oscars nowadays is to have movies that were huge hits also be nominated for the awards. This year we got two such films and there are several categories where Barbie or Oppenheimer are the odds on favorites to win.
But, there has been something really weird that happened with this film. It has been mired in controversy. Yeah, somehow the pink plastic musical comedy seems to scare some people for some reason. And there is another layer of controversy surrounding the Oscar nominations that was also, well, controversial.
We’ll get into the controversies a little later in the review but first, what was the movie about? Was it any good? Does it deserve all the accolades and the smaller pockets of hate it has gotten? Let’s get into it. Spoilers follow.
What’s it ABout?
The film starts with an homage to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Barbie is actually filled with a ton of homages to lots of great films but this one is noticeable to almost any film goer. Girls are sitting around a monolith, playing with, you guessed it, baby dolls. We have a narrator explaining to us the background of the Barbie brand as these girls are suddenly given a new toy to play with.
We then switch to Barbieland where stereotypical Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, and all her fellow Barbies believe that because of them, all injustice towards women has been solved. We get to see a typical day in the life of this Barbie and there are a bunch of toy related in-jokes here. Barbie showers with no water, drinks from empty cups and waves to all her fellow Barbies.
We also see a typical day in the life of the nearly forgotten, Ken. See, along with Barbie dolls, Ken dolls have been produced but they are far less popular than any version of Barbie. Don’t get me wrong, they sell plenty of Kens just not as many as they do Barbies. The movie plays with this a bit by making it that Ken can only have a good day if he is acknowledged by Barbie.
Ken tries to impress Barbie by hopping into the plastic ocean on his surfboard but he injures himself. As Barbie consoles him, he explains that his job is hard. He’s not a surfer. He’s not a lifeguard either. No, his job is literally beach. For those who didn’t find that funny, first I don’t know how you couldn’t find the humor here but let me explain the joke in case you are not so familiar with Barbie and Ken. See, there are tons of different kinds of Barbies. There’s Nurse Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, Olympian Barbie, etc. But there are only a few kinds of Kens. One of the variations is Beach Ken. So, Ken, thinks Beach is his job.
Barbie is having a party and we get another homage, this time to Saturday Night Fever. At this party Ken (Ryan Gosling) is shown up by Ken (Simu Liu) who has a bit of a rivalry going.
The party comes to a screeching halt because Stereotypical Barbie asks the group if they ever think about dying. Apparently a bit of the real world is seeping into Barbieland.
Ken asks Barbie if he can go over to her house that night to, well, he’s not sure what exactly, he just knows he’s supposed to because he is ostensibly her boyfriend. But she’s having a girl’s night like she does every night.
The next day things have changed for Stereotypical Barbie. She’s got bad breath, her milk has expired, and she falls down, all while the background music is happily narrating this. Barbie even falls because her feet are on the ground, not pointed like you see in the Barbie dolls. Something has to be done.
Stereotypical Barbie goes to see Weird Barbie. We all know Weird Barbie even if we never owned a Barbie. It’s the one that got played with too much, some kid maybe drew on her, or her hair was cut with scissors or whatever. In Barbieland this apparently changes you so you have a glimpse into the real world.
Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) offers Barbie a Matrix style choice in our next film homage. She can either stay in Barbieland or she can go to the real world to try to solve the problem. Stereotypical Barbie has to find the girl who is playing with her. In hilarious fashion, Stereotypical Barbie wants to choose to just stay where she is in a reversal of the role Neo plays in the Matrix.
Barbie has a send off from all the other Barbies who are expecting her to find a perfect world full of strong women where everything is fixed because girls play with Barbie dolls.
Ken (Gosling) has stowed away in Barbie’s convertible because he doesn’t want to look uncool to Ken (Liu). And he figures he can help in case there is beach and Barbie might need someone who is a professional in that.
They then do a silly montage of transportation methods to get Barbie to the real world featuring a bunch of real Ken and Barbie sets. Fortunately, Ken has brought his rollerblades and the two make it into the real world. They stand out like sore thumbs in their colorful roller blade outfits and Barbie is immediately objectified while Ken seems to be admired.
Barbie and Ken are arrested when Barbie hits a guy after he has come up and spanked her. They get arrested again when they steal some western clothes that look very much like a Barbie set.
Barbie gets annoyed with Ken and sends him off on a walk by himself. For the first time, Ken, experiences something he is not used to. He’s not ignored by the majority of the world. In fact, it seems like there are a lot of men in charge of a lot of things in the real world, unlike in Barbieland.
At the Mattel headquarters the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrel) finds out that a Barbie has escaped from Barbieland into the real world. The CEO demands they capture Barbie and Ken to send them back to where they came from.
Barbie, meanwhile, does find the girl who has played with her. This is Sasha who, once she understands who Barbie is, criticizes her for unrealistic beauty standards which is the last thing Barbie was expecting to hear. Barbie also meets Sasha’s mother, Gloria. Gloria actually works for Mattel and Barbie is having her existential crisis because Gloria has been playing with Barbie.
Eventually the Mattel executives do get Barbie and they want to put her back in her box so she can be remanufactured and go back to how she was. But Barbie wants to help Sasha and Gloria mend their somewhat rocky relationship. The three escape and head back to Barbieland.
Meanwhile, Ken is learning about patriarchy. He starts to realize there could be more to his life so he decides to go back to Barbieland before Barbie can return. Ken brings the worst of patriarchal ideals back with him and forces Barbies to be agreeable girlfriends, wives and maids.
Barbie finally returns to find her world changed and the Barbies are now essentially forgotten about in the way the Kens had been before. Barbie feels dejected and depressed but Gloria gives her a speech about society’s conflicting expectations of women and Barbie is reenergized.
With the help of Gloria, Weird Barbie, and a doll almost no one remembers, Alan, they are able to trick the Kens into infighting and regain power. But Barbie has learned that she too is guilty of objectifying and ignoring Ken. So, rather than have a patriarchy or matriarchy, they strive for a more equitable system for Kens, Barbies, and even the oddballs like Weird Barbie and Alan.
Ken and Barbie apologize to each other. Ken doesn’t know who he is without Barbie but Barbie encourages him to find his own autonomy.
Barbie decides to go to the real world and become an actual woman.
Throughout the film, there is incredible production and set design, the music is near genius with huge stars like Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Billie Eilish contributing. The plot is pretty silly but in a fun way. The acting is good here with Robbie and Gosling really diving into their roles and the supporting cast nails being plastic toys at all turns.
The film is undeniably a good time. Yet for all of its merits there were controversies here. Let’s get into that for a minute.
The ControversIES
There are actually quite a few controversies associated with this movie. Some are utterly ridiculous and some have some potentially valid points. I’m going to start here with the controversies not surrounding the Oscars themselves and leave that for a later section.
One controversy is only of concern in China and to some of its allies. This concerns where a dash line is drawn on a map which defines where the South China Sea is. This is not the kind of blog where we can get too much into that. Other movies have been banned in China for having maps like this one so it’s not unheard of. While this can be of concern on the world stage and when it comes to drawing maps people use every day, political leaders may need to weigh in on that. But for a map shown for a few seconds in a movie, it’s a bit silly to care about. But it’s not the most ridiculous of the controversies here.
Next up is the accusation that this film is too political because it is too “woke” or too feminist. I suspect the fact the word patriarchy is used several times in the film is what drove people to get all up in arms here. But for a moment, let’s get into what the issues are. People on the far right politically have said this film is too “woke.” I have to say, almost no one on the right is able to give a definition of the word so I find it hard to give this argument any credence. The definition seems to be really flexible as anything from M&M’s to eating ice cream can seemingly be “woke.” If by “woke” people mean Barbie has an agenda, they are right there is an agenda but it’s not the one they are talking about. I’ll tell you what the agenda is in a minute.
Let’s talk about the argument that this is too feminist. Again, I think this is triggering people just because the word patriarchy is used in the movie. But what exactly is it to be feminist anyway? Let’s just look at the Oxford English Dictionary to define it. According to the dictionary feminist as a noun means, “an advocate of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes; a person who supports feminism.” And as an adjective means, “relating to or supporting feminism; advocating women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.”
So, this means to be feminist is to support the equality of the sexes, not the superiority of any sex. The way the Barbies treat the Kens in Barbieland is just as non-feminist as the way the Kens treat the Barbies later in the movie. If you think people should all be treated with the same kindness, dignity, humanity and respect that they deserve based on the fact they are human and judged for their actions not for their inherent traits, congratulations, you are also a feminist.
Barbie is not too feminist considering the fact, both men and women here are mistreated at varying points in the movie and add this to the fact that this argument misses the entire agenda of the film.
Yes, there is an agenda here. You want to know what it is? It’s pretty obvious in case you weren’t paying attention but I’ll spell it out. Barbie is made to make people feel nostalgic and good about Barbies so that… they sell more Barbies!!! Yep, that’s the big, nefarious secret here. This movie is made to sell toys that were already selling. It’s about as pro capitalist as you can possibly get with a film.
There’s also a few places in the world that don’t like this movie because they feel it promotes an LGBTQ+ agenda of some kind because, um, I guess because there are some cast members here who belong to that community in some way or another? But again, the agenda is not pushing anything LGBTQ+ (and in fact Stereotypical Barbie sure seems to be as stereotypical about her sexuality as it gets), it’s to make money for Mattel full stop.
The last of the most ridiculous controversies here is that some people think this movie is too grown up for seven and eight year old kids (especially girls) because it uses words like genitals, vagina, and patriarchy. Welp, I guess you’ve got valid criticism here… if this was made for seven and eight year old girls which it is not. Check the f–ing rating! It’s rated PG-13 and if you take your under thirteen year old to it without prescreening it to find that it has words that aren’t even censored on television, well, that’s kinda on you isn’t it? In fact, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 has a ton more swearing than Barbie yet a lot of the parents complaining about this movie took their kid to that one, so I have to say, I don’t have much sympathy for these people.
Anyway, most of these controversies are silly to the point of being stupid but it’s hard to place this movie in full context without at least mentioning some of the weird backlash here. I’ll mostly get off my soapbox here but there is one more controversy I will cover after I talk about the award categories this one is up for this year in the Oscars.
The awards
Barbie is up for a heck of a lot of awards for a movie about a toy. It’s landed nods in seven different categories and I’ll go through each one and tell you if I think it is going to win or not.
Supporting Actor
Ryan Gosling for his portrayal of Beach Ken is up for this one. I bet with Gosling’s long list of notable acting credits in critically acclaimed films, he wouldn’t have guessed playing a Ken doll would land him back at the Oscars. It’ll be really odd if he wins for that while having lost for La La Land but such is Hollywood. Anyway, Gosling is up against huge competition here. He’s facing off against Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction, Rober De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon, Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer, and Mark Ruffalo for Poor Things. If I was a betting man (which I am not so don’t bet based on my predictions) I would bet Robert Downey Jr. is the most likely to win but with Robert De Niro as a really close second.
Best Supporting Actress
America Ferrera is up for her role as Gloria, the human woman and mother who helps Barbie in both the real world and Barbieland. Again, the competition here is fierce. Ferrera is up against Emily Blunt for Oppenheimer, Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple, Jodie Foster for Nyad and Da’vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers. While these are all notable actresses in notable roles, Danielle Brooks really knocked it out of the park with The Color Purple in her portrayal of Sofia so she’s my prediction to win here.
Costume Design
It’s surprisingly hard to make good costumes and to make them look like they walked out of the packaging of a Barbie box must have been extremely difficult. The costumes here are perfect for the film and the contrast between the Barbie and Ken outfits and the people wearing clothes in the real world works exceedingly well. I do think Barbie has a solid shot here but again there is a lot of competition. Napoleon, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer and Poor Things are also up for the award. Most of these are period pieces in one way or another and those tend to do well in the costume category. I’ve heard great things about the costumes in Poor Things in particular (I haven’t watched it just yet though). For this reason, I think this category is truly a toss up. Barbie could definitely win but any of these films getting this award would be well deserved.
Music (Original Song)
Barbie has been nominated twice in the same category here, thus potentially splitting the vote on itself. The two songs nominated are I’m Just Ken and What Was I Made For? The first one is performed by Ryan Gosling himself and the second was made by Billie Eilish. I’m Just Ken is a really funny song that fits the tone of the film perfectly and I think anyone who has ever experienced unrequited love (man, woman or anyone else) can relate to it. While Billie Eilish is really good at getting critical acclaim for her music so What Was I Made For? has a real shot of winning. Between the two, my preference is for I’m Just Ken but everyone has their own tastes in music so it’s totally valid if you prefer the Billy Eilish jam. But, in this category there are a couple of things going on. First, Dianne Warren is yet again up for an Oscar and she has yet to win one other than the Academy Honorary Award which acknowledges a career rather than a single song or soundtrack. This means Warren might get one here just because she is so overdue for one. Her song is The Fire Inside from Flamin’ Hot. Second, Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) from Killers of the Flower Moon is up for the award. This is an Osage language song and is simply beautiful and it recognizes a culture often ignored (or sometimes demonized) in Hollywood films. Finally, It Never Went Away from American Symphony written and performed by John Batiste is up for the award. Batiste is a straight up musical genius and in my opinion, he has the most valid claim to this award. I predict he will win unless I’m Just Ken sneaks away with it.
Best Picture
Alright, this is a little tough at this time for me to fully predict because I have not yet seen all of these movies (I will be this week so please watch for more reviews). But I am going to say it now. While Barbie was a good film and wildly entertaining (I laughed harder here than I have in a theater in a long time) it was not the best film of the year. I believe this is going to go to Oppenheimer hands down but we’ll see.
Production Design
Oh come on, just give this one to Barbie already. While this category does have some notable films including Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Napoleon, and Poor Things, only Barbie used so much pink paint that they sold out of the color in the UK. They literally created a whole Barbieland and nailed it perfectly. The production design in this film is straight up out of this world good and while the other films deserve their nominations, Barbie just kills in this department.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
It’s a little weird to think the screenplay here was adapted but I suppose it was for a couple reasons. It is based on an existing property and Greta Gerwig used a few sources as inspiration so in a way you can say this is adapted. The screenplay is smart, funny, and really really good at selling Barbies. But is it good enough to win the Oscar? I say no. Gerwig’s screenplay is up against the screenplays for American Fiction, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest. This is a tough category to call and I’m not sure yet which one I think will win but I think there is a strong case to be made that Barbie will not win here. There’s just too much strong competition and when you get down to it, Barbie is just about a doll.
Those are my predictions for the film but I could absolutely be way off base here.
The Other Controversy
Now that we’ve gone through the categories I have to mention what might be the actual, valid criticism surrounding Barbie. It’s notable that while Gosling was nominated for his role as Ken, Margot Robbie was snubbed for her role as Barbie and Greta Gerwig was snubbed in the Best Director category. It’s almost as if the Academy Awards took a look at the movie and took away all the wrong lessons here. Gosling himself was pretty disappointed the two women didn’t get the nods and I think this is a fair point. But, both Robbie and Gerwig are going to be fine. Robbie has already received accolades for several of her performances and Gerwig has gathered a few herself. Plus, they all now can claim they were responsible for a billion dollar film, so it’s not like they won’t be hurting for work. Still, it does seem like a pretty rude snub.
In Conclusion
If you have a sense of humor, are of the appropriate age, and can enjoy a good musical with incredible set design, you really can’t go wrong with Barbie. It was one of the best films of the year and absolutely deserves to win in some of the categories it was nominated for. I don’t think it is the best picture of the year but it sure is one of the top few. And if the box office is anything to go by, I am far, far from alone here. So, if you can, go enjoy the film because it’s pretty much pure fun.
Hey film fans, Slick Dungeon here back to review yet another Oscar nominated film. This time I am reviewing the seventh film in the Mission Impossible series starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg. This movie has been nominated for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. There will be spoilers for this film (but if you’ve seen any Mission Impossible movie you already know what the basic beats are here) so be forewarned before you read the review. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go watch the movie and then come on back here to read the review.
What’s it About?
The movie starts out just a little bit differently than most of the MI films in that we start in a Russian submarine. The sub is testing an advanced AI and things go wrong. The sub is targeted and destroyed by the AI. There is no reveal of Ethan Hunt here and there’s not even a high-flying, death-defying stunt for Tom Cruise. This sets up for the film to be a bit more mysterious than some of the past entries.
We then do catch up with our hero in the Arabian Desert where he gets a key from Lisa Faust, an ex MI6 agent. Faust also fakes her own death.
Okay, so I could go on with this plot, and give you all the intricate details. However, it gets down to this. There are two keys that unlock something. It’s something really powerful and the AI from the beginning of the movie has something to do with it. In typical fashion. Ethan Hunt needs to gather the pieces before other interested and deadly parties get ahold of it. To do this, he assembles his usual team (or in this case they really assemble around him without being asked). Along the way he meets some new people, sure to become cast members in the next film, he does some insane stunts, including driving a motorcycle off the Alps and parachuting down onto a moving train. There are shootouts, car chases, flirtations, bad guy monologues, mask reveals and the whole bit.
To go through the whole thing in intricate detail would be kind of pointless because either you are a super fan and already know all this stuff, you are a casual fan and would have to rewatch six films before this one totally makes sense, or you don’t care and there’s not much point in catching you up.
What this film gets down to is it is a fun, fast paced, action adventure film where the main character has to get a thing before other people get a thing so they can unlock another thing.
While I absolutely enjoyed the experience of watching the film, it is still nothing more than a bunch of characters chasing a McGuffin until the movie ends on a cliffhanger.
The Awards
Plot aside, the film is nominated for best sound and best visual effects. I will say the visual effects are impressive here and it’s hard to tell when the film uses CGI over practical effects because they tend to use those to enhance rather than replace visuals. The stunts look spectacular, as always in these films, and are exciting to watch.
The sound is loud and conveys to the viewer the information needed. I’m sure it is difficult to figure out just how certain things would sound in the movie and make them work. But, the sound isn’t really central in any way to the story of the movie, other than to help us understand what is happening on screen. It’s not really played with or used in a way we have not seen before in film. (I guess I should say heard rather than seen but you know what I mean).
I have strong doubts this film will win in either category it is up for considering the competition. For visual effects, I think it is going to lose to The Creator and in the sound category I think Oppenheimer or Maestro will beat it out.
In Conclusion
If you like fun action films, this is a good one to watch, albeit a bit on the long side. If you haven’t ever watched a Mission Impossible film, this is absolutely the worst one to start with. If you are a casual fan of these movies, you’ll have a good time but occasionally find yourself trying to remember who a character from several films ago is.
It’s not a bad film at all, there is some great stuff to look at and hear. But, I just don’t think it’s actually Oscar worthy this year.
Hello film fans! Slick Dungeon here, back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time we are diving into the latest animated film by the always absolutely brilliant animation company Studio Ghibli. The Boy and the Heron is nominated for Best Animated Feature Film this year. Before you read on, do be warned there will be spoilers. If you don’t enjoy that, take yourself to the mystical world where you can watch animated films, maybe stack some wooden blocks, and then come on back here to read the review!
What’s it About?
It is World War II and a young boy named, Mahito Maki, loses his mother Hisako in a fire at a hospital. Mahito’s father, Soichi marries Natsuko, HIsako’s sister. Soichi owns a munitions factory so he decides to move his little family to his rural estate. At first, Mahito is fairly cold to his aunt, both missing his mother, and overwhelmed by the major change in his life. At the new home, there is a mysterious tower. Some years ago, Natsuko’s granduncle was the architect who built the tower but he disappeared long ago.
One day, while Mahito is recovering from an injury, he spots a heron who leads him to the tower. The heron turns out to be more than he seems as he starts to speak and transform into a half-man half-bird creature. Mahito is nearly taken by a swarm of of toads but he is saved by Natsuko who fires an arrow at the frogs. Mahito takes this arrow, and a feather he gets from the heron, and makes his own arrow with that feather. This arrow gains true aim, meaning it cannot miss its target.
Later, an ill Natsuko disappears into the forest. Mahito and an elderly maid named Kiriko go to find Natsuko and end up at the strange tower. Mahito is beckoned inside and sees what he thinks is a vision of his mother. This was a trick designed by the heron. Mahito figures this out and shoots an arrow at the heron, breaking a part of its beak and further revealing the bird-man. A wizard comes out of nowhere and instructs the heron to take Mahito and guide him. Mahito, the heron, and Kiriko sink through the floor into another world.
In this world, Mahito sees wonders, faces dangers, and confronts strange creatures he could never have imagined. Strangely, he is rescued by Kiriko, who is years younger than she was in our world. The pair try to survive and they meet a woman named Himi who protects Mahito from a dangerous group of pelicans who are trying to eat small, strange creatures called Warawara.
More strange and magical incidents continue in the film until Mahito ends up meeting the wizard who turns out to be Natsuko’s grand uncle and he realizes that Himi is his birth mother, just much younger. Mahito is given the chance to reshape this magical world with a set of wooden blocks. But Mahito decides not to because the blocks are infused with malice. He is then offered his own set of blocks to create a world from scratch. He also declines to do this, saying he has malice in his own heart and must embrace those who love him first.
Eventually, he is able to get back to our own reality where he is surrounded by Natsuko, his father and Kiriko, all who love and care for him, even though his birth mother has passed away.
Even writing down the plot as I did above leaves a lot out of the story. It’s a tale of magical realism that has shades of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Alice in Wonderland. At the same time, it is paced and animated in the way only Studio Ghibli under the direction of the brilliant Hayao Miyazaki can achieve. In other words, as with most of Miyazaki’s films, it is an utter masterpiece.
It’s very slow by American animation standards and the plot can be hard to grasp even as you are watching it. This is more of a difference in animated culture than any kind of criticism of the film.
There are achingly adorable creatures in this movie and lots of mystical storytelling. And as usual it begins in reality but transports characters to another world where they can learn something about themselves before being returned a changed, and usually better person.
The soundtrack is composed by Miyazaki’s long time collaborator Joe Hisaishi who is uniquely qualified to pair the mystical vision of what we see on film with a score just as capable of transporting the imagination.
Once again, Studio Ghibli has truly delivered a masterpiece that reaches across cultural bounds to both Japanes and American audiences in the way only they can.
The Awards
On any other year, if Miyazaki was making this film, I would say The Boy and the Heron was an absolute lock for Best Animated Feature. He may still earn the award since this is likely to be his last animated film of his lifetime. The animation is incredible, with the hand drawn look but still using CGI in some scenes and backgrounds to make the storytelling work. I don’t think this is necessarily the best animated film by Studio Ghibli but that’s like saying you don’t know which is the most stylish slam dunk of Michael Jordan’s. In other words, they are all too amazing to really pick favorites.
However, there was another animated film out this year which was the most innovative animated film I have seen perhaps since I first saw a Studio Ghible film. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse has innovation in every second of it, if not in every frame of it.
If Spider-man does not win here, I guarantee you this award will go to The Boy and the Heron, if not to acknowledge the work of this film, then simply to acknowledge the body of work by Miyazaki with Studio Ghibli. (Guarantee not a real guarantee, please don’t make bets based on my predictions)
On most years I am hoping for the Studio Ghibli film to win. And while I would be perfectly fine with it winning this year, I don’t think it is actually the best animated feature length film of the year, despite it still being an actual masterpiece.
In Conclusion
If you have not seen The Boy and the Heron, do so as soon as you can. It’s a unique film made by a storytelling master who has already caught the imaginations of millions of people. Because Miyazaki was a creator with such brilliance, you can expect more brilliance in animation as those who come up after him try to emulate and surpass him. Do be warned that the pacing is slow for American audiences but don’t let that stop you from watching the film. If nothing else this film has significance because it is quite likely to be the last of Miyazaki animated films.
Hey film fans, it’s Slick Dungeon! I’m back to review yet another Oscar nominated film. This time we are taking a look at Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Wait what? That’s right, the 32nd film in the MCU has been nominated for an Oscar. It’s up for Best Visual Effects. Be warned there will be spoilers for the movie below so if you have not seen it, head on over to a Terran theater, see the film and come on back here to read the review.
What’s it About?
If you are an MCU fan, you probably know who the Guardians of the Galaxy are. But just in case you are not familiar with them, they are a ragtag group of outlaws and misfits trying to make their way in the galaxy and often find themselves confronted by maniacal villains looking to destroy the galaxy in one way or another. They are led by Peter Quill, aka Starlord who is a human from Earth. There is way too much background here for me to get into a deep dive of even just the first two films in the series but you can just consider this to be a science fiction, action, comedy thriller type of film.
I most definitely don’t recommend watching this one without watching at least the first two films in the series. And if you really want to know what is going on you have to watch a substantial chunk of the MCU, including at least two Avengers films.
For the third film in a series I didn’t expect this to cover much new territory. There is, of course, a bad guy who has to be stopped. But the film gets surprisingly emotional when it comes to the background of one of the key team members, Rocket Raccoon. It’s an impressive feat to see James Gunn pull off an emotionally compelling story about a raccoon with a machine gun. In fact, I was not the only Marvel fan to tear up just a bit during the film as we see Rocket both make and loss some dear friends.
It is one of the more entertaining films of the later MCU phase, although it still has spots of trouble where it could be more compelling to the viewer.
Like pretty much any MCU film, the good guys defeat the bad guys after a bit of misunderstanding and some teamwork. There are quippy one liners, lots of striking visual effects, and the hint of a romance or two.
The Awards
While this is all standard fare for Marvel, this film was never going to be nominated for best picture, screenplay, or acting. This is not the type of film that wins prestige awards. But, it is the type of film that could win an award for visual effects. The films in this category and those nominated for best sound tend have the largest audience appeal, and I will also admit, tend to be the ones I like the most.
But does Guardians of the Galaxy have enough here to win the category? I don’t think so. While the film is better than the third movie in a superhero story has any right to be, and the effects are fairly stunning, this film is just not quite up to the quality of competing films. It is up against The Creator which is my bet to win on visual effects, Godzilla Minus One which pulled off the nearly impossible feat of making a Godzilla film relevant again, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 which has incredibly good stunt work and Napoleon which is a sweeping epic full of intricate detail.
In Conclusion
I recommend this movie to those who are familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy and enjoy a good superhero romp with a bit of a story to it. But, if you are already over superhero films, or you haven’t even started in on the MCU somehow, there is no need to rush out to see this. It’s fine. The story is fun and it is nice to see a competent film in the later MCU phases but it’s ultimately skippable if you are not that interested.
Hello film fans! It’s Slick Dungeon and I am back to review another film nominated for an Oscar this year. This time I watched the unsettling and darkly comedic film May December which is nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Trigger warning here that this film deals with very adult issues and could be unsettling for those who have suffered any type of sexual trauma. Please be aware of that before you watch this film or read this review. There will be spoilers for this movie as well so if that sort of thing is an issue for you, make sure you go watch the film before reading the review below.
What’s it About?
While this film is not a biopic or technically based on a true story, the premise is one that seems like it is ripped from the tabloids. Years ago there was a famous case where a female teacher had, we’ll call them relations, with a thirteen year old boy, which is without a doubt a crime. Fast forward years later and the woman has given birth while in prison, has done her sentence, and the woman and man who are now both of legal age are married and living their lives. This film takes that premise and adds another layer to it. An actress who is set to portray the woman from the incident is visiting so she can understand her source material.
In the movie, Julianne Moore plays the wife in question. Natalie Portman plays an actress who wants to get deep in her role. Not a stretch for Natalie Portman, not that this makes her performance any less good, it’s just obviously familiar territory for her. Julianne Moore’s character has a life that is relatively stable. Her kids are about to graduate high school and go off to college. And her husband, while young, very young, is seemingly committed to her.
But the visit by the actress puts a strain on the relationship as issues from the past emerge once again. Neighbors, friends, and family are scandalized once more and know they will be again when the movie comes out, and things just generally become more difficult. In the midst of this, Natalie Portman’s character is trying her hardest to get in the head of the woman she is portraying while also trying to get the real story behind what happened. She’s subtle and manipulative of everyone around her but it’s ambiguous in the end as to who was truly using who in the movie.
While this is supposed to be darkly comedic, I didn’t realize that while watching. I guess there are parts you could find comedy in but the situation is so disturbing it’s hard to wrap my head around any of it being played for any kind of laughs.
So far, out of the films I have watched for the Oscars, this is the one I would most recommend skipping, not just because of the trauma aspect to it. It’s fairly slow paced and dull. But, Moore and Portman, as usual put in solid performances and newcomer Charles Melton also shines with a subtle but intriguing character.
The Award
I will say the screenplay here is original and there is one thing it does quite well. It gives us every perspective possible. There are no good or bad guys here, everyone is multidimensional and complex. But I still keep coming back to the fact that having sex with a minor is a crime, even if years later the couple is still together. So, while I understand the perspective shown of Julianne Moore’s character, I can never find where we should think to forgive her.
Natalie Portman’s character is not all innocent either as she seems to enjoy stirring up a bit of trouble as long as it gets her what she wants. And she does the one thing she knows could ruin the relationship between the wife she is portraying and her husband and seemingly has utterly zero regrets about it.
It is a film that you will still think about after if you watch it. Personally, i don’t think this film has enough here to take home the Oscar. It’s up against The Holdovers, Maestro,Past Lives, The Holdovers and Anatomy of a Fall. Every one of those has had more momentum in awards season than this one so this is a long shot.
In Conclusion
There are a lot of movies in the Oscar categories this year and while I recommend most of them, unless you are a huge fan of Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, or Todd Haynes as the filmmaker, you’re probably okay to skip this one. There is good writing here, no doubt, and the characters feel real and fleshed out, but it’s such an uncomfortable watch, without much payoff to it, that it may not be worth your time.
Hey film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I am back on my quest to review every film nominated for an Oscar and review it. This time I am reviewing a bunch of movies all at once as I go through the nominations for Best Documentary Short Film. Here’s the thing about these. I almost hate to review these because each and every one of them took a great effort and a massive amount of time for the film makers. All of them talk about something that is either important to life or our society in general. So, to say that one is better than another in a category where there are not Hollywood stars, the films were made from the passion of the filmmakers, and each covers an important topic is almost impossible. I absolutely recommend you watch each and every one of these films. You can find all of them streaming for free somewhere so it doesn’t cost you anything but time. But, in the end, one of these has to win over the others. Therefore, I will do my best to let you know about each film and then I will give you my guess as to which one will win. Do be warned there are spoilers for all of these so if you haven’t seen them go watch first and come back here to read the review. (You should watch them anyway even if you just go ahead and read the review)
The ABC’s of Book Banning
There has been a lot of debate in America about books lately. There is a group of people who tends to want to restrict access to reading material based on a variety of factors, especially in the public school and public library systems. This makes obtaining appropriate reading material difficult for a large group of children. This film specifically takes a look at Florida, one of the states most notorious for denying reading material to kids based on LGBTQ issues and topics discussing race in history. What this film dares to do is to hear from the children who are affected. We see several kids of varying ages talk about what reading means to them and how confusing it is to them that books are missing from the libraries. Anyone thinking this is a topic that doesn’t matter should watch this film and rethink their stance. Allowing kids access to reading materials is vital to the future generations and a small group of people deciding what other people’s children can read is unjust. You can see this clearly when one of the kids talks about how she cried all day the day her library pulled most of their books down. The film does a good job of covering the perspective of the children but it perhaps could have used a little bit more buildup of the context of what has already happened here.
The Barber of Little Rock
The Barber of Little Rock is about a man named Arlo Washington. He is a barber in Little Rock, Arkansas as the name implies. But he is so much more than that. Out of all of these documentaries, Washington may be the man able to claim to have made the most change in his own community. He found himself in a situation where someone was desperate and asked for a loan. Arlo, trusting in human nature and being kind to others gave the loan which was then paid back in full. This gave him the idea to revolutionize the entire banking industry in his area. Banks in America, for those who do not know, have had a long, long history of treating black Americans worse than white Americans. Washington founded a non-profit community bank which will give loans to people in desperate situations or to those who want to open a business but can’t get a loan from the regular banking system. And guess what? Almost all of the loans he gives out are paid back. It turns out that when you help people in need, they not only appreciate it, they meet their obligations. It is absolutely clear in the film that he is literally changing lives in real time and making incredible community change.
Island In Between
Island in Between is a fascinating look at the island Kinmen, which is a democratic Taiwanese island that is so close to mainland China they can see it across the water. The story of the island is told by S. Leo Chiang who has lived in Taiwan, China and the United States and gives a great narration of the Cross-Strait relations, also interweaving tales from his childhood and growing up in the three places. We even see in the documentary some of the weaponry that is necessary on Kinmen, should China decide to attack. But Chiang balances this with his experiences of meeting people in China and finding them to be just as interesting, exuberant and joyful as those in Kinmen. The film is a unique look at a unique place from a unique perspective.
The Last Repair Shop
Just as there are not enough books in schools in America, there are not enough musical instruments for children to play in the public school system. Often times, people can’t afford an instrument very easily and those instruments sometimes break. In Los Angeles there is a warehouse where only four or five people work and they keep more than 80,000 instruments in good repair. The documentary tells the story of some of the kids who play the instruments and interweaves that with the stories of the few people who work at the repair shop. It’s clear both the kids and the repair workers are absolutely devoted to music and this is a meaningful thing in their lives. They all come to it in different ways and all have compelling stories to tell. It’s a fascinating look at a niche subject which affects far more people than you would expect. And, of course, the music in it is brilliant.
NǍI NAI & WÀI PÓ
If you need a life affirming film that will lift you up and make you smile, this is the one. This is about Sean Wang’s paternal and maternal grandmothers who are the best of friends and live with one another in their later years. The film shows joyous depictions of the two of them living their lives, depending on one another, and in general, being silly, fun, and entertaining human beings. They both have a zest for life but each one has a slightly different perspective on hardships and aging. It’s a slice of life film that will stand the test of time because the exuberance of these two cannot be contained. It’s a reminder that we are all human and here on this earth together.
In Conclusion
Again, it is so hard to simply choose one film as the “best” here. If I was to pick based on production value, The Last Repair Shop wins hands down. If I was to pick based on the most meaningful content, I would have to go with The Barber of Little Rock. If I was to pick based on the most relevant issue today, I would choose The ABC’s of Book Banning. If I was to pick based on the most unique story I would pick Islandin Between. And if I was to choose the one that leaves you with the best feeling in the end, I would choose NǍI NAI & WÀI PÓ.
But, here is what I think could happen in this category. While they are all worthy, I believe the ones with the best chances here are The Last Repair Shop, The Barber of Little Rock and NǍI NAI & WÀI PÓ. My preference to win is The Last Repair Shop because I think it is bringing the most meaningful impact to a large but relatively unknown problem. But I also think NǍI NAI & WÀI PÓ has the most momentum. I am predicting NǍI NAI & WÀI PÓ as the winner. As always, don’t take my guess as a better measure because I don’t have the best track record here.
Yet, whoever wins in this category, I can say with absolute certainty that they are deserving of the award.
Hello film fans! Slick Dungeon here back to review another film nominated for an Oscar. This time I am diving into the documentary American Symphony which is nominated for best song. There will be spoilers for the movie below so if that sort of thing bothers you, dance your way to the film, give it a watch, and dance your way back here to read the review.
What’s it about?
From the outside it looks like John Batiste is simply on top of the world. He was the leader of Stay Human, the band that plays on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he had been nominated for 11 Grammys, and he was getting ready to make his debut at Carnegie hall with an original symphony.
But life is more complicated than it might seem from the outside. At the same time all of this was happening, John Batiste’s wife, Suleika Jaouad, was battling leukemia.
The film documents a year in the life of the talented musician, highlighting his ups and downs, his struggles with anxiety, and the challenge of navigating through one of the busiest times of his career while also dealing with major issues in his personal life.
Through the film it is easy to see that Batiste is not only a brilliantly gifted musical artist but a genuinely caring person who is going through a lot of things all at once.
Considering the fact that Batiste has so far won 5 Grammys I don’t have to tell you that the soundtrack here is brilliant. Batiste blends traditions from New Orleans jazz with pop sounds and classical music together in a unique way making for an unmistakeable sound.
His idea is to create a symphony that could be made today with all types of musicians collaborating on it and coming together in a classical orchestra.
Despite the troubles he has in his personal life, Batiste pulls it off in incredible and stylish fashion. But the film also lets us in on Batiste’s emotions by intercutting scenes from his life with scenes from the preparation and performance of his symphony.
All in all it is an incredibly moving, and life affirming documentary.
The award
After watching this documentary, I feel that leaving off of the list for Best Documentary is a definite snub by the Academy Awards. There is a lot going on here and while there are several other good documentaries up for that category this year, not all of them are as good as this one.
But, the award this film is nominated for is Best Song. Again, not nominating this for Best Score seems like an injustice. The song in the film nominated for the award is called It Never Went Away and is created by John Batiste and Dan Wilson. To say that the song is anything other than brilliant would be wrong. Out of all the Best Song nominations, this is the most well crafted from a passionate musician who knows music. However, there is huge competition here. Batiste will have to win out over Diane Warren and Billie Eilish which is no easy feat. I would say he might get lucky with Barbie splitting the vote with two songs nominated in the category but luck would imply that this is not an incredible song. I still think due to its popularity that one of the songs from Barbie will win here but if the world was fair Batiste would win hands down. And he may. He did beat out several musicians before.
Yet even talking about who might win Best Song in the context of this film seems wrong if you have heard Batiste’s Grammy acceptance speech. In it he says, “I believe this to my core, there is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor. The creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most. It’s like a song or an album is made and it’s almost like it has a radar to find the person when they need it the most.” This is a beautiful sentiment and after watching American Symphony I truly believe he means every word of it.
While he might not think there is a best anything, I think he truly deserves to win in the category nonetheless.
In Conclusion
If you want to see a good documentary about an interesting couple with tons of heart, heartache, joy, success, struggle and emotion, American Symphony is a fantastic choice. It’s moving and enjoyable and it simply proves there is no one else on earth like John Batiste.
Hey there film fans, it’s me, Slick Dungeon! I’m here to review yet another Oscar nominated film. This one is Society of the Snow which is nominated for two Oscars, one for Best International Feature Film and one for Best Hair and Makeup. Fair warning here, this film was based on a real life disaster and how people survived a harrowing plane crash and being stranded on the Andes mountains for weeks in the middle of winter. In other words, all the trigger warnings because this film gets into dark, dark territory. Also, obviously, spoilers for the film follow below.
What’s it About?
In 1972 an airplane flying from Uruguay to Chile heading over the Andes mountains crashed. The flight held 45 passengers and was chartered to transport a Uruguayan rugby team to Chile. Upon impact several of the 45 people lost their lives. The plane broke apart into sections in the crash. After the initial crash there are several survivors, including the pilot but the pilot is on the brink of death. Some of the passengers try to find out where they are from the pilot but the information he gives is not clear enough to be of much use.
The injured are cared for as much as possible but some are clearly going to die. The passengers believe a rescue is inevitable and they simply need to wait a day or two until they will be found. In fact, they have good reason to believe this as they do see planes flying overhead. But days pass and no rescue comes.
At one point the passengers are able to find a radio and can receive real time news updates on it but they can’t communicate back out to the world. They hear that the search has been called off due to the extremely bad weather conditions. The passengers ration what little food they have found in suitcases and on the remains of the part of the plane they were in and try to survive.
An effort is made to try and find the tail section of the plane which the group believes is behind them because it split off on impact. But, the nights are barely survivable for even the most fit of them who are losing strength fast. They have to give up the search for the rest of the plane because it is simply impossible to climb the mountain with the gear they have.
As more people die, succumbing to injuries or the cold, the situation becomes even more desperate. There is no food, although the snow does provide water. The group is not at all equipped to make another effort to climb, no rescue is imminent, and there are no other resources to be found where they are on the mountain. The group had to decide how they will survive. The only possible source of food is found in the deceased passengers preserved in the snow. Extreme measures have to be taken and the protein that the consumption of their fellow passengers helps some of them to survive.
At the point that around 27 of the passengers are somewhat safe inside the remains of the airplane, another disaster hits. An avalanche buries them in snow. Several people do survive this impact and work to unbury their friends. Almost as soon as they do, another wave of snow impacts them and buries them a second time. Miraculously several people do survive this as well.
The group has to decide what to do and it is eventually decided that three of them will hike down the mountain, rather than up and hopefully find a source of food or make their way to another living human being. Three of them set out but one has to turn back because of an injured leg that is quickly becoming infected. Yet the expedition is a success. The two remaining hikers actually find the tail section of the plane which landing in front of the nose of the plane far down the mountain. There is a small amount of food there and even more importantly, a battery for a radio they can connect.
More days and weeks pass but they are not able to get the radio working and they decide once again to go down the mountain after the person with the injured leg succumbs to the infection. They take some supplies with them but only enough food to last for about a week. They estimate the hike into Chile would take around three weeks. The pair are confronted with the choice of either risking their own lives and continuing or turning back and waiting at the plane in the hopes rescue will resume. They decide to push on and incredibly, they do find someone.
The group gets help and the rescue efforts resume. In all, 16 out of the 45 people on board survive and are rescued by helicopter.
Throughout the film the survivors wrestle with questions of what is right and wrong, what they can do to survive, the meaning of all of this, and generally get quite philosophical.
If you are reading this and are a film lover like myself you might think this story sounds familiar, not just because it was a true story but because there was another film made about it. That is true. In 1993 a movie starring Ethan Hawke was released called Alive which recounted the same story. However, that version was a bit more fictionalized and starred Hollywood actors. Society of the Snow uses mostly newcomers to acting from Argentine and Uruguay.
Society of the Snow also treats the subject matter with greater care and respect than Alive did. For a film filled with newcomers, they sure seem like experienced actors because every moment of the film is believable.
The Awards
First off, this movie is nominated for Best International Feature Length Film. I would say this has a strong chance of winning but it has to compete with a film nominated also for Best Picture in The Zone of Interest. Still, the story is absolutely engrossing and nail biting from the moment the plane crashes until the end. It’s an extremely well made film about an impossibly difficult subject which handles the material deftly. Even if this never wins an Oscar it is well worth watching, although it is not for the feint of heart.
The other category this film might win in is Makeup and Hairstyling. Often, when we think of Makeup and Hairstyling we think about either makeup made to enhance the good looks of actors or we think about makeup used to create some horror creature that haunts our imagination. I think it’s great that Society of the Snow is up for this category because the hair looks like it came directly from a photograph from 1972 and the makeup is used to convey the more and more desperate situation the survivors find themselves in. While we know the actors portraying the characters are not starving, emaciated and sunburnt to extreme levels (at least we hope not) they sure look like they are. This is because the makeup is used in the right way here. It’s used to enhance the storytelling. But in this category, I think Society of the Snow will ultimately lose out to Poor Things or perhaps Oppenheimer.
In Conclusion
Society of the Snow may or may not win an Oscar but if you watch the film, it is going to stay with you. This is incredibly good filmmaking, acting, directing, cinematography and even makeup and hair. But, truly if you are disturbed by tragic situations and difficult events I don’t recommend you watch it. Also, if you have any fear of flying, stay as far away from this film as you possibly can because this film will make that fear much worse.
If you don’t fall into those categories and you haven’t seen this film, you should definitely watch it. It’s absolutely strong enough to be in the Best International Feature Film category and may have only missed out on the Best Picture nominations because it seems like a remake of 1993’s Alive (although it is not) and because 2023 was an exceptionally strong year for movies in general.
Well hello there movie lovers! It’s Slick Dungeon here and I am back to review yet another Oscar nominated film from 2023. I’m talking about the film that answers the age old question of what if a Chilean dictator was actually a vampire? And what if that film was shot beautifully? Then I must be talking about the seriously odd film, El Conde. This one is a bit of a weird ride so if you haven’t seen the film yet, fly on over to see the movie and come back here to read the review.
What’s it About?
The film starts out with a voice over telling us the story of a French soldier named Claude Pinochet. This dude is a vampire and he is found out. Mobs do what they do and try to kill him but he survives. He takes on a new identity and watches the French Revolution happen. From this point forward, Claude vows to suppress any destructive revolution he can in the world.
We then fast forward to 1935 where Claude joins the Chilean army and changes his name to Augusto Pinochet. If that name sounds familiar, that is because Augusto Pinochet was the real life dictator who overthrew the socialist government of Salvador Allende in 1973. Turns out he was a vampire. In this movie both metaphorically and literally. He demands his family refer to him as “Count” and he decides to fake his own death after years of ruling Chile with an iron fist.
He moves to a remote farm with the rest of his family and starts to lose interest in life. But his family also knows they are owed an inheritance out of Pinochet’s ill gotten gains. The only problems are that Pinochet is practically immortal and he has forgotten where he hid all his treasure.
One night someone starts killing people in the town of Santiago and consuming their hearts. Augusto’s family assumes this is him, deciding to extend his immortal life even further. But, in reality this is Fyodor, a white Russian who has worked for Pinochet for years and is the only person Augusto has turned into a vampire. The family is unaware of Fyodor’s part in the murders but they know their inheritance is at risk.
This is where a nun named Carmen comes in. She is hired to find out what happened to the money and to destroy Augusto Pinochet once and for all. She uses her charms to get information out of the family about all of their terrible secrets and tries to exorcise Pinochet. But Pinochet is too strong and seduces Carmen, allowing him to turn her into a vampire.
This prompts the narrator to reveal who she is and take action. It turns out the narrator is the mother of Augusto Pinochet and Margaret Thatcher. (checks notes) Yep, that Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher comes to reveal the truth to Pinochet who she is and demands that he kills Carmen. But it turns out becoming a vampire was all part of Carmen’s plan to expose the corruption of the Pinochet family.
Fyodor is having none of that and he captures Carmen and burns up the extensive documentation she has of the crimes of the Pinochet family. Then, Fyodor and Augusto’s wife, Lucia try to kill Augusto. But he’s been a vampire for longer and he is able to kill both Lucia and Fyodor.
Margaret and Augusto flee and the family is left to face a group of nuns looking for anything they can find. Augusto decides to remain in the country and wait to find more leftists to destroy.
All in all, the film has a bit of magic realism to it with a bit of an insane plot. But it’s well acted and comes together well enough.
The Cinematography
Whether you like the plot or not, the film is not up for best screenplay or picture, it is up for best cinematography. This is a category that can often be confused with directing. Basically, cinematography is the totality of how a film looks. Everything you see on screen, from the lighting, to the angle of the camera, to the focus and the camera movement falls into the category of cinematography. As an audience, it’s one of those things where you might be hard pressed to explain it but you know it when you see it.
El Conde is shot in a black and white style, reminiscent of the old Universal monster movies like Dracula or Frankenstein. I’m always a sucker for a film brave enough to choose black and white and look like a monster movie. But it also plays with this trope by letting the vampires in question look like pudgy old men who don’t seen so threatening when you take a close up look at their wrinkled faces. And the story also interplays with this style by having the characters be people who we know did real and terrible things in our own reality. Just because someone looks like a pudgy old man does not mean he is not capable of great cruelty if he has access to power.
The visuals from the film stay with you long after you have seen it, which is another good sign of great cinematography. There is no doubt this film looks great and is well made. A great example of the showcasing of the cinematography is when the family is at dinner and we are able to see all the schemings and machinations of the family members. Add in scenes where vampires are flying over the city in sweeping camera motions to frame the dictator as something dangerous and above us.
The soundtrack also works well here, using mostly classical sounds to reinforce the idea of this being something like, but not quite, a true monster movie.
As far as whether or not this will win, it is at this point hard for me to say. Out of all the films in this category I have so far only seen El Conde and Oppenheimer but I hear great things about the cinematography in Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon so I think this will be a category with some tough competition.
In Conclusion
The acting is good in the film, the directing is competent but the cinematography is actually outstanding whether or not El Conde wins in the category. As far as a film experience, this movie won’t be for everyone. You have to be comfortable with a bit of dark humor, a bit of magic realism, an amount of gore and a pretty over the top plot to enjoy it. But it will be one of the most unique films you see this year if you watch it.
What’s up film fans? Slick Dungeon here once again reviewing one of the 2024 Oscar nominated films. This time I watched a movie about a girl with spirit teaming up with the most wanted man in the realm in the animated feature Nimona. This is one of the films up for Best Animated film for 2024. Be forewarned there will be spoilers in this review. If you find that sort of thing problematic, put on your armor, head over to your couch, learn what a real monster is by watching the film, and then come on back here to read the review!
What’s it About?
Nimona starts out like a classic fairy tale, with a narrator reading from a book about a kingdom in the past with a hero named Glorantha who vanquished a monster. We then fast forward a thousand years and that same kingdom is basically a medieval yet futuristic kingdom protected by an elite class of knights who prepare to fight monsters. A wall has been built around the city to keep any monsters at bay as well.
An unusual event is happening in the kingdom because for the first time a commoner is about to be knighted. This is Ballister Boldheart. He is worried about the reaction to his knighthood but his boyfriend and fellow knight Ambrosius Goldenloin reassures Ballister before the ceremony.
But at the ceremony, things go about as wrong as they can. Ballister picks up his sword which is rigged to kill the Queen. Acting quickly, Ambrosius disarms his boyfriend by, well, literally taking his arm off. Before he knows it, Ballister is a wanted fugitive, trying to hide from his fellow knights and clear his own name. He goes into hiding and crafts a prosthetic arm for himself.
The film really gets going when a shapeshifting girl named Nimona shows up and wants to be Ballister’s villainous sidekick. Ballister is still trying to clear his name, Nimona is looking for a friend, and the two basically team up to figure out what is going on.
There are plenty of fun action sequences where Nimona shapeshifts and Ballister attempts to maintain his innocence while doing things that look guilty on camera. Meanwhile, Ambrosius is torn between his loyalty to the crown and his love for Ballister.
Ballister also tries to get Nimona to stop shapeshifting and just be a regular girl. But, of course, that’s not who Nimona is and she doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do.
Throughout the film we find out that Nimona is more than what she seems until it is revealed that she is actually the monster that was banished a thousand years ago. But there is more to the story. Nimona, it would seem, is the one who was wronged for just being who she is. She was never trying to hurt anyone.
Things come to a head with both Nimona and Ballister where it looks like Ballister is the most wicked man in the realm and Nimona is about to destroy the city. But through their connection, Ballister is able to pull Nimona back from the brink of destruction and clear his own name. Thus the two of them become heroes while the real villain, the Director, who plotted everything from the beginning is exposed to the masses.
The heroes come together, Nimona is seen for who she is, Ballister is lauded for his bravery and he is able to have a life with Ambrosius. This is all done with a good amount of punk rock attitude.
The Animation
The animation is solid and it’s a neat blend of past and future which brings about a unique look for the film. The action is frenetic and satisfying and it has a killer soundtrack as well. The voice talent is strong, especially with Rhiz Ahmed as Ballister and Chloë Grace Moretz as Nimona.
While the blend of past and future is innovative, and the look of the film is unique, the animation isn’t so compelling as to be anything you haven’t seen before.
The Fun factor
The story is solid and the soundtrack is good but what makes this movie stand out is the sense of fun here. Nimona’s attitude is decidedly unconventional and it’s honestly refreshing to see that in an animated film. Even as she’s planning to do evil things, you can’t help but be on her side. And with Ballister as the foil to her attitude the whole thing just works pretty well.
It’s definitely one of the more enjoyable Oscar picks this year and is worth a watch if you enjoy animation.
In Conclusion
While Nimona has a lot going for it, and I do recommend it as a viewing experience, I don’t think this one will win the Oscar. The biggest innovation here is letting the characters be themselves in a world where most animated characters have to fit in a neat little box. The way the movie plays around with identity and the understanding of what makes a hero or a villain is nice to see. But ultimately, there were better animated films released in 2023 and Nimona would be a pretty long shot to win. Winning an award is not the only reason someone should watch a movie though. Look, if you are wanting a good time with an animated film, you could do much, much worse than Nimona. If you haven’t seen it, I do recommend it. Just don’t hold your breath expecting it to win the Oscar.
Hey film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review another film nominated for an Oscar in 2024. This time I watched the biopic about Bayard Rustin who was a notable civil rights intellectual and activist and was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington in 1963. The film is simply titled Rustin and stars Colman Domingo as the title character. Domingo is up for Best Actor for his performance in the film. Be forewarned this review contains spoilers for the film and those who have not read enough history books to know who Bayard Rusin was. If that sort of thing bothers you, give the movie a watch and then march right back here to read the review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
What’s it About?
I’m sure most of us are familiar with the March on Washington in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. Who people may not be as familiar with is one of the most instrumental coordinators of the event, Bayard Rustin.
Rustin was an activist who already had a long history of fighting for civil rights before the idea of the event ever happened. He had worked closely with MLK about nonviolence techniques and helped to protect the property of Japanese-Americans who were interred during World War II. He had a long history of fighting for the rights of people he saw as being treated unjustly.
He was also an out of the closet gay man at a time when there were literally laws against being gay. Add to that the fact that he was at one time a card carrying member of the Communist Party, USA and you can imagine there were plenty of people both within and outside of the civil rights movement who did not like him.
While Rustin had a long and storied career and accomplished more things than I can cover in this blog post, the film focuses in on the most famous of his achievements. At a time when he was more or less shunned from the civil rights movement, he was able to get back into the good graces of Martin Luther King Jr. and organize the most iconic of all of the civil rights marches.
The film portrays some of the relationship troubles Rustin had, along with his professional struggles. Yet, with determination and skill he is able to win people to his side and lay the foundation for what would come next for the fight for civil rights. He has to maneuver through political setbacks, attacks from the press, and his own relationships in order to pull off the event.
It’s no surprise to anyone now that the event was successful but the film does a good job of portraying just how much effort went into it becoming a reality in the first place. If you don’t know the story behind it, the film does a decent job of capturing what was going on at the time but it obviously can’t cover everything.
The performance
If you are already familiar with the story of Rustin’s role in the March on Washington then the reason to watch the film lies in the portrayal of the man by Colman Domingo. It is a powerhouse of a performance and Domingo sells every second of screen time he is in. We can feel his pain and see his determination every time he is in a scene. Domingo is most definitely an actor who is deft enough to play an actual figure from history with believability and aplomb.
While the film overall leaves some things to be desired, for example the mashing together of several of Rustin’s real life relationships into one or two characters, the performance is flat out outstanding.
Bayard Rustin’s tale in the organization of the March on Washington is a story that should be told more often, however, focusing only on this time period leaves so much of the man’s life out of the film that it is almost incorrect to call this a biopic.
I would love to have seen a longer film, starring Colman Domingo, that truly went in depth into the entirety of Bayard Rustin’s life. But I cannot fault the performance one bit.
In conclusion
While this film is not perfect, and the directing and cinematography are nothing exceptional, the acting on the part of Colman Domingo is worth the price of admission. And the film, at least, begins to shine a spotlight on a man who was a true pioneer in the work of civil rights and social justice.
As good as this performance was by Colman Domingo, I think he is still a long shot for winning the Best Actor Oscar this year. He has some incredibly talented competition in the category. But, with a performance such as this one, he’s sure to have another shot in coming years.
Hey film fans! Slick Dungeon here back to review another Oscar nominated movie for you. This one tells the tale of a determined swimmer who achieved the nearly impossible, and did it far later in life than anyone would expect. The movie has two Oscar nominations, one for Annette Benning for Best Actress, and one for Jodie Foster as Best Supporting Actress. Do be warned there will be spoilers below for the film, and a sports event you could easily google. Still, if you hate that sort of thing just keep swimming away until you watch the movie and then swim on back here to read the review.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
What’s it About?
You know how everyone is feeling super hero movie fatigue right about now? Well, I’ve had film fatigue for a different genre of film for a long time. The inspirational sports drama film fatigue. I honestly can’t say I have seen anything new in this kind of movie since Rudy. Typically in these films there is an athlete or a team with the desire to win something or do something that hasn’t been done in sports. The said athlete or team faces adversity and challenges and nearly gives up. But in the end something changes and they become more determined and push on through the obstacles to win said game, medal, record etc. It can be moving and inspiring but it’s nothing unexpected. I wish I could say Nyad pulled me out of this fatigue but far from it.
This is not to say the real life Diana Nyad is anything other than an incredible inspiration with an amazing story. And this is also not to say that there weren’t stand out performances in this film. I’m just saying you aren’t going to find anything you don’t expect here.
The film tells the tale of Diana Nyad (Benning) who tried several times in her life to swim the Straits of Florida unassisted until she accomplished her goal. This swim is one of the most difficult open water swims possible and everything from severe weather to dangerous ocean life, not to mention the currents themselves, could easily derail the best swimmers in history.
When she was young and a star swimmer in her twenties, Nyad attempts the swim. She does the best she can but ultimately she can’t make it.
We then fast forward to Diana in her sixties. She’s had a successful career and is basically troubled by the lack of exceptionalism in the world. Something, to her, is missing. She spends most of her time with her friend, Bonnie Stoll (Foster). Her life is happy enough but she wants more.
Diana decides to once again hit the pool. She’s pushing herself to the limits to see if she could make another attempt at the swim she failed at decades ago. She tells Bonnie about her plan to get back out there and attempt the swim again.
A team is assembled around Diana and soon we have all the pieces for her to make another attempt. In this attempt the ocean currents push her off course far enough she has to quit.
Determined not to give up, Diana tries once again. This time she is injured by a box jellyfish which can be lethal to humans. She nearly dies.
Still determined not to give up, Diana tries again, this time after consulting with an expert on jellyfish who helps her create a protective suit. She goes out once again but this time is defeated by disastrous weather conditions.
By this point, Diana’s team are all pretty tired of making the attempts and try to convince her to give up. It goes so far that several of her key supporters quit, including Bonnie, her coach.
Finally, still determined not to give up, Diana apologizes to some of the members of her team and they all gradually, if reluctantly agree to make one more attempt. This time they face dangers and challenges but luck, weather, and the marine life are all favorable enough that Diana is close to completing the swim. She gets close to giving up, but Bonnie, Nyad’s coach and friend, hops in the water to give Diana one last inspirational speech to push her through. At long last, after four failed attempts at the most difficult swim in the world, Diana does the impossible and completes the swim.
Throughout the film we see flashbacks of Nyad’s childhood and see that her father inspired her to want to do the swim in the first place. We also see the darker side of her life as we get flashbacks of a coach who abused several young female swimmers. It’s not until after this man dies that Diana truly confronts her trauma and it’s not until after this that she completes the swim.
Also throughout the film we see Bonnie inspiring, pushing, consoling, and sometimes angering Diana all in an effort to get Diana to push through and give her all. Diana’s obsession nearly ruins the lives of several people in her orbit but ultimately, through Bonnie’s leadership they prevail.
The Performances
While this type of movie may be a formula I am tired of, I can separate out the performances here. Annette Benning gives an impressive, if stoic performance. Physically this film must have taken a lot out of her as I am sure she had to spend hundreds of hours swimming. As far as the character of Nyad goes, she doesn’t seem to have much character growth. She basically goes from determined to even more determined. And while, in life, this makes for an interesting person, on film it feels rather dull. Annete Benning does transform well into her character but other than be determined enough to win the race, and mildly change her attitude towards her past and her teammates, not much happens here.
On the other hand, Bonnie, played by Jodie Foster, goes through a roller coaster of emotions. She has to deal with an entire team of people, including an athlete that is so obsessive she nearly bankrupts her whole team. Bonnie goes from reluctant coach to cheerleader, to caring friend, to knowing just the right thing to say at the right moment. Foster’s performance here is impressive and brings much needed life to the film. When Foster is encouraging Nyad to walk the few feet of sand she has to in order to ultimately complete the swim, you can feel how emotional it is for her. To be fair, Benning’s face was covered up with lots of prosthetics in this scene so it’s harder to read to begin with. But when the camera looks at Foster, it’s easy to see she is giving her all to the character.
I don’t know if either actress will win in their categories but between the two performances, I think Foster’s is the stronger of the two.
In Conclusion
The story truly is inspirational but I’m not sure the film does it full justice. The performances by the lead and supporting actresses are impressive but may not be the best ones of the year. The directing, cinematography and all the rest of it is fine but not incredible. The reason to watch is definitely for the performances but the rest is just what you would see in any of those inspirational sports films.
If you haven’t seen this movie and you are curious about the performances of the two actresses then give it a watch. But, if you are looking for inventive film making or a different kind of sports film, this is not going to scratch that itch. The most notable part of the story is the actual accomplishments of the real Diana Nyad and I think if you were to watch a documentary or read an article about her, you’ll likely find it more inspirational than the biopic here.
Strange Tales #110 Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, Artist: Dick Ayers
Strange Tales #110 is a landmark issue in the history of Marvel 616. It establishes repeat villains teaming up against one of our heroes and contains the introduction of a new hero to the universe. Because there are two important stories here, I will be splitting my review of the issue up into two parts. This time I will be going over the A story, which features Johnny Storm in his most intense battle to date against not one but two of his mortal foes.
Villain team ups are pretty standard these days. They show up in comics constantly and there have even been a few movies and television shows where we’ve seen this happen. DC had perfected this type of story long before the Marvel 616 universe started to do it. But, it is always interesting when a hero we know has to go up against a new combination of evil characters. Johnny Storm, aka, The Human Torch has had his share of enemies both on his own and with his family The Fantastic Four. Two of the most dangerous for him were The Wizard and Paste-Pot Pete. The Wizard uses all kinds of gadgets and tricks to trap the hero while Paste-Pot Pete has a special glue gun that proves surprisingly adept at trapping Johnny. Ridiculous names aside, these guys are dangerous.
The issue starts with a teaser page, like most of the early 616 universe does but this one has my favorite pre-read warning so far where we are told to be cautious if we have a heart condition before we read on.
The story then gets going with a few panels showing Johnny Storm making his way as The Human Torch through an obstacle course he has set up for himself. He is compared to a trained athlete but it is noted that if Johnny makes a mistake, he doesn’t lose a game, he could lose his life.
Johnny next hits his school books which at one point mentions wizards. This gets Johnny’s mind drifting and he starts to remember The Wizard who he faced off against in the past. He takes a look at his scrapbook and we get a flashback scene reminding us of the last time Johnny faced The Wizard. This is a pretty common technique in the earlier Marvel 616 stories because they could reuse old art and fill up pages at the same time with adding just a bit of narration.
And, of course, it’s not just The Wizard who gets this treatment. We next see Johnny reminisce about ol’ Paste-Pot Pete himself. For a guy with a paste gun he sure got close to getting rid of Johnny. He had The Human Torch strapped to a missile and everything.
At the end of his reminiscing, Johnny wonders where both The Wizard and Paste-Pot Pete are now and what they are doing. It’s no surprise to the modern reader that we then find out, and it’s not good.
Paste-Pot Pete has returned to the country and he is clearly looking for revenge against The Human Torch. Pete realizes he alone is not enough to go against the super hero and he remembers how The Wizard nearly took Johnny out. The only problem? The Wizard is in solitary confinement at a place called Cortraz Penitentiary. And The Wizard still holds just as much of a grudge as Pete does.
Luckily for The Wizard, Paste-Pot Pete has some truly incredible paste. It’s so good, it can be used to make powerful binocular lenses.
Pete figures out the delivery schedule for the food supply trucks and hijacks it. Paste-Pot Pete makes his way into the jail and he is apparently a quick draw with the paste gun because none of the guards are fast enough to stop him. He then uses the same gun to glue onto The Wizard’s cell door and uses the, “reverse suction switch” on his gun to pull the door off.
Needless to say, The Wizard is all in on the plan to get our favorite hothead. The Wizard even has a little gas pellet he cooked up in prison that blows the gates open so the pair can make their escape.
But, like any good super villain team up, there is tension almost from the start. The Wizard basically starts giving Pete orders which he doesn’t take too kindly to. The plan is to first discredit and humiliate The Human Torch and then defeat him permanently.
Immediately they frame Johnny for being a spy. Reed and the rest of the FF call Johnny up to make sure he is okay. Johnny basically takes this the wrong way thinking his team thinks he can’t handle himself.
Johnny is ridiculed at school for being a traitor although some kids defend him. Not being one to take this sort of thing lightly, Johnny has a plan.
We switch perspectives back to the villains who read in the newspaper that one of the world’s richest men is going to arrive in town. The Wizard plans to wait until the man takes his nightly walk and then rob him. He’s also going to frame Johnny for this by wearing his asbestos suit, making it look like it’s Johnny in the dark.
Rest assured The Human Torch has this well in hand as it’s him who was walking down the street. He was just disguised.
The villains run back into their house where The Wizard has laid several traps for our hero. They get Johnny into a room which is basically a hall of mirrors. The Human Torch flounders for a bit as he tries to find a way out.
Johnny gives up momentarily and asks the bad guys what is next. They tell him they are going to flood the room with a fire extinguishing liquid The Wizard has invented. But first, Paste-Pot Pete pastes The Torch to the floor.
The villains then make the classic villain mistake of leaving the hero. Johnny thinks fast and makes a flame version of himself. He then burns the paste off of his feet to free himself. He then uses as much heat as he can to burn his way out through the ceiling of the room.
In another part of the house, the bad guys put their little contraption to work and watch what they think will be Johnny’s demise. But they soon notice that the figure disappears. This does give Johnny just enough time to recharge his power and come after the bad guys. Pete and The Wizard aren’t exactly friends but they both basically vow their revenge on Johnny as they are taken away by the police.
The kids at school are once again fans of The Human Torch and Johnny complains he missed so much schoolwork because of needing to fight the bad guys. And this is where the story ends.
While this may not have been overly groundbreaking it was a fun story and it showcased how even minor villains teaming up against a Marvel hero could make things much more difficult. Over the years, The Fantastic Four and The Human Torch alone will be dealing with plenty of villains getting together.
If this was the only story in this issue relevant to Marvel 616 it might only be mildly interesting. Yet this issue has something else worth noting.
Next up on the reading list we’ll be reading about the introduction of the sorcerer supreme himself as we see Dr. Strange in Strange Tales #110 [C story]!
Hey there film fans, it’s Slick Dungeon! I’m back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time I’ll be reviewing the latest entry from powerhouse animation studio Disney/Pixar, Elemental. The film is about a hotheaded element who meets an element fluid enough to go with the flow. Be forewarned there will be spoilers below so if that sort of thing bothers you, watch the movie and then come on back here to read the review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
What’s it about?
While on the surface this is basically a rom-com with most of the trappings you find in that genre, at its core, Elemental is about the immigrant experience. There is a big city where most elements live called Element City. This city has lots of air, earth, and water elements. More rare are fire elements.
Two such elements are Bernie and Cindie Ember. They immigrate to Element City with their daughter Ember and set up a shop called The Fireplace. With them, they also bring their blue flame which represents their traditions and culture.
Things seem to go relatively well at first. Bernie is successful at his business and he promises the store to his daughter once she is ready. Bernie does seem to have a serious dislike for all water elements. And while Ember is good at most things in the store, she does have a tendency to lose her temper at customers. Also, in general, the community is not entirely accepting of fire elements because, well, they can catch things on fire, and that would be bad.
We jump ahead a few years and Ember is grown up. She’s still helping her father with the store most days but he is near retirement. Ember has one last thing to do to prove herself. She has to get through the red dot sale day without losing her temper. The sale starts and things go okay at first but customers are customers and soon Ember heads down to the basement to let off some steam. She heats up and soon a pipe in the shop bursts. It looks like Ember has ruined the day.
But then, a city inspector comes out of the pipe. This is Wade Ripple who is a water element. He is horrified at the state of the shop but sympathizes with Ember. Still, he has to do his job and he writes up some citations that could get the shop closed down.
Ember does everything she can to convince Wade to ditch the citations but she’s too late and it’s out of his hands. But he is again sympathetic to her situation and allows her to meet some of the higher ups who could reverse the ruling.
In the process of all this, Ember ends up lying to her father about what happened to the shop. Wade and Ember also discover that the real problem has to do with the gate of the city.
As you can guess, in any rom-com, the lies pile up, the romance heats up, and it all comes to a head in a disastrous situation. But, in the end, things work out. Ember and her father are still on good terms even though she has decided not to run the family store and even though she is dating a water element.
The Animation
As with any Pixar film, the animation here is incredibly good. The design of the elements themselves is fun and enjoyable and the backgrounds make an entirely fictional setting look basically real.
This type of skill is what has won Pixar plenty of Oscars in the past but I would not say this film is breaking any new ground in animation here. While the style is good and it matches the story well, there isn’t anything we haven’t seen before visually. That’s not to say it is not an impressive feat. To still be this good at making an animated story work is saying something in and of itself. Pixar has nothing to be ashamed about in this film and I am not sure why it didn’t catch on with audiences so well. I think perhaps the marketing is to blame but if you have not seen it, this is worth a watch for the visual experience alone.
The Voice Acting
As far as the voice acting talent goes in this film, it is spot on and perfectly cast. All of the characters sound like you would expect them to and this, combined with the great animation makes for a very engaging viewing experience.
In conclusion
While the animation is great and the story is solid, in a lot of ways this film feels too conventional. It is nice to see the immigrant experience depicted in animation and I think that will resonate with a lot of audiences. The love story is fairly standard and ends the way you most likely guessed it would end. However, the film doesn’t quite push enough envelopes to make it stand out over other Pixar films. It is undoubtedly one of the best animated films of the year but I don’t think it is, in fact, the best one.
As far as whether this film will win an Oscar, my prediction is it is between Elemental and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Either one could win but my money is on Spider-Man. (Please don’t bet on anything based on my predictions because I am often wrong.)
Well, hello there film fans! Slick Dungeon here, back to review a bit of an oddball of a film full of grit, determination, innovation, exaggerations, Cheeto dust, and a potential Oscar winner. I am talking, of course, about the “true” story of Flamin’ Hot, telling the tale of how one of the spiciest snacks in the world came to be. Somehow this film is full of controversy, more inspiring than expected, and an Oscar contender. That’s right, this movie could technically win an Oscar. Fair warning, if you don’t want your eyes tearing up as if you’ve inhaled that famous fiery red orange concoction, this review contains spoilers. You have been warned. Although, can you really spoil a product line? Um, yeah I guess you can. Anyway, if you want to watch the movie first to stay spoiler free, do that and then come on back here for the review.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
What’s the Story?
Before I get into the review, there is, strangely, a bit of background to cover here. Flamin’ Hot is meant to depict a real life story about a man who goes from janitor at a Frito Lay manufacturing plant to inspirational executive at Frito Lay, opening up a new market with an innovative product line. Only… that may not be the full truth here. There have been multiple articles debunking the story of Flamin’ Hot in places like The New York Times, The LA Times, and NPR.
Regardless of the controversy, the filmmakers charged forward with making this movie, claiming the story was never about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but actually the story of the life of Richard Montanez. There are some facts here which are not in dispute at all. Montanez was, indeed, a janitor at Frito Lay. And he did become a top executive of PepsiCo. To me, that can be inspirational all on its own and anyone who can claim that sort of accomplishment should be proud.
What’s a little less clear is if he actually had the idea of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or if it was more of a high level executive group idea.
I’m not here to figure out what the truth is. This ain’t that kinda blog. What I am here to do, is review movies. So I’m going to take this from the perspective of a film goer and see if the movie works, if it is worth watching, and how well it was made.
Why Review This?
There are a lot of movies out there. Personally, I am not in favor of this trend we have where the movies have started becoming not stories of people but products. Take for example, Air, Blackberry, and Tetris. While these are technically about the people behind the products, one could argue these films are nothing but one giant advertisement for said product. Heck, even Barbie could be considered that but at least it isn’t trying to say it’s based on a true story.
In the case of Flamin’ Hot, we have another, “based on a true story” style film about a product line. But here’s the thing. This year I want to try to review every film that is up for any kind of an Oscar in 2024. (Don’t hold me to that, there are a ton of movies on that list but I will do my best) And guess what? Flamin’ Hot is nominated for an Oscar. Best Picture? Nope. Best Director? Nope. Best Actor? Nope. This movie is nominated for… Best Original Song.
Yeah, so even if the movie itself is embroiled in some controversy, even if the story is pushing one that is more favorable to a whole corporation than to a single movie goer, the song could still be the best one in film from 2023. The song that is nominated is called The Fire Inside with music and lyrics by Diane Warren. Will it win? Never take my predictions as true on Oscar stuff because I have a pretty low percentage of being right. However, my prediction is this will not win best song because it has too much competition from Barbie.
By the way, the song only shows up during the credits so I watched the whole movie just for that. Since I did watch it, I might as well tell you about it. Spoilers follow.
A rough beginning
Richard Montanez is a hard working kid in southern California. He stands out in school where most of his classmates are white and they make fun of him for being Mexican and eating burritos. Not one to overlook an opportunity, Richard has the idea of letting some of the white school kids eat one of his burritos. The kid loves the burrito because, well because burritos are amazing as everyone knows. So Richard decides to sell his burritos for a quarter to the kids at school. Already he has a solid head for business.
Unfortunately for Richard, rumors go around that he is not earning his money but stealing it. He ends up getting arrested and essentially gets caught up in a life of crime. This makes it difficult to get a stable job because he now has a criminal record and no formal education to speak of. However, he has a supportive wife, Judy, his friend from school. Richard is determined to go legitimate and after a bit of convincing and using his powers of networking and persuasion, Richard does land a job at Frito Lay. He’s working as a janitor and he has nothing to be ashamed of as he’s earning a decent paycheck, he’s stable enough although somewhat dependent on government assistance and things might be looking up.
Reaganomics
At first, it looks like Richard is going to make it big. He persistently asks knowledgable people about how the factory works, what the machines do, and it seems like he could be on the rise and able to do more than just clean factory floors. But, the 1980’s hit pretty hard when it came to cutbacks on government subsidies. Trickle down economics did absolutely nothing to help people in need, and inevitably, people began to lose jobs, corporations cut back on production, and Richard knew his job would soon be in jeopardy as well.
He basically stagnates in his role for a while as everyone just tries to hold on. Some of Richard’s friends get fired, no one seems to get promoted, and life, in general, is looking tough.
Video Created the Cheeto Star
Fate, it would seem, decides to step in. Richard watches a corporate video produced by the CEO of the company, Roger Enrico. In it, Enrico tells his workers to, “think like a CEO.” Yes, that’s right, a wealthy CEO is here to save everyone because somehow CEO’s have this magical ability to inspire people. (Insert sarcasm in that last sentence if you did not already)
Anyway, Richard does take this advice to heart. And he realizes a few things. First, Frito-Lay is not actually serving the market of the Latino population. They don’t seem to buy the chips. Second, there are spicy flavors everywhere. True inspiration hits though when Richard is consoling his sons as they eat elotes (Mexican street corn), and his son yelps that it burns. Richard asks if his kid is okay and the kid responds, “I like it. It burns good.”
If you have ever enjoyed a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos you know exactly what that kid is saying.
Between this incident and the video from the CEO, inspiration has struck. Richard is about to change the world. Maybe not the world, he’s about to change food. Maybe not food, he’s about to change snack food. Yeah I think that’s where it lands.
Cue the Flamin’ HOt Montage
We see scenes of Richard and Judy taking unseasoned chips from the factory and trying every kind of hot seasoning they know of until they get their kid to say it, “burns good.” At the same time, some corporate dudes in lab coats are basically trying to do the same thing. In the movie, Richard says he doesn’t really know what was going on with that and this is basically the heart of the real life controversy. Were the spicy chips being produced by lab scientists paid by a corporation or did one guy have the idea to make the spicy powder? Or maybe both happened at sort of the same time. Who knows? Not me. Anyway, back to the review.
Finally, the recipe is perfected and Richard is happy with it. But there’s one huge snag. He’s the lowly janitor. Who is going to listen to him? Well, Richard decides he could call the CEO of the company. He does so, and miraculously ends up on the line with Roger Enrico. Richard has the power of persuasion and he’s able to convince Enrico they need to add a product line and save everyone’s jobs. Enrico is kindly, perceptive, and can relate to his workers. He behaves just like every company would want you to believe their CEO acts. Not in the interest of themselves or their shareholders. No, that would be beneath them. Enrico is a man of the people and he listens to his workers. Well, he supposedly did once at least anyway, according to the movie.
Enrico tells Richard to send him a box of the Flamin’ Hot chips and guess what? Enrico likes them.
Cue the moment our hero overcomes hardship and we all know we can’t live without a specific product
Even with Enrico’s approval it’s still a struggle to launch Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Richard is allowed to make 5,000 bags and put them on shelves. But, at first, they don’t sell. Why not? Lack of advertising! Richard gets friends and family from his neighborhood, factory workers, and basically anyone who will listen to hit the streets, pass out the chips and build buzz for the product. He specifically wants to target the Latino community which is underserved by Frito-Lay at this time.
This all turns out successfully and, as you probably know, there are a metric ton of Flamin’ Hot products flying off the shelves today. Richard moves up in life from janitor and becomes known as the, “Godfather of Latino Marketing.”
And the world becomes a happier place because we can eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
In Conclusion
Is this film worth watching? It was certainly entertaining, mostly due to the enjoyable performance of Jesse Garcia as Richard Montanez. The directing was competent on the part of Eva Longoria but nothing spectacular.
In the end Montanez being known for marketing fits really well with the film because this movie is basically marketing a brand. It’s trying to say that the Latino market was not being noticed by PepsiCo and thanks to the vision of one man, the company changed what it was doing which profited both the company and the community. Even if this story were completely true, this is still marketing. It’s trying to show PepsiCo and Montanez in the best light possible. It’s what companies want us to think about both their executives and themselves.
As far as a bit of entertainment, this film is fine. It’s not Flamin’ Hot though. It’s just average.
That being said, will there be Flamin’ Hot Cheeto dust on my fingers this Sunday when I watch the Super Bowl? Absolutely.
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are having a good week. Here’s a little story I wrote, hope you like it!
At Death’s Door by Adam wright
Dee sat at her desk, laptop in front of her, warm coffee in hand and logged into the system. She worked her way through the myriad of safety and security protocols to enter the system. Putting in passwords when prompted, authenticating when needed, and feeling like this would never end, she barely registered Gary walking into her office.
Gary stood there in his slim fit suit, simple black tie and clean cut hair and cleared his throat. Dee ignored him. She opened her inbox and saw the backlog of work she had to do. Overdue on more projects than she cared to count, she knew answering Gary would delay things further.
Gary knocked three times, the sound echoing in the little office. He wasn’t going away anytime soon. Dee noticed a slip of pink paper in his hand and had the sudden realization that this conversation was about to get serious.
“What do you want, Gary? I’m pretty busy. As always.”
“It’s not what I want. It’s from upstairs. We need to talk.”
Shit. Anything from upstairs was a pain. Hell, anything from downstairs was a pain also. But you can’t just ignore the orders from above, even if the messenger here was the most annoying person in the whole damn office.
“I’m listening. What do they want?” Dee tried to keep her focus on the laptop but her ears began echoing in her head, the sounds of the outside world trying to crash in on her.
“First off, you have to know, Dee… if I can call you Dee… this isn’t from me.”
“Obviously. You already said it’s from upstairs.”
Gary’s hand shook as he stuck out the paper towards Dee. She didn’t take it.
“Okay, so just, please remember, I like you. It’s bad news but I don’t want it this way, they do. There’s nothing I can do to change their minds. They’re letting you go.”
Dee resisted the impulse to throw her coffee at Gary. She knew that would accomplish nothing. This was the time for a rational adult conversation.
“What does that mean exactly? Letting me go? Do they have any idea how important what I do is?”
Gary scratched at his collar but kept the pink slip in his hand.
“Look… it means what it sounds like. You don’t work here anymore. Your services are no longer needed. In fact, it is kind of unclear what you do. You show up here every day, same time, same coffee in hand. You log in, you go through an inbox and then what? What exactly happens at that point?”
Dee let out a long sigh. Explaining this to Gary would be impossible. Explaining to those upstairs was nearly impossible too. That didn’t mean her services were not absolutely essential.
“Trust me. Without my services things are going to get… messy. There’ll be a lot of clean up nobody wants. I’m happy to sit here and do my job. I like my job. I’m not bothering anyone else. I just do my thing, wait for the annual check in, and move on with my life. What’s wrong with that?”
Gary crossed his arms, a sure sign he was losing patience. He set the pink slip of paper on Dee’s desk. She didn’t touch it.
“You’re not making any forward progress. Where’s your ambition? Where are your career goals? I mean, you’ve been doing the same thing day in and day out forever. It’s time for a change. It’ll be good for you. Good for all of us. We all need a change. Now’s the time for you to change too.”
Dee rocked back in her swivel chair and took in a deep breath.
“Gary, you have to just trust me on this. If I am gone, this place is going to have issues. Real issues. The people upstairs, and the people downstairs, are going to have to get involved. No one wants that, do they?”
Gary’s expression changed to one of feigned sympathy. Dee didn’t know why the people upstairs were such cowards. They should at least have had the guts to get rid of her themselves.
“I don’t have any choice here, Dee. I can help you pack up. Hell, I’ll buy you an iced latte on the way out. Don’t make me call security. Please?”
“Have they said I have done a bad job? Violated any rules?”
“No.”
“Then what ground do they have to stand on?”
Gary suppressed a small laugh.
“You know they never have been the type to stand on firm ground. But it’s orders. I have to carry out orders. Can’t you just go peacefully?”
Dee clutched her coffee and stood up. She grabbed her gray wool coat and her red leather purse and looked Gary in the eyes.
“I’m not doing anything that isn’t peaceful. I’m just telling you, this is a mistake. And it’s going to be costly. But, as you say, orders are orders. I’ll get my stuff and go. Just remember this: When you all want to bring me back in and ask me to clean up the whole mess, the answer is no.”
Her dignity intact, Dee walked out of the office and onto the street. All she had to do was wait. She was at a busy intersection where cars flew past, bikers made their way precariously in the bike lanes, and pedestrians jostled past one another.
Twenty minutes later, it happened. A Ford Mustang hit a tan SUV in the intersection, a bicyclist caught between them. A head on collision, one that left no room for doubt about the fate of the bicyclist. Except, Dee no longer had a job. There was nothing she could do. The bicyclist stood, a piece of metal jutting out of his chest. It should have impaled him to death. He screamed in agony. There was still nothing Dee could do. He was going to be the first of many to meet such a fate. Reluctantly, she walked away, feeling the cool breeze on her face.
She walked the earth in those later days, watching all the pain go around, never able to end it. She wanted to help. But death was out of a job.
Tales of Suspense 42 Photo Credit: Marvel Writers: Stan Lee, Robert Bernstein Artist: Don Heck
One of the harsh realities of reading all of Marvel 616 in order is you can come across a really engaging and landmark issue, as with the introduction of The Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44, only to have it be followed up with a rather bland and boring story the next issue. This is the case with Tales of Suspense #42. It stars Tony Stark aka Iron Man doing what Iron Man does. Fighting communists. Over and over and over again. That’s not to say I am not interested in reading those stories but at this point they are getting repetitive and at times seem designed just to fill pages. To be fair, they had to come up with a lot of content at the time on multiple comics so there is no way all of the stories are going to be great.
This issue starts with a page promising we’ll have a shocking surprise coming to us, “as the knight in shining armor walks straight into this, the greatest danger he has ever faced!” It shows Iron Man walking into the lair of someone named The Red Barbarian.
The action begins on a boat where a group of spies is proud of themselves for stealing the latest American atomic bomb. They figure they will be well rewarded by this Red Barbarian but to make sure everything is looking good, they decide to open the crate with the bomb.
But to their surprise, Iron Man is waiting in the crate. Turns out the whole thing was a setup by the F.B.I. Iron Man stops the crooks with the use of some of his patented transistor technology and uses magnets to cause their guns to fire away from him. The overhead magnet is so strong, in fact, that it pulls the bad guys up with the guns. Not sure why they didn’t think to let go of their weapons but we’ll just figure they panicked. Iron Man also explains his armor contains alloys that reject magnetic attraction so he is not affected by the magnet. Glad we got that cleared up!
The F.B.I. do show up to collect their prize but Tony warns them that the Red Barbarian is probably planning some new kind of mischief. This person seems to be news to the F.B.I. and all Tony really knows is the bad guy is known for his brutality and lives somewhere behind the iron curtain. So, not a lot to go on.
We next see Tony changing out of his Iron Man suit and going back to his lab. He is now storing his suit in a suitcase and he is working on what he calls a, “pocket-size disintegrator ray.”
We see his heavily guarded lab as Tony takes comfort in the fact that no spy can get inside. Tony then demonstrates his ray to the U.S. Military. He is able to disintegrate tanks and walls and tells the men how it could be adapted to destroy whole enemy fleets. He does warn them that it is not yet perfected. The military is suitably impressed and everyone realizes how devastating it would be if the technology got into enemy hands.
The scene then shifts to The Red Barbarian’s headquarters where his men tell him of Tony’s new weapon. He demands the plans but his men say Stark’s compound is impenetrable, after which The Red Barbarian throws a ham at the messenger and threatens to shoot his incompetent staff.
As he is in his rage, The Red Barbarian is interrupted by someone who he thinks is Comrade K, a high ranking general in the communist party. This, however, is a ruse. The man is really someone who calls himself The Actor. He is able to mimic the look and manners of anyone he sees and claims to be the ultimate spy. The Actor changes his look to that of Tony Stark and claims he can steal all of Stark’s plans. The Red Barbarian hires him on the spot, promising him anything he wishes. The Red Barbarian also warns of what will happen should The Actor fail.
The Actor is quite bold in his claims as he says he can defeat both Tony Stark and Iron Man. He puts his plan into action by first impersonating a famous actor so he can get into the United States. The Actor then goes to the telegraph office in Washington D.C. and impersonates a senator. Next he finds the communist spies in the area to help him fake an entrance into Stark’s lab while Stark is away.
The Actor shows up at Stark’s lab once he knows Stark is gone. He tells the guards there, who assume he is Tony Stark, that the Pentagon meeting was cancelled and he has returned to his lab to do some work. The guards do try to stop the men with The Actor but he claims they are top men of the Pentagon and his office is open to them.
The ruse works well enough to get The Actor into the office where they go about the task of raiding Stark’s plans. While doing this, The Actor finds parts of Iron Man’s suit and puts the pieces together. He knows Stark is Iron Man. Deciding to keep the information to himself in case his life is threatened, he has the others find the plans for the disintegration ray. The Actor takes the plans and tells his men to wait for Stark and assassinate him when he returns. As Stark, The Actor dismisses all of Tony’s usual guards, telling them the Pentagon men will do the guard duty for the night.
The real Stark, realizing the invitation from the senator to the Pentagon was a fake, returns to his lab. The bad guys try to kill him but luckily he is still wearing his Iron Man chest plate under his clothes. Stark kills the lights and gets into his full armor and makes short work of the bad guys. He gets them to tell him why they are there, where to find The Red Barbarian, and when The Actor is scheduled to meet with his employer. To get there, Stark has to take a missile in order to arrive in time. The missile launch is successful and Stark arrives where he intended.
He stops The Actor who is driving on his way toward the headquarters. Iron Man basically folds up The Actor’s car as a way to keep the guy in place. He gags The Actor and walks right into The Red Barbarian’s headquarters.
Iron Man tells the bad guys he is The Actor and gives The Red Barbarian an attache case with a timed lock on it. He tells the The Red Barbarian the lock is a miniature atom bomb. Tony then leaves and goes back to let The Actor out of his trap. Tony flies away.
The Actor goes to The Red Barbarian to apologize for not giving him the disintegrator ray plans. The Red Barbarian flips out on The Actor and basically ends up shooting the guy (although we never see a body so who knows?).
Tony hears all this as he flies off and the story ends there.
While there are some mildly interesting things here, such as how close Stark is with the government, and how secure his compound is, for the most part this story is a bit of a dud. The bad guys are drawn like crude caricatures and borderline offensive. There are a couple of neat tricks like the suitcase for the Iron Man suit but we don’t learn much new here. It’s a passable story about espionage but it just doesn’t quite grab the reader and it really doesn’t help us understand Tony Stark or Iron Man more than we already do.
There are a couple of non-cannon stories in this issue of Tales of Suspense, one about a haunted house and one about a prisoner in the future who is taken to space. Both are much shorter than the Iron Man story and actually a bit more engaging in this case, although with decidedly less heroics. Those don’t count at all toward the larger story though.
Next up on the reading order we’re catching up once again with the hothead Johnny Storm as we read about him in the pages of Strange Tales #110!
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SYNOPSIS
Why escape death by demon just to die at the hands of heroes?’
Taitu Jathaeri, a sixteen-year-old girl with arcane gifts, is impatient to leave her matriarchal home island to train at Mecanta’s Academy of the Arcane Arts. But when her guardian, a recluse witch, is murdered, Taitu is tasked to go to the dreaded mainland, find a mage in the ruins of Old Anvadore, and give him the artefact Arjanna has hidden for twenty years. But Arjanna had many secrets. The young Thorn must learn who to trust and whether the murderers who are now pursuing her could be her salvation or her ruin. Has she unwittingly chosen the wrong side in a war that will release an ancient corrupting evil into the world of Itania?
To Save a Thorn is the second book of the Aerieti Chronicles of the Fall series. It’s largely self-contained and easy to follow without having to read the first book. That being said, reading them both adds context.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Taitu Jathaeri is a bit unusual in her little island community. She is able to cast magic, unlike most of the women who live on her home island of Ilja. The island is mostly comprised of women who live there in a matriarchal society. Due to her magic, Taitu is given to Arjanna, the only other person capable of casting magic on the island, to raise. Although grateful to Arjanna, Taitu still misses her mother and wishes to go to the mainland to learn more about how to wield her magic. Yet, there seems to be more to Arjanna than Taitu knew when a group of strangers attack and Arjanna taks Taitu with keeping a secret artifact safe and getting it to a mysterious stranger far away.
On her journey, Taitu encounters people who want to recover the artifact but are they trying to harm Taitu or save her?
Like the first book in the series, To Save a Thorn has a charming protagonist who you can’t help but cheer for as she makes her way in the world. The story is full of fun and magic and a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you read the first book in the series, it will be a bit easier to pick up on who is trying to help and who is trying to harm Taitu but either way you can read this volume as a stand alone book. This volume brings along some characters from the first book but introduces us to plenty of new ones.
The book fits in well to the larger story and it will be interesting to see where the series goes from this point on.
If you enjoy fun fantasy adventures with lots of different creatures, magic throughout the world, and charming protagonists, this book is for you.
Note: this review was first posted on Reedsy Discovery, an awesome website that pairs independent authors and readers. To see the post there, click here.
If you are a book reviewer and want to contribute reviews on Reedsy Discovery, click here.
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
SYNOPSIS
The Reset is a culmination of worlds colliding, timelines interweaving, and relationships that seemed indestructible, reaching dire breaking points.
Vincent gets in the midst of an international political crisis forged by his adversary, Philip Nardin. As he tirelessly works to offset the impact, Philip kidnaps Nozomi, Vincent’s daughter. In an endgame decision, Vincent relinquishes his time-correcting powers to Philip while the world leaders launch a devastating arms race to weaponize Intreton—the purest energy source that can alter reality if mishandled. The two opponents, Vincent and Philip, unite against political and military forces to save reality from crumbling. Their plan reveals a mind-bending past and the identity of a time-twisted villain Philip calls the Lunatic. Such revelation leads to a dramatic conclusion and opens the possibility of a Reset. As someone close to Vincent shows their true self, Vincent discovers that Nozomi’s complex ties to Emika and Akane may hold the key to the Reset in this time-hopping clash of love, egos, and desires.
A story of love that transcends time and reality, and the sacrifices masquerading as selfish acts, the final book of the award-winning Time Corrector series is a whirlwind of unexpected events—many questions will finally be answered.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Dr. Vincent Abajian is a brilliant man who has a team of brilliant people around him. He’s been able to master Intreton, a substance that allows him to travel through time and even across realities. There are moments in his life we keep revisiting as readers but each time more complexities are revealed and we can see more of what each action means. The story is complex and intricate, much like a fine watch or brilliant piece of classical music can be. The third book in The Time Corrector series manages the nearly impossible by not only tying the first two books together perfectly and concluding in a satisfying manner, it still leaves the reader wishing for more.
If you had the power to change time, to change reality, to move the world in a more peaceful direction, what would you be willing to sacrifice? Would you be able to let go of ones you love in order to protect them? Can a selfish act mask one of kindness and love? These are some of the themes in The Reset. The book continues Avi Datta’s tradition of brilliant storytelling, non-linear plot making, and absolutely beautiful character development. Just when the reader thinks they have everything figured out, Datta will impress him or her with the most incredible twists and turns imaginable.
With each volume, this work becomes more and more brilliant. The intricate plot weaving is equal to the character development and as in the first two books, there are moments that completely change the reader’s perspective without feeling like a gimmick.
If there are any flaws in the series it may be that at times Dr. Abajian can occasionally be portrayed as too good and too brilliant but this is forgivable given the intricacies of the people surrounding him.
This is a series you must read from the beginning in order for it to make sense. If you have not already read The Winding and The Movement, do so before picking up the third volume.
If you enjoy expansive, non-linear storytelling, with a masterful plot and beautiful character development, this book is for you. If you just enjoy great books in general, this is a must read series.
Tales to Astonish 44, Photo Credit: Marvel Writers: Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, Artist: Jack Kirby
Up to this point in the Marvel 616 comics we’ve had plenty of stories staring Henry Pym, aka Ant-Man. For the most part these have been short stories featuring our hero taking on crime of one kind or another. Quite often he has faced off against communists. We know he is a brilliant scientist who does secretive work for the government but it would be false to say we’ve ever gotten a full understanding of his motivations. There haven’t been any stories which really dive into his background, he’s just kind of there.
This all starts to change when Henry Pym gets his partner in peril in Tales to Astonish 44. This is both his first full length story and introduces The Wasp to the 616 universe.
Technically Tales to Astonish is an anthology series and in this issue there is a backup story after the main story of Ant-Man but as far as I can tell it does not relate to the rest of the 616 continuity. But this is still the most amount of pages dedicated to Ant-Man we have seen in a single issue. And, truth be told, at this point it was Ant-Man who was selling the magazine.
The issue starts with a teaser page that looks a lot like the cover but basically acknowledges that we haven’t really had a back story for Hank Pym up to this point and promises us one here.
The story itself starts with Ant-Man coming back from some heroic mission to his lab where he tells his ants to return to nature and lets them know he will call them again when needed. Pym releases his growth gas and goes back to human size.
Ant-Man takes a break and laments how he must always be alone and can’t reveal his secret identity to anyone. And he mentions someone named Maria for the first time.
It turns out, Maria, was Henry’s wife. We see in flashback panels that Henry and Maria went to Hungary for their honeymoon where Maria and her father had once been political prisoners. Hank has some valid concerns about going there but Maria says they won’t know her since she is now Mrs. Pym rather than Maria Trovaya.
For a brief moment in time the two have a good time together and Hank wishes he could always be on vacation with Maria. She replies that he is becoming a lazy husband and tells him her father always used to say. “go to the ants, thou dullard!” I think that’s supposed to just be a way of saying don’t be lazy but it lays the groundwork for Henry’s future fascination with ants.
The bliss cannot last long as Maria is kidnapped at gunpoint. Although Hank tries to stop the men, he gets pistol whipped and goes to the American embassy. While he is there, the embassy receives a call. Maria’s body was found with a note which said, “This is what happens to those who attempt to escape from behind the iron curtain!”
Now all this communist hunting Ant-Man has done in previous issues makes a heck of a lot more sense. The dude is looking to even the score. But as if that were not bad enough, as they attacked Maria in Hungary, back in the states they also blew up the lab where Maria’s father worked.
Hank storms out of there furious and vowing revenge. But within a few days he ends up in jail,”on the verge of a mental and physical breakdown!”
Henry Pym was unable to track down and find the killers but the American embassy has arranged for him to be set free and sent back to America.
Not knowing what else to do, Hank thinks about the past and about his wife. And then he remembers what she said. The funny part of this is that he actually misquotes her from a few panels before as he quotes her as, “Go to the ants, thou sluggard!”
Henry then works tirelessly to invent his reducing gas, perfect his cybernetic helmet and become Ant-Man. It has a Batman feel to it as Henry is basically vowing to wipe out crime because someone he cared about was a victim of it. The difference though is that Henry takes a decidedly scientific approach to it.
Back in the present, Ant-Man decides doing this himself is not going to be enough. What he wants is a partner who can carry on his mission in the case of his death. But he doesn’t know anyone he can trust with his secret identity and who would have the attitude to take on the task.
Just in case he ever does meet this person, Dr. Pym studies wasps and realizes he can shrink a human and give them wasp-like wings and antennae.
At that very moment, fate steps in as his doorbell rings. A Dr. Vernon Van Dyne has come to see the famous Pym. Dr. Van Dyne is also a scientist and he has brought his daughter Janet with him. Hank lets them in and is struck by how much Janet looks like his dead wife. Although, he admits she is not much more than a child at this point. Janet, for her part thinks Henry is handsome but figures he’s a bore since he is a bookish scientist.
Interestingly, what Dr. Van Dyne wants sounds more like something that would be worked on by Dr. Bruce Banner. he is working on a gamma-ray beam to pierce space and detect signals from other planets. Henry admits he has heard of Van Dyne’s work but says his specialty is in molecular cell transition and cell specialization. Van Dyne wants the beam strengthened but leaves Dr. Pym alone.
Despite the lack of help, Dr. Van Dyne is able to get his beam to work. This turns out to be his demise. Some vast, shapeless, darkness comes at him and starts to take form. This alien thing comes into the lab and Van Dyne asks what it is.
It tells him, “I am from the planet Kosmos deep in space! We of Kosmos are a fluid form of life! I escaped down the path of your ray to this, your planet!”
Dr. Van Dyne keys in on the word escaped and the creature admits it is a criminal who nearly enslaved his whole society. And he figures if he failed there, maybe he can succeed here on Earth.
The alien commands the good doctor to look into its eyes. Van Dyne tries to resist but is unable to. The creature smashes the lab and Janet returns to find an awful mist and her father dead. Not knowing what else to do, Janet calls Henry Pym because she knows her father trusted the man.
At first Henry Pym doesn’t believe Janet and thinks she is just a, “bored society playgirl” who is trying to get her kicks by making up stories. But in short order, ants confirm the situation through Pym’s cybernetic helmet.
He goes into action as Ant-Man and shows up at Dr. Van Dyne’s lab where Janet is understandably upset. Ant-Man tells her he is there to help. She thought he was a myth, which is odd, since there have been literal newspaper stories about him in the past but we’ll let that slide for now. Janet explains the situation and Hank figures out right away it had to be some kind of alien force to have done the type of damage to the lab he sees.
And in what seems to be the first instance of an Avenger wanting to avenge something, Janet Van Dyne knows what she wants to do. She wants to avenge her father.
Hank tells Janet to call the F.B.I. and ask for Lee Kearns and tell him what happened. He then instructs her to go to the lab of Henry Pym. Janet agrees.
Oddly, the ants that accompanied Ant-Man have left him alone. He catches up to them and asks why they left. They tell him that whatever was in there secrets formic acid like the ants do but it is alien and they are afraid. Henry has them take him back to his lab and spread out to look for the monster and go to the F.B.I. headquarters to see what they find out there.
Hank grows back to human size and meets Janet at the door. He asks if Janet really would do anything to avenge her father’s death and risk anything for justice. She says not only that but she wishes she could help track down all criminals.
For the first time ever, Dr. Henry Pym reveals to someone else that he is Ant-Man and tells Janet he needs a partner. It’s quite a fateful moment in the history of the 616 because here we have the foundations for what will one day become The Avengers. We’ve been introduced to Thor, Iron-Man, Ant-Man, The Hulk, and now The Wasp. It will still take some time but these are all founding members of the super group and Janet Van Dyne should not be underestimated here.
Janet agrees to become Hank’s partner and The Wasp. Moments later, Dr. Pym has injected Janet with wasp cells, shrunken her down, given her an outfit which seems to perfectly fit her, and allowed her to grow wings and antennae which is only possible for her to have while she is small.
Meanwhile, Kosmos seems to be tearing up the city. He smashes the Van Dyne lab, destroys the docks and causes a general commotion.
Hank gets word of this from his ants and tells Janet to change into her new costume. We get confirmation for the first time that Ant-Man actually lives in New York as he sees Kosmos head towards the George Washington bridge and clearing out Manhattan.
Ant-Man gives some quick instructions to Janet on how to use the reducing and enlarging gas and how she can communicate with the insect world through her antennae. They launch themselves into the air with Ant-Man’s miniature cannon and immediately Janet is hooked on adventuring.
Not only that, she tells Hank, in case they are killed, that she is falling in love with him. For his part, Hank gives a pretty hard no here, although with his background we all know he can love someone. He says, “No! You mustn’t say that, Janet! You’re only a child! Let’s get this straight… I chose you as my partner simply because I thought you had a reason, as I have to fight for mankind! I never want to love again! I– I couldn’t bear it if I had to lose a loved one– twice!”
This basically sets up the relationship dynamic we’ll see with these two for years to come. It will come to be much worse than this sort of thing but we’ll review that when we get there.
Hank’s rebuke only makes Janet more determined to make him fall in love with her. And Hank realizes if he is not careful, he will fall in love with her.
Ant-Man then introduces his ants to The Wasp and the ants tell Henry they can’t confront Kosmos.
The military comes to try to stop Kosmos but they retreat in fear. Janet decides to tackle the problem head on herself. Janet seems to be drawn to the creature but Hank saves her. He realizes he can defeat this thing through science and the pair go back to the lab. Hank whips up the antidote to formic acid, realizing the creature is mostly made of formic acid. They become Ant-Man and The Wasp once more but this time they have the ants carry shotguns filled with pellets full of the antidote.
They make it up to a rooftop and fire the shotgun at the creature and luckily for humanity this does stop Kosmos. Janet cheers and puts her arm around Hank who tells her, “Er.. we— we’d better get back to the lab! And from now on you must not display such emotion! It– it isn’t proper!”
Janet seems to just be happy she made him blush. Back at the lab Henry calls Lee Kearns at the F.B.I. and tells him everything is okay. Kearns says he wants to meet Ant-Man because they share the same goals and Ant-Man can’t keep going it alone. Looking at Janet, Hank replies, “I’m not going it alone, Kearns… not anymore… not ever again!”
In her mind, Janet vows to always be beside Hank and make him love her but until that day she will be his partner as The Wasp. The issue ends here but we know we have a lot more in store for these two.
This is absolutely a landmark issue for 616. It introduces a backstory for Henry Pym, finally gives him some motivation for what he has been doing, and provides a love interest and important character in her own right. No matter the problematic nature of the relationship between these two, this is the most fleshed out, well rounded, and best Ant-Man story so far. It also starts to feel like the pieces are coming together to tell a much larger story, although at the time readers would not have known this.
This issue also finally puts Ant-Man in the same city as The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man so our heroes are beginning to gather.
Next up on the reading list we’ll be checking in with another character who has it out for communists as we read about Iron Man in the pages of Tales of Suspense #42!
Hi there horror fans! Slick Dungeon here back to review another staple in the annals of horror. One of the most notorious and brutal films of all time which does not bury the lead in the title, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This was a slasher before there were many slashers of note and is counted by some critics as the first actual slasher film ever made. I’m going to take a pretty deep dive into this series so if you have not seen the movie and don’t want any spoilers watch first and then come back to read the review where you will find out this movie is about a massacre with a chainsaw that takes place in Texas. Yes, I know it’s my keen and insightful analysis like that which brings you back to this blog over and over again. Anyway, if you don’t want spoilers from a 1974 film basically everyone knows about, watch the movie first!
Background
When I was a kid in the dark days before common use of the internet we liked to watch horror movies when we would have sleep overs at our friends’ houses. One of our favorite things to do at these sleepovers was to watch a super scary movie series and then stay awake all night from fear. Somehow, when I went to these sleepovers (or had them at my house) one film series that we never picked up was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I’m not exactly sure why this one never came up for me but I suspect it has to do with the background of the film.
The movie was released in 1974 and was produced, co-composed and directed by Tobe Hooper. This film was somewhat inspired by the crimes of an actual murderer named Ed Gein, although the plot is basically fiction. While that is the truth of how the movie came to be, the rumors about this movie were wild. Much in the same way The Blair Witch Project would later cause people to believe actual crimes were committed in the making of the movie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was rumored to have used real skeletons, actually have killed people in the production and be based on real events. This lead to many of our parents banning the VHS copy of the film from ever being played at a sleepover.
Of course, the movie is just fiction, it was made on a low budget in Texas and by the standards of almost any horror movie today is fairly tame for a lot of it. That’s not to say there isn’t blood here or that it is not disturbing. It very much is, even now, but it’s really not much more over the top than any of the Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Scream films, with the notable exception that a chainsaw features prominently here. I should also point out that obviously no one was actually killed in the making of the movie.
Even before the film caught on, it had trouble getting distributed due to the violent nature of the content. Hooper had been hoping for a PG rating (remember this was before there was a PG-13 category) so he reduced the amount of blood shown. Still, this earned an R rating and it was tough to find a distributor willing to take it on. Eventually the Bryanston Distributing Company took on the challenge and in 1974 the film hit theaters in the United States and internationally. It was banned in several countries and even in the U.S. several theaters pulled it after audiences complained about the content of the movie.
Critics were basically mixed here at the opening but Hooper got the last laugh. The movie was made for $140,000 which would be just under about a million today if you adjust for inflation. The movie sold a whopping 16.5 million tickets earning over $30 Million in domestic box office alone. Thus Hooper proved for a low budget, with unknown actors, and plenty of scares and gore, audiences will come out to be scared. Not only that, they’ll keep coming back and love it. The slasher genre was truly born.
Sure, there had been a few movies one could argue would be slashers before this, Peeping Tom and Psycho being the most notable examples. But in those films, they were more psychological thrillers than anything else. While they had lots of shocking moments and a good amount of violence, that was never the point of those movies. But when you name a film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre there are three and only three things the audience demands to see. One, a massacre. Two, a chainsaw. And three the setting of Texas. Check, check and check. The fear is the point of this movie, no matter how you look at it.
This caused such a sensation that even if you didn’t watch it, you knew about the movie. It was not ashamed of what it was and made no apologies. The film inspired sequels, spin offs, books, comics, and video games as well. There are, in fact, nine films in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise with a tenth that was never released.
So the question is, how did a low budget movie featuring unknown actors and an unashamed acknowledgement of what it was right in the title spark an entire sub-genre and how does it hold up today?
Let’s dive in and find out!
Spoilers follow!
That’s an Odd Start
The beginning of the film starts with a text crawl and voice over. It talks about the tragedy which befalls five youths and in particular it mentions Sally Hardesty and her “invalid” brother. The voice over and text laments that these youths, even had they lived long lives could not have imagined nor wanted to see as much of the mad and macabre as they would that day. It mentions this was one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
This never says the film was based on true events or that the story was inspired by a particular news item but the implication is there. This gives the film more weight without actually lying about anything and it primes the audience for what will indeed be bizarre and macabre.
We then see a date on the screen, August 18, 1973. Again this gives an inference this is something that happened on a particular day. Much like Psycho the date is fairly meaningless so why would the filmmakers put it there unless something actually happened that day? It was a brilliant tactic when Psycho did this and I have to imagine Tobe Hooper was well aware of that when he decided to put a date at the start of this film. It makes you feel like you are peering into a window of time into something more akin to true crime than just a bloody horror film.
Next we hear the sound of digging, along with some grunting. There are camera flashes. It’s difficult at first to tell what is being lit up in the flashes but after a few times of this, it becomes clear we are looking at images of a rotting corpse, or perhaps corpses. The effects here don’t quite hold up to today’s standards but they are convincing enough to be off putting right from the start.
When we finally get a full picture, we see the face of the corpse as a news story plays in the background which talks about a grave robbing in the area of Newt, Muerto County Texas recently. Whoever dug up the graves also displayed the corpses on a monument in a grotesque manner. And as the camera pulls out to a wide shot, it is apparent that whoever they are talking about in the story has to be the one who was taking pictures. And we see the corpse we were looking at is set up in a strange manner so clearly this person has not been caught.
Road SAfety Tips
More news stories play in voice over as we watch the credits overlayed on images of red which could be just about anything but might possibly be blood or lava. Next we see a dead armadillo lying in the road. A van pulls over and we see the first of our living human characters get out.
The person gets out and lays a couple of sturdy boards out from the side door of the van. For those of us living in the current era this is pretty confusing but it makes sense once we see a man in a wheelchair being rolled out of the van on the boards. This was long before ADA compliance was a big thing and it’s a standard van so there is no ramp.
The person in the wheelchair is Franklin Hardesty and he is one of five people out on the trip here. He goes off to the side of the road to do what most men do when they pull over on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately for Franklin, he gets startled and rolls down the side of a hill. If only that would be the worst thing to happen to poor Franklin that day.
Back on the road, everyone is sweating in the van because, well, Texas in summer has a lot of heat. Franklin is complaining about the heat as a woman in the van talks about astrology.
The group gets out of the van a bit later and we get a glimpse of our full party here. This consists of Sally and Franklin Hardesty, Jerry, Kirk and Pam. Those last three don’t get last names. Apparently Sally is looking for the gravesite of her grandfather at a local cemetery. She goes off to find the sheriff but Franklin is left in the van.
An old man who is sitting on a tire lies back and looks up at Franklin and we get the first real feeling of something being wrong for this group. The man says to Franklin, “Things happen here abouts, they don’t tell about. I see things. You see, they say it’s just an old man. Talkin’. You laugh at an old man. There’s them that laughs and knows better.”
It’s not at all clear what this guy is talking about but it feels wrong. And it’s one of those tropes that ends up becoming adopted in so many slasher films. There is a warning before the group is truly in danger, often from someone who would be considered elderly or mentally ill or in some other way a person whose warnings could be easily dismissed or ignored by the rest of the community.
They get back on the road and Sally tells Franklin it didn’t look like their grandfather’s grave had been dug up. Soon everyone in the van starts complaining about a bad smell. Franklin points out this is where an old slaughterhouse was where their grandfather used to sell cattle.
And then Franklin goes into relentless detail about how the cows are killed, including descriptions of their heads being bashed in with a sledge hammer. And then he describes the modern way they kill the cows, still in graphic detail.
Someone in the van points out a hitchhiker and they decide to stop and pick him up.
Here’s a road safety tip from your old uncle Slick, don’t pick up hitchhikers! Seriously, it is a bad idea, so please do not do it. Trust me.
They even comment on how odd looking the guy is before they let him into the van. The guy talks about how his family worked in the slaughterhouse and he just gives off a real creepy vibe. The man also has a quite distinctive red mark on his face which could be a scar or blood or even a birthmark. Before you know it, this guy is doing really disturbing stuff. He’s handing out pictures of what look like polaroids of bloody masses of something. The characters in the van seem to take it to be cattle but it’s a little hard to tell what it is at all.
Then Franklin takes out a knife and starts playing with it. The hitchhiker takes the knife from Franklin and cuts deeply into his own palm with it. Road safety tip number two, if the hitchhiker you pick up seems a bit off, don’t flash a knife in front of him. Road safety trip number three, if the hitchhiker who you picked up seems a little off and he cuts into his own palm, make sure you let him out right then and there.
The hitchhiker then takes out a beat up old polaroid camera and takes a picture of Franklin. The hitchiker tells the group they could drop him off at his house up the road but the group says they are in a hurry. That’s the first smart move they’ve made so far here.
The hitchhiker even offers them dinner, saying his brother makes head cheese real good, but the group is not tempted. The guy then takes a picture of Franklin and demands two dollars for the picture. Franklin doesn’t want it so the guy takes the picture back, places it in foil, and lights it on fire. Everyone in the van starts to freak out but the hitchhiker grabs Franklin and cuts pretty deep into Franklin’s arm.
Only at this point do they finally kick the guy out of the van. The driver then says, “That’s the last goddamned hitchhiker I ever pick up.” One would hope so. Not that he’ll have much choice by the end of the movie here.
They patch Franklin up as Pam reads Franklin’s horoscope which seems like nothing but bad news.
We’ve now set up for a disturbing ride for the rest of the film and by the end, this group will be wishing they were just still on the road with an odd hitchhiker.
More Road Safety Tips
The van pulls up to a gas station. Everyone is a bit rattled from the day they’ve had. They are told the gas station has no gas, the tanks are all empty. This is odd but not impossible in a remote area like this. Franklin then asks about an old house they are looking for. The gas station attendant says they shouldn’t go poking around other people’s property because there are people who don’t like it and they’re willing to show you. In other words, poking around in deserted houses in the area is probably a bad idea. Franklin says it’s his father’s place though. The attendant offers them barbeque and says they should stick around a while and wait for the tanker to come fill up the gas tanks.
Another road safety tip here, if the gas station you pull up to has no gas, find the next one with gas as soon as humanly possible. Instead of go straight to the gas station, they drive out to Franklin’s grandfather’s place. This is a seriously bad idea.
Sally mentions the hitchhiker smeared blood all over the outside of the van.
They get over to the house they are trying to see, which is abandoned and look at the van to see that not only is there a blood smear, but it looks like a symbol of some kind.
Franklin seems rather paranoid about the hitchhiker following them and is real concerned about his knife.
There’s a pretty long sequence where the characters just kind of wander around the empty house for a bit as some ominous music plays.
Eventually Pam and Kirk decide they want to go swimming in a creek Franklin had mentioned and they take off. Franklin then notices some odd decorations made out of what look like bones.
That’s not a chainsaw
Kirk and Pam make it down the road and they see a house that seems to have a generator. Kirk figures he could go and get some gas if he leaves his guitar with these people as collateral until he can come back and pick it up. When they get close to the house there are a bunch of old broken down cars.
They wander around a bit and finally end up entering the house. This is when it starts to get real.
Kirk kicks a tooth on the ground and scares Pam with it. Rather than just leave, Kirk opens the unlocked door but Pam walks away. Kirk makes the mistake of walking in deeper and he starts to hear strange sounds like a person making pig noises.
We get our first view of Leatherface here as he pops out and bashes Kirk in the head with a sledgehammer. Wait, what? That’s not a chainsaw! Yep, that’s right, we’re saving that for later.
You’ve probably seen pictures of Leatherface before so I won’t go into too much detail but he wears a mask that is supposed to be made of human skin, and is wearing a butcher’s apron at this point in the movie.
Pam gives up waiting and goes to the door of the house and walks in after Kirk. She stumbles into a room just filled with bones. These are distinctly human bones and set up in all kinds of weird ways. Plus there is a chicken hanging in a cage for some reason. Pam starts freaking out and tries to leave. Leatherface pops out and grabs her.
He hangs her on a meathook as she is still screaming.
Oh, There is a Chainsaw
As poor Pam hangs there, Leatherface pulls out a chainsaw and starts to cut up Kirk’s body. We don’t really see too much blood here but the scene is still utterly disturbing.
Back at the van Franklin and Sally argue about who had his knife last. Jerry decides to go down to the creek and find Pam and Kirk.
Sally and Franklin continue to argue as Jerry goes to meet his doom.
Jerry finds the same house Pam and Jerry did and goes inside. He hears banging from a locked freezer and goes and opens it. A frozen Pam pops out for a minute.
Leatherface comes up from behind and guess what? Yep, sledge hammer to ol’ Jerry as well.
You really shoulda got that gas
By now it’s dark and Sally and Franklin are starting to wonder what has happened to their friends. There’s a bit of a long conversation where Franklin and Sally argue about whether they should go back to the gas station or go look for their friends. Turns out Jerry took the keys anyway so they can’t drive back to the gas station.
Finally the pair head down the path where their friends went and make all kinds of noise hollering for their friends.
When they are half way down the path they hear a noise and see a light at a house ahead of them. They go a bit farther and Leatherface shows up with his chainsaw. Franklin is no more but Sally runs away.
Leatherface runs through the forest after her swinging his chainsaw every which way. Sally makes it to the house where her friends died and runs up the stairs. She encounters an elderly man in a rocking chair. He looks like he might be dead but we’ll later find out this is the living grandfather of Leatherface. Sally runs down the hall.
Leatherface is close behind but Sally does what will become a signature move for her. She jumps out of the window to escape.
There is another chase through the forest until Sally finds herself all the way back at the gas station that had no gas.
I’ll pass on the Barbeque, thanks
In the gas station the attendant is there and he tries to calm Sally down. She tries to ask the guy to call the police but he says there is no phone. Again, odd but not impossible in those days. The guy says he’ll drive her over to the next town and leaves to get his truck.
And that’s when Sally notices the meat cooking in some kind of pit. That is definitely not beef. And another report about the desecration of graves plays in the background.
The gas station attendant comes back with a sack and Sally realizes she is still in some serious trouble. She tries to defend herself but gets beaten with a broom and knocked out. The attendant ties her up and gags her.
He tosses her in the truck and weirdly seems to be trying to reassure her that things will be okay as he keeps hitting her with the broomstick.
On the way, the gas station attendant picks up the hitchhiker from the beginning of the movie and yells at the guy. As if needed any more confirmation he tells the guy he was supposed to stay away from the graveyard. And we find out this guy is the brother of Leatherface.
The worst family dinner of all time
When Sally has the bag removed from her head, she sees the hitchhiker and she’s back in the house she escaped from. Things are not looking good.
Next, the gas station attendant tells the killers to go get their grandpa. He also tells Sally to take it easy and they’ll have something for her to eat right away.
Sure enough the guy in the chair from earlier is brought downstairs as Sally struggles the best she can to get away. Eventually she passes out and when she wakes up she’s at the family dinner table.
We also find out that the gas station attendant doesn’t like killing people and he lets the two brothers do all of that. Turns out the gas station attendant is, “just the cook.”
The whole room is decorated with bones and body parts and feels extremely uncomfortable to the viewer.
There’s kind of a long sequence here where they threaten and torture Sally and explain to her that their grandfather was the best killer they had ever seen. They make the mistake of trying to get Grandpa to kill Sally but he’s so old and weak that he keeps missing.
Fortunately for Sally she’s untied and able to escape the house. She once again jumps out of a window to get away. Leatherface and the hithchhiker run after Sally. Leatherface, of course, has his chainsaw with him.
Even More Road Safety Tips
Sally makes it to the road with the hitchhiker grabbing onto her. A semi-truck comes out of nowhere and basically flattens the hitchhiker. Look before you cross, people. And yeah, if you see a guy covered in blood grabbing a woman who is screaming for dear life as you drive your truck down the street, I can’t say I blame you if you hit the gas here.
The truck pulls over after this and the driver lets Sally into the cab of the truck. Leatherface comes with his chainsaw and saws the door a bit.
If I was the driver here, I woulda hit the gas so hard to get outta there but that’s not what he does. Instead, he and Sally run out the other side as Leatherface chases after them. But the driver grabbed a wrench on the way out and tosses it at Leatherface’s head. It connects and Leatherface falls, causing him to drop his chainsaw onto his own leg. It cuts him but it doesn’t sever the leg or anything.
A pickup truck comes by and pulls over. The driver of the semi-truck runs into the woods so who knows what happens to him? But Sally is able to get into the back of the pickup, she’s smeared in blood and laughing and screaming like she has lost her mind.
The film ends with a shot of Leatherface swinging his chainsaw around in the air as the sun rises behind him.
In Conclusion
There were a lot of factors that made this a successful horror film. One is the ominous soundtrack which plays in the background. The cinematography here is nothing special but it’s competent. The set design is completely off putting to the audience and with each watch through you are bound to notice yet another disturbing thing in the background you might have missed. Gunnar Hansen, who plays Leatherface is an imposing figure and you can’t take your eyes off of him whenever he is on screen.
But most importantly, this film was willing to cross boundaries and take risks where other horror films up to this point had not. There is not a larger story here other than people in danger and the end is not conclusive. The bad guys are not caught and punished for their misdeeds so one can presume they will be free to continue their horrific crimes into the future. The only one who seems like they might be out of the picture is the hitchhiker since he was hit by a truck.
It can’t be underestimated how influential this film is in the annals of horror. Most slasher films owe something to this one, whether it is a mysterious figure under a mask, a thoroughly creepy soundtrack, warnings from the community before the danger starts, or a collection of people going about everyday activities who find themselves confronted with a horror they can barely comprehend.
While there are definitely slasher films which I would say are better, this movie undoubtedly laid the groundwork for those. Since I have not yet seen all of the films in the franchise, I can’t say if the rest improve on the quality here but this first film is the one everyone knows about and for good reason.
Strange Tales Issue 109, Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee & Robert Bernstein, Art: Jack Kirby
What would you do if you had the power of Pandora’s box? If you’re anything like The Sorcerer in Strange Tales #109, you’ll probably run around trying to steal stuff and attacking The Human Torch. The issue gets a bit weird as it dives into magic which is a newer threat for Johnny Storm.
The issue starts with a teaser page showing our hero threatened by a giant tidal wave. A man in a green robe is telling Torch that “Flood is the evil I’ve selected to destroy you!”
So, who is this guy and why does he have it out for ol’ flame head? Basically, it’s a kids get off my lawn story but let’s take a look at it anyway.
The story starts back at the Baxter building where three of the Fantastic Four are all gathered. Johnny flies in through the window and The Thing scolds Johnny for skipping school. But, of course, Johnny has done no such thing. His teachers are just having a conference so he got out early. Johnny was basically bored and missing his family so decided to drop on by. He complains a bit about school and then notices a map in the room and rightly realizes the rest of the team are planning a mission. Johnny wants to join but is told no because it has to happen the next day when Johnny is in school.
We don’t get any real information about the mission, other than the FF plans to “…make life a little tougher for the commies!” Which, yeah sounds about right for these comics at that time. Johnny complains about how boring it is being a full time student at boring Glenville. As Johnny flies off we get a rare glimpse of how Ben Grim actually feels about Johnny. He says he loves the hot-head like a brother.
On his way out, Torch sees a fire in a building and uses his powers to suck in all the flames and saves the people in the upper floors. Then he sees a flash flood which has washed out some train tracks. Luckily for the passengers, Johnny is able to convert the flood water into steam and the train passes by safely.
Yeah, sometimes the powers of The Human Torch are kind of silly and so are the random dangers he flies by. But his powers, especially at this time, are a bit flexible anyway.
The next disturbance Torch hears is some commotion at a place where he knows an “eccentric old hermit known as The Sorcerer lives!”
So what’s the big trouble about? Well, this dude is literally trying to get kids off of his lawn. But this time, with dogs. Dogs which are leashed I should mention. As far as I can tell, this guy isn’t actually breaking any kind of law, even if he is being rather unpleasant.
Not quite sure who voted The Human Torch the head of the neighborhood watch, but he decides to take things into his own hands. He puts a leash of flames around the dogs and basically yells at The Sorcerer for scaring the kids. Johnny tells the guy to put his dogs away or Johnny will take them to the dog pound. The Sorcerer puts the dogs away and asks Johnny to tell the kids to stay away from him and give him privacy. Johnny asks if The Sorcerer knows what he’s called around the neighborhood. The dude says yes and the name is well earned because he has studied black magic for years. Johnny then tells the guy if he wants privacy so bad, he’ll give it to him with a wall of flame around his house. The Sorcerer points out he won’t be able to come and go if there is a wall of flame there. Johnny responds he can’t have it both ways, “If you want freedom of movement, others must have it as well!” The Sorcerer gives in but tells Johnny he won’t forget it.
At this point, let’s sum up here. I’m not one to be on the side of a wealthy property owner or anything but in the last few minutes a guy who lives on private property tried to get kids off his lawn, with pets he legally owns and properly kennels, was called an eccentric by a super powered human, nearly had his dogs burnt by said super human, had his lawn burned by fire and was then told he had to let people just come onto his property. I think rather than threaten this guy, perhaps Johnny should have looked up real estate egress laws because, yeah, now this guy is going to go full villain.
Johnny doesn’t really think the guy has black magic so feels pretty safe leaving and taking the kids back to their home. But what Johnny does not know is that The Sorcerer is about to discover Pandora’s box. You know, the one from the myth where basically all bad things were let out into the world? Yeah that one. Which seems weird because if we believe the myth, the stuff in the box couldn’t be put back so how would owning it help? The only thing left inside was supposedly hope and we already have that too so, I think Pandora’s box is just a box at this point. Also, if we believe the myth it was a jar not a box but whatever.
Ah, but see, these are comics we’re reading so they have a ready excuse. The Sorcerer explains (to himself), “But what other experts on Greek legend don’t know is the Circe, the greatest sorceress of ancient times, used her fantastic magic to force all the evils to return to the box…” Circe then seals the box with a magic incantation. So there you have it, perfectly logically explained and we’re good to continue with the story.
If we are to believe The Sorcerer he got that very box “…unwittingly sent to him in a crate full of Greek artifacts by an expert from Athens!” If it was sent unwittingly, then this expert was not much of an expert. Or maybe they were looking for a jar not a box instead?
Anyway, The Sorcerer continues studying ancient texts and vowing revenge on The Human Torch. He also points out he can unleash and recapture all of the imps which are in the box through his magic.
Two weeks later he shows up at a bank holding a box. He is not taken seriously at first when he demands money from the bank and the security guards want to take him in to have his mental health checked. They don’t put it quite that nicely.
But the Sorcerer is prepared and unleashes the evil of hatred. Before you know it, everyone in the bank is fighting with one another over trivial stuff. The Sorcerer uses the opportunity to grab as much cash as he can and strolls out of the bank. He then recalls the imp of hatred and lets out the imp of… forgetfulness. I guess that’s a kind of evil in some cases? Anyway, it causes everyone there to forget what just happened. Johnny goes to investigate and realizes the people there are not lying, they’ve been manipulated somehow.
The Sorcerer goes on a bit of a crime spree, stealing jewels with the imp of… sleepiness, stealing art from a museum with the imp of… paralysis, and furs with the imp of… cold. And he covers his tracks in the same way after each one.
One night in Glenville the police hold a meeting where Johnny is present and one of the officers says it seems like the crook is some sort of wizard which makes Johnny think of The Sorcerer. The Human Torch rushes off to find the bad guy sorting his ill gotten gains. The Torch has the advantage of surprise but The Sorcerer unleashes disease from the box to sicken Johnny. This works for a moment until Johnny heats himself up enough to burn off any germs. So, instead The Sorcerer lets out the evil of a tidal wave like we were teased in the beginning.
Sure enough, Johnny is soaked and his flame goes out. The cops show up but The Sorcerer unleashes foolishness on the cops. But there are still more cops who are not affected yet and they fire shots at The Sorcerer. Good thing for him magic can apparently ignore the rules of physics completely because The Sorcerer unleashes… laziness… to slow down the bullets. Yeah, not kidding.
Johnny stalls for time by asking about the box, hoping he can dry out enough to flame on. And, as The Sorcerer thinks he has Johnny defeated, Johnny asks if he can choose the manner of his own death. The Sorcerer agrees and unleashes fire which, of course, only powers up our hero. Johnny grabs the box from The Sorcerer and welds it shut, saying he is going to take it to the ocean so it can’t be found again.
The Sorcerer is terrified when Johnny gets back. This is because, just before Johnny left, the imp of fear poked out of the box in the direction of The Sorcerer. This guy is probably going to be permanently scared of everything.
The last panel is Johnny reuniting with the rest of the FF who seem to have heard about Johnny’s exploits and all is well again.
There are a few interesting things about this issue. One, it firmly establishes magic as being a real and regular thing in the world of 616, thus truly paving the way for Dr. Strange to show up soon. Second, it separates Johnny Storm from the FF a bit so there is the possibility of splitting this group up into different adventures at any time.
Also, while I certainly don’t condone the behavior of The Sorcerer once he has Pandora’s box, Johnny sure seems bossy to random people in the neighborhood in this issue. This certainly doesn’t mean Johnny is bad or evil in any way but it would be easy to see how a super powered person could intimidate the heck out of someone for, you know, wanting kids not to hang around their lawn or whatever.
We’ve certainly not seen the last of Johnny Storm, or of magic in the 616 but it’s a long way from being fully explored just yet.
Next time we’re getting small again with Ant-Man but he’s going to bring along a new player in the 616 as we first meet The Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44!
