February 2020 - Media Binge

In February of 2020, I played the following:

KLASK (17)	Gloomhaven (5)	That's Pretty Clever (3)	7 Wonders Duel (2)	Carcassonne Big Box 5 (2)	Crokinole (2)
Dice Forge (2)	Escape Room: The Game – Jumanji (2)	Tipsy (2)	7 Wonders (1)	Asara (1)	Bites (1)
Captain Sonar (1)	Discoveries: The Journals of Lewis and Clark (1)	Exit: The Game – The Forgotten Island (1)	Five Tribes (1)	Freshwater Fly (1)	A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition) (1)
Hive Pocket (1)	The Isle of Cats (1)	Istanbul (1)	Little Circuses (1)	The Lost Expedition (1)	Maiden's Quest (1)
Mansions of Madness: Second Edition (1)	Pandemic: The Cure (1)	Samurai Gardener (1)	Seasons (1)	Troyes (1)	Village (1)

This Month's Winners

Seasons - Honorable Mention I love so many things about this game. The dice are huge and custom engraved with a variety of different information that make your selection of one each round very engaging. The cards, boards, tokens, and cubes are all brightly colored and beautifully illustrated. At first glance, you may assume that this is just another card-combat game akin to games like Magic the Gathering or Pokémon; however, this game is largely a multiplayer solitaire game with a dash of player interaction through dice selection and the occasional card effect that negatively affects your opponents. We recently recommended this game to a family down the street (The Grays!) and offered to teach them one night. Knowing that they felt comfortable enough to go home and teach it to their children the next night made me super happy! There's no better feeling than seeing others partake in this hobby! That is, aside from winning. Winning feels pretty good too lol.

Mansions of Madness, 2nd Ed. - 3rd Place This game was almost my #2 for the month of February; however, I tried to weigh my excitement for the potential of this game vs. the actual enjoyment I've experienced thus far. I have owned Mansions of Madness twice now. The first time I received this game in trade, we played one scenario and hated it. The scenario we played utilizes a ton of dice combat and felt very punishing. Why the publisher felt that scenario was best suited as an introduction to the game is beyond me. Having played 2 scenarios now, I am very excited to further explore the 21 other scenarios included in the game and expansions we currently own. This game is cooperative so all players are working together to solve whatever mystery they are presented at the start of the game. The mansion is represented by a massive stack of double-sided tiles of different sizes and these tiles are placed according to instructions given by the companion app. This game's app is also pretty great as it monitors all creature combat, events that occur during a scenario, provides digital puzzles (e.g. slide puzzles, decoders, etc.) to solve, and even offers creepy background music! I am excited to explore further scenarios and I hope that they prove more like the cult-related murder mystery we solved with our 2nd play!

Village - 2nd Place I don't personally own this game but I think that I would if our regular gaming friends (Dan & Christine) did not already own a copy. We have played this game twice and, while I did not remember much from our 1st play, the 2nd play more recently left a lasting impression. I had not realized that this game was designed by the same 2 designers, Inka & Markus Brand, that created Rajas of the Ganges. Both games have appealing aesthetics with very different mechanisms. Village is very fun but also very much a thinking/planning game. Every round, you are faced with a variety of tough choices regarding where to take actions while they're still available. Wait too long and someone may snatch the last remaining cube from an action space, rendering it unavailable until the next round. Unlike most worker placement games, this game often allows multiple players to perform the same actions, assuming there are still cubes to be collected at a given location on the board. I really enjoy the sequential puzzle that this game presents. However, I do feel that the game overstays its welcome just a tad bit as it only ends once enough workers have been discarded to fill 1 of 2 spaces on the board. Discarding workers can be avoided in most cases through careful planning which means that, the better you get at the game, the longer the game becomes! I would still happily play this game anytime it hits the table!

Five Tribes - 1st Place This was one of the first 5 or 10 games in our collection. My brother-in-law, Ryan, bought it for me for Christmas back in 2016 I believe it was. I had seen this game played on an episode of Tabletop and thought it looked really interesting. This game is full of vibrant illustrations, chunky wooden pieces, and a ton of replayability. Anyone who has ever played/enjoyed the game of Mancala should check out this game. While it uses a similar "pick-up and drop-off" mechanism to Mancala, Five Tribes incorporates a variety of additional mechanisms that makes every turn a puzzle. Not only does the color of your last piece dropped matter (because every color grants you a different kind of reward) but where you place it is just as important. Your last piece must land on a tile containing at least 1 other piece of that color. You then collect all pieces of that color and resolve the reward/effect for that specific color. Additionally, you are granted a bonus action/reward specific to the tile on which you ended your movement. This game is one of our evergreen games and I highly recommend it!

In February of 2020, I watched the following:

Gretel & Hansel Early reviews for this film were not positive but my mom requested that we go see it so on we went. The best thing about this film is its score (composed by Rob); while strangely paired, the music in this film consisted of dark and airy synth tones. As for the film itself, it had about as much substance as a music video. I'm not dismissing the art of music video direction by any means. I just mean that this 87 minute long film could have easily been boiled down to an extended 15-minute short film without any dialogue and you'd be just as informed about the characters while possibly slightly more entertained. I can't recommend this film... not even for those who may just want something playing in the background. If that's the case, I'd recommend giving Rob's original score a listen!

Lords of Chaos I knew nothing about the true life events that inspired the making of this film. I've been familiar with Norwegian black metal since the early 2000s but have never really been into the scene myself. However, I can't deny my love for the orchestral elements and the guitarist's epic vocals demonstrated in Dimmu Borgir's Progenies of The Great Apocalypse. Despite being about a band, this film focuses less on their music and more on their terrorist acts (i.e. burning down churches, stabbing a man to death, etc.). This film had a few familiar faces, including: Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Jack Kilmer, Valter Skarsgård, and Sam Coleman. While everyone in the film is doing their best to portray black metal enthusiasts, they often come off as awkward, silly caricatures. However, among these actors, Rory Culkin shines. Especially towards the end of the film, Culkin makes you feel for his character despite not being very likeable. For reasons I can't quite put my finger on, Lords of Chaos reminds me of earlier films like American History X and SLC Punk. There is a healthy dose of violence, gore, and sexual content within this film. There were several scenes involving knives that made me squirm, even when the practical effects were a bit laughable. Worth a watch if you're bored but not one I need to own.

Five Feet Apart This was clearly a film that my wife wanted to watch more than I did. From the start, this film slaps you in the face with heart-wrenching indie songs that tell you "we're here for tears." I was relieved to see Haley Lu Richardson was the main actress; I've liked her as an actress since seeing her in The Young Kieslowski (a much better teen romantic dramedy). This relief was sidekicked by my disappointment at seeing Cole Sprouse was to be the love interest... so many "I can wipe my own ass" jokes were made during the viewing of this film. I tend to really enjoy Moises Arias in films but his stereotypical gay sidekick character in this film just felt like a misuse of his talent. I have so many problems with the writing in this film that I'm just going to list them: 1) Nurses sharing confidential medical information with teenage patients, 2) Haley's OCD as a plot device that permits her to shoehorn herself into another teen's treatment routine (who's working in this hospital??), 3) zero chemistry between Haley and Cole, 4) obvious use of music throughout the film to elicit emotion response from teenage girls (e.g. Moises' howling at the ceiling of his room as the music swells), 5) predictable deaths are predictable. I've already seen this film... 6 years ago when it was called The Fault in Our Stars. If you just HAVE to watch a film about sick teens, watch that one instead.

Chasing Amy We watched Chasing Amy an effort to prepare for the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot event we are attending this month. The plan was to rewatch as many of Kevin Smith's films as possible prior the event; however, this plan came a little to late and so I'm afraid we may only squeeze 1 or 2 more movies in beforehand. Chasing Amy is likely the only Kevin Smith movie I don't own and, ironically, it is the only film I could find to stream online. From what I've read online, this movie is particularly personal to Kevin Smith as it was based on his real-life relationship with the lead actress of the film (Joey Lauren Adams). Knowing that, Ben Affleck's casting as an  inexperienced, insecure character just felt slightly off. I mean... while his acting chops in the 90's were a little rough around the edges, he's still Ben Affleck at the end of the day! The way this film grapples with sexual orientation and its ties to an individual's identity feels like it must have been important for the time in which it was made; a time when Banky's character still freely tossed the word "f@&&#t"  around like it was commonplace. The main thing I appreciate about this film is its numerous connections to the 2 films that preceded it (Clerks and Mallrats). There is a great attention to detail throughout Kevin Smith's films concerning these connections. It is this sort of writing that rewards multiple viewings of his films.

Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back I watched this film immediately after writing my review for Chasing Amy so much of my thoughts are similar to those mentioned in that review. Kevin Smith secured a ton of cameos for this film, far too many for me to bother listing here. As with his other films, there are several nods to his previous work (e.g. Quickstop Ben Affleck as Holden referencing his time dating a lesbian, Jason Lee reprising dual roles as Banky from Chasing Amy and Brodie from Mallrats with a reference to chocolate pretzels, etc.). Overall, I found myself enjoying my efforts to quote the film more than the actual story. As I sat there watching the movie, I started to wonder... "Have I outgrown this kind of humor?" That's definitely not the kind of attitude I want to have before going to see the sequel, especially not at an event where I'll get the chance to meet Kevin Smith afterwards! Fingers crossed that I love the sequel as much as I remember loving this one...

Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Unfortunately, this film was exactly as advertised. Kevin Smith has said many times that the plot of the film was a direct rip-off of his 1st J&SB movie and yet... I wanted to believe he was just self-deprecating like usual. This movie didn't feel so much like a love letter to fans as it did a cash grab. In all honesty, this film felt on par with something like Scary Movie 5; a seemingly random mashup of references to other films from Kevin Smith's filmography. The audience devoured every lazy reference made in the film and I started to wonder if I did myself a disservice by attending this event sober. I will say that Ben Affleck's cameo was, by far, the most touching bit of writing in the film. This is disappointing when you know that Kevin Smith wrote the entire scene in a matter of hours after Affleck agreed to fly out for the shoot. This film was primarily inspired by Jason Mewes' becoming a father and there are definitely some touching moments between Jay and Milly. I just wish Kevin had enough confidence to lean on his ability to tell that story. Getting to meet Kevin after the show was definitely a highlight and I am still a huge fan of his work. While my wife said that she enjoyed this film more than the first Jay & Silent Bob film, I'm just not sure when I'll ever feel compelled to watch this one again. I'm still pumped for Clerks III and Mallrats II though!

Doctor Sleep The interconnectivity of Stephen King's literary work is both exciting and daunting. While the film adaptation of The Shining is considered by many to be a classic, I've never been a die-hard fan of it personally. Nonetheless, I was very excited when Doctor Sleep was first released. Unfortunately, I missed it in theaters due to my wife's limited enthusiasm for The Shining. Just imagine walking by the theater room for Doctor Sleep on your way to see... Last Christmas... yet another film about ghosts (spoiler alert and you're welcome). Having recently seen Doctor Sleep, my wife and I really enjoyed it. The movie does a great job balancing both horror and fantasy elements. I also have to agree with previous reviews that have pointed out how the film acknowledges the original novel and the divergent paths taken from it by the movie adaptation. We are given a much better look at what it means to "shine." We are also introduced to a new nomadic group of characters, referred to as the "True Knot", whom survive off of the "steam" possessed by Danny and others in film. The cast is excellent and you really come to care for the main protagonists while still feeling a bit of sympathy for the true knot followers despite the lengths they go to survive. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, regardless of your feelings towards The Shining. This movie confidently stands on its own two feet and does not require anyone to be familiar with the preceding books or movie.

Turbo Kid This movie feels a bit like a guilty pleasure for me! Turbo Kid was released in 2015 but plays homage to films and video games that came before it with its heavy use of retro synth music and some familiar character designs. The main protagonist, Turbo Kid, looks like a discount Megaman with a Nintendo power glove that pops his enemies like blood-filled water balloons. He befriends a quirky girl named Apple who, to be honest, steals every scene! These two befriend a tough guy named Frederick who rips out jaws first and asks questions later. The villain of the film, a one-eyed man named Zeus, looks a lot like Deacon from Waterworld. In this post-apocalyptic future, fresh water is scarce and Zeus governs the distribution of all freshwater with a small army of makeshift weapon-wielding thugs (very much like Mad Max: Fury Road). Zeus' right hand assassin, Skeletron, is a silent but imposing villain with a metal skull mask and a saw blade cannon attached to his arm (also reminiscent of something out of Megaman). At one point in the film, there's even a random gladiator that looks as if they were purposefully costumed to look like a fat version of Vega from Street Fighter! This movie is not great by any means. In fact, I nodded off for the first 30 minutes in my 2nd viewing until the action picked up. However, the violence and practical gore effects are silly fun... if you're into that sort of thing. 😎

Villains I was very interested in seeing this film, primarily because of the actors involved. Bill Skarsgård is a big draw because of his work on Castle Rock but, more importantly, his portrayal as Pennywise in the IT films. However, I am always willing to give a film a watch when I see Maika Monroe is involved! I've been a fan of her since It Follows with every film I've seen because of her being a pleasant surprise (e.g. Tau & The Guest). Overall, I liked the quirky tone of the film. I feel that the trailer may have revealed a bit much of the film but I also don't know how else this movie could have been sold without showing what it does. I suppose that may suggest that the plot to this film is a bit thin but I still enjoyed myself. Skarsgård and Monroe have great chemistry and I really felt for them  by the end of the film despite their actions earlier in the film (e.g., breaking into a house and eating the homeowners' cereal before throwing her bowl behind the couch!). The antagonists in the film, played by Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick, are also entertaining. Donovan's character steals many of the film's scenes, especially towards the end while Sedgwick's character felt a little less convincing as she starts to become unhinged. This is definitely a lazy Sunday film if you want some mild gore and dark humor, check it out!

Thor My wife has been on a Marvel kick this month so we've watched a few MCU films with this being the first. There was a ton of exposition early on in this film and I'm guessing that it was necessary back when this was first released in 2011. It feels so much older than that when you consider just how many films comprise the MCU (i.e. 22). It had been so long since we'd seen the film that we completely had the timeline confused, assuming that Loki was the primary villain in this film as he was in The Avengers. Chris Hemsworth does a fine job in his debut film as Thor while his bleached eyebrows remain as distracting as Scarlett Johansson's were in Avengers: Infinity War! I remember being underwhelmed with this film when it was released. Even now, I can't think of many action set pieces beyond the short battle with the Frost Giants and the generic western standoff between Thor and the Destroyer. I think the thing I remember most after my recent watch was the cringe-worthy line deliver provided by Loki when Thor decides to smash the Bifröst. "What are you doing?? If you destroy the bridge, you'll never see her again!" Sorry but... wasn't Loki just trying to murder his brother? Since when was he concerned with his brother's love life? I think this was a moment where the director failed to trust that the audience understood the weight of Thor's actions. It's a shame that this scene happens so late in the final act because it is one of the only things I can recall about the film.

Thor: The Dark World After watching the first Thor film, it seemed only natural to watch another! I've seen this film 3 times now, once in theaters and twice at home. On the 2nd and 3rd viewings, I believe my wife has consistently stated that the film "wasn't that bad!" I have to agree with her. This film starts off with the same heavy-handed dialogue presented in the first film, introducing the Dark Elves as the antagonists of the film. I really enjoyed the stylistic design of these characters, especially the haunting masks worn by their soldiers. The battles in this film reminded my wife and me of scenes from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. I will admit that I was somewhat distracted during our streaming of this film. However, I still enjoyed the spectacle of this film, especially the truly terrifying aesthetics of the Dark Elves' Kurse. The way the used their magic to meld soldiers' bodies with their armor, creating massive juggernauts with tusks, horns, and piercing-blue eyes was very well done. Having watched this film shortly after the first film in the franchise, I honestly think this film was an improvement. When you consider just how well Thor: Ragnarok was executed, the Thor franchise seems unstoppable!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 This film is far funnier and heartfelt than I remember it being. I don't tend to think about this film very often because the events of it seem relatively isolated in the larger scheme of the MCU. The film opens with a stunning action set piece that feels like cotton candy for your eyeballs. Dave Bautista's Drax steals every scene he's in with ridiculous lines like "I have famously large turds!" and "Move smaller, dumber Groot!" I won't spend too much time reflecting on the story of this film. I feel like they could have done a bit more flesh out what Peter Quill's lineage means for his character moving forward. Another character that really stood out in this film was Michael Rooker's Yondu. While I wish I could say that, "I'm Mary Poppins ya'll!", was his most memorable moment in the film, it wasn't. Yondu's scene with Peter Quill at the end of the film is ugly-cry worthy. Just thinking about it now as I type this is tough. I'm not crying, you're crying! I highly recommend this film to anyone, comic book fan or otherwise. Although, I do think that it definitely pays to have seen the first Guardians film prior to watching this one.

In February of 2020, I read the following...

The Boys Omnibus: Volume 4 This volume was a tad bit disappointing. There are many story beats that feel recycled from previous issues (e.g. Hughie being pushed into an assignment that consequently results in him infiltrating a superhero group with whom he must conceal his identity and true intentions). Come to think of it... Hughie is often sent behind enemy lines for the purpose of gathering information, planting bugs, etc. In this volume, Hughie takes some time to return home to Scotland where we get to meet some of his childhood friends and start to learn a bit about some of the trouble Hughie got into in his youth that may be catching up with him soon. My least favorite part of this volume was the drama between Hughie and Annie aka Starlight. I find it a bit uncharacteristic of Hughie to struggle so much with Annie's initiation into The Seven while he's gotten over having killed several people in a seemingly shorter amount of time. Coincidentally, this plot point is VERY reminiscent of the major conflict that arises in a film I also watched this movie, Chasing Amy, with 100% less murder. I'm still invested in the story, I just hope Volume 5 breaks some new ground.

Locke & Key - Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft When I heard that Locke & key was adapted and arriving on Netflix this month, I decided that I had to start reading it immediately! There are 6 volumes in the original series and a few additional books beyond that. This first volume was a fairly quick read but it has already done a great job at developing interesting and sympathetic characters with the Locke family. Having recently lost their father, the Locke children and their mother relocate to a massive family estate (as pictured on the cover). From what we are shown in this first volume, the Keyhouse Mansion has several keys hidden throughout the house that seem to unlock doors with magical properties (e.g. allowing an individual's spirit/consciousness to leave their body as they pass through the door, flying around the estate unobstructed by physical objects). From the reviews I have read, Locke & Key is a highly regarded horror series. While there are a few scenes that are genuinely creepy or disturbingly violent, the book seemed to carry the tone of a dramatic fantasy, similar to that of Pan's Labyrinth. Either way, I'm totally invested now and can't wait to continue reading!