Enter Prince Owlbert - A D&D Anecdote

An anecdote from Monday, 6/22/20's D&D session...

My group turned Level 5 tonight after finishing The Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign, for which we spared the big bad (first time we hadn't straight-up killed a baddie, typically after initially agreeing to a negotiation then turning around and brutally killing everyone). The next morning, after returning to our city of safe haven, Phandalin, we fairly easily killed an invading group of orcs (thanks to our new level upgrades), after which we decided to go find their camp to kill the rest. I had personally saved the weapons shop owner, who was so grateful she gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek - I "aw shucks"'ed the moment as a callback to doing the same thing earlier in the night after a failed attempt to negotiate with the big bad.

On the way to the orcs' camp/base, we randomly encountered two owlbears (DM's choice, because we'd often encountered boring, annoying sturgeons, and we're now in homebrew territory). Because we were level 5, they weren't putting up that much of a fight (there are four of us - a Half-Elf Rogue, an Elf Ranger, a Dragonborn Barbarian, and a Human Monk (me)), considering one of our 3 pet wolves managed to do decent damage to one owlbear and even knock it prone. My turn was initially skipped, but after it was remembered, I was able to attack the prone one twice and kill it. Then, turning to the remaining one, I had the idea to try and tame it (a recurring gimmick - hence the 3 wolves). The DM reluctantly humored the thought by saying we'd need to roll two 20s in a row. So, with my remaining bonus action, I used Flurry of Blows to try and knock it prone - failing on the first hit (needed a DC 14 - it rolled a 15), but succeeding on the second (it rolled an 11). The game had begun...

The Half-Elf Rogue rolls an attack, hits and successfully lands the non-fatal finishing blow. However, before talking about what we were going to do to try and tame the beast, I remembered that he gets advantage on a prone victim. So for fun, what happens when he re-rolls? He crits - the first 20 is secured.

With the battle "complete," it's time to figure out how to tame the wild beast. Enter the Dragonborn, who has Speak With Animals. He quickly starts shaking the dice in his hands to "warm them up" while we're talking about how absurd this is, and the specifics of the spell - it'd take one Action (though we're out of combat so it doesn't matter) and then we'd have 10 minutes to talk. As he continues to "warm up the dice," he talks to the owlbear, who's furious, rageful and only so intelligent, but my teammate gives a fairly compelling speech that we'd offer food, safety, companionship, and the chance to kill our enemies. I also toss him some meat from my pocket to gain favor (another gimmick - which helped with the 3 wolves).

When it comes time to roll the die, he tosses it into his new felt box... he doesn't say the number, we don't hear any reaction, but we see him lean back in his chair and raise his arms. He says "I'm not touching anything, I'm going to take a picture and send it to you" - he puts his phone over the die, takes a picture, then shows it to us on the computer: it's a golden nat 20.

After a brief discussion on names, for which the initially reluctant DM even got in on the fun and made a suggestion... and with the deciding naming vote going to the Elf Ranger... Prince Owlbert successfully joined our party. (And yes, he absolutely will eventually wear a hat and bowtie.) It was a beautiful, hilarious, and incredibly lucky cap to the night, and it involved everyone - my character's running gimmick of wanting pets, permission from the DM with the stakes, a 20 from the Half-Elf Roge, a 20 from the Dragonborn, then selecting the name from the Elf Ranger. Teamwork at its finest.

God I love D&D.

(Note: not all details are accurate, but they're accurate enough.)

Demons (1985) movie review

Demons (1985) -

What "Demons" lacks in characters, it makes up for with style, gore, English dubbing over Italian acting, a synth score, fun commentary on movies, and a kick-ass 80s rock soundtrack. Basically, it's a zombie movie where it's demons instead of zombies.

I'm a bit disappointed the US didn't make this in the mid-late 80s or 90s; seems like it would have been perfect for New Line or Dimension, with possibly Wes Craven or maybe an younger Peter Jackson directing. I'd also be curious to see John Carpenter's take on this.

Conclusion: Recommended

Wonder Woman / Conan review

Quickly put: I really enjoyed Wonder Woman / Conan. Gail Simone does a masterful job of crafting a fantastic fantasy story. Pacing-wise, it's pretty great - it has a bit of a slow start, but builds really, really nicely, weaving in so many excellent elements thanks to the medium (particularly the flashbacks). There are some great themes, setup-payoffs, fantasy motifs, and the relationship / dynamic between Wonder Woman and Conan is excellent. It ends really nicely, too. Solid job, all around.

Plus, the artwork by Aaron Lopresti was just fantastic (and the included covers, including those by The Boys' Darick Robertson, are awesome). The coloring brought the world to life in a stunning way.

I'd love this as a movie, complete with an epic score (RIP Basil Poledouris), but I'm glad we have the story in excellent form as a comic. In a brief exchange on Twitter, Simone revealed she listened to Poledouris score while creating the book, and that makes me love both even more.

Conclusion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

"The Farewell" movie review

I very much enjoyed The Farewell! It reminded me in ways of Destination Wedding with its honesty and directing, plus a bit of "anti-genre" elements.

Definitely loved Nai Nai the grandma (Shuzhen Zhao) the most. Also enjoyed Haohao the cousin getting married (Han Chen), who was mostly played for laughs, but really enjoyed him. The parents (Tzi Ma and Diana Lin) had lots of great subtle elements. On the whole, the cast was excellent.

Awkwafina was fine. She did a good job of playing the inner conflict in each scene, but didn't seem to own her character the same way others did. Granted, it's more challenging with her in the lead/"straight man" role, for which everyone largely plays against her. I did think her "big" scene fell a bit flat and was rather expositional. Regardless, she's on the up-and-up for acting and will likely only be getting better (she's picked some solid movies so far).

Direction was very impressive - and I loved how Lulu Wang used atypical angles, unlike most dramas / dramedies that use front-on mid-shots or close-ups. I haven't been this enthralled by the backs of peoples' heads in quite some time. There were some awkward moments / shots / scenes, but they were few and far between. However, the general scenework with the actors was just fantastic.

Color tones were interesting, on the more muted side to probably roll with the bittersweet tone of the story.

Loved the themes of the movie (truth vs lies, family vs individual), though, plus how it highlights how relatable family drama is regardless of culture, though it certainly highlighted the differences. And it beautifully doesn't say one is better than the other, just different.

Plus, the film does pose an excellent question on the weight of emotional burdens. Having been working on honesty and vulnerability lately, I want to say I'd prefer the honesty, but I can certainly understand the other side of it.

Conclusion: Very much RECOMMENDED. There's a genuine earnestness in the film that creates numerous comedic situations, playing with both the awkwardness and drama of both family and cultural dynamics. Plus, at just under 100 minutes, it's on the nice and tight side.

The Night Comes for Us Movie Review

Intense action, gore that's not for the squeemish (but occasionally also comical, yet not tone-killing), impressive / ridiculous choreography, lush and stylistic cinematography, atmospheric music, and excellent pacing make for a solid viewing experience.

The Night Comes for Us is incredibly focused and tight on its plot, which is done to elevate all of the incredible action and style that exude every scene of this movie. As well, there's a buildup towards the final fight that makes that payoff (the fight) so beautiful; also helps to be familiar with The Raid: Redemption.

While it won't be nearly as ground-breaking, this has enough elements for me to consider Night the Action-Thriller's (with a hint of Western) equivalent of The Matrix - the visuals, the characters and costume choices, the masterful direction and cinematography; plus a few love letters to other great movies.

Conclusion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Currently streaming on Netflix

Destination Wedding movie review

I very much enjoyed Destination Wedding, as it worked for me in a bunch of ways.

Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder have great chemistry as the two leads (and essentially only characters in the movie). Sure, the movie is like a stage play, but it's reminiscent of Birdman in that it's better/best served as a movie; and similarly, it's about two less-than-likeable-but-very-endearing people.

DW flips the classic Hollywood romance story, where two folks are in a remote location and "fall in love." Here, the characters are highly opinionated, intelligent and flawed. There's no real "romance" in this romance movie - but there are connections and understanding; it's genuine human interaction (by two of society's "outsiders.")

Plus excellent word play and comedy. Have I praised the intelligence of this movie, yet?

Another element I really appreciated was the restrained cinematography - everything is shot crisp, with intent. Yes, pretty much every shot is a wide duo, but there's strategy in the execution that I rarely see in other movies, and relates to the narrative (journey of the characters). And, mild spoiler, but there's a specific shot around half-way into the movie involving a hill that has one of my favorite visual gags in a long time.

Beyond the acting, writing and visuals, I generally enjoyed the music by William Ross and presentation. I would gladly spend another weekend with Lindsay and Frank if it were done like this, wherever their journey takes them.

Conclusion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It's a tight 90-minute film that does lose a little steam around the 2/3rds mark, but the general pacing and overall execution won me over.

Streaming on Amazon Prime, as of this writing.

Incredibles 2 Movie Review

As a big fan of The Incredibles (a favorite animated movie, favorite score, excellent blend of superheros and James Bond, the emotional journey), I’m rather mixed on Incredibles 2. I tried going in with little-to-no expectations, trying to soak in the movie I saw, but probably still had a degree of bias / expectation.

SPOILER-FREE quick take: Incredibles 2 has a number of really great things in it (such as the action), it also has a few too many plot lines, with no storyline really getting the breadth and depth they deserve. Overall, the film lacks the heart of the first movie, but there's almost always something going on and I was surprised how quickly the movie flew by, despite being bored at times and awkward pacing leading to a general lack of proper climactic moments.

Extended review with SPOILERS:


WHAT I LIKED:
1. The action was really, really great! Some seriously top-tier stuff. That raccoon!

2. Jack-Jack’s micro storyline (the various scenes) were pretty great - he made for some excellent humor and action, giving other characters lots of things to play with.

3. The villain’s message and general motivation was solid – I loved the callout of consumer culture, with regards to people defining themselves by consumption as opposed to creation, as well as becoming passive due to that consumption. And the reason for the villain being a villain is pretty good (ruined faith/reliance in Supers), and fairly in-line with the Syndrome’s motivation (burned entitlement by Supers).

4. Voyd! Like with Blink in X-Men: DOFP, Voyd was awesome.

5. Winston Deavor (MILD SPOILER) actually being an earnest good guy. Yes, men are problematic in society and in media, so it's nice to see an earnest good guy in this.

6. Frozone getting more to do. More Sam Jackson is almost always a good thing in my book.

7. The company logos (Disney and Pixar) in the beginning done in the red Incredibles aesthetic.

8. A number of little moments, such as SPOILERS Evelyn calling out Helen think they'd be friends despite not knowing each other, and Jack-Jack towards the end using his telekinesis to save his mom after recognizing the situation (I would have loved this to have held for an extra beat).


WHAT I'M MIXED ON:
1. The dialogue – For the most part it’s fine, but there were a number of lines that were a bit too on-the-nose for my preference. Again, probably fine, but another pass or two would’ve been nice (may also have been tied to the delivery).

2. Brad Bird’s storytelling voice is somewhat questionable and he isn’t exactly great with women – He’s mostly fine, but there are little signs in Mrs. Incredible, Violet, Edna Mode, Voyd and Evelyn Deavor that are questionable, and are presumably a reflection of his baby boomer upbringing and current middle-aged status. A couple examples: while Mrs. Incredible is an incredible character, she’s a bit more of a plot mover than any real emotional thrust; there’s a fun-but-side-eyed puberty joke at Violet’s expense (plus her general reaction to her plot). Again, things are generally fine, but Bird’s voice has a certain coldness to it that’s become more apparent (after the Tomorrowland bust, presumably).

3. Michael Giacchino’s score – I could probably put this under “didn’t work for me” since it’s a largely forgettable score, saved only by the re-use of the great themes from the original (a personal favorite score). Maybe it’s a fault of the high number of plots causing auditory disarray, but shrug. Maybe both MG and BB are past their prime. :/

4. The new Supers – Again, Voyd is great, but they’re all largely gimmicks and barely characters. They serve the plot decently and do make for good action scenes, which is / can be fine.

5. The villain’s plot – While the motivation is great, the actual plot is a bit wonky, with at least one plot hole towards the end (SPOILER the kids realize the goggles are the problem, but when Violet’s fighting Voyd she doesn’t bother to go for the goggles).

6. The humor - There were some good jokes in the film, but the timing and delivery were occasionally... off/odd.


WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME:
1. It’s kinda boring – The movie had an odd mix of having too many plotlines (Mrs. Incredible taking the lead and female empowerment, Mr. Incredible learning to be a good dad, Violet’s dating life, Jack-Jack’s powers and the family’s discovery, Frozone kinda having something, the tech siblings trying to bring Supers back into the limelight, the commentary on legality, the villain’s message to callout consumer culture, the villain’s motivation, Edna Mode “kinda” having something, the retired FBI guy “kinda” having something) and awkward pacing. There were a number of times where the story would follow Mrs. Incredible and just as she was about to do something, it’d cut back to Mr. Incredible doing boring dad stuff for an extended period, as opposed to following the more interesting Mrs. Incredible. There’s also just a general cold tone that comes through in the cinematography, particularly for Mr. Incredible’s parenting stuff.

2. There’s no emotional thread! – The first one was so great because it mainly followed the emotional journey of Mr. Incredible, along with how it affected Mrs. Incredible (and her reactions), and their journey towards becoming a stronger couple and family. In the sequel, we’re still largely following the emotional journey of Mr. Incredible, despite Mrs. Incredible taking the more prominent role, and there’s also a little journey by Violet, but nothing really comes together. The film touches on so many things, then distances itself.

3. Being an immediate sequel – Can we please stop this trend? It didn’t work in Quantum of Solace, it didn’t work in The Last Jedi, it didn't work in Search for Spock (though awesome opening sequence) and it didn’t work here. Immediate sequels that aren’t written at the same time (e.g. LOTR, BTTF) make for really, really awkward plot structures, and Incredibles 2 highlights that problem for me.

4. Jack-Jacks macro storyline about the family not knowing about his powers. The whole first movie was building towards Jack-Jack having powers, which were revealed at the end. Sure, the characters “might” not have known about the powers, but it’s been 14 years since the movie came out – it was an awkward creative choice to have none of the character aware of Jack-Jack’s powers.

5. Changes in the art direction – While there’s still a lot of the wonderful throwback art direction that made the first one so great, the advances of CG animation since the original has given the sequel a polish that is awkward and took me out of the movie several times – increased details in the characters’ complexions, certain shots with regards to lighting, and other aesthetic choices that just felt disconnected from the more simplified and stylized approach of the original, and some character designs that didn’t feel entirely Pixar-esque. That said, the animation is fantastic.

6. The pacing / climaxes – Kinda touched on this above, but want to explicitly call it out. There were a number of times where the movie felt like it was building towards something only for the film to quickly touch on it, then move on. There was no real weight to anything in the movie for me. Hell, the actual climax of the movie just kinda comes and goes.

7. Screenslaver - The hypnosis angle was interesting, but they ultimately felt underwhelming and SPOILER the identity reveal was rather telegraphed, which gave the movie a somewhat rote plot.


CONCLUSION: WASN'T FOR ME. But while it didn’t work for me, I’d happily put this in the Your Mileage May Vary category, as it does have a number of really good things, but also some questionable creative choices / direction.

It's certainly nice seeing the family, characters and world onscreen again, but what I saw wasn't nearly up to the highs of the first.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Review

Damn

I actually enjoyed Solo: A Star Wars Story!

I went in with low expectations, particularly after hearing people's "mostly mediocre" feedback (although also trying to avoid news and reviews), and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. My fondness was even growing after the viewing, which was interesting.

Liked:
1. John Powell's score
2. The pulpy adventure tone / story
3. John Williams' Han Solo theme (I guess? since the overall score is good)
4. Most of the aesthetics / visuals, which harkened back to the OT but done in modern CG styles (though multiple scenes were muddy)
5. Most character designs (a couple creature and robot designs were meh)
6. Woody Harrelson and his character Beckett
7. The Kessel Run sequence - it was pretty darn cool, and a certain musical reference was pretty darn nice
8. Enfys Nest - Cool design and interesting character
9. Pretty good pacing

Nitpicks / Mixed reactions / Didn't care as much for:
1. The general premise - I don't think it's necessary to see Han Solo's backstory, but, again, I did enjoy the film and what we have does fit reasonably well into the mythos. Granted, if viewers are fresh, I would not recommend watching this before the OT, but if viewing the films chronologically (or just thinking on how this fits in), then I imagine this is an entertaining addition. However, I did like the general character development of Han in the movie (which is why I'm more accepting of these versions as "younger" versions, even if the older versions don't change a whole lot).

2. Alden's Han Solo - No, he's not Harrison Ford and doesn't entirely come close, but he does take elements and deliver mostly his own take on the character, which worked for me when I accepted Solo as a more modern / just different interpretation, plus the character is younger, so it makes sense he'll be different, but there are nuances to the character and performance that are missed (such as a certain casual coolness, indifference and world weariness that Ford brought, along with the sarcasm, occasional chutzpah and occasional lines delivered under his breath). From my memory, Alden was trying to be stoic, constantly staring at whatever he's focusing on, whereas Ford would "drift" around and sometimes seem indifferent

3. Donald Glover's Lando - He seems so young! His take lacked a casual cool confidence that Billy Dee brought. This might make sense if it's a "fake it til you make it" and Lando didn't really learn that UNTIL his Empire appearance, but it'd be nice to see more of the hints. To put it another way, Glover felt more like a performance than being the character. He was also surprisingly emotional, which could work for the younger Lando, which lacks the gravitas and maturity of the older Lando. Also, Lando's pansexuality felt forced and half-assed.

4. The nostalgia and callbacks - could have used less of these, particularly some very in-your-face ones, though thankfully they weren't too impactful on the plot / story. I would have also skipped some of the minor references (e.g. SPOILER mynoks, Bossk, some outfits), but they're lesser issues.

5. Dialogue could have been tighter, at times (there were some overtly expositional lines)

6. Thandie Newton was wasted

7. L3 was... OK (the line delivery of her and the robot from Rogue One are both really awkward from a timing perspective)

8. Audio mixing on English alien dialogue, plus aliens speaking English is kinda weird (though there's precedent)

9. Emilia Clarke's Kira - very mixed on her, both character and performance, but more worked for me than didn't

10. Paul Bettany's Dryden - I really enjoy Paul Bettany, and Dryden was mostly good, but the film tried to depict him in a mixed way (both mildly good and definitely bad) which didn't entirely work

11. The movie could have used a little breathing room; would've been nice to have some resting moments of pathos, but that's also not what this movie was going for

May was a bad release for Solo. It's a fun movie that would have done better either later in the year or earlier in the year. It's not the greatest movie, but it is entertaining. To put it one way, it's an Anthology movie I can get behind.

With regards to the Disney Star Wars movies, this may be my favorite of the bunch, since there's a good throughline (though, again, not the highest quality), as opposed to The Force Awakens which has great direction and music, but a really derivative story. As for the other two, Rogue One was really messy and I really didn't care for The Last Jedi (I thought Rian Johnson was trying to be too clever and it didn't work for me).

CONCLUSION: RECOMMENDED as a fun popcorn movie.

The Breadwinner Movie Review

Simply put, The Breadwinner is a must-see hauntingly beautiful movie, both in story and experience.

An adaptation of the acclaimed 2000 novel, the movie depicts Parvana's story so honestly, that every character feels as human and real as if I'm watching a documentary. Director Nora Twomey masterfully weaves together this earnest tale of a young girl, her love for her father, their family, their struggles under the Taliban-run Afghanistan, female empowerment, the horrors of war, the importance of peace, the importance of stories and the stories of all the other characters who share in Parvana's journey.

But it is a hard story, and yet I can't say the last time I felt so moved by a movie. Let alone an animated one. Let alone a kids movie!

And I love it.

It's everything animation can be - gorgeous visuals combined with fantastic audio design. The beautiful score by Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna perfectly accentuates the movie, transporting me to all the locations and emotions they want me to experience. Even the lack of music is perfectly executed.

I'm so glad that animation has had a great run of more "indie" productions (not Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks, etc.), with movies like this, The Little Prince, My Life as a Zucchini and the Laika productions, among others).

CONCLUSION: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - To me, this is absolutely a must-see movie, but it's one that covers harsh topics. However, stories like this are important to experience, because these are exactly the kinds of stories that help build empathy, and hopefully with more empathy we can come together faster. So, my sincerest "thank you" to everyone who worked on The Breadwinner, and author Deborah Ellis, for crafting this. This has displaced Get Out as my top movie of 2017. Go watch this ASAP.

Barry Season 1 Review

HBO's Barry thoughts... (no real SPOILERS, but some comments on the season)

After getting past the pilot (which I didn't entirely care for, and glad they didn't entirely go down the path I didn't want)...

There's a very poignant show about a military vet-turned-hitman striving to reclaim his humanity and emotions via acting. It's a wonderful bridge of left and right ideologies, with plenty of commentary on both sides (e.g. how Hollywood can be trapped in a bubble away from the horrors of the world, how blindly following orders isn't the best thing to do / that it's good to question things, how vets are/can be abandoned by the system that uses them).

It also has a relatively unique tone, that darkly blends action, comedy and realism, with some generally great direction (Hiro Murai, director of "This is America" directed an episode, along with Hader). Episode 4, directed by Maggie Carey, is the one that really sold me with some great goofiness and play, mixed in with serious.

No character is particularly good, but there are ways to empathize with each.

Scratch that, Paula Newsome's Det. Janice Moss is probably perfect, though TBD on how realistic (but a fun character, regardless).

Similarly, there's such fantastic acting. Bill Hader really shines as Barry, rediscovering... life (and happiness) in this current season's journey. Sarah Goldberg is great as the passionate-but-flawed Sally, who lives in an unfair world but also doesn't see her own issues. Henry Winkler is great as the acting coach Gene Cousineau. Stephen Groot is his wonderful self as Barry's "coworker" Fuches. And both Glenn Fleshler and Anthony Carrigan are just a treat.

SUMMARY: Barry is a great showcase of acting talent (and acting direction), as well as how acting helps people get in touch with their humanity, regardless of the background. Emotions are a journey for everyone.

CONCLUSION: RECOMMENDED - It reminds me of a reimagined remix of Dexter, with more comedic talent. Particularly the early, better seasons.