#i love outbreak so much; it may be my favourite audio drama!

[thatlastdanceofchances]

Torchwood: Outbreak by AK Benedict, Emma Reeves, Guy Adams

Gwen: Where is he? Can you see him? I-I can't see him.

Ianto: Like I said, he's right in front of us.

Gwen: He can't-

Ianto: God, I hope it hasn't eaten him.

Jack: Yeehaaa!

Gwen: Wow! He was?

Ianto: I did see that, yes!

Gwen: Hu-hu.

Ianto: He was riding it!

Gwen: Yeah. Show-off!

Ianto: Giant space octopus, riding it like a horse!

Gwen: Bloody show-off!

Ianto: I think I might be in love.

Gwen: You're so easily pleased.

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: December 2019

Oof what a year! It’s been a rollercoaster and I realize I haven’t been posting much art this month. I’m heads down working on my Neverland role playing setting (out next fall, I think!) and thus it’s been quiet. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t still taken time to read and watch things and such! Here’s how I spent the month of December!

……….FILM……….

Knives Out (2019) Just incredible. It’s beautiful and subversive while still delivering on the expectations of a murder mystery. It’s one of those films that just feels like everyone was having a great time making it and I think we need more of these in the theatres. Absolutely worth checking out.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) You know, I just don’t think this film was for me. I saw it with a quartet and felt like the varying opinions was a  good breakdown of what worked and what didn’t. The person who grew up with Star Wars and thoroughly knows the universe loved every minute of it. Totally satisfied. The person who has maybe seen half of the 9 movies had nooooooo idea who half the original cast was and never really got a sense of what the point of the movie was. Like what was the driving thrust? Control over...the galaxy? I guess. Anyway, I don’t know if I would’ve enjoyed it more if I didn’t know all the drama outside of the actual films, but I can’t avoid that now. At its core, I think the movie tried to do too much and in doing so, didn’t do enough. It spent so much unnecessary time with old characters and it diluted the time we spent with the new cast. The action felt empty and I just don’t think I was the target audience for this movie. And that’s fine.

Noelle (2019) Very much ABC/TGIF Christmas movie vibes. The sets were fun and there were some wonderfully touching moments in there. It felt a little long and maybe that’s where editing it into a 2 hour block with commercial breaks would’ve helped.

……….TELEVISION……….

The Mandalorian (Episode 1.01 to 1.01) This is Star Wars that worked for me and hopefully future movies will follow this template aka be inspired by the iconography of the world but expand and tell light/smaller stories. It’s fun when Star Wars is fun. 

You (Episode 2.01 to 2.10) This season doesn’t ask for any more suspension of disbelief as the first season and I think that’s incredible. It’s still a little kooky, but continues to be relevant and unsettling. Great performances and a fascinating exploration of the old and new characters.

Swamp Thing (Episode 1.01 to 1.02) The casting is a little jarring (I recognize that there are real life scientists that are Hollywood handsome and beautiful, but it just feels a little boring) and I haven’t quite gotten past it. With that said, the pacing has been brisk and the effects are stellar.

……….READING……….

Dracula vs Hitler by Patrick Shean Duncan (Page 240/500) Perhaps the title and premise presents a slightly pulpier story but I’m still a big fan of what I’ve read so far. It mostly feels like a story set during the second world war with a light dose of the fantastic, and it’s great! The structure of the book follows various points of view and it really allows for a deep dive into each character’s perspective. It also does something the first Pirates of the Caribbean did well: only lightly explores the coolest character. Like Jack Sparrow (and again, only in the first movie), Dracula is a compliment to the main characters and the fact he isn’t where we spend all our time means his presence is made all the cooler. So far, so good. 

Emperor Mollusk Versus The Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez (Complete) Writing a hyper-intelligent conqueror as the main character is tricky in that most of the book is a breeze. The plot presents a mystery wrapped in pulpy fun, but it’s not nearly as enjoyable when the lead already solved all the problems outside of the current events. To its credit, the end gets far more interesting and sees the titular mollusk up against dire circumstances, but I’m not sure it made up for the rest of the book for me. Recommended if you want a casual adventure with giant robots and sentient plants and alien worlds, but just know that the plotting and characters stray dangerously close to Ready Player One territory.

Silver Surfer Omnibus by Dan Slott, Michael Allred, Laura Allred, and many many more (Complete) Ugh I loved this so so so much and I think Silver Surfer may be one of my new favourite characters. This run is so optimistic and big yet also deeply personal and driven by love that I just...I really felt so much when it was over. It’s sci-fi used to highlight human stories and I’m just so glad it exists.

……….AUDIO……….

Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf (1977) Maybe it’s because my dad had this album, or maybe it’s just something about Meatloaf’s voice, but the whole thing feels like it captures what it was like being a teenage white boy in the seventies. It also feels like it captures the spirit of live as an AV or drama kid in highschool and that I can’t explain quite as well. It just tells stories of relationships in the biggest and most dramatic fashion possible and it’s fantastic.

Faster Than the Speed of Night by Bonnie Tyler (1983) Researching Meatloaf lead me to Bat out of Hell’s producer, Jim Steinman, and to this album by Bonnie Tyler. It has the big, fill-your-chest, sound and I love a song that features a children’s choir. Right from the first track you know you’re in for something bombastic and it really delivers.

……….GAMING……….

Pandemic (Zman Games) We were gifted this for Christmas and while I’ve seen it on a bunch of “Best Board Games” lists, I really wasn’t prepared for what an adventure it was! The cooperative element is a nice touch and it really does feel like you’re trying to stop an outbreak of infectious diseases. Great for small groups and also I’ve yet to “win” this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Nintendo) This new style on the Switch is so freaking cute! I’m also loving the rather concise game in comparison to Breath of the Wild. Definitely going to try to get 100% but I’m doing the hard mode for my first playthrough so maybe I’m overconfident. Anyway. So cute!!!

Maze of the Blue Medusa (Satyr Press) The group continues to explore but I can see the cracks. Maybe I’m not the best Dungeon Master for a megadungeon or perhaps this group wants more of a narrative-based game; it’s just not quite clicking. I think we’ll be trying something new in 2020.

And that’s it! As always, I’d love to get your recommendos and see you in 2020!