#the intro to this game is pure perfection. it's so engaging and mysterious yet so simplistic and concise

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts

[niamsuggitt]

The Ides Of April 2017

Howdy! And welcome along once again to ‘The Ides Of’, where I write a little bit about all of the varied ways I’ve distracted myself from thinking about the futility of existence and the impending nuclear apocalypse over the past 30 days (or there or thereabouts, sometimes I’m a little late).

This month is a pretty bumper crop of stuff, with 2 horror movies, one new and one very old, a fascinating book about Argentinian football, a new album from Kendrick Lamar and the return of some of my favourite TV shows.

Oh yeah, and the return of a whole goddamn section! Not only do I have a new video game to talk about, but a whole new console, as I’ve only gone and bought a Nintendo Switch! It was on impulse too! I’m a whole new man.

Movies

I began the month with another film from my Universal Monsters Blu-Ray box-set. I bought this set back in October, and haven’t made my way through it as quick as I would have liked, but every time I watch one, I really enjoy it, they really are classics. This time out was The Mummy (Karl Freund 1932), which, like Frankenstein, starred Boris Karloff as the titular monster. It was a little cheesy at times, but also had a great sense of unease and weirdness to it. I was surprised by how Karloff’s Mummy appears in the film. It’s only at the very start that he’s the cliche bandage-covered shambler. Most of the time he’s dressed in normal clothes and just looks like he’s got a skin condition. It makes you wonder where that cliche actually came from. Probably Abbott and Costello or some cartoons. It was great to see Edward Van Sloan pop up again, even if he’s basically played the same character in all of the previous 3 Universal Horror films I’ve watched, and I was very impressed with Zitan Johann as the heroine/damsel, there’s just something about these classic Hollywood actresses that the modern ladies lack. The only issue here really is that the film is kind of, if not racist, then at least racially awkward when it comes to Egypt and Africa in general. I try not to judge old media by the standards of today, because if you do that you’ll struggle to enjoy anything, but yeah, it was a bit uncomfortable. The Mummy is probably the least of the Universal Monsters I’ve seen so far, but it was still good, and interesting to compare with the Brendan Fraser version from a few years ago, and also the upcoming Tom Cruise Mummy movie, which looks completely different!

Speaking of racially awkward, I also watched Get Out (Jordan Peele 2017) this month, and it more than lived up to the massive hype. It’s fantastic, one of the most interesting, intelligent films I’ve seen in a long time. I saw it weeks ago and I’m still thinking about it. Not just in terms of the race element, but also just in a pure film-making, storytelling sense. It’s just so well structured and smart, even in just how it pokes holes in Horror conventions, by actually having it’s characters use Google and figure out what’s going on and just about the same rate as the audience. As a white person, I don’t feel fully qualified to really dig into all the race stuff, but I will say that I loved how complex this was. The white people weren’t doing what they were doing because they hated black people, no, it was because they fetishised them, and in some ways, wanted to be them. That's a more pervasive racism, and one that’s really complex and difficult to solve. In some ways, white people wanting to engage with black culture is good, because we should all celebrate good things, no matter where they come from, but it can get awkward. Just wait for the music section to see how I mangle my opinions on Miles Davis and Kendrick Lamar. Oh God, I’m just like the parents! (I’m not). The acting throughout is fantastic, I’ve liked Daniel Kaluuya since his comedic roles on Skins and particularly Psychoville (Tealeaf!), so it’s awesome to see him get this big success and to be in something a bit more serious. He’s yet another Brit who’s so good at the American accent you sometimes forget he’s British! Allison Williams was also great, it’s always been difficult to tell how much of Marnie from Girls is acting, but here, she gets to play a very different role, and is excellent at it, so that shows she’s probably always been better than I thought. And man, Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener were so good as the parents. I think Whitford is inspired casting, playing of the reverence well-meaning white people have for all West Wing characters. Get Out is simply put, one of the best films of the year. Not only is it clever, but it’s actually scary for a horror film, and, this should come as no surprise given Jordan Peele’s background, is still very funny at times, almost every line that comes out of Lil Rel Howery’s mouth as Rod is a laugh-out-loud moment. It’s brilliant to see a comedian like Peele take a risk like this and have it pay off so well. He’s gone from being a great sketch guy to one of the most exciting new directors out there, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. And I should probably also get round to seeing Keanu sometime too.

Television

As I said in the intro, this month has seen the return of lots of old favourites, but the flip side of that is that there haven’t been many episodes of them, so who knows how much I have to talk about? I’m sure I can pull something out…

Review (Comedy Central) may have only had 3 episodes, but that was actually the entire 3rd and final season! Even with a truncated run, it was great to have this show back and to have Andy Daly finish off Forrest MacNeil’s story in his typically twisted and surprising way. Review has been one of my favourite, most underrated comedies of recent times, and it went out on a real high, as all 3 episodes were fantastic and surprising in different ways. I particularly liked how they challenged the very concept of the show when Forrest had to be the co-host and A.J. chose not to slap anyone’s ass. Forrest’s shock at someone just refusing to do the review was brilliant. Doing that has never crossed his mind and that’s what’s led to his tragic life. The finale was also brilliant at confounding expectations. Having Forrest’s wife Suzanne ask him to review ‘Not reviewing anything ever again’ was a great moment, but then having him veto it, ruining his last chance at happiness… only to have the show be in-universe cancelled anyway? It was perfect. If you’ve still not watched Review, you need to do so, it’s 22 episodes of comedic perfection. Andy Daly’s performance as Forrest is one of the all-time greats and it really did go places you would never ever expect.

On April Fool’s Day, Adult Swim played the best possible trick on us by debuting the Season 3 Premiere of Rick And Morty (Adult Swim) a couple of months early. It was, as you’d expect, fantastic. The animation has taken a leap forward and the way the story managed to balance comedy, insane sci-fi concepts and the show’s increasingly complicated continuity was fantastic. When Morty and Summer went to dig up the dead bodies of Summer’s universe’s versions of R&M? It blew my mind. It was the perfect way to get me even more hyped for Season 3 than I was before. I binged through the first 2 seasons in about a month last year, so the long wait is killing me, but it will be worth it. And hey, if McDonalds do bring back that Mulan Szechuan McNugget sauce, it will make me go to Maccies for the first time in… wow, about 3 years.

Another returning cartoon is Archer (FX) which, in it’s 8th season is switching it up again, becoming ‘Archer: Dreamland’. After the shocking finale last year, Archer is now in a coma and the whole season is him dreaming of himself and all the other characters in a 1940s crime noir setting. I absolutely love this, I’m a big fan of noir type stories, and it’s a lot of fun seeing these characters in that setting. The personalities and voice acting is so good that you pretty much can plug them anywhere. H. Jon Benjamin is as funny in 1940s LA as he is anywhere. Plus, the ending of the second episode ‘Berenice’ seemed to indicate this Dreamland could get even weirder. I think it’s really interesting how this show continues to reinvent itself, first with ‘Archer: Vice’, and now this, without ever sacrificing it’s central tone and sense of humour. I also think the animation has never looked better than this season, they seem to have stepped things up with their depiction of old LA.

iZombie (The CW) has also changed a lot it’s 3rd season, and so far it’s pulling it off very well. The insane finale of Season 2 has set up a lot of interesting new storylines, particularly Fillmore Graves and their plan to turn Seattle into some sort of Zombie Utopia. So far they’ve been depicted as good guys, but I’m sure that’s going to change. So far the best element of this season has been the change in Clive’s role. He now knows the truth about Liv and Zombies in general, and it’s been a lot of fun to see him on the inside for once. Plus, the second episode focused on him a lot. The central murder mystery is very personal to him, which is going to be exciting. And he had a sweet moustache in the flashback. The second episode as a whole was reassuring, as it showed that even though a lot has changed, iZombie can still deliver some classic humour when it comes to the brain-eating and switching personalities. Liv on Dad brain and Major on teenage girl brain was just hilarious. Rose McIver has always been superb at playing different sides of Liv depending on who’s brain she’s eaten, and it looks like Robert Buckley is almost as good.

Only one episode of Better Call Saul (AMC) Season 3 to talk about, but it was a good one. Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean are just so good in their scenes together, and I love how complex their brother relationship is. I am very excited to see Gus Fring appear, and was actually rather surprised he wasn’t in the premiere. Mike is very close though. Those scenes where he methodically figured things out were wonderful. A great wordless performance from Banks and some great film-making. I think in amongst the great writing and performances, we forget how visually great Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad are, they look so fucking great. This season has barely got started, but I am hyped to see where it’s going to go, Gilligan and Gould always surprise me, that started with a prequel actually being good, and it’s only continued.

In terms of new stuff, I’ve watched 2 episodes so far of Marvel’s Iron Fist (Netflix) and I’ve actually rather enjoyed it. This is probably a case of diminished expectations considering the critical panning it’s received, but nothing in these 2 episodes is particularly better or worse than the other Marvel Netflix shows. Well, the opening credits are a bit rubbish, but who really cares about that? I actually think that Finn Jones is doing good, subtle work as Danny Rand, he really seems like a kid who never grew up in modern society and doesn’t quite get it. I am intrigued to see what this show’s version of K’un L’un is like. So far the villains are rather uninspiring, but David Wenham seems to be doing something weird, and the promise of The Hand is exciting. It seems to me that a lot of people decided that Iron Fist was bad because of the racial issues beforehand and that skewed their perceptions. I personally think a white Iron Fist is… OK, if only because it makes the fish out of water story work better. It’s a complex one, especially as having the kung-fu guy be Asian is equally as difficult. Best to stick to the comics. But this is an argument that’s been happening for ages (although curiously, not until Iron Fist was being adapted to another media, unless I missed that discussion around Brubaker. Fraction and Aja’s run). I am looking forward to watching the rest of the series and making my own mind up, before finally getting Danny together with Luke Cage in Defenders. In fact, in a perfect world, I would have had them not do separate Power Man and Iron Fist series, and instead have them be a team from the start. A lot of the white privilege problems inherent in Iron Fist are removed by having him work on the streets with his best friend. But now I’m fantasy booking. Anyway, Iron Fist, really not that bad… so far.

For my Birthday I received a DVD box-set of Series 1 and 2 of Inside No. 9 (BBC Two), the comedy anthology series from the dark minds of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Given that I am a huge fan of The League Of Gentleman and Psychoville, I don’t really know why I didn’t watch this series when it first came on TV. I really should have because it is genius, and, as each episode is completely self-contained, perfect for just putting on when you only have a spare half-hour. I’ve only watched the first 2 episodes so far, but both were excellent. ‘Sardines’ was very funny, and built to a brilliant twist with Tim Key’s character and ‘A Quiet Night In’ was just amazing, a whole episode with basically no dialogue. As usual with Shearsmith and Pemberton, this show mixes comedy with horror and drama brilliantly, and the performances are superb. The two main men are so versatile, and then the array of guest stars is amazing. I can’t wait to watch the rest and also to pick up Series 3. I really feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of recent UK comedy over the last few years. I need to get on and watch not just Inside No. 9, but also Catastrophe, Uncle, Flowers, People Just Do Nothing and so much more.

Now for quick hits yo yo yo.

Baskets (FX) ended it’s second season with 2 very strong episodes that set things up very interestingly for the 3rd Season. Mama Baskets has now bought the old rodeo and she and her sons are going to run it together. That all sounds like set up for a terrible old sitcom, but it was actually done really well and quite emotionally. I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again, but the relationship between Chip and his mother is one of the best on television. This is still a strange, unique show, but once you’re in it’s rhythms, there’s few better.

The Expanse (Sy Fy) has continued to be very strong in Season 2, as the world and story continue to grow and we move onto the 2nd book. I’ve been impressed by how they’ve adapted and streamlined things, especially when it comes to the character and storyline of Prax. I do think that the show is missing Thomas Jane as Miller, but others, like Bobbie and particularly, Amos have stepped up in his absence. Plus, spoilers, but Miller will be back soon anyway! This series has just become more and more confident with each passing episode, and right now, it’s some of the best science fiction out there in any medium. I am very excited for the finale and to see how they interpret the upcoming books in the series, because things are really about to change.

Season 5 of The Americans (FX) is still perhaps moving a bit too slowly, but that’s not a bad thing. A lot has been put into place and you can trust these writers that it’s going to pay off in a big way. I was surprised by how the Mischa storyline seemed to end. He got all the way to America, only for Gabriel to tell him he couldn’t see his dad. But that’s surely not the end is it? It’s certainly had a big effect on Gabriel, and I can see him actually meeting Paige leading to him having a change of heart. It certainly seemed like his words to Philip in the most recent episode were setting up something big. Could we actually see the KGB turn on Philip and Elizabeth and burn them? That would certainly shake things up. The Oleg and Stan storylines are meandering a bit, but Oleg’s in particular has picked up recently, and if Stan’s new girlfriend does actually turn out to be an agent… man. One more thin, and it’s my monthly moment of being shallow… Keri Russell’s wig and look when she’s in Topeka seducing the grain guy… it’s her hottest look yet. And she looks good pretty much all the time. I apologise, but it has to be said. (It really didn’t).

Black Sails (Starz) came to an end in very satisfactory manner, with some of the best action scenes the series has ever delivered. I particularly liked how Captain Flint’s story ended, with him being reunited with Thomas. Those flashback scenes revealing their relationship and thein Season 2 where probably what elevated this show above just being average, it gave Flint real depth and complexity, and at times I think Seasons 3 and 4 forgot that, but it all came back around at the end. Black Sails is not the perfect show, and I think it spent far too much time talking about what it was about rather than showing, but it was enjoyable. As I said, the battles were good, with the Pirate ships looking fantastic, and it really did have some great performances. Toby Stephens as Flint of course, but my favourite will always be Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham. That’s an all-time great character for me. A tale of Two Tobys I suppose!

Now it’s time to run through some sitcoms! Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX) has returned after long break, only 1 episode, but it was a good one. I’m glad Gina isn’t dead, and it was funny as per usual. These characters are just so much fun. I am very excited to see what Kimberly Hebert Gregory is like in her guest role as Terry��s ex who is auditing the precinct. She was amazing in Vice Principals so this should be great.

New Girl (FOX) wrapped up it’s 6th season with some strong episodes, not just in terms of comedy, but also emotionally, as Nick and Jess finally, finally got back together. I normally try and not get sucked in to sitcom love triangles or whatever, and prefer to focus on the jokes, but New Girl is probably the best show in a long time for this stuff. All of the romances, even Winston’s, have been effective. It seems unclear if we’ll get another Season of New Girl, so if we don’t this was a good way out, but I personally would like a seventh and final set of episodes, if only to see Schmidt as a father. And Winston’s dad. Oh god, I’m emotionally invested.

The best thing about the last few episodes of Detroiters (Comedy Central) first season was Big Daddy Cool, Big Sexy, Diesel himself, Kevin Nash guest-starring as Tim’s insane father. Not only was this cool casting as Nash is from Detroit, but he was also really funny. He’s always been charismatic as hell as a wrestler, and it’s great to see him act in something like this, rather than just a wordless giant in Ninja Turtles. Although he was in John Wick as well wasn’t he? Former members of the nWo aside, Detroiters is a really funny show that showed a lot of different kinds of types of humour, and a different side of the beleaguered city. Tim and Sam are not only funny characters, but the stories they wrote are great too. I am excited for a second season, and to see how they develop things.

The Last Man On Earth (FOX) continues to deliver, although this month’s set of episodes weren’t quite as exciting and different as the last few. No Kristen Wiig or shocking deaths, just the return of the regular cast getting into weird situations. The introduction of a kid into the mix is going to be interesting. ‘Jasper’ hasn’t even said anything yet but he’s already had a big impact.

I’ve also been making my way through the 3rd season of BoJack Horseman (Netflix) and it’s still absolutely superb, one of the best TV shows I’ve ever watched, and this 3rd season may be the best yet. I loved the silent episode set almost entirely underwater, and how BoJack continues to plumb new emotional depths, particularly with Princess Carolyn. The last episode I watched was the one where he fires her and they fight in the restaurant. It was brilliant, and actually brought a tear to my eyes on more than one occasion. The voice acting on BoJack is next level already, but Arnett and Sedaris just blew me away. The one negative to this season is that Diane has kind of just been there, but there’s still 3 episodes left for her story to change. And we still need to see how those spaghetti strainers pay off. It’s going to be huge!

Girls (HBO) is almost at an end, and this final season has to be up there with the best the show has done. Nothing has topped ‘American Bitch’ in the past month, but it’s just been consistently, funny, clever and actually surprising. The way they turned the relative lack of Shoshanna around into her having been engaged and just not telling Hannah was very well done, and the series as a whole has done an excellent job at showing how friend groups drift apart slowly and almost without you noticing. The brief reunion of Adam and Hannah was also depicted perfectly. There was that spark of hope, and then… Only one episode left, and I’m excited to see how Dunham leaves things, and just how many thinkpieces it can generate. Girls was a hugely influential show, if only for things like that, for changing how people write and think about TV.

Like last month, I’m going to use Powerless (NBC) as a bridge from comedy into superhero corner. It’s still an enjoyable series with some really good performances, and things have picked up a lot with the addition of Natalie Morales as ‘Green Fury’ (Fire from the JLI!), Morales was great in Parks and Rec, and she’s a lot of fun here. This is just a great concept, and I’m enjoying seeing it’s unique take on a superhero world, and how it still manages to feature good jokes that have nothing to do with the DCU. It could coast on references, like certain other nerd-related comedies do, naming no names, but it actually doesn’t.

Not many episodes of The Flash (The CW) to talk about, as it’s gone on another break, but it did have that musical crossover episode with Supergirl, where Barry and Kara were basically zapped into Archer Dreamland by the Music Meister. Given Gustin and Benoist’s Glee past, they can obviously sing, and it was fun to see all the familiar faces having a bit of fun in this context, ‘I’m Your Super Friend’ stuck in my head for a few weeks after for sure. The Flash has always had comedic elements, but lately it’s been rather mopey, so ‘Duet’ was a fun break from that. Of course, that darkness has come back, as Caitlin has fully succumbed to evil and become Killer Frost. The Flash is always enjoyable, and I am excited by what the last few episodes will bring, part of me thinks they are actually going to kill off Iris, but they can’t can they?

DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow (The CW) certainly stuck the landing with it’s finale and last few episodes, they were fantastic and show just how much the series has improved from a rather shaky beginning. The visit to WW1 was handled very well, and having JRR Tolkien appear was just as cool as George Lucas. There was a lot of fun with the alternate reality, and even if the time travel did get a little wibbly-wobbly (to steal from Arthur Darvill’s other series), it mostly made sense. I think? Plus, they continue to fantastic work with Heat Wave. He’s so much more interesting than the comics version. Let’s hope Season 3 continues this improvement, this show is silly and dumb, but it leans into it in the best way.

Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) has returned for it’s final set of episodes in Season 4, and it hasn’t lost momentum after ‘LMD’. These episodes are all set inside the Framework, an alternate reality where Hydra are in charge, and so far it’s been a great example of how to do these stories right. The changes are interesting, and it’s shining new light on all the characters, particularly Fitz and Coulson. It’s also good to have Grant Ward back, I know some people think he’s bland, but ever since his Hydra allegiance was revealed, his character worked for me, and now, in the framework, he seems to be a good guy… which is odd. I said this last month, but it’s very interesting to compare this ‘Hydra in charge and some of our heroes are Hydra’ storyline to the one that’s rumbling in the actual Marvel Comics, Secret Empire. That one has gone to great lengths to say that Hydra aren’t Nazis (which is of course established continuity), whereas AoS straight up says they are. Secret Empire is very controversial, and I am enjoying the build so far, but I think the TV version may be doing it a bit better. If only because it’s clear this isn’t the real world. Captain America actually is Hydra in the comics. For real.

And finally, Legion (FX) ended it’s first season with some truly fantastic episodes. I really think this is the best X-Men adaptation that’s ever been put on screen, it’s that good. I said last month that the series was barely even X-Men related at all, but that turned out to not be true, as the last few episodes really dug into David Haller’s origins and his father (Professor X!) and his battles with the Shadow King. That was straight out of the comics, and it was great. Aubrey Plaza continued to be a revelation as the Shadow King, I really think her performance deserves some kind of awards recognition. It’s going to be very fun in Season 2 to see her alongside Jemaine Clement’s Oliver, another great performance. The actual ending was really weird, with David getting grabbed by a mysterious drone thing. I have no idea what it is? Mojo? Could they lean even more into X-Lore and do fucking Mojoworld? I would love it. Legion is the best new show of the year for me, and shows just how you can tell a superhero story on screen in more than just one way. It took a while for the comics to make that step, and it’s almost more exciting to see live action takes do that as well. I can’t wait for Season 2, and to see how it influences others.

Music

2 records to talk about this month, one of which was a Birthday present. I’ve talked before about being a bit of Jazz music dilettante, and how, as such, I only really know the big names. Well, one of those is Miles Davis, and I received a compilation called Ballads (Lucky Stars Music 2015). As the title would suggest, this is a set of Davis interpretations of classic ballads, such as ‘My Funny Valentine’.  Along with Miles himself on Trumpet of course, this album features contributions from some true greats; John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus and more. It is of course excellent, but as I’ve mentioned, I don’t feel like I have the vocabulary to really discuss Jazz. At least until I’ve seen La La Land and Ryan Gosling has explained it to me! As these are ballads, this is a slower, mellow Miles Davis, and it’s perfect to put on in the background as you cook or clean or just chill out. It’s the perfect writing music actually and I’m listening to it now as I type. As a self-admitted dilettante, this is the perfect collection for me. It’s musically interesting, but not too out there, and boy, does it make you feel cool.

The next album is of course the new one from Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope 2017). Now, DAMN. only came out on Friday, so I’ve only had the chance to listen to it twice, so these thoughts aren’t exactly going to be detailed. So far I like it, but it’s not quite up there with ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ or ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’. But that’s probably only just because I haven’t had this record drilled into my brain nearly as much. It’s still excellent, but I just need a few more listens. Lamar is, at the moment, untouchable as a rapper, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who’s as good as him. Drake and Chance The Rapper mainly sing, Kanye’s going through some stuff, and, well, who else is there? Some of the lines on here are just hilarious, as well as being insightful and searing. I think there’s a rawness to the anger here that even TPAB missed. That was more of a conceptual album, with the Jazz elements, but this… DAMN. is purer hip-hop, with a harder edge. I think my favourite song is probably the lead single, ‘HUMBLE.’, but that’s also likely a matter of timing, I’ve had an extra week to listen. I also really like ‘XXX.’, if only for the weirdness of Lamar working with U2. If Kendrick can get us a new episode of U Talkin’ U2 To Me, he really is the GOAT.

Books

I’ve only had time for one book in my life this month, but that’s because it’s a big ol’ bastard of a tome. At over 500 pages, Angels With Dirty Faces (2016) is a hugely comprehensive history of Argentinian Football by Jonathan Wilson. Wilson is one of the best writers about the game out there, and I highly recommend all of his previous works, particularly Inverting The Pyramid, which charts the evolution of Football Tactics throughout the years. This particular book is interesting not only because Argentina are one of football’s great nations, having won the World Cup twice and produced some of greatest ever players (Maradona and Messi, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg), but also because Wilson charts just how central Football is the country as a whole, and it’s perception of itself. As an outsider, before starting, I realised that, apart from Evita and The Falklands War, literally all I knew about Argentinian History was football-related. When I think of that country, I think of football. Maybe that’s just me being narrow-minded and ill-educated, but I also think it holds true for a lot of people. Wilson charts not only Argentina’s footballing history, but also how that existed alongside politics and society. It’s no surprise that Peron used Football as a propaganda tool, as did the Military Junta of the 1970s. One recent chapter is even called ‘The Failure Of Neoliberalism’! A series of match reports this ain’t. I also think it’s very interesting how Wilson explores the central conflict of Argentinian football philosophy. Menottismo Vs Bilardismo, named after 2 legendary managers, it’s basically ‘good, passing football’ Vs ‘pragmatic, win-at-all costs gamesmanship’. Hence the name of the book really! Argentina has wonderful, skilful players, but also dirty cheating bastards. Often even in the same player! See, Maradona, Diego. I find that dichotomy fascinating, and Wilson delves into it thoroughly. As always with a Jonathan Wilson book, this is a very enjoyable read, with the writer always finding an interesting take on what happened, and often diverging into some very odd side-stories, particularly in the footnotes. The Argentinian game is full of fascinating characters, and even familiar names like Bielsa have new details revealed here. I’ve learned a lot about Argentina here, not just the sport, and there’s more to come, as I’ve still not finished. I’m just about to the 2000s, which will see the rise of Lionel Messi, and a new ‘Golden Age’ of great players, like Tevez, Higuain, Aguero. Yet all of these players have never really done it for the national team. In fact, this is a fascinating time to read this book, as the team is really struggling. They have just sacked their manager and might not even qualify for the 2018 World Cup. If you have any interest in Football and particularly it’s place in wider society, I highly recommend this book. I know England fans are supposed to hate Argentina, but after reading this book, I’m struggling to, it really is fascinating.

Games

Here it is, the long-awaited return of the Games section! I’ve only gone and bought a Nintendo Switch, and with it, The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Nintendo 2017). Unfortunately I don’t really have much to say as I’ve barely scratched the surface of the game and haven’t had much time to play it. I’m still on The Great Plateau after all. But so far, I am absolutely loving it. The Legend Of Zelda series is probably my favourite game franchise of all time, with Ocarina Of Time, Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker being up there as my favourite games, and so far Breath Of The Wild is hitting those same emotions. That moment right at the start where you get out of the cave and see the scope… it made me gasp, literally. There’s that sense of beauty and wonder that you only get with Zelda. It reminded me of when you first get out onto Hyrule Field in Ocarina. Just that epic space. I love how open the game is. You basically get set out and can do whatever you want. No long tutorial section like in Twilight Princess, just freedom. In many ways it hearkens back to the original NES game, which I always found to be way too difficult. I’m very excited to really get to grips with the game and dig in sometime over the long weekend. So far I’ve only played on the TV, so I haven’t really used the Switch to it’ true hand-held capabilities. But I think with Zelda, you need the big screen. As much as I loved Link’s Awakening and Phantom Hourglass on the handheld systems (that reminds me, I never actually finished Spirit Tracks!) you do miss something when not playing on a telly. But when it comes to other games, I am excited to be a bit more versatile. The Switch is a genius idea and I hope it will bring Nintendo back to the prominence they deserve. Even with the Wii U being a flop, the 3DS has still been huge, so having basically everything be handheld and console based… it should be a home run. I can only imagine what a Pokemon Switch game could be like. Or Smash Bros. Or a million other concepts! I’ve fallen out of gaming in the last few years, and I hope the Switch can bring me back around.

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So there you have it. Man, I’m exhausted. Full disclosure, I’ve written all of this whilst suffering from a pretty crappy cold, so if it makes no sense, don’t blame me, blame the germs!

I’ll be back in 30 days or so (I’m always late this month) with even more stuff, hopefully I’ll have gotten off the Plateau in Zelda. I did actually used to be good at games, I think.