Weekly Geekly Rundown for June 28, 2024
Kitten Snakes? Just what exactly is that?
What do Red Pandas, Ferrets, Raccoons, and Otters have in common? Other than the fact that while they are cute, they also have a bit of a temper? They are all Mustelids. Don’t worry, I didn’t know that word either until I watched this episode of True Facts from last December. It was the first time I’d encountered Ze Frank’s channel of humorously presented scientific information and I have to admit that I initially thought it was a spoof.
Ze Frank sounds a bit like a parody of David Attenborough. There were numerous bleeped out “colorful metaphors” and the many time references to “farting bees” had me wondering just what the hell I was watching. What I was watching was a well sourced, the citations are at the YouTube channel and at the end of the video, and entertaining discussion of the cutest ornery creatures in the natural world.
There’s a ton of very interesting information about various mustelids, but I can’t help but think that a real opportunity was missed on the badger vs. wolverine joke. The joke in the video works well for a mainstream audience (the American badger has frightening claws) who isn’t familiar with Mike Baron’s rage filled creation. Pulling in The Badger would have allowed for a Malibu Comics Ferret reference and all bets are off after that.
That’s really the only missed humorous opportunity I saw and since the joke would have had a target audience of exactly one person, I don’t blame them for not having it or something similar. Besides, the references to bee farts more than make up for it. That and the fact that the video is filled with actual scientific knowledge.
Weekly Film Article Cavalcade
The Lamentations of Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y Thompson’s first review of the week is for the newest entry in the Quiet Place series. Like a lot of modern horror movies, including my own classic film recommendation for the week, this series contains a little bit of DNA from John Wyndham’s classic science fiction horror novel Day of the Triffids. Where Wyndham’s novel played with the effects mass blindness would have on our ability to coordinate as a society, the Quiet Place films ask how not being able to speak during an alien invasion would affect our ability to survive.
Luke gives A Quiet Place: Day One a largely positive review and he provides a much needed spoiler in the review. Yes, that’s right. I said a much needed spoiler. Given that one of the central characters in the film is a cat, the question that must be answered before many decide whether or not to watch the film is “Does the cat live through the movie?” In providing his answer to the question, Luke wonders how/whether a cat could be quiet enough to survive in the Quietverse. Given that cats pretty much only meow as a way of communicating with humans, one imagines that cats would adapt their communication behavior to match that of their human partners.
The first Quiet Place film really impressed me as a movie. Not just because it was a nice twist on the classic invasion/coordination story, but because it managed to be genuinely scary with a PG-13 rating. In an era where “fandom” seems to demand that every superhero movie be turned into an R movie “so it can be good,” it was refreshing to see a non-comedy horror film that was effective and PG-13. I’m eager to see this latest entry in the franchise.
Luke’s reviews range from covering the scary to covering the super silly this week as he reviews the sixth entry in the Minionsverse, Despicable Me 4. His assessment of the film is largely positive, but one note that stood out to me was his assertion that Illumination films are in many ways “Anti-Pixar” films because they don’t work to make us cry.
I don’t think that’s quite right. I do think they are “Anti-Pixar” films, but I don’t think the lack of tears are what make them so. I’ve cried a couple of times in the Despicable Me films. As I watched Gru fall in love with the children, my heart broke with joy. When I saw how Gru lived as a child and got to see him fall in love, I choked up a little. It isn’t that the Despicable Me films don’t make us cry that makes them “Anti-Pixar” films, it’s that as emotionally manipulative as they are (and let’s face it animated films today are all emotionally manipulative) the emotions they present seem less forced than in many Pixar films and they are more life affirming.
The Little Dinosaur attempts to make us cry by telling us that we cannot live together with our friend who is different. It demands that we form separate societies and never see one another again, doomed to live in our different worlds. It’s a heartless, and love disconfirming, demand for tears. When Bing Bong is killed in Inside Out, it seems as cruel and unnecessary as a Courtney Solomon produced exploitation horror film. The narrative reason for the sacrifice are less important than the death. Instead of the tears coming from a natural moment where the moment is the focus, it is the demand for tears that seem to be the focus of so many modern Pixar films. To be fair, Seeing Red and Onward had tearful moments, but they seemed personal, real, and about healing and human connection.
Dreamworks’ Shrek movies were made as a criticism of the Disney corporate machine and how fake everything was. They pointed out that while Disney pretended to be nice, there was exploitation underneath. Illumination’s films are a critique of insincere storytelling and a return to normal heartfelt animation. Are they formulaic? Yes, but they scratch the itch for those who love a straightforward and predictable tale. The first Despicable Me movie reminded me of the 1952 Cary Grant film Room for One More. It was a film about embracing those who need a home. Many modern Pixar films remind me of Penny Serenade. Penny Serenade was a 1941 film starring the most charming cinematic duo to ever hit the screen (Irene Dunne and Cary Grant), a couple who had made two of the funniest and charming romantic comedies ever produced. The Awful Truth and My Favorite Wife are all time classics that make you laugh and cry. There is no real laughter in Penny Serenade. The point of the film is to make you cry. It is heartbreaking and almost cruelly so. It is only saved at the last moment when all that pain is directed toward healing, and that healing is often lacking in many modern Pixar films.
Courtney Howard’s View from the Center Seat
One of the things I love about Courtney Howard’s reviews is that she, like me, isn’t afraid to fully embrace a love for the romantic comedy genre. It’s my favorite genre and by her reviews it’s clear it is one of hers as well. This week she reviewed the new Netflix film A Family Affair and her review was pretty brutal. Sure, her final evaluation was that the film was merely mediocre, but she goes step by step through all the ways the film failed to deliver.
The film had been under my radar, but now that I’ve read her review it’s on my must see list. Not because it’s good. Based on her review, and I think she’s probably right, it’s not good. It’s because it’s a “Life of the Hollywood Assistant” film and since my wife lived that life, I’m always on the lookout to see what stories in this genre people are able to sell. Let’s just say that having worked as an assistant at a Talent Agency and as a Showrunner’s assistant, my wife will either greatly sympathize with the character (Swimming with Sharks) or think they are completely worthless (The Devil Wears Prada) based on how they handle problems. This one looks like it features an assistant my wife will have a rant for the ages in response to this character’s lack of creativity. That reaction alone will be worth watching the film.
One a more positive note, actually sad because I can’t go, Courntey is hosting a screening of Heart and Souls at the American Cinematheque in a few weeks. It’s an affordable screening and Courtney knows her stuff. If I still lived in LA, I’d be there in a heartbeat. Heart and Souls is a highly original film with a stellar cast that knows how to use its “imaginary” friends.
Mendelson’s Melodic Meanderings
leaves his podcast in the good hands of his cohosts this week as they discuss the current state of the cinema. The film industry faces a lot of challenges today, but for all the formulaic films that are coming out there seems to be some hope for originality and it also appears that movie theaters may not be as DOA as many think.Glimpses from the Substackosphere and Bloggerverse
As always, it’s an interesting week in the Geek world and I’ve added a couple of new entries to the list of regularly featured newsletters and blogs.
First up is
’s initial thoughts on “Gonzo” Science Fiction and Fantasy. As much as I love the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, the go through periods when they get a tad bit ossified. We saw it with post-Tolkien Fantasy and post-Foundation Science Fiction for a time, and I would argue we are seeing a touch of it in the post-Critical Role table top gaming space as well. It’s a period when the genre becomes more “conventional” and predictable and less outlandish. I know, I know, you’re saying “but having tieflings and gnomes and dragonborn everywhere is the epitome of gonzo.” Only when it’s not predictable. The key to gonzo is the weird and while those things were weird when Planescape was published in the 90s, they are staid right now. In fact, it’s outlandish and counterculture to have a low magic human only setting.Early fantasy, and the New Wave movement inspired by Michael Moorcock, were genuinely gonzo. Check out Edgar Rice Burroughs. That’s wild stuff, even for today. Mix it up. Escape from what has become common. Fiction needs to do it and so does gaming and when the gonzo becomes common, mix it up again.
finishes his scholarly review of Hound’s presentation of The Cattle Raid of Cooley, aka the Saga of Cú Chulainn. Ethan has me eager to read this adaptation. I touched on my love of the overall story in an earlier Weekly Geekly, but I’ll reiterate that my introduction to the tale was in A Storm Upon Ulster by Kenneth C. Flint. I’d read Flint’s Sidhe stories prior and found his telling of Cú Chulainn’s tale refreshingly straightforward. You see his Sidhe stories are a mix of Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light and Irish mythology. The Sidhe in those tales are pseudoscientific and the combination of science and magic were striking to me at the time. I had wanted something more traditional and Flint delivered with A Storm Upon Ulster. I like both examinations of the myths, but the fact that Flint was willing to alternate demonstrated that he knew how to keep things fresh. spends a little time with one of my old favorite video games, Heretic. When all my friends were playing Doom, it never quite vibed with me. Heretic, on the other hand, was perfect. Sure, they are essentially the same game, but Heretic is fantasy and that made all the difference. I know it’s silly, but it just goes to show that even mere cosmetic changes can make a big difference in perception. Crane over at discusses the proper role of “The Caller” in role playing games. It’s a gaming role that is often overlooked with modern play styles, but which can make the experience a lot more fun. Remember, there is more than one way to play RPGs and sometimes playing them as an exploration challenge can be just as rewarding (if not more so depending on your play style) as “theatre of the mind.” dedicates this week’s rundown to giving us the stuff of nightmares and shares a video of a Cabbage Patch Kid being “born” in a department store. The Cabbage Patch Kids were a weird toy phenomenon and I don’t know that modern kids have any equivalent experience to the almost annual “hot toy of the year” phenomenon that gripped the nation from the 80s to the 00s. Given the discussion by Ron Goulart I shared in an earlier post, that may be a good thing. Regardless, I’m going to have trouble sleeping after watching that video.No, not because of the simulated birth from a cabbage. That’s fine. It’s the fact that the employee puts baby powder on the doll and ruins its collector’s value. discusses the lessons learned while running a Classic Traveller game. Traveller wasn’t the first science fiction role playing game (that was either Metamorphosis Alpha or Starfaring), but its longevity speaks to the strength of its game design and Mythic does a great job discussing those strengths. It’s a great game, even if the computers are underpowered.
Role Playing Game Recommendation
Miami 86 — One Page Version
I recently joined a “minimal rules” rpg group on Facebook because I love to see what kinds of games are being made in that creative space. One of the first games I saw after joining was Maciej Wróblewski’s Miami 86 role playing game. It’s a single page game, available at itch.io, that attempts to capture the excitement of a certain video game that was inspired by a classic neo-noir television drama. The mechanics are based on The Black Hack and it looks like a ton of fun. The real “addition” here is the inclusion of job and location generators. Those two short tables transform what could be a demo into a full role playing game.
Of course this game got me thinking of Alan Bahr’s excellent Beach Patrol, which was inspired by Baywatch and not Miami Vice, but which when combined with Tiny Spies and Magnum Vice: Force Fury makes for the perfect 80s game. Since all Tiny d6 games are compatible, it can make for fantastic gaming experiences.
Beach Patrol by Gallant Knight Games
Alan Bahr’s Beach Patrol is the first Tinyd6 engine game I’m recommending this month, but it won’t be the last. I chose it for inclusion this week for a variety of reasons. It covers a genre not often addressed in role playing games, and so is a step away from dungeon crawls and haunted houses. In Beach Patrol, players take on the role of lifeguards engaging in the kinds of high octane, slow motion action we see them participating in on television and film. That’s right, this is what Baywatch the game would look like if it was designed by someone with a vision for what makes that show work.
The key innovation in Beach Patrol is a mechanic called SLO-MO MODE that I think could, and should, be adapted to a number of different role playing games. SLO-MO MODE is a player empowering mechanic that gives a player the opportunity to describe their character being a real badass, but the action has to take place in SLO-MO.
Both the Gamemaster and players have access to the SLO-MO mechanic, so you want to make sure to keep in mind any protocols your group has in play for fairness. It’s the kind of mechanic that can be wonderful to add, but can lead to negative feelings if used in a way counter to your group’s norms and expectations.
While Beach Patrol is tongue and cheek in many ways, it is an excellent role playing game that actually has a lot of potential for campaign play. Whether you want to go more noir and transform it into Miami Vice meets Baywatch or whether you want to add Supernatural elements to your game, and who doesn’t want spellslinging surfer cultists, there are mechanics for you here and you can supplement them with the entire Tinyd6 line. Not all Tinyd6 games are on the same “scale” (supers characters are more powerful for example), the basic mechanics are the same and only require minor tweaking to get it to work.
Buy and have some summer fun!
Music Recommendation
I wasn’t expecting a new Def Leppard single. Even more surprising was that it sounded more like Glam than the typical Leppard tune. Makes sense given the name of the song (Just Like 73), but it took some time for the song to grow on me.
Just to get back into the groove of things, I’ve included a couple of Emo/Pop punk tunes for this week’s listening pleasure. First is Hawthorne Heights with Ohio is for Lovers.
Next up is Hayley Williams and Paramore with one of the catchiest punk pop songs ever written.
Next to last is 30 Seconds to Mars with their song This is War. Why? Because one of my daughters is playing Dragon Age right now and every time she boots the game up I hear this song in the back of my mind.
In the early 2000s The Vandals bassist Joe Escalante hosted a morning show on 103.1 Indie Radio that featured David Lynch doing the weather reports and Timothy Olyphant reporting on sports. During a time when KROQ was becoming more and more commercial, it was a bit of a breath of fresh air. It’s a fact.
Classic Film Recommendation
As I mentioned, my film recommendation this week is a movie that was heavily influenced by John Wyndham’s novel Day of the Triffids, but combines it with Moby Dick and a touch of surrealism. Saul Bass is best known for his work on movie title sequences, he did the titles for many of my favorite films and his work inspired the design in many other films like Charade. Given his design background it isn’t surprising that his film about the battle between two scientists and a colony of ants would be very visual and stylized. There is very little dialogue in this film, but it effectively conveys its tale and is thoroughly engaging.
The first time I saw the film I was about ten years old and thought it was the weirdest thing I’d ever seen and I remembered the end sequence, which is very sensual/sexual, lasting forever. My memory was completely incorrect. Not that the film is weird. It’s weird, but wonderfully so. I was wrong in thinking the end sequence was long or even graphic in any way. This film focuses on obsession and how change can come from even the smallest of things.
It has a very 70s ending, but it’s one that gets you thinking.