Tag: control

Sinners

I try to watch movies I’ve never seen before fairly often. At least once a week, if circumstances permit. These can be movies from any era, but when I’m watching something with my mother (as I was a few weeks ago) we like to try something more recent. So, having no context for the film other than my vague recollection that Patrick Klepek who writes for Crossplay and Remap said he really enjoyed it, we tried our luck with Ryan Coogler’s newest feature, Sinners.

Holy shit. This movie rules.

It’s hard to talk about the plot without spoiling it, but I will say that the movie had me growing more and more invested not only by the literal text of the film, but by the ideas that were being explored, ideas of ownership, the freedom of Black folks in America to own what’s rightfully theirs. I’ve not been a fan of much of Coogler’s body of work, caring very little for the Black Panther movies, and I can say without a doubt that not only is this his best film, but it’s one of the best films I’ve seen in a long while.

And the performances from all involved are top-tier. Michael B. Jordan stuns as twin gangsters Smoke and Stack, separating the brothers with subtle physical characteristics that make it immediately clear which brother is on screen and how they differ as people.

Also they wear red and blue respectively, in case subtlety is not your thing.

Alan Wake 2

I am a latecomer to Finnish developer Remedy’s games. My first foray into their weird sensibilities was 2019’s Control, a really fun action game that plays in the same sort of narrative flavor as The SCP Foundation, the Cthulu mythos, and shows like Fringe or the X-Files. Shadowy government agencies battling world-ending paranormal threats, you know the deal. At the time I remember hearing about the ways in which Control made reference to the events of another game, Alan Wake, but a cursory google search of the game did little to sell me on it and I disregarded the game.

But with the recent remaster and the sequel out and having gotten a fair deal of praise, I decided to dip my toe in the water and try it out.

I enjoyed the first game in the way that one does when the game is equal parts campy charm and serious jank. I chuckled at the various Stephen King references and the Twin Peaks elements sprinkled throughout, but nothing could’ve prepared me for what awaited in the sequel.

This next bit I will address to Sam Lake directly.

Dude. I also loved Twin Peaks: The Return.

And that show is so tightly woven into the fabric of this game that one could argue it is perhaps its sole influence. There are repeated visual and thematic references to Twin Peaks’ incredible revival season that listing them all would be it’s own series of posts.

And for the most part, I liked this aspect of the game. The visuals are gorgeous, the same campy voice acting and writing are back and bolder than before, and there are new game mechanics and optional objectives which are interesting if not rather repetitive. Actually, placing notes and photos on the case board in new protagonist Saga Anderson’s mind became actively annoying towards the end of the experience because there were times where the path forward was locked off simply because I didn’t bother to have her repeat to me plot points I’d already had explained to me.

But one thing puts this game so far up in my esteem that it can never be diluted by any other aspect of the experience. If you’ve played the game, you know what it is.

The thirteen minute long prog-rock musical number featuring live-action actors performing the dorkiest choreography you have EVER seen. I cackled the whole way through and will never forget it.

The Witcher

Many years ago, I was given a copy of The Witcher 3 for Christmas. I booted it up, played an hour of the game, and turned it off. I had no fucking clue what was happening.

A month later, a friend of mine told me that while the first two games weren’t too critical to understanding the story of The Wild Hunt, they informed me that the books were really important context to have. As a bonus, the books were really good.

I read them all.

They are really good.

So good, in fact, that after I read them all I jumped right back into the game and had an absolute blast. So when I found out recently that Andrzej Sapkowski was going to be releasing a new standalone Witcher novel (“Crossroads of Ravens”) I decided that now was a great time for a re-read of the series.

It’s always a treat when something you loved before holds up upon revisiting, and I couldn’t be more pleased with these books. Sapkowski strikes the perfect balance between world building exposition and following the emotional and narrative journeys of his protagonists. Entire chapters will be devoted to characters you will never see again, or only hear very little from in the future, yet none of these feel like padding for length or overly expository or indulgent. Complex political mechanisms are depicted in such accessible detail which is honestly shocking to see in a fantasy novel.

Furthermore, Geralt’s arc from being a stoic neutral actor to realizing how truly inescapable the gravity of world politics is and deciding to take a stance, to protect those he loves and those who otherwise cannot defend themselves is just as relevant today as it was when it was written. In America, it is perhaps more relevant.

And that will close out this month! Lots of fun stuff coming next month, including our next entry in my First Time Final Fantasy series, out next Tuesday! See ya then!