Watched:

My Cousin Vinny

This movie is an absolute gem — it is just as good today as when it was released. So many movies from the 80’s and 90’s are unwatchable today, but this one really does stand the test of time. Marisa Tomei is perfection in this movie.

One Crazy Summer

This movie has every trope to make it a great summer goofball movie from the 80’s, but it just doesn’t quite reach the sweet spot. I was reminded that Bobcat Goldthwait was a thing. I wonder where he is today.

Rings of Power

This one has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes. This is the kind of show that could go on forever. Amazon has clearly spent some money in the effects department, I just wish they had given the same attention to the Wheel of Time series and its graphics.

Elvis

This movie blew me away. I wasn’t prepared for the frenetic energy and graphics that just kept coming, and I could not take my eyes off of it. This movie was so fresh, that I think we will surely see its style infiltrate many future films to come. Weirdly, my least favorite part of the movie was Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Col. Tom Parker. I’ve never been a big Elvis fan, but I definitely put on his playlist as soon as this movie ended.

Painted:

War of the Ring Miniatures

Why on earth would they ship this game with only blue and red minis when there are over eight factions? The individual armies need to be their appropriate colors, so I did a very quick paint and wash and then dry brushed these minis to just give them a little life. I enjoy painting miniatures, but I doubt I would ever consider doing a detailed paint job on over 200 minis for a single board game, so this quick color shift will have to do.

Played:

Lords of Waterdeep

We spent a long weekend at the lake with family, so I got to play more games than usual. Waterdeep always finds its way to the table when we’re in mixed company with casual gamers. It’s always fun to visit the hive of scum and villainy known as Waterdeep.

The Siege of Runedar

This is a co-op tower defense game that gets more difficult with each turn as the tension intensifies. This one was a lot of fun to play but I’m pretty sure you could never beat it.

Space Base

One of my all time favorite games. It’s easy to introduce this game to someone who has never played it before, and the dice rolling can make or break your dreams of building the best rocket engine in the galaxy.

Dog Lover

At first glance, this didn’t look like a game I would normally play or enjoy, but it was actually pretty fun. It was definitely a point salad at the end, but this would be a great gateway game for a dog-lover, who wanted a light strategy game.

The original Sons of Anarchy. It took me almost 20 years to assemble this set. These tin toys from 1968 are my pride and joy, and now I need to find their boxes — the hunt never ends! Marx also produced a set of windup walkers for Spiderman, Thor, and Captain America that same year, which are slightly easier to find.

Watched:

House of the Dragon

Once I stopped trying to figure out how the characters were related to those in the original Game of Thrones series, I enjoyed the premiere episode quite a bit. Once again, HBO has spared no expense in the scenery, which is a joy to admire. Now, do we just enjoy it until the writers screw it up with a horrible finale?

Airheads

I have a soft spot for metalhead movies, and this one was pretty fun. This movie was overflowing so much in the casting department that I fully expected Wayne and Garth to show up (they didn’t but Kurt Loder did, which was pretty great). Seriously, just watch this one to see who shows up.

Ms. Marvel

I really liked the style of the first episode and the main actress is fun to watch. The show unexpectedly detoured into an exploration of Pakistani culture in America. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I was expecting. On a side note, can we just stop with the Marvel post credit scenes now? The gimmick has run its course.

3,000 Miles to Graceland

Courtney Cox stars in a movie with Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, Christian Slater, Howie Long, Ice-T, Bokeem Woodbine and David Arquette. Guess which one she married? I forgot how attractive she was before she invited the Botox repairman in to fix her plumbing. The amount of bullets expended during this one was enough to make John Wick cringe, but I could watch Kurt Russell impersonate Elvis all day long.

Jungle Cruise

This one was a lot of fun and reminded me of the crazy action movies of my youth, but then it went off the rails when the supernatural element came into play. I would have enjoyed the story much more without that, since it basically turned into a Pirates of the Caribbean flick at that point. Emily Blunt is soooo good.

She-Hulk

I’m not completely sold on this one yet. Honestly, I feel like I’m obligated to watch everything Marvel puts out, but the urgency is definitely waning. I loved watching Tatiana Mislay in Orphan Black — turning her into a CGI character seems like a crime. Again, I am starting to hate the post-credit scene gimmick.

Samaritan

I feel dumber for having watched this.

Alan Quartermaine’s King Solomon’s Mines

Such a fun ripoff of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Lucasfilm had to sue Cannon Films for this one right? Old movies like this are full of cringe today with the stereotypes flowing freely, and this one is certainly guilty of that. I wonder if Sharon Stone is proud of this movie today or wishes it was buried in a deep, dark mine. Personally, I thought she was perfect.

Played:

Planet Unknown

For the massive amount of cardboard and plastic, Planet Unknown was pretty easy to play and a lot of fun. It’s kind of like Isle of Cats meets Terraforming Mars. I didn’t win but did manage to hold my own against the other players who had played this one before.

Furnace

This engine builder had my head spinning. After a few more plays, this one might be really good, but after taking two of the four rounds to learn what I was doing, I was already woefully behind. I need to give this one another try.

Spotted:

Box Turtle

We have lots of resident box turtles in our yard, but I don’t see many baby turtles. This little fella was feisty but I had to move him before the lawn mower got him.

Here are a few shelves of my Batman collection. Most of these items were produced in the 70’s, but of course, there are some 1966 items as well, especially up top. I spy just one item that is less than 45 years old.

These Batman pinbacks are fairly easy to find, but this is not the complete set. There are a few others that I still need to track down. I prefer to find these small items in the wild rather than just buying them on eBay, because it gives me something to look for that’s actually possible to find. The longer you collect, the fewer items you find at the antique malls or flea markets, so it’s nice to have some low hanging fruit on the vine. Plus, these won’t break the bank and make the decision to buy them difficult when they do turn up in a dusty jar of buttons.