tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197632802026-09-27T18:01:12.263-04:00The Armchair CriticBringing you the most opinionated reviews from the world of entertainment!digitaldochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13568754021777120336noreply@blogger.comBlogger1920125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-30764077470078689562019-06-26T09:34:00.000-04:002019-06-26T09:34:16.930-04:00MATH FLUXX
The Fluxx line of games from Looney Labs has expanded over the years to incorporate both different genres and the goal of educating its players. Math Fluxx aims for the latter mission, as players rely on numbers to achieve victory.
Math Fluxx starts much like previous players versions of Fluxx. The basic rule has players drawing one card and playing one card. Players James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-15049984394336853052019-06-11T19:28:00.000-04:002019-06-11T19:28:20.046-04:00RIFFTRAX LIVE: STAR RAIDERS
"You know, the special effects for this movie aren't bad considering it came out in 1992."
"Um, this movie was released 18 months ago."
"WHAAAAAATTTT???"
Welcome to Rifftrax Live: Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine. This is the sort of movie that's pretty much designed for much mockery from Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy: a former "star," amazingly bad special James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-13183823569791605272019-05-27T07:56:00.002-04:002019-05-27T07:56:30.032-04:00BRIGHTBURN
D.C. Comics had a line of books called Elseworlds, where one change in a superhero's life would send them on a completely different trajectory. This idea applies to Brightburn, a superhero horror movie that follows a simple idea: What if young Superman was evil?
In the small town of Brightburn, Kansas, farmers Tori and Kyle Breyer (Elizabeth Banks, David Denman) have been trying to have James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-40358815247599562602019-05-11T16:43:00.000-04:002019-05-11T16:43:04.648-04:00LONG SHOT
Politics makes strange bedfellows. In the case of the movie Long Shot, one would wish it would have made for a movie with any sort of entertainment value.
Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is smart, beautiful, and accomplished. When idiot President Chambers (Bob Odenirk) tells her he wants to be a one-term president so he can transition to doing movies, she James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-2470281691286209932019-05-01T18:57:00.002-04:002019-05-01T18:57:28.424-04:00AVENGERS: ENDGAME
For years the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been teasing the awesome power of the Infinity Stones, the Infinity Gauntlet, and the mad titan Thanos' mission to wipe out half the life in the universe -- and seeing that happen in Avengers: Infinity War. So what happens next? The conclusion of this saga in the epic Avengers: Endgame.
Following the events of the last movie, the James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-88722097360962320592019-04-19T08:15:00.000-04:002019-04-19T08:15:01.077-04:00RIFFTRAX LIVE: OCTAMAN
Anyone who remembers the Syfy channel makeup competition show Face Off will know that there are important elements that go into making a memorable movie monster. The movie Octaman goes in the opposite direction, being cheap and nonsensical at almost every turn -- and that's before the oddly environmental messages, the terrible acting, and the attempt to cover it all up by almost shooting James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-34815408780687730652019-04-06T20:04:00.000-04:002019-04-07T10:27:00.172-04:00SHAZAM!
While most DC superhero movies have gone the grim and gritty route, Shazam! is far more aimed at the brightness and magic that appeals to young kids. And in this case, the change in tone works very well.
Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is a 14-year-old kid who's been running away from foster homes to search for the mother who lost him as a young kid. His latest foster home has him with James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-2535603721278965052019-03-30T09:32:00.001-04:002019-03-30T09:32:50.302-04:00UNSEEN ACADEMICALS by Terry Pratchett
The British love rugby. To them, that version of "football" can inspire intense fandom, violence, and a mixture of the two. Terry Pratchettputs a goofy spin on this love in Unseen Academicals, a Discworld novel about politics, athletics, romance, and hapless academics.
In the city of Ankh-Morpork, football is played in the streets to great enthusiasm and violence, with few rules James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-22909733221940710042019-03-25T18:30:00.001-04:002019-03-31T07:54:49.240-04:00US
A good horror movie requires several elements, from scares and originality to consistency and following its own rules. Us, the latest movie from writer-director Jordan Peele, manages the former pretty well but falls short of the latter.
Back in 1986, young Adelaide wandered away from her parents at a carnival in Santa Clara. She wound up at a creepy, dimly-lit hall of mirrors ("James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-21471963888681399252019-03-17T08:28:00.000-04:002019-03-17T08:36:28.291-04:00BAD MEDICINE
There is a type of game where players have to pitch an idea or product to the other players, getting them to select what they pitch as the best. Bad Medicine from Formal Ferret Games is such a game, for 3-8 players, and it's all about promoting the best, funniest pharmaceuticals to one's opponents to score the most points.
The person who most recently swallowed a pill goes first. James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-34712107840599375972019-03-10T15:17:00.001-04:002019-03-10T15:17:32.436-04:00CAPTAIN MARVEL
For Marvel's latest entry in their cinematic universe, Captain Marvel takes a trip to outer space -- and the 1990s -- to introduce their latest, possibly most powerful hero.
Vers (Brie Larson) is a Kree warrior. Part of a military squad battling the green shape-changing Skrulls, she can project powerful energy beams from her hands. She also has dreams and memories of a life that James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-59698210025344072922019-02-17T19:39:00.001-05:002019-02-17T19:39:40.121-05:00NEW YORK SLICE
Pizza and gaming go together constantly, so it's no surprise that someone made a game revolving around eating pizza. New York Slice from Bezier Games lets 2-6 players compete in collecting and eating slices of pizza and gathering Specials to score the most points and win the game.
As one would expect, the main components are slices of pizza. Each type of pizza has a point value on James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-2739673885186584982019-02-02T17:00:00.000-05:002019-02-04T17:20:14.817-05:00CHAMPIONS: AARON ALLSTON'S STRIKE FORCE
The late Aaron Allston ran a Champions role-playing game (RPG) campaign that lasted for 20 years. Set in Earth AU, this campaign had humble beginnings (one hero had to steal a bus to get to the first adventure) and grew to encompass three superhero-teams, a technologically advanced world and some literal world-rebuilding. Strike Force provides the history and statistics for much James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-90844907655876951962018-10-12T18:51:00.001-04:002018-10-12T18:51:31.983-04:00Ann Wilson, IMMORTAL
Cover albums often have a common theme, and Ann Wilson (lead singer of Heart) has a common thread on her new album Immortal: performers who have passed away but who left a deep impact on the musical landscape. Her voice and their music prove to be a strong combination.
Immortal is composed of mostly deep cuts (except for "You Don't Own Me" and "Baker Street"), from artists who have James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-38556040769273513882018-10-10T16:03:00.000-04:002018-10-10T16:03:49.030-04:00A STAR IS BORN
Fame has its ups and downs, its rewards and pitfalls, its appeals and stresses. This is covered in A Star Is Born -- and the movie does very well, thanks to some impressive star power in its two leads.
Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper, who co-wrote and directed the movie) is a famous classic rocker, someone everyone seems to know and want their picture with. Looking for booze after a James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-66950433886788604222018-09-27T09:35:00.000-04:002018-10-10T15:54:19.084-04:00THE DISASTER ARTIST
The movie The Room may be the worst modern movie ever made, becoming famous and infamous, inspiring a "so bad it's good" attitude and having midnight showings. But what about Tommy Wiseau, the writer-director-star of the movie? The Disaster Artist is a look at the man behind this movie -- and his best friend and co-star.
Greg (Dave Franco) is a struggling artist who meets Tommy (James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-34337628590649083212018-09-13T16:48:00.001-04:002018-09-13T16:48:08.137-04:00OPERATION FINALE
Based on true events, Operation Finale is about the discovery and capture of Adolph Eichmann, considered the architect of the Nazis' final solution and the highest-ranking Nazi to escape alive after World War Two. The movie tells a compelling story, though with some forced elements.
The movie begins in 1960, when Israel's Mossad intelligence agency gets a lead that Eichmann (Ben KingsleyJames Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-58576575455135465432018-08-25T15:44:00.000-04:002018-08-25T15:44:18.657-04:00THE CAPTAIN IS DEAD
Cooperative games have the players working together towards a common goal -- while other events distract them and can cost them the game. The Captain Is Dead from Alderac Entertainment Games uses this mechanic well, as 2-7 players encounter all sorts of obstacles on their spaceship while trying to win by repairing the Jump Drive.
Each player has a character, which has several traits: James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-34150590790756515262018-08-24T15:48:00.003-04:002018-08-24T15:48:42.070-04:00RIFFTRAX LIVE: KRULL
The movie Krull is a mix of science fiction and sword and sorcery from 1983 that never really took off. Looking back at it, there are plenty of reasons this was a commercial and critical flop. However, that makes it perfect for riffing on, and Rifftrax Live: Krull does just that.
With this slightly long movie to take on, hosts Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett skip their James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-14393642433834051652018-08-19T09:31:00.000-04:002018-08-19T09:31:25.884-04:00BlacKkKlansman
Loosely based on a bizarre true story, BlacKkKlansman is the latest Spike Lee movie. This time around he's drawing heavy parallels between the past and present, to mixed results.
In 1972, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first black police officer in Colorado Springs. Initially stuck in the records room, Ron soon finds himself doing undercover work. A unique James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-68491414563666454662018-07-30T09:31:00.000-04:002018-07-30T09:31:09.182-04:00CAMEL UP
Lots of games involve racing, but Camel Up from Z-Man Games focuses on betting on different parts of the race to earn the most pounds and win the game. It also has a goofy game mechanic that makes the race pretty unpredictable.
Accommodating between 2 and 8 players, Camel Up players (who start with three pounds each) are betting on a race among five camels (blue, yellow, green, orange, James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-90031688936799090122018-07-17T14:59:00.000-04:002018-07-17T14:59:15.365-04:00SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
Nothing can be as annoying as telemarketers -- or as lucrative. Sorry to Bother You is a comedic satire of the search for the American Dream, racism, and consumerism.
Cassius "Cash" Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is struggling. While he ponders what his life means, he's unemployed and living in his uncle's garage. His chance for change comes when he gets a job as a telemarketer, James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-19872904241518515372018-07-11T19:27:00.000-04:002018-07-11T19:27:38.764-04:00ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
While some Marvel movies can be pretty intense, the last Ant-Man movie was a lighter caper film. Ant-Man and the Wasp continues that tradition, as assorted characters race and battle to get hold of the same item.
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is just a few days from finishing his house arrest, he's got a new security business going, and he's ready to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-88400628645821798022018-07-02T19:03:00.004-04:002018-07-02T19:03:57.241-04:00Rhett Miller, THE INTERPRETER
Rhett Miller, lead singer for the Old 97's, has a distinctive voice that would make me listen to him is he read names out of the phone book. He's also a terrific guitarist who can shift from exciting riffs to melodic, emotional sounds from song to song. The Interpreter has Rhett covering some of his favorite songs.
Recorded live at the Largo club in Florida before its closing, The James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-36328708984326363652018-06-28T19:06:00.001-04:002018-06-28T19:06:38.266-04:00R.I.P. Harlan Ellison 1934-2018
Harlan Ellison, one of the greats of speculative fiction ("Call me a 'science-fiction' writer and I'll come to your house and nail your pet's head to the table"), activism, columns, film criticism, and countless other areas of literature, cinema, television, and entertainment, passed away today.
Harlan Ellison may be best known for his writing. He has written novels, short stories, and James Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000091537803718303noreply@blogger.com0