Wow! Not doing too well with updating this thing every two weeks. I'll have to do a little better. Hopefully, the upcoming holidays don't throw me off again. Thanksgiving came and went. We kept it low-key, with just my wife and me at home.
This past week, winter hit here in Sedona. We're told it doesn't typically snow this early in the season so maybe we should expect a snowier winter than normal.
Movies
- Enola Holmes 2 is an okay sequel to an okay original film.
- Strange World is one I wanted to like a bit more but turned out to be just good. The trailers sold the film to me like a great pulp adventure novel. I enjoyed it, but don't feel it hit all the buttons for me.
- Violent Night was a blast. Most fun I recall having in a theater for a long time. This one will be an ongoing Christmas film for me. Loads of fun mix-up of Home Alone and Die Hard. I hope there's a sequel and we get to meet Mrs. Clause.
- Slash/Back had a bit going for it, but I wanted more alien stuff and less teen drama.
- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a technical marvel for stop animation. I was truly amazed by the visuals at times. I was fine with how dark the story was, but did feel it dragged a bit at parts. And the songs really weren't that great.
Reelhouse Foundation Films
- Bunny Lake is Missing (1965) Wow! This film really blew me away. A mystery where the first half has you questioning a lot. Then around mid-way through the film, something happens and is revealed, which threw me for a loop and had me on edge until the film's end. This must have been unbelievable when it came out in the '60s.
- Tales of the Third Dimension (1984) is an anthology film made of up three stories. The first two are just boring bad. But the third, about a brother and sister left with their grandmother at Christmas-time while their parents go on vacation. The grandmother runs out of her medicine and chaos ensues. The entire film is on YouTube if you want to experience this yourself. Just skip to around the 55 minute mark.
- The Silent Partner (1978) is a really good film I saw a few years ago and here it is again. We'll worth seeking out if you want to find a gem from the past.
Star Wars: Outer Rim
I also have the Unfinished Business expansion. For this solo playthrough, I played as Doctor Aphra against my AI opponent, Black Krrsantan.
The goal of the base game is to be the first to gain a certain number for fame. You do this by traveling the galaxy and gaining that fame via jobs, bounties, and encounters.
The expansion gives you more focus by adding an epic quest. You still need fame, but there are a few additional long-term quests you must also complete. It definitely adds a compelling story.
The AI opponents have a standard deck of cards along with a character-specific card to run their turn dynamically. I like how it plays with the general aim of accumulating fame.
I had a lot of fun with it and look forward to getting it out on my table again sometime soon.
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