Chapter and Multiverse Review

Of the many tabletop game/actual play podcasts out there, Rusty Quill has been one of the ones making stories from the beginning. Rusty Quill gaming had been a podcast lasting almost seven years, so it could be seen as a daunting task to create a brand new program instead of just using the branding and feed of RQG, but if the first three weeks are anything to go by their new actual play podcast Chapter and Multiverse brings a new interesting spot to the Rusty Quill lineup. 

The concept of Chapter and Multiverse is that each of the games they will play will take place in or around a place named Chapter, often a city, and each game they play will be in a different universe. The format of the series is also a but different than other actual play podcasts. While others may follow a long form story in one system, Chapter is dedicated to do something a little different. The show is broken into pats, with one section telling a longer form story over a season, and the other dedicated to more one shot type stories often completed in about three episodes. So far the two games they have played is Masks, and an original game titled Vampire Cowboys.   

The Masks campaign so far seems to tell a typical super hero story. Four young characters are recruited to form a team to fight against evil in the city of Chapter. Its difficult to fully state how this campaign will truly go only a few episodes in, but so far it seems to be filled with a number of interesting characters and "totally real humans," and powers that could prove interesting in action scenes as well as in the narrative. 

The second game played is Vampire Cowboys, a one shot type experience following a group of vampires in the old west that are recruited to turn a jerk into a vampire for a pack of werewolves. Of the two games so far this one is the more explicitly comedic tale, with characters such as an old vampire named Squishy Chewing, and another who faints at the sight of blood. The game was a fun tale told over three episodes, and offer a nice bonus to the mainline tale of Masks, while also being its own nice thing. 

One of the few downsides to the podcast so far is the role of the storyteller. The storyteller introduces each episode as a multiverseal narrator, describing each tale and what had happened previously, all shaped around how they had encountered the heroes of each story. The issue is that they just seem a bit redundant, as so far the GM seems to do a fine job starting out the episode on their own. It is possible for the role to be improved upon, but it needs to find its purpose first.  

Chapter and Multiverse brings a fresh entry into the actual play podcast sphere, so far bringing the best of long form campaigns and one shots to the table. If it can keep up the storytelling quality and find its use for the multiversal narrator, Rusty Quill have a worthy successor to Rusty Quill Gaming on their hands 

Fear Street Part 1: 1994 Review

Modern horror series can best be described as a single film that hopes to become more, a series, or even a universe. Netflix is banking for something new with its recent release Fear Street, a trilogy filmed back to back taking place in several different eras, 1994, 1978, and 1666. Each trilogy must have its beginning, and Fear Street: 1994 creates an interesting beginning to the trilogy, while also being a damn good horror film on its own.

Fear Street follows Deena, a teenager living in the town of Shadyside, nicknamed "Murder Capital USA" for the long legacy of brutal murders that have impacted the town. As the town is reeling from a new round of murders, Deena is dealing with the post breakup feelings for her ex, Sam. But after an accident, Deena and her friends Kate, Simon, and Josh must come together to protect Sam from a group of killers, and begin to uncover the legacy of what is haunting Shadyside.

One of the most enjoyable things about the plot is how unexpected it was. Without saying too much, I had gone into the film anticipating a typical slasher, but was pleasantly surprised at how the film took the slasher formula and turned it into something different. One negative is the ex-Sam. film does have a bit of slowness around the middle to the end of the second act, with the characters going from one place to another to another. These scenes are important and push the plot and mystery forward, but it felt like the scares were lacking.

Speaking of scares, throughout the film there are some special effects that I found to be surprisingly nice. The little bits of CGI in the film don't detract from the action at all, and add to the film as a whole. The practical effects are a mix though. Some of them are fairly nice, especially with one particular kill, but there are times that it looks like a basic prop from the archives.

The film is also supported by the performances of its main actors. Kiana Maderia is amazing as Deena, really making you feel for the character and having a proper amount of emotion for every scene, and the other actors Benjamin Flores Jr. and Julia Rehwald are great as Josh and Kate respectively. I sadly don't have as high of praise for Fred Hechinger and Oliva Welch, playing Simon and Sam. The performances seemed a bit two dimensional, but that could also be said for what they were given.

In the end Fear Street 1994 is a great horror film. It creates an interesting mythology while also being almost a perfect standalone film. While bogged down a bit by a few performances and a lacking middle, the twists on the slasher formula bring enough to the table to have an good watch. The greatest test is to see if everything will be able to come together in a satisfying way, but even so, it remains a great fun horror watch.

Adventure Time Review

In 2010, the Cartoon Network series, Adventure Time premiered on television. It introduced viewers to the Land of Ooo, heroes Finn and Jake, the villainous Ice King, and a world full of adventure. This is a show that I had watched from the moment it premiered, to the moment it ended. It is a show that is filled with wild stories, creative characters, but with a heart and evolving storyline to create one of the greatest fantasy series of all time.

Adventure Time follows Finn, a young human boy and Jake, a talking dog with the ability to stretch and change his body. These two are the focus, with many of the episodes following them as they interact with the denizens of their world and going on adventures, discovering new places and enemies to battle. Each episode sends them to a new place or meeting a new person, and in the space of eleven minutes they are able to create an excellent slice of fantasy.

While the small pieces of the story are wonderful, one of the great things about the series is, in a way, it grows up with the viewer. Even in season two, there are episodes that follow up on things that happened in season one, so it has a limited continuity that becomes more and more prevalent as the series goes on. It is also great that as the series goes on, characters are able to change as well. New relationships form, people grow up, and the people of the series evolve.

One of the bad things about the plot is that some episodes can have ideas that just are not very good, either featuring a character that is heavily annoying, an idea that just isn’t there, or This is understandable, as the show does have over 200 episodes, but it is a drag when going through the series and reaching the episodes

The animation of the series is also wonderful. The animation is consistently smooth, with an especially wonderful aspect being the character designs. Each of the characters are creative, from the numerous princesses that occupy the world of the story, to items and monsters. The world is also greatly designed. In the story, there are numerous kingdoms and all of them are fun, with each revolving around a theme, from slime to breakfast. It creates a world where anything is possible and anything can be found.

It is also a very colorful show. It uses the wide range for its world and characters, with Finn and Jake being a base white, blue, and yellow, but going forward to use a bright palette for its colors, in the end creating a warm feeling for the viewer, even when the moment is dark.

With all the elements, Adventure Time is a wonderful show that uses its story, characters, and look to create a beautiful fantasy adventure. Its combination of these things led to it being around for nine seasons, and all together the adventures I had in the land of Ooo have made my love for animation and fantasy what it is.

 

Princess Mononoke Review

 Princess Mononoke is a Japanese animated action adventure film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by the famous Studio Ghibli, and released in 1997.

Princess Mononoke follows Ashitaka (Billy Crudip), a young prince searching for a cure to a curse on his right arm. On his journey he encounters a mining town led by the charismatic Lady Eboshi, and ends up involved in a conflict between the town, spirits of the forest and nature, and the mysterious young woman San (Clair Danes). The plot is heavily based in Japanese folklore and religious beliefs, but as I went through the film, it was less and less confusing, and many elements and concepts were well explained. I found the story to be engaging, pulling me into the world of the film and deeply invested into the characters' struggles.

The one flaw is that there is a bit too much to the story. The film clocks in at about two hours fifteen minutes, and the time can be felt. While it is a complete story, there are meany elements that seem to have no real reason to be in the story besides filler. One such example is a tribe of apes that appear throughout the film. They spoke a few lines and added a bit of antagonism to our heroes, but in the end they were unnecessary, underdeveloped, and added little to the story.

As the film was originally in Japanese, the voice actors faced a unique challenge, needing to provide the right feel for both the characters and make it seem that they were able to at least have a fair match up with the mouth movements, and to the films credit, the voices mostly work. Billy Crudip stars as Ashitaka, and of the main voices, Crudip is the worst. Throughout the film, it feels as if he was always trying to be more subdued with his performance, which never felt right with how the character was acting and how his mouth was moving. Luckily as the film went on the voice seemed less disjointed and I was able to feel that Crudip grew more into the character. All the other voice actors do a great job with the role, with their voices providing a great match for the characters, especially John DiMaggio as Gonza and Gillian Anderson as the wolf god Moro. I also want to give a quick shout out to Jada Picket Smith as Toki who, while not being a major part of the film, brought a wonderful energy to the character and was delightful every time she was on screen.

Director Hayao Miyazaki continues the quality of Studio Ghibli, creating a world that is at times both magical, while still having an air of natural and realistic beauty to it. The landscapes and designs truly create a sense of place and location in the film, and that’s without mentioning the character and creature design. All the human characters are distinct and have something to their costuming and design to make them all stand out. The creature designs are also wonderful. When an animal is based upon a real-life creature, the attention to detail is clearly seen. The film also features otherworldly creatures, and all the designs are beautiful as well, from the kodama (Japanese forest spirits) to the deer-like design of the god of nature.

All of these traits come together to tell an important story about the nature of war, humans and the environment and how even good intentions can cause problems. The performances give life to the characters' struggles with each other and create excellent ideas about the environment. Near the end of the film this is seen most clearly, as a character is corrupted to an infection inky blackness that clearly is made to look like oil. It comes together to create a clear picture of the relationship between humans and nature.

All of these elements come together to create a wonderful film. The visuals still hold up over twenty years later, and while the English voices could have been a bit better, they still anchor a well written, emotional story about the relationship between men, nature, and war.