Author / WetheGeek

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Posts by WetheGeek

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by WetheGeek

T.I.M.E. for a new game

Released in 2015 by Space Cowboys, T.I.M.E. Stories is a max four person choose your own adventure board/card game.
Players are introduced to the world of T.I.M.E. agents, where you are sent back in time to prevent human caused anomalies using bodies of people who are already there. You and the other agents have to prevent the anomaly before time runs out. Use logic, planning, puzzle solving, exploration, and dice rolling to play through the mysterious world you’re dropped into. Run time 2-3 hours with seven unique expansions.

I absolutely ADORE this game. It would probably be faster for you to play this game than for me to gush about this game. I will tell you my top two reasons why this is a fantastic board/deck game:
1: the stories-
With eight unique stories, you never know what kind of curveball is going to be thrown at you. Are you a fan of creepy mysteries? Got a taste for fantasy? Historical? T.I.M.E. Stories has got an expansion for you! After you play the base game and understand the rules, each expansion offers players new unique stories with their own mechanics and puzzles that spice up the already enthralling world.
2: you’re against the board-
I’m not a very aggressive person when it comes to games so when I find a game that I have to destroy an inanimate object, I’m happy. I sat down with my siblings, grabbed my brain and played.

Base game: $50
Expansions: $25

*WARNINGS!*
-The approximate game time is a nasty lie. My quickest game was 3 hours long and my lonest was 5. My brother has GMed a 7 hour game.
-Please take the age restrictions seriously! It is 13+ for a reason because of the frustrating puzzles and some ingame topics. There is an expansion that is marked 18+ and it is so FOR GOOD REASON.
-Once you play through a story there’s no reason to play again (in my opinion) unless you’re playing as a GM for a new group.

Happy Gaming!
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

The Spy who Dumped Me (and didn’t disappoint)

Ok, I swear that I don’t go out to see movies all the time but this was calling my name when I first saw the trailor for it.
The movie is about a girl who finds out her boyfriend is a spy after he dumps her via text (seriously, how dare he 😒) and it is up to her and her “too much” friend to save the world.
I frankly enjoyed this film. It’s hysterical to watch these two besties try to figure out the world of spys and sabotage while also remaining their quirky selves. Not too much of a head scratcher, it certainly is one of those movies you sit back and just let the story wash over you. A great movie to watch with your bestie and glance at each other while thinking “that would be us”.
Be warned: there is a reason why this movie is rated R and includes: violence, swearing, crude humor, and nudity.
Happy Watching!
-Mabel

As a follow up: Hi! Incensum here! I also went to watch the movie, and had a few things to add!

The movie is firstly, a great example of timing in film. Many of the jokes landed because of the perfect timing of said joke. The acting was spectacularly believable, and the characters were likable. Went into the film thinking ‘oh, this’ll be another campy spy movie like all the rest,’ came out loving it. I highly recommend it, but do offer the same warning about rating.
Two thumbs up!
-Incensum

by WetheGeek

The fantastic Christopher Robin

Disney has been doing a lot of movies that have taken their older productions and, basically, slapped a glossy finish over them via live action resulting in… Mediocre films in my opinion. The retelling of their classics like “Beauty and the Beast”, “Cinderella”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “The Jungle Book” have always left me with the thought that the originals were better and why not just release the originals again in movie theaters for the next generation to enjoy on the big screen.
“Christopher Robin” isn’t just a simple retelling of “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”, since it is an elder Christopher finding his old friends again, but nostalgia plays a huge role in the movie. I wonder how good I would’ve considered the movie if I hadn’t seen the original animated classic. It does begin in right at the tail end 🎶 of Christopher’s childhood days 🎶 so we have some basis of the stuffed friends but without knowing the original classic, some jokes fall flat.
Either way, the movie was a warm hearted tale about a man rediscovering his childhood imagination and would actually be a great movie to take your child to if they’ve seen the original.
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Dial M for Mabel

I’ve always wanted to watch an Alfred Hitchcock but I really didn’t have an idea about which to start with besides “Psycho” and I’m not basic so this is the result.
The plot is about a man who creates the perfect murder plot in order to kill his cheating wife but the murder goes sour and the man has to spend the rest of the movie trying to work with what he has.
I am a decent fan of murder mysteries and constantly listen to the podcast “Unsolved Murders” so it was very interesting to see the film unfold before me because, from the very beginning of the movie, you know the entire murder plot within the first 15 minutes. The way that Alfred directed each scene is gripping and I actually was holding my breath to see if the man is ever caught as he has constant brushes with the law as they investigate the scene of the crime.
Because it was a stageplay before it made it to the big screen, the entire movie works within the confines of the murder house with one exception so you can feel the stress that the man constantly faces as you watch him delicately weaves his murder.
You really need to pay attention to every detail to this movie so I would not suggest watching this as a “relaxation” movie.
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Now, most of you are going to be like “I have no idea what that movie is and, more to the point, who you are” but that’s ok, I’ll get to my intro later!
For now I’m going to introduce this wonderful Chinese film that was nominated for 10 different awards after its release in 2000.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a martial arts movie that has many subplots to it but is grossly boiled down to: Man wants to renounce his art, old enemy returns with prodigy and now man wants save the prodigy. Since it’s originally in Mandarin, the movie graciously offers the option for either subbed or dubbed, which are both well done in each respect but I had to watch it in dubbed because the visuals are incredible.
The main reason why I wanted to watch this film was because of how often it was mentioned when people talked about visuals and I was not disappointed what so ever. The martial art is flawless, the costumes are beautiful, the flow from one shot to another is gorgeous!
If you do plan to watch it, do be warned that there is a sex scene right in the middle that adds nothing to the plot.
Happy Watching,
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Return of the Fire Nation?

This month we were alerted to an interesting new development from Netflix: an Avatar the Last Airbender live-action show. This show would be directed by showrunners Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, a strong positive sign for the quality of the translation to live-action. The show is supposedly going to dive deeper into the cultures and lore of the world of Avatar, and the cast is reported to be pulled from the cultures each nation was based on (for example, the water tribe was based on the Inuit and Sireniki culture). The music will once again be done by the amazingly talented Jeremy Zuckerman, and the overall story will hopefully follow the themes and feel of the original.

The fact that this series is live-action has many fans pointing to the last attempt at a live-action adaptation by Shyamalan, not a great comparison to be made (as the ‘movie’ currently sits at a score of 20 on Metacritic, 4.5/10 on IMDB, and 6% on Rotten Tomatoes). However, the creators of the show had little if anything to do with the film, and efforts certainly seem to be in effect to remove that blemish from memory.

I personally am of two minds about this: On the one hand, I love the Avatar franchise, with its wonderful score, writing, characters, and worldbuilding, and would love to see that come to live-action and draw in a much larger audience. On the other hand, I for one haven’t forgotten the issues with the movie, and in fact, the issues with the other attempts Netflix has made of turning cartoons to live-action (let’s not even get me started on Death Note).

If this works, and I sincerely hope it does, I hope that Netflix and other companies learn from the success, and compare this show to other attempts that failed. The thing that can make or break this series’ success will be the involvement of those who truly care about the source material, but aren’t afraid to make something new. I don’t want EXACTLY the cartoon for this show, nor do I expect it. I do expect something different and new. However, I expect something GOOD.
Although, If Netflix avoids making more cartoon-to-live-action shows, I certainly won’t complain.

That’s been my opinion and update on the Avatar Netflix series, but please, feel free to comment with your opinion. As the man Phillip DeFranco always says “It’s a conversation, so let me hear what you think.”

-Incensum

by WetheGeek

Song of the Sea is pure magic

I just recently watched Song of the Sea and I’ve got to say:
If you haven’t seen it or it’s sister Secret of Kells then you are missing out on something seriously different.
With it’s whimsical, almost Flannelgraphic, art style and calming Gaelic music, Song of the Sea takes the viewer along in the mystical world of Gaelic Fairies as a willful Ben discovers that his mute sister Seoirse is the sole hope for the Fairie Folk in Ireland. Though the story itself wasn’t that thought provoking to me in either movie, it was the way they painted the story with colorful characters that kept me gazing at my screen for the whole time.
I highly suggest this movie if you are looking for something different from the mainstream media.

-Mabel

by WetheGeek

The Dragon Prince shines Bright

As I sat down to find something new to watch on Netflix while I was making my newest cosplay, I came across the new Netflix original series “The Dragon Prince.” Now, I know you may be thinking, “Isn’t that a children’s show?” In which case I would answer “Yes.” However, I didn’t leave my spot until I watched all nine episodes. It was that interesting to me. If your looking for a short series to kill time, use in the background, or something you want to watch but not have to think that much about, I would suggest “The Dragon Prince.” It’s cute, interesting, has a lot of action, and striking designs for 2D.⠀
Now “The Dragon Prince” is a fantasy adventure series where humans and, elves and dragons are at war with each other. Long ago, the humans, with the help of dark magic, chased off the elves and dragons after stealing their king’s egg and murdering the king. Now, the elves and dragons are ready for revenge.⠀
The series follows two young, human princes, Callum and Ezran, who don’t want to fight. On the other side, a young elf, Rayla, is just starting her career as an assassin but can’t bring herself to kill. Her and the two princes rally together after a mishap to find the king’s egg and return it to it’s mother.⠀
The creators of this series were Aaron Ehasz, who was also the head writer and director of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and Justin Richmond. They decided to create “The Dragon Prince” using similar 2D styles as “Avatar” but focus on more of the scenery and detailed designs. They also reduced the frame rate to give a different feel but after the series was released, many viewers left feedback saying it was distracting or even giving them a slight headache. The feedback was taken well, and the creators interviewed saying that if there will be a season 2, they will change up the quality of the series according to the feedback.⠀
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-MKAmethyst 

by WetheGeek

Pixverse Part 2: The Human Problem

Part 2- The Human Problem⠀
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The Pixverse, like many franchises, (looking at you Star Wars and Fast and Furious) was not filmed in order. The oldest Pixar movie is Toy Story which came out in 1995. The oldest movie on the Pixverse timeline is The Good Dinosaur. Based roughly 65 million years ago the Pixverse changes history drastically by having the meteor miss earth and the dinosaurs continue to live their normal lives. With life left unchecked, animals thrive and show large amounts of intelligence. ⠀
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We also meet humans at this time. What can easily be called “the human problem”. Throughout the Pixverse there are three factions fighting for power. We have the animals, humans, and the machines (robots). ⠀
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The Good Dinosaur sets up the existence of humans and animals. They both inhabit the planet and coexist for the most part in peace. Animals already show an aptitude for intelligence and humans not so much. ⠀
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By the 10th or so century we see humans have become significantly more intelligent and animals have not. Brave introduces us to one important part of the Pixverse, Magic! We meet the most important character of the entire Pixverse, the Witch. She is the little old lady who lives in the woods and uses magic, a lot of magic. Both of which will be very important later. ⠀
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Which is where we end off for this week. I leave you all wondering why magic and talking animals matter at all! Till next week that is!⠀
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-RytheGeek 

by WetheGeek

The Disney Takeover

The Disney Takeover…⠀
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I haven’t really talked about the Disney Fox merger. In all honesty I’ve kinda avoided it. I have extremely mixed feelings about the take over. Most of you probably don’t even care. It doesn’t really mess with your life so why worry? Well you should. ⠀
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Let’s take a look to see what Disney just acquired from Fox. ⠀
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1. Disney now has the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool ⠀
2. Disney gets distribution rights to Star Wars Episode IV⠀
3. Disney now owns Planet if the Apes, Avatar (Blue people), I’ve Age, Home Alone, Doctor Doolittle, and Alvin and the Chipmunks ⠀
4. Disney now owns all Fox Sports networks. That includes everything from hockey to Nascar⠀
5. Disney now owns Sky which is a large European media company ⠀
6. National Geographic. Yeah. That too. ⠀
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That’s… that’s a lot of properties. It was more then just a movie deal. It was the rights to a huge chunk of entertainment world wide. ⠀
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So why does this matter?⠀
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Disney has always been a giant. They own ABC and ESPN. Not to mention Pixar and all the parks they have around the world. In some ways this is great. The MCU can expand and I can go watch all my favorite heroes for the next twenty years. On the other hand this is a catastrophe because Disney is dancing the line between monopoly and normal business. Only time will tell the repercussions that will happen. ⠀
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-RytheGeek ⠀
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Sources: https://buff.ly/2NHaeqG ⠀