Stubs - Bull Durham

Bull Durham (1988) Starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl. Directed by Ron Shelton. Screenplay by Ron Shelton. Produced by Thom Mount, Mark Burg. Run time: 108 minutes. USA. Color. Romantic Comedy, Sports

Sometimes you see a movie a second time and it is not as quite as good as you remember. Thirty-four years ago, I went to see Bull Durham on the first date with my wife and on our anniversary, we decided to watch it again. I’m happy to report that the film is as funny and as romantic as it was the first time.

The Looker

While The Witness initially released in 2016 to critical acclaim, it wasn’t without fault. Said faults were then taken and exaggerated in a parody known as The Looker, which was released earlier this year. As a fan of The Witness, when I first heard about The Looker, I thought I might get a kick out of it and decided to give it a try, the main motivator being that it was released for free via Steam. After going through the game mostly blind, I certainly got the entertainment value I was expecting out of it, possibly even more.

Stubs - Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman. Directed by Taika Waititi. Screenplay by Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. Based on Marvel Comics. Produced by Kevin Feige, Brad Winderbaum. Run time: 119 minutes. Color. USA. Superhero, Action, Adventure, MCU.

While my enthusiasm for the MCU has cooled substantially since Endgame, there were still films in Phase Four that I was still interested in. Following Thor: Ragnarok (2017), one that I was looking forward to was Taika Waititi’s return to the Thor franchise. The first two Thor solo films, Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013), were okay, it seemed the character did better when part of an ensemble. But Ragnarok seemed to change that. Waititi’s humor really helped that film to be more fun and enjoyable than the previous two.

Lucky's Tale (PS VR)

Though I had played both versions of Super Lucky’s Tale before, I had not previously played the original Lucky’s Tale, as it was released for a VR platform (Oculus Rift) that I did not have. By chance when looking at the listing for Moss: Book II, I spotted a digital-only listing for the PlayStation VR version of Lucky’s Tale, which is a port of the Oculus Quest 2 remaster with updated graphics to match the sequel. Although I liked the game after finally getting to play it and thought it held up as a good example of third-person VR, one major issue made it nearly unplayable for me.

Atlantis: Milo's Return

Note: This review contains spoilers for Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Of all the IPs Disney owns, one of the most overlooked is Atlantis, which revolves around the lost city of Atlantis. Though the original 2001 film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, has managed a cult following within the last twenty years, it didn’t do as well at the box office as Disney had anticipated. As such, any further plans for a franchise were scrapped, including a TV series called Team Atlantis. Before Team Atlantis’ cancellation, however, three episodes were produced. Not wanting the effort to go to waste, these episodes were combined into a DTV feature, Atlantis: Milo’s Return, with some new animation tying the episodes together. Gauging critical reception is difficult, though Milo’s Return is typically viewed as a subpar effort in comparison to The Lost Empire. Looking as it now, it’s hard not to see why, but the rare window into what could have been makes it more interesting.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for the Five Nights at Freddy’s series.

Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) is a game series that I’ve always found fascinating. Ever since the first game launched back in 2014, I was hooked by the hidden lore and stuck by the series ever since, even reading the original novel trilogy (The Silver Eyes, The Twisted Ones and The Fourth Closet) of my own volition. However, I’ve never actually played any of the games myself, instead watching Markiplier play through all of them and uncovering their secrets. That would change with the formal announcement of the ninth main entry, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach (Security Breach), as the change in presentation and gameplay style felt more in line with my interests. As such, although the game, developed by Steel Wool, launched in December 2021, I intentionally didn’t watch any playthroughs so my playthrough would be as spoiler-free as possible when I finally got around to it. Although I feel proud of myself for finally playing a FNAF game, I can confidently say that Security Breach really needed more time in the oven.

Stubs - Jingle All the Way

Jingle All the Way (1996) Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Robert Conrad, Jake Lloyd, Jim Belushi Directed by Brian Levant. Screenplay by Randy Kornfield Produced by Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Mark Radcliffe. Runtime: 89 minutes. USA Color Christmas, Family, Comedy.

Every so often, a toy will be released at Christmas time that will have a high demand and a low supply. An early example of this was The Cabbage Patch Kids in the 1980s, and the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, and in the mid-1990s, Buzz Lightyear. And if you were unfortunate not to have picked up on the trend and your child’s wish for one, you could be out of luck when the big day arrives and that present is not under the tree.

Making a comedy about this is nothing new, as the TV show Fraiser made an episode about the Outlaw Laser Robo-Geek, the Christmas present his son wanted, in 1995. Another take on this was Jingle All the Way, made in 1996. This time, the toy is Turbo-Man.