Awix (3310 KP) rated Mutants & Masterminds (3rd Edition) in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018 (Updated Mar 7, 2018)
This is a game which really demands that everyone is on the same page in terms of the tone and style of game they want to play: the character creation system is point-based and it's potentially very easy to create unbalanced, unstoppable combat monsters. Character advancement can also be a little tricky over an extended (20+ session) campaign. Getting to grips with the finer points of the creation system can also be difficult; using a character-building app is an extremely sensible idea.
That said, when a group is sympatico and the GM knows his comic book tropes, this game allows you to play through superhero adventures with an ease and sense of fun like few others. I played in a group running this system on pretty much a weekly basis for 15 months and the individual sessions were almost all great fun; it was long-term problems with the campaign rules that caused the whole thing to grind to a halt.
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Gone Girl (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
With this in mind, I was concerned that there was no way this film could capture the dark side of the characters and the story being told. I am glad to say that I was wrong. While the typical statement of “the book is better” does apply here, director David Fincher crafts a film that audiences will be able to understand and fill in the blanks of the devious motivations of the characters based on what is seen on screen. This is a refreshing theater experience as I feel that most novel adaptations often lead to lazy filmmaking that assumes the audience is familiar with the source material. Perhaps Fincher is helped by the fact that Gillian Flynn herself wrote the screen adaptation of her novel, keeping the most important elements in play.
Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne, an introspective “nice” guy who finds himself the primary suspect in the missing persons/murder investigation of his wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike. The two shine in their performances. They each took their characters from the pages of the book, breathed life into them and embodied Nick and Amy on screen. Combine them with a strong supporting cast of Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry, who gave performances that were neither lost nor forgettable. This is important as each are needed to provide contrast to the main characters and propel the story forward.
Though this film is not perfect, if there is any one gripe I have about this movie, it’s that a simple line of missed dialogue may cause the theater patron to miss something important to the story, such as the significance of the woodshed. However this is a small gripe as I feel that the pacing of the film and the constant advancement of the story will keep most patrons’ attention and keep them interested in the destiny of the characters.
If you are a reader, I would recommend reading the book first to get into the minds of the characters and truly feel the thrill of this story. However, if you haven’t the time or just don’t like to read, you won’t be disappointed with this strong film adaptation.