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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Marriage Story (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
To say I found this hard to watch could not be more understated. Any adult that has risked their whole life on a true love that runs its course and then fails must surely feel the same. It happens to most of us once or twice in a lifetime, and resonates forever. Such is the level of truth and sadness on display in Noah Baumbach’s beautifully written and directed tale of two people in turmoil, whose biggest obstacle is not one another, but the dispassion and ineffectiveness of legality, and even friends and family, to resolve big issues of a personal nature.
As with the obvious reference point of the seminal take on divorce, Robert Benton’s 1979 Oscar winner Kramer Vs. Kramer, the point is not at all about taking sides and choosing a winner… because everyone loses in a break-up. The only thing you can hope is that it doesn’t tear the child / children apart, and that at least some memory of the love that once was isn’t entirely forgotten. You also hope that you will survive, once you realise you are not part of a whole any more, and you must now figure out who you are and where to go. Even the grief of death is sometimes not as devastating. And this beyond mature film acknowledges that.
Not that it is all doom and gloom. There is some real humour and joy wrapped up inside the detail of Marriage Story’s script. As you would expect from the guy who gave us the massively under-rated The Squid and the Whale, from 2005. It assumes an emotional intelligence similar to the best films of Woody Allen, with which he clearly shares some sense of creative style and sensibility. But let’s not open that can of worms at this juncture.
The idea that Scarlett Johansson can even be thought of as a double Oscar nominee this year may be galling to some naysayers, but it comes as no surprise to me at all. Despite a career touching on the lighter side of cinema, there are some bold artistic choices in there too, and personally I have always seen that potential. As Nicole, she not only creates a fully rounded character different from anything I have ever seen her do; believable and interesting in every way, but also holds her own against one of the major talents working in film today – Mr Adam Driver. And that is no mean feat! Another balance comparison that can be made to the epic battle of Streep Vs Hoffman, decades before. And as with Streep before her, there are moments where we entirely see her side of things and stop questioning male vs female politics and just see the person battling underneath it all.
However, and not remotely because I am likely to relate to the male point of view, the work Adam Driver is doing here is close to transcendent! I have made no secret of wanting Joaquin Phoenix to win every accolade going for his turn in Joker. And what a shame the two have to be compared, because Driver’s work here is second to none! I find it so completely exciting for the future of cinema that he is out there doing his thing – evidently, it is about as breath-taking as screen acting has ever been!
It is not only his ability to convey vulnerability and humanity in every role he takes on; it his control that really impresses. To such an extent that I begin to wonder if there is anything he could not do better than 99% of anyone working today, if well cast. Make no mistake, at any level, this is one of hell of a talent, making the right choices in the roles he does at almost every crossroads. Consider the latest Star Wars trilogy without him, and ponder what weak popcorn fare it might have been without him?
Marriage Story as a complete piece is worthy of dissection and multiple re-watches. I am happy to say that, only hours after seeing it myself. There simply isn’t a doubt. As a serious commentary on break-ups then it may be, at the moment, tertiary in my mind to both the aforementioned Kramer Vs Kramer and the sickeningly sad Blue Valentine. But, it is perhaps more real than either of those, and will certainly build in my psyche as time passes.
In conclusion: Yes! I have no inclination to fault it. And may have more to say at a different point…
As with the obvious reference point of the seminal take on divorce, Robert Benton’s 1979 Oscar winner Kramer Vs. Kramer, the point is not at all about taking sides and choosing a winner… because everyone loses in a break-up. The only thing you can hope is that it doesn’t tear the child / children apart, and that at least some memory of the love that once was isn’t entirely forgotten. You also hope that you will survive, once you realise you are not part of a whole any more, and you must now figure out who you are and where to go. Even the grief of death is sometimes not as devastating. And this beyond mature film acknowledges that.
Not that it is all doom and gloom. There is some real humour and joy wrapped up inside the detail of Marriage Story’s script. As you would expect from the guy who gave us the massively under-rated The Squid and the Whale, from 2005. It assumes an emotional intelligence similar to the best films of Woody Allen, with which he clearly shares some sense of creative style and sensibility. But let’s not open that can of worms at this juncture.
The idea that Scarlett Johansson can even be thought of as a double Oscar nominee this year may be galling to some naysayers, but it comes as no surprise to me at all. Despite a career touching on the lighter side of cinema, there are some bold artistic choices in there too, and personally I have always seen that potential. As Nicole, she not only creates a fully rounded character different from anything I have ever seen her do; believable and interesting in every way, but also holds her own against one of the major talents working in film today – Mr Adam Driver. And that is no mean feat! Another balance comparison that can be made to the epic battle of Streep Vs Hoffman, decades before. And as with Streep before her, there are moments where we entirely see her side of things and stop questioning male vs female politics and just see the person battling underneath it all.
However, and not remotely because I am likely to relate to the male point of view, the work Adam Driver is doing here is close to transcendent! I have made no secret of wanting Joaquin Phoenix to win every accolade going for his turn in Joker. And what a shame the two have to be compared, because Driver’s work here is second to none! I find it so completely exciting for the future of cinema that he is out there doing his thing – evidently, it is about as breath-taking as screen acting has ever been!
It is not only his ability to convey vulnerability and humanity in every role he takes on; it his control that really impresses. To such an extent that I begin to wonder if there is anything he could not do better than 99% of anyone working today, if well cast. Make no mistake, at any level, this is one of hell of a talent, making the right choices in the roles he does at almost every crossroads. Consider the latest Star Wars trilogy without him, and ponder what weak popcorn fare it might have been without him?
Marriage Story as a complete piece is worthy of dissection and multiple re-watches. I am happy to say that, only hours after seeing it myself. There simply isn’t a doubt. As a serious commentary on break-ups then it may be, at the moment, tertiary in my mind to both the aforementioned Kramer Vs Kramer and the sickeningly sad Blue Valentine. But, it is perhaps more real than either of those, and will certainly build in my psyche as time passes.
In conclusion: Yes! I have no inclination to fault it. And may have more to say at a different point…
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Colosseum in Tabletop Games
Aug 16, 2021
Ancient Romans, lend me your d20s! Okay, that was never a saying, but it could have been. For our review today we are checking out Colosseum (the newest TMG edition), and as I have zero experience as an arena manager, or a Gladiator, or even a professional Comedian, this is the closest I will get to any of those professions. Colosseum is regarded as one of Wolfgang Kramer’s (and Marcus Lubke) best games ever. But how did we fare with it?
In Colosseum players are Impresarios (basically an arena manager – I had to look it up) attempting to program the greatest shows of the age in their own arenas. The game will last for five rounds and the winner will be the player who put on the greatest show and attracted the highest amount of attendees.
To setup follow the directions in the rulebook. In fact, I have a disclaimer: I will certainly NOT be explaining all the rules here nor each component’s purpose. There are simply too many of each to cover. I will try to give the feeling of the game and how it flows.
The game lasts five rounds and each round consists of five different phases. The first phase is Investing. It is during this phase where players will be able to purchase Event Programs to be put on in a later phase, or expanding their personal arena, or purchasing upgrades that give different bonuses throughout the game.
The next phase is Acquiring Event Asset Tokens. These tokens are needed to successfully pull off an Event Program. They consist of cardboard chits representing lions, gladiators, gates, decorations, etc. Players will be bidding for an offering of three of these resources around the table until each player has had a chance to be the auctioneer.
After players have gathered their resource tokens they may Trade Event Asset Tokens. This is pretty self-explanatory, but trades may only happen between the current active player and other players, even though each player will have a chance to be the active player involved in trades.
The fourth phase is Producing an Event and really is the crux of the game. This is when players will be rolling dice to move the nobleeples around the board to land them on the player’s arena and score bonus VP, and using their collected Event Asset Tokens from the previous phases, or even previous rounds, to assign to the program for maximum VP. However, programs may still be put on without the necessary tokens needed, but at a severe cut in VP scored. So there is a balance of using all tokens versus using only some of what is required.
Finally, players will participate in the Closing Ceremonies when players will be awarded podiums for placing in the lead position for attendees earned, and performing round cleanup duties. This phase is not played on the final round of the game.
Of course this is extremely pared down, but explains the overall flow of the game. Play continues over five rounds, but here’s the kicker – to determine the winner of the game players will not be totaling their scores after every round, but rather only increasing their placement on the score track according to their most-attended program. So if Randall scored 10, 17, 33, 45, and 44 over five rounds, his ending score would be 45 VP as his most-attended round was 45 spectators.
Components. Colosseum has amazing components. Tasty Minstrel Games really went all out on this remaster. The art is updated from the original version and is much better-looking. The components seem very deluxe – I mean the coins alone are very impressive, as they are heavy metal embossed coins. The wooden components are all great (except the Emperor’s Loge which looks like it could be a throne but in the rulebook they show it being an upside-down throne). Even the little nobleeples are nice looking and fun to move around the board. I am quite impressed by the components presented in this box. Fair warning – it is tough to get all those components back in the box without planning it out first.
A little backstory with this game and me. My first experience in a hobby game store had the owner approaching me and suggesting three games for my first purchase and induction into the board game collector’s club: Dominion (snooze), Colosseum (would have been WAY too much game for us at the time), and Munchkin (which I happily bought right away). That said, I do not think this is appropriate at all to be used as a gateway game ever. There’s a lot going on, a lot of rules that can be forgotten, or just straight up misunderstanding of rules minutia. So while I am glad I passed on it in 2012 when I started my journey, I am also glad I was able to grab a copy of the new version and give it a shot.
I enjoyed my plays of Colosseum quite a bit. I employed several different strategies going into each game and now have a good idea of how I would like to play going forward. Many things are left to chance in the game, and that may appeal to a certain crowd. For me, I do not at all mind a little chance or luck in my games so it is welcome to stay in my collection. I never actually played the original edition so I cannot compare very well, but I am impressed by this title and it will certainly be seeing more table time. It is also the only game I own by Kramer, and that makes me a little sad. I need to check out more from him for sure.
If you are looking for something a little heavier than what we typically review, enjoy an Ancient Roman theme, and you want to feel a little proud of your own wits when winning board games, check out Colosseum. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a lion-hearted 8 / 12. I hope my 4-year-old will want to play it in 10 years…
In Colosseum players are Impresarios (basically an arena manager – I had to look it up) attempting to program the greatest shows of the age in their own arenas. The game will last for five rounds and the winner will be the player who put on the greatest show and attracted the highest amount of attendees.
To setup follow the directions in the rulebook. In fact, I have a disclaimer: I will certainly NOT be explaining all the rules here nor each component’s purpose. There are simply too many of each to cover. I will try to give the feeling of the game and how it flows.
The game lasts five rounds and each round consists of five different phases. The first phase is Investing. It is during this phase where players will be able to purchase Event Programs to be put on in a later phase, or expanding their personal arena, or purchasing upgrades that give different bonuses throughout the game.
The next phase is Acquiring Event Asset Tokens. These tokens are needed to successfully pull off an Event Program. They consist of cardboard chits representing lions, gladiators, gates, decorations, etc. Players will be bidding for an offering of three of these resources around the table until each player has had a chance to be the auctioneer.
After players have gathered their resource tokens they may Trade Event Asset Tokens. This is pretty self-explanatory, but trades may only happen between the current active player and other players, even though each player will have a chance to be the active player involved in trades.
The fourth phase is Producing an Event and really is the crux of the game. This is when players will be rolling dice to move the nobleeples around the board to land them on the player’s arena and score bonus VP, and using their collected Event Asset Tokens from the previous phases, or even previous rounds, to assign to the program for maximum VP. However, programs may still be put on without the necessary tokens needed, but at a severe cut in VP scored. So there is a balance of using all tokens versus using only some of what is required.
Finally, players will participate in the Closing Ceremonies when players will be awarded podiums for placing in the lead position for attendees earned, and performing round cleanup duties. This phase is not played on the final round of the game.
Of course this is extremely pared down, but explains the overall flow of the game. Play continues over five rounds, but here’s the kicker – to determine the winner of the game players will not be totaling their scores after every round, but rather only increasing their placement on the score track according to their most-attended program. So if Randall scored 10, 17, 33, 45, and 44 over five rounds, his ending score would be 45 VP as his most-attended round was 45 spectators.
Components. Colosseum has amazing components. Tasty Minstrel Games really went all out on this remaster. The art is updated from the original version and is much better-looking. The components seem very deluxe – I mean the coins alone are very impressive, as they are heavy metal embossed coins. The wooden components are all great (except the Emperor’s Loge which looks like it could be a throne but in the rulebook they show it being an upside-down throne). Even the little nobleeples are nice looking and fun to move around the board. I am quite impressed by the components presented in this box. Fair warning – it is tough to get all those components back in the box without planning it out first.
A little backstory with this game and me. My first experience in a hobby game store had the owner approaching me and suggesting three games for my first purchase and induction into the board game collector’s club: Dominion (snooze), Colosseum (would have been WAY too much game for us at the time), and Munchkin (which I happily bought right away). That said, I do not think this is appropriate at all to be used as a gateway game ever. There’s a lot going on, a lot of rules that can be forgotten, or just straight up misunderstanding of rules minutia. So while I am glad I passed on it in 2012 when I started my journey, I am also glad I was able to grab a copy of the new version and give it a shot.
I enjoyed my plays of Colosseum quite a bit. I employed several different strategies going into each game and now have a good idea of how I would like to play going forward. Many things are left to chance in the game, and that may appeal to a certain crowd. For me, I do not at all mind a little chance or luck in my games so it is welcome to stay in my collection. I never actually played the original edition so I cannot compare very well, but I am impressed by this title and it will certainly be seeing more table time. It is also the only game I own by Kramer, and that makes me a little sad. I need to check out more from him for sure.
If you are looking for something a little heavier than what we typically review, enjoy an Ancient Roman theme, and you want to feel a little proud of your own wits when winning board games, check out Colosseum. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a lion-hearted 8 / 12. I hope my 4-year-old will want to play it in 10 years…
