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Jeff Lynne recommended Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 by The Traveling Wilburys in Music (curated)
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Body Snatcher (1945) in Movies
Oct 17, 2020
Boris Karloff (1 more)
Bela Lugosi
Invasion
The Body Snatcher- is not related to "The Body Snatchers". Yes it is confused. Cause i thought this was the oringal version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", just called "The Body Snatcher". Nope it turns out its two different things. Both based off of books. This film is based off of "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson. While "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is based off of Jack Finney's 1954 science fiction novel "The Body Snatchers". So yea not confusing at all.
The plot: Dr. Toddy MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) needs cadavers for his medical experiments, ultimately intended to treat a young disabled girl. However, they are not easy to come by, so he enlists the help of taxi driver John Gray (Boris Karloff) and his assistant, Joseph (Bela Lugosi), to unearth bodies from the cemetery. When Donald (Russell Wade), Dr. MacFarlane's assistant, recognizes one of the corpses Gray delivers, the true source of the bodies is called into question.
It is based on the short story "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film's producer Val Lewton helped adapt the story for the screen, writing under the pen name of "Carlos Keith". The film was marketed with the tagline "The screen's last word in shock sensation!" The frequent mentions of Burke, Hare, and Dr. Knox, all refer to the West Port murders in 1828.
The Body Snatcher was one of three films that Boris Karloff did with RKO Radio Pictures from 1945 to 1946, which were produced by Val Lewton. The other two films were Isle of the Dead (1945) and Bedlam (1946).
Bela Lugosi, who became famous with another Universal classic, Dracula (1931), also signed a deal with RKO. Lewton and MacDonald eventually wrote a small role for him; it became the last film Lugosi and Karloff made together.
Robert Wise – later best-known for his work in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), The Sound of Music (1965), and The Sand Pebbles (1966) – was assigned to direct the film. Longtime film editor at RKO, he had replaced the original director on The Curse of the Cat People (1944) when it fell behind schedule and Lewton, who produced it, decided to promote him to his superiors.
Its a excellent film.
The plot: Dr. Toddy MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) needs cadavers for his medical experiments, ultimately intended to treat a young disabled girl. However, they are not easy to come by, so he enlists the help of taxi driver John Gray (Boris Karloff) and his assistant, Joseph (Bela Lugosi), to unearth bodies from the cemetery. When Donald (Russell Wade), Dr. MacFarlane's assistant, recognizes one of the corpses Gray delivers, the true source of the bodies is called into question.
It is based on the short story "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film's producer Val Lewton helped adapt the story for the screen, writing under the pen name of "Carlos Keith". The film was marketed with the tagline "The screen's last word in shock sensation!" The frequent mentions of Burke, Hare, and Dr. Knox, all refer to the West Port murders in 1828.
The Body Snatcher was one of three films that Boris Karloff did with RKO Radio Pictures from 1945 to 1946, which were produced by Val Lewton. The other two films were Isle of the Dead (1945) and Bedlam (1946).
Bela Lugosi, who became famous with another Universal classic, Dracula (1931), also signed a deal with RKO. Lewton and MacDonald eventually wrote a small role for him; it became the last film Lugosi and Karloff made together.
Robert Wise – later best-known for his work in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), The Sound of Music (1965), and The Sand Pebbles (1966) – was assigned to direct the film. Longtime film editor at RKO, he had replaced the original director on The Curse of the Cat People (1944) when it fell behind schedule and Lewton, who produced it, decided to promote him to his superiors.
Its a excellent film.
Darren (1599 KP) rated President Under Siege (2016) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
Characters – Michael is the Prime Minister of Belgium, he is about the close one of the biggest deals of his career with a meeting with the President of United States of America, but he must show his levels of commitment to his cause and his family, when he gets blackmailed into killer the President. We get from this character a man that is pushed to his limits to do the right thing and protect his family. Christine is Michael’s wife, captured and forced to wait for her husband to complete his tasks while caring for their children. Eva is the assistant that has a secret with Michael and forced into playing into the games that are being played.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Isabelle (2018) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
Characters – Michael is the Prime Minister of Belgium, he is about the close one of the biggest deals of his career with a meeting with the President of United States of America, but he must show his levels of commitment to his cause and his family, when he gets blackmailed into killer the President. We get from this character a man that is pushed to his limits to do the right thing and protect his family. Christine is Michael’s wife, captured and forced to wait for her husband to complete his tasks while caring for their children. Eva is the assistant that has a secret with Michael and forced into playing into the games that are being played.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
iLlumination - Universal Flashlight
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Marauders (2016) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Marauders starts when a bank robbery which leaves the bank manager executed, the president of the bank Hubert (Willis) has an excellent reputation and with the FBI investigating the robbery, Montgomery (Meloni) and his team Stockwell (Bautista) and newbie Wells (Grenier) try to put the clues together.
When the second heist happens, the fingers start pointing back at Hubert and a bigger conspiracy comes to the top with connection to a previous incident.
Thoughts on Marauders
Characters – Hubert is the bank president, he has always kept the face that the bank puts their customers first, but when his banks start getting robbed, he must deal with the fingers pointing back at him. Montgomery is the lead investigating from the FBI trying to get to the bottom of the heists, he has his own demons which haunt him everyday after the death of his wife and will not stop until he learns the truth. Stockwell is Montgomery’s trusted second, he is the tired cop figure, he is good at his job and hates people getting in his way. Wells is the rookie agent, with the qualifications to make him the best, he gets the jobs the others don’t want to do, while noticing things they miss.
Performances – The performances in the movie are mixed, we know that Bruce Willis is mostly mailing it in and it is a strange role for him. Christopher Meloni is the star of this movie, the determination and broken side of his character makes him stand out. Dave Bautista does get the funniest lines, some hit or than others, while Adrian Grenier starts strong but fades away in the biggest scenes of the middle of the movie.
Story – The story follows the effects of a brutal heist, the FBI must investigate the heist which brings us into the new web of conspiracies which could bring down a political powerhouse. This a story which does keep us guessing from start to finish, which is something I was surprised to see, as I thought this would be a lot messier. The positive of keeping us guessing, does leave the bigger question about just why the heists needed to be as brutal as they were because of certain injuries or deaths not needing to happen for the cause.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action is brutal and often in your face when it comes to the gun sequences, the crime side of the film comes from the heists and just what they are aiming to achieve from the heists. The mystery is what draws us in because we don’t know what is happening which keeps us invested throughout.
Settings – The film is set in the city which shows how the panic of the robberies starts flying around we see how things get out of hand.
Scene of the Movie – The heists do feel very intense, which I did like.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The last sequence.
Final Thoughts – This was a surprisingly entertaining film, having no expectations going in, this did become intense and kept you guessing even if things unravel in the final scene.
Overall: Enjoyable crime thriller.
When the second heist happens, the fingers start pointing back at Hubert and a bigger conspiracy comes to the top with connection to a previous incident.
Thoughts on Marauders
Characters – Hubert is the bank president, he has always kept the face that the bank puts their customers first, but when his banks start getting robbed, he must deal with the fingers pointing back at him. Montgomery is the lead investigating from the FBI trying to get to the bottom of the heists, he has his own demons which haunt him everyday after the death of his wife and will not stop until he learns the truth. Stockwell is Montgomery’s trusted second, he is the tired cop figure, he is good at his job and hates people getting in his way. Wells is the rookie agent, with the qualifications to make him the best, he gets the jobs the others don’t want to do, while noticing things they miss.
Performances – The performances in the movie are mixed, we know that Bruce Willis is mostly mailing it in and it is a strange role for him. Christopher Meloni is the star of this movie, the determination and broken side of his character makes him stand out. Dave Bautista does get the funniest lines, some hit or than others, while Adrian Grenier starts strong but fades away in the biggest scenes of the middle of the movie.
Story – The story follows the effects of a brutal heist, the FBI must investigate the heist which brings us into the new web of conspiracies which could bring down a political powerhouse. This a story which does keep us guessing from start to finish, which is something I was surprised to see, as I thought this would be a lot messier. The positive of keeping us guessing, does leave the bigger question about just why the heists needed to be as brutal as they were because of certain injuries or deaths not needing to happen for the cause.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action is brutal and often in your face when it comes to the gun sequences, the crime side of the film comes from the heists and just what they are aiming to achieve from the heists. The mystery is what draws us in because we don’t know what is happening which keeps us invested throughout.
Settings – The film is set in the city which shows how the panic of the robberies starts flying around we see how things get out of hand.
Scene of the Movie – The heists do feel very intense, which I did like.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The last sequence.
Final Thoughts – This was a surprisingly entertaining film, having no expectations going in, this did become intense and kept you guessing even if things unravel in the final scene.
Overall: Enjoyable crime thriller.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Chosen (Contender #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.</i></b>
It's midnight and apparently, it was a good idea for me to crank out reading a book in the span of 2 days. I don't know why I'm like this, but anyways, I somehow finished <em>The Chosen</em>?
The first book in Taran Matharu's <em>Contender</em> series introduces us to Cade, who finds himself in a boarding school after being wrongly accused. But shortly after he settles down, he and his classmates find themselves in another world filled with items and people from various mysteries throughout history. They're forced into a game controlled by the Strategos as contenders, only knowing if they fail, there will be consequences.
<h2><em><strong>The Chosen</strong></em><strong> is a quick, action-packed read.</strong></h2>
At least, in the beginning. Hold that thought for a moment. Matharu captured my attention from the first chapter as Cade finds himself having to fend for his life, not knowing his whereabouts. There's a lot of action throughout that made me want to know more as Cade made discoveries and his moves.
<h2><strong>But there's nothing much going on.</strong></h2>
I am all about characters running and fighting for their lives from pre-historic dinosaurs. <em>The Chosen</em> is practically a survival book, but about 60% through, I realized, <em>there's not actually anything going on</em>. Cade, his classmates and eventually the people he meets who join the cause -- they're running around with a timer floating around them. (That timer is also a handy dandy floating Google, which is just plain cool if you ask me.)
Then about 90%, everything happens and Cade finds out more information about <em>why</em> they're on the world. <em>And</em> he finds out both he and his companions got fucked over big time. It's not a one-time battle, there's more to come! A massive internal groan from Cade -- just when you thought it was over, the entire universe laughs.
<h2><em><strong>The Chosen</strong></em><strong> is engaging, though.</strong></h2>
Seriously, I appreciate a good, action-packed book that is engaging enough, I don't notice the entire book is full of running until I'm in deep. By that time, I'm a little too invested - I want to know the end.
Despite being a somewhat huge cast, it was fun seeing most of them come together. It was also fun seeing the choices Cade makes and how creative he is in implementing them in the game they've been forced in. And call me evil, but I'm delighted with the end (we'll even insert an evil laugh here) and want to see what Matharu will put the characters through in the second book.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-chosen-by-taran-matharu/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
It's midnight and apparently, it was a good idea for me to crank out reading a book in the span of 2 days. I don't know why I'm like this, but anyways, I somehow finished <em>The Chosen</em>?
The first book in Taran Matharu's <em>Contender</em> series introduces us to Cade, who finds himself in a boarding school after being wrongly accused. But shortly after he settles down, he and his classmates find themselves in another world filled with items and people from various mysteries throughout history. They're forced into a game controlled by the Strategos as contenders, only knowing if they fail, there will be consequences.
<h2><em><strong>The Chosen</strong></em><strong> is a quick, action-packed read.</strong></h2>
At least, in the beginning. Hold that thought for a moment. Matharu captured my attention from the first chapter as Cade finds himself having to fend for his life, not knowing his whereabouts. There's a lot of action throughout that made me want to know more as Cade made discoveries and his moves.
<h2><strong>But there's nothing much going on.</strong></h2>
I am all about characters running and fighting for their lives from pre-historic dinosaurs. <em>The Chosen</em> is practically a survival book, but about 60% through, I realized, <em>there's not actually anything going on</em>. Cade, his classmates and eventually the people he meets who join the cause -- they're running around with a timer floating around them. (That timer is also a handy dandy floating Google, which is just plain cool if you ask me.)
Then about 90%, everything happens and Cade finds out more information about <em>why</em> they're on the world. <em>And</em> he finds out both he and his companions got fucked over big time. It's not a one-time battle, there's more to come! A massive internal groan from Cade -- just when you thought it was over, the entire universe laughs.
<h2><em><strong>The Chosen</strong></em><strong> is engaging, though.</strong></h2>
Seriously, I appreciate a good, action-packed book that is engaging enough, I don't notice the entire book is full of running until I'm in deep. By that time, I'm a little too invested - I want to know the end.
Despite being a somewhat huge cast, it was fun seeing most of them come together. It was also fun seeing the choices Cade makes and how creative he is in implementing them in the game they've been forced in. And call me evil, but I'm delighted with the end (we'll even insert an evil laugh here) and want to see what Matharu will put the characters through in the second book.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-chosen-by-taran-matharu/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Ticket to Ride in Tabletop Games
Jan 9, 2020
I am one of the remaining few who reviewers who haven’t put in their two cents on Ticket to Ride. Why? Is it bad? No. Am I lazy? No. It’s really because I don’t think I have anything new to say about it that hasn’t already been said a hundred times. So this review on this game will be a little different from me. Instead of going over the rules and such (however truncated they typically are from me) I will question how well this game has aged for me.
Ticket to Ride is one of those games that has really hit it big in the mass market. You can find it all over in big box stores, in FLGS, online, secondary market, just everywhere. But why? And for this long? Ticket to Ride (TTR) came out in 2004. A mere 15 years ago. While that doesn’t really sound like a long time, in contrast to today’s game industry it is an eternity. With thousands upon thousands of games being released into the market through direct publish, Kickstarter/crowd funding, and big releases at conventions it’s hard to believe that you can still find this hanging with the exciting, fresh new games.
What I truly believe is magical about this game is its simplicity. “You have two main options: take some cards or play some cards.” When you can start a teach of a game by saying that, your players are invested right away because they know you aren’t going to bog them down with rules upon rules. “If you decide to take cards you can take these colored train cards or you can take new route ticket cards.” So now players have two choices from gaining cards. “If you decide to play cards you need to play cards of a color and number matching whichever route between two connecting cities on the map you like.” Done. The game is explained. Yeah, you can fight me about the endgame scoring stuff like longest route and whatnot, but for new gamers, you have explained this classic in three sentences. It’s so beautiful when a game allows you to teach it so quickly.
But that surely means that this is an easy game, right? With so few rules and such. Well, no. It’s not really “easy” at all. While your main rules are light, the strategy and tactics during play can cause feelings of joy and delight as well as frustration and concern as you see someone claim the route you need to connect to two cities on the map. Of course, you can’t explain that to your new players right away. You want them to experience these feelings organically and fully. It’s what makes TTR a really great game: having your well-laid plans just shot to smithereens by the guy who can’t tell the difference between the white train cars and the wild rainbow train cars.
DISCLAIMER: I play with the 1910 expansion, which is a MUST. The larger cards are way easier to play with. See photo below with comparisons from base game on bottom with the larger 1910 cards above. YMMV, but I will always play using this expansion. -T
Components. Let’s compare components to some current or newer games. The game board is laid out really well, and the artwork is sparse and not over-busy on the board. This is a HUGE plus for me. I like nothing more than for the board to offer thematic elements and feeling without pelting my eyes with too much distraction. The cards were a bad choice. Not because the art or the quality on them is bad – because that’s not what I am saying. The size of the cards was a poor choice. I did purchase the 1910 expansion and simply will not play my copy without it. I recently played TTR for GenCan’t 2019 at my FLGS with OG base cards and found myself dreaming of the 1910 cards. The score tracker discs are of industry-standard quality for scoring discs. The plastic train car pieces are still just as wonderful to handle and play with as are many other more modern components. Seriously just as good. TTR components (and really, most of the time Days of Wonder components in general) are really great.
So do I still enjoy playing it? You betcha, don’tcha know. I still love seeing the board in front of me, agonizing over the route tickets I am dealt, and trying to decide if I should go for the New York to Los Angeles, or keep it simple with multiple routes along the Mississippi River. I still love the panic that ensues when I see people hoarding train cards, just knowing that they will soon be on the attack and their train car collection will dwindle to almost endgame levels in too few rounds for me to complete my masterpiece. I guess I still really love it.
Is Ticket to Ride my favorite game? No. But I’ll tell you what. I hadn’t played it in a couple years, and after this weekend’s play, it has moved up on my list by several spaces. It still holds a special place in my heart, and also the hearts of my team. That’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives Ticket to Ride a retrospective 20 / 24. It’s still great!
Ticket to Ride is one of those games that has really hit it big in the mass market. You can find it all over in big box stores, in FLGS, online, secondary market, just everywhere. But why? And for this long? Ticket to Ride (TTR) came out in 2004. A mere 15 years ago. While that doesn’t really sound like a long time, in contrast to today’s game industry it is an eternity. With thousands upon thousands of games being released into the market through direct publish, Kickstarter/crowd funding, and big releases at conventions it’s hard to believe that you can still find this hanging with the exciting, fresh new games.
What I truly believe is magical about this game is its simplicity. “You have two main options: take some cards or play some cards.” When you can start a teach of a game by saying that, your players are invested right away because they know you aren’t going to bog them down with rules upon rules. “If you decide to take cards you can take these colored train cards or you can take new route ticket cards.” So now players have two choices from gaining cards. “If you decide to play cards you need to play cards of a color and number matching whichever route between two connecting cities on the map you like.” Done. The game is explained. Yeah, you can fight me about the endgame scoring stuff like longest route and whatnot, but for new gamers, you have explained this classic in three sentences. It’s so beautiful when a game allows you to teach it so quickly.
But that surely means that this is an easy game, right? With so few rules and such. Well, no. It’s not really “easy” at all. While your main rules are light, the strategy and tactics during play can cause feelings of joy and delight as well as frustration and concern as you see someone claim the route you need to connect to two cities on the map. Of course, you can’t explain that to your new players right away. You want them to experience these feelings organically and fully. It’s what makes TTR a really great game: having your well-laid plans just shot to smithereens by the guy who can’t tell the difference between the white train cars and the wild rainbow train cars.
DISCLAIMER: I play with the 1910 expansion, which is a MUST. The larger cards are way easier to play with. See photo below with comparisons from base game on bottom with the larger 1910 cards above. YMMV, but I will always play using this expansion. -T
Components. Let’s compare components to some current or newer games. The game board is laid out really well, and the artwork is sparse and not over-busy on the board. This is a HUGE plus for me. I like nothing more than for the board to offer thematic elements and feeling without pelting my eyes with too much distraction. The cards were a bad choice. Not because the art or the quality on them is bad – because that’s not what I am saying. The size of the cards was a poor choice. I did purchase the 1910 expansion and simply will not play my copy without it. I recently played TTR for GenCan’t 2019 at my FLGS with OG base cards and found myself dreaming of the 1910 cards. The score tracker discs are of industry-standard quality for scoring discs. The plastic train car pieces are still just as wonderful to handle and play with as are many other more modern components. Seriously just as good. TTR components (and really, most of the time Days of Wonder components in general) are really great.
So do I still enjoy playing it? You betcha, don’tcha know. I still love seeing the board in front of me, agonizing over the route tickets I am dealt, and trying to decide if I should go for the New York to Los Angeles, or keep it simple with multiple routes along the Mississippi River. I still love the panic that ensues when I see people hoarding train cards, just knowing that they will soon be on the attack and their train car collection will dwindle to almost endgame levels in too few rounds for me to complete my masterpiece. I guess I still really love it.
Is Ticket to Ride my favorite game? No. But I’ll tell you what. I hadn’t played it in a couple years, and after this weekend’s play, it has moved up on my list by several spaces. It still holds a special place in my heart, and also the hearts of my team. That’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives Ticket to Ride a retrospective 20 / 24. It’s still great!
