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TacoDave (3796 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies

Nov 14, 2019

Parasite (2019)

2019 | Drama

8.6

(40 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Story (3 more)

Acting

Humor

Unexpected twists

It's long? (0 more)

This Parasite gets under your skin...

I will try not to spoil anything, because I really enjoyed watching this movie unfold. It's the kind of film where you can't really guess where it is going, because where it is going is so strange...

Based on the director, I expected sci-fi or horror. This movie isn't either of those genres: it is basically a human-level character study, but in a universe with slightly-cartoonish logic.

I know that doesn't make much sense, but if you watch the movie you might agree.

The main family is broke. They have no money for food and their neighbor recently put a password on their wifi, so they don't even have phones that work. When the son gets the chance to become a tutor to a rich girl, even though he isn't qualified, he jumps at the chance. And, slowly but surely, he and his family plan ways to get all four of them hired on at the rich owners' house.

That's all I will say, because discovery is important for this movie to work. There is a lot of drama and real-life class struggle, but the movie is often punctuated by humor that takes a second to register. It might be a physical sight gag; it might be a turn of phrase; it might be a facial expression; but I found myself laughing out loud, even as uncomfortable things were happening.

If you don't mind subtitles, I strongly recommend Parasite. It is as good as the reviews say.

Kudos

Mike75 (5 KP) rated Zombicide: Invader in Tabletop Games

Jan 19, 2020

Zombicide: Invader

2019 | Action, Science Fiction, Zombie / Survivalist

8.7

(3 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

Mechanics (1 more)

Component Quality

Best Version of Zombicide

CMON really hits their stride in the Zombicide series with Zombicide: Invader. The original Zombicide was a good start but had some rough rules, as many early offerings on Kickstarter often do. Over the years, CMON has matured the series, refining the rules and making plenty of gameplay improvements with follow on editions, including a medieval/fantasy themed Black Plague editions, and now the sci-fi themed Invader.

Invader shows off the maturity of the Zombicide series with well balanced fights against hordes of aliens (who might be alien zombies, though this seems a little unclear). This game uses the nice plastic boards to track each survivors stats, as was introduced in Black Plague. New rule tweaks in Invader allow a survivor to concentrate fire on larger targets, reducing some of the unwinnable situations that sometimes dogged earlier editions. Overall the scenarios and gameplay mechanics all seem well crafted to create tense and rewarding game sessions.

As with all CMON games, there is a wide variety of expansions and characters. There are the usual cameo/homage characters drawn from pop culture and real life. There are also a number of interesting variant Abominations to increase the challenge and variety, as well as several expansions. I bought into the Kickstarter, and Zombicide: Invader may be the first Kickstarter game I've ever gotten where I've actually played through all the expansions.

Overall, a great game from CMON. Zombicide: Invader is lots of fun, and this latest edition makes me very optimistic about their upcoming Zombicide 2nd Edition and the Night of the Living Dead Editions.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2314 KP) rated Past Crimes in Books

Feb 13, 2020

Captivating Debut

Army ranger Van Shaw hasn’t been home in ten years, and he has no plans to return until he gets a letter from his estranged grandfather, the man who raised him, asking him to return. Van arrives to find his grandfather on the floor bleeding from a very recent gunshot wound. Van knows he is the best person to find out what happened to his grandfather. The man made his living as a thief, something he was training Van in until Van turned his back on that life and joined the army. But Van still knows the old man’s friends, and they might tell him things they wouldn’t tell the police. Can he use his contacts to find out what happened?

This book is definitely darker than my typical cozies, but I knew that when I picked it up. While I didn’t find the violence or sex excessive, I did feel the foul language could have been toned down some. The plot was a little slow to hook me, and some flashbacks to Van’s childhood didn’t really help that feeling. However, I did get hooked and was along for the twists, turns, and action sequences we got. I was on the edge of my seat by the time I reached the end. The characters are all solid, which helps. I don’t normally like rooting for criminals, but since Van is reformed, it is easy to root for him. The rest are very real and I enjoyed getting to know them. I’m glad I gave this debut a chance, and I definitely plan to move on to the next in the series.