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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Crisis (2021) in Movies
Feb 19, 2021
Worth it just for Oldman
Crisis is a 2021 film from write, director and producer Nicholas Jarecki, who previously brought us 2012's Arbitrage starring Richard Gere. Crisis is a story about drugs, namely opioids, and follows three separate yet related narratives about opioids and their impact on US society. There's an undercover DEA agent posing as a drug trafficker arranging a Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the US (Armie Hammer), a recovering addict architect determined to track down those responsible for her son's involvement in narcotics (Evangeline Lilly), and a university professor (Gary Oldman) who's research laboratory uncovers dangerous revelations about a new drug that they've been paid to research by a very influential drug company and their executives (Luke Evans).
The main purpose of Crisis appears to be highlighting two entirely juxtaposed real life issues with opioids - the illegal smuggling and import of street drugs and the completely legal yet questionable drugs introduced by drug companies with full support of the government. For most, neither of these stories should be particularly surprising as they're fairly common knowledge and have been featured in countless films and documentaries over the years, although I think this may be the first time the two stories have been shown together in a film. And for Crisis this really works - showing the two contrasting issues makes for a more interesting and unique story rather than concentrating solely on one that we've seen many times before, especially as its split into three separate narratives.
However, the problem with Crisis is that not all of the narratives are as engaging as intended. Evangeline Lilly puts in a wonderful and emotional performance as architect and mother Claire, but her narrative becomes a little unrealistic as she becomes bent on revenge at those responsible for involving her son in the drugs underworld. And unfortunately Armie Hammer's narrative as undercover federal agent Jake is nothing original, with a smuggling operation and drugs bust that we've seen in many other films, some of which I'm afraid have done it a lot better. The most interesting narrative though is that of Gary Oldman as Dr Tyrone Brower, whose struggle over whether to tell the truth about a new dangerous drug or take the money from his drug company employers is a surprisingly thrilling morality tale. It's helped by a superb turn from Oldman himself and a wonderful supporting role from Greg Kinnear (who I've adored since 1997's As Good As It Gets), and the verbal sparring scenes between Brower and Kinnear's university Dean are probably the best in the film. It's a shame however that Luke Evans isn't given as much to do with his part in this narrative, even with his questionable American accent.
The biggest problem I had with all of the narratives is that unlike similar films that intertwine related narratives that eventually intersect dramatically (think 2006's Best Picture Oscar winner Crash), the narratives here don't all come together in the way I was expecting, which was rather disappointing.
Cinematography-wise, director and writer Jarecki does a good job as the film looks and feels good, and really highlights the US and Canadian settings. The soundtrack only adds to the overall tense and suspenseful feel of the film, although it does feature the typical pulsing, drum beat style that seems to be standard for a modern thriller. And the script, while possibly a little clichéd especially around the drugs bust and smuggling, is good and with his supporting acting role as Jake's fellow DEA agent Stan, Nicholas Jarecki could be one to watch in future.
Overall, Crisis is a good thriller that tells the story of well-known drug issues in a different way and does well in highlighting real life concerns. For the most part it succeeds in bringing an interesting set of narratives together for a fairly gripping albeit slightly long film, and despite my preconceptions about how its intersecting storylines should play out, it is an enjoyable watch, although for the most part thanks to the talents of Gary Oldman.
The main purpose of Crisis appears to be highlighting two entirely juxtaposed real life issues with opioids - the illegal smuggling and import of street drugs and the completely legal yet questionable drugs introduced by drug companies with full support of the government. For most, neither of these stories should be particularly surprising as they're fairly common knowledge and have been featured in countless films and documentaries over the years, although I think this may be the first time the two stories have been shown together in a film. And for Crisis this really works - showing the two contrasting issues makes for a more interesting and unique story rather than concentrating solely on one that we've seen many times before, especially as its split into three separate narratives.
However, the problem with Crisis is that not all of the narratives are as engaging as intended. Evangeline Lilly puts in a wonderful and emotional performance as architect and mother Claire, but her narrative becomes a little unrealistic as she becomes bent on revenge at those responsible for involving her son in the drugs underworld. And unfortunately Armie Hammer's narrative as undercover federal agent Jake is nothing original, with a smuggling operation and drugs bust that we've seen in many other films, some of which I'm afraid have done it a lot better. The most interesting narrative though is that of Gary Oldman as Dr Tyrone Brower, whose struggle over whether to tell the truth about a new dangerous drug or take the money from his drug company employers is a surprisingly thrilling morality tale. It's helped by a superb turn from Oldman himself and a wonderful supporting role from Greg Kinnear (who I've adored since 1997's As Good As It Gets), and the verbal sparring scenes between Brower and Kinnear's university Dean are probably the best in the film. It's a shame however that Luke Evans isn't given as much to do with his part in this narrative, even with his questionable American accent.
The biggest problem I had with all of the narratives is that unlike similar films that intertwine related narratives that eventually intersect dramatically (think 2006's Best Picture Oscar winner Crash), the narratives here don't all come together in the way I was expecting, which was rather disappointing.
Cinematography-wise, director and writer Jarecki does a good job as the film looks and feels good, and really highlights the US and Canadian settings. The soundtrack only adds to the overall tense and suspenseful feel of the film, although it does feature the typical pulsing, drum beat style that seems to be standard for a modern thriller. And the script, while possibly a little clichéd especially around the drugs bust and smuggling, is good and with his supporting acting role as Jake's fellow DEA agent Stan, Nicholas Jarecki could be one to watch in future.
Overall, Crisis is a good thriller that tells the story of well-known drug issues in a different way and does well in highlighting real life concerns. For the most part it succeeds in bringing an interesting set of narratives together for a fairly gripping albeit slightly long film, and despite my preconceptions about how its intersecting storylines should play out, it is an enjoyable watch, although for the most part thanks to the talents of Gary Oldman.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Dogo Dash in Tabletop Games
Oct 15, 2020
During my youth, the best way to settle a disagreement was with a classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. As I got older, that translated to the card game War. What would happen if you mixed the two into one hybrid game? You’d get Dogo Dash!
Disclaimer: We were provided a PnP version of Dogo Dash for the purposes of this preview. The artwork and colors may see some changes between this preview and the final production, but is the most current version. -L
Dogo Dash is a trick-taking party game in which players are trying to earn points by collecting the most cards by the time the draw deck runs out. Setup is quick and easy – shuffle the deck and deal 4 cards to each player. Looking at their hands, players will then select one card to play this turn, and will place it face-down on the table. Once all players have chosen their card, everyone will reveal their cards at the same time. The player that played the strongest card is the winner for the turn, and collects all of the played cards. The strength of the cards is as follows: Cookie beats Bear and Dog, Bear beats Dog and Cat, Dog beats Cat, and Cat beats Cookie (and therefore all other cards this turn).
In the event of any ties, where multiple players have played the strongest card, play continues with a small change – the cards played in the round of the tie remain on the table. The tied players select another card from their hand and reveal it simultaneously. Whomever wins this tiebreaker collects all the cards. If the tiebreaker ends in another tie, then the tied players split the cards between themselves. If any player plays a Good Boy card, that round automatically is considered a tie, and a tiebreaker commences with all players. All players draw back up to 4 cards, and play continues in this fashion until the draw deck is empty. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner!
As you can see, this game is pretty simple to learn and fast to play! The elements of War and Rock, Paper, Scissors are evident, but altered with more ‘character’ options and a more involved hierarchy of power. Unlike traditional Rock, Paper, Scissors, the animals/cards of Dogo Dash are more versatile in play. Instead of only beating one other type of card, each card will act differently based upon what other cards are played that turn. For example, Dog always beats Cat – unless someone also played Cookie. Because Cat beats Cookie, which beats Dog, so Cat wins this round! Instead of relying simply on numerical order to determine the hierarchy of power, the game feels more engaging and fun to play.
Another neat element is the inclusion of the Good Boy cards. When played, they automatically force a tie. All players then must participate in the tiebreaker. The Good Boy cards could be a strategic way to bag a ton of cards for yourself – forcing a tie and then winning the tiebreaker earns you essentially 2 rounds worth of cards! Or they could just be a silly way to interfere with opponents or just to keep a round from ending. There are also a couple of special card combos that can be played in a round, but I will leave those for you to discover on your own!
So all in all, how does Dogo Dash perform? I think it is a fast, fun, and light little game that can be played in many different situations. Whether you need a small filler game, are introducing newer gamers to the hobby, or want to find a game that is kid-friendly, Dogo Dash fits the bill. The gameplay feels familiar, but with a few twists, and that makes the overall game fun to play. Definitely check out Dogo Dash once it hits Kickstarter – you don’t want to miss out on this treat!
Disclaimer: We were provided a PnP version of Dogo Dash for the purposes of this preview. The artwork and colors may see some changes between this preview and the final production, but is the most current version. -L
Dogo Dash is a trick-taking party game in which players are trying to earn points by collecting the most cards by the time the draw deck runs out. Setup is quick and easy – shuffle the deck and deal 4 cards to each player. Looking at their hands, players will then select one card to play this turn, and will place it face-down on the table. Once all players have chosen their card, everyone will reveal their cards at the same time. The player that played the strongest card is the winner for the turn, and collects all of the played cards. The strength of the cards is as follows: Cookie beats Bear and Dog, Bear beats Dog and Cat, Dog beats Cat, and Cat beats Cookie (and therefore all other cards this turn).
In the event of any ties, where multiple players have played the strongest card, play continues with a small change – the cards played in the round of the tie remain on the table. The tied players select another card from their hand and reveal it simultaneously. Whomever wins this tiebreaker collects all the cards. If the tiebreaker ends in another tie, then the tied players split the cards between themselves. If any player plays a Good Boy card, that round automatically is considered a tie, and a tiebreaker commences with all players. All players draw back up to 4 cards, and play continues in this fashion until the draw deck is empty. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner!
As you can see, this game is pretty simple to learn and fast to play! The elements of War and Rock, Paper, Scissors are evident, but altered with more ‘character’ options and a more involved hierarchy of power. Unlike traditional Rock, Paper, Scissors, the animals/cards of Dogo Dash are more versatile in play. Instead of only beating one other type of card, each card will act differently based upon what other cards are played that turn. For example, Dog always beats Cat – unless someone also played Cookie. Because Cat beats Cookie, which beats Dog, so Cat wins this round! Instead of relying simply on numerical order to determine the hierarchy of power, the game feels more engaging and fun to play.
Another neat element is the inclusion of the Good Boy cards. When played, they automatically force a tie. All players then must participate in the tiebreaker. The Good Boy cards could be a strategic way to bag a ton of cards for yourself – forcing a tie and then winning the tiebreaker earns you essentially 2 rounds worth of cards! Or they could just be a silly way to interfere with opponents or just to keep a round from ending. There are also a couple of special card combos that can be played in a round, but I will leave those for you to discover on your own!
So all in all, how does Dogo Dash perform? I think it is a fast, fun, and light little game that can be played in many different situations. Whether you need a small filler game, are introducing newer gamers to the hobby, or want to find a game that is kid-friendly, Dogo Dash fits the bill. The gameplay feels familiar, but with a few twists, and that makes the overall game fun to play. Definitely check out Dogo Dash once it hits Kickstarter – you don’t want to miss out on this treat!
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