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47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Too much under water screaming
Contains spoilers, click to show
My god.
This film was frustrating and confusing. So much screaming and really unlegit conversations. Then the end went crazy with multiple escapes from the jaws of a shark...
The oxygen levels only were relevant at certain plot points and so were a pointless tension tool they never used.
The random strong current and the way the sharks just popped up out of no where when there was no way they could have got into those areas was eye rolling.
There was also no other fish at all which is strange since where the hell are the sharks getting there food.
This was trying to be a weird slasher movie, replaced with a shark.. trying to be too serious and then throwing out the most ridiculous ending...
I was so surprised to find out this was a sequel XD
  
Go Extinct!: Stardust Catches the Carnivores
Go Extinct!: Stardust Catches the Carnivores
2020 | Animals, Card Game, Deduction, Educational, Kids Game
“Yo, uhh, got any sevens?” “Naw, go fish.” “Dag, yo.” “Hmm, got any Queens?” “Nope, go fish.” “*&%#@!!” While this may be many of us during the social distancing or self-isolation using meager playing cards, there is now another option – Go Extinct!: Stardust Catches the Carnivores. The title is long, but the playtime isn’t, and the Go Fish is there, but it is masked by an educational skin. Does this one make a case for our collection?

In Go Extinct!: Stardust Catches the Carnivores (which I will shorten to Go Extinct from here on out) players are attempting to score the most points at the end of the game by collecting runs(?) of animals within the same biological family, called “clades.” More points are gained by collecting families with more members, and the game has a known end timeline – when the players’ cards run out.

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, but to give a feel for how the game generally plays. You are invited to back the game through the Kickstarter campaign running until April 16, 2020, purchase from your FLGS upon release, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T

To setup, place the large board on the table for all to see. Follow the setup rules per player count listed in the rule book (because it’s different for three players and for 4+). Shuffle the cards and deal each player six cards. The rest of the deck becomes the central draw deck. You are now ready to begin!

A game of Go Extinct is played over several rounds where players are trying to collect and play complete clades of animals. Only clades played to the players’ personal score piles can be scored at the end of the game, and once in the score pile, can no longer be stolen (asked for) by other players – just like in Go Fish.

Go Extinct becomes a bit more distinct when asking for cards. A player can ask a specific player for a specific animal (Wolverine, Polar Bear, etc) or can ask for cards within the same family (a cub of Delicate Dog or Ancestor of Ursidae). If a player is given a specific animal species, the asking player may take another turn to ask for more animals or clade members. If the ask is unsuccessful, the asked player announces, “Go Extinct” to indicate that the asking player must hunt for animals elsewhere, namely, the draw pile. Redraw at the end of a turn to a hand size of six and the game continues with the next player.

Again, the game ends once all the cards are played, but when the draw deck runs out, a new rule enters play. When asked for a clade, the asked player must give up to three of their cards, if they have that many of that clade. Once a player runs out of cards in their hand, they are finished, and the game ends when every player is out of cards. Tally up the points per clade size, and determine who is the best at collecting animal clades!

Components. Again, we were provided a prototype copy of this game, which is on Kickstarter now, so the components may be different from what will be produced via a successful KS campaign. That said, the components we received are great! The cards are good quality with excellent card art depicting extinct and current animals. The graphic layout is good, and once you can read the cards, the board is no longer really necessary for play. That board. It is absolutely beautiful, though not overly ornate, and is also completely unnecessary for play. We did enjoy having it on the table while we played, but players never actually interact with it or use for anything other than reference. It is a nice touch, though.

Being a family man, myself, and having young children, this will be great for when my kids learn to read. Learning the names of ancestral animals and scientific nomenclature of current animals is something I cannot wait to teach my kids. I really see no reason for me to ever teach them Go Fish while I have Go Extinct in my collection, and I do believe I will keep it there for a long time. If you enjoy light games with a heavy dose of education and direct player interaction without conflict, then Go Extinct is for you. It may be too light for hardcore gamers, but those gamers are not the intended audience. If you are looking for games to bond with your kids over, then you simply must check out Go Extinct. Or if you just want to learn a little something yourself, go ahead and pick up a copy or three. I recommend it. Visit the Kickstarter campaign here and tell them Purple Phoenix Games sent you!
  
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
1932 | Action, Classics, Romance
7
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
With this classic, Johnny Weissmuller is introduced to the world as Tarzan. Already well known as an Olympic swimming star by 1932, whilst Johnny was not the first on screen Tarzan, his has become the most famous.

Playing the role as a naive childlike action hero, king of his domain whilst being pitched as fish out of water when round westerners or “Civilized” folk, these early action movies spend no time delving into the The Ape Man’s origins, as many subsequent adaptions have.

Here, he is simply Tarzan; the athletic protector of the jungle, able to summon help from his wild allies, apes, elephants etc… as he fights white men, “savages” and any number of wild foes, including crocodiles, hippos and a selection of wild cats.

But only up until his fateful meeting with feisty Jane Parker (Maureen O’Sullivan), a fairy tale, innocent romance blossoms which is actually portrayed in such a way, that it is genuinely heart warming as the series progresses.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben) (2018) in Movies

Mar 12, 2019 (Updated Mar 12, 2019)  
Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben) (2018)
Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben) (2018)
2018 | Drama, Thriller
7
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Spanish-language Euro-drama from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi is about as odd a fish as you might expect. Family wedding is going well until Penelope Cruz's daughter is kidnapped; much stressed is placed on everyone involved and their relationships, causing secrets to bubble to the surface in an unwelcome (to say the least) manner.

The thriller elements are definitely a bit of a red herring, as for much of the film the plight of the missing girl seems to get rather forgotten about while everyone sits or stands around articulating their personal baggage and unfinished emotional business. It does get a bit slow and talky (I believe I dozed off for a few moments), but the performances are meaty, involving ones with Cruz and Bardem showing every bit of their star quality and acting ability. Too well-scripted to really qualify as a melodrama, but certainly slices itself a thick slab of theatrical ham; performances make it a worthwhile watch.
  
Serenity (2019)
Serenity (2019)
2019 | Drama, Thriller
WHAT did I just watch??????
I am very torn on this film, and I can't decide whether to just rate it as ok or good. The film weirdo inside of me kind of dug it, but I don't think most audiences will.The critics also hate it, but maybe this will be one of those cult classic things.
The trailer gives the general outline, Matthew McConaughey's character is a fisherman, obsessed by this fish, and Anne Hathaway's character asks him to kill her abusive husband, Jason Clarke (who is now being cast in absolutely everything nowadays). BUT, what is actually going on isn't really clear in the beginning. I feel like it gave hints to its twist fairly early.
Who is actually seeking serenity in the film? That's what you'll be thinking about the entire film.
The twist will most likely be a groaner for most people, as this sort of twist isn't really widely liked.
  
The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic
The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic
2017 | Horror, Murder & Mystery, Roleplaying
Magic doesn't play quite the role in CoC it does in most other fantasy RPGs - its tendency to either kill wizards or drive them permanently insane is probably the reason why - but it's still an important and evocative part of the 'classic' setting for the game. This book, despite the slightly silly title, probably contains everything most players will need on the topic - over 550 spells, from the relatively innocuous 'Embrace of Yog-Sothoth' to the terrifying and unspeakable 'Attract Fish', plus ideas for elaborating on things like spell components and ambient magical areas.

You could probably get by just using the material in the Keeper's Book, but if you want characters to have a wider and more varied repertoire, this book is well worth the asking price. Needless to say, there is also material here to inspire dozens of scenarios for any self-respectingly twisted and inventive Keeper, so it scores heavily in that department too.
  
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Faris Badwan recommended Blow'n Chunks by Flipper in Music (curated)

 
Blow'n Chunks by Flipper
Blow'n Chunks by Flipper
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I discovered Flipper when I was in Boston. I was in a record shop and I saw a sleeve on the wall - one of those more expensive ones that still wasn't very expensive. But there's something about the cover that made it seem along the lines of the DIY things I'm really into. So I bought it without hearing it and it was brilliant. It was like a kind of insane... well Public Image Ltd are already insane. But it was like an even more insane Public Image Ltd, with an amazing groove and totally demented vocals. I really got into them with that record and the first one - Album – Generic Flipper - is also brilliant. That's another example of a really bad sleeve actually... it's pretty awful. The fish logo, worn by Kurt Cobain or not, is pretty terrible. With Flipper it makes sense though. It's a bit like the Jesus Lizard, where they're trying deliberately to piss you off."

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Jane Wiedlin recommended Showgirls (1995) in Movies (curated)

 
Showgirls (1995)
Showgirls (1995)
1995 | Comedy, Drama, Thriller

"#2 is Showgirls. Again, a movie I’ve seen at least a dozen times, and I know that everybody gets it now, but I was a true believer right from the beginning. It is, really, the accidentally funniest movie I’ve ever seen. It never gets any less funny. There’s just something about watching Elizabeth Berkeley in that role, when she’s like flopping in the water like a fish, or when she’s in that club, and Cristal Connors pays her $500 to give Zack a lapdance, and she’s all flapping around on his lap. It’s so cringeworthy, but it’s so funny at the same time. And I’m normally not really a fan of cringey humor — shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm — I can’t even watch those shows because I end up running behind the couch, I’m cringing so bad. The thing about Showgirls, and how earnest everybody was, and how over-the-top it was — I just love that movie. I practically have it memorized."

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Awix (3310 KP) rated Jaws (1975) in Movies

Aug 26, 2019 (Updated Aug 26, 2019)  
Jaws (1975)
Jaws (1975)
1975 | Thriller
Spielberg's exemplary suspense-fright machine remains the only killer shark movie you will ever need to watch. A two-course fish supper: the first half concerns police chief Roy Scheider's attempts to persuade the self-serving authorities of the danger posed by a marauding shark (post-Watergate subtext is fairly obvious); the second sees Scheider, bright young oceanographer Richard Dreyfuss, and salty sea dog Robert Shaw setting off on a primal quest to slay the monster, in a boat which may well prove to be of inadequate size.

Spielberg does an excellent job of hiding the pulpy horror-story origins of the tale, swathing it in plausible small-town Americana, low-key humour and excellent characterisation; John Williams' score is, needless to say, essential to the enterprise. The battle to the death in the second half is superbly constructed, paced and executed. Superb entertainment; I am happy to report that over forty years on, Jaws remains entirely capable of making cinema audiences squirm and scream.
  
The Secret Garden (1993)
The Secret Garden (1993)
1993 | Drama, Family
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I’m as influenced by contemporary filmmakers as I am by past filmmakers, so for me it was important to put two of them on here. The two films that my crew, my cinematographer, and I talk about when we’re going out to shoot are The Secret of the Grain and Fish Tank. They’re reference points for us. The lived-in intimacy of The Secret of the Grain and those two dinner sequences! The story is great, it’s fun, it’s engaging, but those dinner scenes are moments that have touched me very much. I felt, for the first time, that I was truly living with people I didn’t know. The film has these ongoing dialogue scenes that just feel so natural, even though they’re constructed, and those kinds of scenes set the bar for what cinema can do. Fish Tank I love because I love Andrea Arnold, and I can relate to this young protagonist who isn’t so goal-oriented. It’s not like she’s got a mission. She’s just trying to grow up, and she’s as confused about her life situation as anyone else. And it leads her to make some bad decisions, but ultimately we really like her because we know what she’s going through. She’s never presented as someone who we need to decide whether or not she’s likable. There’s an ambiguity to her presentation—you’re just letting her be herself. To me, it’s one of the great examples in modern cinema where a director casts someone and lets the person take over the role, as opposed to tailoring the person to the role as written. I think the movie benefits from that, and everyone around her just falls into her world. Michael Fassbender—you’ve never seen him like that, not because he’s better than he’s ever been, but because he’s forced to deal with the energy of this girl who’s just being herself. So this is just one of those movies I have to keep showing to people who haven’t seen it and have to keep watching to remember that representation of that girl, which is as good as anything I’ve seen in modern cinema."

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